Easter Monday

April 22, 2019 Monday Message

Happy Easter Monday!

Yesterday was Easter or Resurrection Sunday, the day we celebrate Jesus conquering both death and sin through his self-sacrifice, thereby fulfilling God’s plan for our redemption.

While at church, we sing fun songs and shake hands with our friends, and it would be easy to be quite casual about this church-thing. But the way Jesus tells it, this should be serious business.

Jesus taught a little about heaven, but talked about hell 3 times as much. Hell is a torturous place you want to avoid. It’s way too hot and there’s no freedom. But the worst thing about hell is the separation from God.

While there is no Biblical basis for my description, I picture heaven and hell separated by a giant gorge with the people in hell on one side and the people in heaven on the other. The heaven side is bright, people are singing and worshiping joyfully, and all is good. The people in hell are suffering from overwork and from the heat, but most of all suffering because, in my vision, they can see the edge of heaven. The people living with Satan can see all the full-of-joy heaven-folk, and hell is knowing that they can never go there. They are eternally separated from God; that is Hell.

Fortunately, Jesus has taken the sin of the world upon himself, and clothed us in his righteousness. That’s “Assurance of Salvation,” available to all who confess their sins and claim Jesus as their Savior. That’s why we worship Jesus and celebrate his resurrection! See you at church – and in heaven!

Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship meets next Sunday, April 28, 2019 at 10:30AM, 3249 30^th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406. The risen Jesus appears on the road to Emmaus and to the Disciples.