Bringing out your best
Face to Face / July 22nd 2007
Intro: One of my favorite things about God is His ability to transform a person’s life. He beautifully sets people free from sin and bondage and firmly establishes His character into their lives.
He brings out your best
Those interactions with God are often during our times of desperation, but when we come face to face with Jesus we see something in Him that changes us eternally.
Tonight we will be looking into one man’s encounter with Jesus that changed his whole life and brought out the best in him.
Let’s turn to:
Text: Mark 15:42-46 KJV “And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, 43Joseph of Arimathaea, an honourable counsellor, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus. 44And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead: and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead. 45And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph. 46And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre.
I. He was Looking for the Kingdom
43 Joseph of Arimathaea, an honourable counsellor, which also waited for the kingdom of God,
a. Honorable Counselor – a title given to only a few in the history of Israel. Luke tells he was a “good and righteous man.”
b. He knew the Prophecies – He was waiting for the Kingdom of God
Matthew 27:60 “laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock.”
i. He was from Arimathaea but relocated to Jerusalem.
ii. He pre-purchased his own tomb so that even if the Christ wouldn’t come during his life time, he would be ready for the resurrection.
A portion of a letter written by a man to his Jewish Grandmother,
“You wanted to be buried on the Mount of Olives, so when the Messiah will come on his white donkey and blow his horn and there will be resurrection of the dead, there will be no need for grandpa’s and your body to roll from the tomb in the land of exile to Jerusalem in order to rise up from the dead, but you will just get up and join the Messiah, watching how the temple comes down from heaven.”
c. He heard the announcement of Christ, “The Kingdom of God is at hand.”
d. He saw the proof of His ministry.
i. For whatever reason, he held back from fully devoting himself.
ii. Maybe he was playing it safe, or not fully convinced.
iii. But at least he was “Managing” his faith. He wasn’t quite ready for total commitment.
iv. He believed in Jesus, but didn’t make it known.
John 19:38 After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews,
e. Disapproved of Christ’s crucifixion
Luke 23:51 “who had not consented to their decision and action;”
Things were going good, gaining steam, the light was growing brighter and brighter. Then all of sudden, despite Jesus’ continual warnings of the fact, His light is completely eclipsed. The disciples all scatter.
As the saying goes, “the darkest hour is just before dawn.” So goes the development of Jesus’ ministry. At least as far as all of Jesus’ disciples were concerned.
II. In the darkest Hour
When the crowd was jeering, “If you’re the Christ, come down from there.” They were say, “We know you’re the Christ, please come down, show them who you really are.”
But he did not. He gave up His Spirit.
When Jesus was still alive Joseph was too cowardly to stand, after Jesus’ death the Disciples were too cowardly and Joseph stood up
a. Joseph reached his limit
i. Christ’s death rattled something loose in that man.
1. Maybe a righteous indignation
2. Maybe regret for not standing sooner
3. Maybe a desire to finally do what was right.
ii. He stood up!!!
Mark 15:43 “Joseph…went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus.”
iii. Roman law forbids the proper burial of crucified men.
iv. His body was to be thrown into the Valley of Hinnom.
v. It was a part of the shame of the roman execution: Discard the body like garbage.
Mark 15:44 “…Pilate…calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead. 45And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph.”
vi. Joseph waited as the messenger was sent to bring the Centurion back from the sight.
vii. He waited in that hostile place; maybe they would turn on him. He was showing his face.
The Disciples possibly told themselves, “Nothing more can be done. It’s out of our hands now.”
• The Government has taken him from us.
• The religious leaders have taken him from us.
• “Maybe we’ll wait and recover his body from the dump after dark.”
• When no one is looking we’ll have our chance to do almost the right thing.”
viii. He would be put out of the Synagogue
John 12 tells us that anyone who confessed Jesus would be excommunicated from worship.
Whenever pushed down, will you lay down?
John tells us that Joseph was not alone,
John 19:39 Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight. 40So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. 41Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. 42So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.
b. He took him down
i. Matthew, Mark and Luke tell us that Joseph took him down.
ii. John tells us they took him away.
iii. Sometime between the Pilate’s garrison and Golgotha these two men meet.
1. They show the proof of release.
2. They refuse help; the soldiers had abused him enough.
3. It’s time for caring hands to move him.
4. These are wealthy men, in rich clothes; they don’t do this sort of thing.
iv. None of that matters now
v. They just have to get him down. This wasn’t easy.
vi. Jesus body was heavy; they were taking the most care.
vii. The only place on the human body able to support that weight is the shoulder.
viii. Covering his face and body with Jesus sweat and blood.
• Jesus pushed them beyond their fears.
• Did Nicodemus remember His conversation with Jesus? “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.”
• Was Joseph recalling Isaiah 53? “He was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. 9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death…”
c. They prepared his body for burial
i. Jewish customs required they wash his body clean. All the dirt, sweat and blood.
ii. They wrapped him in the shroud and carried him to Joseph’s own tomb.
iii. They cared for him in His death like no one else.
d. Were they talking? “If only…”
We too will have “what ifs.”
But we too will have the opportunity to stand and make known.
To have Jesus bring out the best in us!
III. The World’s darkest hour was their greatest Hour
a. There is a cost to stand
One essential ability people must learn in life is how to regroup after a loss. When dreams are dashed, or it looks as though those dreams won’t come true after all, it is necessary to regroup, to pick back up, to sweep up and start building again. We all must have the ability to salvage what can be salvaged and go on from here.
• Like that person who looses their home in a fire but sifts through the ashes looking for remnants.
• Like the person who looses their best friend to death finds a new reason to live.
• Or like a person struck down with illness, but they don’t give up fighting.
But these guys go beyond regrouping.
These guys weren’t betting on a long shot, Jesus wasn’t the underdog anymore.
He was dead!
This wasn’t a strategy to buy-in on the ground floor. This was ground zero.
i. They didn’t foresee the resurrection
ii. They knew nothing of Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24 or John 20
iii. They gave it all away to own a corpse!!
Some people come to Christ when they have nothing left to loose.
These guys came to Christ when they had everything to loose.
1 Corinthians 15:17 “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile...”
If that’s the testimony these men gave without knowledge of the resurrection
how much more boldly should we proclaim Him?
b. Standing for Jesus is never in Vain
i. Joseph’s tomb actually protects the fact of Jesus resurrection!
ii. His actions gives proof to our faith!
Jesus came preaching “The Kingdom of God was AT hand”, for them the King of God was in their hands.
iii. Literally anointed in the Blood of the Savior
iv. Religion declared them unclean by way of that blood.
As they washed the blood off the body of Jesus, they were not aware that His blood was actually washing away their sins.
As they where becoming misfits in Jerusalem, they were gaining citizenship in Heaven.
Conclusion: Their stand is over, our stand is now.
“The Kingdom of God is in our hands now.”
Does any pressure to deny Jesus in your life compare?
He will bring out your best!
Give Him your whole life, no matter how risky or terrifying it may seem.
Can we stand for Him now!
