God - The story begins with God, who has always been. He has always existed exactly as He is now. It seems confusing, it's because He's beyond what anyone can fully comprehend. (Genesis 1:1 & Psalms 90:2)

Creation - In the beginning, God spoke and everything came into existence. By His command the entire universe was created and filled with a dramatic display of galaxies, stars, and planets—including Earth, on which was a perfect garden of paradise called Eden. Of all the beauty He created, the masterpiece was a man and a woman. God made Adam and Eve in His image to reflect Him. They were created with the grand purpose of worshiping Him by loving Him, serving Him, and enjoying relationship with Him.

Harmony - By God's design, all of creation was in harmony and was exactly the way it was suppose to be. During this time there was no pain, suffering, sickness, or death. There was complete love, acceptance, and intimacy between God and man, between Adam and Eve, and throughout creation. But something tragic happened...

Disobedience - Adam and Eve were far from being equal to God. Yet He lovingly placed them in charge of all He had created in Eden. He gave them the freedom to make decisions and govern the earth with one rule: not to eat fruit from a specific tree. One day, God's enemy, a fallen angel named Satan, wanted to overthrow God so he took the form of a serpent and lied to Adam and Eve. He deceived them into thinking God wasn't good and did not have their best interest in mind. As a result, they knowingly disobeyed God. In rebellion, Adam and Eve ate the fruit, deciding that they, not God, would determine right and wrong.

Consequence - The consequences of their actions were devastating! Like a virus, sin entered into all of creation and into the hearts of Adam and Eve. Sin, suffering, and pain were passed down from generation to generation; all of creation was distorted from its original design. We have all read and heard the stories of war, poverty, disease, greed, and scandals that plague our world today. Those are all a result of sin. (Romans 3:10 & Romans 3:19)

Need - When we think about the perfection and love that existed at the beginning of creation, we realize "we are far more flawed and far more sinful than we can dare imagine." Just think of the grudges we held, the lies we've told, the thoughts we'd never dare say aloud. An honest glance into our hearts reveals the truth: We are all guilty. Everyone has sinned and the ultimate consequence, even worse than physical death, is eternal separation from a loving God, in terrible misery and unhappiness. Because of all of this, we need to consider the questions: Can anything be done? Is there any hope?

Promise Made - God removed Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden as a result of their sin but left them with a promise of a rescue and hope. He promised them one of their descendants would someday rescue mankind from sin. Over the next centuries, God prepared the way for this person who would become the Savior of the world. Exact details of His birth, life, and death were recorded in the Bible many centuries before His coming. In fact, the whole Bible ultimately points to this one person as the focal point of all human history. His purpose in coming was "to seek and to save what was lost" (Luke 19:10). So who was He?

Promise Kept - The promised Savior, simply, was God. God became human in the person of Jesus Christ almost 2,000 years ago, fulfilling all the predictions in the Old Testament. Jesus' birth was miraculous since His mother was a virgin. His life was unique: He perfectly enjoyed and obeyed God without sin. This ultimately led to His agonizing death on a cross as He willingly, obediently, and sufficiently dies to pay for the sins of mankind, according to God's plan. 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 to rescue the hopelessly guilty from sin and Satan. But the grave couldn't hold Jesus. Three days later, Jesus emerged from His tomb, fulfilling His earthly mission to defeat sin by dying on the cross and to defeat death by rising from the dead—just as God promised. Forty days later He returned to Heaven where He reigns as the rightful King. But the story doesn't end there... (1 Peter 3:18 & Galatians 1:4)

All Things New - For all those who trust in Jesus alone, God has also promised He will make all things new. The new heaven and new earth will be completely free of sin and selfishness—a place of perfect friendship with God, others, and all of creation. No more shattering earthquakes, devastating tsunamis, or violent storms will plague the earth. No more pain, broken hearts, sickness or death to trouble us. Everything will be restored to the way it was meant to be. The new earth will once again be the perfect home God intended for His creation. God's original purpose will flourish, as those who trust in His rescue will enter into the grand purpose of worshiping Him by loving Him, serving Him, and enjoying relationship with Him forever. (Revelation 21:4)

Forever With God - The most wonderful part of this new world is that we will be with God forever, experiencing complete joy. We will be restored to a perfect relationship with the One who created, loved, and died for us. C.S. Lewis, scholar and children's author, compared the first step into this world as "Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on forever: in which every chapter is better than the one before."

God is writing an amazing part of the story from creation to restoration. He created you to be part of the story to worship Him, serve Him, and enjoy relationship with Him. By joining God in this story, you will find forgiveness, purpose, and satisfaction as you come to know the Author of life.