Untitled Sermon (26)

Read Verse 9-13) Notice what happens when Christians don't know the scriptures.....

They are unable to see what God is doing around them.

The ignorance of the scriptures brings confusion, sadness, heartache and fear to a believer.

The ignorance of the scriptures is what caused Marry to not recognize the face or voice of the resurrected Jesus.

Ignorance of the scriptures is why the other disciples just sorta shrug there shoulders and go home in verse 10.

this shows us, a ignorance of the scriptures leads to poor christian service.

Do you wish to serve God? Do you wish to know intimately the voice and face of Jesus Christ?

Then read his book, read your Bible and be ignorant of the scriptures no more!

Vs 11-13) But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre 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. 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

As Mary stood outside the empty tomb weeping, we must stand outside the door of this church weeping and seeking Jesus.

You need to be so overcome with your desire for Jesus that in tears you stoop down and look into the scriptures!

You must stoop down and look into his church seeking him.

Do you know why Christians don't read their Bibles?

Do you know why Christians are forsaking the Local Church?

Because….they do not fully realize their great need for Jesus.

and they do not have the humility, to stoop.

In order to “stoop” you must lower yourself, YOU MUST humble yourself!

Mary came to the empty tomb because she needed something that was inside. She needed Jesus.

She was willing to stoop down, lower herself and seek him!

You need to come to Church looking inside for Jesus.

You need to come to your King James Bible, looking inside for Jesus.

If you do this, with eyes full of tears and hearts full of faith,

you may very well find Jesus in his House and Word.

But you MUST realize your need for Christ. Or you will never seek Him.

Sometimes, when we think to highly of ourselves,

when we find ourselves thinking to highly of the things of the world..

...We need to stoop and lower ourselves and seek the Lord with tears! just as Mary did!

This should also be your heart as you come to assemble with the church on Sunday morning.

Just as Mary came to the tomb of Christ weeping and seeking Christ on the morning of the first day of the week….

You need to come to the house of God on the first day of the week seeking Christ with tears, affection and repentance.

My mother is here today and I'm reminded of a story from when i was 12 years old.

My mom, my brother and I were at Walmart and we were looking at the sewing fabric aisle.

My young 5 year old brother decides he wants to wander away

If my memory serves me right, he was told no about a certain toy so he sneaks

away to get it and make a great odyssey to the registers in an attempt to purchase said toy.

I can remember my mother sobbing uncontrollably because lil Joshua is gone.

She can't find him. I can see her in my mind's eye weeping

and running through the aisles and stooping down and looking under carts and clothing racks….

She was inconsolable. She had a need for Joshua and no one could show him to her.

She didn’t know where they had taken him,

she had a need that could not be met without finding Joshua.

In the end, a very nice man walked my brother to the manager's office, and we were contacted.

My brother Josh appeared to her as Jesus appeared to Mary.

This is how we truly need to seek the Lord Christ in our spiritual life.

I felt the lord wanted me to use that illustration of my mother seeking after missing Joshua.

Because what's really funny is that in Hebrew, Joshua is the name of Jesus.

Jesus comes from Greek and Latin.

In Hebrew, our Lord's name is “Yeshua” translated literally into English as Joshua, and it means “Savior”

Will you seek your saviour this morning with tears?

and with a spiritual hunger that can never be satisfied until you find him?

Or will you be like the other disciples in verse 10? (Read Again)

Mary is rewarded BECAUSE she doesn't go home after church and just go back to life as normal.

You can make the choice in your heart of hearts to alway be outside the empty tomb…

…seeking the Lord until we see him face to face. (Read Verses 14–18)

Read verses 19–23) When we assemble in Christ’s name, especially on his holy day, he will meet with us, and speak peace to us.

The disciples were assembled together in a church capacity, hiding from the jews and praying.

Christ appears in the midst of them and speaks words of peace and encouragement to his church.

He shows them his scars and his wounds, proving his resurrection to them.

They receive the power of the Holy Ghost in verse 22, a taste of what is to come in Acts chapter 2 on the day of Pentecost.

They receive authority to retain and remit sin and are authorized as the “sent out messengers of God.”

They receive encouragement, peace, and gladness in their hearts.

It was a good day to be assembled with the church in chapter 22…..

But there was one disciple who was not assembled with the church in verse 19.

Ol doubting Thomas………..

Vs 24) But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came

Thomas skipped evening church service that day.

For whatever reason, he did not feel like going

So he missed out on seeing Christ.

He missed out on an intimate encounter with Christ.

He did not receive the Holy Spirit in vs 22 nor hear the sweet peaceful words of christ.

He missed out on receiving the authority and anointing of verses 21 and 23.

When you miss church, you are risking missing out on the blessings God has for you.

Application/ Conclusion

“When we assemble in Christ’s name, especially on his holy day, he will meet with us, and speak peace to us”-- (Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary)

That one day in seven should be religiously observed, And that, in the kingdom of the Messiah, the first day of the week should be that solemn day, was pointed out, in that Christ on that day once and again met his disciples in a religious assembly. The religious observance of that day has come down to us through every age of the church. —(Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary)

This was the first day of the week, and this day is afterwards often mentioned by the sacred writers; (for Sunday) was evidently set apart as the Christian sabbath, in remembrance of Christ’s resurrection—--- (Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary)

Sunday is a most ancient custom where Christians honor the first day of the week

as the day Christ rose from the dead and revealed himself to the assembled Church.

We assemble together as Christ's body, bride and church on Sunday in hopes

that Christ will show up in the midst of us once again and speak his words to us again.

If you forsake the assembly of the Local Church what do you risk missing out on?

Heb 10:23–25) Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) 24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.