The Perfect Plan - Part 1: He Died

Whilst our traditions may be anchored in the same event, how we see Easter will differ. To those who don’t know Christ, it will be about chocolate eggs (or just copious amounts of chocolate), public holidays, and furry Easter animals.

But for those of us who know Him, this week is paramount. First and foremost it’s a time to remember, reflect and rejoice for the ultimate gift; Christ died for us so that we could live.

As a person who thinks in pictures, I invite you to join me on a journey through what Easter means to me.

Easter: Setting the Scene

God in His sovereignty, love and Triune unity, brought everything into existence.

And it was perfect.

Next, in His limitless wisdom and grace, God gifted us with free will. With this we brought sin into the world, thereby severing our relationship with Him. Consequently, God formulated a plan to save all from the devastation wrecked by our sin.

Then in His perfect timing, He executed His plan of salvation and reconciliation. Not just for humanity, but in time, for all of creation.

Because we are each born into sin, there is nothing we can do about restoring our relationship with God. We are all standing in front of an impenetrable curtain, completely impotent and incapable of getting through or to effect change.

Like inanimate objects we are bound, stuck in our sin with no hope of release.

We are all equal in this; we are lost. In fact, we are the definition of hopelessness.

Then God Unleashed His Perfect Plan

1. Christ died for us

If we read the Bible carefully, we get a pretty good idea of what we’re worth. We are likened to:

Dust – useless (Isaiah 40:14-16; Psalm 103:13-16)
Grasshoppers – pestilence (Isaiah 40:22-23)
Grass – weak and short-lived (Psalm 103:13-16)
Adversaries – the enemy (Romans 5:10)

Yet, whilst we were in this state, God chose to look upon us with love. And in doing so, bestowed value (Psalm 8:3-4).

Value is subjective.

In fact, our value is quantified solely by others. And God the Father loved and valued us so much, he gave us His son.

Hope for the Hopeless

Christ came into a world that hated Him, was at war with Him and alienated from Him. He came from the other side of the curtain where He lived and reigned in glory, crossing the barrier to become one with us; the enemy.

Then, with compassion and love, He died for us.

Christ went to the cross and took our place (Holy Sacrifice). We were all present at His trial and crucifixion because it was our sin and shame that led Him there. His voluntary sacrificial death is the only thing that saves us from our hopelessness and gives us not only hope, but a future.

I fear that in becoming a cliché it has lost its magnificence; the blood of Christ has washed us clean of our sin and gives new life to every person who accepts Him.

We now have hope;

Our sin produces death.
His death produces life.

Through the blood of Christ, we have been offered freedom and life (Isaiah 53:5-6).

Help for the Helpless

However, this gift of life will only be realised by those in whom the Holy Spirit moves. We will remain blind to God’s wisdom until the He removes the scales from our eyes and softens our hearts to His love (John 9:39; Acts 9:18).

Without the Holy Spirit moving within us, we cannot understand, see, accept or acknowledge the gift of Christ on the cross; we remain dumb to the wisdom of God (Personal Invitation).

But why does the Holy Spirit move in some and not others?

No other reason but for the grace of God; for we are all equal in our unworthiness. Without the favour of God, we are all grains of dust, without the gift of Christ we are all dead in our sin, and without the work of the Spirit, we are blind to the answer.