“Bring your worthless offerings no longer, Incense is an abomination to Me. New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies— I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly. I hate your new moon festivals and your appointed feasts, They have become a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them. So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; Yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood. “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil, Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless, Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow.”
ISAIAH 1:13-17 NASB
The Easter holiday is upon us once again. This is considered Holy Week since many religious traditions are observed and we commiserate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I grew up in church and Easter is the Sunday most people go to church. It is one of the most heavily attended Sundays and churches prepare for the influx of guests and hope to win people to the Lord, since many non believers will be in attendance. It is the time we get our best outfits and prepare wonderful meals. It is a time for family and friends. It is a time for Easter egg hunts, Easter baskets and even the Easter bunny. Stores advertise candy and many treats for your Easter celebration,
Why is Easter such a big deal to us? Why does this particular holiday draw people to church and even those who have not been to church in a while. If you are reading this and have not attended church in a while or since last Easter, why are you going? Who are you trying to impress? God? Do you think God is impressed with all the pomp and circumstance that surrounds our Easter tradition?
Jesus Christ is our focus during Easter. We celebrate His death and resurrection. He took our sins upon himself and was sacrificed. He was without sin and became a sin offering. Jesus rose again after the third day and we are made alive in Him. In exchange for our sins we are given Jesus’ righteousness. This is why Easter is such a big occasion. It is also a great opportunity to tell others about Jesus, to share the good news of the gospel. So where is the hypocrisy?
As Christians we boast in our righteousness and in our traditions. We esteem ourselves very highly in this season by doing fasts, penance, and making sacrifices. We put on holiness like it is some garment. Yet we do not deal with the sin in our own lives. This is why Jesus died for us. As God states in Isaiah 1 we come to these solemn assemblies or religious gatherings with iniquity in our hearts. Our hands are covered in blood from our sins. We are not concerned about confessing our sins, turning back to God nor repenting of our evil ways.
The Apostle John says if we say we have no sin we are liars and the truth is not in us (1John 1:8). We are to confess our sins, God is faithful to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The reason God is faithful to forgive us, is because what Jesus did. This should be our focus on Easter – to examine our own hearts and confess our sins.
We will attend church on Easter, give God our praise and bring Him an offering. However, most will return to their idols (those things they esteem more than God) and evil ways over the next few weeks. We will lose interest in sharing the gospel or participating in the things of God. No wonder God is tired of our festivities when there is no real repentance and change in our behavior.
The challenge for you this year at Easter is to really understand the work Jesus did, open ourselves up to be examined and turn from our own wicked ways. It is not just about the sin of the one separated from Christ, but also for those of us in Christ to have our hearts searched. It is an opportunity to make a real commitment to Christ and not just give lip service about how we are going to change. God is not looking for our sacrifices. He is not interested in our traditions or festivals. David said it best:
“For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.”
PSALMS 51:16-17 NASB
God is looking for us to turn from evil and seek to do Good. God provided the sacrifice and a promise to make us righteous, we just have to continue to receive His gift of forgiveness by confessing our sins.
Reflections 