The Stone Was Rolled Away
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Zow shang how - Knee how ma…Good morning how are you doing?
Hola familia…como esta?
Hamjambo…Habari ya asubuhi…mhali gani - Hello, good morning…how are you?
Today we are going to look at the significance of the Resurrection of Jesus but from a little different angle. Most people have heard or know that the reason Jesus had to die was to pay the punishment for our sins. But there are some questions to answer this Easter:
Why do we need Christs resurrection and what evidence is there for it?
What evidence is there for the resurrection?
What is the significance?
What difference does it make for me today?
Why do we need the resurrection?
Why do we need the resurrection?
Creation, Corruption, Catastrophe, Confusion, Christ, Cross, Consummation
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.
In short we need resurrection because without it death would not have been defeated. Sin was defeated on the cross, but death was defeated at the resurrection. The final, most significant effect of sin was rendered powerless for those who believe…through Jesus’ resurrection we may now have permanent residency with God if we receive His gift by through faith.
We are going to read a portion of the Easter story from each of the Gospel writers. Gospel simply means Good News…it was written down by 4 different individuals over a 30-60 year period. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. All of whom were eye witnesses of what Jesus did while He was on Earth…they wrote down these events that literally took place for our benefit, but it was from their perspective. We can trust their testimony because if they each had written down the exact same story we would think there was a conspiracy? Chuck Colson said that he believed in the resurrection because 12 men held to the same story for 40 years while they faced persecution, rejection and death. In watergate they could not keep silent for 3 weeks...Let’s listen to these stories and see if you can identify the differences. I’ll point out the similarities but it is in the differences I plan on sharing some action points.
We are going to read a portion of the Easter story from each of the Gospel writers. Gospel simply means Good News…it was written down by 4 different individuals over a 30 year period. ..Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. All of whom were first hand witnesses of what Jesus did while He was on Earth…they wrote down these events that literally took place for our benefit, but from their perspective. Something to note here…if they each had written down the exact same story what would you think? Let’s listen to these stories and keep in mind the similarities and differences.
3 things in common:
Women were first to the tomb
Angels were involved in the rolling away of the stone and
Jesus was resurrected!
See if you can identify what is distinct in each case...
The Lord is risen…He is Risen indeed.
Dan L reads
Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
Matthew is the only Gospel writer who includes an earthquake at both the death and resurrection of Jesus. It could be the earthquake at his death caused an aftershock on Sunday morning or the very possibility that the activity of the angel caused an earthquake either way the moving of the rock was an earth shaking event!The resurrection of Jesus is the single most important event in all of Christianity because if Jesus has not been risen from the dead our faith is futile and we remain in sin.
And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.
The Matthew passage: There were 2 events that changed all of history. Jesus’ birth and Jesus’ death and resurrection. The first event was God entering our realm to show what He was like and the second event was God demonstrating the depth of His love for us and removing the punishment for our sins. No person on earth has the ability to remove the consequences of sin!
And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.
Simon reads
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. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”
But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.
“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. 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.’ ”
Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.
\
There were 2 events that changed all of history. Jesus’ birth and Jesus’ death and resurrection. The first event was God entering our realm to show what He was like and the second event was God demonstrating the depth of His love for us and removing the punishment for our sins. No person on earth has the ability to remove the consequences of sin!
There were 2 events that changed all of history. Jesus’ birth and Jesus’ death and resurrection. The first event was God entering our realm to show what He was like and the second event was God demonstrating the depth of His love for us and removing the punishment for our sins. No person on earth has the ability to remove the consequences of sin!
Zow shang how - Knee how ma…Good morning how are you doing?
Simon reads
“Who will roll the stone away…? But when they looked up they saw that the stone had been rolled away!”
Simon reads
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. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?” But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. “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. 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.’ ” Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.
Jocelyn reads
Hola familia…como esta?
“The women took spices and went to the tomb…they found the stone rolled away!”
On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” Then they remembered his words. When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others.
Ms Mary reads
“…while it was still dark Mary magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance!”
Hamjambo…Habari ya asubuhi…mhali gani
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.
3 things in common:
Women were first to the tomb
Angels were involved in the rolling away of the stone and
Angels were involved in the rolling away of the stone and
Jesus was resurrected!
We often hear about the women at the tomb and obviously Easter is meaningless without the Resurrection…I am going to weave the rest of this sermon around the idea of the stone being rolled away because without that Jesus would have still been in the tomb (well probably not but that is what works best for my sermon…because He did not need the stone rolled away…) we needed it! But lets ask the question...
What is the evidence for the resurrection?
The faith - the very existence of the church is evidence that the resurrection occurred. There was not influence for an establishment of a church by the Jews or by other groups.
The facts - empty tomb; women were there…testimony not valued, why write them into this story if it were not true?, Would have paraded his body if he had not been risen…medically Jesus was near death before he was even crucified from the whippings He received, did not break his legs, then the piercing of His side with the water gushing out mixed with blood…indicate He was dead, had 75 or more pounds of burial clothes on top of all the injury…some suggest maybe He was alive and removed the stone by Himself, 500 eyewitnesses - either they lied, hallucinated or actually saw him (but then why would you die for a known lie?), The Bible says that within a relatively short period of time Peter preached about the Good news and 3000 were saved, then a little time later 5000 were saved. If Jesus had not been risen from the grave, they could have walked right over to the tomb and pointed out His body…by the way, there was no shrine established at His tomb immediately as was the custom with religious leaders, manuscripts…almost 6000 originals…confirm what we have today.
What is the significance?
What is the significance?
2) The facts - empty tomb women there 1st (their testimony was considered invalid…why report that if this had not really happened? Would have paraded his body if he had not been risen…medically Jesus was near death before he was even crucified from the whippings He received, then the piercing of His side with the water gushing out mixed with blood…indicate He was dead, 500 eyewitnesses - either they lied, hallucinated or actually saw him (but then why would you die for a known lie?), The Bible says that within a relatively short period of time Peter preached about the Good news and 3000 were saved, then a little time later 5000 were saved. If Jesus had not been risen from the grave, they could have walked right over to the tomb and pointed Him out, manuscripts…almost 6000 originals…confirm what we have today.
The followers - changed lives, martyrdom, service to others, no distinct advantage to being a Christian (faced death, were on the run, mistreated).
The Bible says that within a relatively short period of time Peter preached about the Good news and 3000 were saved, then a little time later 5000 were saved. If Jesus had not been risen from the grave, they could have walked right over to the tomb and pointed Him out) The followers - changed lives, martyrdom, service to others, Baptism, communion
What difference could it make for me today?
What difference could it make for me today?
Matthew (what did you notice in Matthew?) is the only Gospel writer who includes an earthquake at both the death and resurrection of Jesus. It could be the earthquake at his death caused an aftershock on Sunday morning or the very possibility that the activity of the angel caused an earthquake either way the moving of the rock was literally an earth shaking event! The resurrection of Jesus is the single most important event in all of Christianity but also in all of history of the world because if Jesus has not been risen from the dead our faith is futile and we remain in sin.
And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.
And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.
Why is this significant?
If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.
But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
The women are the first to be present at the tomb that first Easter morning but as they were approaching the tomb they realized that a huge obstacle laid in the path…who would remove the stone. This was no ordinary stone. Some say it would require 20 men to roll it out of the way…essentially something impossible …but that is what Easter is about. The impossibility that those types of things
Matthew: Earthquake - There were 2 events that changed all of history. Jesus’ birth and Jesus’ death and resurrection. The first event was God entering our realm to show what He was like and the second event was God demonstrating the depth of His love for us and removing the punishment for our sins. No person on earth has the ability to remove the consequences of sin!
Today we are going to look at the significance of the Resurrection of Jesus. Most people have heard or know that the reason Jesus had to die was to pay the price for our sins. But there are some questions to answer this Easter:
Matthew: Earthquake - There were 2 events that changed all of history. Jesus’ birth and Jesus’ death and resurrection. The first event was God entering our realm to show what He was like and the second event was God demonstrating the depth of His love for us and removing the punishment for our sins. No person on earth has the ability to remove the consequences of sin!
1 Corinthians 15:Matthew: There were 2 events that changed all of history. Jesus’ birth and Jesus’ resurrection. The first event was God entering our realm to show what He was like and the second event was God demonstrating the depth of His love for us and removing the punishment for our sins. No person on earth has the ability to remove the consequences of sin! These events were earth shaking! Has your world been shaken? Are you aware of the consequences of sin in your life? If you place your faith in Jesus Christ you will have an earth shaking transformation. It begins with the freedom forgiveness provides, peace and hope for the future and direction for today. Could you use any of those today?
Matthew: There were 2 events that changed all of history. Jesus’ birth and Jesus’ resurrection. The first event was God entering our realm to show what He was like and the second event was God demonstrating the depth of His love for us and removing the punishment for our sins and providing a way for us to spend eternity in Heaven with Him. Is God shaking things up in your life? perhaps He is trying to bring something to life that is dead…it could be you spiritually, it could be a dream or just some area you are not fully living! God shook that stone to display His power over death...In Matthew God shakes things up in me and you...
The women are the first to be present at the tomb that first Easter morning but as they were approaching the tomb they realized that a huge obstacle laid in the path…who would remove the stone. This was no ordinary stone. Some say it would require 20 men to roll it out of the way…essentially something impossible …but that is what Easter is about. The impossibility that those types of things
In Matthew we see God shake things up in our lives...
Mark: who will roll the stone away - The women are the first to be present at the tomb that first Easter morning but as they were approaching the tomb they realized that a huge obstacle laid in the path…who would remove the stone. This was no ordinary stone. Some say it would require 20 men to roll it out of the way that it weighed at least 2 tons…What is going on in your life that requires divine intervention? You cannot remove it on your own…I am not saying that we will not face trials just that we know those trials are making us into the best version of ourselves possible if we are in relationship with God.
These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
The stones (difficulties, seemingly impossible obstacles in our way…) in life are light and momentary compared to what awaits
For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
…finally we can be of good cheer because He has overcome the world...
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Mark shows us that on Easter God has removed every obstacle that keeps us from encountering, experiencing and embracing Him as our savior and leader
Luke: Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here...- So often we turn to the wrong things to experience life! Yes, there are good counselors but we have THEE wonderful counselor, there are good physicians but we have the great physician, we turn to ourselves, medication, drugs, alcohol, technology, relationships, our peers/friends, but we miss the one source who has the power to remove the all the stones from our lives! Jesus. Yesterday on facebook I was in a chat with someone who asked how could they give up what they were currently doing…essentially saying…they like what they are doing more than they are willing to do what the Bible clearly says…That is called a self serving bias…looking for life amongst the dead! Letting your “self” determine what course of action you should take when there is One who is more for you than you are.
Luke: He is not here -
John: While it was still dark - When things are the most difficult is precisely the time to seek out Jesus. We need not wait until we get things figured out, we need not pretend that we are “holy” we simply need to come. The darkness represents the hardest times. Where are you today? Are you in a time of despair and sorrow? Are you lost and searching for direction? Perhaps you have realized you are dead spiritually. Today is your day…wherever you are you can come to Jesus and begin anew. You can come out of the darkness into His light.
This Easter you have a couple of options:
This Easter you have a couple of options:
1) The Christian Church - 2000 plus years, persecution, violence, war, bad leadership and it remains and continues to grow despite hostility toward it…and in some ways because of it.
2) The
Jesus is who He said He is or He is not -
The Bible is the inspired Word of God or it is not -
Following Jesus is the only way or He is not -
God will one day judge the world or He will not -
The is hope for eternal peace or there is not
You will be resurrected and spend eternity with Jesus or you will not -
Why do we need resurrection? What is the evidence for it? What difference does it make for me today?
He has shaken the earth, offered to remove all the stones in your path, He is reliable and what He says He will do…it’s time to come out of the darkness.
Why do we need the resurrection?
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
, , , ,
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
, , ,
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.
, ,
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.
In short we need resurrection because without it death would not have been defeated. Sin was defeated on the cross, but death was defeated at the resurrection. The final, most significant effect of sin was rendered powerless for those who believe…through Jesus’ resurrection we may now have permanent residency with God if we receive His gift of grace through faith.
In short we need resurrection because without it death would not have been defeated. Sin was defeated on the cross, but death was defeated at the resurrection. The final, most significant effect of sin was rendered powerless for those who believe…through Jesus’ resurrection we may now have permanent residency with God if we receive His gift of grace through faith.
We are going to read a portion of the Easter story from each of the Gospel writers. Gospel simply means Good News…it was written down by 4 different individuals over a 30-60 year period. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. All of whom were eye witnesses of what Jesus did while He was on Earth…they wrote down these events that literally took place for our benefit, but it was from their perspective. We can trust their testimony because if they each had written down the exact same story we would think there was a conspiracy? Chuck Colson said that he believed in the resurrection because 12 men held to the same story for 40 years while they faced persecution, rejection and death. In watergate they could not keep silent for 3 weeks...Let’s listen to these stories and see if you can identify the differences. I’ll point out the similarities but it is in the differences I plan highlighting.
3 things in common:
Women were first to the tomb
Angels were involved in the rolling away of the stone and
Jesus was resurrected!
Dan L reads
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
NIV
Simon reads
Simon reads NIV
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. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?” But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. “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. 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.’ ” Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.
NIV
Jocelyn reads
On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” Then they remembered his words. When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others.
NIV
Ms Mary reads
Ms Mary reads NIV
NIV
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.
3 things in common:
Women were first to the tomb
Angels were involved in the rolling away of the stone and
Angels were involved in the rolling away of the stone and
Jesus was resurrected!
We are going to focus in a little on number 2:
But lets ask the ?…
What is the evidence for the resurrection?
Faith - the very existence of the church is evidence that the resurrection occurred. There was not influence for an establishment of a church by the Jews or by other groups.
Facts - empty tomb; women were there…testimony not valued, why write them into this story if it were not true?, Would have paraded his body if he had not been risen…medically Jesus was near death before he was even crucified from the whippings He received, did not break his legs, then the piercing of His side with the water gushing out mixed with blood…indicate He was dead, had 75 or more pounds of burial clothes on top of all the injury…some suggest maybe He was alive and removed the stone by Himself, 500 eyewitnesses - either they lied, hallucinated or actually saw him (but then why would you die for a known lie?), The Bible says that within a relatively short period of time Peter preached about the Good news and 3000 were saved, then a little time later 5000 were saved. If Jesus had not been risen from the grave, they could have walked right over to the tomb and pointed out His body…by the way, there was no shrine established at His tomb immediately as was the custom with religious leaders, manuscripts…almost 6000 originals…confirm what we have today.
Followers - changed lives, martyrdom, service to others, no distinct advantage to being a Christian (faced death, were on the run, mistreated).
What difference could it make for me today?
Matthew (what did you notice in Matthew?) is the only Gospel writer who includes an earthquake at both the death and resurrection of Jesus. It could be the earthquake at his death caused an aftershock on Sunday morning or the very possibility that the activity of the angel caused an earthquake either way the moving of the rock was literally an earth shaking event! The resurrection of Jesus is the single most important event in all of Christianity but also in all of history of the world because if Jesus has not been risen from the dead our faith is futile and we remain in sin.
If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
There were 2 events that changed all of history. Jesus’ birth and Jesus’ resurrection. The first event was God entering our realm to show what He was like and the second event was God demonstrating the depth of His love for us and removing the punishment for our sins and providing a way for us to spend eternity in Heaven with Him. Is God shaking things up in your life? perhaps He is trying to bring something to life that is dead…it could be you spiritually, it could be a dream or just some area you are not fully living! God shook that stone to display His power over death...
In Matthew God shakes things up to get our attention…this could be the beginning of new life for you today
There were 2 events that changed all of history. Jesus’ birth and Jesus’ resurrection. The first event was God entering our realm to show what He was like and the second event was God demonstrating the depth of His love for us and removing the punishment for our sins and providing a way for us to spend eternity in Heaven with Him. Is God shaking things up in your life? perhaps He is trying to bring something to life that is dead…it could be you spiritually, it could be a dream or just some area you are not fully living! God shook that stone to display His power over death...
In Matthew God shakes things up to get our attention…this could be the beginning of new life for you today
Mark: who will roll the stone away - The women are the first to be present at the tomb that first Easter morning but as they were approaching the tomb they realized that a huge obstacle laid in the path…who would remove the stone. This was no ordinary stone. Some say it would require 20 men to roll it out of the way that it weighed at least 2 tons…What is going on in your life that requires divine intervention? You cannot remove it on your own…I am not saying that we will not face trials just that we know those trials are making us into the best version of ourselves possible if we are in relationship with God.
These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
The stones (difficulties, seemingly impossible obstacles in our way…) in life are light and momentary compared to what awaits
For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
Finally we can be of good cheer because He has overcome the world...
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
In Mark God directly intervenes on our behalf so we can encounter Jesus now and be assured of life with Him for forever…Today the stones in your path could be rolled away
Luke: Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here...- So often we turn to the wrong things to experience life! Jesus is no longer in the grave…we have direct access to Him and all of our efforts to find meaning and life in others alone is futile. Luke shows us that our default action is to look in the wrong place for hope, forgiveness and life. Where are you looking today. Luke says, look to Jesus and you will experience real life.
John: While it was still dark - When things are the most difficult is precisely the time to seek Jesus. We need not wait until we get things figured out, we need not pretend that we are “holy” we simply need to come. The darkness represents the hardest times. Where are you today? Are you in a time of despair and sorrow? Are you lost and searching for direction? Perhaps you have realized you are dead spiritually. Today is your day…wherever you are you can come to Jesus and begin anew. You can come in the darkness and in that darkness you will find the light of the world!
When you look at the Easter story you see a couple of action points:
Examine to see where you need to shake things up in your life; God will shake things up to get our attention
God will shake things up to get our attention
Be honest with what is blocking you from experiencing life more like Christ; God will remove all obstacles that keep us from really living
Where do you need to Jesus is approachable at all times and is life giving
Go to Jesus in prayer about those things; Jesus is approachable at all times and is life giving
So how is God trying to get your attention this season of your life Are you aware of the obstacles keeping you from encountering God fully? If not ask God to reveal them…one is probably pride! Are you approaching God at all times or just doing things your way?
I urge you this Easter to trust that God will roll the stones out of your way that you may encounter Him powerfully.