Are you looking for a Miracle?

John 20:14 She turned to leave and saw Someone standing there. It was Jesus, but she didn't recognize Him.

John 20:15 "Dear woman, why are you crying?" Jesus asked her. "Who are you looking for?" She thought He was the gardener. "Sir," she said, "if You have taken Him away, tell me where You have put Him, and I will go and get Him."

INTRODUCTION

Good morning Southpointe!

Happy Easter!! We are so excited about been in service this Sunday where we are celebrating the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ!!

I want you a question: Are you looking for a Miracle?

We know that Jesus was crucified and He had been laid in a tomb, a borrow tomb at that, might be that He was planning on not keeping the tomb.

Here in our text we find that it was early Sunday morning and it was still dark.

Mary Magdalene when to the tomb where Jesus had been laid and she found that the stone had been rolled away.

She ran to Peter and the other disciple and she said they have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb.

So Peter and the disciple ran to the tomb to and the other disciple outran Peter to the tomb and He looked in and saw the lined cloth lying there but he didn’t go in.

Peter get there and he went inside and He notice the lined cloth that cover Jesus’ body and cloth that covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying to the side.

Now look at verse 8:

John 20:8 Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed—

He saw and believed in the miracle that Jesus rose from the dead and is alive forever more.

Then Peter and other disciple the Word of God said they went home.

But now we are getting to our text: Mary Magdalene was standing outside the tomb crying, she looked inside and she saw something there was two white robed angels sitting where Jesus have been laying, one at the head and the other at the foot.

And those angels said to Mary, “why are you crying?”

Mary said, “They have taken my Lord and I don’t know where they have put Him.

Now this lead us to our Text:

John 20:14 She turned to leave and saw Someone standing there. It was Jesus, but she didn't recognize Him.

John 20:15 "Dear woman, why are you crying?" Jesus asked her. "Who are you looking for?" She thought He was the gardener. "Sir," she said, "if You have taken Him away, tell me where You have put Him, and I will go and get Him."

Notice that it was said to Mary two times, Why are you crying?

Mary was crying because She couldn’t find Jesus.

And Jesus said to Mary “who are you looking for?”

Mary was so caught up in her emotions that she could not see her miracle standing right in front of her.

Are you looking for a miracle? Are you so caught up in your emotions and your ideas about your miracle that you can’t see Jesus standing right in front of you.

Look what happen:

John 20:16 "Mary!" Jesus said. She turned to Him and cried out, "Rabboni!" (which is Hebrew for "Teacher").

It was at the moment that Jesus called her by name that she recognized Him.

John 10:3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

John 10:4 After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice.

Ok, let review for a minute, We have two of the disciples, Peter and another disciple who they say and believed.

And we have Mary Magdalene, one of His disciple who heard His voice and believed.

They were looking for their miracle, Jesus, the one who was dead but now is alive. He defeated death, grave and hell.

But I want to look at one more:

John 20:24 One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came.

John 20:25 They told him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he replied, "I won't believe it unless I see the nail wounds in His hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in His side."

Thomas was one of the disciples and He did not want to hear testimonies, He want to see, and feel the nail wounds. From His hands, and his wound in His side.

John 20:26 Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. "Peace be with you," He said.

John 20:27 Then He said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and look at My hands. Put your hand into the wound in My side. Don't be faithless any longer. Believe!"

John 20:28 "My Lord and my God!" Thomas exclaimed.

So let review again: We have two of the disciples, Peter and another disciple who they say and believed.

And we have Mary Magdalene, one of His disciple who heard His voice and believed.

Now we have Thomas who believed after felt the wounds.

They were all looking for their miracle. And each one had to rely on their human senses.

Sight, hearing, and feeling.

Notice what Jesus said:

John 20:29 Then Jesus told him, "You believe because you have seen Me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing Me."

This is where we are at: Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.

Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Heb 11:2 For by it the elders obtained a good report.

Heb 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God,

Faith is a big subject, here we find something, I want to put my word on this: Through faith we receive our miracle because of our belief in the Word of God.

Rom 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Faith has foundation! This foundation is builded to last and is strong.

The Resurrection of Christ is build on the foundation of the Word of God.

And the Word of God been tested and has been found strong and right.

The Resurrection of Christ which is the source of all our miracles, we must have that foundation.

Matt 7:24 "Anyone who listens to My teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.

A builder would not risk building on bad foundation, because he would have crooked walls and not a level home.

Isa 28:17 I will test you with the measuring line of justice and the plumb line of righteousness.

Do the illustration here (Plumb line )

Plumb line is use to keep the wall straight, but if the foundation is off, it doesn’t matter what we anchor to the wall will be crooked.

My belief in the Resurrection is not on emotion, feeling, and sight, but in what the Word of God declares:

Matt 28:6 He isn't here! He is risen from the dead, just as He said would happen. Come, see where His body was lying.

Jesus is alive!! Jesus is our miracle, If you are looking for your miracle look to Jesus! He is risen!!