Jesus is alive! A very happy day to you! Welcome to the borderless ministry of Triumph in Christ! Every week, we seek the Lord for the timely revelation in the Word to be released to you! Whether you are an individual, a family, a house church, or church in any form, we are here to minister to you!
The Lord says for this time: "Declare over your life this is the time the stone has been rolled away! This is the time every hindrance and every work of man against you will have to get out of the way! Because nothing in this world can stop My will and My purpose from coming to pass in your life. Seek Me, and you will find Me. Seek My will for your life this new season, and I will show you what to do and how to go about doing it."
Hallelujah!
On this occasion of remembering the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord wants you to declare, "The stone has been rolled away!" I'm going to share with you what does "stone" mean in this context.
Mark 16:1-2 (NKJV) says, 'Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him (Jesus). Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week (i.e. on that Sunday), they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.'
Early on that Sunday morning, that's the earliest time the women could go to the tomb and embalm Jesus' body. Otherwise it's too dark to properly embalm Jesus' body. That was actually the reason why they went to the tomb. They had wanted to make sure there's no stench from Jesus' body.
And look what happened next. Mark 16:3-4 (NKJV) says, 'And they said among themselves, "Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?" But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away - for it was very large.'
You know what this implies? Somebody must have rolled away the stone! I will tell you who!
But before that, let's talk about "stone" here. What is the symbolic meaning of "stone" here? Now, "stone" here can speak of 'any hindrance to God's will and God's purpose for your life.'
So, what are the "stones" in your life? It may be a spiritual hindrance. It may be a hindrance in your soul. Or it may be a hindrance that is caused by the enemy against you, by some people against you, or by the power of darkness against you.
Whatever the hindrance may be, this is your time to declare: "The stone has been rolled away!"
Mark 16:5 (NKJV) says, 'And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe...' You know who that is? An angel in the form of man!
This angel then said to them, "Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him."
So, who rolled away the stone? It was that angel who rolled away the stone!
Of course, these women did not expect to find an empty tomb. They were expecting to find Jesus' body there. But Jesus had already risen! He's no more there!
In Mark 16:7, the angel then told the women, "But go, tell His disciples - and Peter - that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you."
Notice the angel told the women, "Tell His disciples - and Peter..."
The Peter who denied Jesus just a few days ago! Yes, him! I was asking the Lord why that name 'Peter' was specifically mentioned here? And you know what the Lord said to me?
The Lord said, "Tell My people that no matter how they have walked away from Me, no matter how they have denied Me, no matter what wrong they have done in their past, if their hearts are still open to Me, I will embrace them. I will look for them. I will restore them. I will heal them. I will show them My will and My purpose for them. I have great hope for them."
Beloved of God, if you have been like a 'Peter', and you have been far away from the Lord, today the Lord wants you to know that He loves you. He wants to embrace you, He wants to restore you, and He wants to give you a new purpose for your life!
Notice "there you will see Jesus..." What does this imply? In this world that is lost and so dark spiritually, in this fallen world; in spite of all that's happening in this world, if you seek Him, you will find Him. You know what? To find Him is also to find His will for you and His purpose for your life!
It's mentioned here, "there you will see Him, as He said to you." What does this imply? Whatever the Lord has spoken regarding your life, He remembers. He is indeed a God who keeps His promises. So, take heart.
Mark 16:9 (NKJV) says, 'Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.'
Wow! Out of all the people, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene! Mary Magdalene then went and told those who were still mourning and weeping, because they were still thinking that Jesus was dead. And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by Mary Magdalene, they did not believe.
What is the implication here that Jesus appeared first to Mary Magdalene? It means Jesus trusted her! Even though others did not trust her or believe in her, Jesus trusted her. What can we learn here? Jesus looks into one's heart. No matter what one's past may be, this does not matter to Jesus. You see, Mary Magdalene had a turbulent past. Jesus had to cast seven demons out of her!
Beloved of God, Jesus is not looking at your past, but He is looking at your present. He is looking at your heart right now. And as you dedicate yourself to Him this day, He will know how to take it from here, no matter how terrible or bad your past may be.
Mark 16:14 (NKJV) says, 'Later Jesus appeared to the eleven (disciples) as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.'
Notice the words 'unbelief and hardness of heart' here. In other words, hard as a stone! Remember I was writing about "stone" just now? And "let the stone be rolled away"?
So, let your unbelief and hardness of heart be rolled away! Because all these "stones" are barriers and hindrances to all that God wants to do in your life!
Let go of those unbelief and hardness of heart, and yield to God. Let your heart be like a "sponge" that absorbs all that He wants to tell you or do in your life!
I continue with Mark 16:15-18. Here, Jesus gave the disciples new purpose and new direction in their lives. Interestingly, He only gave these disciples new purpose and new direction in their lives after they have believed! You see? That's how important a believing heart is!
And when they were ready, when they believed, when they have the revelation that Jesus was indeed risen, that's when Jesus said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."
Yes, even if they're being surrounded by "serpents", or even if anybody tried to poison them (in the course of them doing what God told them to do), all these will by no means hurt them! Here, Jesus actually gave the disciples His assurances as they 'go and do His will'!
Mark 16:19 (NKJV) says, 'So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God...'
Even now, He is still that glorious God, the resurrected God! He is forever alive!
You are blessed, because you have a Savior Jesus who is alive! Hallelujah!
