Easter is when we celebrate the Gospel, or "good news" of Jesus Christ. This Gospel is all about one man and his brazen claim in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the father except through me."As those separated from God the Father by our sins, our only hope is in Jesus, who promises to take the penalty of our sin upon Himself allowing us to stand faultless before God on Judgement Day.
Jesus was born miraculously some 2000 years ago in Bethlehem to a peasant girl and her soon to-be husband, Joseph. He grew and worked as a carpenter and at 30 years of age began a preaching and teaching ministry that spanned 3 years. His central message was that of grace and mercy. He accepted those rejected by society. He taught of a kingdom not of this world. He loved the unlovable. Prostitutes and sinners called him friend. He subtly claimed to be the long awaited Messiah of the Jews and to be God in the flesh. The religious people of the day rejected Jesus' claims and sought to arrest and ultimately kill him. They succeeded, not knowing that it was God's plan all along.
Jesus was crucified on a cross as a common criminal even though He had done nothing to deserve such a fate. His birth, life, and death fulfilled prophecy after prophecy from the Old Testament scriptures. It was as if this amazing, redemption story had been written from creation and was playing out before our eyes.
Jesus was buried by friends in a borrowed tomb. Guards were placed at the mouth of the tomb along with an immovable stone to assume no one stole his body. Yet, after 3 days when some women went to visit the burial site, He was nowhere to be found. Jesus had risen from the dead just as he had said he would do. He appeared to his followers over the period of 50 days until He was taken up by His father into heaven in front of many eyewitnesses.
The Church began as thousands heard the first Gospel sermon preached by Peter on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2). His message? Simply hear the story, believe it, repent of sin, and be baptized into the name of Jesus. This Gospel message began to spread like wildfire and no one could deny it.
Today, that same message of salvation through Jesus is still preached by those who call themselves "Christians."
This incredible story is the foundation of our faith. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians, "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." 1 Corinthians 15:3,4
