"Seek the Truth"

If you turn on your TV right now, within 10 minutes you are likely to see something about the best selling book and now movie, “The Da Vinci Code”. Many people will hear things and form beliefs over the next several weeks. This will certainly be a problem for some, but it also will be an incredible opportunity for our church. It will be an opportunity for you.

Some people see problems, others see opportunities. That is really what is going on right now. It’s not often that the entire country is inquisitive about the authenticity of scripture or that we have a “wide open door” to talk about the deity of Jesus Christ. “Seek the Truth” is the subtitle on countless promotional materials for the movie. I like that!

Let me give two practical reasons for why we are going to talk about The Da Vinci Code over the next few weeks? 1. Dan Brown’s book makes some serious claims about Jesus that strike at the heart of what we believe. Because of the enormous popularity of this book and the likely blockbuster status of the movie, it’s essential that we address whether those claims are true. While the characters are obviously fictitious, Brown claims the information to be true. At the beginning of his book, it reads: “All descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals in this novel are accurate.”2. As this movie comes out, it provides an open door to talk about spiritual things. People who normally wouldn’t want to talk about Jesus will have the questions of the movie on their mind. People who aren’t normally interested in discussing the Bible will likely want to talk about what the movie claimed. This is an opportunity that we need to seize. Therefore, this sermon series is not just to help you understand the issues yourself, but it’s to equip you to be able to share the truth with the people you come in contact with. 1 Peter 3:15 says that we should always be ready with an answer as to why we believe in Jesus. I hope to prepare you to give those answers as they relate to The Da Vinci Code.

Are you “ready” to have a discussion with a friend about the trustworthiness of scripture? Do you know how the Bible was formed? Can you speak with any confidence about how you are convinced that Jesus was truly the Son of God? How do you know? What about the “sacred feminine”? Or the “secret bloodline”? Or all of the “falsified history”?

There are only two reasons I can think of why we would not talk about this at this time: Ignorance or fear. I do not think we should be ignorant of what is happening in culture-especially when it is shaping spiritual beliefs. I also do not think we have anything to fear. The truth will shine brightly among us for the next few weeks, and many will be deepened and strengthened in their faith.

Get ready for a powerful, challenging, interesting, thought-provoking series as we “Seek the Truth” @ New Community Church.

Chris