TLC Lesson 12 - The Living Christ and Forgiveness

Introduction

Have you ever done anything wrong? The Holy Book says that God will judge us for all our wrong deeds. However, we can be forgiven. Listen carefully while you look at these pictures and I will tell you about the One who can forgive us.

Picture 33. Jesus Teaches the People

Matthew 5:1-12

You can see Jesus with some people. Jesus taught the people many things. He wanted them to know that God loved them. He also wanted them to know that God could forgive all the wrongs they had done. The wrong things we do are called sin.

Picture 27. Jesus Heals a Paralysed Man

Mark 2:1-12

One day Jesus was teaching inside a house. Four men came carrying a man on a mat. The man was paralysed. They believed that Jesus could heal him. However, they could not get to the door of the house. There were too many people. So the men took the paralysed man onto the roof. They made a hole in the roof, and they lowered the man down in front of Jesus! Jesus saw that they had great faith in Him. He said to the paralysed man, "Your sins are forgiven!" Some religious leaders were sitting there. They started thinking, "Why would He say such a thing? He must think that He is God! Only God can forgive sins." Jesus knew what they were thinking and He said, "Why are you thinking such things? Is it easier for me to tell him to get up and go home? I will show you that the Son of Man has the power to forgive sins here on earth." So Jesus said to the man, "Get up! Pick up your mat and go home." Immediately the man got up and walked home! Jesus was showing the leaders that He had the power to forgive sins because He was from God.

Picture 64. The Woman Caught in Adultery

John 8:1-11

The woman in this picture lived a sinful life. The religious leaders brought her to Jesus. They said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught sleeping with a man who is not her husband. Our Law teaches that a woman like this should be stoned to death! What do you say?" Jesus said to them, "If any of you has never sinned, then go ahead and throw the first stone at her." The religious leaders condemned people who sinned, but they did many wicked things themselves. Are you like that? Every one of us is a sinner. Not one of those leaders could throw a stone at her, so one by one they went away. Jesus had mercy on the woman. He said to her, "I do not condemn you. Go and do not sin any more." Jesus showed the people again that He could forgive sins.

Picture 75. Parable of the Lost Son

Luke 15:11-13

Jesus told a story which tells us about God's love and forgiveness. The story was about a young man. The young man asked his father for his part of the inheritance, so his father gave it to him. Then the young man left his home and went to another country. There he spent all his money with bad friends.

Picture 76. The Lost Son Among the Pigs

Luke 15:14-19

The young man had nothing. He was deserted by all his friends. A man gave him some work caring for his pigs, but he still did not have enough to eat. Then the young man thought about his father at home. He said to himself, "I will go back to my father. I will tell him I have sinned and I am no longer worthy to be his son. I will ask him to let me be his servant." So the young man decided to return home.

Picture 77. The Lost Son Returns Home

Luke 15:20-32

When the young man was still a long way from home, his father saw him. He was filled with pity for the boy. He ran to meet him. The son said to his father, "I have sinned against God and against you. I am no longer good enough to be called your son." But the father was happy because his son had come home. He forgave him for all the wrong he had done. He took him back as his own son. God is like that father. He is waiting for you to say, "I have sinned; forgive me." Then He will receive you, forgive you, and make you His own child!

Picture 105. Peter Denies Jesus

Mark 14:66-72

The religious leaders hated Jesus. They planned to kill Him. Jesus knew this. He told His followers that He would die. Peter was a follower of Jesus. He said to Him, "I am willing to die with You!" But Jesus knew that Peter would be afraid to die. So Jesus said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times." And that is exactly what happened! The leaders arrested Jesus. They took Him away to a house and Peter followed them. Some people at the house recognized Peter. They knew he was a disciple of Jesus. Peter was afraid so he told them that he did not know Jesus. He denied Jesus three times. Then a rooster crowed and Peter remembered what Jesus had said. He was very sorry for what he had done. He went away and wept bitterly.

Picture 108. The Crucifixion

Mark 15:25-39

The religious leaders did not like the teaching of Jesus because it revealed their sin. So they accused Him falsley and they sentenced Him to death. The Roman soldiers nailed Jesus to a cross of wood and left Him to die. The paralysed man, and the sinful woman, Peter and the religious leaders, all needed the forgiveness of God. You and I need forgiveness too. We have all sinned against God. Jesus was the only One who never sinned. The Bible says, "There can be no forgiveness unless a life is sacrificed." Jesus gave His life and shed His blood to bring us forgiveness. He was the sacrifice for the sins of all people.

Picture 116. Jesus Appears in Galilee

John 21:1-14

God accepted the sacrifice of Jesus. He showed this by bringing Jesus back to life again. Then Jesus appeared to many of His followers. You can see Him in this picture after He came back to life. He is with Peter and some other friends. Jesus talked with Peter. He told him to care for His followers. So Peter knew that Jesus had forgiven him. Peter was forgiven for denying Jesus, and Jesus can forgive all people who sin against Him.

Picture 63. Parable of the Unforgiving Servant

Matthew 18:21-35

Jesus taught us that we too must forgive others. This picture shows a story which Jesus told. In the story a servant owed his master a great deal of money. However, the servant was unable to pay. Then the master took pity on him. He forgave him the whole debt. But that servant went out. He saw a man who owed him a few dollars. He grabbed the man by the throat and said, "Pay me what you owe!" The man could not pay the small debt, but the servant had no pity on him. Instead, the servant had the man put in prison. Other people saw what happened. They told the master. Then the master called his servant and put him in jail also. Why did he do this? The master had forgiven the servant a great debt, but the servant would not forgive someone else. Are you like that? We have sinned against God. We are in debt to Him and we cannot repay Him. However, God can forgiven us. We should thank God but we must forgive those who sin against us.

Picture 82. The Pharisee and the Tax Collector

Luke 18:9-14; 1 John 1:9

Two men were praying in the temple. One was a very religious man. The other was a tax collector. The religious man said, "I am not an adulterer. I fast twice every week. I give You a tenth of my income. I thank You God, that I am not like that tax collector." The religious man did not think that he was a sinner. But Jesus said that man was wrong. When the tax collector prayed, he said, "God have pity on me. I am a sinner." He knew that he needed God's forgiveness. Jesus said that God had mercy on the tax collector. You and I need God's mercy too. Jesus died so that we can be forgiven. He rose again and sits in heaven with God. He speaks to God on our behalf. Therefore, we can confess our sins and God will forgive us. The Bible tells us, "If we confess our sins to God, He can always be trusted to forgive us and take our sins away."