THE DOOR WAS LEFT OPEN…WALK THROUGH!
Harford Senior Worship Center ©2007 - William Akehurst
4/8/2007
THE DOOR WAS LEFT OPEN SO WE COULD ENTER IN AND WALK THROUGH!
The Stone was rolled away so that we could look in. Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our Faith is the Door to Life
Scripture Reading
Matthew 27:57-66
Matthew 28:1-10
Key Verses:
Hebrews 12:2
John 10:9
John 11:25
1 Peter 1:3-5
HE IS RISEN…HE IS RISEN INDEED
This is our HOPE, today is known as Resurrection Sunday, the day we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The very reason we are here on Sundays. The reason we share this faith. As it says in 1 Peter 1:3, our lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ
What a beautify Day! COLD yes…but today we saw the sun to rise, and know that today we celebrate the S-O-N Rise.
This past Thursday, we had our “Holy Thursday” Service, and many of you shared what this Easter Season represented in your lives.
Today, as we look to the author and finisher of our faith, the one who endured the cross, despising the shame, (Hebrews 12:2) that he might fulfill that which was promised, we realize that this season and holiday which we celebrate, goes beyond today for all eternity.
In our scripture this morning, we recount that first Easter morning, when the stone was rolled away, and I ask you…why was the stone rolled away?
I was talking about this just Thursday night with Mr. Don, and he said, ‘it wasn’t rolled away so that Jesus could leave the tomb, the stone was rolled away so that we could see the evidence of the resurrection, so that the women, when they arrived, would see that Jesus had resurrected from the dead.’
When they returned to tell the disciples that Jesus had risen, we read In Luke 24, Peter got up and ran to the tomb to find the strips of linen lying by themselves where the body of Christ had lay.
The Tomb was opened, the Grave was empty. JESUS had risen.
WHY??????????
The angel of the Lord told reminded the women of Christ’s words to them, when he said in Galilee, “The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified, and on the third day, be raised again.
Why did it happened? To fulfill prophesy, yes. But there is something more…
Jesus said I am the resurrection, and the life. He that believes in me will never die. And he meant it. [John 11:25]
Jesus paid a price that could not be paid. From the time of Abraham and Isaac, to the Passover Lamb in Egypt, for all time sake, nothing paid the price of sin…until…the blood of the Lamb of God, God in flesh. The baby Jesus, in the manger, the Lamb of God, without spot, without sin, came and died for our sins.
In the ‘ritual’ of the sacrifice, the person needing forgiveness, took hold of the sacrifice, and by an act, ‘transferred’ their sins onto the animal. This was done symbolically. Then the ox or lamb or dove was sacrificed for the forgiveness of sins.
In the movie, “The Nativity”, I was intrigued that they had a scene, perhaps, a little Hollywood, if you will and not necessarily accurate in its timing or truth. But it is a scene where Herod is with the priest at a time of sacrifice, and as part of this ritual, he grabs the bull by the horns, and the priest instructs him to place his sins upon the ox…Herod places his hand upon the bulls head, and it is done. I thought is very interesting that they put this scene in the move, because of its implications of sacrifice, and the coming of the Christ child.
But when we think about it with regard to this scene. There is no real sacrifice there. He grabs the bull by the horns and symbolically places his sin upon the animal. The animal is slain, and Herod moves on until the next time of repentance. There is no relationship here. It’s an ANIMAL. The bull is for one thing and one thing only. It lived, it died, it’s gone, PERIOD. And this act must be repeated time and time again with new animals. [ASIDE] It is interesting though. Herod had to know that he was sinful, and know that he needed to have forgiveness. Herod had to know that he needed to admit his sins, and confess them upon the oxen.
This act of letting blood was how people were forgiven, the priests would sprinkle the blood on the mercy seat. Moses actually sprinkled the blood upon the people.
In our culture, this practice would seem barbaric, even wicked. But during the Old Testament time of history, it was done daily. The priest had to make several sacrifices each day for themselves alone. They we never permanently redeemed.
But prophets foretold of a new covenant, one that would place a lamb of sacrifice for a once and for all deal. And in a little town of Bethlehem, God sent his own son, to come into this world, as flesh, as man…for mankind, all of us, from then to now and to those of the future. Born in a lambs home, placed in a feed trough. [As the Living Bread]
On this Holy week, Jesus took on the hurts and pains of a sinful world, he was accused, beaten unmercifully, and nailed upon a cross. His blood was shed, let, for all mankind.
As he Jesus hung on that cross, he spoke the words…Father, Forgive Them…
“Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Father Forgive Them…ME, You, Us.
He took the sins of the whole world upon his shoulders that day. And when he died, he did it with love…for us. For you…for me…
But it didn’t stop there.
He spoke the words, I am the resurrection and the life. During his time here, people saw with their own eyes, his power over death when he raised Lazarus from the grave. When THAT stone was rolled away, the people frowned and said, but the smell…the smell of death… but Jesus persisted, and he went up to the tomb and called out…Lazarus, come forth…and there standing, alive, resurrected by the power of Christ, GOD in Flesh, did Lazarus come. Jesus showed his power over death during his time here. Then, when it was his time, he himself, raised up over the power of death. This is the hope that those who believe in him…have. His power over death takes us from a world that sees life, then death to a world that sees death then life!
* * * * *
(From Johnny Creasong’s Sermon – NO ENTRANCE, NO EXIT, NO WAY. This inspired me regarding Jesus as the Door)
In a sermon, by a Louisiana preacher, Johnny Creasong, I was intrigued by his notes on the day. He said…”The life of Jesus is bracketed by two impossibilities: a virgin’s womb, and an empty tomb.”
[Jesus entered our world through and impossible means, a virgin’s womb. Impossible!]
“Jesus entered our world through a door marked ‘NO ENTRANCE’.”
[Then, Jesus exited our world through a door of impossibility.] “Jesus left through a door marked ‘NO EXIT’.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the single most important event ever! Death has been defeated.
Before the resurrection of Jesus, no one had ever gone to the grave and returned to say, “There is a way through!” Resurrection takes place in the country of death.
We live in a world that only offers death after life. You live, then you die. Everything is geared to living. The land of the living is obviously not a vacation paradise. It’s more like a war zone.
If the resurrected Christ offers life after death in a world that only offers death after life, then we’d better get fired up about it.
We’re the people of the empty tomb…”
* * * * *
An interesting thought, isn’t it…
The stone was rolled away, so that we see Jesus, not there! The door was opened.
Jesus didn’t need to walk through the door, Jesus IS the door. In John 10:9 Jesus says…
“I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”
He further says, that all we need do is to Ask…and we will receive, Seek…and you will find, Knock…and the door will be opened, And all these things will be added unto you.
Don’t you see…
And in order to receive this life after death, we must accept the sacrifice of Christ, who bore our sins upon his body.
Now, we no longer must sacrifice oxen or lambs or doves, because the sacrifice has already been done for us for all time. But we MUST transfer our sin upon the lamb that was slain. We must place our sin upon that sacrifice, upon Jesus. We must repent of our sinfulness to Him, we must ask him to cleanse us. We must ‘take him in’.
But that doesn’t mean that we are sinless, we must continue to confess our sins before Him daily. We must ask for forgiveness, and continue to work on our lives to be more like him. That builds a relationship, that we will have with Christ. We will continue to be in conversation with him, in communication with the AUTHOR and FINISHER of our faith.
Jesus wrote the Book. And he Finished our faith by being the FINAL Sacrifice for our sins. All we need do is to take him into our hearts. Jesus even spoke the words…IT IS FINISHED. He is the finisher of our faith. His birth, life, death and resurrection all were done for a once and for all sacrifice. A REAL sacrifice…of an unblemished love for us all.
We need to simply admit we are sinners, then confess this to the Lord, Ask Him into our hearts, and lives to forgive us, and cleanse us, and change us. Ask, Seek, Knock, and it will be given. The Door will be opened.
It’s hard to believe that something so red, can make us so clean…as white as snow…The blood of the Lamb, Jesus, will cleanse us and make us new.
We are redeemed. We are given new life, and life beyond this one. The Stone was rolled away to prove it to us. That JESUS CONQUERED DEATH, AND HAS THE VICTORY OVER IT.
This is what TODAY is all about.
This is what it means to be a Christian, to Be Saved, to Know HIM.
And it goes beyond that…as Christ has risen, we can have a true relationship with him. We can speak to him in prayer. And he will answer us. We have seen his power among our own.
And when that time comes, and our body gives up on us…As those around us see our body in a coffin, where the world says there is no escape. We know that we have the promise, the promise of life, after this one. Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
As I’ve heard many times before…“Absent from the body…Present with the Lord”
When I am greeted by him, I want to hear those words. “Well done, Enter with me this day, into Paradise” Don’t You as well???
The Stone has been rolled away. Death is no longer the ‘end’. The DOOR is OPEN.
THE DOOR IS OPEN, SO WE CAN WALK THROUGH!
Won’t you walk through today?
Jesus is RISEN. He is RISEN INDEED.
Seek him out
Confess before him
Ask him into your heart today…
And He will open the door.
Let’s Pray
