Our name | Mission | Vision | Leaders Ministries | Schedule | Directions | Contact Home   Gateway Church gathers for worship Sundays at 10:30 a.m. Location: 6425 Jefferson Rd. (Hwy. 129) in Athens, Georgia. For directions, click here. Ministry of the Word: Recent sermons Our quarterly e-magazine Gateway Today For the Gateway family Pastor Jerry's Weekly E-Mail A GATEWAY SERMON SUMMARY AUDIO This stone's for you Jerry Varnado, pastor Gateway Church, Athens GA April 20, 2003 Main Scripture text: Mark 16:1-8. The stone at the garden tomb was rolled away, but not so that Jesus could be let out. We know from John 20:19 that the glorified Christ wasn't hindered by things such as walls and locked doors. The reason the stone was rolled away was to let the women in! Indeed, the moving of the stone was for you and me, so we can see inside and know that no situation is hopeless, no road too long, no night so black that God can't shine the light of his power our situation and bring us to victory! Jesus said he came so we could have life to its fullest measure. I want to show you some of the characteristics of this life, we might consider them promises, some things that can be evident in our lives if we truly surrender to God and are able to appropriate everything that God has offered us in Jesus Christ. First, uncompromising optimism. "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Rom. 8:31). If we believed and lived just this simple truth wouldn't we be thought of as uncompromising optimists? Second, unquenchable joy. This joy is not in affected by the circumstances of life. It is a joy that comes from knowing God and receiving abundant life from Him. Third, unexplainable peace. The Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 4, "Do not be anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." I don't understand it, but I know that when my relationship with God is right and my life lines up with His word, I have peace that transcends my understanding and is unaffected by circumstances. Fourth, unsearchable riches. Unsearchable means the riches are beyond investigation and measure. Some of the richest people I know would hardly be considered rich by the standard of this world, but they have something beyond investigation and measure: they are in Christ! Fifth, unlimited possibilities. You may not be able to come up with the answer or the solution to your problem, nor find way through your difficulty, but God can. When you are in Christ you have available to you the unlimited creative power of God to show you the way. Sixth and last, unmeasurable power. In Ephesians 3:20, Paul refers to God as the one "who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us." There is only one prerequisite to having these things in your life: you have to die first! Jesus said, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it." That is the prerequisite -- giving yourself over fully to Him, so that you can also be raised with Him to new life. The stone was rolled away so you can see the great potential that is yours in Jesus Christ. This stone's for you! Supporting texts: John 20:19 | John 10:10 | Romans 8:28, 31 | John 15:11; 16:22; 17:13 | John 14:27 | Philippians 4:6-7 | Ephesians 3:8 | 1 Kings 17 | Matthew 17:20 | Luke 10:19 | Ephesians 3:20 | Luke 9:23-24 A mp3 audio file of this sermon is here. (Download to a PC by right clicking on the link and choosing "Save Target As." Mac users: click, hold, and choose "Download Link to Disk." Depending on your connection speed, the file may take several minutes to download.) An audio tape of this sermon is available free of charge (U.S. requests only). Request a tape by calling or writing the Gateway Church office. Please specify tape number 030420a: This Stone's For You. © 2003 Gerald R. Varnado To the Gateway Church home page How to contact us