The resurrected Jesus reveals himself to Mary Magdalene, who initially mistakes him for the gardener, demonstrating that the Lord speaks to individuals through His Word and the Holy Spirit. Though Mary sought only to find Jesus's physical body, Jesus calls her by name, leading her to recognize and acknowledge Him as her Master. This encounter illustrates that salvation involves turning to Christ as both Savior and Master, a personal decision each individual must make. The sermon concludes by urging listeners to turn to Jesus, who is readily available to save those who seek Him.
Restored with Diffio
Audio restored with Diffio. Diffio processed the original archive recording to reduce noise and produce a cleaner listening version; the original stays available.
Speech quality score (model-estimated, SCOREQ): before 2.41 → restored 3.99
Thank you. Greetings, friends. John's Gospel, chapter twenty, verse fourteen. We pray again the fact that Mary Magdalene stood without the sepulchre weeping, waiting in order that she might find the body of our Lord, that she might take him away. and takes his body to herself. She had said, If thou knowest where they have laid them, she would take them away.
In verse fourteen, she's speaking to the Lord, but doesn't know it. She doesn't recognize them. In fourteen, and when she thus said, she turned herself back and saw Jesus standing and knew not that it was Jesus. Many a time, friend, likely in your lifetime and mine, the Lord has spoken to you, as here he spoke to Mary. And we, like she, we didn't recognize that it was the Lord who was speaking to us. How does he speak to us today? In Mary's day he was there in person, in human form.
He had risen from the dead, the same body in which he died on the cross. And she's talking with them. He's communing with her, and she's answering him. How does he communicate with you and me today? Through his Holy Spirit, friends, through the Holy Spirit of God, using his word. The Word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing of the soul and the spirit and of the joints and the marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart, your heart and my heart.
So the Lord Jesus communicates to us through His Word. His word still is living word. The Bible, your Bible and mine, and His words there can speak directly to you and me as individuals, just as Jesus here, the Lord Jesus, take to Mary as an individual. Alone in the world of many peoples, but here is the Lord revealing himself to Mary an individual. Jesus said unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou?
Now he knew, but he is asking her to testify and to tell what is in her heart, in order that it may be recorded, if for no other purpose, in order that it may be recorded for you and me in this ninth, twentieth century, that we might read this conversation held by the Lord Jesus with one individual, Mary Magdalene, a marvellous lady. And she supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I who will take him away.
She is still thinking that they have taken him out of the tomb, and laid his body somewhere else, And if she can find it, she's going to take it away for herself. Yes, she was a bond servant of the Lord Jesus. He had done so much for her. She was willing to do all she could for him. She was one to him. He was the one who gave her eternal life. He was the one who gave her respectable life in this world, and she, appreciative of it, is willing to even take his body away if she can find it and keep him for herself.
If thou hast borne him hence, thinking he's still the gardener, tell me where thou slay them, and I will take him away. Then Jesus saith unto her, Mary, Ah, He'd heard her say that many times, and she knew that voice. She turned herself and said unto him, Rabonai, which is to say, Master, Master. Oh, my friends, the volumes of truth that is herein disclosed with these simple yet magnanimous words. Jesus said unto Mary her own name.
He spake her own name. Oh, how precious, then. The Lord Jesus knows your name. He knows mine. And he'll speak it directly to you, his word out of your Bible and mine, if we'll just let him. And we'll know just as clearly that he's speaking as if he were present in the room with you in bodily form. Have you ever had a personal account with the Lord Jesus? Have you ever had a personal visit, so to speak, in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ?
The one who endured the agonies of Calvary on account of your sin and mine, the one who answered to God for every one of those sins that we committed against God. And all of our sins are primarily earned, firstly, against God. Mary, and she knew it was him, and she turned and said, Rabonov, which is to say, Master, she had made him the one who was over her life. She had devoted her life to him. She was his servant, his bondservant, for life.
Because she wished to be. because she wished to be. Oh, my friends, here's a beautiful picture of salvation, a meeting with the Lord Jesus Christ. The one who's risen from the dead, he's just now risen, and Mary's the first person. She's the first human being, a lady, the first to speak with the Lord Jesus after he'd risen from the dead. How highly she was honored because she was willing to stand without the sepulchre and weep when others didn't come, and those who did come, John and Peter the Apostles, good men, great men, but they looked in and they saw nothing, but the clothes, and so they went back to their homes.
But Mary desired to see her Lord, desired to have a meeting with her Lord. My friends, have you any desire to meet with the Lord Jesus? right now. Would you like to know him as your Savior? Would you like to realize that he died and was buried and rose again for you? This is what Jesus says, the Lord Jesus says in his word. He gave his life a ransom for us all. He loves us each one. He knows all about us. Yet he loves us just the same. Our sins he hates. But as individuals, he loves us.
He loves you, my friend. Though you're a sinner, though you're in danger of a lost eternity, he loves you. He wants you to turn. The Lord Jesus spake to her, and she turned herself. Oh, friend, have you ever turned yourself away from all that's down here in this world of viciousness? some good, but most of it's bad. Have you ever turned yourself away from the world and all its false ways, and turned yourself even from yourself, and turned to the Lord Jesus Christ? Oh, my friend, have you done this?
This is salvation, to receive them as your Savior, and then your Master. She had heretofore received them as her Savior. Now she acclaims him, for the benefit of you and me, that he's her master. Have you ever turned to the Savior? Oh, my friend, there's an old hymn that says, Turn ye. Oh, turn ye, for why will you die? When Jesus, the Lord, the master, is calling for you to come, come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden. I will give you rest.
He'll give it to you, my friend. That's the only way you can get it. He'll save you. He'll do it. It's the only way you can ever be saved. But you must turn. Mary turned herself. Oh, what a lovely word. She turned herself and said unto him, Rebonah, which is the same, Master. My, my. If you ever said that to the Lord Jesus, Have you ever said, I'm now yours? I'm now your servant? I'm now yours because you died for me, and you're my master. You're my savior, my lord and master. Have you ever said that?
This is what it means, friend, to trust the savior for yourself. Mary turned. She turned herself. No one turned her. She turned herself. You'll have to turn yourself, friend. If you want to find a Savior, how far away is he? He's right behind, dear friend, just as Jesus was just behind Mary. Oh, he was able to say, Mary, with the softest, meekest voice. And Mary so close she heard him. And she turned himself, and there he was right beside her, right in front of her, when she turned herself. My friend, if you turn today, as a sinner guilty in laws.
And you want to be saved. If you turn, the Savior is right there. He's not so far away that he can't be touched by your cry. Why not turn and be saved now? Our Father, bless our great country, our President, and all of our great government. We pray that many souls will turn to the Lord Jesus. and be saved for time and eternity. We ask thy blessing in the name and for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.