Easter 2026

Discover how the worst day in history became the greatest day of hope in this powerful exploration of the Easter resurrection story. This message examines the transformation from Good Friday's devastation to Easter Sunday's victory, focusing on Mary Magdalene's unique encounter with the risen Jesus Christ. Learn why Mary Magdalene was the first to see Jesus alive and what her devotion teaches us about seeking God with our whole heart. Explore the compelling evidence for the resurrection, including the significance of the folded burial cloth that destroys theories about body theft. Understand how Jesus calling Mary's name represents the personal relationship He desires with each believer. This Easter message reveals how the resurrection impacts daily life, offering hope during difficult seasons and abundant life that begins now, not just in eternity. Discover practical ways to seek Jesus more intentionally and live with resurrection hope. Perfect for anyone struggling through difficult circumstances, questioning their faith, or seeking deeper meaning in the Easter story. Topics covered include biblical evidence for resurrection, overcoming life's worst days, finding hope in darkness, spiritual growth through seeking God, and preparing for Christ's return. Whether you're a longtime believer or exploring Christianity, this message demonstrates how the empty tomb changes everything about how we view our past failures, present struggles, and future hope. Learn how to apply resurrection power to your daily challenges and discover that because Jesus lives, your worst day doesn't have to be your final day.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

You know, this is a day I always look forward to, and I look forward to it for a lot of different reasons. Uh if we could turn off the choir amp, thanks. That works. Uh make a little less echo. Um, but I I've been preaching Easter for over 32 years. I want you to stop and think about that. If you had to preach the same thing over and over again, how many different ways could you do it? You're preaching the same passage, and the reality is that each and every year God shows me something new. He shows me something different. But the basic elements of the story never change. Uh, it is always Jesus died for our sins. He was buried. And then again, on the third day, he rose again to everlasting life. And every single one of the gospel writers tell the same story, but they tell it from a little different angle. And in you read through those stories, you notice that they leave certain people out of the story, and then this writer brings others back in. And this morning we're going to be looking at the Easter story, the resurrection of Jesus from the Gospel of John, chapter 20. If you have your Bibles with you this morning, let me invite you to go ahead and turn there. As you're turning there, let me ask you a question. What was your very worst day? What's the very worst day you've ever had in your life? And most of us immediately can bring that to mind, but most of us would never want to go back and relive it. If you know what your very worst day was, then Good Friday was the disciples' very worst day. It was when the unthinkable and the unimaginable happened. They watched their Lord and Savior, the one whom they intended to follow, the one who they thought was bringing in God's kingdom. They saw him betrayed, scourged, nailed to a cross, and then dropped in a hole, and then buried in a borrowed tomb. And if things couldn't be any worse, they had to wait another two days before they could go back and finish burial preparations. So during that entire time, the disciples are hiding in fear that what happened to their Lord and Master would also happen to them. And so they're locked away, hidden, out of sight, and in their hearts and minds they feel they're out of sight of God Himself. Because Jesus was the one they were pinning their hopes on. So how do you turn your worst day ever into what could possibly become your very best day? You have to read the story. Not only do you have to read the story, you have to experience the story. So in John, we're looking at the story through two main characters. We're looking at the Easter story through the eyes of Mary Magdalene. She was one of Jesus' followers, one of his disciples, not in the terms of the 12, but she was one of his followers, and through the eyes of John and Peter. So if you have your Bibles with you this morning, let's think back to the events of that first Easter morning. In John 20, verses 1 through 2, here's what it says. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they put him. Can you picture this? Here Mary is, and the other gospel writers tell us that there was another group of women, three, that went to the tomb with her before the sun came up. Mary Magdalene thought, you know, there's one thing that I want to do for my Lord and master because of everything he's done for me. See, Mary Magdalene, before she met Jesus, she had seven demons living inside of her. On the outside, you would think her life was okay because she was a prominent woman in the city in which she lived. That's why she's known as Mary the Magdalene. And she ended up having Jesus cast seven demons out of her, healed her mind, and healed her body. And it was something that she was forever grateful for. So she did her best to support his ministry financially, emotionally. And so she follows Jesus. And the last thing she wants to do is give him honor by anointing his body for a proper burial. So they get back to the tomb. They find the stone rolled away, an angel setting on top of it, saying, He's not here, he's risen, but I don't think she heard any of that. Because she looks in the tomb and she sees that the body's gone. She jumps to conclusions that someone came in the middle of the night, overpowered the guards, stole the body, and now Jesus' body is missing. Her worst day just got worse. And so she runs back and she tells Peter and John and the rest of the disciples, who are hiding, they didn't go to the tomb. I don't think they could bring themselves to face the reality that Jesus was no longer there. And so Peter and John bolt out the door and they run. It's literally a race. Who can get there first? And Johnson, he's writing this gospel, he got there first. I think Peter was right on his heels by the time he gets to the tomb, he is out of breath. And I'm taking this coat off. I just put it on because Jeremy was talking about everybody's Easter outfits. I thought, you know, the pastor's got to wear a jacket on Easter, so I threw one on this morning, but I'm much more comfortable this way. So here they are at the tomb, and they are looking to see if what Mary has said is true. And they find the stones already rolled away, a stone the size of a Volkswagen, basically is what we're talking about here. And it was sealed shut with an iron spike, sealed with the wax of the emperor, and anyone who opened that would have been liable to be put to death. So they get to the tomb. Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. It says he saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. You need to underline that in your Bible, because we're going to come back to it in a few minutes. And so John, who got to the tomb first, he's on the outside looking in. And I think that's like a lot of people who visit church on Christmas and Easter, they kind of feel like they're on the outside looking in. They know the story of Jesus' birth. They know the story of the resurrection, but yet, at the same time, they're not really following Jesus on a day-in, day out basis. And so, you know, these are the big things. His birth, his resurrection, but they can't figure out what that really means to me as a person. What hope does that give me? How does that make life different? And so John, he didn't want to be on the outside looking in anymore. So he goes into the tomb, and the scripture tells us that he looked, he saw the same things that Peter saw, but it tells us something else. It said, he saw and he what? He believed. Look at what it says. It says, he saw and believed. Have you ever noticed how it's possible for two people or three people to witness the same event and come to entirely different conclusions about what happened? You know, and so here you've got Peter. He looks in, he sees, and it doesn't tell us anything else about the conclusions that he came to. I think the only conclusion he came to at that moment is Jesus wasn't there. The body's gone. John looks in, sees the same thing, and comes to an entirely different conclusion. Even though the scriptures don't actually tell us what he believed, I think he believed much more than Jesus wasn't there. I believe he believed that Jesus had risen. And rather than sticking around, John and Peter and anyone else who decided to come, they go back to the upper room. Not realizing that a cataclysmic change has just happened. The world has shifted. Everything is now different. Easter has just changed everything. And maybe you've walked in here today on the heels of your worst day ever, and you are looking for a reason. How do I keep going forward? How can I find hope in the darkness? How can I find hope when I am struggling, when it seems like my world is falling apart, my marriage, my finances, give me something that I can hang on to. Can I tell you? Easter changes everything. And if there was anybody that day who needed to know and understand that the resurrection changes everything, it had to have been Mary. Why? Because when all the others left, she's still standing there outside of the tomb and she is weeping. Why? Because she doesn't know what to do next. Have you ever been there? You've just experienced the worst event in your life, and you don't know what to do next. You're just crushed. And the scripture says the disciples went back to their homes, but Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb. And I think she actually goes into the tomb. Why? Because the Bible tells us that she saw two angels setting on the slab where Jesus' body had been laid. And they ask her, Woman, why are you weeping? And she says, Because they've taken my Lord, and I don't know where they put him. Just, could you tell me? And then she, in her grief, she turns to exit the tomb, and there's somebody blocking the door. And she can't see who it is because the sun's behind him. And he says, Woman, who are you looking for? And she goes through the same spill. I'm looking for my master, they've stolen his body. I don't know where they put him. And then she hears one word that changes everything. Mary. And she recognizes the voice. It's the voice of Jesus. And in that moment, she realizes her world has just been turned inside out, upside down. And Jesus tells her, Don't cling to me. She fell at his feet and she said, Don't cling to me. I haven't yet ascended to the Father. And he said, But go and tell, my brethren. That's one of my favorite terms throughout scripture. You know that Jesus, the one who died for us, the one who took our place, the one who paid our debt, that he looks at us in the book of Hebrews, it tells us he is not ashamed to call us brothers and sisters. Why? Because he came back like us. And listen to what Mary, verse 18, she runs and went to the disciple with the news, I have seen the Lord, and she told them that he had said these things to her. Mary, I've always wondered why Mary always seemed to have an inside track with Jesus. She was with Jesus in some of the most important moments of his ministry and his life. Why did she seem to experience more of Jesus than even some of the other disciples? Could it be that she stayed longer and she sought him more? Think about this with me for one second this morning. Mary was the last one at the cross. She stayed with Jesus till he uttered his final breath. He said, It is finished to telest die. And she watched him take his body down. She watched Joseph and Nicodemus take Jesus' body, put it in a borrowed tomb, and she watched him roll the stone in front of the door to seal it. She watched the guards. She watched everything. Why? Because she was going to come back and anoint the body of Jesus. She was the last one at the cross. She was the first one at the tomb. And could it be that she experienced more of Jesus? Because that was the way with her ever since the moment she put her trust in Jesus. I want you to listen to what the book of Jeremiah, chapter 29, says, verses 12 through 14. It says, Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord. Did you hear what Jeremiah said? He said, When you seek me with all your heart, I will what? Be found by you, declares the Lord. Can I tell you something? Here's a lesson we need to get from Mary this morning. You already have as much of Jesus in your life as you want. If you want more of Jesus in your life, in your family, in your marriage, in your business, if you want more of Jesus, there's more of Jesus to be had. But you've got to want him, you've got to seek him, you've got to seek his face. And so many people say, I would like to know Jesus better. Do you spend any time in this? Do you talk to him? And so Mary, she hasn't got an inside track. She just is practicing what the Bible tells us to do. Let's go back to verse 7 for just a second. Because this is so important. I think we read it and we breeze right by it. Listen to what it says. It says, Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head, the cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. And you're going, okay, why is that a big deal? Why does this matter? It matters for a lot of reasons. Why? Because the same time that Mary was running from the tomb to tell the disciples, I have seen the Lord, the soldiers were running to the temple to tell the priest that Jesus had just busted out of the grave. He was alive, he was back. And ever since that moment, they've been spinning the story that the disciples came and robbed the tomb of the body. The folded headcloth kind of doesn't make any sense if you were stealing the body. How many of you would rather steal a body that's still clothed or still a body, strip it and walk through the streets with a naked body? And plus, if you're gonna steal the body, are you gonna take time to fold the headcloth and put it back in its place? Okay, now we can go. Thieves don't tidy up. Anybody in here ever had your home or your car broken into? They leave a mess? Yeah, thieves don't tidy up. It kind of blows that theory out of the water. And how are 12 disciples, 11 at this point in time, gonna overpower a band of Roman guards and temple guards who are guarding the tomb? It didn't happen. What did happen is Jesus came to life again. See, ever since the resurrection, they've been spinning stories to explain how Jesus' body was gone, the tomb was empty, other than the resurrection. Some say, oh, Jesus didn't really die on the cross. He just swooned. Like pastel. They thought he was dead, his heart rate was so low. But listen, if somebody scourges you to an inch of your life, makes you carry your own cross through the streets after you've been pummeled and beaten, your beard plucked out, punched to you, you don't even look like a person anymore. You just look like raw burger. And then they lay you on a wooden cross, take a hammer and nail, spikes through your feet and hands, and then drop it in a hole and leave you hanging there. And then take a spear. When they think he's dead, and shove it up between your ribs and the pericardium sac and puncture it to where blood and water flows out. You're gonna tell me he just swooned. He got, oh, and being in the cool tomb revived him? It didn't happen. He was dead. He was dead when the stone was rolled in front of the tomb, and when the stone was blown away, rolled away, he was alive again. Others think, oh, well, it wasn't really Jesus that died on the cross. It was merely his shadow, his spirit. Shadows. Spirits that don't eat, don't appear to masses of people all at the same time. Why does this matter? I love what N. T. Wright says.

unknown 20:30

N.

SPEAKER_00 20:30

T. Wright says Jesus wasn't fleeing the tomb. He was finishing what God sent him to do. He was finishing what God sent him to do. Listen to what it says in 1 Corinthians chapter 15. Jesus appeared to over 500 people at one time. How do you explain that? We all had the same dream. The Bible says he appeared to more than 500 of the brothers at the same time, most who are still living. See, when Paul was writing this, there were living witnesses who had seen the risen Jesus. Not only did he appear to multitudes of people, he went back and appeared to his disciples who were locked away in fear, and even to Thomas, who wasn't there when he showed up the first time. And Thomas said, you know what? I don't believe it. How many of you ever heard good news that was too good to be true? Anybody? You just have won the lottery. The publisher clearing house sweepstakes. Anybody ever get those smell? All you gotta do. Too good to be true. Thomas is going. He said, unless I put my fingers in his hand and then they'll print. And put my hand in his side, I won't believe it. Look at what happens, verse 27. Then he said to Thomas, put your fingers here, see my hands, reach your hand out and put it in my side. Stop doubting and believe. Thomas said to him, My Lord and my God, if you are a follower of Jesus Christ, the one thing that would utterly destroy your faith is if someone could produce the body of Jesus. The one thing that Satan would have loved to have done would have been able to drag out a dead body of Jesus and put him on public display to say he's still dead. And critics of the Christian faith have been trying to do that for over 2,000 years. You see, the resurrection is central to our faith. It takes actually more faith to believe that somebody stole the body, because they would have found it by now, or that Jesus just swooned, it would have taken way more faith to believe those things than it does to believe in the resurrection. Listen to what Paul said. If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is useless. And so is your faith. So I want to give you two things to walk out of here with this morning about why the resurrection should matter to you. Because I believe that some of you walked in here skeptical. You came maybe because somebody invited you, maybe because, uh, you know, this whole thing about dead men walking, being alive again. I just can't believe it. But you can't explain how Jesus' disciples were willing to suffer to go to their own deaths, believing and testifying that Jesus is Lord if it wasn't true. Nobody dies for a lie. Here's the first thing I want you to get this morning. Because Jesus rose, so will I. Your very worst day will never be your worst day. Even your final day. Why? Because Jesus rose again from the dead. And if I put my faith and trust in Jesus, I don't have to worry. I don't have to fret. I don't have to be afraid of what happens after I leave this planet. I know where I'm going because I'm going to be with Jesus. And because Jesus rose from the dead, I don't have to be afraid. I don't have to worry and be pulled apart about what happens. Look at what the scripture says. Jesus has indeed been raised from the dead. The first fruits of those who've fallen asleep, for since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also comes through a man. Jesus. You know, in the past three weeks, we experienced a multitude of deaths in our church. It was almost like four in a row in less than a week and a half. I cannot tell you how many funerals I have done over the years, but I can also tell you that so many of those funerals I have done, they weren't afraid, they weren't weary, they weren't just feeling they grieved, but not like people who had no hope. But there's been other funerals I've done where they weren't sure. They didn't know where they were going. And those were entirely different. If you are a follower of Christ, because Jesus rose, you're going to rise. Here's the second thing. You don't have to wait to live your best life. You can begin, because Jesus rose from the dead, you can begin to live the life that Jesus purchased for you on the cross. That's not just when we die and we go to heaven. But Jesus said in John 10, 10, I have come in order that they may have life and have it to the full. When does the fullness of the new life in Christ begin? Here. Now. And you know what that means? If you're a follower of Jesus Christ, you can risk. You can live. You can dream. You can hope. Guess what? Not only does it mean that, it means even when you fail, even when your life's falling apart, you can begin again. You can start all over. Why? Because Jesus lives, I can live my best life here and now. Not just when I get to eternity. Let's wrap this up. Jesus said this, John 10. He said, I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The reason my father loves me is that I lay down my life only to take it up again. And then in verse 18, he said, No one takes it from me. Can I tell you something? When Jesus died on the cross, he wasn't a victim. He gave his life willingly and freely. It was planned before the beginning of time. Jesus knew you could never pay your debt. You could never open a living way to the Father. So he did it for us. He said, I have authority to lay it down and have authority to take it up again. This command I received from the Father. So let's go back to the head cloth. Austin, can I get you? You know, we're not having communion. Don't panic. If you were with us Friday night, you know we already did that. But, you know, every time we do communion traditionally, where we pass the place and the elements, I want you to think about this. Usually we keep them covered until the time comes to serve. And it's only when we take off the tablecloth and raise it and fold it. All right, Austin, who taught you to fold? Your mom. Your mom. You know, I I have three brothers. And um my mom worked, so we all did housework. And if you can ask my wife, uh, my brothers and I, we're pretty good housekeepers. You know, we just had one point of conflict when we got married. Uh, I wanted to do it my mom's way because she came behind us with the white glove and she checked everything. You know, I I was responsible for cleaning the bathrooms, toilets, all those things, and mowing the grass. And once a month, I go through the entire house with a bucket of soapy water and wipe down all the baseboards and all the walls in the hallway, all the kitchen cabinets. My brother did dusting and vacuuming. And when my younger brothers got old enough, they got assigned different chores. But everybody did dishes and everybody folded clothes. And you know what? My mom wanted clothes folded a certain way. We made our beds, hospital corners. Anybody? My mom was a nurse, so we did hospital corners. But when it came to folding stuff, it had to be folded her way because it had to fit in the drawer. So when we got married, I wanted to fold clothes, especially towels, a certain way. You know, I we would fold them in a square and we would put them away. And Desi goes, no, that's my mom said you fold it to where it's smaller, you do threes, and then everything goes in easier. So I said, okay, we'll fold your way. I was a smart man. I wanted to be happily married for a long time. So why think about this? The very first thing Jesus did when he rose again to life was take the headpiece, fold it neatly, and lay it separate from the linens that held his body. Why did he do that? I think Jesus was sending a message. I think Jesus was sending a message. He was saying, I'm alive and I'm coming back for those that are mine. Also think when you read through the scripture, you don't see his mother coming back to the empty tomb. I think somebody took that headpiece back and showed Mary and said, Hey, we found this folded in the tomb. Look at it and tell me, is that the way you taught Jesus to fold? And and and Mary held that. And she knew this one. She'd say, No, Desi folded that. But when she saw the way it was folded, she knew. Jesus was sending us a message. I think he was sending his mother a message. I think he was sending a message to every follower of Christ. I am alive, I'm coming back. Be ready. Be ready. This is why it set over to the side. It was kind of like you're telling the waiter at the restaurant, I'm not done with the meal, so I don't throw my napkin in the plate, right? You know, if the napkin's in the plate, I'm finished. But if I'm coming back, I fold it and lay it to the side, right? I'm coming back. I'm not done yet. What Jesus did on the cross, he was done with. But he's not done with us. Why? Because he's coming back. And he says, you better be ready. You better be ready. You see, when Christ returns, there's not going to be any time for you to make a decision that you're going to look at him and believe. Everybody's going to look at Jesus and believe when he returns. But for those who haven't put their faith and trust in him here and now, who aren't experiencing the life Jesus came to give us here and now, they're not going to be there. They won't be with Christ for eternity. Unless they go through the tribulation and give their life, that's the only hope they got. So when Christ comes back, there's not going to be a chance to make a decision, to look and believe. Can I ask you a question? When you look at the empty tomb, when you read that story, what don't you see? What you don't see is a dead Jesus. What do you see? He's alive. He's alive. He's alive forevermore. He's seated at the right hand of the Father, interceding for us, and one day he's coming back, and we need to be ready.