In the sermon, Steve Hopkins discusses the profound role of Mary Magdalene as the first witness of Jesus' resurrection. The sermon begins by reflecting on historical and modern challenges faced by Christians, then shifts to the biblical account from John 20:10-18. Mary Magdalene's encounter with the risen Christ is a pivotal moment that underscores her deep devotion and transformation from a life once dominated by sin and demonic possession. Hopkins emphasizes the completeness of her past bondage, represented by the 'seven demons,' and the radical mercy and grace extended to her by Jesus. The sermon stresses the theme of forgiveness, drawing from Ephesians 4:32, and highlights the importance of forgiving others as Christ forgave us. Furthermore, it invites listeners to see themselves as sinners in need of Christ's redemptive love, just as Mary was. The sermon concludes with an appeal to examine one's own faith and relationship with Jesus, encouraging believers to embrace Christ as the center of their lives, much like Mary Magdalene, whose life was forever changed by her encounter with Jesus.

Good afternoon again. I wonder what it sounded like at the entrances, the exits of the catacombs in Rome when the Christians were singing their hymns underground. And I wonder what's going on in Canada this afternoon. It's a first, first in the Western world to put chain link fences around a church building. Let's stand for the reading of the Word of God.

We'll be reading John chapter 20 verses 10 through 18. Together, let's read. Then the disciples went away again unto their own home, but Mary stood without at the sepulcher weeping. And as she wept, she stood down and looked into the sepulcher, and seeth 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 said unto her, Woman, why weepest thou?

She saith 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 it was Jesus. Jesus saith unto her, woman, why weepest thou? Seekest thou? She supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.

Jesus saith unto her, Mary, She turned herself and saith unto him, Rabboni, which is to say, Master. Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to my father, but go to my brethren and say unto them, I ascend unto my father and your father and to my God and your God." Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord and that he had spoken these things unto her. Let's pray. Father, we are moved when we read of this woman of Magdala, of Mary Magdalene, also known as Mary Magdalena, or we are moved when we see her love for Christ. We see her driven to the tomb of Christ, wanting to do some kindness for the body of her Lord who saved her from her sins.

And Lord, we ask God that you would, as we go forward and study the text, that you would reveal things to us that we have not seen before, and Lord, that you would pierce our hearts with conviction, that we would see ourselves as sinners like Mary of Magdala, and that we would treasure Christ as her, and that we would believe upon our Lord Jesus as she did and hold Him in such high, high, high regard. Lord, we pray if there are any who do not know, the Lord this morning would be the morning, or this afternoon would be the afternoon that they would later on look back and say, that's the day I first believed when I saw myself as a sinner, the chief of sinners, and was brought to believe on the Lord Jesus. For those who are saved, God, that we might continue repenting and believing even this very day as we read these wonderful things concerning this woman whom he chose to be the first witness to the resurrection of our Lord Jesus. For it's in his name we pray these things. Amen.

You may be seated. I had intended to begin with our one another this week, and I didn't, but I'll do that now. It must have been meant to be that it would be in the recording. One another's, we've been looking at the many, many one another's of Scripture, love one another. We have looked at that and pray for one another and esteem one another as better than yourselves.

And this morning or this afternoon very, very quickly forgive one another. And I think it's very apropos when we look at the life of Mary Magdalene. We realize that Scripture is true, that those who are forgiven much love much, and those who know the forgiveness of Christ are the very ones who know how to forgive others. And as we think on those things, let's look at Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 32. Probably many have this passage memorized.

Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 32, probably many have this passage memorized. Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 32, where we read the Apostle Paul writing to the church at Ephesus, And be kind one to another and tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you." Forgive. Forgive one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, has forgiven you. We'll never, ever, ever, none of us will ever, ever, ever have anyone on earth sin against us as we have sinned against the Lord. It will never happen.

We're to forgive. Those who are the forgiven are to be forgivers. Everything, all of it. Not be enslaved by any bitterness, not be enslaved by any ill feelings towards others. Forgive, forgive, forgive, forgive, even as God for Jesus' sake has forgiven us.

The title of the message this morning is Mary Magdalene. In our last session, we read a little bit of this woman, and in our last session we found that Jesus is risen. Jesus is risen. He is risen from the dead. And we read that early on the first day of the week, Jesus, who was crucified, dead and buried, has risen victorious over the grave.

He's risen victorious over sin, over death, over hell, and over the tomb. The head of the serpent has been crushed. Amen? The head of the serpent has been crushed. Exactly what was prophesied in the book of Genesis, the seed of the woman, speaking of Jesus, his heel will be struck but the serpent's head will be crushed.

And that's exactly what happened at the cross. The first to witness the empty tomb, as we read last week, is Mary of Magdala. And as we shall see this afternoon, she is the first who will also see Jesus alive. She's chosen in God's providence to be first witness of the empty tomb and the first witness of Christ's resurrection. Think on it.

Here is a woman who was under the power of Satan. She is a woman, our text that we read when the service opened says that she was possessed of seven demons, or she had seven devils, and Christ cast these seven demons, these seven demonic spirits out of her, out of whom the Lord cast seven devils. And I want you to understand that when the scripture uses the word seven, the number seven, so many times it's speaking of completeness. It's not just numerical counting, but so many times it is speaking of completeness all the way, totally. And Mary of Magdala, whether it was seven demons that were cast out numerically, or whether it was speaking of completeness, we know was a woman who, before Jesus rescued her, was inhabited by evil spirits.

She was a habitation of evil spirits. She was a woman who was completely in the grip of the devil. And we're not told what the sin is that enslaved her. We see nothing of it. Some think she's the woman, as I said last week, who fell on her face and wiped Jesus, or washed Jesus' feet with her tears and dried them with the hair of her head, we're not told that woman's name.

We don't know if it was her or not. Some think she was a woman who was steeped in sexual immorality. We aren't told. She may have been an idolater. When you go back and you research Magdala, which is a modern day in Israel, Migdal, and if you go back and you look at that area of the world at the time of Christ, it was a seaport, a city that she would have been from, Mary from Magdala.

And it was known for being a city with a lot of sexual immorality. It was a city where there was only one today known synagogue that's been excavated. And there have been many who have wondered why there was only one synagogue in this city of so many people. And I said earlier, you know, you look at the churches in England today, and they have, the church is so contracted in England that the older, larger houses of worship are now turned into museums. Well, in Magdala, you had, at least from what they've excavated today, and to the wonder of many archaeologists, one place for Jews to worship, an area with so many Jews.

So we don't know, but we know that she was, her body was a dwelling place of demonic entities. Whether through sexual immorality, giving over yourself over to sexual immorality, We don't know if it was idol worship. There was a lot of idolatry in that area of the world at Megdahl or Magdala. Or maybe it was witchcraft. We don't know.

But think about that possibility. She's inhabited by demons. Had she given herself over to sexual immorality? Had she given herself over to idolatry? Had she given herself over to witchcraft?

We don't know. All we know is that she was in the clutches of Satan, that her body was a dwelling place of demonic entities. And before we go any further, we need to grasp something else about Mary of Magdala from scripture and the very little that we have written about her. And that's this. Christ rescues the worst of sinners.

Christ rescues the worst of sinners. Christ rescues the worst of sinners. There is no sin so great. There is no sinner so vile and steeped in sin that the mercies of God through Jesus Christ cannot reach him or her. The old Wesley hymn says, his blood can make the foulest clean.

His blood availed for me. His blood can make the foulest clean. There is no soul on earth so morally corrupt, no person so far gone, even possessed of the devil himself that Jesus cannot save and cleanse and justify in the sight of God. None. Whatever you've done, no matter how gross the sin, no matter how long you've wallowed in it, Jesus invites you to repent, to repent and believe the good news.

There is mercy in Christ Jesus and in him alone. Jesus said in Luke chapter 5 verse 32, I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Yes, he was a violist of sinners. And in this passage, the grace of God is exalted in saving a chief of sinners. John Newton wrote, amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like, can you say those words?

Can you say that word? Like me. Can everybody say, like me? Like me and like Mary of Magdala. Oh, the depths of the riches of the mercy and the grace of God.

In our text this afternoon, we see this grace has been extended to Mary. Her life is now all about Jesus. Christ is the only one that's on, and the only thing that's on her mind. Christ who delivered her from captivity to sin and the devil. And God will have her name now to be forever memorialized in the pages of Scripture.

She's forever going to be in the pages of Scripture. Mary Magdalene, out of whom the Lord cast seven demons, a woman who is forgiven much and thus loves much. And her love for Christ and God's appointment has brought her to the grave of the one who is her life. Is Jesus your life or somewhere in the periphery, somewhere out here but not in the center, not the purpose for your life? Oh, we hear these sermons and they go in one ear and they go out the other ear.

It's ever a great shame. Go in one ear and out the other ear. We're talking about real things, eternally significant things. Is He your life? Is Jesus Christ your life?

Again, in Mary's mind, Jesus is dead. She isn't thinking resurrection. She's mourning the loss of her Lord and Savior, and she's overcome with grief. But she wants to do something for him. She wants to do something for him, at least for the honor of his body.

So she comes as the day is dawning to bring more spices for the anointing of his body and becomes the first one to see the stone has been rolled away from the entrance and to see the place where he lay. And she knows he's gone. And she assumes his grave has been robbed. Not of his possessions. He had none.

Not of his grave clothes. They're still there. But of his body. And last week we saw how upon seeing the stone rolled away from the entrance of the tomb and seeing that the body of her Lord was gone, Mary immediately turns and begins running. She goes for Jerusalem, she goes for Peter and John.

She's gotta go and tell him, his body's gone. He's not here. The body of her Lord is gone She begins run she turns and she begins to run she wants to tell Peter and John his body's not there They've taken the body of of our Lord and I don't know where they've put him. I don't know where they've laid him. She's not thinking of resurrection.

She's just assuming his body's been stolen or at least removed for some reason. So she tells Peter and John, they've taken him away. I don't know where they've laid him. Her and the women who are with her, we don't know where they've laid him. And I said in our last session, when all the gospel accounts are harmonized, We see Mary Magdalene has now, she's left the tomb when she saw these things.

She's run to Jerusalem to tell Peter and John. The other women are still there. They encounter the angels and they take off for, to tell the other disciples, probably in Bethany. And Peter and John, back in Jerusalem, they hear Mary's report, and they head for the empty tomb themselves, running. And when they arrive, they see it's just as Mary said, Jesus is gone, no soldiers outside the tomb.

No, the soldiers are off conspiring with the Jewish authorities. They have common interests here, don't they? They come up with a lie to tell their superiors to save their skins. Peter and John see the stones rolled away. There's no body in the grave.

Neither of them have connected, however, anything they've seen with their eyes with what the scriptures say, that the Son of Man must rise again from the dead. And so as we pick up with verse 10, we read, then the disciples went away again under their own home. So now Peter and John have gone back to their own home. They've seen the empty grave. And from the other gospel accounts, we see that Mary, when she had told Peter and John back in Jerusalem, she's like lagging behind them, and she ends up at the tomb after they now have departed and headed back to their house.

And so verse 11 says Mary now, she's returned, she's back at the tomb, but she's not going in. She's just standing outside the sepulcher, outside the tomb. But Mary stood without at the sepulcher that is outside the door of the grave. And she's crying. She's weeping.

One theologian that I read commented that the original language here for stood is a word that doesn't mean like someone's just standing, but like a guard stands when he keeps watch. I thought that was interesting. She stood there weeping. She's weeping. I want you to think about this for a moment, this thing of Mary, precious Mary of Magdala, weeping.

How she loves Jesus. In her mind he's dead. His life has been taken from her, now even his body. And for her there's nothing left. They're memories.

All is lost. But why is she weeping? Those were probably some good reasons, right? A.W. Pink brings up, I think, a good point here.

Why is she weeping? If she'd come to the tomb and found Jesus' body, that would be something to weep about. Because it would mean that he had not risen, as he said. I'll quote A.W. Pinker.

He says, it was love for Christ that caused her to weep. She was weeping because the sepulcher was empty, yet in fact, that was the very thing which should have made her rejoice, that it was empty. Had the Lord's body still been there, she might have wept indeed, for then his promise had failed. His work on the cross had been in vain, and she was yet in her sins. But again, Mary's not thinking resurrection here, is she?

Her constant complaint over and over again, someone or some group of persons has taken his body away. I don't know where they put him. I don't know where they laid him. She's deeply troubled because she doesn't know where his body is. All that's left for her to cling to.

She's distraught, and she's weeping, and our text says that she stoops down as she looks into the sepulcher again, and she sees two angels in white. Doesn't say that she knew they were angels. To her, they're just men, obviously, because angels so many times appear in Scripture. And they're sitting one at the head of where Jesus lay in the grave, and the other at the feet where the body of Jesus had lain. And they said unto the woman, why weepest thou?

Why are you crying? And I think the inference here is why are you weeping when you should be rejoicing? They don't say that But I think it's the inference Do you not understand what has happened here the fact that Jesus body is not here is not a cause for weeping But for rejoicing greatly Why are you weeping? Woman why are you weeping? Same words Jesus is gonna use, right?

In just a minute. She says, because They've taken away my Lord. Same thing she said to the disciples, Peter and John. I don't know where they've laid him. That's why I'm crying.

She just wants to be with him. And she is, but she doesn't know it. She is, but she doesn't know it yet. Verse 14 tells us, when she had thus said, she turned herself back and saw Jesus standing and knew not that it was Jesus. The one she longs to be with is right there with her, but she doesn't know it.

Some think here that her eyes were blinded by tears, maybe, Or maybe that she's just, you know, she's had her head down weeping and she hasn't really, you know, she turns but she hasn't really looked up and looked him in the face. We don't know. Luke 24, 16 tells us that Jesus wasn't recognized by the disciples on the road to Emmaus until he revealed himself to them. Probably the case here. But now she turns herself back, she sees Jesus standing, she doesn't know that it's Jesus, and Jesus speaks.

Woman, why are you crying? Why weepest thou? Same words the angel said to Mary. Then he says, Whom seekest thou? Who are you looking for?

It's tender. Who are you seeking for? Why are you crying? Who are you looking for? Mary thinks, must be the gardener that keeps the garden around the tomb here.

Must be the keeper of the garden. He's entered the tomb. Our text says, she's supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, sir, If thou hast borne him hence, if you've taken his body out of here, tell me where you've laid him. Please tell me where you've laid him and I will take him away. I'll take him away.

If you've taken away my Lord, just tell me where you've laid his body and I'll take him away. Love for Christ attempts to carry loads beyond its ability. Love for Christ attempts to carry loads beyond its ability. Just tell me where you laid him and I'll carry him away. And then that word, the single word of revelation, her name, I'm sure said as no other could say it, Mary.

Mary. Mary. John 10 27 tells us, Jesus said in that verse, my sheep hear my voice. My sheep hear my voice. They know my voice and they won't follow any other.

And Mary, we're told here, turns herself and says to him, Rabboni, which is to say master. Instantly Mary's sorrow has turned to joy. I don't think that we can, there's probably not words to describe the joy, the jubilation, the rejoicing, the change, the instantaneous change in her demeanor and her countenance and everything about her when she realizes this is Jesus. He just said my name, this is Jesus. He's alive.

He's alive. And Jesus says unto her, touch me not. Don't cling to me. There's been a whole lot made about this. I think it's just simply, don't cling to me.

I'm not going away right now. Real simple. Because it's just in the next little while, he's going to be saying, here, stick your hand in here and touch my side. Thomas, touch the nail prints of my hand. He can be touched.

And we don't want to add some description that's not there. I'm not going away right now. I'm not ascending to my Father right now. I'm ascending to my Father, but not right now. I think That's what is happening here.

I'll be here when you get back, but I've got a mission for you. You need to go and tell my brethren. Don't cling to me. I'm not going anywhere right now. Just stand up, get up, and go and tell my brethren that I ascend unto my Father.

I'm going to be ascending to the Father. I'm not doing it now, but I'm going to ascend to my Father and to your Father and to my God and your God. Go. And Mary does. She's obedient.

She'd like to probably just keep, you know, hugging him, falling at his feet, and what have you. But she goes, this is the first time, by the way, that the disciples are called brother by Jesus or by a brethren of Jesus in scripture. First time. Up at this time, they've only been called disciples and friends and servants, but now they're called brethren. And I think it's important for us to see here that this message is going to be taken by her.

They're going to know he's been resurrected. She's going to tell them, like, I saw the Lord alive, but she's going to deliver this message to the disciples. And what are they going to get from this? Brethren, go to my brethren and tell them, etc., etc. Go to my brethren, though he called you brothers.

He said these words, guys, this is what he said, go tell my Brethren, go tell my brethren this." He called his brothers? We forsook him in the garden. We left him to die. He called us brothers? Yeah, he did.

He said, he said, he said, go tell my brethren, though they have forsaken him, assuredly they are by his death in the family of God, in the family of God. In Romans chapter 8, let's just close with this. You'll turn there with me, Romans 8.29. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son, that he, that's Christ, might be the firstborn among many brethren, among many brethren, Christ our elder brother. So Mary Magdalene comes, she tells the disciples she has seen the Lord.

I've seen the Lord, he's alive, and these are the things that he's spoken to me. And next week, when we return, we'll be looking at their response and the appearances of Christ to many, many others. As we go to our time of sharing in the Lord's table, have you ever seen yourself as bad as someone like Mary Magdalene? I mean that bad? I was bad, but not that bad.

You ever seen yourself like Mary of Magdala? It's a good time to, before we share in the Lord's table to look at all that we've been forgiven of and once again thank God, praise him for the mighty work that he's done in cleansing us from our sins through the death of his son. And praise him, praise him again, and thank him again. Your word, Eucharist, means a thank offering. Thank him again that he, the son of God, who never sinned, became sin for us in the sight of God, became sin in the sight of God, that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

And that by his stripes, his wounds, we are healed. He was crushed for our offenses. He was stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted in our place. He bore our sins on that cross. He suffered, but we could never have suffered.

He died a death we never could have died, and He rose again the third day and is ascended to the Father and He's interceding for us by His blood right now. Thank Him. Let's take this time to look at our lives, ask ourselves some questions, and thank the Lord for saving wretches like us. For we ask Jesus now.