Dr. Walter L Wilson
April 6, 1947 W H A T DOES EASTER MEAN TO ME? 1 C or . 15:12-22.
3. EASTER AND THE CHRISTIAN. 1 John 2:1. Sorrow and dismay would fill the the hearts of God’s people if there were no Mediator in the presence of God for them. Christians err; God’s people stray, wander, disobey, and hurt the heart of their Father. Sometimes Christians sin against Christ, and sometimes they grieve the Holy Spirit. God knew this, and has made ample provision for the forgiveness of His children. He has enthroned Christ and made Him the Mediator, the Intercessor, the Ad vocate for each one who has com mitted his case to Him. How wretched Christians would be if they had no High Priest at the divine mercy seat! We do have a High Priest who is living in Heaven; God took Him there in His physical body. The living Christ on the throne in His body assures us that we, too, in our physical bodies shall rise from the grave to rule and reign with Him. The living Christ in the presence of God enables each believer to walk with God. 4. EASTER AND THE WORLD. Matt. 25:31. If the Lord Jesus had remained in the grave, the world qould have continued in its sin and wickedness without fear of future retribution. But Christ is not in the grave, and at Easter we celebrate the resur rection of that blessed Man who is destined to be the world ruler. With out any opposition, all the kingdoms of the world are to become His kingdoms, and He will rule them with a rod of iron. All liquor traffic, gambling, immorality, dishonesty, and crime will be completely re moved together with those who love such things and revel in them. The living Lord will send to the lake of fire His enemies who have opposed the Gospel, denied the Word of God, and flaunted their rebellion in His face. Easter spells the doom of atheistic France, communistic Russia, materialistic Ame r i c a , idolatrous Spain, and heathen China, together with every other society which re pudiates the Gospel and rejects Calvary.
2. EASTER AND THE PENITENT ONE. Rom. 4:25. Christ was raised from the dead for our justification. This should
rPHE celebration of Easter should carry with It the highest joy for the Christian and the deepest sorrow for the sinner. The living Christ characterizes Christianity as the true faith for men and women. Every false religion has a dead leader who promulgated his or her doctrines and then died to remain in the grave, unable to propagate further his or her teachings. But if Christ is living (and He is), then every sinner who rejects Him, refuses Him, neglects Him, and avoids Him, must face that living Lord and receive His condemnation: “Depart from me, I never knew you.” If the resurrection of Christ were preached oftener, and with greater power, more sinners would be convicted and a deeper work of grace wrought in human hearts. Let us think of these two aspects of Easter. 1. EASTER AND THE SINNER. Acts 17:31. The fact that Christ Jesus rose from the dead should strike con sternation to the heart of every un saved person. Instead of wearing beautiful finery on Easter, that one should be found wearing mqurning and kneeling in fear and trembling at the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ is the risen Judge; God has appointed Him that work. The Judge came out of the tomb to sit upon the throne to judge every un saved person. What a paradox it is to see those who hate Christ and who are guilty of nailing Him to Calvary celebrating His resurrection. They are celebrating their own de struction. They are making merry over an event which spells their own eternal doom. God has given certain proof to all men of the great judg ment day by the resurrection and by enthroning Christ in the eternal Heaven. Every sinner should come to the Saviour in deep repentance and trust Him to save his soul!
DR. WILSON cause everyone who has trusted the Saviour to sing and rejoice, and to be filled with the “peace which passeth all understanding.” At Cal vary the sins of the individual be liever were laid on Jesus, which took Him to the grave in apparent defeat. They called for God’s burning billows of wrath which engulfed His blessed Son. His sufferings, however, were so sufficient and so complete that He made full atonement, to the satisfaction of the eternal and right eous God. God raised Him from the dead and took Him up to His own right hand as an eternal proof to every believer that all sins were put away. Christ could not have gone to Heaven if our sins had re mained on Him, but He ascended to Heaven so we know and are assured that all sins are completely blotted out T.et us sing. "Hallelujah"!
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