This story is from a book called the Bible. Men did not make up the Bible. It is the word of the Most High God. These stories are true and reliable because they are the words of the Most High God.
There is only one God, and He is the Most High God. The Most High God is more powerful than men and kingdoms. The Most High God is more powerful than other gods such as the money god, success god, or popularity god. He is also more powerful than idols made by men. The Most High God is the most powerful.
In the beginning the Most High God existed. The Most High God is the Creator. He created everything on earth and in heaven and is all-powerful over everything. His name is God.
When God began to create things, He just used His words. He spoke and everything came to being. He created angels to worship and serve Him. They were very beautiful.
God created everything in 6 days. [He created the sky, land, water, mountains, oceans, sun, moon, stars, all plant and animals. He created everything.] Finally, He created man according to His image. God created man to enjoy all that He has created. God created everything and saw that it was good.
God placed the man and woman in a beautiful garden to live. They had a very good relationship. He told them to take care of the garden and enjoy everything. He gave them a special command: they could eat from every tree in the garden except one. If they ate from that one tree, they would die. Man and woman listened to God and had a wonderful relationship with Him in the garden.
However, do you remember the angels God created? One of the angels was very smart and beautiful. This angel became very proud. He wanted to be like God and to have the other angels to worship him instead of God. Only God deserves all the worship and service. Therefore God cast the bad angel, Satan, and the other angels who listened to him out of heaven. These bad angels are known as demons.
One day, Satan tempted woman, named Eve, to eat the food from the tree that was forbidden. [Satan lied to the woman. He told Eve that if she ate of the tree, she would be just like the Most High God.] Eve listened to Satan and ate the fruit. Then she gave it to her husband, Adam, to eat. Both of them disobeyed God’s command. Disobeying God’s command is sin. God is righteous and holy. He must punish sin. God cast the man and the woman out of the garden, and their relationship with God was broken. Man and God were now separated forever.
Like Adam and Eve, all people since then have sinned by not listening to God’s commands and are separated from God. The result of sin is eternal death. We cannot live with God forever.
Over time, the number of people on earth multiplied. God loved them very much and wanted them to have a relationship with Him. He gave them 10 commandments to follow. Remember God is perfect and holy, so we must be perfect and holy to live with him. [The 10 commandments teach man how to relate to God and how to relate to people. Some of the commands were: do not worship other gods or make idols; honor your parents; do not lie, steal, murder or commit adultery.] However, no one was able to obey all of these commands. So, each time they sinned, God allowed them to repent of their sins and offer a blood sacrifice to take the place of their punishment. This sacrifice was shedding the blood of a perfect animal. If they would repent and offer the blood sacrifice, God would forgive them. Only by the shedding of blood can man’s sin be forgiven. However, man kept sinning and the sin sacrifice became a ritual rather than something from their heart. God became tired of the blood of animals. The shedding of animal’s blood was never sufficient to bring men back to God.
Remember that God loves man whom He created very much. He is angry that they disobey Him, and is sad that they cannot come back to Him. Therefore He gave man a perfect way to reconnect to Him.
God sent Jesus to show us the way back to Himself. Who is Jesus? Jesus is God’s son, His one and only son.
Jesus was a wise teacher. [Many people would come to hear Him teach about how they could return to God.]
Jesus was a powerful miracle worker.
Jesus calms the storm. [On one occasion, He was with some of His students crossing a large lake on a boat. It was late at night. While Jesus was sleeping, a powerful storm arose on the lake. Jesus’ students were very afraid. They awakened Jesus and said, “We are about to die!” Jesus rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Immediately the wind and rained stopped.] Jesus’ power is greater than natural powers.
Jesus fed over 5,000 people. [On another occasion over 5,000 people came to listen to Jesus teach about God. When evening came they had not eaten and were hungry. Altogether they only had five loaves of bread and two fish. Jesus used the five loaves of bread and two fish to feed over 5,000 people.] Jesus’ power is able to satisfy man’s needs.
Jesus cured a demon-possessed man. [Another time, Jesus saw a man with many demons inside him. The man was very powerful and dangerous. Jesus loved the man and cast the demons out of him.] Jesus is more powerful than demons.
Jesus raised the dead. [Jesus’ good friend became sick and died. Jesus was not with him. Four days later Jesus arrived at His friend’s house. Jesus felt very sad. His friend was already in the tomb. Jesus went to the front of the tomb and said, “Friend, come out.” His friend was resurrected. He walked out of the tomb alive!] Jesus’ power is greater than death.
Jesus was the good shepherd. He loves and cares for people.
Jesus was perfect. He never sinned.
Jesus was the Lamb of God.
People loved Jesus. However, some leaders were jealous of Jesus. These men grabbed Jesus and decided to kill Him. They placed Jesus on a cross. A cross is made from two large pieces of wood formed together in the shape of a large cross. They took His hands and His feet and nailed them to the cross. His precious blood flowed from His hands, feet and body. Jesus suffered much pain on the cross.
Jesus is the perfect sacrifice. Jesus was perfect and did not deserve to die. Instead, Jesus died for all mankind. God loves us and allowed Jesus to die on the cross in our place. Only through the shedding of Jesus’ precious blood was God able to forgive our sin. Jesus death demonstrates God’s love towards us. However this story doesn’t end here. On the third day Jesus rose from the dead!
[Before His crucifixion, Jesus told a story to his followers about a father and his sons.]
The father had two sons. The younger one said to his father, “Father, give me my share of the inheritance.” So he divided his property between them. The younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.
After he had spent everything, he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
When he came to his senses, he said, “How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.'”
So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him. He ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. The son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.”
But the father said to his servants, “Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” So they began to celebrate.
We are all like the younger son. We all have left God and are forever separated from Him. We all must repent and return to God. Jesus can lead us back to God’s side. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
We must go through Jesus to return to God. How can we go through Jesus? You must believe in your heart and with your mouth confess that Jesus is Lord. Do you want to go through Jesus and return to God’s side?
Through Jesus your relationship with God can be restored. Do you want to go through Jesus to return to God’s side?
If you want to, you must believe in your heart and confess, “I have sinned. I have left God. Jesus is the perfect sacrifice for my sin. I believe and trust in Jesus. I want to repent and allow Jesus to lead me back to God.”
Now your relationship with God is restored.
I know you care about your family. God is waiting for your whole family to believe in Him. Go home and tell your family and friends this good news. God loves them too!
Pastor Benon and I were hit by a car as we were riding the BodaBoda last Friday, so Claudia and I didn't make it to church on Sunday. After being "stove-up" for a few days, we decided to go to church on Christmas Day. All the churches have church on Christmas Day. There were no carols or Christmas music BUT there was worship and thanksgiving for the coming of the Christ-child. Pastor Deo preached about the coming of Jesus. As we worshipped, I could not help but notice the guy in front of me. Baseball cap and all, he stood and ever humbly worshipped the living God. He wouldn't know all our "right" words, but I believe his heart was so pure before the Father. I just watched. He never grew weary. He never sat down. He never dropped his hands. His lips moved but I could hear no sound. He was just loving God! What a gift to the Father --Merry Christmas!
