Jesus’ Future Return For His Bride (The Rapture) – Week 10
Memory verse: John 14:1-3
Bible truth: Jesus will return for true believers.
1. Open in prayer
2. Introduction
Revelation 3:10-13 NKJV
“Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
Before Jesus returns to rule the earth, the earth and the people on it will go through a great time of tribulation. However, if we have accepted Jesus as our Savior and we continue to follow Him, we will not have to go through it.
3.Praise and Worship Songs –
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4. Memory Verse
John 14:1-3 NIV
“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.
In My Father’s house are mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.”
5. A Catching Away
I Thessalonians 4:16-17 NKJV
“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”
The Bible tells us that Jesus is coming again. One day Jesus will appear in the sky and a trumpet will sound. Jesus will only appear in the sky – His feet will not touch the ground. Those who are true Christians, known as the bride of Christ, will go to be with Him in heaven.
John 14:1-3 NKJV
“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.
In My Father’s house are mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.”
Jesus is in heaven right now preparing a home for us. He is also sitting at the right hand of the Father interceding, praying, for us.
Hebrews 10:12 NKJV
“But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God”
We refer to this return of Jesus in the sky as the rapture or a catching away. It is also known as the blessed hope. It means Jesus is coming back to take true Christians to heaven with Him!
6. Game – Wedding Gift Memory Verse
Need: two small boxes, two chairs, and a sign.
Wrap up 2 empty shoeboxes or other small boxes for this game. The boxes should be equal in size and shape. Write the memory verse on each box. Make a sign that says, “Jesus Is Returning For His Bride”
Place sign with a chairs a short distance from the lines.
Divide the group into two teams and have them line up in two line. Give each team one wrapped box. The first person on each team is to balance the gift box on their head, hurry to the chair with the sign “JESUS IS RETURNING FOR HIS BRIDE” . At the sign they are to take the box off their head, say the memory verse then run back to their team. The next person will do the same. The team that finishes first is the winner.
7. Ready At All Times
If you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior you are His legal bride. The Bible calls people who trust in Jesus for eternal life, the bride of Christ. One day Jesus will come and take His bride to His home. We refer to this as the rapture. We should be ready at all times for Jesus to return because we do not know when He will come.
Matthew 24:44 NKJV
“Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
In the Jewish wedding, if a bridegroom arrived to get his bride and she was not ready or if he found her not pure the wedding was off. Many times it cost her life.
We must be ready when Jesus returns. If He finds impurities or sin in you when He return, you will not be part of the bride of Christ. Only those who have properly prepared themselves will be the bride of Christ. Sin keeps a person from being properly prepared! Failure to prepare to be the bride of Christ has serious consequences that last forever and ever.
Matthew 22:11-14 NIV
“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ The man was speechless.
Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
For many are invited, but few are chosen.”
John 3:16 NIV
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
As the bride of Christ we must…
forsake (leave, turn from) our sins.
undergo sanctification (to be set apart).
be cleansed by the washing of the Word.
conform to what the Word of God teaches.
have a desire to please our groom, Jesus.
have an intimate relationship with Jesus, not just know His name.
make ourselves ready for His return.
8. Game – Be Watchful Relay Race
Jesus can come at any time. No one knows when He will return so it is important for us to be watchful and make sure we are ready when He returns. We’re going to play a game naming places we might be when Jesus returns.
Need: a play watch for each team
Divide the group into teams.
Line the teams up in rows. At your signal, the first person in each row puts on a toy watch, then they must say “Jesus can come at any time. He might come when I am ___________________________________”. Then they are to take off the watch and hand it to the next person on their team and they are to repeat the process. The game continues until everyone on team has had a turn. The team that finishes first is the winner.
9. Jesus Will Return
In the Jewish marriage, the groom was responsible to provide a suitable home for the bride. Usually it was a room, wing or section added to the father’s home. He did this during the preparation step. While the bride was making herself ready to be a suitable bride for the groom, he was preparing a home for her. One of Jesus’ purposes when He returned to heaven at the ascension was to prepare a place, a home, for His bride.
John 14:1-3 NIV
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In My Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me.”
Signs that the rapture will happen soon are found in various places in the Bible. Some of these signs are wars and rumors of war, earthquakes and famines, Christians will be hated, and the Gospel will be preached in every nation.
Mark 13:5-8 NKJV
“And Jesus, answering them, began to say: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and will deceive many. But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows.
10. Game – Can Stacking
Need eight cans and paper plates.
Divide the group into teams. Line each team up in front of a table. On the table in front of each time place four cans and paper plates. At the signal the first player on each team will stack four layers of cans, with paper plates in between. Then they will take the cans and plates down. The next person on the team will repeat the process. The team that finishes first is the winner.
11. Wedding Feast and Tribulation
When Jesus takes the true Christians, both those alive and dead, to heaven in the rapture it will be to a feast known as the wedding feast of the bride. This feast will last for seven years. During these seven years while the true Christians are at the feast, the people left on earth will being going through a very horrible and frightening time known as the great tribulation.
12. Game – Separate The Sweets
Need twelve bowls – six for each team, five types of mini candy bars ( ten of each kind)
Divide the group into teams. Line each team up in front of a table. On the table in front of each time place five empty bowls and one bowl of five types of mini candy bars ( five of each kind).
At the signal the first player on each team will separate the candy bars, placing five of each kind in the bowls. Then they will put all the candy bars back into the original bowl. The next person on the team will repeat the process. The team that finishes first is the winner.
13. Worship Song – _______________________________
14. Challenge and Altar
Everyone will live somewhere forever and ever. The bride of Christ will live in heaven with joy and happiness and everyone else will live in the lake of fire in torment and pain.
Revelation 20:11-15 NKJV
“Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”
Have you prepared for Jesus’ return? Are you watching and waiting for His return.?
Are You Preparing?
Are you devoted to God?
Are you set apart for God’s service?
Are you striving toward spiritual perfection?
Are you trying to do your very best for Jesus?
Are you pure in heart?
Are you genuine?
Are you perfectly clean?
Are you spotless?
Are you without evil?
Are you without sin?
Do you have the same qualities and characteristics as Jesus?
Have you set yourself apart for Jesus?
Have you shut out everything that would keep you from being what God desires you to be?
Are you active in your worship to Jesus?
Are you active in prayer?
Does God respect you?
Are there impure things in your life?
Is your behavior appropriate for that of a Christian?
Are you Christ-like?
Do you behave in a correct manner?
Are you being cleansed by the washing of the Word?
Are you renewing your mind?
Are you conforming to what the Word of God teaches?
15. Refreshments or a light meal
16. Crafts
CRAFT IDEAS
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