The Testimony of Christ’s Burial

About this sermon

Introduction: When we talk about Christ’s saving work on our behalf, we rightly focus on His death and on His resurrection. But an area we rarely focuse on, is the burial of Christ. The burial of Christ is as amazing as His death and resurrection are. All four gospel accounts give an extended explanation as to how Christ was buried. Joseph of Arimathea is not mentioned anywhere else in Scripture, and yet all four gospel accounts tell us about this man. Clearly the evangelists thought that it was important that we know about the burial of Christ. God’s will determined that His Son’s burial would be highly significant, and for several reasons. The burial of Christ demonstrates the sovereignty of God over everything. God can and has performed miracles, but most of the time God works in an equally amazing way. God works by His providence, that is, He works through all the normal activities of life in such a way that His perfect plans are brought to pass. The burial of Christ involves an amazing bringing together of a whole host of details that God foretold concerning His Son. We will be reminded of some of those details this morning. The burial of Christ demonstrates the true identity of Jesus of Nazareth. When all the details that were promised concerning the Messiah are fulfilled in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, it testifies that Jesus was and is the Messiah. It demonstrates that all the claims about Jesus, by himself and by Scripture, are true. That includes the fact that He is the Son of God. The burial of Christ demonstrates the absolute truthfulness and authority of Scripture. When Bible promises are brought to pass in exacting and amazing detail, it demonstrates that the Bible is no ordinary book. It demonstrates that the Bible is God’s very Word. And we see that in the case of Christ’s burial. The burial of Christ demonstrates the reality of Christ’s death. Any theory that seeks to explain the claims of Christ’s resurrection based on an idea that He didn’t really die, dies in this section of Scripture. The burial of Christ also speaks of a relationship to sin. Christ came into this world with a particular relationship to sin, and that ended with His death. Christ came into the world to put sins away by His own blood. He did that. His burial speaks of the reality and finality of that death. And so, it is with us as also. ESV Romans 6:3 Do you not know that all of us awho have been baptized binto Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were aburied therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as bChrist was raised from the dead by cthe glory of the Father, we too might walk in dnewness of life. 5 For aif we have been united with him in ba death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that aour old self1 bwas crucified with him in order that cthe body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For aone who has died bhas been set free1 from sin. 8 Now aif we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that aChrist, being raised from the dead, will never die again; bdeath no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, aonce for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves adead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Topics

• Jesus Christ
• Encouragement