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Sunday, April 4, 2010

Who will roll away the stone?--Mark 15:42-16:8

On this Resurrection Sunday morning, I want to us to think about the stone which sealed the tomb of Jesus. The Bible tells us that the ladies who came to Jesus’ grave on that first Easter morning were concerned about the stone which blocked their access to the body of Christ.

They knew that this stone was blocking their destination, and yet, they would not let the stone stop them!

42 When evening had already come, because it was the preparation day, that is, the day before the Sabbath,
43 Joseph of Arimathea came, a prominent member of the Council, who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God; and he gathered up courage and went in before Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus.
44 Pilate wondered if He was dead by this time, and summoning the centurion, he questioned him as to whether He was already dead.
45 And ascertaining this from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph.
46 Joseph bought a linen cloth, took Him down, wrapped Him in the linen cloth and laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.
47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses were looking on to see where He was laid.

1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, so that they might come and anoint Him.
2 Very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.
3 They were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?”
4 Looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, although it was extremely large.
5 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 ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He told you.’ ”
8 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.

These ladies began to walk to the tomb, knowing the stone was there. How would they be able to remove the stone and anoint the body of Jesus? Remember, this was a big stone. The three of them together would not be able to remove it. It was a burdensome stone. If they were to give it their all, they would still be unable to roll the stone away. Yet, it was a blessed stone.  In spite of the difficulty facing them, they began their journey toward the stone.

It would have been easy for these women to not even begin their journey. They knew this huge stone was standing in their way, and yet they pressed on. Oh can’t you hear them talking as they walked along the way, “Who is going to move the stone out of our way?”

Just like the stone over the grave of Jesus was an obstacle to these ladies, we all have stones which prevent us from reaching out in faith to Jesus Christ.

When you find yourselves climbing up the rough side of the mountain - bills are many, but dollars are few – are you going to let the stone stop you?

When your name is scandalized and dragged through the miry clay, are you going to let the stone stop you?

When you come across someone who doesn’t know the LORD, and their heart is cold, stony, and impenetrable,  are you going to let the stone stop you?

When your health is failing you and you’re lying on your bed of affliction, are you going to let the stone stop you?

When you don’t know how you’re going to finish your education because you don’t have the necessary funds, are you going to let the stone stop you?

You see, the enemy wants the stone to stop you today.  The devil wants the stone to stop your marriage from working. The devil wants your family to fail. The devil wants the stone to stop you from knowing God’s plan for your life. The devil wants your job to be a burden to you. The devil wants to stop you from getting your education. The devil wants to stop you from sharing Jesus with someone else. The devil wants to stop you from worshipping and praising GOD.

Let’s take a closer look at the stone sealing Jesus in the tomb. Then we will make an application to the stones which block our way today.

1. The Stone Was Big!

It is estimated the stone which sealed the tomb of Christ weighed about 2,000 pounds!  It would take a number of people to move it. Ancient grave-sealing stones were disk-shaped. They were balanced in a stone track and held in place by a wedge. When the wedge was removed, gravity caused them to roll into place and seal the tomb.

A huge stone was rolled in front of the tomb in such a manner that it sealed its entrance, that no one could enter or exit. They used a huge stone, an enormous boulder, a great big rock to seal the tomb of Jesus, the Christ.

Matthew 27:66 tells that the Romans not only sealed the tomb with a big rock, they placed a quaternion of soldiers there to guard the tomb. The Roman sentries were small units of sixteen soldiers. Each guard shift lasted six hours. Each shift, four soldiers formed a square formation with their backs to one another. It was not possible to sneak up on them from any direction. They were to guard their post with their lives and would lose their lives if they failed in their duty.

The stone was big and no one would be able to get to the body of Christ because of it! The guards would make sure that a group didn’t come and remove it.

2. The Stone Was Burdensome!

The stone is a burden that can’t be easily moved. Remember, the average grave stones weighed about 2,000 pounds. It was impossible to move it in the presence of the guards without causing a lot of commotion and being noticed.

This stone is just one of many stones that appear in the Bible.  The stone represents a burden. Yes, Jesus had died and his death was a burden upon all of those that loved Him. But to add fuel to the fire, they added the burden of a boulder. IF there was any hope in Jesus overcoming the burden of the grave, then it was diminished with the thought of there being no escape from the burden of the granite.

The stone was intended to serve as barrier. It would keep Jesus in and people out. The stone was an added burden to the hearts of the followers of Christ. Those seeking Christ were too helpless to overcome this burden.

There are some of you who are weighed down by the burdensome stone that has been cast upon you. Some of you are bearing the stone of financial difficulty. Some of you are bearing the stone of depression. Some of you are bearing the stone of guilt. Some of you are bearing the stone of a broken heart. Some of you are bearing the stone of ill health. Some of you are bearing the stone of a broken marriage, a broken family, or just being spiritually, morally, mentally, and physically BROKEN. Being broken is a heavy stone.

These stone are not meant to be easy. They are not meant to accommodate your lifestyle. They are not meant to fit into YOUR scheme of things. They are not meant to bring efficiency to your life. But they are meant to alter the way you do things. They are meant to alter the way you see things. They are meant to get in your way, to hinder you, and even stop you from accomplishing anything that GOD wants you to do. They are burdensome.

3. The Stone Was a Blessing!

Isn’t it wonderful how God makes a way out of no way?!

I can hear the Psalmist say in Psalm 55:22, “Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.” 

If you know that GOD can and will sustain you, you ought to cast your burdens upon the LORD and DON’T LET THE STONE STOP YOU.

The ladies weren’t able to move the stone themselves that morning—but God did what they couldn’t do for themselves. That is why the stone was such a blessing.

God will remove the stone in your life. But He does it on His terms, not ours. We must come to Him in faith and surrender to His will.

I don’t know about you, but I know of another Stone. This Stone is on my side. My Stone is bigger than any stone that the devil can throw my way. My Stone is bigger than any stumbling block that the devil can lay down before me. My Stone is just like a mountain; and I can hide behind my mountain of a Stone when the going gets a little rough.

Jesus said in Mark 12:10 that He is the Stone which the builders have rejected and is now the Chief Corner Stone.

The stone that sealed the sepulcher that morning was no match for the Stone inside--the Stone the Builders Rejected, the Chief Cornestone!

The stone has been rolled away! He is risen from the dead!

There is one more stone I want you to know think about this morning.

In Revelation 2:17 Jesus said, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.”

In New Testament times, a white stone with a name written on it had two purposes.

First, during a trial with multiple judges, the judge who voted for a guilty verdict placed a black stone in a vessel with the defendant’s name written on it. A judge who voted for acquittal would place a white stone with the defendant’s name written on it in the jar. The stones would be counted and the verdict announced by whether there was a majority of black or white stones.

The second use of a white stone with a name written on it was to serve as an invitation to a wedding feast. The groom would write the invited guest’s name on a white stone. The door keeper would recognize the groom’s handwriting to make sure the invitation stone was genuine. Special guests would have a “nick-name” given by the groom written on the stone as a term of endearment.

I’m glad this morning, that when I enter into His presence, He’s got a new name for me waiting on a white stone. I don’t know about you, but I want my white stone with my new name on it. When heaven and earth pass away, and I’m standing on the Word of God, I’ll have my new name on a white stone—declared not guilty by the only Judge! 

And don’t get jealous because God has given me a stone with my new nick-name on it that invites me to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb-- GOD has enough white stones to go around for everyone!

The Bible tells me early, one Sunday morning, as the women went to the tomb, the stone had already been rolled away.  An angel sitting on top of that big stone told 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.”

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