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Kaboom...Not a Stone Left Unturned Though there are some examples of foot races in the Scriptures and even references to the Christian life being like a race to the finish line, probably the most famous one occurred on the day of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. While the woman I mentioned was running to avoid an explosion, John 20:1-10 details two men who ran right into it. In fact, the explosion was about to happen in their hearts. Mary Magdalene and others had been to the tomb before dawn, and had found that the stone had been rolled away. When they ran back and told the disciples, it was like a starter pistol going off for both Peter and John. John, probably being younger, arrived at the tomb first, but he didn't go right in. Peter did—as soon as he came to the spot! He had stopped short too many times before—when Jesus had spoken of His upcoming death, it was Peter who rebuked Him and suggested a different way; when Jesus and His followers were confronted by the mob in the Garden of Gethsemane, they all, including Peter, deserted Jesus; when Jesus was taken to Caiaphas' house for trial, Peter followed from a distance; when the trial began, Peter stood outside by the fire warming himself; and when the rooster crowed, it was Peter who denied even knowing Jesus three times. Yes, Peter had stopped short before, but not now. He would be sure to check out this latest development—His Jesus was missing! Peter was not planning on leaving a single stone unturned, so he barged right into the tomb. There he saw the long shroud folded neatly at the one end of the stone slab, and the napkin that had covered Jesus' face folded neatly at the other end. Folded neatly? This was not the work of grave robbers—why would they take the time to be so orderly, especially when the tomb had been sealed by the Roman governor himself, and to break that seal meant certain death? What could it all mean? Peter could not make the connection; it didn't all add up—so he went home. But before he did, John, having stooped down and seen the folded clothes, stepped in and believed. Believed? How could there be such drastically different responses to the same event? After all, the Scripture states that, "…as yet they knew not the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead." (vs. 9) They both didn't know it, so why does one believe and the other goes away in a fog? I believe the answer is found in John's closeness to Jesus—he didn't follow from a distance and stop at the fire, he went all the way into Caiaphas' house to be with Jesus; and in the end, he didn't deny Him. In other words, John had been close to Jesus before the cross, and that connection would give him spiritual discernment after the cross. John simply saw the folded clothes and knew exactly what it meant—his God was a God of order…life must come out of death! As far as John was concerned, not a stone had been left unturned—his God would do absolutely everything to manifest Himself and His love. Oh, if only Peter could have seen right away the resurrection power of God in all of this! Oh, if only we could! Our God is willing to go the whole way to make Himself known to us—even through death and resurrection. And this "stone turning" goes a lot deeper than the rolling away of the stone that blocked the entrance to the tomb. It was moved by the angels, not just to reveal that Jesus had already been raised from the dead, but to provide a way into the tomb for us—a way to die to self and sin, and be raised by the resurrection power of God. So many today just want to stay up on the surface and enjoy the view of this life, but God is calling for a people who will stoop down and bow before Him—denying themselves in order to be filled with Him. This is God's grace—not a license to live as we please due to forgiveness, but the power of God to live for Him right now. Praise God! All through history, God has refused to leave stones unturned. From the judges; to the kings; to the prophets; to His only Son—all of it was to reveal our need for salvation. Romans 3:23 states, "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." That, by the way, means certain death—eternal death, even in Hell—for all of us. This is precisely why Jesus went to the cross and the tomb—to pay our price for sin. He even went so far as to use foreign people in His plan to bring His Son to the cross—Pharoah in Moses' day (Ex. 11:9,10); Ahasuerus in Esther's day (Esther 4:13,14); Nebuchadnezzer in Daniel's day (Dan. 1:1,2); and even Alexander the Great and several Caesars in the days between the Old and New Testaments (Luke 2:1). We even saw this played out recently with the safe return of Jessica Lynch and the seven POWs, and the capture of many high-ranking regime officials. In each of these cases, and probably multitudes of others yet unknown, these events were the results of "tips" from former Iraqi soldiers and citizens, at the risk of their own lives and the lives of their families. So, as Memorial Day approaches, and our own military prowess is applauded even more than it has been, remember—God's hand was on this whole thing. They never would have been found, if God, through Saddam's own people, hadn't directed the whole thing to accomplish His purpose—life out of death. All through the passion of Jesus, not a stone was left unturned. Just days before the cross, Jesus could have been all wrapped up in His own problems, but instead, He went to the trouble to ride into Jerusalem on a young donkey. Why? Zechariah 9:9 tells us, "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee; He is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass." And that evidently came about by a connection that Jesus previously had with the owner of the animals. When Jesus said He had need of the donkeys, they were immediately given for His purposes (Matt. 21:1-5). Closeness was the key. No stones were left unturned at the cross, either. Just look at John 19—crucified between two thieves (Is. 53:12); a sign overhead that proclaimed Him to be King (1 Chron. 17:14); the parting of His clothing and the casting of lots for His cloak (Ps. 22:18); His thirst (Ps. 69:21); His declaration of it being finished (Is. 53:8); unbroken bones (Ps. 34:20); a pierced side (Zech. 12:10); and even being buried in a rich man's tomb (Is. 53:9)—all of it prophesied hundred's of years earlier, and every piece of it fulfilled due to the closeness of Jesus to His Father. Not a single solitary stone was left unturned—not then, and not now! When you think that you have mountains in front of you, hindering you from seeing Him, stopping you from getting to Him, even tempting you to think that you have already gone as far down the track as you need to go, let Him do what He said He would do…KABOOM—blow it all away through the explosive power of His blood and Holy Spirit. KABOOM—not a single stone left unturned—nothing left but the power of His resurrection…power to transform your heart and daily life. Every bit of our own strength, our own ideas, our own plans—blown to smithereens. Put your faith in Him, stay close to His heart, and depend on Him for every step you take, and your mountains will be seen as they really are—not even molehills. KABOOM—they are gone, exploded off the map—excuses, assumptions, and human determinations—gone! Paul told Timothy, immediately before his own death, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing." (2 Tim. 4:7-8) Love His appearing—not just 2,000 years ago; not just at the upcoming rapture; not just at the awesome Day of the Judgment, but right now! Love His appearing in your heart, in your spirit, in every aspect of your entire life. Let Him explode into your being and everything contrary to Him will be blown away. Don't run from the explosion, run right into it! God has a purpose—a building plan, if you will—for your life, but before He can build, some excavating must be done. The ground must be prepared—KABOOM. Praise God—in His mercy, not one stone is left unturned! Copyright (c)
2005 Christ Our Rock Bible Church. |
