Easter Sunday
What is the Easter message? Is it lingering Shame for all the bad stuff we have done? A sense of Guilt for the punishment we made Jesus suffer? The feeling of Relief that we are off the hook? Lets read the history from Anticipation in gethsemane to Ascension on the Mount of Olives.
Matthew 26:36-39 - Our Salvation a wonderful consequence of Jesus obedience and Gods love
John 3:16- It seems so hard that Jesus should have to do this but we see 3 characteristics of God at work here, Love, Justice and Righteousness/perfection
Luke 18 - Extremes on a spectrum – God is the definition of justice. Imagine if he was not! Nelson Mandela imprisoned is an example of injustice by mere humans what if an Omnipotent God was unjust? Unthinkable!
Romans 3:23 - God is perfect, there is no evil in him. God is absolutely perfect and just, he could not turn a blind eye, justice had to be done. When we look at the horrible things Jesus endured I thank God for his Love but also his Justice and Righteousness
Matthew 27:21-24 - A travesty of Justice, A complete sham, a setup trial, In the outworking of Gods Justice our lack is shown up. Imagine the trial for us, every detail brought up, agonizing dissection of our story, motivations, thoughts, actions and words. The known murder Barabbas was freed (an image of us all), a wonderful consequence of Jesus obedience
Matthew 27:27-31 - The creator beaten and abused by the created. Two things happened next, one truly terrible, one absolutely glorious.
Matthew 27:45-51 - Jesus Separation: One part of the eternal Trinity (John 1:1-3 )was wrenched from its place.Jesus knew the agony of Separation so that we did not have to endure it for eternity
From Adam and Eve to Jesus death humans separated from God by Sin. God was on the mountain, in the pillar of fire and of smokein the holy of holysbut not in a person. Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit because he was perfect. This was the first time since the fall Gods presence was in a person. Our reconnection with God:We can now be filled with the Holy Spirit because we are forgiven and have the perfect righteousness of Christ.
Jesus said ‘greater things you will do’ because there will be many filled with the Holy Spirit. First 1, then 12,120,3000 etc hundreds of millionsif not several billion today.
John 20:11-16 - He went ahead of us, Jesus beat sin and death. We have new life on Earth and beyond (Death where is your sting where is your bite?)
Acts 1:4-11 - Jesus went ahead of us again, Jesus with God the father and so we will one day.
Message of Easter is about a hope to come and a changed life now. Our sins forgiven, a slate wiped clean, Jeus perfect Righteousness meaning we can have Gods presence within us in the form of the Holy Spirit, our Inheritance to come in life after death and an eternity with our heavenly father. It is not enough to hear this story and say great I've got a get out of jail free card. We must respond, "whoever believes in him". Evidence of beliefareConfession of sins, Public Baptism and a Changed life with Holy Spirit.
Which part of the story speak to you most of 1) Gods love, 2) Jesus obedience and 3) the richness of what we have gained?