Resurrection Before Dawn Series

Disclaimer Please note that all my sermons come from the Lord. But I get my info from many sources from my library and other sources. I do not claim all material as my originality. I don’t quote all sources but I give credit to the Lord who is the author of all sermons. “All originality and no plagiarism makes for dull preaching" Charles Spurgeon

Resurrection before Dawn

John 20:1-2

The Crucifixion had Brought Earth’s Darkest Day

Even the light of the sun had been hidden from view

Imagine the dark despair that swept in on the followers of Christ

They had forgotten or doubted His promise to rise from the dead

Troubled Women make their way to the Tomb

They are coming with spices to anoint the body of Jesus

Mary Magdalene runs ahead of the others and arrives at the tomb before dawn

Lessons are drawn from Mary’s early arrival at the empty tomb

I. We Ought to Come to Jesus Early (v.1)

a. “The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early”

b. Why did Mary arrive early?

i. Her broken heart required immediate attention

ii. She wanted to get to Jesus as soon as possible

c. There are no good reasons to delay coming to Jesus for salvation

i. Now is the accepted time; now is the day of salvation (2 Cor 6:2)

ii. The longer we wait, the less likely we are to come to Him (Heb 3:13)

iii. Every effort should be made to reach people early in life (Matt 19:14)

d. We should come to Jesus early to give Him our burdens (I Peter 5:7)

e. Rich devotional lives are developed by seeking Jesus early in the day (Psalms 63:1)

II. We Ought to Come to Jesus while Its still Dark (v. 1)

a. “When it was yet dark”

b. Mary Magdalene knew a lot about darkness

i. She had once been dominated by the powers of darkness

ii. She had been possessed by 7 demons (Mark 16:9)

c. Jesus had introduced Mary to the Light

i. He had cast 7 devils out of her delivering her from their power

ii. Mary had learned that Jesus is the Light of the World (John 8:12)

iii. The gospel turns us from darkness to light (Acts 26:28)

iv. Those who come to Jesus no longer walk in darkness (I Peter 2:9)

d. We cannot escape the power of darkness in our own strength

e. God will meet us in dark times and bring us light

III. We Ought to Come to Jesus in Spite of the Obstacles (v. 1)

a. Mary envisioned having to overcome powerful obstacles to get to Jesus

i. The tomb had been closed by a large stone

ii. The tomb had been sealed and guarded by representatives of the Roman Empire

The stone was not rolled back for the benefit of Christ, but for the witnesses to the resurrection, When Christ arose, He was in His resurrection body, the spiritual body of the spiritual dimension which has no physical bounds, He did not need the stone rolled back to leave the tomb for material substance has no bearing on spiritual substance. However, the witnesses needed to enter the tomb to see the truth.

b. There are always obstacles in getting to Jesus

i. Pride, fear, selfishness, favorite sins, ect

c. What obstacles are keeping you from coming to HIM

Those who come to Jesus find the obstacles rolled away (v. 1)

The stone had been rolled away from the tomb by an angel

Mary found the grave empty; Christ was alone

Those who find Christ Alive Ought to Spread the Good News (v. 2)