He is risen! This is the biggest holiday we celebrate, the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

We believe in a God who is intrinsically active in His creation. He made the earth, looked at it, and said "It's GOOD." He made man and woman in His image as His ambassadors, to enjoy life, work, food, relationship. One rule: Don't eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Then Satan slithered in with three lies (the same ones he uses today):
(1) God isn't trustworthy,
(2) There's hidden knowledge you need,
(3) It will make you like God.

Eve ate. Adam ate. Their eyes opened. They saw their nakedness, their shame, their sin. Their relationship with God was SEVERED. This sin was sewn into our DNA, every child after would suffer the same.

God cursed Satan, Adam, and Eve. But He promised: "One day her son will crush your head. You'll strike his heel, but he'll crush your head."

SIN DESTROYED EVERYTHING:
God reset with Noah and the flood. But Noah was a sinner too. Tower of Babel, humanity tried to make a great name for themselves. God scattered them according to the sons of God (that's where pagan nations and their gods came from).

Heaven marred by sin. Earth marred by sin. Sin ruins everything it touches.
God chose Abraham (who couldn't even have kids!) and said, "Through YOUR bloodline, I'm going to save the world. The seed of the woman will come through you."

The whole Old Testament is waiting for that Messianic figure, the Savior who will save us from sin and death. We thought it might be David. Nope. Every guy we thought might be THE guy fell apart.

THEN CAME JESUS:
Born of a virgin. Holy Spirit. God Himself (triune God). Lived the perfect life we can't live. And we KILLED Him for it.

Why? Because He preached things like "Love your enemy" and "If you follow me, you'll die to yourself." People wanted a warlord to save them from Rome. So they killed Him.

But Jesus PREDICTED it. He said it would be like Jonah, in the belly of the great sea beast for three days, then brought out. He predicted His own death and resurrection.

He died. Three days later, He rose from the dead. THAT'S what we celebrate today.

He conquered sin and death. He paid the toll we owed (our lives). He lived the perfect life we were expected to live. All the work is COMPLETED.

BUT WHY? WHY IS THIS SO IMPORTANT?
Isaiah 59:2 - "Your iniquities have separated you from your God. Your sins have hidden His face from you so that He will not hear you."
God is GOOD. He wants His creation to be GOOD.

It would be one thing for Jesus to just save us from death. But that's not all He does. As Westerners, we often stop there: "Yeah, I'm saved by Jesus." But that's not the POINT.

The point of saving you is to RESTORE YOUR RELATIONSHIP with the God of the universe.

Sin separated us from God. Jesus' death and resurrection didn't just save us from hell, it RECONCILED us to God. It brought us BACK into relationship with Him.

That's the gospel. That's why Easter matters. He is risen indeed.
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Companion Podcasts:
Daily Devotional: "Let's Find Out Together"
Apologetics: "Salty Saints"

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