Where would we be "without" Easter?

Question:  Where would we be "without" Easter?  Meaning, without the “resurrection” of Jesus, would there "be" Christianity?
Answer:  Well, quite simply, there “wouldn’t” be!

Without Jesus, His sacrifice and His rising from the tomb, there'd be no reason to believe in Him as our Lord and Savior, and thus, we wouldn't have "Christianity".  Fortunately, God had a plan all along.

The basis for Christianity can be summarized as the following:  1)  God created man and woman to be with Him.  2)  Man and woman rebelled against God and “sin” was created.  3)  God created an Old Covenant which was basically a set of laws to deal with sin.  But, because it was impossible for men and women to ALWAYS follow these laws, they kept on failing.  4)  God then established a New Covenant by sending His son, Jesus, to deal with sin once and for all.  The only way to accomplish this task was for Jesus to die for our sins (the crucifixion) and then to RISE again from the dead to conquer death (the resurrection).  Through Jesus’ act of sacrifice, both you and I now have a path to salvation, and the life God “originally” intended for us.  For you see, “without” Easter, we’d been destined to fail in God’s eyes, no matter HOW HARD we tried.  So, let me ask you, what are you going to do with this opportunity Jesus has provided through His sacrifice?  Are you going to accept it, and live your life as He’d have you live it?  Or, are you going to deny Him, and “keep” living your life only for yourself?
 
There is only one path to salvation and heaven, Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.  But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”  What’s that small gate?  John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”, John 14:6, “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’.” and Acts 4:12, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”  I think the above verses make it exceedingly clear, if we want to spend eternity with our Heavenly Father, we need accept Jesus into our lives.  Matthew 10: 32-33, “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven.  But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.”  I don’t know about you, but the thought of standing before God, and have Jesus say, “I don’t know him.” makes me weep for whomever may find themselves there.  

But it doesn't stop there, here's the good news!  God does NOT want you to perish!  He is trying to give you time for you to repent and come to Him.  2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”  So, stop living a selfish life, or trying to achieve heaven on your own through doing good works and being a “good” person, as that just won’t be ENOUGH in the end.  Ephesians 2:8-9, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”  If you haven’t yet, let today be THE day you accept Jesus.  On this day when Jesus conquered the grave, acknowledge His sacrifice and let Him into your heart. 

Romans 10: 9-10, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”

Now, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”, (2 Corinthians 5:17).  A life in God’s light is a life worth living now “and” for all eternity.

Thank you Lord Jesus for your gift of salvation.  A gift that was only made possible through your sacrifice, and a gift that is FREELY given if we only “ask”.