2017 Lisa T. Bergren. Published by David C Cook. All rights reserved.

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2 THE GOOD BOOK FOR KIDS Published by David C Cook 4050 Lee Vance Drive Colorado Springs, CO U.S.A. David C Cook U.K., Kingsway Communications Eastbourne, East Sussex BN23 6NT, England The graphic circle C logo is a registered trademark of David C Cook. All rights reserved. Except for brief excerpts for review purposes, no part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form without written permission from the publisher. The website addresses recommended throughout this book are offered as a resource to you. These websites are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement on the part of David C Cook, nor do we vouch for their content. Details in some stories have been changed to protect the identities of the persons involved. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Christian Standard Bible, Copyright 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible and CSB are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers. The Ten Commandments listed in chapter 8 are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. (Public Domain.) The author has added italics to Scripture quotations for emphasis. LCCN ISBN eisbn Lisa T. Bergren Published in association with the literary agency of Ann Spangler & Company, 1415 Laurel Avenue Southeast, Grand Rapids, Michigan The Team: Catherine DeVries, Beth Leuders, Nick Lee, Jennifer Lonas, Andrew Sloan, Helen Macdonald, Susan Murdock Interior Illustrations: Luke Flowers Creative Cover Design: Amy Konyndyk Cover Photo: Kirk DouPonce, DogEared Design Printed in the United States of America First Edition

3 For my Jack, with prayers that you might someday know how much God loves you and what it means to fully love him in return. Mama

4 Contents NOTE TO THE READER 11 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 13 In the Beginning 1. God Rocks the World When Everything Broke Including You WWND? (What Would Noah Do?) Faith Means Taking Risks I ll Do It, but I Just Don t Get It 45 God Is Good When Life Gets Messy 6. Knowing God by Name God Leads the Search and Rescue Team More Love Than Law Even Superheroes Have Weaknesses Why Hard Times Help Us Grow 89 God Is Big 11. When You Lost It Big-Time A Sheep, a Shepherd, and You Oh No, You Didn t! God Is Closer Than You Think Live Smart 123 Tough Love, Troubled Times 16. Jesus Unmasked Not Me! Whose Side Is God On? 143

5 19. Stay Cool, Dude You Can Run, but You Can t Hide 157 Jesus Has Just Entered the Building 21. Jesus God with Skin On Hey, I Know You! What Does Jesus Want? Why Worry Never Works What Should I Do? 189 Jesus Won t Leave Us as We Are 26. Jesus Rules Jesus: Up Close and Personal Welcome Home Battle Scars Death Stinks and Life Rocks 225 Following Jesus 31. Jesus Lives in Us! Happy Birthday to Us Autobots, Roll Out! Hardly an Exclusive Club Heaven Is Real 263 God s Message for You 36. You Were Born to Be God s Kid Choose Love God Works in the Produce Department Move It! Muddy with Guilt, Washed in Forgiveness 303

6 NOTES 311 GENESIS GENESIS GENESIS GENESIS GENESIS EXODUS EXODUS EXODUS JUDGES SAMUEL JOB PSALM PSALM PSALM PROVERBS ISAIAH JEREMIAH DANIEL DANIEL JONAH JOHN LUKE MATTHEW MATTHEW MATTHEW LUKE JOHN LUKE

7 MARK MATTHEW ACTS ACTS ACTS ACTS REVELATION ROMANS CORINTHIANS GALATIANS JAMES JOHN 3 413

8 29 Battle Scars Mark 15 Have you ever been in a pitch-black room, unable to see the door or lamp or light switch? How did you feel when you finally saw something? Relieved, right? There s something about knowing the uncomfortable experience of true darkness to make us very grateful for true light. It was the darkest moment in history when Jesus opened his arms and heart and took upon himself the sins of the entire human race (Mark 15). By doing so, the One who had lived in perfect connection with God was momentarily disconnected. The only thing Mark recorded Jesus saying from the cross was, My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? (v. 34). The other gospels record additional things he said. But Mark was tuned in to the total wreckage of Jesus s heart in that moment. The crucifixion itself was brutal, but for Jesus, being separated from his Father was more brutal still. This was why he came, to bear the brunt of our sins, to feel how far it could take us from God, so that we would never be separated from the Father again. We call it atonement. Making a terrible wrong right by taking the punishment for our sins. The angels must have been devastated. The same angels who had gathered en masse to praise God at the King s birth watched as the

9 220 TheGoodBook for Kids people mocked him as King of the Jews on the way to the cross. They watched him get whipped. Spat on. Laughed at. A crown of thorns pushed onto his head. The angels watched as the Jewish religious leaders mocked him as the King of Israel and challenged him to come down from the cross. Think of that. Jesus, King of Kings, God s own Son, brought to humanity s lowest point. The Romans crucified only the worst of criminals. Nails were driven through the prisoner s wrists and heels, and he was left to await a slow and painful death, hanging from a cross. It was a horrible way to die. And Jesus went through it for you and for me. He could ve called down the angels to rescue him. But he didn t. Because he loves us. He was willing to die to make sure we could always be with God. Imagine This Bearing the Weight of the World My name is Henry, and my youth pastor, Jesse, wanted us to get what Jesus did. I mean, like, really get what Jesus did. He sat all twenty of us in youth group down and said, What Jesus did was like taking on all the baggage that each of us carries and carrying it himself. We all stayed quiet. You guys are all looking at me like you don t quite understand that, Jesse said. Some of the group looked up. Some of the group looked away. Of course I was the loser who stupidly looked him in the eye. Henry, he said, standing. Can you come here? I heaved a sigh and walked over to him. Now here is what I want you to think about, guys. Think of Henry here like Jesus. No pressure, he said to me with a wink. We all laughed a bit

10 Battle Scars 221 awkwardly. What I want the rest of you to do is go outside the worship-center doors. You ll see a pile of luggage there. Grab all the suitcases and bags you feel represent your sins today. Some are heavy. Some are light. Go. The rest of the kids left, giggling and whispering. I took a long, deep breath. What you re about to experience, brother, Jesse said quietly, is something you ll remember the rest of your life. The kids started flowing back in toward us and standing in front of the altar, all carrying some baggage. One by one Jesse put his hands on the kid in front of him and said these words: Child of God, you are handing off all the sins of your heart and mind that have been so heavy. Hand them now to your friend Henry as you would to Jesus. After the first two or three kids dumped their bags on me, I was still smiling. After the next four or five, I began to get worried. At first I was holding all the bags, trying to show I was tough and strong. After they dumped about fifteen more suitcases on me, I was surrounded. After fifteen more, I was buried. And still they came, burying me deeper and deeper with layers of baggage. It was dark. I was worried there wasn t enough oxygen. I was stressed out that the piles would fall and actually hurt me. Then, through the cracks, I heard Jesse. See that? he said. That s a picture of your Savior buried in your sin. Dead. So you could be free. But you know what? What? What? I asked silently. He didn t stay dead. Three days later, God raised him to life. Because the price for our sins had been paid. And death couldn t hold him down. Jesse called, Henry? Bust loose out of that tomb now. Come out! With a roar I pushed and shoved, toppling the mountains of suitcases and duffel bags around me. Then I took a long, deep breath. I didn t think any breath had ever felt so sweet.

11 222 TheGoodBook for Kids The Skinny on Mark 15 Mark gives us the feeling of being present, right there with Jesus on that dark day he died for us: Above the cross, where even creation boiled in dark-clouded rage and grief: Darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon (Mark 15:33). On the cross, when Jesus, feeling totally forsaken, cried out, My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? (v. 34). At the foot of the cross, when the hardened Roman centurion recognized something in the way Jesus had breathed his last and exclaimed, Truly this man was the Son of God! (vv. 37, 39). Most of us know about the ark of the covenant from the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark. (If not, you can Google it.) Unfortunately the ark was lost during the Babylonian conquest. The ark used to be in a small room at the heart of the Jewish temple called the most holy place, because it represented the presence of God. Only the high priest the highest ranking priest got to go in there once a year. He d enter on the Day of Atonement, when he would offer sacrifices for the sins of all the people. A curtain separated this inner BOOM! Jesus took care of that room from everyone and everything else and it was that who believes in him will have access-to-god issue. Everyone same curtain that was torn access to God forever. from top to bottom when Jesus died (Mark 15:38).

12 Battle Scars 223 Who were those angry Sanhedrin guys? The Sanhedrin was the Jews governing council, and they were superjealous of Jesus. They wanted to kill Jesus, but only the ruling Romans could authorize the death penalty. WHAT STRUCK YOU IN THIS CHAPTER? Most of us have gone to church, at least on Christmas and Easter, so we re pretty used to the story of the cross and Christ s death. But have you ever really thought about how much it hurt Jesus? And why he did it? Reading the account this time, did it become more personal to you? How so?

13 224 TheGoodBook for Kids YOUR FUTURE STORY Jesus didn t die so that we would live in guilt, feeling the weight of his death. He died so that we could be free from our sins, forever connected with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Sometimes we have to experience the darkness to appreciate the light. Jesus deserves our respect and gratitude for what he did for us. Keep that in mind as you praise him in prayer and in worship. Jesus let out a loud cry and breathed his last. Then the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. When the centurion, who was standing opposite him, saw the way he breathed his last, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God! Mark 15:37 39

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