Mary Magdalene: Repentance Results In Devotion

Good morning.

We are so glad each of you is with us this morning we also want to welcome those watching on the website, the app, or facebook.

Let’s Pray

This morning we finish our Turn: The heart of repentance sermon series

i pray God has been moving in a might way and I pray you are being a doer of the Word and not a hearer only!!!!

This morning we look at Mary Magdalene and her repentance that lead to devotion

Turn to

Luke 8:1–3

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And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him, And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils, And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance.”

We are introduced to Mary Magdalene here

Notice she had seven devils cast out of her

Imagine for a moment what kind of life she must have lived with seven devils

evil

immoral

Imagine the turmoil

the anguish

the pain she must have experienced as a result of being possessed by seven devils

I would also imagine that she was know by the entire town for her evil lifestyle

she was not the type of person you would want to hang around at all let alone in public

Notice all the women mentioned here in Luke 8 had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities

all of the women had been healed

all of the women had been delivered from much evil

You may not have been possessed by an evil spirit but you have been delivered from much evil

notice their response to being healed

notice their response to being delivered

ministered to Him of their substance

They devoted themselves to ministering to Jesus

Mary delivered from the most evil according to Luke.....seven devils....She loved Jesus

this was much more than loving Jesus because He delivered her unfortunately that love fades and eventually goes away

no she devoted herself to ministering to Jesus

If you are a Christian here this morning you also must be different

You were born a sinner

lived a life of sin

you were awoken to your sinful condition

you were awoken to your doomed situation

you were doomed to hell for eternity

you were awoken to Jesus great love for you

and because of Jesus you repented and that repentance led to salvation

right then and there you were delivered from much evil because of all that you must be devoted to Jesus and live a transformed life

Our men’s discipleship group is reading The Master Plan of Evangelism by Dr Robert Coleman

It looks at Jesus’ plan to evangelize through transformed men.....men you are more than welcome by the way we meed on Mondays from 6:30 to 8 pm

In the book it says this “One cannot transform a world except as individuals in the world are transformed, and individual cannot be changed except as they are molded in the hands of the Master”

Transformed lives

Devoted lives

That must be the life of a Christian

Now the Sunday after Easter we are starting a sermon series in Colossians but this morning I want to turn to Colossians

Colossians 3:1–4

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“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.”

Perspective

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Do you truly have an eternal....heavenly perspective?

vs 1 seek those things which are above

many read this and go right over it

move right on to the next verse

Jesus saved you

Jesus delivered you from much evil

your mind must be on Him

Your mind must be on heaven at all times

Do you have the same priorities as heaven?

What does your fruit say about that?

Affection

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Your affection is to be set on things above not earthly things

set your affection comes from a Greek verb that means exercise the mind

entertain or have a sentiment or opinion

savour

regard

think

If you mind......your thinking....set on heaven or earth?

Do you entertain things of heaven or earth

again what is your fruit

does your thought life entertain heavenly things or earthly things

You Are Dead

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vs 3 when you give your life to Christ you die to self

one cant repent without willingly choosing to die to you

Luke 9:23–26

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“And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels.”

Jesus is pretty clear here

deny yourself

deny your flesh

deny your wants

deny your desires

take up your cross daily

die to yourself daily

die to your pride

die to your hate

die to your being offended

die to you

This is not a suggestion

you dont get to just deny and die to the parts of you that you dont like

you must die to all of you

Pastor I would love to read my Bible more but I am too busy

wrong

you wouldn’t love to read your Bible more or you would

die to you

make it happen

I have never put God first.....denied myself.....die to myself and regretted it

i have many times put myself first

my wants

my desires

over God and I always regret it

Hid With Christ

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vs 4

you as a Christian are concealed

you as a Christian are safe in Christ

Two weeks ago April 2nd as many of you know and many experienced first hand the tornado that hit Moundville and Nevada

i have outdoor bus duty at Weber and what a ride that was

Pouring rain

strong winds

tornado sirens going off

at one point after we had gotten buses shut down and emptied inside I made my way upstairs to the front of the building

where despite the weather

despite the tornado sirens going off on phones and actual sirens in town parents were still dropping their kids off

my boss said to go down to the cafeteria which is also the tornado shelter where the kids and staff were talking shelter

i looked at her and said you go be with the kids....I will stay up here and get these kids to safety....I know where I am going

I absolutely meant it

I had zero fear while outside in the pouring rain and wind and knowing that a tornado was on the ground in moundville and headed to Nevada

i had zero fear getting students out of cars and inside the building

Why I am hid in Christ

I know where I am going

Mary Magdalene was all in

Mary Magdalene was devoted

is that you?

I want to close with

Galatians 5:16–17

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“This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.”

Once you have found repentance leading to salvation you are different

you are now to walk in the Spirit

That is a fact

That is a truth

however you have a choice

you always have a choice

die to self and walk in the Spirit

or

live for self and walk in the flesh

It is one or the other

they are opposites

they cannot coexist together

Every time you sin you choose to walk in the flesh

Every time you stand on the Word of God you choose to walk in the Spirit

Repentance leads to devotion

Jesus is not religion

religion is not Jesus

Jesus was and is radically different

He accepted all

evil

sinful

immoral

women....one with seven devils

women had very little importance in society during Jesus day

even less importance in religion

Jesus didnt care

Jesus has compassion for the lost

He feeds them

He heals them

He delivers them

He saves them

if you have repented leading to salvation then so must you!

Mary was delivered from seven devils and because of that she devoted all that she had and all that she was to service.....serving Jesus and serving others

Are you devoted this morning?

Are you serving Jesus and others this morning?

not just serving fellow brothers and sisters in Christ

no serving

addicts

criminals

LBGTQ

Gender confused

those who have had an abortion

homless

those society rejects

are you devoted to serving them?

How will you know....by your fruit

Are you devoted to walking in the Spirit

are you devoted to giving all that you have and all that you are to reach the lost?

I dont know where you are this morning

the altar is open

if God is calling you come

pray

confess

repent

nail it to the cross

if you are lost come to me and I will talk with you and show you Jesus and you can make a decision to follow Him

a decision to die to yourself

a decision to give up all that you are and all that you have to live in Christ Jesus this morning

Come