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First Baptist Church of El Dorado - Sermons
Tune in each week as Pastor Taylor Geurin leads us into a study of God's Word.
First Baptist Church of El Dorado - Sermons
From Garden to Glory: The Day Everything Changed | John 20:11-18
The resurrection of Jesus Christ represents a pivotal moment that transformed both history and our personal relationship with God. When Jesus calls us by name, our sorrows are silenced, our standing secure, and our stories forever shaped by His triumph over the grave.
• Some days change the world – Gutenberg's printing press (1440), American Independence (1776), Pearl Harbor (1941), 9/11 (2001)
• Other days change our personal world – weddings, births, hard news
• Mary Magdalene stood between two world-changing days – Jesus' crucifixion and His unexpected resurrection
• The resurrection silences our sorrow – when Jesus simply spoke Mary's name, her weeping turned to joy
• Our sorrows have an expiration date because of the resurrection (Revelation 21:4)
• The resurrection secures our standing – Jesus now calls disciples "brothers" and speaks of "my Father and your Father"
• In John's Gospel, Jesus mentions "Father" 120 times, but only after resurrection does He say "your Father"
• The resurrection shapes our story – Mary's testimony became simply "I have seen the Lord"
• All believers share this core testimony regardless of how they came to faith
• We are resurrection people not just on Easter but every day
If you don't yet have this story as your own, today can be the day the resurrection changes everything for you. Come talk to a pastor about how you can know Jesus personally.
much work with the orchestra. We are beyond blessed. Will you open with me to John chapter 20? John chapter 20 is where we'll be for a few moments this morning. I'm going to read John 20, verses 11 through 18.
Speaker 1:But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb and as she wept, she stooped to look into the tomb and she saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her Woman why are you weeping? She said to them they have taken away my Lord and I do not know where they've laid him. Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her woman why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking? Supposing him to be the gardener? She said to him Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him and I will take him away. Jesus said to her Mary. She turned and said to him in Aramaic Rabboni, which means teacher. Jesus said to her Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father, but go to my brothers and say to them I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God, mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples I have seen the Lord and that he had said these things to her.
Speaker 1:Let's pray together. Lord Jesus, we do. Thank you for your word. We thank you for the resurrection that your word speaks about, the truth of it, the reality of it, how it changed not just a day 2,000 years ago, but changes every day, both now and into eternity. Would you speak now through your word, transform us by your word. We ask in Christ's name, amen.
Speaker 1:There are some days that change the world. There's some days that change the world, and there's certainly days that change our world. Personally as well, I think of some days that changed the world. In 1440, a man with the last name Gutenberg created what's called the printing press. You've probably done nine or ten things. This morning, whether you know it or not, is thanks to that invention. If you have a Bible in your hand, you can say thank you for that invention. There was a day in July of 1776 where a country gained its independence. There was a day in December of 1941 in Hawaii when a war happening over there very much became our war. There was a day in New York City in September of 2001 that changed everything for a nation. There's days, personally, that don't just change the world, but maybe days that change your world, Some of them unbelievably fantastic your wedding day, the birth of your children, the day you got the promotion, the first day of kindergarten, the first day of college. There's fantastic days. There's hard days that change your world as well. When you get the call you didn't see coming, when you get the news you couldn't have imagined.
Speaker 1:There's days that change the world and days that change our world For Mary Magdalene. We come to the tomb today and Mary Magdalene's really standing between two days that change the world and change her world. One day was just a couple days back, when her savior and friend, jesus, was put on the cross and then laid in a tomb. Now she arrives at that tomb on the first day of the week, not knowing yet how this will be a day that will change everything.
Speaker 1:In chapter 20, verses 1 through 10, we see the beginning of this story. We see Mary Magdalene arrives at the tomb and when she gets there, she sees something. She sees that the stone has been rolled away. Now, if you know where this story is going, you hear that the stone's rolled away and you're saying this is fantastic news. This is why we're here this morning. But for Mary, this was, at this time, terrible news. Because Mary says this if the stone has been rolled away, dead men don't walk out of tomb. So that means that someone has come and has stolen the body of Jesus. Mary is distraught. She goes and gets Peter and John. They run to the tomb. They see that it's empty. They believe, but Mary's not quite there yet.
Speaker 1:Verse 11,. We see this. But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. She's weeping, she's in tears. This is the same word weeping that's used outside of another tomb in John.
Speaker 1:In John, chapter 11, when the mourners stand outside of Lazarus's tomb, they are weeping. This is tears for someone, for Mary, who is not only dead but insult to injury is dead and now has been taken. She's weeping and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb Verse 12, and she saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head, one at the feet. These two angels are there Verse 13,. They said to her woman why are you weeping? She said to them they have taken away my Lord and I do not know where they have laid him. My Lord, my friend, the one I've followed now for three years. They've taken him away and I don't have a clue where he is. Verse 14,.
Speaker 1:Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Now I pause there and ask a question how in the world did she not know that it was Jesus? Now I pause there and ask a question how in the world did she not know that it was Jesus? Because this is Mary Magdalene. And again, mary Magdalene has followed Jesus now for three years. She's a close follower, she's a close friend. She's been through some things with Jesus. In fact, in Luke, chapter eight, we meet Mary Magdalene because she's one who has been oppressed and possessed by the evil one, and Jesus actually cast the evil one out, and so now she is set free from this. If anybody should remember that face and know what Jesus looks like, it's got to be Mary Magdalene, and yet she turns around in this moment and she doesn't have a clue who it is.
Speaker 1:Now, maybe there's some natural reasons we could give for this. Maybe, obviously she's been weeping, maybe her eyes are filled with tears and so through those tears. She can't see. Jesus can't make out who it is. Maybe there's another natural reason. She's been looking into this dark tomb. She turns around and from darkness to light the eyes haven't adjusted. There's plenty of natural ways you could say it. Maybe I would argue more is the case that something supernatural is at play, that Jesus is not revealing himself until he desires to reveal himself.
Speaker 1:It's like in Luke, chapter 24, when two disciples are walking with Jesus on the road to Emmaus after Jesus's resurrection. They have a few miles worth of conversation and again, these are disciples. Yet it's only till about halfway through that walk that Jesus reveals who he actually is. Jesus doesn't show his identity yet because there's a quick conversation that's going to unfold Verse 15. Jesus said to her woman why are you weeping? The same questions the angels asked. And then next, whom are you seeking? This is the exact same question Jesus asked that we saw last week in John 18.
Speaker 1:When there's 600 soldiers waiting to arrest him and Jesus asks them the question whom are you seeking? They say Jesus of Nazareth. And yet that question will lead to his arrest and him being put on a cross. He asks it this time and it's about to lead to the best news Mary could ever imagine. Whom are you seeking? Then it says this, supposing him to be the gardener. Was that so interesting to me? Mary just thinks he's the gardener. He's just kind of coming here at the first morning of the week tending the garden. We've been in a few gardens lately In Genesis, we walked through the garden of Eden for a few weeks, last week in the garden of Gethsemane, and now we're in this new garden and Mary thinks it's the gardener.
Speaker 1:In one sense she's very much wrong and in another, maybe a spiritual sense, she's very much right the gardener who can bring life up from the ground. And she said to him sir, if you had carried him away, just tell me where you've laid him and I will take him away. Basically, she's saying this sir, if you know anything about this, if you know where he is, I'll give you an out right now, no questions asked. If you can just get the body back, he's a dear friend, he deserves a proper burial, he deserves to rest in peace. If you can just give us the body of Jesus back, that'll be enough for us.
Speaker 1:The very next verse changes everything. This becomes a day that changes not just Mary's life but truly changes the world. This is where we see the first of the three things I want us to see today, and number one is this that the resurrection silences our sorrow. Look with me, verse 16. Jesus said to her Mary. She turned around and said to him in Aramaic, rabboni, which means teacher. Jesus now reveals himself by just saying a word, just calling out her name. He just says Mary.
Speaker 1:I think about earlier in John, jesus says that he is the good shepherd. And what does he say? He says the good shepherd. He knows his sheep and his sheep hear his voice. He calls them by name. Well, right in this moment he's calling one sheep by name and just says that name, mary and in that moment not just her physical eyes but the eyes of her heart are opened Again. We saw last week that at the name, when Jesus just speaks one thing, he says I am all the troops fall to the ground. And now this week, all he has to say is the word Mary and the eyes of her heart are opened and everything changes.
Speaker 1:For Mary Magdalene, this is no longer a mere gardener, this is no longer some kind of grave robbery situation. Well, in a sense it is a grave robbery, but no one stole a body. Now everything is changed, because Jesus has walked out of the grave. And not only has he walked out of the grave, he's called out my name. He says Mary, and in this moment her sorrows cease, they're silenced. The one who was weeping just like at the tomb of Lazarus, now outside the tomb of Jesus, her heart is now filled with joy. Do you know? The resurrection silences our sorrow. What once was hopeless, what once was devastatingly bad news that you and I are more sinful than we even thought possible. Now there is new news, there is a new story to tell that Jesus Christ has risen and in this moment, our sorrows are silenced.
Speaker 1:Now you could look at me this morning and say something. You say this Taylor, I believe in the resurrection. I know Jesus rose from the grave. You're not going to find someone who believes that more than me. But, taylor, the reality is I believe in the resurrection, but I got to be honest. I still have plenty of sorrows, Like there's plenty of sorrows in my life to go around. You might say everything is not as it should be right now, and if that's you this morning, I would say this I couldn't agree with you more. And we're all in the same boat here that if you know Jesus, we can say we believe in the resurrection.
Speaker 1:But sorrows are real. We have walked through sorrow, we do walk through sorrow. We will walk through sorrow. You may be in this room this morning and, though certainly you come in on a beautiful Easter morning and there's a smile on your face, you're even hiding some of the sorrow that lies underneath and you might say the reality is in my life right now. There are some broken things.
Speaker 1:So, pastor, what do you mean when Jesus's resurrection silences our sorrow? What I don't mean is this I don't mean that we will never face sorrow. Jesus tells us in this world. You will have trial, you will have sorrow, you will have suffering. What I do mean is this that because of resurrection, our sorrow does have an expiration date. Our sorrow one day will cease. Because I got to tell you I did what you're not supposed to do when you're reading any other book, but I flipped to the end of the story.
Speaker 1:I just got a sneak peek of what's coming and the new heavens and new as people are standing before the throne of the risen Lord Jesus Christ. What is said of them in verse 4 of chapter 21?. He will wipe every tear from their eyes and death shall be no more. Neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. And he who was seated on the throne said this Behold, I am making all things new. I don't know what you're walking through this morning, I don't know what you're walking through in your life right now, but I do know this that Christ has risen from the grave and therefore there will come a day when all of our sorrows will cease, and from the grave, and therefore there will come a day when all of our sorrows will cease, when Christ will sit on the throne as he is even now, for all eternity. And every sorrow, every fear, every anxiety, it all has an expiration date. The resurrection silences our sorrow, but I also want to see this the resurrection secures our standing. Look with me in verse 17.
Speaker 1:Jesus said to her do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Let's stop there for a second. Jesus says do not cling to me. That's interesting, I imagine. In this moment, mary is doing exactly what she should be doing, exactly what you would be doing if you saw Jesus Christ on the cross and in the moment, mary is doing exactly what she should be doing, exactly what you would be doing if you saw Jesus Christ on the cross and in the grave, and then, a few days later, he's standing before you. It sounds like she falls to the ground and just wraps her arms around his ankle. She's not letting go. She's not letting go of Jesus.
Speaker 1:This is a seemingly worshipful posture from Mary Magdalene, but it's strange. Jesus says do not cling to me. What does he mean by that? Does that sound a little rude? She's just trying to worship you, jesus. Why are you saying this? He's not being rude, of course he's Jesus. He's not a rude guy. But he's basically saying this Don't cling to me because this story is continuing. Mary, don't cling to me because there's still work to do. And in fact, mary Magdalene, you've got a mission. He's about to send Mary out with a message, not just to the disciples, but really to the world, that Christ Jesus has risen. He says this do not cling to me, for I've not yet ascended to the Father, but go to the world that Christ Jesus has risen. He says this Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father, but go to my brothers. Now let's stop there for a second.
Speaker 1:Already we're seeing things are getting very personal on the other side of the resurrection. Throughout the Gospel of John, jesus talks about brothers, and yet it always means a literal, biological brother. There's something about the other side of the resurrection that Jesus can look at his disciples and say my brothers. But it's about to get even more personal. Go to my brothers and say to them I am ascending to my father and your father, to my God and your God. Did you catch that? My Father and your Father, my God and your God. Let's start at the end of that, because it may sound a little strange for Jesus to say my God and your God. Taylor, we believe Jesus is God. Why does it sound like that's someone different from him? It's no one different from him. Jesus is God in flesh. He's just ascending to God, the Father, where he sits at the right hand of the throne of God, and so in this moment he gets very personal as we secure our standing to my Father and your Father. Think about this In the Gospel of John, 120 times Jesus mentions the father, uses language of father, 120 times.
Speaker 1:Every one of those times it is used in one of two ways, where Jesus will say my father, or Jesus will say the father, until one moment. It's this moment where the resurrection moves this relational standing in a different direction, where Jesus can say I'm now ascending to my Father, and here's the change, and your Father To my God and your God. The resurrection secures our standing, that you and I, who were once enemies of God, who were once dead in sin, because of the resurrection, christ has walked out of a grave. Christ has defeated sin and death. And now you and I, who completely don't deserve it, who have nothing of our own worth or merit to earn our way to the Father. We have nothing of our own worth or merit to earn our way to the Father Because now Christ is risen from the grave, we're clothed in the righteousness of Christ and we too can say this to the God of the universe you are not just a father or a God, you are my Father, my God. That's not just Mary's story, that's your story, if you know Christ, jesus.
Speaker 1:And I think about that idea of father. I have two little ones of my own, james and Olivia, five years old, one year old. I just wonder this. Is there anything they could do? Is there anything they could say? Is there any action that they could do? Is there anything they could say? Is there any action that they could do that would make me, as their father, look them in the eyes and say James, olivia, I just don't know if this is working out anymore. Is there anything they could do that would make me snatch away my fatherhood? Is there anything they could do? You know the answer to this Absolutely nothing. And I tell them very often that there's nothing you could do that would make me love you any less. I even tell them this there's nothing you could do to make me love you more. I just love you the full extent that fatherhood allows. There's no more to gain. And, guys, I'm an imperfect father. I'm a human, imperfect father who makes mistakes, doesn't always get it right, so multiply that kind of love times. The God of the universe, who allows you to come into his presence and say this, my father, that's how the resurrection secures your standing, that's how the resurrection allows you to be called children of God. Not only does the resurrection silence our sorrow, not only does the resurrection secure our standing. I want you to see this the resurrection shapes our story. Look at verse 18.
Speaker 1:So Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples I have seen the Lord and that he had said these things to her. She had a whole, you know story she was supposed to give. She had many words that Jesus had said say these specific things. But I imagine, mary, she runs to the house where the disciples are. I imagine she bursts through the door. I imagine she's completely out of breath and she's got this whole script she's working on. But she gets into the room with the disciples and all she can say is five words in the English, three words in the Greek. It's this I have seen the Lord. That's her testimony. That is her story. It's simply this I've seen the Lord. And not only is that Mary's story. If you know Christ Jesus, that is your story.
Speaker 1:I think, about everyone in this room, if you know Jesus Christ personally, that you have a story One. You have a story, first and foremost, of what Christ has done the cross, the resurrection but you also have a story, a testimony, of how Christ's work has come into your life, how he has saved you. You have a testimony Maybe you're in here and your testimony is that you grew up in a home and your parents had you at church every time the doors were open. But there was a moment where Christ opened your heart and that faith moved away from being mom and dad's faith and it became your faith. Maybe there was a moment in your own life that you spent many years not knowing a thing about the Lord and maybe through a conversation, through something you read or something you saw, your eyes became open and over time you saw that Jesus Christ is the Savior For everyone in this room that knows Christ. There is a little bit different of a testimony, a story, and I praise God for that.
Speaker 1:But I think about all of our stories. If, for just a moment, you were to kind of strip them all down, bring them all the way down to find the one common denominator in all of it, I would imagine we could strip it down just to this. For everybody that knows Jesus Christ, it's these five words I have seen the Lord, I've seen him. I have seen the Lord, I've seen him. He changed everything. I didn't deserve him, I couldn't earn it, but I've seen him. And I think about this If you're a believer in this room, if you know Jesus Christ, that testimony is your testimony, not just for you.
Speaker 1:But please, by all means, remind yourself of that daily. Wake up in the morning, put your feet on the floor, remind yourself of the gospel and of the fact that I have seen the Lord, but then also do this, take it forward, just like Mary Magdalene did, because there's people around you that need to know that you have seen the Lord. There's people around you that need to know of the joy that you have, of the life that you have. If you're a believer in this room, you have a story and you have a mission. If you're in this room and maybe you don't know the Lord, maybe that's not a story that you have. You know you've done things you're not proud of, but you don't know where that forgiveness is found. You hadn't yet trusted in the one who can forgive sins.
Speaker 1:Maybe you're in the room and you've been here many years, or this is your first day in the room. Maybe you're watching online and you found us on purpose, or you found us by accident. Maybe you were just walking downtown and they had coffee and treats and you said I can hang around for a little bit. However, you're here, praise God. You're here, but maybe today is when this story becomes your story. But maybe today is when this story becomes your story, when the reality of those five words I have seen the Lord becomes something that you say in your life, because we celebrate a resurrected Savior. We celebrate a Savior that was so willing to take our sin upon himself, pay for our sin upon the cross.
Speaker 1:If you want to know where forgiveness is found, it's in the name of Jesus, the one who is now alive and well, sitting on the throne of God. Is today the day that story becomes your story, that you can say I have seen the Lord. I believe there's no better day for it, because I believe in the resurrection, I believe that the resurrection silences our sorrow, I believe the resurrection secures our standing, I believe that the resurrection shapes our story. And so we are resurrection people and we celebrate the resurrection. But we don't just do it on Easter Sunday. We do it every time we gather and every time in between, because, again, we are resurrection people. I praise God for that day that changed everything, changed the world, changed Mary Magdalene. It changed me. I pray that it has changed you or I pray that even now it will change you.
Speaker 1:How do you need to respond this morning. Maybe you are in here and you want that story to be your story. I'm going to be down front in just a moment. I would love nothing more than on an Easter Sunday in 2025 to get to talk to you about Jesus and how you can make that story your story. You come see me. Maybe you want to respond and let a pastor pray with you. I'd love nothing more. Maybe you want to respond on an Easter Sunday to come be a part of this church family.
Speaker 1:However, you need to respond. Maybe it's right where you're at, just praying and just saying once again Lord Jesus, thank you, thank you for the resurrection, but however you need to respond, I pray that you would do it. I'm going to pray for us and then we'll worship. Lord Jesus, I do thank you. I thank you so much for the cross, where you suffered and died for sin, and I thank you for the resurrection where you walked out of the tomb. It is only by that resurrection that we can have life and have it in fullness, have it abundantly. And so, lord, if there is one, if there are more this morning that do not know you, that want to make that story their story. I pray that they would, today, give them boldness. I just pray. If there's any decisions that need to be made, lord, would you let them happen, and I just pray that we would remember today, and remember every day, that we serve a risen Savior. We pray this in Christ's name, amen. Would you stand, I'll be down front. Let's continue in worship together.