Burchell, Graham: Who Will Roll Away the Stone ~ Mark 16v 1-6

I'm reading Mark sixteen verses one to seven. if you want to turn there. When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so they might go to anoint Jesus' body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb, and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?" But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. "Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He is risen. He is not here. See the place where they laid him, but go tell his disciples and Peter, he is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you. Thank you, Athan. When these, uh, young men take their turn at public ministry for the first time, I'm always reminded, and I've told you this before, but it's encouragement to the young people, that one of the first times I preached, and I was about, uh, Athens age, a brother said to me, are you nervous? I said, yes. So he took me to Jeremiah and read the verse, be not afraid of their faces, for the Lord thy God is able to deliver thee. So that's, uh, been an encouragement to me ever since. Our question this morning, then, is who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulcher? It's not an unusual, uh, question in the mind of these women, because they were aware that the stone had been rolled across the tomb of the Lord Jesus. Now, when we read the scripture, we find that Joseph rolled the stone, but I understand that the stone is so designed that it's much easier to roll it into place than it is to roll it back. And so there was great concern in the minds of these women because they had, they were going to the tomb in order that they might embalm or prepare the body of the Lord Jesus with the spices that they had purchased. But it's rather interesting, if you read a correct translation of scripture, you read these words, that when they looked up, the stone was rolled away already. The inference is, of course, that in their sadness and their concern for the loss of the Savior, that they had walked towards the tomb with their eyes averted to the ground. And when they looked up, the stone had been rolled away. Events of great importance had taken place in the city of Jerusalem over the few days preceding this incident. And we have approached this with some of the questions that we have considered from this platform in weeks that have gone past. We considered the question, whom will I release unto you, Barabbas or Jesus, which is called Christ? And we saw that they asked for Barabbas. And then the question that followed was also addressed from this platform. What then shall I do with Jesus, which is called Christ? And they cried out, of course, let him be crucified. And so he was. The Lord Jesus was taken by wicked hands, but as a result of the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, and he went to the cross and was crucified. Suddenly it was over. Man had done his worst, God had done his best, and the Lord Jesus uttered that tremendous cry, teleo, or finished, nothing more to be done. It's a forward-looking word, not a backward-looking word, and every time I read it, I'm reminded of this old Welshman in our assembly, a Welsh-speaking Welshman. Looked to me as though he'd come out of Dickens. He had a long black coat on and a wing collar and a big black tie, and when he used to, very sort of stable man, but when he got to this verse, he would shout out in Welsh, Tetelestiai. And the old man would get so excited, and he would tell me afterwards, it's a much better expression than the English finished. And he's right, of course, because it's one word in the original. It's a word of triumph. There's nothing more to be done. And so the crucifixion of the Savior ended with those tremendous words. But the body could not be left on the cross. We see today with s- uh, funerals of Israeli soldiers that they take place very quickly after death. The climate is such that the body needs to be committed to the ground very quickly. Now, the Lord Jesus, had it been left to Pilate and the Roman soldiers, would have been literally thrown into the common grave. But you see, hundreds of years before, God had spoken concerning the burial of his son through the prophet Isaiah, and he said this: Men appointed him his grave with the criminals, but he was with the rich in his death. And that statement, having been made by God, needed to be carried out. And so we read, uh, in the scriptures in Mark that Joseph of Arimathea, an honorable counselor, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came and went boldly unto Pilate and craved the body of Jesus. I'm reading a literal translation here. And Pilate wondered if he was already dead, and calling unto him the centurion, he asked whether he had been long dead. And when he knew it of the centurion, he made a gift of the corpse to Joseph. And he brought fine linen and took him down and wrapped him in the linen and laid him in a sepulcher which was hewn out of a rock and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulcher. Now, other writers add a little bit to that. Uh, Matthew, for example, says that when Joseph rolled the stone away, he departed, he went home. Luke tells us that Joseph was a good man and just, and had not consented to the death of the Lord Jesus. It's John that tells us that Joseph was not alone, and that disciple who forever has the appellation of the one who came to Jesus by night, Nicodemus, joins Joseph. Two men who perhaps had hidden their, their love and their concern for Christ, now declare it openly by taking his body from the cross and laying it in the tomb. The following day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate and said, you know, um, this deceiver said when he was yet alive, after three days I will rise again. Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night and steal him away and say to the people, he has risen from the dead. If they'd only known it, the disciples hadn't really grasped the fact that he was going to rise from the dead, and in fact presented no danger to the taking of the body of Christ. It wasn't till after that he had risen from the dead that the impact of his promises became a reality to them. But a watch was set, and a seal was placed. And there inside the tomb was the body of Christ, guarded not only by the heavy stone, but by the seal of the, of the authorities and the watch that was set. What takes place after that, of course, is accounted for in different ways by the gospel writers. Matthew records a great earthquake as the angel of the Lord descended from heaven and rolled back the stone and sat upon it. And that put paid to the watch. That was a little bit too much for them to take, and of course they fell as though they were dead men. Mark, we've read. Luke talks about the stone being rolled away and two men in shining garments sitting at the tomb. John writes about the women and the subsequent race between Peter and himself to get to the tomb. But it doesn't matter which account you read of the resurrection of Christ. The truth was this, the stone was rolled away and the occupant of the tomb gone. To appear to many people over the next forty days. I want to talk to you for a few moments about the impact of this resurrection, the impact of the empty tomb. And the first thing I want to remind you, as important as the cross was to the question of salvation, that it was the resurrection that gave the gospel message its vitality. And Paul, when he writes to the Corinthians, reminding them of the visit that he paid and the preaching that he'd done in them, he says this, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, how that Christ died for your sins according to the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he has been raised up the third day. And so with the resurrection of Christ, we have an integral part of the gospel message. We cannot preach the cross, an empty cross without an empty tomb. And so whatever the gospel is preached today, in sincerity and honesty, the story of the empty tomb must be told. Why was the resurrection then important? Why was it necessary? Well, first of all, to prove the sinlessness of Christ. Peter in Acts two says this, whom God raised up, having loosed the pangs of death, because it was not possible that he should be holden by it. Then he quotes from the Psalms, because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, nor wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to suffer corruption. And so the resurrection of Christ proves his sinlessness. And if men challenge this today, take them to the empty tomb. Tell them that hell could not hold him because he was the Holy One of God. It was a vindication of his own claims. Remember what he'd said? An evil and adulterous generation seeketh a sign, and there shall be no sign given to it but the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale's belly, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Destroy this temple, he said, and I will build it again in three days, talking not of the earthly temple that they knew, but talking of his body. So the resurrection needed to take place that we might know that what Christ says he could do. And what a confidence that gives us today, to have a savior who has made us promises. And the natural man would look at those promises and say, is it possible that they should be kept? If anyone says that to you, point to the empty tomb. I will build it again in three days, says the Lord. And so that body, that person that was placed on the cross rises from the dead to prove that what he says he can do. So the resurrection was necessary to prove the sinlessness of Christ. It was necessary to vindicate his claims. It was a sign of God's approval on all that he had done. Seeing this before, says Paul, writing to the Romans and referring to the gospel, he says, he spoke of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul should not be left in hell, neither his flesh see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up. Now, God is not going to raise an imposter. He's not going to raise someone from the dead who has not in every way completed the work that he was sent to do. And you point to an empty tomb, and you can tell people that God was satisfied with the work of Christ, and as a seal of approval of all that he'd done, he took him and raised him from the dead. But it's more than that. The resurrection of Christ not only means that God has accepted the work that he's done, but he's accepted the redemptive work on our behalf. Again, listen to the apostle. Referring to Abraham, now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed unto him, but for also to whom it shall be reputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered for our offenses and raised again for our justification. When we preach the gospel message today, we preach a message that is true in every aspect. Because God raised Christ from the dead, not only to express approval of what he'd done, but to signify acceptance of what he's done. And so now the sinner can be justified, can be set right before God, because the Savior rose from the dead. So for those four reasons, the resurrection was very necessary. It proves the sinlessness of Christ. It's a vindication of all that he claimed. It shows the approval of God upon all that he'd done, and it shows that in Christ, I am accepted because his redemptive work satisfied God. God. But as we look backwards about two thousand years, what were the results of those things? What was the result of that resurrection as we look at it so many years later? Well, first of all, regarding the Savior. Secondly, regarding the believer, and thirdly, regarding the unbeliever. What was the results of the resurrection on the person of Christ? It marked him forever as the Son of God. There is nobody today that can argue the fact that the Savior was the Son of God. Listen to what the Word of God says. Declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. Eternity registers the Savior as the Son of God because God raised him from the dead. And as I said earlier, it was a sign of God's approval and God's acceptance of the work of Christ. So the result of the resurrection, as far as the Savior is concerned, is the approval of his work, the acceptance of it by God, and the eternal declaration that Jesus of Nazareth was in fact and will ever be the Son of God. What about the believer, though? What about the person who has come to accept Christ as Savior? What does the resurrection mean to us? Well, first of all, it assures me of my acceptance by God. And the gospel message is not a myth, it's not a fairy tale. It's the fundamental truth that emanates from the throne of God. That because Christ rose from the dead and was accepted by God in the completion of his work, what did we read? He's raised again for my justification. And the resurrection of Christ proves that I am accepted by God. You know, there isn't, there isn't a book, isn't a textbook in the world that contains truths of the immensity of what we're talking about this morning. There's a God in heaven against whom I've sinned, and that God is prepared to look at me as though I had never sinned because his son died and rose again and presented himself as the means for my justification. Believer, we must never and should never doubt our salvation. You know, at times I, I have doubted my own appreciation of it, but I can say quite honestly that for the whole of my Christian life, I have never, ever doubted my salvation. How can I, when it has the confirmation of the eternal God who raised my savior again and says, because I've raised him from the dead, you are justified, and you stand before me as though you have never sinned. It assures me of needed power. Now, we struggle with things in life. We have things that press upon us, and and sometimes we tend to say, well, there's nothing I can do. I just have to accept it and give into it and not even try to fight it. Well, look what happens, as Paul writes to the Ephesians, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power towards us who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he has wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead. And we have to get hold of the truth of this, that the power that was necessary from heaven to raise Christ from the dead is the power that's available to enable me to live a Christian life. So don't tell me, please, and and I mustn't tell myself, I can't beat this, I can't conquer that, I must give in to this. Why? When God tells me that the very power that took Christ from the depths of of death and raised him to heaven is the power that's available to me. So it assures me of my acceptance with God. It assures me of the availability of all needed power. It grants to me the Holy Spirit. The resurrection of Christ was necessary. He says, I'm going to go away, and if I go, I will send you another comforter, one just like me. And so we read, this Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we are all witnesses. Therefore, being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he has shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. The residency of the Holy Spirit in the life of believers today is dependent upon the resurrection. The fourth thing, though, it's a guarantee of our own resurrection. Listen to this. Knowing that he who raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus. How am I sure that I'm going to heaven? Well, first of all, because I stand justified before God because of the resurrection of Christ. But secondly, the Bible assures me that having raised up my Savior, God is going to raise up me to spend eternity with him. You know, we we go through the world as paupers, spiritual paupers, when these are the promises that God has given us and has confirmed to us by the resurrection of Christ. So as a believer, the resurrection of Christ assures me of my acceptance with God. As a believer, the resurrection of Christ assures me that there's a mighty power available to me. As a believer, the resurrection of Christ shows me why I possess the Holy Spirit, and it's a guarantee of my own resurrection. When they place me in the tomb, I'll be dead, I hope, unless somebody makes a mistake. My spirit will have gone to be with God who made it. That body can stay there, it can go to dust until the Lord thinks I need it again in some form or another. But I'm not going to be there. I'm going to be up in the heavenlies with Christ. What about unbelievers then? Has the resurrection of Christ any message for you? One of my favorite chapters, and I really re- refrain from preaching from it this morning, is one Corinthians fifteen. Absolutely tremendous chapter. I just thrill when I read it, particularly when it brings things to a climax in Christ. But listen what it says. For in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. If you're here this morning and you're unsaved, don't think that death is a means of dodging God. Don't think that death is a means of escaping the punishment that God has for the sinner, because the Bible clearly assures me that in Christ shall all be made alive. And you're not going to escape judgment. In fact, the second message that the Bible has for you about the resurrection of Christ is this: it assures you of the coming judgment. Just as the death of Christ assures the believer of salvation and safety in Christ, so, so it ensures the unbeliever of a coming judgment. Listen to this. Because he hath a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained. Wherefore he hath given assurance to all men, in that he raised him from the dead. The appointed judge that God has ordained is the very one that went to the cross, the very one who was buried in the tomb, the very one who was taken by the power of God in resurrection and brought up into newness of life, is the very one who is going to be the judge of your soul, if you don't know him as Savior. See how important? You know, you can read the story of the resurrection in five minutes, quicker. I bought that book this week, you know, Read Times four fast as anybody else. You see it on television? Oh boy, so you, when I've done it, you watch. I'll be reading like this. And you say, Liz, I haven't got time to do the course. But anyway, see, it doesn't take you long to read the story of the resurrection, but look at the implications. They're eternal. They're immense. They're soul-shattering. Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulcher? God had already done it. Not that it was necessary for the resurrection, but it was necessary to show the world that Christ had gone. And you can go to Israel today, and uh, they show you an empty tomb. And the very fact that that empty tomb is available to see is confirmation that the one who occupied it is gone. Is gone into heaven. But I tell you this, when you look at the, at the events that followed the resurrection, Christ was never seen except by his own. When that body was taken from the cross, that holy, glorious body in which resided the Son of God, when that was taken from the cross by the hands of those that loved him, that was the last the world saw of him. And it will be the last that the world will see of him until he comes back in the power of his return. Not as Jesus of Nazareth, king of the Jews, as as we've been reminded several times today, that he was mockingly called. He's going to come back as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And every knee shall bow. Every knee shall bow. Notice the scripture, every knee shall bow. If I understand my English right, that is a sort of a future actual sort of something that's going to happen, isn't it? But you can bow the knee today. You can look at the empty tomb and you can recognize what it means to consider the power of the resurrection of Christ. And you can bow today and accept him as your own savior. Those of us who know him don't live a spiritual purpose that is so much released by the resurrection of Christ and his ascension into heaven that we should walk with our backs like that. Absolute confidence that the God who raised Jesus from the dead is going to raise us up to be with him forever. And as I mentioned this morning, he's going to set the believers by the side of himself in one body, the glorious church, and he's going to say, this is mine. These are the people from who- for whom I died. Are you going to see him as the glorious risen Lord, the head of the body? Or are you going to see him as the judge that God has appointed and proved his appointment by raising him from the dead? Two hundred and nineteen. Please don't be too hard on Rob. We're only five minutes over. Shall we pray? Father, what a joyful hymn, reminding us of the great power that was demonstrated when our Savior rose from the dead. And thy servant Paul tells us that it's this power that's available to us today as we seek to live the Christian life. Father, we bless thee for the work of the Savior. We bless thee for the cross. We thank thee for his resurrection, and we bless thee that today he occupies the throne at thy right hand, just waiting at thy bidding to call into his presence all those who have come to trust him and to know him. And Father, this is a glorious prospect that fills many hearts bowed before thee today. But Father, we would think of those who have not this relationship with Christ. And we ask as they have thought this morning, that this one who was raised so triumphantly from the dead will be the one who will sit as God's appointed judge. May thy spirit do his work in all our hearts today, to the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.