The Resurrection - Part 1 of 2

The Baptist Bible Hour now comes to you under the direction of Elder Lacerre Bradley Jr. O for a thousand tongues to sing, my great Redeemer's praise! The worries of my God and King, the triumphs of his grace!

This is Lacerre Bradley Jr. inviting you to stay tuned for another message of God's sovereign grace. Years I spent in vanity and pride, caring that my Lord was crucified, knowing that it was for me he died on Calvary. Mercy there was great and grace was free, pardon there was multiply to me. There my burden soul found liberty at Calvary.

I that's word and that's my sin I learned, then I trembled at the law highest turn, till my guilty soul in glory turned to Calvary. Mercy there was great and grace was free, pardon there was multiply to me. There my burden soul found liberty at Calvary.

Now I've given to Jesus everything, now I gladly own him as my King, now my rapture soul can only sing of Calvary. Mercy there was great and grace was free, pardon there was multiply to me. There my burden soul found liberty at Calvary. O the love that drew salvation's plan, O the grace that brought it down to man, O the mighty gulf that God did span at Calvary. Mercy there was great and grace was free, pardon there was multiply to me.

There my burden soul found liberty at Calvary. After having good response during our anniversary month, it seems that many times the month following is particularly difficult because people think I wrote them and that ought to take care of things for a while and while we appreciate it, the expense goes right on. So we need to hear from our listeners on a regular basis to be able to remain on your station. Our address is the Baptist Bible Hour, Box 17037, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. Now we've been bringing you messages from our series on the Gospel of John. We're going to move ahead today because we want to get to the message on the resurrection at this season of the year.

I hope that it will be a blessing to you. When I was lost without a Savior, my life as sinful as could be, my Father sent His Son from glory and Jesus paid the price for me. He paid the price He bore my burdens, His life He gave up on the tree. Oh praise the Lord, He is my Savior, He paid the price, the price for me. He took His blood to make the ransom, His life He gave on Calvary, and when His precious heart was broken, He paid the price, the price for me. He paid the price He bore my burdens, His life He gave up on the tree. Oh praise the Lord, He is my Savior, He paid the price, the price for me. Oh how could I forget this Savior, Who gave Himself to set me free? I wish that I might better know Him, and know He paid the price for me.

He paid the price He bore my burdens, His life He gave up on the tree. Oh praise the Lord, He is my Savior, He paid the price, the price for me. For quite some time we've been working our way through a study in the Gospel of John. We've seen some wonderful things in the ministry of Jesus Christ. We observed John the Baptist pointing him out, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. We read about His many miracles, healing of the sick, raising of the dead. We read about Him feeding the multitudes, His interaction with His disciples, His constant care for them, even as He neared the end of His journey, was looking toward the cross.

He was thinking not of Himself, but thinking of them, preparing them for this dramatic occurrence. And in the portion of the Gospel of John in recent weeks, we've been following the most remarkable events of history. Our subject have been the arrest of Jesus, Jesus before Pilate, Jesus crucified, and our last message, It is finished.

Now, the resurrection. We go to John chapter 19, beginning with the 38th verse. And after this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus.

And Pilate gave him leave. And he came therefore and took the body of Jesus. And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night and brought a mixture of myrrh and alloys, about a hundred pound weight. Then took they the body of Jesus and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury. Now, in the place where he was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new sepulcher, wherein was never man yet laid. There laid they Jesus, therefore, because of the Jews' preparation day, for the sepulcher was nigh at hand. We'll also look at the first verses of chapter 20, but thinking about the section that we have just read, we see here that following the suffering of Jesus upon the cross, he was so terribly abused, the crown of thorns down upon his head, his hands and his feet nailed to the cross, a spear thrust in his side.

But after all of this, he is now to receive a respectable burial. The custom of that time was that when an individual was crucified, family members could come and claim the body, but they could not bury that body in the city of Jerusalem. They would have to secure a place elsewhere because of the disgrace of death by a crucifixion.

Unclaimed bodies were taken to the dump. When one was crucified for sedition, they were left on the cross for the body to be eaten by birds and animals. Jesus was crucified for sedition because he said he was king of the Jews.

They claimed that he was undermining the government, that he was a threat to the emperor. So if normal events had unfolded, Jesus' body would have been left on the cross for the birds to eat, the animals to devour. But we noted that Jesus was still in control even when he was on the cross because he was conscious and very much aware of fulfilling the prophetic references of old.

He said, I thirst and pointed out at the time that this was a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. When he died, he gave up the ghost. It said in John chapter 10, I lay down my life.

No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down. When they came to break the legs of the three men that were on the cross, they found Jesus was already dead because he had determined the moment of his death. When he was able to say it is finished, there was no reason to stay there any longer and he voluntarily gave up his spirit. Jesus was in control. He was no helpless victim. He was the God-man. He was in control even of his death. And now we observe that he's in control of his burial.

There is divine intervention here to prevent his body from being abused. Isaiah chapter 53 verse 9, and he made his grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. He was with the wicked when he was crucified, a thief on either side. But in reading this prophecy, we would say, how can it be? Jesus had no place to lay his head.

He didn't have title to a piece of property. He was not wealthy as far as earth's goods were concerned, but it says he will be with the rich in his death. By divine providence, a rich man comes forward to see to it that Jesus receives a respectable burial. Joseph of Arimathea comes requesting his body. We look at the book of Mark chapter 15 verse 42. Now when the event was come because it was the preparation, that is the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, an honorable counselor which also waited for the kingdom of God, came and went in boldly unto Pilate and craved the body of Jesus.

But this man who was well known, a member of the Sanhedrin, a wealthy man, has it upon his heart to claim the body of Jesus. Pilate marveled if he were already dead. When Joseph comes and says, I would like to take his body from the cross and bury it, Pilate is amazed, how could he be dead already?

Normally men lingered on the cross two to three days. Jesus has only been there six hours. How could it be that he is dead? And calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead. And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph. There were many theories advanced immediately following the resurrection of Jesus and they have been brought up from time to time for those who have professed themselves to be scholars. One claimed that Jesus did not really die.

He just went into a swoon from the heat of the day and the pain of his suffering. And once he was put into the coolness of the tomb, he revived and he just got up and walked away. But it's interesting how God sees to it that there is adequate testimony to confirm that Jesus died. The centurion, the man who was in charge of the soldiers that were there to crucify him, was a man very familiar with being able to determine when an individual was dead. That was his job. His job was to supervise crucifixions, to see to it that criminals were put to death.

So Pilate is suspicious. When Joseph said, I would like his body, he's questioning how could he be dead already. He calls in the centurion and said, could it be that this man is dead? And the centurion says, yes, he is dead.

So here is confirmation from a party who has no personal interest in it. He has no reason to distort the facts. But from his experience, he's able to say, no question about it, this man is dead. And so concerning Joseph, it says that he was one that waited for the kingdom of God. There are a number of positive things said about him. Theologians differ in their view as to whether he showed adequate evidence of truly being born again or whether because he was but a secret disciple that he had not yet come to a full experience of grace, maybe until this moment. But John and the other Gospel writers go out of their way to talk about some of the positive qualities of this man showing that he was indeed a disciple in the book of Matthew chapter 27 verse 57.

When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathea named Joseph who also himself was Jesus' disciple. So he is described as being a disciple, although he was a secret disciple. He had not at this time been willing to make a public acknowledgement that he was a believer in Jesus and one of his followers. But it is indeed commendable that now at this point upon Jesus' death, he is willing to be recognized publicly as one who has the greatest respect for Jesus.

This no doubt would bring great difficulties into his life. No other information is given us about this man as to what transpired following this noble time in his life when he was willing to come and claim the body of Jesus. But knowing that he was on the Sanhedrin and it is there that there was such hatred and malice toward Jesus and now he has taken a positive stand on his behalf, we can rest assured that life became extremely difficult for him. In Luke chapter 23, we read in the 50th verse further about him. And behold, there was a man named Joseph, a counselor, and he was a good man and just. So the comments given us the divine inspiration about this man are indeed very positive. He was a good man and just.

The same had not consented to the counsel and deed of them. Though he was on the Sanhedrin, he did not agree, he had not consented when they discussed their desire to put Jesus to death. He was of Arimathea, a city of the Jews who himself also waited for the kingdom of God. Now we read that there were many who believed on Jesus that were secret disciples even as this man.

But thankfully, he finally comes to the forefront and identifies himself with the Son of God. Then Nicodemus came to assist in this burial as well. Nicodemus, you recall, was the man that came to Jesus by night. He was also on the Sanhedrin. And the fact that he came by night indicated that he was not willing to bear the ridicule or to be ostracized than to cast out from those that were his associates.

But at this time, he comes forward. He brought myrrh and alloys, a hundred pounds of it. The Jews did not embalm the dead. They wrapped them in linen and used spices, the purpose of which was to try and eliminate the odor that would soon occur as the body began to decay.

Now Nicodemus comes with a hundred pounds of these spices. This amount would only be used for the burial of someone who was rich or even a king. And so Jesus is receiving an appropriate burial. These two who have been secret disciples are now openly identifying themselves with Jesus. And then they buried him in Joseph's new tomb where no man had ever previously been placed. They were in a hurry because the Sabbath was soon dawning and they wanted to have him buried before the Sabbath came.

And so the tomb was nearby and Joseph was willing to allow Jesus to be buried there. We read back in John chapter 12 just a bit about these secret disciples. Verse 42, Nevertheless, among the chief rulers also many believed on him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue, for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. They feared. They feared the Jews. They feared being put out of the synagogue. They feared being cut off from their position that they occupied and cut off from their friends. How many times today are there those who fail to be a true disciple, a courageous follower of Jesus Christ because of the fear of men?

How is it with you? Is there ever a time in your life when you fail to speak up in the name of Jesus? When you're reluctant to tell somebody that you're one of his followers? That you're reluctant to defend the truth that Jesus proclaimed? Are you afraid of being called narrow-minded and bigoted if you say, I believe what Jesus said when he declared, I am the way, the truth, and the life. Not one of many ways, I am it.

I am the way. James Boice writes this, Why is it that in a day every vice of humanity is coming out of the closet and clamoring for recognition as a pure and natural expression of the essentially good human spirit, many believers or alleged believers fail to come out for Christ? Is it fear?

Fear of what someone may say? Think of what they lost by being secret disciples. They lost great blessings. They missed walking and talking with Jesus, being present to see his miracles, being there to hear his message, being able to converse with him.

What a loss. They missed Christian fellowship. They were among unbelieving Jews who hated Jesus. Let me tell you, Christians need Christians. Christianity cannot be lived in isolation.

It involves interacting with other people. Christians need to be encouraged by other Christians, need their influence, need their counsel. But they had lost that for the three years that they might have been openly involved with Jesus during the time of his ministry. But thankfully, they came forward at the time of his death. It may have been when they were able at this point to see what love Jesus had that he was willing to lay down his life. He was willing to suffer the reproach, the anguish, the pain, the rejection, and a part of it which they probably little understood what it meant for him to be under the wrath of his father when the sin of all believers were put upon him and the father had to turn his back and Jesus cried, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Perhaps for Nicodemus, some of the words that Jesus had spoken to him early on when he came to visit him by night came to his mind. For Jesus said to Nicodemus, And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

He may well have recalled. He talked to me about the fact that just as that serpent was put on the pole in Moses' day and they were told to look and live, now he too was lifted up, lifted up on the cross. And seeing that great love moved him to come and assist Joseph of Arimathea bringing these expensive spices as they put the strips of linen wrapping his body and incorporating the spices into the wrapping so that his body was covered with this expensive material. It showed that they had the utmost respect for Jesus.

So we see a respectable burial. My Jesus, I love Thee I know Thou art mine For Thee, all the follies Of sin I resign We've seen that it was by divine intervention that Jesus' body was taken down from the cross and prepared for burial, given a respectable burial. And so the Lord was in control through the whole matter. He willingly gave himself as a sacrifice. He laid down his life and even in his burial he was still in control. We'll continue this message next week and talk about the glorious truth of his resurrection. If you would like to get this message on CD, request it when writing us. And until next week at this same time, may the Lord richly bless you all. If ever I love Thee, my Jesus is now That's the Baptist Bible Hour, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217 I'll sing with the glittering ground