Shall we turn in our Bible to the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of John? The twentieth chapter in the Gospel according to John? There's a remarkable statement in the last chapter of the Gospel of Mark where we find Mark writing that the first person to whom the Lord ever appeared on that resurrection morning was Mary Magdalene. Shall we read the account of it in John chapter twenty, beginning, if I may, at verse one, and reading down through verse eighteen? The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, while it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre in fear for stone taken away from the sepulchre. Then she runeth and cometh to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved. And sepulcher then they have taken away the Lord out of the sepulcher, and we know not where they have laid him. Peter therefore went forth in that other disciple and came to the sepulcher. So they ran both together. And the other disciple did outrun Peter. and came first to the sepulchre. And he stooped down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying. Yet went he not in. Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre and three of the linen clothes lying. And the napkin that was about his head not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. Then went in that other disciple, which came first to the sepulcher, and he saw and believed. For as yet they knew not the scripture that he must rise again from the den. Then the disciples went away again unto their own home. But Mary stood without the sepulcher weeping. And as she wept, she stooped down and looked into the sepulcher. And she of two angels in white, sitting the one at the head and the other at the feet where the body of Jesus had lain. And they say unto her, Woman, Why weepest thou? She said unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that he was Jesus. Jesus said unto her, Woman, why weepest thou, whom seekest thou? She supposing him to be the god that said unto him, Sir, if thou have borne in hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus said unto her, Mary, she turned herself and said unto him, Thabonai, which is to say, Master or Teacher, Jesus said unto her, Touch me not, For I am not yet ascended to my Father, but go to my brethren and tell them, Say unto them, I ascend unto my Father and your Father, unto your God, unto my God and your God. And Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her. May God bless the reading and hearing of this delightful account on the first resurrection morning of our Savior from among the dead when he appeared, first of all, to Mary Magdalene. Mary Magdalene is one of the outstanding characters in the record of the life of the Lord Jesus, one of his converts without any question of doubt. And we find on two occasions, one in the Gospel of Luke chapter eight, the other in Mark chapter sixteen, that it is recorded of Mary Magdalene that out of her Jesus cast seven demons. Her salvation is indicated. by what the Blessed Lord Jesus Christ had done for her. Living as she did in the area of Magdala, in that portion of Israel, where at the time the Lord was upon the earth, very busily he was casting out demons from many people, healing the sick, preaching and teaching, and giving out the gospel and the teaching of the kingdom of God and the word of God, dear. When on that one occasion, ultimately, he did that which was the greatest gift of blessing to Mary Magdalene, the casting out of the satanic power with which she had been gripped for so long. When she came into the possession, or when the spirits that were evil, came into the possession of Mary Magdalene, and how we have no record. But we do have the testimony of divine inspiration. She was possessed of seven demons, completely bound in a captive of Satan. Demon-possessed people were far different than the many whom the Lord Jesus may have healed, and did heal because of their sickness, their lameness, or whatever may have been their physical difficulty. that those possessed of demons had no control of themselves. They were completely in the power of the satanic demons who possessed them. Many of the sick and the afflicted could come to the Lord Jesus and be healed, and others could ring them. But the demoniac possessed people. They had no will of their own. to come to the Lord Jesus, controlled by satanic power. Some were brought to the Lord Jesus, as we may read in the account of the gospel, but under their own power and in their own willingness, they could not and did not come to him. But with his almighty power, He cast out many demons. One particular one we may remember in chapter five of the Gospel according to Mark, possessed of so many demons that their name was Leighton, but only by the almighty power of the Savior were they cast out. Likewise with Mary Magdalene, she was in the grip and under systemic power of the evil spirit, when Jesus came and delivered us. How and when he did it, we have no knowledge, but we do have the confirmation of it. He cast them out, and oh, what joy to recognize. He not only had power over disease, he not only had power over death, But even when he was upon the earth, he had power over the evil spirit of the evil one. And Mary Magdalene was an object of his grace, of his mercy. And she appreciated it. Her salvation began when the miracle had been done. We have no knowledge where it was done, perhaps in her own home vicinity. But nevertheless, the moment it was done, she became his devoted follower. We read in the Gospel of Luke, chapter eight, the first three verses, that the Lord Jesus went about teaching, preaching, in all the cities, in all the villages, heralding the good news of the kingdom of God. and his disciples were with him. And we read that there were women going along with him. One of them was Mary Magdalene. Another was Joanna, the wife of the steward of Herod. Another was Susanna, and there were many others. And when Mary Magdalene was delivered, she became a devoted follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. Would to God every one who's born again would do that today. She followed him. She listened to his teaching. Whenever he went, she went as much as she could, and evidently most of the time. Together with Susanna, together with Joanna and others, and most of them and probably Mary Magdalene. was sufficiently wealthy that they could pay their own way. And we read of them in Luke's account. These women minister to him of their substance. She was not only a devoted follower of the Lord Jesus, she devoted her substance to the Lord Jesus to support him. And there were other women doing it too. It may not be generally known, but in those early days, many pious women followed wherever a faithful or an able teacher of the law of Moses traveled over the land teaching. They followed them when they were attached to them because of their teaching and supported them as they were able to do. So did Mary Magdalene. She not only devoted her time and her life in following him, she devoted her substance in helping him. Furthermore, she was one of the very few who followed him to the cross. As we read in John chapter nineteen, verse twenty-five, standing by the cross of Jesus, as he was there upon that cross crucified, there stood Mary, the mother of Jesus, Mary, the wife of Joseph, Joseph, and Mary Magdalene stood there. May I say faithfully, And to the credit and the glory of God, Mary Magdalene, was faithful to that Savior, to his death. Standing by his cross. And that one who had delivered her from seven demons, she saw him crucified. And in her devotion to his person. She thankfully stood watching why they took away her sin. What a privilege that must have been. There were two things that were taking place for her encouragement and blessing. She may not have realized it at the time. There upon that cross, for all the hours he was there, and especially the last three hours, she watched it in her devotion and her attachment to his person, taking away the sin of the world. Oh, beloved, She would not know if it in the words of John Bunyan as he wrote the story of Pilgrim, far away. One could say at that time that she only knew the word, blessed cloth, blessed Africa, yea, rather blessed be the one who there was put to shame for me. But may I give you another thought? She was not only witnessing that he was taking away the sins of the world, But unknowingly she was witnessing the greatest victory and the greatest battle that the Savior had ever fought. We read as the Savior nears the cross in the record of the gospel. John's gospel particularly in chapter twelve he declares, Now is the judgment of this world. Now is the prince of this world, judge. And that blessed one who had wrestled with Satan in the desert wilderness for forty days and forty nights in a triumph, was now to face the foe in the greatest battle of the cross, surrounded by the enemy and the foes that hated him so greatly, and desired his destruction, even Satan. Now is the prince of this world judged, said the Lord Jesus. And what joy to recognize is recorded in the epistle of Colossians chapter two. He triumphed over the principalities and powers of evil and Satan and all of his hosts. And we say in the language of the hymn writer, bless, bless the conqueror slain, slain, yea in his weakness. And yet, by that death upon the cross, he conquered over sin and death and hell and Satan. Well might he say, as he did later to John and the Isle of Passport, I am he that liveth and became dead. And behold, I am alive forevermore, and at the age of death and Hades. Oh, my beloved that adversary of man and of God who had brought the keys of death into the human race was deceived at the cross and the one who had cast out of her seven demons conquered all the realm of demons by his death upon the cross what of it and the joy of knowing her devotion to him on the cross. Furthermore, as you may read in Matthew's account of his burial, it was a very small funeral party that attended his funeral. Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus, as he undertook to bury the body of the Lord Jesus. Who was there? The first one that is mentioned in the account of Matthew, Mary Magdalene. and the other Mary was in. She couldn't give him up. Her devotion was so great. She watched him buried and noted where he was buried. And the next day, being a Sabbath, she had to rest according to the custom of the Lord. but they went hurriedly to prepare spices in order that they come to and anoint the body in a later day. And then, then, when it was dark, Mary Magdalene was the first one of the Sepulchre. Her devotion in life, her devotion at his death, her devotion at his burial, I mean, even on the day of resurrection, she was the first one of the sepulchre. And how the tomb was then seen. She was looking for a dead body. Most unfortunately, but she was not the only one. But she hates to tell Peter and John his two favorite disciples. They've taken away the Lord. We know not where they have laid him with their message. They've taken away the Lord and they hate. One disciple outruns the other. One can well understand Peter's feet were not very swift on that occasion. He could only recall that he had just denied that blessed Lord before his crucifixion. And John was the first of the Sepulchre, but went not in. Peter went in and found nothing but the linen clothes laying, and the knacking in a place by itself. And please may I point out to you the significance. He came through the clothes that were lying still there at his resurrection. But he took the napkin which surrounded that tide and untied it himself and laid it in another place to prove that he had risen himself from the dead. And may I point out this wonderful truth. The napkin in the New Testament is the symbol of service. Do you remember the parable of the talent? One man wrapped his talent in a napkin and didn't use it. That napkin was the symbol of serving the master. And when the Lord took the napkin from his head and laid it, on one side his earthly service was set in. Hallelujah. I wish I could say that of mine perfectly. Peter and John go home. But Mary stood without the sepulchre weeping. Why? She had no home. Her home was Christ. Is he yours? Is he mine? What devotion? Her home was Christ. She could only stay where she knew he had been laid on the last occasion that she knew of. How dare she laugh. And soothing down in the sepulchre, she sees two angels, one at the head, the other of the things where the body of Jesus is laid. What a beautiful picture of the cherubim, the cherubim in the Old Testament tabernacle. Do you remember the Old Testament tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant? The mustard seed above it and the cherubim with their wings touching each other and their faces gazing down? But may I say that every sight of the cherubim didn't interest Mary. Angels couldn't take the place of their Lord. Not ten thousand of them. Woman, why weep us down? They asked her. They have taken away my Lord. And did you ever know if I hope you have in the reading of it? When she came to Peter and John, she said, They have taken away the Lord. But when she's alone there at the sepulchre with the angel, they've taken away my Lord. Is mine? Oh, the joy of knowing. Like the song of Solomon, she could say, My beloved is mine, and I am here. They've taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. It was him, she wondered. That was all. Can I ask the question, my heart, your heart, above all in the world, the dearest on the earth? Is he above them all? My Lord, my Lord. She turns away from the angels. So a lot of people would have stayed around and looked at them and tried to talk to them. Oh, no. Ten thousand angels would never comfort Mary. And may I say very frankly, ten thousand angels can't comfort you and me either. If you know him as your savior, He's the God of all comfort. Who comforteth us in all our tribulation and so on. And as she turns herself there standing by, unknown to her, unrecognized in his glorified body, was the Savior himself. And she's supposing him to be the God. Says, Tell me where thou wast laid him. And there's a woman. Tell me where you put him. I'll take him away. In all the feminine weakness, there was the spiritual desire and strength to put him where she thought he ought to be laid. What devotion. But she knew him not until my sheep hear my voice. And I know then. and they follow me, said the Lord Jesus in John chapter ten. Also he called us his sheep by name. Every shepherd of the flock in the day, in the biblical days, any shepherd of the flock, he had a name for every sheep. If I, up to recent years they'd done it yet in the land of Palestine before Israel occupied it as the nation. The shepherds knew every sheep by a name, called them by the name. And it wasn't particularly, and it never was particularly, the name that called their attention to the shepherd. It was the voice, how he said it, the inflection of his tone. And the Lord Jesus said to us, in all the tenderness of his love and the greatness of his compassion. Mary. She knew him. My sheep hear my voice. She knew him. And she immediately said, Rabunai, meeting my teacher. My teacher. Allah. Rabunai means my teacher. Oh, my beloved, she had the best teacher that ever lived. As children, I recall, we used to sing a little hymn of the Lord Jesus on the earth, and we used to sing a refrain, I wish I could have been with him then. But she followed him wherever he went. She followed him to the cross. She followed him to the burial. She followed him to seek his body in the empty tomb. And now she found him alive. My teacher! That's a liar. The one sure thing she can still be taught, can't she? He's living. Rabonai. My teacher. My beloved, may I say again, I'm ashamed and humiliated in person to realize the devotion of this dear woman, out of whom the Lord cast seven demons, a devotion to him, to follow him, to listen to his teaching, and follow him wherever she could and was faithful right to the end. And here he was before her alive. And she the first one to whom he revealed himself. He revealed himself first to a powerful, a very powerful but a devoted heart. He revealed himself also later on to a soiled conscience when he revealed himself to Peter. In Luke chapter twenty four he revealed himself to straying feet. They were leaving Jerusalem and going back to Emmaus. You follow the first resurrection day of the Lord Jesus' life? At the beginning of his day, will you remember the words that are written in the prophecy of Zechariah, quoted in Matthew? Away fall forward against my shepherd, smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered. And you very well know that every disciple left him and forsook him. The sheep was scattered. But the Lord Jesus began to gather his sheep together, the first resurrection morning. And the first one he met and revealed himself to was Mary Magdalene. And Peter, to strain his feet to Emmaus, and then others as we well know. And at the end of the day, he had them all in the upper room and he came in the midst. Well, I'm glad he is there. Well, the joy to realize that first day's ministry he was bringing back the sheep to himself. And the first one, a sorrowful but a devoted heart, Mary. And then he gives her the greatest commission and its disciple has ever had. Oh, yes. Let me say it humbly, but faithfully and emphatically. It was something better, higher, greater in its contents the message he gave her to give that even the gospel of grace of the world. And all it is you have it in the nineteenth verse. As you may read, Jesus said unto her, Touch me not, in the seventeenth verse. Touch me not. Oh, my beloved, there's no question of doubt. She was about to clasp him around its feet and worship him. No, don't touch me. I'm not yet ascending unto my school, but go to my brethren and tell them. I ascend unto my father and your father, and unto my God and your God. My beloved, I want you to know three things. The Lord Jesus in the message given to us says, Go to my brethren. That's the first time the Lord Jesus ever used the word mine in relation to his brethren. They were not that until he had redeemed them. And you've got it in Ephesians chapter one, predestinated to be his sons, sons of God, holding him without blame before him in love. The work was done. And now, as you read in chapter two of the Hebrews, as well as in the Horde, you saw, he's not ashamed to call them brethren. My brethren. And thank God, may I say in lovingly, heavenly brethren. Heavenly brethren. I ascend unto my Father and your Father. My Father is your Father. My beloved, may I say emphatically no Old Testament saint in the relationship that the New Testament saint of the church age can, no Old Testament saint could call God in that relationship my Father. But God has sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your heart and mind whereby we cry, Abba cross. My brethren, and now my father's your father. Beloved, please let me say again, the joy of knowing the revelation of God as my father, when redeemed by the blood of his son, And the Lord added, but also my God and your God. And may I add, the Lord Jesus never could and never would and never should call God, God, until he was man. In that bygone eternity he was the son with the father. He was not a man. But you remember the words of Psalm chapter twenty two? Thou art my God from my mother's belly. Oh, the condescension that the eternal Son of God became man. And that was the first occasion he was able to ask man to call on God as God. Even though he was still the Son of his Father. Blessed mystery. Precious mystery. Great. Great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifested in the flesh. My Father, your Father, my God, your God. And he gives me that. Well, you know, bless your soul to realize. It's the greatest message to realize when you find yourself saved, you can call God Father. Your Father. I remember years ago witnessing, preaching in the open air in my youth. In my early days in the northern city, a man listening very carefully to the message with a little child with him invited me to go and visit his home if I wouldn't talk with him. He said, I'm a socialist. Today he would have said, I'm a communist. It was way back in nineteen twenty sometimes. I went to his home to try and reveal to him through the book as best I could, the reality of God and so on. But I never will forget when I made a statement to him across the kitchen table with him, where I sat, I can call God my Father. He just reeled back in his chair and looked at me in amazement. What? Your Father? Thank God I can. Oh, beloved, the joy of knowing Mary was able to take the message, His Father is our Father. His God is our God. What an eternal relationship. But what a revelation. To whom? A devoted heart. Please me, I say lovingly. I don't know what your heart is. If there's any sorrow in it. Never mind if you're sorrowful. Look, be devoted. Be devoted to Christ. and Mary Magdalene, out of whom was cast seven devils, was devoted to the Lord Jesus from her conversion and salvation without question of doubt. And she proved it. And the Lord honored her by revealing himself to her first on the day of his resurrection. My humble prayer is today Wherever the gospel is preached here and everywhere, the Holy Spirit will reveal Christ and many a heart and soul that's bound by sin and Satan in the bondage and tyranny of evil. Oh, hallelujah, what a Savior. May God bless his word, but more than that. May he chums your heart, my fellow believer and mine. Am I a devoted follower? Like Mary Magdalene, thank you, Brother John.