Easter Mysteries to Reconsider

Easter, an important holiday for Christians, is upon us again. Each year we have the chance to reconsider what it means. Will we ever truly grasp the meaning of Easter? Jesus came to the world to die for us. Why did He have to do that?

Why We Need Saving:

In Romans 3:10 an Old Testament quote from Psalm 14:1-4 is given to remind us that “no one is righteous, no not one.” Since Jesus is the only person who ever lived a sinless life, He is the only one who is able to perfectly follow God’s will. The rest of us all fall short. Fall short of what? God’s holiness is the standard, so we can do nothing but fall short. But God has not left us alone and without help!

How We Are ‘Saved’:

“But … always give thanks to God … because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.” (2 Thessalonians 2:13). So, always remember that this plan is God’s idea and His way to express His love for us. “For God has NOT destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him.” (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10) Even though it is so difficult to understand, God wants to have an everlasting relationship with us, and He has done the work for this to happen! We must receive His great offer to live our life for Him, how can we possibly refuse?

What Replaces Our Brokenness?

Even though we are broken, God provides a way for us to heal, grow and enter into a relationship with Him. Glory to God! This is the meaning of Easter!“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). There is so much more that God does for us through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Read the entire chapter of Romans 8 for more ideas. But, for now, just imagine that you can live without any thoughts that criticize you or make you disapprove of yourself. Now that is a resurrection thought!

Delivered to death for our sins. Raised for our justification.

Scripture: “We are going up to Jerusalem,” he said, “and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise.’” (Mark 10:33-34)

“Jesus' death by crucifixion... is one of the best-attested facts in ancient history." ― Gary Habermas, The Historical Jesus: Ancient Evidence for the Life of Christ

“Three great, independently established facts—the empty tomb, the resurrection appearances, and the origin of the Christian faith—all point to the same marvelous conclusion: that God raised Jesus from the dead.” ― William Lane Craig, Reasonable Faith

Palm Sunday Meaning… God Comes To Us!

How does the King of the Universe make Himself known?

Why He comes...

God made a choice to enter our world. He chose a certain time and place to enter humanity. He chose to limit Himself by becoming a helpless child. Think of being able to choose when, where and to whom you would be born. God came into the world to make Himself known to all. God wanted to show His love for us. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Jesus chose to become a limited person so He could relate His love to us. It can be hard for us to understand this.

On a donkey...

On Palm Sunday Jesus came to Jerusalem. While Jesus was living on Earth, it was tradition for rulers to have parades to show off their royalty. But Jesus came on a lowly donkey, not very fancy or grand. He publicly announced Himself as king to the people of His day while sitting on a donkey. “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, Humble and mounted on a donkey, even a colt, the foal of a donkey.” (Zechariah 9:9) In His great presentation, Jesus followed all that was written about Him in the Old testament. “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law, until all is accomplished” (Matthew 5:18)

The meaning of Palm Sunday was To show us who He is.

How can we ever truly know what God has done for us? He entered the world as a lowly child, a humble servant, a just king, a complete sacrifice, and a perfect brother. He has perfectly made Himself known in His actions, His words, His presence, His love and His forgiveness. He is perfect. “...in these last days God has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power.” (Hebrews 1:2-3). This tells us that Jesus is perfectly showing us who God is. This is the meaning of Palm Sunday.

Living the New Life in Christ Jesus

Christians are representatives of Christ. Daily living for a believer in Christ should be different than the life of an unbeliever. What do people learn about God from the way you live?

What is the new life?

When we decide to follow Christ, we have a new life. In our new life, we strive to please God with our actions and words. For example: Christians should not lie. Colossians 3:9 says “Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old-self with its evil practices, and have put on the new-self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created Him.” The old-life or old-self is the life we were living before accepting Jesus as our personal Savior. The new-life is our life after becoming a Christian. (I Peter 1:23)

What are the works of the old-self?

Colossians 3:5-8 tells us to, “...Put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy… now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language.” These are all works of the old self. It may seem challenging to stop all of these behaviors, the Bible tells us the Holy Spirit gives us power to live for Christ.

“By His divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him....” (2 Peter 1:3) Christ has given us all the resources needed to live a godly life if we are willing to invest our time to learn from Him. Try making a daily effort to eliminate whatever feeds the desires of your old self and rely on the Holy Spirit’s power. Break free of the old-life and make a commitment to live the new-life given to you by Jesus.

How do we apply Jesus’ teaching to daily life?

“So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts...and be thankful.” (Colossians 3:12-15) Holy living is peace, love, gentleness and kindness.

Let every detail of your life represent Jesus: your actions, words, what you see and what you think. Let it be done in honor of God. No it is not easy, and that’s why Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to guide and teach us. Put to rest the ways of our old-life and ask the Holy Spirit to help you live a new life that is pleasing to God.

My Time Is Not Yet Come

Scripture: Three days later there was a wedding in the town of Cana in the country of Galilee. The mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and His followers were asked to come to the wedding. When the wine was all gone, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no more wine.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, what is that to you and to Me. It is not time for Me to work yet.” His mother said to the helpers, “Do whatever He says.”

Six stone water jars were there. Each one held about one-half barrel of water. These water jars were used in the Jewish worship of washing. Jesus said to the helpers, “Fill the jars with water.” They filled them to the top. Then He said, “Take some out and give it to the head man who is caring for the people.” They took some to him. The head man tasted the water that had become wine. He did not know where it came from but the helpers who took it to him knew. He called the man who had just been married. The head man said to him, “Everyone puts out his best wine first. After people have had much to drink, he puts out the wine that is not so good. You have kept the good wine until now!”

This was the first powerful work Jesus did. It was done in Cana of Galilee where He showed His power. His followers put their trust in Him. (John 2:1-11)

A Real Story of Persecution

Many Christians are suffering because they love Jesus. I recently sat down with a pastor named Reverend G. He is from a country in Asia where most of the people are Muslim and the Christians are persecuted. Here’s his story:

Christians: A Hated Minority

“I was born in a Christian family. From my childhood I was really shocked to see how much some Muslims in my country hate Christians. In some areas of my country, Christians are forced to sit on the ground instead of the same level as others. Christian workers are not allowed to eat and drink from the same cups and plates, but use separate dishes. Signs in many hotels and restaurants say “Christians & (other minorities) are not allowed to drink & eat.”

How you can pray: Pray for those who persecute Christians around the world (Matthew 5:44)

Facing Death to Share the Gospel

“Muslims invite Christians to be converted to Islam, but if you invite them to Christianity you can be killed. They may ask you questions about your faith, but if you ask about the Islamic faith, you can be arrested for blasphemy.” Blasphemy means you have shown great disrespect to God. That’s why questioning the Islamic faith is considered blasphemy. “The blasphemy law is a sword hanging over the heads of Christians in my country.”

How you can pray: Pray that Christians do not fear the people persecuting them (Matthew 10:28)

Christians Under Attack

“Many Christian villages have been burned around the country, and many Christians martyred, or killed because of their faith. Recently I was attacked in a market. My family is under great pressure and is extremely frightened. We are staying at a friend’s home instead of our own. That friend has been involved with me in the protests and is also being threatened. We are facing very hard times nowadays, but are happy that we are serving our Lord and Savior. It is a privilege for us.”

How you can pray: Pray that Christians remember great joy is coming (Romans 8:18)

Moses and the Prophets Wrote About the Son of God

Scripture: “The next day Jesus wanted to go to the country of Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.” Philip was from the town of Bethsaida. Andrew and Peter were from this town also. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found the One Moses wrote about in the Law. He is the One the early preachers wrote about. He is Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of Joseph.” Nathanael said, “Can anything good come out of the town of Nazareth?” Philip said, “Come and see.”

Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him and said, “See! There is a true Jew. There is nothing false in him.” Nathanael said to Jesus, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip talked to you, I saw you under the fig tree.” Nathanael said to Him, “Teacher, You are the Son of God. You are the King of the Jews.” Jesus said to him, “Do you believe because I said I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than that. For sure, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and God’s angels going up and coming and down on the Son of Man.”  (John 1:43-51)

Sometimes people say Jesus never claimed to be the Son of God. In this passage, Nathanael calls Him the Son of God, and Jesus calls this believing, telling him he'll see even greater things.

What is God’s Favor?

If your life includes some trouble and suffering, you are not alone. Think of Joseph’s story. (Genesis 37, 39-50) He was the favorite of his father's twelve sons. He became second-in-command to the Pharaoh of Egypt. He even saved the ancient world from famine. Surely this was a man in God's favor!

Did you notice what was left out of that story? Stay in only certain parts of Joseph's story and it is easy to see his favor with God. But who could forget his brothers’ betrayal? How he was sold into slavery? How his purity was tested in his master's house? How he was thrown into prison for something he did not do? There's no denying it. Joseph suffered. And his great suffering was a key part of God's plan.

Notice that:

1. God's plan was bigger than Joseph. How could he have predicted the way God saved Egypt and Israel?
2. Joseph's suffering was not the end of the story. Thirteen years of hardship is terrible. But Joseph himself said he forgot all about the trouble (Gen. 41:51) during the next 80 great years.
3. Joseph’s hard experiences brought him great peace and insight about God's nature. (Gen. 45:7-8, Gen. 50:20)
4. Readers of his story are reminded, "the Lord was with him." (Genesis 39:3, 23)

When I am going through hardship, I can’t read my own story and see the note, "the Lord was with him." In fact, it often feels like he is not. Was it different for Joseph? Did he feel out of God's favor when his brothers sold him into slavery? When he went to prison for something he didn't do? Whether or not he felt that way, he came to understand that his trouble did not reflect God’s displeasure with him. He said it himself - what others intended for his harm, God intended for good, to accomplish the saving of many lives. (Gen. 50:20) And not only saving those ancient lives.

His story reminds us that hard times don’t necessarily mean God is displeased with us. He has bigger plans for us to embrace! He’s still writing the story. Some comfort can only come through hardship - and for the sake of the larger story, we have to go through it and pass it on. Remember Joseph. And just think how much poorer we would be if we only knew the easy, comfortable parts of his story!