The Gift of Heaven: Exploring Hope in the Life Beyond - Hardcover

Stanley, Charles F.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0718096800 ISBN 13: 9780718096809

Verlag: Thomas Nelson, 2017

Inhaltsangabe

Find hope and reassurance during difficult times as you explore the amazing promise of heaven.

Do you have questions about heaven? You're not alone. In The Gift of Heaven, Dr. Charles Stanley offers comfort and encouragement through biblically based insights, pulling back the curtain on the hope that all Christians have in heaven and the life that is to come.

Through The Gift of Heaven:

• You will discover that God has traced the outlines of a lovely blueprint through His word
• Gain a deeper understanding of the hope that all Christians have in the promise of eternal life
• Explore difficult questions such as "What will heaven be like?", "How do I know I'll go to heaven?", and "Who will be in heaven?"

 

Whether you're buying this for yourself or as a gift, inside you'll find:

• Gorgeous photography coupled with scriptures throughout that will inspire and encourage you
• A perfect gift for believers seeking to learn more about the hope that we have in God's gift of heaven

 

Use The Gift of Heaven to take a moment to reflect on the life that is beyond this world and anticipate the greatest hope of all--the day you see the face of God and are welcomed into His fullness.

Readers of Charles Stanley will also enjoy these other encouraging books:

• The Gift of Prayer
• The Gift of Jesus
• The Gift of the Cross
• Trusting God with Today
• God's Purpose for Your Life
• Jesus, Our Perfect Hope
• Every Day in His Presence
• Christmas: A Gift for Every Heart
• Finding God's Blessings in Brokenness
• God is in Control

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Dr. Charles F. Stanley was the founder of In Touch Ministries and pastor emeritus of First Baptist Church of Atlanta, Georgia, where he served more than fifty years. He was also a New York Times bestselling author of more than seventy books. Until his death in 2023, Dr. Stanley's mission was to get the gospel to "as many people as possible, as quickly as possible, as clearly as possible, as irresistibly as possible, through the power of the Holy Spirit to the glory of God." This is a calling that In Touch Ministries continues to pursue by transmitting his teachings as widely and effectively as possible.

Dr. Stanley's messages can be heard daily on In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley broadcasts on television, radio, and satellite networks and stations around the world; on the internet at intouch.org and through In Touch+ and the Charles Stanley Institute; and via the In Touch Messenger Lab. Excerpts from Dr. Stanley's inspiring messages are also published in the award-winning In Touch devotional magazine.

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The Gift of Heaven

By Charles F. Stanley

Thomas Nelson

Copyright © 2017 Charles F. Stanley
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-0-7180-9680-9

Contents

1. Heaven Is a Gift, 5, 
2. Jesus' Wonderful Promise, 15, 
3. A Glimpse of Heaven, 31, 
4. What Will Be in Heaven (and What Will Not), 47, 
5. In the Presence of God, 69, 
6. Those You Love in Heaven, 89, 
7. Having Ultimate Fulfillment in Heaven, 107, 
8. What Makes the Promise of Heaven Possible?, 123, 
9. Becoming Eternally Secure, 137, 
10. The Best Is Yet to Come, 153, 

CHAPTER 1

Heaven Is a Gift

There is an ever-growing interest these days in living a long life. Think about all the emphasis on good health. Television and radio ads focus on how to strengthen and lengthen life. Off the presses come book after book about health. Magazine and Internet articles are filled with ideas about health practices that can prolong life, or at least allow for a higher quality of life. We have an unquenchable interest in living long, which is natural, and living a high quality of life, which is desirable. So we are focused on the quality of our food and on exercise. There is a lot of emphasis on living in the here and now, but it is all earth-bound. It is all concerned with the immediate, present moment. It asks, How can I live a better quality of life right now? How can I live longer now? These are certainly natural and normal impulses. Perhaps you want to live longer because you want to prolong a good thing — you may have everything you need here in this life. You may feel at least some sense of satisfaction with what you have, and the things that you're trying to accomplish. But what about life after this one?

A Gift from God

If somebody asks you, "What is eternal life?" you might say, "Well, it's everlasting life."

"Okay, what's that?"

This is the answer: Eternal life is a gift from God. It isn't something we work for, something we pay for, something we worship for; it is a gift of God from God.

It's written in the gospel of John and repeated in that passage that all of us know so well from Romans: "The wages of sin is death, but the ... gift of God is eternal life [through] Christ Jesus our Lord" (6:23).

A Precious Gift

Eternal life is the gift that God has offered to all humankind. Now, how do we get this gift? How do we access it? Think about this for a moment. When you and I were born, we were born to live forever. Unlike God, we have a beginning. But like God, once our life starts, it is not going to have an ending. God is eternal and everlasting, from Alpha to Omega, the beginning and the end. He has no beginning and no ending. Humans do pass away. We know it's going to happen. It can come at any point in life, at any age. It doesn't make any difference when or where it happens. It's a part of life. But the questions to ask before that time comes are these: Will I be ready to inherit the gift that God has provided for His children? Am I willing to receive it, willing to accept it, willing to take it as a gift from almighty God?

Be Ready for Eternal Life

It's important to be ready for the ultimate gift of eternal life. We can focus on two main things when it comes to eternal life: one of them is quantity, and one of them is quality. In regard to quantity, eternal life is everlasting. It has no ending. It cannot be stopped. It is ceaseless: you can't slow it down, can't speed it up. As far as the quality of eternal life is concerned, it is a relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ. It is a fellowship, and it is a companionship. There is intimacy in our relationship with Him.

Eternal life is a gift, and it is a relationship.

Promises of Eternal Life

"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."

John 3:16 NIV

For those who find [wisdom] find life and receive favor from the Lord.

Proverbs 8:35 NIV

"Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent."

John 17:3 NIV

They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. And there will no longer be any night ... They will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever.

Revelation 22:4–5

CHAPTER 2

Jesus' Wonderful Promise

When you and I face hardship, sometimes it feels as if it's never going to end. Well, the one thing that's for sure is that it is going to end. There's no such thing as endless trouble. There's no such thing as endless despair for a believer, because every single one of us who is a believer has an awesome promise that Jesus gave on the night before He was crucified.

When Jesus was in the upper room with His disciples, He said to them:

Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. (John 14:1–2)

Jesus makes a very specific promise about heaven here. He reveals Himself to us and saves us. He works in our life moment by moment, day by day; conforms us to His likeness; builds a relationship with us; comforts us in our hurts; and empowers us. He says, "One of these days life's going to be over, and I want to assure you that when it's over, I have prepared a place for you."

So it's very definite, according to the Scriptures, that heaven is a place that the Lord Jesus Christ has provided and is preparing for all of us who are His children.

Jesus began by saying, "Stop being troubled in your heart." These are words of comfort; remember: the disciples were troubled in this moment. They were feeling despair and unease. What caused them such perplexity?

Back to the upper room. Jesus was washing the disciples' feet. Then, in the middle of washing their feet, "He became troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me'" (John 13:21). Now imagine sitting there with Jesus, and all of a sudden, He says, "One of you shall betray Me," without identifying which one. No wonder they were agitated.

Jesus continued, "Little children, I am with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, now I also say to you, 'Where I am going, you cannot come'" (v. 33).

Peter said to Him, "Lord, where are You going?" Jesus answered, "Where I go, you cannot follow Me now; but you will follow later" (vv. 33, 36).

So imagine the kind of distress in their hearts at this moment.

Here's the Lord Jesus Christ, with whom they have walked for three years. They've done what He said to do, followed Him where He said to go. Now He says to them, "One of you is going to betray Me." And to make it worse, He says, "Now, where I'm going you can't follow Me. I'm going to leave you. I'm not going to be with you very much longer, and where I'm going you won't be able to follow Me."

All of a sudden there's frustration, anxiety, wonderment, and uneasiness. "What do You mean, where You're going we can't come? We've been faithful to You. We've followed You. You said You were the Messiah. You are God. You can't take us where You're going?"

Jesus' Words of Comfort

Then Jesus made this wonderful promise of preparing a heaven for the disciples and for us. He said it as a word of comfort: essentially,...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Thomas Nelson
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2017
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0718096800
• ISBN 13: 9780718096809
• Einband: Gebundene Ausgabe
• Anzahl der Seiten: 160
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: HarperCollins Publishers, Product Safety Manager; enquiries@harpercollins.ie; ; HarperCollins, Macken House, 39/40 Mayor Street Upper; Dublin 1; D01 C9W8; Irland