The Most Important Event In World History

This weekend we celebrate the most important event in world history: the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In this one event we can see two things that we all need to remember:

1. Sin is horrific
2. God loves us

Let's look at these one at a time and see what we can learn.


1.How does the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus teach us the horrific nature of sin?

When God created man and placed him in the Garden of Eden He gave him only one rule to follow: Do not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Then He added, "In the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." (Genesis 2:16-17). We all know the story, Eve was deceived by the serpent, she ate from the tree and then gave some to her husband Adam, who with full knowledge of what he was doing, also ate of the tree. And sin entered the world.

Adam, Eve, and all of creation was instantly hurled into a cycle of death. Just as God had warned, on the day that Adam ate of the forbidden tree he died. No, he didn't die physically on that day (but his physical death was a direct result of that action) he died spiritually - he became separated from God. This shows us how horrific sin is to a holy God - Adam committed one sin, and it brought death and decay to the world, and it separated him from God. And this one action by Adam also caused sin to spread to all mankind, because we all came from Adam. The apostle Paul wrote in the letter to the Romans:

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man [Adam], and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.

Romans 5:12

Because of Adam's sin we are all born in sin, and because of Adam's sin we also sin, and we are separated from God as a result.

Sin is so horrific that it requires death as its payment. In the Old Testament God established a sacrificial system to show us just how bad and how offensive our sin is to Him. God told us that life is in the blood and that sin requires that blood be spilled for its atonement. He showed us through the system of sacrifice that the animal used had to be without spot or blemish which taught us that the sacrifice had to be pure. Then in the book of Hebrews we read that all of this was just a shadow that was to point us to Jesus - the Perfect Lamb of God.

In Jesus' death we also see how horrific sin is, because He became our Passover Lamb and sacrificed Himself to break the curse of sin that we are under. There was not a single man or animal that could pay the penalty for our sin so Jesus became a man, lived a sinless life, and died on our behalf and in our place. He took our sin upon Himself and He took the wrath of God on our behalf. Our sin is so horrific that it caused the death of the Son of God.

2. The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus shows us that God loves us.

As I outlined above, our sin has caused us to be separated from our Creator. We are born in sin and as a result we are under a curse of death. God could have just let us die, He could have condemned all of us to an eternity in Hell as payment for our sin. But He didn't! God sent His Son to die in our place and pay the penalty for our sin so that we could have a relationship with Him. All that He requires from us is that we repent (turn) from our sins and put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ for salvation. When we do this He promises that He will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Do you want to know what love is?

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16

but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8

Now that is love!!!

I encourage you to take some time over the next few days, as we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus, and get alone with Him and thank Him for what He did for you. Make this a weekend about more than family and dressing up to go to church. Make this weekend about Him.

Happy Easter!

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