Easter, a Time for New Life
John 3:16 Nasb
16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave
His [e]only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have
eternal life.
Ever since the passing of Christmas and New
Year, many people here in the UK seem to look forward to start of the Easter
holidays whether that is the School Holidays or the Bank Holiday Weekend, It
seems to me in the months building up to the Easter Holidays, the shops are
selling items linked to Easter such as Easter Eggs and Hot Cross Buns, Easter
like many public holidays or celebrations has become very commercialised.
I suppose Easter 2016, will be remembered for
unseasonable bad weather we’ve had, with lots of mixed up weather !. I can’t
explain why we are now having weather
like that, only the Meteorologists can hopefully an explanation of that.
In the Church that I’m privileged to be part
of, we have small groups called house groups, many churches will also have a
similar set up and use different names,
but basically they are identical in purpose Being a Christian for a number of years now
and have many Bible Verses and Chapters that are significant to me., the Lord
bought my attention earlier today to John 3:16-18
John 3:16-18New International Version - UK
(NIVUK)
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his
one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have
eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the
world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not
condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they
have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
Which I
remember learning in Sunday School, when I was growing up in Resolven when I
was around the age of 8 or 9, although I made a public confession of Faith when
I was 11 in a Children’s Meeting in Neath, Easter Monday 1981. I always say
that’s when I became a Christian but if I’m honest, I’ve walked with Jesus
since early childhood because of the influence of Christian Parents and
Grandparents and people like my Sunday School Teachers and other adults at
Church.
Growing up in my Church in Resolven was very
much like an extended family I would address my parents and grandparents
friends as Uncle and Auntie and followed by their first name. I had the
privilege to spend some time in Resolven when I visited my dad in Neath a few
years ago, and caught up with some of my Sunday School Teachers and addressed
them as Uncle * and Aunty *.
Because I give my life to the Lord at Easter,
Easter has always been special and significant to me, It’s time both of
Celebration and Thankfulness and I thank the Lord that He has kept me walking
with Him for 30 plus years, yes there have times that I walked closer with the
Lord than I’ve walked with Him at other times. There have been times of
disappointment and disheartenment, but they have been outweighed by the times
of celebration and rejoicing.
I moved here to Southport, Easter 2011 after a
tough few months where I had actually given up on Church, and had recently decided
to come back to Church in February on a previous visit to Southport. I was still feeling low and unsure of things,
a particular situation had bought me to the end of myself, and I know I needed
to change, that change was painful and challenging, I felt hurt and rejected by
both the Lord and others.
I
arrived here in Southport and I realised it was a new chapter of my live and in
many ways a new or fresh beginning for me. I was no longer tied or connected to
my past or history, God had given me a new life because of Jesus’s death on the
cross and his resurrection. I’m still Blair Humphreys but because of what Jesus
had done and is still doing I’m a different or better Blair Humphreys, I don’t
get it right all the time, and yes there are times when I could hit myself, but
this isn’t an excuse or an opt out clause, I’m a work in progress, and yes I’m
better and further along that I was before but I’m getting there. It’s called
Sanctification.
When Jesus died, He died for our sins and the
sins of the entire world from that day until the day He returns, he literally became sin, every sin committed
was laid upon Him, he paid the ultimate
penalty he died as our substitute he didn’t deserve to die, but he choose or volunteered
to die in my place, in your place and the place for everyone else, When Jesus
died in was the time of the Jewish Passover, when the people of Israel
remembered the Feast of the Passover, Jesus became our Passover Lamb, When
Jesus died and rose again, he ended the traditions of the Jewish Faith and
because of this, Christians don't have to celebrate Jewish Feasts, so for
example we do not have to remember Passover, it's old covenant not new
covenant.
He was battered, bloodied and crucified for
you and me, he was humiliated, suffered at the hands of an occupying army, he
died a death unimaginable to all of us,
he died in our place for our sin, he didn’t deserve to die, but to
choose to die for me and for you. Thank you Jesus for dying for me.
Romans 5:12-21 Nasb
12 Therefore, just as through one man sin
entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men,
because all sinned— 13 for [h]until the Law sin was in the world, but sin is
not imputed when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until
Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of
Adam, who is a [i]type of Him who was to come 15 But [j]the free gift is not
like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died,
much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus
Christ, abound to the many. 16 The gift is not like that which came through the
one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression
[k]resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from
many transgressions [l]resulting in justification. 17 For if by the
transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who
receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in
life through the One, Jesus Christ.18 So then as through one transgression
[m]there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of
righteousness [n]there resulted justification of life to all men. 19 For as
through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through
the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous. 20 [o]The Law came in
so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace
abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would
reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 3:21-26 Nasb
21 But now apart [k]from the Law the
righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the
Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for
all those [l]who believe; for there is no distinction; 23 for all [m]have
sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified as a gift by His
grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; 25 whom God displayed
publicly as a [n]propitiation [o]in His blood through faith. This was to
demonstrate His righteousness, [p]because in the forbearance of God He passed
over the sins previously committed; 26 for the demonstration, I say, of His
righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier
of the one who [q]has faith in Jesus.
2 Corinthians 5:21 Nasb
21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on
our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
He didn't stay dead, he arose Victorious from
the Tomb after 3 days, Christ is Risen indeed.
Yours in Him
Blair Humphreys
Southport, Merseyside
