O We of Little Faith! A Resurrection Story
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Introduction
Introduction
Mary’s lack of faith resulted in two conditions that is often reflected in our own lives.
A Lack of Faith Results in Spiritual Misery
A Lack of Faith Results in Spiritual Misery
11 But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre,
As we pick up our story about Mary Magdalene, we find her back at the tomb. Now, she is overcome with grief. Remember that she convinced herself that Christ’s body is stolen and moved. She created in our own mind the only plausible solution to an empty tomb. In doing so, she completely ignored or forgot Christ’s promise to rise again from the dead. If you were in our morning Sunrise Service, we noted that she had a great love for Christ, but her faith did match her love. There was a great lack of faith.
When we last saw her, she was with the disciples. She already had been to the tomb. It was empty. She immediately ran back into the city breaking the news to the disciples. Remember her words to them.
2 Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.
From there, we know that John and Peter ran to the tomb to see for themselves. John was the first to arrive. Peter quickly came behind. John stops outside the tomb looking in. Peter runs past him into the tomb. Both discover that the tomb was indeed empty just as Mary reported. We can safely assume that Mary must have followed them back to the tomb since we find her outside of it after both disciples leave.
However, note now her demeanor.
11 But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre,
Scripture notes that she is now weeping. Remember that her love for the Lord is great. She is weeping uncontrollably due to her great love for the Lord. She is overwhelmed by the fact that He is not where she expected Him to be. His is missing and no one knows here His body is now located. She is trying hard to process all of it. Unfortunately, she is trying to do so under her own power and her own understanding of the situation. As we noted in the early service, her faith is diminished. She is not relying upon Christ’s promises. Instead, she is simply living by sight, not faith which is the opposite of what a believe is to do. If she had been living by faith, she would have been rejoicing.
There is my point!
People who choose to live by sight (their own knowledge and experience) are most miserable spiritually. We see in our world today. There has never been a time in history that I know of when men and women live according their own knowledge and experience as we do today. Today’s society is a constant promotion of self confidence and self reliance. The message of doing it your way regardless of what others think permeates our media, schools, and entertainment. And, yet, as much as man thinks they have everything figured out we plunge further into absolute misery and pain. The world is not becoming a better place. Why is that? Men choose to love by their own imaginations and not be the truth of God’s Word. The end result of such a life is always misery. It is why over in Ecclesiastes Solomon declared that this life and its pursuits is “vanity of vanities.” Note some of the verses which speak of men’s misery.
20 The wicked man travaileth with pain all his days, And the number of years is hidden to the oppressor.
17 Fools because of their transgression, And because of their iniquities, are afflicted.
9 Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;
10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:
14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:
15 Their feet are swift to shed blood:
16 Destruction and misery are in their ways:
17 And the way of peace have they not known:
18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.
Any person who chooses to live by sight instead of living by faith will live in misery. This principle applies to both believers as well as unbelievers. I say that based on the Hebrews 11:6
6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Those who choose to ignore Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection are those who choose to ignore that He is God. Thus, they continue to live the life described in Romans which is a live of sin, bitterness, destruction, and misery. There is no peace. In the same manner, the believer who stops living by faith and once again lives by sight falls back into that same lifestyle. Mary is a prime example. She is not at peace. Instead, she is overwhelmed with grief believing only what she sees and not what Christ said.
Now, note something interesting here. She is weeping. As she sobs uncontrollably, she stoops down and takes one more look into the tomb. What does she see?
12 And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.
Now, I am going to move forward for a second and then come back to this verse. Look at verse 14.
14 And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.
Here is my next observation and point. Remember the first is this.
A Lack of Faith Results in Spiritual Misery!
Now, we see that...
A Lack of Faith Results in Spiritual Blindness
A Lack of Faith Results in Spiritual Blindness
Amazingly, Mary peers into the tomb for one last look and what does she find. She finds two angels sitting in the tomb.
SIDE NOTE: These two angels are important. Note where these two are sitting. One is sitting where Christ’s head once laid. The other is sitting where Christ’s feet once laid. Why is this important? Their location is tied to the Old Testament and, in particular, to the Ark of Covenant. When God gave Moses the plans for making the furniture of the Tabernacle, the Ark of Covenant was included in those plans. He was instructed to make an ark out of shittim wood and cover it with gold. They were to place within that ark the tablets of stone which contained God’s commandments to His people. It was to become an ark of testimony to them. Then, on top of the ark, Moses was to build a “mercy seat.” Note the description of the mercy seat along with what Mary sees in the tomb.
17 And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof.
18 And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat.
19 And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof.
20 And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be.
Right there in the tomb with the angels sitting on side and another on the other God demonstrated that Christ’s resurrection become our mercy seat. We can find God’s mercy in His death, burial, and resurrection.
But wait! Mary completely missed it. In fact, she completely missed the fact that these two talking to her were not humans, but angels. Then, after speaking to them and seeing their position, she turns away from the tomb and, behold, who is standing right in front of her, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Does she recognize Him? She does not. Instead, she thinks He must be the gardener.
Her lack of faith causes spiritual blindness. I cannot help but think has she truly believed Christ’s promise that He would rise again she would have not missed so many wonderful blessings. Instead, she is filled with misery and spiritual blindness.
Again, that is what unbelief does. It not only causes misery, but it blinds us spiritually.
4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
The sad news of this present world is the multitudes of people who are spiritually blinded to the good news of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. They cannot see because of their unbelief.
Again, this is something that happens to both believers and unbelievers. Unbelievers are blinded to the fact that they need Christ. It is the reason that we must share the gospel message with them. However, as believers, we lose spiritual awareness when we fall back into unbelief as well. We become spiritually ignorant of His promises and find ourselves walking by sight and not by faith. This fact is something the Holy Spirit constantly warns us against.
6 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:
7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
9 Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.
You will note the context here. We, as believers, are expected to live according to God and His promises. We are not of this world. Our home is Heaven. One day, we will be with Him. However, right now and right here, we are to labour so that “we may be accepted of Him.” Hebrews 11:6 reminds us...
6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Our lack of faith often hinders our labour and our walk with God. It cause spiritual dullness and we soon forget our duty or we forget God’s promise. What is interesting about God’s statement that we “walk by faith, not by sight” is three verses later He says...
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
How many times do we lose sight of this coming day of accountability? Why is that? There is but one simple reason. We often end up walking by sight and not by faith. Mary was guilty of this very thing on that wonderful resurrection morning. We too are guilty. Yet, here is something wonderful that I want you to see.
Despite our lack of faith, Christ is always present!
Even though we are slack in our faith, God’s promises never fail and never change.
9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Long before Christ’s death, Christ taught His disciples that He would die, resurrected, and return to the Father. He assured them that He would not leave them without His presence. In fact, much of John 14 and 15 was Christ’s promise that in His absence He would leave His Spirit to comfort and teach all His disciples. He even told them, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in my.” Yet, here is Mary standing before an empty tomb with a heart full of sorrow, fear, anxiety, and grief. Her belief in Christ greatly diminished. What do we find?
14 And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.
She finds Jesus standing. In her greatest moment of need, Jesus was there. By the way, for us as believers, He made this wonderful promise.
5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
Christ stood standing. Now, we already noted that she did not that it was Him due to her lack of faith. Yet, even in her moment of doubt and unbelief, Christ did not abandon her.
Now note one of the most blessed moments in this story.
15 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.
16 Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.
As Christ stands there speaking to Mary, we seen two of Christ’s greatest desires for all men.
Christ Desires to Rescue Us from Our Misery!
Christ Desires to Rescue Us from Our Misery!
Christ noted her anguish, anxiety, and grief. He said, “Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou.” I want you to note that He addressed her as “Woman.” We will come back to that in a moment. However, for now, I want you see how He notes her misery. It is the first thing He says to her. In fact, is the very same thing the angels said to her.
13 And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.
I imagine for the angels it was an expression of surprise. Why should she be weeping? It is quite possible that our unbelief, fear, and anxiety come as a shock to the great multitude of the heavenly host, angels.
Christ says the same thing to her. “Why weepest thou?” However, for Christ, it was a question of her faith. Christ was not surprised by her lack of faith. Many time He said in regard to His disciples the following?
26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.
His question was a simple question of reproof! Instead of weeping, Mary should have been rejoicing. The real question was why should she be seeking the living among the dead? Had not He promises that He would rise again after three days? Where was her faith in His promise? Yet, here she is weeping, not rejoicing.
Here is my point! Even when we do not believe or we live in doubt, Christ still desires to rescue us from our misery.
Perhaps you are here this morning and you have not placed your trust in Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. Please know that Christ is here. He is standing ready with open arms to accept you into His family and His Kingdom. In fact, Easter is all about Christ’s standing invitation to all men to come and behold the empty tomb. Christ died and rose again so that all men might be free of their sinful misery.
18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
What is the truth?
We are all born sinners under the bondage of sin and under God’s condemnation.
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Christ died and rose again so that we might be set free and saved from God’s condemnation.
8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
All you must do is confess these things and believe in your heart.
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.
11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
He then turns your misery into peace, joy, and complete satisfaction.
Now note one other desire Christ has for all people.
Christ Desires to Restore Our Spiritual Sight!
Christ Desires to Restore Our Spiritual Sight!
16 Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.
I love this verse. Jesus now says just one word. He says her name, “Mary.” It is interesting to note that by this time it would seem that May had turned away from Jesus to look once more into an empty tomb. She is still distraught and totally ignorant to the fact this is Christ standing next to her. Now, Christ simply says, “Mary.” Immediately, she knows Him, turns back to Him, and with a joyous, but humble response she says, “Master.”
This blessed event takes me back what Christ said in John 10:11
11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
What is so blessed about this moment with Mary is Christ knew her name! He gave His life for her. Even though she had her doubt, Christ still loved her, cared for her, and desired to help her. Thus, He calls out to her. In doing so, she immediately recieves spiritual sight. She knows Him.
It is the same promise Christ had given to all who will believe in Him. He is the good shepherd. He died giving His life for the sheep. He knows YOUR NAME!
Is it possible that right now He is calling your name? There was a time He called my name. He said, “John, I died for you. I am alive. I did it all so that you might know me and live eternally.” In that moment, I said, “Master.” And, in that same moment, I was no longer spiritually blind. My eyes were open to Who He truly is. He the Light of the World who came to rescue me from the miserable darkness of sin. Through His death, burial, and resurrection, you come out of darkness into His marvellous light.
5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.