I want to talk to you this morning briefly about cravings. If you ask somebody what foods, they crave. Most people are going to be able to tell you. I mean, they don’t even have to think about it. They already know what they crave, now for me, my name is Paul Mahler and I’m a Carboholic. I crave Carbs. I love carbs. Any kind of carbs, potato chips, potatoes, mashed potatoes, fried potatoes, French fried potatoes, potato, potatoes. It doesn’t matter. Bread, pasta, I crave all that stuff. But the only thing that I crave more than carbs and it’s also a carb, but it falls into different classification. And that would be Reese’s Peanut Butter cups. Reese’s Peanut butter cups are the best thing in the world.

I saw this thing last October because you know, everybody’s going to hand out these candy corns and all this other type of candy. I don’t know why anyone likes candy corn. I don’t think people do actually like candy corn. They just think that since they’re from Indiana and it says corn. So, they think they ought to have to eat it. It doesn’t even taste like corn;

Do You know the best way to eat candy corn? This will change and revolutionize your life. Here’s how you eat candy corn. You take the bag of candy corn; you very carefully open it up because you don’t want to lose any of it and you don’t want to spill it and you take that bag and you dump it upside down into the trash can and you go get yourself a Reese’s.

 To crave something is that you just feel like you can’t live without it. It’s something that you think about. You fantasize about it, you dream about it, and you can’t wait till the next opportunity that you have to participate. That’s what a craving is.

Ok. Now, I’m going to kind of flip things around a little bit on you and I’m going to talk about something that somebody craved in the Bible that you’re going to find over here in the Gospel of Mark. Ok? We spend a lot of time typically in churches talking about the death of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the sacrifice that he made in our place. And we spend a lot of time talking about the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. And the fact because he resurrected from the dead, he’s not dead today. He’s not hanging on a tree somewhere today. He’s not in a grave somewhere today, but he resurrected victoriously over death and sin and therefore can offer us eternal life. We spend a lot of time talking about that, but we don’t spend a whole lot of time talking about the burial. And I want to spend just a little bit of time talking about the burial today.

Mark 15:42–43

42 And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath,

43 Joseph of Arimathaea, an honourable counsellor, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus.

Now, you may be thinking, what in the world does that have to do with Craving stuff? Well, hopefully, that’s going to be clear here real quick. OK. this is after the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Joseph craved for the body of the Lord Jesus Christ; The burial is not just the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ descended into the lower parts of the earth that we read about over in, in Ephesians chapter four or the fact that he spent time in Abraham’s bosom, as we see in Luke chapter 23. But it’s also the fact that he was buried physically, and Joseph craved the body of Jesus.

Now, if something is mentioned one time in the Bible, any time whatsoever, it’s important or else the Lord wouldn’t have put it in the Bible. Amen? if it’s in there two times. It’s a little bit more important if it’s in there three times, or more you will want to pay close attention, this situation is explained in all four gospels. So, it’s something that we might want to pay attention to, but most people don’t really pay much attention to it.

Now, here in Mark, he says that he craved the body of the Lord Jesus Christ and, in the other gospels it says things such as he besought the Body or he beseeched the body, But here, he says that he craved the body of the Lord Jesus Christ; again, as I said, this is mentioned in Matthew 27 here in Mark 15 and over in Luke 23 also in John chapter 19.

To crave something means, to call for it for gratification, to long for something to require or demand to have a passion or an appetite for something. And here Joseph Arimathea, He had an appetite for the body of Jesus and we ought to have an appetite for the Lord Jesus Christ.

We ought to have an appetite to be in and around the body of the Lord Jesus Christ, the body of Christ. So, everybody needs the Lord Jesus Christ, and everybody needs to have an appetite for him it doesn’t matter what state or status you find yourself in.

We see here that Joseph, he was a rich man. He owned his own tomb. It tells us as much in Matthew 27:60, and over in Mark 15:46, It says that he bought the fine linen, and over in John 19:39 we see that Joseph and Nicodemus together, brought over 100 pounds worth of spices to prepare the body of the Lord Jesus Christ.

• He was a rich man. Being rich. Doesn’t make it where it is that you don’t need the Lord Jesus Christ. He still needed him.
• He was a religious man. He was part of the Sanhedrin and he waited for the kingdom of God.
• The Bible says he was a man of reputation in Luke 23, It says that he was good, and he was just, it also says it says that he was honorable.

The Bible says that he was part of the Sanhedrin, but he didn’t give in and consent to their counsel to what they decided to do with the Lord Jesus Christ. He was an honorable man, but none of that matters without Jesus, none of that matters without the Lord. It Doesn’t matter if you’re rich, it doesn’t matter if you’re religious, it doesn’t matter if you’re honorable, it doesn’t matter if you have a good reputation or not; without Jesus, It’s all for nothing.

Now, Joseph, he started off as a secret disciple.

Matthew 27:57

57 When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus’ disciple:

 John chapter 19:38 says that Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews,

John 19:38

38 And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus.

He started off being a secret disciple, but he couldn’t keep it a secret. Once you experience the Lord Jesus Christ, you’ve been around him and around his people, you can’t keep it a secret any longer. Nothing else will satisfy. He went out publicly and boldly asked for the body of the Lord Jesus Christ. He craved the body of Jesus Christ. He publicly proclaimed that he needed the body, he craved it, he needed it.

You must have an appetite for the Lord and just like you tell your, kids, that they can’t eat popsicles 24/ 7 or cupcakes or what have you. You always need to tell them that they have to eat their dinner first. Why do you have to eat your dinner first? Because you’re going to ruin your appetite. If you fill yourself up with all that junk food and all that nonsense, then you’re going to ruin your appetite. And if you have not been craving the Lord Jesus Christ, you haven’t been craving to be around the body of Christ, then I would submit to you that maybe you need to check your diet.

You need to get the junk food of the world, out of your life so that you don’t ruin your appetite for the Lord Jesus Christ and for his people.

Our hope at Irvington Bible Baptist Church is that this podcast provided some encouragement and helped you develop a closer relationship with the LORD Jesus Christ.