New Easter Tradition & Excellent Easter Message

Yesterday, instead of hunting for traditional Easter eggs, Judah hunted for Resurrection Eggs. They are 12 plastic eggs numbered 1-12 that each contain a Scripture reference and trinket. By the time all the Scriptures are read, you will have been through the Easter story. It was alot of fun teaching him how to look for the eggs, put them in the carton, and then sit as a family while Judah opened each egg and we remembered what Christ did for us. No boiling, no dye mess, no worry over lost eggs that might rot or eggs being crushed. And a great way to start Easter Day - with the original Easter story! Here is a list of what is in each egg and the reference that goes with it. We may alter the references for ourselves so they will flow better for us as a family. (The ladies made these at Titus Tuesday last year; click on the pics to see detail of what's in the eggs.)

• Egg 1 - , a fake leaf
• Egg 2 - , a piece of cloth sprayed with perfume
• Egg 3 - , a pretzel
• Egg 4 - , a coin
• Egg 5 - , a small cross
• Egg 6 - , a thorny stick
• Egg 7 - , a dice
• Egg 8 - , a nail
• Egg 9 - , a piece of sponge
• Egg 10 - , whole cloves
• Egg 11 - , a stone
• Egg 12 - , EMPTY!

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Jim's message was incredible! He spoke on the 6 marks of true faith. It was very reassuring to my own heart with recent events in my life. It was also superb to receive a concise list describing what true faith looks like. The message was based on Romans 4:16-25 and titled "The Unbelievable Thing About Faith."

INTRODUCTION:

What is the hardest thing to believe? That someone could heal the sick? That someone would die on behalf of another? Or that someone could be raised from the dead? Speaking in practical terms, one of the hardest things for a person to believe is this: that God saves ungodly people through faith alone. Man's pride refuses to accept that human nature is unspeakably wicked, that righteous deeds have no value for buying eternal life, and that no person has the ability to earn salvation. So accepting faith as the only way to approach God is hard to do. It goes against our nature.

Here's the beautiful thing: Jesus healed the sick and died for us and rose again in order to (among other things) prove that faith alone will bring us to salvation in Him. The Apostle Paul speaks of this in Romans 4. By studying his words, we gain great assurance of salvation and a clear understanding of all that faith involves.

DEFINITION of TERMS:

• Justification - legal; we are declared not guilty and righteous through Jesus Christ
• Imputation - financial; we are given the righteousness of Christ when our debt is cancelled by His blood
• Substitution - Christ took our sin and gave us His righteousness

Declared, given, took. All things we can't do for ourselves. God will not allow anything to take away from Christ's glory: works, tradition, heritage, etc.

SIX SIDES of TRUE FAITH:

1. I admit my weakness (4:19) - Abraham knew it was impossible apart from God for he and Sarah to have a baby in their hold age.
2. I seek God's glory, not my own (4:20) - Abraham recognized it was about God and what God was doing, not himself and what he could do.
3. I bank on God's promises (4:20-21) - Abraham believed God's promises and lived his life accordingly though the promises seemed ludicrous, and it was credited to him as righteousness.
4. I depend upon God's power, not my own (4:21) - Abraham took things into his own hands and had a child by Hagar, but no matter how he begged, God reminded him He had chosen the son Sarah would have to be the true heir. Abraham's efforts to procreate only caused problems; but God's effort produced Isaac, the rightful heir. What does your heart depend on?
5. I place my hope in God (4:18) - Though it occasionally wavered, Abraham had hope that God would fulfill His promises. Do you always look ahead to temporal goals or to eternal expectations. If someone asked you what you expect out of life, do you say "Home, car, 3.5 kids, doctorate..." or do you say "To eventually be with Christ and be like Him, eternally worshipping with the saints in heaven..." (Matthew 6:33) Ouch!
6. Do you expect your life to change? - Abraham was uprooted from all he had known to go where he did not know on the basis of future promises...some that he never even saw fulfilled with his own eyes. Trust God with where He will take you. If you put your faith in Him and follow where He leads, your life WILL change. Trust Him with where He will take you, as Catherine trusts Jim when he pushes her wheel chair. She can't see Jim because he is behind her giving the power. He doesn't audibly tell her which way they will turn; he just does it. But she trusts him that he won't let go of her chair, leave her, or let her run into anything. She is fully secure in her daddy's leading and enjoys the ride -- a beautiful picture!