Meaning of EasterMeaning of Easter

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Meaning of Easter


What if everything you’ve ever regretted, every shameful thing you’ve ever done, could be wiped away? Every affair, every lie, every theft, every mean and greedy action, every unkind word. Gone.

What if you—your soul—could live forever and some day, after your body has died, you could be given a new body?

That’s what Jesus Christ did for you when He allowed the Roman soldiers to scourge Him, drive heavy nails through His hands and feet, and suspend Him on a rough, wooden cross to die. That’s what He did for you when He sat up in the darkness of the tomb, laid aside the burial cloths in which He’d been wrapped, and walked out into the light of day. When He rose from the dead.

He did this so that you can stand clean before God on Judgment Day. All that bad stuff you did? God won’t hold any of it against you—if you’re in Christ.

And this is what we celebrate at Easter.

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20

Satan will accuse you, but Jesus is alive and will show God the wounds of the cross, the price He paid for you, and God will see you as He sees Jesus—clean, pure, holy. Without sin. Worthy of eternal life in heaven with Him and of a new body when God replaces this world with a new heaven and a new earth.

When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they were shut out of paradise. Sin separated them from God—as it separates us. God is perfect, holy and just. He doesn’t coexist with sin. It has real, deadly consequences. Justice requires it. God requires it.

But God deeply loves His creation—you. He is merciful and wants you with Him in paradise again. So He sent Jesus, His perfect and precious Son, down from heaven to live as a man.

Jesus experienced our joy and suffering. He healed the sick, cast out demons, calmed the wind and waves, and raised the dead. He could have avoided the cross. He could have stayed away from Jerusalem and the priests and officials who plotted to kill Him. He could have called down an army of angels to stop the Roman soldiers from crucifying Him.

But He didn’t.

He trusted and obeyed His Father, because He loves us. He knew it was necessary.

Without the crucifixion, there would have been no resurrection. Without the resurrection there would be no eternal life.

When He was crucified, our sins died with Him eternally. Because He was resurrected, we will be resurrected eternally.

His Holy Spirit can live within you today, guiding you away from sin. Will you still make mistakes and sin? Yes. You’re still human. But you are already forgiven—now and forever if you’ve accepted Jesus’ gift of salvation.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

And one day, in heaven with Jesus and His Father, you won’t make those mistakes anymore.

This is God’s gift of love to you. You can’t earn or buy it. You receive it. How do you receive it?

You have to believe that Jesus is God’s Son, that His death on the cross was the price for your sins, that He rose from the dead and is alive in heaven.

Then He can transform you. You can be clean. Forever.


The messages and articles below dive deeper into the meaning of Easter.

Listen


The Cross of Christ

The Cross of Christ

Stuart Briscoe

Crucifixion was a horrific way to die. So why did the early disciples risk ridicule and death to testify to Jesus' death on the cross when it appeared to be a tragedy, not a triumph? In this series, Stuart teaches why Christianity is nothing without the cross. He also addresses common questions, including: Why does the message of the cross offend so many? Would a loving God really require the death of His son? How, in our daily lives, do we "take up the cross of Christ"?

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The Heartbeat of the Master

The Heartbeat of the Master

Jill Briscoe

In these three messages, Jill walks you through pivotal moments in Jesus’ life on earth that provided us with forgiveness, redemption and hope. She teaches about his night in the Garden of Gethsemane, his crucifixion, and his triumphant resurrection that has provided eternal life for those who believe.

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Derailed by Doubt

Derailed by Doubt

Pete Briscoe

Sometimes small nagging doubts are big enough to knock your belief off track, causing you to question your faith. Here, Pete tackles common questions that derail faith. Why, in a faith that brings so much abundant life, do Christians spend so much time focusing on the death of Jesus? Because at the cross, Jesus wiped away every sin ever committed and gave you true life. You can believe that Jesus rose from the dead and is alive by trusting the evidence. And you can know that Jesus is alive by spending intimate time with Him. If you believe He's alive and you have your eyes open to see Him, you'll see Him all over the place.

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Believing What We Believe

Believing What We Believe

Stuart Briscoe

What do you believe? Why? What difference does it make what you believe? If you've ever had a faith crisis, you've probably struggled with these questions. The disciples questioned everything they believed after Jesus was crucified. So after His resurrection, Jesus spent 40 days teaching them that His crucifixion was more than a tragedy. It was an event with divine significance. In this series, Stuart covers the resurrection, ascension, and day of Pentecost as he deals with the question, "Do we truly believe what we claim to believe?"

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Read

You wore my thorns

Jill Briscoe

An Easter poem: You wore my thorns, that I may know Your grace; Pierced by my sin, that I may see Your face....

Continue…


Watch

The Ragman

Pete Briscoe

Are you burdened by grief, loss, disappointment, anger, loneliness, or pain? Is there another way to live—free and joyful no matter what life brings? In this Easter message, Pete walks you through the powerful act Jesus committed for you on the cross and shares how if you're willing to give up your burdens, Jesus has a whole new life—His very Life—waiting for you. Will you take it?

Playing Games with Jesus | A Good Friday Poem

Jill Briscoe

Good Friday is a day the human race dared to play games with Jesus. Roman soldiers tossed dice to determine how He would be shamed and punished—scourging and a crown of thorns included. Through tender verses of her own poetry, Jill invites Christians to ponder the anguished Jesus with desperate gratitude and contemplate our heart's response to the crucifixion.

How Can I Be Saved?

Stuart Briscoe

Do you feel like you need to do more to be saved? To pray more, donate more money, give more time? Stuart explains that being saved isn’t a matter of doing anything. It’s a matter of believing – of accepting what Jesus Christ did for us.

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Telling the Truth is the international on-air and online media ministry that distributes the teaching content of uniquely-gifted Bible teachers—Stuart and Jill Briscoe—to help people know Christ and experience Life in all its fullness.

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