The Words of Jesus change lives.

INTRODUCTION STORY

have Any of you ever been to a motivational speaker seminar? in 2006 when I was a young real estate entrepreneur I decided to go to a motivational seminar event t Wells Fargo ren in DES Moines. I heard George Foreman , Rudy Julianni, steve Jobbs and the key note note motivator Zig Ziegler.

I went into that event a young real estate agent and I came out ready to conquer the world. the words these guys spoke was so motivation that I changed almost everything I was doing in my business.

After Jesus rose from the grave, John records 3 different encounters Jesus had with His followers.

and what is special about each of these encounters is that when Jesus Speaks those who heard him were motivated to put the words of Jesus into Action.

‘this morning we are going to loom at these 3 encounters people had with the risen Jesus..

MARY MAGNALENE

John 20:11–15 (ESV)

But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.”

Mary came to the tomb early in the morning with the other women but when they found the stone rolled away and the body of Jesus gone, she quickly ran and got Peter and John and told them that someone had stolen the body of Jesus. and the three of them ran back to the tomb.

When Peter and John went in and saw that the body was gone the Bible tells us that they left and went home,

But Mary stayed at the entrance to the tomb and just wept.

She cried out in sorrow That Jesus had died, She weeped because his body was no longer there.

Mary wept outside the tomb of Jesus because she thought that the enemies of Jesus had taken her teacher’s body away.

and as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb and saw two white-robed angels sitting where the body once laid.

One of the angels said to her  “Dear woman, why are you crying?”

And Mary replied “Because they have taken away my Lord“and I don’t know where they have put him.”

But as she turned to leave in her sorrow, She saw a man who she assumed was the gardener, and as this man saw her sorrow..

He too said to her, “Dear woman, why are you crying?” “Who are you looking for?” and Mary again cried out in desperation “Sir, if you are the one who has taken his body away, please just tell me where you have put him so I can go and get him.”

Mary was consumed by her sorrow fro Jesus. She truly loved him.

Not only had the world crucified her Lord, but now they have taken his body away, and she doesn’t know what to do,

Have you ever been in this place in your life?

Have you been so overwhelmed with Sorrow that your not even sure where to go next?

But Listen to what happens next in our story

John 20:16–17a (ESV)

Jesus said to her, “Mary.” [he called her by name ]. She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father;

We don’t know why Mary didn’t instantly recognize Jesus in his glorified body when she saw him in that garden, but it was probably because she still didn't believe in a Risen Jesus.

She was there looking for the dead body of her teacher.she was looking for the wrong Jesus , She was asking the wrong questions?

She wanted to know where the body was at so that she could mourn her loss.

So that she could express the sorrow and pain she was experiencing through the loss of her teacher and friend.

Mary’s unbelief in a risen Jesus blinded her eyes to the Savior who was standing right before her.

Church family - understand that it is mankind’s Unbelief that blinds their eyes to the truth of Jesus.

Mary loved Jesus that is truth,

Mary wept over the loss of her friend- That is truth,

But until Mary’s love for Jesus is coupled with a Faith in the Risen Jesus She is still left in her sorrow,

But, When Jesus spoke Her name- She recognized his Voice. and her sorrow instantly turned to Joy.

JESUS TURNS OUR SORRW INTO JOY

SORROW INTO JOY

I’m reminded of What jesus said about his followers in

John 10

John 10:3 (ESV)

To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

John 10:27 (ESV)

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

Jesus knows His followers by name- He calls them to follow Him by name. And they know his voice.

The first thing Jesus does after His resurrection is to call Mary by Name.

Mary You know me, You know my voice, because you are my sheep.

When Jesus spoke Mary’s name she recognized Her Savior by his voice and Believed.

Our text tells us in verse 16 that her sorrow was turned to Joy and she looked at him and said “Rabboni” which means teacher.

It was the Words of Jesus that took Mary’s sorrow and turned it into Joy-

and notice what resulted in Mary’s life because of this joy.

John 20:17–18 (ESV)

Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.

Mary’s Belief resulted in her Obedience. She ran to the disciples and proclaimed “I HAVE SEEN THE LORD HE IS RISEN FROM THE DEAD!” And I know that it was Him because I know his voice and he called me by my name.

A true Christian knows the voice of their savior. and when He hears that Voice- No sorrow can linger, because the voice of a risen Jesus turns their sorrow into Joy.

Transition: After appearing to Mary and calling her by name our text tells us in verses 19- 23 that Jesus then has an encounter with the disciples.

Listen to our text as I read Jesus’s Encounter with His disciples

THE DISCIPLES

John 20:19–23 (ESV)

On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”

After Peter and John Ran and saw the empty tomb of Jesus, They must have gathered up all the disciples and have now locked themselves in this room because they are afraid for their lives. They believe that jesus body was stolen and now the people who stole his body are coming to kill them as well.

Have you ever had that fear that someone might be coming to kill You?

Last Tuesday i was sitting in my office and I heard a car pull up outside the church. Normally this isn’t a big deal, cars park there all the time. but for some reason the person in the vehicle just sat there with the engine running looking at the church and at the window of my office. After 20 minutes my mind started to think of all the bad things that could happen in this scenario, and it made me a little fearful. So I did what every manly man would do, I quickly snuck out of my office to the front door of the church and locked it, then I secretly took pictures of the vehicle and sent them to Amy just incase they couldn't find my body, and of course I called doug to come and drive by and check on me.

In that moment I was a little fearful for my life. And because of my fear I locked my self into the security of my office.

The disciples are hiding in this room because of fear, They have locked the doors, and are quietly hoping no one will find them.

But as they are sitting there, all of the sudden, one of them looks up and Jesus is now standing right there with them.

if they were not completely fearful up to this point I’m sure that when another person instantly appears in their midst, in that locked room, they responded just like I would have, they would have screamed out in fear.

But then Jesus Spoke-

He looked at these fearful men and - simply Said “PEACE BE WITH YOU” There is no need to fear any longer

You don't need to be afraid a Because I am here.

The Words of Jesus Turn our....

FEAR INTO PEACE

When it comes to our fears and God’s Peace the Bible is full of truths that we can cling to in our times of great fear.

Joshua 1:9 (ESV)

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Psalm 23:4 (ESV)

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Psalm 34:4–8 (ESV)

I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!

Jesus took these men’s fear and He offered them His peace but with His peace he also gave them a purpose.

He said to them “as the father sent me so I send You.”

The apostle Mark expanded on the words Jesus spoke to these men at this encounter

Mark 16:15–16 (ESV)

And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

Understand that Jesus took these men’s human fear and in its place He gave them Gospel Peace.

Peace that only comes through belief in the resurrection of Jesus.

Understand this truth- there can be no peace if there was no resurrection.

The Reason Jesus could offer these men peace is because He had conquered what they feared.

Up to this point these men still thought Jesus was still in the grave- Death had still won the battle- because they had not seen the risen savior. and this is why they are still hiding in fear.

But now the risen Jesus stands before them .. Jesus conquered death, it no longer has dominion over their lives.

And because of this he can give them peace in place of their fear.

Think about the change in these men’s lives that took place at that moment. For the first time they now understand all that Jesus had spoken to them. The teachings of Jesus now became alive. Jesus had done exactly what he said he would do. and this motivates them to take the gospel of Jesus to the world. Which the rest of the New Testament is an account of how they obeyed this command of Jesus.

THOMAS

One of the 11 disciples wasn't there in the upper room when Jesus appeared.

Listen to the account of Thomas the disciple who didn't see Jesus that night.

John 20:24–29 (ESV)

Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

The Words of Jesus Turn our Doubts into Belief.

DOUBT INTO BELIEF

Thomas was rightly labeled a doubter,

We dont know why he wasn't in the room with the others that night but when He came back, the other disciples tried to convince him to believe that Jesus had risen from the dead.

and his response was “unless I see it with my own eyes I will not believe it.”

Thomas wanted undeniable proof that the man he saw hanging dead on that cross was no longer dead but alive.

He didn’t just want to accept the testimony of another disciple, he wanted to see the wounds in Jesus hands and touch the wound in Jesus’s side.

When it comes to belief in Jesus, Thomas had enough evidence already before him, But he still did not believe.

His closest friends testified of the risen Savior but yet it was not enough, Jesus told him that he would rise again, but it was not enough, Thomas wanted to see the proof, with his own eyes, before he would believe.

The beautiful thing about the story of Thomas is that Jesus makes a special trip just to speak to Thomas so that he would believe..

When Jesus shows up again unannounced and in a miraculous way, He doesn’t berate or belittle Thomas for not believing , Jesus lovingly shows him the scars in his hands and side and encourages him to believe.

And look again at what the words of Jesus did for Thomas-

John 20:26–28 (ESV)

Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”

And Thomas responds with heartfelt worship. “ MY LORD AND MY GOD”

when Jesus stepped into Thomas life and spoke truth Thomas’s doubt was instantly washed away with Belief.

Our text never tells us that he reached out his hand and touched jesus. He didn’t need to. Because He believed the words of Jesus.

The greatest proof of a risen Savior is this Jewish man who was once full of doubt declaring Jesus” my Lord and My God,

Many people today are just like Thomas. They say if only i could see him i would believe, If only I could feel his presence I would believe, If only he would prove himself to me I would believe.

The problem is not a lack of evidence of the resurrection , the problem is our own human hearts.

We think that we have to physically see something with our own eyes in order to believe it to be real.

Jesus’s final statement in this passage is critical. Jesus understands the faith it takes to believe without seeing.

but for these eleven men they needed to see the risen jesus because they were the ones He called to spread the eye witness proof of his resurrection with the world.

these men give us proof today that Jesus had victory over death. that he rose from the grave and that he alone has the power to bring salvation to mankind.

Understand that we can believe in a risen jesus because these men who doubted it themselves testify that they Saw the risen Jesus.

Jesus address our debt toady. It’s one thing for these men to see and believe, but for the rest of us we do not have this luxury. We dont get to see the scars before we believe.

and this is why Jesus says in verse 29

John 20:29 ESV

Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Jesus gives a special blessing on us today who believe the evidence for the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Understand this, If you are struggling with doubt in your heart this morning, believe the testimony of these men who saw the risen jesus with their own eyes.

Bring it Home

This morning we saw three encounters Jesus had after his resurrection

His first encounter was with Mary Magdalin who was overwhelmed with Sorrow- and when jesus spoke Her sorrow turned to overflowing Joy.

Are you overwhelmed with sorrow in your life today? Look to the words of Jesus and let them turn your sorrow into Joy

Jeremiah 31:13 ESV

Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy; I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.

Let Jesus change your life.

The 2nd encounter Jesus had was with the 10 Fearful disciples in the locked room. These men were afraid for their lives, but when Jesus spoke - He brought them peace.

But not only did they receive peace but the also recieved the Holy Spirit which gave them the boldness to go and proclaim the message of Jesus into a hostile world.

If you are in Christ there is no room for fear in your life. When you believed in Jesus you recieved the same Holy Spirit as the disciples did in that room. The Holy spirit takes your human fear and replaces it with boldness.

Philippians 1:20–21 ESV

as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

God has not given you a spirit of fear but of gospel boldness so that you can make and equip followers of Jesus Christ in this community.

Finally Jesus met with doubting Thomas. And when Jesus Spoke His doubt turned into belief.

are you someone who is sitting here today like thomas, are you holding back belief in Jesus until he proves it personally to You? Jesus said blessed are those who believe with out seeing.

to have genuine faith in Jesus means than you take the eye witness testimonies that we have seen in scripture , and the words of Jesus, and the testimony of changed lives around us as the only evidence you need to believe.

Christian’s we can fall pray to doubt in our lives too.

we can forget the promises that Jesus has made us as his followers.

How many times in our lives do we do ask God to prove himself to us before we will trust in him?

How often do we make our belief and obedience contingent on God proving himself to us?

Have you ever prayed God if you do this in my life, if you fix this problem in my life, then I will believe you are real and I will follow you.

I think if we are all honest with ourselves we have all had this type of conversation with God.

We can have the same doubt that Thomas had when it comes to Jesus in our lives Or we can choose to believe and be blessed.

if you are here this morning and still not sure if Jesus truly is who he says he is I encourage you to believe the testimony of Thomas . Listen to the Words of Scripture and let them change your doubt into belief.

As we close this morning I want to leave you with this truth. Everyone one of these people’s lives were changed when they had an encounter with the words of jesus.

The same is true for us today- if we want our lives to change we must have an encounter with the words of jesus. We cant expect God to change our lives if we are not willing to listen to His words.

The worst thing a follower of jesus could do is to not be in the word of God

Cherish it, love it, read, it meditate on it m, obey it , and let it change your life.