It was Friday; it was Friday and Jesus was dead on the cross.But that was Friday, and Sunday’s coming.It was Friday and Mary was crying her eyes out.The disciples were running in every direction, like sheep without a shepherd.But that was Friday, and Sunday’s coming!It was Friday and Jesus was arrested, mocked, and spit upon.The temple guards put a blindfold on Him and took turns beating Him with their fists.The blood was pouring from his nose and mouth.But that was Friday, and Sunday’s coming!It was Friday, and Jesus was tied to a Roman scourging post.39 times his back was streaked with a whip of nine strands embedded with metal shards which tore his skin, flesh, and muscle.But that was Friday, and Sunday’s coming!It was Friday, and Jesus was standing there, blood pouring from his body, wincing in pain, listening to the crowd who hailed Him as their king less than a week ago, now shouting “Crucify Him!”But that was Friday, and Sunday’s coming.

It was Friday, and Jesus was being led through the streets of Jerusalem with a cross on his back, walking right past people He had healed, who were now looking away, denying Him.But that was Friday, and Sunday’s coming!It was Friday, and the Son of God was stripped naked and nailed to the cross, with every breath pushing up on those spikes in his feet, pulling up on those spikes in his hands, scraping his shredded back on the rough cross, as people laughed at Him and mocked Him.With the weight of the world’s sins crushing Him, and the wrath of his Heavenly Father coming down on Him, forsaking Him, Jesus struggled for one more breath to declare “It is finished.”Then He hung his head and died.The sky was black. The earth shook.But that was Friday, and Sunday’s coming!

It was Friday, and the cynics were looking at the world and saying, “You can’t change anything in this world.You are born, you die, and life drags in between.”But those cynics didn’t know that it was only Friday. Sunday’s coming!It was Friday, and Satan was telling Jesus, “You can’t change anything.You can’t help these people, and besides, these people aren’t worth helping.”But Satan didn’t know that it was only Friday, and Sunday’s coming!It was Friday, and on Friday, Pilate thought he had washed his hands of a lot of trouble.The Pharisees were strutting around, laughing, and poking each other in the ribs.They thought they were back in charge of things, but they didn’t know that it was only Friday!And Sunday’s coming!

It was Friday, and our Savior was dead.Being punished for our sins.Our hope was gone.Our joy was gone.Our guilt remained, as long as Jesus remained dead, because He is still being punished for our sins.As long as death prevails over Him, we have no victory over death ourselves.We have no relationship with God.No forgiveness.No life.No hope.But that was Friday, and Sunday’s coming!…Today is Sunday!Sunday came, my friends!And on Sunday, something happened that changed everything.Jesus came back to life!Easter changes everything for you!Do You Believe in Easter?

Before Friday came, Jesus made a prediction.Read text.The week before, He told his disciples, “On Friday, I am going to be betrayed, condemned, mocked, flogged, and crucified.But that is Friday, and Sunday’s coming!On the third day I will be raised to life!Now there is a prediction!People make predictions all the time, and many times they come true.But no one ever made a prediction like this and had it come true!Until now.Sunday came and Jesus rose!1 Corinthians 15 says “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.”

Besides being a story with a good ending, what does this mean for you and me?It means that all the payments for our sins have been made.It means all of our guilt has been removed.It means that even though each of us have miserably failed in pleasing God with our lives, He transferred the perfect life of Jesus to our accounts.Yes, He sees us as perfect.And it also means that our life will never be over.We get to celebrate Easter forever.Easter is the absolute guarantee that all these promises are true!That you are forgiven.That love triumphed over hate, life over death, and joy over guilt!Without Easter, none of this is true.With Easter, all of it is!

Do you have trouble believing in Easter?J.P. Moreland, a noted psychologist said, “When Jesus was crucified, his followers were discouraged and depressed.So they dispersed.The Jesus movement was all but stopped in its tracks.Then, after a short period of time, we see them abandoning their occupations, re-gathering, and committing themselves to spreading a very specific message – that Jesus Christ was the Messiah who died on a cross, returned to life, and was seen alive by them.And they were willing to spend the rest of their lives proclaiming this, without any payoff from a human point of view.They faced a life of hardship, often went without food, slept exposed to the elements, were ridiculed, beaten, imprisoned.Finally, most of them were executed in torturous ways. For what? For good intentions? No, because they were convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that they had seen Jesus Christ alive from the dead.”

Yes, people will die for their religious convictions if they sincerely believe they are true.Religious fanatics have done that throughout history.However, while they strongly believe in what their religion says, they don’t know for a fact whether their faith is based on the truth.They simply cannot know for sure.They can only believe.On the other hand, the disciples were in the unique position to know for a fact whether Jesus had returned from the dead!They saw Him, touched Him, and ate with Him!They knew He wasn’t a hallucination or a legend.And knowing the truth, they were willing to die for Him!They didn’t merely believe in Easter, they knew it was a fact.If they knew it was a lie, they never would have sacrificed their lives for it.

This is a great insight.But finally, the only thing that will lead you to believe in Easter is the Easter message itself:“He is risen!”We hear that message in the Word of God.We also see it displayed in the lives of people who have been changed by believing it.Jesus’ first prediction came true:He rose to life!He also made another prediction: “For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.”We will rise again!Because his first prediction came true, we can count on his second one coming true.Do You Believe in Easter?

Edith Burns did.Edith Burns was a God-fearing woman from San Antonio, Texas. She was the patient of a doctor by the name of Will Phillips. His favorite patient. One morning he went to his office with a heavy heart, because of Edith Burns. When he walked into that waiting room, there sat Edith with her big black Bible in her lap earnestly talking to a young mother sitting beside her. Edith Burns had a habit of introducing herself in this way: "Hello, my name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?" Then she would explain the meaning of Easter, and many times people would be brought to faith in Christ.

After being called back in the doctor’s office, Edith sat down and when she took a look at the doctor she said, "Dr. Will, why are you so sad? Are you reading your Bible? Are you praying?" With a heavy heart Dr. Phillips said, "Your lab report came back and it says you have cancer, and Edith, you’re not going to live very long." Edith said, "Why Will Phillips, shame on you. Why are you so sad? Do you think God makes mistakes? You have just told me I’m going to see my precious Lord Jesus, my husband, and my friends. You have just told me that I am going to celebrate Easter forever, and here you are having difficulty giving me my ticket!”

After Christmas, Edith had to move into the hospital.She called Dr. Phillips and said, "Will, I’m very near home, so would you make sure that they put women in here next to me in my room who need to know about Easter?" Well, he did just that and women began to come in and share that room with Edith. She got to give her introduction many times: "Hello, my name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?" And many women came to know Jesus. Everybody on that floor from staff to patients were so excited about Edith, that they started calling her Edith Easter; that is everyone except Phyllis Cross, the head nurse.

Phyllis made it plain that she wanted nothing to do with Edith because she "was a religious nut." Phyllis had been a nurse in an army hospital. She had seen it all and heard it all. She had been married three times, was hard, cold, and cynical. One morning Edith’s nurse was sick. Edith had the flu and Phyllis Cross had to go in and give her a shot. When she walked in, Edith had a big smile on her face and said, "Phyllis, God loves you and I love you, and I have been praying for you." Phyllis Cross said, "Well, you can quit praying for me, it won’t work. I’m not interested." Edith said, "Well, I will pray and I have asked God not to let me go home until you come into the family." Phyllis Cross said, "Then you will never die because that will never happen," and walked out of the room. Every day Phyllis Cross would walk into the room and Edith would say, "God loves you Phyllis and I love you, and I’m praying for you."

One day Phyllis Cross was literally drawn to Edith’s room. She sat down on the bed and Edith said, "I’m so glad you have come, because God told me that today is your special day. Phyllis Cross said, "Edith, you have asked everybody here the question, ’Do you believe in Easter?’ but you have never asked me." Edith said, "Phyllis, I wanted to many times, but God told me to wait until you asked, and now you have asked." Edith Burns took her Bible and shared with Phyllis Cross the Easter story of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. Edith said, "Phyllis, do you believe in Easter? Do you believe that Jesus is alive and that He wants to live in your heart?" Phyllis said, "I want to believe that with all of my heart, and I do want Jesus in my life." The Holy Spirit brought Phyllis Cross to faith in Jesus as her Savior. And joy filled her life!

Two days later, Phyllis Cross came in and Edith said, "Do you know what day it is?" Phyllis said, "Why Edith, it’s Good Friday." Edith said, "Oh, no, for you every day is Easter. Happy Easter, Phyllis!" Two days later, on Easter Sunday, Phyllis Cross came into work, did some of her duties and then went down to the flower shop and got some Easter lilies because she wanted to go up to see Edith and give her some Easter lilies and wish her a Happy Easter. When she walked into Edith’s room, Edith was in bed. That big black Bible was on her lap. Her hands were in that Bible. There was a sweet smile on her face. When Phyllis Cross went to pick up Edith’s hand, she realized Edith was dead. Her left hand was on John 14:2-3 "In my Father’s house are many mansions. I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also." Her right hand was on Revelation 21:4, " And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, there shall be no more death nor sorrow, nor crying; and there shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." Phyllis Cross took one look at that dead body, and then lifted her face toward heaven, and with tears streaming down here cheeks, said, "Happy Easter, Edith - Happy Easter!" Phyllis left Edith’s body, walked out of the room, and over to a table where two student nurses were sitting. She said, "My name is Phyllis Cross. Do you believe in Easter?"

My name is Joel Schulz.Do you believe in Easter? It was Friday, and I was afraid of dying because I knew that my sins and guilt would separate me from God forever.I was frightened because death was the end for me.But that was Friday, and Sunday’s coming!Now I am no longer afraid because Easter came!Do you believe in Easter?Amen.

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