The Story Short FilmSample

Is there any hope?

Sin's consequences are tragic for us all. God saw the pain of it for Adam and Eve and was moved with compassion. Although He did not excuse their choice, He did give them hope (Genesis 3:15-24).

God promised that one of their descendants would someday rescue mankind from sin. As centuries passed, God shared exact details of the Savior's birth, life, and death, which were recorded in the Bible many centuries before His coming (Isaiah 7:14). In fact, the whole Bible ultimately points to this one Person as the climax of human history. His purpose was "to seek and to save what was lost" (Luke 19:10).

So who was He?

Almost 2,000 years ago, Jesus came to earth as God the Son to fulfill the promise. He was born miraculously, as His mother was a virgin (Matthew 1:18-21). Just like us, Jesus grew up and experienced life on earth (John 1:14). But unlike us, Jesus never sinned and always obeyed the Father. When Jesus was in His 30s, He began teaching all around Israel, pointing people to God's kingdom and performing many miracles.

After a few years, He was wrongly accused and sentenced to an agonizing death on a cross (John 19). Jesus lovingly gave up His perfect life as a sacrifice to pay for the sins of mankind (1 Peter 3:18). In the greatest display of mercy and grace the world has ever known, Jesus' life and death became a substitute for all who would trust in Him. The perfectly innocent died a perfect death, taking our place, to rescue the hopelessly guilty (2 Corinthians 5:21).

But death and the grave couldn't hold Jesus (Luke 24:1-12, 1 Corinthians 15:3-5). Three days later, Jesus emerged from His tomb, alive once again! Jesus fulfilled His earthly mission, defeating sin by dying on the cross and defeating death by rising from the dead—just as God promised (Galatians 1:4). Forty days later, He returned to Heaven (Acts 1:9) where He reigns and sits at God's right hand as King and Judge over all creation.

This is the Story of rescue God has authored (Colossians 1:13). He invites us, through repentance and faith, to make His Story the one we trust in and live from. When we do, everything changes (2 Corinthians 5:17). Tomorrow we'll explore the fourth chapter of God's Story, answering the question, what will the future hold?