He died on the cross for you

It was on Good Friday, over 2,000 years ago, that Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, died on a cross for our sins and the Bible tells us that if “we call upon the name of the Lord, we shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13)

Jesus died so we could live now and for eternity. We were guilty, He was innocent, yet He died for us. And three days later, He was resurrected from the grave. Someone has said that the Resurrection is not only the Good News, but it is also the “best news imaginable.”

That is because the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is a promise that death will not have the last word. Paul tells us in II. Corinthians 5:8 “to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.” That is “Good News” and it is also “the best news imaginable.”

If I were to ask you to describe Easter without using any words, and you could only use punctuation marks, which would you use to describe Easter?

Many people would use a “question mark” because to them, they have no idea of why Christians remember Good Friday and celebrate Resurrection Sunday.

Some might say a “period.” Because they haven’t received the free gift of eternal life and they believe when this life is over, it’s over. Others might use a “comma.”

Easter causes you to pause and think back about what Jesus did, but for you, Easter is little more than another holiday.

While some would use an “exclamation point” because they know why Jesus died, they have accepted Him as their Savior, they have received the gift of eternal life and they are Heaven-bound. Someone told me that Jesus died for “the sins of all mankind” and that if you believe that, you will go to Heaven. And yet, Paul tells us in Romans 10:13 that we must “call upon the name of the Lord and we will be saved.”

So I hope that this Easter, if you haven’t done so already, you would call upon Jesus and receive what He did on Calvary’s cross. Accept the gift of eternal life and be born into the family of God.

That’s why the Resurrection of Jesus Christ was and is so important. He gave us victory over death, hell and the grave.

Remember, God loves you just like you are, but He loves you too much to leave you like that.

Pastor Thad Gifford is lead pastor of the Crossroads Community Church of Madison County, 62 E. Second St., London. He can be reached at (740) 852-7800, e-mail him at sermon8er@aol.com or at their website www.3c-church.org.