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Notes for: The Top Five Life Lessons Most Homeschool Families Miss

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(Cat and Dog Theology for Homeschoolers)

Introduction

1. If our students know the 3 R’s, (all the subjects), but don’t know these life lessons, they’ve missed everything and we have done them a tremendous injustice! a. These five life lessons are in descending order of importance

1. Homeschooling Idols

1. Leviticus 26:1 a. “ ‘Do not make idols or set up an image or a sacred stone for yourselves, and

do not place a carved stone in your land to bow down before it. I am the LORD your God.

2. Homeschooling Idols a. The Perfect Child b. The Perfect Outward Form c. The Perfect Relationship d. The Perfect Future e. The Perfect Control

i. This is the idol most parents have, trying to control their kids way too much so that they come out perfect.

f. We’ve Left Out The Grace of God. This is what we need to be pointing them to.

2. Heaven Is Cool!

1. Philippians 1:21 a. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. (Most Christians don’t believe this.) b. Most Christian believe: For to me, to live is Christ to die is … second best—but

at least you’re not going to hell, look on the bright side of things. i. How do we know this? ii. Go to any Sunday school class and listen to the prayers requests. Most

are medical reports non-‐verbally communicating, “I don’t want to go to die.”

iii. Why? They’re not really sure what heaven is about. It might be a …. 1. 24-‐hour worship serve? 2. They are floating on a cloud with a harp?

a. Gag me with a spoon. I wouldn’t want that. 2. Revelation 13:6

a. It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven.




b. Satan is trying to get you and me to not understand what heaven is about and therefore not go there.

c. If Heaven is seen as i. Boring ii. Unimaginable iii. Unearthly existence

d. Why should we share the good news that people can spend eternity in a boring, ghostly place that even we’re not looking forward to?

3. 1 Corinthians 2:9 a. However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human

mind has conceived”— the things God has prepared for those who love him— b. Most of us have read this and don’t look at the next verse.

4. 1 Corinthians 2:10a a. these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. b. God has revealed key things to us about heaven to get us EXCITED!

5. Colossians 3:1 a. Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above,

where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God b. We are to pointing our children to do an active diligent search of what heaven is

about. If we are not, we are failing them. 6. What Has God Revealed?

a. The Present Heaven is not the permanent Heaven i. Revelation 21:1a

1. Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, …

7. What else has God revealed? a. Luke 16:19-‐31 (Lazarus and the Rich Man)

i. There is a fixed Chasm between Heaven and Hell ii. We Can Reason and Communicate iii. We maintain Distinct Identities iv. We will be Physical Beings v. We will have a Clear Memory of Things on Earth.

8. What else has God revealed? a. Revelation 6:9-‐11

i. When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained.

ii. They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?”

iii. Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been.

1. We will be Emotional and can Raise Our Voices. 2. We will be Aware of Each Other and the Situation on Earth. 3. We can Ask God Questions.




4. There is Learning in Heaven. 5. We will have a Concern for Justice 6. There is Time in Heaven. 7. We will still have a Strong Connection with those on Earth. 8. God knows to the Last Detail what is Still Happening on Earth.

9. What else has God revealed? a. Hebrews 11:10

i. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

ii. If God made an analogy of cities, then there must be buildings, roads, jobs, sports, parks, movies, entertainment, etc.

10. What else has God revealed? a. Revelation 22:3

i. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.

1. We will have jobs in heaven. Not boring jobs we don’t want, jobs that will thrill us tailored completely to our personality and strengths.

2. Every word spoken to us by our boss will be encouraging. 3. Every work we say to those under us will be encouraging.

b. Revelation 5:10 i. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”

c. Revelation 3:21 i. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.

d. Revelation 2:26 i. To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations—

e. Romans 8:16,17 i. The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-‐heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

f. Hebrews 1:1,2 i. In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.

g. From Points B-‐F, we learn i. We will be ruling in some capacity, possibly over nations. ii. We will be sitting with Christ on His throne (which means deep

intimacy!)




iii. As a co-‐heir, we will inherit the universe with Christ. That is what we will be ruling and reigning over!

h. And we thought heaven was boring???? Heaven is so totally cool.

3. You Don’t Earn Salvation,

You Earn Rewards

1. Growing up as a child, I have my Catholic friends and my protestant friends. My Catholic friends said I had to be a good person to go to heaven and they had scripture to back it up. My protestant friends said it was through faith in Christ alone and they had scripture to back it up. Which was it????

a. Matthew 25:34, 35 (The Catholic verse) i. “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

b. Ephesians 2:8,9 (The Protestant Verse) i. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—Not by works so that no one can boast.

2. I discovered: a. There is a huge difference between our names being Recorded in Heaven and

us being Rewarded in Heaven. b. Having our names “Recorded” in heaven is what the Bible calls “entering the

kingdom of God.” Faith is required. c. Being “Rewarded” in heaven is what the Bible calls “Inheriting the kingdom of

God.” i. (Please note, at this point in the talk, I differentiate between these two. In my new book soon to be released for Year 3 Curriculum God Is Not A Socialist, “inheriting the kingdom” can be both for having a relationship with God and rewards. The context always needs to be looked at to determine which it is to be used for.)

3. The Bible is Very Clear that there are Rewards a. Colossians 3:23,24a

i. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.




1. Note there is work being done and there is an inheritance. This is not talking about salvation, but rewards as is clearly stated.

b. Matthew 25:34, 35 i. “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

ii. Note a couple of things about the Kingdom God has for you. 1. It was tailor made for YOU. 2. It was created since the beginning of time. This means before God

put the first electron together, He had it in His mind to have you rule and reign with Him over the Universe.

3. He also has this in mind for your children. This is why you NEED to teach them about this.

c. Matthew 6:20 i. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

1. This is a command from God, not a suggestion. 4. There are two judgment seats in heaven.

a. Revelation 20:11: Great White Throne (This is where non-‐Christians go and are sent to an eternity without Christ.)

b. 2 Corinthians 5:10: Judgment Seat of Christ (This is where all Christians will go and be judged to determine how many rewards they get to determine how they will rule and reign in the new heaven and earth.

5. 2 Corinthians 5:10 a. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us

may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

i. Note that they earned their rewards. 6. There will be differences in heaven: 1 Corinthians 15:41,42

a. Some of us will shine like the SUN b. Some of us will shine like the MOON c. Some of us will shine like the STARS

7. Luke 19:11-‐26 a. Some of us will rule over 10 cities b. Some of us will rule over 5 cities c. Some of us will be there, but not rule over any cities.

8. Matthew 5:19 a. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and

teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

i. Some of us will be great in the kingdom of heaven, some of us will not.




ii. It all depends upon how you live your life here on this earth. 9. Bruce Wilkinson

a. What we believe determines where we spend eternity. i. This is entering the kingdom and only faith is required.

b. What we do determines how we spend eternity. i. This is inheriting the kingdom and determines our forever future.

10. The sad news is that some will lose what God had intended for them from the beginning of time.

a. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.

i. The word “suffer loss” can easily be translated “forfeit.” They will forfeit the kingdom God had planned for them from the beginning of time.

ii. No wonder Revelation 21:4 says there will be “tears in heaven.” They will have realized that they wasted their lives.

11. Just because your child has “prayed the prayer,” don’t think the majority of your job is done. You’ve only just begun.

4. There is a Story in the Bible

1. The Bible can easily be read as “one book” with an introduction, a story and a conclusion.

a. The Introduction is found in Genesis 1-‐11. Here God creates the nations. b. The Story starts in Genesis 12 where God choose Abram and says to him, “I will

bless you to be a blessing to all the nations on the face of the earth. c. The Conclusion is found in Revelation 5 where we find that there are people

from every tongue, tribe and nation worshiping the Lord. In other words, what God set out to do in Genesis 12, He pulls off in Revelation 5. Everything in between is the story.

2. This story is so significant, that Jesus said in Matthew 24:14, “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end shall come.”

a. Jesus isn’t going to come back until we the church do our job. b. We aren’t just supposed to be good people doing good works, just twiddling our

thumbs waiting around for Christ. We have a job to do. And until it’s done, Christ won’t come back.1

1 To learn more about this, read God’s Bottom Line by Bob Sjogren available at www.UnveilinGLORY.com/bookstore




5. Life’s Not About Us

1. As the “Bride of Christ,” are we seeking God because of who He is or because of what He can do for us? Those are two different relationships. We call them “Cat and Dog Theology.”

2. The key difference between Cats and Dogs is determining, “Who did Christ primarily die for?” Cats think Jesus died primarily for them. Dogs think Jesus died primarily for the Father’s glory.

a. In John 12:27 and 28, Jesus is one day away from dying on the cross, one of the most brutal deaths any human can endure. As He is with His disciples, He basically tells them He doesn’t want to die:

i. Not my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour? No. It was for this very reason that I came.

b. Then He addresses His Father. He’s done talking to His disciples and He is going to talk to His heavenly Father about why He is going to the cross. They key question here is, “Is He going to talk to His heavenly Father about the primary reason why He’s going to the cross or a secondary?” We think you’d agree with us—primary.

c. What He doesn’t say speaks volumes. He doesn’t say: i. Father, save these kind wonderful worthy people from hell, they don’t deserve it.

ii. In fact, he didn’t even mention us. d. What did He say?

i. Father, glorify thy name. ii. We want to challenge you that the true primary purpose that put Christ

on the cross was the bring His Father glory.2 3. Depending upon whom Christ primarily died for, you’ll have two totally different types

of theology. We call them Cat and Dog Theology. 4. Here’s how a Cat Thinks:

a. Jesus left the Father’s glory FOR ME. b. He suffered FOR ME. c. He died FOR ME. d. He’s gone back to heaven to build a mansion FOR ME. e. He’s up there interceding FOR ME.

2 To find out more on this subject, read A Cat and Dog Look at the Cross by Bob Sjogren and Kevin Kimbrough or Cat and Dog Theology by Bob Sjogren and Gerald Robison available at www.UnveilinGLORY.com/bookstore




f. He’s coming back a second time FOR ME. g. Gee, I wonder whom God lives for? He must live for me. h. And if God lives for me, Ephesians 5:1 says I’m to imitate God. So if God lives for

me, I’m going to live for me too! I’ll just do it in a Christian context. I’ll go to church, attending Sunday school. I’ll do all the right things. But I’m doing it all FOR ME.

i. Because if I do these things, God will bless me. And I want the blessings—even more than God.

j. I seek God, not for who He is, but for what He can do for me. k. Now, if God Lives For Me, Then

i. My friends better live for me. ii. My siblings better live for me. iii. My parents better lives for me. iv. My …..

5. Here’s How A Dog Thinks: a. Jesus left the Father’s glory TO GLORIFY HIS FATHER. b. He suffered TO GLORIFY HIS FATHER. c. He died TO GLORIFY HIS FATHER. d. He’s gone back to heaven to build a mansion TO GLORIFY HIS FATHER. e. He’s up there interceding TO GLORIFY HIS FATHER. f. He’s coming back a second time TO GLORIFY HIS FATHER. g. Since all of life is about glorifying God, I should be willing to glorify God as well.

God must live to glorify His name. 6. If God Lives For God, Then

a. I should live to glorify God. b. My friends should live to glorify God c. My parents should live to glorify God. d. ... e.

In Conclusion:

1. Can You Imagine Standing Before God and saying, “Lord, my child new triple calculus as a junior in high school, aren’t you proud? But, no, sorry,

a. I never taught him/her about idols, b. I never got him/her excited about going to heaven. c. I never taught him/her about earning rewards. d. I never taught him/her about your heart for the nations. e. I never taught him/her about living for Your glory. f. I thought that was the job of the youth pastor….

2. We’ve got good news. a. Year 1 of our middle school and high school curriculum (and elementary

curriculum) is: Cat and Dog Theology. b. Year 2 is about The Story of the Bible.




c. Year 3 is about Earning Rewards! d. Year 4 is about Heaven.

If this messages has been a real blessing to you, would you please consider doing me one favor? My wife and I live off of support. (All proceeds from convention sales goes to the ministry and not to us personally.) Due to the recent death of key supporters, we are under-‐supported and need new annual givers or new monthly supporters. If you are interested, please drop me an e-‐mail at [email protected] or go to our website (www.UnveilinGLORY.com) and click on “Donate now” and me know through an e-‐mail it is to go to us.

Thanks, Bob (and Debby) Sjogren

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