Love Never Budged (Part C)

If we are to remain useful to the Lord is not by being guys walking around depressed and sorry about everything in our lives. These people were grieving their hearts were broken but love carried them through.

And if you are downtrodden and been defeated in life things gone wrong, but you still love the Lord let that part of you be visible let the love for Jesus Christ shine from this is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville.

Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of Mark, please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching today.

Pastor Rick will conclude his study called love never botched in Mark chapter 50 crucifixion was intended to be long and painful. Of course it was not the artwork to be no survivors. It was not well will just force you with this and that, if you last enough days will bring you down over it was a long and painful death. That's what it was designed to do. You can look up in history course unit mixes easily years ago you had a buying cycle. Britannica something to get these answers now is right at your fingertips as Daniel promised the end date.

In the end times knowledge will increase. That was an understatement. In many ways it seems what you can look up how the Persians just worked on ways to torture people didn't like some pretty mean. So this compared to some of the Persian methods. This was relatively was the word I want whatever it is were not so bad, they would go anyway. Of course the hands and feet would be mailed to the tree to the to the wood and this would allow for the individual with his arms stretched out his rib cage. Of course, stretched out like that. It was difficult.

The breezeway could push up on his leg stilling and catch a breath every now and then. The reason why pointing this out because Pilate is inquiring about him. The Jews had asked for the bodies to be taken often to do this to going to break the legs when they break the legs. You can hoist yourself up anymore to take those breath and that hastens death, John's gospel chapter 19 then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first end of the other who was crucified with him, but when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs but one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear and immediately blood and water came out and he who has seen has testified in his testimony is true and he knows that he is telling the truth so that you may believe night.

I left that last part in their that seems to be separate from the account of how they handled the body of Christ.

The Romans after he died. To verify that he was dead. While there we read that they want to break the legs of the other outlaws which would speed up their death so they could take them off the cross but John in telling this he says and he who has seen has testified in his testimony is true and he knows what you that he is telling the truth so that you may believe as I was there. I'm telling you the truth I'm telling you this I want you to believe. I'm not making this stuff up. There's no benefit to making the stuff I'm not going to stand before God making up things about God.

I'm telling you the truth. So what Pilate says is he dead already. Centurion verifies goes to verify. Would they don't take Joseph word the go to see and they could not break his legs because it was against the Scripture, he being the Passover Lamb the Lamb of God, not a bone was to be broken. Exodus 12 verse 46, when God said you take the Passover lamb and you you sacrifice and you put the blood on the threshold of the of the house but you don't break any of the bones and the he is fulfilling that type. It is important to understand, you cannot receive moral lessons from the Bible and at the same time charges writers with dishonesty.

How can you say you know we need to listen to these memory talk about not stealing and not killing an outline with making up the gospel story that's a contradiction that defies reason and we should point that out. Any chance we get to the naysayers.

These were godly men what they wrote was godly and righteous, and it would be foolish to wear your eternity on such a petty complaint as yeah but they were making it up when you have no proof.

Verse 45.

So when he found out from the century, and he granted the body to Joseph so he called for the investigation. He received the verification at this point, the world is beginning to pilot representing the world is beginning to think that they're done with Christ. You can have the dead body of Christ.

They would scoff and there stands Joseph, our hero heart bursting with love, love lost, but love found at the same time you lost in his head he lost Christ to death, but he has his newfound love for him now. Otherwise, again, he would not be there doing what he's doing. I think maybe your serving in the kids ministry. Maybe your serving us somewhere in the NIOSH is ministry and you just don't again I'm coming back to this because it plagues us and you just don't have the feeling anymore what your serving anyway how important it is because were seeing this take place here in this man is a typhoon of heartache that he is enduring because of love. Why did he say you know I thought he was the Messiah God himself killed is not the Messiah. He said he was.

He lied to me.

I'm done. But what he does.

Commerce comes close to that. But he does neither Thomas is know what to do is just like I don't he just completely will enjoy just fell apart. I'm not gonna believe because I'm not going to that again. I believe Christ was the Messiah, said Thomas. It turns out he wasn't now know what to do and I met and I believe he is risen because I get I'm not going to that, but of course the Lord fix that. Did he not, it was a defect of faith but who has perfect faith amongst us while still remaining before them is again the gruesome task to remove the body from the cross. Gruesome task with a beautiful deed. We don't need to go into how difficult that must have been wasn't just a matter of untying some ropes only hands of love now touched the body of Christ should not be the way it is with the church. The church is the body of Christ shouldn't be cared for by loving hands. I think I think we all believe that is if I have not love, what do I have what am I left with.

If this love is to cast out fear this perfect love, then it must be something I want this love covers a multitude of sins which I have, that's what I want. Speaking about this multitude of sins lesson for all you parents raising your children teach them that it is easier to take a plank out of somebody's eye than it is to take a moat out of your own eye place just areas grab the remote little more tricky in a plank may leave some moats anyway. Teach your children that obedience involves more judgment of myself examination of myself than putting somebody else under a microscope and examining them. That's Pharisees.

We don't want that. We don't want our children or adults going around sticking people under a microscope. Evaluating this service to the Lord. Now that does not mean that blatant sin is to be ignored or trivialized. That's different. I mean if you come to a church pastor as a cop you say hey how are you doing what sins you wrestling with how to looking for trouble.

But if you come to church and you know you still got the bag of money that says your First National Bank on it course then you know that's rather blatant. Is it not if you tell us listen pastor. This is what I'm doing and what you're telling us is a sin when I can say I don't worry about it. Then we got a deal with but were not looking as a difference is a big difference between the plank in someone's eye and the moat as I am saying it to you, and I think this is a lesson we all need to remember I have enough things about me that I'm trying to fix and to waste time trying to point it out to others what they're doing wrong method works very much anywhere you pointed out using the enemy anyway just a side note, but everything in Scripture has everything to do with other parts of Scripture so verse 46 then he bought fine linen, took him down, wrapped him in the linen. And he laid him in a tomb which had been hewn out of rock and roll the stone against the door of the tomb is so hard to preach on this subject again to preach to Christians who know the story as well as I do, and to keep you into it when I first started pastor and I tried to teach the arcane sections of Scriptures.

You know the minor prophets you know to tell people about Zephaniah and and had AI because it was fresh ground in NY didn't know that you keep their attention, but the whole story.

The gospel story the Christians you know very familiar with and just think it was coming and I'll be up here again trying to teach us something from an end. But God is been good to me and I got some surprises for you and start making up stuff so why didn't I was in the Bible you going to find I can't find it. Pastor wears it pleasing to busy. Anyway they are back to verse 46 where the he brings the fine linen. They take him down and they wrapped him in linen. These two rich men Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. They are to rich man who made it through the eye of the needle again.

If these two rich men can make it with everybody else's excuse who is rich you don't have one. John chapter 19 verse 39 and Nicodemus who had first came to Jesus by night because he was afraid also. Also part of the crowds are thinner, but any also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about 100 pounds, so Nicodemus finds out or some point of these to communicate and Nicodemus shows up in of the Jews did not involve the bodies.

They wrapped them in perfumed burial cloths and and that's what we're these men are doing now it really is a waste of these resources because he's going to be out in three days. Nicodemus also objected to the unrighteous treatment of the Lord of John's gospel chapter 7 Nicodemus, he who it came to Jesus by night, being one of them said to them, does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing so. Here there we see Nicodemus upholding the Scripture in the presence of those who claim to be custodians of God's word but had no interest in carrying it out.

If you ever met a Christian like that knows the Bible. They did not like the back of their hand. Whatever that means. And the other still, they have no intention of following it. They give you convenient Christianity when it's convenient for them to point out your problems. What is convenient for them to make themselves look good. Oh yeah, they'll use the Bible but when someone points out some egregious somebody just blatant sin doesn't all of a sudden count and they are out there. Unfortunately, and he laid him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock, here's another emblem of his in corruption. While there was the virgin birth. Of course they did. Just, you know how he came into creation how he manifested himself. Then there was his entry into Jerusalem. Luke says a colt on which no one ever sat and now here we have a tomb. John's gospel chapter 19 gives us a little bit more information now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid, and so there is again these emblems of his incorrect ability is says here in verse 46 and roll the stone against the door of the tomb. This is far from over rolling of that stone is not saying the end and the credit start coming up on the screen. The rolling of the stone across the tomb is God still saying for those who believe this ain't over that Rolling Stone rolls both ways. And may we never forget when we face. Whatever it is were facing in life, God still controls the role of the stone. It is still a go.

So you go to Israel today. Look at what looks like to be Golgotha or the place of the skull where Christ was crucified.

It fits the requirements from Scripture to the north of the city outside of the city, the place of the skull next to a garden. What is next to Golgotha today will.

There's this garden that the archaeologists have on earth it was. It also has a winepress in it, which would account for some of the wealth of Joseph of Arimathea. But there's also hewn out of the hill there tomb and you can go in this tomb today. It all lines up with the stone is not there is gone what he knows what happened. There is one in Jordan up on a mountain that fits the dimensions. No one knows why it's up there this note tomb up there that anybody has found just one of those things make you arming them. It didn't did the Lord send a nasal use that for Frisbee just can't read into it like that but you can enjoy it. You can be amused by using or maybe I mean those angels pretty strong people and it will while they're not people like us but the person's right I will. I wonder where the conversation going to be like with an angel difficult to know anyway.

Only those who love Jesus cared for his body true, then true.

Now the body of Christ.

Only those who love Jesus cared for the body and when is this supposed to start so the Gospels they paralleled the New Testament parallels the Christian walk in its outline. For example, in the Gospels we meet Jesus Christ fall in love with him. There then we want to serve him. The book of acts comes right after the Gospels serving the Lord. But then we discover that this resistance from within and from without. For my own harm from outside of me to your people and they get in the way and then I need correction will that's what the epistles are for all of the epistles are correcting Christian behavior.

None of them are Hallmark cards hi enjoy the season. They all deal with. You know you got a problem. As a Christian and this is how we use it has to be handled and then of course by the time were done with this.

We just want to go to heaven and there's the book of Revelation. So an end. This is not easy to teach from the epistles because you have Christians coming from other churches with other doctrines and the epistles are going to deal with those things and many times Christians coming from other churches and other doctrines have not dealt with it. And so when you start saying no you don't have the right to speak in tongues any old place you want to. There are laws governing this. You have no right to use tongs to shut up the teaching of God's word because you just have this impulse during service so it's difficult to teach this because of the you don't want you not trying to crush anybody what you trying to stay with the truth and the truth does hurt sometimes. So the stone was rolled away and is out of the way. To this day, the Sanhedrin, they charged Christ with blasphemy, making it a crime for him to be who he was. The Romans charge him with treason, making it a crime for him to say who he was.

That's how the godless think Isaiah 53 verse nine and they made his grave with the wicked, but with the rich at his death because he had no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. You think one of the Sanhedrin members other than Joseph and Nicodemus you think more of them were to say wait there too many things about the life of Christ aligning up with his life and no one else's life we try these tactics today. We talk about evolution.

How goofy do you know if the if the evolutionists were not so much against Jesus Christ. They too would call evolution stupid, but they can't because that to them means after then say one that maybe there is a creator is the dumbest thing I mean I passed you say will fly a fly goes up to the ceiling and at the last second slips and lands on the ceiling on his feet. According to evolution it kept banging his head into the ceiling until he figured out how to do this fact all the flies would've died until they could have developed this system of survival which is evolution.

The simplifying it and I'm just really not happy with the rules and I was not getting enough of them should we have tried but anyway the skin is good them with this so it ended because of time in that sense because I could go on and on and on. So the religious elite delighted to be rid of the one that went around doing good Mark chapter 7, he wrote this, Jesus speaking it is written, this people honors me with their lips, but their hearts is far from me. Okay I ice I honor God, I love you Lord.

But then I mess up my heart does not love doesn't botch. Maybe I sent into the wrong thing, but my heart does not change I get into my truck and and want to just you know other people to just stay off the soul of the road and slumped past them. You know you get in the flesh. That doesn't mean I don't love the Lord. Verse 47 and Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Josie's observed where he was laid again. It's unlikely that these women knew Joseph of Arimathea personally. They were unfamiliar with the location of the tomb so they have to follow to find out where it is in chapter 16 of Mark will read and they said amongst themselves, who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us.

When they looked up they saw that the stone had been rolled away for it was very large and so here's where it where is going to go there going there following looking where he is late but when they come back days later.

This was a concern they had. And of course it will be dealt with.

My point is in reading from Mark 16 that if we are to remain useful to the Lord. It's not by being gloomy guys walking around depressed and sorry about everything in our lives. These people grieve their hearts were broken but love carried them through.

And if you are downtrodden and you've been defeated in life and things gone wrong, which still love the Lord let that part of you be visible let the love for Jesus Christ shine from you rather than the you know that the hardships because one you're planting rocks. They're not going to grow not going to produce life but love love does something and Jesus knew they were going to be sorrowful.

He says this in John 16.

Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice and you will be sorrowful, but your joy will be turned your sorrow party will be turned into joy. I rather go complain to God and complain to you. I rather take the things that bummed me out and tell it to God and to walk around with it on my face showing you I don't think there's any fruit that comes from being sad all the time.

I'm not saying that the we need to fake it. I'm saying we need to fight it, and there's a huge difference between the two. Courage stumbled in the lives of these men and women at this point in in the story, but throughout it throughout the whole story with their with their courage and their faith struggling love never move. They never stopped loving him.

Jesus knows who loves him and he appeared to those who love him then and he does now and May God teach us to love because we needed you younger Christians again that are still in the home. You know how to be loved.

You enjoy, when your loved what comes out of you as any love coming out of you is just one way with you. You just like a drainages sucks and the love and that's the end of the story where you generate is anything but yelled again, look at your maps you look at the sea of Galilee and you see that water flows into and water flows out from it and within that sea of Galilee, there is life along the banks of the Galilee. There is life you go to northern Israel is all green slush and there is life you go south of the Dead Sea is larger than the sea of Galilee. But there's no life around and there's no life in it. It's a desert I don't want to be this Dead Sea. I want to be like the sea of Galilee. What to do that. I've got to know my Lord is risen. I've got to know he loves me and I got to know I love him back and to do that I have to believe I have to have faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God. These are things that God wants to help us with is not saying you need to do this in your own strength saying I want to help you with this.

I want you to love me as I surely love you thanks for tuning in to cross reference radio for this study in the book of Mark cross reference radio is the teaching ministry of Pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville in Virginia to learn more information about this ministry.

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