SERMON: FATHER KNOWS BEST

15 June 2014

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Psalm 139:1-6

Psalm 139:1-6 (NIV)

1 O LORD, you have searched me and you know me.

2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.

3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.

4 Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.

5 You hem me in--behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

            -- today is Father's Day -- and as I began to study and meditate on this passage of Scripture, I couldn't help but think of how fitting it was that God had led us to this Psalm on this particular Sunday

            -- in this Psalm of David we see David pouring out his gratitude towards God the Father for His protection and grace throughout his entire life -- from before he was formed in his mother's womb and, even now, after he has been graced with the responsibility for leading God's chosen people as their first true Godly king

            -- the major theme that weaves its way through this Psalm is that David could always count on God to be there when David needed Him -- and as I reflected on this theme, I realized it was also true in my own life -- growing up -- and even to this day -- the one thing I could always count on was Daddy being there, no matter what the problem

            -- for instance, my first couple of trucks were not four-wheel drives, and I can't tell you the number of times I got stuck in the mud when I went hunting or fishing -- and it didn't matter when it happened or where it happened -- whether it was during the day or after dark -- all I had to do was walk to a phone -- for you younger folks, there was actually a time when no one had cell phones and we had to use a pay phone or knock on someone's door and ask to borrow a phone -- all I had to do was call, and Daddy would stop whatever he was doing and come and help me get out

            -- and his help didn't quit when I grew up and got married -- several years ago, Kim and I were driving up to Adel well after dark and, all of a sudden, all the lights came on in the car and I lost my steering and my air conditioning and everything right in the middle of the interstate -- we made it to a gas station and called home and Daddy came in middle of night -- he actually brought a mechanic and parts with him and replaced our serpentine belt right there on the spot

            -- he was there when I was getting out of school and getting married and moving from town to town to town -- he's always been there to help when I needed it -- and to this day I know if I have a problem, I can count on his help and advice when I need it -- I know he'll be there

            -- a few years ago Dave Branon interviewed a couple of pro athletes, and their story was very similar to mine -- Howard Cross, a football player for the New York Giants, told Branon, “I spent most of my time with my dad. He was always there for me, taking care of me, pointing me in the right direction.” -- And basketball player Avery Johnson, point guard for the San Antonio Spurs, said, “My parents were prime-time examples. They were always there for me.”" [Dave Branon, Our Daily Bread]

            -- that's exactly the message David is giving us in this Psalm -- he's telling us we can trust in the Lord to always be there for us -- David points out in this poetical Psalm that the Lord knows us -- He loves us -- and He wants the best for our lives -- that's why I titled today's message, "Father Knows Best"

II.  Scripture Lesson (Psalm 139:1-24)

            -- so let's turn now to Psalm 139 and let's see what we can learn about "Our Father, who art in heaven," from David's perspective and close by considering what our response should be to the Father's providence, protection, and presence in our lives

            -- as we begin, I want to make you aware of the structure of this Psalm -- David wrote this in four poetical stanzas of six verses each -- the first three sections each address a separate aspect of God's interactions with us while the last section covers our response to Him

            -- so with that said, let us look now at Psalm 139:1 at the first section of this Psalm

            A.  The Omniscience of God (Psalm 139:1-6)

            -- verse 1-6

Psalm 139:1-6 (NIV)

1 O LORD, you have searched me and you know me.

2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.

3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.

4 Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.

5 You hem me in--behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

            -- in this first section of Psalm 139 David emphasizes the Father's omniscience -- he tells us the Lord knows us because He is aware of who we are and what we are -- God's knowledge extends to our movements -- our thoughts -- our actions -- our words -- our very being

            -- he opens this Psalm with the words, "O Lord, you have searched me and you know me" -- and there's a couple of important things there I want you to see

            -- the idea of God searching us that David conveys is not that of a superficial search -- God didn't just Google us -- He didn't just track our movements by our phone's GPS -- no, the concept here is a deep searching of our very being -- who we are on the inside, not just who we pretend to be to this world or to ourselves

            -- God searched to the depths of our souls -- to the innermost parts of ourselves -- in order to know us intimately and personally

            -- and I want you to see that this is a personal searching and knowing of yourself by God -- David doesn't say in this section, "O Lord, You know all things" -- he doesn't just address God's infinite knowledge and omniscience in this light -- instead David says, "You have searched me and You know me"

            -- I went to a Promise Keeper's event a few years ago, and the speaker was sharing with us his thoughts on prayer -- he said at an early age it had been impressed on him by his mother to pray to God in all things -- not just the big things -- when he lost his socks and couldn't find a matching pair that he needed for football, he would yell out to his mother, "Have you seen my socks?" -- and she would respond, "Have you prayed about it?" -- and he said his initial response was, "No -- God doesn't care about my socks -- He's got more important things to worry about than that" -- but he had come to learn that God does care about our socks because God cares about us and about the things that affect us -- even whether we have matching socks or not

            -- that's what David is saying here -- God cares so much about us individually that He has searched us out to the innermost parts of our being and He knows us intimately and personally -- the idea David gets across in these first six verses is that God is so in love with us that if He had a wallet, our picture would be in there -- God loves us so much that He pays attention to everything we do and say and think and believe

            -- it reminds me of what William Young wrote in his book, "The Shack" -- as the character in that book speaks to God about certain individuals in his life, God smiles at the mention of each one of them and responds about them, "They're my favorite!"

            -- that's what David's saying here -- you're God's favorite -- and because of that, He has searched you and He knows you and He loves you

            B.  The Omnipresence of God (Psalm 139:7-12)

            -- verse 7-12

Psalm 139:7-12 (NIV)

7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?

8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,

10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,"

12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.

            -- in this second section of Psalm 139 David emphasizes the Father's omnipresence -- he tells us the Lord knows us because He is always with us -- there is no where we can go where He is not

            -- an atheist philosopher once asked a Christian, "Where is God?" -- the Christian responded, "Where is He not?" [John Arrowsmith (1602-1659) commentary on Psalm 139]

            -- David's point here is that God is everywhere I am -- He is everywhere I could be -- man is always somewhere, but God is always everywhere -- there is no where we can go that God's presence is not already there

            -- I've been reading several books lately on missionaries to the persecuted church and their own ministry in the restricted countries of the world -- and the one thing that stands out so clear in their accounts is that they can travel to the spiritually darkest places on earth -- they can go into the midst of Muslim territories where Christianity is not tolerated -- and, yet, they find God is already there -- His prevenient grace is already present, working and protecting and guiding the people to a saving knowledge of His Son Jesus Christ

            -- David says, "Where can I go from your Spirit? -- Where I can flee from your Presence?" -- and the answer is you can't -- because God is there

            -- David says if I go up to the highest heavens or if I go to the depths of the earth and make my bed in Sheol, I find you there

            -- if I rise on the wings of the dawn -- a poetical way of saying if we go as far to the east as possible -- or if we settle on the far side of the sea -- David was referring to the Mediterranean Sea -- to going as far to the west as possible -- as far as the east is from the west -- no matter where we travel -- no matter where our feet carry us -- God is there

            -- even in the middle of the night -- when the darkness closes in and our fears become larger and more scary -- God is not distant, but right there among us -- making our night as bright as day -- and keeping us safe through the storms of our hearts

            -- the question is why? -- why do we keep finding God wherever we are? -- because He wants to be there when we need Him -- He wants to be there because He loves us and just can't stand to be apart

            C.  The Omnipotence of God (Psalm 139:13-18)

            -- verse 13-18

Psalm 139:13-18 (NIV)

13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.

14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!

18 Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you.

            -- in this third section of Psalm 139 David emphasizes the Father's omnipotence -- he tells us the Lord knows us because He created us -- and I want you to see the emphasis of David's remarks here about our Creator Father

            -- once again, we don't see God's work in our lives given to us in general terms -- this isn't a retelling of Genesis 1 and 2 -- David doesn't say here, "God created the heavens and the earth -- God created mankind" -- no, look what David says

            -- "You created my inmost being -- You knit me together in my mother's womb" -- what David's saying is that God made him -- individually -- personally -- before David's parents ever came together -- before God created this earth -- before time began -- God said, "I am going to make David so I can love him in a real and personal way"

            -- God said the same thing about each of us -- God -- the God of the universe -- the God who walked on water and raised the dead and died for us on the cross -- the God whose thoughts are so immense that if you tried to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand -- that God -- that God sat on His heavenly throne and said, "I am going to create Greg so I can love him"

            -- and I want you to know, I'm not trying to be sacrilegious here, but when I thought about the point David is trying to get across here -- that God loved us so much He made us individually and planned out what we were going to be like and what we were going to do and where we were going to go -- I just couldn't help but think of Bugs Bunny

            -- remember the cartoon where Hugo the Abominable Snowman picks up Daffy Duck and hugs him and says, "Just what I always wanted -- my own little bunny rabbit -- I will name him George and I will hug him and pet him and squeeze him and rub him and caress him..."

            -- that's kind of what David is saying God is like -- God made you and He made me -- not just as a general afterthought -- not just, "Hey, I need a couple more people down there" -- no, God said, "I need a Greg and I'm going to make him and I'm going to love him and I'm going to search him and know him and protect him and guide him and take care of him and be with him no matter where he goes"

            -- and that's true for you and me and the most vilest sinner on earth -- God loves us the same -- God loves us extravagantly -- that's why the Bible tells us that while we all were still sinners, Christ died for us -- the Godly for the ungodly -- the just for the unjust

            -- God has a plan for our lives -- all the days ordained for us are written out in His book -- and while we may have strayed from His plan for our lives -- while we may have rejected Him -- He never rejected us but waited for us to come home to Him as the prodigal's father waited for him to return

            D.  Our Response (Psalm 139:19-24)

            -- verse 19-24

Psalm 139:19-24 (NIV)

19 If only you would slay the wicked, O God! Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!

20 They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name.

21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD, and abhor those who rise up against you?

22 I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.

24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

             -- so how do we respond to this extravagant love of God? -- now that we know what God has done for us -- now that we know just how much He loves us and cares for us and calls us to Him -- how do we respond? -- what is our spiritual act of worship in response? -- how can we love God as He loved us?

            -- in John 14:23 Jesus said, "If anyone loves Me, he will obey My teaching" -- and in 1 John 5:3 we read, "This is love -- to obey His commands"

            -- what is our response to a God who loves us in the way David has expressed in this Psalm? -- our response can only be to love Him by obeying His commands and living in a righteous relationship with Him -- that's why this last section of David's Psalm is a call to personal holiness

            -- every time I have read this Psalm, I have always thought verses 19 through 22 were just out of place -- here we've had this wonderful Psalm of praise extolling God's virtues that are expressed to us through His searching and knowledge of us -- through His presence in our lives -- through His power expressed in His personal creation of us -- and then we reach these verses which begin with the thought, "If only you would slay the wicked!" -- it just seems out of place, doesn't it?

            -- but after spending some time really studying this and thinking about what David is saying here, I have to come to understand why he added these verses

            -- as I said this last section is a call for personal holiness in response to the Father's goodness -- and what David is trying to express in these verses is the need to reject wickedness -- holiness means living apart from the wicked -- it means being in the world but not of the world

            -- over in the New Testament when Jesus sent His disciples out to minister in His name, He told them He was sending them as sheep among wolves -- we are the sheep -- we are of His flock -- and we are to act and think and live and breathe as sheep -- as those called by His name

            -- but we are surrounded by the wolves -- by the wicked -- by the world -- who live differently from us -- who have different values -- different ways of dealing with those around them

            -- David says, "I hate them" -- some translations say "I hate them with a perfect hate" -- and, while we certainly aren't supposed to hate anyone, the point David is making here is that we are to hate the sin -- we are to hate the wicked -- we are to hate their actions -- the way they slander the Lord's name -- the way they speak of God with evil intent -- the way their lives are filled with evil -- that's what he's saying

            -- how we can know God in such an intimate way as described in this Psalm and associate with the evil of this world? -- we can't -- oil and water don't mix -- evil and holiness don't mix -- so personal holiness means living apart from the wickedness of this world

            -- personal holiness means we choose to turn our backs on the world and live with and for God -- we live in an honest and open relationship with Him -- David is a realist about living in this world -- he is described in the Bible as a man after God's own heart -- and yet David sinned in ways most of us could not even imagine -- taking another man's wife and killing him to cover up his sin

            -- that's why David asks God here in verse 23 to search him and know him -- to test his heart -- he already said in verse 1 that God had searched him and knew him -- so why ask God to do it again? -- because we get corrupted just by living in this world

            -- this is a dirty place -- and just walking through it, that dirt clings to our feet and we carry it home and we carry into our hearts -- and so David asks God to search him and to search his heart and to show him anything that shouldn't be there -- to reveal to him any ways that he has that are not right -- so he might repent of his sins and follow God with a clean heart and clean hands

            -- David cries out to God, "Lead me -- show me your path -- guide me in the paths of righteousness for Your Namesake" -- that is the only response we can make to God's presence and providence and power in our lives

III.  Closing

            -- in a copy of Reader's Digest, Donald Ballar shared this story about an instructor of student truck drivers -- the instructor gave this scenario to his class. "You are in an 18-wheeler with a heavy load, barreling down a mountainous two-lane highway -- Ed, your co-driver, is asleep -- There are six trucks behind you, and as you come over the top of a hill, one of the trucks behind you pulls out into the left lane to pass -- As he comes along side of you, you see several trucks coming from the opposite direction moving towards you -- One of the trucks coming at you is in your lane because it is passing another truck

            -- so, there are five trucks behind and one beside you -- there are several trucks in front of you and the two out front have both lanes blocked -- The question is, 'What will you do?'

            -- one student called out, 'The answer is simple -- I would wake up Ed.'

            -- 'Why would you do that?' asked the instructor.

            -- The student replied with, 'Cause Ed ain't never seen a truck wreck like this one before!'"

            [Terry Laughlin, Victoriously Living Over the Flesh; http://www.sermoncentral.com/illustrations/sermon-illustration-terry-laughlin-humor-holiness-68391.asp]

            -- that's exactly what this Psalm all about -- it's about preventing a truck wreck -- it's about staying on the right path and following God with all your heart and mind and soul -- it's about making sure that there is nothing in our lives that is hindering our walk with God and preventing us from fulfilling His calling for us

            -- David has made the case in this Psalm that God is with us -- He knows us, intimately and personally -- He is always with us, no matter where we go -- and He created us -- not to be in a truck wreck -- but to live lives of purpose and meaning and holiness -- to be holy as He is holy

            -- David's point in this whole Psalm is to tell us that if we could just be aware of God's power and presence and providence in our lives -- we would walk differently than we do -- we would walk in holiness and righteousness all the days of our lives

            -- Jonathan Edwards, one of the great preachers of early American history, used to make personal resolutions -- one of these resolutions written in his journal was "Resolved, never to do anything which I would be afraid to do if it were the last hour of my life"'

            -- that's the same idea that David expresses as he cries out in verses 23 and 24, "Search me, O God, and know my heart -- test me and know my anxious thoughts -- see if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting"

            -- with that thought in mind, let me close by asking you this question:  Are we serious enough about living our lives in obedience to Christ that we are willing to do something about it?

            -- I have felt led to start a new sermon series next week on everyone's favorite subject -- sin -- specifically looking at the seven deadly sins -- with the goal being to ask God to search our hearts -- to reveal to us our sins -- and to lead us in the way everlasting

            -- so with that, let us close -- and, as we pray together, may you respond to God's word as you feel led

            -- let's pray

OKRA

When I was a child, my mother had a rule.  No matter what was placed on the table before you, you had to take one bite.  No refusing anything.  No turning your nose up at it without first trying.  You didn't have to like it.  You just had to try it.  One bite.  That's all.  One sizable bite that met her size requirements, taken into your mouth under her watchful eye.


However, there was an aspect of the one-bite rule that I still find disturbing.  It didn't matter that a food had been tried and found wanting in the past.  If that same food was presented at another meal at a later date, it still must be tried again.  And so as a child I suffered through a litany of culinary delights and disappointments all imbibed one single bite at a time.

But out of all my mother cooked, nothing was as horrific or terrible as the image of boiled okra gracing the family dinner table at our evening meal.  For those from more northern climates who are unfamiliar with okra, this is a southern food termed by some a "delicacy," especially when served deep fried with a light batter crusting.  But none of that for us.  No fried okra ever graced our table to my memory.  It was always boiled, slimy okra.  Sitting on my plate, growing larger by the minute, staring me in the eye and daring me to eat it. 

And eat it, I did.  Just one bite.  No more.  No less.  But, oh what a chore that bite was.  Sometimes hours would pass before I could will myself to open my mouth and swallow one bite of boiled okra, washed down by a gallon of sweet tea just to remove the taste.  But when it was over -- when the one-bite had been accomplished -- I could never rest easy in victory because I knew, I just knew, it would not be long before that boiled okra appeared again.  My worst enemy.  Back to battle me again.

Now, it's important that you know I am a discerning culinary patron.  In other words I am picky. I am now and have always been so.  And knowing this, and knowing that taste buds change as one matures, my mother wisely implemented her one-bite rule for me and my sister at our family dinner tables.  And thankfully so, because despite my boldest objections and worst, scrunched up face at the initial taste of sauteed squash and steamed broccoli, these have turned out to be two of my most favorite foods.  Foods which I might not even try today if not for the one-bite rule.

But, to this day, I will not and cannot eat boiled okra.  Just the sight of boiled okra is enough to trigger my gag reflex.  Merely typing this and having to write the word okra over and over again is enough to turn my stomach.  Okra is one of the few foods I refuse to allow near my plate.  When presented with this at a restaurant or a church pot-luck, my answer is always the same:  "I don't eat boiled okra."  And I haven't.  Not since I was old enough to leave home and the one-bite rule behind.  I don't even think of okra if I can help it.  But all that changed this week.

You see, I was riding along on my way to work, praying to God and asking for His grace in obedience to His commands.  You know, as well as I, that none of us are where we need to be spiritually.  Despite the fact we have been forgiven of our sins on the cross of Calvary by the precious blood of Christ, we all still choose to sin on a daily basis, and for many of us, there is one or two sins that are particularly besetting, our "thorns in the flesh," if you will.  These sins have become bad habits for us, and even though we try to turn away from them, we find ourselves choosing to give in to temptation and sinning against God in the same way over and over again. 

This past week was a week that happened to me, and as I rode along confessing and repenting of my sin and asking God to keep me from stumbling again, an image appeared in my mind.  No, the heavens did not open as they did for John on the island of Patmos.  Nor did I see Christ in a bright light as Paul on the road to Damascus.  I didn't even see fiery chariots or images of spectacular beasts rising from the sea.  No, I saw, just as clear as day, a bowl of boiled, slimy okra.

That's right.  Okra.  Boiled, slimy, gag-inducing okra.  And I said, "God, what is this?  How does this help? How is this an answer to prayer?"  Surely God wasn't suggesting I partake of a bowl of this boiled okra as a means of self-flagellation and punishment for my sin.  But gently, God showed me what this meant.

First, He pointed out the way I feel about okra is the way He feels about sin.  Just as repulsive as okra is to me, sin is to Him.  Just as the mere thought of okra turned my stomach and made me want  to throw up, this was how God saw sin in my life.  And I thought, "Wow!"  I never thought of it like that before.  Before sin was just something I dealt with on my own.  I knew it was wrong.  I knew God didn't want us to do it.  But I never thought about how He viewed it.  It changed my impression of sin.  Every time I sinned, I was placing a big bowl of slimy boiled okra in front of my loving God and Savior and telling Him to eat it even though He hated it and always would.

Secondly, God pointed out to me that sin in my life could be dealt with in the same way okra was.  Too often I would blame my propensity to sin on my human nature.  "It's just the way I am.  I'm not perfect.  I'm not God.  I can't help but sin.  Everyone sins.  It's part of being a human."  However, in 1 John 2:1, John tells us that he is writing this epistle "so that you will not sin."  Do you see what he's saying?  Sin is a choice.  We can choose not to sin if we follow God's word.  God will never give us more than we can bear, and when we are tempted He will always make a way out for us.  We don't have to give in to sin.  We don't have to sin.  We can choose to say no.

But, I told God, I can't say no.  I'm just not able to.  I'm not strong enough.  I can't do it.  I have to sin.  It's just my nature.  And God showed me the okra again and reminded me of something I had forgotten.  I have not tasted a bite of boiled, slimy okra since I was 18 years old.  For 30 years I have avoided okra like the plague.  For 30 years, I have looked okra in the eye and said, "No!  I will not eat you!"   And God said, "If you can do that for okra, why can't you do that for Me?  Why can't you look your sin in the eye and just say 'No?'"

Huh.  I had never thought of that before.  I had always approached sin as if I was the victim.  Sin was the aggressor.  Sin was defeating me.  Sin would always win.  But okra...now that was a different story.  I was the aggressor.  I had defeated okra.  I always won.  What if I started of looking at my sin like it was a bowl of boiled, slimy okra?  What if, instead of saying, "I give up.  I'm not strong enough," I started saying, "I don't do that sin any more.  Not even one bite.  I'm an adult.  I'm mature in Christ and the victory has been won.  I don't have to eat that sin any more.  I am an overcomer."

So, I'm starting to play the association game with sin.  When I am tempted to give in to that same old bad habit that has been dogging me for years, I'm going to think about it like it was a bowl of boiled, slimy okra.  And I'm going to apply the same principle to this sin that I apply to okra, just with the power of the Holy Spirit behind me.  I'll let you know how it works.  In the meantime, why don't you try this too?  Think of the one thing that just totally disgusts and repels you, and begin to associate it with that sinful bad habit in your life and see how it works for you.  And, be sure and let me know.  I'll be praying for you.

Pastor Greg

SERMON: IT IS FINISHED (TETELESTI)

EASTER SUNRISE SERVICE

20 April 2014

            -- turn in Bibles to John 19:16-30

16 Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified. So the soldiers took charge of Jesus.

17 Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha).

18 Here they crucified him, and with him two others--one on each side and Jesus in the middle.

19 Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.

20 Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek.

21 The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, "Do not write 'The King of the Jews,' but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews."

22 Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."

23 When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.

24 "Let's not tear it," they said to one another. "Let's decide by lot who will get it." This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled which said, "They divided my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing." So this is what the soldiers did.

25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.

26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son,"

27 and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

28 Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty."

29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips.

30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

            -- as tax day rolled around this week, I heard an interesting fact about our tax law here in the U.S. -- the 2013 tax code has over 4 million words -- if you were to print out the entire thing, it would take almost 74,000 pages of paper

            -- it seems a current state of affairs to be verbose in our writing and in our communication with each other -- but perhaps we would be better served if we chose our words more carefully, and rather than writing fluff to make our documents larger, we instead concentrated on expressing the point in the fewest possible words

            -- have you ever considered the fact that the messages that truly have impacted history and our own lives are all messages of very few words?

            -- for instance, Lincoln's Gettysburg Address -- considered by many to be the greatest speech ever given in America -- just 272 words that changed the fate of our nation

            -- or what about Franklin D. Roosevelt's radio address on December 7th, 1941 -- "Today is a day that will live in infamy" -- just hearing those words immediately reminds us of the tragedy of Pearl Harbor

            -- or in more recent history -- remember the impact hearing the words, "The Space Shuttle Challenger has exploded" or "A plane has hit the world trade center in New York," had on your life? -- I don't doubt that each of us -- at least those who are old enough -- can remember exactly where we were and what we were doing when we heard the news

            -- even in our own personal lives, it is amazing how many life-changing events are announced with just a few simple words

            -- words such as:  "I love you" -- "Will you marry me?" -- "I'm pregnant" -- "He passed away" -- "The tests were negative" -- "It's a girl" or "It's a boy"

            -- simple words -- simple messages -- but messages that change lives

            -- maybe that's why the most profound event in the course of human history and this world was announced with just one word -- Tetelesti

            -- as His time on the cross was nearly over, John tells us here in verse 30 that Jesus lifted His eyes to heaven and cried out in a loud voice, "It is finished -- Tetelesti" -- and with that proclamation, He bowed His head and gave up His spirit to the Father

            -- the only place in the entire New Testament where the word Tetelesti is used is in this passage -- and to understand the importance of that word, you need to know how it was used in Jesus' day

            -- someone only used the word Tetelesti when their work was completed to perfection

            -- for instance, when an artist finished a painting, he might have put down his brush and stepped back and proclaimed Tetelesti to declare the picture was perfect

            -- or a servant would respond Tetelesti when asked by his master if the work assigned had been completed as asked

            -- a judge might have said Tetelesti when he conferred a sentence or issued a ruling that a sentence had been completed -- Tetelesti -- "Justice has been served"

            -- a priest would say Tetelesti when an unblemished and acceptable sacrifice was given to God and a soldier might cry Tetelesti as a battle cry towards a vanquished foe¹

            -- Tetelesti was only used to indicate the task was perfectly completed

            -- all over the world today, believers have gathered to celebrate this final word from the cross -- while the empty tomb and resurrection stand as proof of Christ's final victory, it was the cry of Tetelesti that proclaimed to all creation that the task assigned to Jesus had been perfectly completed -- that "it" was finally over

            -- the question, then is "what task did Jesus accomplish? -- what is the "it" that Jesus said was over?"

            -- part of the answer can be found in Luke Chapter 4 -- Luke records Jesus' first message in the synagogue at Nazareth -- as He stood up to read the scriptures, He turned in the scroll of Isaiah and read this passage:

            -- Luke 4:18-19 -- "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor -- He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

            -- every eye in the room was on Him to see what He would say in response to this powerful verse -- He reached over and slowly put up the scroll and announced "today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing"

            -- don't miss what He did there -- when I took my homiletics -- my preaching -- class -- I was told, "Never close your Bible when you are preaching -- never read the Scripture and close the Bible and start preaching -- you always leave the Bible open because this is the source -- this is the place where revelation comes from -- this is where your message originates -- the word of God is alive and active and should never be put away while it is being proclaimed"

            -- so why did Jesus do just that? -- why did Jesus put the scroll up before He spoke that day in the synagogue? -- because it was finished -- it was fulfilled

            -- Jesus had been assigned the task of preaching the good news of salvation to the poor -- of proclaiming freedom for the prisoners -- healing to the blind -- release to the oppressed -- and announcing the day of the Lord's redemption

            -- His presence in the synagogue that day fulfilled the prophecy from Isaiah

            -- as Jesus said in Matthew 5:17, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets -- I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them" -- through His sinless life and His death on the cross, the law and the prophets were fulfilled -- for Him and for us -- it was finished perfectly and completely -- Tetelesti

            -- another "it" that was finished on the cross was the curse of sin and death -- Adam and Eve had been warned not to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, because if they did, they would surely die

            -- and when sin entered the garden through the temptation of the serpent, Adam and Eve sinned by eating the fruit, and the curse of sin and death fell upon mankind and all creation

            -- because of them we are born with the curse in our bodies -- we sin because we are sinners -- we sin because we have been born infected with a sin nature that corrupts our very soul and spirit -- and not only do we suffer from this sin nature, but all creation suffers too

            -- that is why Paul said in Romans 8:22 that all creation has been groaning up to the present time -- it groans because of the curse that has been laid upon it

            -- but when Jesus died on the cross, the Bible tells us that He became the curse for us -- He became sin for us -- the righteous becoming unrighteous -- the sinless One taking upon Himself our sins and transgressions -- bearing the consequence of sin and death and paying a debt we could never pay

            -- when Jesus cried out from the cross, "It is finished," He was referring to the debt that each of us owed and the sin in our lives -- Tetelesti means our sins are completely forgiven -- Tetelesti means our sin nature has been destroyed -- Tetelesti means we are no longer bound by sin and death but have been freed for victorious life in Christ

            -- we no longer have to sin because Jesus has perfectly and completely removed sins and the sin nature on the cross of Calvary -- Tetelesti

            -- the final "it" that was finished on the cross was the divide between God and man -- the Bible tells us God is holy and cannot look upon sin -- He cannot be in the presence of sin -- and so, when Adam and Eve infected the human race with sin, they separated us from God's very presence -- their sin created a chasm that none could cross

            -- it was for this reason Jesus was sent to earth -- remember John 3:16? -- "For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him might not perish but have eternal life"

            -- that is the final task Jesus came to fulfill -- He came not only to fulfill the law and the prophets -- not only to pay the penalty for our sins -- but to reconcile us to the Father by transferring His righteousness to us

            -- when Jesus cried out from the cross, "It is finished," it also meant the bridge that Jesus had built with His own body had been completed -- and now we could cross the chasm to the Father

            -- His sinless life became our bridge to the other side -- His righteousness replaced our unrighteousness -- His holiness replaced our unholiness -- and we are reconciled to the Father through His Jesus' death and resurrection

            -- the separation has ended -- it is finished -- because Jesus paid the price -- Tetelesti

            -- the final cry of Jesus from the cross was the summation of God's love to a world that had turned its back on Him -- it was a cry of defiance against Satan and his minions -- a cry of victory over sin and death -- and a cry of reconciliation with the Father -- Tetelesti -- Jesus had completely and perfectly ended His task on earth and so He bowed His head and gave up His spirit and died

            -- so if it is finished, why are you still trapped by lingering sin? -- if it is finished, why then do you still fear death? -- if it is finished, why do you still worry and fret over life? -- if it is finished, why do you still strive to pay a debt that has already been paid?

            -- Tetelesti means it is finished -- finite -- nothing left to do -- it has all been done

            -- someone once asked in a lecture what the difference was between Christianity and all the other religions of the world -- the lecturer paused for a moment and said, "All the other religions of the world tell its adherents, "Do! -- Do this and you will be saved." -- Christianity, on the other hand, says "Done! -- Tetelesti! -- It is finished!"

            -- as you leave here today on this Easter morning -- as you go forth into the rest of your day and time here on earth, remember the cry of Jesus from the cross -- cease your striving and work -- cease your worry -- believe that it is finished -- that all your sins have been forgiven -- that all your sin debt has been paid -- that you are being created anew in the image of your God and Father -- and walk in the knowledge that it is done -- Tetelesti"

            -- let us pray

------------------------------

 [SOURCE:  “It Is Finished!” Jesus Does Not Need Your Help by Tony Miano, edited by Matt Slick, http://carm.org/it-is-finished, accessed 4/19/2014]

SERMON: HEAVEN IS FOR REAL

13 April 2014

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Revelation 4:1-8

Revelation 4:1-8 (NIV)

1 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this."

2 At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.

3 And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne.

4 Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads.

5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God.

6 Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back.

7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle.

8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come."

            -- this morning I wanted to discuss a new movie that is opening this week -- it's called "Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back" -- it's based on a 2010 book by the same name and it relates the story of Colton Burpo, a four-year-old little boy who supposedly died and went to heaven and then came back to tell his story

            -- Colton's story begins with emergency surgery after a ruptured appendix -- the doctors weren't sure Colton was going to survive, but he did, and a few months later, Colton began telling his father about going to heaven and about the people he met there

            -- Colton said as he was going to heaven, he saw his father and mother praying for him in the hospital -- once he was there, he met relatives who had died before he was even born -- he told his father he had talked to his great-grandfather and met a sister who had died in a miscarriage -- he saw Jesus come riding up on a rainbow-colored horse, and he met John the Baptist and the angel Gabriel -- he said everyone in heaven had wings and halos just like all the angels -- and that heaven was filled with little children who had either died in utero or as an infant and who continued to grow at a normal rate once they went to heaven -- he said he saw God the Father on His throne, and Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, who he described as being bluish and transparent and hard to see

            -- so what do you think? -- sounds pretty accurate, doesn't it? -- it seems to fit pretty closely with what most people believe about heaven

            -- we all know that heaven is in the clouds and that when we die, we will go to heaven to be with Jesus and we will become angels -- or, at least, we will be given wings like angels

            -- everyone agrees that we will know each other when we get to heaven -- and we will spend eternity sitting around on the clouds and playing harps and singing hymns, right? -- that's pretty much what Colton saw when he went to heaven and came back and that's pretty much what we have seen in books and paintings and movies over the years

            -- but before we head out to see "Heaven is for Real" at the movies this weekend -- before we pick up Colton's book or one of the other many books that have come out about near death experiences recently where someone either goes to heaven or hell after they die and come back to tell us about it -- we really should turn to the Bible and see what it says about heaven and the afterlife

            -- I know I tend to say this a lot, but if you get nothing else out of our time together at Koinonia, I want you to get this -- always, always, always go to the Bible and see what it says before you accept any spiritual teaching

            -- I don't care how popular it is -- I don't care whether I say it or whether you hear it from a preacher on the radio or on the TV or if it's the latest movie on the big screen or the hottest Christian book out on the market

            -- before you believe what you hear, check it against the Bible -- if there was one verse in the Bible -- other than John 3:16 -- that I wanted all of you to know and to live by, it is Acts 17:11 -- "Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true."

            -- when the Apostle Paul preached and shared the message of the gospel with the Bereans, they didn't accept it at face value, but they went back and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul -- the Apostle Paul -- said was true -- and we should do no less with every spiritual message that we receive today

            -- and that's what we're going to do this morning with Colton Burpo's story, "Heaven is for Real"

            -- just to let you know, we're going to be going to be jumping around a great deal in the Bible this morning, but I'm going to give you a study guide with a list of all the scriptures and I want you to commit to going back and reading these in context to make sure what I'm saying is what God is telling us through His word

            -- so let's get started

II.  Is Heaven for Real?

            -- let's start with the question that Colton tries to answer -- "Is Heaven for Real?" -- is heaven a real place?

            -- Americans certainly think so, and I expect this movie to do really, really well at the box office because of that -- depending on the poll you look at, somewhere between 70 and 90 percent of Americans believe in heaven -- they believe heaven is a real place -- but, what does the Bible say? -- is heaven real?

            -- sure it is! -- of course heaven is for real -- that is one of our basic beliefs -- at the very start of the Bible -- in Genesis 1:1 -- we read that "in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth" -- at the beginning of time, God created heaven -- and in almost every book of the Bible, we see a reference to heaven -- heaven is real, there is no doubt about that

            -- now before we move on, let's talk about one thing -- if you notice in Genesis 1:1, it says that "God created the heavens" -- plural -- and in many places throughout the Bible, we see references to "heavens" -- plural -- and in 2 Corinthians 12:2, Paul talks about being caught up to the third heaven -- about being carried to Paradise

            -- so why does the Bible talk about heavens in a plural sense? -- it has to do with the way the Israelites used that term -- they recognized three heavens -- three spheres or plains that existed above the earth

            -- the first heaven is the atmosphere -- the air we breathe -- the place where clouds are -- this is the first heaven -- the second heaven is what we call space -- the place where the heavenly bodies reside -- the sun and the moon and the stars -- the third heaven, that Paul talked about, is what we normally think of in our day as heaven -- it's the abode of God -- it's the place where God lives -- it's the place where we find the throne of God

            -- so that's why the Bible refers to heavens in a plural term

            -- so Heaven is real -- the Bible confirms that -- Colton and all the others are right in their assertion that heaven is a real place

III.  Does God Live in Heaven?

            -- let's move on to the next question:  "Does God live in heaven?" -- according to Colton's story, when he went to heaven he saw God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit -- so, what does the Bible say? -- does God live in heaven?

            -- sure He does! -- all the way back in the Book of Genesis, we see references to God being in heaven -- Genesis 21:17 -- "God called to Hagar from heaven" -- Genesis 22:11 -- "The Angel of the Lord called out to him [Abraham] from heaven"

            -- same thing in the New Testament -- in Matthew 5:16, Jesus told us to let our light shine before men, that they might see our good deeds and praise our "Father in heaven." -- in many references in the gospels, Jesus referred to our Father who is in heaven -- we even see that in the Lord's prayer -- "Our Father, who art in heaven..."

            -- so, yes, God lives in heaven -- that is where He has chosen to reside and that is where His throne is -- Isaiah tells us in Isaiah 6 that he say the Lord seated on His throne, high and exalted, and the train of His robe filled the temple -- over in Revelation Chapter 4, John was caught up to heaven and saw God seated on His throne

            -- and we know that Jesus is there, too -- in Acts 1 we read of the ascension of Jesus from the Mount of Olives -- and in Acts 7:55 we read, "But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God" -- in Ephesians 1:20 it says Christ was raised from the dead and seated at the right hand of God in the heavenly realms

            -- so both God the Father and Jesus are in heaven -- the Bible tells us that -- however, there are not any clear references to the Holy Spirit being in heaven -- at least at this time -- we know the Holy Spirit is part of the Trinity -- He is God -- so in that sense He is in heaven because God is in heaven -- and Jesus also said in John 16:7 it was good for Him to leave because when He ascended, the Father would send the Holy Spirit down to be our Counselor and Comforter -- so in order to send the Holy Spirit down, He had to have also been in heaven -- however, the Holy Spirit is never described as having a body of any type or of being in a form that we can see -- so this part of Colton's story breaks down a little

            -- also, Colton's description of the throne room of God does not match what we see in Scripture -- in the Bible, we see two accounts of people being caught up to heaven and appearing before the throne of God -- Isaiah in Isaiah Chapter 6 and the Apostle John in Revelation 4 -- and both of their accounts are remarkably similar

            -- both describe the scene in the throne room of heaven as being filled with worship led by the Seraphim -- the Seraphim have six wings, are covered with eyes in front and in back, and have different faces -- one has the face of an ox -- one the face of a lion -- one the face of a man -- and one the face of a flying eagle -- and both Isaiah and John describe them as flying around and crying out in a loud voice, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty"

            -- the throne room is described as being filled with smoke -- and John describes elsewhere in the Book of Revelation that peals of thunder and lightning came from the throne

            -- none of this is mentioned in Colton's book, which is hard to believe -- I would think this would stand out to anyone who went to heaven -- that we certainly would notice four living creatures with six wings, covered with eyes, and leading worship around the throne -- both John and Isaiah mentioned this in their accounts

IV.  Our Bodies in Heaven

            -- let's move on to our bodies -- Colton said that everyone in heaven had wings just like the angels -- and that's a common belief of most people -- that when someone dies, they go to heaven and become an angel -- or at least, they get angel wings

            -- we see that in one of our most loved Christmas movies -- "It's a Wonderful Life" -- Clarence is an angel who is sent to help Jimmy Stewart so he will get his wings -- and remember the line from the movie, "Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings"

            -- the only problem with this -- and with Colton's story about everyone in heaven -- including the little children -- having wings like the angels is that not all angels have wings -- in fact, according to the Bible -- out of the four types of angels we know of -- angels, archangels, seraphim, and cherubim -- only the seraphim and cherubim have wings -- the other two don't

            -- in the accounts of angels appearing to people in the Bible, they are never described as having wings -- in Luke 2, when the angels appeared to the shepherds in the fields outside Jerusalem, there is no mention of wings -- when the angel Gabriel appeared to Daniel in the Old Testament, and then to Zechariah, John the Baptist's father, and to Mary, the mother of Jesus, in the New Testament -- no mention of wings

            -- when Mary Magdalene and the other women visited Jesus' tomb on Easter morning in Luke 24:4, they were startled by the appearance of two men with clothes that gleamed like lightning -- no wings

            -- so what about us? -- when we die and go to heaven, will we get wings? -- no where in the Bible are we told that people are going to get wings when they die and go to heaven

            -- we will be given a new body when we go to heaven -- Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:49 that our new bodies will bear the likeness of the resurrected Jesus -- our bodies will be imperishable -- immortal -- and physical

            -- think about what Jesus' resurrected body was like -- Jesus was not a spirit -- He was not a ghost -- He was flesh and blood -- He didn't have wings, and we won't either -- after the resurrection, He talked with His disciples -- He ate with His disciples -- He touched His disciples and let them touch Him -- and our new bodies will be like His

            -- Colton's story about seeing people in heaven with wings is not biblical -- it does not line up with the biblical account -- not for the angels -- and, definitely, not for people who have passed away and who have gone to be with the Lord

V.  People in Heaven

            -- let's look at one more part of Colton's story and we'll end there

            -- Colton told his father he had talked to his great-grandfather and met a sister who had died in a miscarriage -- his sister was a little girl and his great-grandfather was a young man

            -- that brings up two questions, the first of which we have partly answered -- what will our bodies look like in heaven? -- will we be present in heaven at the age at which we died or will we be given a body at a different age?

            -- Colton said both in his story -- his little sister was brought up to heaven as a miscarried baby and grew from that point on until she was a little girl about his age when he went there -- his great-grandfather, however, was not an old man, but instead was a young man in the prime of his life

            -- so what does the Bible say? -- well, it doesn't -- the Bible just tells us that we will be given a new body -- as Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15, this new body will be imperishable and immortal -- but he doesn't tell us how old we will appear to be when we are in heaven

            -- over in Revelation 7:9, when John sees the multitudes that appear before the throne of God in heaven, he doesn't tell us their age

            -- so we really don't know -- the Bible is silent on this account -- and this is true whether we're speculating on the presence of infants and children in heaven or speculating that we will all be given a new body as a young adult in the prime of life

            -- the Bible simply does not say -- I think the assumption that is made by most believers is that we will be given the body of a young adult is based on the story of the creation of Adam and Eve -- it is obvious from that account that Adam and Eve were created as adults -- they were not infants -- they were not children -- they were created as adults and placed in the Garden of Eden -- we can assume from this that our resurrected bodies will be the same -- but that is not stated in Scripture -- we simply do not know

            -- the other question Colton's story raises is whether we will know each other in heaven -- will we know our relatives in heaven? -- every single story about people dying and going to heaven and coming back say the same thing -- they all knew their family in heaven -- but what does the Bible say?

            -- once again, the Bible really doesn't tell us a whole lot on this account -- the closest thing we have is the story of Lazarus and the beggar from Luke 16 -- you need to keep in mind this occurred prior to the death and resurrection of Jesus -- it references what happened to people who died prior to the resurrection of Jesus

            -- when people died before the cross, they were sent to Hades -- there were two areas in Hades -- paradise or Abraham's bosom -- and a place of torment -- Lazarus was sent to the place of torment and he could look across to paradise -- he recognized and knew both the beggar and Abraham and spoke to them

            -- that is the only reference we have in the Bible about people knowing others beyond the grave

            -- I think we will know each other after death -- but I cannot back that up with a scriptural reference -- as he was dying, Stephen saw Jesus standing at the right of hand of God and knew Him and recognized Him -- and we know that Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration -- and Peter and James and John recognized them even though they had never seen them before -- so I believe we will recognize and know each other in heaven

VI.  Closing

            -- so let's bring this home -- what does all this mean?

            -- Friday I had a coworker come up to me to talk about this movie, "Heaven is for Real" -- I know him to be a Christian -- he teaches Sunday School -- he leads the youth for his church -- and he was planning on carrying his young people to go see this movie, but another friend of his told him not to -- that it wasn't biblical -- and so he was coming to me to see what I thought

            -- I don't know if I've ever told you I have an unwritten rule I try to live by -- I do not take unsolicited books -- I have people constantly trying to get me to read this or that book -- "just take it -- borrow this and let me know what you think" -- and I did that early on in my ministry -- but I don't do it any more -- and it's all because of this book, "Heaven is for Real"

            -- when that book came out, I had a lot of people trying to get me to read it -- and so I looked up what it was about -- and I decided it was not scriptural -- it just did not line up with what the Bible taught about heaven -- and so I refused to read it

            -- and when my friend came up and asked me about it, I told him that I didn't think he should carry his youth group to see the movie because it was not biblical and it might plant wrong ideas about heaven in the minds of these impressionable youth -- I told him if he wanted to see an unbiblical movie that had a better plot and more action, go see "Noah" -- it doesn't line up with scripture either, but it has a lot of action

            -- the book and the movie, "Heaven is for Real," is simply not correct -- it does not line up with the word of God -- but it raises a larger issue

            -- why do so many people have wrong views about heaven? -- why are there so many false teachings about heaven out today?

            -- the answer is simple -- these false teachings have been introduced by Satan to lead the world astray -- in Revelation 13:6, John writes that the Beast -- the Antichrist -- is empowered by Satan to "blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven"

            -- this is what Satan does -- he attacks God by slandering God's name, God's people, and God's dwelling place -- heaven

            -- by slandering heaven, Satan has been able to take God's most wonderful promise to us -- His promise of the kingdom to come -- of life everlasting filled with wonders and excitement and rest -- and turn it into a parody of disembodied saints with wings floating on clouds and sitting in church all day

            -- by convincing the world that everyone is going to heaven regardless of what you believe, Satan is keeping people away from the truth of the gospel

            -- that is his goal -- that is his purpose -- and our goal and our purpose should be to stand against false teachings, to share the good news of Christ, and to point people to the truth

            -- let's not totally castigate this movie -- it is an opportunity for us to talk with others about what heaven is really like and what the says about heaven and, more importantly, how we get to heaven in the first place

            -- so I'm going to leave you with that -- and let's join together in prayer to pray for those in our world who are being led astray through false teachings -- and let's pray that God would open their eyes and remove the veil Satan has put before them so they might come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ

            -- let's pray