Week 10 - Day 2
THE STORY
Return
RIGHTEOUS JUDGE
Not only will Jesus return as King, He will also return as the Judge to decisively and eternally deal with all of God’s enemies. Satan and unbelievers will be sentenced to hell. Believers will be acquitted because of their faith in Jesus and rewarded for their obedience to the King.
2 Thessalonians 1:7-10 (NLT)
God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don’t know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power. When he comes on that day, he will receive glory from his holy people—praise from all who believe. And this includes you, for you believed what we told you about him.
How will Jesus return and what will He do at His Return?
Revelation 20:11-15 (NIV)
Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
How will Jesus judge and what will the results of His judgment be?
1 Corinthians 3:10-15 (NIV)
By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.
In 1 Corinthians 3 the Apostle Paul makes a distinction between being saved and being rewarded. From what you know of The Story, how are we saved?
Why, then, are we also rewarded for how we have built our lives and fulfilled our Mission?
Randy Alcorn
Let’s be sure this is perfectly clear: Salvation and rewards are different. Salvation is about God’s work for us. It’s a free gift, to which we can contribute absolutely nothing (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5). Rewards are about our work for God.
Salvation is dependent on God’s faithfulness to his promises, and on his mercy. Rewards are conditional, dependent on our faithfulness (2 Timothy 2:12; Revelation 2:26-28; 3:21).
Belief determines our eternal destination...where we’ll be. Behavior determines our eternal rewards...what we’ll have.
Works do not affect our redemption. Works do affect our reward. Just as there are eternal consequences to our faith, so there are eternal consequences to our works (Eternal Perspective Ministries).
What is your reaction to this quote from Randy Alcorn
In light of what you have discovered through the Bible readings and your personal reflections, how will you respond? Finish this sentence: I will …