Turn And Live

In one paragraph

This message opened a new series called "Full Reward." Brian walked the congregation through what the Bible says about judgment and eternity, arguing that most Christians have stopped thinking carefully about what comes after death and why that matters for how they live now. Brian introduced the series by saying it grew out of recent conversations about identity and ownership. The goal, he said,...

Read together

1. 2 John 1:8 key verse for the series, about not losing what was worked for and receiving full reward
2. Hebrews 9:27 each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, used as answer to reincarnation
3. 2 Corinthians 5:10 we must all stand before Christ to be judged and receive what we deserve for what we did in the body
4. Revelation 20:12-13 the dead standing before God's throne, books opened including book of life, judged according to deeds
5. Matthew 25:31-34 son of man coming in glory, separating sheep and goats, sheep invited to inherit the kingdom
6. Matthew 25:41 king sending those on his left into eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons
7. Matthew 25:46 the wicked going into eternal punishment and the righteous into eternal life
8. Matthew 23:33 Jesus calling Pharisees snakes and asking how they will escape the judgment of hell
9. Ezekiel 18:23 God saying he does not want wicked people to die but wants them to turn from their wicked ways and live
10. Ezekiel 18:32 God saying he does not want anyone to die, turn back and live
11. Ezekiel 33:11 God taking no pleasure in the death of wicked people, wanting them to turn from wickedness and live
12. Ephesians 2:8-9 salvation is by grace not by works so that no man can boast, distinguishing salvation from reward

Talk about it

1. Brian said that so many Christians stop at salvation and never think beyond that to the idea of reward. Has that been true of your own faith journey, and what has shaped how you think about eternity?
2. The congregation was asked what they thought the 'full reward' in 2 John 1:8 actually refers to, and the answers ranged from crowns to God's presence to something tangible and quantifiable. What do you think John meant, and why does that one word 'full' change the conversation?
3. Brian used the phrase 'every moment matters when forever is your measure.' What would change about how you live day to day if you genuinely held that thought?
4. The sermon walked through Matthew 25 and the image of sheep and goats, making the point that there is no third category. How do you respond to that claim, and how does it sit alongside the picture of God in the Ezekiel passages who says 'I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people'?
5. C.S. Lewis was quoted as saying that Christians who did the most for the present world were those who thought the most about the next one. Do you find that to be true, and what gets in the way of thinking seriously about eternity in ordinary life?