Easter is the day that we celebrate the rising from the dead
of a man, whose name is JESUS, who died on a Roman cross 2000 years ago. The
empty tomb is the symbol of hope for Christians all over the world because it
is the ultimate representation of Jesus’ claim to being God.
The Apostle Paul said “and if Christ has not been raised,
your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.” (1 Corinthians 15.17)
Christianity without the resurrection is not Christianity at
all! How do we know for sure that Jesus not only died, but that He rose again
on the first Easter Sunday? That question is answered when we look at the empty
tomb, we examine the extreme change in the lives of the disciples and we notice
what the enemies did in response to what was being reported. Both of the Romans
and the Pharisees were silent. Never once did both of these groups, who
despised Jesus, ever attempt to deny the resurrection. They hated it and tried
to stop it, but they could not offer any evidence to refute what the disciples
were proclaiming. We can also look at the number of people (over 500 in 1
Corinthians 15.06) who saw Jesus after He was raised from the dead.
He died and rose from the dead for us so that all of our
sins will be forgiven, and so that we can now have a personal relationship with
God! We don’t have to go through anyone to talk to God; we can do it now on our
own.
Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no
one comes to the Father but through Me.” (John 14.06), and He also said, “For
God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 03.16). The
Apostle Paul said “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and
believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for
with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the
mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, “WHOEVER
BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.” For there is no distinction between
Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all
who call on Him; for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.””
(Romans 09.10-13).
So now you know what Easter is all about. If you would like
to accept Jesus as your personal LORD and Savior, please pray this prayer:
“Dear God,
Thank you for
sending your Son Jesus to die on the cross for my sins. Thank you for His
resurrection from the dead three days later on that first Easter morning. I
accept Jesus as my LORD and my Savior. Thank you that I can now spend eternity
in Heaven with You. Help me to know and love you more and more each day. Amen.”
“He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come,
see the place where He was lying.” (Matthew 28.06) So said the angel at the
empty tomb of Jesus Christ; so we proclaim today.
