1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:06,480 Well, we’re continuing our series on the words spoken by Jesus from the cross. 2 00:00:06,480 –> 00:00:13,040 And our aim is that we will see and feel the full extent of his love. 3 00:00:13,040 –> 00:00:16,480 Always remember that there are many ways in which you can know the love of the Lord Jesus 4 00:00:16,480 –> 00:00:18,320 Christ an answered prayer. 5 00:00:18,320 –> 00:00:22,139 You know, you get a job, a healing from some illness. 6 00:00:22,139 –> 00:00:24,260 Some great event within your family. 7 00:00:24,260 –> 00:00:29,139 There are many ways in which we know and experience the love of Christ. 8 00:00:29,180 –> 00:00:33,619 But it is at the cross that you see the full extent of his love. 9 00:00:33,619 –> 00:00:36,400 That’s why we’re spending our time there. 10 00:00:36,400 –> 00:00:41,779 And if you do not know or feel the love of the Lord Jesus Christ. 11 00:00:41,779 –> 00:00:47,939 If somehow the love of Christ seems a long way away from you, I am so glad that you are 12 00:00:47,939 –> 00:00:49,580 here today. 13 00:00:49,580 –> 00:00:56,320 My prayer for us in this service is that you will see and know the love Christ in such 14 00:00:56,340 –> 00:00:58,840 a way that it will be compelling to you. 15 00:00:58,840 –> 00:01:01,599 That you will say, I must have this savior. 16 00:01:01,599 –> 00:01:03,380 I must draw near to him. 17 00:01:03,380 –> 00:01:08,019 A savior who loves me like this. 18 00:01:08,019 –> 00:01:12,000 Now we’re looking today at the fifth word that Jesus spoke from the cross. 19 00:01:12,000 –> 00:01:15,839 And you’ll find it in John Chapter 19 and verse 28. 20 00:01:15,839 –> 00:01:18,239 You might like to turn to that in the Bible. 21 00:01:18,239 –> 00:01:21,080 John Chapter 19 and verse 28. 22 00:01:21,080 –> 00:01:28,559 We read these words that knowing that all was now completed, and so that the scripture 23 00:01:28,559 –> 00:01:34,000 would be fulfilled, Jesus said I am thirsty. 24 00:01:34,000 –> 00:01:36,760 There’s the word I am thirsty. 25 00:01:36,760 –> 00:01:42,680 And we’re then told John says, verse 29, that a jar of wine vinegar was there so they soaked 26 00:01:42,680 –> 00:01:51,220 a sponge in it and put the sponge on a stock of the hyssop plant and lifted it up to Jesus’ 27 00:01:51,220 –> 00:01:52,440 lips. 28 00:01:52,440 –> 00:01:56,120 Now, let me remind you of the story. 29 00:01:56,120 –> 00:02:01,620 It is good for every Christian to have a clear grasp of what happened at the cross. 30 00:02:01,620 –> 00:02:05,900 It is so central to our faith. 31 00:02:05,900 –> 00:02:11,000 We have been learning in this series that Jesus was nailed to the cross at nine o’clock 32 00:02:11,039 –> 00:02:13,119 in the morning. 33 00:02:13,119 –> 00:02:18,160 And between the hours of nine and noon, three hours in which he is hanging on the cross, 34 00:02:18,160 –> 00:02:22,080 he spoke just three times. 35 00:02:22,080 –> 00:02:24,720 When they lifted up the cross, he spoke to his father. 36 00:02:24,720 –> 00:02:26,279 Father, forgive them. 37 00:02:26,279 –> 00:02:29,279 They do not know what they are doing. 38 00:02:29,279 –> 00:02:36,139 Sometime later, he spoke to the thief nearby on another cross and said to him, Today you 39 00:02:36,139 –> 00:02:39,820 will be with me in paradise. 40 00:02:39,820 –> 00:02:45,539 Then sometime later, Jesus spoke to his mother and to John as we saw last week. 41 00:02:45,539 –> 00:02:50,520 They were at the foot of the cross, and Jesus said Dear Woman, here is your son and to John 42 00:02:50,520 –> 00:02:53,380 he said, Here is your mother. 43 00:02:53,380 –> 00:02:56,059 Now think about this. 44 00:02:56,059 –> 00:03:02,199 Three sentences in three hours. 45 00:03:02,220 –> 00:03:11,020 All the rest of that time the Lord Jesus is simply hanging there and suffering in silence. 46 00:03:11,020 –> 00:03:15,720 And every minute must have seemed like an eternity. 47 00:03:15,720 –> 00:03:22,960 Then at noon, after three hours in which Jesus has only spoken three times, at noon darkness 48 00:03:22,960 –> 00:03:25,979 covers the land. 49 00:03:25,979 –> 00:03:31,479 And now for another three hours, from noon till three o’clock, Jesus who had suffered 50 00:03:31,479 –> 00:03:37,800 the pain and ridicule and hatred of men in the light, is now plunged into something far 51 00:03:37,800 –> 00:03:38,800 worse. 52 00:03:38,800 –> 00:03:44,259 We have learned that in these hours Jesus entered all the dimensions of hell on the 53 00:03:44,259 –> 00:03:46,179 cross. 54 00:03:46,179 –> 00:03:51,419 And we thought about what these are, we saw that hell is conscious suffering. 55 00:03:51,419 –> 00:03:54,380 That it is the blackest darkness. 56 00:03:54,380 –> 00:04:00,839 That evil powers are unleashed, that it involves bearing sin that it involves being under the 57 00:04:00,839 –> 00:04:08,020 judgment of God, and worst of all the love of God being beyond your reach. 58 00:04:08,020 –> 00:04:14,080 And Jesus entered all these dimensions of hell on the cross, we said hell is that real 59 00:04:14,080 –> 00:04:19,600 because this happened, it really did, it happened. 60 00:04:19,720 –> 00:04:30,540 Jesus endured all that hell is on the cross and he did it so that you need never know 61 00:04:30,540 –> 00:04:35,000 what hell is like to save you from it. 62 00:04:35,000 –> 00:04:42,220 Now, this darkness lasted then for three hours from noon until three o’clock and in all of 63 00:04:42,220 –> 00:04:48,779 that time, our Lord Jesus did not speak a single word. 64 00:04:48,779 –> 00:04:55,579 So now think about it, Jesus has been on the cross for six hours and he has only spoken 65 00:04:55,579 –> 00:04:59,019 three times. 66 00:04:59,019 –> 00:05:03,540 Then what I want us to see today is that suddenly everything changes. 67 00:05:03,540 –> 00:05:13,380 The silence is broken and in quick succession, Jesus speaks not once but four times. 68 00:05:13,380 –> 00:05:17,380 To see this, you have to put together the accounts that we’re given in the four different 69 00:05:17,880 –> 00:05:19,980 gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. 70 00:05:19,980 –> 00:05:25,019 But when, like in a jigsaw puzzle, you put the various pieces that fit together, you 71 00:05:25,019 –> 00:05:32,019 see the big picture and see that these events unfolded in very quick succession. 72 00:05:32,019 –> 00:05:35,540 So for those of you who like jigsaw puzzles, you’ll find the next minute so interesting 73 00:05:35,540 –> 00:05:37,459 and for those who don’t, don’t worry. 74 00:05:37,459 –> 00:05:41,019 The conclusion is coming very, very soon. 75 00:05:41,019 –> 00:05:43,380 Let me put these pieces together for you. 76 00:05:43,380 –> 00:05:46,299 I think you’ll find this helpful. 77 00:05:46,299 –> 00:05:54,260 Mark tells us that at the ninth hour, at the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud 78 00:05:54,260 –> 00:06:01,059 voice, aloe loi lama sabachthani, which means my God, my God, why have you forsaken me. 79 00:06:01,059 –> 00:06:05,679 Then Matthew tells us that when he said this, immediately they said oh, we must be calling 80 00:06:05,679 –> 00:06:06,679 Elijah. 81 00:06:06,679 –> 00:06:07,679 You say aloe loi, loi. 82 00:06:07,679 –> 00:06:08,679 He wasn’t. 83 00:06:08,679 –> 00:06:12,299 He was calling out to God, but they were trying to mock him and so they said he must be calling 84 00:06:12,299 –> 00:06:13,299 Elijah. 85 00:06:13,299 –> 00:06:17,500 And then Matthew says immediately after Jesus said my God, my God, why have you forsaken 86 00:06:17,500 –> 00:06:24,660 me, someone got a sponge and filled it with wine vinegar and put it on a stick and offered 87 00:06:24,660 –> 00:06:26,760 it to Jesus to drink. 88 00:06:26,760 –> 00:06:31,899 Now, we’ve just read from John’s gospel that they brought the wine vinegar on the stick 89 00:06:31,899 –> 00:06:37,559 after Jesus said I am thirsty, which only leads to this one conclusion, that Jesus must 90 00:06:37,559 –> 00:06:43,220 have said I thirst, immediately after he said why have you forsaken me. 91 00:06:43,299 –> 00:06:47,540 And that was when they gave him the wine vinegar. 92 00:06:47,540 –> 00:06:56,540 Then Mark tells us that Jesus breathed his last when they had brought him the wine vinegar. 93 00:06:56,540 –> 00:07:03,019 And John tells us that when they brought the wine vinegar, Jesus said it is finished. 94 00:07:03,019 –> 00:07:05,940 Look at that, God willing next week. 95 00:07:06,420 –> 00:07:11,140 Luke tells us that when Jesus breathed his last, he said, 96 00:07:11,140 –> 00:07:17,040 Father into your hand I commit my spirit. 97 00:07:17,040 –> 00:07:21,119 When you put the sequence of all of these events recorded in the 4 Gospels together 98 00:07:21,119 –> 00:07:25,700 it becomes very clear that these events happened quickly. 99 00:07:25,700 –> 00:07:31,040 Jesus has been on the cross for 6 hours and has only spoken 3 times during the first 3 100 00:07:31,320 –> 00:07:37,399 nothing at all said during the second 3 hours and then suddenly rapid fire at the 9th hour 101 00:07:37,399 –> 00:07:44,179 after 6 hours on the cross, my God, my God why have you forsaken me. 102 00:07:44,179 –> 00:07:51,040 I am thirsty, someone goes and gets some vinegar, puts it on a stick, it is finished. 103 00:07:51,040 –> 00:07:54,260 Into your hands I commit my spirit. 104 00:07:54,260 –> 00:07:58,000 And He breathed his last. 105 00:07:58,000 –> 00:08:03,600 Those who spoke just 3 times in 6 hours now speak 4 times in a matter of moments. 106 00:08:03,600 –> 00:08:11,160 And the speed is even more striking in the original language. 107 00:08:11,160 –> 00:08:17,119 You see here Jesus said I am thirsty, 3 words in English. 108 00:08:17,119 –> 00:08:23,839 But in the Greek, in the original text of this, it is just 1 word. 109 00:08:24,720 –> 00:08:31,040 Again, in verse 30 of John 19, the triumphant cry that followed, Jesus says it is finished. 110 00:08:31,040 –> 00:08:38,659 Again, that is 3 words in English, but again it is just 1 word in Greek, Tetalesthai. 111 00:08:38,659 –> 00:08:45,979 So after 6 hours, in which Jesus has only spoken 3 times, suddenly, quick fire, it’s 112 00:08:46,739 –> 00:08:51,539 my God, my God, why have You forsaken me? 113 00:08:51,539 –> 00:09:00,979 Dipso, Tetalesthai, into Your hands I commit my spirit! 114 00:09:00,979 –> 00:09:08,700 Now what is happening here, therefore, is packed with significance and it is of huge 115 00:09:08,700 –> 00:09:13,580 importance for our lives today. 116 00:09:13,580 –> 00:09:18,099 Now we’re looking at the fifth cry today from the cross and I want us to see two things, 117 00:09:18,099 –> 00:09:22,179 one is what it meant for Jesus and the other is what it means for us today. 118 00:09:22,179 –> 00:09:26,840 And I want you to see how these two are tied closely together because when you know what 119 00:09:26,840 –> 00:09:31,219 it meant for Jesus, you grasp what it means for us today. 120 00:09:31,219 –> 00:09:33,419 Here’s the first thing then. 121 00:09:33,419 –> 00:09:41,739 Jesus said, I thirst because He was suffering in agony. 122 00:09:41,739 –> 00:09:42,919 In agony. 123 00:09:42,960 –> 00:09:45,440 Think about this. 124 00:09:45,440 –> 00:09:49,719 Jesus had been on the cross for six hours. 125 00:09:50,719 –> 00:10:00,140 I can’t imagine being on a cross for six minutes, let alone six hours. 126 00:10:00,140 –> 00:10:05,840 And with every hour that passed, the intensity of His suffering increased. 127 00:10:05,840 –> 00:10:11,460 Fever would have raged in Him as the wounds around the nails in His hands and in His feet 128 00:10:11,799 –> 00:10:15,359 widened over time under the weight of His body. 129 00:10:17,140 –> 00:10:24,679 As the blood seeped from the wounds, over these long hours, the hydration would progressively 130 00:10:24,700 –> 00:10:27,520 set in. 131 00:10:27,520 –> 00:10:31,299 It must have felt as if His whole body was burning. 132 00:10:33,359 –> 00:10:40,640 And Jesus, who had said, if anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink, now says, 133 00:10:41,099 –> 00:10:42,299 I thirst. 134 00:10:45,039 –> 00:10:51,760 This word is of special importance because it is the only time that Jesus refers to His 135 00:10:51,780 –> 00:10:53,599 suffering on the cross. 136 00:10:53,599 –> 00:10:55,880 The only time. 137 00:10:55,880 –> 00:11:01,280 You think about it, the other words that He spoke on the cross, were all for a very different 138 00:11:01,280 –> 00:11:02,760 purpose. 139 00:11:02,760 –> 00:11:06,280 He speaks to forgive others. 140 00:11:06,280 –> 00:11:08,760 He speaks to open paradise. 141 00:11:08,780 –> 00:11:11,119 He speaks to provide for His mother. 142 00:11:11,119 –> 00:11:13,799 He speaks to reveal the anguish of hell. 143 00:11:13,799 –> 00:11:16,880 He speaks as we’ll see next week to announce the atonement. 144 00:11:16,880 –> 00:11:22,020 It is finished, and He speaks to trust His Spirit into the hands of the Father. 145 00:11:22,020 –> 00:11:26,479 But only at this time does He speak out of His own suffering. 146 00:11:26,479 –> 00:11:33,599 This word comes out of the agony of what Jesus is experiencing on the cross. 147 00:11:33,599 –> 00:11:35,039 I thirst. 148 00:11:35,039 –> 00:11:41,599 This is telling us Jesus knows suffering in the extreme from the inside. 149 00:11:41,599 –> 00:11:43,039 That’s its importance. 150 00:11:43,039 –> 00:11:46,520 Now, here’s the principle that we’re laying down today. 151 00:11:46,520 –> 00:11:50,780 When you know what this thirsting means for Jesus, meant for Jesus, you will discover 152 00:11:50,780 –> 00:11:52,380 what it means for us today. 153 00:11:52,380 –> 00:11:55,200 So let’s straight away get to this application. 154 00:11:55,239 –> 00:12:01,559 Jesus thirsted because of His suffering. 155 00:12:01,559 –> 00:12:06,880 Therefore, He is able to help those who suffer. 156 00:12:06,880 –> 00:12:08,940 That’s what it means for us. 157 00:12:08,940 –> 00:12:13,200 Now, friends, we all suffer in various ways. 158 00:12:13,200 –> 00:12:17,200 And every one of us has something that we could say, well, you know, I wish I didn’t 159 00:12:17,200 –> 00:12:18,520 have this to deal with. 160 00:12:18,520 –> 00:12:21,239 That’s part of life. 161 00:12:21,260 –> 00:12:30,340 But there will come some time in your life, when you reach the outer edge of your own 162 00:12:30,340 –> 00:12:34,780 endurance and suffering, you’ll say, I have experienced many things but I’ve never 163 00:12:34,780 –> 00:12:39,340 been in a place like this before. 164 00:12:39,340 –> 00:12:41,320 Some of you are there now. 165 00:12:41,320 –> 00:12:47,559 You think of some folks I’ve been praying for in the congregation this week, who are 166 00:12:48,099 –> 00:12:56,780 utterly, unbearably crushed and they are at the outer edge of their own endurance of 167 00:12:56,780 –> 00:12:59,299 suffering. 168 00:12:59,299 –> 00:13:07,419 And what this Word tells us is simply this, when you get there, Jesus has been there before 169 00:13:07,419 –> 00:13:13,099 and he is able to stand with you as no one else ever could. 170 00:13:13,099 –> 00:13:14,239 E.W. 171 00:13:14,239 –> 00:13:20,840 Pink says it so well, is your body racked with pain? 172 00:13:20,840 –> 00:13:23,340 So was his. 173 00:13:23,340 –> 00:13:27,460 Are you misunderstood, misjudged, misrepresented? 174 00:13:27,460 –> 00:13:29,580 So was he. 175 00:13:29,580 –> 00:13:32,960 Have those who are nearest and dearest turned away from you? 176 00:13:32,960 –> 00:13:35,520 They did from him. 177 00:13:35,520 –> 00:13:38,260 Are you in darkness? 178 00:13:38,260 –> 00:13:41,059 So was he. 179 00:13:41,080 –> 00:13:49,440 Our Lord Jesus suffered in order that he may be the gracious and faithful high priest to 180 00:13:49,440 –> 00:13:51,940 whom we can come. 181 00:13:51,940 –> 00:14:00,419 And there is no one who can minister to you in the agonies of your life like Jesus. 182 00:14:00,419 –> 00:14:09,440 And then, by the name of Edward Shillito, was an English minister who survived the horrors 183 00:14:09,479 –> 00:14:13,299 of trench warfare in the first world war. 184 00:14:13,299 –> 00:14:20,960 I mean, the agonies of that suffering and what that man saw, indescribable. 185 00:14:20,960 –> 00:14:27,960 And as a pastor, what came out of that experience in the trenches between 1914 and 1918 was 186 00:14:28,919 –> 00:14:35,919 that he saw with a great clarity that a suffering world desperately needs a suffering Savior. 187 00:14:36,799 –> 00:14:42,440 And he made a study of world religions and reflected on what the religions of the world 188 00:14:42,440 –> 00:14:49,440 have to offer and asked this question, a suffering world needs a God who knows about suffering 189 00:14:49,440 –> 00:14:51,320 and where in the world do you find that? 190 00:14:51,320 –> 00:14:58,320 And there’s only one place, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 191 00:14:58,840 –> 00:15:05,840 And he wrote a beautiful poem called Jesus off the Scars. 192 00:15:06,039 –> 00:15:13,039 And his last verse is very moving to me as he looks at the religion of the world and 193 00:15:14,280 –> 00:15:21,280 he writes these words, The other Gods were strong but you were weak. 194 00:15:26,719 –> 00:15:33,719 They rode but you did stumble to your throne. 195 00:15:33,739 –> 00:15:40,739 But, to our wounds only God’s wounds can speak. 196 00:15:42,059 –> 00:15:49,059 And there’s no God that has wounds but you alone. 197 00:15:52,200 –> 00:15:59,200 Where can you go when you reach the outer edge of your suffering? 198 00:15:59,479 –> 00:16:06,479 To a Savior who had wounds in His hands and in His feet? 199 00:16:07,219 –> 00:16:12,760 To a Savior who pushed to the outer edge of suffering 200 00:16:12,760 –> 00:16:17,200 in the unbearable agonies of the cross cried out, 201 00:16:17,200 –> 00:16:23,119 I thirst. He suffered. He went to the outer edge. 202 00:16:23,119 –> 00:16:28,380 He’s been there. And that is why He is uniquely able. 203 00:16:28,380 –> 00:16:33,979 Uniquely able to help those who suffer. 204 00:16:33,979 –> 00:16:39,640 If you are in an agony of soul today, 205 00:16:39,840 –> 00:16:47,979 do not move away from Jesus. He is the very one to whom you must come. 206 00:16:48,599 –> 00:16:55,119 draw near to Him today. He’ll meet you at the outer edge of your suffering. 207 00:16:56,080 –> 00:17:01,200 But there’s more here, folks, than the physical suffering of Jesus. 208 00:17:01,200 –> 00:17:07,459 He had been suffering for a long time. I mean, when they scourged Him, He said 209 00:17:07,479 –> 00:17:12,719 nothing about that then. When they placed the crown of thorns on His head He said 210 00:17:12,719 –> 00:17:16,660 nothing about His suffering then. When they nailed Him to the cross, He said 211 00:17:16,660 –> 00:17:22,520 nothing about His suffering then. So why does he speak about His suffering now? 212 00:17:22,979 –> 00:17:25,540 Well, look at what John tells us 213 00:17:25,540 –> 00:17:29,219 here in John chapter 19 and verse 28. I hope 214 00:17:29,219 –> 00:17:33,680 you have this verse open before you, because John gives us the significance 215 00:17:33,680 –> 00:17:39,380 of what Jesus is saying here. Let me put it this way. Jesus said, 216 00:17:39,380 –> 00:17:46,739 I thirst so that the Scripture would be fulfilled. Notice that it says that there, 217 00:17:46,900 –> 00:17:54,739 so that the Scripture would be fulfilled. Jesus said I thirst. This was the reason 218 00:17:54,739 –> 00:18:00,660 John says. This is why he said this and this is why he said this at this time. 219 00:18:01,300 –> 00:18:06,739 Now you can make a long, long, long list of all the Scriptures that are fulfilled 220 00:18:06,739 –> 00:18:11,699 in the suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let me just remind you of some of them 221 00:18:11,699 –> 00:18:17,859 that are particularly fulfilled here. The first is in Psalm 22. If you’ve never read 222 00:18:17,859 –> 00:18:25,699 through that Psalm, I commend it to you. It is an amazing, detailed prophecy fulfilled 223 00:18:25,699 –> 00:18:31,459 in the sufferings of Jesus, written a thousand years before the time of Christ, in a culture 224 00:18:31,459 –> 00:18:36,739 where crucifixion was not known. It is amazing. Only God could do this 225 00:18:36,900 –> 00:18:42,819 and the whole Psalm gives an extraordinary detailed picture of what was fulfilled in 226 00:18:42,819 –> 00:18:47,619 Christ. So let me give you some examples. Psalm 22. Now think of this, written in a 227 00:18:47,619 –> 00:18:52,579 culture a thousand years before Jesus and a culture where crucifixion is not known. 228 00:18:52,579 –> 00:18:56,420 The psalmist says,” they have pierced my hands and my feet. 229 00:18:58,579 –> 00:19:03,459 There is no experience in the life of David that corresponds to this as he was given these 230 00:19:03,459 –> 00:19:06,819 words by the Holy Spirit. He must have wondered what in all the world they meant. 231 00:19:06,819 –> 00:19:08,739 They have pierced my hands and my feet. 232 00:19:10,260 –> 00:19:15,939 All who see me mock me with the huddle insults shaking their heads. He trusts in the Lord. 233 00:19:15,939 –> 00:19:20,500 Let the Lord rescue him.” Then Psalm 22 verse 18, 234 00:19:20,500 –> 00:19:24,660 They divide my garment among them, casting lots for my clothing, 235 00:19:25,859 –> 00:19:31,780 And then particularly relating to the thirsting of Jesus, listen to these words. Psalm 22 in verse 15 236 00:19:31,780 –> 00:19:38,339 My strength is dried up like a pottery 13. My strength is dried up like a potsherd. 237 00:19:52,180 –> 00:20:00,339 My strength has been dried up like a pottery, And my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. 238 00:20:02,180 –> 00:20:08,579 Thirst. The second psalm that is very distinctive fulfilled here and 239 00:20:08,579 –> 00:20:14,900 even more specifically so. Psalm 69. Let me just give you again some samples of 240 00:20:14,900 –> 00:20:21,459 how this is fulfilled by Jesus on the Cross. Psalm 69 verse 3 I am worn out by calling for help. 241 00:20:21,459 –> 00:20:24,020 See that my god? My God why have you forsaken me? 242 00:20:24,800 –> 00:20:33,420 My throat is parched! My eyes fail looking for my God. A parched throat, 243 00:20:33,420 –> 00:20:38,079 he says and then in that same psalm, where we hear about the parched throat, 244 00:20:38,079 –> 00:20:45,619 it says this in verse 21 of Psalm 69, They gave me vinegar for my thirst. 245 00:20:45,760 –> 00:20:55,219 For my thirst. Matthew Henry says when heaven denied him a beam of light, 246 00:20:55,219 –> 00:21:04,619 Earth denied him a drop of water and gave him vinegar instead. 247 00:21:04,619 –> 00:21:07,619 Now, what John is telling us here is that the Lord Jesus Christ was 248 00:21:07,619 –> 00:21:10,880 consciously fulfilling these scriptures. He had his eye on it, 249 00:21:10,920 –> 00:21:14,719 He put water in his mind so that the scriptures may be fulfilled. 250 00:21:14,719 –> 00:21:18,239 He said, I thirst and that prompted them to bring him what 251 00:21:18,239 –> 00:21:22,319 vinegar on a stick. He knows what he is doing. They have no 252 00:21:22,319 –> 00:21:25,719 idea that they are fulfilling the scripture in their act of 253 00:21:25,719 –> 00:21:30,839 cruelty and mockery. So, John is very clear that amazingly 254 00:21:30,839 –> 00:21:35,839 jesus is fulfilling these detailed scriptures. You see, 255 00:21:35,839 –> 00:21:39,520 throughout the Old Testament, God promised that there would be 256 00:21:39,719 –> 00:21:43,439 one on whom all human hopes would rest who would come into 257 00:21:43,439 –> 00:21:48,000 the world. The name would be Messiah and Jesus wants you to 258 00:21:48,000 –> 00:21:51,680 know beyond the shadow of a doubt that he is the one. There 259 00:21:51,680 –> 00:21:54,560 can be no reasonable doubt when you look at the detailed 260 00:21:54,560 –> 00:21:58,000 prophecies of the Old Testament and what happens in him. Look 261 00:21:58,000 –> 00:22:01,599 at this jesus say and you will see that I am the one on whom 262 00:22:01,599 –> 00:22:07,599 all human hopes depend now. Again, when you know what Lewis 263 00:22:08,160 –> 00:22:11,760 meant for jesus You will discover what it means for us. 264 00:22:11,760 –> 00:22:17,099 So let me make the second application. Jesus thirsted to 265 00:22:17,099 –> 00:22:21,579 fulfill the scriptures. That’s what John says. That’s why he 266 00:22:21,579 –> 00:22:25,739 said I thirst and therefore prompted the bringing of the 267 00:22:25,739 –> 00:22:31,739 vinegar. So, because he fulfilled the scriptures in this 268 00:22:31,739 –> 00:22:34,859 way, because he is the one who fulfills the scripture, he is 269 00:22:34,859 –> 00:22:37,579 able therefore to deliver everything that the scriptures 270 00:22:38,260 –> 00:22:42,280 promise. Everything that you find promised in the bible is 271 00:22:42,280 –> 00:22:47,020 yours through christ Jesus and none of it is ours without 272 00:22:47,020 –> 00:22:53,560 christ Jesus. Now think about what this means. It’s wonderful 273 00:22:53,560 –> 00:22:57,819 . He’s able to deliver all the promises of god into your life 274 00:22:57,819 –> 00:23:00,119 because he is the one who fulfills the scriptures. That’s 275 00:23:00,119 –> 00:23:06,420 what it means for us today. Now, Jesus not only fulfilled 276 00:23:06,420 –> 00:23:09,920 the prodigal and pictures on the cross, he of course also 277 00:23:09,920 –> 00:23:17,020 fulfilled his own words on the cross. And most distinctly, as 278 00:23:17,020 –> 00:23:20,619 we think about Jesus saying, I thirst here he is fulfilling 279 00:23:20,619 –> 00:23:24,219 what he had said himself when he said earlier in the gospels. 280 00:23:24,219 –> 00:23:28,020 John says records, the word of Jesus who ever drinks the 281 00:23:28,020 –> 00:23:33,359 water, I will give him will never thirst. Jesus said, and 282 00:23:33,359 –> 00:23:36,219 he says, if anyone is thirsty, let him come to me to drink. 283 00:23:37,219 –> 00:23:42,020 So here, Jesus is saying these amazing things because he is 284 00:23:42,020 –> 00:23:47,719 the living water and he gives living water. Whoever drinks 285 00:23:47,719 –> 00:23:52,859 the water I give will never thirst again. If anyone is 286 00:23:52,859 –> 00:23:57,719 thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Now, of course that 287 00:23:57,719 –> 00:24:00,420 raises a huge question, all right. So there’s life in 288 00:24:00,420 –> 00:24:04,119 Jesus. There is living water in Jesus. There is satisfaction 289 00:24:04,119 –> 00:24:07,459 for every human thirst in Jesus. But how does all that 290 00:24:07,459 –> 00:24:13,760 is in Jesus get to us? That’s the question. In the 291 00:24:13,760 –> 00:24:18,780 Old Testament there is a familiar story that gives us 292 00:24:18,780 –> 00:24:23,760 the answer in a beautiful picture. Way back in the Old 293 00:24:23,760 –> 00:24:27,180 Testament when God’s people were in the desert, dry as 294 00:24:27,180 –> 00:24:32,260 dust. And they got thirsty. And they desperately needed 295 00:24:32,300 –> 00:24:37,819 water and there was none there. Without water you die. 296 00:24:37,819 –> 00:24:44,780 And God said to Moses, strike the rock. And water will 297 00:24:44,780 –> 00:24:48,680 flow from it for the people to drink. That’s Exodus 298 00:24:48,680 –> 00:24:53,660 chapter seventeen in verse six. And Moses struck this 299 00:24:53,660 –> 00:24:57,079 rock with his rod and the Scriptures record that this 300 00:24:57,079 –> 00:25:01,599 stream of water flowed out. Now all of these things the 301 00:25:01,599 –> 00:25:04,500 Bible tells us happen not simply for the people in that 302 00:25:04,500 –> 00:25:07,000 generation, they were all given for us so that we could 303 00:25:07,000 –> 00:25:12,400 understand the bigger picture of how God works. And that 304 00:25:12,400 –> 00:25:15,800 picture from the desert is a wonderful description of what 305 00:25:15,800 –> 00:25:19,140 was happening on the cross. The Lord Jesus Christ in whom 306 00:25:19,140 –> 00:25:22,479 is the living water was struck. He was struck down on 307 00:25:22,479 –> 00:25:26,479 the cross and as a result of him being struck on the cross 308 00:25:26,479 –> 00:25:29,959 what happened? The living water that is in him is 309 00:25:29,959 –> 00:25:33,880 released so that because of his death and resurrection it 310 00:25:33,880 –> 00:25:37,959 may come to you and you may receive the living water that 311 00:25:37,959 –> 00:25:42,680 he is and about which he spoke. So we can put it this way 312 00:25:42,680 –> 00:25:45,359 that the one who is living water he really became 313 00:25:45,359 –> 00:25:52,680 thirsty so that we who are thirsty may receive the living 314 00:25:52,680 –> 00:25:55,540 water. It’s through his death and through his resurrection 315 00:25:55,540 –> 00:25:59,660 that this life that is in him gets to us and all that is 316 00:25:59,680 –> 00:26:03,439 promised in the scripture is delivered through Jesus Christ. 317 00:26:04,800 –> 00:26:11,160 Again, A.W. Pink he looks at the world and observing just 318 00:26:11,979 –> 00:26:14,839 how our world is he asks this question. 319 00:26:17,060 –> 00:26:22,959 Why this consuming desire to acquire wealth what drives 320 00:26:22,959 –> 00:26:26,300 that pushing people every day. 321 00:26:26,500 –> 00:26:31,459 Why this craving for honors and plaudits from the world. 322 00:26:33,119 –> 00:26:37,819 Why this mad rush after pleasure turning from one form 323 00:26:37,819 –> 00:26:38,900 of it to another. 324 00:26:40,079 –> 00:26:44,180 Why this ransacking of the writings of the ancients and why 325 00:26:44,180 –> 00:26:47,479 this ceaseless experimentation of the moderns. 326 00:26:47,719 –> 00:26:48,920 He says why. 327 00:26:50,420 –> 00:26:55,500 And the answers this way because there is an aching void in the 328 00:26:55,500 –> 00:26:56,099 soul. 329 00:26:56,400 –> 00:26:59,239 You look at your life, I challenge you, you look at your 330 00:26:59,239 –> 00:27:03,719 life and you will see that it is a playing out of the deep thirst 331 00:27:03,719 –> 00:27:04,400 of your own soul. 332 00:27:06,260 –> 00:27:07,579 Your whole life. 333 00:27:08,959 –> 00:27:12,699 And the Lord Jesus Christ comes and he says, if anyone is 334 00:27:12,699 –> 00:27:16,239 thirsty let him come to me and drink. 335 00:27:18,699 –> 00:27:20,459 Lord Jesus I am thirsty. 336 00:27:21,959 –> 00:27:25,219 My whole life is a playing out of these thirsts. 337 00:27:26,859 –> 00:27:32,619 And these firsts cannot be met apart from you. 338 00:27:35,699 –> 00:27:39,000 Here’s something very wonderful being a Christian is more 339 00:27:39,000 –> 00:27:41,079 than you living your life for Jesus. 340 00:27:42,920 –> 00:27:47,819 Being a Christian involves Jesus Christ living his life in you. 341 00:27:50,739 –> 00:27:55,819 So he says, whoever believes in me streams of living water will 342 00:27:55,819 –> 00:27:57,640 flow up from within him. 343 00:27:57,640 –> 00:27:59,619 And by this, he meant the Holy Spirit, 344 00:28:00,760 –> 00:28:02,060 his presence in your life. 345 00:28:02,060 –> 00:28:06,300 See, faith unites you to Jesus Christ so that his death 346 00:28:06,300 –> 00:28:09,800 and resurrection really become yours. 347 00:28:09,800 –> 00:28:12,780 That’s why when you’re in him and he was in hell for you, 348 00:28:12,780 –> 00:28:14,680 you don’t go there because you’re in him 349 00:28:14,680 –> 00:28:16,280 and it’s already passed for you. 350 00:28:17,859 –> 00:28:19,739 And his life comes to you. 351 00:28:19,739 –> 00:28:22,339 Faith brings the presence of Jesus to your soul 352 00:28:22,359 –> 00:28:24,400 so he’s with you even in your suffering. 353 00:28:25,859 –> 00:28:28,339 And his presence in your life will be, he says, 354 00:28:28,339 –> 00:28:31,380 like a spring of living water that wells up within you 355 00:28:31,380 –> 00:28:33,000 to everlasting life. 356 00:28:35,579 –> 00:28:38,640 What you say with me today, Lord Jesus, give me this water. 357 00:28:39,939 –> 00:28:41,800 Pour out your spirit on me. 358 00:28:43,500 –> 00:28:47,560 Let your life well up in the dry and dusty ground 359 00:28:47,560 –> 00:28:50,180 of this life and this soul. 360 00:28:53,260 –> 00:28:56,959 He said I thirst because he was fulfilling the scriptures 361 00:28:56,959 –> 00:28:59,439 and what that means for us is that he’s able to deliver 362 00:28:59,439 –> 00:29:01,939 every promise of God into your life. 363 00:29:01,939 –> 00:29:03,699 None of it is yours without him, 364 00:29:03,699 –> 00:29:05,400 but all of it is yours with him. 365 00:29:05,400 –> 00:29:07,540 That’s why if you have Jesus Christ, 366 00:29:07,540 –> 00:29:09,699 you are rich whatever you face. 367 00:29:09,699 –> 00:29:11,619 And if you do not have Jesus Christ, 368 00:29:11,619 –> 00:29:13,819 you are poor whatever you’ve got. 369 00:29:17,060 –> 00:29:18,739 He thirsted because of his suffering, 370 00:29:18,739 –> 00:29:20,959 so he’s able to help us when we suffer. 371 00:29:22,660 –> 00:29:24,979 He thirsted to fulfill the scripture 372 00:29:24,979 –> 00:29:27,819 so he’s able to deliver all that the scripture promises. 373 00:29:29,859 –> 00:29:33,319 Here’s the third thing, and the last thing today. 374 00:29:35,060 –> 00:29:39,939 Jesus said I thirst because he knew 375 00:29:41,119 –> 00:29:45,560 that he had completed his work. 376 00:29:45,560 –> 00:29:47,000 Now, again, I want you to see this 377 00:29:47,000 –> 00:29:49,319 right in the Bible in front of you. 378 00:29:49,319 –> 00:29:51,339 It is a very striking statement 379 00:29:51,420 –> 00:29:53,680 and one that may often have been missed. 380 00:29:54,660 –> 00:29:57,540 Notice verse 28 what John says 381 00:29:57,540 –> 00:30:00,880 explaining this fifth word of Jesus. 382 00:30:01,959 –> 00:30:06,959 Knowing that all was now completed. 383 00:30:07,780 –> 00:30:09,099 Notice these four words. 384 00:30:09,099 –> 00:30:12,140 All was now completed 385 00:30:13,180 –> 00:30:15,219 and Jesus knew this. 386 00:30:15,219 –> 00:30:18,219 Knowing that all was now completed, 387 00:30:18,219 –> 00:30:21,739 Jesus said, I thirst. 388 00:30:21,739 –> 00:30:24,819 Now this is a hugely important piece of information 389 00:30:24,819 –> 00:30:27,500 for understanding what was going on at the cross. 390 00:30:27,500 –> 00:30:30,599 At this moment Jesus knew that all was now completed. 391 00:30:32,339 –> 00:30:34,979 Now think with me about this for a moment 392 00:30:34,979 –> 00:30:37,920 when you know that it is now completed. 393 00:30:40,020 –> 00:30:42,420 When a student finishes the last question 394 00:30:42,420 –> 00:30:43,900 of her final exam, 395 00:30:44,880 –> 00:30:49,880 her mind turns to the joys of life beyond graduation, right? 396 00:30:52,020 –> 00:30:55,060 When a prisoner reaches the last day of his sentences, 397 00:30:55,060 –> 00:31:00,060 my last day inside, his mind turns to 398 00:31:00,239 –> 00:31:03,819 the joys that lie in freedom beyond the prison walls. 399 00:31:05,300 –> 00:31:10,140 When a mother giving birth to a child in her pain 400 00:31:10,140 –> 00:31:14,319 knows that it is her last push in her labor 401 00:31:14,319 –> 00:31:19,199 and her mind turns to the imminent joy of holding her baby, 402 00:31:20,520 –> 00:31:23,180 when you buy a gift that is costly 403 00:31:25,060 –> 00:31:26,719 and you take it out of the store, 404 00:31:26,719 –> 00:31:31,560 your mind is on giving it to the one you love. 405 00:31:33,719 –> 00:31:36,479 When you know that all is now completed, 406 00:31:36,479 –> 00:31:40,439 your mind turns to the joy that lies ahead. 407 00:31:40,439 –> 00:31:45,439 And so while these words of Jesus express the awful pain 408 00:31:45,599 –> 00:31:47,239 that is searing through his body, 409 00:31:47,239 –> 00:31:52,239 they also, according to John, express his intense longing 410 00:31:53,780 –> 00:31:57,500 to enter into the full joy of his reward, 411 00:31:59,060 –> 00:32:02,640 he has born the guilt of sin, 412 00:32:02,640 –> 00:32:05,359 he has absorbed the pains of hell, 413 00:32:06,800 –> 00:32:11,800 God’s wrath has burned itself out on him in the darkness 414 00:32:12,119 –> 00:32:15,300 as far as you are concerned if you are a Christian believer. 415 00:32:17,520 –> 00:32:21,079 And now, after enduring all of this 416 00:32:22,640 –> 00:32:24,959 and knowing that all is now completed, 417 00:32:24,959 –> 00:32:26,400 Jesus says, I thirst! 418 00:32:26,400 –> 00:32:28,280 What is he thirsting for? 419 00:32:29,719 –> 00:32:31,819 What are others more than that? 420 00:32:32,760 –> 00:32:36,819 He’s longing to feel again the joy of his father’s love. 421 00:32:38,140 –> 00:32:40,780 He’s aching and thirsting for the moment 422 00:32:40,780 –> 00:32:43,219 while he will gather redeemed people 423 00:32:43,219 –> 00:32:45,339 into the presence of the father in heaven. 424 00:32:45,339 –> 00:32:48,339 He thirsts for the fruit of his suffering. 425 00:32:50,099 –> 00:32:52,900 You may say, is that really there, or are you reading it in? 426 00:32:52,900 –> 00:32:55,459 I tell you, it’s absolutely there, and here’s why. 427 00:32:57,219 –> 00:33:00,479 We’ve just seen that Jesus was consciously, 428 00:33:00,479 –> 00:33:05,479 deliberately, intentionally fulfilling Psalm 69. 429 00:33:05,560 –> 00:33:07,660 That was what was in his mind. 430 00:33:07,660 –> 00:33:09,959 The Psalm that speaks about the vinegar 431 00:33:09,959 –> 00:33:12,579 that came in response to his cry, I thirst. 432 00:33:12,579 –> 00:33:14,760 How does that Psalm end? 433 00:33:14,760 –> 00:33:16,040 It ends this way. 434 00:33:16,040 –> 00:33:20,359 Let heaven and earth praise him, for God will save Zion, 435 00:33:20,359 –> 00:33:24,479 and those who love His name will dwell there. 436 00:33:24,479 –> 00:33:28,680 That’s where Jesus’ mind is, and he thirsts for that day, 437 00:33:29,619 –> 00:33:32,380 and he longs for that joy. 438 00:33:34,020 –> 00:33:35,680 Friends, think of the beauty of this. 439 00:33:35,680 –> 00:33:39,020 Hell has been vanquished, sin has been atoned for, 440 00:33:39,020 –> 00:33:40,920 forgiveness is purchased. 441 00:33:40,920 –> 00:33:45,520 Jesus knows, John says, that all is now completed. 442 00:33:45,520 –> 00:33:47,180 Everything that needs to be done 443 00:33:47,180 –> 00:33:49,280 for the salvation of every one of God’s people, 444 00:33:49,280 –> 00:33:51,160 from every sin that has ever been committed, 445 00:33:51,160 –> 00:33:54,599 for all time and for all eternity has been done. 446 00:33:54,719 –> 00:33:58,619 Now Jesus looks forward to this gift being ours. 447 00:33:58,619 –> 00:34:02,000 He looks forward to what he has purchased being handed over 448 00:34:02,000 –> 00:34:04,020 to the people he loves. 449 00:34:04,020 –> 00:34:06,319 He looks forward to the great day where he will stand 450 00:34:06,319 –> 00:34:08,439 in the presence of is Father and he says, 451 00:34:08,439 –> 00:34:12,840 here I am and here are the children that you have given me. 452 00:34:14,120 –> 00:34:15,919 As he anticipates this he says, 453 00:34:15,919 –> 00:34:20,580 I thirst, it is finished, into your hands I commit my spirit. 454 00:34:21,219 –> 00:34:25,399 And he breathes his last and he lays down his life 455 00:34:26,959 –> 00:34:31,040 and he gives himself into the hands of the Father. 456 00:34:32,899 –> 00:34:34,979 Now again in this last moment when you know 457 00:34:34,979 –> 00:34:36,800 what this thirsting meant for Jesus 458 00:34:36,800 –> 00:34:39,639 you discover what it means for us. 459 00:34:42,159 –> 00:34:45,600 And we’re told with wonderful clarity 460 00:34:45,600 –> 00:34:48,979 that Jesus said, I thirst as he completed 461 00:34:49,179 –> 00:34:50,760 his redeeming work. 462 00:34:52,500 –> 00:34:55,520 And so therefore he is able to lead you 463 00:34:55,520 –> 00:34:58,139 through this redeeming work into the joys 464 00:34:58,139 –> 00:34:59,820 that will never end. 465 00:35:03,419 –> 00:35:05,879 He’s able to get you there, able to bring you there, 466 00:35:05,879 –> 00:35:08,080 that’s what his mind was on, 467 00:35:08,080 –> 00:35:11,580 now what he was longing for as he completes 468 00:35:12,580 –> 00:35:15,179 his redeeming work on the cross. 469 00:35:15,780 –> 00:35:16,620 The cross. 470 00:35:18,419 –> 00:35:20,439 Let me tell you as we draw to a close 471 00:35:20,439 –> 00:35:24,239 one of the downsides of being a pastor. 472 00:35:24,239 –> 00:35:27,979 One of the downsides of being a pastor 473 00:35:27,979 –> 00:35:31,860 is that so many people want to tell you 474 00:35:31,860 –> 00:35:34,739 a religious joke, I tell you, 475 00:35:34,739 –> 00:35:37,760 especially if you go, in a company in a large wedding 476 00:35:37,760 –> 00:35:40,020 meeting a whole lot of people that had never met you before 477 00:35:40,020 –> 00:35:41,860 and they discover that you’re a pastor, 478 00:35:41,860 –> 00:35:44,620 well either, you know, it stumps them for conversation, 479 00:35:45,020 –> 00:35:47,100 and they think, what in the world 480 00:35:47,100 –> 00:35:47,919 am I going to say to this guy? 481 00:35:47,919 –> 00:35:51,899 And so often resort to a religious joke. 482 00:35:51,899 –> 00:35:54,760 So I plead with you, please do not tell me 483 00:35:54,760 –> 00:35:57,580 your religious joke after the service. 484 00:35:57,580 –> 00:36:01,080 I don’t wanna hear it, I’ve heard way too many, 485 00:36:01,080 –> 00:36:04,179 and most of them are terribly terribly lame. 486 00:36:05,379 –> 00:36:09,820 But you will have found this too, 487 00:36:09,820 –> 00:36:13,320 I’m amazed at how many religious jokes 488 00:36:13,320 –> 00:36:14,560 begin with this line. 489 00:36:16,520 –> 00:36:21,139 A man died, and he went to the gates of heaven, 490 00:36:21,139 –> 00:36:23,959 and you know what the next line is, you see. 491 00:36:23,959 –> 00:36:28,899 And St. Peter was standing at the door and asked him. 492 00:36:28,899 –> 00:36:30,679 Now I don’t wanna hear the rest of your version 493 00:36:30,679 –> 00:36:33,580 of that joke, there are hundreds and hundreds of them. 494 00:36:34,520 –> 00:36:36,580 And I mention it today for this reason, 495 00:36:37,540 –> 00:36:39,760 that because we all hear over a lifetime 496 00:36:39,760 –> 00:36:44,000 hundreds of jokes of that fairly lame sort, 497 00:36:44,879 –> 00:36:48,239 it can actually get into Christian minds 498 00:36:49,399 –> 00:36:54,219 that heaven is a place with a closed door 499 00:36:54,219 –> 00:36:58,300 and that when you arrive there on your own 500 00:36:58,300 –> 00:37:00,379 and knock on the door, 501 00:37:00,379 –> 00:37:02,979 you’re gonna be met with a burly fisherman 502 00:37:02,979 –> 00:37:05,899 with a clipboard and a bunch of questions 503 00:37:05,899 –> 00:37:07,179 and probably he’s gonna ask you, 504 00:37:07,179 –> 00:37:10,540 why should I let you in or something of that sort 505 00:37:10,540 –> 00:37:12,979 and you know, that in a subtle way 506 00:37:12,979 –> 00:37:16,820 gets into even Christian minds. 507 00:37:16,820 –> 00:37:21,820 I say to you today, not if you belong to Jesus Christ. 508 00:37:22,459 –> 00:37:23,959 Listen, as the father came out 509 00:37:23,959 –> 00:37:25,520 in the story of the prodigal son, 510 00:37:25,520 –> 00:37:26,879 running to meet him, 511 00:37:26,879 –> 00:37:29,860 so the son stands at the gates of heaven 512 00:37:29,860 –> 00:37:32,379 ready to usher you in. 513 00:37:33,280 –> 00:37:38,280 He will keep me till the river of death 514 00:37:38,659 –> 00:37:41,179 rolls it’s water at my feet. 515 00:37:41,179 –> 00:37:45,580 Then, he’ll bear me safely over. 516 00:37:46,899 –> 00:37:51,899 Made by grace for glory meet. 517 00:37:52,020 –> 00:37:57,020 Listen, the reason Jesus went to the outer edge of suffering 518 00:37:59,500 –> 00:38:01,959 was to bring, notice that word 519 00:38:02,020 –> 00:38:03,159 that we read from Hebrews, 520 00:38:03,159 –> 00:38:08,159 to bring, bring many sons to glory. 521 00:38:08,360 –> 00:38:10,679 You will not make this journey alone. 522 00:38:11,719 –> 00:38:13,800 Christ, who walks with you through life, 523 00:38:13,800 –> 00:38:16,179 who indwells you by the Holy Spirit, 524 00:38:16,179 –> 00:38:20,760 will bring you through the opened doors of heaven, 525 00:38:20,760 –> 00:38:23,199 opened by his grace and by his love 526 00:38:23,199 –> 00:38:24,639 poured out at the cross. 527 00:38:24,639 –> 00:38:27,219 He will bring you into the Father’s presence 528 00:38:27,219 –> 00:38:29,000 and the Scripture says, he will say, 529 00:38:29,000 –> 00:38:31,199 here I am father and here are the children 530 00:38:31,280 –> 00:38:32,120 you have given me. 531 00:38:32,120 –> 00:38:36,260 He will introduce you to your father in heaven. 532 00:38:36,260 –> 00:38:39,959 And having purchased you at such a cost, 533 00:38:41,000 –> 00:38:43,679 you can be certain that he will never, 534 00:38:43,679 –> 00:38:45,560 never, never let you go. 535 00:38:45,560 –> 00:38:48,760 His eye is on you, his grace is with you. 536 00:38:48,760 –> 00:38:52,139 He holds you in the hollow of his hand 537 00:38:52,139 –> 00:38:54,379 and when the moment of death comes for you 538 00:38:54,379 –> 00:38:59,179 you need fear, no evil because he will walk with you 539 00:38:59,239 –> 00:39:02,219 right through that valley of the shadow of death 540 00:39:02,219 –> 00:39:04,719 and he will bear you safely over. 541 00:39:04,719 –> 00:39:08,659 He’ll bring you, he’ll after you 542 00:39:08,659 –> 00:39:11,780 into the presence of your father in heaven 543 00:39:11,780 –> 00:39:13,399 and friend, that will not be the end 544 00:39:13,399 –> 00:39:14,919 it will only be the beginning. 545 00:39:16,939 –> 00:39:18,379 Because at the very end of the Bible 546 00:39:18,379 –> 00:39:19,320 we read these words, 547 00:39:19,320 –> 00:39:20,899 never again will they hunger 548 00:39:20,899 –> 00:39:23,280 and never again will they thirst 549 00:39:23,280 –> 00:39:27,620 for the lamb who is at the center of the throne. 550 00:39:27,620 –> 00:39:29,399 That’s your savior, Jesus, 551 00:39:30,540 –> 00:39:32,620 he will be their shepherd 552 00:39:34,679 –> 00:39:37,520 and he will lead them to springs of living water 553 00:39:38,979 –> 00:39:42,300 and God will wipe all tears 554 00:39:43,879 –> 00:39:45,100 from your eyes. 555 00:39:47,179 –> 00:39:49,500 Do you see why I say 556 00:39:50,679 –> 00:39:53,939 that when you glimpse the love of Jesus Christ 557 00:39:54,899 –> 00:39:57,379 this savior is absolutely compelling? 558 00:39:58,280 –> 00:40:01,040 Since he’s the shepherd who leads all of his people 559 00:40:01,040 –> 00:40:04,340 into eternal joys and he’s purchased these people 560 00:40:04,340 –> 00:40:06,939 through this agony on the cross, 561 00:40:06,939 –> 00:40:09,300 why would you not want him to be your shepherd? 562 00:40:10,899 –> 00:40:12,179 Why in the world would you say, 563 00:40:12,179 –> 00:40:14,399 I want to live my life without Jesus, 564 00:40:14,399 –> 00:40:16,800 I want to be in charge, why would you say that? 565 00:40:19,340 –> 00:40:21,000 If you have Jesus Christ, 566 00:40:21,000 –> 00:40:23,219 you’ve come to love him and trust him as your savior, 567 00:40:23,219 –> 00:40:28,040 if Jesus Christ is yours, 568 00:40:28,040 –> 00:40:31,379 you are rich whatever you face 569 00:40:32,939 –> 00:40:35,760 and without him, you are poor, 570 00:40:37,020 –> 00:40:37,979 whatever you have. 571 00:40:39,979 –> 00:40:42,899 And he says, if anyone is thirsty, 572 00:40:44,159 –> 00:40:46,899 let him come to me 573 00:40:48,199 –> 00:40:49,040 and drink. 574 00:40:51,179 –> 00:40:52,379 Pray with me please. 575 00:40:53,439 –> 00:40:54,280 our prayers. 576 00:40:56,899 –> 00:40:58,419 Father there are some people 577 00:40:58,419 –> 00:40:59,739 bowed before you right now 578 00:40:59,739 –> 00:41:03,139 who you know are at the outer edge of suffering, 579 00:41:05,780 –> 00:41:08,300 we pray that may draw near to Christ 580 00:41:10,540 –> 00:41:12,939 and find in him comfort and strength. 581 00:41:12,939 –> 00:41:15,979 The one who alone can meet us at that outer edge. 582 00:41:19,379 –> 00:41:22,159 For some of us who have 583 00:41:22,199 –> 00:41:24,000 been living to this point our lives 584 00:41:24,000 –> 00:41:26,300 apart from Jesus, without Jesus, 585 00:41:27,860 –> 00:41:30,360 and today we are compelled by your love, 586 00:41:30,360 –> 00:41:32,879 we want to come to you Lord, 587 00:41:32,879 –> 00:41:34,399 we’re thirsty, we need you. 588 00:41:34,399 –> 00:41:35,939 We see that in some way, 589 00:41:35,939 –> 00:41:38,560 through your death and resurrection, 590 00:41:38,560 –> 00:41:40,080 life from you come to us, 591 00:41:40,080 –> 00:41:40,919 that’s what we want. 592 00:41:40,919 –> 00:41:42,459 That’s what we ask for. 593 00:41:44,120 –> 00:41:45,080 That’s what we trust you for 594 00:41:45,080 –> 00:41:47,080 and look to you for Lord Jesus. 595 00:41:47,080 –> 00:41:48,879 Be my shepherd Lord Jesus, 596 00:41:48,879 –> 00:41:51,459 live your life in me Lord Jesus. 597 00:41:52,959 –> 00:41:54,659 I have sins. 598 00:41:56,120 –> 00:41:57,080 Forgive me. 599 00:41:59,800 –> 00:42:01,320 Some of us have walked with Christ 600 00:42:01,320 –> 00:42:03,580 but we are very fearful in many ways. 601 00:42:03,580 –> 00:42:05,479 We feel we’ve failed him so often 602 00:42:05,479 –> 00:42:10,280 we have the sense that he might have lost interest in us. 603 00:42:10,280 –> 00:42:14,719 Lord thank you that as you purchase people 604 00:42:14,719 –> 00:42:16,560 at such a cost you will never, 605 00:42:16,560 –> 00:42:18,939 never, never let one of your children go, 606 00:42:19,919 –> 00:42:22,580 and thank you that you do not leave us 607 00:42:22,580 –> 00:42:26,899 in the journey of life and the journey through death alone 608 00:42:26,899 –> 00:42:30,080 but you walk with us and you bear us safely over 609 00:42:30,080 –> 00:42:32,479 and you bring us with triumph and rejoicing 610 00:42:32,479 –> 00:42:34,879 into the open doors of everlasting life 611 00:42:34,879 –> 00:42:37,939 and you are the one who leads us 612 00:42:37,939 –> 00:42:41,439 into the never ending joys of the springs 613 00:42:41,439 –> 00:42:44,360 of living water in the new creation 614 00:42:44,360 –> 00:42:47,000 which forever will be full 615 00:42:47,000 –> 00:42:49,600 of exponentially increasing joy. 616 00:42:51,500 –> 00:42:53,379 We bless you, we love you 617 00:42:53,379 –> 00:42:57,199 and count ourselves rich in you today. 618 00:42:57,199 –> 00:43:00,620 We bring this prayer through Jesus Christ our Lord. 619 00:43:00,620 –> 00:43:01,459 Amen.