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!
To learn more, visit www.i.BIBLE. Director:
Steve Cleary
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.
An Uncommon Call
Jesus’ obedience began in a small town carpentry shop. His uncommon approach to his common life groomed him for his uncommon call. In order to change the world Jesus had to say goodbye to his world. 1 Peter 1:20 (TLB) says, “God chose him for this purpose long before the world began.” Every ounce of suffering had been scripted. It just fell to him to play the part.
When you come up with a word for such love, give it to Christ. For the day he left Nazareth is the day he declared his devotion for you and me. But God, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. Perhaps we’re not so common after all!
He Became Like Us
John 1:14 says, “The Word became flesh and lived among us.” The God of the universe left the glory of heaven and moved into the neighborhood. Our neighborhood! Why? Because He loves to be with the ones he loves.
There’s a remarkable story about a man injured in a fire. While attempting to save his parents, his face was burned and disfigured. He wouldn’t let anyone see him, including his wife. When she went to a plastic surgeon for help, he assured he could restore her husband’s face. But she wasn’t there to restore her husband’s face. She wanted her face disfigured so she could share in his pain.
It’s the way God feels about us. He took on our face, our disfigurement. He became like us to show us how far he will go to be with the ones he loves.
New Power
Suppose that for most of your life, you’ve had a heart condition. Your activities have been restricted. But then comes the transplant. You have a new heart. Within you dwells a new power. You might say, “I can’t climb stairs, I’m too weak.” Does your choice negate the presence of a new heart? Dismiss the work of the surgeon? No, it would suggest you haven’t learned to trust your new power. At some point you gotta to try those stairs.
The same is true in our walk with Christ. You have a new heart. You are not who you used to be. As a result, you can do what you could not do – you can forgive, you can love, you can live! Put your new heart to the test. You will climb the stairs, not by your strength, but by his.
From the Inside Out
My dog Molly eats scraps out of the trash, licking dirty plates in the dishwasher. What kind of behavior is that? Dog behavior. Molly’s problem isn’t a Molly problem—it’s a dog problem. So here’s my idea: I want to deposit in her a kernel of human character. As it grows, will she not change?
You think the plan is crazy? It probably is. Yet what I’d like to do with Molly, God does with us. He changes our nature from the inside out. He doesn’t send us to obedience school to learn new habits; he deposits a new heart. A new heart! His heart, within us.
The Serpent Is Crushed
Satan can disturb us, but he cannot defeat us. The head of the serpent is crushed.
I saw a literal picture of this in a prairie ditch. A petroleum company was hiring strong backs and weak minds to lay a pipeline. Since I qualified, much of a high school summer was spent shoveling in a shoulder-high West Texas trough. One afternoon the digging machine dislodged more than dirt. “Snake!” shouted the foreman. We popped out of that hole faster than a jack-in-the-box. One worked launched his shovel and beheaded the rattler.
That scene is a parable of where we are in life. In Revelation 20 verse 2, John calls Satan, “that old snake who is the devil.” Has he not been decapitated? Not with a shovel, but with a cross.
When You Look at Your Groom
A diving accident left Joni Eareckson paralyzed. Her handicap didn’t keep her from marrying Ken Tada, but it almost kept her from the joy of the wedding. While waiting to go down the aisle, she discovered across her beautiful wedding dress a big, black grease mark courtesy of her chair. The bouquet of daisies on her lap slid off center, her paralyzed hands unable to rearrange them. She felt far from a picture-perfect bride.
But as she looked down the aisle, she saw her groom. She says, “Grease stains? Flowers out of place? Who cares! The love in Ken’s eyes washed it all away. That’s what changed me.” She forgot about herself. Everything changes when you look at your groom!
