To the reader
September 2025
Read here a short summary from the Word of God!
The purpose is that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing, you may have life in His Name! (John 20:31b)
I pray that you may read it in peace with full focus, and that the mighty Holy Spirit of God may SPEAK to you through His Word!
Psalm 119:130 The entrance of your words gives light. It gives understanding to the simple.
Remember that God's Word is the truth!
The Bible quotations are from the World English Bible (Public Domain).
The images used are the beautiful paintings of Jan van 't Hoff, Dordrecht.
www.gospelimages.nl
The creation of the heavens and the earth
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:27 God created man in his own image. In God's image he created him; male and female he created them.
Genesis 1:31 God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.
Adam and Eve were the first people. God formed Adam out of the dust of the earth and breathed His Holy Spirit into him!
They lived in a world without death and evil things. They ruled over the animals and over nature as kings. They walked with God. God walked through the garden where the people lived!
Animals lived in peace with each other.
God made mankind, and therefore you too, in His own image!
He designed you. You are valuable!
The Fall
Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtle than any animal of the field which Yahweh God had made. He said to the woman, “Has God really said, ‘You shall not eat of any tree of the garden’?”
This was not so. God had told Adam and Eve that they could eat everything in paradise, except from one tree. You would say that is not so hard to keep!
Mankind thus had a choice to do good or evil.
Our first ancestors Adam and Eve allowed themselves to be tempted by the devil who spoke through the serpent. They ate of the fruit, and with that, everything on earth changed:
- Sin entered the world. Death made its entrance.
- Humanity lost its relationship with God!
- Jealousy, adultery, murder, lies, greed, pain, abuse, addiction, depression, injustice,
- sickness, sorrow, injustice, poverty, gossip, hatred and evil things came into the world.
- Instead of eternal life, mankind received eternal death!
Because we are children of Adam, we share his inheritance and also have to deal with death, jealousy, lies and so on in our lives. Do you recognise that?
The promise of the coming of God's Son
Genesis 3:9 Yahweh God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?”
In Genesis 3:15 God gives a prophecy that the offspring of Eve will defeat the serpent (the devil)!
Abraham & Sarah
The first generations of people on earth lived very violently and there was much murder and bloodshed. God chooses Abraham and says to him:
Genesis 17:1 I am God Almighty. Walk before me and be blameless.
God promised Abraham:
Genesis 17:4 You will be the father of a multitude of nations.
But ultimately Abraham and Sarah are old and have not yet had a child together.
Genesis 21:1 Yahweh visited Sarah as he had said, and Yahweh did to Sarah as he had spoken.
She received a child in her old age!
From this child came the people of Israel and ultimately Jesus Christ was born!
God does miracles. Today as well!
God gives the Law, the 10 commandments
Exodus 20:1-17
Then God gave the following commandments to His people Israel:
I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
1 You shall have no other gods before me.
2 You shall not make for yourselves an idol of anything in the sky above, on the earth beneath, or in the waters under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them.
3 You shall not misuse the name of Yahweh your God. Anyone who misuses His name is guilty. He will be punished.
4 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. That day is for Me. Six days you shall labour. But the seventh day is My holy day of rest. Then no one shall work.
5 Honour your father and your mother and take care of them, that your days may be long in the land which I shall give you.
6 You shall not murder.
7 You shall not commit adultery.
8 You shall not steal.
9 You shall not give false testimony against your neighbour.
10 You shall not covet what belongs to someone else. You shall not desire your neighbour's house, his wife, his male servant, his female servant, his ox, his donkey, or anything that is your neighbour's.
God requires this of you too!
You are bound to keep it, and you will later have to give account to God as Judge for how you have done that in your life.
Through faith all things are possible! David defeats the giant Goliath!
David is still young. Probably 17-18 years old. His people are at war with the Philistines. Their champion is a giant about 3 metres tall! No one dares to fight him, but David does! He comes to king Saul and says:
1 Samuel 17:37 David said, “Yahweh, who delivered me out of the paw of the lion and out of the paw of the bear, will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go! Yahweh will be with you.”
1 Samuel 17:46 Today, Yahweh will deliver you into my hand. I will strike you (..)
David had a strong faith in God! He knew 100% for certain that God would let him win!
David kills the enemy of his people with a sling and a stone.
Dancing for God
Serving God gives joy in your life!
2 Samuel 6:14 David danced before Yahweh with all his might; and David was clothed in a linen ephod.
David was king of Israel here! He was not ashamed.
He was not afraid of what people thought of him.
He expressed his joy to God!
David lives with God. He really has a relationship with God, his creator.
He is also your creator!
Psalm 139
Yahweh, you have searched me, and you know me.
You know my sitting down and my rising up.
You perceive my thoughts from afar.
You search out my path and my lying down,
and are acquainted with all my ways.
For there is not a word on my tongue,
but, behold, Yahweh, you know it altogether.
You hem me in behind and before.
You laid your hand on me.
This knowledge is beyond me.
It's high. I can't attain it.
(..)
My frame wasn't hidden from you,
when I was made in secret,
woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my body.
In your book they were all written,
the days that were ordained for me,
when as yet there were none of them.
(..)
Search me, God, and know my heart.
Try me, and know my thoughts.
See if there is any wicked way in me,
and lead me in the everlasting way.
There is no one on this earth who knows you as well as God, your creator!
Jesus Christ came to the earth!
Jesus is the Son of God. He became man!
His coming was announced by John the Baptist.
Matthew 3:16 Jesus, when he was baptized, went up directly from the water: and behold, the heavens were opened to him. He saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming on him.
Who is God? Look at Jesus!
John 1:18 No one has seen God at any time. The only born Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him.
He is gentle and humble
He wants to give us rest
He came to serve us
He is moved with compassion for us!
He is generous. God gives! He has given you your life. The earth to live on, nature to enjoy. And so much more! That shows His character!
John 5:24 (..) He who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and doesn't come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.
Jesus heals the sick and helps people with problems!
Matthew 9:20 Behold, a woman who had a discharge of blood for twelve years came behind him, and touched the fringe of his garment;
21 for she said within herself, “If I just touch his garment, I will be made well.”
22 But Jesus, turning around and seeing her, said, “Daughter, cheer up! Your faith has made you well.” And the woman was made well from that hour.
God works with faith! The woman had a strong faith in Jesus!
She knew 100% for certain that He would heal her if she touched Him.
And Jesus healed her! And not only her!
Mark 6:56 and as many as touched him were made well.
That still happens today. You can recognise followers of Jesus by it!
Not everyone who heals the sick is, by the way, a follower of Jesus! The magicians in Egypt also performed miracles.
Mark 16:18 they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.
Jesus sets people free from evil spirits, bad influences and sicknesses.
What we see with our eyes is the visible natural world.
There is a supernatural invisible world of spirits, angels and demons.
A demon is an evil spirit that can dwell in a person. That spirit gives negative influence, addictions and so on in people. You can be burdened with this.
But Jesus can set you free from this!
Mark 1:23 Immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit (..)
Mark 1:25 Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!”
Mark 1:26 The unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him.
A person consists of 3 parts.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 your whole spirit, soul, and body
Body — Your visible body.
Soul — Your soul is your mind, your thinking, your feelings and so on.
Spirit — This part is connected with the spiritual world.
Without Jesus we are spiritually dead. Through being born again we are made alive!
Jesus blesses the little children!
Matthew 19:13 Then little children were brought to him, that he should lay his hands on them and pray; and the disciples rebuked them.
14 But Jesus said, “Allow the little children, and don't forbid them to come to me; for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to ones like these.”
15 He laid his hands on them, and departed from there.
To believe in Him, we must believe like a child can do, in trust toward his father!
Matthew 18:3 and said, “Most certainly I tell you, unless you turn and become as little children, you will in no way enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.”
Jesus is the good Shepherd. He seeks the lost sheep.
Jesus told many ‘parables’. That was a particular story from that time which everyone living in that culture understood.
Luke 15:1 Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming close to him to hear him.
2 The Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, “This man welcomes sinners, and eats with them.”
3 He told them this parable:
4 “Which of you men, if you had one hundred sheep and lost one of them, wouldn't leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that was lost, until he found it?
5 When he has found it, he carries it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
6 When he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbours, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’
7 I tell you that even so there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance.”
Jesus died on the cross, and rose from the dead!
Do you sometimes try to keep your own ‘rules’ that you have imposed on yourself?
Did you succeed? In many cases not, or only temporarily. That is because of our nature, our character.
God sent His Son to take the punishment for our sins upon Himself.
He makes it possible to live in harmony with Him again!
Jesus was both man and God! He lived the perfect life! He kept God's Law 100%.
Isaiah 53:12 Therefore I will give him a portion with the great. He will divide the plunder with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors.
John 17:3 This is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and him whom you sent, Jesus Christ.
The devil used people to put Jesus to death.
But God used this to accomplish His purpose.
Jesus took everything upon Himself on the cross. Our sin, guilt, mistakes, shortcomings and sicknesses. Everything, absolutely everything, He bore. He fulfilled the law of God.
Until He cried out: IT IS FINISHED!!
Through faith in Him you can be saved!
Then He has borne the punishment for you.
He saves and He restores!
Acts 13:39 and by him everyone who believes is justified from all things, from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.
John 5:24 Most certainly I tell you, he who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and doesn't come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.
Peter and the Holy Spirit
Peter is a disciple of Jesus. He is very enthusiastic and thinks he wants to do everything for Jesus.
Luke 22:33 He said to him, “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death!”
A little later Peter is standing by a fire and a woman asks him whether he was a disciple of Jesus?
Luke 22:57 He denied Jesus, saying, “Woman, I don't know him.”
Later he regrets it. This was Peter before he received the Holy Spirit.
Jesus tells His disciples that they must wait.
Luke 24:49 Behold, I send out the promise of my Father on you. But wait in the city of Jerusalem until you are clothed with power from on high.
The disciples received the Holy Spirit. After that Peter receives boldness to preach to thousands of people! He doesn't beat around the bush: Peter says among other things:
Acts 2:36 (..)this Jesus, whom you crucified.
He is speaking here to the people who had crucified Jesus.
Being born again: Faith, Repentance and Baptism
1 Corinthians 15:22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.
There are 2 families here on earth:
- The family of Adam (our distant ancestor)
- The family of Christ
In Adam we are lost, sinners, condemned, spiritually dead
In Christ we are saved, holy, children of God, walking by the Spirit and made alive!
Acts 2:37-38
Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Being born again consists of faith, repentance, baptism and receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit.
You don't have to do this in your own strength!
God works this in you when He makes a new creation (a new person) in you!!
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new.
You become, as it were, the version of yourself as God intended! Version 2.0. It is something totally new! It is the new nature that God has made. It is not an improvement but a new creation.
How do you receive a share in this?
Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Receive Him!
Acts 8
36 As they went on the way, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, “Behold, here is water. What is keeping me from being baptized?”
37 Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.”
He answered, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”
Romans 10:9 that if you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
What does the word faith (πιστευω, pistevo) mean?
- To consider it true;
- To be convinced of;
- To place trust in;
- To trust that Jesus or God can help you obtain something;
- To acknowledge a fact or event;
- To entrust something to someone
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, proof of things not seen.
John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become God's children, to those who believe in his name;
What does the word received (λαμβανω, Lambano) mean?
- To take;
- To lay hold of;
- To take ownership of / To claim;
- To accept what is offered;
- To receive;
- To gain;
So what does it mean to receive Him (Jesus Christ)?
That you accept the words of and about Him together with the words from God's Word as coming from God.
That it is the truth! That He rose! That He is the Son of God!
And not only that it is true in a general sense. But that you submit to it. You place the Word of God above your own life. It is about willingness to give up everything in your life for the sake of Jesus. Jesus will then be Lord (Master) and Saviour of your life.
Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus said to his disciples,
“If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever will lose his life for my sake will find it.”
Repentance: Changing/renewing your thinking
In repentance you leave behind the sins of your old life.
What does the word repentance (μετανοεω, metanoia) mean?
- To come to other thoughts;
- To regret and change;
- To gain better understanding;
- To wholeheartedly improve with abhorrence of previous sins.
God will give you the strength for this through the new person He creates in you in being born again! In your own strength this fails. It is about willingness!
Luke 3:7-11
He said therefore to the multitudes who went out to be baptized by him, “You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
Therefore produce fruits worthy of repentance, and don't begin to say among yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father;’ for I tell you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones! You must not only say that you will live as God wants, but also do it.
(...) Even now the axe also lies at the root of the trees. You are those trees. Every tree therefore that doesn't produce good fruit is cut down, and thrown into the fire.”
The multitudes asked him, “What then must we do?” He answered them, “He who has two coats, let him give to him who has none. He who has food, let him do likewise.”
Be baptized by immersion!
What does to baptize mean? (βαπτιζω, baptismo)
- Immersion;
- Cleansing by immersion / Washing;
- Cleaning with water.
Acts 2:41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized. There were added that day about three thousand souls.
His word is the word about repentance, faith and baptism.
That was offered to them.
Titus 3:5 not by works of righteousness which we did ourselves, but according to his mercy, he saved us through the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.
Baptism is the washing of regeneration. Your old self and life remain behind in the watery grave. You rise up in a new life!
Romans 6:3 Or don't you know that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
Romans 6:4 We were buried therefore with him through baptism into death, that just like Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life.
Romans 6:5 For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we will also be part of his resurrection;
Romans 6:6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be in bondage to sin.
Romans 6:7 For he who has died has been freed from sin.
Romans 6:8 But if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.
The old self is you before you are born again.
We become one with Christ through baptism in all aspects of His suffering, dying and resurrection! The key word is identification.
- The crucifixion of Jesus (Rom 6:6) // My old self crucified
- The death of Jesus (Rom 6:7) // My old self put to death, legally freed from sin! (acquitted of guilt in the courtroom)
- The burial of Jesus (Rom 6:4) // My old self buried
- Jesus was raised by the Father (Ephesians 2:5) // Made alive, birth of the new self
- The resurrection of Jesus (Rom 6:4,5,8) // Rising up as a new creation!
We receive baptism for the forgiveness of sins. Our sins are washed away! Baptism is very powerful! Do not put it off! In God's Word there are at most a few days between.
Acts 22:16 Now why do you wait? Arise, be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.
Who can give rest?
Jesus says:
Matthew 11:28 Come to me, all you who labour and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest.
Mohammed, Buddha, yourself, new-age, good works, decent living.
None of those things can save you. There is only ONE Name under Heaven given by which we must be saved!
Confess your sins and surrender your life to Jesus Christ.
If you believe this and you want to receive it, then pray the following prayer at this moment: Speak it out loud.
Jesus Christ, Son of God, You are God and man;
I have heard about You and read God's Word about You;
I want to get to know You!
I want to surrender my life to You. I want to receive You as King over my life. I want to submit to Your Word.
Will You take away my unbelief from my heart? Help me!
I want to submit to Your Word.
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