WEBVTT

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ashes where there was a flame truth is that you're

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not forgotten because christ knows your name

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Until you're standing in the dark And there's

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a shake that's growing Jews, the preparation

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day was the day where some things got taken care

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of so that the next day could be focusing on

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God. I do think that's sometimes what we sort

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of forget to do. So Sundays are our day to focus

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on God, and we forget that Saturday is the day

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to get some things knocked out to focus on God.

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For me, my day, I work a lot of times all day

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on Sunday, and so I take Wednesday 6 p .m. to

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Thursday 6 p .m., and I have had this experience

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poignantly. where 5 .30 p .m. on a Wednesday,

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I am rushing to get some things knocked out before

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6 p .m. on Wednesday. I can stop doing work stuff

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and focus on the Lord for that 24 hours. It goes

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all the way back to Egypt, where the Lord was

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raining, after they came out of Egypt, the Lord

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was raining manna down. Manna means, what is

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it? So there was some stuff falling from the

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sky or appearing on the ground, and they would

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collect it up and they would make food out of

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it. And because that collecting up was work,

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then the day before the Sabbath, they were supposed

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to collect up double. If they collected up double

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on any other day, it would go bad. It would rot.

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It would get bugs in it and that kind of thing.

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But on the day before the Sabbath, they were

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supposed to collect double, and that way they

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wouldn't have to work on the Sabbath. Okay? Go

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back to Egypt then, all the way back to Egypt,

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when the destroyer angel was going to come through

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and kill all the firstborns, they were told to

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slaughter a lamb and then to put its blood on

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the... beside their door, the doorpost of their

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house, and that the angel would not come through

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and destroy their firstborn because of the blood

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of the lamb that marked their house. So the day

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before that, they had to slaughter the lamb and

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do all the things they were supposed to do in

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order to be prepared for that blood on the post

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that would protect them from that death, right?

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So the concept of preparation is not really not

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understood by us. Let's say you have a job interview

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tomorrow at 8 a .m. You're probably going to

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do some things today to be prepared for that.

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Let's say you're taking the SAT in the morning

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tomorrow at 8 a .m. You're probably going to

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do some things today to be prepared for that.

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Go to bed at a decent time, eat right, drink

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plenty of water, things like that. Make sure

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you get up a little early, that kind of thing.

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So the concept of being prepared is not foreign

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to us, but for some reason we don't think to

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apply it to the moment when we're going to put

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our total focus on the Lord. And we should. And

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that's a concept that they understood. So Jesus

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is about to be crucified. And he is the lamb.

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We'll come back to that later. But he is the

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perfect sacrifice. And preparations needed to

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be made for that. They did have the instigation

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of the Lord's Supper, as we celebrate it now,

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was done before he was arrested. They did have

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a Passover meal. And it may have been the Passover

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meal or it may have been just part of the festival

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of that week. We don't know for sure. So what

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we don't know for sure historically is whether

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Jesus was crucified on the preparation day or

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not. But whether he was crucified on the preparation

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day, which is the day that all the lambs were

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slain, right? Or whether he was done crucified

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during the Passover. Either way, it's clear that

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he was the lamb and that his sacrifice was the

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preparation for our salvation. Grab your Bibles

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if you would. We're going to just look at a very

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short section of verses today as we lead up to

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the resurrection Sunday. And this is sort of

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resurrection Sunday today, but you'll understand

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this meaning a little bit later when I mention

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it. But next Sunday is a high resurrection day.

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Okay, you'll get that term in a minute. So grab

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your Bibles if you would. Give me a who to holler

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amen as we go to Luke chapter 23. Thank you for

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being with me today. This is God's Word. We are

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focused on Him as we are focused on it. Luke

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chapter 23, beginning in verse 50. I'll be reading

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from the New American Standard Version. It is

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just six verses, seven verses, sorry, 50 through

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56. It says, And behold, a man named Joseph,

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who was a member of the council, a good and righteous

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man. And that's the whole of verse 50. So Joseph

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is called a member of the council, so we know

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that means, and we know historically it's supported

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that he was a member of the Sanhedrin. Now the

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Sanhedrin were the people who voted to crucify

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Jesus. They were the leaders of the Jews. They

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were composed primarily of Pharisees and Sadducees.

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And so they would come together and they would

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decide all the governmental matters of the Jews.

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And they collectively voted to crucify Jesus.

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Now the trial was a farce. It was an illegal

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trial. It happened overnight and they were not

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allowed to have trials when the son was down.

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So that made it an illegal trial. They also enlisted

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Herod and Pilate and people like that to have

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an additional trial because they couldn't technically

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crucify him and all of that was done illegally.

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They trumped up witnesses against him to try

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to get them to agree on two things that they

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had seen him do that was sin and they couldn't

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find any two is the bottom line. And then ultimately

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he admitted that he was God in the flesh using

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some symbolism, but he admitted that he was God

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in the flesh, and that is what they said they

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would crucify him for. But when they took him

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before the Roman government, that was not the

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accusation. It was that he stirred up trouble

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and claimed to be the king of the Jews, contrary

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to Caesar being king. So that was what he was

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crucified for as far as the Romans were concerned.

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So Joseph was a man who was a member of the council.

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Notice it says that he was a good and righteous

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man. It means he did things right. Now, I submit

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to you that if he's a member of the council,

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right away, if you haven't read any further,

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and he voted to crucify Jesus, that would not

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be a right thing. Because Jesus was an innocent

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man. So you notice then it goes on in the next

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verse, and it says, and it's parenthetical, which

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means it has a left parenthesis in my Bible,

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verse 51. It says, he had not consented to their

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plan and action. A man from Arimathea, a city

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of the Jews, who was waiting for the kingdom

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of God. We now know that he was a believer and

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that he did not take part in the vote or if he

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voted, he voted against. They didn't have to

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have a unanimous vote to crucify or to send him

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to the Roman government to be crucified. So he

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might have been there and voted against. We don't

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know for sure. Or he might not have voted at

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all. He might not have been present. Since it

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was an illegal trial and he was a good and righteous

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man, I'm going to say that most logically he

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probably wasn't there. Right? Because he knew

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it was an illegal trial. A good and righteous

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man would not be there and participate in the

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Sanhedrin overnight when he knows that that's

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an illegal trial. So that makes sense to me.

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But notice that that parenthetical statement

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has a purpose. Because if Joseph was a good and

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righteous man and participated in what was going

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on, that's a contradiction. Right? even though

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he had a duty to participate in the Sanhedrin,

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even though he had a duty to show up for their

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processes and things like that, if he participated

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in that and crucified a righteous man, an innocent

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man in Jesus, then that would be a contradiction.

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So just hold on to that thought for a moment

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and we'll come back to it. We're now in verse

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52. This man went to Pilate and asked for the

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body of Jesus. So what we now see happening here

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is this good and righteous man who did not vote.

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either voted against or did not vote in the choice

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to crucify Jesus, goes and asks for Jesus' body.

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Now this is problematic because whoever comes

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and asks for Jesus' body to honor Jesus is putting

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themselves in a line of fire. Okay? It could

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be a disciple of Jesus. We already know that

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the Jews made the argument that maybe they'll

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steal his body. and fake his resurrection, because

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he said he would come back to life, and it was

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funny that the Jews recognized that, but he said,

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maybe they'll steal his body and fake his resurrection.

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So of course they're watching to see who comes

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to claim Jesus' body, because if it's a disciple,

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then they can deal with him. If it's somebody

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that's going to continue to spread the message

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of Jesus, then they can deal with him. So Joseph

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sticking his neck out like that is significant.

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So then we go on to verse 52. He went to Pilate

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and asked for the body of Jesus, verse 53, and

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he took it down and wrapped it in a linen cloth.

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So he's not really preparing it for burial, but

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he's giving it some respect. The linen cloth

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is a significant thing. And he laid him in a

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tomb cut into the rock where no one had ever

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slain. You with me, Kishon? Can you repeat back

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that last verse? Okay, I'll say it again. Okay,

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here we go. And it was the prep... the preparation

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day, and the Sabbath was about to begin. Was

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that it? No, it was not, actually. The first

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I had just said was, and he took it down and

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wrapped it in a linen cloth and laid him in a

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tomb cut into the rock where no one had ever

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lain. That was the verse that we were on. Okay,

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so we're paying attention now. We're all with

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me, right? I might call you out. You never know.

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Stranger things have happened. All right, the

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point is, he's taking care of the body. He puts

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him in the tomb. Now, elsewhere in the other,

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this account, by the way, is present in all four

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Gospels. We're just looking at one. But elsewhere

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in the Gospel, we're told that that tomb actually

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belonged to Joseph. That means Joseph was a wealthy

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man. That means he had a lot to lose. You may

00:22:24.619 --> 00:22:26.599
think you've got a lot to lose. He was a wealthy

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man. He was also a ruler in the Sanhedrin. So

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he was up in the ranks. Right? He had a public

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reputation to be preserved. So that makes it

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even more dangerous that he came out. And then

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he puts the body of Jesus in his own tomb, a

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tomb in which no one had ever been laid. This

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is a matter of respect what he does here. The

00:22:46.150 --> 00:22:48.289
body is not really properly prepared, but it's

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a matter of respect. Now 54, and it was the preparation

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day and the Sabbath was about to begin. So as

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we talked about on the preparation day, there

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were certain work that had to be completed before

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the next day when their focus would be completely

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on God. They couldn't harvest. They couldn't

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go buy stuff at the store. They couldn't walk

00:23:10.230 --> 00:23:12.049
longer than a certain distance. Now that's not

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necessarily laid out in Scripture, but it was

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part of their oral tradition. So in order to

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follow the rules that the Pharisees and the Sanhedrin

00:23:19.450 --> 00:23:21.309
had given them. Now who were they again? The

00:23:21.309 --> 00:23:23.630
Pharisees and the Sanhedrin. Their leaders were

00:23:23.630 --> 00:23:27.109
the Pharisees and Sadducees formed the Sanhedrin.

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So in order to follow the Pharisees and the Sadducees

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who were teaching everybody the rules. They had

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to follow the rules and could only do so much

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on the day before the Sabbath rest. Okay? So

00:23:40.809 --> 00:23:43.130
Joseph of Arimathea, who was a good and righteous

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man, had to follow the same rules. So if he wanted

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to take care of this with Jesus, he couldn't

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wait to the Sabbath. He had to do it now in preparation.

00:23:51.609 --> 00:23:53.890
He had to take a risk. He had to step out. He

00:23:53.890 --> 00:23:55.829
had to risk everything that he had and do it

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now. So they go, they take Jesus' body, and they

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put it in the tomb on the preparation day. 55.

00:24:03.470 --> 00:24:07.029
Now the women who had come with him out of Galilee

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followed after. So we've got these ladies. They've

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come a long way. They've been following Jesus.

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They've walked a lot. They've talked. They've

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listened. They've sat at his feet. They understand.

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They heard him say he would be crucified, buried,

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and resurrected. They were present for the teachings

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of Jesus. And they followed Joseph of Arimathea

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as he moves his body to the tomb. Which means

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now what? So this is a blessing for next Sunday

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because it means they know where the tomb is.

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They didn't accidentally go to another tomb.

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They saw his body be placed in the tomb. The

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women who had come with him out of Galilee followed

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after and they saw the tomb and how his body

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was laid. Then 56. And they returned. So the

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women go back and they returned and prepared

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spices and perfume. So this is all on the preparation

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day. Not the Sabbath. This is work that they

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could not have reasonably done on the Sabbath.

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Okay? So on the preparation day, they prepared

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the spices and the perfumes. And it says, on

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the Sabbath, they rested according to the commandment.

00:25:09.130 --> 00:25:12.470
Okay? So they followed the rules. Now, the oral

00:25:12.470 --> 00:25:14.730
traditions that were added on, things like if

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you came to the end of the Sabbath and found

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a pin in your garment that you worked all day

00:25:17.890 --> 00:25:20.069
and you needed to repent, you were unclean, that's

00:25:20.069 --> 00:25:23.970
not biblical. Exactly how many steps you're allowed

00:25:23.970 --> 00:25:25.990
to take on the Sabbath day, that's not actually

00:25:25.990 --> 00:25:28.890
biblical. You're just told that you're not allowed

00:25:28.890 --> 00:25:31.630
to work. You're supposed to honor God on the

00:25:31.630 --> 00:25:33.569
Sabbath. The day that you mark out to honor God

00:25:33.569 --> 00:25:36.710
needs to be about honoring God. And so anything

00:25:36.710 --> 00:25:41.089
additional would have been sin. If they prepared

00:25:41.089 --> 00:25:43.849
the spices on the Sabbath, that would have been

00:25:43.849 --> 00:25:48.230
sin. You understand? All right. So there's a

00:25:48.230 --> 00:25:50.650
number of things to see throughout this text.

00:25:51.259 --> 00:25:54.380
And I have them. I tried to order them the best

00:25:54.380 --> 00:25:57.140
I could to try to make the most sense for me,

00:25:57.279 --> 00:25:59.400
whether it does for you or not. And if only one

00:25:59.400 --> 00:26:02.299
of them jumps out at you and makes a life -changing

00:26:02.299 --> 00:26:04.200
sense, then we'll be doing really great, okay?

00:26:04.759 --> 00:26:07.740
So the first of those is to notice that Jesus

00:26:07.740 --> 00:26:12.259
is the true Passover lamb. Regardless of whether

00:26:12.259 --> 00:26:14.740
he was slain at the same time as the representative

00:26:14.740 --> 00:26:17.579
Passover lambs, which they slew every year during

00:26:17.579 --> 00:26:19.740
the Passover, right? We talked about what that

00:26:19.740 --> 00:26:22.019
represents. Whether that was done on the preparation

00:26:22.019 --> 00:26:25.940
day or not, he was slain for the sins of mankind.

00:26:26.339 --> 00:26:30.299
He is the lamb to end all lambs and takes away

00:26:30.299 --> 00:26:32.819
the sin of the world. Now, you read this text

00:26:32.819 --> 00:26:34.759
that we just read and you're like, I don't necessarily

00:26:34.759 --> 00:26:37.319
know that I get that out of the text, right?

00:26:38.730 --> 00:26:40.910
You can hear them in these texts. I'm just giving

00:26:40.910 --> 00:26:42.549
you snippets here, but you can hear them in these

00:26:42.549 --> 00:26:44.190
texts and you can study more on it if you want.

00:26:44.349 --> 00:26:47.809
In 1 Peter 3, 18 to 19, it says, with the precious

00:26:47.809 --> 00:26:50.230
blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish

00:26:50.230 --> 00:26:53.049
and without spot. So this verse, which I just

00:26:53.049 --> 00:26:55.049
read a part of it to you, ties directly to the

00:26:55.049 --> 00:26:57.529
Passover requirements. Lambs had to be perfect,

00:26:57.589 --> 00:27:00.490
had to have no defect. And Jesus fulfills that

00:27:00.490 --> 00:27:05.789
as a sinless and pure sacrifice. A final once

00:27:05.789 --> 00:27:08.390
and for all sacrifice. In Hebrews 9, 12, and

00:27:08.390 --> 00:27:10.789
26, and again I'm just giving you pieces, by

00:27:10.789 --> 00:27:12.970
his own blood he entered in once into the holy

00:27:12.970 --> 00:27:15.509
place having obtained eternal redemption. He

00:27:15.509 --> 00:27:17.750
appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of

00:27:17.750 --> 00:27:22.190
himself, it says in 26. So this sacrifice was

00:27:22.190 --> 00:27:24.210
not repeated like the Old Testament sacrifices.

00:27:24.609 --> 00:27:26.410
There won't be another Jesus coming to sacrifice

00:27:26.410 --> 00:27:29.849
himself. It's just one time. And the Old Testament

00:27:29.849 --> 00:27:31.910
sacrifices don't need to be repeated anymore

00:27:31.910 --> 00:27:34.880
because Jesus took care of it. It's done. One

00:27:34.880 --> 00:27:40.339
sacrifice completely sufficient. Then substitution

00:27:40.339 --> 00:27:43.900
clearly explains, 2 Corinthians 5 .21 says, for

00:27:43.900 --> 00:27:46.559
he, that's Jesus, I'm sorry, that's God, hath

00:27:46.559 --> 00:27:49.059
made him, that's Jesus, to be sin for us who

00:27:49.059 --> 00:27:52.779
knew no sin. This shows that Jesus was sinless,

00:27:52.880 --> 00:27:56.839
yet he takes our place to bear the sins. Christ

00:27:56.839 --> 00:27:59.099
is our Passover lamb, 1 Corinthians 5 .7, for

00:27:59.099 --> 00:28:01.579
even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.

00:28:01.599 --> 00:28:04.319
Now that's pretty blunt, isn't it? So we're getting

00:28:04.319 --> 00:28:06.839
the idea that Jesus Christ was the once and for

00:28:06.839 --> 00:28:10.480
all sacrifice and the Passover lamb. This directly

00:28:10.480 --> 00:28:13.660
connects Jesus to Passover. Directly. There's

00:28:13.660 --> 00:28:16.039
no question that Jesus is the Passover lamb.

00:28:16.380 --> 00:28:19.140
Just like the lamb protected Israel from judgment,

00:28:19.279 --> 00:28:23.000
Jesus' sacrifice saves us from God's wrath. Let

00:28:23.000 --> 00:28:24.640
me give you one more, in case you're thinking

00:28:24.640 --> 00:28:26.180
the end of the story might somehow be different.

00:28:26.240 --> 00:28:29.900
Revelation 5 .12. Worthy is the lamb that was

00:28:29.900 --> 00:28:33.480
slain. That's the song in heaven. That's the

00:28:33.480 --> 00:28:36.799
chant, if you will. Worthy is the lamb that was

00:28:36.799 --> 00:28:40.220
slain. Even in eternity and for all time, Jesus

00:28:40.220 --> 00:28:44.019
will always be identified as the lamb, the one

00:28:44.019 --> 00:28:48.119
slain for redemption. There is no question. It's

00:28:48.119 --> 00:28:51.259
a textual proof. I get that. But if you're a

00:28:51.259 --> 00:28:52.880
Christian and you're in the room, that should

00:28:52.880 --> 00:28:55.809
be easy for you. But even then, realize that

00:28:55.809 --> 00:28:58.670
those writers are multiple different people from

00:28:58.670 --> 00:29:00.650
multiple different societies, and it's all pulled

00:29:00.650 --> 00:29:03.470
together, one theme, Jesus Christ proven to be

00:29:03.470 --> 00:29:08.109
the once and for all sacrificial lamb. They were

00:29:08.109 --> 00:29:12.210
waiting on that. They were waiting for a sacrificial

00:29:12.210 --> 00:29:14.730
lamb that would solve it. I mean, you can't just

00:29:14.730 --> 00:29:17.210
keep killing lambs every year forever, right?

00:29:17.529 --> 00:29:19.990
That's not good enough. And they also knew that

00:29:19.990 --> 00:29:22.670
a month after they killed the lamb, that they

00:29:22.670 --> 00:29:25.339
had sinned. We kind of knew that, right? Let

00:29:25.339 --> 00:29:27.180
him who has no sin cast the first stone. And

00:29:27.180 --> 00:29:30.299
how many Pharisees and high priests were still

00:29:30.299 --> 00:29:31.900
standing there after Jesus said that? No, they

00:29:31.900 --> 00:29:35.119
all walked away. We all know that we have sin.

00:29:35.400 --> 00:29:36.500
Inherently, you know that you've done things

00:29:36.500 --> 00:29:38.599
that God would not appreciate, that God would

00:29:38.599 --> 00:29:46.680
not send you to do. So, we know what waiting

00:29:46.680 --> 00:29:48.900
for the kingdom of God is like. The kingdom of

00:29:48.900 --> 00:29:50.599
God is that person, place, and thing in which

00:29:50.599 --> 00:29:53.059
God reigns, right? And this is, remember, Joseph

00:29:53.059 --> 00:29:55.140
was waiting for the kingdom of God. So we know

00:29:55.140 --> 00:29:57.099
what that feels like. If you're here and you're

00:29:57.099 --> 00:29:58.420
a Christian, if you accepted Jesus Christ as

00:29:58.420 --> 00:30:00.200
your Lord and Savior, you realize like in the

00:30:00.200 --> 00:30:03.299
world, things are not going great. Politicians

00:30:03.299 --> 00:30:05.019
not making great decisions, local governors,

00:30:05.099 --> 00:30:08.059
police, criminals, our family members sometimes,

00:30:08.440 --> 00:30:12.339
your brother, your sister, your kids, people

00:30:12.339 --> 00:30:15.839
are not making great decisions. I mean, there's

00:30:15.839 --> 00:30:17.039
an old saying that says the world's going to

00:30:17.039 --> 00:30:20.160
hell in a handbasket. And was there ever a truer

00:30:20.160 --> 00:30:25.259
saying? I mean, it's pretty clear that there's

00:30:25.259 --> 00:30:27.200
a lot of bad stuff going on in the world. And

00:30:27.200 --> 00:30:29.740
yet I am waiting expectantly for the next coming

00:30:29.740 --> 00:30:32.519
of Christ at which all that will be done. I think

00:30:32.519 --> 00:30:36.119
back to Uncle Tom's Cabin. Uncle Tom's Cabin

00:30:36.119 --> 00:30:38.519
was written by Harriet Beecher Stowe and Abraham

00:30:38.519 --> 00:30:40.480
Lincoln would later call her the woman who started

00:30:40.480 --> 00:30:42.599
the Civil War, the little woman who wrote the

00:30:42.599 --> 00:30:45.240
book that started the Civil War. And at the end

00:30:45.240 --> 00:30:47.200
of that book, Uncle Tom is a slave, and he's

00:30:47.200 --> 00:30:48.599
laying on a barge, and he's being shipped down

00:30:48.599 --> 00:30:52.299
the river toward the Gulf of Mexico, and he doesn't

00:30:52.299 --> 00:30:53.700
believe he'll ever be back. He believes he'll

00:30:53.700 --> 00:30:55.279
die there. He's going to a slave master who is

00:30:55.279 --> 00:30:58.059
known to kill slaves over time, to work them

00:30:58.059 --> 00:30:59.619
to death, literally, and he thinks he won't live.

00:30:59.839 --> 00:31:01.740
And he's laying on the barge at the end of that

00:31:01.740 --> 00:31:05.380
book, and he's crying. He's weeping. He's bawling

00:31:05.380 --> 00:31:07.720
like a baby. He's a big dude, strong, and he's

00:31:07.720 --> 00:31:10.519
bawling like a baby. And Harriet Beecher Stowe

00:31:10.519 --> 00:31:12.339
writes this. She says, but he's not crying for

00:31:12.339 --> 00:31:15.119
himself. He's not crying for being separated

00:31:15.119 --> 00:31:16.799
from his family. He'll never see his wife or

00:31:16.799 --> 00:31:18.299
kids again because he had a wife and kids who

00:31:18.299 --> 00:31:19.819
were also in slavery. He'll never see them again.

00:31:20.099 --> 00:31:22.119
He's not crying for the pain that he had suffered.

00:31:22.240 --> 00:31:24.740
But he was crying realizing that the people around

00:31:24.740 --> 00:31:29.819
him would never know the satisfaction, the joy,

00:31:29.819 --> 00:31:33.160
or the eternal life of dying and going to heaven.

00:31:33.819 --> 00:31:36.220
That he was going to go down there and his death

00:31:36.220 --> 00:31:38.740
was assured and after he died, he would spend

00:31:38.740 --> 00:31:40.640
eternity in heaven while they spent eternity

00:31:40.640 --> 00:31:44.519
in hell. And that concept was enough to wake

00:31:44.519 --> 00:31:50.599
up a nation. And the Civil War maybe didn't begin

00:31:50.599 --> 00:31:53.920
specifically because of that book. But the idea

00:31:53.920 --> 00:31:59.299
is still present. We know what it's like to wait

00:31:59.299 --> 00:32:01.319
for the kingdom of God amidst difficulty and

00:32:01.319 --> 00:32:04.200
troubles when details do not line up. We know

00:32:04.200 --> 00:32:08.339
what it means to... let that waiting drive our

00:32:08.339 --> 00:32:10.000
actions. If you're a Christian and you don't

00:32:10.000 --> 00:32:12.160
know what it means to let I'm waiting on Jesus

00:32:12.160 --> 00:32:15.680
drive your actions, I want you to rethink. That's

00:32:15.680 --> 00:32:17.259
what it means to repent. You rethink your life.

00:32:18.339 --> 00:32:20.500
Tomorrow, when you get out of bed, if Jesus is

00:32:20.500 --> 00:32:23.059
coming again tomorrow, which is entirely possible,

00:32:23.339 --> 00:32:26.099
then what should your tomorrow morning look like?

00:32:26.599 --> 00:32:28.839
And that's the kind of life you need to lead.

00:32:29.000 --> 00:32:31.099
You need to lead the life that is waiting on

00:32:31.099 --> 00:32:33.960
the kingdom of God to come in fullness. While

00:32:33.960 --> 00:32:36.819
it already exists inside you, are you a person

00:32:36.819 --> 00:32:40.740
in whom Jesus lives? Because if so, what does

00:32:40.740 --> 00:32:43.740
that house look like? What are the actions that

00:32:43.740 --> 00:32:45.880
are driven by the fact that we know that the

00:32:45.880 --> 00:32:48.339
kingdom of God is coming in fullness and in fact

00:32:48.339 --> 00:32:51.980
is already present in me, in you, and in the

00:32:51.980 --> 00:32:56.440
space between us as the church? Like Joseph of

00:32:56.440 --> 00:33:01.059
Arimathea, we know what it means to let our expectations

00:33:01.059 --> 00:33:05.069
of the kingdom of God drive our actions, and

00:33:05.069 --> 00:33:09.029
here it is, even at cost. Jesus said, count the

00:33:09.029 --> 00:33:11.710
cost. Does a man begin to build a large structure

00:33:11.710 --> 00:33:13.869
or take an army out against another army without

00:33:13.869 --> 00:33:15.710
considering whether he may complete the structure

00:33:15.710 --> 00:33:18.630
or defeat the army? No, that's foolishness, that

00:33:18.630 --> 00:33:21.690
all may mock him. Some years ago, Sherry and

00:33:21.690 --> 00:33:23.690
I went up to Frankenmuth and walked over there

00:33:23.690 --> 00:33:26.670
in Frankenmuth in Michigan. While we were there,

00:33:26.730 --> 00:33:29.049
we took a little ride down the river. They have

00:33:29.049 --> 00:33:30.369
a ride down the river, and you can hear about

00:33:30.369 --> 00:33:32.650
the history of the town. And on the side of the

00:33:32.650 --> 00:33:35.930
town, there's a mill, the foundation of a mill,

00:33:36.009 --> 00:33:37.970
and the beginnings of the walls of the mill.

00:33:38.809 --> 00:33:41.109
And the man who began to build the mill, a beautiful

00:33:41.109 --> 00:33:43.650
structure made of beautiful block stone, who

00:33:43.650 --> 00:33:46.529
began to build it, ran out of money before he

00:33:46.529 --> 00:33:49.490
could finish it. And on that boat ride, still,

00:33:49.730 --> 00:33:51.589
it's been a hundred years since he started building

00:33:51.589 --> 00:33:55.440
that mill. A hundred years. They still mention

00:33:55.440 --> 00:33:57.599
his name every time you ride down the river.

00:33:57.660 --> 00:33:59.740
They still talk about how he foolishly decided

00:33:59.740 --> 00:34:02.000
to build a building. And didn't have enough money

00:34:02.000 --> 00:34:04.319
to complete it. Jesus said, you want to follow

00:34:04.319 --> 00:34:07.039
me? Count the cost. And we fully understand what

00:34:07.039 --> 00:34:08.940
it means to expect the kingdom of God to come

00:34:08.940 --> 00:34:11.340
in its fullness at any moment. And to let that

00:34:11.340 --> 00:34:14.659
drive our actions at any cost. Are you wealthy?

00:34:14.760 --> 00:34:16.420
Your wealth might be the cost. Are you healthy?

00:34:16.500 --> 00:34:18.119
Your health might be the cost. Are you smart?

00:34:18.340 --> 00:34:20.840
Your smarts might be the cost. Are you in a loving

00:34:20.840 --> 00:34:22.539
relationship with another person? Your loving

00:34:22.539 --> 00:34:26.559
relationship might be the cost. What could the

00:34:26.559 --> 00:34:28.969
cost be? Well, we're ready to pay that cost,

00:34:29.030 --> 00:34:31.030
whatever it is, because we are living in expectation

00:34:31.030 --> 00:34:37.989
of the kingdom of God. Notice that that parenthetical

00:34:37.989 --> 00:34:41.170
statement about Joseph, he was a good and righteous

00:34:41.170 --> 00:34:43.530
man, it said, but he was not consenting to the

00:34:43.530 --> 00:34:45.210
crucifixion of Christ. And I submit to you, if

00:34:45.210 --> 00:34:47.489
you lived in Jesus' day, in order to be a good

00:34:47.489 --> 00:34:49.469
and righteous man, you would have had to not

00:34:49.469 --> 00:34:51.610
be consenting to the crucifixion of Jesus. That's

00:34:51.610 --> 00:34:53.980
a real problem for the crowd. Shouted crucify

00:34:53.980 --> 00:34:55.880
him, crucify him, isn't it? Because that means

00:34:55.880 --> 00:34:57.920
amongst that crowd there were two kinds of people.

00:34:59.480 --> 00:35:05.800
The unrighteous and the righteous wrong. That's

00:35:05.800 --> 00:35:08.780
it. And in the church I submit to you that there

00:35:08.780 --> 00:35:11.710
are two kinds of people. The unrighteous. And

00:35:11.710 --> 00:35:13.090
the righteous wrong. There are people who call

00:35:13.090 --> 00:35:14.989
themselves the church and Christians, but they're

00:35:14.989 --> 00:35:16.929
not living for the Lord. They're not inherently

00:35:16.929 --> 00:35:18.789
good. There's not something changing them from

00:35:18.789 --> 00:35:20.630
the inside out that makes them want to be gentle,

00:35:20.730 --> 00:35:22.869
kind, patient. Do you recognize those words?

00:35:23.030 --> 00:35:25.349
They practice self -control. Do you recognize

00:35:25.349 --> 00:35:26.949
those words? They have faith, hope, and love.

00:35:27.090 --> 00:35:30.949
Do you recognize those words? We are meant to

00:35:30.949 --> 00:35:32.730
be good. And if you're a Christian, you're meant

00:35:32.730 --> 00:35:34.329
to be good. And if you're not good, then you're

00:35:34.329 --> 00:35:36.869
either a Christian who's not good or not a Christian.

00:35:36.949 --> 00:35:41.570
Those are your options. Who we are matters in

00:35:41.570 --> 00:35:44.429
world events. People are looking. Our church

00:35:44.429 --> 00:35:46.829
calls itself a house on a hill. People are looking

00:35:46.829 --> 00:35:48.429
to see what we'll do. Will we stay the course?

00:35:48.590 --> 00:35:51.670
Will we make a difference? Will we make hard

00:35:51.670 --> 00:35:55.329
efforts when only efforts that can matter are

00:35:55.329 --> 00:35:59.030
hard efforts? Physicians matter to the world.

00:35:59.349 --> 00:36:02.000
Works matter to the world. Character matters

00:36:02.000 --> 00:36:04.300
to the world. We're talking this week, talking

00:36:04.300 --> 00:36:06.019
with a young man who's got a great opportunity.

00:36:06.159 --> 00:36:08.699
And I said, you know what? Integrity will always

00:36:08.699 --> 00:36:10.440
win the day. If you have integrity, integrity

00:36:10.440 --> 00:36:13.039
will sell. People will buy your integrity so

00:36:13.039 --> 00:36:16.059
that you don't have it anymore. A little bribe,

00:36:16.079 --> 00:36:18.300
a little temptation, a little distraction, a

00:36:18.300 --> 00:36:19.760
little opportunity to do something other than

00:36:19.760 --> 00:36:23.099
that which you're supposed to do. And they'll

00:36:23.099 --> 00:36:25.119
make it beneficial to you to choose that over

00:36:25.119 --> 00:36:26.960
what you would choose if you stuck with your

00:36:26.960 --> 00:36:29.579
integrity. But people will buy your integrity

00:36:29.579 --> 00:36:33.420
if you keep it. Because they need people. They

00:36:33.420 --> 00:36:35.019
need people that they can trust. They need people

00:36:35.019 --> 00:36:36.940
that will work, that won't quit, that don't give

00:36:36.940 --> 00:36:38.880
up, that don't struggle with the first heartbeat

00:36:38.880 --> 00:36:42.340
that goes awry. If you have integrity, you're

00:36:42.340 --> 00:36:44.900
valuable to the world because it's a rare commodity.

00:36:49.099 --> 00:36:51.719
These things are discernible to reputation and

00:36:51.719 --> 00:36:54.880
word of mouth, but understand that there is something

00:36:54.880 --> 00:36:59.320
more going on for us. When you go into heaven,

00:36:59.400 --> 00:37:01.559
it will not matter whether or not the guy that

00:37:01.559 --> 00:37:03.300
you bought your gas from thinks you're a good

00:37:03.300 --> 00:37:06.360
person or not. It will not matter whether your

00:37:06.360 --> 00:37:08.000
teacher thinks you are the best student in the

00:37:08.000 --> 00:37:10.179
class or not, or your boss thinks you're promotable

00:37:10.179 --> 00:37:13.119
or should make more money. None of that is going

00:37:13.119 --> 00:37:15.820
to matter. What's going to matter is what God

00:37:15.820 --> 00:37:21.480
knows about you. We were traveling down to Tennessee

00:37:21.480 --> 00:37:23.699
to see my parents, and on the way down, we stopped

00:37:23.699 --> 00:37:25.539
at Walmart to pick up a couple of things that

00:37:25.539 --> 00:37:27.659
we had forgotten. And while we were there, Sherry

00:37:27.659 --> 00:37:29.280
picked out a book off the bookshelf. They used

00:37:29.280 --> 00:37:30.860
to have the front of Walmart. They used to have

00:37:30.860 --> 00:37:32.480
these big area books. Now they kind of do it

00:37:32.480 --> 00:37:33.719
differently. They used to have these big area

00:37:33.719 --> 00:37:35.820
books up there. She picked out a paperback book.

00:37:35.860 --> 00:37:38.639
I think it was $3 .99. I think the book was $3

00:37:38.639 --> 00:37:41.920
.99. So we were carrying a bunch of stuff. We

00:37:41.920 --> 00:37:43.239
hadn't thought we were going to buy very much,

00:37:43.280 --> 00:37:44.820
so we didn't get a cart. So I was carrying stuff,

00:37:44.920 --> 00:37:46.460
and we had a bunch of kids with us because we've

00:37:46.460 --> 00:37:48.440
done that. We've produced a bunch of kids. And

00:37:48.440 --> 00:37:50.239
so we were carrying all this stuff under our

00:37:50.239 --> 00:37:52.039
arms, me and the kids and Sherry, and we're carrying

00:37:52.039 --> 00:37:54.480
it. Well, I put the book in my armpit right here

00:37:54.480 --> 00:37:56.539
because that was convenient. It was smaller than

00:37:56.539 --> 00:37:59.559
this Bible right here, and it was under my armpit.

00:37:59.599 --> 00:38:01.079
And we went to the register, and we paid for

00:38:01.079 --> 00:38:03.139
everything, and we left, and we got out to the

00:38:03.139 --> 00:38:05.440
car. And when we got out to the car, I took the

00:38:05.440 --> 00:38:07.940
book out from underneath my armpit, and I stuck

00:38:07.940 --> 00:38:10.400
it between the seats, and we drove about 25 miles

00:38:10.400 --> 00:38:13.980
down the road. And then it occurred to me what

00:38:13.980 --> 00:38:16.480
I had done, just like it probably occurred to

00:38:16.480 --> 00:38:18.980
you what I had done. We didn't pay for the book.

00:38:19.539 --> 00:38:20.860
We paid for everything else. We didn't pay for

00:38:20.860 --> 00:38:22.679
the book. We stole the book, a paperback book

00:38:22.679 --> 00:38:25.239
for $3 .99. We're 25 miles down the road toward

00:38:25.239 --> 00:38:28.179
my parents' house. So then we started talking

00:38:28.179 --> 00:38:29.760
about it. We're like, let's problem solve here.

00:38:29.860 --> 00:38:31.400
How are we going to solve this problem? We don't

00:38:31.400 --> 00:38:33.539
steal books. That's not a thing we do. I said,

00:38:33.579 --> 00:38:35.280
well, get off at the next exit. We'll drive back

00:38:35.280 --> 00:38:38.699
and pay for it. That's 25 miles back to Walmart.

00:38:38.840 --> 00:38:41.360
And then 25 miles back, we're 50 miles out of

00:38:41.360 --> 00:38:44.280
our way. That's costing us more in gas and wear

00:38:44.280 --> 00:38:45.880
and tear in the car than what the book was worth.

00:38:46.300 --> 00:38:48.239
I said, so maybe that's not the best solution.

00:38:48.519 --> 00:38:50.039
So we go driving just a little bit more. We're

00:38:50.039 --> 00:38:51.739
talking about it. And we're definitely not going

00:38:51.739 --> 00:38:53.619
to not pay for it. So I said, well, we could

00:38:53.619 --> 00:38:55.980
wait and pay for it. We're going to my parents

00:38:55.980 --> 00:38:58.260
for four days. On the way back, we can stop at

00:38:58.260 --> 00:39:00.880
that Walmart on the way back and pay for it.

00:39:01.289 --> 00:39:04.250
And I thought, I said, well, that's not a great

00:39:04.250 --> 00:39:06.489
solution because we could forget. We could miss

00:39:06.489 --> 00:39:08.889
the exit. I'm not sure we would remember for

00:39:08.889 --> 00:39:10.949
sure where the Walmart is at, right? There's

00:39:10.949 --> 00:39:12.289
a lot of problems out of that. So then we're

00:39:12.289 --> 00:39:13.469
driving a little bit more, and then we see a

00:39:13.469 --> 00:39:15.789
Walmart on an exit. And I said, you know what?

00:39:16.449 --> 00:39:19.170
It's all Walmart. Get off here. So we get off

00:39:19.170 --> 00:39:20.530
at Walmart. We walk in. We go to the customer

00:39:20.530 --> 00:39:22.329
service desk, and I walk up to the customer service

00:39:22.329 --> 00:39:24.409
desk with the book in my hands, and I say to

00:39:24.409 --> 00:39:27.809
the lady, I say, I'm here to pay for this book.

00:39:28.519 --> 00:39:30.239
And she said, well, you can just take it through

00:39:30.239 --> 00:39:32.039
the register. And I said, well, I can, but I

00:39:32.039 --> 00:39:34.599
need a little help. I said, the problem is, I

00:39:34.599 --> 00:39:36.579
want to pay for this book, but I didn't get it

00:39:36.579 --> 00:39:38.860
from this Walmart. We got it from a Walmart about

00:39:38.860 --> 00:39:41.079
30 miles up the road. So I need you to take my

00:39:41.079 --> 00:39:43.800
money and then send them my money. And she said,

00:39:43.900 --> 00:39:47.920
what? I said, are you crazy? And I said, no,

00:39:47.960 --> 00:39:51.699
I don't steal. I said, I'm a follower of the

00:39:51.699 --> 00:39:54.179
Lord Jesus Christ. I don't steal anything. And

00:39:54.179 --> 00:39:56.039
I accidentally stole this book, and now I need

00:39:56.039 --> 00:39:59.090
to pay for the book. So she says, Hey, I forget

00:39:59.090 --> 00:40:01.610
her name. Like, hey, Mary, come here. And she

00:40:01.610 --> 00:40:04.230
calls Mary over, and she says, so this guy is

00:40:04.230 --> 00:40:09.050
here. He wants to, and she says, does he have

00:40:09.050 --> 00:40:11.309
his receipt? She goes, no, no, no. He wants to

00:40:11.309 --> 00:40:13.710
pay for this book that he accidentally stole

00:40:13.710 --> 00:40:17.389
from a Walmart up the road. Mary says, just a

00:40:17.389 --> 00:40:18.869
second. She goes over and knocks on the inner

00:40:18.869 --> 00:40:22.349
office door. She says, Bob, Bob, come out here.

00:40:23.559 --> 00:40:25.760
So suddenly I'm a three -headed goat standing

00:40:25.760 --> 00:40:28.300
at the customer service counter. Now there are

00:40:28.300 --> 00:40:31.780
other people standing in line waiting to be waited

00:40:31.780 --> 00:40:33.320
on and now they're all getting testy with me

00:40:33.320 --> 00:40:34.920
because I have the weird request that's going

00:40:34.920 --> 00:40:36.300
to take the most time. It's going to make the

00:40:36.300 --> 00:40:38.400
line take the most time. Like I wrote a check

00:40:38.400 --> 00:40:39.760
and couldn't figure out how to write my name

00:40:39.760 --> 00:40:41.639
or something, right? And so they're all getting

00:40:41.639 --> 00:40:43.519
a little irritated. But at the same time, they're

00:40:43.519 --> 00:40:45.500
at the zoo too. They're like, this is cool. What's

00:40:45.500 --> 00:40:48.570
going to happen here, right? So the long and

00:40:48.570 --> 00:40:50.670
the short of it was after they first refused,

00:40:50.750 --> 00:40:52.610
they got a manager and he took my money and they

00:40:52.610 --> 00:40:54.369
agreed to forward the money. They first refused.

00:40:54.429 --> 00:40:56.530
The entire committee and all the people in line

00:40:56.530 --> 00:40:58.329
agreed that I should not be allowed to pay for

00:40:58.329 --> 00:41:00.070
the book that I accidentally stole at Walmart

00:41:00.070 --> 00:41:02.929
30 miles up the road. Then we got a manager involved

00:41:02.929 --> 00:41:05.090
and the manager finally agreed. And the manager

00:41:05.090 --> 00:41:06.389
said, well, I'll walk you over to the register.

00:41:06.550 --> 00:41:08.190
So he walked me over to the register. We paid

00:41:08.190 --> 00:41:10.650
for the book at the register. And then he said,

00:41:10.809 --> 00:41:13.010
thank you very much. He said, I've never done

00:41:13.010 --> 00:41:14.389
that. I've worked for Walmart for 20 years and

00:41:14.389 --> 00:41:15.829
I've never seen this before. And I see, I kind

00:41:15.829 --> 00:41:18.179
of got that. Right? And the people who were at

00:41:18.179 --> 00:41:19.780
the counter were still giving me dirty looks

00:41:19.780 --> 00:41:21.239
as they were being helped at the counter as I

00:41:21.239 --> 00:41:23.099
was leaving after paying for the book. Listen

00:41:23.099 --> 00:41:25.340
to me. I did not do that for the people at Walmart.

00:41:25.460 --> 00:41:28.360
I don't know them. Bob or Mary or whatever the

00:41:28.360 --> 00:41:29.380
heck their names are. I don't even remember their

00:41:29.380 --> 00:41:31.360
names for sure. I don't know them. But this is

00:41:31.360 --> 00:41:33.079
a true event that took place in my life. But

00:41:33.079 --> 00:41:36.039
I did it and this is why. 1 Corinthians 4 .9

00:41:36.039 --> 00:41:39.239
says this. He says, For I think God has exhibited

00:41:39.239 --> 00:41:42.920
us apostles and you can submit your name there

00:41:42.920 --> 00:41:46.210
if you want. Last of all, as men condemned to

00:41:46.210 --> 00:41:48.630
death, because we have become, and here it is,

00:41:48.789 --> 00:41:53.150
a spectacle to the world, both to angels and

00:41:53.150 --> 00:41:57.670
men. If you get nothing else out of today's sermon,

00:41:57.750 --> 00:42:00.250
I want you to understand that what's watching

00:42:00.250 --> 00:42:02.829
you, what's depending on your choice to do the

00:42:02.829 --> 00:42:05.159
right thing, It's not your family, although they

00:42:05.159 --> 00:42:06.760
surely are. It's not your kids, although they

00:42:06.760 --> 00:42:08.900
surely are. It's not the police. They might write

00:42:08.900 --> 00:42:10.519
you a ticket or not, although they surely are

00:42:10.519 --> 00:42:12.420
watching. And they must. That's their jobs, right?

00:42:12.539 --> 00:42:16.300
But what's watching you is nothing less than

00:42:16.300 --> 00:42:23.679
every angel. Every spiritual being in the spiritual

00:42:23.679 --> 00:42:26.400
realms. You think, well, they can't see me. They're

00:42:26.400 --> 00:42:28.719
somewhere far away. That's not how it works in

00:42:28.719 --> 00:42:32.400
the spiritual realms. Right? People who live

00:42:32.400 --> 00:42:34.780
in Africa, they can't see you right now. Even

00:42:34.780 --> 00:42:36.119
if you were on Facebook, they probably couldn't

00:42:36.119 --> 00:42:37.699
see you because technology is not that good.

00:42:39.440 --> 00:42:42.840
The point is, the angels can see you. And you

00:42:42.840 --> 00:42:45.719
have become a spectacle to the world. That's

00:42:45.719 --> 00:42:47.940
everybody that doesn't know Jesus and to the

00:42:47.940 --> 00:42:51.000
angels. Therefore, your actions must come in

00:42:51.000 --> 00:42:53.840
line, whatever the cost, with your expectation

00:42:53.840 --> 00:42:56.340
of the kingdom of God or there is a debate. There

00:42:56.340 --> 00:42:59.019
becomes a contrast. And parenthetically, they

00:42:59.019 --> 00:43:02.869
should be able to say, That Dan, that Pastor

00:43:02.869 --> 00:43:06.050
Dan, that guy from New Heights, Toledo, he wasn't

00:43:06.050 --> 00:43:08.230
consenting when that book was stolen. He wasn't

00:43:08.230 --> 00:43:10.630
consenting. He wasn't consenting. He's not in

00:43:10.630 --> 00:43:12.849
on it. He's not with it. He's not for it. They

00:43:12.849 --> 00:43:15.070
should know. Somebody asks whether or not you

00:43:15.070 --> 00:43:17.050
would do it and it's a sin, they should already

00:43:17.050 --> 00:43:20.309
be able to say, I don't think so. I mean, I don't

00:43:20.309 --> 00:43:21.590
know whether to trust people or not. Lots of

00:43:21.590 --> 00:43:23.030
people sin all the time. People I wouldn't expect

00:43:23.030 --> 00:43:25.050
all the time like that. But I'm pretty sure that

00:43:25.050 --> 00:43:27.989
guy, he's different. That girl, she's different.

00:43:28.699 --> 00:43:30.400
Will she be there when she said she'd be there?

00:43:30.440 --> 00:43:33.280
Yeah, she'll be there. Unless her being there

00:43:33.280 --> 00:43:34.920
will hurt somebody because she wouldn't do that.

00:43:36.659 --> 00:43:39.320
Ephesians 3 .10 says it this way. It says, so

00:43:39.320 --> 00:43:41.480
that the manifold wisdom of God. Let's be sure

00:43:41.480 --> 00:43:44.460
we understand what's at stake here. Because you

00:43:44.460 --> 00:43:46.900
can tell people about the Bible. You can buy

00:43:46.900 --> 00:43:49.139
people Bibles. In fact, I would encourage you

00:43:49.139 --> 00:43:50.539
to do that. If you know somebody that needs to

00:43:50.539 --> 00:43:52.340
know about God, buy them a Bible. You can do

00:43:52.340 --> 00:43:53.780
it for a buck and a quarter, I think it's at

00:43:53.780 --> 00:43:55.840
right now, with a dollar and a quarter tree,

00:43:55.940 --> 00:44:00.639
right? Buy them a Bible. But definitely don't

00:44:00.639 --> 00:44:03.119
stop there. Tell them what you know. But definitely

00:44:03.119 --> 00:44:05.239
don't stop there because it says the manifold

00:44:05.239 --> 00:44:08.500
wisdom of God might now be made known through

00:44:08.500 --> 00:44:12.219
the church to the, listen to this, rulers and

00:44:12.219 --> 00:44:16.800
authorities in the heavenly places. Then what's

00:44:16.800 --> 00:44:19.320
in charge? Other than God, He already knows.

00:44:19.579 --> 00:44:21.639
But everybody that's got power and authority

00:44:21.639 --> 00:44:25.380
under God is waiting for you and me to... to

00:44:25.380 --> 00:44:28.440
disclose to them the manifold wisdom of God.

00:44:28.880 --> 00:44:31.239
That's what's at stake. Do not think that you

00:44:31.239 --> 00:44:32.980
can give them a Bible or tell them about Jesus

00:44:32.980 --> 00:44:34.820
and they'll come to Christ and get saved and

00:44:34.820 --> 00:44:36.360
know how to live for the Lord if you're not going

00:44:36.360 --> 00:44:39.539
to live for the Lord in front of them. You are

00:44:39.539 --> 00:44:42.260
the linchpin. You are the key. You are the one

00:44:42.260 --> 00:44:46.980
who can make known the love of Christ that someone

00:44:46.980 --> 00:44:48.860
died on the cross and you personally experienced

00:44:48.860 --> 00:44:52.500
it. Can you verbally explain to somebody what

00:44:52.500 --> 00:44:54.750
happened to you when you got saved? Like, oh

00:44:54.750 --> 00:44:56.789
yeah, I was sitting in the chairs and the pastor

00:44:56.789 --> 00:44:58.289
preached and I was like, yeah, that's me. I think

00:44:58.289 --> 00:45:00.050
I need to do that. And I walked forward and we

00:45:00.050 --> 00:45:01.590
said a little prayer and then we told everybody

00:45:01.590 --> 00:45:03.190
and then I got dunked in the water and ever since

00:45:03.190 --> 00:45:07.389
then I've been teaching Sunday school. No, something

00:45:07.389 --> 00:45:13.449
happens when people get saved. Their minds are

00:45:13.449 --> 00:45:17.389
changed. They get a new heart. I explain that.

00:45:17.789 --> 00:45:20.309
Go to a lost person who's really lost, suffering,

00:45:20.409 --> 00:45:22.210
really struggling and try to tell them what it

00:45:22.210 --> 00:45:25.500
felt like. for you to get saved. What adjectives

00:45:25.500 --> 00:45:29.500
are you going to use? Our job is to live in front

00:45:29.500 --> 00:45:32.539
of the world and angels and the authorities and

00:45:32.539 --> 00:45:35.940
rulers and the heavenly places as if we are expecting

00:45:35.940 --> 00:45:41.119
the kingdom of God so that they may see in a

00:45:41.119 --> 00:45:43.420
lifelong testimony maybe, step after step after

00:45:43.420 --> 00:45:46.579
step, so that they may see what that actually

00:45:46.579 --> 00:45:48.579
looks like. So they can begin to understand what

00:45:48.579 --> 00:45:51.059
it actually means to be born again, even though

00:45:51.059 --> 00:45:54.610
you can't really explain it. But your life, collectively,

00:45:54.789 --> 00:46:00.670
our lives can. The next one is this. You don't

00:46:00.670 --> 00:46:02.849
have to yield. We see Joseph's example beautifully.

00:46:03.489 --> 00:46:05.909
And that is, you don't have to yield to pressures.

00:46:05.989 --> 00:46:10.010
And you're going to get some. Every time I just

00:46:10.010 --> 00:46:12.949
saw a video, well, I had the flu. I was down

00:46:12.949 --> 00:46:15.769
on my back on Friday. Just went real short, which

00:46:15.769 --> 00:46:18.090
was a blessing. But while I was down, I watched

00:46:18.090 --> 00:46:20.309
a bunch of faith and some of you guys' videos

00:46:20.309 --> 00:46:21.889
and stuff like that if you're an Instagram user.

00:46:22.440 --> 00:46:24.960
And that's because, like you got like five of

00:46:24.960 --> 00:46:26.440
them. I apologize if I blew up your phone, but

00:46:26.440 --> 00:46:28.480
I was watching faith -based videos online while

00:46:28.480 --> 00:46:31.900
I was sick. I watched an entire Bible. I watched

00:46:31.900 --> 00:46:34.760
the entire book of James in Bible study on RightNow

00:46:34.760 --> 00:46:36.179
Media, which you can do for free because our

00:46:36.179 --> 00:46:37.579
church provides that. I watched the entire book

00:46:37.579 --> 00:46:39.440
of James in RightNow Media while I was sick.

00:46:39.719 --> 00:46:41.340
And I was going to do another book, but then

00:46:41.340 --> 00:46:42.980
I was kind of like tired of looking at the TV.

00:46:43.099 --> 00:46:44.599
So I was looking for other things to do. And

00:46:44.599 --> 00:46:45.880
I wound up on my phone watching faith -based

00:46:45.880 --> 00:46:48.019
videos. And one of the videos I saw was a girl,

00:46:48.059 --> 00:46:56.360
17 years old. And she said, I'm actively being

00:46:56.360 --> 00:46:58.980
excluded from everything that everyone in my

00:46:58.980 --> 00:47:01.400
life does. My family is not followers of Christ.

00:47:02.739 --> 00:47:06.340
My friends outside the church don't want anything

00:47:06.340 --> 00:47:08.579
to do with me. I'm no longer invited to parties.

00:47:10.219 --> 00:47:14.920
I'm not brought in on the secrets. I'm not hip

00:47:14.920 --> 00:47:20.159
to all the sassy, nasty memes that are on social

00:47:20.159 --> 00:47:23.320
media anymore. I don't talk like they talk anymore.

00:47:24.110 --> 00:47:27.650
And so now, if it weren't for the church, I'd

00:47:27.650 --> 00:47:29.929
be kind of lonely. And then the video ends with

00:47:29.929 --> 00:47:33.449
her in youth group with 15 other teenagers who

00:47:33.449 --> 00:47:36.050
feel the same way, except they don't, because

00:47:36.050 --> 00:47:40.809
the church is the church together. It's time

00:47:40.809 --> 00:47:46.769
we remembered world events, positions, works,

00:47:46.989 --> 00:47:49.849
character. It all matters. Reputation, it matters.

00:47:50.730 --> 00:47:52.750
But it matters not because you're going to get

00:47:52.750 --> 00:47:54.710
ahead or because it's going to make things easier

00:47:54.710 --> 00:47:57.269
for you. It matters because people are watching

00:47:57.269 --> 00:47:59.929
you. And they're watching you to see if you're

00:47:59.929 --> 00:48:02.050
really believing, really expecting Jesus to come

00:48:02.050 --> 00:48:03.929
again, then are you going to actually live that

00:48:03.929 --> 00:48:06.949
way? And when you face those pressures, are you

00:48:06.949 --> 00:48:10.110
going to let the past define you? Or let the

00:48:10.110 --> 00:48:15.590
risk dissuade you? Modern counseling, if you

00:48:15.590 --> 00:48:17.289
go to a counselor to deal with your mental health

00:48:17.289 --> 00:48:20.989
concerns, incorporates... discussing triggers,

00:48:21.289 --> 00:48:23.610
they will help you try to figure out what's in

00:48:23.610 --> 00:48:25.590
your past that's blowing up your present. That's

00:48:25.590 --> 00:48:29.690
what they do. And it works. It's pretty effective.

00:48:32.110 --> 00:48:34.369
The idea of what they do is they say, well, tell

00:48:34.369 --> 00:48:36.309
me a story from your childhood. And then they

00:48:36.309 --> 00:48:39.489
get you to rate it. On a 7, does that hurt? How

00:48:39.489 --> 00:48:41.369
do you feel about that? On a scale of 1 to 10.

00:48:41.650 --> 00:48:43.849
Is that a 7? You know, how do you feel about

00:48:43.849 --> 00:48:45.449
what your dad said to you when you were 12? And

00:48:45.449 --> 00:48:46.889
they'll get like a bunch of stories. You have

00:48:46.889 --> 00:48:48.670
like 20, 30 stories. And eventually they find

00:48:48.670 --> 00:48:50.650
triggers. What's upsetting you? And then they,

00:48:50.710 --> 00:48:52.610
how much is upsetting you? And then they give

00:48:52.610 --> 00:48:55.610
you coping mechanisms for how to lower your numbers.

00:48:55.670 --> 00:48:57.849
It's a seven. It's upsetting you terribly. How

00:48:57.849 --> 00:48:59.989
do you get it down to a three? Is it a three?

00:49:00.369 --> 00:49:02.389
Is it when it's a zero, you're like completely

00:49:02.389 --> 00:49:05.250
healed, right? That's, that's how it works. That's

00:49:05.250 --> 00:49:07.849
the process. And it's not a bad process, except

00:49:07.849 --> 00:49:10.889
this is how Jesus actually does it. Jesus not

00:49:10.889 --> 00:49:13.590
only lessens the impact, according to the Bible,

00:49:13.750 --> 00:49:16.949
all old things have passed away. So while we're

00:49:16.949 --> 00:49:18.909
working on making them pass away, we have to

00:49:18.909 --> 00:49:21.989
remember that in actuality, wait for it, they

00:49:21.989 --> 00:49:24.829
have actually already passed away. So while you're

00:49:24.829 --> 00:49:27.070
saying, what my dad said to me when I was 10

00:49:27.070 --> 00:49:29.449
really hurt me, what my brother did to me when

00:49:29.449 --> 00:49:31.269
I was 12 really hurt me, what happened to me

00:49:31.269 --> 00:49:33.489
when I was 21 really hurt me, while you're doing

00:49:33.489 --> 00:49:35.170
that, you need to remember, if you become a born

00:49:35.170 --> 00:49:37.449
-again Christian, then none of that can actually

00:49:37.449 --> 00:49:39.940
touch you anymore. Because you're not even the

00:49:39.940 --> 00:49:43.000
same person anymore. If there's a dead body laying

00:49:43.000 --> 00:49:45.340
on the ground in the hallway and somebody comes

00:49:45.340 --> 00:49:47.559
in and stomps on its head, that is an injustice.

00:49:47.699 --> 00:49:51.320
It is wrong. But he doesn't know it. He's dead.

00:49:54.059 --> 00:49:55.599
He's either in heaven or he's in hell and he

00:49:55.599 --> 00:49:56.880
doesn't care if you stomp on his head anymore.

00:49:57.059 --> 00:49:59.039
It's still wrong. It's disrespect. But it doesn't

00:49:59.039 --> 00:50:01.139
matter. And that's who we were before we were

00:50:01.139 --> 00:50:02.719
born again, brought to life. The things that

00:50:02.719 --> 00:50:04.599
we experienced as a dead person, they really

00:50:04.599 --> 00:50:06.659
don't matter now because we have a new life in

00:50:06.659 --> 00:50:12.260
Christ. That's why Jesus said count the cost

00:50:12.260 --> 00:50:14.739
up front because one of the costs is you need

00:50:14.739 --> 00:50:18.179
to surrender your personal rebellion even unto

00:50:18.179 --> 00:50:22.039
death. You could have to be crucified. I hope

00:50:22.039 --> 00:50:24.739
not for any of us. But that could happen and

00:50:24.739 --> 00:50:26.719
it did happen. It happened to the disciples.

00:50:26.900 --> 00:50:29.480
It has happened. It's happened. It happened this

00:50:29.480 --> 00:50:32.099
week. There are two countries in the world right

00:50:32.099 --> 00:50:34.550
now. where Christians are being buried in mass

00:50:34.550 --> 00:50:37.150
graves because they will not recant believing

00:50:37.150 --> 00:50:38.929
in Jesus Christ. Now, what happened to you? You

00:50:38.929 --> 00:50:40.690
still get to get up tomorrow, pick what you're

00:50:40.690 --> 00:50:42.409
going to eat, shop at the grocery store, use

00:50:42.409 --> 00:50:44.949
your hot water that comes on every time you turn

00:50:44.949 --> 00:50:47.929
the faucet, and no one's going to kill you before

00:50:47.929 --> 00:50:49.449
you go to sleep tomorrow night for being a follower

00:50:49.449 --> 00:50:52.750
of Jesus, at least probably not, 99 .9 % likely.

00:50:53.489 --> 00:50:55.829
But tomorrow, again, in both of those countries,

00:50:55.889 --> 00:50:58.070
they will bury more Christians in mass graves

00:50:58.070 --> 00:51:01.900
because they will not recant. And it is illegal

00:51:01.900 --> 00:51:06.719
to be a Christian in those countries. But you

00:51:06.719 --> 00:51:09.199
see, they aren't afraid of it. And they're still

00:51:09.199 --> 00:51:11.599
not recanting. Because when they accepted Jesus

00:51:11.599 --> 00:51:13.480
Christ as Lord and Savior, when they came to

00:51:13.480 --> 00:51:16.340
the moment of their rebirth, they actually experienced

00:51:16.340 --> 00:51:19.000
that rebirth. And they began to believe and await

00:51:19.000 --> 00:51:21.380
for the coming of the kingdom of God in its fullness.

00:51:23.079 --> 00:51:26.360
And to recant... would be to say, I don't believe.

00:51:26.539 --> 00:51:28.719
I don't believe in what I actually felt. I don't

00:51:28.719 --> 00:51:30.599
believe that I'm actually made new. I don't believe

00:51:30.599 --> 00:51:32.159
that he's actually going to come again when they

00:51:32.159 --> 00:51:34.139
know in their soul, in their heart of hearts,

00:51:34.219 --> 00:51:37.360
that that's the truth. They would be lying. And

00:51:37.360 --> 00:51:39.980
they won't lie. They would rather die and go

00:51:39.980 --> 00:51:44.179
straight to heaven than live the life of a rebel

00:51:44.179 --> 00:51:46.519
on earth and go straight to hell. I don't blame

00:51:46.519 --> 00:51:48.079
them. I think it seems like a pretty good choice.

00:51:48.800 --> 00:51:51.400
And I think it's what Jesus wanted from us. He

00:51:51.400 --> 00:51:53.579
asked us then to count the cost. I'm asking you,

00:51:53.619 --> 00:51:56.239
did you count the cost? If you counted the cost

00:51:56.239 --> 00:51:59.659
and you're looking, then you don't have to yield

00:51:59.659 --> 00:52:03.059
to pressures or let the past define you or let

00:52:03.059 --> 00:52:05.420
the risk of what you're asked to do or what the

00:52:05.420 --> 00:52:08.179
results might be dissuade you from taking steps.

00:52:08.380 --> 00:52:11.980
Joseph of Arimathea did not. And he was a good

00:52:11.980 --> 00:52:13.800
and righteous man who was waiting for the kingdom

00:52:13.800 --> 00:52:16.239
of God. And that is what we are called to be,

00:52:16.280 --> 00:52:19.170
good and righteous humans. Waiting for the kingdom

00:52:19.170 --> 00:52:22.650
of God. That brings us essentially to our conclusion.

00:52:26.030 --> 00:52:29.909
Commitment. Faithfulness. Doing what you said

00:52:29.909 --> 00:52:32.710
you would do. Taking the next steps in whatever

00:52:32.710 --> 00:52:37.309
you're called to. These things shine. I've been

00:52:37.309 --> 00:52:41.449
there. I've been there at moments when I was

00:52:41.449 --> 00:52:43.730
driving to church going, Lord, I don't think

00:52:43.730 --> 00:52:46.809
I can do this anymore. I don't think I can keep

00:52:46.809 --> 00:52:49.119
preaching. Keep studying the word every Sunday

00:52:49.119 --> 00:52:51.599
and stand up in front of my family, my friends,

00:52:51.679 --> 00:52:53.099
brothers and sisters in Christ and preach the

00:52:53.099 --> 00:52:56.420
word and feel like I'm not a... When my grandsons

00:52:56.420 --> 00:52:58.679
are falling asleep in the back of the room and

00:52:58.679 --> 00:53:01.239
I realize I have failed to deliver the gospel

00:53:01.239 --> 00:53:03.460
effectively to the teenagers in my own family,

00:53:03.599 --> 00:53:07.340
I have to question myself. You think I don't?

00:53:07.800 --> 00:53:09.619
You think that what you're doing doesn't affect

00:53:09.619 --> 00:53:11.139
the people around you? You don't show up for

00:53:11.139 --> 00:53:12.900
worship on Sunday morning and sometimes it's

00:53:12.900 --> 00:53:14.420
because people are sick and you shouldn't come

00:53:14.420 --> 00:53:16.039
if you have a fever, diarrhea, or vomiting because

00:53:16.039 --> 00:53:17.480
you'll just make somebody else sick. I get that.

00:53:17.780 --> 00:53:20.219
You think that doesn't affect anybody? When we

00:53:20.219 --> 00:53:22.820
sing, that 12 of us that actually sing or whatever

00:53:22.820 --> 00:53:24.280
out of 30 people in the room, you think that

00:53:24.280 --> 00:53:26.159
the other 18 people aren't having an impact?

00:53:28.019 --> 00:53:31.800
They sure are. What you are doing impacts people.

00:53:32.239 --> 00:53:35.320
Commitment shines. Faithfulness shines. When

00:53:35.320 --> 00:53:37.460
you don't show up, to do the ministry that you

00:53:37.460 --> 00:53:40.159
committed to. Or when somebody walks by you and

00:53:40.159 --> 00:53:41.900
they're clearly depressed and they're struggling

00:53:41.900 --> 00:53:45.539
or whatever it is, and you don't take the time

00:53:45.539 --> 00:53:47.519
to talk to them about God or Jesus Christ, you

00:53:47.519 --> 00:53:50.820
think that doesn't say anything? If there's a

00:53:50.820 --> 00:53:52.380
human being and they're teetering on the edge

00:53:52.380 --> 00:53:54.900
of being saved, you can bet there's a cluster

00:53:54.900 --> 00:53:57.559
of angels grabbed around them trying to lead

00:53:57.559 --> 00:53:59.659
them to the right place. And you have family

00:53:59.659 --> 00:54:04.579
members like that. You have people that... Worldly,

00:54:04.579 --> 00:54:07.019
right? Worldly, but love you and you love them.

00:54:07.340 --> 00:54:09.280
And if you love them the way Christ loved them,

00:54:09.360 --> 00:54:11.460
then you're not showing up to say the right thing,

00:54:11.500 --> 00:54:13.039
do the right thing. And that moment of time is

00:54:13.039 --> 00:54:15.400
just like you spitting in the face of the very

00:54:15.400 --> 00:54:19.619
Jesus who died on the cross for us. So when I

00:54:19.619 --> 00:54:23.340
feel that way, I feel like maybe it's gone far

00:54:23.340 --> 00:54:28.579
enough. But here's the problem. God told me what

00:54:28.579 --> 00:54:31.440
to do. And every time I feel like I... Feel like

00:54:31.440 --> 00:54:35.440
I just want to quit, give up, whatever. God says,

00:54:35.639 --> 00:54:39.380
I didn't let you off. You can let yourself off

00:54:39.380 --> 00:54:41.340
if you want, but I didn't let you off. I've told

00:54:41.340 --> 00:54:44.159
you what you have to do. So why are we having

00:54:44.159 --> 00:54:46.159
this conversation again for the 30th time, God

00:54:46.159 --> 00:54:48.519
says. And I said, well, there's something in

00:54:48.519 --> 00:54:51.880
me, Lord. And I know what the word says. The

00:54:51.880 --> 00:54:54.900
word says repent. So I turn to God again and

00:54:54.900 --> 00:54:56.639
he fills me with strength and my car winds up

00:54:56.639 --> 00:54:58.480
in the parking lot and I preach the next sermon.

00:54:59.559 --> 00:55:01.840
I deal with the next problem, whatever it is.

00:55:02.159 --> 00:55:04.780
I'm being realistic here because I understand

00:55:04.780 --> 00:55:09.019
some of you is the same way. Some of you have

00:55:09.019 --> 00:55:13.599
seen it. It's hard. It's hard to be found doing

00:55:13.599 --> 00:55:15.480
what it is that God would have you to do when

00:55:15.480 --> 00:55:17.579
your body is struggling or your mind is struggling

00:55:17.579 --> 00:55:19.440
or your finances are struggling, your relationships,

00:55:19.559 --> 00:55:24.619
whatever it is. Right? It's hard. But commitment

00:55:24.619 --> 00:55:28.219
and faithfulness shines in a way. That the harder

00:55:28.219 --> 00:55:31.699
it gets, the brighter it shines. You understand?

00:55:32.639 --> 00:55:35.539
So you can be transparent about how hard it is.

00:55:35.800 --> 00:55:38.059
In fact, I would highly recommend that. The next

00:55:38.059 --> 00:55:40.179
time that you push through a wall of luck that's

00:55:40.179 --> 00:55:42.659
10 foot thick and dark and you can't see and

00:55:42.659 --> 00:55:44.460
step out on the other side and start doing what

00:55:44.460 --> 00:55:46.860
it is that God has you to do, I want you to tell

00:55:46.860 --> 00:55:50.840
everybody about that wall. You say, it was hard

00:55:50.840 --> 00:55:55.920
for me today. I pushed through. But I give God

00:55:55.920 --> 00:55:58.409
all the glory. See, what people do is they push

00:55:58.409 --> 00:55:59.409
through to get to the other side and they're

00:55:59.409 --> 00:56:01.849
so exuberant, so excited, like, yay, look at

00:56:01.849 --> 00:56:03.289
me, I'm here and I'm a follower of Jesus and

00:56:03.289 --> 00:56:05.110
it's wonderful and I'm not bothered by anything

00:56:05.110 --> 00:56:07.289
and I won't be, my feathers will be unruffled

00:56:07.289 --> 00:56:09.110
every single day. It's all water off a duck's

00:56:09.110 --> 00:56:10.750
back because I'm not facing any real difficulty

00:56:10.750 --> 00:56:13.369
because Jesus took it all and we live like that.

00:56:13.449 --> 00:56:14.849
And then that makes other Christians, when they

00:56:14.849 --> 00:56:20.070
hit the wall, go, why me? And that's not real.

00:56:20.559 --> 00:56:23.699
What's real is life is difficult. Life is challenging.

00:56:23.820 --> 00:56:26.300
Life can mean crucifixion. It can mean disease.

00:56:26.480 --> 00:56:29.099
It can mean dying in an earthquake or a car accident

00:56:29.099 --> 00:56:31.239
or getting a bullet in the brain. Life can be

00:56:31.239 --> 00:56:34.300
like that. The question is, knowing that life

00:56:34.300 --> 00:56:39.039
can be like that, can you nonetheless accept

00:56:39.039 --> 00:56:41.619
Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and do what

00:56:41.619 --> 00:56:49.139
he's asked you to do? And if you stay the course,

00:56:49.239 --> 00:56:53.199
the world may write down your name. You may become

00:56:53.199 --> 00:56:56.599
historic. There was a woman named Mary who broke

00:56:56.599 --> 00:56:59.400
a jar of perfume and wiped it with her hair on

00:56:59.400 --> 00:57:04.119
Jesus' feet at dinner one time. And the disciples

00:57:04.119 --> 00:57:05.760
were questioning, that's not weird. That's a

00:57:05.760 --> 00:57:08.199
weird thing. And Judas was all upset because

00:57:08.199 --> 00:57:11.699
she could have sold that for money and put the

00:57:11.699 --> 00:57:14.039
money in the coffers and taken care of a lot

00:57:14.039 --> 00:57:17.860
of poor people. It was very expensive. But we

00:57:17.860 --> 00:57:19.340
really find out in the Scripture that he was

00:57:19.340 --> 00:57:20.960
only really upset because then if she had done

00:57:20.960 --> 00:57:22.579
that, then he could have stole some of the money.

00:57:23.300 --> 00:57:24.880
A lot of times when people are trying to tell

00:57:24.880 --> 00:57:26.199
you not to do what it is that God wants you to

00:57:26.199 --> 00:57:27.699
do is because they have their own personal motivations

00:57:27.699 --> 00:57:32.440
that have nothing to do with Jesus. Anyway, Jesus

00:57:32.440 --> 00:57:35.440
said, what she's done here today, it will not

00:57:35.440 --> 00:57:38.119
be forgotten. Now it's almost 2 ,000 years later

00:57:38.119 --> 00:57:42.460
and you know her name. Don't you? It's Mary.

00:57:43.340 --> 00:57:47.820
Not his mother. It's Mary. And she wiped perfume

00:57:47.820 --> 00:57:52.500
with her hair on Jesus' feet. And Jesus said

00:57:52.500 --> 00:57:55.800
she will never be forgotten. In the midst of

00:57:55.800 --> 00:57:58.820
time when they were going to crucify Jesus, there

00:57:58.820 --> 00:58:02.019
was a man. He was a wealthy man. He was part

00:58:02.019 --> 00:58:07.019
of the Sanhedrin. Now, probably nothing was ever

00:58:07.019 --> 00:58:08.519
written about him because he was just a part

00:58:08.519 --> 00:58:11.239
of the Sanhedrin. He was just a guy. And there

00:58:11.239 --> 00:58:13.500
wasn't just a few. There was a couple dozen guys

00:58:13.500 --> 00:58:16.159
in the Sanhedrin. Maybe his name would have never

00:58:16.159 --> 00:58:20.139
gone down in history. But he had heard the teachings

00:58:20.139 --> 00:58:25.500
of Jesus. He'd counted the cost. And then while

00:58:25.500 --> 00:58:27.320
Jesus was still hanging on the cross, he thought,

00:58:27.380 --> 00:58:29.179
well, I really should do something about this.

00:58:32.059 --> 00:58:34.039
So he got up and he went to Pilate and he asked

00:58:34.039 --> 00:58:36.079
for Jesus' body and then he wrapped him in a

00:58:36.079 --> 00:58:37.920
linen cloth and laid him in his very own tomb

00:58:37.920 --> 00:58:40.420
where a body never had been laid. He respected

00:58:40.420 --> 00:58:42.820
the Son of God, God the Son, Jesus Christ, when...

00:58:43.519 --> 00:58:47.699
Maybe nobody else could. And you know his name.

00:58:49.960 --> 00:58:52.840
You live almost 2 ,000 years later and you know

00:58:52.840 --> 00:58:56.119
his name. Not only that, but there are over 25

00:58:56.119 --> 00:59:01.579
,000 extant texts. Julius Caesar is something

00:59:01.579 --> 00:59:03.059
like, I don't know the number, but it's maybe

00:59:03.059 --> 00:59:06.300
1 ,000 to 2 ,000 texts from his era that even

00:59:06.300 --> 00:59:09.739
talk about him, that he even existed. And this

00:59:09.739 --> 00:59:14.559
guy. From the era of his living, there are 25

00:59:14.559 --> 00:59:18.719
,000 plus extant texts, texts that have survived

00:59:18.719 --> 00:59:22.199
that say Joseph of Arimathea. See, the world

00:59:22.199 --> 00:59:25.019
may write down your name, but here's the incredible

00:59:25.019 --> 00:59:30.500
thing. That doesn't mean anything. That's not

00:59:30.500 --> 00:59:32.199
the goal. It's not that they'll write down your

00:59:32.199 --> 00:59:33.679
name and keep track of who you were, that you'll

00:59:33.679 --> 00:59:37.780
exist with a legacy on earth, but rather that

00:59:37.780 --> 00:59:39.079
your name would be written in the Lamb's Book

00:59:39.079 --> 00:59:42.369
of Life. That matters. And that happened the

00:59:42.369 --> 00:59:44.230
day you accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

00:59:44.309 --> 00:59:46.070
You counted the cost. You said, whatever he wants

00:59:46.070 --> 00:59:48.289
from me, it's all in for him. I put it all on

00:59:48.289 --> 00:59:50.010
the table. I put it all in. And then when I'm

00:59:50.010 --> 00:59:51.610
sick, I'm still all in. And when I'm hurting,

00:59:51.670 --> 00:59:53.130
I'm still all in. When my mental health isn't

00:59:53.130 --> 00:59:54.969
right, I'm still all in. When my money doesn't

00:59:54.969 --> 00:59:56.929
seem to line up with me being able to give or

00:59:56.929 --> 00:59:58.670
do what I'm supposed to do, I'm still all in.

00:59:59.309 --> 01:00:01.369
When somebody wants me to do something, I'm still

01:00:01.369 --> 01:00:03.889
all in. Better I follow Jesus than live another

01:00:03.889 --> 01:00:08.449
day if I have to choose between the two. Joseph

01:00:08.449 --> 01:00:11.489
of Arimathea did not allow. The things of his

01:00:11.489 --> 01:00:16.409
past. His own nervousness or scaredness or fear

01:00:16.409 --> 01:00:18.110
of what they might do to him to stop him from

01:00:18.110 --> 01:00:21.289
taking the body down. Which is a horrible task.

01:00:22.429 --> 01:00:24.449
Wrapping it in a simple linen cloth and putting

01:00:24.449 --> 01:00:27.730
it in a tomb. And he did all of that because

01:00:27.730 --> 01:00:29.710
he was a good and righteous man who was waiting

01:00:29.710 --> 01:00:32.269
for the kingdom of God. And what I see before

01:00:32.269 --> 01:00:35.949
me are people who have every possibility, every

01:00:35.949 --> 01:00:39.110
potential to be good and righteous men and women.

01:00:39.559 --> 01:00:42.900
who are waiting for the kingdom of God. If your

01:00:42.900 --> 01:00:45.639
name has been written in the Lamb's book of life,

01:00:45.960 --> 01:00:49.940
that's all that matters. The Lamb has been sacrificed.

01:00:50.820 --> 01:00:53.579
The best we can offer to God is not our all.

01:00:54.199 --> 01:00:56.280
We say that a lot, don't we? There's a great

01:00:56.280 --> 01:00:58.340
story about a kid who went to church and he loved

01:00:58.340 --> 01:01:00.719
the Lord Jesus and he passed the offering plate.

01:01:00.820 --> 01:01:02.860
When the offering plate came around, he didn't

01:01:02.860 --> 01:01:04.139
have any money to put in the offering plate.

01:01:04.500 --> 01:01:07.099
So he sat it on the floor and then stood in the

01:01:07.099 --> 01:01:09.039
offering plate. And they said, what are you doing?

01:01:09.420 --> 01:01:12.360
And he says, I don't have any money, but to Jesus

01:01:12.360 --> 01:01:16.679
I give my all. And we think, man, our all, that's

01:01:16.679 --> 01:01:21.139
it. If we can give our all, that's the best we

01:01:21.139 --> 01:01:26.639
can offer. But that isn't it. Your all is not

01:01:26.639 --> 01:01:31.599
the best you can offer. Jesus is literally the

01:01:31.599 --> 01:01:34.559
best you can offer. Jesus is what you can bring

01:01:34.559 --> 01:01:36.639
to every problem. Jesus is what you can bring

01:01:36.639 --> 01:01:38.920
into any person's life who will listen. Jesus

01:01:38.920 --> 01:01:40.719
is what you can bring into your own life. Jesus

01:01:40.719 --> 01:01:44.079
is what you can submit to. Jesus, the Lamb of

01:01:44.079 --> 01:01:47.599
God who is spotless and without blemish. I was

01:01:47.599 --> 01:01:51.420
not that. I still am not that. The only righteousness

01:01:51.420 --> 01:01:53.500
and innocence I truly have is found in Jesus

01:01:53.500 --> 01:01:55.780
Christ and it is enough. And where I go, He goes.

01:01:55.980 --> 01:01:59.539
And that is what you bring. If you know Jesus,

01:02:04.809 --> 01:02:09.570
If you know how special He is, then you know

01:02:09.570 --> 01:02:13.230
you cannot fail. And there is nothing more that

01:02:13.230 --> 01:02:15.449
you have to do. It's all been taken care of.

01:02:15.449 --> 01:02:18.309
Your eternity is settled. At the same time, if

01:02:18.309 --> 01:02:20.630
you know Jesus is enough, then you know that

01:02:20.630 --> 01:02:23.210
you cannot truly fail in everything that God

01:02:23.210 --> 01:02:26.849
has given you to do. And Ephesians 2 .10 says

01:02:26.849 --> 01:02:29.150
that there are works that are set aside for us

01:02:29.150 --> 01:02:34.880
to do. You cannot fail. If you would set out

01:02:34.880 --> 01:02:36.579
to do the things and pitch yourself and truly

01:02:36.579 --> 01:02:38.480
put yourself on the line to do the things that

01:02:38.480 --> 01:02:42.980
God would have you do, you cannot fail. Even

01:02:42.980 --> 01:02:46.019
if you fail, you don't fail. Why? Because your

01:02:46.019 --> 01:02:48.099
commitment, your faithfulness, and your unwillingness

01:02:48.099 --> 01:02:50.500
to stop will speak volumes to the world and to

01:02:50.500 --> 01:02:52.800
the angels and to the demons and every ruler

01:02:52.800 --> 01:02:55.280
and authority in the spiritual realms. And that's

01:02:55.280 --> 01:02:57.460
what's really at stake, that the manifold wisdom

01:02:57.460 --> 01:03:02.480
of God would be displayed to any and all. People

01:03:02.480 --> 01:03:05.300
that you can never get an appointment with will

01:03:05.300 --> 01:03:11.139
nonetheless experience it. Along the way, you

01:03:11.139 --> 01:03:13.659
will have temptations. You notice that the ladies

01:03:13.659 --> 01:03:15.960
did not go and prepare the body on the Sabbath.

01:03:16.960 --> 01:03:18.619
because that would have been sin. You say, but

01:03:18.619 --> 01:03:20.400
it's the Son of God. Surely if you're doing something

01:03:20.400 --> 01:03:22.400
for Jesus, then sin would be okay, right? We

01:03:22.400 --> 01:03:24.519
can break that rule. Jesus said, the Sabbath

01:03:24.519 --> 01:03:27.079
is for man, not man for the Sabbath. So that

01:03:27.079 --> 01:03:29.579
means that you can do certain things on the Sabbath.

01:03:29.659 --> 01:03:31.260
So they should have been able to honor Jesus,

01:03:31.360 --> 01:03:34.860
right? But they knew better. Can't honor Jesus

01:03:34.860 --> 01:03:39.710
and sin at the same time. Because Jesus said,

01:03:39.730 --> 01:03:41.349
he who loves me will follow the commands of my

01:03:41.349 --> 01:03:42.710
father. And one of the commands of my father

01:03:42.710 --> 01:03:44.170
is to honor the Sabbath day and keep it holy.

01:03:44.250 --> 01:03:46.829
So they knew better than to try to honor Jesus

01:03:46.829 --> 01:03:51.289
by sinning against him. And so should we. When

01:03:51.289 --> 01:03:52.969
you discover sin in your life, you repent of

01:03:52.969 --> 01:03:55.889
it. You turn to God and say, let's put that behind

01:03:55.889 --> 01:03:59.849
me. Wherever you go, you take Jesus with you

01:03:59.849 --> 01:04:03.289
and you display him there. And let people say,

01:04:03.449 --> 01:04:07.130
that guy's weird. That gal, I don't quite understand

01:04:07.130 --> 01:04:09.690
her. She's making decisions that don't line up

01:04:09.690 --> 01:04:11.710
with what the world would necessarily do. Why

01:04:11.710 --> 01:04:17.369
is she so ready? Why is she so ready? Why is

01:04:17.369 --> 01:04:23.730
she so prepared? Why is he so prepared? I'll

01:04:23.730 --> 01:04:27.130
tell you why. Because today is the preparation

01:04:27.130 --> 01:04:27.550
day.