[dwmoeller]

The Utmost Importance

1 Corinthians 15:3-4: “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,”

What is important in your life, and why? We all have priorities. The way we live our lives tells people what our priorities are. Our families are a high priority. We put a great deal of energy and effort into making sure our families are well-cared for. Our jobs are a high priority. We work toward promotions. We strive for recognition and advancement. We put a great deal of effort and energy into our jobs. Now, where does Jesus Christ fit in? Obviously, He must have some degree of importance, or you wouldn’t be reading this. Is the Lord, your worship of Him, and your attention to His Gospel message--is that a high priority? The highest priority? When St. Paul visited the Greek city of Corinth, he proclaimed the resurrection of Christ to them. He recalled his visit when he wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:3, "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance." What Paul proclaimed centuries ago is no less important today. The Easter message is of utmost importance. The Scriptures foretold it. The Apostles witnessed it. Jesus fulfilled it. We are saved by it.

What other solutions are there for our sin? Try harder? Do better? Try to be better than others? None achieves the holiness that God demands. No solution takes away the sins that we have already committed. But Jesus Christ does. The Bible reminds us, "The wages of sin is death." (Romans 6:23). Jesus Christ, who is true God, came to earth to receive the wages of our sins for us and received the sentence for our sins. He endured the punishment for our sin and died for our sins on the cross. Jesus rose again on Easter Sunday guaranteeing eternal life for all who believe.

If Jesus did not rise from the dead, He is a fraud. Either He is risen from the dead or He is not. If He is not, we have no forgiveness from God and are on our way to hell. But Christ truly is risen! Our sins are forgiven! Death has no power over us! We too will rise from our graves to go to heaven! Eternal life is ours--won by Christ and given to us by God’s grace! The Easter message is indeed of the utmost importance.