Easter and the Distortion of Christianity’s Celebrating Resurrection

Covenant of Hope Ministries Sunday Sermon_4_20_2014

Good afternoon, and welcome to this Sunday Sermon for Covenant of Hope Ministries. I am Rev. Laura A. Neff. The ministry knows me as the Rainbow Minister. Find us posted on Sundays and studies on Wednesday. Our locations are online only:

Main Site: http://covenantofhopeministries.blogspot.com/

Rev. Laura’s Other Sites: Facebook & Twitter & Google+ & Blogspot

Our Main Video Feed: Covenant_of_Hope

We have email (instant messenger if you need me) through Facebook every day. These are now extremely variable. We’re still working this out between the two of us as to what will happen, our Elder, Cal Jennings and I. I will inform you further regarding changes. These changes were made due to health reasons. The sermon length has shortened dramatically. We are unsure as to when there might be video presentations.

Prayer List: We have many on our prayer list. Some wish to remain anonymous, and others only wish to have their first names mentioned. Our prayer list has grown from last week. This is our current prayer list for this week.

- Please keep Elder Cal Jennings in your prayers as he is very sick spending most of his week extremely weak and in bed.

- Please pray for my friend Teresa’s sister who is in stage four cancer.

- Please keep our member Wayne Bartosh in prayer for his trials and tribulations that he may receive mercy and hope in Jesus.

- Please keep an elderly couple in your prayers still, they are in their eighties, and the woman just had surgery about two weeks ago. She came out of it well, and is healing. May the Lord bless them and keep the two together, even if just for a little while here on this earth.

- Please keep others known by any of us up in prayer for whatever they might need.

- Please keep my friend Heather in prayer for patience and safe haven.

- Please keep my whole family in prayer for the pain, suffering, and chaos we are going through. My physical being is very weak still. Those who have seen pictures have said so. Thankfully, with a new medication the dizzy spells have lessened. Praise God and Jesus for that.

- Pray that the adversity and the pain we have seen around the world would be relieved, and swept away. May we find common ground in many ways, even if we start with just one step.

- Remember those who have been lost either violently or peacefully this week.

- Pray that I may be able to get in touch with all of our membership, even with the shortest of notes, just to say hello and I’m thinking about each of you.

- Keep the ministry in your thoughts, each member, no matter their location, their circumstances, because a group of friends, a ministry, should support one another.

- There are many in our ministry who are searching for more in regard to our presence with my health, and with the health of others. We pray that there would be health found once more, and that we have answers to all and for all.

- Please keep a friend, Debby, in your prayers for a swift recovery after major cancer surgery.

- Continue your prayers for Phoebe Fair’s family as they continue to grieve her loss.

- Pray that the adversity and the pain we have seen around the world would be relieved, and swept away. May we find common ground in many ways, even if we start with just one step.

- Keep the ministry in your thoughts, each member, no matter their location, their circumstances, because a group of friends, a ministry, should support one another.

- There are many in our ministry who are searching for more in regard to our presence with my health, and with the health of others. We pray that there would be health found once more, and that we have answers to all and for all.

Prayer: Father in heaven, we thank You for this day and for these who are here to share it with us. We are blessed in the resurrection of Your Son, our Savior, Jesus. We thank you for this blessing. We praise the gifts of hope, faith, and love which You have brought. We pray for those who are suffering. We pray for those who are in sorrow. We pray for those we know, and don’t know, that they see the faith, hope, and love of our Savior, Jesus. We pray all of these things in Your Holy Name through Jesus Christ the Savior, and the gift of the Holy Spirit, Amen and so it shall be.

Opening Song: Beautiful Savior  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0CbY2Wpg54

Sermon: This is the day where we celebrate Easter. “He has risen”! Praise be to God for Jesus Christ is risen today! Now we get into the technicalities on the celebration. We have seen the arrest, the conviction, and the crucifixion already. Now we are going to explore the resurrection. This is where it gets interesting. The celebration of Jesus’ Resurrection is one that is seen in many ways as whitewashed from its origins. In fact, there are those who share the fact that some see discrepancies in the various viewpoints of the Resurrection itself in the four gospels. Note this, though, timing is everything. There are the gospels that were written within just a very short time of the Resurrection. Others were written later. There are first person, second, and third involved in each accounting. These points of view can appear to distort the actual events, but no one person would see the events of the Resurrection in identical fashion, even should they be standing side by side. Here we are seeing the resurrection itself.

Matthew 28:2 KJV – And behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.

Mark 16:4-5 KJV – And when they looked, they saw that the stone had been rolled away: for it was very great.

And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a white garment; and they were afrighted.

Luke 24:1-4 KJV – Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.

And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.

And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.

And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:

John 20:1-5 KJV – The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdelene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre.

Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.

Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre.

So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre.

And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in.

John 20:12 -16 KJV – And seeth two angels in white sitting, one at the head, and the other at the feet where the body of Jesus had lain.

And they said unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto him, Because they have taken awat my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.

And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.

Jesus saith unto her, Woman why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.

Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.

Note how all four say something different about the very same moment. In only two other locations during the Resurrection story there would be a quartet of conflicting views, or seemingly so. Here we look at the time, three days before the resurrection at the point where Joseph of Arimathaea enters to ensure that Jesus is properly interred.

Matthew 27:57 KJV – When the evening had come there was a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus’ disciple:

Mark 15:42-46 KJV – And now when the even was come, that is, the day before the sabbath,

Joseph of Arimathaea, an honourable counsellor, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus.

And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead: and called unto him the centurion, he asked whether he had been any while dead.

And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph.

And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre.

Luke 23:50-53 KJV – And, behold, there was a man named Joseph, a counsellor; and he was a good man, and a just:

(The same had not consented to the counsel and deed of them; ) he was of Arimathaea, a city of the Jews: who also himself waited for the kingdom of God.

This man went unto Pilate and begged the body of Jesus. And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never a man had laid.

John 19:38-42 KJV – And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus.

And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pound weight.

Then took they the body of Jesus and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews was to bury.

Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never a man laid.

There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews’ preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand.

Next we go to the guarding of the tomb of Jesus. There is only one mention of this. That is in the Gospel of Matthew.

Matthew 27:62-66 KJV – Now the next day, that followed the day of preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate.

Saying, Sir, we remember that the deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.

Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead; so the last error shall be worse than the first.

Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can.

So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.

There is no mention of the Pharisees coming to Pilate for the stone and the guards at the sepulchre in the gospel of Mark, nor in the gospels of Luke and John. Why this is would be a mystery as yet untold.

There is one last viewpoint. Each of these is outlined in a chart shared below.

This week was spent studying the validity of the accounts of Jesus’ in the Last Supper, arrest, appearance before Pilate, conviction, crucifixion, and resurrection. All of the accounts are similar but different. Also, the various versions share serious differences. Time has distorted the view, no matter which point of view we would share. The easiest method to share this would be through a chart. The problem with that would also be in the various points of view there. Let’s take a look at this one.

This is an article regarding the chronology of the gospels.

Here you will see a chart included on that site. 
http://www.crivoice.org/crucifixiontime.html

Dennis Bratcher, Copyright © 2013, All Rights Reserved CRI / Voice, Institute 

There are other charts and methods to compare the various accounts, including the changes from King James through all the various versions.

This first one is a simple demonstration of the same above, but different at the same time.

http://www.jesuswalk.com/resurrection/2_resurrection-gospels.htm

With these variations, does Christianity share a distorted view of the Resurrection? Has it been ‘whitewashed’? Or, has it been passed down from generation to generation only to be lost in translation? Jesus said once in Scripture that there would be many who would sway the majority from the true path. How do we discern His truth? It is easier than some would believe. In fact, if you trace the different views, and explore each of them you’ll note how differently they treat Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, their descriptions of the lifetime of Jesus, and on further through the New Testament, as well as back long before in the Old Testament too. Some would say it is just the way we speak in comparison to that time period. Others would say we don’t have the ability to translate properly specific words. Why is that? There might be a word in the original language, but in the modern view there is no equal translation. So, what did we do? We translated to the best of our abilities. The translation has changed based on the divisions in Christian faith, as there are many. Kings and others are, or have been involved in the translating of the Scriptures. God wants us to use our ability to discern when it comes to His truth. Yet, time and torment by Satan’s minions have made that more and more difficult. There are even different views of these same Scriptures from the newer texts as compared to ones written, say a century ago. The older you get, even in the same version, you’ll find equally as many changes. So, the next view is a difficult pill to swallow. Has Satan brought his minions to the point of destroying our ability to see truth? Have we simply allowed this? Yes, most likely that is exactly what has happened. Satan doesn’t want us to see the truth, even if he knows what that is. He is a user of that truth in such a way as we can’t tell truth from fallacy, accurate versus rubbish. In our hearts we can learn to discern truth as God and Jesus would share. It is another reason to examine all the versions of Scripture, as the only way to see those from ancient times would be to have lived in those same times. We can only read what was shared in the past and live through those words, His words. As those are the words of Truth. Jesus said once, many would come claiming to be Him.

Matthew 24:5 KJV – For many shall come in my name, saying, I am the Christ; and shall deceive many.

Mark 13:6 KJV – For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

Luke 21:8 KJV – And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived shall come in my name, saying I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.

The Gospel of John would have no mention of these words. Why that is would again be a mystery. The only potential for it would be the distance between the events and the writing of this gospel. If we were to examine everything in Scripture we would find many, many differences, not just in the New Testament, but also in the Old. There more than likely are many reasons. One of those would be that the meaning has gotten lost in some ways. Yet, still, can we see that the resurrection truthfully did occur? Yes, we can indeed. Might we also see that the events happened in a specific order? Yes, that too is true. However, there are discrepancies as to time frames, the people involved, and the events themselves. The one thing we can do is, in a lot of ways, read between the lines. Easter, the resurrection, truly did occur. The trial and crucifixion of Jesus did occur, noted not just in Scripture but in Roman historical documents. It is for these reasons we celebrate, regardless of the day of the week, as Passover is a High Sabbath and can be anywhere, including Sabbath. This year, the Jewish Passover was the fourteenth, which would be six days prior to Easter. The end of Passover is the twenty-second. So, has the meaning, timing, or truth of the death and resurrection of Christ been lost? None of us can truly do more than speculate. Texts get translated from editor to editor, since word of mouth turned to writing so many years ago. In the meanwhile, let us remember the Lord Jesus Christ, as He would wish us to do. Now that’s something to think about as we pray in the prayer Jesus taught us saying: After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. (Matthew 6:9-13 KJV)

Closing Song: Praise Him, Praise Him, Jesus Our Blessed Redeemer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_nIRLD_5gE

~Shalom in the celebration of Easter~

Rev. Laura A. Neff ~ The Rainbow Minister Facebook & Twitter & Google+ & Blogspot

Calvin Jennings ~ Elder Facebook & Twitter & Blogster

Covenant of Hope Ministries

Main Site: http://covenantofhopeministries.blogspot.com/

Scripture Excerpts: The New Open Bible Study Edition:Copyright © 1990: Thomas Nelson Publishers, Inc.

Scripture Excerpts: Holy Bible: Copyright © 1982: E. E. Gaddy and Associates, Inc.

Scripture Excerpts: Holy Bible: Copyright © circa 1890-1910: International Bible Press,The John C. Winston Co.; Philadelphia, PA., USA

Sermon or Study Copyright © 2012 http://covenantofhopeministries.blogspot.com/

Our mission for Covenant of Hope Ministries and Poetic-Expressions is not to exploit fear, but to conquer it, and overcome all that is created through fear together as the rainbow in the darkness.