And please turn in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 27 if you want. What we're going to do is we will be in all the Gospels this morning at the very end of the Gospels. So Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, because the Gospels are synoptic Gospels, and John does also record the story. And so Joseph of Arimathea, the man we're looking at, he's found in all these texts this morning. And I mentioned, as I prayed, after we read the scriptures, that the stewardship that we're going to talk about is a stewardship that Joseph of Arimathea fulfilled, and that was taking the body of Christ off the cross. What an awesome, awesome stewardship. As I was meditating on this text and thinking about what to share this morning, I thought about this. Putting Jesus on the cross would be easier than taking the body of Jesus Christ off the cross. And in all sincerity, I don't see Jesus Christ in any way resisting those that put him on the cross. I see him helping, I see him looking lovingly and mercifully at the eyes of the person that was nailing his hand to the cross. It would be very interesting. to have seen this take place, but I can picture it in no other way. Jesus himself said in Matthew 5.39, Do I say unto you that ye resist not evil, but whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And so Jesus says, when he hits you on one side, you turn the other way. So I see one hand nailed to that beam and I see the other hand lovingly placed where the man is going to do his duty and drive that spike through the hand of the Lord Jesus Christ. His pity and His forgiveness that you have seen as He looked at the man again, nailing him to the cross. We see it exhibited on the cross as Jesus says in Luke 23 in verse 34, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. Alright, I mean a man that in the middle of his crucifixion could ask God the Father for mercy. And you wonder what would happen if Jesus Christ had not asked God for his mercy against those men that were so treating him. Yet he cries out, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. And then again on the cross, rather than preaching damnation to the multitude, he looked at his body that was exposed to him, that he saw, and he rejoiced in what he did as he died on the cross. The Bible says in Isaiah 53 verse 11, He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied by his knowledge, shall my righteous servant justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities." And we've looked at this in depth in our study in Romans, that term justification, declared righteous. by taking our sin on him, but he saw the travail of the soul, he saw the blood dripping down his face and across his body and his body there and the mocking of the crowd as he looked out at them and he rejoiced because he understood what he was doing for all of us as he died for our sin. There's a point which we talked about this morning in the Sunday School Hour where Christ fulfilled everything with regard to God's judgment against man's sin. And He said there on the cross, and it says, let me say, it does say He knew when this point was in John 19 verse 28, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished. Therefore, He could cry out in the next verse, it is finished, paid in full. There's nothing else to give for imputed righteousness. And I just got to touch on this this morning. We touched on it in depth in Sunday School. Imputed righteousness is this. I don't deserve it. I couldn't earn it. I couldn't be good enough. I couldn't do anything for God to give it to me. But God in His mercy, when He sees me as a justified sinner, He doesn't see my sin. He sees a characteristic of righteousness that He has given to me through Christ. That is what Jesus was doing as He died on the cross. He died to justify us. Now, when He died, the Bible says that He gave up the ghost. And that means His earthly spirit, soul, departed from His body. So there on the cross what remains is a shell. It's just a tabernacle that Jesus said. Now, if I were to ask you, how did Jesus care for his body on earth? I was saying to my boys today, as we were driving in, I was saying, there are people running out of exercise. And I say, you know, to really use your life for God, exercise is important. Because the Bible says a bodily exercise profiteth little. It's saying that in comparison with spiritual exercise. Kind of the same way it says you're to hate your father and mother if you're going to follow Jesus. It doesn't mean that you're really to hate your mom and dad. It just means in comparison with your love for God, it's like hatred. I think it's a similar idea. God does not want us to despise our body and not take care of our body. It's the vehicle that God has given to us and the tool that God has given to us to do everything that God wants us to do. I mean, a healthy body is an important thing. So Jesus, as he cared for his earthly body, do you think that he took good care of it? Now, he ran it to the extreme, in dependence upon God, but nobody would say he abused his body, or he misused his body. So his body, to this point on the cross, had been perfectly cared for, perfectly taken care of, but now that body can no longer care for itself, and a stewardship is given. It's given to a man by the name of Joseph of Arimathea, what a sacred stewardship. The next person to take command of that body is a man like you and me. I mean, a man that's a sinner, a man that has faith, yes, in Jesus, he's a disciple of Jesus, but what a sober responsibility to touch and to care for the body, physically, of Christ, a steward is a servant who's given a charge by his master to fulfill for him. It's like Jesus in those parables where the master leaves on a journey. He gives a talent or he gives other things to his stewards. And he comes back with expectancy that they invested his things for them. A steward is just somebody that possesses the master's goods. He gives to the master until the master returns. What we have as parents is a stewardship of our children. What we have of our time, talents, wealth, everything that we have is from God. It's his stewardship. Joseph had this incredible stewardship of the body of the Lord Jesus Christ. And he and one other individual, Nicodemus, are the only two people that minister to the physical body of the Lord Jesus Christ after his death, from his departure to the point of his taking up that body again. Okay? They are the only two. What a sacred task that they had. Now, Jesus' earthly body is gone. This same Jesus, which is taken up from you, has gone into heaven. He'll come in the same manner as you've seen him go. That earthly body is going to come back. But that earthly body that Jesus possessed is possessed by Christ still and will be possessed by Him for all eternity. But the spiritual body of the Lord Jesus Christ is a stewardship that everybody in here that is a part of it, every single one of us has a stewardship to the spiritual body of Christ. And that's what I want us to focus on this morning. His spiritual body remains. 1 Corinthians 12 verse 27 says, now ye are the body of Christ and members in particular. All of us, we're a local body here of the Lord Jesus Christ. All of us are members of that body, we're saved, the Spirit of God has given us different gifts, different abilities, but we're a part of that body, each important to the functioning of that body, and to the maintenance of that body, to the health of that body, the accomplishment of what that body will accomplish. Jesus Christ is ahead, but it is His stewardship. That guy's name again, at evasions, Paul speaks about this that God gave some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers. And God's given different gifts for administering the body, overseeing the body, building the body, encouraging the body, and challenging the body. And God's given that for the purpose of perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying body of Christ. And I don't know Greek, but I've heard this preached about this passage, and I do have word studies and things, tools I can use, but I've heard this passage preached many times, and for the perfecting of the saints is what a pastor, a shepherd, a teacher does. But what they do is the work of ministry. And what they do is the edifying of the body of Christ. So those next two phrases go back to the saints, not back to the pastor-teachers. So what's that mean? That means every single one of us has a duty to the body of Christ, the stewardship that God has given to us. And we need to fulfill that stewardship for Christ. So how, this morning, are you fulfilling your stewardship? of the body. You know what I mean? You think, what if Joseph of Arimathea had neglected his duty? What if he hadn't done what God the Father gave him to do in caring for that body? And what's really neat, I mean, it's neat to see God's taking care of those details of the body of Christ And what's neat to us too, and we all rejoice in it, it's neat to see God taking care of the needs of our local body of Christ, and seeing that all taken care of and fulfilling this stewardship. So let God help us to do that well, and let's consider this morning how Joseph did that, and let's pray. Father, I praise you again for the Lord Jesus Christ. Savior, I'm so glad that you could say those words. It is finished. Our Father, we hear the words, there is no hope. Savior, thank you for paying that price. But when you died, you gave up all ability and responsibility for that body. But God the Father, you cared for it and you brought a servant of yours along to do that which needed to be done for the body. And Savior, we know that you're not here physically today. We know you're here spiritually and we praise you that you are. But there are things that must be done for the body of Christ that you cannot do, physically, that we can. And I pray today in the spirit of God, emphasize to our hearts the stewardship with which we've been entrusted. And Father, may we take it as a sacred duty for our Lord. And so help me as I preach, guide me by your Spirit, guide us as we listen. It's in Christ's name we pray. Amen. To fulfill our stewardship of the body, that's our desire, that God help us to be a good steward to the body of Christ. In looking at these texts this morning, in Joseph of Arimathea, To fulfill our stewardship, we must identify ourselves with His body. No place for secret Christians. No place for secret saints. And you see in the text, and if you want to try to follow along with these, I'm going to be reading again multiple In Matthew 17 verse 58, it says, He went to Pilate and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. That's a very bold thing for this man to do. I mean, he's going to the man that had the authority that said to Jesus, don't you know, I've got the power of life or death. There's no secrecy in this. This man is a fairly well-known man. We'll talk about who he is. He's a member of the Sanhedrin, the ruling body of the Jews. that is made up of different religious people, Pharisees, Sadducees, but 70 ruling Jews. And he's a prominent individual. He's a known individual. That explains to us his ability even to go to Pilate and ask for this body from Pilate. But there's no secrecy about it. And yet he had wanted to be secret. John 9, 38 tells us about Joseph of Arimathea, same account, coming to Pilate, 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. He came, therefore, and took the body of Jesus. And so he's not stepped out yet. Here he does. and identify with Jesus Christ. But he's come to a crisis. He's come to a point of seeing something that is so compelling that he can no longer stay a secret Christian. He's got to step out and identify with Jesus Christ. Nicodemus, also part of this ruling body. Very interesting, Nicodemus. And also interesting, suffering from the same fear. In John 19.39, it says, there came also Nicodemus, which at first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about 100 pound weight. So here these two men are getting ready to minister to Jesus Christ. Both of these men had had a fear of men. They had a great anxiety about what their fellow Sanhedrin would think of them seeking after Jesus. And so why were they afraid? Well, they're afraid because to identify with Jesus was to lose face in the eyes of their brethren. That's a big thing. We can downplay that and say, well, you know, that's a simple thing. It's not if that's your culture. It's not if those are your people. It's not if that is your identity, you see. I mean, I wonder how many people today are Church of Scotland background, and they're not about to walk into an independent Baptist church that meets in a minor community center, pastored by an American preacher, because that's not their culture. To go there, to identify there, would be a very fearful thing, because of what people would say. See, there's people trapped in religions. Islam, they're trapped in Catholicism, they're trapped in Church of Scotland, false Church of Scotland, ungodly Church of Scotland, God-defying Church of Scotland that's politically correct instead of biblically correct, and they're too afraid to stand up and identify with good gospel, Bible-believing preaching, because they're afraid. But you know, there might come a point in that heart of that person that is in a liberal congregation, is in a false teaching group, they come under such convincement of what Jesus Christ did for them on the cross, that they say, by the grace of God, I'm going to identify with Jesus. Right? And that's what you see here at this point in the heart of these people, Joseph and Nicodemus, it's not that there's not a lot of societal pressure against them. I mean, they're against it. It is hard to say, I believe that Jesus is Messiah. The Sanhedrin had just put Jesus Christ to death. But they're done with the Sanhedrin, if need be. And there are people that today need to be done with Catholicism, they need to be done with Islam, they need to be done with false Church of Scotland, they need to be done with any liberalism and false identity within a community and be willing to say, I will identify with Jesus because Jesus paid it all. Right? to identify with Jesus was to lose face in the eyes of their brethren. Worse than that, in a sense, is to identify with Jesus was to risk the same fate of Jesus. I mean, they had before them a man's body on a cross. That image burned into their hearts and minds of a few other men on the side of the Savior as the Savior died. They saw the price of identifying with Jesus. See, the apostles, all of them, and Paul, tradition says, identified with Jesus, not just by stepping out and saying, I am a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, but they identified with Him unto death. That's what it meant. And see, we look at it today, and in comparison, you know, and I would say this, Christianity in Britain is under attack. It's not popular anymore to be a Christian. And by the way, Christianity, that term is so loose, and it's so associated with false Christianity, I almost hesitate to use it. I like the term, are you born again, right? But I mean, we're despised, the idea of being born again. And that's intolerance. And there is now hate crime legislation. And there's now signs that the police have put up onto the bus stops that say things about you religious bigots. And it's being about somebody that believes that homosexuality is sin, because God says it's sin, and who's unashamed to believe the Bible. We can say, well, that costs. But that costs nothing compared with the believer right now in China in the last three years. Christianity in China is under full, in-your-face persecution. It always has been, but it's more in-your-face now than it has been for many years. They're shutting down house churches. They're shutting down churches. They're arresting pastors. They're putting people under house arrest. And worse, I'm sure. And see, others have taken that, and I think, you know, here, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea have seen what Jesus Christ did for them, and they are ready now to say, what does it matter? What does it matter? In my heart, I just would love to know how many people are really burdened in our community. How many is the Spirit of God convicting? I mean, just hammering their heart with the Gospel. We've been putting the Gospel out, putting the Gospel out. And it comes down to a fear of man. The fear of man bringeth a snare, but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall he see. I wonder how many that come to our church struggle with that idea. If I really identify with Christ, people make fun, people say, you know, you're intolerant, people say all these things. But look, there's a time, if we're going to be a steward of the body of Christ, that we identify ourselves with Jesus. And then we must identify ourselves with his body. We want to be a steward of his body. And then we must walk worthy of his body. Isaiah 52 verse 11 says, Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord. I'm reading, I've said, through the Old Testament. I'm reading through the Law. And I'll tell you this, I do skip some genealogies and things. It can get kind of tedious. Don't get bogged down if you read through your Bible on some of those things. But you read about what they did. ceremonially, to cleanse themselves, just to minister in the temple. There was an idea of getting yourself ready to worship God and to honor God. Colossians 1.10 says that you might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing. being fruitful at every good work, increasing in the knowledge of God. 1 Thessalonians 2, verse 12, says that you would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory. God desires us as bearers of the body of Christ to be identified with Christ in our integrity, as Joseph did in Mark chapter 15, verse 43. It says, Joseph of Arimathea, an honorable counselor. Now, people may come to the Sanhedrin. There might be some shady deals taking place at some point in the Sanhedrin, but not with Joseph. And the Sanhedrin would be corrupt in many ways. We see that in the crucifixion of Christ. But Joseph, maybe in that ungodly place, had a godly influence. He was a man that had honor that people saw. Joseph was living for eternity. It says in Mark 15 verse 43 again, which also waited for the kingdom of God. And came and went boldly unto Pilate and craved to buy Jesus. Joseph is looking ahead. Joseph is looking for the Messiah. He does see that Jesus Christ is the Messiah. And by the way, you'll see this as we look at the leper today before the baptism. That there were ways that Jesus Christ exhibited himself as Messiah. Joseph was sincerely looking and waiting and watching. And he saw the Kingdom of God coming in Christ. He'd be like a person in our day that's living a holy life, a righteous life as a believer. That is looking for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. Believing that Christ can come back at any moment. And wanting to be ready when Christ comes. walk worthy of his body. Joseph had his light burning. Luke 23 verse 50 says, Behold, there was a man named Joseph, a counselor, and he was a good man and a just man. He was a good man and a just man. It's not that people look at him and say, well, and we say this sometimes about people, even about unbelievers. They're a good person. But it's not like that. It's like God said, it's God looked at Joseph. He is a good man. He is a just man. There was, again, this integrity in his life. It was the light shining in Joseph. Matthew 5.16 says, let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven. As a bearer of the body, people ought to be able to look at us as our neighbors, as our family, as our friends, and say, look, there is something distinctly different about that person's life. They really are a good person. I've seen some rough stuff happen, and they respond well. And they don't have that junk in their life. They're not a hypocrite. By the way, even witnessing yesterday, as we were witnessing at the doors, this man said about Christianity in general, Christianity, how can Christianity, and he actually took up the topic of homosexuality, how can Christianity say homosexuality is OK? Very interesting. That the unbelieving world even looks at it and goes, they know what the Bible says. Are we good? You know, this has to do with sanctification, our walk with God. And then Joseph didn't agree with the enemy of God. In Luke 23, verse 50, it says, the same had not consented to the counsel and deed of them. And see, I don't know how they voted. There's 70 of them. It was probably a group vote, I would suppose. And it was probably understood, we want Jesus Christ crucified. But Joseph himself did not give his voice against Jesus. By the way, Peter, just the day before, had Christ denied Christ. The pressure on Joseph would have been intense as a disciple of Christ. But he didn't give his voice against Christ. Now I'm going to say this, and I've already mentioned the Church of Scotland, so I'll just stay in that scope. The General Assembly, can you imagine standing in the General Assembly and hearing the multitude saying, throw the Bible under the bus, homosexuality is no longer sin, God says it's okay. It would take integrity for a person to stand up and say, no, I believe the Bible. I'm going to identify with the Lord Jesus Christ. And in our day, we walk worthy of God. We've got to stand where God stands. You want to care for his body, you need integrity. Live for eternity. Keep your light burning. Agree with God. You know, this is practical this morning. As one that's coming in contact with something so precious, there needs to be a clean that bear the vestiges of the Lord. If these men of the Old Testament had to go through ritual cleansing and all these things and sacrificing and birth offerings and all these things, surely today there ought to be in their heart a desire to say, God by your grace I want to be pure because I want to deal with things that are so sanctified and so holy. God, I want to be part of that body. To touch the body of Christ, to be a part of the body of Christ, God help me to be worthy of His body. And then, we must receive His body. You must receive His body. It says in Matthew 17 verse 59, And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth. Mark 15.45 says, and when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph. Luke 23, 52. This man went into Pilate and begged the body of Jesus. Now listen. And he took it down and wrapped it in linen. John 19, 40. Then took they the body of Jesus and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as a man of the Jews is, to bury. This is a very precious part of the story. I can imagine the silence in heaven, you know, the awe as the dead body of the Lord Jesus Christ is taken by these men from the cross. Here's a simple question for you. How could they care for the body of Christ if they'd never gone to Calvary and taken his body into themselves? Does that make sense? Their spirits and body, how could they take his body and care for it if they never went to the cross? And I'm going to spiritualize this a little bit, but I think you'll understand what I'm saying. They didn't go to the synagogue. They didn't go to the ritual cleansing pools. They didn't go and do something. They went to the cross. And just like we talked about today, no man has righteousness of himself. There's righteousness in Christ and Christ alone. Nobody that has never gone to the cross has anything to do with the body of Christ. I meet people all the time, and they'll say, with a very proud voice, I've always been a Christian. Oh, that's interesting. I was born a sinner. The Bible says you're not righteous. No, not one. I've always been righteous. Not if you've never gone to the cross. See, the only hope that a sinner has is going to the cross. And what did they do? They took the body of Jesus from the cross. And again, it's spiritualizing, but it's such a clear picture of the gospel. If you've never gone to the cross, In taking Jesus Christ to yourself, you do not possess Christ. And not possessing Christ means you do not possess righteousness. It means you do not have any right to heaven. Because you stand as a sinner. But those that have taken Christ, have taken His blood, have taken His righteousness, their righteousness through the cross. Listen, you have no part of the body of Christ in you, no stewardship of the body whatsoever if you've never gone to the cross. Everybody has to go to the cross. And then we must give our best. You want to be a steward of His body? We must give our best for His body. Joseph gave his best. Matthew 17, verse 60. says, and he laid it in his own new tomb. I've been to the garden tomb, okay, in Israel. Historians say there's two places that Jesus Christ could be buried. One is the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which you walk inside. It's owned by the Catholics. It is dark. It is oppressive to a believer. You walk in there. You sense the darkness that's there. You walk to Gordon's Calvary, where Jesus Christ was crucified. You go to the garden, and what you find is the peace of God. They say it's night and day. It's a beautiful garden, and this tomb, if you wonder who owned the tomb that Jesus Christ was buried in, it was Joseph's tomb. Joseph of Arimathea. Luke 23 verse 53, he laid it in a sepulcher that was hewn in stone. wherein never man before was laid. Luke 19.41, 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 not yet him. Nicodemus took something that would have taken, I don't know how long to make, It says elsewhere he made it. So he's a wealthy man. I don't think that it's him hammer and chisel, hammering it out. He hired it done, but it would have taken a long time to do and expensive. But he took it and he used it for the war. David, when God sent a death angel to kill by plague, the Israelite people, because he numbered the people, When that took place, they got to the threshing floor of Aaronah, and God stopped the destruction. Remember what David said when Aaron said to King David, he said, here's the animals in the threshing instruments. Offer a sacrifice to God. He said, I'm going to buy it from you because I will not offer to God that which costs me nothing. John may ask you, what does your Christianity cost you? You're caring for the body of Christ. What does it cost you? What price have you paid? How cheaply or of what value have you given to Jesus? Joseph of Arimathea, he took his best. He put Jesus, his best for the body of Christ. Nicodemus gave his best. John 19 verse 39. It says, there came also Nicodemus, which at the first, came to Jesus by night and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about 100 pound weight. And I mean, it takes this valuable spice and things. And again, I don't know how much it cost, but I knew it cost a lot. You might say, well, these were rich men. They could afford it. OK, they were rich, but what they gave to Jesus was out there best. And by the way, does God say, because I don't have much, I can't give greatly to Him? The answer is no. The lady at the, the widow at the treasury, in Mark chapter 12, As Jesus is sitting there, he's watching how the rich people came and cast money into the treasury. Many that were rich cast in much. There came a certain poor widow and she threw in two mites which make a farthing. And he called unto his disciples and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you that this poor widow hath cast more in than all they which have cast into the treasury, for all they did cast in of their abundance, but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living." Did that please Jesus? Yeah, it did. You know, he didn't rebuke her and say, man, you can't afford to give, you've given too much, right? But she gave her best. And I know we're talking about physical things in this case, you know, ties and offerings. And by the way, we've said it before from up here, how you use your money shows what you love. If I love God, I'm investing in God's work. It's going to be part of it. I'm going to look at missions giving as a privilege, then I'm investing in God's kingdom in Ireland. I'm investing in God's kingdom around the world. By the way, that's our burden. We want to see, God, what can you do through that missions globe back there? As far as our investment in the work of God, it allows the spiritual work of God to be done in those fields through the financial giving of this local church and other local churches. The spiritual blessing that this church receives is because people in the states are burdened about investing in the gospel in Scotland. It's a very real thing. You know, this building that we rent, it takes money. And things that we have, it takes money. And God willing, we're going to get a church building in the future that will take money. How's that going to happen? It's going to come from the hearts of God's people saying, God, you're worthy, and I want to give to God. Right? But is that what God wants this morning? To reach in our pockets and get our pockets to know God wants our hearts. 2 Corinthians 8 verse 1. Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit at the grace of God be stood on the churches of Macedonia. How then in great trial of affliction, the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. And it's talking about their giving. They gave so generously. It is talking about physical giving, but notice what it says. For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power, they were willing of themselves, praying us with much entreaty, that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowshipping of the ministering to the saints. So they had gotten an offering together, and they had sent it to minister to the saints that were in need, because of the persecution that was taking place. But this is what it says. This they did, not as we hoped, but first, gave their own selves to the Lord and not to us by the will of God. Nobody's going to give generously that hasn't given themselves to God. You know what I mean? If somebody hasn't taken their hands off their life and said, God, I'm going to give myself to you, there's no way they're going to give like Joseph of Arimathea gave, no way they're going to care to give like Nicodemus gave, because they are still holding on to their life. Right? And so what is it this morning? If I'm going to give God my best, first of all, I need to do what the Bible says in Hebrews 12, 1 and 2, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercy of God, that you present your bodies and living sacrifice wholly acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Right? These men gave something of value. What are we giving to God? And then lastly this morning, I mentioned that they gave financially. I don't think they stopped to think what it cost them. I don't see that in the story. I just see men that saw the Son of God, Jesus, dying to cross for their sin, believing He's the Messiah, caring enough to give Him anything. It didn't matter what it cost. And so what did they give besides just their money in this story? They gave some time. John 19 verse 42. It says, there lay they Jesus, therefore, because the Jews' preparation day for the sepulcher was nigh at hand. OK, they're burying him because time is passing. Time is passing. He was crucified. Time is passing. It's nearly the Sabbath. What has to be done has to be done quickly. But they have a little bit of time. How are they going to use it? They're going to use it to care for the body of Christ. It takes time. And you think about it as far as what we're seeking to do for the body of Christ. It takes time, doesn't it? I'll tell you this, and I don't say this to pat myself on the back, because the way I prayed about this was like this. I said to God yesterday, thank you God that you gave us a house adequate to have people over to, and that we have room in our garage for a baptism, and we have room to store the baptistry. But to say that just so you know, I don't always have a hot tub in my garage, right? It's only there for baptisms. And so what does that mean? It means half of my garage gets moved back, and it's brought down from the loft, and it's filled up with water. It doesn't just happen. It takes time. I'm not complaining. I love it that we can do it. I'll do it as often as God gives me the opportunity to do it. It takes time. My wife arranges things and plans things. When we have a youth activity, it takes time to plan the food and get the food and get it here, whether people come or not. It doesn't matter. It takes time. Anything that we're going to do for God takes time. So what's that mean? It means if I'm going to care for the body of Christ, it's going to take time. I mean, it will. I mean, I've got to understand that in my week, if I'm going to take and do something for God, it's going to take time, and it's got to be time that I'm willing to give to God and do for God. They gave some work. Matthew 17, verse 60. It says, and when he had hewn out in the rock, And he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulcher and departed. By the way, my kids work too. I didn't mention the kids, I mentioned my wife and I. The kids do a lot as well. And it's already been mentioned today, as far as who set up the chairs, my kids set up the chairs. They're involved as well, and it takes their time as well. But it takes work, it takes effort. He had hewn out, he had rolled a great stone, they wrapped him, they got him down. See, it doesn't just happen, church doesn't just happen without effort, right? The body of Christ, caring for the body of Christ, it takes real work, it takes real labor to get it done. And they gave some thought. Mark 15, verse 46, they brought fine linen, they took him down, they wrapped him in the linen, laid him in a sepulcher, which was hewn out of the rock, they rolled a stone onto the door of the sepulcher, John 19 verse 40, then took they the body of Jesus and wound it in linen cloths with the spices that the manner of Jews is to bury. So they're caring about it, they know what needs to be done, and they're going to get it done. Do you see it? So it takes time, it takes work, it takes thought. And I want to apply it very specifically to what's taking place today. Two and a half months ago, I think, about that. Charlene, Jack, myself, my wife. Knocked on doors in Wilson. It takes time. It takes work. It takes courage, too. I mean, I could list a bunch of other things it takes. It takes thought. In Prairie Scout, we met Craig, and talked to Craig for about 12 minutes. We were going, Craig's going to be at the baptism. And then Karen came to the door. And then we met Benjamin, we met the Graham. Graham's going to be here today as well. Alright? Hello. And then we met Timmy, when they came to church the next day. Praise God. Timmy's been here ever since then, Karen, Benjamin, and I've gotten to see. That's the body of Christ. I mean, that is the body of Christ. What did it take? It took time. It took, you know, in saying that, it took years of praying, you know, and care on the part of a loving husband. And there's all these things about the body of Christ. It takes time, it takes work, it takes thought. And if we're not willing to give it, Jesus Christ is going to be... And let me just say this, and I meant to say this on the other point, about what we give to Christ. Jesus was not laid in some shallow grave, and he was not covered in filth. They cared for his body, get it? And see, today is... We look at the churches, and the churches are so pathetic, so weak, and so... Hey look, it's the body of Christ, it ought not to be that way! So what's going to change? And it might be just me saying, I'm going to identify with the Lord's body. It might be saying, I got to walk worthy of that body. I haven't been living up to what that body is worth. It might be me getting saved. I'll receive that body and identify with that body through salvation. And therefore, I can have a clear testimony for that body and be a part of that body. It's us giving our best for His body. And it's us caring for His body. And can you imagine this? It didn't happen this way, but imagine this. Joseph had to get help. He didn't, but say he did. And praise God, Nicodemus was there. But can you imagine Joseph at the door of somebody's house and saying, hey, Jesus' body needs to be cared for. Jesus' body needs to be properly treated. Hey, will you help me? No, I'm not interested. No, I'm not interested. You see what I'm saying? No, not interested. And we never say this, no more so than an unbeliever would actually say, I reject the God in the Bible, I reject Jesus Christ, but in reality they do. Do you get me? They would never say, I would throw this book under the bus, even though they do. And they say, marriage no longer matters, it could be two people living together, it could be two of the same sex, it could be whatever. There is no such thing as creation. It's all evolution and all the things that they say. There is no absolute truth. But they will not say, I reject the Bible. Get it? But they do. And we might be here today and say, but I care about the body of Christ. Oh yeah? And I'm not, please, I'm not trying to be sarcastic. Then why don't you go and identify with the body of Christ. Praise God. We have that today. Baptism. Right? It's identifying with the body of Christ. Saying, I am a born again believer. I have taken Jesus Christ as my Savior. I am not ashamed to take His body. Right? Baptism. It might be getting involved and saying, no, I'm going to be a part of the body. It takes time. It takes work. It takes effort. But I am going to make a difference for God. Right? So I mean, these truths that we see portrayed in this light, it is a wonderful illustration of what we have the privilege of doing. I want to meet Joseph. Joseph and Nicodemus, only two guys that physically cared for the body of Jesus Christ, and he could not. There are a lot of us by the grace of God that can have the privilege of the opportunity to care for the body of Christ. It would be a very sad thing if we do not. And so, what are you going to do? Let's help care for Christ's body. Let's pray. Father, I pray that the Spirit of God will stir us up. Father, help us to see it as you see it. Father, help us not to live in a fantasy world of false ideas about what we're doing for the body of Christ when we're not doing anything. It might be the day that God, somebody needs to identify with the body of Christ. They've never identified through baptism. They've never identified through salvation and taking the body of Jesus at the cross. God, I pray they do it today. Father, it might be somebody's not walking worthy of the body. They brought disgrace to the body. They tried to take the body off the cross with filthy hands. No desire for cleansing. No desire to get right with God. No desire to be honorable. No desire to be a good person to touch the body of Christ. God, our goodness is found in Christ and Christ alone. I praise you. It comes at the cross, but Father, we maintain it through the blood of Jesus and the forgiveness of God. And then Father, help us to give you our best. Help us not to dig into the creases of the sofa to try to find some change to give to God. God, help us to take the first part, the tenth of what we've been given, and give it to God in faith, believing that you're the one that pays our bills anyway, and you're faithful to meet our needs. And now, thanks to you, we're going to take care of the body of Christ. I always get burdened about missions. If the body of Christ is on foreign fields, what are we doing about it? How are we investing in it? We spend 20 pounds on coffee in whatever amount of time, but Lord, do we do the same for Jesus in investing in eternity? Lord, there's things that we just waste money on when there's such needs around the world. Father, I just pray that we would really give ourselves to the work of the body of Christ. And so may the Spirit of God bless the Word of God to our hearts. It's in Christ's name we pray. Amen. 377. Oh Jesus, I have promised. I have promised to serve Thee to the end. 377. And when you find that, please stand, and we'll sing. 377.