If we never talk about retirement from a gospel centric perspective, we will end up going into the 4th quarter of our lives with the same mindset as the world – treating the things of this earth as if they are the ultimate treasure.
As the cross looms large in Jesus' story, he sits down to a much anticipated dinner with his disciples – the Passover meal – a story full of rich history and remembering, a meal full of significance and joy, a meal full of promise and hope – a meal he leaves unfinished.
Jesus gets invited to another dinner party with the Pharisees, and talks to them about who will be invited to the banquet table in the kingdom of God.
Someone asks "How many people will get to heaven? Just a few?" Jesus pauses to reply, and teaches that only those who make every effort to enter the Narrow Door will be saved.
If Jesus' had a mission statement, what would it be? It might not be what you think it would be, and not only that, Jesus surprises the disciples by saying there's no middle ground. You're either in or out.
Jesus leaves the home of the Pharisee who invited him for dinner, and prepares his disciples to face a crowd of thousands by saying, “Be on your guard against hypocrisy.”
We tend to live our lives day to day, moment to moment with our eyes on what is right in front of us, but God in his Word informs us that death is not a period on the end of our story, but a comma. All of the doctrines we've looked at so far find their resolution in the Doctrine of Eternity.
“Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours.” Does that mean having money is bad? And what are we supposed to do with this bit about loving your enemies? Or did we miss something in those 4 words: “Yours is the kingdom”?
Ray Ortland is quoted as having said, “There is a hell before Hell; a heaven before Heaven.” Proverbs warns against death multiple times, but rarely does it point to the actual event. So this discussion of life and death is bigger than simply, “Do you have a pulse or not?”