[0:00] You must need divine help. I venture again this evening in directing your thoughts to the Gospel of Mark, the 16th chapter, reading verses 3 and 4.
[0:21] The Gospel of Mark, chapter 16, reading verses 3 and 4. And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stove from the door of the sepulcher?
[0:48] And when they looked, they saw that the stove was rolled away, for it was very great.
[1:03] Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. These dear godly women, who are spoken of in the opening verse of this chapter and in other places, had come, bringing sweet spices that they might anoint their Lord.
[1:37] They came very early in the morning. Such was the love, sacred concern that they had for their Savior.
[1:56] They knew. They must come as soon as they could. And in coming, they knew, because they had been a witness to it, that Joseph of Arimathea, and I believe Nicodemus, with him, and the servants that they would have had, being in the position that they were, had rolled this great stone to the door of the sepulcher.
[2:36] And these dear women knew that they could never move.
[2:47] They were well aware of this as they came and they said, among themselves, who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulcher?
[3:05] First of all, what was it that they wanted the stone to be rolled away for?
[3:18] Because they had come to seek their Lord, knowing that he had been crucified, being a witness in the Lord, knowing that he had been buried in the world, and knowing that he, that his sacred body, had been laid in this new tomb, which had been healed out of a life.
[3:49] And they said, among themselves, who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulcher?
[4:10] And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away, for it was very bright. And we desire, with the Lord's help, to speak particular ways.
[4:27] First of all, as it concerns, as it is such truth, which is bound up with the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
[4:49] They needed then this great stone to be rolled away. And we desire, with the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. And we desire, with the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, that the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ might be made known to you.
[5:07] And that you might indeed know that he rose again from the dead home.
[5:32] I just turn for a moment to the truth which the Apostle Paul speaks of in his first epistle to the Corinthians.
[5:47] And he says, among other things, Now, if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there isn't a resurrection of the dead?
[6:05] And this is still truth that is disbelieved by thousands. Indeed, it is truth that cannot be graciously received and understood and entered into, only as the stone of unbelief is rolled away.
[6:31] Oh, what a dreadful, dreadful sense of unbelief. I hope to be able to come again to the truth the Apostle speaks of in connection with the resurrection of Christ.
[6:50] We find our thoughts coming back to this same chapter for a moment. When the Lord Jesus Christ had spoken as he did, and as the angel, or as it is recorded in this Gospel of Mark, a young man sitting on the right side clothed in a long white garment, that he had spoken to these dear women, be not a fighted.
[7:32] Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified. He is risen. He is not here. Behold, where they laid him.
[7:43] But go your way. Tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee. There shall ye see him as he said unto you.
[7:56] But what happened when they conveyed the news to one and another that Christ was risen from the dead?
[8:10] Well, first of all, when Mary Magdalene, out of whom Christ had cast seven devils, told them that had been with him as they mourned and wept.
[8:27] And they, when they had heard that he was alive and had been seen of her, believed not. After that, he appeared in another form unto two of them as they walked and went into the country, and they went and told it unto the residue, neither believed they then.
[8:50] And then further after he appeared unto the eleven, his beloved disciples, as they sat at feet, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.
[9:15] And so it is still. I will speak tenderly and graciously.
[9:35] But if the present Bishop of Durham really knew anything of the sacred truths in his heart concerning the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, he would never speak as he does.
[9:58] He would never speak as he does. Surely it shows this, that the veil has never been taken away.
[10:09] And this is very solid. Especially in the position that he holds in our national church.
[10:20] And I am persuaded that these things, whilst there is no doubt that they cause great harm, yet on the other hand I trust and believe that these very things have been and are being used of God, even yet in our nation.
[10:46] And who can tell what the Lord may yet even do through these very things. We need to pray over them.
[10:57] We need to ask that the Lord will open blind eyes and don't stop their fears. And yet returning again to the Lord's own beloved disciples and others.
[11:12] They were so filled with unbelief, that they didn't believe that their Lord had risen to them again. Why was that?
[11:23] Why was that? Why was that? Because the human heart must remember that those beloved disciples in themselves were open men.
[11:41] And it is only as faith is given from a thumb, and as the Holy Spirit is pleased to reveal sacred truth to their hearts, and as we are favored to take hold of truth, by faith, and to embrace it, and to have revelation of truth in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, that we should be able to say with Thomas, my Lord and Martha.
[12:15] He's been to the Lord's own beloved disciples were only men in themselves.
[12:28] And their natural mind could not grasp such a truth to think that one should rise from the dead. And if we know anything at all about our poor sinful hearts and the awful power of unbelief, we too will acknowledge how we have such dreadful thoughts rising in our hearts.
[12:55] So we need the stone to be rolled away. And who can roll the stone away for us?
[13:08] To think of one great stone alone, and there are others, but to think of that great stone of unbelief, we need it to be rolled away.
[13:21] That we might look into the sepulchre, and that we might be favored to behold as those dear women and others beheld, and Peter and John too.
[13:33] They came, and they beheld that Christ had risen. He had risen from the dead.
[13:46] So many of you here tonight are longing that you might see a risen Saviour for yourself.
[13:59] may have been praying that the sacred doctrine of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus should be open to your understanding, and that you might be led into it.
[14:11] I can tell you this, pray that the Holy Spirit may so help you and bless you. Our mercy is that the Holy Ghost has been given.
[14:25] Our mercy is that it is the sacred work of God the Holy Spirit to take of the things of Jesus, and to show them, and to reveal them.
[14:39] So how we need to pray concerning this great stone that was rolled to the sepulchre, that the Holy Spirit should come and roll it away for us.
[14:52] Oh, how we need to pray for this. Now we come as hell to the truth itself, and that which the Apostle Paul particularly was guided in recording, in writing to the Corinthians.
[15:13] Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, I'll say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead. Dear friends, Christ has risen from the dead.
[15:33] Christ has risen from the dead. He indeed was to be the first proof of them that slept.
[15:46] And that the grave could not hold him. Death could not hold him. He conquered death. And in conquering death, he conquered hell.
[16:01] He conquered the grave. And he is risen. He rose from the dead. They conquered him.
[16:13] And the Apostle well knew this. And he goes on, And if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen.
[16:25] And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain. And your faith is also vain. See, the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ is one of the sacred foundation truths of the Gospel.
[16:43] And the Apostle knew this. And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain. And your faith is also vain.
[16:55] Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God. Because we have testified of God. That he raised up Christ. Whom he raised not up.
[17:07] If so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised. And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain.
[17:20] Ye are yet in your sins. Then also, then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ, are perished.
[17:32] You see, the solemnity of this sacred truth, and the sacredness of it. And he goes on to say this, If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
[17:51] But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
[18:10] And they said among themselves, who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sacred truth? And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away.
[18:25] For it was very grave. Oh, how precious these truths are. You see, the stone was rolled away for them.
[18:36] This is what we mean. The stone was rolled away. And we are told in Matthew's Gospel, that an angel from heaven rolled away the stone and sat on it.
[18:51] So it was rolled away. To their utter amazement, it had been rolled away. And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away.
[19:04] For it was very grave. Now, as this great stone was rolled away, it revealed this. First of all, that Christ had risen.
[19:18] That their Saviour had risen from the dead. And I believe it is in Matthew's Gospel, and I just turned to it, because if not, it is in Luke's Gospel.
[19:34] But to just bring before you what was said concerning Christ's resurrection.
[19:46] Now, it is in Luke's Gospel, I believe. And I trust the Lord will help me just for a moment here, that I may tell you what was said.
[20:05] And he said, He is not here, but in Britain. Remember, how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, saying, The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified.
[20:23] And the third day, rise again. And they remembered his words. They had forgotten. Indeed, when the Lord Jesus Christ had spoken to them of his death, and his resurrection, you'll find this, that as men, they could not understand.
[20:47] And neither can we, they say. We need the Holy Spirit to enlighten our understanding. We need the gift of precious pain, that we too may come to the sepulcher and find, as these dear women found that this great stone had been rolled away.
[21:10] It was this that barred the entrance to the sepulcher. It was this that prevented them looking into the sepulcher. But friends, it had been rolled away.
[21:21] Has it been rolled away for you? Have you been favored to remember his words? And what did it do, Paul?
[21:34] As recorded in Luke's Gospel, and returned from the sepulcher, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest.
[21:48] It was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles.
[22:00] The Lord favored his godly men who conveyed the message to the apostles. And friends, let me just remind you of what is recorded in Luke's Gospel.
[22:15] If their words were to them as idle tales, and they believed them not. Now, are these words idle tales to us?
[22:30] Are they idle tales to us? Or have we been brought by the Holy Spirit to know this, that Christ is risen?
[22:44] How can we know that Christ is risen? We know that now he is at the right hand of the Father. We know that he is, he ever liveth to intercede for his dear people, to plead their cause upon.
[23:02] But how can we know about these precious truths? And it is through this one chance, by and through the teaching of God the Holy Ghost.
[23:15] This is what we need. Now as the stone then was rolled away from the sepulcher, it was revealed to them.
[23:28] And again in Matthew's Gospel, we have these precious words. And the angel answered and said unto the women, He had not given.
[23:41] For I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. But we can't receive him, seek him, you.
[23:53] Have we been shown to us that he was crucified? Have we been favored to know that Christ, Jesus, came into the world to save sins, to save you and I?
[24:09] Have we been brought to Calvary? Have we been favored to know and to hear the Blessed Spirit say, If all this was done for you? I lay down my life for the sheep.
[24:24] I lay down my life for the sheep. I lay it down on myself. No man takes it from me.
[24:35] And then there's this, that they were told, as this stone was rolled away, He is not healed. For he is risen.
[24:48] As he said, Come, see the place where the Lord knows. We are hoping this evening to gather again around the Lord's table.
[25:09] There are those that will come once more to his table. What is the way to the Lord's table?
[25:20] Has the Holy Spirit revealed this to you? Has the Spirit of God shown to you that the way to the Lord's table is through the sacred ordinance that he was done for you?
[25:40] If you have been shown this by the Holy Spirit, and if this should be the exercise of empathy, one of the precious ways in which we shall know that our Jesus died for us and rose again, will be as we follow in this sacred ordinance.
[26:11] And really, it is contained in these words, He is not here, for he is risen. As he said, Come, see the place where the Lord lies.
[26:26] I know that this is revealed by precious faith to the Lord's hear of him.
[26:38] Come, see the place where the Lord lies. And when that is revealed, we shall know this in our hearts, that Christ is risen. We shall know that he is risen as we are favored to commune with him, and to hear his voice speaking to us as the good shepherd, as he is pleased to lead us into the green pastures and beside the still waters, as our souls are fed by the Holy Spirit.
[27:12] But one further thought concerning the grave of Christ, his resurrection, Come, see the place where the Lord lies.
[27:25] Now, this is really what is said by the Spirit of God to those who come to the place where they must follow their Lord.
[27:36] It is really contained in this. Come, see the place where the Lord lies. Why? When God's servants, whoever they might be, are favored to take precious souls down into the baptismal pool, and as they are immersed under the water there, it signifies, it sets before us the grave of Christ, be interred at his command, after his example rise.
[28:12] And when dear souls come to this place and go down into the water, in following their Lord, and as they are baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, really, they come a little into this.
[28:29] Come, see the place where the Lord lies. As they go down into the water and at that time, they are immersed beneath the stream.
[28:40] And it does set before us this precious truth. Come, see the place where the Lord lies.
[28:51] Oh, when the Lord brings his dear people so to the Father, and the stone, this great stone is rolled away for them. They are favored with light and understanding.
[29:04] They are favored as they are led by the Spirit to Jesus. And as Jesus is revealed to their soul as their Saviour, their Lord, their hope of glory, their hope for eternal life.
[29:22] So the stone then would roll the light. In 426, it's been constantly with me during the day.
[29:34] So much so that I really wondered if we should close the service this evening with. But I just leave this thought with any of you.
[29:47] If the Lord should constrain any of you so to do, you go home and read in 426. And I hope that if you do, that the Holy Spirit will preach a sermon to you through it, and that all that I desire to say today is contained in that blessing.
[30:08] The death and resurrection of Christ, and the Lord's dear people being led into it, and to know that Christ is risen, that he has conquered the grave, that he has conquered death and hell for you.
[30:27] Come see the grace where the Lord may. Where I must come to a place.
[30:38] And they said among themselves, who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the stupulchum? I just repeat it to you.
[30:50] Those of you who long to know that Jesus died for you, and has risen again for your justification, and that he has ascended into heaven for you, and that he is at the right hand of the Father for you, if you would know these precious truths, pray that the Holy Ghost would come and roll away the stones, because there is more than one.
[31:13] But that the stones might be rolled away from the sepulchre, and that you may know indeed that Christ is risen, and that he has risen from the dead to you.
[31:24] And when they looked, they saw that the stone had rolled away, for it was very bright. Well, it has been with me, and I must close with just a few further thoughts.
[31:43] It has been with me that I must speak like this to you this evening. The Lord alone knows, if any of you may have things in your life, which we might rightly liken to this truth.
[32:08] In other words, are the things in your life, in which you feel that this describes your place, that there's a great stone that's rolled against you.
[32:26] Something perhaps in your life this evening that's there, and you need the Lord to remove it.
[32:37] And only the Lord can remove, only the Lord can roll away the stone for you. And how very real this is.
[32:51] I can leave these thoughts with you. But is there something in your life? And it's just as though there's a great stone that's rolled against it.
[33:02] You cannot move. You may feel to be handed in. You will feel that you're handed in by this, whatever it might be. Well, I leave you with this.
[33:13] The Lord can roll away the stone for you. Whatever it is. Whatever it is. Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulcher?
[33:26] And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away, for example. Now this thought comes.
[33:38] You may have some special exercise upon you. You may have some special burden. You may have something in your life tonight, and oh, how unique the Lord for you.
[33:55] How unique the Lord to come and to roll away this great stone. And I trust that here long you will find that the Lord has come and He's rolled away.
[34:11] And there's that may stand like a mountain in your heart that you will find. And I find it in my heart to say this, that there might be someone here tonight, and you'll find that during the next week, this very next week, the Lord will appear for you and He's going to roll away this stone for you.
[34:33] And you'll find that it will take place during the week that is to come. And the Lord knows what might be upon any of your hearts. Amen.
[34:45] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[34:57] Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.
[35:31] Amen. Thank you.
[36:02] Thank you.
[36:32] Thank you.
[37:02] Thank you.
[37:32] Thank you.
[38:02] Thank you.
[38:32] Thank you.
[39:02] Thank you.
[39:32] Thank you.
[40:02] Thank you.
[40:32] Thank you. Thank you.
[41:32] Thank you. Thank you.
[42:32] Amen.