Just Seek Jesus

John 20:1-16 NKJV  Now the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.  (2)  Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.”  (3)  Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb.  (4)  So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first.  (5)  And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in.  (6)  Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there,  (7)  and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself.  (8)  Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed.  (9)  For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead.  (10)  Then the disciples went away again to their own homes.  (11)  But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb.  (12)  And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.  (13)  Then they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.”  (14)  Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus.  (15)  Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, “Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.”  (16)  Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” (which is to say, Teacher). 

• What did Mary Magdalene learn that Sunday some 2000 years ago? She learned that: HE IS RISEN! 

• He is Risen indeed! 

• On Friday Jesus suffered. On Friday Jesus died. 

• His body was hidden away, the tomb was sealed and guarded… 
• But that was Friday… it’s Sunday now… and HE IS RISEN! 

• Listen this Easter Sunday, as we celebrate that Jesus Has resurrected from the dead, that He has defeated the grave, defeated death, defeated sin, defeated Satan… 

• As we celebrate these things as we do ever year, let us also remember that our Jesus is a Jesus that if you seek Him, you will find Him. 

• You see what we just read from the Gospel of John was the account of Mary Magdalene and her encounter with the Risen Savior. 

• You see Mary Magdalene was a woman who had been delivered from Demons… she wasn’t just demon possessed, she was REALY demon possessed before she met Jesus. 
• Luke 8 teaches us that Mary Magdalene has SEVEN demons cast out of her… now I have cast demons out of people, but I have never seen more than one in a person, let alone SEVEN… 

• But I have seen the havoc one demon can do… so it is safe to say that before Jesus, Mary Magdalene’s life was a mess… dominated by demonic possession. 

• But Jesus turned her life around, as He has done for many of us, Amen? 

• Now she followed Jesus and the disciples wherever they went, as Jesus and the twelve disciples went from town to town and village to village preaching the Kingdom of God, Mary Magdalene was with them. 
• Jesus had changed her life, and now Jesus has become her life. 

• But then Friday happens… and Mary Magdalene’s hope died on a cross. 

• Her light was hidden away in a dark tomb. 
• Her Life was put away in death. 

• Now it is Sunday… and Mary goes early in the morning to the tomb, while it is still dark. 

• Where else would she go? Her life was a demonic disaster before Jesus… 

• Her savior may have been dead… but she could at least be comforted by being near Him… maybe seeing His body again… something… just to be near Jesus. 

• She gets there and finds Peter and John at the tomb, looking at something strange… the stone had been rolled away… 

• Peter and John, in boldness, they run up to the empty tomb, they go in, and they see the empty tomb, and the burial cloths folded neatly on it… 
• And they started to believe… believe that maybe just maybe Jesus was alive… 

• But they were confused… they didn’t understand or apply the scriptures correctly… they couldn’t quite piece it together… so they went home, back to what they knew, to their families… 
• They did not seek any more evidence… they did not look for the body of Christ… they did not rejoice… they just went home… in a mixture of belief and confusion. 

• But not Mary… Mary stayed… Mary wanted to know more… Mary wanted to be with Jesus no matter what… 

• She looks in the tomb, and there see’s two angels, she tells them that the Romans must have taken away Jesus… 
• Then Jesus himself appears to her… and Mary, not recognizing him, says “if you have taken away Jesus please tell me where you have laid His body down”. 
• And then Jesus says Mary’s name and she realizes… it was no ordinary gardener, but Jesus Himself. 

• Mary, in all her desperation, in her lack of understanding, in her mourning, in her weeping… she sought Jesus… and what happened? She sought Jesus and she FOUND Jesus. 
• This Easter Sunday I want to encourage you church to be like Mary Magdeline, Just Seek Jesus! 

• Seek and Find… that is what I want us to do this Easter morning… seek and find. 

• And my first point for this sermon is this “You Don’t have to Be Special, You Just Have to Seek Jesus 

Point One – You Don’t Have to Be Special, You Just Have to Seek Jesus 

John 20:13 NKJV  Then they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” 

John 20:15 NKJV  Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, “Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.” 

• We may be the only church in Cedar Rapids to tell you this… but your not that special. 

• You are just not that special. 
• You are not special, I am not special, your neighbor is not special. 

• We are all just a bunch of Iowans, living our lives, raising our children, loving our God, and serving our communities. 
• We work our jobs, love our wives, honor our nation, and above all else, we worship and obey our God. 

• But we are not that special. 
• No one here will ever walk on the surface of the moon. 
• It is highly unlikely that anyone in this room will ever write a New York times best seller. 
• We probably don’t have any Billboard top 40 artists in the room… 
• We likely don’t have anyone who will be president in the church, or even a congressman. 
• The next Billy Grahm or Charles Spurgeon likely is not here right now… 

• The truth is, in the grand scheme of things, we are just not that special. 

• And that’s ok… because you don’t have to be special, you just have to seek Jesus! 

• Mary Magdalene wasn’t that special. 

• She was not wealthy like Joseph of Arimathea. 
• She was not a religious Zealot like Simon who knew the Scriptures inside and out. 
• She had no governmental authority, like Mathhew the Tax Collector would have had. 
• She was not known for being a powerful and fiery preacher, like James and John who were nicknamed the Sons of Thunder by Jesus. 
• She never walked on water, or pulled a coin from a fish’s mouth, or told a paralyzed man to get up and walk. 

• She just wasn’t that special… all she was known for was that she was possessed by demons and now she is not… 

• And yet… 

• It wasn’t to the wealthy man that Jesus first appeared… 

• Or to the religious scholars. 

• It wasn’t to the Sons of Thunder that Christ first revealed Himself too… 

• Not even the disciple called “The one Jesus loves” 

• It wasn’t to the Mary, or Joseph, or even Jesus’ brother James… 

• It was to this lowly woman, Mary of Magdalene… 
• WHY?! Not because she was special… but because she sought Jesus. 

• In her time of mourning… she sought Jesus. 
• In her time of desperation… she sought Jesus. 
• In her time of misunderstanding… she sought Jesus. 

John 20:8-10 NKJV  Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed.  (9)  For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead.  (10)  Then the disciples went away again to their own homes. 

• Listen… When all the SPECIAL PEOPLE HAD GONE HOME… Mary stayed and sought Jesus! 

• And what did she find? She found Jesus! 

• Here is my Easter Message to you this morning… You don’t have to be special… just seek Jesus. 

• You don’t need a degree in Biblical hermeneutics to lead your family in devotions… Just seek Jesus. 
• You don’t have to sing like Pastor Amanda to lead your family in times of worship… Just seek Jesus. 
• You don’t have to be a good public speaker to pray over your life and the lives of others… JUST SEEK JESUS. 
• You don’t have to be rich to have an impact in the church… Just seek Jesus. 
• You don’t have to be handsome to find a good fearing wife… just seek Jesus… 
• Come on y’all, you don’t have to be a good reader to understand the Bible… just seek Jesus. 
• Come on church… 

• In the way you serve… seek Jesus. 
• In the way you study… seek Jesus. 
• In the way you pray… seek Jesus. 
• In the way you provide… seek Jesus. 
• In the way you celebrate easter… seek Jesus. 
• In the way you eat your easter dinner… seek Jesus. 
• In all things you do today and always… seek Jesus. 

• Because what did Mary find when she sought Jesus? SHE FOUND JESUS! 

• So if I want Jesus at my easter dinner table, I need to seek Him. 

• Come on, it’s a simple message church… 

• If I want Jesus in my children’s lives… I need to seek Him. 

• If I want Jesus in my workplace… I need to seek Him. 
• If I want Jesus in my life… I need to seek Him 
• YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE SPECIAL… YOU JUST HAVE TO SEEK JESUS. 

1 Chronicles 16:11 ESV  Seek the LORD and His strength; seek His presence continually! 

Jeremiah 29:13 NKJV  And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. 

Psalms 9:10 NKJV  And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You. 

Psalms 105:4 NKJV  Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face evermore! 

Psalms 119:2 NKJV  Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, Who seek Him with the whole heart! 

Hebrews 11:6 NKJV  But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. 

• Mary diligently sought Jesus. 

• The other disciples sought Jesus at the tomb… but not with diligence… 

• Because they went home… they had some belief… but they also had some confusion about the scriptures… so instead of seeking Jesus all the more, they went home to ponder everything… 

• But not Mary Magdalene… 

• Mary did not know or at least she did not understand the prophecies… the other disciples saw that tomb was empty and they believed… 

• But not Mary… Mary was still looking for a body… 
• When the angels asked her, she was desperate to find a body. 
• When the Gardener asked her, she was desperate to find a body. 

• She didn’t understand… but none-the-less, she SOUGHT JESUS. 

• Listen church, I am going to tell you one more time… because if you can get this… you can get so much more of Jesus… 

• YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE SPECIAL, Y’ALL, YOU JUST HAVE TO SEEK JESUS… 

• Now that brings me to my second point this morning… If you want good things, Seek Jesus. 

Point Two – If You Want Good Things, Just Seek Jesus 

John 20:13-16 NKJV  Then they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.”  (14)  Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus.  (15)  Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, “Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.”  (16)  Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” (which is to say, Teacher). 

 
Psalms 34:10 NKJV  The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing. 

• Those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing… 

• Church I want you to have the BEST Easter dinner today… but how do you have all the good things at Easter Dinner? 

• Well everyone knows that it is all about the food you prep, and that starts with where you buy it! 

• So if you want to lack no good thing for your Easter meal, be sure to buy your meat at Fairway, your Produce at HyVee, and everything else at Aldi… 
• And don’t get that mixed up, because aint nobody want that Aldi produce… 

• No, this is not how to get good things… because you could make a Michelin start quality meal today and still have you meal ruined by that one Uncle who just wants to talk politics…. 

• But imagine if you will… the ham is burnt, the potatoes are watery, your kids are crying and Your uncle is going on and on about his crazy political views making all the other adults angry and uncomfortable… 

• But STILL, church, STILL I SAY you can have an easter dinner with all good things… how? By seeking the Lord. 

•  Just imagine, if in that instant, you as the head of your house get everyones attention and say “Hey… before we talk any more about politics… before we all try to suffer through this burnt ham and pretend we like it… can we just all take a moment to worship our Risen savior…” 
• And then you lead them in prayer… and you read a few lines of scripture about the Easter… and then maybe even pull out your phone, look up some lyrics to one of your favorite hymns, and lead your table in worship. 

• Can you imagine the peace that would come down in that moment? Yes your kids might still be screaming and the Ham still burnt… and your uncle is looking at you chomping at the bit to get back to why he believes Jill Biden is a Lizard person… But there you are… seeking Jesus, and people have no choice to follow after you. 

• What if that was every meal you had… 

• Every morning devotion. 
• Every evening time of prayer… 
• Every lunch break at work… 
• If you just sought Jesus. 

• You see Mary was in a hard spot… she was having a way worse day than the Easter I just described… 

• Her EVERYTHING was dead and in the tomb… Her life was turned upside down… and her only comforter was the one who was gone… who would comforter her this time… 
• But Mary Magdalene sought Jesus… 

• And the first thing she finds is two angels. 

John 20:11-13a NKJV  But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb.  (12)  And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.  (13)  Then they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”  

• “Woman, why are you weeping?” The angels ask… the question was figurative, not literal… though Mary took it that way… they knew why she was weeping… they were trying to say “Why are you weeping, there is no need to weep… Jesus is not Dead He is surely alive!” 

• Mary needed comfort when she sought Jesus… and here she finds two angels, as if there to comfort her specifically… she expected to find death and pain and despair in the tomb… but she found it empty… but not alone… 
• Like the two cherubim who sit at the ends of the mercy seat, here we see two angels sitting on the edge of the empty grave bed… ready to give a message of mercy… Woman, why are you weeping”. 

• And before Mary is even able to respond, in walks Jesus… 

John 20:15 NKJV  Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, “Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.” 

• Still confused, not realizing that she was talking to angels, and now Jesus… confused, and upset… yet still Mary presses forward, she is seeking Jesus “Sir if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him…” 

• She sought Jesus and what did she find? She found Jesus. 

John 20:16 NKJV  Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” 

• She sought Jesus, and what did she lack? She lacked no good thing. 

• In a moment all of her fear, all of her pain, all of her sorrow… passed away. 

• At the mention of her name from the mouth of her Savior 

• All her worries, all her anxieties, all her problems… passed away. 

• She went from lacking every good thing to lacking no good thing… why? Because she sought Jesus. 

• So church, this Easter let me remind you… if you want good things in your life… Just seek Jesus. 

• If you want good things in your life, JUST SEEK JESUS. 

• Don’t seek good things… no… that is not the promise… don’t seek good things… Just seek Jesus. 

• Do you want love? Seek Jesus. 
• Do you want Joy? Seek Jesus. 
• Do you want Peace? Seek Jesus. 
• Do you want Patience? Seek Jesus. 
• Do you want Kidness? Seek Jesus. 
• Do you want Goodness? Seek Jesus. 
• Do you want faithfulness? Seek Jesus. 
• Do you want gentleness? Seek Jesus. 
• Do you want self-control… Lord knows I will need it when those pies come out of the oven… if you want self-control this morning, seek Jesus. 

Psalms 34:10 NKJV  The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing. 

Conclusion – Give Me Jesus 

• Now if you are here this morning and you don’t have Jesus as Lord and Savior… you can seek Him this morning and you WILL find Him. 

• You are in a room surrounded by people who have had chains broken… who have had  

Luke 11:9-10 NKJV  “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  (10)  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 

• I am asking for Jesus, I am seeking Jesus… I am knocking on the gates of heaven saying “Give me Jesus!” 

• When the angels say “Why are you weeping?” I SAY GIVE ME JESUS! 

• When the Gardener says “Who are you looking for?!” I SAY GIVE ME JESUS! THE ONE WHO BROKE THESE CHAINS AND TOOK AWAY MY SHAME! HE’S THE ONLY ONE FOR ME!” 

• And when Jesus says my name… when I realize it is Him… that death has been defeated… 

• Then I can proclaim “MY JESUS! MY RABBI! MY TEACHER! MY SAVIOR! HEAVENS MAY FAIL BUT YOU REMAIN, JESUS! YOU ARE MY TREASURE! HEAVEN AND EARTH MAY PASS AWAY, BUT NOT YOU JESUS, I THOUGHT YOU WERE DIED BUT YOU ARE ALIVE! YOU ARE FOREVER! 
• THE ONLY LASTING THING IS YOU! WHO ELSE WOULD I RUN TO? Will I run home like Peter and John? NO! No! I will run to YOU Jesus You are my treasure.” 

• Church stand with me… let’s sing this song… Let’s mean this song! HE IS RISEN! 
• Come on, let’s seek Jesus!  

Join us this Sunday at either 8:30AM or 10:30AM for worship followed by this message from the Word of God. Christian Life Church of Cedar Rapids. 2808 Schaeffer DR SW, Cedar Rapids, IA   52404. www.CedarRapidsChurch.com