Havasu Christian Church
Ressurection Sunday
April 20, 2025, 10:30 service
“Mary Magdalene, the lady with a past.”
INTRO: We all have a past. Let that sink in for a minute….. We ALL have a PAST!
The Apostle Paul had a past…. He called himself “the least of the Apostles.” Because he had “persecuted the Church of God.”
Some of us here today have what we might call a “mild” past. Others might have a really rough past. But we can all look back at our lives and realize that there are things there that we aren’t proud of… things we wish we hadn’t done.
Mary Magdalene was a follower of Jesus, who most definitely “had a past.” Not a mild one either!
It may seem strange to talk about Mary Magdalene on Easter Sunday, but by the time we are done, if you haven’t figured out why yet, I’ll spell it out for you!
- Jesus Reached out to Mary!
Luke 8:1–3 Soon afterwards, He began going around from one city and village to another, proclaiming and preaching the kingdom of God. The twelve were with Him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses: Mary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who were contributing to their support out of their private means.
- Mary had been possessed by not just one demon, but seven!
- Imagine having evil beings take over your body and make it do their bidding!
- That would be horrible!
- How did this happen?
- Scripture chooses not to tell us.
- Mary needed help, and Jesus gave it to her!
- Jesus cast out the demons, but He did more than that. He gave her a purpose!
- Jesus filled the empty place with something good.
Luke 11:24–26 “When the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and not finding any, it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ “And when it comes, it finds it swept and put in order.
“Then it goes and takes along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first.”
- There is a principle here…
- Nature will not put up with a vacuum. When something is empty, something will come along and fill the empty space.
- Apparently, this is especially true of demons.
- Jesus gave her a purpose.
- Follow and serve!
- Mary was a learner.
- Mary was a worker.
- Mary followed Jesus throughout His earthly Ministry!
- We sometimes get so preoccupied with the 12 disciples, that we forget that they were not the only ones following Jesus.
Luke 10:1 Now after this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them in pairs ahead of Him to every city and place where He Himself was going to come.
- We don’t know how many people in total were in this group of followers, but we do know that at least some of them were witnesses to Jesus’ entire earthly Ministry.
- Mary was a part of this group that travelled with Jesus!
Mary and the other women, cared for and provided for the group.
Acts 1:21–26 “Therefore it is necessary that of the men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us - beginning with the baptism of John until the day that He was taken up from us—one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.”
So they put forward two men, Joseph called Barsabbas (who was also called Justus), and Matthias. And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all men, show which one of these two You have chosen to occupy this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” And they drew lots for them, and the lot fell to Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles.
- Mary was faithful, even when so many others were not.
- Mary was near the cross while Jesus was being crucified.
Matthew 27:55–56 Many women were there looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee while ministering to Him. Among them was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
- All the Apostles but John are far away!
- The rest of the group is nowhere to be seen either.
- It’s just John and these women.
- Imagine, being right there watching all this transpire.
- The nails
- The raising of the cross
- The blood
- The agony
- The cry, “IT IS FINISHED!”
- The death
- The spear to Jesus’ heart
- Mary was also part of the group who rushed Jesus body to the tomb.
Matthew 27:57–61 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the entrance of the tomb and went away. And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the grave.
- Mary was a part of the group of women who went to the tomb after the Sabbath to properly care for the body of Jesus.
- A ghastly task was replaced with a joyous one!
Luke 24:1–10 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing; and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living One among the dead? “He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.” And they remembered His words, and returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. Now they were Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James; also the other women with them were telling these things to the apostles.
- Mary was the first person to see the Risen Lord!
- Imagine her transformation!
- She is feeling sorrow because Jesus was dead.
- She is feeling anger helplessness and grief because His body was gone.
- These are all instantly removed when she realizes that she is talking to Jesus!
John 20:11–18 But Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping; and so, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb;
and she *saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying. And they *said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She *said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” When she had said this, she turned around and *saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus *said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing Him to be the gardener, she *said to Him, “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.” Jesus *said to her, “Mary!” She turned and *said to Him in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means, Teacher). Jesus *said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’ ”
Mary Magdalene came, announcing to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and that He had said these things to her.
Conclusion: As we are here this morning, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus, what can we learn from this woman who followed Jesus so faithfully?
- She had a rough start, but she became more than faithful!
- Maybe you’ve had a rough start…
- Maybe you haven’t even started yet.
- But you CAN be a faithful follower of Jesus!
- You may never have been demon possessed, but you still need forgiveness, just like Mary did.
- Sin separates us from God. No one can be worthy of salvation… it’s a gift from God, through Jesus Christ our Lord!
- We cannot follow Jesus physically, and meet His needs for food and other necessities.
- But we can do what Jesus has told us to do.
- When you meet someone else’s needs, you are doing it for Jesus.
Matthew 25:31-40 “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. “All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.
“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. ‘For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’
“Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? ‘And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? ‘When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ “The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’
- We have never sat across the fire pit from Jesus, or heard Him teaching on a mountainside.
- But we can READ His words, and follow them!
- Learning is not enough!
- We need to look for opportunities to serve.
- If you don’t see one, MAKE ONE!
- We cannot physically stand near Jesus’ cross.
- But we can be Faithful!
- Martyrdom? Probably not.
- Suffering for His sake? Most definitely!
- Being a light in a dark world? Absolutely!
- Mary was chosen to be the first witness to Jesus’ resurrection!
- That honor has been given.
- But we will all have the privilege of seeing Jesus when He returns for His Church!
- You will see His return with joy!
- “YAY! It’s about time!”
- Or you will see His return in sorrow!
- “Did I ever make a HUGE mistake!”
