Simple Lessons To Learn From Easter by Pastor Dolapo Lawal: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

Why Did Jesus Die?

Matthew 1:21 — "thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins." The whole of scripture is Christ-centered, and its central theme is salvation: how man fell in Genesis, the promise of restoration to the seed of the woman, that same promise given to Abraham and to David, its manifestation in the Gospels, and its fulfillment beginning in Acts with the outpouring of the Spirit.

It's worth noticing that many people amplify minor themes while relegating the major one. The early church didn't gather chiefly to hear messages about finding a spouse or building a career — 1 and 2 Thessalonians show a church wrestling with far weightier questions, like what happens when believers die before Christ returns. The early church taught people how to die for Him; too often, today's church only teaches people how to live for themselves with His help attached. If you're depressed because you haven't yet seen a spouse or a breakthrough, part of that weight may be because the fuller gospel — the one that says your life is not ultimately about you — hasn't fully landed yet. We are one out of billions; living only for ourselves is a strangely small vision for a life meant to be lived for the eternal God.

He Came to Reveal God as Father

No one had called God "Father" before Jesus. Calling Himself the Son of God was already a radical, even inflammatory claim — but He also called Himself "Son of Man," an even deeper claim. Daniel 7:13-14 — "one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven... and there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him." When Jesus used that title, He was declaring Himself the fulfillment of that very promise.

John 14:9 — "he that hath seen me hath seen the Father." The Greek word behind "seen" there implies more than sight — it means the knower and the known have become one; to know Jesus truly is to know the Father. John 17:3 — "this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." No one else has ever spoken this way about themselves. When Jesus called God "Abba," He was using the most intimate word in that culture — the equivalent of "Dad" — normalizing an intimacy with God that no one had dared claim before Him.

He Came to Show Us How We Ought to Be

On the cross, don't miss that there is both a Savior and an example. Everyone wants the resurrection, but there is crucifixion before resurrection. God loved His own beloved Son enough to let Him walk that road — that is itself part of what it means to follow Him; wanting to be like Jesus means also being willing to walk the road that led to where He ended up.

Forgiveness of Sins Is a Legal Matter, Not an Emotional One

Forgiveness of sins is a legal issue — you cannot simply beg for it; something has to be done about it. A judge doesn't forgive a crime because the guilty party cries convincingly in court — that would make him an unjust judge. Acts 4:12 — there is no other name given among men by which we must be saved. Being a nice, moral, faithful person outside of Christ still leads to the same outcome scripture describes — the point isn't to pamper people into a false comfort, but to be honest about the only way that has actually been provided.

This has always been the pattern, even in the Old Testament. Leviticus 4:20-24 — for sin to be forgiven, an unblemished sin offering had to be presented through a priest. No one in the Old Testament simply begged for forgiveness — something always stood in their place. Once the offering was presented, the priest's attention shifted away from the sinner and onto the offering itself. John 19:6-15 — it was the chief priests who handed Jesus over to be crucified, the same office required in the Old Testament pattern to formally present a sin offering. God is not looking at the sinner — He is looking at Christ, the offering that stands in the sinner's place.

Acts 10:43 — "to him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins." Acts 26:18 — that people "may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith." We are forgiven — not because we cried convincingly, but because of the finished work of Christ.

Discerning True and Counterfeit Spiritual Experiences

Scripture, correctly used, protects you from deception the way it protected Jesus in the wilderness — when the devil quoted "man shall not live by bread alone" out of context to tempt Him to turn stone into bread, Jesus recognized the misapplication because the word was already deposited in Him. You cannot discern spirits by observation alone — even a counterfeit can quote real scripture, and even a spirit of divination can sometimes speak something factually accurate, as with the girl in Acts 16 who correctly identified Paul and his companions as servants of the Most High. What distinguishes true prophecy from divination isn't always the content — it's the source.

A Closing Charge

Be honest about where your own life doesn't match your public confession — it's possible to build an entire spiritual life on borrowed language while your private choices tell a different story. This Easter, commit to being a person of the word and of prayer in practice, not just in profession — receive boldness to do what God has actually called you to do, rather than settling for a diminished version of the life He's offered.