What does Easter mean to me? First of all, let's see what it means to the world. To the world Easter means money. Because the world turns everything into a selling point. To the world Easter is about commercial gain. When you walk into the store around Easter, the whole stock changes. Everything in the store has the look of spring. Beautiful spring colors. Rabbits, and Easter eggs, baskets, and beautiful flowers, and candy. And beautiful spring time clothes.
Then, Easter is a time for family, a time for get togethers and picknicks. It's a time to go somewhere and just enjoy the beautiful outdoors, and look at the new life, that is springing up everywhere.
But what does Easter mean to the believer? Well, to the believer Easter doesn't have anything to do with Rabbits, or Easter eggs, or picknicks. To the Christians Easter symbolizes our spiritual birthday. Now let me explain that, because most Believers would say... I thought it was about the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. And to that I would say... You're exactly right, but one of the greatest themes of the Bible is, substitution.
Paul was the one who really unveiled this revelation of substitution in the New Testament. What does the word substitution mean? It means the act, the process, or the result of substituting one thing for another.
2: one that is substituted for another.
Example: A substitute teacher. A teacher who stands in and acts in the place of another. So a substitute is one that takes the place of another. This spiritual principal was foreshadowed in the Old Testament. It is in the story of the sacrificed goat, and the scapegoat.
#1The first goat was killed, as a sin offering. Leviticus 4:24 And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the goat, and kill it in the place where they kill the burnt offering before the LORD: it is a sin offering. So we have two goats, and these two goats together complete this picture of substitution.
First is the sacrificed goat, dying for the sins of the people.
So you have the picture of one dying in the place of another.
Second, the priests would lay their hands on the head of the second goat, then send him off into the wilderness. This was symbolic of the goat becoming the guilty one, and the ones who were guilty of the sins, were released from the penalty of their sins. The picture was this... that the goat took the place of the guilty people with their sins. And because the goat carried away their sins, the children of Israel were free from their sins.
So here you have the full picture of substitution. One dying in the place of another, for their sins. And one taking the sins, of another and giving them freedom. That's exactly what Jesus did. The innocent one took our sins upon himself, and the innocent one died in our place, as the guilty one. And he took our sins away. And gave us his innocency, or his righteousness.
The Bible says it like this... 2 Co 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteous-ness of God in him. So the Bible says...
*There is none righteous, no not one.
*For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
*We all like sheep have gone astray, and turned everyone to his own way.
*And the wages of sin is death.
*The soul that sinneth, it shall die.
But here is the wonder of it all. There was one human being born out of all the millions and probably billions of people, of every nationality and every race, who was perfect, and he was sinless. And his name is Jesus.
1 Peter 2:22 Says... He did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth. Praise God, this perfect, innocent, sinless one, knowing the penalty for our sins. Willingly took our sins upon himself, and suffered as the guilty one, in order to give us his innoccency, and his righteousness.
That's substitution. That's the gospel in a nutshell....
*We were sinners, we had broken God's laws, our sins separated us from God.
*We were guilty and worthy of death, and eternal separation, from God.
*But Jesus offered himself in our place as the sacrificial lamb. *To redeem us from our sins, and restore us back to fellowship with God.
Now remember I said Easter is to me the celebration of my spiritual birthday, and here's why... Because substitution has two parts... First... Jesus the innocent one dying as the guilty one. Second... Is our identification with him. In our identification with him, everything he has becomes mine. So because he was willing to take my place as the substitute, now through identification, every thing he paid for with his sacrifice, becomes mine. and yours.
*Now through identification I am resurrected with him.
*Now through my identification with him, the old man of sin was crucified with Jesus.
*Then through identification with him, when Jesus was resurrected from the dead, I was resurrected with him, as a new creature. That's what we call born again. That's why I say, Easter is not just the celebration of Jesus resurrection. It is my spiritual birthday too. By faith the old sin nature in me, was crucified with Jesus.
And by faith that old sinner man was buried with him.
And by faith, when Jesus arose, so did I. Romans 6:4 says it this way... Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
*Crucified with him.
*Buried with him.
*Raised to new life with him.
That's message of the gospel...
*Man is a sinner first by birth, then by choice.
*Man is guilty before God.
*God sent his son as the substitute sacrificial lamb.
*Jesus paid our sin debt in our place, and gave us his righteousness.
*Then through identification with him, we become heirs to everything Jesus has.
Not only to eternal life. But also to the abundant life.
Joy
Peace
Authority
Health
Prosperity
Anointing
Power
All of this is contained in the salvation verse of the Bible Jn 3:16... For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish but have everlasting life. God so loved the world... that means you, and me. And that means, it doesn't matter what sins you have committed, how wicked, or perverse you are or have been, he still loves you.
You may reject his love and turn your back on him, and walk away, but he will never stop loving you.
You may criticize him, and mock him and ridicule his name, and spit in his face as the crowd did on crucifixion day, but he will say... father forgive them, for they know not what they do, and he will still love you. Because Jesus lives, I live. Because Jesus was raised from the dead by the mighty Spirit of God, I too have been raised from the death of sin, by the mighty Holy Spirit.
The Bible says that in Adam all died. That means that because of the first Adam's sin, the entire human race was born into sin.
But Jesus the second Adam, paid the price for our sins, with his own blood, and brought us back into fellowship with God.
I am so glad, that Jesus died for me. But I am doubly thankful that he rose from the dead.
Because his death took away my sins. But it was his resurrection, that gave me new life.
I was lost but now I'm found.
I was blind but now I see.
I was dead but now I live, and I not only have eternal life, I have abundant life.
I not only have a heaven to go to. I have heaven to go to heaven in. Jesus brought heaven to my heart.
The old Hymn said it this way...
Heaven came down, and glory filled my soul. When at the cross the savior made me whole. My sins were washed away, and my night was turned to day. Heaven came down and glory filled my soul.
Friend, do you have that glory in your soul.
Do you have that joy of knowing that your sins are forgiven?
Do you know right now, that old things have passed away and all things have become new? The Bible says, whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. As we are gather together today to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, today can be your resurrection too. You can be raised from the death of sin into a new life in Christ.
In one moments time, you can go from...
...Darkness to light.
...Lost to found.
...Sinking deep in sin, to standing on the rock.
...Death to life.
...The bondage of guilt and shame, to the freedom of knowing that your sins are forgiven, and your name is written down in the lambs book of life. What does Easter mean to me? It means, that Jesus is alive... It means that he got up.
Satan the prince of darkness, with all his demons and every ounce of hellish power at his disposal, could not hold Jesus in the grave. The moment God the father said, the demands of justice have been satisfied; the mighty Holy Spirit began to pulse through Jesus body, and he threw off every demon, and kicked the gates of hell off their hinges, and he walked up to the devil and said... give me those keys. And the Bible says, Colossians 2:15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
And then the Bible says... Ephesians 4:8 he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. I've got to say this... Jesus is awesome. I mean that the God we serve, is absolutely, totally, undeniably, amazing... And that same resurrection power is at work in you and me today.
Romans 8:11 says... But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Halleluja! because he lives I live also. It means...
Because he lives, I can face tomorrow, because he lives, all fear is gone. Because I know, yes I know, he holds my future, and life is worth the living, just because he lives.
Because he lives, I live also... that's what Easter means to me.
