John 20:1-18

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.² So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”³ So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. ⁴ Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. ⁵ He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. ⁶ Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, ⁷ as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. ⁸ Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. ⁹ (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) ¹⁰ Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.¹¹ Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb ¹² and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. ¹³ They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” ¹⁴ At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. ¹⁵ He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” ¹⁶ Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”). ¹⁷ Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” ¹⁸ Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.

Jesus valued women and so should we. We need to do a better job of honoring women in our churches, in our homes, and in our society. Women not only played a key role in the Bible, but they were often the first to surrender, serve and sacrifice their lives for the Savior: Today as we return to our series “Living in the light of the Resurrection” I want to remind you of the role that women played in the events surrounding the death of Jesus:

Women were the last to leave the Cross (Mark 15:47)

Women were the first at the Tomb (John 20:1)

Women were the first to proclaim the Resurrection (Matthew 28:8)

In John 20:1-18 we see a group of women who sacrificially set out to serve the Savior but ran into sorrow. Their story reveals several stages that we all go through and how our Savior not only meets us where we are but also ministers to us where we are. Today we are going to focus on one woman, Mary Magdalene whose name comes from the Hebrew name Miriam, meaning “wished-for child.” You remember the story of Miriam in the old testament, the sister of Moses, who hid her baby brother Moses by the side of a river to evade Pharaoh’s order that newborn Hebrew boys be killed. She watched as Pharaoh’s daughter discovered the infant and decided to adopt him. Moses’s sister then suggested that the princess take on a nurse for the child, and suggested Moses mother. Women have dealt with the happiness and the heart ace of motherhood for thousands of years.Now Mary’s last name was not “Magdalene” this is actually a reference to her place of residence, where she was from.  She is mentioned in all four gospels, fourteen times in all, more than any other woman except Mary the mother of Jesus and 4 more times than most of the apostles. A reminder that the Word of God gives worth to women and so should we. We first meet Mary in Luke 8:1-3 where we discover that she is the first-named woman among Christ’s followers.

Luke 8:1-3– “After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him,² and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; ³ Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.”

Here’s what we know about Mary.

• Satan held her in bondage.

She was a prisoner of the Prince of darkness, overwhelmed by the oppression of the occult. She lived a life of darkness, depression and death but then came Jesus the deliverer. Don’t let the devil deceive you into thinking he has the final word. Because it’s here that scripture says:

• The Savior set her free.

She was delivered from the power of Satan and set free to serve the Savior. Think about that transforming truth, she went from the control of Lucifer to living for the Lord. From failure to Freedom. If you have accepted Christ as your Savior you are no longer slaves of Satan, you are free to serve the Savior. Do you know what the most mentioned miracle in the book of Mark is, exorcism, being delivered from the power of the Prince of darkness the devil. John 8:36 tells us this truth: “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”You are not defined by your past but by the power of Christ. As a result:

• She sacrificially served the Savior

Like the widow who gave everything she had to Elijah in 1 Kings17:13-15, these women offered their possessions for God’s purposes. We were saved to serve not to be selfish. What a privilege we have to partner with God by giving of our time, talents and treasures. We need to remember that tithing is tied to Jesus, it’s in response to the Redeemer not a tax right off, it’s not about a percent it’s about the Prince. Mary reminds us that ministry takes money. Where are you investing your time, talents and treasure? Here was a woman who wasn’t just saved and content to sit on the sidelines, no she sought to serve the Savior. By the way it is worth mentioning that no man is explicitly identified in the gospels as a financial supporter of Jesus. Way to go women. So, let me ask you how much do you value women? How about the Savior, does the way that you are currently living show that you love the Lord? Are you living in the freedom of God’s grace, freely serving and sacrificing not just for Him but to Him?

Luke 24:13-35

¹³ Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles^] from Jerusalem. ¹⁴ They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. ¹⁵ As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; ¹⁶ but they were kept from recognizing him.¹⁷ He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”They stood still, their faces downcast. ¹⁸ One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”¹⁹ “What things?” he asked.“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. ²⁰ The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; ²¹ but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. ²² In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning ²³ but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. ²⁴ Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.”²⁵ He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! ²⁶ Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” ²⁷ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.²⁸ As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. ²⁹ But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.³⁰ When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. ³¹ Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. ³² They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”³³ They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together ³⁴ and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” ³⁵ Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.

Not only was this a heart-breaking and heart examining experience but third it was a:

3. Heart Believing Experience.

These two disciples got so captivated by Christ that before they know it they are at the end of their journey. When was the last time you got so caught up in the Word of God that you lost track of time? Most of us get more caught up in social media than we do scripture, instead of being consumed by Christ we are consumed by our cares. Why are so few of us mesmerized by the message because we have lost the mystery and the majesty. Instead we get caught up counting the minuets and tugging through the miles instead of treasuring them. But you notice that just because they are at the end of their journey doesn’t mean that their journey with Jesus has to end. It’s here that they come to the cross roads of conviction, am I content with Christ just being my companion for a few miles or am I going to let Him come in and commune? Jesus is a gentleman; He won’t force Himself on you if He’s not really wanted. But these men want to commune with Christ and so they beg Him to stay for supper. What are you begging God for, is it just to fix your problems or fill your life with His presence? This reminds us of Revelation 3:20 “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.”Many of us are missing the Messiah because we are opening up the door to everything else. Once you have truly experienced the joy of communion with Christ you cannot but covet more of His company. You will beg Him not only to walk with you all day, but to abide with you at night. It doesn’t take much to get Jesus to stay. But this is not just inviting Christ in to commune its inviting Him to take control. It’s here that the guest becomes the host as Jesus “took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them.”Whose house was it theirs, who takes charge and breaks the bread, Jesus. When we invite Him in and give Him control we go from broken hearts to breaking bread. This is when we see the nail pierced hands and the hurt He had to endure so we could be secure. It’s in His hands that we find hope. Jesus hands them more than just bread, he hands them hope and belief. How do you find hope when you’re hurting, look to Him focus on His hands. Jesus has already gone through what you are going through, He doesn’t just sympathize with us, He empathizes.  What’s the difference? Sympathy is feeling compassion or pity for the hardships that others are going through, where empathy is putting yourself in their shoes. These men didn’t need sympathy they needed the Savior. We have a choice we can focus on our broken heart or on the broken bread. Jesus calls us to come to the communion table, to remember and rejoice but then to run out and share the Good News. It’s here that they go from believing hearts to burning hearts as we see lastly that it was a:

4. Heart Burning Experience.

Brokenness causes heart burn, but belief creates a burning heart. What is driving your life, brokenness or belief, heartache or hope? These disciples couldn’t wait to share the Good News, but remember it is now evening, and it would have been dangerous to travel on the roads at night, but they didn’t care because they couldn’t contain themselves. Disciples don’t focus on the danger they focus on the duty. What about you are you driven by danger or duty? They are no longer driven by their circumstances now they are driven by Christ. An authentic encounter with Christ always leads to change. Not only a change in doctrine but a change in direction. It wasn’t just about seeing Jesus it was about sharing Jesus. As they headed home they had started their walk with broken hearts but then they end up traveling the same road but this time believing. The change was not the result of a different road it was the result of the Redeemer. Many of us are looking for change through a different location, but it’s not a change of location that you need it’s the Lord. You don’t need a geographical change you need God. Only He can take you from living in fear to being on fire. Sometimes the journey seems long but in reality, it was only 7 miles to smiles. No matter where you are today you’re not that far away from God. maybe you have lost your fire for the Father and you are trying to figure out how to get it back, remember their fire came from being fed. What fills your life will be what fuels your life. Filling your life with worry leads to worn out, but filling your life with the Word leads to a life of witnessing. As followers of Christ we have the privilege of shining the light of God into a dead and dying world. We were not called to be broken bulbs but beacons of hope? What about you are you going to live in fear or are you going to live on fire for the Father?