Een introductie.
Hallo vrienden. Wat is je religie? Wat doe je om God te plezieren? Verhoort Hij uw gebeden? De Heer Jezus Christus laat ons zien hoe we God kunnen behagen. Hij vertelt ons ook hoe we God kunnen kennen en voor altijd met Hem kunnen leven. Laten we het over deze belangrijke dingen hebben. Kijk naar elke foto voor deze les terwijl je naar de cassette luistert.

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Kijk naar foto 84. Marcus 10:17-27

Hoe kunnen we eeuwig Leven hebben?
Op een dag ging een rijk man naar Jezus. Hij viel op zijn knieën voor Hem. "Goede leraar," vroeg hij, "wat moet ik doen om het eeuwige Leven te hebben?" Jezus zei tegen hem: 'Je kent Gods geboden.' Niet moorden. Wees trouw in het huwelijk. Niet stelen. Vertel geen leugens over anderen. Niet bedriegen. Respecteer je vader en moeder. De rijke man zei: "Ik heb al deze geboden gehoorzaamd sinds ik jong was." Jezus keek hem aan en zei: "Er is één ding dat je nog moet doen. Ga alles verkopen wat je bezit. Geef het geld aan de armen en je zult rijkdom in de hemel hebben. Kom dan en volg Mij." Die man ging verdrietig weg omdat hij grote rijkdom had. Hij zou Jezus niet volgen omdat hij te veel van zijn geld hield. Het is goed om Gods geboden te houden. Het is ook goed om God te eren met gebed en vasten. We moeten mensen helpen die in nood zijn. Maar deze dingen zullen ons geen eeuwig leven geven. Net als de rijke man, is er nog één ding dat we moeten doen. We moeten Jezus volgen en bereid zijn al het andere op te geven. Alleen Jezus kan ons de weg naar het eeuwige leven wijzen.

Kijk naar foto 85. Mattheüs 20:1-16

Als we heel hard werken, kunnen we dan eeuwig leven in de hemel verdienen?
Jezus vertelde een gelijkenis die deze vraag beantwoordt. Er was een rijke landeigenaar. Vroeg in de ochtend ging hij naar buiten om arbeiders aan te nemen. Sommige werknemers werden vroeg op de dag aangenomen. Anderen werden 's middags ingehuurd. Ze werkten korter. Sommige mannen die nog later op de dag werden aangenomen. Ze werkten maar een uur. Maar de landeigenaar besloot ze allemaal een volledige dagsalaris te geven. Degenen die de hele dag werkten, klaagden omdat ze hetzelfde werden betaald als degenen die slechts een uur werkten. Maar de landeigenaar zei tot hen: "Ik ben niet oneerlijk tegenover jullie. Je stemde ermee in om voor één munt te werken. Ik wil de mannen die als laatste zijn aangenomen hetzelfde geven als ik jou. Ik heb het recht om te doen wat ik wil met mijn eigen geld. Ben je jaloers omdat ik genereus ben?" Vrienden, mensen kunnen het eeuwige leven niet verdienen door de hoeveelheid goed werk die ze doen. Maar God is vrijgevig. Hij geeft eeuwig Leven aan iedereen die in Jezus gelooft. Het eeuwige leven is een vrij geschenk van God. We kunnen het niet verdienen!

Kijk naar foto 91. Marcus 12:13-17

Hoe moeten we God eren?
Op een dag kwamen sommige leiders naar Jezus. Zij vroegen Hem: "Moeten wij de keizer belasting betalen of niet? Jezus antwoordde: "Laat me een muntje zien!" Zij brachten Hem een zilveren munt en Hij vroeg: "Wiens foto en naam staan erop?" Ze antwoordden: "Van de keizer". Toen zei Jezus tegen hen: "Geef de keizer wat hem toebehoort en geef God wat aan God toebehoort." We eren God als we in Jezus geloven en doen wat juist is volgens Gods Woord. We moeten onze belastingen betalen, maar we moeten ook aan God geven.

Look at picture 92. Mark 12:41-44; James 1:27
How should we give to God?
One day Jesus sat in the temple. He watched how the people put their money in the offering box. Many rich people put in large amounts. Then a poor widow came along. She put two small coins in the offering box. Jesus said to His followers, "I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all the others. Everyone else gave what they did not need. But she is very poor and she gave everything she had. Now she does not have anything to live on." We should also give generously. Everything that we have is from God. We must be willing to give it back to Him by giving to those in need. The Bible says, "Religion that pleases God the Father must be pure and spotless. You must help needy orphans and widows and not let this world make you evil."
How should we give to others? Jesus said (in Matthew 6:1-4), "When you give to the needy, do not tell everyone. Do not seek honour from men. But when you give to the needy, your giving should be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." We should not seek praise from other people. It is better to receive praise from God.

Look at picture 36. Matthew 6:5-13
What did Jesus say about prayer?
Jesus said, "When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites. They like to pray in the places of prayer and in the streets where everybody can see them. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to God your Father who is unseen. Then your Father who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him."
Jesus said, "This is how you should pray,
Our Father in heaven,
May your Name be honoured.
May Your kingdom come,
May Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one."

Look at picture 69. Luke 11:1-13
How should we pray if we want to please God?
In this story, Jesus taught His followers how to pray. He said, "Suppose one of you goes to a friend in the middle of the night and says, 'Let me borrow three loaves of bread. A friend of mine has come and I have not got anything for him to eat.' And suppose your friend answers, 'Don't bother me! The door is locked and my children are in bed with me. I cannot get up and give you anything.' He may not get up and give you the bread, just because you are his friend. But he will get up and give you as much as you need, because you are not ashamed to keep on asking." Jesus taught His followers to keep on praying. We should not give up, but we should keep asking God for what we need. Jesus also said, "Everyone who asks, receives; he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." He knows what is best for us. Trust Him to provide what you need. This is what pleases God.

Look at picture 82. Luke 18:9-14
How should we come before God when we pray? Will He accept our prayers? Listen to Jesus again.
He said, "Two men went into the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed, saying, 'God, I thank You that I am not greedy, dishonest, and unfaithful in marriage like other people. I am really glad that I am not like that tax collector over there. I go without eating for two days a week, and I give You one tenth of all I earn.' The tax collector stood at a distance and did not think he was good enough even to look up towards heaven. He was so sorry for what he had done that he pounded his chest and prayed, 'God, have pity on me! I am such a sinner.'" Then Jesus said to His followers, "It was the tax collector and not the Pharisee who was pleasing to God. If you put yourself above others, you will be put down. But if you humble yourself, you will be honoured." God resists people who are proud. If we really want God to accept our prayers, then we must humble ourselves. Only then can we please God.

Look at picture 102. Mark 14:32-42; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Did Jesus pray? Yes, Jesus often spoke with God. He is our great example in prayer. In this picture Jesus is praying in a garden. It is night time. Jesus is in great distress. He had done nothing wrong, but His enemies wanted to kill Him. So Jesus prayed to God and said, "Rather, if it is possible, do not let this happen to me! You can do anything. Do not make me suffer. But do what You want, and not what I want." Jesus knew that God's will was best for Him, even if it meant death. God wants us to pray too, but we must accept His answer to our prayer. Jesus asked His friends to pray with Him, but they were too tired. They went to sleep. Then Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Stay awake and pray so that you will not be tested. You want to do what is right, but you are weak." The Bible says, "Always be joyful and never stop praying. This is what God wants you to do."

Look at picture 108. Mark 15:25-39
Do we have to offer sacrifices to please God? No! Listen carefully. The enemies of Jesus arrested Him. They accused Him falsely. They condemned Him to death, and nailed Him up on a cross to die. Why did God let this happen? Because He loved the people of the world very much. However, you and I have not followed the ways of God. We have sinned against God and the punishment for our sin is death. Jesus had never sinned but God let Him die to pay the price for our sins. So there is no need for us to offer sacrifices for our sins. Only the sacrifice of Jesus can take away our sins. Jesus was the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the whole world.

Look at picture 119. Mark 16:19; John 14:6
Is Jesus, the only way to God? On the third day after Jesus died, He came alive. Hundreds of His followers saw Him again. They spoke with Him. They saw Him rise up to heaven in the clouds. Now Jesus is with God and one day He will come to earth again. God has given Him all power and authority in heaven and on earth. When we pray to God, Jesus prays to God for us. Friends, we cannot please God by our own religious efforts. We cannot save ourselves by our prayers and good works or the sacrifices we make. The only way to please God is to believe in Jesus and to obey Him. This is the way of great joy and peace with God. For Jesus is the way to God. He is the truth about God, and He gives us eternal life with God. No one can go to God except by Him.