Recognizing the Risen Savior

The Gospel of John

John 20:1-18

Sermon by Rick Crandall

Grayson Baptist Church - July 25, 2018

(Revised July 2, 2020)

BACKGROUND:

*Tonight, in John 20 we reach the wonderful story of the Lord's resurrection. Let's begin by reading vs. 1-18. And as we read, please think about what can happen to us when we recognize our Risen Savior.

MESSAGE:

*Peggy Key told about driving her family to church one Easter morning. And as they drove along, Peggy was telling her children the Easter story. Mom said, "This is the day we celebrate Jesus coming back to life." When 3-year-old Kevin heard that, he asked, "Will Jesus be in church today?" (1)

*Now that was a great question, and the great answer is yes! By His Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ is here in church with us now!

*Jesus is alive! -- So we can meet with the Risen Savior today. Much like Mary Magdalene did on that first Easter morning, we can recognize the Risen Savior today.

1. AND WHEN WE DO, WE CAN RECEIVE THE LORD'S UNSTOPPABLE LIFE.

*The life of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is unstoppable. Death could not keep Jesus in the grave! That's why in vs. 1, the stone had been rolled away from the tomb. That's also why in vs. 2, Mary Magdalene reported that the tomb was empty. And that's why in vs. 5-8, Peter and John saw the grave clothes left behind. Jesus was alive!

*But we need to remember the situation here. Jesus had most certainly died on the cross 3 days before. Think how His followers must have felt on the day Jesus died.

*Keith Linkous said: "We can only try to imagine the sorrow that gripped the Lord's followers that weekend. Their Master had died. The miracle-worker who calmed the storms, gave sight to the blind, and life to the dead was now dead Himself. Their promised Savior lay dead in a cold, dark tomb.

*It shouldn't have surprised them. It's not like Jesus didn't know it was coming. And He took many opportunities to tell them about His sacrificial death.

*But Jesus was also careful to tell them of His Resurrection. He was careful to tell them that, yes, they would see Him betrayed. Yes, they would see Him condemned to die. Yes, they would see Him beaten, bruised, bloodied, and crucified. Jesus often warned them that He would die, and then be in the heart of the earth." (2)

*For example, in Matthew 12:40, Jesus said, "As Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." Matthew 16:21 also says, "From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day."

*Jesus was most certainly dead, but now He is alive forevermore! The Apostle Peter explained it on the Day of Pentecost. By then Jesus had been risen from the dead for 50 days. And after the Lord went back to Heaven, God sent His Holy Spirit to the first Christians who were waiting in Jerusalem.

*There were about 120 there that morning, but 3,000 more people got saved when Peter preached! And here is part of Peter's sermon from Acts 2:

21. "'And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.'

22. Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know

23. Him, being delivered by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death;

24. WHOM GOD RAISED UP, HAVING LOOSED THE PAINS OF DEATH, BECAUSE IT WAS NOT POSSIBLE THAT HE SHOULD BE HELD BY IT."

*Death could not keep Jesus in the grave! His life is unstoppable. And His unstoppable life becomes our life when we put our trust in Him. Then His unstoppable life gives us unstoppable hope, because if we know Jesus, we know that we will live forever.

2. WHEN WE RECOGNIZE THAT JESUS IS HERE, WE CAN RECEIVE HIS UNSTOPPABLE LIFE, AND WE CAN RELY ON HIS UNLIMITED LOVE.

*In this Scripture, we can see the Lord's love in several great ways.

[1] FIRST, THINK ABOUT JESUS' CARING QUESTION.

*In vs. 15 Jesus asked Mary Magdalene, "Woman, why are you weeping?" Well, don't you think He knew? This question wasn't for the Lord's benefit, but for hers. Jesus asked that question not to get an answer, but so Mary could discover the truth. And Jesus is asking us questions today: "What are you doing with your life. Do you know Me? Do you trust Me? Will you follow Me?"

[2] WE CAN SEE THE LORD'S LOVE IN HIS CARING QUESTIONS, BUT ALSO IN HIS PERSONAL CONCERN.

*Jesus cared about Mary in a personal way, and it shows up in the way the Lord called her name. Remember that at first, she didn't recognize Jesus.

*In vs. 14-16:

14. . . She turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus.

15. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?'' She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, "Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.''

16. Jesus said to her, "Mary!'' She turned and said to Him, "Rabboni!'' (which is to say, Teacher).

*"Mary!" Jesus spoke her name. That was the turning point for her. And when we realize that Jesus has a personal interest in our lives, it's the turning point for us too.

*Yes, in John 3:16, "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son" but God never loses us in the crowd! Jesus wants us to know Him in a personal way. That's why in Galatians 2:20 Paul was able to say, "I live by faith in the Son of God, who LOVED ME and GAVE HIMSELF FOR ME."

[3] WE CAN SEE THE LORD'S LOVE IN HIS PERSONAL CONCERN. BUT MOST OF ALL, WE CAN SEE IT IN HIS PAINFUL CRUCIFIXION.

*We know that Jesus loves us because of all He went through for us, even dying on the cross for our sins.

*Jesus' death on the cross: That's what put Mary in the graveyard on the first Easter morning. Jesus' death on the cross: That was the price God's love paid for our forgiveness.

*William Barclay helped us understand the price when he said: "Forgiveness costs. There is one eternal principle which will be valid as long as the world lasts. The principle is: Forgiveness is a costly thing.

*Human forgiveness is costly. A son or a daughter may go wrong. A father or a mother may forgive. But that forgiveness has brought tears. There was the price of a broken heart to pay.

*Divine forgiveness is costly. God is love, but God is also holy. God, least of all, can break the great moral laws on which He built the universe. Sin must have its punishment, or the very structure of life disintegrates. And God alone could pay the terrible price necessary for men to be forgiven.

*Forgiveness is never a case of saying, 'It's all right; it doesn't matter.' Forgiveness is the most costly thing in the world." And when Jesus Christ died on the cross, He paid the price for our sins! (3)

*In John 15:13 Jesus said, "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

*Ron Hutchcraft saw a picture of this love in the life of a teacher named Tony. Ron said, "Tony was one of the best-liked teachers in our kids' junior high school. And one summer day when he was helping me paint our house, I learned a lot about his background, a lot that was very surprising.

*Tony told me that he grew up in a very tough neighborhood that was sharply divided into ethnic groups and gangs. And he was a fighter. Most of the guys in his neighborhood were fighters.

*Tony told me, 'Ron, five of my good friends died violently in just two months.' Two more of his gang friends were serving prison terms.

*I asked, 'Tony, how did you ever get out of all that? -How'd you end up doing so well?' His answer blew me away.

*When Tony told me what had made the difference, he did something I've never seen him do before. There were tears in his eyes. He said, 'One of those friends who died was my best friend. See, there was a gang fight one night. One guy was coming behind me with a blade. It was intended for me, but my friend stepped in front of it. My friend took my knife. And that changed the course of my whole life.'

*Then it was my turn for tears. I said, 'Tony, maybe you can understand now why I try to live my life for Jesus Christ. My Friend Jesus took my knife on the cross. And realizing that has changed the course of my whole life.

*I should have gotten the knife of God's judgment, but Jesus stepped in and took my knife, and your knife. That death Jesus died on the cross wasn't for His sins. He didn't have any. His death was for my sins and your sins.'" (4)

*In those moments of suffering and death on the cross, Jesus took an eternity of suffering and death for us. He did it for love. He did it for His friends. He did it for you. "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends."

3. WHEN WE RECOGNIZE THAT JESUS IS HERE, WE CAN RELY ON HIS UNLIMITED LOVE, AND WE CAN RECEIVE UNEXPECTED JOY.

*God's Word shows us Mary's Magdalene's sadness back up in vs. 11: "Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb."

*Mary wasn't just teary eyed. This word "weeping" means she was sobbing and wailing out loud. Mary had great grief. But that all changed in an instant when Mary realized that Jesus is alive!

*Recognizing the risen Savior can change our lives in miraculous ways. It can take us from darkness to light, from death to life, and from sadness to gladness!

*Mary Magdalene was surprised by joy. And many times the Lord will do the same thing for us. Maybe it's the joy of a new baby or grandbaby, or a special time with friends, or a good report from the doctor.

*God likes to surprise us with His joy, and it can come in the smallest things of life. But the best joy comes as it did that day from our close encounters with the Lord, -- those times when He allows us to see His Hand at work, those times when He gives us a special touch.

*Christians: God wants to surprise us with His joy. And this godly joy is vital, because Nehemiah 8:10 tells us that the joy of the Lord is our strength. Godly joy is also one of the most Christlike qualities we can have in our hearts. Galatians 5:22 tells us that the fruit of the Spirit is love, then joy!

*Also think about this. In Luke 15, Jesus told three parables to help us understand God's attitude toward seeking the lost. And every time the lost was found, there was great joy. Here are two of those parables from Luke 15:1-10:

1. Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him.

2. And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with them.''

3. So He spoke this parable to them, saying:

4. "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?

5. And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

6. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'

7. I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.

8. Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and seek diligently until she finds it?

9. And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!'

10. Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.''

*Godly joy is a very good and proper thing for Christians to have. And you may not feel very joyful today, but don't give up on the joy of the Lord! Be like King David in Psalm 51:12. Ask the Lord to restore the joy of His salvation to you, and He will!

4. WHEN WE RECOGNIZE THAT JESUS IS HERE, WE CAN RECEIVE UNEXPECTED JOY, AND WE WILL RESPOND WITH UNASHAMED WORSHIP.

*In vs. 17, as soon as Mary realized it was Jesus, she turned to Him, threw her arms around Him, and cried out, "Rabboni!" That word had special meaning, not just "my teacher," but "my own dear teacher," "my great master, " the most honorable of all." (5)

*Mary Magdalene was not ashamed of Jesus Christ! She worshiped Jesus that day with all her heart and soul! Her worship was sincere. It was righteous. It was real. She wasn't just going through the motions.

*Mary Magdalene was giving Jesus the kind of worship He described in John 4:24 when He said, "God is a Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.''

*On that first Easter morning, Mary was expressing the great devotion for Jesus that she already had. Luke 8:2 tells us that Jesus set Mary free from seven demons. And ever since that day, she stood by the Lord with love, gratitude, and deep devotion.

*Mary was there at the cross when Jesus died. Matthew 27:55-61 says:

55. And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar,

56. among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's sons.

57. Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus.

58. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him.

59. And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,

60. and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed.

61. And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb.

*Mary Magdalene was there when they took the blood-soaked body of Jesus down from the cross. She was there when they wrapped it in linen cloths. She was there when they laid it in Joseph's tomb. And in John 19:1, Mary was there at the tomb "early, while it was still dark."

*No wonder that when she recognized our Risen Savior, Mary worshiped Jesus with all her heart and soul. She was not ashamed of Jesus Christ, and neither are we! But the more we recognize that Jesus is here, the more we will truly worship the Lord.

5. WHEN WE RECOGNIZE THAT JESUS IS HERE, WE WILL RESPOND WITH UNASHAMED WORSHIP, AND WE WILL RUSH TO SPREAD THE ULTIMATE NEWS.

*It's the wonderful news that Jesus told Mary to spread in vs. 17. There Jesus said, "Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.'''

*Verse 17 in the KJV says Jesus told Mary "Touch me not," but that didn't mean "don't touch Me at all," so the New King James Version shows Jesus telling Mary, "Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father."

*Chris Vogel explained that Mary's response was understandable. "The one she sought was alive! She flung her arms around Him, knowing this was not a figment of her imagination. Mary clung to Jesus in both joy and fear. She clung because she knew He was alive, and she did not want Him to leave again. But she still did not fully understand the power of the Resurrection. . .

*There was no need for her to hang on to Jesus any longer. Very soon, He would never be separated from her again. This was a new day: It was the Day of the Resurrection, so death would never separate them again. Jesus' death couldn't separate them. He had risen from death never to die again. And Mary's death couldn't separate them because Jesus had died and risen for her.

*Jesus knew that soon after He ascended to the Father, His Holy Spirit would be given to all of His followers in a new and greater way. Never again would she have to search for the body of her Savior. She could stop clinging, for soon His presence would always be with her. She could stop running in search for Him, for He had found her.

*Now she should go with a message to Jesus' brothers that their Savior was going to His Father and their Father, His God and their God. . ." (6)

*Jesus was telling Mary that greater things were ahead, both for Him, for her, and for us! Now Jesus wants us to do the same thing Mary did in vs. 18: "Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her."

*Notice that up in vs. 2, Mary ran to give Peter and John the bad news that the Lord's body was missing. Now she surely ran to give them the good news that Jesus was alive, that Jesus would soon head home to Heaven, and that because they had put their faith in Jesus, His Father was their Father, His God was their God! Praise the Lord!

*Mary rushed to spread the good news about our Risen Savior! Now God wants us to do the same thing, and there are many ways to do it:

-Tell them how you got saved.

-Tell them other great things God has done in your life.

-Explain the good news to someone else.

-Invite people to church.

*There are many ways to help spread the good news about Jesus Christ. And it's urgent. God knows that time is short, and people are lost. He wants us to care for them the way He cares for them. We need a sense of urgency. And we never know how much good will come when we tell people about Jesus.

*Howard Hendricks went home to be with the Lord in February 2013. He was 88 years old when he went to Heaven. For over 50 years, Howard Hendricks was one of the best known Christian leaders in our nation. He taught at Dallas Theological Seminary, authored 16 books, and was a mentor to both Chuck Swindoll and David Jeremiah.

*How did all of that get started? When Howard Hendricks was 9 years old, he was out in the yard playing marbles. A Sunday School teacher came by to invite him to Sunday School. Howard heard the word "school" and thought, "No way!"

*The teacher realized he wasn't getting through, so, he asked a different question, "Wanna play a game of marbles?" After he wiped-out the 9 year old in a couple of games, he then asked, "Wanna learn how to play this game better?"

*Dr. Hendricks later said, "By the time he'd taught me how to play marbles over the next few days, he'd built such a relationship with me that I'd have gone anywhere he suggested." Dr. Hendricks ended up in a Sunday School class with 12 other boys, and 11 of them ended up in fulltime Christian service. We never know how much good will come when we spread the good news about Jesus! (7)

CONCLUSION:

*Jesus is alive! And He is here right now. By His Holy Spirit, Jesus is here with us now, so if you have never trusted in the Lord, open your heart to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

*Join in the life, love and joy that Jesus Christ offers to us. Then worship the Lord, follow the Lord, and help us tell other people that Jesus is alive!

(1) "Christ's Alive and at Church Today" - Citation: Peggy Key, Portage, MI. Today's Christian Woman, "Heart to Heart" - Source: SermonCentral sermon "When Confusion Clouds" by Todd Coget - John 20:1-18

(2) Adapted from SermonCentral sermon "From Darkness to Deliverance" by Keith Linkous - John 20:1

(3) William Barclay in "The Letter to Hebrews" - "Christianity Today, Vol. 36, no. 11 - Source: "Bible Illustrator for Windows" Topic: Forgiveness - Index: 1314-1316 - Date: 6/1998.1994 - Title: Forgiveness Is Costly

(4) Adapted from KERUX ILLUSTRATION COLLECTION - ID Number: 9158 - SOURCE: A Word With You By Ron Hutchcraft #3839 - TITLE: The Knife And The Nails - AUTHOR: Ron Hutchcraft - DATE: 9272001

(5) Sources:

-ALBERT BARNES' NOTES ON THE BIBLE by Albert Barnes - Published in 1847-85 - John 20:16)

(6) Adapted from SERMON: "Stop Running" by Rev. Chris Vogel - John 20:1-18 - Source: SID ("Sermon & Illustration Database") Kerux database compiled by Rev. David Holwick - www.holwick.com - Typist: David Holwick - Date entered: 4252001 - Holwick ID: 7118 - Sermon ID: 90

(7) Howard Hendricks, "Say It with Love" - Source: SermonCentral sermon "Bid the Children Come" by Russell Brownworth - Proverbs 22:6