HE STILL MOVES STONES
Matthew 28.1-10
S: Resurrection
C: Impossible situations
Pr: GOD CAN DO FOR YOU WHAT YOU THINK IS IMPOSSIBLE.
I. WOMEN!
II. STONED!
III. ANGELS!
IV. JESUS!
PA: How is the change to be observed?
• Come to these realizations…
o God can move stones for you.
o God can do for you what you think is impossible.
o God loves you no matter what and can give you life.
• Give Him unquestioned control of your heart.
Version: ESV
RMBC 12 April 09 AM
INTRODUCTION:
That video gives us a good perspective of connecting our two major holidays – Christmas and today, Resurrection Day.
The purpose of Jesus coming as a baby was always the cross.
That is sobering, isn’t it?
Have you ever thought what it might be like to be living the day that Jesus died on the cross?
One thing for sure is that…
Friday had been a dark day.
Think of all that happened…
• A disciple’s betrayal
• Arrest in the garden
• Peter’s embarrassing attempt at swordplay
• Jewish leaders’ conniving
• Peter’s denial
• Pilate’s cowardice
• Loyal followers on the run
• Christ’s anguish
• Satan’s glee
What a dark day!
And now it was all over.
It was all so disappointing!
The person that gave them and humanity hope was gone.
The foot that walked on water was nailed.
The hand that dared to touch lepers was stopped.
There must have been so much disillusionment.
And I am sure that more than one of them was kicking themselves, thinking, “We should have done more.”
Have you ever lived with that kind of disappointment?
We need to be careful when we are disappointed, because…
Disappointment will blind you.
Our church has made a connection with someone in our community that is like this.
They can’t seem to make a connection with God because they can’t get over what they perceive to be so much unfairness and injustice in this world, and in their own life.
In their thinking, the good people have it hard, and the bad people have it good.
The unfortunate thing is that when you get stuck there, you become blind to the very presence of God.
Your eyes are so turned inward, that you cannot see that God is right there.
This is the very thing that happens on Resurrection Day!
OUR STUDY:
Matthew 28:1-10
Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”
After a silent Sabbath day, notice who the story is about first…
WOMEN!
Who dares to come to the tomb?
It is the women.
Where are the guys?
Where is Peter and Andrew?
Where is Bartholomew and Thomas?
Nowhere to be seen.
Perhaps they considered this women’s work, I don’t know.
I think that would be a flimsy excuse, really.
It was more likely they were scared to be seen in public.
But I have to wonder, how did these women expect to get into the tomb to complete the burial of Jesus?
Did they know there were Roman guards?
If they did not know, how did they plan to move that stone?
And if they did know there were Roman guards, did they think that they would give these women the time of day and open it for them?
Ah…this is all a moot point, isn’t it?
Because those guards got…
STONED!
Not like you are thinking.
But we do have this…
We’ve got action!
The soldiers that are guarding the tomb are confronted with a violent earthquake.
And they fall over, they are like dead men.
They have fainted.
They are unconscious.
They will probably come to somewhere along the line and discover that the stone has been moved.
Of course, calling it a stone is a bit of a misnomer.
It is more like a boulder, shaped into a circle, with flat spot on the bottom to lock in place.
But it would have weighed a ton and would have taken a lot of manpower to move it.
When they wake up, though, the stone has been rolled out of the way, and their guard duty has become mighty suspect.
The body is gone!
For…
Someone let Jesus out…
Do you think that?
Do you think Jesus was on the inside saying, “Hey somebody move this rock so I can get out!”?
I don’t think so!
He was already gone!
The stone is moved so that the women could see in.
The stone is moved so that we could see in!
The stone is moved so that we have the opportunity to believe.
But there is still more to the story, for there are…
ANGELS!
Why are people so afraid of angels?
If there is anything consistent that we find about the appearance of angels in Scripture is that they scare the living daylights out of people.
We know this because their first words are always the same…
“Don’t be afraid!”
These guys are scary.
They are bright.
They are fiery.
They glow.
They are terrifying!
But they have good news.
ILL Resurrection (H)
A teacher asked if anyone knew what the angel said to the women when they came to the tomb looking for Jesus. One of the girls excitedly raised her hand and said, “I know! I know!”
“What did the angel say to the women when they wanted to know where Jesus was?” asked the teacher.
The little girl responded proudly, “He is not here; he is in prison!”
Okay, I don’t think that was quite it.
In fact, it was the opposite.
The prison of the tomb was defeated.
And the women could see it.
There was no sign of struggle.
The bandages lay in the tomb like an empty cocoon.
The head napkin was carefully folded and in place.
I have often wondered what it was like to be Jesus at this point.
JESUS!
ILL Resurrection (H)
A Sunday School teacher had just finished telling her third graders about how Jesus was crucified and placed in a tomb with a great stone sealing the opening. Then, wanting to share the excitement of the resurrection, she asked: "And what do you think were Jesus’ first words when He came bursting out of that tomb alive?"
A hand shot up into the air from the rear of the classroom. Attached to it was the arm of a little girl. Leaping out of her chair she shouted out excitedly "I know, I know!"
"Good" said the teacher, "Tell us, what were Jesus first words."
And Extending her arms high into the air she said: "TA-DA!"
“Awrright!”
“Yesssss!”
Surprise!!!
I think that is what Jesus is thinking after the women have gotten the news from the angel.
They are heading back to tell the men, and Jesus thinks, “I’m going to drop in!.”
This is way too much fun to just to let them run back.
And so He comes to them…
“Hey!”
“Woo-hoo!”
I know if I had been Jesus, I would have popped out from behind a tree and said, “Surprise! Did I scare you?”
CHALLENGE:
I was thinking about the disciples that are on the way to Emmaus.
They are so filled with disappointment about Jesus’ death that even when they have received news that Jesus is alive they don’t believe it.
In fact, as they are walking, Jesus joins right in with them on the walk, and they don’t recognize that He is right there with them.
They are so filled with disappointment and disillusionment, they can’t even sense the presence of God.
Are you ever like that?
It is like you are behind the stone and you can’t see the life that is ahead of you.
What has you blocked in?
Here is what I want you to know:
God can move stones for you.
Perhaps you have secrets you don’t want anyone to know about.
The problem is that they are eating you up.
They are taking your strength away.
• Alcoholism
• Sexual identity
• A child out of wedlock
• Abortion
• College final cheated
• Affair
• Lied on taxes
• Unfulfilling relationships
• Hostile circumstances
Whether it is a secret guilt or a hidden shame, know this…
God can do for you what you think is impossible.
The Scripture tells us this over and over…
Just when the womb gets too old for babies, Sarah and Elizabeth get pregnant.
Just when failure is too great for grace, David is pardoned.
And just when the road seems too dark and you can’t go on, angels glow and the Savior shows that death and hell and the grave could not hold Him down.
God still moves stones!
Today, I don’t want you to give up.
Don’t stop.
Don’t quit.
It may seem that the trail is dark.
It may be that the road is long.
It may be like the never ending night.
This is all so…
Amazing! God loves you no matter what and can give you life.
But you need to open your eyes to it.
You need to accept it.
You need to receive it.
Because what God does is amazing!
Video…
For Further Study: Psalm 16.10, 110.1; Matthew 16.21, 17.23, 20.19, 26.32; John 10.17-18; Acts 4.12; Romans 4.25; I Thessalonians 4.13-18
BENEDICTION:
I encourage you to respond to His love for you today.
First, you must acknowledge that you are a sinner.
You must recognize that your sin has offended Almighty God.
You must believe that it was your sin that sent Jesus Christ to die on the cross.
Second, you must believe that Jesus died to pay for your sin.
You must believe that he paid the full penalty for all your sin.
You must put your trust in Jesus alone for the gift of eternal life.
And third, you must confess your sin.
You do this by asking God to forgive you of your sin.
And you do it by repenting of your sin.
And then…
Give Him unquestioned control of your life.
You will be genuinely surprised at the joy that will come your way.
He still moves stones.
And He can move yours.
Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
RESOURCES:
SermonCentral
Budzinski, Jeff He Got Up!
Cook, Pat God Still Moves Stones
Fritz, Freddy Three Benefits of Jesus’ Resurrection
Kersten, Ken A God Who Still Moves Stones
Morine, Matthew He Still Moves Stones
Smith, Joseph Rolling Stones: Leverage or Fear?
Other
Keener, Craig S. The Ivp Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993.
Lucado, Max. He Still Move Stones: Everyone Needs a Miracle. Dallas: Word Publishing, 1993.
Wiersbe, Warren W. The Bible Exposition Commentary: New Testament. Colorado Springs: ChariotVictor Publishing, 1989.
