Rise Up! Jesus Has Risen!

Resurrection Sunday

Mark 16: 1-7 (NIV)

April 20, 2025

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3 and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?” 4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. 5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. 6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”

Introduction: All across the country this morning, churches are packed to overflowing; it is Easter, the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus! -Easter is the queen of all Christian holy days! Christmas is the promise; Easter is the proof! Christ birth was the promise! Resurrection is the evidence! Mark’s story has given us every reason to believe that what Jesus promises will take place, because his word has already been fulfilled in many important ways. He suffered and died and was raised, just as he said. Because Jesus got up, we can rise up. We do not have to live in fear, confusion, or be silent anymore. Christ’s Resurrection Energizes our Hope. Because we have a living hope, we can experience a hopeful living. There is more to Easter than just this Sunday, not about the outfit, pretty hats and Easter dress or Easter speeches– because Easter is not just an event on the calendar - it is an experience with God in the stony places of life. There is a valuable lesson for our lives we can glean from Easter. Last week I shared with you the powerful lessons of the passion of the Passover. What are the lessons from this text? Metaphorical, if Christ has risen, why are you still in the tomb? Could it be that there’s a stone that need to be rolled away?

Scriptural Text: Throughout the Bible we learn lesson connect the stories about stones. We are told that when Moses came down from mountain after seeing the backside of God’s presence from the cleft of a mountain, he brought down two stone tablets upon which God has written these words: 1. You shall have no other gods before Me. 2. You shall make no idols. 3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. 4. Keep the Sabbath day holy. 5. Honor your father and your mother. 6. You shall not murder. 7. You shall not commit adultery. 8. You shall not steal. 9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 10. You shall not covet. When David went to fight Goliath, who was an ungodly giant, when David went to fight him, he gathered five smooth stones and used one to bring Goliath down. The psalmist tells us for telling of Jesus’s in psalm 118 the stone that the builders rejected had now become the chief corner stone. Even in our history as a people, whenever stones factor in how we tell and sing of our Sojourn in America, “Stony the road we trod" is a line from the hymn "Lift Every Voice and Sing", referring to the difficult and challenging history of Black people, a powerful metaphor for the obstacles and hardships faced by Black throughout  American history, from slavery to the Civil Rights era. Whenever in the scripture and in history we find references to stones we find lessons in and around the stones. In our story today, First note that the women came to the tomb, coming out of love. Jesus had changed their lives, and they loved him for their deliverance. And they were doing what love does love will go all the way—even to the tomb. Though he was dead their love was alive, and they meant to finish the complete assignment and go all the way and place spices on Jesus’ body as part of a customary Jewish burial practice to honor the deceased and to mask the smell of decomposition. The spices, like myrrh and aloes, were considered fragrant and were used in both anointing and wrapping the body with linen was a customary practice in first-century Judea. The spices could also symbolize purity, sacrifice, and devotion, act of affection and respect. The women's arrival on Sunday to anoint the body because they could not return to the tomb until after sundown. But remember, God always have someone in position. Nicodemus had already contributed to Jesus' burial with a mixture of myrrh and aloes. Nevertheless, the women knew you cannot let someone else show love for. It demanded determination after Jesus had delivered them. If the lord has blessed you, you have to honor Him, He deserves your worship, as good as God has been to me, I owe Him praises with the fruit of my lips. I have the right to praise Him for yourself. There is another lesson around the stone the women were the first entrusted to preach the resurrection message. Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome. They received the first preaching assignment. In Old Testament God called the first preacher Moses, then Joshua, He called prophets Isiah, Amos Jeremiah Ezekiel but resurrection morning came these three women who got the assignment. Jesus expands the anointing to male and female, young and old jews and gentile and says to us all go be a witness and run tell that Jesus has risen! One poet of hymns said: “I heard an old, old story how a Savior came from glory, How He gave His life on Calvary to save a wretch like me. I heard about His groaning, of His precious blood’s atoning, Then I repented of my sins and won the victory. He sought me and bought me with His redeeming blood.He loved me before I knew Him, and all my love is due Him. All my praise is unto Him. The women went with questions who will roll away the stone? Faced with stones and hindrance but they went by faith. Serving, living, and worshiping the Lord means going. Even when you have questions and challenges (when you do not see it clearly). Who will remove the stones? Somebody may be asking the same question here today or online. Like these women you have hurt, struggles, questions. but you are still here. When you love Jesus, love God we will serve even with questions or doubt. We will praise God even with questions (the One who has the answers to our questions). We still believe in Jesus even with obstacles. They went to carry out love, broken but still loving, still serving, still faithful, still commitment—love will make you go in the midst of adversity. Why? Because this is a test of spirituality and your relationship with God. How deep is your love for Him? Can you still love when it looks like promises are broken? When things do not go exactly as you plan. When it seems, God is not there. Those you trusted let you down. Can you still give God your best? Or as new edition would say, can you stand the rain? On a perfect day, I know that I can count on you. When that is not possible. Tell me, can you weather the storm? Through the good times and bad times, (let me remix it) God will always, always be right there. This we know for sure. As the women were on their way to Jesus’ tomb early in the morning to anoint his body for burial, they were asking the question, “Who will roll away the stone from the entrance of the tomb?” The stone was large. It was heavy and it was their way. For these women, the stone was a barrier – a weight that needed to be moved in order for them to get to the body of Jesus. This morning, we all have stones in our lives. Stones of sin, and of failure; stones of disappointment, stones of shame, stones of regrets, stones of embarrassment, stones of unforgiven to self and others. They are barriers to us in getting to Jesus. What stone is holding you back from being what God desires? What weight, what sin do you need to throw from your life in order to find the peace and fulfillment that God desires for you? Heb. 12: 1 let us throw off everything that hinders, let us rid ourselves of every obstacle and the sin that so easily entangles us. What is hindering you from seeing Jesus? Like Paul’s letter to the Galatians, 5:7 Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? And another important question is, how can I get rid of it once I identify it? First, we Must Come to Jesus! Although the women knew that the stone would be blocking the entrance to the tomb, it did not stop them from coming. They discussed on their way to the tomb that the stone would be in their way, and how “in the world” were they going to move it. Yet it did not stop them from coming. 2. It does not matter how big or how many the stones are in your life or in mine, each one of us has them. What matters is do we know where to go to get rid of them. We have stones. Stony hearts, stony emotions, stony stubbornness that we cannot remove. Can you rise up? When you do not know how, but you trust in who. You can rise up! 1 Peter 2: 4-5 :Jesus as a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and is precious.” Jesus is enduring in nature, He is the One with life-giving power. Jesus is the foundation of the Christian faith. He is the living stone not a stone to block life but a stone to build and protect. Where do I go when there’s nobody else to turn to? Who do I talk to when there’s nobody wants to listen? Who do I lean on when there’s no foundation stable? I go to the Rock! I go to the stone that the builders rejected! The rock of my salvation! 3.The women did not have it all planned out. They could not have removed the stone by themselves even if they had wanted to. It was not an issue of their abilities at all. And if they had moved on the basis of logic and understanding they would never have come to the tomb, because the stone was too large for them to tackle. They could only come, show up and be there. As we contemplate about the solution God has already gone ahead and solve the problem. 4. We do not have everything to figure out. We walked faithfully and not by sight. We do not understand so many things that we deal with in life, but I know someone who does. And He promised that if I would come to Him, He would lift the stones, the burdens of my life and give me peace. Matt. 11: 28-29 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. In that moment, the ‘who’ showed up in form of angel the ‘who’ shows up. Have you ever had someone to show up in your predicament? Sitting on the stone, which had been moved—yet we know that no stone have the power to keep Jesus in or to keep us out and away from our blessings! Glory! God move mountains. He causes walls to fall. Rise up! Go tell my disciple and Peter. Go get those behind stones of doubt and go tell the broken, the downtrodden, the outcasted, the go tell them Jesus has risen, especially Peter! Aren’t you glad when you have a Savior who moves by His power! When others have moved on leave you behind your stones in life. Jesus will remember you. Go get my disciple and Peter. Go get Peter! Go get the one who gave all, they love me but still had a bad day. Go get the one who lost hope in the crucifixion of life. They were crucified by addiction, by drug, by abuse, by dysfunction but Jesus says I still see value and possibility. Rise up! Tell them Jesus has risen! Go get my disciples (even though they left me) and Peter (who denied me). The ones who tried but failed in their trying. The ones whose humanity was not enough to withstand. Rise up! Go get the ones that openly fell short of God’s glory. Go get the ones intended to do right but slipped up, messed up and did wrong. Go get the ones find themselves behind the stones of disappointment, discouragement, disgrace, devalued. Go get those that ran from Jesus like Peter. Go get those tell them Jesus lives, Jesus lives. He has risen! God sent His son, they called Him, Jesus; He came to love, heal and forgive; He lived and died to buy my pardon, an empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives! Jesus has risen! Because He lives, I can face tomorrow, Because He lives, all fear is gone; Because I know Jesus holds the future, Rise up! And life is worth the living, rise up, just because He lives! Tell them because he has risen! Jesus lives! Rise up above the stones! Barrier can be broken! Ways can be made! Doors can be opened! Bridges can be built! Hearts can be mended! Bodies can be healed! Sins forgiven! Oppression overcomes! Sickness removed! Joy restored! Demons cast down! Valleys crossed. Minds healed. Mountains removed! Enemies subdued! Situations changed! Tears dried! Rise up! Jesus has risen! And stones can be rolled away! Because he lives!