Introduction

Today is the day the world celebrates as Easter. What is it that makes it unique? Why is it so special? Easter comes in the spring of the year. Pagans were involved with fertility and what is more productive than a rabbit? Right, a chicken because they can lay an egg almost everyday. Pagans were very interested in fertility, and it was Pagan influence that set the date of Easter. Christ was crucified at Passover, which is next month, but the focus of the world today is on Easter as the time to remember Christ’s death, burial and resurrection.

Since our Lord arose from the grave on Sunday, it’s always fitting to remember our Lord’s death, burial and resurrection on Sunday.

Body

I. Paul said he made Christ and Him crucified the focus of his ministry.

(1 Cor 2:2 NKJV) For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

A. The cross was an offense to many.

(1 Cor 1:22-24 NKJV) For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; {23} but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, {24} but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

B. The cross has become a symbol of Christianity, and of death.

1. We see the cross on church steeples.

2. We see it marking graves in cemeteries.

3. We saw little crosses in Tulsa to indicate the deaths of 27,000 Christians in the past two months who died for their faith.

C. The cross is special because He took our place.

(Isa 53:4-6 NKJV) Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. {5} But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. {6} All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

II. Jesus had said that the cross would be the drawing power of His work.

(John 12:23-33 NKJV) But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. {24} "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. {25} "He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. {26} "If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor. {27} "Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save Me from this hour'? But for this purpose I came to this hour. {28} "Father, glorify Your name." Then a voice came from heaven, saying, "I have both glorified it and will glorify it again." {29} Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, "An angel has spoken to Him." {30} Jesus answered and said, "This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake. {31} "Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. {32} "And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself." {33} This He said, signifying by what death He would die.

A. The cross was indeed an emblem of suffering and shame, how could it be a drawing power?

B. But nearly 2,000 years have shown the great drawing power of the cross.

C. unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.

III. Jesus is the Resurrection!

A. When Lazarus died, He told His sisters that their brother would rise.

(John 11:21-23 NKJV) Then Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. {22} "But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You." {23} Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." {24} Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."

B. He told His sisters that He was the resurrection.

(John 11:25-26 NKJV) Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. {26} "And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?"

C. His resurrection is our hope.

(1 Cor 15:19-22 NKJV) If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable. {20} But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. {21} For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. {22} For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.

D. He was raised for our justification.

(Rom 4:25 KJV) "Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification."

IV. We come in contact with Christ and His death in baptism.

(Rom 6:3-8 NKJV) Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? {4} Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. {5} For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, {6} knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. {7} For he who has died has been freed from sin. {8} Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,

Conclusion

It’s Easter! It’s a day when the world is turned to thinking about Christ and His resurrection.

For us as Christians, we are reminded every Sunday of our Lord’s death, burial and Resurrection as we partake of the Lord’s Supper. This is the gospel – the good news.

(1 Cor 15:1-4 NKJV) Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, {2} by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you; unless you believed in vain. {3} For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that (1) Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, {4} and that (2) He was buried, and that (3) He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,

We have the privilege of being able to be baptized into His death that we may have a hope of a glorious resurrection and to live with Him eternally.

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