Bible for Children presents
( STORY 1 ) THE BIRTH OF JESUS
Long ago, God sent the angel Gabriel to a sweet young Jewish maiden named Mary. He
told her, "You will have a son……and call His Name Jesus. He will be called the Son of
the Highest. He will reign forever."
"How can this be?" the amazed girl asked. "I have not been with any man." The angel told Mary the child would come from God. There would not be a human father.
The angel then told Mary that her cousin Elizabeth was having a baby in her old age. This was a
miracle, too. Soon after, Mary visited Elizabeth. They praised God together.
Mary was engaged to marry a man named Joseph. Joseph was sad when he learned Mary
was expecting a baby. He thought some other man was the father.
In a dream, God's angel told Joseph that this child was God's Son. Joseph was to help Mary look after Jesus.
Joseph trusted and obeyed God. He also obeyed his country's laws. Because of a new law, he and Mary left for their hometown, Bethlehem, to pay their taxes.
Mary was ready to have her baby. But Joseph could not find a room anywhere. All the inns were full.
Joseph finally found a stable. There, Baby Jesus was born. His mother laid Him in a manger, a place where the animals' food was usually
put.
Nearby, shepherds guarded their sleeping flocks. God's angel appeared and told them the
wonderful news. "There is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior Who is Christ the Lord. You will
find the
Baby
lying in a manger."
Suddenly, many more bright angels appeared, praising God and saying,…
…"Glory to God in the Highest and on earth peace, good will toward men."
The shepherds hurried to the stable. After seeing the Baby they told everyone they met what the angels had said about Jesus.
Forty days later, Joseph and Mary brought Jesus to the temple
in Jerusalem. There a man named Simeon praised God for the Baby,…
…while old Anna, another servant of the Lord, gave thanks. Both knew Jesus was God's Son, the promised Savior. Joseph
sacrificed two birds. This was the offering God's law said poor people should bring when they presented a newborn child to the Lord. Sometime later, a
special star led Wise Men from an Eastern country to Jerusalem.
"Where is He Who is born King of the Jews?" they asked. "We want to worship Him."
King Herod heard about the Wise Men. Troubled, he asked them to tell him when they found
Jesus.
"I want to
worship Him, too," Herod said. But he was lying. Herod wanted to kill Jesus.
The star led the Wise Men to the exact house where Mary and Joseph lived with the young
Child.
Kneeling in worship, the travelers gave Jesus rich gifts of gold and perfume.
God warned the Wise Men to return home secretly.
Herod was furious.
Determined to destroy Jesus, the wicked ruler killed all boy babies in Bethlehem.
But Herod could not harm God's Son! Warned in a dream, Joseph took Mary and Jesus to safety in Egypt. When Herod died Joseph brought Mary and Jesus back from Egypt.
They lived in the little town of Nazareth, near the sea of Galilee. The Birth of Jesus A story from God's Word, the Bible, is found in Matthew 1-2; Luke 1-2 "The entrance of Your Word gives light." Psalm 119:130 The End This Bible story tells us about our wonderful God who made us and who wants us to know Him.
God knows we have done bad things, which He calls sin. The punishment for sin is death, but God loves us so much He sent His Son, Jesus, to die on a Cross and be punished for our sins. Then Jesus came back to life and went home to Heaven! If you believe in Jesus and ask Him to forgive your sins, He will do it! He will come and live in you now, and you will live with Him forever.
If you want to turn from your sins, say this to God:
Dear God, I believe that Jesus died for me and now lives again. Please come into my life and forgive my sins, so that I can have new life now, and one day go to be with You forever. Help me to live for You as Your child. Amen.
Read the Bible and talk with God every day! John 3:16
STORY 2 ( A MAN SENT FROM GOD )
Inside God's temple one day, an
old priest, named Zacharias, was
burning incense. Outside,
people prayed. Suddenly,
Zacharias
trembled.
An angel had come. "Don't be
afraid," he said. "God sent
me. Your wife will
have a
son.
Call him John. He will be filled with
the Holy Spirit from birth. He will
turn many people to
God."
"Speak to us,
Zacharias." The
people outside
were puzzled.
They did not know that
Gabriel the angel said
Zacharias would be
unable to talk until
the baby's
birth …
… because he didn't
believe the message
from God. He
thought his wife was
too old to have
a baby.
At home, Zacharias wrote all the
angel told him. Elizabeth,
his wife, was amazed. They
had always prayed for
a child. Could it
happen
now?
Soon Elizabeth
knew a baby
was coming.
She praised
God. One day,
Elizabeth's
cousin Mary
visited. Mary
was also
expecting
a baby.
When Mary arrived,
Elizabeth felt her
baby leap within
her body.
Elizabeth
was filled
with the
Holy
Spirit.
She knew
Mary's baby
would be the
Lord Jesus
Christ.
Together,
the two
women
praised God
with joy.
Elizabeth's baby was born as God
promised. "Call him
Zacharias, like his
Dad," the other
priests said.
Zacharias
remembered
God's command.
"No! The baby's name is John."
When Zacharias wrote
those words, his
speech came back.
Then he praised
God.
When John grew up he was
like Elijah, the
great man of God.
John told people
God's Son was soon
coming to bless them.
Jewish leaders hated John
because he said
to them, "Repent!
Stop sinning." They
did not want to hear
about their sins.
Others called him John the Baptist
because he dipped people
under water to show they
were sorry for
their sins. One
day, Jesus
came
to John
to be
baptized.
"You should baptize me," John
protested. But Jesus
said, "Let
it be so."
And John
baptized
Him.
After Jesus‘
baptism, John
saw the Holy
Spirit come
upon Jesus in
the form of a
dove. This
was God's
sign.
John knew
that Jesus
was God's Son.
John called
Jesus the
Lamb of God
Who takes
away the sin
of the world.
John led many
people to God.
But Herod,
the wicked
ruler, threw
John in prison.
"It is a sin for
you to have
Herodias, your
brother's
wife, as your
own," John
told Herod.
Herod knew
this was true.
He knew John was God's servant, a
just and holy man. But he did not
want to stop
sinning. And
John would not
stop preaching
against sin,
even if it
meant prison.
On his birthday Herod
had a big party. The
daughter of Herodias
danced for him.
This pleased Herod.
"You can have anything
you want," he promised.
"Even half my kingdom."
"What shall I
ask for?" the
girl wondered.
Her evil
mother
Herodias, who
hated John,
told her what
to ask for!
It was
terrible!
"Give me John the
Baptist's head on a
plate," the girl said
to Herod. He was
sorry for his
promise, but
too proud to
break it.
"Cut off John's head
and bring it here,"
commanded Herod.
His soldiers
obeyed
him.
Sadly John's friends buried the
body of God's brave and faithful
servant. John's work
for God was
now finished.
Perhaps they
knew Jesus
could comfort
them in their
A Man Sent From God
A story from God's Word, the Bible,
is found in
Mark 6; Luke 1, 3
"The entrance of Your Word gives light."
Psalm 119:130
( STORY 3 ) A TERRIBLE TIME FOR JESUS
When Jesus was baptized, God spoke. He said, "This is My beloved Son. In Him I am well pleased." God's HOLY SPIRIT descended upon Jesus like a dove.
Soon after, God's Holy Spirit led Jesus to a wilderness place. Jesus was alone.
Jesus fasted for forty days. That means He did not eat any food. He became very hungry.
The Bible says that wild beasts were also there.
Satan came to tempt Jesus. Long ago, he had tempted Adam and Eve to disobey God in the Garden of Eden. Now Jesus would be tested.
Satan could try to tempt even God's Son, Jesus.
"If You are God's Son," the devil said, "turn these rocks into bread." He knew Jesus was hungry. He knew God's Son could turn stones to bread. Would Jesus obey the devil?
No! Jesus did not obey the devil. Instead, He answered from God's Word. "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God."
Then Satan led Jesus into the great city of Jerusalem, to the holy temple where people worshipped God. What would the devil do next?
"If You are God's Son, throw yourself down," the devil said. "His Word says His angels will save You."
"No!" Jesus replied. "It is also written... `You shall not put the LORD your God to the test.'"
The devil tried again. He took Jesus out of the city to a very high mountain peak.
Showing Jesus all the glory of every earthly kingdom, the devil said, "I will give it all to You, if You will fall down and worship me."
"Get behind me, Satan!" Jesus commanded. "It is written...`You shall worship the LORD your God and Him only shall you serve.'”
The devil left Jesus for a while. Then something wonderful happened. God sent angels to comfort and care for Jesus His Son - Who did not obey the devil.
A Terrible Time for Jesus A story from God's Word, the Bible, is found in Matthew 4 and Luke 4 "The entrance of Your Words gives light." Psalm 119:130