Peace and grace in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The whole Matthew 27 refers to the seven sprinklings of blood upon the Ark of the Covenant. It means the suffering Jesus experiences until He dies on the cross to save and perfect us.
There are seven passages in it and we are studying the sixth now, namely Jesus is buried.
Matthew 27:57-60
27:57. Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus.
27:58 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him.
27:59 When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,
27:60 and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed.
The time when evening had come refers to the end of days. Jesus is buried, referring to the last ministry to the body of Christ. It is Joseph from Arimathea who buries Jesus. He is a rich, intelligent and reverent man. Thus, there will be a revival of building of the perfect body of Christ that involves the intelligent, the rich, and the reverent.
The facts found in the revival of building of the body of Christ are as follows.
The death and resurrection experience together with Jesus begins from water baptism.
Romans 6:4
6:4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
The right water baptism happens that we who have died to sin or repented are buried in water together with Jesus and raise in new life, namely heavenly one.
Matthew 3:15-16
3:15 But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he allowed Him.
3:16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.
The water baptism determines whether the heavens can be opened or not, we can have the ambience of heaven or not, and we can enter it or not.
The heavens can be opened and we live in the ambience of heaven through the right water baptism. We have heavenly life, meaning righteous and good deeds, being faithful and trustworthy in service and ministry to God.
The ambience of paradise can be described as the ambience of Canaan, the land of hills and valleys.
Deuteronomy 11:10-11
11:10 "For the land which you go to possess is not like the land of Egypt from which you have come, where you sowed your seed and watered it by foot, as a vegetable garden;
11:11 "but the land which you cross over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water from the rain of heaven,
The valley refers to the death, meaning being righteous and good. The hill refers to the resurrection, meaning being faithful and trustworthy. As a result, the heaven will be opened and our life depends on the rain of grace and kindness of God.
The result is as follows.
God blesses you.
The whole Matthew 27 refers to the seven sprinklings of blood upon the Ark of the Covenant. It means the suffering Jesus experiences until He dies on the cross to save and perfect us.
There are seven passages in it and we are studying the sixth now, namely Jesus is buried.
Matthew 27:57-60
27:57. Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus.
27:58 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him.
27:59 When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,
27:60 and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed.
The time when evening had come refers to the end of days. Jesus is buried, referring to the last ministry to the body of Christ. It is Joseph from Arimathea who buries Jesus. He is a rich, intelligent and reverent man. Thus, there will be a revival of building of the perfect body of Christ that involves the intelligent, the rich, and the reverent.
The facts found in the revival of building of the body of Christ are as follows.
- Taking the body of Jesus and wrapping it in a clean linen cloth.
Matthew 27:58-59
27:58 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him.
27:59 When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,
Meaning we are willing to experience the cross or death together with Jesus, whatever risk may come.
The cross relates to the clean linen cloth.
1 Peter 4:1-2
4:1. Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,
4:2 that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.
Meaning the suffering in the flesh in order to stop sinning and live according to God’s will as follows.- Living in righteousness or doing righteous deeds.
Not living in righteousness, one lives in filthiness and nakedness. - Doing good deeds even repaying good for evil.
The righteous good deeds begin from giving for the ministry of building of Christ’s body.
Joseph from Arimathea is one of Jesus’ disciples, referring to one who receives the true teaching Word.
Joseph from Arimathea gives his time, energy, linen cloth, and tomb for Jesus. The tomb refers to the last possession.
Meaning all our possession must be given for the ministry of building of Christ’s body by the encouragement of the true teaching Word. It is same as total surrendering up to our whole life is given to God. In such condition, we can prioritize God more than all things.
- Living in righteousness or doing righteous deeds.
- Laying the body of Jesus in new tomb.
Matthew 27:60
27:60 and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed.
Why is Jesus’ body buried in the new tomb?
2 Kings 13:21
13:21 So it was, as they were burying a man, that suddenly they spied a band of raiders; and they put the man in the tomb of Elisha; and when the man was let down and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet.
Because formerly there was a dead body that revived and stood after it was cast in an old tomb and touched the bones of Elisha. If the body of Jesus had been buried in an old tomb, the resurrection might have happened because of other factors which are not the power of God. Jesus is buried in a new tomb to prove that His resurrection happens because of the power of God.
Laying the body of Jesus in the new tomb means experiencing the resurrection after the death together with Him.
Joseph from Arimathea is intelligent, rich, reverent, and has many activities, but he can heed the building of the body of Christ. The power of resurrection is able to divert our focus or attention from vain worldly things to eternal heavenly ones, especially we can be active in the building of the perfect body of Christ.
Let all of us now active in the building of Christ’s body in line with the encouragement or the command of the true teaching Word. The command must be one, namely the true teaching Word or Jesus as the Head of His body. It begins from marriage that must be commanded by the true teaching Word and then the shepherding.
David is a great person but he does not want to be active in the revival. He walks on the roof of the king’s house while other people are making war, so he sees Bathsheba bathing, referring to worldly matters, and falls into sins up to the peak. Consequently, there is destruction in marriage and children.
Ephesians 4:11-12
4:11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,
4:12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
The requirement of ministering to God in the building of the body of Christ is holiness. If we are holy, God will equip us with the ministry and gifts of Holy Spirit.
The ministry is our place in the body of Christ.
The gift of Holy Spirit is the miraculous ability of Holy Spirit to enable us to minister to God according to the ministry we get from Him.
If we minister in the building of the body of Christ, beginning from the marriage, shepherding, and inter-shepherding, with holiness according to the ministry and the gifts of Holy Spirit, all things will become easy and light. Moreover, all matters will be in progress up to the perfection if we can cooperate with others in the command of one Head, namely one true teaching Word.
Formerly, God employs Joseph from Arimathea who is rich, intelligent, and reverent. Now He employs the Gentiles, who are not rich, intelligent, nor reverent, because of his mercy and trust only. Therefore, we must be alert. Do not become unfaithful or negligent in the ministry and the gifts of Holy Spirit, or else they will be diverted to other person and we cannot get them again forever. For example, Judas Iscariot is replaced by Matthias.
Do not harden your heart keeping the wrong matter as Judas Iscariot has done, or else the righteous matter will be left.
Isaiah 22:15-16, 19-21
22:15. Thus says the Lord GOD of hosts: "Go, proceed to this steward, To Shebna, who is over the house, and say:
22:16 ‘What have you here, and whom have you here, That you have hewn a sepulcher here, As he who hews himself a sepulcher on high, Who carves a tomb for himself in a rock?
22:19 So I will drive you out of your office, And from your position he will pull you down.
22:20 ‘Then it shall be in that day, That I will call My servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah;
22:21 I will clothe him with your robe And strengthen him with your belt; I will commit your responsibility into his hand. He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem And to the house of Judah.
For example, Shebna is unfaithful and he leaves the service and ministry. He, who is the steward over the house turns to one who hews himself a sepulcher.
Ministering to God in the building of the body of Christ, whatever ministries He trusts us, means arranging the palace of heavenly kingdom. Being unfaithful until leaving the ministry, one leaves the palace of heaven to hew a tomb in the world as follows.- Seeking worldly matters until being unfaithful and leaving the service and ministry.
- Never being satisfied.
Proverbs 27:20
27:20. Hell and Destruction are never full; So the eyes of man are never satisfied.
The beginning of dissatisfaction is dry words that do not bring blessing for other people but make their faith weak. It will cause one to enter the tomb.
On the contrary, we can invite other people who have been in the tomb to go to the palace of heaven with our good words encouraging them. - Rottenness or sinful life. One does not regret after sinning and there is no fear of the Lord.
The right attitude is being faithful and trustworthy. We can become the faithful and trustworthy servant of God who is responsible in the ministry and the gifts of Holy Spirit by the resurrection power. - Seeking worldly matters until being unfaithful and leaving the service and ministry.
The death and resurrection experience together with Jesus begins from water baptism.
Romans 6:4
6:4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
The right water baptism happens that we who have died to sin or repented are buried in water together with Jesus and raise in new life, namely heavenly one.
Matthew 3:15-16
3:15 But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he allowed Him.
3:16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.
The water baptism determines whether the heavens can be opened or not, we can have the ambience of heaven or not, and we can enter it or not.
The heavens can be opened and we live in the ambience of heaven through the right water baptism. We have heavenly life, meaning righteous and good deeds, being faithful and trustworthy in service and ministry to God.
The ambience of paradise can be described as the ambience of Canaan, the land of hills and valleys.
Deuteronomy 11:10-11
11:10 "For the land which you go to possess is not like the land of Egypt from which you have come, where you sowed your seed and watered it by foot, as a vegetable garden;
11:11 "but the land which you cross over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water from the rain of heaven,
The valley refers to the death, meaning being righteous and good. The hill refers to the resurrection, meaning being faithful and trustworthy. As a result, the heaven will be opened and our life depends on the rain of grace and kindness of God.
The result is as follows.
- We experience the preservation and protection directly of God.
Deuteronomy 11:12
11:12"a land for which the LORD your God cares; the eyes of the LORD your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the very end of the year.
God is able to preserve us in the midst of our weakness, limitation, and impossibilities. He is also able to protect us from disasters in the world and the sins, so we can live in holiness.
God knows and He is able to finish all our struggling in physical and spiritual life. - God is able to give us real satisfaction and heavenly joy nothing can influence.
Acts 14:17
14:17 "Nevertheless He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness."
As a result, we will not fall into worldly satisfaction or sins. - The grace and kindness of God make us patient with perseverance facing temptations and waiting for Jesus’ second coming.
James 5:7-11
5:7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain.
5:8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
5:9 Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!
5:10 My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience.
5:11 Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord––that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.
We have perseverance in doing three main services to God as follows.- Golden Candlestick or the perseverance in doing General Service.
- Table of Showbread, referring to the perseverance in doing Bible Study Service with Holy Communion.
- Golden Altar of Incense or the perseverance in doing Prayer Service.
We are patient in suffering without any murmuring, being disappointed or hopeless but giving thanks to God.
We can be patient in waiting for the time of God’s help because He will make all things beautiful in His time. Do not take your own solution which is not in line with the Word of God. It is not a solution but dead-end and perdition.
Having patience and perseverance means we lift up our two hands to the Great Shepherd or High Priest. He will also stretch His hands which are full of grace and kindness to us, so there is double healing for our physical and spiritual life. For example, Job.
Job 42:5
42:5 "I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You.
There is spiritual healing miracle that our ears can hear the true teaching Word and obey it, our eyes can see Jesus, and our mouth can worship Him. We can confess that we are only clay which are powerless and not precious, but we can only worship God.
Afterwards, the physical healing miracle will happen for sure.
It continues until Jesus comes a second time that we can be glorified together with God forever. - Golden Candlestick or the perseverance in doing General Service.
God blesses you.