Rev. David Holwick K Easter
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
April 16, 2006
Luke 24:9-15
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I. Everyone loves weird religious news.
A. Worker at Lowe's: what do you think of this Judas thing?
1) She also mentioned a book saying Jesus survived the
crucifixion and so didn't rise from the dead.
2) Her take on it was that it's all very interesting, but
a little too far out.
B. Why people are attracted to this stuff.
1) It's interesting. (itching ears)
a) We prefer the new and novel to the traditional.
b) Even though many don't really know the traditional!
2) Poke in the eye at traditional religion, with all its
disappointments.
3) Excuses lower moral standards.
C. Truth trumps weirdness.
1) Weird isn't necessarily false.
2) Many true things are also unusual.
3) Today I ask you to consider what is eternally true.
D. A survey of current popular weirdnesses.
II. Judas Gospel - you've got Jesus' betrayer all wrong.
A. Is he really the hero of the Easter story?
1) The New York Times says the smuggling antiquity dealer who
made it public feels a religious calling to defend Judas.
2) Judas Gospel claims Jesus put Judas up to betraying him.
a) Judas merely did what he was told to do.
b) If anything, Jesus is the one who looks bad.
B. The New Age movement is nothing New.
1) Gospel of Judas has been known for 18 centuries.
a) Church Father Irenaeus described it in AD 180, and
condemned it as heresy.
b) The scroll that was discovered is the only known copy.
2) It is one of many Gnostic documents found in Egypt.
a) Flesh is evil. Spirit is good.
b) Therefore resurrection is stupid. Why would you
want a body forever?
c) The theology of the Gospel of Judas has little in
common with orthodox Christianity.
1> It blends a few Christian ideas in with Eastern
mystery religions.
2> It is alien to the worldview of Jews and Jesus.
C. The secret heresy of the Gospel of Judas.
1) Irenaeus says it was produced by the Cainites.
2) They were a cult who deliberately honored every wicked
character in the Bible so as to promote their own
immoral lifestyle.
a) The Cainites considered the God who created the
world as evil, and Satan as good.
b) Obviously, they would especially glorify the
traitor Judas. #30894
D. Hook, line and sinker.
1) Liberal scholars try to tear apart the New Testament
gospels, yet accept the Judas Gospel at face value.
2) Why? It weakens traditional religion and turns Christian
morality on its head.
3) The Gospel of Judas is especially popular among "progressive"
Christians who think it supports diversity. #30925
a) Four scholars mentioned this word in a news conference.
b) What diversity are they interested in? Theology and
lifestyles.
III. Da Vinci Code - you've got salvation all wrong.
A. Hugely popular book and soon to be a movie.
1) Clint Drymon loaned me a copy, but one of you took it
before I could read it.
2) It has sold more than 40 million copies worldwide.
3) By all accounts it is a good read.
B. Far-out story.
1) The Holy Grail of Medieval fame was not the communion
cup Jesus used at the Last Supper.
2) Instead, it was a veiled reference to Mary Magdalene,
who was the wife of Jesus.
3) They had children, whose descendants became nobles in
France.
4) Leonardo Da Vinci knew the secret and put clues about
it in his famous painting of the Last Supper.
5) The Evil Church has tried to suppress the truth ever
since.
C. Ignorance of the Bible drives this weirdness. #30902
1) Almost all scholars say Brown's ideas are nonsense.
a) Many of the theories originated with occultists
and scam artists.
2) But people don't know the Bible, theology or history.
3) It doesn't really matter, because postmodern people reject
historical truth anyway.
IV. Scientology - you've got mental health all wrong.
A. "South Park" brouhaha over Isaac Hayes (one of the voices).
1) He threatened to quit because the cartoon laughed at
Scientology.
2) Hayes never complained when the cartoon skewered
Christianity and mocked Jesus, which it often did.
B. Tom Cruise is most famous member.
1) This week it was reported his wife converted too.
2) Rich people gravitate to Scientology, for good reason.
3) It focuses on therapy sessions that use a little meter to
help you remove "engrams" - bad thoughts from the past.
a) These sessions cost $1,000 - per hour. #39010
C. Founded by science fiction writer, L. Ron Hubbard.
1) Hubbard said religion was a hoax and it only served to
control people.
2) He then proved it by creating his own religion, Scientology.
V. Mormonism - you've got American history all wrong.
A. Josiah saw their church on the hill and asked about them.
1) 11 million members around the world.
2) One of the richest religions in America.
B. They teach we all came from the planet Kolob. #3928
1) It is a planet at the center of our galaxy - the worst
place to have a planet since a massive black hole is
there.
2) It has a 1,000-day rotation period, but that would make life
impossible since nights would be 100s of degrees below 0.
C. Jesus preached in America shortly after his resurrection.
1) His audience was light-skinned Jews who had sailed to the
New World hundreds of years before.
2) No evidence of these ancient people has ever been found.
D. They wrote their history on gold tablets, hid it on a hill.
1) Then they were wiped out by bad dark-skinned Indians.
2) The gold tablets lay forgotten until the angel Moroni
revealed them to Joseph Smith.
a) Joseph Smith said it was written in Reformed Egyptian.
1> Reformed Egyptian doesn't exist.
2> An example he showed people is actually the Book
of the Dead (his translation was bogus).
b) The language of the Book of Mormon reflects the King
James Bible (1611), including its mistakes.
c) The plot reflects a novel that was written in the early
1800s by Solomon Spalding, years before the gold
tablets were unearthed.
E. Mormons have a very weird theology. #30911
1) God is three separate people.
a) God the Father is physical and you can shake his
hand.
b) Actually, there are millions of gods.
1> This world's god evolved from Adam. (Brigham Young)
2> Good Mormons will evolved into gods as well, and
have their own planet to populate.
2) They say they believe in Jesus, but salvation comes
through their secret Temple ceremonies.
VI. Isn't Easter weird as well?
A. You can make a strong case.
1) The details are bizarre.
a) Man is popular, man is killed and buried, man comes
alive again, man lifts off into heaven.
b) No one sees it happen, contrary theories appear almost
immediately.
c) Even the first witnesses were not considered
credible - by the apostles! Luke 24:11
2) It's not normal for bodies to rise from the dead.
a) Americans certainly don't think so.
A recent Ohio University survey asked people if they
believed that, after they die, their physical body
will be resurrected someday.
Bear in mind that this has been standard Christian
theology for 2,000 years...
But only 36 percent of those interviewed said 'yes'.
And 41% of those who called themselves "born again"
said 'no'!
#30896
Paul says if our bodies are not resurrected, then Jesus
wasn't resurrected either.
It means Christianity has failed.
b) We like heaven better - just like the Gnostics and
ancient pagans.
B. Do we believe it only because we WANT it to be true?
1) Contrary example of early Christian disciples.
a) They were defeated by the crucifixion.
b) They did not expect a resurrection.
2) When the women told the others, their words seemed like
nonsense.
C. Only possible defense - it is true.
1) At least, that is what Jesus proclaimed.
2) The Bible consistently defends it.
3) It is what the early church believed and died for.
4) It is what our church proclaims today.
D. Even more preposterous - it can change you.
1) Easter is not just about Jesus becoming alive.
2) It means YOU can come alive as well.
a) For many people, the ultimate proof of Easter is what
has happened in their own life when they believe.
b) The old-time religion of Jesus rising from the dead
is still just as powerful today.
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SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:
# 3928 "Science Deflating Darwinism, Mormonism, Astronomer Says," by Ken
Walker, Online Christianity Today (America Online), September 26,
1996.
#30894 "Nat'l Geographic & The Gospel of Judas," by Staff Writers, Baptist
Press, http://www.baptistpress.org/, April 10, 2006.
#30896 "Most Don't Believe In Bodily Resurrection For Themselves,"
Preaching Now, www.preaching.com, April 11, 2006.
#30902 "The So-called 'Gospel' of Judas: Unmasking An Ancient
Heresy," by Charles Colson, BreakPoint Commentary,
April 12, 2006.
#30910 "What Scientology Believes," by Tal Davis, http://www.namb.net/~
site/pp.asp?c=9qkiluozeph&b=232957#cults.
#30911 "What Mormonism Believes," by Phil Roberts, President of
Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary,
http://www.namb.net/site/pp.asp?c=9qkiluozeph&b=232957#cults.
#30925 "Christian Mavericks Find Affirmation In Ancient Heresies," by
G. Jeffrey Macdonald, The Christian Science Monitor,
April 14, 2006.
These and 30,000 others are part of the Kerux database that can be
downloaded, absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html
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