Seven Jewels in the Easter Message
The traditions of the Easter season include sunrise services, egg hunts, special parades and communal dancing. These can all be fun but they miss the wonderful message of Easter.
The Reflection of The Easter Season
The Bible teaches that God, the creator and sustainer of life and the universe, came in human form to rescue sinful broken human beings and bring them into a relationship with Him. God came in the person of Jesus Christ – fully human and fully God. As a man He was crucified on a cross as our substitute, taking our sins on Himself and the punishment that a just God demands for sin. His blood shed and body given, Jesus died with our sin but then defeated death itself when He rose again on the third day. The abundance of new life in the Spring and Easter season is a glorious reflection of the new eternal life given by Jesus Christ.
The Seven Jewels
When we consider the following seven jewels of the Easter message, it makes sense to receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord both now and forever.
Love - Because of His great love for us… Ephesians 2:4. The heart of the Christian faith is not a set of rules and regulations but a deep understanding and experience of God’s great love for us individually and for every precious person on earth (John 3:16). His wonderful love is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5).
His love for me completes me. It motivates and inspires me to live for Him.
Mercy - Our collective sin and rebellion against God has caused terrible devastation to His beautiful creation! However, God does not treat us as our sins deserve but gives us His incredible mercy, always wanting us to receive His forgiveness through Jesus Christ.
Grace – Jesus is God’s grace poured out for you and me. Through His grace we can receive forgiveness for our sins and experience His life both now and for eternity. There is nothing we can ever do to earn His grace!
My world totally fell apart when Alex, my beloved 17-year old son, committed suicide! My wife’s love for me turned to hatred and she planned to leave me. A few years later, my beautiful daughter, Rebecca, died in a tragic accident! It was God’s grace that sustained, empowered and gave me love for my precious Jeannie and family, to help us journey through the grief and darkness.Peace – Jesus is the Prince of Peace. In the last 20 years I have known intense suffering and through it all I have experienced a peace deep within my soul. Shalom is the Hebrew word for peace and it means whole or complete, a place of harmony within. There may be turmoil on the outside but to know Shalom peace is ‘priceless.’
Hope – Experiencing God’s love, grace and peace in my suffering, provides a wonderful foundation for great hope for better days ahead. This hope is an anchor for my soul, believing that God will turn all the bad things that have happened to me into something good for His glory. This is no ordinary hope, it is a living hope for the present and for eternity! An eternal perspective completely changes how we view and value things today.
Joy Unshakeable – A mystery to the world but, in the midst of suffering, I have experienced a never-ending flow of joy deep in my soul. This joy doesn’t depend on what is happening in one’s life, but is given by the Spirit of God who lives within every believer in Jesus Christ.
Provision – In Jesus Christ, God has made full provision for everything we need for an abundant life. And, when the storms of life hit, which they will, it’s God’s grace upon grace that provides all that we need to triumph.
I pray that you will have the courage to fully surrender your life to Jesus Christ so that you too can enjoy the seven jewels found in the Easter message.
Gerard is an author, pastor, businessman, former National Director of Alpha USA, founder and CEO of non-profit Awakening to God Ministries and International Advisor for Prayer at the Heart Ministry. His deepest brokenness, in the suicide of his beloved son Alex in 2005, and the tragic passing of his beautiful daughter Rebecca in 2014, is woven into his powerful testimony and calling. His story is in Amazon best- selling book – Living Hope