Max Lucado - The Story of Heaven Study Guide: Exploring the Hope and Promise of Eternity

Resources for The Story

Books

The Story

The Story for Teens

The Story for Kids

The Story for Children, a Storybook Bible

The Heart of the Story (by Randy Frazee)

Exploring the Story (by Adam Barr)

Curriculum

The Story Adult Curriculum Participants Guide and DVD

The Story of Heaven Study Guide and DVD

The Story of Jesus Participants Guide and DVD

The Story of Jesus Teen Curriculum DVD

The Story for Kids: Later Elementary Curriculum CD-ROM

The Story for Children: Early Elementary Curriculum CD-ROM

The Story for Little Ones: Preschool Curriculum CD-ROM

The Story of Jesus for Kids Curriculum

Other

The Story Implementation Guide

The Story Church Resource DVD

ZONDERVAN

The Story of Heaven Study Guide

Copyright 2014 by Max Lucado and Randy Frazee

Requests for information should be addressed to:

Zondervan, 3900 Sparks Dr., Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546

ePub Edition February 2014: ISBN 978-0-310-82054-3

Some of this content was previously published in Gods Story, Your Story Participants Guide, copyright 2011 by Max Lucado and The Story Adult Curriculum Participants Guide, copyright 2011 by Randy Frazee.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from The Message. Copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Scripture quotations marked NCV are taken from the Holy Bible, New Century Version. Copyright 1987, 1988, 1991 by Word Publishing, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois. All rights reserved.

Any Internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers in this book are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by Zondervan, nor does Zondervan vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Cover photography: Thinkstock

Interior design: Beth Shagene

Printed in the United States of America

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Contents

Teaching by Max Lucado

Teaching by Max Lucado

Teaching by Randy Frazee

THE STORY OF HEAVEN STUDY GUIDE COMBINES CONTENT from two well-loved pastors and authors Max Lucado (Gods Story, Your Story) and Randy Frazee (The Story) along with brand-new material to provide solid, biblical teaching on heaven and life after death. Designed for use with The Story of Heaven video, its a timely study for small groups, churches, and individuals.

Using This Study Guide

Each session of this book consists of Bible Readings from the New International Version (NIV) followed by a study guide that includes space for taking notes while viewing the video teaching, group discussion questions, prayer cues, and personal application ideas for between meetings.

Ideally, with the exception of , you will read the Bible Readings before your group meets so that you are prepared to jump right into the video presentation. However, even if you have not had opportunity to read the Bible Readings ahead of time, please attend the group anyway the discussion questions typically focus on shorter portions of these same Bible passages, which you will read during the session itself.

As you use the study guide and listen to Max or Randys video teaching, you will occasionally encounter the terms Upper Story and Lower Story. What do they mean?

All through the story of the Bible two parallel and beautiful dramas unfold: There is the Upper Story. God is real, he is present, and he is working on our behalf. Heaven is breaking into the world more than we recognize, and the story of Gods seeking love, perpetual grace, and longing for relationship with ordinary people is breathtaking. There is also the Lower Story. We live on earth. We make mistakes, run from God, and resist his overtures of love. Sometimes we get so mired in the Lower Story that we fail to recognize Gods presence breaking into our world. We forget that the God of heaven longs to have a growing relationship, a friendship, with us and ultimately sent his Son, Jesus, who died for our sins and rose again to restore that relationship for all who will believe. It is in The Story of Heaven that these two stories reach their glorious climax: when sin, death, and sorrow will be no more and God will be reunited with his people forever.

In this ebook edition, please use your devices note-taking function to record your thoughts wherever you see the bracketed instructions [Your Notes] or [Your Response]. Use your devices highlighting function to record your response whenever you are asked to checkmark, circle, underline, or otherwise indicate your answer(s).

In life, the end is often exactly that, the end. With Jesus, the end can become the beginning.

Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) So the sisters sent word to Jesus, Lord, the one you love is sick.

When he heard this, Jesus said, This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for Gods glory so that Gods Son may be glorified through it. Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, and then he said to his disciples, Let us go back to Judea.

But Rabbi, they said, a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?

Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this worlds light. It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.

After he had said this, he went on to tell them, Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.

His disciples replied, Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better. Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.

So then he told them plainly, Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.

Then Thomas (also known as Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him.

On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.