Who Will Roll Your Stone Away?

Seeing the Light:

“And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back-it was very large.” Mark 16:3-4

Walking in the Light:

As we celebrate this season of Lent, I am reminded of the great boulder that was placed in front of the tomb as well as the four Roman Guards place at the entrance to assure that Jesus would remain undisturbed, as they recalled the prediction that Jesus would arise on the third day.

It was the third day after Jesus had been placed in the tomb, and the women were returning to anoint Jesus body, asking themselves “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” Some of us are wondering and waiting for someone (spouse, family member, doctor, pastor) or something (job, success, break through) to remove the boulder, thinking, then… we will have joy and experience victory in this life.

Some of us have boulders (sin, pain, hurt, suffering, lost dreams, disappointments, or guilt) that prevent us from seeing the power of God in our lives. We allow circumstances and people to define our worth and our expectations of what God can do in our lives. We are oblivious to the power within us because we allow the presence of these giant boulders to capture our attention. But...if we focus on Jesus we will see that the stones have been rolled out of the way, so that we can walk away from the things that hold us captive. The victory has been won. Through the power of Christ, the boulder is rolled away so that we may walk a bolder, abundant life. 

Reflecting the Light:

1. That boulder represented all the pain and suffering, ridicule, darkness that took place before the resurrection. If Jesus had focused on the boulder rather than the power of resurrection how would the climax of the resurrection story be different?
2. What if we as Believers of Jesus allowed the boulders in our life to prevent us from experiencing the power of the resurrection?
3. What is preventing you from experiencing the joy of your salvation? 
4. The victory has already been won. Do you have a victory story?  Share it with us.  

Prayer:

Pray that God will help you identify the things is in your life that is preventing you from experiencing the power of the resurrection. 

ROMANS 1:16-17 HOW DO YOU REACT TO THE GOSPEL?

Are you able to say with Paul, I am not ashamed of the gospel? I want to be able to make this claim as Paul did but many times I am more like Peter when he denied Christ 3 times and the shame he felt when he heard the cock crow.

Scripture:

Romans 1:16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes:  first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."

Philippians 3:8. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ.

Lesson:

“I am not ashamed of the gospel,” is probably one of Paul’s most famous sayings. Why was it necessary for Paul to inject this statement into this message? Obviously there were some who were ashamed to acknowledge their belief and faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ. There were those who just thought that the message of Jesus was just too simple. Remember, there were those who thought that Jesus would come as a king on a white horse, as a warrior, to lead his people in a revolt. Some actually thought he would come off the cross and defeat Rome. It appeared that the kingly leader was defeated. They did not believe that Christ arose, or that there was life after death.

We are attuned to the world and the world is really intolerant to Christianity, even hostile at times. Many individuals do not like change and the gospel of Jesus challenged the religious sect to make some changes in the way they worshipped and in the way they lived their lives. Paul was not ashamed of the gospel and he challenges us to speak boldly in personal evangelism. This means to me that we all have an obligation to share the gospel.

Application:

1.   Why do we shy away from proclaiming the gospel?

2.   How many people do you know that are active in personal evangelism?

3.   How comfortable are you in sharing the gospel with others? Would you like to be more comfortable?

4.   Do you believe the gospel is good news, then why would you hesitate to share it?

5.   What reasons do you shy away are not active in personal evangelism?

Prayer:

Dear Father, thank you for loving me enough to die for me. Help me to be strong and bold in testifying for you when you open doors of opportunity to witness. In Jesus name I pray, Amen. 

A simple answer is the best

Scripture: Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Acts 4:29

I have spent days writing and editing this blogspot. Isn't it strange that so many times we think we know what we want to say, but when we actually see it in print, it doesn't look or sound the way we intended? Could it be that sometimes we are afraid if we are not politically, culturally, and yes religiously correct we could be persecuted, or just made fun of?

Just this week after a lady poured her heart our to me about all the failures in her life, from childhood abuse from her father and later,spousal abuse, to problems with her teenage children, she said, "I am not a Christian but I pray to God. I couldn't make it without my prayers."

I am usually quite wordy, however, this time I really was not sure what to say. After, saying that I was sorry, my first thought was to respond, as all Christian's would know, "That God does not hear the prayers of those not belonging to him," in other words, "Christians," and proceeded to share the "gospel" with her. Something within me asked, "How would Jesus respond in this circumstance?" I believe he would have said, "Your faith has made you whole."

In reality, she was reaching out to God in belief. I responded, that God would reach to her as she continued to reach for Him and that through these prayers she would one day claim to be a Christian. Since that time I've wondered if my response was "good" enough or if I should have been more bold in my witness. I want to be bold in my witness, but I believe that God leads us to respond in love. The truth is, we have to trust that God will lead us to answer as he chooses, not how we should think we should.

My prayer: "Dear, God, Please be with this lady and continue to wrap your loving arms around her, and may the words from my mouth and meditations from my heart be acceptable in your sight, My God, my strength and my redeemer." In Jesus name, Amen.