SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
Mike Cunningham
February 23, 2014, edited March 14th, 2014

I ended last Sunday’s story with Jennifer saying to Jesus, “But You never told Frank what his new name is.”

“I know that I didn’t Jennifer. To borrow one of you favorite sayings, I ask you, “Wouldn’t you like to know?” Then Jesus zoomed over to Jennifer and softly whispered in her ear, “His new name is Matthew, but you may call him Matt or whatever pet name you choose.” He will always be your Valentine’s Day sweetheart throughout eternity.”

Continuing today, we find Jesus grinning from ear to ear and saying, “Take him out and introduce him to his family and friends who arrived in Heaven before he did, Jennifer. They’re gathered just outside the door of The Throne Room.

Jennifer had been eagerly awaiting that command. She knew the drill. And so, with one hand firmly clasped to Matt’s and the other one around his waist, she quickly spun him around and guided her childhood sweetheart towards the door. Matt’s jubilant guardian angel, with the rest of the heavenly host, were leading the way.

Just as the joyous procession went through the open door, Matthew suddenly reappeared, standing in front of Jesus who was seated on a great white throne.The Apostle John explains:

Revelation 20:11-15 (TLB)
11 And I saw a great white throne and the one who sat upon it, from whose face the earth and sky fled away, but they found no place to hide.
12 I saw the dead, great and small, standing before God; and The Books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to the things written in The Books, each according to the deeds he had done.
13 The oceans surrendered the bodies buried in them; and the earth and the underworld gave up the dead in them. Each was judged according to his deeds.
14 And Death and Hell were thrown into the Lake of Fire. This is the Second Death—the Lake of Fire.
15 And if anyone’s name was not found recorded in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the Lake of Fire.

To say that Matt was shocked would be a gross understatement. The frightened man was actually trembling. Jennifer wasn’t by his side, and his guardian angel was nowhere in sight. Matt realized that he was all alone. At that exact moment the following Scriptures suddenly flashed through his mind:

Jude 1:14-16 (TLB)
14 Enoch, who lived seven generations after Adam, knew about these men and said this about them: “See, the Lord is coming with millions of his holy ones.
15 He will bring the people of the world before him in judgment, to receive just punishment and to prove the terrible things they have done in rebellion against God, revealing all they have said against him.
16 These men are constant gripers, never satisfied, doing whatever evil they feel like; they are loudmouthed “show-offs,” and when they show respect for others, it is only to get something from them in return.

Matt was terrified and perplexed. Those scriptures were referring to the “Last Judgment,” Matt said to himself. “How could they possibly have anything to do with me? I’m already in Heaven, aren’t I? Jesus recalled each of my good deeds that He had prepared for me to accomplish before He created the world. Every single one of them! What about Jennifer, my Guardian Angel and the rest of the heavenly host? They were all witnesses. They heard Jesus say to me, ‘well done My good and faithful servant.’ Was it all a dream? Could it have been caused by any of the stuff my medical team had been pumping into me in the hospital ICU? It seems so real!”

From the stern expression on Jesus’ face, Matt knew that he was about to be judged.

“Matthew, stay right where you are! Don’t move!I want you to watch something.”Can any of you folks imagine how Matt must have felt? I sure can, and I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes.

Matts’ entire lifetime flashed through his mind. The first thing he saw was of himas an infant. He was being held in his mother’s loving arms. That good woman cuddled and rocked and fed her first born son.He listened to himself hollering and wailing whenever he was hungry or wanted his diaper changed. After a while he saw himself crawling on the floor of his home,sucking on his pacifier while he explored the place. Crawling under furniture and the legs of people was a lot of fun. Matt started to relax a little, andwas enjoying the show.

Things changed as he grew older. He was up on his feet and running all over the place.He loved playing with other kids. And then it happened. He watched as he saw himself snatch his little sister’s doll out of her arms, and he wouldn’t give it back. The girl started wailing and crying, so much so, that Matt’s mother came rushing into the room, scooped up the little girl and asked her what was the matter.

Pointing her trembling finger at Matt, she answered, “He took my doll!”

“No I didn’t!” Matt replied. “She’s making it up.”

How can we explain Matt’s behavior? Who taught him how to lie? Did he learn it from other kids? Speaking to certain Jewish leaders a little over two thousand years age, Jesus said that:

John 8:37-56 (TLB)
37 (Yes, I realize that you are descendants of Abraham!) And yet some of you are trying to kill me because my message does not find a home within your hearts.
38 I am telling you what I saw when I was with my Father. But you are following the advice of your father.”
39 “Our father is Abraham,” they declared. “No!” Jesus replied, “For if he were, you would follow his good example.
40 But instead you are trying to kill me—and all because I told you the truth I heard from God. Abraham wouldn’t do a thing like that!
41 No, you are obeying your real father when you act that way.” They replied, “We were not born out of wedlock—our true Father is God himself.”
42 Jesus told them, “If that were so, then you would love me, for I have come to you from God. I am not here on my own, but he sent me.
43 Why can’t you understand what I am saying? It is because you are prevented from doing so!
44 For you are the children of your father the devil and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning and a hater of truth—there is not an iota of truth in him. When he lies, it is perfectly normal; for he is the father of liars.
45 And so when I tell the truth, you just naturally don’t believe it!
46 “Which of you can truthfully accuse me of one single sin? [No one!] And since I am telling you the truth, why don’t you believe me?
47 Anyone whose Father is God listens gladly to the words of God. Since you don’t, it proves you aren’t his children.”
48 “You Samaritan! Foreigner! Devil!” the Jewish leaders snarled. “Didn’t we say all along you were possessed by a demon?”
49 “No,” Jesus said, “I have no demon in me. For I honor my Father—and you dishonor me.
50 And though I have no wish to make myself great, God wants this for me and judges [those who reject me].
51 With all the earnestness I have I tell you this—no one who obeys me shall ever die!”
52 The leaders of the Jews said, “Now we know you are possessed by a demon. Even Abraham and the mightiest prophets died, and yet you say that obeying you will keep a man from dying!
53 So you are greater than our father Abraham, who died? And greater than the prophets, who died? Who do you think you are?”
54 Then Jesus told them this: “If I am merely boasting about myself, it doesn’t count. But it is my Father—and you claim him as your God—who is saying these glorious things about me.
55 But you do not even know him. I do. If I said otherwise, I would be as great a liar as you! But it is true—I know him and fully obey him.
56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day. He knew I was coming and was glad.”

God looked at Matthew. “Surely you know that I consider lying to be one of the seven deadly sins, Matthew, and that I hate each of them with a passion.”

The following scriptures flashed through Matt’s mind:
Proverbs 6:16-19 (MSG)
16 Here are six things GOD hates, and one more that he loathes with a passion:
17 eyes that are arrogant, a tongue that lies, hands that murder the innocent,
18 a heart that hatches evil plots, feet that race down a wicked track,
19 a mouth that lies under oath, a troublemaker in the family.

The next scene that came into Matt’s mind was of him trying to shift the blame onto someone else. I’ll give each of you three guesses to tell me the name of the first bible character that did that, and the first two guesses won’t count.

Genesis 3:12-13 (TLB)
12 “Yes,” Adam admitted, “but it was the woman you gave me who brought me some, and I ate it.”
13 Then the Lord God asked the woman, “How could you do such a thing?” “The serpent tricked me,” she replied.

Matt instantly recalled the following:

Exodus 20:16 (TLB)
16 “You must not lie.

Deuteronomy 5:20 (TLB)
20 ” ’You must not tell lies.

1 Peter 2:1 (TLB)
1 So get rid of your feelings of hatred. Don’t just pretend to be good! Be done with dishonesty and jealousy and talking about others behind their backs.

1 Peter 3:10 (TLB)
10 If you want a happy, good life, keep control of your tongue, and guard your lips from telling lies.

1 John 1:10 (TLB)
10 If we claim we have not sinned, we are lying and calling God a liar, for he says we have sinned.

One by one, every sin that Matt had committed in his lifetime, including the ones he wasn’t even aware of, were each out in the open. Needless to say, Matt was ashamed and disgusted with himself. He had tried so hard. He remembered literally crying and pleading with Jesus to please forgive him. Sometimes Matt begged Jesus to take him home so that he wouldn’t be tempted to sin any more. Matt heard the greatest news imaginable through the Prophet Isaiah, and the Apostle John:

Isaiah 55:3-7 (TLB)
3 “Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, for the life of your soul is at stake. I am ready to make an everlasting covenant with you, to give you all the unfailing mercies and love that I had for King David.
4 He proved my power by conquering foreign nations.
5 You also will command the nations, and they will come running to obey, not because of your own power or virtue, but because I, the Lord your God, have glorified you.”
6 Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call upon him now while he is near.
7 Let men cast off their wicked deeds; let them banish from their minds the very thought of doing wrong! Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy upon them, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon!

John 3:16-21 (NIV)
16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.
20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.
21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”

Matt then recalled the following verses from Isaiah:

Isaiah 52:13-14 (MSG)
13 “Just watch my servant blossom! Exalted, tall, head and shoulders above the crowd!
14 But he didn’t begin that way. At first everyone was appalled. He didn’t even look human— a ruined face, disfigured past recognition.

Matt was so horrified at the sight of Jesus nailed to His Cross that he almost passed out. I don’t intend to try to describe how awful Jesus looked, but mark my words, the day will come when you and me will see for ourselves. Until then, we can take comfort in the fact that:
John 3:16-21 (NIV)
16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.
20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.
21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”

“Matthew, I love every human being whoever was, or whoever is, or whoever will be born into the world that I created. So much so, I left this glory that I enjoy with My Father, and a little over two thousand years ago I put on flesh and allowed myself to be born in a rat infested stable on what is known as Christmas Day. The gospel of John explains:

John 1:1-6 (TLB)
1 Before anything else existed, there was Christ, with God.
2 He has always been alive and is himself God.
3 He created everything there is—nothing exists that he didn’t make.
4 Eternal life is in him, and this life gives light to all mankind.
5 His life is the light that shines through the darkness—and the darkness can never extinguish it.
6 God sent John the Baptist as a witness to the fact that Jesus Christ is the true Light.

John 1:8-14 (TLB)
8 John himself was not the Light; he was only a witness to identify it.
9 Later on, the one who is the true Light arrived to shine on everyone coming into the world.
10 But although he made the world, the world didn’t recognize him when he came.
11 Even in his own land and among his own people, the Jews, he was not accepted. Only a few would welcome and receive him.
12 But to all who received him, he gave the right to become children of God. All they needed to do was to trust him to save them.
13 All those who believe this are reborn!—not a physical rebirth resulting from human passion or plan—but from the will of God.
14 And Christ became a human being and lived here on earth among us and was full of loving forgiveness and truth. And some of us have seen his glory —the glory of the only Son of the heavenly Father!

“Matthew! Come closer! It’s time for Me to give you My verdict.”

Matt did as he was commanded, and listened to the smiling Jesus say: “Good job, My good and faithful friend! Go and rejoin Jennifer, and the rest of them Matt. Incidentally, don’t forget to be on the lookout for the special surprise my good friend Charlie from the orientation center mentioned earlier.”

Matt instantly found himself holding Jennifer’s hand. It seemed as though he had never left her side. As they walked through the open door, Matt heard a man weeping from inside The Throne Room. Matt thought that he must have been hearing things because the Bible says that in Heaven “God will wipe away every tear from our eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Revelation 21:4 (ESV). Based on this bible verse, Matt was able to put the ridiculous thought about hearing a man weeping inside the Throne Room.

Although they are saturated with biblical facts, these stories are obviously works of fiction. Other than the people who are already living in Heaven, nobody living in this world knows everything that God has prepared for the folks who love and follow Jesus Christ. One thing they can be absolutely certain of though is that their happiness will be infinitely greater than anyone can imagine.

It’s been my prayer filled hope that through this story I have given each of you folks Something To Think About.

Lord willing, next week ….