Lessons from the Resurrection Appearances, Part 2: The Resurrection Transforms Grief to Purpose.

Little is known about Mary Magdalene whose name bears her origin, a town on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. John depicts Mary as a woman of strength, faith, and unwavering devotion.

Today we will examine 3 interactions that Jesus had once he arrived in Bethany in John 11:17-37.

Resurrection Sunday

Luke 24:33-49 happened about half a day after Jesus rose from the tomb. Jesus had already appeared to some disciples after His death and burial in the tomb. All the disciples were in a living room, eating dinner behind a locked door, fearing for their lives. They believed the Jewish leaders may seek to kill them as well.

The disciples were discussing reports that Jesus had risen from the dead. The witnesses explained their stories of seeing Him risen. Was this really Jesus? Was it a ghost? The ones who had not seen Jesus may have wondered why Jesus appeared to others but not to them?

The disciples were tired from the recent events of His death. They were grieving and confused about what to do next. Some of you today may be in this same position of anguish and uncertainty. Just as Jesus calmed the hearts of His disciples in this passage, He does the same today.

Wisdom for God's People Enduring Calamity.

Most Christians are enduring some level of difficulty at any given point in their life. The story of Job offers us wisdom in how to endure crisis and calamity in a godly way.

The Consoling Love of Our Resurrected Savior.

John 20:11-18 tells of Mary Magdalene encountering the risen Jesus. In this account, we see Jesus' consoling love that is simple and profound.

The Saving Mercy of God Settles the Anxious Heart.

The greatest joys in life are knowing Christ and seeing others meet Him. Yet of equal magnitude in grief is seeing those who hear the Gospel refuse Him.

Romans 9 shows us how to find our way back to joy. Paul's answer is considering God, His person and His attributes. This will give us the ability to work our way out of any grief.

The Grace of God When We Grieve Over Loved Ones Who Are Not Yet Saved.

In one sentence, this is a summary of Romans 9: God has always sought to redeem those whose sin has taken them away from Him.

Our Deep Compassion for Those Who Say No to Christ.

We began our study of Romans last year using an outline from Alva J. McClain. We studied Condemnation and Salvation in chapters 1-8. Now we begin the section on Vindication in chapters 9-11. The key question for this section is "Why was Israel set aside?" The answer we will find in Romans 11:30-32 is that God might show mercy to all.