Celebrating Easter

It is almost April and Easter is just around the corner. People may think of different things when they think of Easter and celebrating it. For some people who celebrate Easter, they may think of the Easter baskets they give and receive or the meal they may eat with their loved ones that day. Maybe some are excited by the thought of the Easter bunny or the chocolate bunny they might get in that basket. While all of this is nice, it is not the real reason Easter is to be celebrated.

In order to understand why Easter is to be celebrated we must start at the beginning. No one is perfect and we all sin. Romans 3:23 says “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (NIV) Our sin separates us from God and our sin leads to death. Isaiah 59:2 says “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear. (NIV) And Romans 6:23 says “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (NIV) There is nothing that we can do ourselves to save us from our sin, and because our sin separates us from God and leads to death, we need a savior to cleanse us of our sin and reconcile us to God. God sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross to save us from our sins and it is in Jesus alone that we can be forgiven and be reconciled to God. John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (NIV) Jesus Christ died on the cross to save us from our sins and it is in Him alone that we can be forgiven for all of our sins and receive eternal life! Acts 4:12 says “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (NIV) In His grace, God has blessed us with this free gift of salvation, that is only found in Jesus, and this free gift from God is to be received by faith. We read in Romans 3:25 that “God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. (NIV) When we come to understand and admit that we are sinners and believe in our heart that Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sins, then we can invite Jesus Christ into our hearts and our lives as our personal Lord and Savior and receive eternal life in Him! Romans 10:9 says “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (NIV) If you have come to understand and admit that you are a sinner and believe in your heart that Jesus died on the cross to save you from your sins, then you can invite Jesus Christ into your heart and your life as your personal Lord and Savior. You can pray a prayer like this:

Dear Heavenly Father,

I know that I am a sinner and that I need Jesus to save me. I believe that Jesus died on the cross to save me from my sins and that He rose to life again. God I am sorry for my sin. I invite Jesus Christ into my heart and my life as my personal Lord and Savior. I commit my life to you.

In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior then all of your past, present and future sins are forgiven for all of eternity and you have received eternal life in Jesus! When we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior then we have peace with God, through Jesus, and we become children of God! As children of God we have Jesus living in our inner being! As 2 Corinthians 9:15 says “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! (NIV)

This incredible free gift of salvation that is only found in our Savior Jesus is the reason we celebrate Easter. We celebrate Easter because Jesus was born in the likeness of a man, He lived a perfect life here on earth completely absent of sin, He died on the cross to save us from our sins, He was then buried, and then He rose to life again on the third day! 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 says “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, (NIV) Good Friday represents the day that Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sins and Easter Sunday represents the day that Jesus rose to life again! This is why we celebrate Easter! We celebrate Easter because our perfect Savior Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sins and then He rose to life again so that those who believe in Him and accept Him as their personal Savior may live through Him! In Jesus we can be forgiven for all of our past, present and future sins for all of eternity! Those who accept Jesus as their Savior are eternally set free from sin and death through Him! Romans 8:1 says “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. (NIV)

If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior then go about this day and every day rejoicing in the Lord! For in Jesus you are set free from sin and death and all of your sins are eternally forgiven! You have your Savior Jesus living in your inner being! You are looking forward to spending eternity with your Savior Jesus in Heaven! You have been blessed with eternal life in Jesus! You can and should celebrate Easter with full assurance and joy knowing that God has blessed you with your faith in His Son Jesus and He has blessed you with eternal life in Him! You have not a thing to worry about and not a thing to fear! For you bear the name of Jesus Christ and He has redeemed you for all eternity! You are a child of God and God will always work everything out for your good! (Romans 8:28) God has a plan for your life and it is a plan to prosper you and bless you in Him! (Jeremiah 29:11) Jesus is living in your inner being and it is God who works in you to do His will! (Philippians 2:13) You are set for all of eternity and you have everything you need in your Savior Jesus! Enjoy this blessed life to which God has called you and praise His Holy Name for blessing you perfectly always, for He knows exactly what you need and He will always bless you with exactly that in each moment of your life! Go forth rejoicing in the Lord for you have every reason to do so for all of eternity!

If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior then I implore you to open your heart to the God who created you and loves you with an everlasting love. God is always right there with you longing for you and longing for your heart, always loving you perfectly just as you are. God has brought you here and He is working in your life and in your heart at this very moment! God pursues our hearts just as we are even with our sinful nature and our sinful ways. God pursues our hearts even though we don’t deserve His endless love and His relentless grace! If God is in pursuit of your heart, and remember it is God who has brought you here, then He will not fail! There is no one and not a single thing that can stop Him! Open your heart to God and do not delay! Turn to God and experience the best in life and true life itself in His Son Jesus!