Have you heard of the Wordless Book? I think this is a great way to share the truth about Jesus because I L-O-V-E to tell stories!! And let’s be honest, … some of you still like hearing a really great story! The Wordless Book is … well, it’s a book without words! So, how does it work?
I used felt to construct “my” book (and I’m not sure if many of you know, but I’m crazy about felt lately – been making all sorts of fun things with it) … anyway, … it’s super simple to put together and you can use anything you want really; the only thing that is important is that you have C-O-L-O-R! Green, Black, Red, White, and Yellow/Gold.
No, I'm not so clever to have made this up. The Wordless Book originated in London, when Charles Spurgeon, preached a sermon using the concept in 1866. He used a banner with three separate colors of Black, Red and White to explain the Gospel message. You can read his sermon BY CLICKING HERE. It has been updated over the years and modified by people (even I have tweaked it just a bit for myself) but the point and truth of the message is still the same.
So, here’s how it works:
The cover and beginning of the book is Green – did you know that the color green symbolizes LIFE? Green is the color of the very beginning … a long time ago, when God created the world and all living things, … Genesis 1:1 tells us that “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” God made the plants, the trees, the animals and people, the first man and the first woman. He put them in a beautiful garden called the Garden of Eden. And there, they walked with God and He with them. Everything that was needed, He provided. And He said that all of it was “good”.
The Black page represents darkness, ... the filthiness of sin. In the Garden of Eden, the first two people, Adam and Eve, sinned when they disobeyed God. They were forced to leave the beautiful garden and when they had children after that, their children, and all people since then, inherited the trait of sinfulness. Romans 3:23 tells us “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. Does “ALL” include you? Yep, it does! Does “ALL” include me? Yes, it includes me too! Romans 3:10 tells us that “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who does good.” And Ecclesiastes 7:20 states, “There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins.” The color Black also reminds us of death, doesn’t it? Romans 6:23 states that “the wages of sin is death” … and in this context, it means total separation from God. A place where God isn’t … do you know where that might be? That place is hell and because of our sin, it's where everyone is destined to be.
But the second part of Romans 6:23 tells us “but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Now, this is where the story gets really interesting!! The color Red is for the LOVE that God has for each and every one of us and because He loves us and did not want for us to be separated from Him forever, he sent His Son to be the payment (wages) for our sins and that payment was in the blood of Jesus when He died a death He didn't deserve, death on a cross ... our death. He did it for me ... He Did It For YOU ... HE DID IT FOR ALL OF US!!
The color White is for purity and cleanliness. All we have to do is "BELIEVE" that Jesus died for our sins, that He is our Savior and our Lord because of His sacrifice for us and our filth is transformed into "pure and blameless". The deep Red of God's LOVE for us and Jesus' blood shed for us becomes the Pure White of the forgiveness of our sins. 1 John 1:9 says "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." And Isaiah 1:18 states, “Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.
The color Yellow or Gold reminds us of something bright and shining like the sun or polished gold. In the book, it represents heaven where the Bible says the streets are made of gold. God has prepared a place for each of us who believe, for everyone who accepts their sinfulness and realizes that only the blood of Jesus can make them clean. John 14:2 says "In my house there are many rooms; I am going there to prepare a place for you ..." When we leave this earth, we are either going to the wonderful place that God has prepared for us, ... in heaven where His home is ... or we are going to the place where He is NOT, ... where He never has been and never will be. It seems like such an obvious choice, doesn't it? Why would anyone want to choose to spend eternity in hell? But it is a choice, nonetheless ... we choose one or the other, either God or Sin ... to be the guide of our lives on this earth.
It really is as simple as believing in the Truth. God loves us and wanted all along for us to be in His care and provision, to walk with Him and to experience life in peace and harmony. We rebelled and thought it better to do things our own way, to do what feels good and right to us (which has always been encouraged to us in whispers by the Enemy) and we turned away from God. He would have every right to just destroy His creation and forget about it, ... but instead, ... because of His great LOVE for us, He offered us a way back into His presence. He made a way that only HE could do. There is NOTHING in our human capabilities that we could EVER do to EARN the GRACE of GOD that He has so freely given us. In Jesus' sacrifice, we have been bought back, redeemed from the clutches of the Enemy. All we have to do is accept it - believe it - say thank you.
What do you think?
Do you realize that in your life you have sinned? Do you accept that there have been things you have said, actions you have taken, mistakes you have made? You were created by a Creator who never intended for you to do those things.
Do you belive that God allowed His Son, even commissioned Him, to suffer and die for the sins of all mankind? Do you believe that Jesus conquered death when God rose Him from the grave (that was the icing on the cake, you know?) and defeated Satan's intent to ruin God's beautiful plan. Do you believe that He did this for you? Do you believe there was a need for Him to do this for you?
If you do, ... tell Him! If you've never told Him before and you're not sure what to say, you could say something like this ...
"Dear God, I realize that I am not a perfect person. I make mistakes everyday. I never thought it was a big deal because, ... well, I haven't done so many things that many others have. But, I'm a sinner, just like everybody else. I do not want to go to hell when I die; I don't want to be separated from You forever. Please forgive me for the sins I have committed. I want to acknowledge You as my LORD and Savior. Please, come to me and cleanse me of the filth in my heart and in my mind, ... and make me new. Please show me how to live in a new way ... Your way.
In Jesus name, AMEN"
Now ... say Thank-You! Thank the LORD for His incredible gift! Thank Him for loving you immeasurably despite the mistakes you've made, regardless of the pain you've caused, even through your rebelliousness. Thank Him for making you new!!!
The end of the story starts in the same way that it began ... with the color Green. Remember, Green is the color that represents LIFE. We will have eternal LIFE with Jesus in heaven, living in the wonderful home that God has prepared for us, for those who love Him. In the end, it will be as it was meant to be all along, as God intended in the very beginning; we will be in a beautiful place that God created just for us, where we will have all that we need; we will be with God and He with us and again He will look upon it all and say "It is good; it is very good."
No comments:
Post a Comment