The Hope of Easter

The Hope of Easter

This Sunday, we were privileged at CDC to have brother Lian Mun Yee share the Easter message from Acts Chapter 17:24-31.

24"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. 25And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. 26From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. 27God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 28'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.' 29"Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man's design and skill. 30In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead."

The whole universe and everything in it was created by the mighty Creator God, but just as the universe has a beginning, it also will have an end. A third of the Bible speaks about what will happen. It is a prophetic book. And speaking of the final judgment, brother Lian shared with us that there are three things that we must be aware of.

Firstly, Judgment is decreed. God has set a day…. a day where every one of us will be judged. Every word and deed and thought will be brought to judgment. Life on earth is only a temporary assignment. We are not here for our own sakes, but we have purposes given by God, and after the time given to us, we will be judged. It is only a matter of time, and no one knows how long he is given.

Secondly, Judgment is defined. We will be judged by God’s standard of perfection and righteousness. If a common man shows disrespect against another common man, not much is thought of it. However, if a common man shows disrespect again the king, he may be killed or thrown into prison. We often do not realize the severity of our sins which offends God. Each one of us has an immortal soul, a soul that will live forever. The question is whether we will spend eternity in heaven or in hell, in eternal comfort and happiness or eternal sadness and suffering. 

Finally, Judgment is detailed. We will be judged by the man that God has appointed, the Lord Jesus Christ. Some men may claim that God is unfair to judge us, that He does not know how hard it is to live on this earth. However, he has appointed one of our own to judge us, for Jesus Christ was fully man. He felt what we felt, He suffered far more than anyone else has suffered. No one can stand before Jesus Christ on his own righteousness.

However, although all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God, becoming destined for eternal death, God has provided a way for us because He loves us. God has provided His Son. He died for us that our sins may be forgiven, and God raised Him to life that we also may be raised to life.

God is not far from any one of us. We only need to reach out to Him and we will find Him. It is His desire to live with His people, that He may be their God and they may be His people.

The message of Easter is about hope, the hope of salvation in Jesus Christ. If anyone would repent of their sins and accept the Lord Jesus as His own Lord and Savior, he would be saved, and have hope for a glorious eternal future. The first step of our journey is hope is to say the following prayer.

“Lord Jesus, I confess that I am a sinner. I have sinned against God and against you. I believe, Lord that You died for me, that I may find life in You. I ask You, Lord Jesus to come into my life as my Lord and Savior. Help me become the person You have destined me to be. In Your great name I pray, Amen.”

Friend, if you said this prayer truthfully in your heart, you have found the Hope of Easter, the Joy of Salvation. If you hold on to this faith and continue to follow the way of Jesus to the very end, you will find the eternal joy and happiness promised by God!

God bless,

Jason