Stone Rolled Away

St Timothy Presbyterian Church in Toronto: Sermons

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1 Corinthians 15:1-11

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The Stone is Rolled Away

Happy Easter! Welcome all of you!

May the Spirit of Easter bless you with new life!

On this day, we are celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He is risen!

Death could not engulf him. Death could not imprison him. Death could not lock him behind the stone. The stone is rolled away.

What does death do to us?

It not only kills our physical body but it creates fear within us.

Another name for death is FEAR. Whenever people think about death, they can see fear. Nothing else. Only Fear!

Death not only locks away the dead by closing the door of the tomb with a large stone, death also imprisons the living with the stone of fear.

That stone keeps us in the dark.

We are too fearful to go beyond where we are. We are too fearful to experience something new. We are too fearful to face our own true self.

The stone blocks our way.

NOW THAT STONE IS ROLLED AWAY.

Our Fear is Overcome

Jesus told people to remove the stone when he raised dead Lazarus.

Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, Take away the stone.' (John 11:38, 39)

In the same way, the stone was taken away – Rolled away from Jesus' tomb.

Mark described it in this way.

And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?' When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. (Mark 16:1-4)

The stone was rolled away. The stone was removed.

This meant more than a physical block being removed for the resurrected Christ.

The resurrected Christ did not need the removal of the physical block to get out. And yet the stone was rolled away.

Pause.

This gives us a symbolic image of freedom. Freedom from death and freedom from the fear of death.

The fear is rolled away. The fear is removed.

This is what the resurrection is all about.

Resurrection is not just about the dead coming alive. Resurrection is about our fear being overcome.

You don't have to live any more with the fear created by death. You don't have to look at life always with fear.

When fear is overcome, you can see your reality much more clearly. Your reality becomes brighter.

When you are locked away behind the stone, everything looks gloomy. Everything looks uncertain.

When the stone is rolled away, you become free. Free to move forward with confidence. Free to dare to live with courage.

That's the new reality.

Jesus Redefined Death

Listen to St. Paul's confession.

Death has been swallowed up in victory.
Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?'
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. (1 Corinthians 15:54-56)

Do you see fear in this statement?

Fear could not play a central role in Paul's life after meeting Christ. He was able to confront death with courage.

Where is your victory? Where is your sting? Death, you cannot intimidate me any more. Death, you cannot control me with fear any more.

That was how Jesus confronted death. He didn't see death something he had to avoid at all costs. He didn't see death as finality or total destruction.

Rather, he saw death as bearing fruit. Isn't it amazing?

He redefined death.

This was what Jesus said, talking about his own death.

Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. (John 12:24)

A very interesting perspective about death. Death is not just destruction. Death can even bring much fruit.

Jesus' death had profound impact on us. God used Jesus' death to bring freedom to all of us. That is the good news.

You can see the summary of good news in verse 3 and 4.

For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures. (1 Corinthians 15:3, 4)

Paul was saying that Jesus' death was not destruction or finality. Jesus' death brought us the freedom from sins.

Freedom from the fear of punishment for our sins. Jesus' death and resurrection removed fear within us.

When you believe in Jesus Christ, fear vanishes.

Fear was the greatest damage death brought to our souls and it is the greatest weapon of death.

Now that fear is destroyed. You are healed from fear. Now we don't have to see ourselves with fear.

We don't have to see ourselves only as the one who is full of contradictions, shortcomings, and weaknesses. We don't have to see ourselves as sinners who deserve to be punished.

When that fear is removed, we can see ourselves through the eyes of grace.

Empowered by the Grace of God

That was what Paul saw.

He was an angry man. He was a self-righteous man. He was a violent man.

He thought he was a good man. But he realized that he was not a good man.

His anger, his self-righteousness, violence, and hatred engulfed him. He lived out his fear.

But when that fear was gone, he could see himself differently.

This was what he said about himself.

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace towards me has not been in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:10)

I am who I am by God's grace. In other words, I see myself through the eyes of God's grace, not through the eyes of fear.

He found his true self. He was lost but now he is found.

The stone is rolled away. The fear is taken away. He was empowered.

This was what he said after he found himself.

I worked harder than any of them though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. (1 Corinthians 15:10)

When fear disappears, wonderful things can happen to you.

You will be able to see what you didn't see before. You will have the empowerment which you didn't have before. You will experience the victory of life.

This was what Jesus said.

I have said this to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!' (John 16:33)

When the fear is gone, you will be able to conquer the world. Conquering the world not in the sense of dominating the weak and the powerless.

But in the sense of overcoming the darkness, injustice, evil, and hatred. You will become the best version of yourself.

The stone is rolled away. Now you are free.

Live boldly. That's what resurrection is. Removal of Fear!

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