The Times of Ignorance, Part 1

In this part of the sermon: Martin uses an imagined survey on Easter Sunday in New York City to illustrate how modern society misunderstands Easter, reducing it to spring, unity, or a viable religion, rather…

An imagined scenario of conducting a street survey in New York City on Easter Sunday to reveal how people misunderstand the true meaning of Easter, reducing it to secular or superficial ideas.

buses into New York City or into some other city in our country where, on this, the so-called Easter Sunday in the church calendar year, multitudes will pile into the streets of the church. And, of course, a crowd of the streets for their various Easter parades. Conducting contests with respect to who has the most bizarre or the most aesthetically pleasing hat to show forth on this so-called Easter Sunday. And each of us had a notebook and were asked to conduct a little informal on the street survey with respect to what people think of Easter.

8:21 - 9:05 Read in full sermon

Driving home: He will judge the world in righteousness.

A quote from Matthew Henry is used to emphasize the infallible truth and incontestable justice of God's judgment, highlighting its finality.

As Matthew Henry said, his knowledge of all men's characters is infallibly true, and therefore his sentence incontestably just. There are no appellate courts. in heaven. You know what the appellate court is? That's the court to which you make an appeal.

23:25 - 23:50 Read in full sermon

The point: you who are tempted to treat this lightly remember He said some things while He was alive that even His disciples couldn't swallow

The story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus is recounted to illustrate the initial unbelief and slowness of heart even among Christ's followers regarding His resurrection, countering the idea of overly enthusiastic believers.

from the prison in which they are held my voice will bring the spirits of just men made perfect from my presence to join their rest and to be resurrected bodies and all mankind shall stand before me before you play loose with that reality you better be willing to go back and prove all of the eyewitnesses wrong who in the midst of their doubts you see it wasn't like there was a bunch of people all hyped up ready to believe something who saw something that could be construed as a resurrected Christ they didn't believe that he would die but he died they didn't believe he'd be raised from the dead...

45:50 - 47:18 Read in full sermon

The point: you who are tempted to treat this lightly remember He said some things while He was alive that even His disciples couldn't swallow

The account of Thomas's demand for physical proof of Christ's resurrection is used to further demonstrate the disciples' initial reluctance to believe, reinforcing the reliability of their eventual testimony.

well there was one among us mighty in word and deed and we had hoped not we hoped we had hoped that it was he who would redeem Israel we thought our Messiah had come and we had hope but now this is the third day since they killed him oh yes some of our crowd said that they went to the tomb and didn't find him there but we don't believe them you see the whole idea you had these overly enthusiastic people who were just ready to believe anything about their guru that's nonsense you had a bunch of fearful unbelieving disciples the Lord had to say to these two oh foolish and slow of heart to believ...

47:18 - 48:48 Read in full sermon

The point: If that day were today, how would you stand in a court where God will deal in perfect righteousness, judge you by the standard of his holy law, where every thought and word and motive, will be brought to light, and anyon…

The analogy of a terminal cancer diagnosis is used to convey the inescapable and sobering reality of God's judgment, which cannot be wished away by positive thinking or platitudes.

My friend, listen. If you sat here with a cancer that the doctors in their combined wisdom said was going to take your life in 30 days, thinking all the positive thoughts you want, wouldn't kill the cancer cells.

58:34 - 58:51 Read in full sermon