The Greatest Love Story Ever Told
THE GREATEST LOVE STORY EVER TOLD
(King James Version)
CREATION
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. — Genesis 1:1
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. — Genesis 1:27
And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. — Genesis 1:31
THE FALL
But God had given a command:
Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. — Genesis 2:16-17
Yet they disobeyed:
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. — Genesis 3:6
And so the curse came:
Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. — Genesis 3:17-19
Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. — Genesis 3:23-24
From that day forward:
Your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. — Isaiah 59:2
Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. — Romans 5:12
But even in that dark hour, God spoke a promise to the serpent:
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. — Genesis 3:15
For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. — Romans 5:19
THE FLOOD
The generations passed:
And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. — Genesis 6:5-6
But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. — Genesis 6:8
And after the flood, God made a promise:
I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. — Genesis 9:13-15
ABRAHAM
And God began again. He called a man named Abram and made him a promise:
And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. — Genesis 12:2-3
And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. — Galatians 3:8
JACOB
To Abraham’s grandson Jacob, God spoke:
And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. — Genesis 28:15
And God changed his name:
Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. — Genesis 32:28
SLAVERY
But the children of Israel went down into Egypt, and there they were enslaved:
Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses. But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel. And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour: And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour. — Exodus 1:11-14
And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them. — Exodus 2:24-25
DELIVERANCE
And God spoke:
Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. — Exodus 6:6-7
He commanded them to slay a lamb and put the blood upon the doorposts:
And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. — Exodus 12:13
But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. — Deuteronomy 7:8
THE PROMISED LAND
And God kept his word:
There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass. — Joshua 21:45
DAVID
To David the king, God made another promise:
And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever. — 2 Samuel 7:16
And centuries later, this would be fulfilled:
He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. — Luke 1:32-33
THE PROPHETS
Through the prophets, God declared his heart:
The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. — Jeremiah 31:3
MAN’S HELPLESSNESS
Yet man could not save himself:
As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. — Romans 3:10-12
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. — Romans 3:23
But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. — Isaiah 64:6
The law could not save us:
Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. — Romans 3:20
And all the sacrifices could not take away sin:
For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. — Hebrews 10:4
And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. — Hebrews 10:11
We needed a Savior.
HIS BIRTH
The prophets had foretold:
Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. — Isaiah 7:14
And it came to pass:
Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. — Matthew 1:22-23
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. — John 1:14
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. — Luke 2:10-11
But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. — Galatians 4:4-5
HIS LIFE
Isaiah had prophesied:
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound. — Isaiah 61:1
And Jesus stood in the synagogue and read those very words, then closed the book and said:
This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears. — Luke 4:21
But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. — Matthew 9:36
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. — John 10:10-11
For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. — Mark 10:45
HIS DEATH
Isaiah had written of him:
He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. — Isaiah 53:3-5
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. — Isaiah 53:7
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. — John 3:16
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. — Romans 5:8
David had written a thousand years before:
For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture. — Psalm 22:16, 18
And so it was:
Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. — John 19:23-24
When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. — John 19:30
For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us. — 1 Corinthians 5:7
HIS RESURRECTION
But the story was not over.
Jonah had been three days and three nights in the belly of the fish:
Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. — Jonah 1:17
And Jesus had said:
An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. — Matthew 12:39-40
David had prophesied:
For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. — Psalm 16:10
And Peter declared:
He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. — Acts 2:31
And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. — Matthew 28:5-6
For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. — 1 Corinthians 15:21-22
O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. — 1 Corinthians 15:55-57
HIS ASCENSION
David had foreseen:
Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them. — Psalm 68:18
And it came to pass:
And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. — Acts 1:9
Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. — Ephesians 4:8
Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high. — Hebrews 1:3
THE COMFORTER
But he did not leave us alone. Before he departed, he promised:
And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. — John 14:16-17
But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. — John 14:26
And it came to pass:
And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. — Acts 2:1-4
And to this day:
Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. — Romans 8:26
THE KINGDOM OF GOD
When the Pharisees demanded to know when the kingdom of God should come, Jesus answered:
The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. — Luke 17:20-21
HIS RETURN
And still we wait for the final chapter.
Daniel saw it in a vision:
I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. — Daniel 7:13-14
Jesus promised:
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. — John 14:3
The angels declared:
This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. — Acts 1:11
And when he returns:
And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. — Revelation 21:3-4
He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. — Revelation 22:20
Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. — Revelation 22:20
FAITH COMES BY HEARING
So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. — Romans 10:17
The doors of the church are now open.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
CREATION: Gen 1:1, 1:27, 1:31. THE FALL: Gen 2:16-17, 3:6, 3:17-19, 3:23-24; Isa 59:2; Rom 5:12; Gen 3:15; Rom 5:19. THE FLOOD: Gen 6:5-6, 6:8, 9:13-15. ABRAHAM: Gen 12:2-3; Gal 3:8. JACOB: Gen 28:15, 32:28. SLAVERY: Ex 1:11-14, 2:24-25. DELIVERANCE: Ex 6:6-7, 12:13; Deut 7:8. THE PROMISED LAND: Josh 21:45. DAVID: 2 Sam 7:16; Luke 1:32-33. THE PROPHETS: Jer 31:3. MAN’S HELPLESSNESS: Rom 3:10-12, 3:23; Isa 64:6; Rom 3:20; Heb 10:4, 10:11. HIS BIRTH: Isa 7:14; Matt 1:22-23; John 1:14; Luke 2:10-11; Gal 4:4-5. HIS LIFE: Isa 61:1; Luke 4:21; Matt 9:36; John 10:10-11; Mark 10:45. HIS DEATH: Isa 53:3-5, 53:7; John 3:16; Rom 5:8; Ps 22:16, 18; John 19:23-24, 19:30; 1 Cor 5:7. HIS RESURRECTION: Jon 1:17; Matt 12:39-40; Ps 16:10; Acts 2:31; Matt 28:5-6; 1 Cor 15:21-22, 15:55-57. HIS ASCENSION: Ps 68:18; Acts 1:9; Eph 4:8; Heb 1:3. THE COMFORTER: John 14:16-17, 14:26; Acts 2:1-4; Rom 8:26. THE KINGDOM OF GOD: Luke 17:20-21. HIS RETURN: Dan 7:13-14; John 14:3; Acts 1:11; Rev 21:3-4, 22:20. FAITH COMES BY HEARING: Rom 10:17.