Heaven is For Real

“HEAVEN IS FOR REAL”
Luke 19:1-10 July 17, 2011
Dr. Dennis Ginoza (Preached at Monserate Mobile Home Chapel)

One day at our annual church conference at the University of
Redlands, one of the speakers said, “We all need to learn three languages,
English, Spanish, and Computer.
How many of you have computers? How many of you have
cell phones? Welcome to the age of technology!

I want to begin by sharing these thoughts. I got this in my email
from a friend.

Never look down on anybody, unless you’re helping them up.
Please read the following quietly then send them back on its journey.

To realize the value of a sister/brother:
ask someone who doesn’t have one.

To realize the value of ten years:
ask a newly divorced couple.

To realize the value of four years:
ask a graduate.

To realize the value of a month:
ask a mother who has given birth to a premature baby.

To realize the value of one minute:
ask a person who missed the train, bus or plane.

Time waits for no one.
Treasure every moment you have.

You will treasure it even more when
you can share it with someone special.

God gave to us two precious gifts: the first is life,
and the second is time.

Some people say, “If I only had more time.”

All of us are here for only a short time.
Listen! a house mouse lives for 4 years
a humming bird 8 years
a wolf 16 years
a horse 50 years
a carp 57 years
an elephant 69 years
a parrot 80 years
a giant tortoise 152 years
the jelly fish, however reproduces itself and is the only
creature that is biologically immortal.
In the United States men live till age 75.2, women 80.4.
I wish you all the blessing of longevity!

One day, when Jesus was passing through Jericho and the crowds were
pressing on him. Then he saw a man on a sycamore three—
Zaacheus. Zaacheus was a man of small stature: he was a tax
collector who defrauded people. But Jesus gave him his time.
Jesus said, “Zaacheus, hurry and come down, for I must stay
at your house today.” The people grumbled, because Zaacheus
was a sinner (today we would call him a bad guy). Zaacheus
had a change of heart and told Jesus, I will give back four times
what I took from people. Jesus said, “Today salvation has
come to this house!”

Jesus teaches us today, TAKE THE TIME.
Take time for quiet and prayer.
Tale the time with children.
Take time for a stranger.
Take time for God.
Take time to help someone.

Last February at the Farmer’s Insurance Golf tournament at Torrey Pines, I was
a marshall. Phil Mickelson drove the ball into the crowd along the
fareway and it hit one of the spectators. He walked over to the man to see if
he was okay. Then he took off one of his gloves, signed it
and gave it to the man. …And the crowd cheered.
Phil took the time.

One day, E. Stanley Jones heard a scratching sound at his door.
At that time he was a missionary in India in the
early 1900’s. He opened the door and there was a dog
with a broken leg. Jones brought the dog in, wrapped
his broken leg, and after several weeks, the dog got better.
Then the dog left without saying a word of thanks. “That’s
a nice how do you do,” thought E. Stanley Jones. (That’s
my phrase). A few days later, there was a stratch on the
door, it was that dog. He brought with him another dog with
a broken leg. As a missionary, E. Stanley Jones gave his time to the people
of India. He brought Christ into the hearts of the people of India and
the world E. Stanley Jones was nominated for
the Nobel Peace Prize, in 1963, he received the Ghandi Peace Award.


I have here a pendulum. A pendulum measures time. Time
breaks down in seconds, in minutes, hours, days, weeks, months
and years. It is what we call sidereal time.
It measures the movement of the planets.

Will you count with me?
We’ll count one to ten. Will someone check your clock?
The Greeks teach us there are two kinds of time:
chronos: it is sidereal time – the movement of the planets
and kairos which is the Lord’s time.

I have entitled my sermon today:
HEAVEN IS FOR REAL.

Let me tell you this story.
In Nebraska there is boy named Colton. Colton was almost four
years old and one day, he a pain in his side.
The doctor wasn’t sure what
the problem was, so he waited and he did more tests.
Colton almost died: his appendix had burst.

This story of Colton Burpo is in a book written by his father who
is a Lutheran pastor in Imperial, Nebraska. This book is
coauthord with Lynn Vincent and has
sold over two million copies and was on the New York best seller.
Colton Burpo told his parents, he went to heaven,
he sat on Jesus’ lap and Jesus really loves the children.

Colton says, in heaven there is no darkness, it is just full of light.
Colton had a near death experience and he says,
he was greeted by Jesus. His father wanted to know about
God: he said God is huge. God, he says, is the the Holy Spirit.
Does he sit on a throne? Colton said, “Yes.” Does Jesus sit on his side?
“Yes.” Which side? “The right side.” Who sits on his left side?
Colton says, “The angel Gabriel.”

When they were choosing a title for
this book, his father asked Colton, “What title would you choose?”
He said, “Heaven Is For Real.”

Colton says, the people in heaven are not old, they are young.
He said there will be a battle between Jesus and Satan and
Jesus will win. He saw it.
He said, Jesus really loves all the children. And he says it over
and over again, Jesus loves all the children. In heaven
he says, are a lot of children.
What astonishes his parents, Todd and Sophia, is that his account
parallels the account in the Holy Bible.



Once there was a successful businessman who was celebrating
his retirement with his family and friends. He said,
“Many years ago I had a great boss and mentor. One day he
gave me one of his business cards. On the back were written 17
words.” He said, he would look at the list, close his eyes and the
words would jump out at him. He said, for 40 years these 17 words
never failed him. Would you close your eyes? These 17 words will
never fail you.
Prepare Trust
Listen Change
Smile Persist
Care Accept
Choose Risk
Focus Wait
Believe
Relax --Robert Gilbert
Act
Forgive
Pray You may open your eyes.

I say again, HEAVEN IS FOR REAL.

Rev. 21:3 “I heard a loud voice from the throne saying:
See, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them as
their God,
they will be his peoples, and
God himself will be with them;
he will wipe every tear from
their eyes. Three things we
Death will be no more; want to remember:
mourning and crying will be no more, Life is continuous.
for the first things have passed away. God is full of love.
Jesus is still with us, every day!
When I was in Sun City Center, Florida in March, I saw on the
wall in our guest room was an Irish blessing.
Every morning I went for a walk and this
blessing touched me. Let me close with this blessing:
May the road rise to greet you,
May the wind be always on your back,
May the sun sine warm on your face,
May the rain fall soft on your field,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.

All God’s people will say: AMEN!


FOOTNOTE:


Ralph Waldo Emerson, the American poet, puts this
another way. He writes, “Success is…”
To laugh often and much;
to win the respect of intelligent people and the
affection of children;
to earn the appreciation of honest critics and to
endure the betrayal of false friends;
to appreciate beauty;
to find the best in others;
to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child,
a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
to know even one life has breathed easier because
you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.






















“HEAVEN IS FOR REAL”
Luke 19:1-10 July 17, 2011
Dr. Dennis Ginoza (Preached at Monserate Mobile Home Chapel)

One day at our annual church conference at the University of
Redlands, one of the speakers said, “We all need to learn three languages,
English, Spanish, and Computer.
How many of you have computers? How many of you have
cell phones? Welcome to the age of technology!

I want to begin by sharing these thoughts. I got this in my email
from a friend.

Never look down on anybody, unless you’re helping them up.
Please read the following quietly then send them back on its journey.

To realize the value of a sister/brother:
ask someone who doesn’t have one.

To realize the value of ten years:
ask a newly divorced couple.

To realize the value of four years:
ask a graduate.

To realize the value of a month:
ask a mother who has given birth to a premature baby.

To realize the value of one minute:
ask a person who missed the train, bus or plane.

Time waits for no one.
Treasure every moment you have.

You will treasure it even more when
you can share it with someone special.

God gave to us two precious gifts: the first is life,
and the second is time.

Some people say, “If I only had more time.”

All of us are here for only a short time.
Listen! a house mouse lives for 4 years
a humming bird 8 years
a wolf 16 years
a horse 50 years
a carp 57 years
an elephant 69 years
a parrot 80 years
a giant tortoise 152 years
the jelly fish, however reproduces itself and is the only
creature that is biologically immortal.
In the United States men live till age 75.2, women 80.4.
I wish you all the blessing of longevity!

One day, when Jesus was passing through Jericho and the crowds were
pressing on him. Then he saw a man on a sycamore three—
Zaacheus. Zaacheus was a man of small stature: he was a tax
collector who defrauded people. But Jesus gave him his time.
Jesus said, “Zaacheus, hurry and come down, for I must stay
at your house today.” The people grumbled, because Zaacheus
was a sinner (today we would call him a bad guy). Zaacheus
had a change of heart and told Jesus, I will give back four times
what I took from people. Jesus said, “Today salvation has
come to this house!”

Jesus teaches us today, TAKE THE TIME.
Take time for quiet and prayer.
Tale the time with children.
Take time for a stranger.
Take time for God.
Take time to help someone.

Last February at the Farmer’s Insurance Golf tournament at Torrey Pines, I was
a marshall. Phil Mickelson drove the ball into the crowd along the
fareway and it hit one of the spectators. He walked over to the man to see if
he was okay. Then he took off one of his gloves, signed it
and gave it to the man. …And the crowd cheered.
Phil took the time.

One day, E. Stanley Jones heard a scratching sound at his door.
At that time he was a missionary in India in the
early 1900’s. He opened the door and there was a dog
with a broken leg. Jones brought the dog in, wrapped
his broken leg, and after several weeks, the dog got better.
Then the dog left without saying a word of thanks. “That’s
a nice how do you do,” thought E. Stanley Jones. (That’s
my phrase). A few days later, there was a stratch on the
door, it was that dog. He brought with him another dog with
a broken leg. As a missionary, E. Stanley Jones gave his time to the people
of India. He brought Christ into the hearts of the people of India and
the world E. Stanley Jones was nominated for
the Nobel Peace Prize, in 1963, he received the Ghandi Peace Award.


I have here a pendulum. A pendulum measures time. Time
breaks down in seconds, in minutes, hours, days, weeks, months
and years. It is what we call sidereal time.
It measures the movement of the planets.

Will you count with me?
We’ll count one to ten. Will someone check your clock?
The Greeks teach us there are two kinds of time:
chronos: it is sidereal time – the movement of the planets
and kairos which is the Lord’s time.

I have entitled my sermon today:
HEAVEN IS FOR REAL.

Let me tell you this story.
In Nebraska there is boy named Colton. Colton was almost four
years old and one day, he a pain in his side.
The doctor wasn’t sure what
the problem was, so he waited and he did more tests.
Colton almost died: his appendix had burst.

This story of Colton Burpo is in a book written by his father who
is a Lutheran pastor in Imperial, Nebraska. This book is
coauthord with Lynn Vincent and has
sold over two million copies and was on the New York best seller.
Colton Burpo told his parents, he went to heaven,
he sat on Jesus’ lap and Jesus really loves the children.

Colton says, in heaven there is no darkness, it is just full of light.
Colton had a near death experience and he says,
he was greeted by Jesus. His father wanted to know about
God: he said God is huge. God, he says, is the the Holy Spirit.
Does he sit on a throne? Colton said, “Yes.” Does Jesus sit on his side?
“Yes.” Which side? “The right side.” Who sits on his left side?
Colton says, “The angel Gabriel.”

When they were choosing a title for
this book, his father asked Colton, “What title would you choose?”
He said, “Heaven Is For Real.”

Colton says, the people in heaven are not old, they are young.
He said there will be a battle between Jesus and Satan and
Jesus will win. He saw it.
He said, Jesus really loves all the children. And he says it over
and over again, Jesus loves all the children. In heaven
he says, are a lot of children.
What astonishes his parents, Todd and Sophia, is that his account
parallels the account in the Holy Bible.



Once there was a successful businessman who was celebrating
his retirement with his family and friends. He said,
“Many years ago I had a great boss and mentor. One day he
gave me one of his business cards. On the back were written 17
words.” He said, he would look at the list, close his eyes and the
words would jump out at him. He said, for 40 years these 17 words
never failed him. Would you close your eyes? These 17 words will
never fail you.
Prepare Trust
Listen Change
Smile Persist
Care Accept
Choose Risk
Focus Wait
Believe
Relax --Robert Gilbert
Act
Forgive
Pray You may open your eyes.

I say again, HEAVEN IS FOR REAL.

Rev. 21:3 “I heard a loud voice from the throne saying:
See, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them as
their God,
they will be his peoples, and
God himself will be with them;
he will wipe every tear from
their eyes. Three things we
Death will be no more; want to remember:
mourning and crying will be no more, Life is continuous.
for the first things have passed away. God is full of love.
Jesus is still with us, every day!
When I was in Sun City Center, Florida in March, I saw on the
wall in our guest room was an Irish blessing.
Every morning I went for a walk and this
blessing touched me. Let me close with this blessing:
May the road rise to greet you,
May the wind be always on your back,
May the sun sine warm on your face,
May the rain fall soft on your field,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.

All God’s people will say: AMEN!


FOOTNOTE:


Ralph Waldo Emerson, the American poet, puts this
another way. He writes, “Success is…”
To laugh often and much;
to win the respect of intelligent people and the
affection of children;
to earn the appreciation of honest critics and to
endure the betrayal of false friends;
to appreciate beauty;
to find the best in others;
to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child,
a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
to know even one life has breathed easier because
you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.