But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, even though it was extremely large.for it was very big. Looking up, they saw that the stone was rolled back.And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.and looking up, they see that the stone is rolled back: for it was exceeding great.
4 sermons cite this verse
… From the entrance of the tomb But when they looked up They saw 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're looking for Jesus Nazarene, the brother from the hood? Which is by the way An exaggeration But it would fit neatly into who he is Who was crucified Oh he's risen He's not here You can come and see the place where they laid him But Go tell his disciples and them people at the church with our walls. He is going ahead of you in the Galilee. There you will see him just as he told you. Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone because they were afraid. This is the word of God. You may be seated. a student at Duke Divinity School was asked to summarize what you and I have experienced over the last several days, to put language to the Holy Week, Good Friday. …
I want to preach a message. Write down the title today. It's called The Shout of Easter. I like that, the shout of Easter. Because it might seem insignificant that just a stone being rolled from here to there. It might seem ordinary for people to go, it's just a rock being moved. But I want to tell you today that Easter signifies something bigger than a rock going from here to there. Easter is a shout from heaven to earth that God is who he says he is and he can do what he said he would do. Oh, come on, everybody. Clap if you're grateful today that Jesus is not dead. Come on, clap if you believe that Jesus is alive. Easter is a declaration. It is a shout. And I like the word shout because I am loud and I like loud things. And I like loud arenas. And I like loud church. And I like loud people. Where are the loud people at today? They were just waiting to say something. …
First, there was much pride in the answer, "Legion, for we are many." And there is also much pride in those sinners who despair of being saved because of the greatness of their sin. When men are resolved not to part with their sins, they generally use one of these two arguments. They either say, "Our sins are so great that we know we shall never get to Heaven, so we may as well keep on sinning." Or else, "We can turn from sin whenever we please. Repentance is such a simple matter that we can attend to it at any time, so we will put it off as long as we can." These are quite opposite extremes, but the exchange from the one to the other can be made very rapidly. If a man needs an excuse for clinging to his sin, he can always find one, and any lie will satisfy the soul that is resolved not to be saved! Suppose, my Friend, you were suffering from some deadly disease which a noted physician offered to cure, but you were unwilling to take his medicine? Your foolish heart might suggest to you two reasons for not taking it. The first would be, "My case is so desperate that no medicine can do me any good." And the other would be, "The medicine is so potent that if I take it in a year's time, when I am much worse than I am now, it will still cure me." Neither of these would be a valid reason for not taking the medicine at once! And if a man died through refusing to take it, a verdict of felo de se would be perfectly justifiable! There are multitudes of souls who are lost because they do not believe that Christ can save them and, on the other hand, probably there are quite as many lost because they think it is such an easy thing to be saved that it can be settled any time that they please! I implore you, dear Friends, not to use any argument for refusing Christ! Why should you argue yourselves into eternal ruin? Have you not some better use to which to put your wits than to reason on Satan's side to your own destruction? Rather, account the testimony of God's Word that your sins, even though they may be a legion, or more than that, are not too many to be forgiven! Believe that there is efficacy in the precious blood of Jesus to make you whiter than snow and that He is "mighty to save" even you, for, "He is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever lives to make intercession for them." If you are possessed by a legion of demons, trust in Him whose almighty arm can overthrow the whole lot of them! …
I certainly, in all probability, had not been here tonight if it had not been that an engagement made to meet a certain gentleman at a certain time was punctually kept by us both, but a servant showed him into one room on one side of the passage, and showed me into another on the other side—and we sat there two hours waiting for one another, but missed each other—and so the whole current of my life flowed in another direction! I recollect a course of action which I would have adopted, but from which I was altogether turned by hearing, as I thought, as I walked alone and sought direction, such a voice as this, "Seek you great things for yourself? Seek them not." That text guided me in what I believe was a right, prudent and certainly has been a happy way! Had it not been for that, I might have gone astray, unwittingly, but still unwisely, into all sorts of paths! Have you not found it so? Just when you did not know which way to go you had the direction when you sought it. If you applied to God, He gave you guidance by some means, just as surely as the Jew had it when he resorted to the priest who wore the Urim and the Thummim. Take care that you always recollect this in the future, if it has been so in the past. God has gone before you, and marked out your path for you—and given you a plain map of the way. Has it not been so? …