EASTER

By David J. Riggs

Intro.
   A. All around the world, people consider Easter as a very         
      important holy day in the Christian religion.
   B. The Roman Catholic Church, the Greek Orthodox Church, and
      most protestant denominations observe Easter in commemoration
      of the resurrection of Christ.
   C. Easter is celebrated nowadays with special types of ceremonies,
      with much pomp and display.
      1. It is sad that many people who take part in religious
         ceremonies on Easter Sunday rarely attend services at any
         other time of the year.
      2. Also, it is sad that Easter is becoming more and more
         commercialized - an event for merchants to make money - as
         has been done with Christmas.
   D. In this lesson we want to show why we have no special Easter
      services here at this congregation.

I. FIRST OF ALL, IT IS NOT BECAUSE WE DON'T THINK THE RESURRECTION IS
   IMPORTANT.
   A. It is recorded in the Bible; thus, it is important.
      1. Without the resurrection of Christ, all of Christianity
         becomes vain. 1 Cor. 15:13-21
      2. By the resurrection, Christ is proven to be the Son of God.
         Rom. 1:4
      3. We are saved by His resurrection. Rom. 4:25; 1 Pet. 3:21
      4. His resurrection gives assurance of our resurrection. 1 Cor.
         6:14; 2 Cor. 4:14; Rom. 8:11
      5. The judgment is assured by His resurrection. Acts 17:30-31

II. SECONDLY, IT IS NOT BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT TO HONOR CHRIST.
   A. We honor Him by commemorating His death as He commanded
      us. 1 Cor. 11:22-26
      1. In our weekly observance of the Lord's Supper, we celebrate
         His resurrection.
      2. Verse 26 - Though He died, some day He is coming again;
         thus, He is alive forevermore. Rev. 1:18
   B. We honor Him by assembling every first day of the week, the day
      on which He arose.
      1. Sometimes, when we ask our denominational friends why
         they don't partake of the Lord's Supper every first day of  
         the week as in Acts 20:7, they reply: "When you observe it  
         that often, it loses it special meaning, and becomes a      
         meaningless ritual."
         a. It seems they are indicating that their wisdom is better
            than God's.
      2. Certainly, we need to be on guard so that the Lord's Supper
         does not become a meaningless ritual to us.
      3. As we partake of the Lord's Supper, with gratitude in our
         hearts, we need to visualize Jesus going to the cross in our
         stead.
         a. Because of our sins, we are the ones deserving to die,
            but Jesus took our place.
         b. Thus, through His death we have redemption and the
            hope of eternal life.
         c. His resurrection conquered the bonds of death, made it
            possible for our resurrection, and provided the
            opportunity for us to dwell forever with Him in eternal
            bliss.

III. VERY SIMPLY, WE DO NOT CELEBRATE EASTER BECAUSE IT IS NOT       
   AUTHORIZED BY GOD.
   A. The word "Easter" does appear in the King James Version of the
      New Testament. Acts 12:1-4
      1. This is the only place in the English translation of the    
         Bible that the word "Easter" appears.
      2. This same Greek word is used in Matt. 26:2; Mark 14:1 and
         many others passages and in every instance it is translated,
         "Passover."
      3. The New English versions (NASV, NKJV) have the word
         "Passover" in Acts 12:4.
      4. The context shows that what was being done could not
         correspond to our modern day Easter.
         a. Herod was not celebrating the resurrection of Christ,
            but was trying to please the Jews by persecuting
            Christians.
      5. Albert Barnes, in his commentary of Acts 12:4 says, "There
         never was a more absurd, or unhappy translation than this.
         The original is simply 'after the Passover.' The word Easter
         now denotes the festival observed by many Christians in
         honor of the resurrection of the Savior. But the original   
         has no reference to that, nor is there the slightest        
         evidence that any such festival was observed at the time    
         when this book was written. The translation is not only     
         unhappy, as it does not convey at all the meaning of the    
         original, but because it may contribute to foster an opinion
         that such a festival was observed in the time of the        
         apostles."
      6. The Britannica Encyclopedia (Fourteenth Edition, Vol. II, p.
         859) says, "There is no indication of the observance of the
         Easter festival in the New Testament or in the writings of  
         the apostolic fathers. The sanctity of the special times was
         an idea absent from the minds of the first Christians."
   B. If Easter did not come from the apostles and prophets, where   
      did it come from?
      1. The American People's Encyclopedia, Vol. 7, p. 486 says,
         "Easter" is "derived from Eastra, a teutonic goddess of
         spring," and "many of the popular observances of Easter are
         pagan in origin. Some may be traced to the feast of the
         goddess of Spring, Eastra. The church (Catholic, D.R.)
         endeavored to give Christian significance to such pagan     
         rites as could not be rooted out..."
      2. J.B. Spalding, in his book, History of the Church of God, p.
         407, says, "To convert and civilize her new subjects, she
         descended to their level and employed means in keeping with
         their notions and customs."
      3. Externals of the Catholic Church, p. 205 says, "Instead of
         attempting to repress totally a practice which was misguided
         indeed, but which showed an instinctive reliance on higher
         powers, the Church in many instances took the religious
         customs with which the people were familiar, and made these
         Christian customs."
   C. Many other similar quotes could be given. "Easter" came in the
      time of the dark ages when the Catholic Church adopted a pagan
      ritual and gave it a religious significance.
      1. Thus, the only authority one has for "Easter" is the Roman
         Catholic Church, just like Christmas, instrumental music in
         worship, baptizing infants and many other things.
      2. The denominations have simply adopted Easter from the
         Roman Catholic Church.
   D. Observance of Easter constitutes:
      1. Practicing something without divine authority. 2 John 9;
         Matt. 15:9; Gal. 1:6-9
      2. It is attaching special significance to a day which God has
         not. Gal. 4:10-11; Col. 2:8, 16-23
      3. Remember, our King and Ruler, the Lord Jesus Christ,
         wanted us to observe His death, burial, and resurrection
         every week.
         a. Let us respect His wishes in this matter.
         b. Let us continue to reject and expose all man-made
            religious holidays.

IV. WE ASK, "WHAT ABOUT THE SECULAR ASPECT OF EASTER?"
   A. As in the case with Christmas, there are two aspects regarding 
      the Easter holiday - the secular and the religious.
   B. In many cases the Christian must observe its secular aspects    
      (no work on Good Friday, store closings, school closings, and  
      the like.
   C. As long as Christians places no religious significance on      
      Easter, they may:
      1. Dye, hide, and look for Easter eggs.
      2. Give gifts: chocolate bunnies, baskets of goodies, flowers,
         and the like.
      3. Visit with family and friends.
      4. Wear new clothes.
         a. There is nothing wrong with wearing new clothes to the
            assembly on "Easter" or any other Sunday. It becomes
            wrong when the assembly becomes a fashion show
            rather than a period of worship. When we begin to
            concentrate on how we and others look, it distracts us
            from proper worship.
      5. Remember, in any of these things, if we are doing them
         because it is Easter, because we want to celebrate the
         resurrection of Christ, it becomes wrong.
         a. Paul showed that eating meats which had been offered
            to an idol offered no problem. 1 Cor. 10:25-27
         b. However, when one ate the meat "as a thing offered to
            an idol," it became sin. 1 Cor. 8:7

Concl.
   A. Easter is a man-made holiday, both in the secular and religious
      aspects.
      1. The secular we can take or leave.
      2. However, the religious we must avoid because our soul's
         salvation is dependent on doing exactly as the Lord directs.
         a. Remember Nadab and Abihu who did something which
            was not commanded.
         b. Remember the Scribes and Pharisees who added their
            own traditions.
   B. Let us continue to celebrate and rejoice in the resurrection as
      we partake of the Lord's Supper on every first day of the week 
      as the Lord ordained.
      1. Let us continue to live in preparation for His coming, which
         His resurrection assures.
      2.  May God be with us in our efforts to serve Him in truth and
         sincerity.