Love at Christ's Cross

to nations then let's begin our worship this evening and we're going to sing first of all

from psalm 65 psalm 65 using the traditional scottish psalter version page 299 the tune is

harris field we're singing verses 1 to 5 all lands to god and joyful sounds aloft your voices raise

sing forth the honor of his name and glorious make his praise say unto god how terrible in

all thy works art thou through thy great power thy foes to thee shall be constrained to bow so through

to verse 5 come and the works that god has done with admiration see in his working to the sons of men

most terrible is he and of course terrible in these verses is used in the old sense of awesome

the awesomeness of god as he declares himself and shows himself through his work so these verses

all lands to god

six

six

uh it's psalm 65

so it's verses 1 to 5 of psalm 65 thank you to the presenter who's alert more than i am

um so praise waits for thee in zion lord to thee vows paid shall be without that here at art of prayer

all flesh shall come to thee so it's page 297 and it's psalm 65 praise waits for thee in zion lord

in zion lord to thee vows paid shall be with which for thee in zion lord to thee vows paid shall be

o love that here at art of prayer all flesh shall come to thee

jiffel

In the Christ Jesus I must confess,

Reveal against me too,

But us for our transgressions

Then perch away shall flow.

He blessed the man whom love us choose,

And is supposed to be,

That he within thy courts, O Lord,

May still and forever be.

We surely shall be satisfied

With thy abundant grace,

And with the goodness of thy heart,

In all thy holy grace.

God of our salvation,

Thou live in thy righteousness,

Thy fearful words unto our faith,

Thy answer does justice.

For the ends of all the earth,

And those that are not free,

Upon the sea their consequences,

O Lord will bless them thee.

Now let's once more call upon the Lord in prayer.

Let's join together in prayer.

Our gracious and blessed God,

As we give thanks for these great words we have sung,

We give thanks for the many truths contained in them,

And for the way that they bear upon the experience

Of your believing people.

And we thank you, Lord,

That our salvation is in your hand.

We thank you for the way that it contains so much

That we ourselves appreciate and benefit from,

From day to day.

We thank you especially for the emphasis in these words

Of your forgiveness of sin,

And for the way that you hear those who come

With their cry in repentance,

Seeking that you would forgive their sin

And cover their sin from your sight.

And we, Lord, confess as a congregation

That this is an important element

In our congregational worship too,

As well as in our own private confession of sin.

And so, Lord,

Tonight we pray that you would forgive and pardon our iniquity.

For we bring our transgressions to you,

Confessing, O Lord,

That they exceed our ability to number them or describe them.

But we give thanks that they are all known to thee.

And we give thanks that they are all known to the God

Who has made such provision for them,

Against them,

In the Lord Jesus Christ.

And so we give thanks, Lord,

Tonight that we can come to you,

That we can draw near to you,

That we are not in a position where our sin

Is marked against us

For our everlasting condemnation.

We give thanks that as we come,

We are confident

That you will receive us in the Lord Jesus Christ

And for his sake.

We thank you for all that

We experienced already today

On this Lord's day.

And especially we give thanks

For seeing a baptism

And partaking of the Lord's Supper

And being witnesses of it.

And we pray that that will be blessed to us

As we continue to dwell our mind

Upon the great realities

That are set out therein.

Our being washed from our sin.

Our communion with Christ.

Our partaking of the benefits

Of his atoning death.

O Lord, our God,

Make us thankful increasingly

That we have such privileges given to us.

Make us thankful that you did not leave us

In the darkness of our own minds.

That you gave us to be

Recipients of such grace

And of such benefits.

We pray tonight again, Lord,

For your Holy Spirit to work among us.

And we give thanks, O Lord,

For the evidences we have

From time to time

That you are actively working

In people's hearts.

That you are bringing them

To know yourself.

And bringing them to confess this

Before their fellow human beings.

We give thanks that you are active

In adding to the number

Of your confessing church.

And we pray, Lord,

That as we have witnessed that

Already in these past few days.

So we give thanks

And give thanks for the encouragement

That this gives us.

That your word

Does not return to you empty.

But that as you send it forth

With the power of your spirit.

And so you come

To change people inwardly.

And you come

To draw them to yourself.

And you come

To constrain them

And to persuade them.

To make it known

To others as well

That they are your people.

That you are their God.

We pray, Lord,

For those

Who were first-time

Recipients

Of the Lord's Supper

Today.

We ask, O Lord,

Your blessing

For each and all of them.

We pray for Catherine

And Yendon

And Myrdo

We thank you

For the encouragement

It gives us

To see them

Taking this step.

We pray that you

Would keep them

That you would guide them

That they may know

Your protective care.

And when the evil one

Comes at times

To attack them

To seek to draw them

Aside and away

From being obedient

To you

And following you.

Lord, grant them

The strength

To resist and overcome.

And help them

To continue

To depend

Upon the Lord

Who is faithful

To all his people.

And we thank you

That as they have

Shown their faith

And their hope

In action,

Lord, so that you

Would continue

To watch over them

And graciously bless

Them from day to day.

Bless all others,

O Lord,

Who also sat

At your table today.

We ask that you

Would continue

To bless us

Through these means

Of grace

In word and sacrament.

We ask, O God,

That it may prove

To be for our

Furtherance

As a congregation

That you would

Grant your blessing

To us as a people

In whatever ways,

O Lord,

You have gifted us

And we thank you

For the many gifts

That are found

Within this congregation

And for the way

That you persuade

So many people

To use them

To the furtherance

Of your great name

Of your great name

And cause.

And we pray

That you bless

All the work

That is done

From week to week

And throughout each week

Along with the worship

Services of the congregation.

And Lord,

Bless them,

We pray,

And continue

To bless those

Who give of their time

So freely

And do so

So selflessly

In particular

In regard to the teaching

Of our young people

And their care

And their welfare

To those who arrange

Other meetings

Throughout each week

From time to time

We pray,

O Lord,

That all of these

May prove to be

A further blessing

To us as a people.

We pray too,

Lord,

For those others

Tonight

Who meet as we do

Throughout this town

Throughout our islands

Throughout our nation

And we pray

That your people

May be encouraged

And that we may see

Movements of your Holy Spirit

Bringing many others

To know you

And to follow you

And to testify for you

And we pray

For those today

In places of influence

And importance

In our land

And Lord,

When we face another

General election

To elect a government

Over us

We pray

That you would guide us

We pray

That we may have

The light

Of your truth

As we come to choose

The government

And we pray

That you would

Direct us,

Lord,

As to who to choose

And where to cast

Our votes

We thank you

For the liberty

We have in doing this

Help us,

Lord,

Whatever temptations

We may have

To withdraw

From that process

Even if we find

That those who

May not be

To our liking

Are brought before us

As candidates

Nevertheless,

Lord,

Help us,

We pray,

To exercise

Our great privilege

And freedom

In coming to

Elect those

Who would be

In government

Over us

We pray

That you would

Grant your blessing

To us

As we seek

Your guidance

As your people

During this time

We pray your blessing

Tonight for

All who can't be

With us

Especially those

Who are ill

Be near to them

Lord,

We pray

And those who

Mourn

The passing

Of loved ones

We commend them

To you

Asking your comfort

Lord,

To be their portion

Asking that you

Would draw near

To them

And that you

Would give them

That stillness

Of mind

That would reflect

Upon matters

And bring them

To yourself

Remember,

We pray

All today

Throughout the world

Who have

Such different

Circumstances to ours

Oh Lord

We think of the

Many places

In the world

Where war

Continues to

Blight the experience

Of people

Where many people

Continue to

Lose their lives

And homes

And other goods

As well

We pray

For the situation

Ongoing in Ukraine

And for the dangers

That exist there

And for the further

Encroachment

Of oppression

Upon the Ukrainian people

Oh Lord

We pray

That you would

Grant your own

Intervention

Grant that you would

Stay the hands

Of the aggressor

We pray such as well

In other parts

Of the world

Where violence

Whether in the

Middle East

Or in other places

Where violence

Blights the lives

Of so many people

Lord send forth

Your light

And your truth

Bring people

To peace

With one another

And especially

Bring them

The peace

Of the gospel

And we ask

That that may be so

To the furtherance

Of your own kingdom

Be with us then

Now we pray

As we wait upon you

Be with us later

In the fellowship

To grant us there

The sense of your presence

And the blessing

Of your spirit

Hear us

We pray now

In Jesus name

And for his sake

Amen

Well we'll sing again

To God's praise

This time we're singing

From Psalm 9

Psalm number 9

9a

That's on page

Number 9

And we'll sing

Verses 7 to 12

And we're singing

To a tune

Martyrs

The Lord forever reigns

On high

His throne

For judgment

Stands

He'll judge

The world

In righteousness

With justice

Rule the lands

The Lord will be

A hiding place

For those

Who are oppressed

And he will be

A strong defense

For those

Who are distressed

All those

Who know your name

O Lord

In you

Their trust

Will place

For you do not

Abandon those

Who seek

Your gracious face

So on to verse 12

From verse 7

The Lord forever

Reigns on high

His throne

For justice

He'll judge

The world

In righteousness

Let justice

Rule the lands

Of course

The Lord

Will be

A hiding place

For those

Who are oppressed

And he will be

For those

Who are oppressed

For those

Who are oppressed

Who are oppressed

Who are oppressed

Who are oppressed

Who are oppressed

Who are oppressed

Who are oppressed

Who are oppressed

Who are oppressed

Who are oppressed

Who are oppressed

Who are oppressed

Who are oppressed

For those

For those

Who are oppressed

Who are oppressed

Who are oppressed

Who are oppressed

Who are oppressed

Who are oppressed

Who are oppressed

Who are oppressed

Who are oppressed

Who are oppressed

Who are oppressed

Who are oppressed

Who are oppressed

Who are oppressed

Who are oppressed

Who are oppressed

Who are oppressed

Who are oppressed

Who are oppressed

Who are oppressed

Who are oppressed

Who are oppressed

Who are oppressed

Who are oppressed

Who are oppressed

Who are oppressed

Who are oppressed

Who are oppressed

Who are oppressed

Who are oppressed

Who are oppressed

Who are oppressed

Who are oppressed

Procure what he has done

In avenger Roman's blood

Remember haste evermore

I cry, O Thee Ungrated One, Thee never will be more.

Now we turn to read God's Word in the Gospel of John.

The Gospel according to John, reading chapter 19, and beginning at verse 17.

So we'll read from 17 right through down to verse 42.

So John 19 at verse 17.

So they took Jesus and he went out bearing his own cross to the place called the place of a skull,

which in Aramaic is called Golgotha.

There they crucified him and with him two others, one on either side and Jesus between them.

Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross.

It read, Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the Jews.

Many of the Jews read this inscription for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city

and it was written in Aramaic, in Latin and in Greek.

So the chief priest of the Jews said to Pilate, do not write the king of the Jews,

but rather this man said, I am king of the Jews.

Pilate answered, what I have written, I have written.

When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts,

one part for each soldier, also his tunic.

But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.

So they said to one another, let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.

This was to fulfill the scripture which says, they divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.

So the soldiers did these things, but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister,

Mary, the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.

When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby,

he said to his mother, woman, behold your son.

Then he said to the disciple, behold your mother.

And from that hour, the disciple took her into his own home.

After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said, to fulfill the scripture, I thirst.

A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth.

When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, it is finished.

And he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Since it was the day of preparation, so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath,

for the Sabbath was a high day,

the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken,

and that they might be taken away.

So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been 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 at once there came out blood and water.

He who saw it has borne witness.

His testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth.

That you also may believe.

For these things took place, that the scripture might be fulfilled.

Not one of his bones will be broken.

And again another scripture says,

They will look on him whom they have pierced.

After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus,

but secretly for fear of the Jews,

asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus,

and Pilate gave him permission.

So he came and took away his body.

Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night,

came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes,

about 75 pounds in weight.

So they took the body of Jesus,

and bound it in linen cloths with the spices,

as is the burial custom of the Jews.

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.

So because of the Jewish day of preparation,

since the tomb was close at hand,

they laid Jesus there.

Amen again.

May God bless to us reading that portion of his word.

Let's now sing from Psalm 25.

That's on page 29.

Psalm 25 and verses 8 to 15.

Let's sing into a tune this time as Finart.

Psalm 25 and verse 8.

And so on down to verse 15.

Because the Lord is just and good.

He shows his heart to all his game.

He guides the weak in what is right,

and teaches them this holy way.

And so to keep his calm and loss,

he shows his love consistently.

For he is so and good.

For he is so and good.

For he is so and good.

For he is so and good.

Oh, Lord, my God,

forgive my gate in equity.

Then not those to fear the Lord,

he'll teach to them the choice.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

This morning we looked at those who sat down in the vicinity of the cross and kept watch,

and we considered some of the things that they would have seen, some of the things that

they would have heard as they passed the time there while Jesus was being crucified up

to the time that he died.

And tonight we're going to look at love in relation to the cross.

Because what you find happening here in the care that's taken over the body of Jesus by

Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea is indicative of the love that they had for him.

And love indeed that showed itself in going to Pilate, asking that he would release the

body of Jesus now that they knew that Jesus was dead.

And so they carefully took the body from the cross.

They carefully treated it in the manner of the Jews for burial.

And they dealt with it in a way that showed great love and affection for these remains

of Jesus, humanly speaking.

And so that love in relation to the cross is another important aspect of how that cross

bears upon our own experience, how the death of Jesus relates to our love for him, and how

that is something which we also seek to commend to others from time to time.

And we need to consider something of the background to these verses, something of the background indeed

to these two people as they came here to take the body of Jesus and treat it with respect

and with love.

And we call that love becoming public.

Love becoming public.

Because both of these men were disciples of Jesus, but up to now they were that secretly.

They hadn't made it known that they were actually believers in Christ.

That they were trusting in Christ.

That they were actually disciples of Jesus.

You can see the reason secretly for fear of the Jews.

That's why they had kept it previously hidden.

Nobody knew apart from themselves that they were, as far as we can see, that they were actually

disciples of Jesus.

And you can understand that because the persecution they would face from the members of the Sanhedrin

that they belonged to would have been intense.

And that had been made known even to other people as time went on, as they followed Jesus,

that anybody who came to confess them would be thrown out of the synagogue.

And so you see that the way in which they kept that hidden is, in fact, very understandable.

Very understandable because of the situation that they were in.

And because of the relative danger as well that would come from making known that they

were disciples of this Jesus that the scribes and Pharisees wanted to be rid of.

And as far as they were concerned was an imposter who blasphemed and took to himself the title

of the Son of God, which they did not see he was entitled to.

And although you understand where they were coming from and understand the reference that

they were doing this secretly for fear of the Jews, there's nothing at all in any of the

passages dealing with this that suggest for a moment that this really actually was quite

a commendable thing.

It's understandable, but it's not actually commendable.

Because nowhere in the Bible do you find anything to suggest that when we come to know the Lord,

we really should just keep that to ourselves and go about our own business and not make it

public and not actually have to face whatever we need to face in coming out publicly to say

that he's our savior, that we are his people.

And so here is love that previously was real, but didn't come into public light because they

were afraid of the Jews, afraid of the ruling authorities.

Both of these men were in the ruling council of the temple, members of the Sanhedrin.

And so they were afraid of their fellow council members that this would really make trouble

for them if it became known that they were disciples of Jesus.

But nowhere do you find that that's actually something commendable.

God doesn't praise that, although it's understandable why they were like that.

And so tonight, you may be a secret disciple of Jesus.

You may be a true believer in Christ.

But for whatever reason, you've not yet made it known, such as those today who came and sat

at the table, some for the first time have made it known, this is my Lord, this is my savior.

I want to serve him.

I want to make it clear that I am his, that he is mine.

So if you are here tonight and your trust is in Jesus, but you haven't yet made that known,

think about what that means to him.

Think about all that he's done for you so as to save you from your sins.

Think of the love that has gone towards the death that he died as we saw this morning.

Think of his commitment as we saw it to his death, despite everything that was tempting him

to draw aside from that, to turn back from that.

And as you think of the commitment of Jesus, the love of Jesus,

the way that Jesus saw it through right to the end,

even refusing what might indeed have dulled his pain.

Think tonight if you're here and you're not yet openly following Christ.

Think of how he sees that.

Why should you keep it hidden when he did all this for you?

Why should you not make it known?

Why should you not be at the next communion, God willing,

and sitting with the Lord's people at his table?

Love needs to be made known.

Love indeed will at some point make itself known.

And for whatever good reason they had to keep it hidden,

there's nothing there that would say this is actually a good thing.

And so for all of you today who are here and have not yet come to take communion

or taken the step of making known that you are Christ's,

please consider what that means.

And if you're here tonight and you've not yet accepted Jesus,

if you know the gospel as you do,

and I've heard many times of Jesus actually being offered to us in the gospel,

offering himself to us in the gospel,

why should you be amongst those who have not accepted him?

Why should you be left out of salvation through Jesus and in Jesus?

Why should you go on to live and go on living without him

when you know that God in his word commends him

as one to love, one to serve, one to trust in,

one to look forward to meeting in heaven?

This is love previously hidden and love actually now revealed.

And when you go to Mark's gospel, Mark chapter 15 and verse 43,

Mark 15 · chapter mention

you read there that they took courage.

He actually went and took courage to demand or to request really of Pontius Pilate,

the governor, that he would release the body of Jesus.

Joseph himself, a respected member of the council,

who was himself looking for the kingdom of God, as Mark puts it,

he took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.

Now, there's one thing that's going to give you courage,

is to actually contemplate the death of Jesus, the cross of Jesus,

and to contemplate for yourself what that means to you,

what he's done for you.

And that really surely brings courage to the fore

so that you come out as well,

even if you would not say of yourself,

well, this is a very courageous thing to do.

It's the right thing to do.

And certainly in that context, it was a courageous thing to do

because it was difficult for them knowing what might result in consequence.

And there are many people tonight in the world

who have far more difficult circumstances than any of us have,

or most of us at least have.

Places in the world where coming out on the side of Christ

will almost inevitably lead to your death,

especially where there are authorities that have either

an antipathy to the gospel one way or the other,

or follow other different religions that are in antipathy

and indeed at times a hatred of the gospel and a hatred of Jesus.

These people actually have to come as they believe in Christ

and come to make it known that they are Christ's people

and make it known that they follow him,

that they are indeed disciples of Christ.

We have the privilege of the freedoms that we have

and our difficulties are relatively small

compared to the difficulties of other disciples in the world

who have come out and said,

no, this is where we stand.

We love him.

We want to serve him.

He is our Lord.

And we want to make it plain

that we are a believing people

who follow the Lord Jesus Christ.

Faith takes courage from the death of Christ,

from contemplating what that death has meant

to the person who is a disciple.

You can go to chapter 12 here, for example,

and find another example of that,

a real difficulty outwardly.

And for this woman, in chapter 12,

Mary, who anointed Jesus at Bethany.

This is how the chapter begins,

six days before the Passover.

He came to Bethany where Lazarus was,

whom Jesus had raised from the dead.

And they gave a dinner for him there.

Martha served.

Lazarus was one of those reclining at a table with him.

Now just think of the context.

Very, very public thing.

Here was Lazarus, who'd been raised from the dead,

gathering, grabbing the notice, if you like,

of so many people around

who knew that he had been buried,

that he had in fact died.

And yet here he was,

sharing a table with the Lord, with Jesus.

Mary, therefore,

took a pound of expensive ointment

made from pure nard

and anointed the feet of Jesus

and wiped his feet with her hair.

And she's saying about him,

I can't let this opportunity go

without showing my love for him,

without showing what he means to me,

without showing that he is just so special,

that although this is a very costly ointment,

I have to use it

and I have to spend it

and I have to pour it out for him.

And of course, Judas Iscariot said,

why was this ointment not sold for 300 denarii

and given to the poor?

He said this not because he cared about the poor,

but because he was a thief

and having charge of the money bag.

He used to help himself to what was put in it.

And Jesus said,

leave her alone

so that she may keep it

or she has kept it

for the day of my burial.

You see, she saw in Jesus

the one who was going to die for her sins.

And here she is showing her affection

for the cross,

for the death of Jesus,

for the Jesus who is about to die.

And this is what she does.

It's not too costly for her

to spend this on him,

to pour this out on him.

You know, sometimes we think about

the cost of following Jesus.

And in a sense, of course,

there is a cost to following Jesus.

You attract attention.

There's difficulties and challenges

facing you in confessing your faith in Christ

in a world that largely doesn't want to know him.

But what is cost

compared to the cost for him?

What is the cost of this very expensive ointment

compared to the Jesus

on whose body this was poured out?

You see, for Mary,

it's not costly at all.

It's the least she can do.

For Judas Iscariot,

hypocrite as he was,

this is far too much to spend on Jesus.

And you'll find so many people in the world

that will say to you tonight,

you surely don't want to give your life to him.

You surely don't want to spend that much of time with him

or energy for him.

Surely that's just a bit of a waste, really.

Think of all else you could do with your life

instead of coming openly to be one of Jesus' disciples.

Well, it's not too much

when you consider what he has done for his people.

And we've come from the Lord's table today.

And now here at the cross,

we find Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus

coming into the open,

showing their love for Jesus

and love for his body now,

hanging on the cross.

Surely you're saying,

I have to do that as well.

I can't let this moment pass

and just let the world go on

thinking that I don't belong to him.

I will do what they did.

I'll come out

and I'll show

that I love him

and I love what he's done for me.

So there's love becoming public.

But secondly, let's look at

love's action

towards this Jesus.

And the first thing you notice here

is that Joseph

had a tomb,

which actually was his own tomb.

It was taken

and created for himself

a garden,

in the garden,

a new tomb

in which no one had yet been laid.

And from Matthew's Gospel,

chapter 27

and verse 60,

you find this was actually

for Joseph himself.

He had prepared this tomb

for himself

long before this

or sometime

before this,

before he ever came

to carry the body of Jesus

and place it there.

And so,

that was for himself

to begin with.

But here he is saying,

no,

actually I'm going to give this

to Christ.

I'm going to give this

for his body.

This is not going to be

for me after all.

It'll be for him.

It'll be for him

who did

this for me

to die the death

that he died on the cross.

And it was a new tomb.

It was significant

that nobody had ever been

an occupant

of that chamber.

Nobody had ever been

in that tomb.

It was for Joseph himself.

And that's significant too

because it's set apart

exclusively

for Jesus himself.

Now,

when you think of that

and go to

the Old Testament,

let me just

turn your minds

to Psalm 45.

Psalm 45

is a royal psalm.

A psalm

that anticipates Jesus.

A psalm

that's prophetic

of Jesus.

And all the way

through that wonderful psalm,

you'll find the psalmist

expressing his love.

My heart overflows

with a pleasing thing.

My address,

my verses

to the king.

You are the most handsome

of the sons of men.

Grace is poured

upon your lips.

And then he appeals

to him

to ride out

victoriously

to conquer

his enemies.

And then he comes

to verse 6.

Your throne,

O God,

is forever and ever.

The scepter

of your kingdom

is a scepter

of righteousness.

The kingliness

of Jesus.

Remember this tomb

that Joseph had,

which was for himself

originally,

is now coming

to be provided

for Jesus,

who is,

as we saw this morning,

the king,

despite the fact

that he was mocked

for claiming

to be such.

Therefore,

God,

your God,

has anointed you.

You have loved

righteousness

and hated wickedness.

Your robes

are all fragrant

with myrrh

and aloes.

Who would have thought

that these items

would have been seen

in the anointing

of Jesus' dead body

prior to his burial?

How wonderful

the scripture is,

just as we find

in Psalm 22,

such a reference

minutely to

the way that his body

was pierced

and his hands

and his feet.

So here you find

a reference

to the kingliness

of Jesus.

And all the way

through,

you follow it

through,

and you can see

that it says

that all glorious

is the princess

in her chamber.

You can take that

as an emblem

or a picture

of God's people

as the church

that are married

to Jesus.

What does he say?

With joy

and gladness

they are led along

as they enter

the palace

of the king

and so on.

But what I'm saying

is that here

is an example

of Jesus,

the royal king,

that he is.

And you go to

John's gospel there

and you'll find

that this tomb

that's given

specially for him

is really amounting

to a royal burial.

It amounts to

the burial

of a king.

It's the least

he deserves

to have a tomb

in which no one

was ever yet laid.

And there

they laid

Jesus.

Now notice that.

Since the tomb

was at hand

because of the

Jewish day of preparation,

since the tomb

was close at hand,

they laid

Jesus there.

Now you go to

the other gospels

that speak mostly

about his body.

That's not absent

obviously from this passage.

But why does it say

here in the final words

they laid

Jesus there?

It doesn't say

they laid his body there

although that of course

is what was happening.

but John saw fit

to say

they laid

Jesus there.

Why is that?

What makes the difference?

Why is he saying this?

Well because I think

we're led into

how

the burial

of the body

of Jesus

was something

that was

attached

so closely

so intimately

to his person.

Remember when you think

of the person

of Jesus

who is this Jesus?

You don't think

of his human nature

to answer the question

who is he?

You go to his divine nature

as the son of God.

He is

the son of God.

That's his identity.

The son of God

who has taken

human nature

to himself

but he is

the son of God

and that's what

identifies him.

And when it says here

that they laid

Jesus there

the experience

of death

the experience

of being buried

was something

that was experienced

by the son of God.

We're not saying

that God

in his divine nature

died

which could not be

but it is the son of God

the divine son of God

the second person

of the Trinity

that God is

who comes here

to experience

his being buried

bodily.

And that's so important

too for us

because

Jesus

experienced

every aspect

of death

that belongs

to death.

We saw this morning

spiritual death

the death he experienced

in his soul

which was

something

of the greatest

possible pain

separation

from God.

And if you go to

the likes of

1 Corinthians 15

and verse 4

where Paul says

I delivered to you

what I received

from the Lord.

It's so significant

that in terms

of that summary

of the gospel

what Jesus

had given to Paul

to then deliver

in the message

of the gospel

it actually

involves

also includes

that he was

buried

because the apostles

saw this

as an important

emphasis

and element

in thinking

about the death

of Jesus

and what followed.

They specifically

mentioned

that he was buried

and in our own

catechism

in our own

confession

of faith

as well

these documents

those who drew up

these

followed the scriptures

which referred

to him being

buried

that that was part

of his humiliation

he died on the cross

and he was

buried.

And

in other words

it's part of what

1 Corinthians 15

puts of first

importance

Paul says

that's what I

delivered to you

that which is of

first importance

how that Jesus

died for our sins

according to the

scripture

that he was buried

that he was raised

again the third

day.

Now there's

understandably

a fear

on our part

to some extent

at least

of the grave

when you stand

at an open

graveside

a dot

to give us

a chill

I've done that

nearly 300 times

even since I came

here to Stornoway

and every time

you stand there

which should

actually have

that impact

upon us

you're seeing

death

in that body

being laid

to rest

in the tomb

separated from

the soul

that has gone

to eternity

very solemn

sight

something that

really

in some sense

fills us

with a sense

of dread

and it's

understandable

that we would

fear the grave

but you know

as a believer

in Christ

if you're

tonight

a believer

in Christ

you need

not fear

the grave

you need

not fear

your body

being laid

into the earth

and returning

to dust

why?

because he's

been there

before you

because he

the pioneer

who has

defeated death

has actually

experienced

even that

aspect of death

so that as he

comes to be

raised from

the dead

bodily

so that says

to you

and to me

I can see

now that death

in all its

completeness

has been

completely

vanquished

that spiritually

and physically

death is

swallowed up

by him

and therefore

why should I

fear

what happens

to my body

when I know

that Jesus

in terms of

his body

was laid

in the tomb

there

they laid

Jesus

he's been

there

ahead of us

already

so love's

action

in providing

this new

tomb

love's

action

in taking

the body

of Jesus

lovingly

and carefully

and laying

Jesus

in that

tomb

and love's

action

finally

in the fact

that here

you have

a garden

and it's

interesting how

the Bible

sometimes presents

us

with certain

teachings

involving

a garden

when God

created us

in the beginning

as you find

in the opening

chapters of

Genesis

he placed

Adam

and Eve

our first

parents

in the

garden

of Eden

they were

surrounded

by plenty

they were

surrounded

by everything

that was good

to see

and good

for them

they were

surrounded

by God's

provision

they had

access

to everything

there except

the one

tree

that God

had forbidden

which of course

sadly they came

to partake of

with devastating

results

and in each

of these gardens

here's a garden

as well

verse 41

in the place

where he was

crucified

there was a

garden

and in the

garden

a new

tomb

in the

garden

of Eden

sin

led

to death

and death

always involves

a grave

or most of

the time

apart from

those who

were taken

away from

this world

without seeing

death

such as

in the

Old Testament

you find

Enoch

but here is

by and large

what happens

to every

human being

we die

our body

is then

laid

into the

dust

in our

tradition

and practice

that happened

in the

garden of

Eden

what led

to that

grave

you could

say that

the grave

for human

beings

was created

in the

garden of

Eden

in consequence

of human

sin

a rebellion

against God

in the day

in which he

said to Adam

in the day

in which you

eat of it

you shall

surely die

that's what

happened

and here is

another garden

and while it is

indeed the case

that the grave

was created

in Eden

the grave

was consecrated

in this

garden

near the

cross

Jesus

his body

laid there

went into

death

went into

the tomb

you might

say

to prepare

it for

his people

because every

Christian can

say as

they come to

lay down

their life

as their

life ebbs

away

in whatever

circumstances

as they think

of dying

in this

world

every Christian

can say

and has the

right to

say

though my

body is

going to be

laid into

the grave

though my

body maybe

for many

many years

will be

laid there

and return

to the

dust

from which

I was

created

in the

beginning

that grave

has been

prepared

by the

Lord Jesus

Christ

and I

shall arise

out of that

grave

triumphantly

because he's

done that

for me

and before

me

so why

should we

fear the

grave

here's the

wonderful

emphasis

in the

gospel

that Jesus

has been

through every

phase of

life and

even of

death

itself

and every

single

aspect

of that

process

of that

journey

has actually

been prepared

by him

for his

people

and when

you come

to

Revelation

Revelation 21 · chapter mention

chapter 21

let me

just read

these four

verses

as we

come towards

the end

of our

study

this

evening

Revelation

Revelation 21 · chapter mention

chapter 21

which really

brings us

the account

we have

there of

heaven

heaven

after all

things have

been dealt

with

the judgment

is passed

he says

I saw

a new

heaven

and a new

earth

for the

first heaven

and the

first earth

had passed

away

and the

sea was

no more

and I

saw the

holy city

the new

Jerusalem

coming down

out of heaven

from God

prepared as a

bride adorned

for her husband

and I heard

a loud voice

from the

throne

saying

behold the

dwelling place

of God

is with

man

he will

dwell with

them

and they

will be

his people

and God

himself will

be with

them as

their God

he will

wipe away

every tear

from their

eyes

and death

shall be

no more

neither

shall there

be mourning

nor crying

nor pain

anymore

for the

former things

have passed

away

and as

you describe

as you

find the

new

Jerusalem

described

in the

following

parts

of the

chapter

the one

thing

that's

prominently

noticeable

is

there is

no reference

to a

cemetery

no reference

to a

grave

there are

no graves

there is

no death

there is

no cemetery

in the city

of the

new

Jerusalem

the death

has been

overcome

death

stands

defeated

beneath

the feet

of God's

people

in Christ

they have

overcome

in him

what a

prospect

what a

glorious

outlook

you have

as a

Christian

in this

world

that this

is actually

what lies

ahead of

you

and that

even though

the grave

lies in

between

it's a

defeated

grave

it's a

prepared

grave

it's a

grave

in which

the Lord

has already

been laid

it's a

grave that

he occupied

it's a

grave that

he rose

out of

it's a

grave that

he defeated

for his

people

and it's

a grave

therefore that

you need

not fear

there is

no more

death

it's gone

forever

my friend

tonight

is your

trust in

Christ

are you

looking forward

to a life

with no

death

death

because

remember

the opposite

is also

true

there is

nothing in

hell but

death

there is

no prospect

of being

delivered from

death

eternal

death

lasting

death

there is

no voice

that says

come to

me and

I will

give you

rest

there is

no assurance

that will

say this

is only for

a short

time and

it will

end

just put

up with

it

and it

will be

alright

in the

end

remember

the opposite

of heaven

is hell

in every

sense

and you

don't want

to go

there

that's not

what you

want your

eternity

to be

you want

your eternity

to be

without

death

without

a grave

without

anything

associated

with death

you want

it to be

gone

how does

that come

about

comes

about

by giving

your life

to Jesus

by trusting

in the one

who has

overcome

death

if you

like

being

like

Nicodemus

and Joseph

of Arimathea

they went

and asked

Pilate

boldly

for the

body

of Jesus

what did

they then

do with

it

they took

it down

from the

cross

they treated

it respectfully

they covered

it with a

linen shroud

they then

buried

Jesus

in this

new

tomb

and

figuratively

is that

not something

for you

as well

do you

not want

tonight

to take

this

Jesus

into your

arms

to take

this

death

of Jesus

the Jesus

who now

lives

and make

that the

basis

of your

hopes

love

so that

your love

too

will come

to be

seen

as a

love

that

comes