The Story of Jesus E-Book

Brian Simmons

• Herausgeber: BroadStreet Publishing Group, LLC
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Serie: The Passion Translation
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2015

Seitenzahl: 148

Beschreibung

Experience the life and love of Jesus as told in the book of John by The Passion Translation. The Story of Jesus is the biographical account of Jesus' supernatural birth, controversial life, unjust death, confirmed resurrection, and promised return to earth as told by John, the beloved disciple. This book is a resource to introduce Jesus' life and the work of his Spirit to invite seekers, encourage saints, and challenge skeptics.  Possibly the best-known verse in the Bible is John 3:16, which demonstrates how much God loves each and every one of us:  "He gave his uniquely conceived Son as a gift. So now everyone who believes in him will never perish but experience everlasting life."  What a gift! What a promise!  The Passion Translation is a new, heart-level translation that expresses God's fiery heart of love to this generation using Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic manuscripts, merging the emotion and life-changing truth of God's Word. 

Leseprobe

THE STORY OF Jesus and His Love for You

Published by BroadStreet Publishing Group, LLC

Racine, Wisconsin, USA

www.broadstreetpublishing.com

© 2015 BroadStreet Publishing Group

ISBN-13: 978-1-4245-5170-5 (paper back)

ISBN-13: 978-1-4245-5219-1 (e-book)

The text of the book of John is from John: Eternal Love, The Passion Translation.® It may be quoted up to and including thirty (30) verses without written permission from the publisher. When John: Eternal Love is quoted, one of the following credit lines must appear on the copyright page of the work:

Scripture quotations marked TPT are from John: Eternal Love, The Passion Translation®, copyright © 2014, 2015. Used by permission of BroadStreet Publishing Group, LLC, Racine, Wisconsin, USA. All rights reserved. www.thepassiontranslation.com

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from John: Eternal Love, The Passion Translation®, copyright © 2014, 2015. Used by permission of BroadStreet Publishing Group, LLC, Racine, Wisconsin, USA. All rights reserved. www.thepassiontranslation.com

When Scripture quotations from TPT are used in nonsalable media, such as newsletters, church bulletins, or similar media, it is not necessary to post a complete copyright notice, but the initials TPT must appear at the end of each quotation.

Quotations in excess of thirty (30) verses, or other permission requests must be approved in writing by BroadStreet Publishing Group, LLC. Send requests through the contact form at www.broadstreetpublishing.com/permissions.

Cover and interior design by Garborg Design Works, Inc.

Interior typesetting by Katherine Lloyd

Printed in the United States of America15 16 17 18 19 20    10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Contents

Introduction

The Book of John

The Promises from John

About the Book of John

Introduction

How God longs for us to know him! We discover him as we read and study his living Word. But the “Word” is not just dead letters; it’s the Living Expression of God, Jesus Christ. The Word came with skin on as the Perfect Man—the One who is the divine self-expression and fullness of God’s glory; he was God in the flesh!

The Story of Jesus tells the story of this God-in-the-Flesh Man through the eyes of one of his closest friends and followers, John. Some people know this book as the Gospel of John, because it tells the “good news” (gospel) about Jesus. John’s book unveils Jesus as the Son of God, the very God himself, to be life to God’s people. John brings us a heavenly perspective filled with such wonderful revelation in every verse. Nothing in the Bible can be compared to the writings of John.

The books of Matthew, Mark, and Luke in the Bible give us the history of Christ, but John writes to unveil the mystery of Christ. Jesus is seen as the Lamb of God, the Good Shepherd, the Kind Forgiver, the Tender Healer, the Compassionate Intercessor, and the Great I Am. Who can resist this man when he tugs on your heart to come to him?

To read John’s gospel is to encounter Jesus. Make this your goal as you read his story.

HE WILL TAKE AWAYTHE SINS OF THE WORLD!

When Jesus was first introduced to his community, a local prophet named John the Immerser (a different John) said some startling words about Jesus: “Look! There he is—God’s Lamb! He will take away the sins of the world! I told you that a Mighty One would come who is far greater than I am, because he existed long before I was born!” (1:29–30)

What a funny nickname, the Lamb of God! Yet it makes perfect sense when you understand our human story better. All of us are born with a problem: we’re rebels in desperate need of God’s rescue. We’ve all fallen short of God’s glory by sinning against him and people. These acts separate us from relationship with God. So something needed to be done with these acts and our guilt.

That’s where Jesus comes in! Jesus took away our sins in the most unlikely way imaginable.

IT IS FINISHED!

One of the most well-known verses in the Bible is found in The Story of Jesus. Perhaps you’ve seen it on poster boards wielded by fans at national sporting events. The verse is John 3:16, and it goes like this:

For this is how much God loved the world—he gave his one and only, unique Son as a gift. So now everyone who believes in him will never perish but experience everlasting life.

God gave Jesus as a gift to take away our sins—forever. But what is the gift of Jesus? Some say it’s his example of love and his teachings. Yes, that’s true, but it’s deeper than that. John wrote, “God did not send his Son into the world to judge and condemn the world, but to be its Savior and rescue it!” (3:17)

That’s the gift of Jesus!

Amazingly Jesus provided this gift himself by dying for the sins of the world. Toward the end of Jesus’ story, he was condemned for crimes he didn’t commit. As his punishment he was crucified, nailed through both hands and feet on a cross—like a lamb led to the slaughterhouse.

Because Jesus paid the price for our sins in our place, “now there is no longer any condemnation for those who believe in him” (3:18). He cried out just before he passed, “It is finished, my bride!” Everything that was necessary to take away your sins, release you from shame and guilt, and rescue you from death has been accomplished by Jesus!

SO THAT YOU WILL FULLY BELIEVE

John said he wrote his story about Jesus “so that you will fully believe that Jesus is the Anointed One, the Son of God, and that through your faith in him you will experience eternal life by the power of his name!” (20:31)

Do you believe that Jesus did everything necessary to make you right with God? That he defeated the brokenness and chaos of the world, and death itself? That he is who you’ve been waiting for your whole life?

If not, we invite you to read the book of John and discover this Jesus for yourself. You can tell God that you believe in his Son by praying like this:

God, I confess I have sinned against you. I am truly sorry and I turn from my way of living. Have mercy on me and forgive me.

Jesus, I believe you died for me, and I thank you for your sacrifice. I believe you paid the price for my sins, and I trust that payment for my rescue. I believe God raised you from the dead, and I need that new life myself.

God, take my life. Let it be all for you and for your glory. Amen.

If you prayed that prayer and are choosing to follow Jesus, you are now part of God’s family! As a way to celebrate and remember this day, sign and date your decision below:

Name: _____________________________

Date: ______________________________

WHAT’S NEXT?

You can be assured that what Jesus said about people who choose to follow him is true: “If you embrace my message and believe in the One who sent me, you will never face condemnation, for in me, you have already passed from the realm of death into the realm of eternal life!” (5:24)

But there’s more! Not only are you declared “Not guilty!” by God because of Jesus, you are also considered his most intimate friend (15:15). To help you in your new life, God provides you his Spirit, “who will be to you a friend…and he will never leave you” (14:16–17). And Jesus says, “I leave you the gift of peace with you—my peace. Not the kind of fragile peace given by the world, but my perfect peace” (14:27).

Here’s what you can do next to grow in your relationship with Jesus:

•Stay Connected. Jesus said, “I am the sprouting vine and you’re my branches. As you live in union with me as your source, fruitfulness will stream from within you—but when you live separated from me you are powerless” (15:5). The two best ways to remain connected to Jesus is by regularly reading the Bible and communicating with God by praying to him.

•Seek Obedience. Jesus also invites you to obey his teachings, which is how we show we love him: “Those who truly love me are those who obey my commandments” (14:21). When we do obey him, Jesus promises we will remain in God’s love, a love that empowers us to obey him: “If you keep my commands, you will live in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands, for I continually live nourished and empowered by his love.”

•Find Community. Finally, Jesus tells us it’s important to unite with other Christians in fellowship: “I pray for them all to be joined together as one even as you and I, Father, are joined together as one” (17:21). And in this fellowship, Jesus says we are to “love each other just as much as I have loved you” (13:34).

You can trust every word you read from the book of John, for he speaks the truth. His story about Jesus will take you into a higher glory where Jesus now sits exalted at the right hand of God.

As John’s gospel unveils Jesus before your eyes, enter into the great magnificence of his presence and sit enthroned with him. Your life will never be the same after absorbing the glory presented to you in The Story of Jesus!

ABOUT THE PASSION TRANSLATION

The message of God’s story is timeless; the Word of God doesn’t change. But the methods by which that story is communicated should be timely; the vessels that steward God’s Word can and should change.

One of those timely methods and vessels is Bible translation. Bible translations are both a gift and a problem. They give us the words God spoke through his servants, but words can be very poor containers for revelation because they leak! The meanings of words change from one generation to the next. Meaning is influenced by culture, background, and many other details. You can imagine how differently the authors of the Old Testament saw the world three thousand years ago.

There is no such thing as a truly literal translation of the Bible, for there is not an equivalent language that perfectly conveys the meaning of the biblical text except as it is understood in its original cultural and linguistic setting. Therefore, a translation can be a problem. The problem, however, is solved when we seek to transfer meaning, not merely words, from the original text to the receptor language.

The Passion Translationseeks to reintroduce the passion and fire of the Bible to the English reader by expressing God’s passion for people and his world, translating the original, life-changing message of God’s Word for modern readers.

Italicized Words and Hebrew Names

You will notice at times we’ve italicized certain words or phrases. These highlighted portions are not in the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek manuscripts, but are implied from the context. We’ve made these implications explicit for the sake of narrative clarity and to better convey the meaning of God’s Word. This is a common practice by mainstream translations, including the New American Standard Bible and King James Version.

We’ve also chosen to translate certain names in their original Hebrew or Greek form to better convey their cultural meaning and significance. For instance, it is unfortunate that translations of the Bible have substituted Miriam with Mary and Jacob with James. Both Greek and Aramaic leave the Hebrew names in their original form. Therefore this translation uses their correct cultural names, Miriam and Jacob, throughout.

________

God longs to have his Word expressed in every language in a way that would unlock the “passion” of his heart. Our goal is to trigger inside every English speaker an overwhelming response to the truth of the Bible. This is a heart-level translation, from the passion of God’s heart to the passion of your heart.

We pray and trust that this version of God’s Word will kindle in you a burning, passionate desire for him and his heart, while impacting the church for years to come!

The Book of John

One

The Living Expression

1In the very beginning the Living Expression was

already there.

And the Living Expression was with God,

yet fully God.

2They were together—face to face,

in the very beginning.

3And through his creative inspiration

this Living Expression made all things,

for nothing has existence apart from him!

4Life came into being because of him,

for his life is light for all humanity.

5And this Living Expression is the Light

that bursts through gloom—

the Light that darkness could not diminish!

6Then suddenly a man appeared

who was sent from God,

a messenger named John.

7For he came to be a witness,

to point the way to the Light of Life,

and to help everyone believe.

8John was not that Light

but he came to show who is.

For he was merely a messenger

to speak the truth about the Light.

9For the Light of Truth was about to come

into the world

and shine upon everyone.

10He entered into the very world he created,

yet the world was unaware.

11He came to the very people he created—

to those who should have recognized him,

but they did not receive him.

12But those who embraced him and took hold

of his name

were given authority to become

the children of God!

13He was not born by the joining of human parents

or from natural means, or by a man’s desire,

but he was born of God.

14And so the Living Expression

became a man and lived among us!

And we gazed upon the splendor of his glory,

the glory of the One and Only

who came from the Father overflowing

with tender mercy and truth!

15John taught the truth about him

when he announced to the people,

“He’s the One! Set your hearts on him!

I told you he would come after me,

even though he ranks far above me,

for he existed before I was even born.”

16And now out of his fullness we are fulfilled!

And from him we receive grace heaped

upon more grace!

17Moses gave us the Law, but Jesus, the Anointed One,

unveils truth wrapped in tender mercy.

18No one has ever gazed upon the fullness

of God’s splendor

except the uniquely beloved Son,

who is cherished by the Father

and held close to his heart.

Now he has unfolded to us the

full explanation of who God truly is!

The Ministry of John the Immerser

19There were some of the Jewish leaders who sent an entourage of priests and temple servants from Jerusalem to interrogate John. They asked him, “Who are you?”

20John answered them directly, saying, “I am not the Messiah!”

21“Then who are you?” they asked. “Are you Elijah?”

“No,” John replied.

So they pressed him further, “Are you the prophet Moses said was coming, the one we’re expecting?” “No,” he replied.

22“Then who are you?” they demanded. “We need an answer for those who sent us. Tell us something about yourself—anything!”

23So, John answered them, “I am fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy: ‘I am an urgent, thundering voice shouting in the desert—clear the way and prepare your hearts for the coming of the Lord Yahweh!’”

24Then some members of the religious sect known as the Pharisees questioned John, 25“Why do you baptize the people since you admit you’re not the Christ, Elijah, or the Prophet?”

26-27John answered them, “I baptize in this river, but the One who will take my place is to be more honored than I, but even when he stands among you, you will not recognize or embrace him! I am not worthy enough to stoop down in front of him and untie his sandals!” 28This all took place at Bethany, where John was baptizing at the place of the crossing of the Jordan River.

The Lamb of God

29The very next day John saw Jesus coming to him to be baptized, and John cried out, “Look! There he is—God’s Lamb! He will take away the sins of the world! 30I told you that a Mighty One would come who is far greater than I am, because he existed long before I was born! 31My baptism was for the preparation of his appearing to Israel, even though I’ve yet to experience him.”

32Then, as John baptized Jesus he spoke these words: “I see the Spirit of God appear like a dove descending from the heavenly realm and landing upon him—and it rested upon him from that moment forward! 33And even though I’ve yet to experience him, when I was commissioned to baptize with water God spoke these words to me, ‘One day you will see the Spirit descend and remain upon a man. He will be the One I have sent to baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34And now I have seen with discernment. I can tell you for sure that this man is the Son of God.”

Jesus’ First Followers

35-36The very next day John was there again with two of his disciples as Jesus was walking right past them. John, gazing upon him, pointed to Jesus and said, “Look! There’s God’s Lamb!” 37And as soon as John’s two disciples heard this, they immediately left John and began to follow a short distance behind Jesus.

38Then Jesus turned around and saw they were following him and asked, “What do you want?” They responded, “Rabbi (which means, Master Teacher), where are you staying?”