Latest / Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago / The Beauty of Christ's Burial | Mark 15:40-47 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Gospel of Mark Bible Study Series)

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The Beauty of Christ's Burial | Mark 15:40-47 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Gospel of Mark Bible Study Series) · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

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When we think about, teach, or even share the gospel with the
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lost, Christians tend to emphasize two things, the death
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of Jesus Christ and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
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However, I want to bring to your attention a component of
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Christ's redemption that I believe is often overlooked and
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yet was present in Paul's explanation of the gospel.
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And as we turn there, I believe you're going to see it right
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away. So let's begin in First
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Corinthians chapter 15, beginning in verse 3, and look
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with me at what Paul considers to be a first importance he
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writes to the Corinthian church. For I deliver to you as of first
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importance what I also received. That Christ died for our sins in
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accordance with the scriptures. That he was buried, That he was
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raised on 1/3 day in accordance with the scriptures.
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Did you see it? Sandwiched between the sin
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atoning death of Jesus Christ and the grave conquering
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resurrection of Jesus Christ is the burial of the Lord Jesus
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Christ. He highlights it.
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He underscores it, He mentions it as a distinct phase of
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Christ, a compliment accomplishment for our
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atonement. But why?
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Why is it necessary to emphasize the burial of Jesus Christ?
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Why? I believe there is 2 simple
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answers to it #1 it stresses that Jesus really died.
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So to go through the careful process and the protocol of
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preparing that body and then placing that body in a tomb
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would require the belief that such a person has in fact died.
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Nobody would bury somebody who they believe to be alive.
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Second, the burial of Jesus Christ legitimizes the
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resurrection of Jesus Christ. It refutes any suggestion that
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Jesus merely lost consciousness on the cross.
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The burial makes this statement. Jesus didn't faint.
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Jesus didn't slip into a coma only to be awakened shortly
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after and then escaped the tomb only to convince his followers
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that he was resurrected. His resurrection was a genuine
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resurrection because his death was a real death.
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And the burial of Jesus Christ serves as a pivotal point that
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confirms both. And that is why this stage of
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Jesus's mission to save our souls is found in every single
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Gospel account. His burial.
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But as you know, there is much more to learn from it than those
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two brief thoughts, and that's what we're going to do today as
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we come to mark chapter 15, beginning in verse 40, I want to
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present to you three thoughts from the letter P that will
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hopefully direct us as we now go from the cross to the cemetery.
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The first point will be simply this, the persons at the burial.
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Following that will be the Providence around the burial.
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And lastly, you and I will consider the prophecy of the
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burial. Let's read the first 3 verses
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beginning in verse 40 to see the people that are mentioned at
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this point of the story. There were also women looking on
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from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene and Mary the
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mother of James the Younger, and of Josephs and Salome.
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When he was in Galilee they followed him and minister to
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him. And there are also many other
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woman who came up with him to Jerusalem.
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And when evening had come, since it was the day of preparation,
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that is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph, Joseph of
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Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also
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himself looking for the Kingdom of God, took courage and went to
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Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus, the persons at the burial
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of Jesus Christ. I consider the names of the
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people here, some of Jesus greatest followers.
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They are the unsung heroes of Jesus disciples.
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And I believe the mention of these women specifically is more
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significant than seeing in these records that there were
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eyewitness accounts of Jesus being transported from the cross
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into a specific tomb. I am convinced that these women
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are brought to our attention because God wanted to honor
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them. Because we're not just told that
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they were there, we're told that they were also followers of him
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and minister to him from the early stages of Christ Preaching
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tour. And I want to, at this point,
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remind you that you have a group of women who remained staring at
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the gory, brutal death of Jesus Christ when there was so much
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hostility in the air of not just towards Christ, but anybody who
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was associated with them. You had this group of women
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right there while the apostles of Jesus Christ were in hiding.
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Could you just give me like a few moments to address the
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sisters here? I want to let you know as I
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meditate on this that you should never believe the modern lie
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that the Bible's designation of distinct gender roles within the
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church and the home stifles your gifts or hinders your devotion
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to Jesus Christ from excelling for the glory of God.
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Just because men are called to be leaders in certain spheres in
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no way means that they have greater opportunities to glorify
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God than you do. If anything, these verses that
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you and I just read demonstrate that the faith of these women
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outshine the faith of the very leaders that Jesus had been
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training for three years. So this is not a competition, by
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the way. I'm just praying that what you
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see here would serve as an encouragement to you.
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That while the world out there is amplifying deception toward
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the sisters in the church, the woman of faith, female followers
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of Jesus Christ, trying to tell you that God's will, if you
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honor it according to how it is spelled out, hinders you,
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hinders your potential, hinders your opportunity, you'd realize
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that that is not the case. I'm not robbed of any true
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purpose. As long as I trust in what God
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calls me to do, I will bring him the greatest honor and I will
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tap into the greatest delight. And that's what we see with
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these women here. They ministered to him.
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Have you wondered how they ministered to Him?
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You know the Bible tells us in a different gospel account.
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You have to turn there to see it.
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In Luke chapter 8, beginning in verse one, we know exactly how
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these faithful sisters serve their master.
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Luke 8 verse one. This is when Jesus was in
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Galilee, and we read soon after he went on through the cities
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and villages proclaiming and bringing good news of the
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Kingdom of God, and the 12 were with him, and also some woman
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who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities.
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Mary called Magdalene, from whom 7 demons had gone out, and
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Joanna, the wife of Kuza, Harrah's household manager, and
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Susanna and many others who provided for them out of their
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means. Here it is.
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Luke is underscoring by the spirit that the way that these
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woman minister to the Lord and his ministry team was by
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providing out of their resources.
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Now, that might not impress you, but notice that it was a need
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that was met and that the Holy Spirit took note of it.
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And what moves me about the dedication of these women is
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that it continued until the very end.
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The provision didn't end in Galilee.
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It resumed with diligence, even up to the burial of Jesus
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Christ. You're saying?
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What do you mean? Well, let me quote this to you.
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We're going to look at this next week, but let me quote this to
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you, Mark 16/1. Pay attention to this.
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When the Sabbath has passed, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother
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of James and Salome, bought spices so that they might go and
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anoint him. So their contribution to the
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Lord Jesus Christ didn't end when his preaching ministry
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ended. Even when he was wrapped in
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linen cloth and was brought into the tomb, they still had a heart
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that said, oh, how can we contribute to him now?
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What can we do with this opportunity now to show him
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honor and our love? Now looking at this, we can
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interpret this in a positive way and in a negative way.
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You heard the positive way. The negative is that they
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shouldn't have brought any spices to the tomb.
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Why? Because Jesus said over and
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over, and he particularly said in Mark 831 that he was going to
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be betrayed, that he was going to die, that he was going to be
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buried. But on the third day he was
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going to rise. So why do you have to go buy
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spices? You could have saved some money.
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So what this shows is by bringing the spices to anoint
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him, they didn't really believe that he was going to resurrect.
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So that's the negative. But the positive is that they
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still wanted to honor him and that meant something to God.
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And not only will he reward them in the life to come, He rewarded
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them with one of the greatest honors in all of human history,
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these very woman, because they stuck with Jesus, not just in
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Galilee, but at the cross. Not just at the cross, but at
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the tomb. They would be the first ones to
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witness the resurrected Christ, and they would become the first
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ones to testify about him. Remember that truth if you ever
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encounter somebody who tries to claim that the God of our faith,
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the God of this book, demeans woman or belittles woman.
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He entrusted the first resurrection appearance and
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testimony to a band of sisters. So ladies, understand this.
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Yes, the Bible does give us clear, distinct roles as men and
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women. But that doesn't mean that God
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doesn't want to use you, and it doesn't mean that God doesn't
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want to reveal things to you. You have to look closely at your
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Bible to see it. I was even thinking about
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Samaria. There was, there was great
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tension between the Samaritans and the Jews.
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And yet so many Samaritans came to Christ.
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And if you ask somebody when was the first time that these
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Samaritans were exposed to the message of Jesus, most people
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would say Philip the evangelist, He was the one that brought
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revival. Oh, he did bring revival, but he
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wasn't the first one. Who was the first one?
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The woman at the well, Jesus revealed to her that he was the
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Messiah. She couldn't keep it.
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And she went back to town and she says, let me tell you about
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somebody who told me everything about me.
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And so she prepared Samaria and Philip came to finish the job.
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And although the encouragement of these women is obviously
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clear here, they're standing out for their loyalty.
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That didn't mean that there were no men present at the burial of
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Christ. Let's come back to our text here
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and realize that there was a man who took it upon himself to give
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the Lord Jesus an honorable burial.
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We know his name in verse 43, Joseph.
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And all we know about Joseph here is that he was from
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Arimathea, a Jewish town, and that he was what?
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A respected member of the council.
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What council? The same council that gathered
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together to have Jesus crucified, the religious Jewish
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council. Listen to this, the Sanhedrin,
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the spiritual Supreme Court of Israel.
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And so you had a man who was a part of that group who now wants
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to come and ask for Jesus's body.
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And with that kind of background, you might be a
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little nervous. What is somebody from that group
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want to do with Jesus's body? And we are quickly put at ease
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when we consider what other gospel writers say about Joseph.
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And so one thing that we learn about him from Luke 23, you
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don't have to turn there, is that he was a good and righteous
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man in verse 51. He was a good and righteous man,
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and not just that, who had not consented to their decision in
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action. So not only was he an honorable
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man, a man of dignity, a man of honesty, when it came to the
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voting of what to do with Jesus, he did not cast his vote to have
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him crucified. We're not told how he did that,
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that he disses himself, that he did not show up to that meeting,
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that he voice it sheepishly. We're not told, but we know that
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he did not agree for what happened to Jesus.
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But John completes a picture of who Joseph is.
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He's not just a good and righteous man.
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John tells us, and this is where I will tell you to turn in John
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19, that he was a disciple of Jesus.
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John 19 verse 38, it says here after these things, Joseph,
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Joseph of Arimathea who was a disciple of Jesus.
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Pause there. Isn't that fascinating?
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You had a respected member of the Sanhedrin who was a follower
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of Jesus. So now it makes sense.
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We know what he's ready to do. He's loyal to Christ, and so
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surely he's going to do something good with that
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lifeless body. But before we get too excited,
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we learned he was a disciple of Jesus, but a certain kind of
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disciple, but secretly for fear of the Jews.
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So he was not just a disciple, He was an undercover disciple.
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He was discreet, He concealed, He tried to classify his
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Christianity, so to speak. And we should never strive or
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settle to be secret disciples of Christ for many reasons.
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Can I tell you one of them? It will indeed deprive you of
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being used by the Lord among many things.
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To try to hide your faith because you are fearful of man
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is a great disservice to your sanctification among other
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things. And so for most of Jesus public
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ministry, Joseph was hiding from him, but now he's about to go
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public, which I find interesting because the disciples who for
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all of Jesus public ministry were open, but when it came to
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his death, they became private. And so Joseph now is going to
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change. He has a shift in his heart and
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he's about to make his allegiance to Christ known.
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How? By going up to pilot and saying,
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I'm asking for that body because I want to honor it.
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That can't be discreet. That can't be something that's
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done behind the scenes. This very act would expose
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Joseph and he knew it very well. How do you know that?
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Because when you come back to our main text, we read here in
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Mark 15, verse 43, that he took courage and went to pilot.
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He had to find the boldness. He had to, whatever he had to do
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to muster the strength to go up before pilot and say, I want
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that body. This is more than just sympathy.
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This is more than just a guilt trip trying to do something
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knowing that he should have been more public about his faith.
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This is him counting the cost and willing to pay the price.
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I'm going to show that I do in fact love this Jesus.
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And the price is beyond what we just even see here.
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Do you realize that according to Jewish law that if you came into
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contact with a corpse, you had to be isolated for seven days,
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You were deemed unclean. So this man was willing to even
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risk his dismissal from the feast at the time, the Sabbath,
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and for the religious leaders to be like Joseph.
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Why? Why are you not participating?
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I'm unclean. Why are you unclean?
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Because I, I asked for Jesus body.
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And what did you do with Jesus body?
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I bestowed it with glory and honor.
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There's a change of heart here with this man.
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And notice what happens. And he's not the only one from
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the Sanhedrin who's going to do it.
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He called up his friend Nicodemus.
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You remember Nicodemus, He joins him to help with this as well.
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But here's what I want to bring to your attention.
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The moment that Joseph goes public with his faith, what
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happens? God uses him.
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How does he use him? Joseph unknowingly fulfills
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prophecy, as we're going to discover.
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So let this be a reminder to you that if you make the choice to
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never be ashamed of Christ, no matter what or who it costs you,
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you will make yourself a candidate to be mightily used by
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the Lord always. And I'm stirred by the grace of
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God even in this thought. Why?
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Because again, for most of Jesus ministry, Joseph was more afraid
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of men than he was of God. But the moment that he turned
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around and went public, God chose Joseph to be used to
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fulfill prophecy. God granted him an honorable
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thing so quickly after he changed.
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I want you to always remember not just the grace of God, but
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the speed of the grace of God that when we change, when we
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repent, when we change our minds, when we when we look back
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and say I've been wrong even for all these years.
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The moment you acknowledge that are willing to make the
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necessary steps, God will look at you and He will prepare and
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unfold before you wonderful things for your life.
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So I'm moved by God's grace in this.
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Who was worthy to be able to bury Jesus Christ?
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Somebody that hid their faith for three years?
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Surely not, and yet it happened. Look at God's heart here,
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please, and consider with me the persons at the burial.
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But it's not just the persons. We have to consider the
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Providence, the Providence of God around the burial.
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Let's read from verse 44 down to verse 45.
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Pilate was surprised to hear that he should have already
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died. And summoning the centurion, he
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asked them whether he was already dead.
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And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he
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granted the corpse to Joseph. So now you have another witness
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about the death of Christ. And this dispels the swoon
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theory, right? He didn't faint.
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He didn't lose consciousness only to regain it again.
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You had a professional centurion who can recognize from a mile
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away when somebody really died. And he goes, he's dead.
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Pilate confirms that. And you have an unbeliever who
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had nothing to gain about Jesus. That's saying he's in fact dead.
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But here's my question. Why was Pilate surprised that
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Jesus died? He was crucified.
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Did he expect him to live? He expected him to live a little
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longer because it was common that a person who was a victim
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according to the crucifixion, that they would survive for at
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least two or three days. Jesus dies within six hours.
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This is why he was shocked. How did it happen so quickly?
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But you have to also understand that the shock of Pilot is meant
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to be a statement of the sovereignty of Christ.
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Why? Because Jesus already told us
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that no man takes his life. He lays it down and according to
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the foreknowledge of God, He had to have laid it down at the six
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hour mark and nobody can change that.
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Now you're wondering why didn't He have to die at the six hour
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mark? And John will tell us, and it
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requires us to just flip there to see it.
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So go back again to John 19 and you'll see why Jesus had to die
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right there and then. John 19.
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Look at verse 31. Isn't the Bible glorious?
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John 1931 Since it was the day of preparation, and so that the
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bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath, for that
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Sabbath was a high day, The Jews asked Pilot that their legs
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might be broken and that they might be taken away.
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Hypocrisy is so hideous, man. It's so ugly.
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So again, there is a law in Deuteronomy 21, verse 23 that if
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anybody committed a crime that was worthy of a death by
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hanging, part of that instruction was that they could
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not keep such a body exposed overnight lest the land be
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defiled. And so the Jews of the time
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understanding that and understanding that this was in
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preparation for the Sabbath that was coming in a few hours, they
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asked Pilate, look, this is a part of our law.
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We have to remove these bodies. They can't stay here overnight,
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OK? So kill an innocent man, no
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problem. A break this law.
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God forbid. That's what religious hypocrisy
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looks like. And so they asked for their legs
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to be broken. Why their legs to be broken?
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Because, again, it was common knowledge that those who were
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hanging on a cross would use whatever strength they had left
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to push their bodies up so that they can expand their upper
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frame and get more breath in. You break their legs, they lose
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their support, and you expedite the execution.
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So we need their legs to be broken.
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We need to hurry this thing up so that we can honor God, Pilot
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says. OK, and so let's read what
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happens next. John 1932 So the soldiers came
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and broke the legs of the 1st and of the other who had been
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crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and
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saw that he was already dead, they did not break His legs.
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Why did they not break His legs? Because He consciously and with
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authority already surrendered His spirit.
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Why did He surrender His spirit? So that He can avoid his legs,
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specifically his bones, from being touched.
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Why? So that he can dodge some pain?
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No, so that he can fulfill prophecy.
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What do you mean? Look at verse 36 of John 19.
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For these things took place that the scripture might be
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fulfilled. Not one of his bones will be
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broken. Psalm 34, verse 20.
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That's where that prophecy is found.
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And more than just His bones not being broken, verse 37 tells us
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that He had to have been pierced, which fulfills
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Zechariah 12/10 that they would look on him whom they have
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pierced. So here's the lesson.
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No matter what the Jews demanded or what Pilate permitted, God's
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providential plan would be perfectly intact.
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Not one minutiae, not one detail would be thwarted and the
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encouragement that we draw from this is not just how God was in
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control. Every second of Christ's
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suffering, He even is sovereign over the duration of each of our
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lives in this place. Do you remember how Jesus
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responded when the thief on the crossed in humility and in faith
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asked. Please remember me when you come
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in your Kingdom. We focused a few weeks ago on 2
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words. Today you will be with me in
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paradise. But I want to focus now on one
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word. Today again, on average, it took
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about two or three days for someone who was crucified to
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finally give their final breath. But here's Jesus who looks over
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to this thief and he tells them when he's going to enter with
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him into paradise. I'm bringing you home today.
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And doesn't matter what statistics say, doesn't matter
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what the common experience or the average lifespan of somebody
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who's crucified is when I say today, you're coming with me
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today. And what was the means for him
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to enter into paradise with Christ, His legs being broken
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sometimes. And this is what we talked about
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last Friday, 2 days ago. When God works in our favor,
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providentially, it involves pain.
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We talked about this if you were here a couple days ago, that in
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Second Kings 5, there was a little girl who was part of a
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household of faith who was abducted and taken from her
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family and brought into a foreign land to serve her
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captor. And we wrestle with that.
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You have a little girl who was a part of the remnant of Israel
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when there was so much rampant idolatry, and God allowed for
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her to be kidnapped. And we concluded that she was
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positioned there not accidentally, providentially.
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Why? Because it would be her little
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witness that would lead her captor and the commander of the
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Syrian Army to be introduced to the God that she loved and
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believed in. And what I said then I'll tell
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you tonight, this promises us that there is not one ounce of
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pain that is void of God's good purpose, whether that pain is a
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broken heart like in Second Kings 5 with this girl and her
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family, or broken bones like we see here.
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In like manner, we have the Lord Jesus now wanting to take this
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thief on the cross and place him in a cult, a place called
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Paradise. And what would be required for
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him to get there? A moment of pain.
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What could the Lord have done in a different way?
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Could he have offered a a less severe method?
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Sure, he could have. But you have to remember
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something too. And this is where the Bible is
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realistic and where we have to be realistic too.
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This man who gave his heart to Jesus Christ on his deathbed
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would win eternal life, right? But for his whole life, he was a
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professional criminal. And here's what I want to bring
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to your attention. Even though he put his faith in
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Jesus Christ, he still had his legs broken.
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Say, what do you mean by that? Here's what I'm telling you.
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There are certain ways in which people live that even though
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they experience and drink of the grace of God, the consequences
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of their sin will still carry over.
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Can I be realistic with you that there are certain things that
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you've invested in, things that you've done to your body, things
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that you've done against the law of the land?
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That though your eyes have been open to the grace in Jesus and
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have one eternal life, may still have to endure consequences,
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sometimes lingering, sometimes permanent?
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So this crucified thief puts his faith in Christ.
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He wins eternal life. But guess what?
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The law of the land still had to be brought to him, and his legs
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were crushed. Let's be realistic with our
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faith. And that shouldn't cause any of
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us to fear, because what's most important is that no matter what
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we have to endure here, we do have eternal life.
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And no matter what consequences we do again have to endure, we
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have a personal, intimate walk with the risen Savior.
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Providence. Providence is everywhere.
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Providence is always in motion, even here at the cross, and not
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just with the Son of God, but with those who would be made
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sons of God. And so we look at this and we
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are marveling, I hope. But now we come to the last
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time. What?
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Which is the prophecy of the burial.
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We looked at the persons at the burial.
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We looked at the Providence around the burial.
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But now we come to the prophecy of the burial.
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Let's read verse 46 and 47. We'll conclude together.
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And Joseph bought a linen shroud, and taking him down,
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wrapped him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had
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been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against
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the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the
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mother of Joseph saw where he was laid.
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I think it's appropriate sometimes to use your sanctified
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imagination as you read the Bible, looking at this again.
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And we read that Joseph received permission and then he went to
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the body of Jesus and it says that he took him down.
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What kind of experience was that?
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You know, in a couple months we're going to reflect on Mary
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who held baby Jesus in her hands, the Son of God becoming a
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child, so dependent, so vulnerable, so helpless.
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And our hearts get warm. And now at the end of Jesus
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life, he was also carried, not by a family member, not by one
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of his closest disciples, somebody who just realized I
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didn't serve him the way I should have, but I'm going to do
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it now. How did he take him off the
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cross? Maybe the Romans helped him?
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How did he carry him? Did he scoop him in his arms?
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Did he throw him over his shoulder?
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And where did he go? And wherever he went, what was
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it like to remove the dirt off his face and to clean the dry
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spit on his beard and to wash the blood?
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I wonder if he stared at his wounds for a while.
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I wonder what overcame him as at some point Nicodemus brought the
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spices. There's Jesus.
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He preached like no one could preach.
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Yeah, here he is silent. There's Jesus with his hands
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that healed and his feet that walked on water, and now they
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are punctured. There's Jesus whose heart was so
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filled with love that it melted the hardest of sinners, and now
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there is a pierced side. I wonder how holy that moment
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was. I wonder how sacred it was.
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How did Joseph of Arimathea pull this off?
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You know what they did with bodies that were crucified?
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They threw them around like garbage.
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Especially if the Romans got a hold of them.
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They would just throw them as a pile of trash.
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Well, we learned that he was a respected council member of the
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council, and I think there was something else that could have
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helped. It's from Matthew's detail.
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We even touched Matthew less. So why don't we do it now?
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Look at Matthew 2757. When it was evening, there came
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a not a respected man. What's that word?
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A rich man from Arimathea named Joseph, who was also a disciple
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of Jesus. Now here's what's so interesting
33:17
about Joseph. You already heard this over and
33:18
over again. He doesn't appear until this
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point. We don't know of him.
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People even struggle to identify where Arimathea is, what town
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that was. This is all we have of Joseph of
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Arimathea. But I want to tell you
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something. He's actually found somewhere
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else in the Bible. He's found in arguably the most
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detailed descriptive prophecy of the death, burial, and
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resurrection of He's not even found in the New Testament.
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He's found in the Old Testament. Yes, Joseph of Arimathea is
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found in the Hebrew Scriptures. You're saying where you know it?
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Isaiah 53. Wait, you're telling me that
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Joseph of Arimathea is found in the prophecy of the Suffering
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Servant? Yes, look at verse 9 of Isaiah
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53. And they made his grave with the
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wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done
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no violence and there was no deceit in his mouth.
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Called surgically precise prophecy is in the Bible.
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I believe that's one of the greatest defenses of how this
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book is supernatural prophecy. That's why we need to study
34:31
prophecy. God calls names from hundreds of
34:36
years before that person even exists.
34:37
And God provides details like this, that when Messiah would
34:41
die, he would not just be buried, he'd be buried by a rich
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man. I meditate on this and I
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thought, why is that even important?
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I believe one, because the dignified and noble burial
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reflects his moral majesty. He was not a criminal.
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He was treated like a criminal, but he was not a law breaker.
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But I believe it's even more practical than that because this
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rich man would be able to afford something about this burial that
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was important to the sanctity of IT, security for the burial.
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In Mark's account, we're told that after he went into this
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tomb that was hewn into a wall, there was a stone that was
35:25
rolled before it. But Matthew says it was a great
35:29
stone. And what was the purpose of that
35:33
one? To provide a barrier so that no
35:35
animals would come in. And not just animals, but grave
35:38
robbers. Those would have the audacity to
35:41
even meddle with the perfect holy body of the Lord Jesus
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Christ. And if Christ claimed that he
35:49
was going to raise from the grave and that his body, the
35:52
same body that was crucified, was going to be glorified, then
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there could be nothing that would interfere with that
36:00
promise. And so God in eternity past
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hires a rich man to use his resources to provide an extra
36:10
secure burial so that in that period of silence that body
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would be untouched and that he would have the resurrection that
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he claimed that he would have. Are you amazed at the wisdom of
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God in every intricate detail of his son's finished work?
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You know, Jesus can identify with each of us because he has
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lived our experience, though without sin.
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And that's what takes our hearts to a place of fear and worry and
36:49
loneliness, even to comfort and joy and companionship.
36:53
We can come to the Lord with everything, and we can talk to
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Him about anything and trust that He will understand and
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supply the grace that we are asking for.
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And that includes temptation. That includes betrayal,
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anything, even this. The grave job says that death is
37:15
the king of terrors. There's something very wrong.
37:20
If somebody wants to die, there's something very, very
37:23
seriously wrong. It's part of human nature to
37:26
want to live and to preserve your life.
37:28
Your body even has natural defense mechanisms to protect
37:31
you. So even the thought of death, if
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I were to just leave you there for the next 5 minutes and think
37:36
about your mortality becomes heavy, becomes daunting.
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And here's Jesus who entered the grave and he would come out of
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it. And because we are in him and
37:53
part of him, we can look at this story and realize that I have
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the same faith as him, that all, yes, I am destined to die, but I
38:01
will come out like He came out. And even if I do face the fear
38:06
of death, I have a shepherd who experienced it, who went through
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the whole process of it, including the burial.
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And let me remind you that you have a burial coming, as do I.
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And in those moments where you think about your family and you
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think about your loved ones, and you think about your desires to
38:26
do this and that and the timing of your death, you can come
38:29
before the one who tasted it. And he is willing to comfort
38:35
you. And you can be reminded that I'm
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fellowshipping with one who who can sympathize with me, even as
38:44
I realize that I have to face death one day.
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And if the very thought of it might cripple you, oh, don't let
38:49
it overwhelm you. Take it to him, to the One who
38:52
endured it. Do you know Jesus Christ today?
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I hope you do. I want to let you know that this
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is just not us reflecting on some historical story.
39:07
This Is Us reflecting on the Jesus that we believe is alive
39:10
and well. Because as we're going to
39:12
discover, Can you believe it? We're finished with Mark chapter
39:14
15. We're coming to the final
39:16
chapter of our gospel study. But in Mark 16, we're going to
39:19
learn that he raised and we're going to know and reaffirm that
39:22
he's alive today. Have you put your faith and
39:26
trust in him? Are you absolutely certain that
39:29
every record of wrong that you possess has been dealt with by
39:35
His forgiveness? Are you absolutely convinced
39:39
that you stand right before God because of your faith in Jesus
39:41
Christ? I want to give you an invitation
39:45
today to ensure that your sins have been covered by His blood.
39:52
And it doesn't matter what kind of sins you've committed, He's
39:55
willing to forgive it. And I also want to speak to
40:00
potential secret disciples in here today.
40:06
Even the fact that you come to church, you would rather die
40:10
than people that you care about so much to figure out that you
40:14
follow Jesus and actually believe the entirety of this
40:16
Bible that I preach. Repent of your secrecy.
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Repent of it today. He is worthy for you.
40:29
To trumpet your allegiance to Him, yes.
40:33
To be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.
40:36
But for you to be unashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
40:39
Are you embarrassed about Jesus Christ?
40:43
Are you embarrassed about Him at work?
40:46
Do you put on a different cloak when you enter in and punch in
40:49
your hours and then put on a different cloak on the weekend?
40:53
You're no different than Joseph of Arimathea, and I'm telling
40:57
you that you're robbing yourself of great testimonies and you're
41:01
robbing him of the glory that is due.
41:05
Are you different with certain groups of people, certain
41:08
friends, certain colleagues, and then suddenly become spiritual
41:11
and suddenly become passionate about Jesus Christ?
41:13
You're no different than Joseph of Arimathea.
41:18
That's not God's will for you. And the disciples aren't the
41:21
best example either. They were passionate and open
41:24
about him for a few years, but when it became costly, they
41:27
concealed. What's the lesson out of all
41:30
this? Just never be a secret disciple.
41:33
Live out in the open for Him. He hung publicly for you.
41:36
Should you not live publicly for Him?
41:38
We should. So I'm coming strong because I
41:42
want you to realize that there is a greater purpose for your
41:44
life than you being an undercover Christian.
41:49
I want you to know that the moment you take courage
41:52
responding to this message and say, Lord, if I've been a coward
41:55
my whole Christian life, if I've cared more about my promotion or
42:01
my standing in this or in that, forgive me.
42:04
And here's what we learned from Joseph.
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The moment you do, His perfect plan will unfold before your
42:08
life. And though He has every right to
42:12
be ashamed of us, He chooses to link with us, even though we
42:16
might have been ashamed of Him. Who is this God?
42:18
Jesus Christ of Nazareth? And I want you to live for Him
42:22
wholeheartedly. And I want you to daily ask for
42:26
the Holy Spirit to empower you that no matter who stands before
42:29
you, you would never shrink from shame.
42:34
You'd be confident and strong. You would proclaim Jesus's name
42:39
without stuttering, and though we all prone to fear, including
42:44
the preacher, he's given us the Holy Spirit to overcome it all.
42:51
So the reason why I say this is because not everybody has to
42:54
respond to this message. For those who don't believe, I
42:58
charge you to repent and believe.
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For those who are secret disciples, repent of your
43:04
secrecy today and let the Spirit over shadow you so that you
43:08
would shine bright. And for those who are living
43:11
wholeheartedly for Christ, that the Lord would keep us faithful
43:13
and that we wouldn't slip into the fault of the disciples who
43:15
lived for him for many years, but when the circumstances were
43:18
right, they hid their devotion. Lord, we ask you this place
43:24
today as we have beheld, and best in the glory of the burial
43:28
of your Son. Yes, we are grateful that this
43:32
is a historical document that confirms the legitimacy of what
43:35
we believe in, but we see the practical charges and the
43:38
applications. We ask Lord today that no matter
43:41
how this message resonated with us that You would give us the
43:45
grace to be in Your perfect will.
43:48
Lord, your word went out for the unbeliever, let them believe.
43:52
For the one who believes but is embarrassed about their belief.
43:55
Lord, burn it up, consume it. Lord.
44:00
Lord, help us not fear man ever to fear You alone and for those,
44:05
Lord, who are loving you, who are serving you.
44:08
Lord, keep us faithful until the end, until the end.
44:12
Lord. Lastly, we pray for the sisters
44:14
of this church and we ask that Lord, they would be encouraged
44:17
to know the great honor that you've bestowed upon the woman
44:19
of this story and how you use them to even testify witness of
44:23
the gospel. Lord, we pray for both men and
44:25
women that we would be where you want us to be, that we would be
44:28
who you called us to be, and that whatever we might see as a
44:31
parameter that we would trust in your wisdom, we would trust in
44:35
your wisdom. But we give you glory and thanks
44:38
that even the burial of Jesus Christ is clothed with such
44:43
beauty and splendor. In Jesus mighty name we pray,
44:47
Amen and Amen. Let's worship Him, let's adore
44:50
him, let's crown him with our praise.