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Now here's today's message from Pastor Skip. Whatever drives you to Christ is great. And so he came to Jesus at night. Yeah. whatever reason.
But now He steps out of the shadows. Nick at night is now Nick during the day. Comes with spices and aloes to bury the body of Jesus. I will say that it's a little bit sad. That Nicodemus couldn't have showed his love to Jesus while Jesus was alive, but he waits till Jesus is dead.
Now it's a good thing he's doing, don't get me wrong. But what Nicodemus did is what a lot of people unfortunately do. They don't give in life, but when the person dies, that's when the flowers come. Can I just say, if you have any loose ends in any relationships in your life, that you get those figured out as well as you can and send the flowers this week instead of waiting for them to croak. and mourning over it.
Don't give in death what could have been given in life. But back to our point, discipleship is unpredictable. Here's the second thing I want you to notice. Discipleship, following Christ. is gradual.
It's not a light switch. You don't turn it on and become instantaneously perfect. And if you've ever had that expectation of other people or yourself, Relax a little bit, back off a little bit. Both of these men It seems we're secretive. At first.
They were secretive. At first. Now, I'm going to have you turn to a passage in Scripture in John. In just a moment. And Here's the deal.
John writes about secret disciples, but whenever he writes about them, he doesn't speak too. favorably about them. And I want you to see, and I want you to think about who we might be speaking about. Go back to John chapter 12. Just a few chapters.
John 12. Two verses, and that's it. Same author. Same book. John twelve Verse forty two Nevertheless, even among the rulers, that is, the Jewish rulers, the religious authorities.
Nevertheless, Even among the rulers, many believed in him. But because of the Pharisees, they did not confess him. lest they should be put out of the synagogue. Who do you think he has in mind when he writes that? Can't be sure, but from my reading now of John 19, I suspect he's thinking of Joseph of Arimathea, who was part of that council, and Nicodemus, who was also part of it.
What were they afraid of? They were afraid of getting kicked out of the synagogue. Apasynagogos is the Greek term. It's an official term of being excommunicated, which Which would effectively end a person's social life for good. You can just write it off.
You will have no standing, no social life, no professional life in Israel. If you as this member of this group are apasuna gogas, excommunicated. The Babylonian Talmud. Lists 24 infractions by which a person can get kicked out of the synagogue for, one being. If you don't abide by the decision of the council, in other words, if you disagree with us, we might just kick you out.
So They're in the shadows, they're behind the scenes, they're not making it vocal. They seem to love this Jesus and be drawn to him and have anticipated him and believe in him. But they're afraid. of the Jews.
Now listen to John's comment, verse 43. For they loved The praise of men more than the praise of God. Here's the problem. These, whoever they are, let's believe that he is writing about Joseph and Nicodemus. Both of these are trying to do something that is impossible to do.
For any length of time, and that is be a secret disciple, a secret follower. I'm a secret agent Christian. And I've never blown my cover. You can't carry that on very long. Listen to William Barkley, he writes these words.
Christianity is something which is meant to be seen. There can be no such thing as secret discipleship, for either the secrecy destroys the discipleship. or the discipleship destroys the secrecy. A man's Christianity should be perfectly visible to all men. But they're afraid.
And they're afraid because they love the praise of men more than the praise. Of God. Think about that. What does it mean to love the praise of men more than the praise of God? We all know exactly what that means.
Here's the deal: all of us want to be liked. Is that right? We want to be loved by people. Nobody likes to be the odd man out. Sure, please go ahead and hate me and persecute me.
I'll be the person. Nobody likes that. Everybody likes to be loved and accepted in a peer group. That's where discipleship is dangerous. Because not everybody in the peer group will agree with you about your stance for Christianity.
So, the temptation is for you to compromise that a bit, and eventually, perhaps, possibly, like these two guys. Live two different lives. The life you live at church? and the life you live at home and in the world. Can't be done for very long.
Love the praise of God or the praise of men more than the praise. of God. At the same time, I don't want to press too hard with this because I'll admit to you, there have been times I get scared. Of situations and people that I'm confronting or are confronting me in the world. There's an intimidation factor.
So let me just make it easy. Do yourself a favor and starting today, Ask the Lord. for boldness. Ask the Lord. To fill you with his spirit and give you a measure of boldness that you haven't had before.
Yeah. In fact, Even think of it this way. We live in a day and age. where everybody seems to be getting bold about their cause. We live in a politically correct environment.
You're told to tolerate anyone and everything, every aberrant sexual behavior. They're even told to come out of the closet, be proud of who they are. Make it vocal.
So I'm saying, okay, fair enough. Let's even the playing field. There's a lot of Christians who are still in the closet. Come out of the closet, Christians. Don't be afraid of saying, I'm a believer.
This is what I love. Ask the Lord for that measure. A boldness.
Now let's get back to our story. I see progress with these two guys. Yeah, sure, they're in the shadows. Sure, they're afraid.
Okay, they love the praise of men more than the praise of God, who doesn't at some point in their life. And yet, Now, at least. Here, they're stepping out into the light and making themselves known, making a request of Pilate. You know what this would do? For Nicodemus and Joseph to come to Pilate and make this request and bring the spices.
it would automatically mark them. with their peers. Oh, that's why in chapter 7 of John they would think Nicodemus stood up for Jesus. Oh, they're really disciples of Jesus all along.
So they're placing themselves in danger. Also, it's dangerous to go to Punch's pilot. as a Jewish leader. I think Pontius Pilate has had enough of Jewish leaders at this point. And they're asking for the body of what Pilate would consider a rival king.
So they're exposing themselves to danger. But here's my point. Yeah, these guys aren't perfect. but they're making progress. Discipleship is gradual.
That's all God asked for. Just make progress. He's not asking for perfection because guess what? You'll never make it. But make progress.
2 Peter 3:18. Grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Colossians 1, being fruitful in every good work, increasing in the knowledge of God. That's all God is asking for. Not perfection.
Just progress. Just grow. Just increase, just grow, just increase, baby steps. Discipleship is unpredictable. Discipleship is gradual.
Let's move to the third. Discipleship is practical. Back in our text, you will notice that Joe and Nick. Do three practical things. First of all, they come.
In verse Second, they spend their resources in verse. Forty. And third, they served also in verse forty. Consider those with me for a minute. First of all, they just came, they showed up.
In fact, It seems like they're the only guys that showed up. Do I read about Peter in this text being there? Do I read about John? Do I read about any of the other apostles? No, I only read about these guys who have the guts to step out of the shadow and make this request.
and get it done. Remember that definition of a friend I suggested a few weeks ago?
Well, maybe. Maybe months ago. A friend is somebody who comes in when the rest of the world has gone out. Nobody's there. They're there.
They showed up.
Okay. Scholar named James Stalker, who wrote a book called The Death, The Trial and Death of Jesus Christ, said, Had not Joseph and Nix showed up. Jesus' body would have been thrown in some ditch in Jerusalem because that's how they buried criminals who were crucified. You're listening to Connect with Skip Heitzig Weekend Edition. Before we return to Skip's teaching, have you ever wondered what it really means to grow up spiritually?
In Adulting, a study through the book of James, Pastor Skip Heitzig walks you through 21 powerful teachings that show you how to live a mature, Christ-centered life, one shaped by conviction, consistency, and character. This practical and encouraging series is yours when you give $50 or more to support Connect with Skip Heitzig and share teaching like this one today with more people around the globe. Request adulting as a CD package or digital download at connectwithskip.com slash offer or call 800-922-1888. Let's return now to today's message. But they came, and in coming, they were able to fulfill a scripture, right?
Isaiah 53, verse 9, that says when Jesus died, he would die with criminals, but be buried among the rich.
So they came. Second thing you should notice is that they spent. They spent. Resources. Joe gave Jesus.
A plot of land, a grave, a rich man's tomb. Nick, he brought the spices. He had to spend the money to get the very extravagant, expensive spices for Jesus' burial.
Now, here's something I found out. I never knew this before this week. Yeah. The amount listed of myrrh and aloes? was the typical amount given only to kings who died.
It's as if Nicodemus says, I'm going to give him a royal burial. Because he truly is my royal king, and I haven't been living for him, and I've been living in the shadows, but I'm not going to live on the fence any longer. I'm going to treat him like a king. It's extravagant. Jesus didn't need that to rise.
It was very costly. but he spent his money, his resources, in practical discipleship. the Lord. It's beautiful, really. It reminds me of Mary of Bethany.
Remember, she was the gal who brought that very expensive oil of Spikner and broke it and poured it on Jesus' feet. And Judas got all upset, saying, I can't believe this church would do this. You know, this could have been spent for the poor. And Jesus rebuked that hypocrite and said, She's doing it for my burial. Leave her alone.
And so for Jesus' burial, Nicodemus brings these spices. What was myrrh? It was a gummy Sweet-smelling resin made into a powder that, when mixed with sandalwood, get this.
Now, mixed with aloe smells like sandalwood. That's what I want to say. When you mix it with aloes, if you've ever smelled sandalwood, I love that smell. And it was placed between the folds of the buried body when it was wrapped, Simply to counteract the putrefaction of the human body upon death. Just to offset the smell.
It's like a guy putting on way too much cologne. You know the type. But it would give that smell off, and it would just sort of hold back the stench because of human decay. Later on. When you hear the word myrrh, your mind should go back to after Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the Magi brought three gifts: gold, frankincense, and Myrrh, we know MIR was an embalming fluid.
We see it right here. It was used for the dead. Typically. How odd to give a newborn mother Embalming fluid. Hey, I brought something for your son.
Gold, wow, that's awesome. Frankincense, ooh, that's beautiful. And embalming fluid. Talk about the gift that bombs. And M-bombs.
This is it. But that was prophetic of what's going on now. This is Jesus' death. He's being buried with Mm. The point to be made is simple.
Nicodemus And Joseph of Arimathea. are giving generously in their practical discipleship of Christ. I don't care what it costs. Give him the best treatment. That was their attitude.
That's part of discipleship. Martin Luther made an interesting statement. He said, There are three conversions necessary of every disciple: the conversion of the heart. the conversion of the mind, and the conversion of the wallet. and he said the third one is always the hardest to convert.
There was a man who had uh made it really With his wealth and came to a pastor and he said, Pastor, when I had $50,000 and that's all, I was happy.
Now I have $500,000 and I'm miserable. Aster said the solution is easy. Give away $450,000. The man said, Pastor, you don't understand. Having money is like electricity.
It's like holding an electrical wire. The more the juice, the tighter the grip. But here's the deal: what disciples learn, the more they are disciples and they follow Jesus, they learn to grip this world and the things they own or think they own. They're really not owning them, they're stewards of it. They learn to grip loosely, not tightly.
They learn to let go of it. they learn to give extravagantly for the Lord and His purposes. And third, what did they do? They served. They were the ones that took the body.
They were the ones that wrapped it up. They were the ones that brought and mixed the spices and placed it in between the folds of cloth. That's what we're told. Yeah, they were wealthy, they were prominent, they could have used their servants, but it doesn't say they did, it says they did it.
Now you know what that means? For Jewish males, On the eve of Passover, the eve of Sabbath, to be touching a dead body, you know what that means. They're ceremonially defiled. For the whole feast. They can't celebrate the Passover if they do that.
So somehow I think They didn't care. They've just discovered the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. That's much greater than any festival. or ritual. They served.
They gave their time. their talent, their treasure. When you come. That's part of your worship and discipleship. When you give, that's part of your discipleship.
When you serve and engage, it's part of your worship. Part of your discipleship. And finally, let's finish it off. Here's the fourth mark of a disciple in discipleship: discipleship is eventful.
So, what does that mean? It means that. Your life sort of goes on, plods along. You get up in the morning, you go to work, you do your thing, you come home, you get up in the morning, you do your thing, you just sort of plod along, but every now and then. God throws in a surprise.
That boosts your faith, turbocharges your faith, and moves you along in discipleship. in that one instance more than anything.
So we read in verse 42: There they laid Jesus because of the Jews' preparation day. or the tomb was nearby. No, I I like the fact that John three times It says it's the preparation day. Oh, and did you know it's the preparation day? Oh, and by the way, just in case you forgot, it's the preparation day.
So on the preparation day, they put his body in the tomb. They were not prepared. for what was going to happen. It was going to be an event that would rock their world. It's called the resurrection.
Everything would change, and they would be so bold and turbocharged in their faith. All of the disciples went around Jerusalem and were very vocal, and confident, and bold in the gospel.
Okay. When Joseph and Nicodemus wrapped his body and paid their last respects and laid it in place and were leaving the tomb, They were sad. They were confused. I thought this was the Messiah. I don't get this.
What is this all about? Did they expect a resurrection? Of course, they didn't. If they expected resurrection, they wouldn't make the fuss over the body. make sure it was all okay.
So they didn't expect the resurrection.
So the event of the resurrection. Is what would bolster their faith and change these and other disciples around Jesus.
So discipleship Can be eventful. And I should add a fifth because of that. Because when When God ever gives you an event or he surprises you, here's what I mean by that.
Sometimes you'll pray for something and you'll have an answer to it. It's so immediate, or something happens in your life as a gift from the Lord. You go, wow, man, it's just so increased my faith. Whenever that happens, you tend to be vocal about it. And if you're vocal to people who don't agree with you, Well, then you get more persecuted.
So I should add a fifth thing besides all the other fulls that are listed. Discipleship can be painful. As you follow the one who died on the cross and had his body scarred, you're going to become a scarred disciple. That's part of following him. Because you're going to be more bold and more upfront, and people are going to whisper about you and talk about you.
or say it to your face or kick you out of their group. or fire you from the job, or divorce you, or, or, or. And you're going to end this life with a whole litany of scars that should be. Not your shame, but your glory. Oh, yeah, I remember that scar.
I got that one when I opened my mouth at work and they fired me. Oh, yeah, that scar. Yeah, I remember that one. All my friends did, and they put me out, I was the odd man out.
So allow me to close. With the words of Amy Carmichael. Do you know that name? She was a missionary to India. She gave her life on that subcontinent.
And she was very compassionate and she was very bold. But she wrote this little poem. I'm going to tell it to you. as if Jesus was speaking it or asking you this question. Listen up.
Hast thou no scar? No hidden scar? On foot or side or hand? I hear thee sung as mighty in the land I hear them hail your bright ascendant star Hast thou no scar? Hast thou no wound?
Yet I was wounded by the archer, spent Lean me against a tree to die and rent By ravenous wolves that encompass me I swooned. Hast thou no wound? No wound? No scar? Yet as the master, Shall the servants be?
And pierced be the feet that follow me. But Viner Hole. He cannot have followed far. Who has no wound? or scar.
You and I are disciples of the Scarred One. The rejected one, he was despised and rejected by men. A man of sorrows acquainted with grief. Don't think you're gonna get up. He's.
But it's our glory, not our shame. We're so glad you joined us today for Connect with Skiff Heitzig. Before we go, Don't miss this opportunity to request Pastor Skip's series, Adulting, a study through the book of James. This 21 message series dives deep into what it means to live a spiritually mature life. full of faith, character, and Christ-like purpose.
Adulting is our thanks for your generous gift of $50 or more to help share God's Word with more people. Call 800-922-1888 or visit connectwithskip.com slash offer. And while you're there, sign up for Skip's weekly devotional emails and get a free download of a chapter of Skip's The Biography of God. We'll see you next time for more verse-by-verse teaching of God's Word here on Connect with Skip-Heitsig Weekend Edition. Make a connection never for.
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