having loved his own which were
in the world, he loved them to the end." Lord willing, tonight I'm going
to be speaking out of Ecclesiastes chapter 3, that begins, to everything
there's a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven.
And as the Lord enables me, I want to bring a message for the New
Year. from that passage of Scripture.
So if you can look at those first 15 verses of Ecclesiastes chapter
3 this afternoon, I think it would be helpful. Turn back to
Luke chapter 8, please. I've entitled this message, Mary
Magdalene. I don't know if I've ever preached
on this. I couldn't remember if I have.
But very little is said about this, but there were women also
who followed the Lord in His itinerant ministry, as is described
in verses 1 and 2. Look in verse 2, certain women,
they traveled with Him to these different cities. Certain women,
which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities. Mary
called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils. and Joanna,
the wife of Cusa, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others,
which ministered unto him of their substance. Now women are
called in the scripture the weaker vessel, but it was the men who forsook
the Lord in His agony while the women remained at the cross. It was women who followed those
who took the body of Christ down so they could see where He was
buried, and the men disciples were in hiding at this time. There was an absence of men at
His tomb that Sunday morning, wasn't there? No men, only the
women. And it was a woman that the Lord
first appeared to. Look in Mark chapter 16. God the Holy Spirit sees fit
to point this out to us. Verse 9. Now, when Jesus was
risen early, the first day of the week, He appeared first to
Mary Magdalene. out of whom he had cast seven
devils." Now, why did the Lord appear first to her? Well, church
tradition has it, and I think that there might be something
to this, if you look back at Luke chapter 8, and it came to
pass afterward. After what? Well, this is when
the Lord made Himself known to that woman who was a sinner.
We considered that a couple of weeks ago. Look in verse 37,
and behold, a woman in the city which was a sinner. when she
knew that Jesus sat at meet in the Pharisee's house, brought
an alabaster box of ointment, and stood at his feet, behind
him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did
wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and
anointed them with ointment." Now, church tradition, whatever
that means, says that this woman was Mary Magdalene. I don't know. But he did appear to her first,
and perhaps if she is this woman, she's someone who we know from
the Lord's own testimony, loved much. And the Lord appeared to
her first. Now, we have this traveling posse
of women with Christ. I love thinking about that. didn't have an income, and these
women supported him of their substance. It doesn't say the
men supported him, it says the women did. That's what's pointed
out in this passage of Scripture. And what a privilege they had. Now look at verse 2, certain
women. I love this word in the Scriptures.
You know the Lord always says certain people, doesn't He? certain
people. There was a certain woman named
Lydia whose heart the Lord opened. He always saves certain people. And how are these people described?
Certain women which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities. The people He healed. I love
that verse of Scripture in Luke chapter 9 verse 11, where it
says, He healed them that had need of healing. Lord, I'm one
of those people. I need healing. Heal me, because
you said, He healed them that had need of healing. The whole
need, not a physician, but they that are sick. He healed these
women, and three of these women are named. Mary Magdalene, Joanna,
and Susanna. Now, we're not given any information
about Susanna, but I think this is really neat. Joanna was the
wife of a man who was Herod's steward. Herod, the enemy of
Jesus Christ. Herod, the one who had John the
Baptist beheaded. Oh, grace has a long arm, doesn't
it? Here this one is in this wicked
home of the enemy of Christ, and God saves her. And she becomes
one of these people who just follow around the Lord Jesus
Christ. And she's mentioned as one of the women who came early
that Sunday morning to His tomb. And then we have Mary Magdalene. Out of whom went seven devils,
the Scripture says. This woman was demon possessed. Seven representing full possession. What a miserable life she must
have had. She may have indeed been this
woman in Luke chapter 7. No reason to think she's not.
I don't know who she was, but the Lord points her out as the
one he appeared to first after his resurrection. She was demon-possessed. Is there demon-possession in
our day? We have no reason to think there's not. I know very
little about it. But what a miserable life this
woman must have had, what mental anguish, what emotional turmoil. She was possessed by seven demons. Now, was she this woman who was
a sinner? Well, she may have been. Dark
immorality is certainly associated with demon possession. Some people
believe some forms of mental illness are demon possession. Perhaps, I don't know. But the
Lord saved this woman. He healed her. And these demons
left her, and she's a part of his traveling posse, ministering
to him of her substance. Now, she's obviously a trophy
of grace. Isn't everybody God saves a trophy
of grace? Now, this woman was demon-possessed,
and this is something you'll notice about every demon-possessed
person in Scripture. None of them ever came to Christ
and asked for mercy. Not one of them. They said, leave
us alone. What have we to do with thee?
What connection is there between us and you? Leave us alone. Every
one of them said, leave us alone. Now the Lord came to them. They
didn't come to Him. He came to them. And isn't that
the way the Lord did with you? You said, leave me alone. I said,
leave me alone. And He came to us. She is a trophy
of the sovereign grace of God in Christ Jesus. You see, salvation
is of the Lord. This woman, this woman won the elect. God
chose her. Christ came to save her. Salvation
is of the Lord. He does it all. And she was a
trophy of grace. She's a very special lady. We've
already seen how the Lord appeared to her first before He did to
anybody else. Turn with me for a moment to
Luke chapter 23. This is right after the Lord's They
took him down from the cross. Verse 55, And the women also, which came
with him from Galilee, followed after. The disciples weren't,
but the women did. and beheld the sepulcher, and
now his body was laid, and they returned and prepared spices
and ointments, and rested the sabbath day according to the
commandment. And Mary was in that group." Now, would you turn
to John chapter 20. John chapter 20. Verse 1. The first day of the week, Sunday
morning, cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark under
the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre."
Mary comes and finds the stone rolled away. The Lord said on at least three
different occasions during His public ministry, I'm going to
be crucified. And the third day, I'm going
to come back from the dead. I'm going to rise from the dead.
He said that to them three different times. Why weren't they there
waiting? Because they didn't believe.
It just was meaningless to Him. You know, the enemies of the
Lord knew about it. In Matthew 27, verse 63-65, His enemies
heard Him say this, We remember that deceiver while he was still
alive, said, After three days I'll rise again. Command therefore
that the sepulcher be made sure into the third day, lest his
disciples come by night and steal him away, and say to the people,
He's risen from the dead, so that the last error shall be
worse than the first. Pilate said unto them, you have
a watch. Go your way and make it as sure as you can. How sure
could they make it? Is there anything they could
do to prevent that stone from being rolled away and him to
come walking out? Make it as sure as you can. And
they did. But what strength did they have
before divine power? Was Mary expecting His resurrection?
I don't know. Perhaps. It doesn't say she did, but she
should have expected it. And she arrives in the dark early
in the morning, and the stone has been rolled away, mighty
angels had rolled it away. Verse 2, Then she runneth, and
cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple whom Jesus
loved. Don't you love the way John identifies himself that
way? He doesn't even use his own name, he just identifies
himself as that disciple that Jesus loved. I want to be that
disciple, don't you? I want to be that one whom Jesus
loves. And she said unto them, They
have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know
not where they have laid him. Peter therefore went forth and
that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre. So they both
ran together, and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first
to the sepulchre. And he stooping down and looking
in saw the linen clothes lying. Yet when he not in, then cometh
Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and
seeth the linen clothes lie, and the napkin that was about
his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together
in a place by itself." It's glorious to think of the Lord doing this,
unwrapping His clothes, taking the thing that was on His head
and putting it by itself. Verse 8, Then went in also the other
disciple, which came first to the sepulcher, and he saw and
believed. For as yet they knew not the Scriptures, that he must
rise from the dead. Now why must he rise from the
dead? Well, he must, because he said
he would. And he can't lie. Whatever he
says must be. He must because full satisfaction
had been made by what he did. The justice of God demanded his
resurrection. The debt was paid in full. God
could ask for no more. And God can ask for no more out
of me. And He can require no less. But He must rise from the
dead because full satisfaction was made. He must rise from the
dead because the Scripture said He would. Psalm 16.9 says, "...Thou
wilt not leave my soul in hell, nor suffer thy Holy One to see
corruption." The Scripture said He would rise from the dead,
so He must rise from the dead. I love what Peter said on the
day of Pentecost regarding his death. It was not possible. that he should beholden of it."
Death was put to death in the death of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Turn to Luke 24 for just a moment. Hold your finger there in John
20. Look at Luke 24. Verse 44. And He said unto them, this is
after His resurrection, These are the words which I spake unto
you while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled,
which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets,
and in the Psalms concerning me. Then opened He their understanding,
that they might understand the Scriptures." And when they understood
the Scriptures, He said unto them, Thus it is written, and
thus it behooved." Now that word, behooved, is necessary. It was necessary for Christ to
suffer. Why was it necessary for Him
to suffer? Because He was made sin, and sin must be punished. It was necessary for Him to suffer. And it was necessary for Him
to rise from the dead the third day. It was necessary because
full payment was made. And the very justice of God demands
His resurrection and the salvation of everybody He represented.
Verse 47, that repentance and remission of sins. These two
words always go together. Repentance and remission of sins.
A change of mind. with regard to the remission
of sins, you understand that Christ actually remitted sin
and put it away. That repentance and remission
of sin should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning
at Jerusalem, and you are witnesses of these things. Now turn back
to John 20. Verse 10, Then the disciples Peter and John went away again
into their own home, but Mary stood without at the sepulcher,
weeping. Peter and John left the scene,
but Mary couldn't. She just stayed there, weeping. You see, she loved the Lord Jesus
Christ. So did Peter and John. I wouldn't
in any way Say they didn't. But I believe she loved him more.
I believe she loved him more. And that's not really so much
to commend her. She ought to love him more. You
know, when we talk about people and say, we really love the Lord,
almost like we're commending, you ought to love the Lord. He's
altogether lovely. I really think a better description
of somebody is somebody whom the Lord loves. They loved the
Lord. You don't love Him enough. Mary
didn't love Him enough. Neither does anybody else. Not as He
ought to be loved. But she did love her Lord. And
she couldn't bear leaving that place. She didn't know where
He was. She was weeping. But Mary stood without at the
sepulcher, weeping. And as she wept, she stooped
down, says verse 11, and looked into the sepulcher. You know, the only time we get
any true spiritual sight is when we stoop down. And don't lose that. The only
time I'm going to have a true spiritual sight of the Son of
God is when I stoop down. As long as I'm up so high, I
cannot see. That's why I don't see. I'm way
too high. No, the only way you see Him
is to stoop. She stooped down, and what did
she see in that sepulcher? An empty tomb. Verse 12, "...and she seeth two angels
in white sitting." The one at the head, and the other at the
feet, where the body of Jesus had laid. Laying there for three
days, but He's not there now. He was raised from the dead,
and there sat these two angels. In Luke's account, they said
to her, Why seek ye the living among the dead? Isn't that a
good question? Why seek ye Him who lives? among the dead, the dead in sins,
the dead in religion. He's not here. He's risen. Remember ye how He spake to you
when He was yet in Galilee, saying, 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
at that time. Verse 13, And they said unto
her, Why weepest thou?" She said to them, because they've
taken away my Lord, and I know not where they've laid Him. Now,
if you believe that, you'll be weeping too. They've taken away
my Lord. I don't know where He is. You
know when you can't see Him? When you don't know where He is? When
you feel like He's been taken away? I mean, even when you hear
preaching, it seems like He's not there. Oh, you weep. You want to know where He is.
If you don't know where He is, if you know Him and if you love
Him, you'll weep. She's weeping because they've taken away my
Lord, and I know not where they've laid Him. Verse 14, And when
she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing,
and knew not that it was Jesus. She didn't recognize Him. There
He stands before her in His glorified body, and she doesn't know who
He is. How could that be? I'll answer that by asking another
question. How is it that you and I so often
do not recognize Him? Same way she did. She didn't
recognize Him. She knew not that it was Jesus.
Verse 15, Jesus saith unto her, Why weepest thou? Whom seekest
thou? She supposing him to be the gardener."
All the suppositions we make that are just wrong, just wrong. She supposed him. You know, if something is not
right there in the Bible, you can bet it's wrong. They supposed, remember his parents
supposed he was with him when they left him back in Jerusalem?
They supposed he was with him? Oh, our suppositions. She supposing
him to be the gardener, saith unto him, If thou hath borne
him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take
him away." She was ready to get his dead body back to its rightful
place. She loved the Lord Jesus Christ.
Verse 16, Jesus saith unto her, Mary, I reckon that there is no higher
honor and for the Lord to call me by my name. My sheep hear my voice. I know them. They follow me. I call them out by name." I tell
you, when she recognized the Lord, when He said, Mary, and
all was revealed, Don't you want Him to call your name? I want
to hear Him say, Todd, Todd. I want Him to call my name. And
when He calls your name, you'll know Him. You'll recognize Him. Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She
turned herself and saith unto Him, Rabboni, which is to say, Master. Now this is one of two times
that this title is used in the scripture. It's the title of
highest respect. Highest respect. Bartimaeus used
it. The Lord said unto him, What
wilt thou, that I should do unto thee? He said, Lord. It's translated
Lord there, but it's actually the word Rabboni. My great Lord. My great Master. She says, when her name is called,
My great Master. Now, I know this. I know this. If He calls my name, Oh, may He be pleased to call
my name. Don't pass me by. While on others
Thou art calling, do not pass me by." Oh, when He calls your
name, here's how I'll know if He's called your name. You know
He's the great Lord. You have some understanding of
who He is. He's the Lord. He's the Lord. Turn to John 21. After these things, where He
had shown Himself alive by many infallible proofs, Luke says,
after these things, Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples
at the Sea of Tiberias. And on this wise showed He Himself. There were together Simon Peter,
and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Canaan Galilee,
and the two sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples.
Simon Peter saith unto them, I go fishing." Now, I don't have
any doubt that he wasn't just talking about recreational fishing. He said, I've had it with this
disciple business. I'm going back to what I was. I'm going
back to being a fisherman. And what did they say? We go
with thee. They went forth and entered into
a ship immediately, and that night they caught nothing. But when the morning was now
come, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples knew not that
it was Jesus. They didn't recognize Him. Then Jesus saith unto them, Children,
have you any meat? Did you get anything by going
fishing? Did you get anything by going back to what you were
doing? Any benefit out of this? Did you get anything from this?
How has this helped you? You got any meat? I love the
simplicity of their answer. No. No. And he said unto them, Cast
the net on the right side of the ship, and you shall find
that cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it
for the multitude of fishes. Therefore that disciple whom
Jesus loves saith unto Peter, It's the Lord." He recognizes
him now. It's the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that,
it was the Lord. He gird his fisher's coat unto
him, for he was naked, and did cast himself into the sea." You
know, there's a lot of significance to that. He put that fisher's
coat on again. Since when do you put something
on to cast yourself? It seems like you take it off.
No, he put it on. He was putting on Christ once
again. Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ. And he cast himself into the
sea. When he calls your name, you'll
know he's the Lord. That's not an empty title. The
thief understood this. Lord! Everybody would make fun
of him. Here he is hanging on the cross.
He says, you're the Lord. You're not going to stay on this
cross. You're going to come back as a mighty reigning king. You
must be successful. You're the Lord. You're God.
Lord, remember me when you come in your kingdom. Can you pray
that? The leper understood this. Lord!
If you will, you can make me clean. He's the Lord. Now go back to John chapter 20. Verse 16, Jesus saith unto her,
Mary, Mary Magdalene, the one out of whom he cast seven devils,
and she turned herself and saith unto him, Rabboni my great Lord
my great Master verse 17 Jesus saith unto her touch me not For I'm not yet ascended to my
father He makes her a preacher of the gospel he says but go
to my brethren I Love the way he calls them my brethren Both he that sanctifieth and
they who are sanctified are all of one for the witch cause. He's not ashamed to call them
brethren. The Lord Jesus Christ calls me
His little brother. Go to my brethren." You know,
in Mark's account, when he was talking to her, he says, you
go tell them. And Peter, and Peter. Peter would have thought, well,
he doesn't mean me. You especially tell Peter, I go before you. You go to my brethren and say
unto them, I ascend unto my Father and your Father. The Lord Jesus Christ addresses
His Father as, He's your Father. He's my Father. and He's your
Father, and my God, and your God. I'll be to them a God, and
they shall be to me a people." He sends her back to the disciples. Now, in closing, let's turn over
to Mark's account. Verse 18 says, Mary Magdalene
came and told the disciples that she'd seen the Lord, and that
He had spoken these things unto her. She went back and told them
exactly what the Lord told her to tell them. Now look at Mark
16, beginning in verse 9. Now when Jesus was risen, early
the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene,
out of whom He had cast seven devils. And she went and told
them that had been with Him as they mourned and wept. And they,
when they had heard that He was alive and had been seen of her,
believed not." They didn't believe her. This woman's crazy. She's seeing things. They didn't
believe her. After that, He appeared in another
form unto two of them as they walked and went into the country.
You remember that in Luke chapter 24 when He appeared to the two
as they walked to Emmaus and when He said, you know, they
said, did not our hearts burn within us as He walked with us
by the way and opened to us the Scriptures? He appeared in another
form unto two of them as they walked and went into the country
and they went and told it unto the rest of the disciples. Neither
believed they then. They didn't believe. Afterward, He appeared unto the
eleven, as they said it meet." When did they believe? When He
appeared to them. When the Lord speaks your name
and appears to you, you will believe. You won't have any choice. You will believe, and you'll
follow Him." Verse 14, "...afterward He appeared unto the eleven,
as they said at meet, and upbrighted them with their unbelief and
hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen
Him after He was risen, And He said unto them, Go ye
into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth
not shall be damned." That's a strong statement, isn't it?
He that believeth and is baptized. Does that mean baptism saves
you? No. No. But if someone refused to be
baptized, The Lord's never done anything for them. Baptism is
your public confession of the Lord Jesus Christ. He that believeth
and is baptized. Remember Lydia, whose heart the
Lord opened so that she attended the things which Paul had spoken?
And what's the first thing she did? She was baptized. He that
believeth and is baptized shall be saved. But he that believeth
not, and notice it doesn't say, he that believeth not and is
not baptized, it just says, he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow
them that believe in my name, so they cast out devils. They
shall speak with new tongues, they shall take up serpents,
and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them.
They shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. So then
after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into
heaven, and sat on the right hand of God, and they went forth,
and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming
the word with signs following. Amen.