He is Risen! I could hear many of you reading this message respond with, “He is Risen Indeed!”

Christians are sometimes called intolerant. You may be surprised to learn that I agree. Christians can be intolerant, obnoxious, bigoted, hypocritical, and a list of other appropriate adjectives to describe human behavior.

Christians may be all those things, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8 NASB)

There is a universal search for purpose and meaning. Whether we like to acknowledge it or not, we all know life in this world is brief and fragile.

Every day there are tragic, unexpected, ends to lives around the world. Every day there are those who have family gathered around them as a long illness is coming to its final conclusion.

One day we will all come to the same point. You will take your last breath and your heart will beat its last beat. At that moment you step into an eternity that you have never before experienced. What happens then?

Based on our system of laws and justice, it would seem reasonable to view life as a set of scales. When you do something good, a token of some sort goes on one side. We you do something that is not good, a token goes on the other side. When life ends, our time of existence on this earth is weighed in the balance.

More good than bad? You get eternally rewarded. More bad than good? You get punished to pay for the deficit.

I could probably present the last two paragraphs in just about any setting and get a some nodding heads in agreement. There is a big problem. It’s a lie.

Christians around the world celebrate today because of a hope and assurance that one’s eternal destiny is not based on our behavior. God did not ignore the scales. He paid the price for our sins. My sin. Your sin. The sin every person in the world. He offers that payment as a free gift.

Perhaps the world’s best known verse of Scripture is John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (NASB)

On this Easter Sunday morning, Christians around the world celebrate Jesus Christ who said that He is, “the way, the truth, the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6 NASB) At first glance that may seem to be a very exclusive statement. The truth is that it is the most inclusive, free gift, of God’s amazing grace.

My prayer for each one reading this message is that you understand the truth of what Easter is all about and that you accept His free gift of eternal life.

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