03-31-24 - Easter - He Called Her Name - The Search

Easter Sunday: When Jesus Calls Your Name Pastor Brandon Werner | Together Church OKC | March 31, 2024 | Sermon Manuscript | Series: The Search PRE-SERMON - Pastor Brandon & Rachael Werner * Call back from greeting. - Brandon * Dismiss the children to the Bible Zone (5th grade and below). - R * Introduce ourselves... I enjoyed that time of greeting! - Brandon * Continue the fellowship! Join a group. You'll find... - Rachael o How to join. - Brandon * If you have your Bible, open with me to John 20. - Rachael o If you don't have a Bible, no worries! Turn to the screen. * Bow with me, pray for the preaching of God's Word - Rachael INTRODUCTION Today, we are starting a new series called The Search. Everyone is searching for something. It is part of the human condition... * Need money? Searching for a job? * Need companionship? Searching for a relationship? * Need more time? Searching for solutions? * Feeling hungry? Searching for a place to eat? * Looking for purpose? Searching for something to fulfill you? What are you searching for in life? What are you hoping to find? Our new series called The Search brings us to our Bible story in John 20. There, we encounter a woman named Mary Magdelin; we find her in the middle of a search. The passage starts in the middle of a story. Let's fill in the gaps as we go... John 20:1-16 20 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. It was still dark when Mary Magdalene began to walk towards the tomb. It was the first day of the week, Sunday morning, and the third day after Jesus had been crucified. Mary left really early; like she may have had a restless night. It wasn't safe for women to travel at dark, but that didn't stop Mary. Something was driving her to the place where Jesus' body had been laid. I can only imagine what she must have been feeling and thinking as she walked in the dark towards the tomb... * Was she remembering her life before she met Jesus? Twice in the Bible, it is reported that Mary Magdelin was a demoniac before she met Jesus. Both times that is mentioned, her case is described as very severe. Mary was possessed by seven demons! Her life had to be agonizing. Seven demons with seven different personalities. The best way I know how to describe something so terrible to you this morning is by saying it must have been similar to being in bondage to seven deadly addictions all at once. Her life had to be miserable. There would have been no way to keep her struggles a secret. People knew she was a woman of sin. She would have been considered unclean by the Jews and would have been put out of her local synagogue and the temple. Her family would have been ashamed of her. She would have undoubtedly been the object of harsh, terrible words spoken about her by others. Like us, so much of her identity as a person came from what others thought and said about her. And after a while, she must have believed what they said was true. Maybe as she was walking to the tomb in the dark, Mary was thinking about her life before she met Jesus. OR... * Maybe she was remembering what happened when she first met Jesus! Before she met Jesus, everyone else had written her off. They had lost hope in her, and she had lost hope in herself. But everything changed when Mary met Jesus! In a moment, Jesus set her free! Meeting Jesus had changed her life and restored her dignity. You see, Mary knew Jesus was a Jewish Rabbi. That was a title of great honor and high esteem in her society. Mary believed a Rabbi like Jesus should have no dealings with the likes of her; and her entire community agreed. But when she met Jesus, not only did He deliver her from bondage to seven demons, but Jesus forgave her sins! Instead of holding her past against her, Jesus invited Mary to become one of His disciples and to follow Him! The Bible tells us that Mary became a follower of Jesus and helped support His ministry wherever He went. What a transformation! Perhaps Mary was remembering what it was like when she first met Jesus as she walked in the dark towards His tomb. OR... * Perhaps, Mary's mind was consumed by the events that had transpired over the past few days. It couldn't have felt real. It had to feel like she was living a dream, but not a dream, a nightmare. She remembered Jesus talking about things like giving up His life for others. But she didn't think things would end like this. Mary was there, just a few days prior, when they whipped and beat Jesus. She watched His enemies force Him to carry a wooden cross up the hill called Calvery. She witnessed all three agonizing hours of Jesus suffering, nailed to that tree. And then, she saw His life leave Him; His body hanging limp on the cross. Maybe she diverted her eyes when she realized the Roman soldier was about to use his spear to pierce Jesus' side. Then, she realized... He was gone. The person who loved her, the person who had set her free and given her a new life, was now dead. Not long after He passed away, she went to the cross. She was there to help collect His body. She was among the few who stayed with Him to the end. Many of His disciples had run away in fear, but she stayed; she even helped prepare His body for burial. The time came to lay His body in the tomb. They rolled a large, heavy stone in front of the tomb. Roman soldiers marked the tomb with a seal as a warning to anyone who might think about tampering with the burial site. Then, she walked away, His body in the grave. The loss had to feel greater and greater with every step. She was disappointed, more disappointed than she had ever been in her life. She had followed Jesus because she believed He was the Messiah. But now He was dead. Who was she now? What would become of her? It had to of felt like everything good she had found died with Him. What would become of her life now? As she walked in the dark towards Jesus' tomb, some of her thoughts must have gone towards recent events she witnessed. BODY Mary thought she knew what to expect when she arrived at the tomb that dark, Sunday morning. One Bible account says she even brought spices with her that she planned to use to anoint Jesus' dead body. But when she arrived at the tomb, she was shocked to find that the large, heavy stone that the Romans sealed had been rolled away, and that the tomb was empty! Her instincts kicked in! She immediately ran to where she knew some of Jesus' other disciples were staying. She told them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him!" Try to put yourself in Mary's shoes... Could you imagine going to a cemetery where your loved one was buried and discovering the grave dug up, the casket opened, and the body missing? What would you assume? You'd probably assume what Mary assumed... someone tampered with the gravesite! When Mary gave this report, two of Jesus' other disciples took off running with her back towards the tomb. They looked inside and found Jesus' graveclothes, but they didn't find His body! Those other two disciples looked around a while then went back home; but Mary couldn't go back home. She was searching. So, she stayed. She stood weeping outside the tomb. And as she wept, she stooped to look inside the tomb. When she looked inside, she saw two angels! It was bright and the angels were dressed in white. They were sitting where the body of Jesus had been laid; one at the head and one at the feet. These angels asked, "Woman, why are you weeping?" They knew something Mary had not yet believed. They knew the truth about the mystery of the empty tomb. Mary answered, "They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him." It's important here that we understand Jesus had predicted His impending death and resurrection on multiple occasions, and Mary had heard it. She had head knowledge about what Jesus had said, but her heart had not yet believed that God was powerful enough to do it. Her thoughts were still on what she thought was possible instead on what God had said was possible. Even with angels appearing in the tomb, she still did not believe that Jesus was resurrected from the dead. After expressing her disbelief to these angels, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there! Jesus spoke to her and asked, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" But she still didn't recognize Him or believe that He was risen from the dead! She mistook Him to be a gardener. God's activity was happening all around her... * Jesus had predicted His own death and resurrection on the third day. * The tomb was empty with His graveclothes inside. * She had seen two angels appear in the tomb. * She had even heard Jesus' voice and seen Jesus standing before her! But even with everything God was doing around her, Mary still did not believe that Jesus was alive. But then, Jesus spoke one word, and with that one word, Mary's heart believed. What word did Jesus say? Jesus said, "Mary." He called her by name! John 20:16 Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned and said to him in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher). When Jesus called her name, Mary recognized His voice. It was familiar to her. She didn't know it, but it was the voice she was searching for. It was what she wanted more than anything else. Before that moment she couldn't accept it, but then Jesus called her name, and Mary believed. In the days ahead, Mary would come to a greater understanding about the significance of what Jesus had done for her. She would come to understand the purpose of His death and resurrection; and she would discover what it meant for her personally. CONCLUSION This is what she came to understand... 1. Jesus died so her sins could be forgiven. Before Jesus called Mary by name, she believed Jesus was a forgiving person. But after Jesus called her name, Mary realized that Jesus' death on the cross was necessary so that all her sins could be completely forgiven, and she could be made right with God! The Bible teaches that our sins separate us from God. Mary knew her sins were great. She wanted God's forgiveness, but she didn't know what that would cost before Jesus called her name. But Jesus knew. Jesus understood that our sins separate us from God. He knew that God is just, and that means that our sins deserve God's judgement. He knew that God's judgement towards sin is death. * Physical death in this world. * Spiritual death for all eternity. Mary knew her sins were bad, but Jesus understood her sins were devastating. He knew that there was no amount of good works, no amount of doing right, that could atone for her sins and make her right with God. Atone means to cleanse completely. Jesus knew Mary couldn't just cover up her sins with good works and be made right with God. Jesus knew that someone had to die for her sins so that God's judgement towards sin could be satisfied. Jesus knew that whoever made atonement for her sins had to be perfect and without sin of their own. * I cannot die for your sin because I have to die for my sins. * You cannot die for my sins because you have to die for yours. * But Jesus is perfect! He did not have to die because He never sinned. And yet, Jesus died. He died to make atonement for Mary's sin, for your sin, and for my sin. He knew the only other alternative was for us to die and suffer the punishment for our sins ourselves. Since we couldn't wash our own sins away, Jesus died so that His blood could cleans us from all sin. If you ever want to understand how severe your sins really are in the presence of a holy and just God, look no further than the cross. If you are new to church, it has to be strange to come in and hear people singing about death and blood and graves. But this is why we do it. We realize that Jesus' death is the death we all deserve. We recognize He didn't have to die because He never sinned. And we believe that Jesus' death on the cross was enough to satisfy God's judgement and atone for our sins, or cleans us of sin, so we can be forgiven. Mary believed... * Her sins were too great for God to forgive. * Her soul was too broken for God to heal. * Her future was too far gone for God to save. Can you relate to Mary? But when Jesus called her name after His resurrection, new hope stirred in her. She quickly realized that Jesus' death was sufficient so that her sins could be forgiven, and she could be made right with God! Mary came to believe that, while Jesus hung on that cross, He took all her sins upon Himself. 2 Corinthians 5:21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. And what Jesus did was not just for Mary. The Bible teaches His death will cover the sins of all who believe. Believes what? * Believe you have sinned. * Believe your sin separates you from God. * Believe there's nothing you can do to make yourself right with God. * Believe that's why Jesus died. He died to atone for your sins - He died so your sins could be cleansed. Before Jesus called her name, Mary thought Jesus' death robbed her of what she wanted. But after He called her name, Mary came to realize that Jesus' died to give her what she needed. Jesus died because there was no other way for her sins to be forgiven. Jesus died so she could be made right with God. Mary didn't even know what she was searching for. But when she found it, she came to know God's love like never before. And Mary chose to believe on Jesus for the forgiveness of sins. But the good news didn't stop there. Mary also came to believe that... 2. Jesus rose from the dead so she could have new life! When Jesus rose, He proved that He has power over sin and death! The empty tomb is evidence that Jesus alone has the power to forgive sins and offer eternal life! Death could not hold Him, the grave could not keep Him, Jesus is alive! Before Jesus called Mary's name, she thought Jesus could just improve her life. After Jesus called Mary's name, Mary realized that Jesus' resurrection meant she could literally be given a new life! The Bible teaches that sin makes us all spiritually dead. God made us to be eternal beings, and our spirits are the part of us that will exist forever. We recognize this most at funerals. We look at a body in a box and we say something like, "They are in a better place." What we mean is that their spirit lives on. But the reality is that, just like sin makes us die physically, sin has caused us all to die spiritually. Our spirits are dead in sin. When a person dies physically with a dead spirit, they experience what the Bible calls "the second death" or "eternal death." Eternal death is separation from God forever because of our sins. God knew Jesus' death could offer us forgiveness of sins, but He knew that death could not be the end of the story. For God's plan to be accomplished, Jesus had to rise from the dead! So, by the power of God, Jesus came back from the grave. The Bible teaches that anyone who believes that Jesus died will receive forgiveness of sins, and anyone who believes that Jesus rose from the dead will have new, eternal life in Him! That means that our old self dies, and we are born again of God's Spirit, so that we are no longer spiritually dead but alive! Mary believed Jesus was sent by God before the resurrection. But after the resurrection, Mary understood that Jesus IS GOD, and that He died and rose so she could be SAVED: Mary believed that... * God saved her from sin through Jesus' death. * God saved her from death through Jesus' resurrection. The same is true for all of us! The good news of Resurrection Sunday is that Jesus has made a way for us all to be saved. We must believe that... * God saves us from sin through Jesus' death. * God saves us from death through Jesus' resurrection. Eternal life includes our future with God in heaven, but that's not all. Eternal life means God will send His Holy Spirit to fill your life right now so that your spirit will no longer be dead but alive in Him! Literally, God will make you a new creation spiritually and give you His life right now. God promises that new life in Him will last for the rest of your life on earth and for all eternity with Him. This is the gospel, the good news of Jesus! INVITATION - SETH MOVES TO PIANO When Mary recognized the good news, she believed. How do we know Mary believed? * Mary heard Jesus call her name. * Mary responded by calling on His name! This is what the Bible teaches: Romans 10:13 For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Mary called on the name of the Lord and she was saved. And right now, Jesus is calling your name. - SETH BEGINS PLAYING Jesus died and rose so that He could call your name. The question is, will you respond to Jesus like Mary? Will you bow with me in prayer? * Jesus is calling your name. Are you listening? * Will you respond? Will you call on His name and be saved? * If you will, pray this with me: o First, say His name! Say, "Jesus!" "Lord!" o Now tell Him... * I have sinned. * My sin separates me from You. * I can't fix the problem. * I believe Your death can cleans me from sin. * I believe Your resurrection can give me new life. * I believe in You! * Forgive my sins and give me new life. * In Jesus name, amen. INVITATION TO BAPTISM If you just prayed that prayer, your sins are forgiven in Jesus' name, and you have found new life in Him! The journey begins! When Jesus saves you, He becomes your Lord. That means the new life you have in Him is a life devoted to God. It means your belief in Jesus changes you so you want to obey Him. And Jesus tells you how to obey Him. (RESPONSE TEAM) The first step of obedience is following Him in baptism. * An outward sign of your belief. * A way to confess your faith in Jesus to all. * His idea, not ours. * A picture of forgiveness of sins and new life... o The water is a picture of being cleansed (forgiven). o The water is like a grave... Jesus is calling you to take that first step right now. This response team is ready to receive you. There is no better Sunday than Resurrection Sunday to follow Jesus in baptism and profess your faith in Him! Has Jesus called your name? Have you called on His name to be saved? If you have, it is time to be baptized! This invitation is open. Come now! Follow Jesus and profess your faith in Him. * There may be someone out there who wants to be baptized but wanted to invite friends and family before you take that step. If that is you, use the Connect Card... SONG MIGHT GO HERE IF WAITING ON BAPTISM - Living Hope INVITATION TO INVITE OTHERS John 20:18 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"-and that he had said these things to her. When The Search leads us to new life in Jesus, we become guides to help others in their search! Mary went back and told others what Jesus had said. Next week is HIA Sunday! * Radically changing the lives of drug addicts... * They are helping people find freedom in Jesus! * Ari will preach - the gospel will be clearly presented! * Lunch afterwards. Details on our Right Now page with link. * Mark your calendar and come! Who could you invite? SONG WILL GO HERE IF NO BAPTISM - Living Hope 2