The Easter Message

Above picture : Jesus blood never fails me

As believers in Jesus Christ we all know that Easter is a time for the Christian church everywhere to remember the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, but have you ever stopped to ask yourself why did Jesus have to die? Jesus came into this world for the sole purpose of dying for us, to bring you and I and all mankind into a position whereby we could be reconciled with His Father in heaven, have a restored relationship with God. from the day Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden that perfect relationship which man was meant to have with God was interrupted. Sin separated man from God. Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. God had warned Adam that an act of disobedience, eating of the tree of good and evil, brought a penalty of death. Adam and Eve did not die immediately in the physical sense, but something much more horrific happened to them. they had enjoyed a perfect uninterrupted intimate relationship with God in the Garden of Eden, they knew the wonder of close fellowship with their Father God. God talked to them and they talked with Him, they lived in a world without sickness or disease, without pain and everything was perfect, they knew real joy, they knew the love of God in a very real way. Yet they sinned and were banished from Eden, their close intimate relationship with God was no longer, for God cannot look upon sin. God is good all the time, He is without sin. When Adam and Eve sinned they became immediately aware of their nakedness and they tried to cover themselves with fig leaves, but the Lord God here made the first sacrifice for He sacrificed an animal and made Adam and Eve clothing made of animal skins. This provides a picture of God's plan of salvation. A life had to be sacrificed before Adam and Eve could have been clothed with

"coats of sins", there was a substitutionary death. God must always provide adequate covering for man to stand before Him clothed in righteousness. Only in Christ is man ever properly clothed.

E. J. Young, a Hebrew scholar writes, "It would also appear that this act of God in the taking of animal life laid the foundation for animal sacrifice." In this passage we see the pattern for all salvation history. God took a sacrificial animal (probably a lamb), slew it before the eyes of Adam and Eve and wrapped the skins about their naked bodies. No doubt, at that time, God gave them instructions about sacrifice and covering of sins. God laid down an eternal, divine principle from which there is no deviation. Salvation is of grace. The animal was God's gift and not the work of man. The Lord provided the skins to cover Adam and Eve. They did nothing, absolutely nothing to satisfactorily cover themselves. The only sacrifice God will accept will be His work and His gift. "The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them." God did it all! That is the way grace operates. The animal would be an innocent substitute. It was an innocent victim. God could not obtain the skins of the substitute without putting it to death and shedding its blood. The Hebrew word for kithoneth for garments or coats of skins signifies a complete covering from head to foot. The same word is used for the high priestly robe, which covered the whole body. Adam's leaf covering was sufficient only to cover his loins. God's provision was sufficient to cover his whole body.

The coats of skin with which the Lord clothed Adam and Eve represent righteousness provided by Him in which they could stand in His holy presence. These coats of skin are a type of what God provided for us in the imputation of His righteousness through Jesus Christ. Behind those garments, that God made for Adam and Eve has been sacrifice and death. God had probably given instructions of some kind about sacrifice because we see in Genesis chapter 4 how Cain and Abel brought offerings to God. Now we will look at the New Testament Hebrews 11:4 By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. Romans 3:21 -26 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it-the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction:

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. God became a man in the person of Jesus the Son, that He might become the once for all sacrifice for us as He died upon the cross taking the sins of the whole world upon His body on the cross, His blood was shed that our sins might be forgiven. Good works does not get us into heaven. Only coming in faith believing in Jesus and accepting His free gift of salvation freely offered to us can bring about that salvation. In the Old Testament we see how sacrificial lambs were offered as a sacrifice for the sins of the people, Those sacrifices allowed mankind to come into the presence of Almighty God, because blood of an innocent animal was shed to cover their unrighteousness. However, God has a greater plan in the once for all time sacrifice of Jesus the Son of God, shedding His blood so that He who was sinless and spotless might take the sins of all mankind upon His body, for it took the blood of one who was totally righteous to make atonement for our sins. Love, grace and mercy were poured out for us in every drop of blood shed for our sakes. Amazing love ,how can it be that our God could love us as He does. Jesus gave His life for us that we might have the possibility of spending eternity with Him for the grave could not hold Him. Jesus who died rose again and today He is at His Fathers right hand, He has gone to prepare a place for all those who accept Him as Lord of their lives and follow Him, Salvation He offers freely to you today. Ask Him to be your Lord and Saviour. today. Prayer: Lord Jesus thank you for dying for me, I need you in my life, forgive me of all of my sins, change me, help me to live a life that is pleasing to you. I want to know you in an intimate way. Reveal to me your plans for my future and guide my footsteps. Heal me spiritually, physically and financially and Lord I ask you to work in the lives of my family too, may they all come to know you in a real way, not just know about you, Thank you Lord for saving me, thank you Father God for sending Jesus. Holy Spirit come and fill me now. In your precious Name Lord Jesus I pray, AMEN.

SLOVAK AND CZECH OUTREACH (Glasgow) UK Raymond and Irene McGough Tel: 07806968583 discipleofjesus@live.co.uk www.discipleofjesussite.com