4-20-25 Easter Sermon "Worldly Stones" - 20 Minutes
Notes
Transcript
Mark 16:1-8
Mark 16:1-8
This morning I'll be reading Mark chapter 16 verses 1 through 8.
And I'll be reading from the Holman Christian Standard Bible.
Mark 16:1-8
How many times have we read this story? Like the scripture from last Sunday,,, this is a story that should be familiar with everyone sitting here today,,, especially if you are a Christian. As this passage of scripture is read this morning,,, be aware of the presence,,, and,,, guidance,,, of the Holy Spirit.
Mark 16:1–8 (HCSB) —
1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so they could go and anoint Him. 2 Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they went to the tomb at sunrise. 3 They were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone from the entrance to the tomb for us?” 4 Looking up, they observed that the stone—which was very large—had been rolled away. 5 When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; they were amazed and alarmed. 6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he told them. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has been resurrected! He is not here! See the place where they put Him. 7 But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you to Galilee; you will see Him there just as He told you.’ ” 8 So they went out and started running from the tomb, because trembling and astonishment overwhelmed them. And they said nothing to anyone, since they were afraid.
The word of God for the people of God,,,
thanks be to God!
God bless the reading and the hearing of your word this morning.
Let us pray:
Dear Lord,,, as we begin this morning,,, with everyone here today and all that are listening and watching by video,,, we ask that you open our ears to hear and our hearts and minds to receive the message that you have for us today,,, In Jesus' name I pray,,, Amen.
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Last Sunday we looked at John 12:12-16,,, a typical Palm Sunday reading.
And we seen that the people were set on Jesus becoming their king,,, but we know that wasn't the same type of king that Jesus was going to become.
And this leads to the problems that we always see that they encountered,,, as the week draws nearer to God's timing,,, of Jesus' death and resurrection.
I told you,,, that we know that God could have had any donkey of His choice,,, from anywhere!
Just as He could have the stones to cry out,,, to praise Him if the people were silent,,, we see that He doesn't need us!
But,,, we should also know,,, that when we answer God's call,,, when we give Him what He's asking for,,, we gain so much!
I gave you 2 examples showing blessings from those that have answered God's request,,, 1 in the Old Testament,,, in 1 Kings 17,,, where God sent the prophet Elijah to a widow in Zarephath with a special blessing.
And the 2nd,,, in the New Testament,,, the little boy with the 5 loaves and 2 fish that fed 5000 men that day after Jesus blessed it,,, when it was freely given,,, found in John 6:9!
I told you,,, that from these 2 examples,,, we can see that if we are faithful,,, and answer God's call the way that they did,,, and even as the owner of this donkey does,,, we will be blessed!
And I told you,,, we aren't told that the owner of this donkey was blessed,,, but in a sermon that I read,,, another pastor wonders,,, if he decides to never sell this donkey,,, because of the value that it has,,, now that he realizes,,, that his Savior rode it into Jerusalem that day!
In his eyes,,, it becomes so valuable that it would never be sold!
Of course,,, we aren't told anything,,, other than,,, he let them have the donkey,,, just because,,, "the Lord needs it!"
But he was obedient,,, to those,,, exact,,, words!
We also know,,, that God doesn't,,, "need us",,, to fulfill a need,,, but He will put things before us to fulfill,,, that will help us to grow and prosper,,, when we are obedient to His asking!
We will be blessed in abundance when we are faithful to God's needs,,, and don't ignore them,,, if we will just be obedient when we are told,,, “the Lord needs it”,,, and we give it to Him,,, just as we should,,, each and every time,,, that He asks!
I reminded you,,, this should encourage us to reflect on how we can be used by God in our daily lives,,, whether through service,,, giving,,, or simply being a witness to Christ.
Just being sure that especially in this last week of Easter,,, we are obedient to the words,,, “The Lord Needs It” as we fulfill our daily walk with God,,, this week,,, and all of the weeks ahead,,, continuing to be faithful,,, and put God’s needs,,, first,,, and foremost,,, in our life!
This morning we will look at these verses in Mark 16:1-8,,, and see how they will help us in our walk with God this week.
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Verses 1 through 3 said: 1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so they could go and anoint Him. 2 Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they went to the tomb at sunrise. 3 They were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone from the entrance to the tomb for us?”
Very early on the first day of the week,,, just after sunrise,,, the women went to the tomb.
They left home while it was still dark,,, (we see this information in John 20:1),,, and they got to the tomb shortly after sunrise.
Two of them knew that a large stone had been rolled in front of the tomb’s entrance (cf. Mark 15:47).
Only Mark recorded their concern over the practical problem of getting it rolled back.
Evidently they weren't aware of the official sealing of the tomb or the posting of a guard,,, as found in Matthew 27:62–66,,, or,,, they figured that they would find a solution when they got there.
Scripture doesn't give us all of the answers.
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Verse 4 said: 4 Looking up, they observed that the stone—which was very large—had been rolled away.
As they arrived at the tomb,,, imagine their surprise,,, at what they seen!
Looking up,,, they saw that it was already done!
How amazing is it,,, that when we are intent on honoring our Savior,,, the difficulties are removed ahead of time,,, just as the stone was rolled away before the women arrived.
When we put Christ first in our life,,, the way that we should,,, many of our problems could be taken care of before we even realize we have them!
We miss so many blessings,,, when we aren’t obedient the way that we should be!
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Verses 5-6 said: 5 When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; they were amazed and alarmed. 6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he told them. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has been resurrected! He is not here! See the place where they put Him.
Entering the tomb,,, they saw an angel with the appearance of a young man in white.
He quickly reassured them with the announcement that Jesus had risen.
The tomb was empty.
Jesus is not here,,, see the place where they put Him!
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Verse 7 said: 7 But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you to Galilee; you will see Him there just as He told you.’ ”
The women were given a job to do.
They were to go and tell Jesus’ disciples that they would be reunited with Him in Galilee.
The words,,, "and Peter",,, unique to Mark,,, are significant since much of Mark’s material likely came from Peter.
He was singled out,,, not because Jesus thought more of him than the other disciples,,, but because Jesus wanted him to know that he was forgiven and still included as one of the disciples,,, despite his denial of knowing Christ 3 times after Jesus was arrested (cf. 14:66–72).
The message that Jesus was going ahead of them into Galilee should remind them of the reunion He had told them about earlier,,, in 14:28.
His followers would see Him there which implies a Resurrection appearance,,, an example is also seen in 1 Corinthians 15:5.
This does not refer,,, as some say,,, to His second coming.
Jesus resurrection shouldn't have been unexpected,,, since He has told them before it happens,,, but the shocking turn of events probably helped them to forget many of the things that He had shared with them!
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Verse 8 said: 8 So they went out and started running from the tomb, because trembling and astonishment overwhelmed them. And they said nothing to anyone, since they were afraid.
The women fled from the tomb with mingled shock and panic.
They were too afraid to tell anyone what had happened.
This is not surprising.
It's amazing that they had been so brave,,, so loyal,,, and so devoted,,, despite the questions,,, as well as the danger they might have faced,,, as they carried out their duty,,, that was so important to them.
Of course we know that they eventually told the other disciples,,, and they were in disbelief and shock as well!
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So we can see that the women have left the tomb,,, frightened,,, as well as overwhelmed with the news that they have just heard!
But what we need to focus on this morning,,, is the fact that these women were going to the tomb because of their love and devotion for Jesus!
They were doing this in spite of the possible danger of arrest and imprisonment!
Their love for Jesus has outweighed any danger that they think that they might face from anyone around them!
Whether it came from the Romans or the religious leaders,,, it didn't matter to them,,, at least as far as we can tell!
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I want to take you back to the beginning of the scripture,,, where the women are going to the tomb.
I told you that they are going to the tomb,,, in spite of the stone being placed there.
They did not have any way of removing the stone so that they could enter.
Remember,,, the question just before they arrived?
They wondered who would roll the stone away,,, and we aren't given an answer,,, but they go,,, anyway!
And I can't help but wonder,,, how many times,,, have we allowed things to keep us away from God?
How many times,,, have we let worldly things come between us and God?
I ask you this Easter morning,,, what "stone",,, is still standing,,, between you and God?
And then,,, after you answer that question,,, ask yourself,,, why is it still there?
Have you been obedient to the leading of the Holy Spirit as He has guided you?
Because,,, these women were on a mission,,, just as soon as they were able to,,, they head to the tomb of Jesus!
Nothing was going to stop them from going,,, not the religious leaders,,, the Roman authorities,,, not even the stone set there to keep the followers of Jesus out!
And we know that their obedience was rewarded with the stone being removed before they ever arrived.
How many times are we held back from something because of doubts?
Let this be a lesson for us.
We need to quit doubting God when we are given something that He wants us to do.
And that's what happens when we give excuses for not doing whatever God wants us to do.
We are also guilty of allowing worldly things to keep us from God on Sunday.
We need to learn from these women,,, and see how God answered their question before they arrived.
If they hadn't headed to the tomb when they did,,, if they would have made excuses first,,, they would have missed out on the blessing of being the first to spread the "Good News" about Jesus' resurrection!
We don't want that to happen to us!
We must be committed to getting close to Jesus without allowing anything to get in our way!
We need to be fully committed to this task,,, and never take our eyes off the path we are on,,, nor,,, allow anything to change our plans,,, even when we can't see how they will be accomplished!
When we are faithful,,, God will remove the obstacles in our way,,, but we must remember to be obedient.
Remembering the women that morning so long ago,,, as they headed to do a job,,, that they were intent on doing,,, no matter what stone was in their way!
Be sure that in the days and weeks ahead,,, that you don't allow any type of "worldly stone",,, to come between you,,, and God,,, as we continue,,, our walk with God,,, each and every day!
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If you feel like you aren't experiencing God's presence the way that you should,,, something is between you and God,,,
Let me remind you that Jesus said that He is always available,,, but you have to make that choice.
It will not be forced on you,,, that is something that you must decide to do.
If you have never made the commitment to allow Jesus to be your Personal Savior,,, please make that decision today.
We aren't promised tomorrow,,, so the choice must be made today.
We don't know the hour or the day when Jesus comes back nor do we know if we will be called home,,, we are just told to be ready.
And to be ready,,, you must have made the decision to follow Jesus,,, be sure that you have made that decision today!
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So as we sing our final hymn,,, let me remind you that the alter is always open,,,
If you feel God speaking to you,,, don't hesitate to come,,, maybe you just have questions,,, God will answer,,, you just have to ask Him,,, whatever the need may be,,,
As we sing the final hymn,,, come if needed!
Oakdale - Hymn Page -
Seminary - Hymn Page - 382
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Hymn: 337 - Oakdale
Hymn: 337 - Seminary
Benediction
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