Daily Huddle - Sun Apr 12, 2020 What Easter Means

Love you all, praying for you.
 
What a perfect day to remember - what Easter really means.  One of the two greatest holy days in Christendom, what does Easter really mean?   The first – Christmas - the birth of the Christ – the promised Messiah started an eternal movement out of Judaism, the first coming of the Divinely promised, centuries-awaited Messiah.  It eventually gave rise to Catholicism, Martin Luther, and Protestantism.  It established the world's chronological system of reference. It has resulted in wars, and much debate.  The second, Easter, those who preferred to avoid it’s significance, or capitalize on a commercial opportunity – designed a bunny with chocolates, and colored eggs with kids activities to compete with the attention...   Some ignore the significance of this day altogether, or are ignorant of it’s meaning – by choice or other pursuits.  But what does Easter really mean?  These two holy days – are the most significant events in world history.  The first – when the Creator of the Universe, the Designer and Sustainer of all life, the One who breathed all creatures into existence, and formed man from dust, and woman out of the man... It was the moment when this Almighty God entered His own creation in the human form of the man He created.  It changed everything.  Everything in the natural earthly realm changed, and it sent tremors through the spirit world.  This event, a baby in a manger, this Christmas Day had one purpose - Easter...  The day the God of all Creation rose from the dead, having willingly given his own life to remove the stain of guilt of the sins of the people He created - whom He loved with an everlasting love.  That sin that made it impossible for them to live with a Holy God - forever.  He had to become like them in every way – and yet without sin, so he could die in their place - receiving on himself - the penalty for their sin, for your sin, for my sin.  Without that act of self-less love and extreme sacrifice – every human ever created would be hopelessly destined to an eternity apart from the God who loves them, the God who made them to spend eternity with Him.  What was hopeless – became hope for us.  What does Easter mean?  It means hope.  But only for those who will humble themselves and believe.  Sadly, it does not mean hope to everyone.  Some will reject it as a fairy tale, too difficult for their human intellect which clearly so limited, or their finite mind to understand.   Or they will pridefully condemn it to be - a crutch for the weak, (just a centuries-old punchline parroted from the devil's own jokebook) as they lean on their own crutches, of money, greed, ambition, the illusion of invincibility (like a foolish teenager) or the crutch of having to be accepted by the crowd - too fearful to consider God's truth - and swim against the stream.  Easter is hope, but only for those who – when the Spirit of God calls them and He has and He does – will listen, will humble themselves, and obey His command to:  Believe on the LORD, Jesus Christ and you will be saved.  Saved from what?  #1 – an eternity apart from God – a place of outer darkness – prepared for the devil and his angels.  And #2 – saved from the sin that once controlled you – enslaved you – a slave to sin- that the devil falsely says is "freedom."  But freedom from God’s law – God’s truth – and God’s way - that brings everything that is good – is not freedom, it is deception.  It is bondage – that will surely send you to the grave, to eternal separation from God.   So if it's not true, why would the devil try to entice you to believe it is?  Because He is a liar, and a murderer from the beginning.  He hates God because He himself chose to reject Him, to rebel against Him, and now that he realizes his own ultimate fate, his only recourse of continued rebellion against the God who created Him, is to deceive those God created and loves (you) - to reject their Creator - like he did.  God said - "All we (humans) have sinned and have fallen short of God’s standard of purity and holiness - required to live forever in heaven with Him.  (Romans 3:23)  The unchangeable result of this - is death - permanent separation from the God who made us, who loves us and created us to spend eternity with Him.  Only the blood of Jesus – that He willingly offered to pay for your sin, and your healing, to cancel that which condemned you… only through putting your trust in the truth – that He died instead of us - taking our place... to cover the penalty for our sin that our sin required... this is the only way to eternity with Him, and freedom from sin in this life.  Only as we believe what He said, and in believing - we also commit our entire life to His will for us, a full surrender to His plans for us, His ways, not ours - and the only way to do this is through the power He promised to give to help us - called Grace to do it!  This is the only way that Easter which means hope - becomes hope to you.  Hope of eternity in Heaven with God forever, and hope of complete freedom from being a slave to sin (punked by the devil into thinking that ignoring God’s commands for our good - was freedom, instead of the truth that it's bondage that only ends in death).  The gift of Easter means hope.  Easter means freedom.  Easter means joy.  Easter means you can live the life you were created for!  It means you can experience all the Good that your Creator, the God who loves you - has stored up for you.  It means for you complete freedom here on earth, and a home with Him forever.  There is one more thing coming.  There is one more significant holy day in Christendom, that is still yet to occur.  That will make three.  The day He returns.  Jesus will return to earth in the same way He went up.  It is already decided and declared by One True and Almighty God.  But the next time – He will not come as a suffering Savior.  Jesus will come as King of Kings and LORD of Lords - with a robe dipped in blood, and a sword in his mouth - with the overwhelming force of heavens armies at His command.  Every knee will bow, and every tongue confess, that Jesus Christ is the LORD of all Creation, with God at the beginning, and reigning on the throne over all of existing things - for eternity without end.  Those who put their trust in this Name, Jesus.  Will reign over sin in this life – that once controlled them, and will reign with Him in eternity forever.  Where he will wipe every tear from their eyes, where there will be no more death, no sadness or sorrow, where there will be light, and love, and life forever without end.  Easter means hope.  This is the hope of Easter.  And this Hope is not a wish, or a possibility.  This hope is a promise from the One and Only True God.  God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit – three in One – the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of all Creation and all of Eternity.  If you have believed in His Name, and have surrendered your entire life to His control, that means you can learn to walk in the wonderful plans He has for you!  But for anyone who hasn’t.  You will have to decide, before it's too late.  Is Easter hope for you?  Is what God says - true?  Or is what the devil says - true?  In your life on this earth, tomorrow is not guaranteed.  This could be your last day on this earth, you number of days have already been set.  And the only thing that will matter for the thousands of years that will keep coming without end…  What did you do with Jesus?  Did you believe in Him, and give your life to obey Him, like He obeyed His Father in Heaven? or did you reject the One who died in your place to cover the sin that keeps you separate from God?  Easter means hope.  We are praying that it means hope - to you.
 
Love you all,
To some of you - dad,  To the rest…

Love you all,
Your friend… who is praying for you! - to know this hope of Easter - and all the joy that it brings.