The Passion of Easter

What's it all about?

In His short 33 years on earth as a man, Jesus's main purpose was to teach a group of men, the truths about the significance of His life and His death and His resurrection according to God the Father's purpose so that they could spread this good news to all nations.

By now everyone has at least heard of, if not seen Mel Gibson's movie "The Passion of Christ". The intensity of the Jesus's suffering was very apparent in the film but...

What was it all about?

Jesus life was one that glorified His Father in heaven. Jesus led a life without sin, which meant He was able to overcome all temptation, even when face to face with Satan himself. Jesus was obedient to His death. It was because of this, Jesus was the only one Who could do what He did on our behalf.

What did He do?

Because God the Father is Holy, not one of us can be in His presence. By ourselves we are not fit to be in His presence because we all have sinned, in one way or another, every single day, whether we know it or not. However, because He loves us with a love that we will never understand while we are on this earth, God made a way, just one way that we could dwell in His presence for all eternity.

How?

By sending Jesus to earth to live a pure and holy life was the only way to provide a sacrifice acceptable to a Holy God. So that we, in the condition we are in, could be acceptable to Him. The sacrificial lambs in the old testament provided a picture of what Jesus would come to do on our behalf. He gave up His life on earth so that we could dwell in His presence for eternity.

Why?

Because 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. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. John 3:16-18

What do I do?

Through His Son Jesus, God removed death for all that believe in the name and work of His Son Jesus. For all that proclaim their belief in Jesus, He promises they will not see death, however upon leaving their earthly body, they shall be in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The choice is yours...

You can choose to come to the end of your life and face judgement on your own "merits" or you can ask Jesus to be your Savior by speaking to Him personally. Acknowleging that you know that you sin and continue to sin and need Him, to be with you to guide your life and most importantly, to stand for you at the throne of His Father at the end of your earthly life. And from that point on make an effort to live for Him every day. Get to know Him by studying the words God left for us in His Holy Scriptures, the Bible.

What next?

Jesus changed the lives of the men that worked most closely with Him during His life on earth. After His death, they continued the work that Jesus gave them to do, to spread this good news to all so that all may come to know this promise of eternal life and will not experience eternal suffering. Like Jesus's work during His life, these men met with much opposition, mainly from the church leaders of that day. And all but one were martyred for their dedication to this work and to their devotion to the One who gave it.

We too...

are called as a family of believers to continue His work on this earth, to reach the lost. There is always a price to pay but the rewards are priceless.

In 1860 an ad appeared in a California newspaper: "Wanted. Young, skinny, wiry fellows, not over 18. Must be expert riders willing to risk death daily. Orphans preferred." The importance of getting the mail through came at a cost, however there was never a shortage of men to ride the Pony Express, regardless of this risk to themselves. How much more important is the word of God?

"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming, "Wow What a ride!" - Denny Emerson. How gratifying it is to be used by God in this way!!