From creation to Christ

I would like to tell you a story. This story is about the one true God; an all-powerful, all-knowing, all-present, unchanging and eternal God.

This story will come from a book known as the Bible, written by 40 different men over about 1,500 years. God inspired the writing of His book.

The Bible is true and reliable. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. He created from nothing, simply by speaking them into being. He created the oceans, the mountains, the birds of the air and the fish in the sea. God also created angels to worship and serve Him. One angel wanted to be equal to or greater than God. This angel’s name was Lucifer, but you may know him better as Satan. Because of his disobedience and that of his followers, known as demons, they were cast out of heaven. His most special creation was man and woman. God said He would make man and woman in the image of God. He named the first man and woman, Adam and Eve. He placed them in a beautiful garden, the Garden of Eden. They had a close and personal relationship with God, who gave them dominion over everything in the garden. The only instruction they were given was not to eat from one tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God told them that if they ate from that tree that they would surely die.

One day, Eve was walking in the garden. She was met by a serpent, the angel Satan whom God had cast out of heaven, who tempted her to eat of the tree that God had told them not to eat of. She stated that God said that if they ate of that tree that they would surely die. The serpent stated that God did not mean that they would die, but instead their eyes would be opened and they would be like God. After Eve ate of the tree, she gave some of the fruit of that tree to her husband. It was at this moment that sin entered the human race. God knew what Adam and Eve had done, and He confronted them about it. Because there can be no sin in God’s presence, Adam and Eve were cast out of the garden. After Adam and Eve were cast out of the garden, the Earth began to populate. Although man had sinned, God still loved His special creation and wanted a personal relationship with them. God, through a man named Moses, sent the Ten Commandments. Commandments like “you shall have no other God before me” and “you shall not murder.” Commandments that showed us how to live with God and how to live with our fellow man. The problem was that these commandments did not change the human heart. After the commandments, God allowed a perfect, unblemished lamb to be sacrificed as a sin offering. It was stated that the altars flowed with blood from these animals, but again, man’s heart remained sin-sick.

God then sent the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all humanity. He sent His one and only Son. Jesus was born of the virgin Mary, conceived by the Holy Spirit. Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life. Jesus is fully God and fully man. Jesus was a good teacher. While on Earth, Jesus performed miracles, which showed His power over nature, power over our basic needs and power over life and death. Jesus also cast out demons. Many followed Jesus. There were some who did not like Jesus. They had Him arrested, they put Him through a false set of trials, beat Him and ultimately sentenced Him to death by crucifixion. Although Jesus had the power to stop this, He knew that He had come to be our sacrifice for the sin of mankind. He had come to fulfill the will of the Father, God Almighty. Jesus’s death was payment in full for the sin of mankind. John 3:16 states, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” Jesus died on the cross, was buried in a tomb, but the tomb could not hold Him. Three days later, He rose from the grave. Jesus remained on Earth for about 40 more days and was seen by over 500 witnesses. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.”

Do you believe this? Jesus made a way for us to be in right relationship with God the Father.

On Sunday, April 21, Mission Community Church, 13912 Jefferson Davis Highway, will celebrate the resurrection of Jesus in three ways: 7:30 a.m., we will hold a sunrise service on the bluff at Henricus Park; 9:30 a.m., there will be a breakfast at the church, and we will serve until we run out of food; and at 11 a.m., we will celebrate the resurrection in a worship service. All are welcome.