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Welcome to the live big broadcast with Derek Greer. We believe this teaching from God's Word will empower you to live a full, impactful life in Christ. Let's dig in. We're gonna be in John chapter 20, and we're gonna begin with verse one. Now, the first day of the week. It was sunrise Sunday. The shouts of crucify him. Crucify him no longer hung in the air. The sound of the lash, the hammer, the whip and the nails were gone, and the stillness of business as usual began to set in. The most guiltless man that our planet has ever known was crucified so that the guilty could receive a second chance. You know, a writer said no one can go back and change their beginning, but because of the cross, we could start where we are and change our ending. So it was the first day of the week, a Sunday, that Mary Magdalene, probably a woman of some wealth because Luke 8 and 23 tells us she and some very notable and powerful women supported Jesus ministry. But we also find at the very end of those two verses that she also had some problems because the Bible tells us that Jesus had to cast out seven demons out of this woman. Now, you need to be careful here. Don't look down on her because she has seven demons. Most of us today come to Christ with much more. But what we see here is Jesus didn't come to help us manage or medicate our demons. He came that we might dominate and drive them out. Never have mercy on the devil because he will never have mercy on you. He has no compassion, no sympathy for the likes of you and I. So Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early. Now, we read in the scriptures that they had to rush preparing the master's body for burial because sundown was coming and on the Sabbath, they weren't prepared, they weren't able to to work anymore. So they put as much oils and aloes and myrrh and all the rest as they could. All Mary really wanted to do was to finish what she started and close out what became the most disappointing chapter in her life. The man who did all those miracles, the man that mastered the crowds and vocabulary and demons and all the rest, was crucified. No one would have ever anticipated that such a thing could happen. But Scripture says while it was still dark, she had probably not slept well since Friday, and certainly she still wasn't sleeping well that particular night. But don't miss this. She went to the tomb while it was still dark. What you do while it's still dark? What you do after the worst has happened. What you do when you don't understand yet will determine what happens next in your story. While it was dark, I remember when the doctor told me that my oldest son would not live very long. I remember when the doctor told me as a 30 year old man I would have to live with a debilitating disease for the rest of my natural life. I remember the times when pastor and I couldn't pay the bills. I remember when some saints, maybe they were ain't, I'm not quite sure but some haters maliciously sent police to my house and aggressively interrogated me in front of my three year old boy. I remember and this wasn't long ago when a rogue banker sent legal notice with a list of attorneys and lawyers to repossess our never overdue church. I remember seasons when getting out of bed each morning took all the stress I had. And finding a way to go to sleep at night took even more. But what I learned to do is get out of bed, keep showing up and just keep putting one foot in front of the other. And this Mary was a woman of like precious faith. She didn't understand all that was happening, didn't understand how that could have happened. But she still not only showed up, the Bible says she showed up early while it was dark. What did Dr. King say? He said if you can't fly, run. If you can't run, then walk. If you can't walk, then crawl. But whatever you do, keep moving forward. Keep moving forward. Keep pressing forward in your life. While it was dark, this Mary went to the tomb out of her comfortable bed and she saw the stone that had been taken away from the tomb. Now how many of us know that Jesus after the resurrection was able to walk through walls? We know that because the disciples were hiding away in a room that was locked. And then Jesus showed up in the middle and scared the life out of the disciples. But here's the question. Why did the angel move the stone? Obviously God didn't have to remove the stone to get Jesus out. He removed the stone so Mary could look in. And God will move whatever he must to help you get the perspective you need to help you move on. And that's my assignment this morning. Then John continues and says, then she ran. Whenever we run from God, the devil is there to offer us a ride. But thankfully this woman had some people she can she could run to. And she came to Peter, she came to the church, she came to the people of God, like many of you have today. And the other disciple whom Jesus loved now this is important. God doesn't bring us together so we can hide from our problems. He brings us together so we can grow and heal from our problems. And she said to them, and she's frustrated, frightened, upset, and she said, they've taken away the Lord out of the tomb and we don't know where they have laid him. Mary was in pain. Mary was dealing with trauma. But despite all that was happening, I mean, the picture, what happened on Friday was fresh burnt in her mind. Despite all that happened, she was still a thinking woman. And these verses tell us something about the people that were involved in Jesus life. Her first reaction to the empty tomb was not blind faith. It was not at all. She very logically thought about it and said, well, if he's not here, you know, to add insult to injury, not only did they crucify him, now they stole his body. But in dark moments, faith doesn't always seem logical. The reason that's so is because faith is higher than logic, theologic. Our faith is built on a single theological premise. Whatever God promises, he can bring it to pass. So when you're not, when it doesn't seem logical, get theological. If God said it, that settles it. Is there anything too hard for God? Peter, therefore went out and the other disciple, John, and they were going to the tomb. Do not be overly concerned about women in ministry, because out of all the men in the world that God could have chosen to make this announcement, he chose a woman, Mary, to be the first to tell about the empty tomb. So these two men, this is Peter and John, they ran together. And we all need people that we can run with in life. Competition can be healthy if it brings out the best in the both of you. You know, I used to run early mornings with a military guy. He was a major at the time, and he was a little bit younger than me. And by the way, I walk now, you know, it's better on the knees. But I noticed that when I ran with him, I always got further, faster than when I did it alone. You know, if you're an athlete, competition doesn't stop you. It only makes you grind harder. And there's some people that God's placed in your life to bring out the very best in you. And the other disciple, John, outran Peter and, and came to the tomb first. And if you pay close attention to John's gospel, you notice that John beat Peter in just about everything. But this shows us God has a sense of humor. But also he allowed these men to have a healthy rivalry. Healthy competition is striving. To win, but not hating yourself if you lose. And John got there first. And when he gets there, he stooped down, looked in, and he saw the linen clothes lying there. But the Bible said he didn't go in. Why? Because he looked at the Roman seal removed. And by the way, if you touch that Roman seal, man, the soldiers were gonna find you. You were good as dead. So immediately when he saw, he's like, you know, crime scene. He's like, my mama ain't raised no fool. I'm not messing with it. I'm not touching it. I'm not doing anything. But then Simon Peter came following him. And the way that's written, it looked like he was a little bit way behind. You know, I don't know how big, you know, Peter was, how young John was, but it looked like he really whipped him. But following him, went into the tomb. Now, again, I think John was younger, but John caused Peter to run faster. And we will see in the next verse, though Peter was slower. Peter calls John to be bolder and braver. We all need each other in this life. So Peter saw the linen clothes lying there and the handkerchief that had been around his head, not lying with the other linen clothes, but it was folded. This is an important detail. It was folded together by itself. If you've ever been burglarized, you'll know. Robbers don't neatly just move stuff around. They throw your stuff everywhere to get what they want and to get out of harm's way. So they just, you know, well, I just want to get his stuff and go. So when Peter sees this, maybe he wasn't as sharp as yawn. I'm not quite sure. But he wasn't able to put all the pieces together that, you know, what, nobody stole his body. Jesus was not in a rush to get. When he rose from the dead, he was like. He wasn't even shouting, jumping up and down. He just knew God was going to do what he did. He'd neatly fold a napkin, and that says something about Christ's character. He paid attention to order and he finished things properly and all the rest. And he made the bed like my wife tries to tell me to do and all those things. But then the other disciple, John, who came to the tomb first, went in also. So he went in only after Peter went in. You see, good people can inspire themselves, but great people inspire others. Peter's courage was contagious. And his courage caused John's courage to leap. And for him to take a step that he would have never taken if he was alone. And when John saw it, he saw and what believed. If Peter was not in John's life, he probably would have never gone in and believed. And likewise today you might be here because Peter invited you in. Take a. Just come with me on Sunday so you can take another look at this. And because of their courage and boldness, you've taken the chance today. Then the disciples went away again to their homes. What do you do when the funeral is over? Everyone's gone back to their lives, and you're still hurting in ways you can't explain. And this was the case with Mary. She stood outside the tomb weeping. She'd probably been strong all weekend, but sometimes all you can do is cry. You know, strong people don't cry because they're weak. They cry because they've been strong too long. And as she wept. I'm a little bit ahead of myself. But later in the narrative, she tells the angels. Well, she didn't know the angels, but tell me where you laid him. I'll get him. I'll take. So Mary was probably not only wealthy and she had some issues, but she's probably a strong, big, stout woman if she was going to carry Jesus somewhere. So this strong woman is weeping. The Bible says she stooped down. You see, a strong person may work to keep their body in shape, but a person that is strong or of strength knows how to bow to keep their soul in shape. And as she wept, she stooped down to take another look into the tomb. Some of the greatest lessons I've learned in life was when my face was wet with tears. And in those moments, I had to choose whether or not I was going to turn away God forever or look back again and bow like Mary did with Jesus. I believe the Lord is saying to each of us, I know the trauma you've just been through. I know the pain and the hurt you're experiencing in life. I know that you're weeping. I know you're disappointed. I know you didn't expect it to end that way of always, not that way. But take another look at Jesus. And at some point, we must all decide that God's plan is more important than our pain. And when she took that last look, she saw two angels in resplendent white standing there, one at the head and the other at the foot where the body of Jesus had lain. Now, this Jewish girl had learned all of her life about the mercy seat that sat on the Ark of the Covenant, and how on that mercy seat, the wings of the angel covered the blood that would be altered. Now there's this slab of stone and two angels are at its head and its foot. And as the mercy seat was sprinkled with blood once a year for the atonement and to cover the sins of Israel, the slab that Jesus had been laid on was still stained with his blood for the remission of all our sins. The angels doing what they do, realizing, listen, this is not the judgment seat, it's the mercy seat. Christ came that you might receive mercy, not judgment. We were doing bad all by ourselves. If Jesus came to. I mean, why would he come to judge? We already judged. He came to give us mercy. So they look at her and begin a conversation. They say, woman, why are you weeping now? At first glance, it would seem like the angels were being insensitive. Of course they should know why she was weeping, but they weren't being insensitive. It's just that people who have faith look at life differently. Mary wept thinking of his death. The angels rejoice because they know that for a believer, death is the doorway to a far better life. And watch this. It was the same event, but different perspectives. And after today, my prayer is, you're going to be able to look back on some of the same events, but have a very different perspective. She responds, she said, I'm weeping because they have taken away my Lord. Not only have they beaten him, now they've stolen him, and I don't know where they have laid him. Now we read these narratives after the fact and we can forget how traumatic all this was for those that were there experiencing it. We know on the third day, he got up. She doesn't know this yet. A famous doctor said this. He said, trauma is not what happens to us, it's what happens in us. Trauma is not the event, but our inner response. So she's going through trauma. She's seen things. Now, when I was a kid, I saw some really bad fist fights. I mean, I. I mean, I've even talking too much. But I had a buddy do a guy so bad, I'm like, man, would you just stop? Man, what you doing? You trying to kill? I mean, terrible. But it was nothing compared to the shiver that would go up your spine as you watch them beat him, mock him, stripes on his back hung high, pushing up on his feet to breathe. Gurgles in his breath. She's traumatized. She's seen things. She's like, I can't unsee this. How could a good God let something like this happen? He was a good man. I Saw his miracles. He never looked at me cross. He never reached for me inappropriately. He was unlike any man I had ever known. And the way they treated him and beat him. I'm almost done with life for what happened on Friday. Now, when she had said this, watch this, she didn't understand, but she stayed. With God. Things do not immediately always make sense, but I've lived long enough to know if I just stick around, if I just hold on, eventually God's going to stretch that question mark into an exclamation point and put a period in the area I once couldn't understand. So once again, she's hurting, but she still showed up, and she's having this conversation. And see, after she heard what the angel said, the Bible says she turned around. Maybe she turned around because she, you know, I'm in this cramped space with two men. I don't know, maybe I should, you know, back up. But more than likely, she felt a presence behind her. And when she felt that presence and saw Jesus standing there, the Bible says she didn't know it was Jesus. You see, the last time that he saw her or she saw him, his hair was matted with blood. His body was bruised black and blue. You know the verse that says, by his stripes, we're healed? That's not what it really says. It says, by the full body wound, we are healed. His body was beaten from head to toe, and his eyes were probably swollen shut. But Jesus was standing there to teach Mary one final lesson. Although she was the last to see him and saw his condition, Jesus was standing there to show her you don't have to look like what you've been through. He was there to show her your future doesn't have to look like your past. If God is in your life. Every bruise, Every scar, God knows how to take and completely turn it around. And Jesus said to her, woman, exactly what the angel said, why are you weeping? You see, heaven sees things differently than we do. And I know you're facing some things, but God sees things differently than we do. So Jesus said, almost with a little bit of sarcasm, I kind of imagine that he said, why are you weeping? And she's kind of like, duh, you know, if you've been around Jerusalem, you know why everyone's crying, all been out of shape and all the rest. And then she's at the tomb where Jesus was laid. And then they asked another dumb question, it looks like on the surface, and whom. I mean, who was just buried there? Whom are you seeking? So Jesus was like Mary, maybe You got me confused with somebody else. Am I not the one who calmed the sea, Mary? Am I not the one that opened blind eyes? Am I not the one that raised the dead? Did the disciples not tell you that I walked on the water? I gave sight to the blind? Weren't you there when I healed the lepers? Do you really think death could hold me? Do you really think the grave could keep me? Do you remember who I am? Who is it you're looking for? Y' all got it, But watch this. She's supposing it was the gardener. She was so blinded by her trauma on Friday, she couldn't see her blessing on Sunday. And I'm speaking to people in this room, so traumatized by things that are happening, you can't see what's right in front of you. She continues, she's hurting. I mean, she's. She's. Man, this is deep stuff going on. And she says, sir, sir, sir, sir. Dumb questions and everything. Just put them aside. Listen, if you carried him away and sometimes we can't even hear God, we don't know what are you talking about, God, I don't get it because we're so wounded, but what just happened? If you have carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will. I will do it. I'll pick that man up, put him on. I'll carry him away. I will take him away. So obviously she was this resourceful woman that was, you know, ready to do whatever needed to get done, but her pain blinded her to her provision. I know that job let you go. I know you got that email. I know they told you to pack up your things and get out of the office within the next hour. But maybe that job lets you go because God has something better. I know that friend no longer returns your phone calls. I know that man or that woman left you. But now you have room for somebody else. Can I talk to you for just a second? Maybe in this room you're like, well, I'm getting older. I can't recover. Well, I know you're getting older, but here's the deal. At least you're not dead. You have reason to praise and give thanks. He's a faithful and on time God. Friday just means Sunday's coming. If you're dealing with a Friday, hold on to God, because Sunday is on the way. I'm preaching better than you saying Amen right there. So Jesus leans into the situation and he knows his Mary. And he said, watch this Mary. And nobody said Mary's name like Jesus. And What Jesus was saying is, mary, I got a miracle with your name on it. God has a miracle with your name on it. Not James, not Peter, not John. But because you came while it was still dark, because you stayed when you didn't have the answers and you were willing to take another look, God has a miracle with your name on it. And when she said, he said, mary. All the other stuff she couldn't hear. But when God spoke to her and there was that familiar voice who knew her and despite her faults, loved her, accepted her, as soon as he said her name, she turned and said, rabboni. Rabboni is just an affectionate way to say teacher. As I wrap up today, I want you to notice she did not call him Deliverer, though he had delivered her from seven demons. She didn't call him Sovereign Savior, Lord, Healer, though all those titles would be appropriate, right and true. She called him what meant most to her about him. Teacher. Back in those days, there were no female disciples. Rabbis didn't teach women. But when you read the Bible, something curious happens. Everywhere the disciples go, this Mary and these other women seem to show up. Nobody had time for her except Jesus. Jesus didn't only get the devil out of her, he began to teach her line by line, precept upon precept. Mary, you can do better. You can be better. God has a plan for you, Mary. And he taught her and his final lesson to this Mary was. Mary, you were amongst the women that were preparing me for funeral. You saw it all. And now you can't even recognize me. And what I'm here to teach you today, Mary, is your future. Doesn't have to look like your past. Mary. Watch this. You don't have to look like what you've been through, Mary, I'm here to teach you that you can turn the chapter on the worst day of your life and turn it into the best chapter of your life. If you would just let God do what only God can do in your life. The Bible doesn't say this, but let me use my imagination. Maybe he showed her the scar in his wrist or his palm. He said, mary, every scar in your life is just proof you fought, you struggled and you survived. Mary. Mary. Just like I got up, you can get up and we can do this thing together. Thank you for joining us. Until next time, remember, you have what it takes in Christ to live big. We also invite you to partner with Derek Greer Ministries in bringing the life changing and impactful teachings of God's Word to the world. Get started by visiting Derekre.com by clicking the link in the description.