Jesus Volunteer And Victor! Series

Perhaps you’ve heard the story about the wealthy rancher from Montana who had so much money that he didn’t know what to do with it all.

Therefore, one day he decided to give some of it away by offering the neighborhood farmhands an opportunity to acquire some of it. To do so, he alligators shipped up from the Florida Everglades and put into his swimming pool.

Then from the Amazon he had a school of piranhas shipped up and put in the swimming pool as well.

Finally, he shipped in dangerous southern water snakes shipped in to swim around in the murky waters of his swimming pool.

As he gathered the farmhands he made his offer. He said: “Any of you that is willing to swim the length of my swimming pool from one end to the other. The one who successfully makes it, will be able to chose from three prizes I am offering.”

Prize #1- A million dollars

Prize #2- 100 Acres of my ranch

Prize #3- A date and possible marriage to my beautiful daughter

As they stood listening, suddenly there was a splash and one of the farmhands swam like lightning to the end of the pool and jumped out on the other side.

The wealthy rancher was quiet impressed so he invited the farmhand to come close and said: “Son you are quiet the man, which prize would you like to claim?”

The farmhand, still gasping for breath looked at the rancher and said: “Sir, with all due respect, I don’t want any of them. I just want to know who the guy was that shoved me into the swimming pool.”

Explanation:

This week we have celebrated Jesus. We have celebrated His final week known as “Passion week.” Friday, we celebrated His death and crucifixion. Today, we celebrate His resurrection.

As we think of what Jesus did for us, I want you to know that Jesus did all of this willingly. He did it because He desired to. He was a volunteer, not a victim.

John 10:8 says: “No one takes my life from me, but I lay it down on my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

Everything about Easter is about what God has done for you and me. It’s about what He did willingly because He loves you.

This morning, we celebrate the pinnacle of what God has done for us through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.

Transition: In the Resurrection story the spotlight falls in several directions. But today, I want us to focus for a moment of Mary Magdalen as she approaches the tomb of Jesus on that first day of the week. As the spotlight shifts on her, we see what Jesus resurrection does (not only for her) but for each of us.

Transitional Sentence: The Resurrection:

I. Gives Us Joy

One of my favorite verses in the Bible says this: “He gives us joy in the midst of sorrow.”

Cemeteries are not often seen as places of great joy. Yet, on Easter morning, God turned Jesus’s cemetery from a place of weeping into a place of rejoicing.

In this verse we find Mary at tomb of Jesus weeping. In verse 11 we read: “But Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping; as so, as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb.”

Who is Mary? We know one main thing about her-- Jesus cast 7 demons out of her.

Mary was a woman who Jesus loved Jesus. He forgave her much. She followed Jesus. Supported Jesus. She was one of the people closest to Him when he bled and died on the cross, and was one of the last people to leave from the cross.

On Easter morning she was not last; she was first. She was the first to see the stone rolled away.

The stone was rolled away, not to let Jesus out, but in order to let Mary and the disciples look in and see what God had done in the tomb.

Yet, because she did not see the full picture, she assumed that the body of Jesus had been stolen. Yet, just the opposite had happened; the body was not there; Jesus had risen!

Therefore, she wept! She saw Him die; yet that was all she had in mind. Yet, her weeping turned to celebrating when the risen Christ said in verse 16: “Mary!”

I Corinthians 15:17-18 says: “...and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.”