Easter - He Still Moves Stones

VIDEO: “The Resurrection” (Ending scene from The Passion of the Christ)

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!

-But my friends, there is more to Easter than just this Sunday – because Easter is not just an event on the calendar - it is an experience with God.

I believe that God wants us to draw from Easter a very valuable and applicable lesson for our lives this morning.

The lesson that God has led me to present this morning to you is found in the book of Mark chapter 16. Please stand with me this morning as I read to you God’s Holy Word.

Mark 16: 1-7 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.’”

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 in 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.

I try to thank God in all things, Good times and Bad. In all situations of my life I try to think of how it can be related to a message. How is God talking to me through this event or that event?

Most of you here this morning know that I recently had surgery for kidney stones. For me it wasn’t the first time and more than likely it won’t be the last time either. But looking at the timing in which God allowed this to happen really stuck a great thought about stones.

This morning, I believe we all have stones in our lives as well. Stones of sin, and of failure; stones of disappointment, etc. They are a barrier 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?

What my friend is in your way? What is hindering you from seeing Jesus? And another important question is, how can I get rid of it once I identify it? First

I.We Must Come to Jesus!

A.Although the women knew that the stone would be blocking the entrance to the tomb, it did not stop them from coming.

1.I think this is important. 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 doesn’t 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.

3.The women didn’t have it all planned out. In fact, they couldn’t 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.

4.Is this not true for you and for me as well. I don’t have all of life figured out. I don’t understand so many things that I have to deal with in this 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.