Today we celebrate Easter, the resurrection day of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, when He paid the ultimate price and gave His perfect life for our sins on the cross. He rose from the dead and took the keys of death and hell and broke every force of darkness that’s against us. Nothing is more amazing than the power displayed at the resurrection. This is what separates our faith from any other on earth.
In the first light of dawn on that morning, three brokenhearted women walked to the tomb where the body of Jesus had been lain, bringing spices to anoint His body. They had stood helplessly watching Him whom they loved slowly die on the cross. As a huge stone had been rolled in front of Jesus’ tomb, so it was rolled in front of all their hopes and dreams. Approaching the tomb, one of the women asked, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance?” Their desire to serve Jesus one last time was blocked and impossible to move on their own.
Have you ever felt like that? You wanted to accomplish something but your way was blocked. The problem was too big, and you didn’t have the power to change it. Perhaps a stone of addiction, or of bitterness, or of unforgiveness. Stones come in different shapes and sizes, and they try to block our way and trap us in fear and anxiety and worry. Stones try to stop us from accomplishing what we have in our heart.
But the women were shocked to see that the stone had been rolled away. What was impossible for them had been removed. And even far better, they witnessed an empty tomb, an angel, and the amazing news that Jesus had risen from the dead!
So much happened through Calvary’s cross, but ultimately, Jesus overcame sin and death so that we might experience the power of forgiveness. You may have made mistakes and done things that you’re not proud of, and you may feel as though you’re under a verdict of guilt, but we have good news! On the third day, Jesus came out of the grave and said, “I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore” (Revelation 1:18). If God can overrule death and all the forces of darkness, surely He can overrule any guilt from your past with a verdict of “Forgiven!” What this means is: When we accept Him as our Lord and Savior, we are completely forgiven...for anything...for everything...forever!
If there are stones in your way today, Jesus still moves stones and is doing what no man can do. He can deliver you, heal you, and restore you. You have the same power that raised Jesus from the dead living inside you. This is what Easter is all about.