The Wizard Of Oz

THE WIZARD OF OZ

Heb. 11:10

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR “Why Men Are Happier People”

1. NICKNAMES. If Laura, Kate and Sarah go out for lunch, they will call each other Laura, Kate and Sarah. If Mike, Dave & John go out, they will affectionately refer to each other as Fat Boy, Bubba & Wildman.

2. MONEY. A man will pay $2 for a $1 item he needs. A woman will pay $1 for a $2 item that she doesn't need but it's on sale.

3. BATHROOMS. A man has six items in his bathroom: toothbrush and toothpaste, shaving cream, razor, a bar of soap, and a towel. The average number of items in the typical woman's bathroom is 337. A man would not be able to identify more than 20 of these items.

4. ARGUMENTS. A woman has the last word in any argument.

Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.

B. TEXT

8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” Heb. 11:8-10.

C. THESIS

1. PLAY VIDEO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U016JWYUDdQ

2. The movie was based on the 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. The film stars Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale. It was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture and later named the most-viewed motion picture. It has become an icon of American popular culture.

3. This movie is parallels the life of the Christian, who is trying to get to the Celestial City, New Jerusalem.

4. We’re going to see the longing for a place without troubles, the discovery that God offers such a place, and the four aids given to reach it.

5. The title of this message is “The Wizard of Oz.”

I. SEARCH FOR A PLACE WITHOUT TROUBLES

A. MOVIE PLOT

1. Dorothy Gale, a Kansas farm girl, lives with her Auntie Em and Uncle Henry. When a mean lady wants to take her dog Toto away, Dorothy runs away with Toto.

2. Seeing a tornado, she returns home, finds the house empty, and is hit on the head by a falling window frame.

3. Auntie Em had just told her, “Find yourself a place where you won’t get into any trouble.” Dorothy had said, “Is there such a place Toto? Not a place you can get to by a boat or train.”

4. In the song, Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Dorothy imagines “Where the dreams you dare to dream come true; a place where we’ll find troubles far behind us.”

B. HEAVEN IS SUCH A PLACE

1. There’s a lot of people looking for a place without trouble, where their dreams come true.

2. The Apostle John said, “I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God….3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people….They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Rev. 21:2-4.

2. “The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp….On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there” Rev. 21:22-25.

3. John added, “Blessed are those who…have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city” Rev. 22:14.

4. Many of our family members are there now! The Bible says, "To be an absent from the body is to be in the presence of the Lord."

5. Heaven is a Real Place. It’s described as ‘Paradise.’ It has real cities, streets, mansions, mountains, trees, rivers, and lots of people and angels there. Best of all – God’s there!

6. HUMOR. A pastor preached all about heaven, then asked, “How many of you want to go to heaven?” Almost everybody raised their hands, all but Jimmy Smith. “Jimmy, don’t you want to go to heaven when you die?” Why sure, when I die. But I thought you were getting a group together to go right now!”

7. We CAN go there! But there are requirements for entry: