I want to focus today on Easter and what it means to us today
Last week I talked about how bad we really are and how God looks upon us.
We cheer when some one like Sadam Hussain is eliminated
We look on badness like those who murder or steal
Or those who abuse children
But in God’s eyes we are just as bad
It’s just like having a disease that is in our genes
And we can’t get rid of it
The Bible tells us that we all suffer from that disease and the bible calls it sin
Not just bad things we do….. but the disease we inherited
And we think that by doing good things that it washes away that disease but it can’t do that .
We all know that measles is caused by a virus
And some who try to treat it from the outside rather than the inside
They will do good deeds but good deeds cannot rid us of this disease
Some even think that by going to church from time to time that our disease will be eliminated but the disease called sin is inside of us
Some think that we are basically good but only the environment corrupts us and makes us bad and if we could correct the environment we would be perfect.
If that was true we would not have to teach our children to be good
We never have to teach our children to be bad
Rather we have to teach our children to be good
It does not come naturally
Go to kindergarden and observe the way Children play and you will see it
And the disease is rampant all through our society
Read the daily papers
The Bible tells us that all have fallen short of God’s Glory
You see God is perfect
there is no vice in Him
If we were to see Him we would die…. because we fall so short of His glory
It would be like looking at a light brighter than the sun
We would be blinded because we fall so far short of His glory
What is the answer to our dilemma ?
How can we rid ourselves of this disease
God wants us to be close to Him ..but He can’t accept us because of sin
He wants to adopt us as His children to have that personal relationship with Him
But how can He do it
The wages of Sin is death
We deserve death ?
And we will all one day die
But there will be a second death
Death is separation from God
The Bible calls that state hell
A place of suffering
That’s what Easter is all about.
To rid us of that disease called sin
To cleanse us
To have that relationship with us
And to save us from that second death
To prepare us to live with our God
So He sent His son Jesus
He came to take the punishment we deserve
He suffered a cruel and agonising death at the hands of men just like you and me.
He was beaten and scourged for you and me
They drove nails through his hands and feet and strung Him on the cross
He suffered the abuse of people
But He did it willingly for you and me
So that we might have new Life
So that we might live with Him eternally
Do something different with your life this easter