Easter Is the Reason We Pray

Have you seen the Passion of the Christ movie?

Don’t worry. This isn’t me telling you to go see it. But from the movie and a few documentaries I watched about it, I can say that it is one of the best movies that goes close to mirroring what Christ went through for us.

When you watch the movie, I’m sure the pain Jesus went through before and on the cross will stick with you the most. And you might even get goosebumps when he rises on Easter morning.

The Meaning of Easter

But please pause for a moment.

What does Easter mean to you beyond what is portrayed in movies, eating good meals, and spending time with family? I hope bunnies and eggs aren’t on your mind rn????.

Does the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ strike any chord within you?

Can you highlight what this sacrifice means to you on a personal note?

If you can, write them down somewhere, and never let them out of your sight.

Here, let’s take a look at the spiritual implication of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. I trust God that these implications will find expression in your life.

Jesus Christ Broke The Power Of Sin

For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law but under grace.

Romans 6:14

All of the power sin has over a person is embedded in the strength of the law. But Jesus came to fulfill the law so that we are no longer bound by the force of the law, which is sin.

But does that mean we can commit adultery, steal, and kill since Jesus has fulfilled the law?

Not at all.

The law was given to show how incapable man is of pleasing God by his ability. What Jesus did was take away the need for us to show how ‘holy’ we can be by ourselves so that we can lean on His grace to please God.

He Made A Public Show Of The Devil

And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

Colossians 2:15

The devil runs his operation through the system of death. Now, we know some people, even in the scriptures, died and were raised again. Nevertheless, they died again – which is a natural course for humans. But you see Jesus, when He rose from the dead, He rubbished the devil’s power because He rose never to die again!

What’s the implication of this?

Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

And deliver them who, through fear of death, were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Hebrews 2:14-15

Those who believe in Christ will no longer be bound by the power of death – not just the physical end, but every operation and tool of the devil. So, because Jesus suffered, died, was buried, and rose, the devil has NO power over a believer. Any power the devil exercises over a believer in Christ must have been given to him by the person (talk for another day).

He Justified Us

Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus

Romans 3:24

Ever wondered why God turned his back on His Son as Christ hung on the cross?

Yes, you’re right. Jesus bore the sins of the entire world at that time, and God remains the God He is – He won’t tolerate sin, not even when His own son bears it.

In bearing our sins and dying the death for them (because the wages of sin is death), Christ made us holy and blameless before God. He justified, discharged, and acquitted us of every sin. There isn’t any ground for us to be held accountable for any sin because Jesus shattered those grounds!

Yeah, that’s it, honey. I know the holiness part may offend some ‘church’ people, but only the work of the cross makes us holy, not what we do or do not do. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. II Corinthians 5:21

He Gave Us Heaven’s Legal Tender

Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus.

Hebrews 10:19

Yes, Jesus’s sacrifice made us eligible to use heaven’s currency – faith in the blood of Jesus! And no, that blood isn’t the hemoglobin-carrying fluid we know. It is the life of Jesus which he lavishly poured out for us on the cross. By it, we can access anything God has to offer!

He Reconciled Us To God

Before the coming of Christ, we were God’s enemies: born into a world that is allegiant to the devil. But Jesus came to close that gap between God and us.

Also, since reconciliation means a restoration of relationship, Jesus’s sacrifice is the reason we become children of God.

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe in his name:

John 1:12

And as children, we now have the right to call God Father and also commune with Him in the place of prayer.

In my last post, I promised to update us on why we pray. Everything you find on this page is the reason we pray. We pray to share intimacy with God and to remind ourselves and this fallen world of who we are (children of God) and all that has been done for us in Christ!

He Made Us Habitable For God In The Spirit

Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

1 Corinthians 3:16

This is the climax of all Jesus did on the cross – that we become the house of God!

Having justified and made us holy and blameless, Jesus made us worthy to house God in the Spirit. The moment we believe in the gospel of Christ, God will not wait even for a minute to inhabit us!

This inhabitation allows us to live a life worthy of God, show forth the power of resurrection, and draw other people to God!

But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

Romans 8:11

You shouldn’t be in your seat at this point! It is not a small matter to have the Spirit of the One who made the heavens and the earth dwell inside you!

Hallelujah!!

He Gave Us All That Pertains To Life And Godliness

I won’t say much here, but the next time you feel you cannot have a need met or a desire (that doesn’t contradict God’s word) fulfilled, ask yourself this:

If God freely and lovingly gave His Son to die for my sake, what else will He not give me?

Before You Go

Sweetheart, beyond the celebration and festivities of this season, always remember that God didn’t have to give His Son, but He did! And in so doing, He brought you and me liberation from the power of the devil and admitted us into His family – for free!

Yes! We now have Father – son relationship with God because of Easter!