Hey Y'all! Happy April Fools Day! I like practical jokes, although you would probably agree with me when I say that I prefer pulling pranks rather than receiving them. I wanted to talk about April Fools Day today particularly because tomorrow is Good Friday. I want to share with you what these two days have in common.
First I want to tell a little story. There is this Tik Tok going around where you "pass out" or fall over "dead" in front of your dog to get their reaction. At first most dogs are confused and then they begin to nudge and jump at their owners. One dog I saw pulled off his owner's scrunchie. They try everything they can to wake you up. Then after you can't hold in the laughter you have at your dog's silly behavior you jump up "alive again" and love on your pup. The dog gets so excited that you are okay and still alive and it makes for a cute video. Everyone watches and says "awwee" and moves on through their feed. I want to tell you about a King who really died and really rose again. It was no joke.
Once there was a King who was born in a place far from a castle. He was born in a small barn in a small town where people were gathering for a government called census. He lived with his mother and adoptive father who worked in carpentry. He grew up poor and far from the royal life but he was the very definition of perfect for the job. He learned a lot from his mother who insured that he would be the true heir of the royal line of his Father. When he grew to be an adult he began his role as King. The people that he ruled were in a horrific state of turmoil and captivity of an evil warlord who wished death and suffering upon all the people of the land. But the good King served his people with love and compassion and he had the true heart of a kind Ruler. He gave mercy to the merciless and had kindness towards the most ruthless of men.
Some of the people who had some influence in the kingdom did not believe that He was the true King because he did not look like what they expected, so they plotted to kill him. By this time because of the King's kindness and good deeds to the people he had gained a counsel of twelve brave men to follow him and learn from his actions. The King caught wind that some people wanted to kill him and that the evil warlord was the author of this scheme. He went to his Father and asked about what he should do. He was tired of the evil warlord oppressing the people and making threats against his Kingdom. His Father told him the only way he could defeat the warlord and free the people was to die for them. The King was distraught because he did not want to suffer, but he loved his people so much he agreed to die for them.
So the King went before the influencers who were controlled by the warlord and offered his life to them. They had to go by the law and give him a fair trial at least. They tried to convict the good King of doing wrong but, he was innocent (he was a good King after all). Even one of his brave councilmen betrayed him. But they sentenced him to death anyway. His Father watched as all the people beat and tortured him. They pulled out his beard and spit in his face. They whipped him mercilessly with a whip that had shards of glass, stone, metal, and bones braided into the chords, and tore through his skin like a rake on soft turf. He was bloody and bruised. When they had finished beating him he could not be recognized as the good King the people loved. They mocked him and put a crown on his head, but not of gold. It was of long, sharp thorns that had been woven together to fashion a crown.
Once the crown had been placed they handed him a cross that as made of heavy wood. They forced him to carry it through the streets and up a hill. They took long nails of metal and nailed the good King to the cross where he would hang and die for all to see. He looked to his father and asked him to forgive the acts of the people for they did not realize they were oppressed by the evil warlord. The good King's last words were "It is Finished". He had finished his task of dying for the people, and his twelve brave followers scattered. The unfaithful councilman felt so bad that he took his own life.
The people who followed the good King were confused. Why would he just leave them like that? This had to be a joke. The people mourned the death of their good King for three days. Then an amazing thing happened! The good King had so much power that he rose from the dead and the evil warlord was defeated, and the people were freed from their oppression. The good King took control of his Kingdom and the people praised his goodness. Each one who wanted to be a part of his kingdom signed their name in a book called Life because they could truly live now that the evil warlord of death and suffering was defeated. And they lived happily ever after.
The story above is not a fairy tale. It's not a joke. There is no punch line. This is a true story. You can find it in the first four books of the New Testament in the Bible. I gave a dramatized version. God sent His only Son to earth to die for us because we were held captive by sin and Satan. We are still held captive by him and the desire to sin. Sin is anything that goes against God's word. We do it everyday. But God's son Jesus loved us so much that in His perfection and sinlessness he came and died and rose again so that we could be free and live. But we have to accept His sacrifice and write our names in His book of life so to speak. The Bible says as follows:
John 3:16-18
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
As Christians we celebrate tomorrow and the rest of this Easter weekend to remember that Jesus died for our sins when we deserved that punishment. He died because he loves us. He rose again on the third day to conquer sin, death, and Satan completely. They have no power here. Jesus claimed the kingdom and we wrote our names in His book of life by accepting His sacrifice so that when we die we will be with Him in Heaven. He wasn't like that prank at the beginning of this post. He really died and he really rose again.
This is real stuff it's no joke! If you want to accept Jesus as your savior and Good King, all you have to do is pray and tell God you know that you are a sinner. Then ask Him to forgive you of your sins and believe in your heart that he loves you, died, and rose again to defeat sin and death for you. Then you have to tell someone that you have accepted Him into your life. If you don't go to church I suggest you find one and tell the pastor. He can help you from there. If you think this seems too easy and it must be a prank, I can assure you this is the most sure thing of all the things you will hear for the rest of your life. If you do not accept this gift of life, when you die you will spend eternity in Hell with Satan and his demons in eternal pain, suffering, death, and torment. There is no punch line just a lifeline and Jesus is on the other end. Will you grab hold of it?