Power for Every Weakness

John 20

Introduction: I saw an amazing sight recently. I was sitting on the couch in my office on a Monday morning reading the Scriptures. When I arrived that morning, I had seen a semi- tractor and trailer stuck in the mud on the west end of our property. I surmised the driver had turned into our parking lot from Berry Ave, intending to turn around and head back to the east. As he turned into our parking lot, he got off into the mud and could go no further.
Looking up from my reading and out the window, I saw a yellow John Deere tractor with front end loader and backhoe pulling up behind the truck’s trailer. The backhoe operator set the stabilizer’s on his tractor and extended the backhoe out as far as it would go toward the stuck truck and trailer. A chain was attached to the backhoe bucket and the trailer. As I’m watching, I’m thinking--”No Way!! The seals on those hydraulic rams on that backhoe will blow before that semi moves out of that mud.” But, lo and behold, as the backhoe bucket is retracted, the semi- truck and trailer begin to move backward. When the bucket has been retracted back to the tractor, the operator lifts the stabilizers, pulls the tractor forward, resets his _feet’, re-extends the boom/bucket, the chain is reattached, and the process is repeated. Now the semi- truck and trailer and load are free and back on solid ground! I was amazed! I never thought that backhoe had that kind of power in its hydraulics.
When we come to Easter, my friends, we come face to face with a story that tells of a demonstration of power that we never thought or imagined that we would see. If there is one word that is a synonym for Easter, it is the word power.
Now I know we think we know what power is. One of the coaches of a team opposing the Lady Boilermakers in this recent tournament said of Stephanie White-McCarty: “She brings life out of death!” That is high praise for amazing power on a basketball court.
This past week I changed the power supply for a set of neon tubes in our kitchen’s overhead light fixture. Without proper power, neon bulbs flicker, and they can be so very annoying--far worse than being burned out and black.
ABC’s program on Thursday evening called “The Century” focused on Adolf Hitler and his rise to power in Germany just prior to WW II. The title to this past week’s segment was “Ultimate Power”.
But friends, all of my experiences with power in these various vignettes--backhoes, basketball, ballasts and biography--only begin to hint at the reality of the power of Easter.
I wonder if you would you like to know in your experience the power of Easter? I’m not promising that you’ll leave here as Superman today, BUT the word of God does offer us
*the power to break away from addictions,
*the power to be free from the bonds of sin,
*the power to serve God acceptably,
*the power to love our spouse,
*the power to be transformed,
*the power to be strong in the Lord,
*the power to do all things He calls us to,
*the power to be unafraid of death,
*the power to face every new day,
*the power to dispatch demons,
*the power to be gracious and forgiving,
*the power to control our tongue,
*the power to make wise decisions and live well,
*the power to live life with satisfaction and peace,
*the power to leave a legacy of contribution and respect.
If I have whet your appetite for something better... turn with me to John 20. In just one verse, the first verse of this chapter of John’s Gospel, we see three images of Easter. In these 3 images, we can understand Easter, perhaps in ways we’ve never understood it before. And in that understanding will come power that can make life worth living.
As the first Easter dawned in history, here is how the story began. (Read vs. 1 here)
The three images of Easter we see in this verse are the tomb, the dawn, and the stone. These three images were preceded last week with three others--a cup (in the garden), a crown (of thorns in the prison), and a cross (on Calvary’s hill). The events of those images have now passed.
I want us to begin this morning with the middle image, the dawn, for it is a connection to the other two images. Now if you are a careful reader or listener, you are already saying to yourself, “Now pastor, I don’t see any dawn in this passage.” And you are partially right. John has said, “...it was still dark...” but we know from the other Gospel accounts that it is really dawn and just more dark than it is light. Matthew would say, “...as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week...”; Mark writes, “...they came to the tomb when the sun had risen...” (or was beginning to rise); Luke says, “...on the first day of the week, at early dawn...” It is not hard to conclude that it is dawn, and John has simply expressed the dark side of dawn rather than the light side. And there is a reason John makes his observation the way that he does. John is a writer of a Gospel full of images and symbols. In chapter 6, he portrays the Lord Jesus as the Bread of Life. In chapter 8, He is the Light of the World. In chapter 10, Jesus is the Good Shepherd. In chapter 14, He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. In chapter 15, the Lord is the True Vine. Knowing this feature of John’s writings, we know that there is more to _dark’ here in verse one that just a lack of light. He is wanting us to pick up on something else. It’s like his phrase in 13:30--Judas has just left the disciples to go to betray the Lord Jesus to the priests and scribes, and John throws in the little phrase, “and it was night.” Well, friends, it is more than just the nighttime hours after sunset. The time of day--or night--is of little significance. What is important is the spiritual blackness in Judas’ soul. It is a terribly dark moment in time and in history when the Son of God is betrayed to be crucified.
So what is the significance of it being _dark’ when Mary Magdalene comes to the tomb? The answer is found in part in Mary’s story. In John’s record, there is only the one Mary, Mary Magdalene, who is referred to. (Mt. has two women, Mk. accounts for 3, and Lk. has 3 plus _the other women with them’.) It doesn’t mean that John is mistaken; it only means he has limited his account for a reason. You may remember that Mary Magdalene (Lk. 8:2) had come to Christ possessed by 7 demons. In her life before a relationship with the Lord Jesus, she had lived at the mercy of seven demons--not a bright, shining, wholesome experience, I’ll guarantee you. What we read on the pages of the New Testament of the lives of those controlled by demons is torture, torment, anguish, bondage, poverty, hopelessness, spiritual darkness, and a hundred other unpleasant elements.
I have a friend who is a counselor. 6 weeks ago he shared with me about a client he has met with for 6 YEARS. He told me she would never be well. Two weeks later, my counselor friend told me that this same client had to get out of the counseling session because “there were too many angels in this room.” Two weeks after that, when their session was finished, the counselor said, “I’ll see you next time.” And the client said, “I hate you.” Asked to repeat her statement, she said, “I hate you.” The counselor asked, “Why?” The demons inside her said, “Because you found us!” So then the demons were dispatched, cast out of her, and she is becoming a new person.
Likewise Mary Magdalene has been delivered from her demons in her encounter with the Lord Jesus, and now her life is light. And that is the connection that illuminates for us the meaning of _dark’ and _dawn’ in John’s message. Dawn is the time between night and day; Mary’s life had once been night, and now in Christ it is day. In John’s Gospel, Mary is the perfect parallel connection to the image of the dawn! And the dawn is the perfect bridge between the tomb and the stone. The tomb is the image of death and darkness. The stone is the preeminent image of resurrection, of life, of an empty tomb, of the surrender of death to life.
So, the image of dawn is the image of the power of a new day. John is wanting us to grasp, in the reading of this verse, the power of a new beginning! Resurrection Day is dawning! Sometime just prior to Mary’s arrival at this tomb, the Lord Jesus has risen from the dead! The One Who was crucified has come back to life by the awesome power of God. And so Easter, and the celebration of Easter, is God’s offer of power for a new beginning!!! Yes, for sure, Mary doesn’t understand it all at this point, as the rest of chapter 20 makes clear. But it is so very evident that THIS day is like no other! And THIS day can be a new day for us, too. More about this offer in a minute.
The second image of Easter is the tomb. Seven times in the first nine verses of this chapter we read the word _tomb’. Seven times! And the first time we read it is here in verse one. “Now on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb...”
This tomb is a new tomb. It belongs to Joseph of Arimathea, according to Matthew, who had hewn it out in the rock of the Garden of Gethsemane.
A tomb conveys the image of death, of separation, of a certain finality to this life, but the beginning of one of two eternal destinies, heaven or hell. The tomb is always known for loneliness and solitude, except for the “worms” that consume the flesh. Since it was the flesh that could enjoy the pleasures of this life, the tomb represents all the opposites to what is good in this life. In the Scriptures, the tomb is not only a place in a rock, it is also the representation of death itself. The tomb and death are seen as powerful tyrants, monarchs, dictators, a prison from which no one escapes. The tomb is portrayed as having an appetite that can never be satisfied. Thus we also read of death and the tomb _swallowing’ (Prov. 1:12, Ps. 141:7). (Isn’t it interesting that the Lord Jesus, reversing the curse of the tomb, swallows up death forever in I Cor. 15:54-57!) So, like the dawn, the tomb is an image of power, too. Death eventually captures everyone. The tomb is an image of darkness, which may be the reason for John’s reference to the dark side of the dawn rather than the light side the other Gospel writers make reference to.
So one of Easter’s powerful images is the tomb. Jesus died. God died. He was laid in a tomb. Death laid hold of even the Christ. And death will take hold of each one of us in time. How fortunate we in our community are to have Dennis and Theresa Smith on our side. Their compassion and kindness are known to all. I was visiting with one of our church family this past week who had to deal with some others in the funeral business who had no compassion and little kindness; this was just a cold business where hard decisions had to be made. Yes, the tomb is the image of death. And as awesome is the power of the blessing of a new beginning, new beginnings don’t happen in a vacuum; they always take place in a context. That context more often than not is the power of death, the power of the tomb.
But Easter’s story does not end with the tomb. There is the final image of the stone. “Mary... saw the stone already taken away from the tomb.” When John penned these words, he chose a very peculiar phrase to describe the stone being moved. His word means “taken, lifted out of”, suggesting the stone had been filling up the opening of the tomb and now it has been “lifted out of” the way, opening the grave. Now we must realize that the stone in front of the tomb’s opening did not prevent the Lord Jesus from coming out of the tomb. Look with me at vs. 19 in this same chapter. (Explain--locked doors, Jesus eats a piece of broiled fish in Lk. 24:42-43) No, the stone was lifted out of the way for the disciples’ sake, so they could see that the tomb was empty!
Now friends, there is nothing more lifeless than a stone, but this stone conveys the image of the power of resurrection. It is evident the tomb is empty! Mary and the disciples can see the grave clothes are empty! The Lord Jesus is no longer there! His body was not stolen as Mary initially thought. The burial cloths are too orderly, as verses 6 and 7 reveal, not the work of thieves! No, the Lord has risen just as He said. God the Father exercised His power, the surpassing greatness of His power, the working of the strength of His might as Paul would write to the Ephesians using all four words in the Greek language for “power”, and the Father seated the Lord Jesus at His right hand in the heavenly places! All that is wrapped up in the image of the stone! The power of resurrection is portrayed by John in the simple image of a stone.
Conclusion: So that’s Easter, friends, according to John’s gospel. Resurrection power, seen in the image of the stone, is the power of a new beginning, communicated in the image of the dawn, because the power of death, visualized by the tomb, has been surrendered to life! Easter is an empty tomb, seen because a stone has been moved, seen in the light of the dawn of a new and glorious day.
John’s three images of Easter are so very important to all of us. We are reminded this day that a new beginning is available to each one of us. Not a single one of us has to remain bound to sin. Not a single one of us has to continue to be addicted to the disgusting things of darkness. Not a single one of us has to remain confined to living according to the flaws of our character. Not a single one of us has to keep on living under the weight of guilt and regret. There is power available to start a new life because the Lord Jesus is alive. The power of His life is present every moment of every day. But to ignore His offer of new life and a new beginning is to remain in the grip of the power of death and the tomb. And how very sad will that destiny be.
Now that tag that you are holding.... I want you to take a moment and write on that tag one of two things-- I want you to write something on that tag that you are grateful for because of the power of resurrection. Perhaps the cross is why you have been delivered from.... anger, lust, greed, selfishness, food, fear, pride, etc. OR, on the other hand, maybe you’d like to write something on that card that you would like to be delivered from by the power of resurrection. Maybe you would like to know freedom from... grief, debt, a sharp tongue, a stingy spirit, an ungrateful heart, bitterness, a grudge from way too far in the past. Maybe you would like to be saved this morning. Maybe you would like to give Him your heart. Write it down.
You know, the card has two sides to it. Make one side your praise side if you want. Make the other side your petition.
Then in a moment, I want you to get up out of your seat and come and hang that tag on the cross. John has shown us the power of images this morning. We want to participate in an image this morning. The Lord, and only the Lord, will see what we want to give Him thanks for and what we want His help with. He will deliver us from the power of death, He will give us a new beginning, because He is alive!
As the instruments play through the first verse of “It is Well with My Soul”, you think and write; then we will stand, and those who want to come, please come.


DISCLAIMER: These messages are offered for your personal enrichment. There is no legal copyright on this material. You have my full permission to use any of this material as long as you cite the source for any substantial amount used. Enjoy!