LET THAT STONE BE MOVED
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April 2000
"In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magadalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. 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. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: and for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. And the angel answered and said unto the women, 'Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he has risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see Him: lo, I have told you.' And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring His disciples word."
Matthew 28:1-8
As Resurrection Sunday approaches, we can really rejoice in the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen. I want to look in this particular passage where the angel of the Lord rolled back the stone and told the women that Jesus was not there. Now, did the angel need to roll the stone away for Jesus' sake, or was it for Mary's? I believe it was for the two women. Why would Jesus need a stone rolled away when He was able to appear in a locked room to His disciples (see John 20:19, 20)? Therefore, the stone did not need to be moved for Jesus. It was moved for the women so they might see the resurrecting power of Jesus Christ, that His power is true and real.
I also believe that in this Scripture it shows us His wonderful power; His redeeming power to move the stones in our lives. When we have a sinful stone that is blocking our path, we can truly know that the finished work of Christ can move that stone out of our way, that we might see the Lord Jesus Christ! The resurrection power of Jesus Christ moves the stones of sin out of the way so we might be reconciled unto Him; that we may be with Him. We know that the result of sin is death. The enemy wants to keep the stone of sin in our way so that we might not be reconciled unto the Lord Jesus Christ by confessing our sin, agreeing with God that we have sinned, to save us and represent us before the Almighty God of the Universe. If we do not submit to the Spirit of God, then confess. Repent and allow the Lord to move the stone so you can enjoy the freedom in Christ!
The stone will not move on it's own and we cannot move it. It's too heavy for us. It's too big for us. It's too hard for us to move. We need to ask Jesus to move that stone. He still moves them, even today in the sinful tombs of prisons we place ourselves in because of our focus not being on the Lord Jesus Christ, but upon the world of self (ME - the Major Enemy). When the stone is in the way, we can't see. It blocks the view of Christ, the Light. We can't hear the Word because the stone muffles the Word. We can't receive the Living Water because the stone blocks the flow of the Living Water to our lives. We can't get the Bread of Life because the stone blocks the way so that we may not received the Bread of Life. We are cut off. The stone of sin blocks us, cuts us off from the Source of our eternal life: the Lord Jesus Christ!
When we confess our sins to Jesus, He will roll that stone out of the way, so that we will see Him in all His glory. We receive the Light, we hear the Word, we get the flow of the Living Water, and we are able to be nourished by the Bread of Life.
I would like to encourage you as Resurrection Sunday approaches to see if there is a stone in your way. Think about the finished work of Jesus Christ. What He did at the cross, and at the tomb, when the two Mary's came to see His body, nut, behold, the stone was rolled away to show He was risen, that He is the risen Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus still moves the stones in our lives. Let Jesus move the stone in your life today so you can have true and unhindered fellowship with our loving and redeeming Lord Jesus Christ. Don't delay!
(c) 2000 by Pastor Aaron D. Lint
