My sister from NY called me one day telling me she had a bad day. She went on to tell me that her day was so bad that Jesus fell off her cross she had hanging in her car. She asked for my opinion of the matter and I told her that it might not be as bad as you think and seeing Jesus come off his cross is actually a good thing. I did say, “If he jumps back on you might be in trouble so leave him off the cross.”
Catholics call this week Holy Week; and I like that. Christians everywhere refer to Easter Sunday as resurrection Sunday, and I like that too. Most refer to the start of Easter weekend as Good Friday even though it was a bad Friday.
Whatever we call this weekend, if these three words do not ring loud and clear in your head and in your heart, then you don’t really understand what Easter is all about.
If these three words don’t liberate your life with unspeakable joy, passion, purpose, power, love, grace, and gratitude, then you don’t really know what Easter is all about.
Of course we celebrate what Jesus accomplished. Of course we understand that what he did no one in the history of mankind has done. Of course we celebrate his victory over the cross, sin, and death.
But if these three words don’t permeate to the core of our inner most being, then everything Jesus did for us at Easter will be just an intellectual acknowledgement instead of a life transforming eternal transaction that changes us and sets us free.
If we don’t act upon the knowledge of what Jesus did for us then Jesus may still be on the cross for you as the suffering Jesus instead of the conquering Jesus. And if your Jesus is a suffering defeated Jesus without resurrection power, then your life most likely will be void of that same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead.
All that changes when you can say the three words that Easter made possible. Our relationships get better when we can say them. Our recoveries take on new meaning when those three words are our testimony. Everything great and awesome that God wants to do in our lives has to start with us being able to say with conviction the three words that Easter makes possible.
When life gets hard, these three words will help you put things in perspective and lead you down a path of victory. When people oppose you and do horrific things to you these words will help guard your heart so you can retaliate with the same three words that Easter made possible.
When you are depressed, derailed, disillusioned, disheartened, displaced, and flat out dejected, these three words will be your antidote for survival and victory.
The three words that Easter makes possible through Jesus Christ are, I AM FORGIVEN!
Be Blessed and Encouraged
Bill Rieser
Encounter Pastor
bill@thehopeencounter.org