Check the Rock! It Rocks! COOL!: Easter Sermon 2004
Thesis: We at Easter need to be COOL by doing the following actions: 1. Check the rock. 2. Observe the empty tomb. 3. Open our spiritual eyes. 4. Look and see Jesus.
Scripture Text: Matthew 28:1-20; (Play on CD) Luke 24:1-10; Mark 16:1-8
So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard. (Mat 27:66 NIV)
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ’He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you." So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me." While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, "You are to say, and ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble." So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day. 16Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Mat 28:1-20 NIV)
Other key verses:
When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?" But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away.(Mark 16:1-4 NIV)
Key to this historical passage is in "the stone" "the rock or stone in front of the tomb" yes "Check the Rock!" It’s been moved!
The Romans and Pharisees had sealed it and guarded it but "Check out the Rock it’s been moved!"
Introduction:
Would it not be awesome if we could travel through time back to this historical event and experience it for ourselves? Would it not have been marvelous to see with our own eyes the rock moved out of the way? Would it not have been exhilarating to have observed the inside the empty tomb and met an angel and seen that He was not there? Would it not be inspiring to have seen that the rock was moved and that the Rock really rocks? Would it not have been cool to have met and experienced the resurrected Jesus? To have touched Jesus like Thomas did?
May be the real questions for this Easter are?
* How can we today in 2004 see and experience the moved rock, the empty tomb and that Jesus really is alive and still moves rocks?
* How can we experience – personally – communally – nationally – globally an empty tomb for ourselves?
* How can we experience and see that an unmovable rock has been moved out of the way so that we can observe an empty tomb?
* How can we know that the rock really rolled away and Jesus rose from the dead?
* How can we really know that Jesus is not in the grave yard in the Middle East somewhere?
* How can we really know and experience Jesus today in a personal way?
* How can we today have the opportunity to stick our heads into the empty tomb and see for ourselves it is truly empty?
# For many in our highly visual society seeing is believing! So let me ask you, “Are you willing to let the Holy Spirit reveal Jesus to you?
# Imagine for a moment you are at the tomb – now look inside what do you see?
#What do you see when you look into the empty tomb today?
Video Clip: As we play this video clip ask the Lord to have a personal experience from Him in regards to the rolled away rock and the empty tomb. Show Clip -- Experiencing Jesus.
Illustration: In a park in California there is a rock hanging on a rope with a large sign next to it. Weather Station report "Check the rock if it’s wet it’s raining, if the rock is swinging it’s windy, if it’s dry it’s not raining, if you cannot see the rock it’s foggy, if the rock has been blown away it’s a tornado." I add “RUN FOR COVER!”
The humorous illustration has a profound statement in it; I want to draw your attention to this Easter morning, “Check the Rock." Today many of you have come to church with questions on your mind. I believe the statement "Check the rock!" is a verbal instruction to each of you with questions. It’s a statement giving us instruction on where to get our questions answered. Let me take a guess at some of the questions you may have today and suggest an action plan to have your questions answered:
Are you wondering about how to receive eternal life?
Check the Rock! Observe the empty tomb! Open your spiritual eyes! Look and see Jesus!
Are you wondering what Easter is all about?
Check the Rock! Observe the empty tomb! Open your spiritual eyes! Look and see Jesus!
Are you wondering how to be set free from your fear of death?
Check the Rock! Observe the empty tomb! Open your spiritual eyes! Look and see Jesus!
Are you wondering how to be set free from your addictions?
Check the Rock! Observe the empty tomb! Open your spiritual eyes! Look and see Jesus!
Are you wondering about how to be delivered from the sting of death?
Check the Rock! Observe the empty tomb! Open your spiritual eyes! Look and see Jesus!
Are you wondering why Christianity is different than other religions?
Check the Rock! Observe the empty tomb! Open your spiritual eyes! Look and see Jesus!
Are you wondering if Christianity is relevant to you today?
Check the Rock! Observe the empty tomb! Open your spiritual eyes! Look and see Jesus!
Are you wondering if Jesus is God?
Check the Rock! Observe the empty tomb! Open your spiritual eyes! Look and see Jesus!
Are you wondering if Jesus is who he said he is?
Check the Rock! Observe the empty tomb! Open your spiritual eyes! Look and see Jesus!
Are you wondering if Jesus really conquered death?
Check the Rock! Observe the empty tomb! Open your spiritual eyes! Look and see Jesus!
Are you wondering if Jesus is alive today?
Check the Rock! Observe the empty tomb! Open your spiritual eyes! Look and see Jesus!
Are you wondering if Jesus will speak to you today?
Check the Rock! Observe the empty tomb! Open your spiritual eyes! Look and see Jesus!
Are you wondering if he is coming again?
Check the Rock! Observe the empty tomb! Open your spiritual eyes! Look and see Jesus!
Are you wondering if he keeps his promises?
Check the Rock! Observe the empty tomb! Open your spiritual eyes! Look and see Jesus!
Are you wondering why we love him so?
Check the Rock! Observe the empty tomb! Open your spiritual eyes! Look and see Jesus!
T.S. - We need to follow the directions here and "Check the Rock! Observe the empty tomb! Open our spiritual eyes! Look and see Jesus! If we do we will be COOL!
I. Check the Rock, observe the empty tomb and you will discover that Jesus is not DEAD laying in a grave somewhere! He’s Alive and well!
A. The pivotal point that sets Christianity apart from all other religions is Easter’s rolled away rock and the scene of the empty tomb.
1. Jesus Christ was crucified (Killed, murdered). He died just like he said he would in Luke 9:22 "And he said, ‘The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life."
**But the key here is he was raised from the dead like he said he would be. Just CHECK THE ROCK! Go look inside the tomb- see for yourselves.
2. Jesus told his disciples many times this would happen "He promised it and you know what? He keeps his promises! - Luke 9:43-45 and Luke 18:31-34.
3. Quest Study Bible notes this about the question, “What changed at this pivotal point in history?”
* The resurrection vindicated Jesus’ claims about himself, that he was the Son of God in the flesh, the fulfillment of God’s dealings with humankind. No longer would people have to follow rules and traditions to find salvation (Col. 2:20-23). The old covenant had been superseded by the new and the proof was in the resurrection. Because Jesus lives, he is the Messiah, the one to trust.
* Another way to look at this question is to ask what would be different if Jesus had not risen from the dead. If there had been no resurrection, Christianity as we know it would not exist. At most, Christians would be following the teachings of just another popular rabbi. His words merely would have joined the countless words of other religious writings. People would be left with no other option for salvation then to strive for absolute obedience.
* But the resurrection changed everything. People follow Christ’s teachings, not to BECOME saved, but because they ARE saved. They’ve discovered something even better than knowing WORDS; they’ve found what it means to know HIM! Because he was raised from the dead, we can be too. We can live-really live- both now and through all eternity (Quest, 1463).
* When the rock moved it opened up the entrance into the tomb so that we could all see that it was and is empty!
* Remember Jesus is the only person known in history as one who was killed and then rose from death three days later just like he said He would. No other religious leader has accomplished this supernatural feat?
3. BUDDHA’S FINGER: In 1981 there was a devastating flood in central China. During the flood an ancient pagoda collapsed at Famen Temple. A few years later, archaeologists were digging through the rubble when they made a startling discovery. Sealed in a miniature stone casket, they found what they believed to be part of one of the Buddha’s fingers. It is now touring Taiwan, and was for a while on display at a mountain-top monastery. The finger was housed in a miniature golden pagoda as tens of thousands people came to pay homage to it. They burned incense and placed flowers all around the relic. One visitor said, “I was born more than 2,000 years after the Buddha, but I feel moved and touched to have seen the finger.” Some said they felt as though the Buddha was actually sitting in front of them.
*How tragic. How utterly empty. People sitting before a piece of dismembered, mummified flesh feeling as though it was something special. Could the finger of the Buddha help them? Could it reach out and touch them? Could it heal them? Could it raise them from the dead?
* Christians would react quite differently if someone claimed to have a preserved finger of Jesus. They would not revere it at all. In fact, if someone could find a finger of Jesus it would literally destroy the Christian faith per se. The whole Christian faith rests on the fact that there is no such finger to be found. There is no finger, no hand, no body — for Jesus rose from the dead and his body is gone and his tomb is empty.
*As we come here today we are celebrating the fact that Christians believe in an empty tomb. There are no relics because Jesus was bodily resurrected from the grave. We are not here to have a memorial service for a great religious teacher who lived 2000 years ago; we are here to celebrate the fact that Jesus Christ is alive and reigns as King of the universe.
When the women arrived at Jesus’ tomb on Sunday morning, the angel said, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said” (Matthew 28:5-6).
SOURCE: Rodney Buchanan on sermoncentral.com.
Citation: http://www.assonetriver.com/sites/msdag/
journal_detail.asp?JournalID=9
4. ALL THE DIFFERENCE
All but four of the major world religions are based on mere philosophical propositions. Of the four that are based on personalities rather than philosophies, only Christianity claims an empty tomb for its founder.
In 1900 B.C. Judaism’s Father Abraham died. In 483 B.C. Buddhist writings say Buddha died “with that utter passing away in which nothing whatever remains behind.” June 6, 632 A.D. Mohammed died. .
In 33 A.D. Jesus died but came back to life appearing to 500 people over a period of 40 days.
Paul reminds us how important the empty tomb is to our Christian foundation: “And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” (I Corinthians, 15:14).
Source: SermonCentral staff. Citation: McDowell, Josh. Evidence that Demands a Verdict. Page 180. San Bernadino, CA: Here’s Life Publishers, Inc., 1979.
II. Christ’s life without Easter’s moved rock and empty tomb would provide each of us with a sense of hopelessness.
A. Paul emphasizes to us that our faith is worthless if Christ is not alive to meet us today. He states in I Corinthians. 15:14, 17, “And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins."
B. Life is hopeless without the resurrection of Jesus. Like this story:
1. There is a story told of a young mother who escaped on the last train out of Poland during World War II. She had her first born toddler and her nursing baby with her. The train came under severe attack many times as it tried to escape. A trip which would have usually taken a few hours ended up taking a few days. The food ran out and so did all forms of liquid. When they finally arrived at their destination the infant was starving, and ill. A group of nuns took the baby to the hospital to nurture it back to health. The mother was relieved at the apparent reprieve. But her blessing was short lived. That night the hospital was attacked and bombed by the Third Reich. She woke up the next day to the devastating news that the hospital had been leveled and her baby was missing. She went to the hospital and the searchers gave her a flashlight to look for the infant’s body. What a tragic scene this portrays. Death was everywhere! This my friend is the scene of GOOD FRIDAY -- Death all around-- Piles of rock and debris are everywhere-- under that rock is her infant son -- no hope -- the word is He’s dead! He is buried in his tomb of rocks and debris. Just go look at his lifeless body in the tomb! The questions are racing through her mind, Why, Why God? What did my little boy or I do to deserve this? She starts going through the “What ifs.” What if I would have not let him go to the hospital? What if?
a). A life without Easter’s resurrection of Jesus would provide this same sense of hopelessness for those looking for their lost ones.
2. But wait there is a different ending than what is expected! The mother desperately seeks through the rubble moving away all the rocks looking for her dead lifeless son’s body. There are others all around crying with her all because death and destruction has taken their children and loved ones lives. Then she hears a cry -- could it be? She runs over to where the sound comes from. She rolls back the stone and there in an air pocket under all the rubble is her son. He’s alive, He’s alive she yells! Pulling him out from his tomb she picks him up holds him up in the air then hugs him tightly. She is feeling an incredible surge of relief, mingled with joy. All the questions she once had need not be answered now. All the, what ifs don’t matter any more. Her baby is alive!
* My friend that’s what Easter does. Easter changes the mood of hopelessness from the crucifixion on Friday to relief and joy on Sunday (Resurrection Sunday). Not just then, but now.
B. Today we participate in the event that separates Christianity from all
other religions. It’s the day that empowers Christianity and it empowers us!
1. Why are we empowered? Because He is alive today and you can experience that he is alive if you open your hearts and your minds. I challenge you to reach out to Jesus! I know He will touch you, love you and embrace you. How? Because He did it for me and he is no respecter of persons he will do it for you.
C. So don’t listen to all of those deceivers out there trying to tell you that He is dead and gone. He is not! He is alive!
1. Cartoonist Joe McKeever has drawn a group of tourists looking at the Garden tomb in Jerusalem. It’s an open tomb where the stone door has been rolled away. Their guide says, "The angel moved the stone to reveal an empty tomb and a risen Christ. Ever since, man has been trying to roll that stone back!" Contributed to Sermon Central by: Tom Lovorn
2. You see the world and the evil one are always trying to come up with bogus theories as to why they could not find Jesus body. The world and the media are still trying to say that he is dead and not alive and that the Bible is false. The secular world is still trying to convince us that we evolved from apes- how insane is that!
a. I have a friend who earned his Major in Anthropology at a University Chicago. He discovered that evolution was one man’s theory with no proof. He told me there is more proof for the Creation account of man than for the Evolution theory of man evolving from Apes!
b. Just recently more Christian scientists are saying that what makes more sense is the Big Bang Theory. God said it “Bang it happened!”
1). STRANGE THEORIES
These are the results of a “Creative Scientific Theories Contest” sponsored by Omni magazine:
a. GRAND PRIZE WINNER: When a cat is dropped, it always lands on its feet. And when toast is dropped, it always lands with the buttered side facing down. I propose to strap buttered toast to the back of a cat; the two will hover, spinning inches above the ground. With a giant buttered cat array, a high-speed monorail could easily link New York with Chicago.
b. RUNNERS-UP:
* If an infinite number of rednecks riding in an infinite number of pickup trucks fire an infinite number of shotgun rounds at an infinite number of highway signs, they will eventually produce all the world’s great literary works in Braille.
* Why Yawning Is Contagious: You yawn to equalize the pressure on your eardrums. This pressure change outside your eardrums unbalances other people’s ear pressures, so they must yawn to even it out.
* Communist China is technologically underdeveloped because they have no alphabet and therefore cannot use acronyms to communicate ideas at a faster rate.
* The earth may spin faster on its axis due to deforestation. Just as a figure skater’s rate of spin increases when the arms are brought in close to the body, the cutting of tall trees may cause our planet to spin dangerously fast.
c. HONORABLE MENTIONS:
* Birds take off at sunrise. On the opposite side of the world, they are landing at sunset. This causes the earth to spin on its axis.
* The quantity of consonants in the English language is constant. If omitted in one place, they turn up in another. When a Bostonian “pahks” his “cah,” the lost r’s migrate southwest, causing a Texan to “warsh” his car and invest in “erl wells.”
As creative as those theories are, they are still false.
There are some very creative theories that try to explain away the resurrection of Jesus Christ. “The disciples stole the body.” “The women who reported that the tomb was empty went to the wrong tomb.” “The appearances of Jesus after the resurrection were mass hallucinations.” “Jesus never died; He fainted and then regained consciousness in the tomb.”
None of these theories would stand up in court. They are not adequate enough to explain, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Jesus did not rise from the dead.
Contributed by: Jason Duncan
C. Christ’s resurrection shows us that His promises are always kept even when we think they cannot or will not be kept.
1. An unknown author has made a list of "Our Thinking verses God’s Promises, "Which helps us realize that our thinking is not always correct:
We think: "It’s impossible" God says: All things are possible (Luke 18:27)
We think: "I’m too tired" God says: I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28-30)
We think: "Nobody really loves me" God says: I love you (John 33:16& John 13:34)
We think: "I can not go on" God says: My grace is sufficient for you (II Cor. 12:9& Psalm 91:15)
We think: "I can’t figure things out" God says I will direct you steps (Proverbs 3:5, 6)
We think: "I can’t do it" God says: You can do all things (Phil.4:13)
We think: "I’m not able" God says: I am able (II Cor. 9:8)
We think: "It’s not worth it" God says: It will be worth it (Romans 8:28)
We think: "I can’t forgive myself" God says: I forgive you (I John 1:9 & Romans 8:1)
We think: "I can’t manage" God says: I will supply all your needs (Phi. 4:19)
We think: "I’m afraid" God says: I have not given you the spirit of fear (II Tim. 1:7)
We think: "I’m always worried and frustrated" God says: Cast all your cares on me (I Peter 5:7)
We think: "I don’t have enough faith" God says: I’ve given everyone a measure of faith (Romans 12:3)
We think: "I’m not smart enough" God says I give you wisdom (I Cor. 1:30)
We think: "I feel alone" God says: I will never leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:4, 5)
1. These are God’s promises - How do you know he keeps his promises "Check the rock" - he said he would rise from the dead. We did not think He could but He knew He would – Fact is: God keeps His promises!
2. Bill and Gloria Gaither have written many wonderful Christian songs. One that Gloria wrote in the late 1960’s came while she was expecting a child. The couple was going through some terrible problems. Bill had been seriously sick, their music had been attacked as not being spiritual. On New Years Eve night, Gloria sat in a dark room experiencing a time of torment and fear. She said, “I sat alone in the darkness thinking about the rebellious world and all of our problems - and about our baby yet unborn. Who in their right mind would bring a child into a world like this?” She was at the height of her fear and then something happened. She said, “I can’t quite explain what happened in that next moment, but suddenly I felt released from it all. The panic hat had begun to build inside was gently dispelled by a reassuring presence and a soft voice that kept saying, ‘Don’t forget the empty tomb, don’t forget the empty tomb.’ Then I knew I could have that baby and face the future with optimism and trust for I had been reminded that it was all worth it just because He lives.” And she wrote: “How sweet to hold a newborn baby, and feel the pride and joy he gives; but greater still the calm assurance, this child can face uncertain days because He lives. Because He lives I can face tomorrow, because He lives all fear is gone, because I know He holds the future. And life is worth the living just because He lives.
Contributed to Sermon central by: Timothy Smith
Conclusion:
Today many people are afraid and unwilling to trust anyone or anything. They are afraid of what tomorrow will hold. They are so wrapped up in what they think and others think that life has no joy. They become consumed in the material world and when the stock market crashes, or unemployment soars, or the economy goes bad they crash with it. We become depressed over corruption in government and business. We become overwhelmed with the attack on the family unit and the marriage unit. We see the dismantling of the Christian mind set in America and we become fearful of what is going to happen to our country. We have people rejecting the church right and left today and we moan at the consequences this will bring to our society. The world looks very depressing and headed for a melt down.
But here is the key to Easter’s rolled away rock and the empty tomb. Jesus defeated the world, the way of the world, the sin of the world, the enemy of the world (SATAN) and the selfishness of the world. He took the brunt of sin on his life and suffered so that you and I could have eternal life and be resurrected like Him for eternity.
For those who know Jesus, life is not dependent on the stock market, economics, the government, social distortion, terrorism, money, employment, and the like. Life is worth living because Jesus is our life!
You see, the message of Easter is not that there is no death. It’s not that you won’t face death. It’s that their is life in death.
For example a little girl who had walked through a cemetery everyday on her way home from school was asked if she was afraid walking through the cemetery. She responded with this answer, ‘No, I simply cross it to get home."
That’s the key folks! That is what the resurrection and the stone being rolled away did to death. It has turned death into a harmless pathway to home. As Jesus was resurrected from death, so resurrection awaits us all. Those who are in Christ will be raised from death to life with him forever. The fear of death has gone! Because he defeated it and He is alive!
We discover something else today the birth of Christ and the resurrection of Christ are related! He was born so that He could die and rise again! The message of Christmas finds it’s fulfillment in the message of the empty tomb at Easter! Christmas is the promise, and Easter is the fulfillment of that promise and the proof that He will fulfill all His promises.
Altar Call: So do you want to be cool this Easter? Then let the Holy Spirit guide you to the empty tomb and take a look inside it? What will you see? Will see that it is empty? Will you come out of the tomb and experience a resurrected Jesus? Or will you be one of the ones who goes back into the tomb of death and lives in the dark the rest of your life?
Therefore today we need to check the rock, observe the empty tomb, open our spiritual eyes and look and see Jesus. Why? Because He rocks and He wants to rock in your life today!
A moment in time today that we need to experience Jesus!
Altar Call: Play DVD “I Can Only Imagine!”
