3 STONES
Matthew 4:1-4, John 8:3-11, Mark 16:4-6
#3Stones
INTRODUCTION… https://www.livescience.com/29844-worlds-most-famous-rocks.html
Rocks are an often-overlooked part of the landscape after all, they don't move in the breeze or blossom into pretty flowers, but rocks can actually be interesting pieces of scenery and have some neat stories or history attached to them.
Here, in no particular order, are five of the most famous rocks in the world:
#1 Plymouth Rock
Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts is said to mark the spot where William Bradford and the pilgrims who founded Plymouth Colony disembarked from the Mayflower. It is stamped with the date of their arrival in the new world, 1620.
#2 The Blarney Stone
The Blarney Stone is a chunk of bluestone in the battlements of Blarney Castle, which is about 5 miles east from Cork, Ireland. Legend has it that kissing the stone will bring one the gift of eloquence and the ability to speak well. The world "blarney" has come to mean "skillful flattery."
#3 The Rock of Gibraltar
The Rock of Gibraltar is a hulking 397-foot-high limestone that looks out over the Strait of Gibraltar, the entrance of the Mediterranean Sea. The Rock of Gibraltar was one of the Roman Pillars of Hercules and also happens to be the logo of the Prudential Insurance Company… “Get a piece of the rock.”
#4 Ayer’s Rock
Ayer's Rock is sandstone that towers over the flat expanse of the Australian Outback 280 miles southwest of Alice Springs and is 1,142 feet above the ground. It is also known by its Aboriginal name, Uluru. It is the world's largest monolith (a massive formation composed of a single rock or stone) and a sacred site to the native Anangu or Aboriginal people. It is also listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
#5 The Rosetta Stone
The Rosetta Stone is a fragment of an ancient Egyptian stone slab that bears a decree issued by a council of priests on the anniversary of the coronation King Ptolemy V in three scripts: ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, Egyptian demotic script and ancient Greek A French expedition to Egypt found the stone in 1799 and enabled Egyptian hieroglyphs to be translated. The stone weighs about 1,700 pounds and is in the British Museum.
There are others: The Stone of Destiny in Scotland, Stonehenge in England, the statues on Easter Island in the Pacific, and even Stone Mountain in Georgia among many others.
This morning we will be focusing on three stones in the Bible, but they are not exactly famous. The stones don’t have names and I don’t think we would recognize any of them if we saw a picture of them, but these stones do help us understand Jesus Christ and encourage us in our faith.
Here is a summary of our thoughts this morning…
THREAD:
He could have changed the stone.
He should have thrown the stone.
He did roll back the stone.
HE COULD HAVE CHANGED THE STONE
Let’s read about the first stone.
READ MATTHEW 4:1-4
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But He answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”
In the life of Jesus, He had just been baptized by John the Baptist and a voice from heaven said, “This is My Son, with Whom I am well pleased.” God gave His Divine stamp of approval on Jesus and told everyone Who Jesus was. What a mountaintop experience! All of that happened at the end of chapter 3.
Chapter 4 begins with the Holy Spirit leading Jesus into the desert and He fasts and faces off against Satan… the tempter… the accuser… the devil… in temptations. This is not the only time in Jesus’ life that He was tempted by the way, but this passage does give us a look into the temptations of Jesus. Hebrews 4:15 says about Jesus, “For we do not have a high priest Who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”
The end of verse 2 shares with us that Jesus is definitely a human being because He is hungry. He had been fasting and living in the desert. I imagine His body becoming weak and His emotions maybe even being unsettled which is right when the tempter decides to show up.
* The tempter comes to Jesus and calls Him by the same title as God did at the end of chapter 3.
* The tempter comes to Jesus and adds an “if” which is not because His identity is in doubt, but what kind of Son of God will He be… that is the issue.
* The tempter comes to Jesus and tempts Him to rely on Himself without God and to satisfy every physical issue and personal issue in His own way without considering God the Father.
Jesus is tempted to turn the stones into bread and to eat. Could He do that? I am going to say ‘yes’ since Jesus in John 2 changes water into wine and twice Jesus feeds multitudes of people (5,000 and 4,000) with just a little bit of food. Not only that, God provided water from a rock for Israel in Exodus 17 and manna also was provided. Let’s conclude that food miracles are no problem for God. Food miracles are no problem for Jesus.
The rest of the temptations of Jesus in this passage are of the same manner… what kind of Messiah will He be… One that will be self-serving, One that will follow God’s plan, but only as it suits Him, or One that will make a spectacle of Himself for short-term gain in the eyes of the people. Jesus, will You serve Yourself? Jesus, will You follow God’s will? Jesus, will You take short-cuts?
The stones in Matthew 4:1-4 could have been changed to bread by Jesus. I fully believe that. I hope you fully believe that. They could have been changed to bread and yet all the stones in that desert remained stones.
Why didn’t Jesus change the stones?
I believe it is because Jesus came with great purpose and that purpose is the salvation of souls. Jesus was born to save people from their sins. Jesus came to show us the character of God in the flesh. Souls are at stake here… our souls. If Jesus takes a path all on His own, we are in jeopardy. 1 John 3 says the purpose of the incarnation was for the forgiveness of sins and to destroy the work of the devil. Jesus can’t save us if He is self-serving or doesn’t follow God’s will or makes Himself look like a circus attraction.
The stones stayed stone because Jesus was 100% obedient to God’s plan.
The stones stayed stone because of you and me.
The stones stayed stone because you and I are worth dying for.
Did you hear me? You are worth it to God. You are worth dying for. Those stones stayed stone because you are worth it. You are worth pain and anguish and hardship and hunger and temptation and doing things the long and hard way.
APPLICATION
If you have already accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, be thankful and rejoice!
If you have not accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, know that God values you so much that Jesus Christ was willing to suffer for you to ensure salvation.
ILLUSTRATION… Stone Henge in England (p)
I have had the privilege of seeing Stone Henge in Salisbury England. Not Solsberry, Indiana around the corner up the road mind you, but Salisbury, England across the Atlantic. I have seen it more than once; I have been there twice actually. It is a magnificent sight to see. I had a sense of awe when I saw them because even though there are explanations of how the experts think the stones got there… it still would have been a massive undertaking. Awe. Wonder.
I think it would have been even more awe-inspiring to see any miracle that Jesus Christ did, but in the passage we looked at, it was the miracle He didn’t do that was extremely important.
THREAD:
He could have changed the stone.
He should have thrown the stone.
He did roll back the stone.
HE SHOULD HAVE THROWN THE STONE
Let’s read about the second stone.
READ John 8:3-11
3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst 4 they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. 5 Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do You say?” 6 This they said to test Him, that they might have some charge to bring against Him. Jesus bent down and wrote with His finger on the ground. 7 And as they continued to ask Him, He stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 And once more He bent down and wrote on the ground. 9 But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before Him. 10 Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”
This is actually the passage that inspired this sermon. I was going over this passage and reading it and meditating on it and the grace of Jesus just overwhelmed me.
There are some background and facts in this passage that we need to be aware of for it to make total sense to us. As we read this passage, we need to be aware that the ‘Law’ that the scribes and Pharisees refer to states that both men and women are to be punished for adultery… not just women. There is no mention of the man in this passage and so right away we can glean that this is a set up in some way by the Pharisees for Jesus. We also need to be aware that it was unlawful under Roman Law for anyone but Roman officials to give out the death penalty. The trap is definitely there. If Jesus says ‘not’ to stone the woman, then He is disagreeing with the Old Testament. If He agrees that she should be stoned, the Pharisees will turn Jesus in to the Romans for advocating the death penalty. Boom… trap. The motive of the Pharisees is not love for God or a zeal for righteousness or a passion for the sanctity of marriage, but their only motive is to trap Jesus so they can get rid of Him.
As we think about this trap set for Jesus, I want to focus on two of the things Jesus said in this passage.
In verse 7, Jesus says: “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” Jesus knows it is a trap and He knows all of the guilty people are not present. Jesus also knows it is against Roman law to agree to a death penalty. Jesus speaks to the spiritual condition of the people looking at Him and the sinful trap set by those surrounding Him. Based on His statement, the Pharisees and the crowd in on the trap withdraw because none of them is without sin and cannot throw a stone. They don’t even take the woman with them to take her to authorities, which to me says quite a lot about the crowd.
In verse 11, Jesus says: “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” I want you to notice that Jesus does not say that this woman is not guilty. She is absolutely guilty as charged, but Jesus does not sentence her. He did not speak a word of pardon, but gave her the opportunity to change her ways and her choices.
The stones in John 8 could have only been thrown by Jesus. Jesus is the only One without sin and the only One Who could have thrown a stone. I fully believe that. I hope you fully believe that. Jesus should have thrown the stone because the woman was guilty and under the Law, that was the punishment.
Why didn’t Jesus throw the stones?
Grace. I believe it is because Jesus showed us that God is holy and righteous and against sin, but God is also patient and longsuffering and full of grace. Jesus gave this woman grace. He gave her the opportunity to change her ways. Grace. Grace. God’s grace is seen in this terrible situation.
* Grace is given to us so that we might find Jesus Christ and believe in Him.
* Grace is given to us when we sin and we know better.
* Grace fueled by love is the whole reason Jesus left heaven and came to earth.
APPLICATION
If you have already accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, be thankful for His grace.
If you have not accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, know that God values you so much that Jesus Christ offers grace for our sins and removes guilt.
ILLUSTRATION… Stone Mountain, Georgia (p)
Stone Mountain is in Georgia on the northeast side of Atlanta. I have been there a few times as a kid when my family lived in Jonesboro, south of Atlanta, and we took a family trip there when the kids were little. It is a big stone in the middle of Georgia which has a wonderful carving on the side of the mountain which is the largest bas-relief carving in the world. The carving happens to be of three Confederate leaders, but the park also has a train and other attractions. There is even a laser light show on the side of the mountain.
There is much history surrounding Stone Mountain and not all of it is good. There are lessons to be learned and not repeated with the history of Stone Mountain. There is a story behind Stone Mountain that should be learned from.
I think the story of this woman caught in the act of adultery also has a lesson to be learned from so that history is not repeated. We are guilty and yet, in the middle of guilt and shame and punishment there is grace. Jesus Christ is grace.
THREAD:
He could have changed the stone.
He should have thrown the stone.
He did roll back the stone.
HE DID ROLL BACK THE STONE
Let’s read about the third stone.
READ MARK 16:4-6
And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. 6 And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; He is not here. See the place where they laid Him.
Jesus Christ willingly died on a cross for the purpose of the forgiveness of sins. I fully believe that. I hope you believe that as well. And yet, Jesus Christ did not stay dead once He offered Himself on the cross. Jesus paid for sin on the cross and then rose from the dead three days later and conquered death.
* With His Resurrection, His mission and life purpose was complete.
* With His Resurrection, the plan of God for salvation was complete and finished.
* With His Resurrection, grace was fully extended to anyone who believed in Him.
Why was the stone rolled back?
The stone was not rolled back to let Jesus out. Later we see that Jesus in His resurrected body could walk through walls. The stone was rolled back to show the women that He was not there. The stone was rolled back to show the disciples that He was not there. The stone was rolled back to show the hope that was raised from the dead.
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ gives us such hope for a fresh start and a new chance in life. The rolled away stone gives us reason for optimism that we have something to life for in this life and strength to face the day because Jesus lives. The rolled away stone lets us in on the promise of brand new life and a change on the inside more than we ever could have imagined.
In Jesus Christ, we have a fresh start.
READ John 3:14-17
“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life. 16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.”
In Jesus Christ, we have hope and optimism and new life.
READ 2 Corinthians 5:14-17
“For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that One died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again. 16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
APPLICATION
If you have already accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, be thankful for the resurrection of Christ which allows us to ask for forgiveness of our sins and to know that God forgives us.
If you have not accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, please be aware that the resurrection of Jesus is a proof that Jesus was Who He says He was and calls you to believe in Him.
ILLUSTRATION… The Rosetta Stone (p)
Of the rocks I have mentioned this morning, the other famous rock I have seen is the Rosetta Stone. As I said before, the Rosetta Stone is a fragment of an ancient Egyptian stone slab that bears three scripts: ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, Egyptian demotic script and ancient Greek. It is in the British Museum in London where I saw it. It is magnificent. I think just seeing the Rosetta Stone is worth the price of admission. The stone allowed scholars to translate Egyptian hieroglyphics because they knew the other 2 languages. Two languages gave clues to the other.
I think the rolled back stone gives us a clue as well as to the nature of Jesus and what happens when we accept Him. If Jesus had stayed dead, we would not be here as believers in Christ. Yet, Jesus did rise and because He rose victorious over death and sin we have a fresh start and clean slate with God fueled by hope and optimism and new life.
THREAD:
He could have changed the stone.
He should have thrown the stone.
He did roll back the stone.
CONCLUSION
My goal today was to encourage you by reflecting on the life of Christ. May you remember that Jesus died for us and loves us so much that He fended off every temptation to get to the cross to save us. May you be thankful for the grace of Jesus that is freely given and we do not deserve. May you live life with optimism and hope because Jesus Christ is the foundation of your life.
3 Stones.
THREAD:
He could have changed the stone.
He should have thrown the stone.
He did roll back the stone.
PRAYER
