EASTER is just one of the items on the Church Calendar each year.
Or is it?
When we are young Easter may centre around those chocolate eggs and everything that seems to depict cuddly little yellow chicks.
When we are young Easter may centre around a family roast and little egg hunts.
When we are young Easter may centre around a family roast and little egg hunts.
When we are young Easter may centre around one of those twice a year visits to church.
When we are young and actively involved in church Easter may centre around pictures of an empty cross and tomb.
To some of those the answer may well be - YES?
But what about now that we are older?
Are the chocolate eggs and yellow chicks forgotten?
Do we still get together as a family for that big meal?
Do we still go to church on Easter Sunday?
To some of those the answer may well be - YES?
but
Do we still focus our thoughts on the cross & the tomb?
Most of us will not have been able to grow up without hearing about the cross and the tomb but did we really pay attention to the WHY?
The first "Why" I want to look at is the DEATH.
We know he died and his body was put into the tomb and then we know that the tomb was found empty but often our thoughts of Easter stop right there at the empty tomb and we forget to go on and see what it means for us. What it has meant right from that resurrection day until now and will continue to mean for all of us for the rest of our lives and for eternity.
Jesus through His DEATH and RESURRECTION defeated DEATH forevermore.
He defeated DEATH for us the ones who deserved death as the punishment for our sins.
He defeated DEATH so that the fear of it would not have to hover over us and taint our lives.
He defeated DEATH so that the devil would not have that to use to control us.
The second "Why" I want to look at is the GUILT.
We know Christ died because people hated Him and would rather He be killed than someone who had already been found guilty of terrible crimes. Jesus was the one who took Barabbas' guilt there and then that day as the people watched the truly guilty person walk away.
Jesus through His death and resurrection also took our GUILT that day and we need to remember this. We the guilty were replaced by the true innocent one, Jesus was and is the true, perfect sacrifice once and for ever for our sins.
Jesus stepped into our place for us the GUILTY ones who deserve death as the punishment for our sins.
He wiped away our GUILT so that it would not have power over our minds.
He took our GUILT on himself so that anguish, worry and stress would not destroy us.
The third "Why" I want to look at is the SIN.
We know Jesus was "without sin" from the following verses
"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."2 Corinthians 5:21
"For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin."Hebrews 4:15
"So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation."Hebrews 9:28
"Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:"
1 Peter 2:22
"And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin."1 John 3:5
But
Do we really believe that we are sinners?
Do we really believe that Jesus died for us?
Do we really believe that Jesus was a willing sacrifice?
Do we really believe that Jesus took on our sin?
AND
If we really understand & believe that we are sinners.
If we really understand & believe that Jesus died for us.
If we really understand & believe that Jesus was a willing sacrifice.
If we really understand & believe that Jesus took on our sin.
THEN
We can trust that Jesus did this all to bring us into God's family.
We can trust that Jesus is the only Saviour of the world.
THEN
We can trust that the Saviour's grace to us is real.
So what is the grace of God?
people often say it is "undeserved favour" from God
but I would like to add a quote from John Piper here
“Well, it appears that the word grace in Paul’s use not only refers to God’s character trait or disposition or inclination to treat people better than we deserve, but the word grace also refers to the action or the power or the influence or the force of this disposition, which produces real, practical outcomes in people’s lives, like being sufficient for good deeds or enduring the thorn in the flesh or working harder than everybody else, which Paul says about his own apostolic work.”
which directs us to the fact that the Grace of God is an active effect on our lives to change us.
NOW
We can understand the reason for cross, the punishment, and the Grace.
Remember the Guilt
Remember the Sin
Then
Remember the
What a wonderful time is the celebration of Easter
regardless of who we are, where we are, who we can see and what we can do.
To dwell in the knowledge that Jesus was the sacrifice for
us and had the power to overcome death so that we do not have to carry the sin
and guilt but instead we have experienced our Saviour’s Grace when we trusted
in Him.