The good news that we celebrate on Easter is that Jesus Christ did what none of us could but what all of us needed. He defeated the curse of sin and rose again from the grave, which changes everything forever for those who grab on to him by faith.
Those who grab on to Jesus by faith are set free from guilt and shame and it will change their lives forever!
All of our sin, every foolish and shameful thing we’ve ever done or will do wasn’t a surprise to him. That’s what the cross was all about. None of us have it all together, and so we can be set free from the pressure to perform and set free from pretending like we’re more than we are. The irony of this whole Jesus thing is that our relationship with God doesn’t depend on our performance for Jesus, but rather his performance for us. And so instead of carrying around this burden and resenting God because we think he’s demanding or he’s ticked off at us, we’re free to rest in the truth that the God who created us actually likes us, now, as broken as we are. We don’t have to cover ourselves every time we get around him, or resent him because we’re just never going to be good enough.
Those who grab on to Jesus by faith are set free from hopelessness and it will change their lives forever!
Every single one of us is on a desperate search. We’re searching for things like happiness, significance, and purpose. The problem is, without the gospel, that’s hopeless! We chase after those things in a 1,000 places other than Jesus every single day: approval, productivity, comfort, control, relationships, a better version of ourselves, etc. We buy into the lie that these masters will rescue us, they’ll save us, they’ll give us the security or the happiness that we’re searching for!
As we find out that “the line always moves” and ultimately, that created things will fail to deliver what we’re searching for, that’s when the effects and the consequences of giving ourselves over to the wrong masters show up and wreak havoc in our lives: stress, anxiety, worry, addiction, depression, bitterness, anger.
The good news is that the truth can set us free. Because of who Jesus is, what he did, what he’s promised, and how he sees us, we already have access to everything we’re searching for. The resurrection is the announcement that everything we’re searching for is already in our pocket.
COME & SEE
Rick Warren, pastor and author, wrote these words in his book, The Purpose Driven Life: “You were made for a mission. God is at work in the world and he wants you to join Him.”
Every Christian church exists for the purpose to glorify God, enjoying him and sharing how incredible and awesome he is. Every follower of Jesus has been invited into the same mission: to push back the darkness of a fallen world by making more and deeper followers of Jesus, who believe and are being shaped by the gospel.
Wherever you are in this world, no matter where you are on the journey - baggage and all - you’ve been uniquely wired and uniquely placed to accomplish this purpose. You were created to embody, to live out, the love and grace of Jesus by being eager and ready to share the hope you have in Jesus with those who are willing to hear. No one is asking you to shove the gospel down the throat of someone who doesn’t give a rip!
Easter is a time of year when many people are open to an invitation. And that’s often the simplest way to begin sharing the gospel of grace, simply reaching out to friends and neighbors to invite them to come and see the difference that Jesus can make.
As a church family, we gather together to come and see week after week, expecting that God will show up and do things in us and in our lives that we simply can’t do on our own. I don’t know about you, but I want my friends and neighbors to be able to come and see what God can do FOR THEM too. The Spirit of God can open their eyes to see Jesus for the treasure that he is. (That’s not on me; I just give the invitation.) The power and the grace of the gospel can begin, or continue, to set them free and change their lives forever!
The invitation is simple. Do you really want to be happy? Do you want to know where you find real hope and purpose and significance in life? Come & see.
