Disclaimer:
Due to the large amount of sermons and topics that appear on this site I feel it is necessary to post this disclaimer on all sermons posted. These sermons are original to the author and the leading of the Holy Spirit. While ideas and illustrations are often gleaned from many sources including those at Sermoncentral.com, any similarities and wording including sermon title, that may appear to be the same as any other sermon are purely coincidental. In instances where other minister’s wording is used, due recognition will be given. These sermons are not copyrighted and may be used or preached freely. May God richly bless you as you read these words. It is my sincere desire that all who read them may be enriched. All scriptures quoted in these sermons are copied and quoted from the Authorized King James Version of the Holy Bible.
Pastor James May
ROLLING STONES AND THE RISEN ROCK
Easter Message
Today we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the grave. Because of His resurrection, being the first fruits of all who shall rise again, we can have eternal life. Jesus, the stone that the builders rejected, has become the chief cornerstone of the church. Upon this rock, this Risen Rock, Jesus Christ, our lives, our hopes, our dreams and our eternity are founded. Jesus said that the powers of hell itself would never be able to overcome those who are founded upon the Rock.
Those of us, who know Jesus as our Lord and Savior this morning, have a hope that those without God cannot understand. By faith we see the end of all things as though the end has already come. We know that in the end we will rise again and be forever with the Lord. The hope in the resurrection is the greatest gift that God could ever give to us.
Yet there are many this very moment who don’t have this hope and who have not given their hearts and lives to Jesus.
They are living lives of quiet desperation and they have learned to act as though they are in control of their own destiny when, in reality, they don’t have a clue of what lies ahead. There is panic in their heart at the slightest change that may threaten their security. There is despair in the midst of great trials. There is discouragement and frustration for life seems to have to real purpose at all.
I believe these conditions of the heart are represented in the rolling stone that covered the entrance to the tomb where Jesus’ body was laid for burial.
That “rolling stone” represents our hopeless situations and our darkest despair.
The disciples and all of those who loved Jesus during His earthly ministry had believed that this was to the hour of deliverance for Israel from the “iron fist” of Rome’s domination. Their hope was great that each of them would hold some special appointment in the new government of Israel because they had been faithful to Jesus and He would surely reward them for their efforts.
For over 400 years Israel had lived in the depths of despair as God had lifted His hand of protection off of their nation and allowed them to go into absolute bondage for their willful and determined attitude to serve idols and forget God.
On that terrible day when Jesus died upon the cross, it was as though the heart and soul of his followers died with him.
Satan wants to bring each of us to that same place in our own lives. His work is to steal, kill and destroy all that we are and to prevent us from every becoming what God has intended for each of us to be.
Matthew 27:58-61, "He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulcher, and departed. And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulcher."
Can you sense the hopelessness in the heart of those who loved Jesus at this very moment? Jesus was dead. The long awaited deliverer of Israel was no more and they were still in bondage to Rome. In desperation they attempted to be close to Jesus. Joseph of Arimethea placed his own life on the line by requesting that he be allowed to bury Jesus. He had some political influence being a member of the Council making him the most logical choice for seeking the body of Christ.
Can you sense the terrible feeling of loss, the pain and sorrow of their hearts as they began to prepare Jesus for burial?
That’s the same lost feeling, the same pain and sorrow that the world feels that knows not God. Hopelessness grips the heart and the light is gone and Satan attempts to cast a seal upon you life so that no gospel can reach you.
Joseph took Jesus’ body, place it in a tomb, sealed it shut with a large rolling stone and then they left with sadness and despair in their heart. All hope was lost!
Matthew 27:64-66, "Command therefore that the sepulcher be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first. Pilate said unto them, ye have a watch: go your way; make it as sure as ye can. So they went, and made the sepulcher sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch."
The same Chief Priest and Pharisees that had condemned Jesus to death now wanted to hide their mistake. They would not bow to Jesus and neither did they want anyone else to worship him. They covered every angle to see that Jesus would remain dead and buried so that their power and influence over Israel could continue on. They set a guard to see that the rolling stone would remain in place and sealed.
That’s the way the Devil wants your life to be too. He doesn’t just want to steal the life from you. He doesn’t just want to take Jesus out of your life and destroy your hope, your victory and your joy. He wants to make sure that you never rise again. Demons from the pit are dispatched to the life of every backslider and every sinner to see to it that they stay away from the presence of the Lord. As long as Satan can keep you separated from the presence of the Lord, he can keep you under this controlling power.
We can struggle against the hopelessness and fear all we want but the power of sin in our lives has set the seal on the stone and our hearts are forever separated from the presence of God.
Those who are addicted to drugs, alcohol, illicit sex, and any other sinful acts and habits are under the seal of that rolling stone. Satan has killed your soul already. You are walking dead man waiting for the body to lie down in physical death, but your soul is already dead and will soon be forever sealed from the presence of God.
Satan has rolled the stone over your heart and soul! He has sealed it with the power of sin in your heart. He has set his guard upon you and there is no escape without the power of the resurrection that only Jesus can give.
Just as it was inside the tomb where Jesus was buried, there is no light. There is no joy, no happiness and no hope. There are only the depths of eternal darkness for the body and separation for the soul from God.
No power on earth can break that seal. No good works can be done in the sealed tomb. No voice can speak forth from the grave to seek forgiveness. Those in the tomb, who are already counted as dead by God, can do nothing of themselves.
Those people who think that after death there is still a chance, take heed. I have never heard the dead cry out from the cemetery to God. I have never seen the dead attempting to perform works that would get them into Heaven. The dead are just dead and there is nothing that can change that from the standpoint of man’s ability. Only those who are living still have the chance to find the Risen Rock.
Those caught up in sin have no power to deliver themselves. Those who know not God cannot obtain salvation through good works and benevolence. Why – because they are dead to God and cannot reach Him. The seal of sin is upon the rolling stone of separation from the life of God. The righteousness and holiness of God, along with the powers of death, hell and the grave stand guard and no man is ever allowed to remove the seals and the stone. That’s why we need a Savior!
The power of death upon us can only be broken by one thing – the resurrection power of God.
Revelation 1:18, "I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death."
Ephesians 4:8-10, "… When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things)"
Jesus’ body was in that tomb of rock, sealed from the outside world for three days, but Jesus wasn’t in that body. He was already doing His work as the Savior. He went into the Devil’s lair and took possession of death and the grave. No more do we have to fear death! No more do we have to fear the Lake of Fire! Jesus has the power over death and hell and His power is resurrection power to new life and eternal life.
Satan’s power to keep the rolling stone on your soul is forever broken. The Lord Jesus Christ purchased the rights to your soul with His own blood upon the cross.
Mark 16:3-4, "And they said among themselves, who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulcher? And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great."
Luke 24:2-3, "And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulcher. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus."
Those who come to Jesus after hearing message of the gospel are often surprised by the simplicity of the gospel. They cannot understand that there is no works that they can do to prove their repentance. The rolling stone that was sealed upon the heart was so great that no man could roll it away on his own. But, when we come to Christ we find that the stone is rolled away with ease for it is His power of resurrection that moves it for us.
When Jesus rolls away the stone, we don’t find any death there for He is the Resurrection and the Life. There is no sin too great for Jesus to forgive. There is no life that is so far gone that Jesus cannot resurrect if we will only fall before Him in repentance!
Matthew 28:2, "And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it."
When the Resurrection power of God moves in your heart and soul, life springs forth with power and glory. The Resurrection power of Jesus causes all hell to tremble and shake. He rolls the stone of sin off of your tomb of flesh and then sits on that stone as if to say, “Come on devil, let’s see you stop me now! I have all power in Heaven and in Earth. I am the Resurrection and the Life and no man, no devil, no one can stop me from giving eternal life to every one who will come to me in repentance and faith.”
Mark 12:10, "And have ye not read this scripture; the stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner:"
Jesus died as a rejected stone. The church world and the world in general, rejected Him. He came to save a world from eternal death and the world hated Him for it. He left the splendor of Heaven, forsook the glory of His kingdom, and took on the form of flesh to die on a cross for those who He already knew would reject Him. He came because He loved us so much that He was willing to die to give us a chance to live with Him for all eternity. He loved us, died for us, and gave all that He had knowing that we would not accept Him for who He was.
Man rejected Jesus but His sacrifice upon the cross was accepted in the courtroom of Heaven as payment in full for the debt of sin that we owed. What I could not pay, Jesus paid for me! What a great God we have!
He is the Risen Rock of my salvation. He is the chief cornerstone of my life and all who choose to follow Him. He is the Living Stone who creates “lively stones” of those who were once sealed in death by the “rolling stone” of sin.
He picked me out of the miry clay and He set my feet on the Rock to stay. He puts a song in my heart today, a song of praise, Hallelujah!
Jesus brings freedom from condemnation.
Jesus brings victory out of absolute defeat.
Jesus brings eternal life out of death’s despair.
Jesus brings hope instead of hopelessness.
Jesus brings joy instead of pain and sorrow.
Jesus gives Love and Purpose where there were none before.
Matthew 21:44, "And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder."
To everyone who this message reaches I say, call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is your only hope. Fall down upon that “rock” in repentance and faith. Ask Jesus to give you new life in Him. The “rolling stone” of your spirit, your heart, and your sin nature will be broken by power of God and you will become a “Lively Stone” for Jesus.
We can repent and fall upon that Risen Rock, Jesus, or we can harden our heart and allow His judgment to fall upon us. The judgment of God against hardened hearts will completely destroy every excuse and we will find ourselves eternally separated by that seal on the rolling stone of our heart.
On this day when we come together to celebrate the Resurrection of the Risen Stone, Jesus Christ, why not surrender your life to Him? Why not allow Jesus to be your Lord and Savior? Why not take advantage of the price that He paid so that the stone could be rolled away from your heart that is dead in sin. Let Jesus Resurrect you now and you will live forever. Reject Him now and your tomb of sin will be sealed forever!
