Creation:
The story begins with God, who has always been. He has always existed exactly as He is now. If it seems confusing, it's because He's beyond what anyone can fully comprehend. In the beginning, God spoke and everything came into existence (Genesis 1 and John 1:1-5). By His command, the entire universe was created and filled with a dramatic display of galaxies, stars, and planets -- including earth, on which was a perfect garden of paradise called Eden. Of all the beauty He created, the masterpiece was a man and a woman. God made Adam and Eve in His image to reflect Him. They were created with the grand purpose of worshipping Him by loving Him, serving Him, and enjoying relationships with Him. By God's design, all of creation was in harmony and was exatly the way it was supposed to be. During this time there was no pain, suffering, sickness or death. There was complete love, acceptance, and intimacy between God and man, between Adam and Eve, and throughout creation. But something tragic happened...
What Went Wrong? The Fall:
Adam and eve were far from being equal to God, yet He lovingly placed them in chare of all He had created in Eden. He gave them the freedom to make decisions and govern the earth with one rule: not to eat fruit from a specific tree. One day, God's enemy, a fallen angel named Satan, wanted to overthrow God so he took te form of a serpent and lied to Adam and Eve. He deceived them into thinking God was not good and did nto have their best interest in mind. As a result they knowingly disobeyed God. In rebellion, Adam and Eve ate the furit, deciding they they, not God, would determine right and wrong. (uh-oh)
The consequences of their actions were devastating! Like a virus, sin entered into all of creation and into the hearts of Adam and Eve. Sin, suffering and pain were passed down from generation to generation; all of creation was distorted from its original design. We have all read or heard the stories of war, poverty, disease, greed, and scandals that plague our world today. Thse are all a result of sin. When we think about the perfection and love that existed at the beginning of creation, we realize, "we are far more flawed and far more sinful than we can dare imagine." Just think of the grudges we've held, the lies we've told, the thoughts we'd never dare say aloud. An honest glance into our own hearts reveals the truth: We are all guilty. Everyone has sinned and the ultimate consequence, even worse that physical death, is eternal separation from a loving God, in terrible misery and unhappiness. Because of all this, we need to consider the questions: Can anything be done? Is there hope?
The Rescue:
God removed Adam and Eve from Eden as a result of their sin but left them with a promise of rescue and hope. He promised them one of their descendants would someday rescue mankind from sin. Over the next centuries, God prepared the way for this person who would become the savior of the world. Exact details of His birth, life, and death were recorded in the Bible many centuries before His coming. In fact, the whole Bible ultimately points to this one person as the focal point of all human history. His purpose in coming was "to seek and to save what was lost" (Luke 19:10)
Promise Kept:
The promised Savior, simply, was God. God became human in the person of Jesus Christ almost 2,000 years ago, fulfilling all the predictions in the Old Testament. Jesus' birth was miraculous since His mother was a virgin. His life was unique: He never sinned. And His death was a sacrifice that rescued us from sin and Satan. He willingly, obediently, and sufficiently died an agonizing death on a cross for the sins of all mankind in the greatest display of mercy and grace the world has ever known. The perfectly innocent died to rescue the hopelessly guilty. He took the place on a cross rightfully meant for us, to pay for sins we've committed and will commit against God. But the grave couldn't hold Jesus. Three days later, Jesus emerged from His tomb, fulfilling His earthly mission to defeat sin by dying of the corss and to defeat death by rising from the dead--just as God promised. Forty days later He returned to Heaven where He reigns as the rightful King. But the story doesn't end there...
The Restoration:
For all those who trust in Jesus alone, God has also promised He will make all things new. The new heaven and new earth will be completely free of sin and selfishness--a place of perfect friendship with God, others, and all creation. No more shattering earthquakes, devastating tsunamis or violent storms will plague the earth. No more pain, broken hearts, sickness or death to trouble us. Everything will be restored to the way it was meant to be. The new earth will once again be the perfect home God intended for His creation. God's original purpose will flourish, as those who trust in His rescue will enter into the grand purpose of worshiping Him by loving Him, serving Him, and enjoying relationship with Him forever. The most wonderful part of this new world is that we will be with God forever, experiencing complete joy. We will be restored to a perfect relationship with the One who created, loved, and died for us.
What's your part in the story?
God is writing an amazing story from creation to restoration. He created you to be a part of that story to worship Him, serve Him, and enjoy relationship with Him. Jesus calls all people to repent of their sins and believe in Him and the gospel. Repentance is a continual (not a one time deal) turning away from yourself, sin, the world and a continual turning to Christ, His word (Bible), and the new world to come. Jesus said, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? For what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."(Mark 8:34-38)
"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast." Ephesians 2:8-9
