When we come to the understanding that Jesus took the penalty for our sins, we are set free from the sin and shame that goes with it. Since Jesus paid your sin debt, you are positioned "in Christ" and set free from the power of sin. You are called holy, forgiven, and free from condemnation!

Throughout The Story we have seen that everything points to the rescue of mankind through the Christ (Greek) or the Messiah (Hebrew). When Jesus arrives to fulfill this role, people wondered about His true identity. Who is Jesus? This is a question people have always wrestled with. but one which we all must answer.

The Old Testament gave us many Kingdom images. God created the world with just a word. He commanded the flood to come, commanded the Israelites to leave, commanded the sea to open, sent His children into exile, and pulled them out of exile, and pulled them out of exile. King Nebuchadnezzar encountered God and honoured Him who lives forever, for His dominion is an everlasting dominion and His kingdom endures from Generation

John the Apostle used two characters in this week’s chapter of The Story to “sandwich” the best-known verse in the whole Bible - John 3:16.

After hundreds of years and many glimpses of the Messiah, we finally arrive at the birth of Jesus. John in his gospel doesn’t give an account of the birth of the King, but rather states several key facts to introduce his readers to Christ.

Nehemiah served as the cupbearer for King Artaxerxes of Persia. Esther is Artaxerxes’ stepmother, and it is possible that she was instrumental in his appointment to this position. Nehemiah was granted permission by the king to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the walls. Once the rebuilding begins, so does the opposition. At stake was the promise made to King David that his royal descendants and nation would never end. To put it another way, God’s promise-keeping ability was at stake. In spite of opposition the task is completed in fifty-two days, a feat even the enemies of Israel attribute to God. With both the temple and the wall restored, the messianic line is once again protected.

Guest speaker Carl-Gustav Severin shares a great message for fathers!

Fifty years after the first group of exiles returned to Jerusalem from Babylon, the rest of the Jewish people are scattered throughout the Persian Empire. The book of Esther reveals a threat to destroy all the Jewish people, and ultimately God's divine plan to save them.

The time of the 70-year exile of the Israelites in Babylon had come to an end. God would use Cyrus, king of the Persian Empire, to send His people back home to rebuild the temple. This was prophesied over 150 years earlier by Isaiah, even mentioning Cyrus by name!

Exiled as a young man, Daniel’s wisdom and character would earn him a significant advisory role with the kings of Babylon. Daniel was committed to serving the kings without compromising his values and allegiance to the God of Israel.