INTRODUCTION:
As I was preparing for this Resurrection Sunday Sunrise service, the question that kept coming to my mind was: “Why in the world would someone want to get up so early on this Sunday morning?” And then the answer came to me people get up early when there is something very important going on. If you a fisherman and you think today is the day that the fish will be biting, you are going to get up early to be on the water by sunrise. You will get up early to get a head start on the traffic as you head out for a vacation that you have been looking forward to. You will get early to pick up a friend or a relative at the airport who took the morning red eye flight so that they can come visit you. It must be something important to get us moving before sunrise.
And so, the fact that so many of you are here this Sunday Sunrise morning tells me that this Sunday is different than any other Sunday. This Sunday is important. Something important is going on. Certainly, it was important to Jesus because on Resurrection Sunday some 2,000 years ago because the grave could not hold Him. He won victory over death. But we also won: his victory resulted in our victory. And so, this morning is important to us because we are rejoicing in all the great benefits His victory had provided for us. And so, in this sermon, I want to remind you of some of those great benefits- some we may tend to forget about as we go through our daily lives.
READING
Mark 16:1-8 (NKJV)
1 Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him.
2 Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.
3 And they said among themselves, "Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?"
4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away--for it was very large.
5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.
6 But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him.
7 But go, tell His disciples--and Peter--that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you."
8 So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
POINT #1
SOMETHING IMPORTANT IS GOING ON THIS SUNDAY AND IT SHOULD REMIND US THAT EVERY SUNDAY WE SHOULD GATHER TOGETHER NOT SETTLING FOR THE ORDINARY BUT EXPECTING THE EXTRAORDINARY.
In our Scripture, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Salome are going to anoint Jesus’ body. This is probably something that these three women have done many times before maybe for a family member or a friend who had passed away.
We are told in Luke 23 verses 55-56 that these women followed Joseph to see where they laid Jesus’ body so that they would know the location of the tomb for when they return on that Sunday morning with the spices and perfumes that they prepared, so they can give Jesus a proper burial.
The Scripture doesn’t say that when the women went home, they called someone to see how to prepare the spices or perfumes. The Scripture does not say that they consulted a book as to how to prepare the spice and perfumes. These women had the spices and perfumes and knew what to do with them because they done it before. They knew what to prepare and they knew what to expect when they returned to anoint the body. No surprises, they have done it before. But this Sunday is different; instead of the ordinary, they encountered the extraordinary- an empty tomb.
If you have been to church any at Bala Chitto, you know what to expect. Our choir will do an opening song, followed by Bro Greg’s announcements, two songs and offering, special music, sermon and then an invitation. We come every Sunday expecting the ordinary. But you know what? This day, Resurrection Sunday, reminds us that we should never come to church expecting the ordinary. The women should have never gone to the grave expecting the ordinary because Jesus told them before His death the grave could not hold him. We should never come to Bala Chitto expecting the ordinary because Jesus tells us where two or more or gathered there I am in your midst.
This Sunday is important because it reminds us the extraordinary is possible when we gather together. Let’s start looking for the extraordinary and not settle for the ordinary.
POINT #2
SOMETHING IMPORTANT IS GOING ON THIS SUNDAY AND IT SHOULD REMIND US THAT EVERY DAY WE HAVE ACCESS TO THE FATHER BECAUSE OF THE EMPTY GRAVE OF JESUS.
Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome are discussing a problem that they have as they are walking to the tomb. They realized that the stone blocking the entrance to the grave is so large and so heavy there is no way that they can move it even if they worked together and put all their might into it. They had no confidence that when they got to the tomb that they might be able to get the assistance of the Roman guards that was assigned to watch the tomb. So, as they are approaching the tomb, they are asking themselves the question, “Who will roll away the stone and give us access?”
Those ladies, on that Resurrection morning, asked the question we all should have asked or should ask ourselves, “who will give us access to God?” I know that I cannot roll away the stone and get access to the Father on my own. My life disqualifies me; I am a sinner; a chief among sinners. My friends, my family they cannot help me either because they are in the same boat I am.
And so, this Sunday is important because it reminds me that these ladies could not roll away the stone, but they had access to the grave because Jesus rolled away the stone. And this Sunday is important to me because I cannot roll away the stone blocking my access to the Father, but I have access to the Father because Jesus rolled away the stone.
And so, this Sunday and every Sunday and everyday of the week I need to remember that this Sunday is important because now I have access to God. Resurrection Sunday means that I can now talk to God.
POINT #3
SOMETHING IMPORTANT IS GOING ON THIS SUNDAY AND IT SHOULD REMIND US THAT JESUS IS IN THE BUSINESS OF CHANGING LIVES.
Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Salome head to the tomb of Jesus on a mission. A sad mission to anoint the body of Jesus with spices and perfumes. And they are going to a sad place- a graveyard. No matter how you beautify a graveyard, it still is going to be a sad place. You could put water fountains and beautiful landscape, but it is still a sad place. It is a place of the dead. And finally, these ladies are also saddened in their heart because the one that they followed for so long and loved is gone. So, what we can conclude as they walk to the graveyard- their state of mind is sad.
But look how they leave the graveyard. Mark says in verse 8 that they trembled and were amazed. Amazed is a weird emotion to leave a graveyard with. I love how Matthew tells about this scene in Matthew 28:8. He says: they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy. Now that is not an emotion that I expect to hear about to describe a person coming from a graveyard.
Who or what changed them? Only one person can change you like that and His name is Jesus. And something important is going on this Sunday morning, Jesus is reminding us that He can change our lives just like He changed the lives of those three women. Because of Resurrection Sunday, we don’t have to be the same. We can be changed.
CONCLUSION
This Sunday is important because on this Sunday we are reminded that we can anticipate the extraordinary, that we have access to talk with God through Jesus and that we can be changed if we allow Jesus to change us.
