Easter Sunday

Sunday March 27 Jesus is ……Alive! There are so many curious things that cannot be proven or have left us curious. Things like why did the chicken cross the road “Insert your cheesy answer here” Or did Adam and Eve have belly buttons? Mary's father has 4 children; three are named Nana, Nene, and Nini. So what is is the 4th child's name? Mary The tomb where Jesus was laid on “Good Friday” is now a completely different tomb … it requires a different type of watchman. It does not need a cemetery caretaker or a company of Roman soldiers assign to protect the dead but an angel from the realms of light and life. For Christ has risen indeed … Let us turn to Matthew 28 in God’s Word and find out why was the stone rolled away? Introduction: Do you think there was any significance to the fact that the stone enclosing the tomb of Jesus was rolled away? The stone didn’t need to be rolled away for Jesus to leave the tomb, and perhaps an empty tomb with the Roman seal still affixed to the closed stone would have been a more convincing proof of the resurrection vs. alternate theories. Was it to release Jesus? Well, of course not. Being God, Jesus could move freely from one place to another without being encumbered with worldly limitations. Let us assume the stone wasn’t rolled away, but Jesus began appearing to his disciples. Word would spread, and the Jewish leaders likely would have had the tomb inspected; if the stone was still closed and the seal still affixed, and they had the tomb opened and Jesus was not there, they would be hard pressed to claim the body was stolen, that he wasn’t really dead, etc. obviously God decided that the stone would be rolled away; I am just looking for any special significance to this. While the stone covering the entrance to the tomb was there for many reasons, we know its existence wasn’t to contain Christ. Why was the stone rolled away? 1. Witness the testimony of the power of Christ (vs. 2-4) Before we answer the question about the stone, let’s visit the importance of the guards on resurrection Sunday. They had been placed there as an integral part in God’s plan to communicate the resurrection. They were special soldiers, handpicked for being strong, skillful, alert and loyal to death. Their posting was made the day after Jesus’ burial as a last minute decision to ensure that these Jesus’ followers couldn’t steal the body. Both the authorities and Disciples had something to prove here. The Pharisees wanted Jesus to rot in that tomb as a public demonstration that their motives were correct. The Disciples, proof that Jesus was in fact the risen Messiah. As the guards awoke from their God induced slumber, they saw the empty tomb and the angel sent by God. Matthew 28: 4 records that they were ‘as dead men’ because they met a heavenly being. The impact was so significant an event that they froze. I’m sure these handpicked soldiers were in a situation that they had not encountered before. They certainly weren’t trained for it. So they quickly ran off to their commanders, and then to Pilate, to report on what had happened. I wouldn’t have wanted to be in their shoes. Their superiors would not have been happy, and although they would discipline them for failing in their duty, they couldn’t deny the truth of what had been relayed by these trained professionals. The authorities knew that they spoke the truth so they paid the guards for their silence, as we are told in Matthew 28. It was a brilliant, God inspired strategy to use professional, loyal soldiers to share the truth of the resurrection with those who denied Christ. Who better to challenge a skeptic than two of their own! What we need is the resurrection power manifested by the stone rolled away. You see, the stone was rolled away because Jesus could not be held by death. He said about Himself, in John 11: 25, "I am the resurrection and the life." In other words, resurrection power centers in Jesus. 2. Bear testimony to the resurrected Lord (vs. 5-6) Instead, the stone was rolled away so that we could look in. It was rolled away for our sakes, so that the empty tomb could be visible to all. The empty tomb is the greatest evidence of the resurrection of Jesus Christ in all of history. I believe it is indisputable evidence. Cynics and critics have tried to explain it away, and they have not been able to. The empty tomb still stands as evidence to all that Jesus is not dead, that the bonds of death could not hold Him. He is alive today. There is no other explanation. Some say it was the wrong tomb. But if it were the wrong tomb, the Pharisees and the Sadducees who put Jesus to death certainly would have found the right tomb, rolled the stone away, and produced the dead and decaying body of Jesus Christ. But they were unable to because it was the right tomb, and it was empty. All of the great religious leaders of history have lived and died, and their bodies are buried today. Only Jesus Christ rose from the dead. Only Jesus Christ broke the bonds of death and hell and came forth as victor. The significance of the stone rolled away is found in the words of the angel, "He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. The tomb was opened to show that something tangible, something real, had happened. Who’d have believed the resurrection if the stone was in place and the seal unbroken? It was an open, public statement of the divine. The stone had been rolled away, the guards had seen the Angel of the Lord and the tomb was empty. Each of these incidents confirms what had become public knowledge about Christ’s prophesy of His own resurrection. The rolling away of the stone became a symbol to all that Christ was the real Messiah. 3. Proclaim the testimony of the risen Jesus (vs. 7-8) You have to wonder what the disciples would have done if the stone hadn’t been rolled away. Would they have locked themselves away, frightened that what they believed was false? I’m sure those 35 or so hours after Jesus’ death on the cross would have been filled with nervous anticipation, waiting and not knowing what to expect. “(They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)” John 20: 9 (NIV). But on seeing the empty tomb, the scene that Sunday morning was one of action. There was disbelief, fear of Jesus’ being taken by the authorities, then heavenly beings speaking to the women and then Peter. People were running to tell others as the Angels gave instructions to GO TELL. (a) A Command to Depart - The angelic message is an imperative message. It calls for action, for engagement on our part. The angel says to the ladies...... “Go!” Are we living as though our Lord is risen and living within our hearts? Are we sharing the message that “He lives” with others? We are not to linger near the tomb, but we are to take the good news that it is empty and that Jesus lives into the entire world. The message of the resurrectioncalls us to action! (b) A Command to Deliver - “go quickly, and tell …” The word “quickly” means “without delay”! These women were commanded to go with a sense of urgency spreading the good news that Jesus Christ was risen from the dead! Why so? Because everyday people are dying, people are being deceived and being despondent. The message of the tomb is still the message for this hour, “Come, see … go quickly and tell.” 4. So that we could see his things: I shared a few years ago that in Biblical times if a master was eating and excused himself from the table the servants would be confused as to whether he was done. If they folded their napkin and placed it on the table they were coming back, if they just threw it down unfolded they were finished. Jesus very signifigantly left his things folded as a sign that He wasn’t just gone, he was coming back for us. The empty tomb was the time of first belief. It is from here that the news spread that the prophecy of the resurrection had indeed occurred. This was a real event, that all that was foretold was being fulfilled. The news could not be contained. 5. To also remind us that Man didn't put Jesus there. Jesus went to the cross by His own decision, and the government out its stamp on the bolder and God had to remind us that His power is far superior to man's power. I think we need that reminder today because there is something keeping each of us back, and we need to remember that God is bigger than whatever it is.I watch Social media and I see the fear that so many are expressing over our country and where it is at. I see people getting more and more political, we are not Americans anymore we are left wing or right wing, we are liberals or conservatives. We are afraid of this candidate or that. Listen to me closely, God is in control. That stone was rolled away to remind us of that and it may be more relevant to us today as Americans than it has ever been. That bolder took 5 guys and a machine to move, an Angel of the Lord moved it all alone. That bolder had the stamp of the government on there as if to say, we the Roman Empire have the final say and the ultimate power. God moved that bolder to remind us HE IS IN CONTROL! Have you experienced the good news from that empty tomb 2,000 years ago? Is Jesus your Savior today? Are you ready to meet him? Does the risen Lord live in your heart? You can be saved today! If He is calling you to come to Him, you need to come to Him today. I shared with you last Christmas that YOU are the reason for the season, Jesus was God’s plan for you, not for himself. Well, today I am telling you that you are the reason the stone was rolled away. It was about you and your faith. The rolling away of the stone is the beginning of our faith.