All My Lessons
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- So What Color Was the Donkey
- Soap Opera
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- Super Christian Beachwear
- Survival Kit
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T
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- Topical Indexes
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Other Things
- Contact
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Old Lessons and Miscellaneous Stuff
- Home
-
Lessons-Alphabetical
- Numeric
- A
-
B
- B.O.O.K.
- Backwards Dude
- Bad News/Good News
- Bag-O-Christmas
- Balloon Brothers
- Beach-in-a-Bottle
- Bears
- Bible Baseball Game
- Bible News Network
- Bible World Records
- Bleach and Iodine
- Bob and Darla's Wedding
- Bob-in-a-Box
- Books of the Bible Puzzle
- Bottle Hoop and Pen
- Box of Chocolates
- Brain Washing
- Brick Balance
- Brown Envelopes
- Bubbles
- Bug-Eyed Bob
-
C
- D
- E
-
F
-
G
-
H
- I-J
- K
- L
-
M
- N-O
-
P
- Q-R
-
S
- Sandcastle
- Satan's Packaging
- Scaffold and Bicycle
- Scale Model of the Universe
- Scavenger Hunt
- Seven Laws of Mr. Lyle Land
- Shell Game
- Shortadoofus
- Simon Says
- Singing Rod
- Six Impossible Things
- Skil Saws
- Slow Ball
- So What Color Was the Donkey
- Soap Opera
- Spaghetti Structures
- Spiritual Salad
- Stress-o-Meter
- S.T.U.P.I.D. Machine
- Super Christian Beachwear
- Survival Kit
-
T
- U-Z
- Topical Indexes
-
Other Things
- Contact
-
Old Lessons and Miscellaneous Stuff
Infinite Rope
(Eternity)
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. I John 5:13
The Basic Bible Truth
Heaven and eternity are both very, very real things. It is incomprehensible what God has prepared for those of us who are Christians some day. And forever is a long, long time. Why would anyone refuse a gift like that?
The Object
100 Feet Of 1 Inch Braided Nylon Rope
A Hose Reel Mounted To A Two-Wheel Dolly
(Eternity)
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. I John 5:13
The Basic Bible Truth
Heaven and eternity are both very, very real things. It is incomprehensible what God has prepared for those of us who are Christians some day. And forever is a long, long time. Why would anyone refuse a gift like that?
The Object
100 Feet Of 1 Inch Braided Nylon Rope
A Hose Reel Mounted To A Two-Wheel Dolly
Large diameter braided nylon rope can be obtained through online nautical supply houses. I bought 100 feet of 1 inch braided nylon rope. It is soft to the touch and easily rolled and stored. Quite honestly, it was the largest that I could justify spending the money for. Also, it is still manageable and quite visible for the audience to see.
The Lesson
There are many ways you can achieve this effect, but this is my favorite. I place my two-wheel dolly out in the hall out of sight of the audience. If a small group, and the room allows, I line all the chairs up, side by side, making a very long line. If it is in an auditorium, I will get a large group of people to come up and line up shoulder to shoulder. I then pull the rope from out in the hall across everyone in the line, and ask them to grab hold of the rope. I will have pulled about 20 feet extra and have the end of the rope in my hand, so that I can walk around just a bit.
I then talk about how long this rope might be. Imagine if it went out of the room, down the hall, out the door, down the sidewalk, out to the road, turned left and followed the road out to the interstate, then travelled the interstate to the ocean shore, and then was carried across the ocean to the next continent, traveled all the way across that continent and eventually ends up back at the front door of this facility. 25,000 miles long. But suppose it did that 10 times…no, 100 times…no. 1,000 times…no, a million times…and then went off into space forever. Now that is a very long rope, would you agree?
Now look here at the end of rope in my hand. Notice this little ½ inch wide band of green tape right here on the end of the rope. Suppose this ½ inch piece of green tape represents your entire life. And the rest of the rope represents eternity. Do you realize that what you do during that little tiny ½ inch span of time affects how you will spend all of that eternity?
We need to begin living with eternity in our minds and hearts. We tend to focus on the here and now. And the truth is, the here and now is for such a short moment, and eternity is for such a long time, we need perspective. Our first concern should be a relationship with Jesus. Have we been saved, born again, become a Christian, invited Jesus into our hearts…whatever term you would like to use…have you done that? Every other question pales in comparison to that one. At the end of our lives, there are only two options available for eternity. Heaven or Hell.
Both will last a very, very long time. Hell is going to be unimaginable torment for an eternity and Heaven is going to be unimaginable beauty and wonder for all of eternity. With only two choices to choose from and the price so cheap for a ticket to Heaven and the price so high for a ticket to Hell, it would seem to be a simple decision to make.
And when that question has been settled, we go on to the next phase. Our rewards in Heaven future are based upon our actions as Christians here and now. Do we live every day as if that were true? Sadly, most of us do not. Paul reminds us to live with Heaven in the front of our minds. As I have gotten older, the reality of eternity is beginning to look very real to me. I have parents and friends who have already gone on ahead of me. I am looking forward to that day when I will see my Savior.
Are there days when we find ourselves saying, “Come Lord Jesus?” I give my students in Sunday School the opportunity to anonymously write down any question they may have about the Bible, God, Church, or religion in general. I then answer those questions in class. Of course there are the strange/funny/but honest ones like, “Where did the people of Israel use the bathroom when they wandered through the desert fort 40 years?” But there are a large number of them that center on Heaven and what is it going to be like.
God has placed eternity in the hearts of men. We have an innate desire for eternity and the grandeurs of Heaven.
½ inch of life compared to the entire length of the future…it seems to be a “no-brainer” to me.
Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
The Lesson
There are many ways you can achieve this effect, but this is my favorite. I place my two-wheel dolly out in the hall out of sight of the audience. If a small group, and the room allows, I line all the chairs up, side by side, making a very long line. If it is in an auditorium, I will get a large group of people to come up and line up shoulder to shoulder. I then pull the rope from out in the hall across everyone in the line, and ask them to grab hold of the rope. I will have pulled about 20 feet extra and have the end of the rope in my hand, so that I can walk around just a bit.
I then talk about how long this rope might be. Imagine if it went out of the room, down the hall, out the door, down the sidewalk, out to the road, turned left and followed the road out to the interstate, then travelled the interstate to the ocean shore, and then was carried across the ocean to the next continent, traveled all the way across that continent and eventually ends up back at the front door of this facility. 25,000 miles long. But suppose it did that 10 times…no, 100 times…no. 1,000 times…no, a million times…and then went off into space forever. Now that is a very long rope, would you agree?
Now look here at the end of rope in my hand. Notice this little ½ inch wide band of green tape right here on the end of the rope. Suppose this ½ inch piece of green tape represents your entire life. And the rest of the rope represents eternity. Do you realize that what you do during that little tiny ½ inch span of time affects how you will spend all of that eternity?
We need to begin living with eternity in our minds and hearts. We tend to focus on the here and now. And the truth is, the here and now is for such a short moment, and eternity is for such a long time, we need perspective. Our first concern should be a relationship with Jesus. Have we been saved, born again, become a Christian, invited Jesus into our hearts…whatever term you would like to use…have you done that? Every other question pales in comparison to that one. At the end of our lives, there are only two options available for eternity. Heaven or Hell.
Both will last a very, very long time. Hell is going to be unimaginable torment for an eternity and Heaven is going to be unimaginable beauty and wonder for all of eternity. With only two choices to choose from and the price so cheap for a ticket to Heaven and the price so high for a ticket to Hell, it would seem to be a simple decision to make.
And when that question has been settled, we go on to the next phase. Our rewards in Heaven future are based upon our actions as Christians here and now. Do we live every day as if that were true? Sadly, most of us do not. Paul reminds us to live with Heaven in the front of our minds. As I have gotten older, the reality of eternity is beginning to look very real to me. I have parents and friends who have already gone on ahead of me. I am looking forward to that day when I will see my Savior.
Are there days when we find ourselves saying, “Come Lord Jesus?” I give my students in Sunday School the opportunity to anonymously write down any question they may have about the Bible, God, Church, or religion in general. I then answer those questions in class. Of course there are the strange/funny/but honest ones like, “Where did the people of Israel use the bathroom when they wandered through the desert fort 40 years?” But there are a large number of them that center on Heaven and what is it going to be like.
God has placed eternity in the hearts of men. We have an innate desire for eternity and the grandeurs of Heaven.
½ inch of life compared to the entire length of the future…it seems to be a “no-brainer” to me.
Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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