Easter is truly far from only a one day celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. That day was the greatest day in the history of mankind. That day is our only hope of resurrection.
By faith in Christ, we live each day believing that the same Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead will raise us up as well. The future may be quite scary for us as we see many signs that the end of life is near and that same Christ who left 2000 years ago is coming again. If that does not occur soon, we face our own death. We have no idea when that will be but it is certain. Your feelings about death and your belief about the power of Easter are strongly connected. Jesus was put to death in order to put death to death and to free us from the power of death. We join Christ in becoming more than conquerors knowing that we will have a personal Easter. We will be saved from death by believing that Christ died for our sins to grant freedom from sin’s penalty of death. We are justified in God’s sight by faith in Christ if we truly believe and follow Christ. We believe that He died for our sins and we choose to die to sin every day by making Christ the Lord of our lives. Easter gives us that choice. You have a choice. You can believe in Easter and have hope for the future no matter what may happen.
Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Hebrews 2:14-17
2024 Easter Message from Dr. James Dobson
Over 2,000 years ago, God the Father sent His one and only Son to bear the sins of all mankind on the cruel cross of Calvary. The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ transcends life’s circumstances and represents a historical marker that lies at the center of everything we believe. During His earthly ministry, Jesus walked the roads of Galilee teaching a message of repentance and performing miracles. People were desperate just to touch the hem of His robe. They gathered in small and large groups to hear His words, and with open arms, Jesus received young children, tax collectors, the infirmed, the curious, and even criminals. As Jesus’ time to be tried and crucified approached, the disciples were fearful and confused. Was this really the purpose for which the Messiah had come? The future looked bleak and frightening. While Jesus’ mother and the disciples witnessed His brutal suffering on the cross, I can only imagine that they also experienced waves of fear and uncertainty. Yet beyond the darkness that veiled their skies, God was carrying out His plan of redemption. And three days later, light overcame darkness and hope conquered fear as Jesus rose from the dead! Fast forward to today, and God is still on His throne weaving His redemptive threads through our lives. He loves you and has a unique plan just for you.
This is the magnificence of Easter—the same hands that were pierced by our rebellion now reach out to us in compassion and forgiveness. God sent His only Son to become one of us to do for us what we could not do for ourselves. Truly, we can say with the prophet Isaiah, “But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). To those of you who are overwhelmed by the cares of life right now and are burdened by the weight of the world during these times of uncertainty, I urge you to look to the risen Christ. He is our eternal hope! May His grace and peace surround you and your loved ones, not only on Easter Sunday but every day of the year.
