4/17/22 - Easter - Oh, Happy Day! - Pastor Jason Fritz

He is Risen!!!

The single most important event in human history is the resurrection of Jesus Christ and here’s a few reasons why…

1. Jesus’ resurrection means that all who believe in him will also be resurrected to eternal life.

2. It proves Jesus is to be trusted and believed.

3. It demonstrates God’s love in rescuing us from sin's penalty of death.

4. The empty tomb gives us hope!
 
Humans need to have hopes and dreams and when they are taken from us we are reduced to nothing. Viktor Frankl was a holocaust survivor and psychologist. As a result of his experiences he wrote a fascinating and insightful book called, “Man’s Search For Meaning.” He was captured by Nazis and transported to different camps. Of his family, only he and his sister survived after two and a half years. In the book, Viktor tells his story and what he learned from it. He focused on how people dealt with the horror of being in the camp. Concentration camps mean that people are forced into concentrated losses. Most people experience loss over the course of time, but in the camp you lose everything immediately - your job, home, health, family.  Some believed they would never leave and they became like zombies. They gave up until their bodies died. Others were certain they would be freed in six months or less. But with each passing month they lost hope. So who were those who survived over the years? The common denominator of survivors were those who had kept hope. They were able to find a way to see current events as having a greater end or purpose.
 
God’s purpose and plan for the world turned out to be extraordinary. The future of the universe and humanity is now redefined. The resurrection is not just a historical event. It gives you present hope for today and eternal hope for the future. This changes your whole outlook on life. You are a new kind of human. You have a new perspective. You see the world in a different way and you are changed. The resurrection reminds us that there is more to come. There is a city that awaits us and it is indescribably beautiful and without sin and best of all in the presence of God who supplies its’ light.
 
The world needs this hope doesn't it? We wake up and we see division, war and violence and trauma. Jesus came to heal all of that but it requires belief on our part. It’s easy to believe in someone who demonstrated his love to the extreme. So let’s celebrate together and remember: hopelessness went out with the resurrection!