TITLE: “GONE”
#6 in the SERIES: “Empty”
MAIN TEXT: Mark 16:1-8
GOOD MORNING! It is RESURRECTION SUNDAY! Boy, do we ever have a reason to rejoice!!! Jesus is alive!!! So, we have no reason to be down, but every reason to be ecstatic! And not just today, but always! For Jesus is alive EVERY SINGLE DAY!!!
Now, we have been working on a series titled, EMPTY. And for weeks, we have considered the idea of being EMPTY from every angle in the Gospel of Mark. To be filled up where we are EMPTY inside. As well as, being EMPTIED where we are too full of ourselves, so Christ can fill us! All with the BIG IDEA of being filled with the fullness of Christ!
And along those same lines I want to bring some hope to us all on this RESURRECTION SUNDAY. I want us to know that because there is an EMPTY TOMB, you no longer have to live an EMPTY LIFE!
So, if you are feeling EMPTY or HOPELESS, then you are in the right place! Since Jesus is alive, all the other (empty) stuff can be…
TITLE: “GONE”
Our Goal: Because there is an empty tomb, you no longer have to live an empty life!
There is some good news for you here in the Bible! So, let’s see how this hope and encouragement came to some ordinary people like you and me.
Mark 16:1-8, And when the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. [2] And very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. [3] And they were saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?" [4] And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, although it was extremely large. [5] And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe; and they were amazed. [6] And he said to them, "Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him. [7] "But go, tell His disciples and Peter, 'He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He said to you.' " [8] And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had gripped them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
PRAYER:
INTRODUCTION:
As these ladies came to the Tomb of Jesus early on Sabbath morning, their hearts were heavy, defeated and discouraged. Just think, they watched Jesus being crucified on Good Friday, which had to be an excruciating experience. Then, to come and see Him lying dead in a tomb had to be more than overwhelming and unbearable for them.
Not only were they down, but the Disciples were hidden away licking their wounds as well. Their Leader and Friend was dead. Now, they had no purpose or meaning. The Bible tells us that these big, rugged fishermen were mourning and weeping, even days after Jesus died.
I am sure that there are some here today that know what that kind of despair and hopeless can feel like. But I am here to share with you that GOD HAS A REMEDY for those who are down and out!
So, what about you? Have you been riddled with fears? Is hopelessness trying to overwhelm you? Do you know what it is like to be anxious about things you can’t control? Then there is a message here for you this morning! Those things can be GONE in Jesus’ name!
The BIG OBSTACLE that the ladies were concerned about was the stone. But when they got there the STONE was rolled away, it was GONE! And what that means is that Jesus can take away every barrier that the enemy might throw in your way, in this life!
1. Things like the despair of death.
2. Or any efforts your enemies might come against you with.
3. The discouragement or fears that want to overtake your life.
4. Even that thing that might be separating you from the Lord right now.
So, if you need some obstacles to just be GONE today, say “AMEN!” Jesus has an encouraging word for you today, from Mark 16:1-8. We don’t need to be in deep despair or discouragement because Jesus has everything under control! As we will see in a few moments together.
ILLUSTRATION:
A Swedish proverb says, “Worry often gives a small thing a big shadow.”
Isn’t that exactly true with all the fretting we do or the sadness we have? We give it way too much credit. And God way too little credit. But, our God is BIG and He is ABLE to help us in the nerve-racking situations that we find ourselves in.
POINT ONE: WALKING
Mark 16:1-2, And when the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. [2] And very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.
As we pick up the story, we come to find that several women were WALKING to the tomb in order to prepare the Body of Jesus. But let’s think about just HOW these ladies were WALKING. Think about it. This is the time that these ladies dreaded. They begin to take a WALK that they didn’t want to take. But, as we all know, we sometimes have to take a “walk” through something that we don’t want to walk through.
Have you ever been there? Have you ever had to WALK a certain journey or path that you would rather not take? In fact, it is even something that Jesus had to do Himself, if you remember His time of prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. We talked about it a few weeks ago, when Jesus asked the Father to allow this cup (the cross) to pass from Him, but not His will, but God the Father’s be done.
WE ALL have to WALK a path that we don’t always want to at times. For these ladies, it was to finalize the burial of Jesus.
→It was the kind of WALK that would affect their HEART, and FEELINGS, and EMOTIONS and even their OUTLOOK on life!
And that is the kind of WALK that we walk many times. A WALK that will sometimes even define us. One that will even determine our future. It is a WALK much like the Calvary Road, meaning that it is a WALK of SUBMISSION and YIELDEDNESS. Jesus had to yield and submit to the will of the Father in order to go to the cross. And these four ladies had to surrender and yield themselves, in order to follow through on their obligations. After all, they had their hopes and dreams dashed. Their loved one was gone. (as far as they could see) They were disappointed and discouraged.
There is no doubt they were WALKING the long and winding “Calvary Road.” What is the “Calvary Road” you ask? Well, it is a road that you walk when your faith is being tested. All of us know what that is like. They are when expectations turn into disappointments. When your plans fail. When you seem to be walking alone and feel vulnerable.
Without a doubt, those are the things we wish were GONE from our lives, but there they are and they are very real. But! I have to tell you that you don’t WALK it alone! In fact, Jesus has already gone on before you! And, He has also assured us that He would WALK this lonely path WITH US!
Jesus made this statement in the Great Commission. Matthew 28:20, “and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Since we can just snap our fingers and make everything be GONE, the next best thing is to know that JESUS IS WITH US!
Now, here is a very real thing in our lives, we all wish was GONE too…
POINT TWO: WORRY
The emotions of these ladies were getting the best of them. And WORRY begins to set in on these ladies while they are on their WALK to Jesus’ tomb. And, listen to what the Bible says here in Mark 16:3, And they were saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?"
What was on the mind of these ladies as they made their way to the tomb? What consumed their thinking? They got worried about the STONE! They were getting upset about WHO was going to move the stone & HOW the stone was going to be moved for them to get in to Jesus!
But it isn’t all that abnormal to feel that way about the circumstances we face in life. Circumstances that we wish were just GONE! But, we must be aware of the WORRY that the enemy tries to bind you up with.
ILLUSTRATION:
Because, the truth be told about worry is that for the average person’s WORRY that we get focused on so easily.
40% of those things will never happen
30% of those things that we worry about are in the past, and that can't be changed
12% are those things that are about criticism by others, which is mostly untrue
10% are about health issues, which only gets worse with stress
And it is estimated that 8% of our worries are about real problems that will be faced in our lives. 8% are worth having concern and thoughts on them.
And, for those concerns Jesus tells us to cast our every care upon Him, because HE cares for us!
1 Peter 5:7, “…casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.”
Psalm 55:22, Cast your burden upon the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.
Jesus wants us to cast our cares and worries upon Him! Because HE wants to carry the burden of those things that we so often bear ourselves! He wants to carry you & your burdens! Then it would be as if they are GONE!
What was happening to these ladies here in Mark 16, is that same thing that happens to each of us. And they begin to question and WORRY what they were even doing in the first place. For, it appeared that their labor of love was only going to be in vain. It appeared that all their hopes were resting on their own strength. And, it appeared that their difficulty is leaving them perplexed, which was only stealing their joy away from them.
So, WHY can’t these women enjoy their ministry to Jesus? What was causing all the WORRY?
1. They remembered the strong men who placed that huge stone in front of the tomb!
2. And they looked at themselves, seeing their own limitations and limited resources!
Now listen, while these women were practical in their thinking and reasoning. Them seeing things through their own eyes was just what was killing their hopes here. They became consumed with their own reasoning and understanding. And when that reasoning began to set into their minds, that is just when FAITH and HOPE left and WORRY and DOUBT set in!
But, THIS is what the Bible has to say to us in moments of WORRY & ANXIETY! Proverbs 3:5-6, Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. [6] In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.
Listen to me my friends. We are in a battle with the enemy who lurks in this world! And HE will whisper lies into your ears as you WALK this earth. Lies like, you are wasting your time following Jesus. You are never going to get victory over this addiction. You can’t make it through this difficult time. You will never get better. God doesn’t care about you.
Listen to me, the Bible makes it clear that the devil is a LIAR! John 8:44, You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature; for he is a liar, and the father of lies.
And he lays out these lies to you because HE wants you to be riddled with WORRY – FEARS – DISAPPOINTMENTS – and DOUBTS! -Which is why we have to TRUST GOD! Why we have to LEAN UPON the Lord! And why we have to keep WALKING!
ILLUSTRATION:
Remember what Dory told Nemo’s father Marlin in “Finding Nemo”? “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming!” When Marlin was ready to give up, and forget finding his son, he was told to JUST KEEP SWIMMING!
Hey, when you are so riddled with WORRY and DOUBTS. Just keep WALKING! Just keep WALKING! WALKING! WALKING! That is just what these ladies did when they were WORRIED about the STONE in the front of Jesus’ tomb, THEY KEPT WALKING! And SO SHOULD YOU! Don’t give up yet! Yeah, there are things you might wish were GONE from your life, but we still have to WALK it out.
ILLUSTRATION:
And remember, “When you are down to nothing, God is up to something!”
When we keep WALKING, in spite of the WORRY, we are about to experience…
POINT THREE: WONDER
WONDER is an awesome thing! I know that we all love to see the face of a child on Christmas, or on their birthday, when they get that present that they have been hoping for so much.
Well listen, I believe that is what Jesus wants us to have in regard to HIM! WONDER! May THAT never be GONE from our lives!
Now, WONDER is about being filled with astonishment, amazement or awe. It is the cause of surprise!
Wouldn’t it be WONDERFUL is Jesus did something great in here today, like healing someone? Or if He would speak through the gifts of the Spirit in a powerful way to someone? There would be a sense of AWE & WONDER! Something that we DON’T want to be GONE from our lives!
Much like when Peter and John spoke to that man at the gate Beautiful in Acts. Acts 3:10, …and they were taking note of him as being the one who used to sit at the Beautiful Gate of the temple to beg alms, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
This is the kind of WONDER that God wants us to have in regard to Him. And it must have been the same things these ladies experienced that day when they turned the corner, and saw the TOMB where Jesus laid. Mark 16:4, “And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, although it was extremely large.” The stone was GONE! And they would see that Jesus was GONE too!
Listen to me my friends, the Bible tells us over and again that we can see STONES rolled out of our way, as we WALK in faith towards Jesus! Peter walked on the water, as he got out of the boat, to meet Jesus! Jesus told us that if we only had faith the size of a mustard seed, we could say to the mountain, be moved from here to there, and it would be done!
These WORRING women realized that as they WALKED towards the tomb that the STONE was already GONE! It was already rolled away! Their greatest concern was GONE before they knew it! They discovered that what they were worried about, had already been taken care of! They discovered that God was already there LONG before they were! They discovered that when difficulties are way too big for us, then they will be tended to by the very hands of God! And they found out that while something is impossible with them, NOTHING is impossible with God!
Church, we must capture this thought today! That it IS NOT our job to roll the stones away for ourselves, it is only our duty to pursue Jesus! It IS NOT our job to have all the right answers, it is our duty to be devoted to Jesus! Further, it IS NOT our job to worry about HOW God is going to do it, we are just supposed to trust Him to do it! And it IS NOT our job to fret over tomorrow, we are just supposed to love Jesus today!
That is how WONDER is captured, and remains in the life of the Believer! Just simply allowing the Lord to have His way. While we WALK in FAITH and NOT WORRY! EMPTY yourself of WORRIES & be FILLED with more FAITH in God!
Friend, do you have WORRIES, but would like to be in WONDER? Are you tired of bearing a load, and not enjoying your life? Come to Jesus! Allow HIM to move the STONES in your life as you trust Him! May the WORRIES, FEARS and DISAPPOINTMENTS be GONE!
Maybe you are saying, “Yeah, but Pastor, you don’t know me. I really don’t deserve it. I am not that kind of person.” You don’t know how unworthy I feel. You don’t know my past sins and failures. You don’t know how I have let the Lord down. You don’t know the bad things I have done.
Well, if that is how you feel, then, there is one other thing you need to hear. A person, in fact, who you might want to hear about, a…
POINT FOUR: WITNESS
Listen to something here in Mark 16:7, “But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He said to you.’”
ILLUSTRATION:
Video named, “Jesus Is Alive!”
They said it, the tomb IS EMPTY today, but your heart can be FULL! Because there is an empty tomb, you don’t have to live and empty life! That emptiness can be GONE!
So, what’s going on here? What is the revelation that comes in this verse? It is that GRACE triumphs over every sin! It is that LOVE will find you, even when you are in your lowest valley of life! So, you are not “too far gone” for Jesus to love you!
And, THAT is what Jesus wanted to be certain PETER knew. He wanted PETER to know that He was risen because PETER was hurting right now himself. (like some of you sitting here right now maybe?) He had denied Christ and ran away. He maybe thought all hope was GONE, but it wasn’t! God knew that Peter was crushed by all that happened to Jesus just days before. But Jesus wanted him to know that He still loved and accepted Him! Peter was not EXCLUDED from any good news of Jesus’ resurrection! And neither are you!
I am sure that he felt he could never rebound from all the messes he had made in his life. I am sure he must have felt that he had sinned away his day of grace. But, I think that is exactly why the angel mentions Peter by name (the only disciple to be named) to be sure HE KNOWS that Jesus is risen and He wants to meet with him soon!
Listen to me friends. If Jesus still wanted to be with Peter after all that. If Peter was one of the first people on His mind after being raised from the dead. Don’t you think that you are also on His mind today? Don’t you think that He wants to roll some stones out of the way for you? Don’t you think God is able to make a difference in your life and fill you with WONDER once again?
For as “bad” as you might feel you are today, Romans 5:20 says where sin increased, grace abounded all the more!
Peter found this out when Jesus came looking for him. He came to realize some things. That there is one thing sin CANNOT do and that is to make Jesus stop loving you! That the Lord doesn’t expose and exploit you, but He restores and renews! That no weakness has to overwhelm you, but that God can be your strength in life! And that God will never give-up on you…and He can transform your life! Your past can be put behind you friends, and it will be GONE!
Peter is a constant WITNESS to us of the love and care the Father has for all of us!
AS WE CLOSE!
I want us all to hear the heart of the Risen Christ this morning! He loves us, and cares for us! He wants to move the STONES that are in our way. GONE! Calming our fears and dispelling the worry. GONE! Giving us a confidence in the walk that we have on this earth. And even filling our hearts with a bit of wonder on this earth too.
All of which, are an act of His grace! His grace abounds to everyone who is in this place today! WHY? Because the Lord sees your potential, and not just who you are now. Just like with Peter.
Remember! Since there is an empty tomb, you to have to have an empty life!
ILLLUSTRATION:
“No matter how devastating our struggles, disappointments, and troubles are, they are only temporary. No matter what happens to you, no matter the depth of tragedy or pain you face, no matter how death stalks you and your loved ones, the Resurrection promises you a future of immeasurable good.”
-Josh McDowell
So, are their STONES in your way today? Things that cause you to feel that you can’t be what He wants you to be? I mentioned it earlier, and I want to come back to the thought of the STONE. It represents the despair and worry that we all contend with. It represents the things that the enemy throws at us, trying to hold us back from God with it. And it can also stand for anything that separates you from God.
Do you need to yield these areas to the Lord so that He can also move the “stone” in your life? So that Jesus can free you from them? Friends, they can be GONE!
ALTAR CALL:
Salvation. The resurrection proves that salvation is for real!
STONES in your way, you need to trust God in.
Let Jesus fill you with WONDER once again.
SONG:
Lord, I Lift Your Name On High
Romans 15:13, Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
