Sermon Tone Analysis

Alêtheia Christian Fellowship       (Sermon 62, 03-20-05)

*10 *Announcements, Celebration night in 2 days.

Although I’m extremely eager to get going on 1 John, I don’t want to miss the celebration of the most important day in human history.

Today is Easter Sunday, or as I like Resurrection Sunday.

This day has been celebrated as the greatest day in Christianity since the first one nearly 2,000 years ago.

There’s a lot of *misunderstanding* about Christian holidays, so let’s get that straight right now.

First and foremost is the point that God *never wanted religion*, He has always desired a relationship with you as an individual within a community.

When Jesus voluntarily submitted to the Father’s desire He created a path for everyone who would accept into relationship.

This is a *very important point* and I want to make absolutely certain you understand.

*Christianity is not* about being good or going to heaven.

Christianity is not about doing enough to get by or gaining God’s favor for your selfish desires in this life or the next.

In short Christianity is not about religion or even spirituality in the common sense.

Christianity, by definition is about entering into an eternal *relationship* with almighty God by way of *His Plan* and only by way of His Plan.

We can’t tell God how it’s going to be!

 

God has created a *universal path* for all mankind and yet loves us so much He will not force Himself upon anyone.

You choose.

You either want to *fully surrender* to God and enter into a right relationship with Him by way of His program or you continue to do *things your way*.

If you want to go your own way then quit messing around with it!

If you are God, then *step up to the plate and be God!*

* *

*11 *It’s that *black and white*.

John 18:37-38 ~~ Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say /correctly/ that I am a king.

For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth.

Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”

Pilate said~* to Him, “What is truth?”

*12 *Hebrews 10:23-27 ~~

Verse 26 says,* *For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the Truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins

*What is sin?*

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging /one another/; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the Truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,

*What is the result?*

*Verse 27,* but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries.

*13 **You may say*, the Bible is not accurate, or there’s more to it than the Bible message, or there are multiple paths, or if God is really Love then everyone will eventually be saved, or I’ve got time before I have to make the choice or Easter is just a pagan festival hijacked by Christians.

Let’s take them one at a time.

*14 *Romans 1:20 ~~ For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.

2 Corinthians 3:14 ~~ But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ.

It is only when you *turn whole-heartedly* toward the Lord that the veil is lifted.

Now about the holiday….

The controversy between *Polycarp*, the bishop of Smyrna, and *Anicetus*, the bishop of Rome (aslo fought gnostics and wrote against the Montanists[Pentecostals] as well as condemning long hair), that occurred around a.d.

*155* What is more intriguing for us is that Polycarp claimed his practice came to him from the apostle *John*.

In other words, Polycarp essentially argued that the practice of celebrating Jesus' resurrection on Nisan 14 was not so much scriptural as it was *traditional*.

*Irenaeus' letter* records that Polycarp and Anicetus took the Lord's Supper to gether.

It didn't matter to them what season or day it was.

Taking the Lord's Supper together symbolically showed their *unity in Christ*.

There’s good reason to believe the early church got it right and we know that *Sunday was considered* the day of Christian Worship and Fellowship from the very beginning.

Yet genuine Christian Leaders were not going to get wrapped around the axle over days and seasons.

*15 *Galatians 4:10-11 ~~  You observe days and months and seasons and years.

I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored over you in vain.

Paul is *perplexed* at how quickly people go back into the bondage of religiosity and it is because *Relationship is so much harder than religion*.

There is no value in religion though!

If you are religious you are literally wasting your time.

*Figure out who you want to be* and be that person.

Either live for God, surrendered to His plan and in ever increasing relationship or live for you and do it big!

 

*16 *The fifth Christian council in *325*A.D. formalized Palm Sunday the Passion Week and Easter, with special supper and the giving of *alms on Maundy Thursday the Passover* day (Latin for Commandment, in recognition of Jesus’ order to love one another), *Good Friday* the Crucifixion day, The *Great Sabbath* of fasting and vigilance as well as the most common day of Baptism followed by Easter Sunday which I like to call *Resurrection Sunday*.

The Sunday following is called *White Sunday* where those baptized are given membership in the Church.

This council took place in Nikae>a, from nikh~~>, meaning victory like in Nike shoes.

On the coast of Lake Iznik in Northwestern Turkey.

From this synod (Path-Together) we get the *Nicene Creed* formally establishing basic Christian Theology.

Of course even by Augustine’s day the people were not living in accordance with relational Christianity, but were operating out of social and selfish reasons.

According to the Bible the first satanic religion after the Flood was established at the Tower of Babel.

*Nimrod*, the Grandson of Ham, founded Babel, Erech and Akkad.

In what is present-day Iraq in the vicinity of Baghdad.

They were the forerunners of Sumerians and Akkadians His wife was a witch named *Semir-amis* who was the High Priestess of the anti-God cult.

She had a son named *Tammuz* who was a savior-God conceived by a sun-beam but he was killed in the early spring and remained dead for forty days mourned bitterly by his mother she became the conduit through the prayers of the people to her dead son and so she raised him back to life through her love and would forever function as a mediator for the prayers of the people.

Every year people would fast and mourn in remembrance.

She became the Great high mother goddess of dozens of nations, *Ishtar* of the  Akkadians, Philistines and Assyrians, *Aphrodite* of Greece, *Venus* of Rome, *Freya* of the Vikings, *Hathor* of pre-dynastic Egypt and later *Isis*.

etc.

While her son also became her lover and is known by many names also, like, Baal, Osiris, Eros and Satan.

Eventually she was believed to have been born of a sun beam as well.

The Phoenicians called her *Astarte* who was* *from the* Aysha *and it is from this we get the word *Asia* meaning to the *East* and it is also where we get the word East itself.

The moon goddess and Mother Nature.

*Eostre is the Teutonic* Goddess of Spring.

Eggs and rabbits are sacred to Her, as is the full moon.

The Jews knew her as *Astoreth* and Solomon introduced the worship of this idol (1 Kings 11:33).

Jezebel's 400 priests were probably employed in its service (1 Kings 18:19).

It was called the "queen of heaven" (Jer.

44:25) Baal sun God and Ishtar the moon goddess queen of heaven mother and lover of baal.

*Semiramis and Tamuz.*

*Two things about the Passion* of Christ, first He was tortured beyond all human understanding because a perfect being in continuous eternal communion with the Father was now burdened by the sin of the world and His Father turned His back on Him.

Second He could have stopped at any time, He wasn’t paying for His sin, He voluntarily paid for yours.

The Passion week is recorded in all *four Gospels*.

Jesus had been staying at *Bethany* with Lazarus (whom He had raised from the dead) and his two sisters Martha and Mary.

Mary anointed Jesus with a perfume worth a years wages.

*Judas was upset* and Jesus rebuked him.

This rebuke coupled with Jesus’ persistent talk of dying ultimately led him to betray Christ.

On Sunday Jesus, His disciples and a large crowd of people who were with Him at Bethany headed for Jerusalem a short, 1 ½ mile, walk away.

Very soon they arrived at *Bethphage*, on the Mount of Olives just across the *Kidron* Valley East of Jerusalem.

He stopped and sent some disciples ahead to bring an unbroken young donkey that had never before been ridden and the donkey’s mother.

His crowd spread the word among the other pilgrims and before you know it a massive crowd with great *expectation* of the savior arrived.

The valley He crosses is the Judgement valley and is a short distance, a mile or so across.

As Jesus enters the City vast numbers of other people take notice including *Gentiles*.

They are all asking what’s going on and are told by the large crowd accompanying Jesus that the Messiah has come.

Imagine the rejoicing, finally we will be rid of the Romans.

The palm branches were from the *Date Palm* in Greek foini>x, we pronounce it Phoenix.

Remember the Phoenicians?

It’s the same word because the Phoenicians cultivated and *exported the dates*.

The tree grows to 50' and is very useful for many things besides just the dates.

Laying the *fronds on the ground in the Roman* world was a sign of victory and rejoicing.

When the victorious Roman legions would return to Rome the people would honor them in this way.

The Jews had used the branches for similar purposes as they did under *Judas Maccabeus* when he overthrew the Seleucid King, *Antiochus V Eupater*, son of Antiochus Epiphanes and rededicated the second Temple in *165bc.

(Hanukkah).*