Can you even begin to imagine how followers of Jesus felt the day they witnessed Him giving His last earthly breath hanging on a cross?
I’d imagine many felt full of grief and despair. Some could have even lost hope.
And while evil thought it got the final word as our Savior died on a cross for all to see – God was doing something bigger behind the scenes.
We all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
But because God so loved the world and desired that not one should perish – He had to do something to reconcile His people to Him.
So He sent His one and only Son into the world – who was fully God – and fully man – to live the perfect life none of us could ever live.
Jesus never sinned. Not one time. In all the days He walked on earth He lived a flawless and perfect life.
When satan tempted Him – He fought back with Scripture.
He did not give into temptation, and He regularly modeled living a life of prayer and relationship with our Heavenly Father by retreating to spend time alone with Him.
Even though He lived a perfect life – He needed to die.
Without the perfect and final sacrifice of Christ – we could never stand before a Holy God.
Because God is perfect, and without sin – for us sinners to stand before Him we needed to be covered by the blood of Christ.
And because He loved us, Jesus willingly gave up His own life, so those who profess belief in Him as Lord and Savior will live forever with Him in eternity.
On Good Friday, while the world mourned the death of Jesus – evil rejoiced.
But little did they know – just 3 days later – Jesus would walk out of that tomb – fully alive!
The miracle of Easter creates a longing in all of us.
A longing to be with Christ and embrace our new heavenly bodies.
Jesus knew His temporary death was coming – but He still had joy.
His joy was in the security of God’s promise, the confidence that His death would defeat the evil one once and for all.
Desiring God wrote:
“Jesus spoke of this joy as he faced the torture of Good Friday. He faced denial, faced betrayal, faced beatings, faced splinters and nails and spears — he could not stop talking about joy! Only joy would keep him going. Joy was on his mind, joy was on his tongue, and joy was drawing him, not away from suffering, but into it (Hebrews 12:2).
Jesus went to the cross for joy: to buy joy, create joy, and offer joy.
As the world celebrated the savage killing of God, out of this sea of foaming rebel hostility emerged a blood-bought, inextinguishable joy.
If the killing of the Author of life could not extinguish this joy Jesus speaks about, nothing can — and nothing ever will. No opposition from the world, no opposition to the gospel, and no cultural despising of Christ will overcome the resurrection joy of Jesus.”
Amen!
Because of Jesus, death is not final.
The enemy seeks to kill and destroy – but our living Savior has conquered death itself.
So walk forward in your freedom, praising God for all He has done.
“He is not here; He has risen, just as He said! Come, see the place where He lay.” – Matthew 28:6
He is risen. He is risen, indeed!
Happy Easter!
Does the Easter season renew and restore your hope in Christ alone?
You can post your answer to our Facebook page and join in the conversation with other believers from all around the world.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” – John 3:16-17
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