Grandad & Nanna's Bible Story - Chapter 13
“Our next part of the Bible story, is on the birth, life, and important message of Jesus Christ about the coming Kingdom of God on this Earth, and how we can prepare for it now”, says Grandad. (Mark 1:14-15)
“Just who is Jesus Christ?” we hear you ask.
“Jesus is God, with our Father who is God, just like you are human with your father who is human”, says Nana. “Jesus name was “The Logos”, meaning “The Word”, before his name was changed to Jesus Christ, when He came to this Earth as a human being. (John 1:1-3, John 1:14)
“Jesus” means “God is salvation”, because Jesus was prophesied to save us from our sins. (Matthew 1:20-21, Romans 5:6-8)
“Christ” means “anointed One”. This is Jesus title as the Messiah, anointed to be our High Priest, forever.” (Hebrews 4:14)
“Yes Nanna. Jesus lived with God our Father from eternity and God our Father created all things through God His Son” says Grandad.
“God is a Family and God has a plan for you and us and all humans to be changed to spirit one day, as sons and daughters in God’s Family”. (Colossians 1:16, Ephesians 3:14-15, John 1:12, 2 Corinthians 6:17-18, 1 John 3:1-3)
Even though Jesus is God with God our Father, Jesus said His father is greater than Him. (John 14:28)
Jesus loves His Father and His Father loves Him so much, too. Together Jesus and the Father are like One, because they think, and speak and live with the same purpose, rich in perfect Godly character. They want us too, to love God and love each other with the same one-mindedness. (John 17:21)
Our child, when we were reading the stories in the Old Testament, who was the God in the God Family who led the Israelites and spoke the 10 commandments to them?
Well it was none other than “The Word” (Logos) who was like a rock to them, and He became Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 10:4, Deuteronomy 32:3-4)
Jesus said He would build His Church of faithful people around Himself as the Rock (Petra), just like he did with the people in the Old Testament, who followed Him as the Rock in their lives. His disciples like Peter would be smaller rocks (petros) of strong faithfulness to God. (Matthew 16:18)
“How do you know that Jesus is God with God the Father?” we hear you ask.
Well, our child, so many prophets, and God inspired writers in the Bible said Jesus is God, including Jesus Christ Himself. (John 10:36, John 3:18)
Isaiah prophesied about the coming of Jesus to this earth, and he called him “mighty God, an everlasting father”. Jesus is God with God our Father. He will lovingly guide and be a father to people, just like the loving wonderful example of Jesus Father. (Isaiah 9:6-7)
Isaiah said that when Christ would come, he would be called “Immanuel”, which means “God with us”. (Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23)
Zechariah knew Jesus is God with God our Father. He prophesied Jesus future coming to the Earth saying: “the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with You.” (Zechariah 14:5)
King David wrote about Jesus being God, and David knew there were two who were both God Beings in united harmony with each other. (Psalm 110:1, Psalm 18:2, Psalm 42:9)
Jesus disciples recognized Jesus as God and the Son of God our Father. (John 20:28, Matthew 16:16, Mark 1:1, Titus 2:1, 2 Peter 1:1, Acts 8:37, 1 John 5:20, Jude 1:4)
Even the angels know that Jesus will come back to this Earth as almighty God, just as His Father is the all-powerful God. (Revelation 4:8)
“So why did Jesus come to the Earth?” we hear you ask.
Well, do you remember the stories we have already told in the Bible, about Adam and Eve, and Cain and all the people like Nimrod and the people in Sodom who sinned against God, because they did not love God and keep God’s commandments and Way of life?
Jesus came, so that sinners could have a way to repent, be forgiven by Jesus sacrifice for them, and be in God’s Family, by God’s grace. (Mark 2:17)
God says all people since Adam and Eve have sinned, including us today. (Romans 3:23)
There are God’s 10 Commandments and other good laws that God has given us to live by, and when we don’t keep them, that is called sin. Sin is the breaking of God’s law. (1 John 3:4)
God says that when we sin, it eventually leads to death. (Romans 6:23)
So, the only way we can be forgiven and have the eternal death penalty removed from us, is by Jesus dying and paying the death penalty for us.
This is what Jesus did for us, because Jesus and His Father love and care for us so much, and want us to go with their calling and be in God’s Family forever. (John 3:16)
But, before we can be in God’s family, we need to love God, and learn to live by God’s commandments and right Way of life now, so we will properly fit in as a loving son or daughter in God’s Family, forever. (Matthew 22:37-39)
That is why Jesus Christ came to this Earth, to set us a perfect example of how to love God and to live by God’s good laws of living.
Jesus came to tell us about the better world to come, when He returns to set up God’s Kingdom and Government on this Earth for 1,000 years. (Mark 1:14-15, Revelation 20:4-6)
He came to pay the death penalty from sin, for all of us, so we could repent and receive God’s grace and forgiveness and live the Way God wants us to live.
So, Jesus became a baby and grew up to be a man and die to pay the death penalty for all the sins we have done and for all the terrible trouble and killing and war and sickness and fighting and death in this World from the time of Adam and Eve.
To be continued in Chapter 14...