February 4, 2007

What They Believe: Baha’i

1 Corinthians 15:1-8

Opening Words: In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis wrote, “Theology is practical: especially now...If you do not learn theology, that will not mean that you have no ideas about God. It will mean that you have a lot of wrong ones.” Perhaps, that quote is for our age? Our theology is extremely poor. The Biblical standard has been replaced by personal opinions and ideas. The end result is we live in a time of spiritual impotency. People who look sincere can tell us anything and we believe it. Why? Because, we just don’t know any better. We don’t even know what we believe. I believe that is why cults are growing in our area and I have grown tired of it. The time has come to do something before one more soul is lost. But, what can be done?

We are in the middle of a sermon series I have called What They Believe. We are looking at five different cults that exist with the Mahoning Valley. To date we have look at the Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Seventh-Day Adventist. Next week we look at the Christian Scientists. Today, we look at the Baha’i movement. Do you know any members of the Baha’i movement? Some are very nice and sincere. They have some admirable treats. Their problem is not their behavior. Their problem is their theology. It is flawed. This morning’s scripture lesson exposes their theological imperfection. Let us look at I Corinthians 15:1-8.

1 Corinthians 15:1-8 ¹Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. ²By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

³For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ⁴that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, ⁵and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. ⁶After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. ⁷Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, ⁸and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

I love the story of the family who was vacationing in Israel. They were having a great time when tragedy suddenly struck. The wife’s mother suddenly died. The deceased son-in-law took over the arrangements. It was a hard time so the local Israeli funeral director tried to help. The Israeli funeral director explained to the son-in-law his mother-in-law could be sent back to the United States, at a cost of $10,000, or she can be buried in Israel for just $200. The son-in-law quickly decided to have his mother-in-law shipped home. The Israeli funeral director was confused. He said, "yes, sir, but are you sure? It is very expensive, $10,000 verses $200? The son-in-law said, “I know but 2000 years ago they buried a guy here and three days later he rose from the dead. This is my mother-in-law and I am not talking any chances!”

I tell you that story for one reason. Once you have accepted the power of the resurrection your perspective on everything changes. The resurrection is powerful! The resurrection is the one thing that separates us from everyone else. In the life of the church we can disagree about everything and we usually do! But we can not disagree about the resurrection of Jesus. We can disagree about worship style. Do you like traditional or contemporary? Do you like hymnals or the big screen? We can disagree about music style. Do you the organ or a guitar? We can disagree about policies and procedures. What is the fair amount to charge a non-church member to rent the fellowship hall? Should a church member put down a security deposit to borrow the tables and chairs? We can disagree about our denomination. Do you like the itinerate system or a call system better? We can disagree about how to serve communion. Do you like dipping the little piece of bread into the cup of juice or do you like the little cups of juice in the pews? We can disagree about those things and it really doesn’t matter. However, what we can not disagree about is the resurrection of Jesus. Let me say this clearly. If you are here this morning and you do not believe in the resurrection of Jesus then you are a spiritual fraud. The resurrection is the one thing that separates us from everyone else. The resurrection is one of the things that make us different from the Baha’i faith.

Today, we look at the Baha’i faith. Do you know anyone who is a member of the Baha’i faith? They are good people. They have a good heart. They are intelligent people. Their story is interesting. Their teachings go back to a sectarian movement of Shia Islam called the Baha’i movement. The core teaching of the group was that the world was waiting for a messianic figure at the end time called the Mahdi. In 1844 a Muslim by the Siyyid Ali Muhammad (1819-1850) claimed to be this figure. He gave himself the title the “Bab,” or gate to God. He was executed in 1850 for his proclamation but his teachings continued through his students. Like their teacher they also suffered persecution. One of his persecuted students was a man by the name of Mirza Husayn ‘Ali Nuri. He is now known in history as Baha’u’llah,’ or the glory of God. He expanded on his teacher’s lessons and is considered to be the founder of the Baha’i faith. His teachings are still the core values of the Baha’i faith.

He taught them six basic lessons. They are not all bad. Some are good. Some are misleading.

1. Baha’u’llah taught them all religions are one. He saw the moral values that run through all religions as the common denominator. There is a moral theme that runs through Christianity. However, Christianity is more then a collection of moral teachings.

2. Baha’u’llah taught them religion must conform to science and reason. In other words, their faith is in a constant state of flux. Christianity believes God is the same yesterday, today and always. The very heart of the Christian faith is the resurrection of Jesus, a miracle.

3. Baha’u’llah taught them all humans are one. Christianity teaches that God does not play favorites. God loves us as much as our enemies.

4. Baha’u’llah taught them the he was the manifestation of God for the present age. In the past God showed himself to us through Moses, Krishna, Buddha, Muhammad, Jesus and Bab. Christianity teaches that Jesus was not just a manifestation of God. We believe Jesus was God, incarnate. God, himself, took a human form and entered this world once.

5. Baha’u’llah taught them women and men are equal. These were shocking words to Middle Eastern ears, especially in the mid nineteenth century. Christianity teaches that both sons and daughter will prophesy.

6. Baha’u’llah taught them there should be one universal language. Would anyone here like to tackle that project?

Baha’u’llah taught them these things and the people responded. People are still responding to these teachings. They are the youngest of the world religions. According to their website, Bahai.org, there is more then five million Baha’i in the world. Their closest place of worship to this building is at 71 Poland Manor, Poland. Their second closest place of worship to this building is in Southington in Trumbull County. Let me say it again. People of the Baha’i faith are good people. They are intelligent people. They have a good heart. Their problem is not their behavior. It is their theology.

What is my response to the Baha’i faith? I Corinthians 15 it says the resurrection is a not extra to our faith. The resurrection is the very heart of our faith. The resurrection is our faith. Without the resurrection nothing is possible but with the resurrection nothing is impossible. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!” If you break this morning’s text down that is exactly what it says. Verse three says Jesus died for our sins. Verse four says Jesus was buried in a tomb but three days later he walked out. Verses five through eight give us a list of eyewitnesses to the resurrected Jesus. Paul wanted to erase all doubt. Jesus was a live and well. He knew the power of the resurrection. The early church knew the power of the resurrection. That is why from the very beginning the church worshipped on Sunday and not on Saturday. We come on Sunday because every Sunday morning is a little Easter, the resurrection day. The resurrection changed everything! Once you have accepted the power of the resurrection your perspective on everything changes. The resurrection is powerful! Consider three things.

HOPE

First, without the resurrection there would be no hope. Hebrews 10:23 says, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” If you believe in the miracle of the resurrection, you have hope for a better tomorrow. If God has the power to defeat death, then God has the power to help you with your problem. Because of the resurrection we have hope. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”

GRACE

Second, without the resurrection there would be no grace. In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul writes: “For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not be without effect.” Paul knew he was forgiven of the sins in his past. He also knew he was going to heaven. You know the sins of your past and you know you don’t deserve to go heaven. However, you have a one way ticket because of grace. Because of the resurrection we have grace. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”

ETERNAL LIFE

Third, without the resurrection there would be no eternal life. I Peter 1:3-4 says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade - kept in heaven for you!” In other words, if we believe in Jesus Christ, we are headed for eternal life. Because of the resurrection will experience eternal life. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!” Let me end with this story.

You probably don’t know the name of Nikolai Ivanovich Bukharin, nor should you. But, during his day he was a powerful man on this earth. A Russian communist leader, he took part in the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, and was editor of the Soviet newspaper “Pravda”.

In 1930 he traveled from Moscow to Kiev to address a huge assembly on the subject of atheism. He talked for an hour and spoke about the ridiculous claims of Christianity. When he finished he looked at the crowd and said, “Are there any questions?” Deafening silence filled the auditorium, but then one older man made his way to the lectern. Standing shoulder to shoulder with the communist leader, he surveyed the crowd first to the left, then to the right. Finally, he mustered all the strength he had inside him and shouted the ancient greeting known well in the Russian Orthodox Church, “Christ is risen!”, and together, as if rehearsed, the crowd stood to their feet and the response came crashing like the sound of thunder, “He is risen indeed!”

That is exactly what we tell our world. He has risen, indeed! Jesus defeated death completely. That is why I am thankful that I am not a Baha’i. The Baha’i faith says Jesus was just a manifestation of God. He believe in was God incarnate. The Baha’i faith says the resurrection is foolish. Without the resurrection there is no hope. Without the resurrection there is no grace. Without the resurrection there is no eternal life. We believe in the resurrection, the very heart of our faith. So let us end with that old Russian Orthodox response. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!”