Happily Ever After - The Story of Easter (Part 1)
Posted by: biblenotes <biblenotes@...>
From: Martin Overfield
Date: 31 Mar 2002
Happily Ever After
The Story of Easter
I Corinthians 15:19-26 (text = 15:22)
"For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive."
The age-old questions:
"Is there life after death?"
"What lies beyond the grave?"
One evangelist told a story about a man of great physical strength, afraid
of nothing in this world. Upon thinking about death he said that he was
afraid. "Afraid of what?", the evangelist asked. The man replied, "I am not
afraid of death, but afraid of whatever is out there beyond death."
Chapter I -- The Attitude of Love
[The Story of Man's Fall and God's gracious love in planning to rescue him
even before He created man, because He knew all the future]
"God is Love" (I John); "For God so loved the world that he gave his only
begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have
everlasting life." (John 3:16); "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly
places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the
foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him
in love:" Eph 1:4; "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with
corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received
by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of
a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before
the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave
him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God." (1 Peter 1:18-21)
Chapter II -- The Atoning Work of Christ [The Story of the Crucifixion]
"But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)
The gruesome details of Christ's suffering for us have been so very well
told by others. I will but attempt to describe them here.
He sweat great drops of blood in the garden as He interceded for
mankind and accepted the weight of the whole world's sin.
He was betrayed, denied, and forsaken by those closest to Him. He, the
Messiah of Israel, was so rejected, accused, and hated by many of His own
nation that they insisted that He be crucified, while requesting the release
of a murderer and rabble-rouser in His place.
He was scourged by a "cat of nine tails" -- each of whose nine straps had
sharp pieces of rock, metal, and/or glass tied into them -- until the blood
flowed freely and profusely down His back.
He was mocked while wearing a purple robe and a crown of thorns.
He had garment(s) ripped from His back re-opening the wounds of His
scourging.
He fell beneath the load of the heavy cross so that they had to compel
another to carry it for Him toward Calvary's hill.
His hands (wrists) and feet (with legs in a bent position) were brutally
nailed with great spikes into the rough hewn wood of the cross.
Then the cross was heaved upright and allowed to fall with a thud into the
hole prepared for it.
For the few hours that Jesus suffered there, He had to endure great
excruciating pain every time He tried to get another breath of air. This
was due to the fact that His position on the cross was suffocating Him and
in order to get air He had to push upward with His legs and pull with arms
sending an agonizing surge of pain through His whole body.
But, He suffered of His own free will. He laid down His life for us. He
could have called twelve legions of angels and put an end to the ordeal at
any moment. Yet, He knew that there was no other way to atone for our
sins, to give an opportunity to live forever and escape the eternal tortures
of Hell.
"It is finished!", He cried and bowed His head and died. So it seemed that
the Messiah, the Savior of Israel and of the world had come to an unexpected
and untimely end. If the enemies of God and holiness had only known what
would become of it, "they would not have crucified the Lord of glory". (I
Corinthians 2:8)
Next time I plan to deal with the last three "chapters" of this story:
Chapter III -- The Arising Sun of Righteousness
Chapter IV -- The Ascension of our Intercessor
Chapter V -- The Arrival of the King
Yours In Christ,
Martin Overfield
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