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Sunday, April 17, 2022

The Darkness Gave Way

 



This is the manuscript of the eleventh sermon in the series "Responding to the Living Word".  

John 20:1 NIV Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.
Easter is the only holiday we celebrate at the break of dawn. Why do we do this? Because it was at the break of dawn, on a brand-new day, when his followers heard the news that Jesus Christ had risen from the dead—and it changed everything.
Why is Easter so important? Because it proved that Jesus Christ was telling the truth. Jesus made some outrageous claims. He claimed to be the Son of God and the only way to heaven.

John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (NIV).

Listen to an audio recording of the sermon by clicking on the YouTube link at the end of the manuscript.

You can watch a video recording of the entire service on the Christ Church YouTube Channel. https://youtu.be/64xTQ-hlwR0


Scripture Reading:


John 20:1‭-‬18 NIV Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 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 have put him!” So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) Then the disciples went back to where they were staying. Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”). Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.


Text: 


John 20:1 NIV Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.


Introduction

 Easter is a holiday we celebrate at the break of dawn. 

Why do we do this?

Because it was at the break of dawn, on a brand-new day, when his followers heard the news that Jesus Christ had risen from the dead—and it changed everything.

Why is Easter so important? 

Because it proved that Jesus Christ was telling the truth. Jesus made some outrageous claims. He claimed to be the Son of God and the only way to heaven. 

In  John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (NIV).

Many people throughout history have claimed to be God. But the difference with Jesus is that he was the only one who proved to be God. 

Jesus said, “I’m going to prove it. ” I’m going to die for the sins of the world, and three days later I’m going to raise myself back to life.” And that’s exactly what he did.

The resurrection of Jesus is the most important event of all time. It split history into A.D. and B.C. Now every time you write a date, you are using Jesus Christ as the reference point. Even your own birthday—the day, the month, and the year—is dated from the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

And it all happened on the dawn of a new day. Luke 1:78 from the God's Word paraphrase says, “A new day will dawn on us from above because our God is loving and merciful” (GW).

On the evening of November 9, 1965, fifteen minutes and eleven seconds past 5:00pm, the lights went out all over the northeastern United States. There was a power failure in the electric lines north of Niagara Falls. The break-down occurred when the megawatts exceeded the 375 allowable megawatts in that power grid. A small metal cup inside a black rectangular box began to revolve until it switched off the line and threw the current onto the four auxiliary lines. The switches in those lines tripped out under the unexpected load of the extra electric current. In just 2.7 seconds all the electricity surging toward Toronto, Canada, and the far Northeast had been routed back across Niagara Falls south and east to New York City.

 

Thirty million people were affected that night, some for as few as three minutes, many for as long as thirteen hours. Eight hundred thousand people were trapped in the subways of New York, reporting later that they were in a darkness so deep they thought they were buried. Two hundred and fifty flights had to be diverted from John F. Kennedy Airport to other landing places. The street traffic jammed up because the traffic lights didn’t work.  In a moment the streetlights all flickered out and it looked like darkness covered the face of the earth!

On the first Easter morning, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb while it was still dark. Just two days before, the earth had quaked and trembled. Fissures had opened in the ground. The skies had turned dark, and at midday there was no light—only darkness.


Matthew 27:45‭-‬53 NIV From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.” Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.” And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.


I.   All you have to do for darkness to come is remove the light.

Mary Magdalene knew about darkness. She had been there with her Lord through Friday’s darkness. Patiently, agonizingly, she had stood with the other women and his mother at the cross watching him die.


Matthew 27:55‭-‬56 NIV Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.


As he died, they felt, as well as saw, the darkness descends around them. 


Now, two days later, sometime between 3:00 and 6:00 in the morning, she made her way to the tomb in the garden. No one was out at that hour. 


Mary had known other darkness in her life. She came from the small town of Magdala, a town known for its licentiousness and wickedness, on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. 


In Luke 8 the gospel writer recalls how Jesus hs cast seven demons out of Mary. 


Luke 8:1‭-‬3 NIV After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.


Jesus had cast out the demons and brought light to Mary’s darkness. From the darkness of demonic possession Jesus had reached out to bring Mary back to the center of life, back to the light, and now she had come to share for a while the darkness of his burial place. But when she got to the tomb, the stone was moved. She looked into the gloomy darkness and slowly realized that Jesus was not there.


II.    The light removed the darkness in Mary.

Mary didn’t know what had happened. She didn’t expect a resurrection; she just knew that Jesus’ body was not there. The most logical explanation, for her, was that someone had stolen his body, to do who knows what.  So Mary ran and told Peter that someone had taken away her Lord.


John 20:2‭ NIV 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 have put him!” 


Peter came toward the tomb, walking first; then with increasing excitement he began to run. His friend John ran with him. John got there first, only to stop outside. Peter, as was his nature, knew no such discretion or timidity and immediately rushed into the darkness of the tomb. Finally, the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.


John 20:3‭-‬10 NIV So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.


They saw He wasn’t there but it’s obvious that still they had no thought of the resurrection because they went home.  


Peter and John left but not Mary. Mary would not leave. She stayed behind, weeping.


John 20:11‭-‬15 NIV Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”  At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”


It may surprise you that Mary mistook Jesus for a gardener. There are two reasons, perhaps. The Scriptures say the angels were there when she came back to the tomb and looked in. 


Now the angels were clothed in white. The Greek word means white, not like a linen cloth, but glistening, shining, and dazzling. In addition to the radiance of the light, Mary was in tears. Dazzled by the light, along with the tears, she saw Jesus but thought He was the gardener.


Love and sadness, generosity and courage were all covered in that statement, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”


Some had been afraid to stand with Jesus as he died, but not Mary.


Do you know how Mary realized who Jesus was? Not by sight, or by the sound of his voice. It was when He said her name “Mary,”. Then she knew who he was. 


John 20:16 NIV Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).


Mary had seen Him die.  She had seen Him placed in the tomb.


Matthew 27:57‭-‬61 NIV As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.


Now Jesus was alive, out of those clothes that had wrapped our Him came the resurrected Christ, the Son of the living God, the Savior of the world, the Light for our darkness, Jesus the Savior. 


All he had to do was call her name, and she knew he was Jesus. The darkness left her spirit in the presence of Jesus just as darkness leaves the earth when the sun rises. 


John uses the theme of light and darkness all the way through his gospel. 


John 1:5‭, NIV The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 


‬9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.


It was dark when Mary approached the tomb, but the darkness did not have the last word that day. 


Jesus had warned about darkness earlier in his ministry, 


John 12:35 NIV Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going.


We talked about that last week.  


It is not enough to just consider the cross, not enough to just meditate on the cross, not enough to just believe in the historical reality of the death of Christ. Jesus calls you to another response and that is to walk in HIs light.


The darkness is pervasive just as evil is pervasive. Darkness will swallow us up if the light does not shine.


John 3:19 NIV This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.


Jesus told the people that he was “the light of the world; 


John 8:12 NIV When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”


He also said that if you believed in Him you would not stay in darkness.


John 12:44‭-‬46 NIV Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me. I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.


Mary sure knew about believing. Jesus had given her another chance at life. She believed, and the darkness of demonic possession had to flee from her.

 

III.     There's a question we need to ask ourselves today..  Where is the darkness in your life?


Has the darkness started to creep into your life?  Have you stubbornly resisted the grace of God, seeking peace at your own pace and joy at your own price, have you come to the place where you are afraid the darkness is finally going to conquer you?


Think of it this way. Suppose that one day the earth was suddenly to break out of its orbit, no longer to revolve around the sun, but were to fly farther and farther away into the cold mist of space like spaceship Earth run amok. Men and women would wait for the coming of spring, but it would never come. We would wait for the birds’ return and the buds to come to the trees, but spring never comes, only deeper and deeper into winter.   Meanwhile we would be saying to one another, “Surely spring is coming.” But still nothing happened as we travelled faster and faster into the darkness of space. No spring, no summer, only the deathly coldness as the earth spins farther and farther away, until at last we acknowledge that we were doomed. 


Many people feel darkness like that. For some it is a loss of hope that life can ever be any different from what it is now. They say “Tell me how my life can change. I’ve tried everything, but nothing works!” 


For others it is the sense of darkness as they look at the nation. The faces change, but the broken promises continue. The moral courage required to stand against evil is sadly lacking. 


Others suffer from loneliness in the midst of a busy world. 


But the most serious of all is the darkness suffered by those who leave God out of their lives. Jesus is the true Light; all other light is temporary and reflected light. There is no substitute for the light of Jesus, the Light of the World! 


John 8:12 NIV When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”


To ignore God and his Son Jesus Christ is to run to darkness.

 

Conclusion

God calls us to light. 


John 8:12 NIV When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”


Invite the light of God in Jesus Christ to eliminate your darkness, because in him there is no darkness at all. In him the darkness gives way because He is risen! He is risen! Hallelujah!



Now I want to talk to those of you that continue to walk in darkness, trying to find the solution to your darkness, trying to find any kind of light.  I have been trying to tell you that Jesus already told you that He is the light. That light you have been trying to find and turn on through your own efforts.   


John 8:12 NIV When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”


1 John 4:15 NIV says If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God.


Notice that that scripture says "anyone" which means anyone and everyone who acknowledges Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior has access to God the Father. 


The Gospel is simple: Adam sinned. Mankind was born into sin. Jesus Christ, God in the Flesh, lived a sinless life and died for the sins of the world. Mankind was reconciled back to God through the shed Blood of Jesus Christ.


When Jesus Christ died on the cross, He died for the “anyone”. He died for anyone who believes in Him — He died for the sins of the whole world. Christ died for you. 


When Jesus Christ was crucified, His flesh was ripped and torn just for you. He was the atonement for our sin. He was the full, satisfactory payment for the sins of the world. His Blood completely paid for our sin. 


Nothing else could serve as a substitute. No one else, except Jesus Christ, could serve as a satisfactory payment for sin. No other god, no other idol, no other lamb, no other bull, no other ram, no other goat, no other sacrifice would satisfy the payment for sin. 


Jesus Christ reconciled man back to God through His shed Blood. The payment was paid in full. The Blood of Jesus Christ completely covers and washes away our sin, guilt and shame. 


Simply confess Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior with your mouth.


Romans 10:9‭-‬10 NIV If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.


Let His Blood cover you. Let His Blood wash you. Turn to Him. Simply surrender your heart to Him.


If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior simply pray this prayer: 


Father God, in the Name of Jesus, I thank You for Your Son Jesus Christ. I thank You that Jesus Christ died for my sin. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Father, I repent of my sin and accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. Lord, I surrender to You. In Jesus Name. Amen.


Closing Prayer 


Dear Lord Jesus Christ, by Your radiant and magnificent resurrection, You broke the bonds of death and rose from the grave as a conqueror. You reconciled Heaven and earth. Our life had no hope of eternal happiness before You redeemed us. Your resurrection has washed away our sins, restored our innocence, and brought us joy. How great is the tenderness of Your love!


 “The Lord  bless you and keep you; The Lord  make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” ’


Sermon Audio




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