April 4, 2010

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Why Easter Matters

But very early on Sunday morning the women came to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. They found that the stone covering the entrance had been rolled aside. So they went in, but they couldn't find the body of the Lord Jesus. They were puzzled, trying to think what could have happened to it. Suddenly, two men appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes. The women were terrified and bowed low before them. Then the men asked, "Why are you looking in a tomb for someone who is alive?  He isn't here! He has risen from the dead! Don't you remember what He told you back in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again the third day?" Then they remembered that He had said this.
Luke 24:1-8

EASTER MATTERS BECAUSE…

The Empty Tomb Is PROOF

Then Jesus began to tell them that He, the Son of Man, would suffer many terrible things and be rejected by the leaders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, and three days later He would rise again.
Mark 8:31

The Empty Tomb Is POWERFUL

For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16

The Empty Tomb Is PERMANENT

We are sure of this because Christ rose from the dead, and He will never die again. Death no longer has any power over Him.
Romans 6:9

Final Thought:

Because Jesus Is ALIVE We Are FREE To LIVE!

Our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. And since we died with Christ, we know we will also share His new life. We are sure of this because Christ rose from the dead, and He will never die again. Death no longer has any power over Him. He died once to defeat sin, and now He lives for the glory of God. So you should consider yourselves dead to sin and able to live for the glory of God through Christ Jesus. Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to its lustful desires. Do not let any part of your body become a tool of wickedness, to be used for sinning. Instead, give yourselves completely to God since you have been given new life. And use your whole body as a tool to do what is right for the glory of God. Sin is no longer your master, for you are no longer subject to the law, which enslaves you to sin. Instead, you are free by God's grace.
Romans 6:6-14

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