TITLE: SON RISE SERVICE
SCRIPTURE: ST. MARK 16:1-8
Imagine the most important thing that could possibly happen to you in your life happens, but afterward, nothing changes.
• You graduate from college, but instead of going out and securing a job, you just go home and continue to live with Mom and Dad
• Graduation day comes and goes – and nothing changes
• You finally get the promotion. But instead of going to your new office with its corner window and beautiful view of the Golf Course, you go to your same old cubical down in the basement
• Promotion day comes and goes – and nothing changes
• You get married, and after the wedding service, the bride goes home to her parents and the groom goes home to his
• It’s ridiculous to think these things might actually happen, because these are events that change things and should change our lives
Imagine Jesus being crucified.
• He is put in a grave
• Buried
• Three days later He is resurrected
• He comes back to us
• He lives again
• And that is it – nothing else happens
It would be ridiculous to think of living through Easter, Resurrection Sunday and then having nothing change. What would have happened if after Christ’s resurrection -
• PETER had gone back to his fishing boat and lived out his life?
• If all the Disciples just went back to their old way of life?
• If none of the Gospels had been written?
The resurrection of Christ was not the type of event that you celebrate once, but doesn’t change your life. It demands a change in your life. The Resurrection of Christ validates everything the Gospel claims about Christ, and it verifies everything Christ requires of us.
• You cannot come and celebrate this glorious Resurrection Sunday and go out and not love God and not be changed
In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus is asked which is the greatest commandment of the Law, and the first answer is to “LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.” This does not take place unless a change has taken place in you, a change that begins at -
• Calvary
• Old Rugged Cross
• Empty Tomb
• A Resurrected Savior
That is what we find in our text this morning. These women identified in our text didn’t arrive early in anticipation, but rather to take care of unfinished business, an act out of pure love for Christ. ST. LUKE 23:55-56 records they had seen the tomb and where the body of Christ was laid after he was taken down from the cross. Yet, they had to return home where they prepared the spices, and ointments, but their work was delayed because of the Sabbath.
• Even though Nicodemus, and Joseph had anointed the Lord’s body, it was done in haste, and was not satisfactory enough at least not for these women
Thus, as soon as they could, following the Sabbath they planned to take care of the proper anointing of the body of Jesus. I imagine these women were restless and sleep escaped them for days. Just like us when we have something on our mind, something we need to do or accomplish and we find it difficult or impossible to sleep. Early in the morning while it was still dark, they left their homes, met together, and began to walk toward the tomb of Jesus.
• One must admire the devotion, and courage of these women
• Oh, how they loved him!
• He must have a proper burial
• It was the least they could do
• They were courageous in what they did
• They did not fear the darkness
• Nor did they fear being identified with Christ
• Little did they know - they were on their way to a SON RISE SERVICE
Although these wonderful, courageous women were on their way to a different kind of Son-Rise Service, it was very early during the dawning of a new day when they set out to the sepulcher. I found my mind wresting with an interesting question - what is a sunrise? It’s not quite the simple question one might anticipate when you get down to it.
• How do you actually define a Sunrise
• How do you pinpoint when a Sunrise Begins
• Or for that matter, when it Ends?
Think about when a sunrise actually begins.
• The first semblance of light begins very early in the morning, as the sun begins to reach over the horizon
• The sky may still be dark - but you can sense the coming of the light
• We call this time DAWN
The moments of dawn soon give way to twilight as the sun’s rays begin to burn the sky with the simplest hint of color.
• The earth - God’s entire creation - begins to stir with life
• Soon, twilight ends as the upper edge of the sun appears above the horizon in the East
• Intense Red and Orange Hues pierce into the darkness
• And soon, darkness is overcome by the brilliant rising of the sun
• Night gives way to Day
• Darkness gives way to Light
• And darkness has now finished mourning the death of another day
• Death gives way to Life
We too, have seen a great darkness. It appears as though we are living in Dark Times with the CORONAVIRUS sweeping across every nation. Lights are out in many Churches and in Sanctuaries across the land. It seems as though we have been overshadowed by darkness.
• On Good Friday, we remembered the darkest night creation ever knew as the son of God perished on the cross
• ST. MATTHEW 27:45 “NOW FROM THE SIXTH HOUR THERE WAS DARKNESS OVER ALL THE LAND UNTO THE NINTH HOUR” – Noon until 3 in the Afternoon
• It was a painful and horrible death that tore Jesus away from His father’s creations
• And He was placed in a tomb
• The Tomb was Dark
• And the Tomb was Sealed
• And great darkness covered the land
Oh my Brothers and Sisters, hold on -- there is hope
• Jesus foretold His death
• Foretold His suffering
• Yet foretold His raising from the dead
• It is not over yet
• Darkness is just barely giving way to light as the sky grays and the earth begins to stir
After awhile, the darkness will continue to lose its battle with the light. Jesus’ resurrection means so much, it represents so much. We begin to understand it even more as we see the effects the rising son has on the darkness. Not the rising SUN, but the rising SON - ST. LUKE 1:78-79 “THROUGH THE TENDER MERCY OF OUR GOD; WHEREBY THE DAYSPRING FROM ON HIGH HATH VISITED US, TO GIVE LIGHT TO THEM THAT SIT IN DARKNESS AND IN THE SHADOW OF DEATH, TO GUIDE OUR FEET INTO THE WAY OF PEACE.”
What did those women expect early on that Sunday Morning? They expected to find a body. They came there to anoint the body of the Lord with spices, and ointments since they were unable to do so because of the Sabbath. What do we expect when we go to a graveyard?
• We expect there will be tears shed
• That there will be grieving
• That a body of our loved one or friend will be lowered down in the ground and covered with dirt
I see in this passage there must have been a little faith on the part of these three women. knowing the stone was there, knowing the Tomb where Jesus laid had been sealed up. They must have believed, or at least hoped in the back of their minds that something had happened.
• That something had finally gone right
• After witnessing a Mock Trial
• After witnessing BARABAS being released instead of Jesus
• After witnessing the beating with 40 stripes upon the back of Jesus
• After witnessing him nailed to the Old Rugged Cross
• After witnessing Him cry out IT IS FINISHED
• Tomb was sealed with a great stone placed
• Roman Guards placed at each side of the stone sealing the tomb
• Guards were not there to keep Jesus followers out
• Guards were there just in case the story was true
• Guards were there to keep Jesus from walking out
• These three women – MARY MAGDALENE – MARY OF JOSEPH – SALOME - were on their way to the Tomb hoping something would turn in their favor
• Because they were already on their way when they asked the question, “WHO WILL ROLL THE STONE AWAY FROM THE ENTRANCE?”
Man has been asking that same question for millennia.
• Who will move the stone?
• Who will break down the barrier between God and us?
instinctively man knows there is a God. He understands that happenchance over billions of years is too far fetched to believe. He knows there is some kind of super-power out there, somewhere. There has to be, but how do we get to Him? How is it that man could talk to, walk with and please God?
• Man knows there is a hole in his soul
• Man knows there has to be a divine being to fill that hole
• But how, how can it happen when there is this great boulder of a rock in the way?
God has a plan.
• God speaks - and plans fall into place
• God speaks - and systems are automatically created to serve His will
• God had a plan all along
• His plan was to remove the barrier
• To remove the Wall - the Stone - the Rock - the Bars
When Mary and the other women approached the tomb after Jesus' death, they saw an amazing sight. they expected to see the stone still hiding the tomb, and they needed a way to enter the resting place of their beloved Master. The stone represented a barrier to their goal: to anoint the body of their beloved master with spices. I’m sure their hearts were still downcast as grief flooded their spirits. "WHO WILL ROLL AWAY THE STONE?" they asked one another.
• These women were obviously not strong enough
• Some sources say the stone, which rolled along a carved-out "track" in front of the tomb could have weighed as much as a ton
• How could they anoint Jesus' body if the stone blocked the entrance?
Imagine the women’s shock when they "LOOKED UP" and saw the stone was gone. Who moved the stone? The Gospel of Matthew answers with "AN ANGEL OF THE LORD."
Do you have stones stuck in deep ruts at the entrance of your heart — STONES OF FEAR - REBELLION - DESPAIR - OR DISCOURAGEMENT?
• Do they loom so large, you surrender at the thought of even trying to remove them?
• Or have you tried, only to realize no amount of heaving or shoving would budge them?
• The obstacles are not made of stone, but they seem just as massive and powerful — and you feel helpless to remove them
Whatever those stones — or circumstances — your enemy has been closing the entrance of your heart and mind, until there is no light remaining. You cannot see a way out or in. You speculate, "WHO WILL ROLL THIS STONE AWAY?" You don’t know where to turn, but you know you want the stone removed. Then just like these women, you "LOOK UP" in faith, and what you see is truly amazing.
• You see not stones - but pebbles
• You see not darkness - but daylight
• There is a huge opening, and maybe you hear a faint divine whisper in your spirit, "I have already rolled the stone away"
• Jesus' death and resurrection opened the door to new life
• The stones that imprison us or block our path have no power to destroy us
• There is only One who can roll away your stones and bring joy, new life, and freedom through Christ
• That's part of the Son Rise Service, the Resurrection message
• And that’s where our hope lies
• Keep looking up!
• Just look up!
• LOOK TOWARD THE HILLS FROM WHICH COMETH YOUR HELP, YOUR HELP COMES FROM THE LORD WHO MADE THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH
We cannot celebrate Resurrection Sunday and not be moved? I think that is why –
• MATTHEW reminds us that THE WHOLE EARTH SHOOK ON THAT FIRST EASTER MORNING
• LUKE records Easter as a meal on Sunday evening with the risen Christ
• JOHN has the resurrected Jesus encountering Mary Magdalene in the Garden
--On the cross, the world did all it could to Jesus
--Early on that Sunday morning, God did all He could for the world
--And the earth shook
--You don't explain that -- You experience it - You feel it
--The devil thought he had won
--Jesus had died on the cross
--His limp, lifeless body removed from the cross, and laid in a tomb secured- sealed - and guarded by Roman Soldiers
--Yet, Death, and the grave cannot hold the Son of God
--He had the authority to lay down his life, and he had the authority to take it up again
--That was a Son Rise Service
--Because of that Son Rise Service - we worship and serve a Risen Lord
--DEATH WHERE IS YOUR STING, GRAVE WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY
--Thank God for that Son Rise Service
--BECAUSE IT CHANGES EVERYTHING
--Because He Lives – that Changes Everything
--Because He Lives – We can face our Tomorrows
--Because He Lives – All of our Fears Are Gone
--Because of that Son Rise Service – Everything has Changed
