A God Who Still Moves Stones - An Easter Resurrection Message

Come and See, investigate the Angel said, and you will believe.

S - Surprise at an empty grave

I have a good friend named Scott. But when Scott was a little boy, about four years old, his dad sent him down to his Sunday School Class with his offering money. After class when his dad picked him up he still had his two quarters clenched tightly in his hand. His dad said, Scott, why didn’t you give your offering to Jesus down in your class. And Scott looked at his dad with all the seriousness of a four year old and said, "Dad, Jesus hardly ever shows up down there."

Well, not many people expected him to show up on that Sunday morning either and what a surprise, what a shock that his new birth caused.

Everyone involved was surprised at how it turned out. The Soldiers didn’t have an answer, the Pharisee’s were caught trying to come up with a back up plan. The Religious Leaders who thought they buried the one who challenged their way of life, were shocked when Sunday morning rolled around and the stone rolled away and Jesus Christ rose victorious over sin and death. And that is the greatest surprise this world has ever known.

T - Tell - The command they were given

After the angel invited the surprised women into the tomb, they were told to go and tell this good news to others.

The command was given, and yet this is the one that so many choose to ignore. Those of us that have searched and satisfied it in our own lives, received him as Savior and Lord, and now our command is to go and tell others. And yet we sit quietly as opportunity after opportunity passes us by.

Do you know how most people come to know Jesus Christ? Do you know what the most effective mode of evangelism is? It’s the same as it has been for a long time. The most effective mode of evangelism is one person inviting another person to come to church with them.

Now you probably thought I was going to say that most effective mode of evangelism is one person telling another person about Jesus Christ. And let me say that that is the ideal way. And that should be and could be the best way.

But reality is that 90 to 95% of all commitments to Christ come after a person has accepted an invitation to attend church. A person invites another person to come to church where they will hear the gospel and in time invite Jesus into their heart.

Like the woman at the well that went back to her town and said, “Come and see a man who knows all that I’ve done and yet still loves me.”

Now the responsibility for sharing Christ will still fall to each one of us, but people are much more open to receive it once they have come to church and opened up their lives to the influence of Godly people. The heart is prepared and then someone shares the gospel with them and they come to know the Lord. But it starts with someone inviting a friend to church.

We are in the mission together. We all play that part. What did the Apostle Paul say? I plant, Apollos waters, but God gives the increase. We do it together. And people come to know Jesus because grandparents sow, Christians pray, friends invite, people talk, greeters greet, preachers preach. And we all do it together. And while were doing that, God is working in the midst of it.