Why Easter Matters Study Guide

As believers in Christ, we all would like to say that we trust in God. We would all like to claim that we believe God has our best interests in mind and that obedience to him is the best pathway to finding joy, peace, contentment, and fulfillment in life. But the truth is that we often find ourselves actively resisting the very God in whom we say we trust. Our hearts and our consciences tell us what is right-and what we need to be doing-but for some reason we tend to find ourselves going the other way.

This was true of people even back in the days of first-century Israel when Jesus walked the earth. In this four-session study (DVD/digital downloads sold separately), pastor Andy Stanley explores the lives of some of these individuals and reveals how the story of Easter became real to them when they found themselves caught up in the events of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection.

These characters include figures in the Gospels such as:

• Joseph Caiaphas, the powerful Jewish religious leader, who refused to embrace Jesus as the Messiah because it would have put an end to his influence and control.
• Judas Iscariot, who was more interested in his own personal gain than in truly following after God-and betrayed Jesus to the Jewish authorities as a result of his greed.
• The two criminals on the crosses next to Jesus, who found themselves in their last hours of life just twelve feet away from God-in-the-flesh.
• The disciples and other followers of Jesus, who found their world turned upside down when the one they believed to be the Messiah was first put to death . . . and then rose again.

The stories of these men and women who were present in the greatest story ever known-the story of Easter-give us great insights into our own relationship toward God. They reveal the attitudes of our hearts and compel us to truly consider why Easter matters and the effect it has on our lives.

Sessions include:

• The High Cost of Following Christ (John 12:25)
• The Risk of Surrendering to God (Matthew 19:27)
• The God Who Can Be Trusted (Luke 23:39-41)
• The Foundation of Our Faith (Acts 1:8)

Designed for use with the double disc Who Needs Christmas/Why Easter Matters Video Study (sold separately).

About the Author

Communicator, author, and pastor Andy Stanley founded Atlanta-based North Point Ministries in 1995. Today, NPM consists of six churches in the Atlanta area and a network of more than 70 churches around the globe that collectively serve nearly 118,000 people weekly. As host of Your Move with Andy Stanley, which delivers over seven million messages each month through television and podcasts, and author of more than 20 books, including The New Rules for Love, Sex & Dating; Ask It; How to Be Rich; Deep & Wide; Visioneering; and Next Generation Leader, he is considered one of the most influential pastors in America.

Andy and his wife, Sandra, have three grown children and live near Atlanta.