The Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ
31st March 2018
At this time of year we celebrate what we call Easter. But over my lifetime I have seen the importance of this festival in my country slowly decline. I’ve seen the enthusiasm for the Christmas festival grow but the opposite is true for Easter. The build up to Christmas is enormous but Easter is barely given any thought.
And yet I would say that Easter is far more important than Christmas. At Christmas we celebrate the most important birth in human history but at Easter we celebrate the greatest event in human history. What Jesus achieved when he offering himself up on the cross affects the whole of human history going back to the creation of Adam and Eve and right through to the end of time. On the cross Jesus dealt with the effects of the rebellions of Satan, Adam and Eve and it was complete. Through Satan evil was released into our world. He brought lies, deception, rebellion, corruption and selfishness. Through Adam and Eve sin, disease, blindness, deafness and slavery became part of our human nature. And Jesus dealt with all of this and more on the cross. He dealt with sin, the penalty of sin (death), sickness and curses. He brought forgiveness, reconciliation, acceptance, eternal life, abundance and much more. Then when he rose from the dead he triumphed over Satan and he conquered the greatest curse on mankind, death.
And the amazing thing is that it is all free to those who put their faith in him and turn away from their rebellion against God. Who else can we say these things about? That is why Easter is far more important than Christmas.