A. INTRODUCTION
1. Women came to the tomb. "Very early in the morning they (the women (23:55) came early unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain other women with them" (Luke 24:1).
2. Mary Magdalene was the leader. She was mentioned first (Mark 16:1 and Matt. 28:1). She was the only one mentioned (John 20:1).
3. Mary went ahead alone. "Mary Magdalene seeth the stone taken away."
4. Mary ran to get Peter and John. "Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter and the other disciples" (John 20:2).
5. She thought His body was taken away. " . . . seeth the stone taken away" (John 20:2). "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid Him" (John 20:13).
6. The other women see the angel. "The angel answered and said unto the women, ’Fear not ye, I know ye seek Jesus . . . He is not here, for He is risen as He said . . .’" (Matt. 28:5,6).
7. Then the other women worshipped Jesus. "As they went to tell his disciples, behold Jesus met them saying, ’All hail’ and they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him" (Matt. 28:9).
8. Why did Jesus let them hold His feet? Worship.
B. ENCOUNTERING CHRIST
An encounter occurs when (1) God intentionally meets with you, (2) in a time of great personal need, (3) through unexpected circumstances, (4) telling you something about Himself, (5) you learn something about yourself, (6) preparing you for a specific task, (7) even though you don’t fully understand all the mysterious elements of the encounter.
C. WHAT WAS MARY’S PROBLEM?
1. Didn’t know what had happened. "I know not where they laid him" (John 20:13).
2. Upset at the situation. "Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping" (20:11).
3. Assumptions. "If you have taken the body, tell me where it is and I will carry it away" (John 20:15 ELT).
4. Blinded. "Saw Jesus, and knew not that it was Jesus . . . she, supposing him to be the gardener" (John 20:14,15).
5. Didn’t know when to leave. Jesus had to tell her, "But go to My brethren and say to them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father" (John 20:17).
D. TEN LESSONS LEARNED FROM AN ENCOUNTER WITH CHRIST.
1. Jesus encounters us even when we have a wrong understanding of Him. "Their eyes were spiritually blinded and they did not recognize Jesus" (Luke 24:16 ELT).
2. Our wrong perceptions will drive us to say and do unusual things. "Out of the expectations of the heart, the mouth speaketh" (Matt. 12:34 ELT).
3. An encounter with Jesus brings our strongest emotional responses. "As the young deer is being chased by dogs will pant for a drink of water, so my soul pants for You O God" (Psalm 42:1 ELT).
4. Our love for Jesus drives us to great sacrifice and dedicated service. "For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Phil. 1:21).
5. Sometimes when Jesus comes to us, we miss Him because of wrong expectations. "When they heard that He was alive . . . they did not believe" (Mark 16:11 NKJV).
6. Because Jesus knows us, He comes to us in our need and calls us by name. "He calls His own sheep by name" (John 10:3 NKJV).
7. Today Jesus wants to encounter us spiritually, not physically. "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things God hath prepared for those that love Him" (I Cor. 2:9 NKJV).
8. An encounter with Jesus produces a task to go and tell others. "The angel answered and said . . . come see . . . go quickly and tell" (Matt. 28:5-7 NKJV).
9. Our obedience helps others to believe the credibility of Christianity and the resurrection. "Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord and that He had spoken these things to her" (John 20:18).
10. We relate to Jesus spiritually, not to the bodily Jesus as those who followed Him on earth. "Stop clinging to me because I am going to My Father in heaven, you must go tell the other followers that we will have a new relationship when I go to My Father and God, who is also your Father and God" (John 20:17).
If you have never really accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, would you do it right now? Do not delay or put it off. If you would like to receive Christ by faith, pray this simple prayer in your heart:
Dear Lord, I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died for my sins on the cross, and rose again the third day. I repent of my sins. By faith I receive the Lord Jesus as my Savior. You promised to save me, and I believe You, because You are God and cannot lie. I believe right now that the Lord Jesus is my personal Savior, and that all my sins are forgiven through His precious blood. I thank You, dear Lord, for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
If you prayed that prayer, God heard you and saved you. I personally want to welcome you to the family of God. Please contact me at eltowns@liberty.edu and tell us about your salvation experience so that we can rejoice with you.
To get Dr. Towns home page for books, www.elmertowns.com or check www.amazon.com.
