"See the Place" 4-9-23
Overview
See the Place
On that first Easter morning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to the tomb expecting to anoint a body, not greet a risen Lord. They carried spices, and along the way they wondered aloud who would roll the massive stone away Mark 16:3. Then came the answer they never anticipated: "And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it" Matthew 28:2. Matthew records three earthquakes around the cross and resurrection—at the crucifixion Matthew 27:51, at the rolling of the stone, and within the guards themselves, who "shook" with terror. The earth itself bears witness that something world-altering has happened.
But here is the heart of it: the angel did not roll the stone away to let Jesus out. Jesus had already risen. Christ Himself said, "I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me" John 10:17-18. The post-resurrection accounts confirm this: He vanishes from sight at Emmaus Luke 24:31 and passes through locked doors to stand among His disciples John 20:26. No stone could hold Him. The angel rolled the stone away so that we could look in. "He is not here, for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay" Matthew 28:6.
That open tomb preaches. Paul reminds us that everything hangs upon it: "If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins" 1 Corinthians 15:14-19. But Christ has been raised. Therefore every word of Scripture stands true, every promise of God finds its "yes" in Him, and Jesus' own words ring out: "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live" John 11:25.
For the Christian, this changes everything. Death is no longer to be dreaded; it is simply transition into the presence of God. Every sin—the words we wish we had never spoken, the deeds we wish we had never done, the duties we left undone—has been atoned for by the blood of the spotless Lamb. When the world feels as though it is spinning out of control, the empty tomb assures us that God remains sovereign on His throne. And to every baptized child of God, the rolled-away stone proclaims that you have been claimed, washed, and held fast by a Savior who will never let you go. Come and see the place where He lay—and see all of life, and all of eternity, through the open door of an empty tomb.
Transcript
What you open your Bibles, please, with me, to the gospel of St. Matthew 28th, chapter 3s
if you're using a Pew edition of Holy Scripture, you'll find that on page 29 in the New 9s
Testament. 14s
Matthew 28th, chapter. 15s
Scripture, children, programs, beauty. 20s
I'm reminded of a church, true story in which they were putting on their annual Christmas 32s
program. 38s
The children were acting out the story. 39s
And one lab, he was cast as the keeper of the inn. 43s
He had one line. 47s
He was to say when Mary and Joseph came and knocked on the door, there is no room in the 49s
inn. 55s
Practice time came. 57s
Mary and Joseph knocked on the door, the innkeeper answered and responded with this loud voice 59s
that bounced off the back wall of the parish hall. 66s
There is no room in the inn. 71s
And everyone knew. 75s
There was no room in that inn. 78s
But then the performance came. 83s
And Mary and Joseph came to the door, Mary looking very pregnant and Joseph looking 87s
weary and just over his head. 94s
They knocked on the door and the boy opened up the door and he said his line, there is no 98s
room in the inn. 104s
But then something happened. 109s
All of a sudden it wasn't a role he was playing. 114s
All of a sudden it wasn't the program put on by the Sunday school children. 118s
As he looked at Mary and Joseph turn and start to walk toward the kettle stall and to meet 125s
the animals there. 134s
As he watched them go, he said, wait, you can have my room. 138s
Now I wonder what kind of ad lib came from Mary and Joseph or maybe one of those animals 149s
dressed as a nicely there in the stall to get the train back onto the track. 156s
But the people attending knew. 165s
They knew that something wonderful had just happened. 168s
Because there was this boy touched by the grace of God, knowing the kindness of God for 174s
him in Jesus Christ. 183s
And all of a sudden touched by these two and offering his room. 186s
The comment beauty. 198s
I think of another church, true story. 202s
They were putting on the Easter program. 206s
And the person directing that went around to all of the children and said, what part would 211s
you want to play here as we put on the Easter story? 215s
And she went up to one boy asked that question, what part do you want to play in the 220s
Easter program and without hesitation? 225s
Without hesitation. 228s
He said, I want to be the stone. 230s
She said the stone. 234s
She said, yeah, I want to be the stone. 236s
She said, don't you want to speak in part? 239s
Here you go, don't know. 242s
I want to be the stone. 244s
When you think about it, especially in the text we're going to study, he just Mary may very 251s
well have been on to something, huh? 257s
And the comment. 262s
Beauty. 267s
That first Easter mourn was quite busy. 269s
Look at verse one, please, of chapter 28, after the Sabbath, as the first day of the 273s
week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 278s
We know from the other gospels here that the other Mary, the other Mary is the mother 283s
of James and Joseph. 289s
We also know that Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, they were witnesses. 290s
To when Joseph of Vermithia and Nicodemus took the body of Jesus and wrapped it in linen 297s
and spices. 303s
We also know that when Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were headed on the third day 307s
to the tomb, they weren't expecting the tomb to be empty. 313s
They weren't expecting Christ to be resurrected. 317s
How do we know that? 319s
Because they were bringing spices with them. 321s
And we also know. 326s
We also know that they had a problem, Mark 16 reveals it. 328s
They had been seeing to one another who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance 333s
to the tomb. 341s
The stone was massive. 342s
There was no way that the two of them could move the stone. 344s
So they wondered who is going to roll away the stone problem solved. 349s
Verse 2. 357s
And suddenly there was a great earthquake. 359s
For an angel of the Lord descending from heaven came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 362s
Note, look at chapter 27, verse 51, please. 371s
This is the crucifixion. 376s
At that moment, the curtain of the temple was torn into from top to bottom, the earth shook 380s
and the rocks were split. 386s
So what occurred in association with the crucifixion of our Lord, one of the things that occurred 389s
in association with it was an earthquake. 395s
What occurred in association with the angel rolling back the stone in earthquake. 398s
And that wasn't the only earthquake that occurred. 405s
But please, at verse 3, his appearance was like lightning and his clothing white as snow. 409s
For fear of him, the guards shook and became like dead men. 417s
At word there, shook in the Greek, it's the root for earthquake. 424s
There's three earthquakes here, isn't there? 431s
There's the earthquake in association with the crucifixion. 434s
There's the earthquake in association with the stone being rolled back. 437s
There's the earthquake here that occurred internally in the guards as they were paralyzed with fear. 441s
This earth shattering event. 450s
Here's the question. 454s
What was the significance of the stone being rolled away? 457s
What's the significance of the stone being rolled away? 468s
His name was William Lake. 481s
Born 1757. 483s
He was a poet and he was a painter. 487s
One critic says that he was the greatest artist that Britain has ever produced. 491s
During his entire lifetime, his entire life. 501s
Only one day did he ever go a walking distance from London. 507s
His entire life really in a pretty small circle. 514s
And yet his works carry people to a myriad of places. 521s
One of his works, one of his works is entitled The Resurrection. 528s
And it gives a vantage point from inside the tomb. 532s
There is Jesus. His eyes are open and he's flanked by two angels. 538s
And another angel is rolling back the stone through the centuries. 545s
Artists have quite often portrayed. 557s
Jesus being freed from the tomb as the angel rolls the stone back. 561s
But Jesus says in John the 10th chapter, 574s
he says, I lay down my life in order to take it up again. 577s
No one takes it from me. 582s
But I lay it down of my own accord. 584s
I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it up again. 586s
Jesus had the ability to raise himself. 594s
We see in the post-resurrection accounts of Jesus in Luke 24th chapter. 600s
It says, then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, Jesus. 607s
And he vanished from their sight. 612s
He was there and then he just disappears. 616s
John the 20th chapter. 619s
A week later his disciples were again in the house and Thomas was with them. 622s
Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 627s
peace be with you. 632s
Jesus didn't need anyone to open the door for him to go into the room. 636s
He just entered it. 641s
Jesus didn't need any assistance to get out of the tomb. 648s
In fact, when the angel rolls away the stone, 655s
we know that Jesus is already gone. 661s
Verse 5, but the angel said to the women, 668s
do not be afraid. 672s
I know that you are looking for Jesus who is crucified. 674s
He's not here. 677s
For he has been raised as he said, come. 679s
See the place where he lay. 683s
Here's the point. 690s
The angel didn't roll the stone back to let Jesus out. 693s
The angel rolled the stone back so that we could look in. 701s
He didn't roll the stone back to let Jesus out. 712s
He rolled the stone back to let Jesus to let us see in. 716s
Paul writes, in 1 Corinthians 15 chapter, 727s
he says, now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, 732s
how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead? 735s
If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. 740s
And if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain 743s
and your faith has been in vain. 747s
We even found to be misrepresenting God because we testified of God 750s
that he raised Christ, who we did not raise, if it's true that the dead are not raised. 756s
For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised. 764s
If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile, 768s
and you are still in your sins, then those also who have died in Christ have perished. 771s
If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pideeth. 780s
Look, see in, if Jesus is still there, then that means our preaching is futile. 794s
We are misrepresenting God. 811s
We are still in our sins. 814s
Those who have died in Christ have perished and we are a lot that are to be pitted above all. 816s
The angel rolled back the stone, not to let Jesus out. 827s
The angel rolled back the stone so that we could look in. 835s
Look, because the empty tomb preaches, the empty tomb preaches that every single word 850s
of this book is absolutely true. 864s
Just as it says in Scripture, every promise of God has its yes in Jesus Christ. 867s
The stone is rolled away and the empty tomb preaches. 875s
Jesus said, in John 11, I am the resurrection and the life. 881s
Those who believe in me even though they die will live. 887s
The stone is rolled away and the empty tomb preaches. 892s
It preaches that we have nothing to fear with regard to death beloved in the Lord. 901s
We have nothing to fear. 910s
You see, when our days on this side of heaven conclude, the days appointed for us 914s
for the Christian, it is simply transition and living. 922s
We are here and in the instant we are there in the very presence of God Almighty. 925s
We don't have to live under the bondage of dreading every birthday that rolls around. 933s
As we see, the numbers start to accumulate. 939s
We don't have to worry when we read the next mortality tables that are published on the yearly basis. 943s
There is no fear in death for the Christian here and then there. 952s
The stone has been rolled away and the empty tomb it preaches. 962s
It preaches that there is not one sin that hasn't been atoned for by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. 969s
The blood of the Lord Jesus Christ touches every sin and we are atoned of every sin. 978s
Including that word that you say, why did I ever ever say that has been atoned to the blood of Jesus Christ? 988s
Including that action where you said, why did I ever do that? 996s
Has been atoned by the blood of Jesus Christ. 1001s
All of the things that we should have done but we didn't atoned by the blood of Jesus Christ. 1005s
All of the things that we have done and never should have atoned by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. 1011s
Every single sin has been paid for by the spotless Lamb of God who carried it upon himself 1019s
as the wrath of God to fill upon the Savior instead of us. 1027s
Stones roll the way and the empty tomb preaches. 1034s
We know that the earth is in its orbit but there are times right beloved. 1041s
There are times when it feels like this world is spinning out of control. 1045s
But yet we know because the stone has been rolled away. 1051s
We know because the empty tomb preaches we know that God is still on his throne and is still very much in control. 1055s
And is still and always will be sovereign. 1062s
The stones have been rolled away and the empty tomb preaches 1068s
that you baptized child of God have been claimed by God Almighty. 1073s
In your baptism he grasped you as his own. 1081s
And there's nothing that will pry his fingers from you. 1086s
He has washed you in the promises of the cross and the empty tomb. 1091s
He has said you are mind and I've never, ever let him go, never, ever let him go. 1098s
The stones have been rolled away and the empty tomb preaches 1109s
because the stone wasn't rolled away to let him out. 1115s
The stone was rolled away so that we could look in. 1123s
And now we see all of life through the empty tomb of Christ. 1133s
Life that extends into all of eternity. 1144s
Scripture says verse 2, 1152s
suddenly there was a great earthquake for an angel of the Lord descending from heaven came and rolled back the stone 1156s
and sat on it. He's not here for he has been raised as he said, come 1164s
see the place where he lay. 1172s
What part she asked? Do you want to play in the Easter program? 1178s
And he said, I want to be the stone. I want to be the stone. You don't want to speak in part? 1185s
Nope. I want to be the stone. And when it was all over, she went to the boy and said, 1193s
how was it? How was it being the stone? And he said it was wonderful. It was wonderful. She said, 1201s
what was so wonderful about it? He said, it felt so good to be rolled away. 1211s
It felt so good. 1223s
Look, see the empty tomb, 1232s
preachers. 1244s
Hallelujah. 1248s