Visit www.TheRealStoryofJesus.com. See the story of God’s free gift of salvation through His only Son Jesus in The Real Story of Jesus, an iBIBLE special episode.
A production of RevelationMedia, The Real Story of Jesus presents the true narrative of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, from Genesis to Revelation. This visual and audio presentation of God’s story of salvation reveals mankind’s fall into sin, their inability to save themselves, and God’s plan to redeem and restore mankind. The salvation won by Jesus on the cross for us is the Gospel message that must be shared to all people. Will you, in faith, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, accept His gift of salvation, and become a child of God? A production of RevelationMedia, iBIBLE brings God’s Word to life in a format that people all over the world can engage with. Through dramatic audio and vibrant animation, people of all ages, all backgrounds, and with all abilities can learn the Divine Narrative—the one cohesive story of Scripture. iBIBLE will be available for free to translate into any of the world’s 7,000+ languages. Join the movement today and help bring the true story of God’s Word to the nations for free!
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Steve Cleary
What Gabriel Never Expected
Prior to Bethlehem God gave us his messengers, his teachers,...
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MAX LUCADO
UpWords Ministries and MaxLucado.com exist to help people take one step closer to Jesus.
God’s story is one of love and redemption. The message that most clearly shows this redemptive love is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (1 John 3:16). Paul says this message is of “first importance” (1 Corinthians 15:3). As God reveals his nature through the stories of the Bible, the following teachings emerge as the central core doctrines.
What Gabriel Never Expected
Prior to Bethlehem God gave us his messengers, his teachers, his words. But in the manger God gave us himself. Extraordinary, don’t you think? I imagine even Gabriel scratched his head at the idea of “God with us.” Gabriel surely was not one to question his God-given missions. When God sent, Gabriel went.
And when word got out that God was to become a human, Gabriel was no doubt enthused. He could envision the moment: The Messiah in a blazing chariot. The King descending on a fiery cloud. An explosion of light from which the Messiah would emerge. What he never expected, however, was a slip of paper with a Nazarene address. “God will become a baby,” it read. “Tell the mother to name the child Jesus. And tell her not to be afraid.”
Gods With Us Promise
Jesus understands you. He’s faced hunger, sorrow, and death and wants to face them with you. The Bible says Jesus “understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin” (Hebrews 4:15).
If Jesus understands our weaknesses, then so does God. Jesus was God in human form. He was God with us. That’s why Jesus is called Immanuel. Immanu means “with us.” El refers to Elohim, or God. So Immanuel is not an “above-us God” or a “somewhere-in-the-neighborhood God.” He came as the “with-us God.” All of us.
“I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). Search for restrictions on the promise, and you’ll find none. There’s no withholding tax on God’s “with us” promise. God is with us. What great news!
To Be Near You
John 1:14 says, “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.”
Let’s begin where the earthly ministry of Jesus began—in the womb of Mary. The God of the universe, for a time, kicked against the wall of that womb. He was born in the poverty of a peasant, spent his first night in the feed trough of a cow. He didn’t have to, did he? Jesus could have become a voice—a voice in the air. Jesus could have become a message—a message in the night. Jesus could have become a light—a light in the night. But he became flesh. Why?
Jesus came to be near you. And any concerns you might have about his power and love were removed from the discussion the moment he became flesh and entered the world. What a beginning. What an entrance. And what a moment.
Do You Know This Jesus
Jesus. J-E-S-U-S. Five letters. Six hours. One cross. Three nails. We live because of Jesus. We live because he lives, hope because he works, and matter because he matters. To be saved by grace is to be saved by Jesus—not by an idea or doctrine or creed or or church membership, but by Jesus. Our redeemer himself, who will sweep into heaven anyone who so much as gives him the nod.
Timid Jesus? Not on your life. Timid Jesus happens only on Christmas and Easter. The real Jesus claims every tick of the clock. Timid Jesus winks at sin, but the real Jesus nukes it. Timid Jesus is a lucky charm crucifix on a necklace. Jesus is a tiger in your heart. Do you know this Jesus? Let’s talk about Jesus.
The Real Jesus
You know, the Jesus of many people is small enough to be contained in an aquarium that fits on the cabinet. Never causes any trouble, never demands any attention. Now if you want a goldfish bowl of Jesus, you need to steer clear of the real Jesus because he changes everything.
Now he doesn’t make you sexy, skinny, or clever. He doesn’t change what you see in the mirror, but he changes how you see what you see. He will not be silenced, packaged, or predicted. He is the pastor who chased people out of church. He’s the prophet who had a soft spot for crooks and whores. He’s the king who washed the grime off the feet of the betrayer—his betrayer. He turned a bread basket into a buffet and a dead friend into a living one. And most of all, he transformed the tomb into a womb out of which was born life—your life.
In the Meantime
Is Peter speaking to us when he urges, “Friends, this world is not your home, so don’t make yourselves cozy in it” (1 Peter 2:11)? We know our Father’s name, and he has claimed us, but he has yet to come for us. So here we are, caught between what is and what will be. No longer orphans but not yet home. What do we do in the meantime?
Indeed, it can be just that—a mean time. Time made mean with disease, deceit, death, and debt. How do we live in the mean time? How do we keep our hearts headed home? “Let us look only to Jesus, the One who began our faith and who makes it perfect” (Hebrews 12:2). Look to Jesus. Ponder his life. Consider his ways. Meditate on his words. Jesus, just Jesus.
