Come, Lord Jesus with Nancy Guthrie
Today we’re chatting with one of our favorite Bible teachers, Nancy Guthrie, about our yearning for Christ’s return and what’s going to happen when he comes back! Nancy Guthrie teaches the Bible at conferences around the country and internationally, including her Biblical Theology Workshop for Women. She is the author of numerous books, the host of the Help Me Teach the Bible podcast at The Gospel Coalition, and she and her husband host Respite Retreats for couples who have faced the death of a child. We pray this conversation with Nancy causes you to lean into the hope we have in eternity!
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
What is the hope we cling to when we pray, “Come, Lord Jesus”?
In this liturgical season of Advent, we’re leaning into the hope that Jesus really came, while also anxiously awaiting his return. What do we know about when Jesus is coming back? What will happen on that day?
We’re living in a time that is often referred to as the “already and not yet.” Biblically speaking, what does that mean?
What will it be like to live in the new heavens and the new earth?
How will our bodies be a part of the renewed creation?
What are some things you’ve learned through your study of Revelation that excite you and give you hope as you continue journeying through this life with your eyes fixed on eternity?
How does the doctrine of the new creation encourage us in our suffering and help us store up treasure in heaven rather than here on earth?
If we don’t particularly find ourselves yearning for Christ’s return, what should this tell us about ourselves? What might you encourage us towards?
NOTEWORTHY QUOTES
“When the Bible talks about hope it always talks about hope in terms of resurrection.”
“When we say we’re ‘hoping’ for something, we’re hoping for what we think the best outcome is going to be. We don’t have any sense of confidence that this thing is going to happen; we’re putting our faith in faith, thinking that the sheer force of our faith is going to cause it to happen. That is just nothing like what the Bible presents as biblical hope.”
“This [resurrection] hope is not centered on circumstances; it’s centered on a person. The living person of Jesus Christ.”
“Holding onto hope is becoming joined to Jesus Christ by faith and believing that because we are joined to him, his death was our death and his life is our life, and we can anticipate resurrection in the day to come and life with him eternal.”
“The Bible tells us that to be with Christ is not simply better; but that it is better by far.”
“The Bible keeps wanting to focus us on our final destination—which is the new heavens and the new earth.”
“There is right now one risen glorified human being in heaven—that is Jesus—but he’s not going to be the last.”
“The Word is helping me set my hope on that day, on that eternal existence in the new creation.”
“If you’re in Christ, that new creation is not solely reserved for the future; it’s breaking into the here and now—the already.”
“Though we’re wasting away on the outside, on the inside God is making us new.” (2 Corinthians 4:16)
“Because I’m in Christ I can hold onto the fact that my suffering is not random, and it’s not meaningless. But God is doing it to do a sanctifying work in me. He’s intending to put his glory on display in the world through my life. He’s intending to use it to make me a person who is able to comfort others. He’s teaching me, he’s training me, and he does have good purposes. I don’t have to see those purposes in my circumstances, I see them in the Scripture and in my own life and I believe that’s what he’s doing.”
“We’re going to have an intimate relationship with God like we’ve never experienced.”
“There will be a security in this new city amongst God’s people and in God’s presence himself.”
“The whole of the earth is going to be the most holy place where God’s presence dwells. That really gets to the heart of the joy of the new creation—that vivid immediate presence of the glory of God filling up everything. There’s no dark corners where evil or unholiness hides, there’s nowhere we can run to get away from him and do our own thing. He is pervasive and he is present. That is the beautiful essence of the new creation.”
“We are constantly dissatisfied. But the very atmosphere of the new creation is going to be abundant, unending, pervasive satisfaction.”
“When we look into eternity future, what we can count on is being healed and whole and satisfied and secure and holy and having an intimate relationship with Christ and enjoying his provision to us.”
“As you read the Scriptures, just take note of how future-focused they are.”
“When you really believe you're going to be fully satisfied there, you can live with some discontentment now and not grumble about it so much. If you really know your future is secure, you can live with some insecurity because you know ultimately you’re completely secure.”
“What was the joy set before Jesus that enabled him to endure the cross? It was redemption, it was resurrection, it was reunion with his Father.”
“It’s just a beautiful thing to be in the family of God and to have brothers and sisters to share this life with.”
RESOURCES MENTIONED
Blessed: Experiencing the Promise of the Book of Revelation, by Nancy Guthrie (forthcoming May 2022)
Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus: Experiencing the Peace and Promise of Christmas, by Nancy Guthrie
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
SIMPLE JOYS
The grace of being a lifelong learner
Having access to so much great teaching and preaching
Good friends to come alongside me in life and ministry
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
What emotions does the idea of the new heavens and the new earth elicit in you? Discuss them or write them down.
During this season of Advent, how might you lean further into the hope that Jesus really came, while also anxiously awaiting his return?
How does the reality that your body will be part of the renewed creation impact how you view your body now?
What passages elicit hope and joy in you at Christ’s return and our future eternal home? Consider memorizing one of those passages.
What might you implement or change in light of what you learned in this week’s episode?
IMPORTANT NOTE
Journeywomen interviews are intended to serve as a springboard for continued study in the context of your local church. While we carefully select guests each week, interviews do not imply Journeywomen's endorsement of all writings and positions of the interviewee or any other resources mentioned.
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