A young mother found herself on the last train out of Poland during Hitler's regime. She had her first born toddler and her newborn nursing infant with her. The bombing was fierce and the train had to stop many times for the passengers to take cover. The food ran out and there were no liquids to be had. Consequently, when they arrived at their destination, the infant was starving and ill. A group of nuns met her there and took the baby to their hospital where they would nurse it back to health. The mother felt great relief at the apparent reprieve. But the joy was short lived. The next morning she was given the news that the hospital had been bombed during the night and that her baby had not survived. The mother was given a flashlight to search for her babies body. What a tragic scene. Imagine the confusion, grief. The hopelessness of a mother who herself was a doctor whose hands and skill had no doubt saved many a life could do nothing in this situation.
A life without Easter would provide the same sense of hopelessness.
But imagine a different ending. As the mother desperately seeks through the rubble, her little one in tow. She is crying loudly together with many others in the same situation when all of a sudden, there is another cry. The sound of an infant. Could it be? She runs to where the sound comes from and there in the rubble she finds her baby still alive. What incredible relief, mingled with joy. All the questions now do not need to be answered. All the what ifs no longer matter. Her baby is alive.
That's what Easter does. Easter changes the mood of the crucifixion into joyful rejoicing. Not just then, but now. It is the event that separates the Christian Faith from all other religion and gives to it it's power.

Each holiday has a message. The message of July 4th in the United States is the nation's independence from England. The message of Memorial Day is the death of patriotic men and women who died from their country. The message of Mother's Day is "mom".

The message of Today is NOT the Easter Bunny, Easter candy, Easter dinner and Easter bonnets. The message of Easter is the message that Jesus is ALIVE and ABLE!

The Gospels do not explain the Resurrection; the Resurrection explains the Gospels. Belief in the Resurrection is not an appendage to the Christian faith; it is the Christian faith.

In Luke 19, Jesus had spoken IF His disciples should hold their peace, the STONES would immediately CRY OUT!
Let us look this morning a one stone in particular that did so - The Stone that I am referring to is the Stone Placed at the Entrance of Tomb of Jesus. It did and is crying out to us, not in an audible voice, but through the scriptures. Let’s listen to the cries of the stone.

    1. TO SEPARATE a "barrier between the Living & Dead.”

       A. A BOUNDARY THAT MAN COULD NOT CROSS.
          1. No mere human could get out of the grave. All others

              still in grave!!

      B. A GULF OR SEPARATION THAT MAN COULD

         NOT BRIDGE.

         1. Like the story of the rich man and Lazarus death is a

             great gulf. Once on the other side there is no return.

            Where a man spends eternity will be determined         

             on  this side of the grave. There will be no second

             chance.

        C. A SEAL THAT MAN COULD NOT BREAK.
            1. Death is an appointment that all will keep. Ez 18:4

                Heb. 10:25

       D. AN ENEMY MAN COULD NOT DEFEAT.

          1. Satan demons, the Romans and the unbelieving Jews

              thought they had won.

    2. TO SECURE

       A. The only way that the tomb COULD BE EMPTY

            would be for Jesus to rise from the dead.

    3. TO SHOW THE POWER OF GOD

       A. When God wrote LAW He didn’t put it on corruptible

            paper but in Stone

       B. But on that 3rd and glorious morning God said I’ll roll

           away the Law that grace may abound

      C. The Stone symbolized and signified that Jesus had Died

           He fulfilled all that He came to do  "to give His life a

           ransom for all."

    1. DISTURBING EARTHQUAKE v.2a

       A. Earthquakes remind us of several things: 

          1. God’s power 

          2. God’s presence 

          3. God’s Precepts

         4. God’s Punishment

    2. DIVINE INTERVENTION v.2b 

       A. The Stone symbolized a barrier between the Living &

            Dead; Now that Jesus Had Risen, "Death Had Been

           Conquered!"

      B. All conquerors have been conquered by death..

      C. Only one conqueror who has conquered death

          "Jesus Christ" (Rev. 1:18)

         1. Jesus crossed the boundary, bridged the gulf, broke

             the seal, overcame the the last enemy

        2. Go to Stalin tomb you find Stalin, Go to Buddha’s

           Tomb, find Buddha, Go to Mohamand’s tomb you will

           find Mohanmand. God to Jesus Tomb you find

           Tourists!

    3. DELIGHTFUL DECLARATION v.5 "Fear not."

      A. Word of COMFORT -- "fear not YE" In the midst of

           Peril & Problems (death, darkness, dread)

      B. Word of COMPASSION -- "for I know ye seek Jesus"

      C. Word of CONFIRMATION -- "He is not here, for He is

           risen! Come, see"

      D. Word of COMMISSIONING -- "Go and tell his...He

           has risen from the dead"

III. THE REVELATION OF THE STONE (Matt. 28:5-7)

Luke 24:2 says "they found the stone rolled away". We come to v. 3 and it says they "found not the body of the Lord Jesus." If that little word not were missing from this verse, we would then need to do away with the whole Bible.

The women found the guards in disarray, the angel to testify; but there were three things they never found:

    1. A BROKEN PROMISE – They Found a Fulfilled

       Prophecy

       A. As surely as He kept His promise to rise, He will keep

            all other promises made to us: Rapture, Resurrection,

            Return, and Reign.

    2. A BRAGGING DEVIL -They Found A Victorious Savior

       A. The CURSE on him was REINFORCED

       B. His CLAIMS were REFUTED

       C. His CHAINS are still RESERVED

    3. A BLOCKED ACCESS -

     A. For BACKSLIDDEN SERVANTS

     B. For BURDENED SAINTS

     C. For BROKEN SINNERS

CONCLUSION

In a cemetery in Hanover, Germany, is a grave on which were placed huge slabs of granite and marble cemented together and fastened with heavy steel clasps. It belongs to a woman who did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. Yet strangely, she directed in her will that her grave be made so secure that if there were a resurrection, it could not reach her. On the marker were inscribed these words: "This burial place must never be opened." In time, a seed, covered over by the stones, began to grow. Slowly it pushed its way through the soil and out from beneath them. As the trunk enlarged, the great slabs were gradually shifted so that the steel clasps were wrenched from their sockets. A tiny seed had become a tree that had pushed aside the stones.

The dynamic life force contained in that little seed is a faint reflection of the tremendous power of God's creative word that someday will call to life the bodies of all who are in their graves. He will also bring back every person drowned at sea, cremated, or destroyed in some other way. This is no problem to the One who made something out of nothing when He spoke the universe into existence. Unbelief cannot deter the resurrection. But faith in the risen Christ opens the door to blessings that His resurrection guarantees -- a glorious new spiritual body and a home in heaven. In new bodies we will be reunited with saved loved ones to live with Jesus throughout all eternity.