ROLL THE STONE AWAY

"When God Removes What Has Been Blocking Your Miracle"

Primary Text: John 11:38-44 (NKJV)

John 11:39 "Jesus said, 'Take away the stone.' Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, 'Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.'"

INTRODUCTION

The Stone Is Not the End of Your Story

There are moments in every believer's life when it feels as though something precious has died. Perhaps it is a dream, a marriage, a ministry, a relationship, a calling, a prayer you've carried for years, or even your passion for God. You know what God promised, but now all you can see is a stone covering the entrance to what once held life.

The enemy specializes in convincing God's people that once the stone is in place, the story is over.

But heaven has never been intimidated by stones.

Throughout Scripture, stones often represent barriers, impossibilities, fear, shame, unbelief, religious traditions, and spiritual bondage. Yet every significant stone encountered by God's people became another opportunity for God to reveal His glory.

When Israel stood before the Jordan River, the impossible became possible. When David stood before Goliath, one stone became God's weapon of victory. When Joshua built memorial stones, they became testimonies of God's faithfulness. When Daniel was sealed inside the lions' den, God shut the mouths of lions despite the king's stone. And on resurrection morning, the greatest stone in history could not imprison the Son of God.

The devil loves to roll stones over destinies.

God loves rolling them away.

Notice something powerful in John 11.

Jesus did not immediately call Lazarus out.

He first dealt with the obstacle.

Before resurrection came... the stone had to move.

Sometimes we keep asking God to resurrect what has died while refusing to move the stone He has told us to remove.

There are stones of offense...

Stones of bitterness...

Stones of addiction...

Stones of pride...

Stones of fear...

Stones of compromise...

Stones of unforgiveness...

Stones of secret sin...

Stones of disappointment...

Stones of religious tradition...

Many believers are praying for miracles while sitting beside stones God has already instructed them to move.

The Holy Spirit is still asking today:

"Who will roll away the stone?"

The wonderful truth is this:

God never asks us to move a stone without intending to do something miraculous afterward.

The command to move the stone is always connected to the promise of resurrection.

Perhaps you feel your family is beyond hope.

Your children seem spiritually dead.

Your church feels dry.

Your prayer life feels lifeless.

Your marriage seems buried.

Your ministry appears forgotten.

Your health has declined.

Your joy has disappeared.

Today Jesus stands before every impossible situation declaring:

"Roll the stone away."

Because where Jesus is present...

Dead things live again.

POINT 1 — Roll Away the Stone of Unbelief

John 11:39-40

Jesus immediately confronted Martha's unbelief.

She wasn't questioning His power.

She was questioning His timing.

"Lord...by now..."

Those three words have stopped countless miracles.

"Lord, by now my son is too far gone."

"Lord, by now my marriage is finished."

"Lord, by now I've wasted too many years."

Faith never says "by now."

Faith says,

"But God..."

Hebrews 11:6

"Without faith it is impossible to please Him."

Mark 9:23

"If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."

Luke 1:37

"For with God nothing will be impossible."

Real-Life Illustration

Doctors sometimes give hopeless diagnoses. Families prepare for the inevitable. Yet countless testimonies exist of God intervening after medicine reached its limits. While we should value medical care, believers know that God's final word is greater than man's last report. Faith does not deny reality—it believes that God is greater than reality's limitations.

Application

Stop measuring God's ability by your circumstances.

Measure your circumstances by God's ability.

POINT 2 — Roll Away the Stone of Fear

Fear seals tombs.

Faith opens them.

The women coming to Jesus' tomb asked:

Mark 16:3

"Who will roll away the stone for us?"

Before they even arrived...

God had already moved it.

Many fears never happen.

Yet they keep believers trapped.

Isaiah 41:10

"Fear not, for I am with you."

2 Timothy 1:7

"God has not given us a spirit of fear..."

Psalm 27:1

"Whom shall I fear?"

Real-Life Illustration

A young man delayed obeying God's call to ministry because he feared rejection and failure. Years later he realized that his greatest regret was not failing—it was waiting. When he finally stepped out in obedience, he discovered God had already prepared opportunities he could never have arranged himself.

Fear often exaggerates the obstacle while minimizing God's presence.

Application

Fear says,

"What if it doesn't work?"

Faith says,

"What if God does exactly what He promised?"

POINT 3 — Roll Away the Stone of Unforgiveness

Nothing seals spiritual life faster than bitterness.

Jesus could raise Lazarus.

But He also taught that unforgiveness blocks our fellowship with God.

Mark 11:25

"Whenever you stand praying, forgive."

Ephesians 4:31-32

"Be kind...forgiving one another."

Colossians 3:13

"Forgive as Christ forgave you."

Bitterness is like sitting beside a grave refusing to leave because of what happened there.

Forgiveness rolls away the stone.

Real-Life Illustration

Two brothers stopped speaking after an inheritance dispute. Years passed in silence. When one brother became seriously ill, the other chose to forgive and reconcile. The relationship was restored before it was too late. Forgiveness did not erase the past, but it brought healing where resentment had only produced death.

Application

You cannot experience resurrection while embracing resentment.

Release those who wounded you.

Let Jesus heal what others broke.

POINT 4 — Roll Away the Stone of Sin and Compromise

Some stones remain because we keep rolling them back.

Hidden sin suffocates revival.

David learned this.

Psalm 32:3-5

"When I kept silent..."

Then...

"I acknowledged my sin."

Proverbs 28:13

"Whoever conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy."

1 John 1:9

"If we confess our sins..."

Hebrews 12:1

"Lay aside every weight and the sin..."

God cannot bless what we refuse to surrender.

Real-Life Illustration

A believer struggled for years with a secret addiction. Freedom began not merely by trying harder, but by confessing the struggle to God, seeking trusted accountability, and walking daily in the Spirit. The stone of secrecy was removed, and healing began where hiding had kept them bound.

Application

Revival begins where repentance begins.

POINT 5 — Roll Away the Stone of Religious Tradition

The Pharisees knew Scripture...

But missed Jesus.

Religion often preserves tombs.

Jesus brings resurrection.

Mark 7:13

"Making the word of God of no effect through your tradition."

2 Corinthians 3:6

"The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."

John 5:39-40

"You search the Scriptures...yet you are not willing to come to Me."

We need biblical truth and the power of the Holy Spirit working together.

Real-Life Illustration

Churches that once overflowed with spiritual life can become focused only on maintaining routines. Yet when congregations humble themselves, pray, seek God's face, and obey His Word, fresh spiritual vitality often returns. God is able to breathe life into places that seem spiritually dormant.

Application

Don't worship methods.

Worship Jesus.

POINT 6 — Roll Away the Stone of Delay

Jesus intentionally waited.

Not because He didn't care.

Because He had something greater planned.

John 11:6

He stayed two more days.

Ecclesiastes 3:11

"He has made everything beautiful in its time."

Habakkuk 2:3

"Though it tarries, wait for it."

Romans 8:28

"All things work together for good..."

God's delays are never His denials.

Sometimes He waits because the miracle will glorify Him more after everyone has given up hope.

Real-Life Illustration

Joseph spent years in slavery and prison before becoming governor of Egypt. Those years were not wasted; they were preparation. What seemed like delay became the pathway to preserving countless lives during famine.

Application

Don't quit while God is preparing resurrection.

The silence is not abandonment.

The waiting is preparation.

POINT 7 — Roll Away the Stone and Step Into Resurrection Life

After the stone moved...

Jesus spoke.

John 11:43

"Lazarus, come forth!"

Notice...

Jesus called Lazarus out.

Then commanded others...

John 11:44

"Loose him, and let him go."

God raises us.

Then He transforms us.

Resurrection is the beginning—not the end.

Romans 6:4

"Walk in newness of life."

Ephesians 2:4-6

God "made us alive together with Christ."

Galatians 2:20

"It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me."

Revelation 3:20

Jesus still stands at the door, inviting us into renewed fellowship and obedient living.

Real-Life Illustration

Many people come to Christ with lives marked by brokenness, addiction, shame, or hopelessness. Through the transforming work of the Holy Spirit, they begin to walk in freedom, serving others with compassion born from their own experience of God's grace. Their lives become living testimonies that Jesus still brings resurrection power into the present.

Application

Jesus did not save you merely to escape death.

He saved you to live fully for Him.

Don't stay wrapped in yesterday's grave clothes.

Walk in the freedom Christ has given you.

CONCLUSION

Maybe Getting up out of your seat and coming to the alter in rolling your stone away.

Every miracle in John 11 began with one command:

"Take away the stone."

Perhaps the Holy Spirit has identified a stone in your life today.

Is it unbelief?

Fear?

Bitterness?

Hidden sin?

Religious complacency?

Discouragement?

A sense that it is "too late"?

The same Savior who stood before Lazarus' tomb stands before every impossible place in your life. He has not forgotten His promises, and He has not lost His power. The obstacle that seems immovable to you is not beyond His authority.

When the stone is rolled away, the glory of God can be revealed. What has been buried in despair can become a testimony of His faithfulness. The Lord still specializes in bringing life where others see only death.

Whatever has seemed sealed shut, surrender it to Christ. Obey His voice, trust His timing, and expect Him to work in ways that bring honor to His name.

The tomb is not the end when Jesus is standing outside of it.