"God's Personal Love" 4-20-25
Overview
God's Personal Love
"Don't take it personally." It's a phrase we use to soften hard words, to ask for cool reason instead of feeling, or even to exclude the listener from a sweeping critique. But the resurrection account in John 20 reveals a God who does the opposite. He takes everything about us—our sin and our salvation—deeply, intensely personally.
Consider Mary Magdalene at the tomb. She loved the Lord who had cast seven demons out of her. She watched Him die, watched Joseph of Arimathea lay Him in the tomb, and came early on the first day of the week with spices to honor His body. She found the stone rolled away, summoned Peter and John, and stood weeping outside—the Greek word picturing constant, unrestrained sobbing. Even with two angels seated where Jesus had lain (echoing the cherubim on the mercy seat of Exodus 25:17-22, where God promised, "I will meet with you"), even with the risen Christ Himself standing beside her, she did not believe. This was not honest doubt; it was unbelief. And the empty tomb itself preaches that God now meets His people in the resurrected Christ.
Does God take such sin personally? Scripture says yes. In Mark 3:1-6, Jesus looks at the hard-hearted silence in the synagogue with anger, "grieved at their hardness of heart." In Genesis 6:5-6, the Lord sees humanity's wickedness and is "grieved to his heart." Sin is an affront to a holy God—and yet His response is mercy. He sent the second Person of the Trinity, God in the flesh, to the cross. There Jesus took our sin personally, bearing it on His own body, and the wrath of God for sin fell on the spotless Lamb. Redemption was bought with His blood; the gulf between us and God was bridged; and the empty tomb declares that the sacrifice was accepted.
This same personal love comes to you. Notice how faith was born in Mary: Jesus simply spoke her name—"Mary"—and she answered, "Rabboni!" John 20:16. God still works this way. In the waters of Baptism He calls you by name and says, "You are mine." At His Table He gives you His body and blood "for you." In absolution He declares, "Your sins are forgiven." Again and again He comes with His personal Word, ripping away unbelief and doubt. With Jesus, it is never general or distant. It is personal—very, very personal.
Transcript
Would you open your Bibles, please, with me, to John the 20th chapter for our study this 3s
morning. 9s
If you're using a Pew edition of Holy Scripture, you'll see in the rack in front of you or 9s
underneath your pew, that's on the New Testament page 100. 14s
John the 20th chapter. 18s
Frazes, phrases, the host of phrases aren't there. 24s
Like just a moment or excuse me, or I'll see you later. 30s
I want you to start to think of it. 38s
There's a lot of phrases aren't there. 40s
Including this one. 45s
Don't take it personally. 50s
Don't take it personally. 55s
It's really an interesting phrase, isn't it? 59s
It's really really interesting. 61s
There's so many shades of meaning surrounding that don't take it personally, right? 62s
When a speaker says that, it's almost as if the speaker is cushioning what is about 70s
ready to be said. 79s
Almost an act of disarming the here. 81s
Don't take this personally. 86s
You can have the shade of meaning when a speaker says that. 90s
To call the listener to be rational about what is about to be said. 95s
Don't don't get caught up in emotions. 101s
Don't take this personally. 105s
Just take it rationally here and think about it a little bit. 107s
Don't take it personally. 115s
It can also have the shade of meaning that the speaker is going to say something that envelopes 116s
a wide swath of people including the here. 122s
But the speaker is trying to exclude the here from what is about to be said. 128s
Don't take it. 136s
Don't take it personally. 138s
Fascinating phrase. 141s
Shade upon shade of meaning. 143s
As we study this morning, 148s
examples of taking it personally. 156s
What is meant? 164s
What can we learn? 167s
Look at me please. 170s
A John chapter 20 verse 1, the scripture says. 171s
Early on the first day of the week while it was still dark, 176s
Mary Magdalene came to the tomb. 179s
You recall Mary Magdalene, right? 183s
Think back to the ending of the Good Friday service and the portion from the Gospel of Mark that was read. 185s
It was referenced there to Mary Magdalene wasn't there. 192s
Mary Magdalene loved the Lord. 196s
She loved the Lord. 199s
For good reason. 203s
The Lord had cast the scripture says seven demons out of her. 204s
Mary Magdalene loved the Lord. 211s
Followed Jesus. 213s
Help with others to provide for him. 215s
Mary Magdalene, the Bible tells us, 219s
was at the crucifixion. 221s
Mary Magdalene, the Bible tells us, 223s
Saul, when Joseph of Arimothia took the body of Jesus and put it in the tomb. 226s
Mary Magdalene saw it. 233s
And Mary Magdalene was among the women who after the Sabbath went to the tomb with the spices and the perfume. 236s
And what did she see? 247s
Second part of verse 1. 250s
She saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. 254s
What'd she do? She ran. 260s
She ran and found Simon Peter and John and said, 261s
They have taken the Lord and I don't know where they've laid him. 266s
And that occasion, the foot race, 271s
involving Peter and John and John in his Gospel gently tells the hears that he won the foot race. 274s
When they arrive at the tomb, 285s
John sees the linen claws, the burial claws of Jesus, 287s
but he doesn't go into the tomb, Peter arrives and Peter goes right into the tomb. 293s
Seas, what John had seen, 300s
and also sees that the cloth that had been placed over the face of Jesus 302s
was rolled up and put away. 309s
Now we'll have a little aside here. 313s
If the body of Jesus had been stolen out of the tomb, 317s
what grave robber would stop and roll up the cloth on the face, 327s
that defies logic. 341s
Doesn't it? 346s
It defies logic. 348s
Jesus was not in the tomb. 353s
And what do Peter and John do? 361s
They don't understand. 366s
And they leave. 370s
Mary returns. 375s
We pick up in verse 11. 377s
But Mary stood weeping outside of the tomb. 381s
That word there for weeping, 386s
it means constant, unrestrained sobbing. 388s
Do you see it? 395s
Do you hear it? 398s
But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb as she wept. 401s
She bent over to look into the tomb, 405s
and she saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, 408s
one at the head and the other at the feet. 413s
Now the angels are preaching here, they're preaching. 417s
Exodus tells us that with the people of old, 422s
God had instructed them to build what was called the Ark of the Covenant. 426s
On the top of the Ark of the Covenant, 429s
what was called the Mercy Seat. 432s
Once a year, the high priest would come in 434s
and sprinkle blood from the animal sacrifices 438s
for the sins of the people on top of the Mercy Seat. 442s
And God had instructed the assembly of the Ark of the Covenant 447s
to have images of cherubs, 452s
cherubs, cherubs are angels. 457s
So the Ark of the Covenant, God said, 460s
I want you to put an image of an angel. 463s
Image of a cherub, I want you to put it on one side 466s
and the other side of the Ark of the Covenant. 470s
What is it that the angels are doing in the tomb? 477s
Where are they? 485s
They're on the head and the feet? 488s
God had promised in Exodus, 495s
He said, I will meet you. 496s
I will meet you here at the Mercy Seat. 499s
With the angels here mimicking that 504s
in the tomb of our Lord, 507s
God is saying, 510s
I meet you in the tomb of the resurrected Christ, 511s
the angels preach. 521s
The plays at verse 13, 527s
they said, are women where are you weeping? 530s
She said to them, they have taken away my Lord 533s
and I do not know where they've laid him. 535s
When she had said this, she turned around 539s
and saw Jesus standing there, 541s
but she did not know that it was Jesus. 543s
Jesus said to her, woman, why are you weeping? 547s
Who are you looking for? 551s
Supposing him to be the gardener, 554s
she said to him, sir, 556s
if you have carried him away, 558s
tell me where you have laid him 560s
and I will take him away. 562s
Very make-let. 569s
One that loved Jesus, 573s
traveled with Jesus, 578s
helped to provide for Jesus. 582s
Certainly, would have heard 588s
because she traveled with Jesus. 590s
When Jesus said, I'm going to go to the cross, 593s
I'm going to die, 596s
and on the third day, 599s
I'm going to rise. 601s
Mary Magdalene, 604s
who saw with her own eyes 606s
the same thing that Peter and John saw. 608s
Mary Magdalene, 614s
who sees the angelic witness, 616s
Mary Magdalene, 621s
who has the risen 625s
Christ right next to her. 626s
Doesn't believe. 638s
She doesn't believe. 642s
This isn't doubt here. 646s
I wonder whether or not Jesus 648s
was true to what he said 651s
that on the third day he would rise. 653s
No, this is flat out unqualified, 655s
unbelief. 664s
Don't take it. 670s
Personal God. 674s
Don't take it personally. 679s
The sin of unbelief. 683s
But does he? 693s
Does he? 697s
In Mark III chapter, 704s
it tells the story, 705s
Jesus was in the synagogue. 707s
There was a man with a withered hand. 709s
The Pharisees were watching the see if Jesus was going to heal on the Sabbath. 713s
Jesus turns and he says, 718s
is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath? 722s
And it's silent. 729s
And the Bible says that Jesus was angry. 731s
And he grieved. 739s
Grieved in his heart. 743s
Does God take sin personally? 749s
Genesis 6 chapter, 757s
it tells us this, 759s
the Lord saw that the wickedness of humankind was great in the earth 760s
and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts 766s
was only evil continually. 770s
And the Lord was sorry that he had made humankind on the earth 774s
and it grieved him to his heart. 780s
We see them the judgment falling upon creation. 785s
We see the flood that comes but God in his grace, 790s
and he's very angry with his family. 793s
God in his mercy. 796s
What you heard was said there about God's reaction to the wickedness 798s
and sin. 802s
It grieves him to the heart. 806s
Don't take it personally. 814s
Don't take it personally. 816s
But he does. 824s
He does. 828s
And for good reason. 832s
What does he do? 838s
When I was in junior high, 844s
on Holy Saturday, 846s
the Saturday right before Easter, 849s
we built this humongous cross. 853s
And the youth group we all put our favorite Bible verses on the cross. 859s
Cross was huge and it was heavy and we carried it up a hill 864s
that overlooked the church. 871s
It was not easy. 874s
And as we walked up, there was some loose rocks. 877s
And some of us, we would fall and we'd have to help one another. 882s
It wasn't an easy climb, especially with the heaviness of that cross. 888s
It was humongous. 892s
And we got to the place where we were going to put the cross up. 895s
And we dug it a deep hole, really deep. 899s
Does it had to? 903s
It was huge. 904s
And we hoisted up the cross. 906s
And we draped a white banner over the cross. 909s
On Easter morning, 916s
as the congregation was coming, 918s
as they started to walk to the sanctuary, 921s
they could see the cross on the hill. 924s
With the white banner. 930s
What did God do for the sin that he took personally? 936s
Because all sin is in a front to him. 945s
He sent the second member of the Trinity, 947s
the Lord Jesus Christ, 950s
God in the flesh. 952s
And Jesus Christ went to the cross. 954s
And what did Jesus do? 958s
But he took our sin personally. 963s
Quite personally. 969s
Because he took it upon himself on the cross. 973s
God who takes sin personally, 979s
because it's an affront to him, 982s
that sins his son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to the cross. 984s
And the Lord Jesus Christ takes our sin personally upon himself. 988s
And the wrath of God for sin falls on the spotless sinless lamb of God. 994s
The wrath of God falls on Jesus, 1003s
because he had taken our sin personally. 1007s
And redemption is one. 1013s
The buyback is affected through the blood of Jesus Christ. 1016s
We are reconciled to God. 1020s
The Gulf that separates us because of sin is healed. 1023s
And it's healed by the bridge of the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. 1027s
And the empty tomb of our Lord. 1032s
Preaches to us that the sacrifice for sin had been 1037s
accepted, that we have been redeemed. 1042s
We are reconciled. 1046s
God who takes sin personally, 1049s
sent his son, the Lord Jesus Christ, 1052s
who took our sin upon his very person and paid the debt that we could never pay. 1055s
And God comes to us personally, personally. 1069s
Look, please. 1081s
Verse 15 of our text. 1083s
Jesus said to her, 1088s
woman, why are you weeping? 1089s
Who are you looking for? 1091s
Supposing him to be the gardener. 1093s
She said to him, sir, if you've carried him away, 1096s
tell me where you've laid him. 1099s
And I will take him away. 1101s
Jesus said to her, 1105s
She turned and said to him, 1113s
the Hebrew, Rabona, which means teacher. 1114s
And faith was born in the heart of Mary. 1126s
Faith was born from a personal word. 1133s
Beloved, God does the same thing for us. 1143s
He comes and the waters of baptism. 1148s
He takes the victory of the cross and the resurrection. 1151s
And he washes us in that promise. 1155s
And he says to each one of us in the waters of baptism, 1158s
you, you are mine. 1165s
And he calls us by name. 1171s
When we come up to the table of our Lord, he feeds us 1175s
with his very body and blood. 1180s
And we hear him say to us, 1183s
this is my body. 1189s
For you, this is my blood. 1195s
Shed for you. 1201s
We confess our sins and we hear the glorious 1205s
evolution in the name of Jesus Christ, 1208s
your sins, your sins are forgiven. 1213s
You are forgiven. 1219s
And he keeps coming to us with that very word, 1222s
over and over and over again, 1226s
ripping away the unbelief, 1232s
ripping away the doubt, 1235s
because you see with Jesus, 1242s
it's personal. 1253s
It's very, very. 1257s
Personal. 1265s
I'll end it again. 1270s