The True Meaning Of Easter

Slide 1: The True Meaning of Easter http://walkthewok.wordpress.com All images are copyright their respective owners.

Slide 2: What is Easter? • American Heritage Dictionary – A Christian feast commemorating the Resurrection of Jesus

Slide 3: Jesus’ Resurrection? Great! Let’s celebrate!

Slide 4: http://flickr.com/photos/montanaraven/123244943/

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Slide 11: http://flickr.com/photos/qousqous/129302714/

Slide 12: Ahem… • Bunnies? • Eggs? • Jesus’ Resurrection?

Slide 13: WHERE IS THE RELATION?!?!

Slide 14: http://flickr.com/photos/roome/129423662/ http://flickr.com/photos/awayken/133795725/

Slide 15: http://flickr.com/photos/roome/129423662/ http://flickr.com/photos/awayken/133795725/

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Slide 19: http://flickr.com/photos/kevinsaff/210513856/in/photostream/

Slide 22: http://flickr.com/photos/dervish/451273418/

Slide 23: PLOP!

Slide 24: PLOP!

Slide 25: BUNNIES AND EGGS??? What do they have to do with Easter?

Slide 26: Origins of Easter • Comes from Ishtar, the “Mother goddess” or “Queen of heaven” in Babylon • Other names – Jewish: Ashtaroth, Ashtoreth – Greek: Astarte – Saxons: Eastre, Eostre, Ostara – And many more http://flickr.com/photos/44124324682@N01/320549220/

Slide 27: Bunnies? • Ancient symbol of fertility • Producing babies – Wild: 40 per year – Ideal: 120 per year http://flickr.com/photos/mzwp/131148122//

Slide 28: Eggs? • Represents new life • Mystic egg of Astarte – Gigantic egg fell from heaven – Out popped goddess – Corrupted version of Noah’s ark? http://home.computer.net/~cya/cy00096.html

Slide 29: How did Pagan connect to Christian? • Roman Catholic Church – Pasted “Christian” names over pagan festivals – Tried to attract heathen worshippers

Slide 30: Should we celebrate? • Nothing evil about painting and hunting eggs • What’s important is…

Slide 31: BIG QUESTION

Slide 32: Where’s your _____?

Slide 33: Where’s your bunny?

Slide 34: Where’s your bunny?

Slide 35: Where’s your egg?

Slide 36: Where’s your egg?

Slide 37: Where’s your focus?

Slide 38: http://flickr.com/photos/slambo_42/449670627/

Slide 39: http://flickr.com/photos/patchoulli/129874322/

Slide 40: World’s Largest Easter Egg • In Vegreville, Canada • Egg Width: 25.7 feet • Egg Height: 18.3 feet • Weight: 5,000 pounds • Not laid by bird • Not brought by a bunny

Slide 41: Where’s your focus? • Focus more on Jesus Christ • Egg hunts are just games for fun

Slide 42: Where you should focus • 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 – 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures

Slide 43: The Four Spiritual Laws Why Jesus had to die for You and Me http://www.greatcom.org/english/four.htm

Slide 44: 1) God loves you and has plans for you • Love – John 3:16- 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. • Plans – Jesus said in John 10:10- “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

Slide 45: 2) Humans are sinful and separated from God • Sinful – Romans 3:23- For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God • Separated – Romans 6:23- For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Slide 46: 3) Jesus Christ is God’s only provision for man’s sin • Only – John 14:6- Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Slide 47: 4) We must receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior • We Must Receive Christ "As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name" (John 1:12) • We Receive Christ Through Faith "By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast" (Ephesians 2:8,9). • We Receive Christ by Personal Invitation [Christ speaking] "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him" (Revelation 3:20).

Slide 48: He is risen! His body is no longer here!

Slide 49: Resurrection is Crucial to Christianity • 1 Corinthians 15:17-18 – And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!

Slide 50: Resurrection Rumors THEY ARE ALL FALSE

Slide 51: Rumor 1) Disciples stole the body • Matthew 27:62-64 – 62 On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate – 63 saying, “Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise.’ – 64 Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead.’ So the last deception will be worse than the first.”

Slide 52: Rumor 1) Disciples stole the body http://flickr.com/photos/bickley/131375480/ http://flickr.com/photos/ziarci/181769757/

Slide 53: Rumor 1) Disciples stole the body • The Roman soldiers were the greatest warriors on the planet – Professionals at killing people – Brave • The disciples were fishermen – Professionals at catching fish – Cowards- Fled for their lives when Jesus was arrested • Sealed stone • Disciples snuck underground, attacked Roman soldiers from behind, broke seal, rolled away gigantic stone, and then took Jesus’ body? NO WAY!

Slide 54: Rumor 2) Wrong tomb

Slide 55: Rumor 2) Wrong tomb http://flickr.com/photos/mustardseeds/66335304/

Slide 56: Rumor 2) Wrong tomb http://flickr.com/photos/alttext/300620358/

Slide 57: Rumor 2) Wrong tomb http://flickr.com/photos/jungle_boy/220797443/

Slide 58: Rumor 2) Wrong tomb • Matthew 27:57-61 – 57 Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. – 58 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him. – 59 When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, – 60 and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed. – 61 And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb.

Slide 59: Rumor 2) Wrong tomb • Looked for Jesus in the wrong tomb??? • Joseph of Arimathea was member of Sanhedrin – Group who ruled Jewish community – He had to worship Christ at night so others in group couldn’t see him – Sanhedrin knew • who he was • where his tomb was • Witnesses – Mary Magdalene and other women saw Jesus’ burial

Slide 60: Rumor 3) Jesus did not really die • Beaten till face unrecognizable • Whipped 39 times – Cat of 9 Tails- whips with broken bones and glass shards – Ripped off flesh on back, reality is MUCH worse than shown in “Passion of Christ”! • Crucified – Nails in hands and feet – Did NOT bleed to death – Died by suffocation (some say by traumatic shock) • Spear stuck into side after dead- John 19:33-35 – 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. – 34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. – 35 And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe.

Slide 61: Rumor 3) Jesus did not really die • John 19 – 39 And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. – 40 Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury.

Slide 62: Rumor 4) Disciples hallucinated • People who strongly love lost ones may hallucinate • But cannot touch

Slide 63: Rumor 4) Disciples hallucinated • John 20:25-28 – 25 The other disciples therefore said to [Thomas], “We have seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” – 26 And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” – 27 Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” – 28 And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”

Slide 64: Would you… • Die for something you only thought was true? • Lose your job for something you only thought was true? • Give up your family for something you only thought was true? • To do those things, you should be 100% certain

Slide 65: The disciples believed so strongly in Jesus’ resurrection that they were… 1. Andrew - crucified 2. Bartholomew - flayed to death by whip 3. James, brother of Jesus - thrown over a hundred feet, and then brains dashed out with clubs 4. James, son of Zebedee - beheaded 5. John - put in boiling oil, lived and later died of old age 6. Judas (not Iscariot) - stoned to death 7. Matthew - killed by a sword 8. Peter - crucified upside-down, not worthy to die like Lord 9. Philip - scourged/ flogged and crucified 10. Simon - crucified 11. Thomas - speared to death 12. Matthias - stoned and beheaded 13. Paul- tortured and beheaded

Slide 66: Who is Jesus? • Claimed to be God the Son • John 10:30, “I and the Father are one.” • John 10:33, “We are not stoning you for any of these, replied the Jews, but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God” • John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

Slide 67: The Trilemma Say the following out loud: Who is Jesus to ME?

Slide 68: What is Trilemma? • Wikipedia – Similar to a dilemma… • Problem offering two solutions, neither of which is acceptable – …with three options that a choice must be made between – If the three options they cover all the possibilities and you can't pick more than one, then the trilemma can be resolved by eliminating two of them.

Slide 78: Say it out loud: Who is Jesus to ME? 3 Choices! • 1) Liar • Bad • 2) Lunatic • Mad • 3) Lord • God

Slide 79: 1) Liar • Jesus was not God, and he knew it, but he said so anyway. • Just a… – Moral teacher – Prophet – Good man • If true… – BAD • Liar, hypocrite, and fool

Slide 80: 2) Lunatic • Jesus was not God, but he mistakenly believed that he was. • Not light fantasy, told others eternal destiny depended on Him • Skill, depth, and truth of teachings – Mentally sound • If true… – MAD

Slide 81: 3) Lord • Jesus is God. • He is the Christ, God the Son, as He claimed. • If true… – GOD

Slide 82: Who is Jesus?

Slide 83: Video S M Lockridge- Pastor of Calvary Baptist Church said “THAT’S MY KING!” www.youtube.com/watch?v=yX_7j32zgNw

Slide 84: Who is Jesus? • John 20:31 – but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. • Trilemma – All 3 possible – Only probable choice: Jesus is Lord

Slide 85: Who is Jesus? Say the following out loud: Easter answer: The Lord and Risen King My answer: ____________ (Fill in the blank with your answer)

Slide 86: May God richly bless you as you seek to walk closer to Him! For more resources, check out http://walkthewok.wordpress.com All images are copyright their respective owners.