Goal :
To excite students about the nature of their future
home and teach them what scripture says about it.
Scripture Basis
John 14:1-4, Isa 65:17, Luke 23:43, 2 Cor 12:4, Rev
2:7 and Rev 21:1 - 22:5
The BackDoor
Ask students to Imagine they have come home and been
told they are moving to a new home. Have them imagine the best
home possible. Have each one share his or her dream home.
Now ask students what they think heaven will be like
?
Students Teach Students:
Have student read John 14:1-4 and tell what in the
passage is noteworthy. Now we also need to note that there are
actually three places we will know as heaven.
Now lets take turns reading Rev 21:1 - 22:5 and learn
about the Holy City . Stop as each interesting point is made and
sketch the concept on the board.
Discuss the city,
What will life be like there,
What will our bodies be like their .. (similar to
Jesus) .. 1 Cor 15:52, Phil 3:20
What will we do their..
A Story:
Imagine a Christian friend who has just been killed
in a car accident and has just awakened in heaven… pause
until all are quite.
| As our friend awakes, he finds
himself lying in a large comfortable bed. He wakes slowly and
starts to stretch. He feels unusually warm and rested, much as
he did years ago when he would awake to the sounds and smells made by
his mother moving about the kitchen while making breakfast. |
| As he becomes more conscious of
his surroundings he begins to realize that this is not his normal room
or bed, yet oddly he feels quite a home. He sits up and looks around. The
room is large yet mostly empty. The bed, a small table and a chair seem to
be its only furniture. A warm light, a cool breeze and the muted sounds of birds
all stream through two open windows, each
having a simple set of shear curtains. It seems it must be morning. |
| The room itself is actually quite large with beautiful wooden floors and a stately yet unadorned fireplace. Large columns reach up to a vaulted ceiling. The room and all the furnishings are all very simple yet elegant and everything except the floor is colored in varying shades of white and gold. Everything looks new, almost like a model home that no one has lived in yet. |
| Now clearly conscious,
our friend becomes curious, "Where am I he asks himself?".
He try's to remember where he was last and after a minute remembers
that he was driving home. "Yes, Yes he thinks, I was driving down
the highway to get home. I remember approaching the traffic light and timing
it as it was almost ready to turn green and then that flash,
what was that flash? .. was it a another car ? Suddenly he
remembers the other car crumpling in front of him. "Oh my God, he
exclaims, I've been in an accident."… An then it dawns on him…"
This isn't a hospital, "I've died and this, this must be …. heaven". |
| (with energy) .. At this he leaps out
of the bed and runs out the only door to the bedroom . As he leaves it he
enters another large room that appears to be a living room. This room is ever larger
than the bedroom, again with large columns, elegant features yet empty of
furniture. As he passes through the door, he can't help but feel like he has
been here before yet he knows he has not. |
| Continuing to walk, he moves past a well appointed kitchen with large windows that overlook a garden. Then he notices what appears to be a large entryway. As he steps close to the large door there it opens effortlessly by itself. Our friend is not startled however, in fact he begins to giggle, but his giggle is cut short by a gasp as the opening door reveals what is outside. |
| There in front of him a panorama of un-measurable proportions unfolds. A courtyard stands in front of the house and from it he can see that the home is sitting on the side of a small hill overlooking a lush green valley. The valley is filled with glistening lakes, patterned fields, streams, gardens and forests. In he distance he clearly sees mountains that seem to touch the sky. All across the valleys and hills he sees other homes, all with their own courtyards and gardens and in the distance set against the mountains a great city gleaming almost like a jewel. A he gazes, he notices that the air is cool yet also warm, the sky is blue yet also clear, the country side is well lit, yet strangely he can find no sun. |
| As he completes his 3rd full circle looking for the sun, his eyes come back to the garden in the courtyard where he stands. He recognizes some of the plants, yet they all seem much larger than they should be. In the center of the courtyard there is a large tree. As he approaches it, he finds that it is larger that he first thought. It looms over him at least 100 feet tall and its canopy is spread out over the entire courtyard. As he reaches the trunk he peers up into it the tree and begins to see all sorts of birds and small animals like squirrels moving from branch to branch. As soon as the animals became aware of his presence they all seem to become quite noisy and excited. As he stands there looking into the tree suddenly all of the chatter stops. A voice behind him breaks the new silence and calls him by name, a name he knows as his own, yet a name he has never heard before. |
| Our friend turns around to meet the voice and there standing in front of the house is a man. The mans eyes are all ablaze yet his pupils can be clearly seen, His face is radiant like the sun yet visible in all detail, His clothes are glowing like molten metal, yet he gives off no heat, and his feet gleam like polished bronze yet he wears no shoes. His arms were open wide and as our friend turns the man
said …."So,…. how'd I do". |
| At hearing this our friend began to cry, for
he now knew that he was home and this man was Jesus, his Savior. He was amazed
that despite all the failures in his life, Jesus appeared only to be interested
in how well he liked what had been prepared for him. |
| At seeing the tears, Jesus came over and touched our friend and said, "Look back into the tree. For this tree is not just any tree, it is one that you let me grow through you. Each branch represents the life of one who you helped me graft into my kingdom, each twig and leaf their fruit and all of them are now supporting life where before their was death. Well done my good and faithful servant. Now come and see what I have prepared for you. |
| As they walked together they came to the edge of the courtyard. Looking outward, our friend began once more to cry for there coming up the road were a group of people our friend had loved and lost. Each clearly recognizable yet each not the same as he remembered. None were old, none were ill, none were sad and all were beautiful. At seeing him they all broke into a run until they crashed clumsily into his arms. |
| After a few moments of tears and some long
hugs, our friend once again heard his name. Looking over to Jesus, he
said, "Yes Lord" Jesus replied;" I have to go now and
receive another, but don't be concerned for I know you have many
questions., I will come back and have dinner with you later. In the mean
time enjoy your new home and old friends and Remember, this life is forever! |
Key Messageand Summary:
1 Cor 2:9 & 10 tells us that heaven is beyond our imagination but God used his spirit to reveal to us some of heavens attributes. Certainly, as with the story above, a man can only imagine what he would want heaven to be. Isa 55:8-9 tells us that Gods thoughts are much higher than ours. So while we can’t really imagine heaven, of one thing we can be sure, heaven will be much better than anything we can imagine.
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However, as it is written, No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for those who love him but God has revealed it to us by his
Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 1 Cor 2:9-10 (NIV) | |
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"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the
LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts. ISA 55:8-9 (NIV) |
Challenge : Our response
So, Do not let your heart be troubled! (John 14:1)