Romans 5:6“When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.” Failure, suffering and the pain that comes with human life are something that we naturally seek to avoid at all cost as none of us voluntarily sign-up for hardship and/or rejection. So why is it that we read in the gospels that Jesus, not only came to earth by God’s design, but came in order to suffer, knowing that He would be rejected? He came with the desire to associate with us in our human condition, but why? What would cause this holy God to visit us? The answer is Love. There exists a Love that is completely foreign to us as humans and yet is our greatest need. God alone is both the origin of this love and its perfect expression. The Bible declares that, “God is love” and that He loves His creation. Mankind, the pinnacle of God’s creation is His crowning work, created with the desire to both love and to be loved. In fact, if we believe that we are not loved, we will become cynical, depressed, and eventually hopeless in life. If reduced to such an existence, man sinks into a sad and wearisome cycle of monotony. Why is it that if we are left alone, we tend to sink rather than soar? It is because we were created to love and to know the God of love. We were designed by God to enjoy a close relationship with Him, but apart from Jesus Christ, that relationship is broken. This distance is not God’s choice, but sadly, we often in our rebellious nature chose to replace a real relationship with Him with religious fervor and manmade efforts at goodness. Or we see Him as a stern and angry disciplinarian waiting to pounce on us and so we turn our back on Him. Like a frustrated, petulant child, we have pushed away that very One that desires our best. That’s right, we have sinned against the very Love that we need the most. God loves us. He loves you, but your sins have separated you from Him and He seeks to correct that. Make no mistake, there is a day of judgment coming for all of mankind, but not without God having provided a way for man to be washed, made clean, forgiven of his sins, and have a loving relationship with Him restored. The love of God has been put on display at the Cross through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Christ became the loving sacrifice by purchasing with His own blood the forgiveness of our sins that we are unable to attain for ourselves, that we might personally know the love of God and love Him in return. The apostle Paul made this clear saying, “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.” Romans 5:6 (NLT). So then, is it possible for God to die? Why would God subject Himself to our greatest enemy – death? What would be gained from God dying, only to rise again from the dead? The Bible tells us that God did die. From cover to cover, the Bible teaches that Israel’s Messiah and the Savior of the world is Jesus Christ, who was and is God in human form. But how does this benefit us? The Bible makes it clear that we all have sinned and it is our sin that has severed our relationship with God. Because of this separation, we cannot understand His plan and purpose for our lives (Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, Isaiah 59:2). Because of His vast love for us, God bridged that gap by sending His only Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the penalty for our sin and make a way for us to experience His love, forgiveness and eternal life. It is only through Jesus that we can have a relationship with God (Romans 5:8, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, Acts 4:12, John 14:6), but we must choose to turn away from our sins and believe that Jesus Christ is Savior and Lord (John 1:12, Ephesians 2:8-9, John 3:1-8, Revelation 3:20). We must put our faith in Him alone and nothing else. God wants you to know the incredible power of His love that comes through forgiveness.The resurrection of Jesus Christ is confirmation that the loving God of the Bible has the power to resurrect those that are dead spiritually and deliver them into a brand new life with Him. He wants you to know intimately the power of what it means to be forgiven. As we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus, I challenge you to receive His gospel and respond to His offer of salvation. He died so that you may live! For those who know Jesus, it’s time to draw closer to Him, now more than ever. Christian, break off those things that are pulling you away from enjoying Him. Determine now to get serious with God. Pastor Jack
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