The sermon begins by focusing on the biblical figure Joseph of Arimathea, who "craved" the body of Jesus following the crucifixion. Brother Bryant highlights that Joseph was an honorable counselor and a wealthy man who could have used his resources for anything, yet he boldly approached Pilate to beg for the body of a man condemned as a criminal. The speaker emphasizes that at that moment, Jesus’ body could not perform miracles or answer prayers, yet Joseph’s intense desire—his craving—was simply to be near and care for Jesus himself.
Brother Bryant uses this narrative to challenge the modern church, arguing that many believers have lost their "first love" and now hunger after material blessings, signs, and wonders rather than Jesus alone. He stresses that while God provides for needs like careers and family, He must be "Lord over all" rather than secondary to worldly interests. The sermon calls for a return to a "spiritual appetite" where the believer’s primary urge is for righteousness and the presence of God, likening the word of God to something "sweeter than honey".
The message concludes with a stern warning against the "mixed multitude" and the dangers of yielding to worldly lusts. Drawing from the Book of Numbers, Bryant recounts how the Israelites’ craving for the "fleshpots of Egypt"—the fish, cucumbers, and melons they once had—led to their downfall when they rejected the manna God provided. He warns that cravings can either bring life or spiritual death, and he urges the congregation to surrender their personal palettes to God so that their lives might be a reflection of Christ to the world.
Scripture Referenced
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Mark 15:42-43: "And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, 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."
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Matthew 7:7: "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you."
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Matthew 5:6: "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled."
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Job 23:12: "Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food."
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Isaiah 55:2: "Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness."
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Colossians 3:1-2: "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth."
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Numbers 11:1, 4: "And when the people complained, it displeased the Lord: and the Lord heard it; and his anger was kindled... And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat?"
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Numbers 11:32-34: "And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails... And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord smote the people with a very great plague. And he called the name of that place Kibroth-hattaavah: because there they buried the people that lusted."
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Psalm 34:8: "O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him."
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Psalm 119:103: "How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!"
