THE STORY OF JESUS CHRIST THIS IS THE TRUE STORY OF JESUS CHRIST. HE WAS A MAN, BUT HE WAS MUCH MORE THAN A MAN. HE is THE ONLY SON OF GOD. OF COURSE HE WAS POWERFUL. EVEN THE WIND AND THE SEA OBEYED HIM. BUT CALMING THE SEA WAS NOT THE MOST WONDERFUL THING HE DID. THE MOST WONDERFUL THING HE DID IS FOR YOU! READ ON AND DISCOVER WHAT THAT MOST WONDERFUL THING IS...
GOD LOVES PEOPLE. SADLY THEY OFTEN IGNORE GOD AND DO BAD THINGS THAT KEEP THEM FROM BEING HIS FRIENDS. BUT GOD HAD A PLAN TO REPAIR THE RELATIONSHIP! THIS IS THAT WONDERFUL STORY. GOD SENT AN ANGEL TO JOSEPH. THE ANGEL HAD AMAZING NEWS ABOUT MARY, THE GIRL JOSEPH WAS GOING TO MARRY. DO NOT BE AFRAID TO TAKE MAry AS YOUR WIFE, EVEN THOUGH SHE S GOING TO HAVE A BABY. GOD HAS CHOSEN HER TO BE THE MOTHER OF HIS SON. THE BABY S NAME WILL BE JESUS, SON OF THE MOST HIGH GOD. EXHAUSTED, MARY AND JOSEPH HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO STAY IN A BARN WHERE ANIMALS LIVED. THAT NIGHT BABY JESUS WAS BORN. MARY KEPT HER BABY WARM IN A BOX THAT USUALLY HELD FOOD FOR THE ANIMALS. JOSEPH LOVED GOD AND BELIEVED THE ANGEL. MONTHS LATER THE ROMAN EMPEROR FORCED EVERYONE TO GO TO THEIR HOMETOWNS TO BE TAXED. MARY WAS ALMOST READY TO HAVE HER BABY. SHE AND JOSEPH HAD TO GO TO BETHLEHEM, MANY MILES FROM WHERE THEY WERE LIVING. THAT SAME NIGHT, SHEPHERDS WERE TAKING CARE OF THEIR SHEEP ON THE HILLS OUTSIDE BETHLEHEM. SUDDENLY THEY SAW AN ANGEL IN THE SKY. What is happening? God save us! 2 WE VE TRAVELED A LONG WAY. MY WIFE IS GOING TO HAVE A BABY. WE MUST HAVE A PLACE TO STAY. THERE IS NO ROOM FOR YOU HERE OR ANY OTHER PLACE IN BETHLEHEM. DON T BE AFRAID. I BRING GOOD NEWS FOR YOU AND THE WHOLE WORLD. TODAY A SAVIOR HAS BEEN BORN FOR YOU. GLORY TO GOD IN HEAVEN AND PEACE TO EVERYONE ON EARTH. 3
THAT SPECIAL BABY GREW UP. HE WAS ABOUT 30 WHEN HE BEGAN THE WORK HIS FATHER GOD HAD GIVEN HIM TO DO. HE STARTED BY ASKING A MAN NAMED JOHN TO BAPTIZE HIM. JOHN WAS A GREAT PREACHER WHO TOLD PEOPLE TO COME BACK TO GOD. BUT HE KNEW JESUS WAS MUCH GREATER THAN HE WAS. You are the Son of God! I am not worthy to baptize you. John, God chose you to introduce me to the world. JESUS WAS A LOVING AND WISE TEACHER. CROWDS GATHERED TO HEAR HIS STORIES AND SEE THE MIRACLES HE DID. ONE TIME, HE WAS TEACHING A GREAT CROWD. PEOPLE GOT HUNGRY, BUT ONLY ONE BOY HAD BROUGHT A LITTLE LUNCH. IT WAS BIG ENOUGH TO FEED ONLY THE BOY. THE BOY GAVE IT TO JESUS. SO JOHN BAPTIZED JESUS. WHEN JESUS CAME UP OUT OF THE WATER, THE SPIRIT OF GOD CAME DOWN FROM HEAVEN IN THE FORM OF A DOVE. GOD S WORDS SHOOK THE SKY. THIS IS MY SON. I LOVE HIM, AND I AM VERY PLEASED WITH HIM. God, my Father, thank you for this bread and fish. FOR THREE YEARS, JESUS, THE ONLY SON OF GOD, DID MANY MIRACLES. HE HEALED THE BLIND, DEAF, AND PEOPLE WHO WERE SICK WITH ALL KINDS OF DISEASES. HE EVEN BROUGHT DEAD PEOPLE BACK TO LIFE. HE LOVED CHILDREN, AND WAS KIND TO PEOPLE WHO WERE POOR AND HELPLESS. MANY FOLLOWED HIM. EVERYWHERE HE WENT HE TALKED ABOUT HIS FATHER GOD. HE INVITED PEOPLE TO LOVE GOD AND SERVE HIM. Jesus prayed and the little boy s lunch fed over 5,000 people. JESUS DID MANY THINGS WHILE HE WALKED THE EARTH. IF EVERY ONE OF THEM WERE WRITTEN DOWN, EVEN THE whole WORLD WOULD NOT HAVE ROOM FOR THEM. But here are some of the things he did It s a miracle! 4 5
ANOTHER TIME, JESUS FRIENDS WERE IN A BOAT. THEY SAW SOMEONE WALKING ON THE WATER. BUT THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS DIDN T LIKE JESUS. PEOPLE WERE BELIEVING THAT JESUS WAS THE SON OF GOD. THE LEADERS WERE LOSING POWER. How can we be in charge if he keeps doing miracles? What are his plans? Is he going to try to take over the country? He is dangerous! IT WAS JESUS! WALKING ON THE SEA LIKE IT WAS SOLID GROUND. ONE OF HIS FOLLOWERS BELIEVED IN THE POWER OF JESUS, AND HE WAS ABLE TO WALK ON THE WATER TOO! We need to kill him before he causes any more trouble. But he is very popular with the people, so we ll need to wait for the right time. PARENTS BROUGHT THEIR CHILDREN TO JESUS. I want Jesus to bless my son! No, take the children away. Stop bothering Jesus. AS LONG AS HE KEPT LOOKING AT JESUS, HE COULD WALK ON WATER. BUT WHEN HE TOOK HIS EYES OFF JESUS AND LOOKED AT THE SCARY WAVES, HE STOPPED TRUSTING IN JESUS POWER AND BEGAN TO SINK. Lord! Save me! They climbed back into the boat together. You really are the Son of God! You should not have doubted me. But Jesus welcomed the children. MY FATHER GOD LOVES CHILDREN AND EVERYONE ELSE WHO TRUSTS ME. I WANT THEM TO COME. 6 7
In the meantime, the religious leaders were getting more and more angry at Jesus. He keeps doing miracles and claiming to be the Son of God. WE MUST STOP JESUS SOON BEFORE MORE PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT HE IS TELLING THE TRUTH. MOST RELIGIOUS LEADERS DID NOT BELIEVE JESUS WAS THE SON OF GOD. BUT THEY WERE AFRAID THE PEOPLE WOULD FIGHT AGAINST THEM IF THEY HURT JESUS. SO THEY GAVE MONEY TO ONE OF JESUS FOLLOWERS TO TURN AGAINST HIM AND BETRAY JESUS TO THE ROMAN SOLDIERS SO THEY COULD PUNISH HIM. Greetings, master. SOME PEOPLE WITH JESUS TRIED TO DEFEND HIM. ONE DAY JESUS SPOKE THE TRUTH FROM THE STEPS OF THE TEMPLE. I am the only Son of God. Anyone who believes in me will not die, but will live in heaven forever with me. He is a mad man! kill him! kill him! NO! DO NOT FIGHT FOR ME. I COULD ORDER AN ARMY OF ANGELS TO FIGHT FOR ME IF I WANTED TO. WHAT IS HAPPENING IS GOD S PLAN. But Jesus calmly walked through the crowd, and no one touched him. 8 9
JESUS HAD NEVER DONE ONE BAD THING IN HIS WHOLE LIFE. BUT HIS ENEMIES TOOK HIM TO THE ROMAN LEADER, PILATE, AND LIED ABOUT HIM. THEY SAID HE HAD DONE TERRIBLE THINGS. PILATE DID NOT BELIEVE THEM, BUT HE ORDERED HIS SOLDIERS TO TORTURE JESUS ANYWAY. Whip Him! PILATE DID WHAT THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS ASKED. JESUS WAS FORCED TO CARRY A HEAVY CROSS TO THE place WHERE HE WOULD BE KILLED. AFTER THE WHIPPING, SOLDIERS MADE A CROWN OF THORNS AND PUT IT ON JESUS HEAD. THEN THEY PUT A ROBE ON HIM AND MADE FUN OF HIM. HA! WHAT KIND OF SON OF GOD ARE YOU? MANY OF THE PEOPLE LOVED JESUS. THEY KNEW HE WAS THE SON OF GOD. THEY WONDERED WHY HE DIDN T USE HIS POWER TO SAVE HIMSELF. THEY DIDN T UNDERSTAND THAT THIS WAS PART OF GOD S PLAN. JESUS FELL. THE CROSS WAS VERY HEAVY. ANOTHER MAN PICKED UP THE CROSS AND CARRIED IT FOR HIM. PILATE KNEW JESUS WAS INNOCENT, BUT HE WAS AFRAID OF THE ANGRY CROWD. Do whatever you want with him Kill him! CRucifY him! 10 11
SEVERAL DAYS LATER, WOMEN WHO LOVED JESUS WENT TO VISIT HIS TOMB. BUT INSTEAD OF FINDING JESUS BODY, THEY FOUND AN ANGEL WAITING FOR THEM. JESUS WAS KILLED ON A CROSS BETWEEN TWO THIEVES. IT WAS awful. FATHER GOD, FORGIVE THEM. THESE PEOPLE DON T KNOW WHAT THEY RE DOING. Don t be frightened. Jesus is alive again! His followers couldn t believe it. They raced to see for themselves. Then, suddenly, Jesus himself appeared to them. DON T CRY. I AM STRONGER THAN DEATH. He rose from the dead! He said he would, but we didn t believe him. 12 FOR HOURS, JESUS SUFFERED ON THE CROSS. FINALLY HE DIED. THE EARTH SHOOK AND THE SUN GREW DIM. A FRIEND GOT PERMISSION TO TAKE JESUS DEAD BODY AND BURY HIM IN A TOMB INSIDE A CAVE. 13
A FEW DAYS LATER, JESUS APPEARED TO 500 OF HIS FRIENDS. YES, THERE WAS NO DOUBT THAT HE WAS ALIVE. HE HAD FINISHED THE WORK HIS FATHER GOD HAD SENT HIM TO DO. NOW IT WOULD BE HIS FOLLOWERS TURN TO CARRY ON GOD S WORK. GOD WOULD GIVE THEM HIS POWER WHEN THEY NEEDED IT. THEY WOULD TELL THE WORLD THAT JESUS TOOK THE PUNISHMENT FOR THE WRONG THINGS ALL OF US HAVE DONE. NOW WHEN WE LOVE HIM AND LIVE FOR HIM, WE CAN BE FRIENDS WITH GOD FOREVER. GO OUT AND SHARE THIS GOOD NEWS. TEACH THE WHOLE WORLD ABOUT ME. I WILL BE WITH YOU ALWAYS. SINCE THAT DAY, PEOPLE WHO LOVE JESUS HAVE GONE ALL OVER THE WORLD TELLING EVERYONE THAT JESUS CAN SAVE THEM FROM THEIR SINS. THE MOST HIGH GOD WANTS TO BE THEIR HEAVENLY FATHER. WHAT GOOD NEWS! SIN HURTS PEOPLE. NOTHING GOOD EVER COMES FROM SIN. SIN ALSO PUSHES US AWAY FROM GOD. SADLY, WE ALL HAVE SINNED. WHAT CAN SAVE US FROM ALL THIS SIN? THAT IS WHY JESUS CAME. HE DIED ON THE CROSS TO TAKE THE PUNISHMENT FOR OUR SIN. BUT THEN, JESUS CAME BACK TO LIFE. HE IS MORE POWERFUL THAN SIN. HE CAN SAVE US FROM SIN. TURN AWAY FROM SIN AND TURN TO JESUS. YOU CAN BELONG TO HIM FOREVER AND SOMEDAY BE WITH HIM IN HEAVEN. THEN, JESUS WENT BACK TO HEAVEN WHILE THOSE WHO LOVED HIM WATCHED. 14 Do You Want to Follow Jesus? Read these truths. Put a mark in the box in front of each statement you believe. God is a loving, heavenly Father. He wants to be my friend. But I have done wrong things and disobeyed Him. I deserve to be punished for what I have done. But God loves me. He loves me so much that He sent His perfect Son Jesus to take the punishment for the wrong things I ve done. Jesus never did anything wrong. Jesus is wonderful. He loves children and adults. He loves poor and rich people and people with power and without power. He loves everyone. He loves me so much that He wants me to join Him in God s family. He was willing to die to make this happen. Jesus died as the punishment for the wrong things each person on earth has done. But this is not the end of the story. Jesus came back to life! Jesus is no longer dead. He is alive today. Jesus wants me to love Him and live in ways that please Him. This will bring joy to me and to my Heavenly Father. 15
How Do I Ask Jesus to Take Away My Sin? Follow these Steps. You can speak to Jesus any time. Talk to him out loud or in your mind. Step 1 - Tell Jesus you love Him for all He has done for you. Thank Him. Step 2 - Tell Jesus how sorry you are for all the bad things you have done. Tell Jesus that you want to turn from sin and turn to Him. Step 3 - Tell Jesus that you believe He can forgive you. The Salvation Poem Jesus, You died upon a cross And rose again to save the lost Forgive me now of all my sin Come be my Savior, Lord, and Friend Change my life and make it new And help me, Lord, to live for You Step 4 - Ask Jesus to forgive you. Tell Him you want to follow Him for the rest of your life. Tell Him you want to live for Him. Step 5 - Thank God that He has heard your prayer and has forgiven you. Jesus saved you. Now you belong to Him. If you have made the decision to follow Jesus, write your name and today s date here. Exciting Next Steps Step 1 - Tell someone else who loves Jesus what you have decided. Talk together about how wonderful it is to follow Jesus today, and how wonderful it will be to live in heaven with Him forever. Work together to find answers to any questions you may still have. Step 2 - If there is a group of Jesus friends who meet in a church or home near you, join them. This is a great way to stay strong in your decision to follow Jesus every day. There Is Lots More to Know! There is much more to learn about God and His Only Son Jesus in the Bible. Here are some other parts of the Bible you will want to read soon. How our One True God created the world and us. Genesis 1, 2. How people turned away from the One True God. Genesis 3. All the stories in Jesus life. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John. How God s Holy Spirit helps us live in ways that please Jesus. John 14:15-21; Acts 2. How the church got started. Acts 2. Verses to memorize: 2 Corinthians 5:17. I John 3:24. John 14:15, 21. Copyright 2011 David C Cook. Illustrations by Sergio Cariello. Publisher permission required to reproduce. All rights reserved. Doug Mauss, General Editor. The Salvation Poem written by Matt and Sherry McPherson. The Story of Jesus Christ adapted from The Action Bible, created by David C Cook.