Dear Friend,
As we turn the corner from winter to spring, we begin to look forward to spending time in the garden. The Bible story begins in a garden and in the closing scenes of the book of Revelation, John describes the new earth coming down from heaven as a garden in which the tree of life stands. In Genesis, we see the Garden of Eden turned into a desert because of sin and in Revelation that desert is turned back into a garden.
At the heart of the story we discover Jesus in a garden:
“And they went to a place called Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, ‘Sit here while I pray.’ . . . And he said to them, ‘My soul is very sorrowful, even to death.’ . . . And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, ‘Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will” (Mark 14:32-37).
A few years ago, I enjoyed the privilege of speaking at a conference at the Second Presbyterian Church in Memphis, Tennessee, along with my friend Sinclair Ferguson. I can recall sitting quite spellbound as he explained how Adam, confronted by the forbidden tree and the command, “Do not eat the fruit!,” wanted to eat. He disobeyed and the result was death. Then in contrast, how Jesus, as the second Adam, faced the accursed tree and the command to drink the cup of suffering. Jesus did not want to drink, but obeyed, and the result is life. Jesus took the divine curse and was desolated and alienated in our place.
We should keep this in mind this Easter when we sing the words from the hymn by Philip Bliss, “Man of Sorrows:”
“In my place condemned He stood;
Sealed my pardon with His blood.
Hallelujah! What a Savior!”
“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God…” (1 Peter 3:18)
This is the Good News that we proclaim every day on Truth For Life. That we are able to do so with increasing effectiveness is under God and on account of your faithful prayers and partnership. Thank you for joining with us to reach as many people as possible with the life-changing message of the Gospel.
May the reality of the resurrection grip our hearts afresh.
More Resources About Easter and the Resurrection of Jesus
- 7-part Easter video series from Alistair beginning with "Pilate Asks a Crucial Question: Who is Jesus? (1 of 7)"
- Desktop and phone wallpaper, "The Promise Fulfill'd: Wallpaper" by Spurgeon
- New sermon series "What Now? Living In Light of the Risen Christ" by Alistair Begg
- Sermon "He Has Risen!" by Alistair Begg
- Easter 2017 Video: "It Is I Myself" By Alistair Begg ― If Jesus walked among us today, would we recognize Him?
- Sermons on Christ's Resurrection ― 5 sermons to listen to concerning Jesus' resurrection
- The Essence of Easter ― Alistair discusses the difficulty in today's culture to determine the meaning behind Easter
- Sermon, "Reactions to the Resurrection"