2017-04EngApr

APRIL, 2017 1
THE GOOD NEWS
APRIL, 2017
MONTHLY CHRISTIAN MAGAZINE
Eggs, bunnies, and candy?
Just like other holidays, the
celebration of Easter has come
to include many traditions, decorations,
and fun events which
have nothing to do with the real
meaning of the day. Colouring
and hunting for Easter eggs,
eating candy, and enjoying a big
family dinner are fun things to
do, but the true meaning of
Easter is not found in any of
them.
What is Easter really about?
Easter is the time of year
when Christians remember and
celebrate the death and resurrection
of Jesus Christ. You may
notice that the date of Easter
changes each year. This is because,
historically, the timing of
Easter has been linked with the
Jewish Passover feast, which
was taking place at the time Jesus
died and rose again. In fact,
the Bible links the sacrificial
death of Jesus with that of the
Passover lamb: “Christ our
passover is sacrificed for us” (1
Corinthians 5:7).
Why celebrate someone’s
death?
It might seem strange to
some people that we remember
and even celebrate the death of
Jesus Christ. Why do we do it?
Just like we would honour the
loss of a soldier who died for our
country, or a hero who lost his
life while rescuing someone
dear to us, Christians commemorate
the death of Jesus Christ
because He died for us—He
died to rescue us.
You see, each of us has a
problem called sin. Sin is the Bible’s
word—God’s word—for
everything we do that goes
against what God wants. We all
sin by doing things we shouldn’t
do like lying, stealing, or swearing.
We also sin in other ways,
like having improper thoughts
and attitudes—even by not doing
things we know we should
do (Matthew 5:28; James 4:17).

2 THE GOOD NEWS
What does this have to do
with Jesus? Well, Jesus, the
Son of God, is the only person
who ever lived a perfect life without
any sin. Because He is sinless,
He was perfectly qualified
to become our substitute: “Christ
also hath once suffered for sins,
the just for the unjust, that He
might bring us to God” (1 Peter
3:18). That is the very reason
God sent Jesus here: He came
to open the way of salvation by
bearing “our sins in His own
body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24).
Did Jesus really rise from the
dead?
Yes, He did. The Bible is
very clear on this, and even
gives a list of witnesses who
saw Him alive again. In addition
to the apostles and others who
are named, Jesus appeared to
more than 500 people at one
time (read John chapters 20 and
21; 1 Corinthians 15:1-8). The
fact of Jesus’ resurrection is not
only a demonstration of God’s
power and majesty, it is a proof
that God is satisfied with the
work Jesus did on the cross
when He suffered for our sins.
Because of who He is and
what He has done, Jesus—the
living Saviour—is the only way
to Heaven. He said, “I am the
way, the truth, and the life: no
man cometh unto the Father, but
by Me” (John 14:6).
What does this mean for me?
Do you want to be free from
your sin—free from the burden
and weight of sin which is dragging
you down to Hell? Turn to
Jesus. You need a Saviour who
can stand between you and
God, one who can make peace
with God for you (Romans 5:1).
Jesus died for you and rose
again; He is the saviour you
need!
God’s message to you is
simple: repent and believe (Acts
20:21). Acknowledge that you
are a lost sinner in need of the
Saviour. Reach out by faith and
lay hold of what Jesus has done
for you. He will take away your
sins (1 John 3:5), give you
peace with God, and make you
a new person (2 Corinthians
5:17)! “If thou shalt confess with
thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and
shalt believe in thine heart that
God hath raised Him from the
dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans
10:9).
“Jesus said unto her, I am
the resurrection, and the life: he
that believeth in Me, though he
were dead, yet shall he live”
(John 11:25).

APRIL, 2017 3
So they took Jesus … they crucified Him, and two others with
Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the centre. (John 19:16-18)
On a dark day nearly 2000
years ago, three men died on
three crosses on a hillside near
Jerusalem. You may have heard
about Jesus dying on the centre
cross, but have you ever wondered
why there were three
crosses that day? What about
the other two people?
THE CROSS OF REJECTION
Then one of the criminals who
were hanged blasphemed Him,
saying, “If You are the Christ,
save Yourself and us.” (Luke
23:39)
The first cross held a criminal
who remained hardened in sin.
Even in the final hours of life, this
man showed no remorse for his
actions and blasphemed the
Lord with his words. In this cross
we have a picture of all who reject
the salvation offered by God
through His Son. Just like the unrepentant
thief, we are condemned
to death because of our
sin. The Bible says, “The wages
of sin is death; but the gift of God
is eternal life through Jesus
Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
God sent His own Son, Jesus, to
take the punishment for our sins.
All who reject Jesus Christ will
die in their sins and spend eternity
under God’s judgment in the
Lake of Fire.
THE CROSS OF REPENT-
ANCE
But the other, answering, rebuked
him, saying, “Do you not
even fear God, seeing you are
under the same condemnation?
And we indeed justly, for we receive
the due reward of our
deeds; but this Man has done
nothing wrong.” Then he said to
Jesus, “Lord, remember me
when You come into Your kingdom.”
And Jesus said to him,
“Assuredly, I say to you, today
you will be with Me in Paradise.”
(Luke 23:40-43)
On the second cross we find a
thief who admitted that his actions
were wrong and that he deserved
the punishment he was
receiving. This change of heart
and mind is called repentance,
and is something we all must do.
We must see the error of our
ways and turn to God’s way. Jesus
said, “Except ye repent, ye

4 THE GOOD NEWS
shall all likewise perish” (Luke
13:5). Turning to Jesus in complete
humility, this thief called out
to Him for salvation. Think of the
great faith this required: Jesus
was bleeding and dying right beside
him, yet this poor sinner
trusted his eternal soul to Him.
Because of his repentance and
faith in Jesus Christ, he received
the promise of everlasting life in
Heaven with His Lord.
THE CROSS OF REDEMPTION
And they sang a new song,
saying: “You are worthy to take
the scroll, And to open its seals;
For You were slain, And have redeemed
us to God by Your blood
Out of every tribe and tongue
and people and nation… (Revelation
5:9)
On the third and final cross we
see Jesus, our Redeemer. To redeem
means to buy back. Our
sins are like a debt far greater
than we can pay. Jesus was sinless
and holy, yet chose to take
upon Himself the punishment for
our sin and the death we deserved.
Then, three days later,
He rose triumphantly from the
grave. It is only through His
blood that our sins can be
washed away. He paid the price
for us, so that we can live forever
with Him. The Bible says that we
are “redeemed … with the precious
blood of Christ, as of a
lamb without blemish and without
spot” (1 Peter 1:18,19).
THE CHOICE IS YOURS
Just as we have seen with the
two thieves, there are two responses
to Jesus—and two eternal
destinies. Jesus died on the
cross to redeem you from sin,
and rose from the dead to offer
you eternal life. I pray that you
will see yourself as you really
are—a condemned sinner—and
that you will turn to God, trusting
Jesus Christ as your Saviour.
The choice is yours to make.
Which do you choose today: rejection
or repentance?
“For God so loved the world
that He gave His only begotten
Son, that whoever believes in
Him should not perish but have
everlasting life. He who believes
in Him is not condemned; but he
who does not believe is condemned
already, because he
has not believed in the name of
the only begotten Son of God.”
(John 3:16,18).
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