JESUS AND ETERNITY - Jesus Revolution - Bible Study

"His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master’s joy." - MATTHEW 25:21

Most people who believe in some version of heaven also believe heaven will be a place of joy and reward. Who wouldn’t like the idea of eternal happiness and blessing?

The problem is that too often, the gospel has become a ticket into heaven after you die rather than a message of God’s will being done on earth as it is in heaven. When this happens, people begin to think of heaven like the world’s greatest retirement plan—you make your investment here and there and reap the rewards later. Jesus certainly never gave people the option of “easy believism,” meaning that if you just believe that certain facts are true, then you will go to heaven. Belief in Jesus is about more than walking an aisle or praying a prayer. Those things are not insignificant, but faith is demonstrated in the way we live.

What Jesus did teach was that heaven and hell, eternal joy and judgment, are as real as the ground beneath you right now. Life beyond death is not a separate reality disconnected from your life right now. What you believe about your future will shape how you live in the present. Your life before death affects your life after death.

Write John 3:16 in the space below, either from memory or by copying it from your Bible.

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This popular verse is clear about the reality of eternity. If you believe that everyone will either perish or live eternally, it should motivate certain behaviors and desires. Your belief about eternity should change the way you pray for and interact with other people. All people are loved by God and facing eternity with Him or apart from Him; they will either perish or live—forever.

What word or phrase would you use to summarize each of the following parables of Jesus from Matthew 25?

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____ The Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1–13)

____ The Talents (Matthew 25:14–30)

____ The Sheep and the Goats (Matthew 25:31–46)

You may have come up with a variety of words or phrases to summarize Jesus’ teaching on life and the kingdom of heaven, but His vivid imagery makes clear that we should live in anticipation of His return, making the most of what He’s given to us, and loving others as He would. You should live eager to hear Jesus tell you “well done, good and faithful servant” (Matt. 25:23).

What does the life of a “good and faithful servant” look like today?

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You have a mission. You’ve been entrusted with a great responsibility. You have the truth about the kingdom of heaven. You can either help see more and more people join the kingdom of heaven, or you can hide the gospel in fear, worried that you might somehow do something wrong. Romans 1:16 says the gospel has the power to save, not the gospel messenger. Your job is to simply spread the good news of Jesus. The only way you can truly mess that up is by not sharing at all.

To end, read and reflect on Matthew 7:21–23. Pray that your belief in the gospel will motivate you to share and show the love of Jesus to people around you.

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