Don't Let The Stone Stop You

(A sermon by Pastor Tommy L. Davis, New Jerusalem Missionary Baptist Church, Motts, Alabama)

Text: Mark 16:1-4

1 And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.

2 And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.

3 And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?

4 And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.

Subject: DON’T LET THE STONE STOP YOU

My Brothers and Sisters we greet you on this Easter Sunday in the year of our Lord 2004. This is the day that the Lord has made; a day that has been set aside annually to acknowledge and celebrate the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

But as we celebrate on THIS Easter Sunday, I want you to know and understand that Easter is not all about the Easter bunny, hippity hopping along and bringing chocolate eggs for you to forget about your New Year’s resolution diet and get your eat on.

v Easter is not about hiding Spring colored eggs over every inch of a yard or field, for little children to lose their minds trying to find them.

v Easter is not about buying a brand new Easter suit, a new Easter dress, a new Easter hat, or some new Easter shoes.

v Easter is not about the Easter madness sale at Sears or the Easter white sale at J.C. Penney.

v Let the truth be told, Easter is not even about a certain day and a certain time of the year.

On the contrary, Easter, or should I say, Resurrection Day, should be celebrated every day, not just on Easter Sunday morning as designated on our man-made calendar.

v Easter should be celebrated every morning we open up our eyes and can still see the beauty and glory of the day.

v Easter should be celebrated every time we see our children running and playing in the house or in the yard.

v Easter should be celebrated every time you look at your pay check and realize that you’ve gotten another pay raise on your job.

v Easter should be celebrated every time you pass by an accident on the road, realizing that it could have been you.

v Easter should be celebrated every time one of our loved ones has transitioned from this life to eternal rest.

For Christ died that we might have grace and mercy everlasting. Not a once a year grace. Not a some time grace. But a grace that’s 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year, every single year for the rest of eternity.

Yes, my brothers and sisters, we are to celebrate Jesus, because what he did for us, is unlike anything that anyone else will ever do for us in our lives. Yes, there may come a time when someone may give up their life to save yours. I know there are some parents who would give up their own lives to save the life of one of their children, but that saving power is just a physical thing. All you can do is save the physical body. And even in that instance of physical saving, there’s no guarantee that your child will live beyond the very next moment. They are still, at some point, subject to a physical death.

But thank GOD for a man named Jesus, who gave up His life that we might be able to live life and live it more abundantly. He gave up His life – He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquity, the chastisement of peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. Yeah, Yeah, we are healed from the sickness of sin. Healed from eternal damnation. Healed from a carnal existence. He gave up His life that we are no longer condemned to die, but grace and mercy has been extended by the Almighty God, by El-Elohim-Israel, by El-Shadai, by Jehovah-jireh, Jehovah-rophe, Jehovah-shalom, Jehovah-nissi, Jehovah-shammah, and Jehovan-tsidkenu. What He did for us, no one else will ever be able do! So there is a greater significance and greater benefits involved when we look at Him giving up His life for ours.

My brothers and sisters, the Bible tells us that:

v after Jesus had his hands and feet nailed viciously to that old wooden cross;

v after Jesus had asked GOD to forgive us, knowing that we must have been crazy and incognizant of what WE – and I say we because every time we sin, we become a part of those that crucified Christ – so what we were doing to the Son of the Most High God;