| The Greatest Story Ever
Told God,
who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the
fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His
Son...(Hebrews
1:1-2)
Behold, the days are
coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the
house of Israel and with the house of Judah not according to the
covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them
by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did
not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the LORD.
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws in their mind
and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they
shall be My people. None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none
his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for all shall know Me, from
the least of them to the greatest of them. For I will be merciful to
their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will
remember no more." (Hebrews
8:8-12)
The Old Testament Prophets
And in the days of these kings the God of
heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the
kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces
and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.
(Daniel
2:44-45)
Now it shall come to pass
in the latter days That the mountain of the LORD's house Shall be
established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above
the hills; And all nations shall flow to it. Many people shall come
and say,
"Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of
the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways,
And we shall walk in His paths." For out of Zion shall go forth the
law, And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge
between the nations, And rebuke many people; They shall beat their
swords into plowshares,
And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword
against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore. (Isaiah
2:2-4)
The wilderness and the
wasteland shall be glad for them, And the desert shall rejoice and
blossom as the rose; It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice, Even
with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, The
excellence of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the
LORD, The excellency of our God. Then the eyes of the blind shall
be opened, And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the
lame shall leap like a deer, And the tongue of the dumb sing. For
waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, And streams in the
desert. A highway shall be there, and a road, And it shall be
called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it,
But it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a
fool, Shall not go astray. No lion shall be there, Nor shall any
ravenous beast go up on it; It shall not be found there. But the
redeemed shall walk there, And the ransomed of the LORD shall
return, And come to Zion with singing, With everlasting joy on their
heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, And sorrow and sighing
shall flee away. (Isaiah
35: 1,2,5,6,8,9,10)
There shall come forth a
Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his
roots. The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of
wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The
Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD. His delight is in
the fear of the LORD, And He shall not judge by the sight of His
eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears; But with righteousness
He shall judge the poor, And decide with equity for the meek of the
earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with
the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. Righteousness
shall be the belt of His loins, And faithfulness the belt of His
waist. "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, The leopard shall
lie down with the young goat, The calf and the young lion and the
fatling together; And a little child shall lead them. (Isaiah
11:1-6)
I will raise up for them
a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words
in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.
(Deuteronomy
18:18)
For He shall grow up
before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He
has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty
that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected by men, A
Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were,
our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we
esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was
wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we
are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned,
every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity
of us all. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not
His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep
before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth. He was
taken from prison and from judgment, And who will declare His
generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the
transgressions of My people He was stricken. And they made His grave
with the wicked — But with the rich at His death, Because He had
done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth. Therefore I will
divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil
with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He
was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many,
And made intercession for the transgressors. (Isaiah
53:2-9,12)
The Birth of Jesus
"Behold, the virgin shall
be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name
Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us." (Matthew
1:23)
"For unto us a Child is
born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His
shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty
God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His
government and peace There will be no end..." (Isaiah
9:6-7)
"But you, Bethlehem
Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet
out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel,
Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting." (Micah
5:2)
Now the birth of Jesus
Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to
Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the
Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not
wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away
secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel
of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of
David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that
which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring
forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His
people from their sins." (Matthew
1:18-21)
Joseph also went up from
Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of
David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and
lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife,
who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days
were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her
firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in
a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Now there
were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping
watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord
stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and
they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, "Do not be
afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will
be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of
David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign
to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a
manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the
heavenly host praising God and saying: "Glory to God in the
highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" So it was, when
the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds
said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing
that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us." And
they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying
in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the
saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who
heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the
shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her
heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for
all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.
(Luke
2:4-20)
Now after Jesus was born
in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise
men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who has
been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East
and have come to worship Him." When Herod the king heard this, he
was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered
all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he
inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. So they said to
him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:
(Matthew
2:1-5)
Then Herod, when he had
secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the
star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and
search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him,
bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also." When
they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they
had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over
where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced
with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house,
they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and
worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they
presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Then, being
divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod,
they departed for their own country another way. (Matthew
2:7-12)
And he came and dwelt in
a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken
by the prophets, "He shall be called a Nazarene." (Matthew
2:23)
And Jesus increased in
wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. (Luke
2:52)
The Life and Teachings of
Jesus
...His disciples came to
Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, For
theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, For
they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, For they shall
inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for
righteousness, For they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful,
For they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, For
they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be
called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for
righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. "Blessed
are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of
evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly
glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the
prophets who were before you. Let your light so shine before men,
that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in
heaven." (Matthew
5:1-12,
16) "Do not lay up for yourselves
treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves
break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven,
where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break
in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be
also." (Matthew
6:19-21) "...Consider the lilies of the
field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to
you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of
these." (Matthew
6:28-29) "But seek first the kingdom of
God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to
you." (Matthew
6:33) "Ask, and it will be given to
you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him
who knocks it will be opened. (Matthew
7:7-8) "Therefore, whatever you want
men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the
Prophets." (Matthew
7:12) "Enter by the narrow gate; for
wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and
there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and
difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find
it." (Matthew
7:13-14) "Not everyone who says to Me,
'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the
will of My Father in heaven." (Matthew
7:21) "Therefore whoever hears these
sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who
built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods
came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not
fall, for it was founded on the rock. "But everyone who hears these
sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man
who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods
came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And
great was its fall." (Matthew
7:24-27)
"And Jesus said to
them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never
hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst." (John
6:35) "I am the door. If anyone enters
by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture."
(John
10:9) "I am the good shepherd. The
good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who
is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf
coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the
sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling
and does not care about the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I
know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even
so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And
other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must
bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and
one shepherd." (John
10:11-16)
"Let not your heart be
troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's
house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I
go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for
you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am,
there you may be also." (John
14:1-3) "I am the way, the truth, and
the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John
14:6) "If you love Me, keep My commandments." (John
14:15) "He who has My commandments and
keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved
by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."
(John
14:21)
"And when John had heard
in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples
and said to Him, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for
another?" Jesus answered and said to them,
"Go and tell John the things which you hear
and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed
and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the
gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended
because of Me." (Matthew
11:2-6)
Jesus took Peter, James,
and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves;
and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun,
and His clothes became as white as the light. And behold, Moses and
Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Then Peter answered and
said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let
us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one
for Elijah." While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud
overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud,
saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear
Him!" (Matthew
17:1-6)
When Jesus came into the
region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying,
"Who do men say that I, the Son of Man,
am?" So they said," Some say John
the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the
prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon
Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living
God." Jesus answered and said to him,
"Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not
revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also
say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My
church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
(Matthew
16:13-18)
From that time Jesus began to show to His
disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from
the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be
raised the third day. (Matthew
16:21)
The Death and Resurrection
of Jesus
When morning came, all
the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to
put Him to death. And when they had bound Him, they led Him away
and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor. (Matthew
27:1-2) Pilate said to them, "What then
shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?" They all said to him,
"Let Him be crucified!" (Matthew
27:22) Then Pilate said to them, "Why,
what evil has He done?" But they cried out all the more, "Crucify
Him!" So Pilate, wanting to gratify the crowd, released Barabbas to
them; and he delivered Jesus, after he had scourged Him, to be
crucified. (Mark 15:14-15) And when
they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place of a
Skull... (Matthew
27:33) Then they crucified Him...
(Matthew
27:35) And they put up over His head the
accusation written against Him: THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
(Matthew
27:37)
Then Jesus said,
"Father, forgive them, for they do not know
what they do." (Luke
23:34)
So when the centurion and
those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the
things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, "Truly this
was the Son of God!" (Matthew
27:54)
Now when evening had
come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who
himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. This man went to
Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the
body to be given to him. When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped
it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his new tomb which he had
hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door
of the tomb, and departed. And Mary Magdalene was there, and the
other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb. On the next day, which
followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees
gathered together to Pilate, saying, "Sir, we remember, while He
was still alive, how that deceiver said, 'After three days I will
rise.' Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the
third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and
say to the people, 'He has risen from the dead.' So the last
deception will be worse than the first." Pilate said to them, "You
have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how." So
they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting
the guard. (Matthew
27:57-66)
Very early in the
morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when
the sun had risen. And they said among themselves, "Who will roll
away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?" But when they
looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away — for it was
very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in
a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.
But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth,
who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where
they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples — and Peter — that He is
going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to
you." (Mark
16:1-7)
...behold, Jesus met
them, saying, "Rejoice!"
So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. Then Jesus
said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go
and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me."
(Matthew
28:9-10)
Him God raised up on the
third day, and showed Him openly, not to all the people, but to
witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with
Him after He arose from the dead. (Acts
10:40-41)...and that He was seen by Cephas,
then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred
brethren at once... (1
Corinthians 15:5-6) Then the eleven
disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had
appointed for them. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some
doubted. And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying,
"All authority has been given to Me in
heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and
of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have
commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the
age." Amen. (Matthew
28:16-20)
So then, after the Lord
had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at
the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere,
the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the
accompanying signs. Amen. (Mark
16:19-20)
What Does This Have to Do
With Us?
Matthew 11:28-30
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy
laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and
learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find
rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that He gave His
only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish
but have everlasting life.
Mark 1:15
The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of
God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
Luke 13:3
I tell you, no; but unless you repent you
will all likewise perish.
Matthew
10:32-33
"Therefore whoever confesses Me before men,
him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But
whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father
who is in heaven."
Mark 16:16
He who believes and is baptized will be
saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
John 15:4-6
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch
cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither
can you, unless you abide in Me. "I am the vine, you are the
branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for
without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me,
he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and
throw them into the fire, and they are burned.
John 15:10
"If you keep My commandments, you will
abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and
abide in His love."
John 14:23-24
Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone
loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We
will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 He who does not love
Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine
but the Father's who sent Me."
Revelation 2:10
"...Be faithful until death, and I will
give you the crown of life."
Revelation 22:17
And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!"
And let him who hears say, "Come!" And let him who thirsts come.
Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. |
