HEAVEN AND HELL FOR REAL (1 OF 4)
by Jeff Strite
Scripture: Matthew 25:31-46
This content is part of a series.
Heaven and Hell for Real (1 of 4)
Series: Heaven And Hell
Jeff Strite
Matthew 25:31-46
OPEN: An extremely nervous patient came to his dentist for root canal surgery. He was brought into the examining room and made comfortable in the reclining dental chair. The dentist then injected a numbing agent around the patient's tooth, and left the room for a few minutes while the medication took hold. When the dentist returned, the patient was standing next to a tray of dental equipment.
"What are you doing by the surgical instruments?" asked the surprised dentist.
Focused on his task, the patient replied, "I'm taking out the ones I don't like."
APPLY: When it comes to the teachings in the Bible, there are people who like to pick and choose the parts they can keep and the parts they can throw away.
For example, there are lots of folks who love the idea of Heaven.
A recent Gallup poll (2007) showed that 86% of Americans believe in Heaven.
And most of them thought they were going to be going there.
And why shouldn't they believe in heaven?
Heaven's going to be a great place to be.
The Bible describes it as a place filled with all the excitement and satisfaction of a great banquet. It will be as overwhelming as a visiting a majestic city filled with awe-inspiring structures. It's going to be as beautiful as a royal wedding… where you and I get to be the guests of honor.
In addition, Revelation 21:3-5 tells about a new heaven and earth… and God declares:
"Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!"
Considering the alternatives… who wouldn't want to go to heaven?
ILLUS: A few years back USA Today surveyed the Richest People in Amer ...
Series: Heaven And Hell
Jeff Strite
Matthew 25:31-46
OPEN: An extremely nervous patient came to his dentist for root canal surgery. He was brought into the examining room and made comfortable in the reclining dental chair. The dentist then injected a numbing agent around the patient's tooth, and left the room for a few minutes while the medication took hold. When the dentist returned, the patient was standing next to a tray of dental equipment.
"What are you doing by the surgical instruments?" asked the surprised dentist.
Focused on his task, the patient replied, "I'm taking out the ones I don't like."
APPLY: When it comes to the teachings in the Bible, there are people who like to pick and choose the parts they can keep and the parts they can throw away.
For example, there are lots of folks who love the idea of Heaven.
A recent Gallup poll (2007) showed that 86% of Americans believe in Heaven.
And most of them thought they were going to be going there.
And why shouldn't they believe in heaven?
Heaven's going to be a great place to be.
The Bible describes it as a place filled with all the excitement and satisfaction of a great banquet. It will be as overwhelming as a visiting a majestic city filled with awe-inspiring structures. It's going to be as beautiful as a royal wedding… where you and I get to be the guests of honor.
In addition, Revelation 21:3-5 tells about a new heaven and earth… and God declares:
"Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!"
Considering the alternatives… who wouldn't want to go to heaven?
ILLUS: A few years back USA Today surveyed the Richest People in Amer ...
There are 13860 characters in the full content. This excerpt only shows a 2000 character sample of the full content.
Price: $5.99 or 1 credit
