Unlikely Heroes: Mary Magdalene - Life-Changing Gratitude
Pastor Phil Moser
November 20th, 2022

John 20:11-18
11 …Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 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.” 14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 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.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17 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.’ ” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her. 

Life-Changing Gratitude

• Reflect upon your BROKENNESS before you met Jesus (Luke 8:2)

1 Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, 2 and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, 3 and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means.

“Demon possession” is a term frequently used to translate the Greek term daimonizomai in the New Testament. This term describes a variety of conditions, both physical and emotional-mental-psychological, for which the cause is identified as direct demonic influence.
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Luke 6:17-19
17 And he came down with them and stood on a level place, wit h a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people…18 who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. 19 And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them all.

Hebrews 12:15-16
15 See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; 16 that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal.

In Christ, we are free…from the penalty and power of sin. Before Christ, we lived as slaves to sin (John 8:34). We sought to gratify our desires and lived for ourselves. We were dead in our sins (Colossians 2:13) and were destined to face the consequence of our sin, which is death (Romans 6:23). Yet, when we trusted in Christ for our salvation, our course in life completely changed.
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• Seek to fill your EMPTINESS with the love of Jesus (Mat. 12:44-45)

Matthew 12:43-45
43 “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order.

Matthew 12:43-45
45 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.”

• Face your personal SADNESS with the mercy of Jesus (Jn. 20:11-18)

•Reflect upon your BROKENESS before you met Jesus (Luke 8:2)

•Seek to fill your EMPTINESS with the love of Jesus (Mat. 12:44-45)

•Face your personal SADNESS with the mercy of Jesus (Jn. 20:11-18)

John 20:14-15
14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 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.”

John 20:16-17
16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17 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.’ ”