( Published April Of 2006 by carlvasta.com )
( 191kb - 53 pages )
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THE PARALYZED MAN Jesus had come back to his own town of Capernaum after teaching in other towns and a crowd had assembled at a house where he was teaching. There were teachers of religious law (scribes & Pharisees) present among the people who came to listen to Jesus. Some men brought a man who was paralyzed to Jesus, but couldn't get near the house because of the crowd of people. They brought him up to the roof of that house and lowered him down on his mat to Jesus. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, "My son, your sins are forgiven." The scripture says that though the scribes and Pharisees kept it to themselves, Jesus was aware that they were asking themselves, 'Why does this man talk this way, he is speaking as if he were God.' (He is committing blasphemy) 'God is the only one who can forgive sins.' Jesus said to them, "Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier to say to this paralyzed man, 'Your sins are forgiven', or to say 'Get up, pick up your mat and walk' "? He said to the man who was paralyzed, "I tell you, get up, pick up your mat and go home." While they all watched, the man got up, picked up his mat and went outside in sight of everyone. The people were completely amazed and praised God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!" JESUS BRINGS LAZARUS BACK TO LIFE A friend of Jesus named Lazarus was sick and about to die. The sisters of Lazarus, Martha and Mary, sent word to Jesus to come and heal him, but he stayed where he was two more days saying to his disciples, "The final result of this sickness will not be the death of Lazarus; this has happened in order to bring glory to God, and it will be the means by which the Son of God will receive glory." Jesus told his disciples he was going to Judea, that Lazarus had fallen asleep and he was going to wake him. The disciples reminded Jesus that the people in that area wanted to stone him and if Lazarus was just sleeping, he would wake up! So Jesus told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead, but for your sake I am glad that I was not with him, so that you will believe." Lazarus had been buried four days when Jesus had arrived and many Judeans had come to comfort Martha and Mary. When Martha heard that Jesus was there, she went out to meet him while Mary remained in the house. Martha said to Jesus, "If you had been here, Lord, my brother would not have died, but I know that even now God will give you what ever you ask him for." "Your brother will rise to life," Jesus told her. "I know," she replied, "that he will rise to life on the last day." Jesus said to her, Whoever believes in me will live even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" "Yes, Lord!" she answered. I do believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who was to come into the world." Then Martha went back and told Mary that Jesus was asking for her. She hurried to meet him and the people who were there followed her. She met Jesus with the same words 'if you had been here, my brother would not have died', and the people that followed her echoed the same words. Scripture says when he saw her crying and heard what she said, he wept too! But the scripture also says that he was troubled in spirit because of their unbelief. Jesus asked where Lazarus was buried and had them remove the large stone covering the cave. Martha told Jesus that there would be a bad odor because Lazarus had been buried four days ago. Jesus said to her, "Didn't I tell you that you would see God's glory if you believed?" Then Jesus looked up and said, "I thank you, Father, that you listen to me. I know that you always listen to me, but I say this for the sake of the people here, so that they will believe that you sent me." After he had said this, he called out in a loud voice, "Lazarus come out!" He came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go." Many people who saw what Jesus had done put their faith in him, and some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. The Pharisees plotted to kill Jesus and even Lazarus because they worried that the Roman authorities would take action to destroy the Temple and the nation of Israel. THE UNBELIEF OF THE DISCIPLE THOMAS Jesus was put to death by crucifixion because he posed a threat to the chief priests and elders of the people. They were worried that Rome would see Jesus as a new popular leader who would start an uprising against their occupation of Israel. This in turn could cause the Roman army to destroy not only the Temple, but the nation of Israel. A rich man named Joseph of Arimathea came secretly to Pilate, the Roman governor, to beg for the body of Jesus. He had just had a new tomb carved out in a large rock for himself that was in a garden near the crucifixion site and Pilate agreed to let Joseph have the body of Jesus. Joseph along with another man named Nicodemus wrapped Jesus in clean linen strips with perfumed oils made from a mixture of myrrh and aloes and laid him in the tomb. On what is now referred to as Easter Sunday, the third day from when Jesus was buried, it was discovered that Jesus had risen from death and left the Roman guarded tomb. He had appeared to two women who came to see the tomb and saw the large rock rolled away from the entrance and to two disciples walking on the road to a small village seven miles away from Jerusalem. When Jesus left them, they went back to Jerusalem to tell the other disciples how Jesus talked and ate with them. By now, the other disciples knew that Jesus' body was not in the tomb and they did not believe the story told by the women about Jesus' appearance to them. The scripture says, '...as yet they did not understand the scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead'. They locked themselves in their homes, afraid the Jews would come after them because they were disciples of Jesus. While they were talking together, Jesus appeared to them saying, "Peace be with you" and then he opened their minds to the scripture and imparted the Holy Spirit upon them saying, "As the Father has sent me, so I send you." One of the disciples named Thomas was not there and when the other disciples told him what happened, he said, "I will never believe it without seeing and feeling the holes in his hands where they nailed him to the cross and wound in his side where the Roman spear pierced his body." A week later when the disciples were all together, Jesus came and stood before them saying, "Peace be with you", and then he said to Thomas, "Take your finger and examine my hands. Put your hand into my side. Do not persist in your unbelief, but believe!" Thomas said, "My Lord and my God!" Then Jesus said to him: Blessed are they who have not seen and have believed." Previous Quotes ( Printer Friendly ) ( 191kb - 53 pages ) 2006 January Lazarus And The Rich Man ("about death & believing") February The Greatest Commandment ("about love") March The Lost Sheep & The Lost Son ("rejoicing for who has given up their life of sin") May The Worry Of Daily Life June The Ten Lepers July The Good Samaritan August How To Give and How To Pray September The Un-believing Towns October Signs Revealing Christ's Return To Earth November The Last Supper December Why We Should Celebrate Christmas 2007 January The Things That Make A Person Unclean February Marriage, Adultery, and Divorce March Jesus Chooses The Apostles April The Coming Persecutions For The Believers May Jesus Feeds 5000 Men, ( not counting the women and children ) ( part 1 ) June Jesus Walks On The Water ( part 2 ) July The Bread Of Life ( part 3 ) August The Meaning Of The Cross September Jonah And The Whale October Jesus And The Devil ( Satan ) November Jesus And The Sabbath ( The Day Of Rest ) December The Christmas Story ( The Birth Of Jesus ) There are at least 66 books that make up the bible. Sometimes, trying to follow a storyline is difficult because there are books that are good for support and prayer like Wisdom, Job, Psalms, and Proverbs. They take you away from the story. And now you can listen... FREE! to the Storyline read by Kathy Bird. It's streamed mp3 so you can listen to it easily, even if you have dial up. The story includes references so you can find the topics... in just about any version of the Bible. If you ever wanted to know what the Bible is all about, here is your chance!
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