The Stone Rolled
They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, -
Luke 24:2
The big problem for
the Easter women was the rolling away of a huge stone to get to Jesus’ body.
The body of Jesus had been buried in haste as the Sabbath was approaching.
Having rested on the Sabbath they were returning back to the tomb to finish the
burial of Jesus. As they traveled, the asked each other “who will roll the
stone for us?” People always face the
problem of moving obstacles which seem insurmountable.
1. The
problem – to do the impossible: move the stone. For the women to get to
Jesus they would have to have the stone which was very large rolled away from
the tomb. Just how huge was that
stone? The tombs outside of Jerusalem at
the time of Christ had an entrance of between 4.5 – 5 feet.
A stone to cover
such an entrance had to weigh between one – two tones. Yet wonder of wonders
Luke will tell us that the stone is rolled away from the entrance of the tomb.
The stone is rolled away not for Jesus to get out – but so that the witnesses
of the resurrection may enter.
What they find is
that the tomb is empty. “They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but
when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.” – Luke
24:2-3
2. There
are stones that need to be rolled away to get us to get to Jesus; pride, doubt, religion – non-Christian training
(influences) in childhood. If Christ is
to have His way with us in the Easter season such influences must be purged
from us. If Christ is to have His effect
in our life all obstacles must be removed so that He can rule in our life. If
Christ is to have an impact in our life He must be at the center of that life.
How is this done?
Christ gives us His Holy Spirit. We pray in the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy Kingdom
Come.” The Kingdom of God comes to
us…When our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we
believe His holy Word and lead godly lives here in time and hereafter in
eternity.
This is what we pray
for when we ask for Christ’s kingdom to come to us. We ask that God would
graciously grant us true faith and a godly life. Says St. Paul, “As you have
therefore, received Christ Jesus, the Lord, so walk in Him.” –Colossians 2:6
As we pray for the
Savior’s kingdom to come we ask that He would extend His kingdom of grace on
earth through missions and evangelism. What an excellent time for you to share
your faith with others. Our message is the same as those early 1st Century
Christians. We simply share with others
that “we are witnesses of these things.”
We pray that the
Savior would hasten the coming of His kingdom of Glory. Our prayers need to be
that which is recorded in Revelation 22:20 “Even so, come, Lord Jesus, come
even today.”
3. The
solution – “The stone rolled away”
God removes the stone away for the women to enter the tomb to find it empty. So
He rolls those stones in our lives for us – this is pure grace! This is the
good and gracious will of God. Everything God wants to do for you according to
His promises is His will for your life. “God would have all men to be saved and
to come to the knowledge of the truth.” - 1 Timothy 2:4
Everything that the
Father wants us to avoid according to His will is His intent for you. Says, St.
Paul, “This is the will of God, even your sanctification.” -1 Thessalonians 4:3
Everything that the
Father wants us to suffer patiently according to His good pleasure is His
intent for you. “Then Jesus said unto His disciples, If any man will come after
Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow Me.” – Matthew 16:24
As the Father rolled
away the stone for the women on that first Easter so He continues to remove
those stones in our lives. Thanks be to God who has given us the victory! A
blessed Easter in Jesus’ Name.
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Passive Sentences -14%
Readability – 79.6%
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