Image: "Burial of Christ" c. 1873 by Carl Heinrich Bloch

“Nicodemus depicted on the left, Joseph of Arimathea depicted on the right”

WELCOME

Sunday, July 18, 2021

The Book Of John

Series: LOVED BY JESUS

Message: The Buried

Scripture: John 19:31-42 ESV

Pastor Philip Miller

Scripture Reading Isaiah 53 ESV

Isaiah 53 ESV and Audio

53 Who has believed what he has heard from us?

And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

2 For he grew up before him like a young plant,

and like a root out of dry ground;

he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,

and no beauty that we should desire him.

3 He was despised and rejected by men,

a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;

and as one from whom men hide their faces

he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4 Surely he has borne our griefs

and carried our sorrows;

yet we esteemed him stricken,

smitten by God, and afflicted.

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions;

he was crushed for our iniquities;

upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,

and with his wounds we are healed.

6 All we like sheep have gone astray;

we have turned—every one—to his own way;

and the Lord has laid on him

the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,

yet he opened not his mouth;

like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,

and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,

so he opened not his mouth.

8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away;

and as for his generation, who considered

that he was cut off out of the land of the living,

stricken for the transgression of my people?

9 And they made his grave with the wicked

and with a rich man in his death,

although he had done no violence,

and there was no deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;

he has put him to grief;

when his soul makes an offering for guilt,

he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;

the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;

by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,

make many to be accounted righteous,

and he shall bear their iniquities.

12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,

and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,

because he poured out his soul to death

and was numbered with the transgressors;

yet he bore the sin of many,

and makes intercession for the transgressors.

Message: The Buried

Scripture: John 19:31-42 ESV

Pastor Philip Mille

Scripture: John 19 ESV

John 19 ESV and Audio

SERMON NOTES

Sunday, July 18, 2021

The Book Of John

Series: LOVED BY JESUS

Message: The Buried

Scripture: John 19:31-42 ESV

Pastor Philip Miller

The Buried: What's the greatest plot twist of all time?

Everyone enjoys a good plot twist ending. Whether in a novel or a film, that moment when everything you thought you knew is suddenly undone, and realization dawns mingled with disbelief. Those are the best endings.

In many ways, the death and resurrection of Jesus is the greatest twist ending of them all. Talk about a plot twist! Nobody saw that coming! And no doubt, after the resurrection, the disciples thought: “No way! Are you kidding me?” How did we miss the clues?!?

And in his Gospel, John is careful to point out the clues and the signs that were there all along. Now with the benefit of hindsight, John is helping us see the things he missed the first time around; the hints of the twist ending that is to come.

In this sermon, we’ll see the three clues and hints of the twist ending to come:

1) The Piercing Distinction: The standard protocol for Roman crucifixion is different than the crucifixion of Jesus. All of this happens to fulfill the prophecies of Scripture. John wanted us to the see the clues—through these seemingly random breaks in protocol, the Father is distinguishing the uniqueness of His Son. All these deviations single out Jesus as different; the One not like any others, the One fulfilling Scripture, the One who is special. It’s as if the Father is saying, “You might want to keep your eye on this One, because He’s just getting started.”

2) The Perplexing Loyalties: As Jesus is lifted up, He draws all people to Himself, including Joseph and Nicodemus, whose faith now comes to light. Joseph and Nicodemus saw something in the death of Jesus as he was lifted up; like Moses lifted the serpent in the wildness, they looked on the one that was pierced. They mourned and they believed, and they received the grace and mercy of God right then and there. Think about it—they must have believed at some level this story wasn’t over. Why else would they throw everything away in loyalty to Jesus? If Jesus was dead and gone forever, there would be no point in honoring Him now, no point in throwing their lot in with Him at this point. Unless they believed that Jesus really is the Christ, and that this story wasn’t over. It may be that these two individuals, of all people, began to wonder if God might just have a trick up the sleeve.

3) The Paradoxical Tomb: Jesus is laid in the dust of the garden, awaiting the breath of life, which will signify the dawn of a new creation. The first Adam laid as dust in the first garden…Awaiting the breath of God in creation. Now the second Adam is laid in the dust of another garden, and when God breathes resurrection life into his body, it will mean not resuscitation of the old but re-creation of the new. In other words, a new humanity, a new order of things, and a new creation! Isn’t it interesting, that in the beginning there’s a garden; at the end of time there’s a garden city of God in the new heavens and the new earth; and in the middle of the story there’s also a garden where Jesus is buried. Don’t you see—Jesus’ death and resurrection is the hinge-point of history! As He dies, He is bringing the old creation to an end, and as He rises, He is ushering in a new creation. As He rises in the garden, He is a new Adam for a new humanity in a new creation. To use the logic of the Apostle Paul: Because Christ died, we died; because Christ lives, we live.

Takeaway: The Christian life is one of dying and rising with Christ. This is WHO we are, WHERE we’re headed, and HOW we live.

Following Jesus means embracing the rhythm of dying and rising with Christ. So when it comes to life, in the end, there’s a twist ending. Its’ the moment when everything we through we knew is suddenly undone, and for the first time we begin to see the world as it really is.

Isn’t this what Jesus calls us to?

^Click Image ^

Image: Philip, Krista, Claire, Violet, Cora, and Jude

Philip Miller Senior Pastor

PASTOR TO PEOPLE

I want to take a moment to thank you.

One year ago our family uprooted from Washington State and headed to the big city of Chicago. We knew very few of you, and were more than a little intimidated by the prospect of city life. We arrived in the middle of the pandemic and life was far from normal. But you welcomed us with warmth and open arms. Some of you helped with meals, others with groceries and welcome gifts, still others hauled in our boxes and furniture in stages. With each of those acts of kindness, from the very beginning, we knew we were loved and would soon feel right at home.

As the year has progressed and we’ve had the joy of regathering for the last few months, we’ve really enjoyed getting to know many of you on a more personal level. We’ve increasingly come to love and cherish our Moody Church family and feel your love in return. I can’t express how grateful we are for your support and friendship. The Moody Chuch has really become our family.

So thank you. Thank you for being our church family. Thank you for loving us well. Thank you for helping us belong.

We’re so grateful God called our family on this adventure. We’re thankful to belong here with you, our family. And we look forward to serving Jesus for many years together in Chicago and beyond.

Thanks for helping us feel right at home.

Philip, Krista,

Claire, Violet, Cora, and Jude