Treasures in Heaven
(Matthew 6:19-20)
19 Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal; 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven , where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal.
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.
John 1:29
Hmmm, Easter is coming, and the first thing that came to mind when you read this was: lots of chocolate eggs! Oh, oh, oh, my mouth is watering just thinking about it!
And the famous egg hunt that Mom does every year, huh! Do you still have your Easter egg hunt at home? This joke is really good, tell me!
But today we're going to talk about the real Easter, the one without eggs or chocolate, but even better, because we celebrate a very special gift we received from Jesus.
Today we want to tell you more about this gift so that you can further understand the true meaning of Easter.
There's no problem with continuing to eat your delicious chocolates. Just be careful not to overdo it, okay?
But, as we were saying, pay close attention to the story we're about to tell. It will help you understand why this date is so important to us, as followers of Jesus. Want to know? Then follow along!
Jesus Died and Rose Again Because He Loves You!
Bible Reference: Genesis 1–3; Matthew 27–28
At the beginning of the Bible, God said that everything was very dark and there was nothing on the earth. Then God created all things, and finally He created man and woman.
Do you think Adam and Eve lived well and happily at that time? Yes, we are sure they did! They lived in a beautiful and perfect place, and every day they had God’s presence with them. Wasn’t that amazing?
They could do many wonderful things in the place where God had put them. There was only one thing they were not allowed to do: eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If they did, they would be expelled from that beautiful place God had created for them.
Everything was going well until one day, the enemy decided to deceive Eve by using a serpent.
The serpent told a great lie and deceived Eve. It told her that she could eat the fruit and nothing bad would happen. It even said that she would become as wise as God.
And isn’t it true that Eve believed those lies and ended up disobeying God?
She ate the forbidden fruit and also gave some to Adam to eat. At that moment, they looked at each other and felt shame and fear. When God came to see them in the afternoon, as He did every day, they hid because of what they had done.
All of this happened because they had sinned for the first time and experienced painful feelings as a result of their mistake. Therefore, everyone born after them was also born with the mark of sin. And worst of all, they were far from God.
But now comes the good news: God’s love is so great that He made a way for us to come back to Him!
He knew we could not change our situation on our own, so Jesus accepted God’s plan and said:
—I know that those who live in sin suffer terrible consequences, so I will take this punishment in their place.
That is why Jesus came into this world. He became a person like us: He was born, He was a child like you, and He lived like any other person. He played with friends, studied, worked, and helped His family. But there was one thing Jesus never did—He never sinned! He was a man like us, but He never stopped being God.
When Jesus grew up, He began doing many good things for people, but many did not recognize the good He was doing and were jealous of Him. So they began spreading lies about Him until He was taken to die on a cross. What a terrible death!
But Jesus was God, remember? Don’t you think He could have stopped those evil men? Of course He could have. But He had to die, because the punishment for sin is death. Jesus suffered and died for you and for all of us. He endured everything because He loves us so much.
He took our place and carried all our sins. What amazing love!
When Jesus died, His friends were very sad… They thought everything was over… But in reality, everything changed, because not even death could defeat the Lord Jesus. After three days, He rose from the dead—He is alive! The cross is empty! The place where His body was laid is empty. He is alive! He is here!
And what is Easter? It's the celebration of Jesus' resurrection! So, even when we eat chocolate, we should always remember this and celebrate the greatest proof of love we have ever received!
When Jesus rose from the dead, He proved that He had conquered death and sin. So, anyone who believes in Him and in what He did on the cross for us can also conquer sin and eternal death if they are close to Him! We no longer need to be tainted by the sin that Adam and Eve committed at the beginning of the world. How wonderful!
What did you learn from the Easter story?
The greatest gift we ever received was that Jesus came into the world to save us. He received a great punishment in our place, but he was never defeated, because the story of Jesus does not end with his death on the cross.
Jesus' great victory and the true meaning of Easter was that He overcame all evil and returned to life to take us to live with Him forever, because one day, He will return!
But will he take everyone to live with him for eternity?
Unfortunately not, because that depends on each person's decision.
All who accept the life of Jesus and acknowledge him as Lord and Savior are free from sin. But whoever does not believe has no salvation.
And what does Jesus ask of us, those who believe in Him?
At Easter and every day, He wants us to remember all He did for us, loving us so much! He still asks us to wait for the day of His return. Wow, this is going to be amazing! Have you thought about it? It will be the greatest joy of our lives to be with Jesus forever!
It is TIME to PRAY
This Easter I want to remember how much my God loves me, that He came into this world in the form of a man to free me from sin and bring me life. Thank you so much, Father! Thank you so much, Jesus! Amen!
