Why Easter Matters

The message was brought on 4/20/25 by Rev. Eddie Foster.

Colossians 2:13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.

Why does Easter matter?  What difference does it make? It took a sacrifice to pay for sin. It took an empty tomb to bring about my justification. Otherwise, we’re still in sin. Easter is a historical fact. The cross and the empty bomb weren’t a secret. There are references to the event of Jesus’ death and of him being in contact with others after his resurrection.  Peter, James, John and the others saw him as did Paul on the Damascus Road.  It means Jesus is who he claimed to be. He made claims while he was on earth. He was indeed God in the flesh, perfect in all he did. He’s the only way to heaven. He was telling the truth or was a liar. But he’s not a liar.  He claimed to be God and his resurrection shows it.  In John 14:6 he said is the way, the truth, and the life. If any person goes to heaven, he/she will go through the cross and the empty tomb of Jesus Christ. Not everyone goes to heaven when they die. You’ll go one way–Jesus.  All other ways are a lie. Jesus willingly laid down his life even though he could have refused to do it. He had power to lay it down and power to raise it up again. He said it would happen many times. Nobody could stop him. Nobody would keep him from rising again. The demons of hell couldn’t hold him in the grave. 

Jesus did what he promised to do. Mark 10:34 says and they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him: and the third day he shall rise again. Jesus knew the cross would happen. Nobody searched heaven for someone to do this.  This was God’s plan all along. He promised it would happen. Jesus came as was promised. God keeps his promises.  He also promised that after he returned to heaven the Comforter would come.  The Holy Spirit did come.  He also promised to prepare a place for us in heaven as well as to return again. AND HE WILL.

Easter matters because my past can be forgotten. Have you ever wanted to start over? We can’t go back and start life over, but because of the cross and the empty tomb, we can have a spiritual new birth; it’s called being born again. That gives a new start, a new life. All of us have done things we wish we hadn’t. All have some guilt over something. Some are stuck in their past.  Because of Jesus Christ we can do what Paul says:  we can get the past. Why? Our sins are gone.  Looking back at verse 14: Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross. Jesus nailed our sins to the cross. Sins are under the blood of Jesus, never to be remembered again. He paid for my guilt. 

My present problems can be managed. We don’t have it all figured out. We can’t BUT God can! We need someone greater than us.  GOD is. His power helps us rise above it. When the future seems out of our control, it’s not out of God’s.  God wants to help. Pasts can be forgiven. Present can be managed. The future can be secure. We’re all going to die. Only a fool would live unprepared to die. Because of the Bible we know we’ll live forever somewhere. Death is coming. What happens then?  As believers we know from Psalms 23 that we’ll pass through the valley of the shadow of death. To have a shadow there must be light in that valley.  Jesus will pass through with us.  It’s a different story for the unsaved.

Easter is news we can use.  Heaven is perfect. We’ll all agree to that. We have to be perfect to go there. In ourselves none of us are perfect.  Plan A is to earn it. How?  Never sin. Always do what’s right. Be perfect.  Well, we can’t do it.  One sin would eliminate us in the use of Plan A. God created man perfectly, but in the Garden he sinned.  Jesus kept Plan A to institute Plan B on our behalf. Jesus became the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE. We can’t go on our own effort. It’s through Jesus Christ and what he did on Easter.  We must have a personal relationship with him. We do that by repentance of sin, trusting only in Jesus Christ to save us by his grace. Before salvation:  dead in trespasses and sin. After salvation: quickened (made alive) and forgiven of our sins.  How wonderful to know Easter is available to the whole world. Trust Jesus.