Before time began God created everything that exists from nothing. Jesus, the Son of God, is the image of the invisible God who came to earth in human form. The Bible says that nothing was made without Him.
After creating the earth and all its creatures, the God of the universe knelt and formed man from the dust of the earth, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. That is how man became a living being. God said His creation was very good.
All of the other creatures God created had mates, but man had none. So God caused him to fall into a deep sleep and took a rib from his side. With just as much love and care as He used when He created man, God formed the rib into a woman. Adam was delighted to now have a companion. He called his wife, Eve.
When God placed man in the Garden of Eden, He gave him only one commandment, he was not to eat from the tree in the middle of the garden. All of the other trees in the garden could be eaten from whenever he liked, but if he ate from that one particular tree he would surely die.
Now Satan, an angel who had rebelled against God and was cast out of heaven, appeared to the woman in the garden in the form of a serpent. The serpent was the craftiest of all the creatures God had created. He convinced Eve that she would not die if she ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but instead would become as wise as God. Since the fruit was pretty to look at and could make her wise, she ate of it and she took some to Adam, who ate as well.
That one act of disobedience brought sin into the entire human race. When Adam and Eve ate of the fruit, they realized that they were naked, and became ashamed. They sewed fig leaves together to make clothing and hid themselves when they heard God walking in the garden. Up until this point they had no shame and therefore did not need any clothing.
As a result of that one act of disobedience, God placed a curse on the serpent, telling him that he would be cursed above all living things on the earth. Part of God’s curse on the serpent, Satan, was that one day a woman would bear a son who would crush his head, while Satan would be powerless to do anything to Him beyond bruising His heel. This man would be the Savior of the world, called the Messiah, or Christ.
Because God is just, Adam and Eve had to suffer a punishment also. Adam’s work, which had been a joy, would become difficult. Eve would suffer great pain in having children, and though she would love her husband, she would desire to rule over him. She would not be granted that desire, for man would be the head of the family.
Because man could then distinguish between good and evil, God, in His mercy, did not want to allow these people He loved to continue to live in the garden where they might eat of the Tree of Life. He did not want them to live forever in a sinful state, separated from Him eternally. They were banished from the garden and had to work very hard to live. God killed an animal to make them clothing, shedding its blood that they might have a covering for their now sinful bodies.
Many years passed and man became more and more sinful, though God always had a few people who would listen to and obey Him. He sent many prophets who told of a Savior who would one day save them from their sins. The perfect fellowship which had existed between man and God in the garden was long gone. Some men forgot or doubted it had ever existed. Many even began to doubt the existence of God. Always, though, there were people who were faithful to God, believing and hoping in His promise to redeem them so they could once again live in harmony with Him.
Finally, God decided the time was right to fulfill His promise. This is how it happened:
God’s messenger angel, Gabriel, was sent to the town of Nazareth in Israel
“But I am not married,” Mary answered. “How can this be?”
Gabriel answered, “The Spirit will come over you like a shining cloud and you will give birth to a Son. You are to call Him Jesus. He will be holy, pure and sinless and will be called the Son of God.”
Mary was promised to be married to a kind and honorable man, named Joseph. When he found out that she was to have a child he decided to break their engagement. In those days an engagement was as legal as a marriage, so he decided to divorce her quietly to prevent her from being cruelly judged by people. Before he could do this, however, the angel Gabriel appeared to him in a dream.
Gabriel said to him, “Joseph, God doesn’t want you to be afraid to take Mary as your wife. She is to be the mother of His Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. His name will be Jesus, for He will save His people from their sin. Go and make Mary your wife.”
Joseph did as he was told and he had no union with Mary until after Jesus was born.
Now Israel was ruled by the Roman Empire and Caesar Augustus decided to register all of the people so they could be taxed. Each man was to go to the town where his family originated to be counted. Joseph, as a descendant of King David of Israel , had to go to Bethlehem Bethlehem
While they were there the time came for Mary to have the baby. They were very poor and could not find any place to stay but a cave used as the stable. There was no room at the inn. So Mary gave birth to the Son of God in a stable and she wrapped Him in warm, snug cloths, and laid him in a manger used for the animal feed.
There were shepherds watching sheep in the hills around Bethlehem Jerusalem
Suddenly the sky around the fields where the shepherds were watching their sheep was filled with angels and the radiance which comes from the presence of God appeared all around them. They were terrified, but an angel of the Lord said, “Don’t be afraid. I bring you good news that will be for people all over the world. Tonight, in Bethlehem
A huge army of angels began to praise God and say, “Glory to God in the highest. Peace on earth to everyone with whom God is well-pleased.”
The excited shepherds hurried to Bethlehem
Some time before this night, three wise men from the east, called Magi saw an especially bright star in the east and set out following it to find the king whose birth it foretold. They traveled a very long way and when they reached Jerusalem
When they found the baby Jesus they knelt down and worshipped Him, giving Him expensive gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. But they were warned in a dream to return home another way without telling Herod, and they obeyed.
Herod was so angry that an angel told Joseph to take Mary and Jesus to Egypt Nazareth
Jesus became a man, working as a carpenter as Joseph had taught him until the time came when He knew God wanted Him to begin His ministry. When that time came, he began traveling around the countryside healing people and talking to them about God. The Jewish religious leaders were very angry because many people were following Him. When Jesus healed a man with a shriveled hand one Sabbath, the Pharisees began to plot how to kill Him.
After that, Jesus began explaining to His disciples that he must go to Jerusalem
While Jesus was praying in a place called Gethsemane , Judas came with a crowd of soldiers armed with swords and clubs, sent by the Jewish leaders. Judas identified Jesus by kissing him and they arrested Him. The soldiers mocked and spit on Him, placing a crown of thorns on His head and a purple robe on His shoulders. Pilate even had Him flogged or whipped, hoping it would cause the Jews to let Jesus go because he did not think Jesus had done anything wrong. But they still shouted, “Crucify him!”
The Roman soldiers took Jesus to the Place of the Skull (also called Golgotha or Calvary ) and crucified Him there. The God who killed an animal to cover man after he sinned was stripped and hung exposed in His human flesh as He died for the sins He did not commit. As it began to grow close to the hour that the Passover lambs were sacrificed in the Temple
At dawn, the day after the Sabbath, some of the women went to the tomb where He had been laid, taking spices to finish the embalming. But an angel of the Lord rolled back the stone from the tomb and told the women not to be afraid, for Jesus, who was crucified, was not here, for He had risen from the dead.
In Jesus, we have a high priest who was tempted just as we are, yet was without sin, yet He understands what life is like for us.
Scripture makes it clear that all men have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. The penalty for this sin is death, but the free gift of God to all who place their trust in Him is eternal life. When the Babe born at Bethlehem
The baby whose birth we celebrate at Christmas gave His life that we might have eternal life in Him forevermore, without the penalty we deserve. He was born into this world to live and die for you and me. He says that for those who confess their sins He is faithful and just to do as He promised. He will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. He wants us to be in heaven with Him when we die and He wants us to have life abundantly, full, free of the penalty of sin while we are still alive.
Jesus came into the world and though the world was made through Him it did not recognize Him. But to those who will believe and receive Him, He gives the right to become children of God. He said, “Greater love has no man than this that he lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command.” Doing what He commands means choosing to live in complete obedience to Him, with Him as Lord over every aspect of your life.
Jesus is the one God promised to send to crush the head of the serpent, Satan. One day He will return and take all believers still living on earth to be with Him in heaven, along with the believers from the time the world began. All who believed and accepted Him will live forever with Him. Those who do not will be eternally punished with Satan and all his angels. The relationship Adam and Eve had with God in the garden will be ours forever.
God wants you today. Will you make the decision, this Christmas, to accept Him as your Savior and Lord and receive His forgiveness that you might live eternally with Him, and go through this life with the knowledge that you are forgiven and loved by God? It will be the greatest Christmas gift of your life.
This story was paraphrased by Norma Gail Thurston Holtman. December 13, 2011.
The New International Version 1984, The New Living Translation and The Amplified Bible were used in the writing of this story.
Genesis 1-3
John 1:1-3
Colossians 1:15-17
Romans 5:12HHHhhhh
Matthew 1-2
Hebrews 9:22
1 Corinthians 15:22
Matthew 12
Matthew 16
Luke 1-3
1 John 1:7
Mark 14
John 12, 18, 19
Romans 3:23 & 6:23
1 Peter 2:4
Isaiah 53:4, 5
Hebrews 4:15
John 1 5:13, 14
1 John 1:9
John 10:10
Matthew 24
Copyright by Norma Gail Thurston-Holtman & 2MefromHim Ministries, 2011. All rights reserved. Do not use without permission of author.
2 Comments
You’ve given us a beautiful look at the big picture behind Christmas and all of history, Norma. Would you mind if I linked to this from my blog?
You’ve given us a beautiful look at the big picture behind Christmas and all of history, Norma. Would you mind if I linked to this from my blog?