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MARK 15:42-47

"A STONE AGAINST THE TOMB"

Intro: Man's fell crime complete. Chief priest satisfied, competition
       destroyed. They had engineered His death, He had been placed in
       the tomb and a stone sealed the door.

I. WHAT LAY BEHIND THAT STONE?
        A. A dead concept of God.
        1. The purpose of Jesus' mission was to reveal the Father.
        2. Philip - "Show us the Father."
                a. "He that hath seen Me, hath seen the Father."
                b. Every man reveals his God by what he is.
                        1. Every man has a god.
                        2. If you have seen me, you have seen my God.
        3. What did Christ reveal of God?
                        a. God loving and compassionate.
                        b. "We beheld His glory, Full of Grace and Truth."
                        c. Mercy - peace.

This concept of God is now dead, they crucified Christ, buried Him in a
tomb and rolled a stone against it (what lay behind the stone?).
        B. An ideal of humanity.
                1. Study history of man, prone to despair -no hope. Cruel
                   - evil - vile  - wicked.
                2. Christ not only revealed God but He revealed man as God
                   had intended.
                3. Looking at Christ we see hope for humanity.

Man rejected this ideal, they nailed Him to the tree until dead and placed
the body in the tomb and rolled a stone against it.
        C. Dead passion to redeem.
        1. "The Son of Man is come to seek, to save."
                a. New to philosophy -
                        1. It was seeking to create something new.
                        2. Here is one that would take the old and make it
                           new. Take the bad and make it good. Take the
                           false and make it true. Take the defaced and
                           make it beautiful.
                                3. Hope for fallen humanity.
        Man rejected this salvation - they crucified the Savior - What lay
        behind the stone?
        D. A dead religion - Religion must have foundation, structure and
           finality. gospel.
                1. Founded-on faith, built in love, climaxing in hope of
                   eternal life. 
        Man refused this religion, put to death its Founder.

II. THE UGLINESS OF DEATH. IN HIS CRUCIFIXION -
        A. His concept of God denied.
                1. There is no love - no grace - no mercy.
        B. His ideal of humanity rejected.
                1. No hope for fallen man.
        C. Passion to redeem gone.
                1. Man beyond redemption.
        D. Religion was dead.
                1. Foundation destroyed - structure denied.
        Joseph asked for body (sona. Pilot gave him corpse
        (toma. - Sona=live body  sound Toma=ruin.
        Is this the end?  Is God dead?  Mark 16.

III. "THE STONE WAS ROLLED AWAY."
        A. Concept of God alive - stronger than death.
        B. Desire to redeem realized.
        C. Christian religion established. Faith - Love - Hope.
        "Why was the stone rolled back?"
        Is the stone still over the door?