None Left Behind

Much can be learned about the relationship between the Father and the Son with Jesus' final words on the cross. God turned away as His Son willingly suffered for us. He was separated from Jesus. But He did not leave His Son behind; God reclaimed Jesus' body as a resurrected and living Lord!

Matthew 27:27-46,27:55-56
Psalm 22:1-21,27:8-9
Luke 23:45
Exodus 10:21
Amos 8:9-10
John 1:1-2
Numbers 6:24-26
2 Corinthians 5:21
1 Peter 2:24
Galatians 3:13
Habakkuk 1:13

Sermon discussion topics for parents to use with their children:

• Read Matthew 27:27-46 which describes the greatest abandonment ever to occur.
• Who was being abandoned - and by whom?
• Why was this the only abandonment with any honor and redemption?
• How do we know that judgment occurred at Calvary?
• Who was being judged?
• What different individuals and groups contributed to Jesus' social abandonment while He was on the cross?
• Read Psalm 22:1-21. From this passage, describe the emotional desertion the Son experienced on the cross.
• What was the deepest part of Jesus' suffering on the cross?
• Why was it the source of His greatest suffering?
• How do we know that Jesus ultimately was not abandoned?

Scott Graubard
Crossroads Christian Fellowship Church
Greenville, PA

Achieving Heaven: Heaven is Being with Him

We will grow in our anticipation of Heaven as we grow in our love for Christ and long to see Him face to face.

Revelation 1:9-20,5:6
2 Corinthians 5:1-11
Philippians 1:21-23
1 Thessalonians 4:16-18
John 13:33-14:6,17:24
Romans 5:7

It is interesting that the New Testament nowhere speaks of believers going 'to heaven' when they die. Instead, they go to be with Christ. Edward Donnelly

John Bunyan's Mr. Standfast, just before he dies, rejoices that 'I am going now to see that Head that was crowned with thorns and that face that was spat upon for me. I have formerly lived by hearsay and faith, but now I go where I shall live by sight and shall be with Him in whose company I delight myself.' Edward Donnelly

Sooner could a worm aspire to be a brain surgeon that a sinner expect to work his own passage to glory. Edward Donnelly

So then let 'Deserved' be written on the floor of hell, but on the door of heaven and life 'The Free Gift'. Richard Baxter

If you are in Christ, do not be afraid of death. He who has conquered that 'last enemy' is waiting for you on the other side. As soon as our souls pass into glory we will see Jesus. He who has known and loved us from before the beginning of time will welcome us into His immediate presence. We will not feel strange or out of place, but profoundly and permanently at home. We will know that we are where we belong, and everlastingly secure. Edward Donnelly

The joy of heaven is communing with Christ. The joy of earth should be communing with Him as well. Edward Donnelly

Modern Christians are ready to busy themselves in almost any religious activity but that of quiet communion with their Lord, regarded more a duty than a delight. They hope to go to heaven, claim to be looking forward to it eagerly. Yet the essence of the heaven they profess to long for is that communion with Christ in which they show so little interest! Something profoundly troubling underlies this spiritual apathy. Edward Donnelly

If we do not get to heaven before we die, we shall never get there afterward. Charles Spurgeon

Sermon discussion questions for parents to use with their children:

• Why is being with a person so superior to Skype?
• How does this impact our view of Heaven?
• What are the aspects of seeing and being with Jesus in heaven that are so special?
• What are the possible problems if we do not find this aspect of heaven attractive?

Pastor Todd Jaussen
Crossroads Christian Fellowship Church
Greenville, PA