Latest / Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons / Christ's Offer to Divided Listeners
Transcript
- 0:00Let's turn again to the chapter we read, John's Gospel, chapter 7, and we're not going to read it from verse 37 to the end.
- 0:09It's quite a large section.
- 0:11Just to read the start of it,
- 0:13On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out,
- 0:17If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.
- 0:22And so on.
- 0:23I want us to consider this whole section.
- 0:27Now, the verse begins by saying,
- 0:29On the last day of the feast.
- 0:32And there's always a last day.
- 0:33There's a last day to everything.
- 0:36And sometimes there's a last day to good things.
- 0:40There's a last day to bad things.
- 0:42And I know that sometimes when we're, say, for instance, you're on a holiday and you're really enjoying the holiday and it's come to the last day,
- 0:51you're saying, oh, man, I wish we could get a few more days.
- 0:54And then there are other times we're so thankful when the last day comes.
- 0:59I know the young folk are going through their exams just now and I think back and I still remember the feeling of when it was the last day of the exams.
- 1:10The sense of relief.
- 1:13Glad that's passed.
- 1:14So that's how life is at our times.
- 1:18We're glad of the last day.
- 1:19Sometimes we're sad about the last day.
- 1:23Well, here we have the last day of the feast.
- 1:27And it's one of the great statements of the Lord Jesus.
- 1:32And again, when you think of the last day, it's one of the things that we will find very hard to understand about glory is that there won't be last days.
- 1:41It is perpetual glory.
- 1:44Because our world is so governed by our 24-hour period of our days and our nights.
- 1:50But we're told that there shall be no night there.
- 1:53It's going to be a totally different type of order.
- 1:56And there won't be a last day of anything bad.
- 2:00It will be everything will always be good.
- 2:02And it's very hard for us just to lay hold upon how transformational that is going to be.
- 2:09The very thought of what glory is.
- 2:13But here is this feast, the Feast of Booths or the Feast of Tabernacles.
- 2:17It was known by both names.
- 2:19And it was held from the 15th to the 21st or the 22nd.
- 2:26From the 15th to the 21st of the 7th month.
- 2:29And that would be our October.
- 2:33It was the time when the harvest was over.
- 2:36And it was a great time of celebration for the Jews.
- 2:39Because in this Feast of Booths or Tabernacles, what they did was,
- 2:44there was a great, they would be congregating in Jerusalem.
- 2:47There would be a lot of strangers, a lot of visitors, a lot of pilgrims.
- 2:51And they would build little leafy shelters or little leafy booths.
- 2:56And they would have them on the streets, in the marketplace, on the flat roof, tops of houses, all over.
- 3:04And it was a time for reminding them of their journey through the wilderness
- 3:09and of God helping them and taking them through.
- 3:13And so it was also a time where they were thanking God for the harvest.
- 3:18The toil, the labor was over.
- 3:21And it was a time of celebration.
- 3:22It was a great time.
- 3:23So this is what we find here at this particular time.
- 3:28And it's interesting that one of the pictures that were given in Revelation
- 3:32of the saints in glory with palm branches in their hands.
- 3:38And it might even be a little glimpse, a little reminder
- 3:41of the very time of celebrating all that God has done,
- 3:47of all the toil, of all the labor, of all these things now in the past.
- 3:52But anyway, the Lord of the harvest will gather every single individual
- 4:00that has trusted in him from the four corners of this earth.
- 4:04Not one will be missing.
- 4:06They will all be gathered in from north, south, east, and west
- 4:09into the eternal joy of the Lord.
- 4:12So we find Jesus who's come to the feast.
- 4:14And here he is in the temple on the very last day.
- 4:18And he cries out in order for everybody to hear.
- 4:22But this moment is actually quite an extraordinary moment
- 4:26because it is a moment of fulfillment of prophecy.
- 4:29Because if we had gone back to the prophecy of Haggai,
- 4:34we find that the Lord came to the prophet Haggai.
- 4:37And the issue that the Lord was bringing before the people at that time
- 4:43was what they weren't doing.
- 4:47Because Haggai is prophesying to the exiles
- 4:52that have returned from Babylon, from the captivity.
- 4:57And when they were released from Babylon,
- 5:00of course many of them were new, they were born in captivity,
- 5:03but there were some who had, it was a 70-year period, the exile.
- 5:08There were some of them who had been taken when they were young into exile
- 5:12and now they were back again.
- 5:15And initially there was incredible excitement
- 5:19and thrill to be back in their own land.
- 5:23And they began to build, rebuild the temple
- 5:25and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
- 5:28But they had begun to slacken off.
- 5:31They began to become more concerned about their own projects,
- 5:35their own buildings.
- 5:38And so Haggai was sent to sort of stir them up again
- 5:41to get going with the rebuilding of the temple.
- 5:47And the problem with some of the older people was this,
- 5:49that they could remember the old temple,
- 5:54which was the most magnificent structure.
- 5:57It was absolutely amazing building.
- 6:01And of course it had been destroyed, completely flattened.
- 6:05And as they were looking at this new temple being built,
- 6:10they were saying to themselves,
- 6:12oh, this is nothing.
- 6:14The glory of this is absolutely nothing compared
- 6:17to the glory of the former temple.
- 6:22And so they were very downhearted about it all.
- 6:24But Haggai comes with a message to them.
- 6:27And this is what he says.
- 6:30God is saying this,
- 6:33the latter glory of this temple
- 6:36shall be greater than the former,
- 6:39says the Lord of hosts.
- 6:41And in this place I will give peace.
- 6:46Now, what's remarkable about this prophecy is
- 6:49that it tells us in the book of Haggai
- 6:51that the very date that the Lord spoke to Haggai
- 6:57to go and to stand at the temple
- 6:59and to address the people
- 7:00was on the 21st day of the seventh month.
- 7:07Roll forward 500 plus years,
- 7:10and here is Jesus
- 7:13who is the Prince of Peace,
- 7:16who is the God-Man
- 7:18who has come to bring peace on earth.
- 7:21Here he is
- 7:22on that very same day
- 7:25all these centuries later.
- 7:29And he is fulfilling that prophecy
- 7:32because the Lord says,
- 7:34in this place I will give peace.
- 7:36And here stands Jesus
- 7:39500 plus years later
- 7:41to the very day.
- 7:43And he is,
- 7:44he is the man of peace.
- 7:47He is the Prince of Peace.
- 7:49It's a pinpoint prophetic accuracy.
- 7:54And so we find that Jesus
- 7:56on this last day,
- 7:58and this was a great day,
- 7:59this was the final day,
- 8:01and at this particular time
- 8:02there would be the pouring of the water
- 8:04from the pools of Siloam.
- 8:06It was a hive of activity.
- 8:07It was really busy.
- 8:10And Jesus,
- 8:10as often Jesus did,
- 8:12used and illustrated
- 8:14from what was taking place around him.
- 8:17And there's the water
- 8:18being poured out
- 8:19from the pools of Siloam.
- 8:21He uses the illustration of water.
- 8:23And he gives this cry.
- 8:25It wasn't just,
- 8:26he didn't just speak.
- 8:27Often Jesus spoke.
- 8:29But on this occasion,
- 8:30it tells us,
- 8:31Jesus stood up and cried out.
- 8:35There was urgency in the cry.
- 8:37There would be emotion in the cry.
- 8:40There would be pity in the cry.
- 8:42There would be pleading in the cry.
- 8:44It would have been a powerful moment.
- 8:48And he's saying,
- 8:48if anyone thirst,
- 8:50let him come to me and drink.
- 8:54I've got to ask the question
- 8:55before we move on.
- 8:57Have you come?
- 8:59Have you come,
- 9:00or are you still stalling?
- 9:02Are you still bargaining with God?
- 9:05Are you still holding back?
- 9:08Are there things still in the way?
- 9:10Or have you come?
- 9:13Because you see,
- 9:14while the cry is being made still today,
- 9:16the authority of God grants us
- 9:18that we are able to bring out
- 9:21this beautiful, wonderful gospel
- 9:23to people.
- 9:24There's going to come a day,
- 9:26there'll be a last day,
- 9:27for this invitation to be given as well.
- 9:32Thankfully, it's not today.
- 9:34But it might be tomorrow.
- 9:35We don't know.
- 9:37So it is imperative
- 9:39that we listen to the cry of Jesus,
- 9:43where he's saying,
- 9:44if anyone thirst,
- 9:45let him come to me and to drink.
- 9:48And you'll notice how wide
- 9:49that invitation is.
- 9:51Because it says,
- 9:52if anyone,
- 9:53anyone.
- 9:54There are no exclusion zones here.
- 9:58It doesn't matter a person's racial identity.
- 10:00It doesn't matter a person's social standing.
- 10:03It doesn't matter a person's culture.
- 10:06It doesn't matter a person's religion or creed.
- 10:09It doesn't matter.
- 10:11There's nothing indicated.
- 10:12It's for everybody.
- 10:14This invitation goes out to all,
- 10:16to everybody who hears it.
- 10:18Everybody who hears,
- 10:20this is a cry that is issuing out from the Savior.
- 10:24If anyone thirsts,
- 10:27let him come to me and drink.
- 10:30It's an invitation to the anxious.
- 10:33If you're today and you're anxious in life,
- 10:35and you find that life is becoming challenging and difficult,
- 10:40and you're not coping,
- 10:42Jesus is saying,
- 10:43look,
- 10:43come to me.
- 10:45I will give you a peace.
- 10:47I will give you a,
- 10:48I will bring a composure and a calmness into your life
- 10:51because of who I am.
- 10:53When Jesus gives us his peace,
- 10:55it's not like
- 10:56that he has compartments with different things,
- 11:01that there's peace and there's joy
- 11:03and there's things.
- 11:04When Jesus gives peace,
- 11:06it's giving of himself through the Spirit
- 11:08because he is all these things.
- 11:13So it is a communication by the Spirit
- 11:15of who Jesus is to ourselves.
- 11:18And he brings a purpose and a meaning into life.
- 11:23You might be finding life absolutely empty just now.
- 11:27And there have been times when life has been fulfilling,
- 11:31times you've been excited in life,
- 11:34times you've felt satisfied,
- 11:36but it's not there.
- 11:38Because you see,
- 11:39it's like everybody's given a bucket at the beginning of life,
- 11:43and there you go,
- 11:43fill that bucket with whatever.
- 11:45Well,
- 11:47if we do not have Christ,
- 11:51it's like trying to fill a bucket with a hole in it.
- 11:55And you know that's an impossibility.
- 11:57You try and fill a bucket full of water and there's a hole.
- 12:01It doesn't matter how often it reaches up to the brim,
- 12:05it continues to seep out.
- 12:08And that's how it is in life.
- 12:11Because there are times,
- 12:12there are periods you may feel satisfied,
- 12:14your things are going well.
- 12:16But if all that we look for is in this life,
- 12:20it'll never ultimately satisfy.
- 12:23It can satisfy for a while,
- 12:24but then there's always something else.
- 12:26It's easier to catch the wind and keep it
- 12:29than find our full satisfaction and fulfillment
- 12:33just in life itself.
- 12:36And that's why Jesus is saying,
- 12:38look,
- 12:38you need me.
- 12:39And it's obvious because there's,
- 12:41as the old people used to say,
- 12:43there's a God-shaped void in the heart of every person.
- 12:47Because God made us.
- 12:48That's the way he made us.
- 12:50There's a God-shaped void.
- 12:52And it can,
- 12:53we can never get that ultimate fulfillment and satisfaction
- 12:57until the Lord takes over in our life.
- 13:01He's the missing piece.
- 13:02And once he's there,
- 13:04it all changes.
- 13:05And may I say,
- 13:07if there's anybody here today
- 13:08who might be in the bracket of the careless and indifferent,
- 13:12and you might be saying to yourself,
- 13:14oh,
- 13:14well,
- 13:14I wouldn't be in church if I'm careless and indifferent.
- 13:16Well,
- 13:16thank the Lord you are.
- 13:19And don't stop coming.
- 13:21Because this is where so many people come to faith.
- 13:25Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.
- 13:28But you see,
- 13:29you can,
- 13:29you can come to church out of habit,
- 13:32out of duty.
- 13:33That's good.
- 13:35Please don't change that habit or duty.
- 13:39But that's as far as it goes.
- 13:42And the preaching and all that,
- 13:44it just flies over your head.
- 13:46In one ear,
- 13:47out the other.
- 13:47It's out there.
- 13:48It's got no relevance.
- 13:50It's for other people.
- 13:51It's not for you.
- 13:52No,
- 13:52it's for you.
- 13:53It's for you today.
- 13:54This is the word of the Lord.
- 13:57And he's speaking to each and every one of us this day.
- 14:01And he's saying to you,
- 14:02you're going in the wrong direction.
- 14:05The road you're leading on will bring you to death,
- 14:08eternal death.
- 14:10So you see,
- 14:12Christ is our only answer in life.
- 14:16So Jesus gives this great cry,
- 14:19if anyone thirst,
- 14:19let him come to me and drink.
- 14:21And of course,
- 14:21specifically,
- 14:22he's saying,
- 14:23if anyone thirsts.
- 14:25And that,
- 14:25above all,
- 14:26is thirsting for gospel blessing.
- 14:30Thirsting for Christ.
- 14:32And maybe there's somebody here today,
- 14:34and you are saying that,
- 14:35you know this,
- 14:35I would love to be a Christian.
- 14:38And I've wanted to be a Christian for a long time.
- 14:42Well,
- 14:43come.
- 14:44Come to Christ.
- 14:46If you're,
- 14:47naturally speaking,
- 14:49if you're really thirsty,
- 14:51what do you do?
- 14:53You don't start telling people,
- 14:55oh,
- 14:55you know,
- 14:55I'm really,
- 14:56really thirsty.
- 14:57You don't speak to yourself saying,
- 14:59oh,
- 14:59I would give anything for a drink.
- 15:00I'm so thirsty.
- 15:01No,
- 15:02you get up and you go
- 15:03to where you can get something for that thirst.
- 15:06And so it is today,
- 15:08today,
- 15:09if you are thirsty,
- 15:11if you're wanting Christ,
- 15:12go to him.
- 15:15Don't just sit there saying,
- 15:16well,
- 15:17you know,
- 15:17that's the way I am.
- 15:18Do something about it.
- 15:20Go to him and say,
- 15:21Lord,
- 15:22come into my heart,
- 15:23come into my life.
- 15:25And you know this,
- 15:26the Lord will not refuse.
- 15:27If you're serious about it,
- 15:29he will not refuse.
- 15:30Sometimes the journey takes a wee while,
- 15:33but guaranteed,
- 15:34if you're sincerely asking the Lord,
- 15:37he will come in.
- 15:39And he will give that,
- 15:40he will give that,
- 15:42as it says,
- 15:43whoever believes him,
- 15:44as the scripture said,
- 15:45out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.
- 15:49Just as Jesus was saying to the woman at the well of Samaria,
- 15:52I know that the water that he would give would be spring up,
- 15:57this water show of everlasting life,
- 15:59that the satisfaction that you will get in Christ Jesus surpasses nothing else.
- 16:09Guaranteed.
- 16:10It grants you a peace,
- 16:13a purpose,
- 16:14a meaning,
- 16:15a hope.
- 16:17Do you know,
- 16:17there's so much despair in this life.
- 16:19So many people today,
- 16:21they feel utterly hopeless.
- 16:22Look around and they say,
- 16:23what's the point?
- 16:25When the Lord comes into your life,
- 16:27it changes your perspective.
- 16:29It changes.
- 16:30And even if you're looking at things,
- 16:32and they are often grim,
- 16:35there's still a hope burning in your heart for better days.
- 16:38You know how it's going to end.
- 16:42And that's important.
- 16:43How things end,
- 16:44that's really important.
- 16:47And if you're a Christian,
- 16:48you know it's going to end well.
- 16:50So I would urge you today
- 16:51that you would go to the Lord
- 16:54who will give to you like nobody else can.
- 16:58Now,
- 16:59Jesus goes on to say,
- 17:01for as yet,
- 17:03he's talking in verse 39,
- 17:04now he said this about the Spirit,
- 17:07whom those who believed in him were to receive.
- 17:09For as yet,
- 17:10the Spirit had not been given
- 17:11because Jesus was not glorified.
- 17:15Now,
- 17:15that doesn't mean that the Holy Spirit
- 17:16wasn't ministering
- 17:18at this particular time.
- 17:21Right throughout the whole of the Old Testament,
- 17:23from the very beginning,
- 17:24the Holy Spirit was at work.
- 17:26And the Holy Spirit enabled
- 17:29every Old Testament believer
- 17:31to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.
- 17:34And they saw the Christ who was to come
- 17:37in the same way as
- 17:38they looked forward
- 17:39and believed in the Christ to come.
- 17:42We look back
- 17:43and we believe in the Christ who has come.
- 17:46But the Holy Spirit was working.
- 17:47But what Jesus is talking about here is
- 17:49that the Holy Spirit
- 17:51was going to come
- 17:53in a new power
- 17:54after he had gone to the cross,
- 17:58died,
- 17:59risen,
- 18:00and ascended into heaven.
- 18:01And we see the display of that
- 18:03in the book of Acts
- 18:04in Pentecost.
- 18:06And we live in these times
- 18:07where we live
- 18:08in these particular times.
- 18:11And so,
- 18:12from verse 40 then
- 18:14to verse 44,
- 18:15we find
- 18:16there's a real division
- 18:17among the people.
- 18:18some are persuaded
- 18:20that he is Christ.
- 18:22But others are saying,
- 18:24no,
- 18:24he can't be the Christ
- 18:25because
- 18:26he's a Galilee man.
- 18:28He's from Galilee.
- 18:30And the Bible
- 18:31makes it very clear
- 18:32that
- 18:32the Messiah,
- 18:33the Christ,
- 18:34is to
- 18:34be of the
- 18:35seed of David.
- 18:37And David was a Bethlehem boy.
- 18:39David came from Bethlehem.
- 18:41And so the Scripture
- 18:42is quite clear
- 18:43that the Messiah,
- 18:46that the Christ,
- 18:47is to come
- 18:48from Bethlehem.
- 18:49He's to be born
- 18:49in Bethlehem.
- 18:52And see the trouble
- 18:53that little knowledge
- 18:55causes.
- 18:56Everybody,
- 18:57or not everybody,
- 18:59but most of the people
- 19:00were absolutely
- 19:00persuaded
- 19:01that Jesus
- 19:02was a Nazareth
- 19:04person.
- 19:05Born and bred.
- 19:07Well,
- 19:07we know he wasn't.
- 19:09He was brought up
- 19:10in Nazareth.
- 19:11But he wasn't born there.
- 19:12If they had taken
- 19:14the trouble
- 19:15to really find out
- 19:17where was Jesus born,
- 19:19it would have changed
- 19:20everything.
- 19:21The chief priests,
- 19:23the Pharisees,
- 19:23the scribes,
- 19:25all these people
- 19:26who were opposed
- 19:26to Christ
- 19:27and saw him
- 19:28as the ultimate
- 19:29blasphemer,
- 19:29if only they had
- 19:30taken the trouble
- 19:31to go and find
- 19:33out the facts.
- 19:35Find out
- 19:36where Jesus
- 19:37was born.
- 19:39that would have
- 19:40changed their
- 19:41whole perspective.
- 19:42But they didn't.
- 19:44Because they assumed
- 19:45that they had seen
- 19:46him grow up
- 19:47from the time
- 19:47as a little baby
- 19:49in Nazareth
- 19:49that he was born there.
- 19:53And you know,
- 19:53so often in life
- 19:54problems arise
- 19:56because we don't
- 19:58know the facts.
- 20:00We assume we do.
- 20:02We don't know
- 20:02the bottom line.
- 20:03We put two
- 20:04and two together
- 20:05and often arrive
- 20:06at three.
- 20:08And there are
- 20:08problems in the home,
- 20:09problems in families,
- 20:11problems at work,
- 20:12problems in the community,
- 20:13problems in the church
- 20:14because people
- 20:16haven't got
- 20:17all the facts.
- 20:20And you see
- 20:21the huge problem
- 20:22that was caused here
- 20:23just because of this.
- 20:25So there was
- 20:26this division
- 20:26among the people.
- 20:28But there was
- 20:28one group above all
- 20:29that were utterly
- 20:30and altogether
- 20:30convinced that Christ
- 20:32was the ultimate
- 20:33blasphemer
- 20:33and that was
- 20:34the chief priests,
- 20:35the Pharisees.
- 20:36They were on
- 20:37one mission
- 20:38he has to be destroyed.
- 20:39He is the ultimate
- 20:41blasphemer.
- 20:43And so they send
- 20:43people out
- 20:45to arrest him.
- 20:47Verse 45
- 20:47tells us
- 20:48they came back
- 20:49without Christ.
- 20:51Why did you not
- 20:52bring him in?
- 20:53Verse 46.
- 20:55No one
- 20:56ever spoke
- 20:57like this man.
- 20:59What a truth
- 21:00they spoke.
- 21:02Instead of them
- 21:02arresting Christ,
- 21:04Christ's words
- 21:05arrested them.
- 21:05they fell
- 21:07under the spell
- 21:08maybe I shouldn't
- 21:09put it that way
- 21:10of the word
- 21:11of Christ
- 21:12because they saw
- 21:13they saw
- 21:14this isn't
- 21:14an ordinary man.
- 21:16Remember in
- 21:16Matthew's gospel
- 21:17it tells us
- 21:18something similar.
- 21:19They were astonished
- 21:20at his doctrine
- 21:21because he taught
- 21:22us one having
- 21:23authority
- 21:23not as a scribe.
- 21:26And of course
- 21:28the words
- 21:28of Jesus Christ
- 21:30are different
- 21:30to any other
- 21:31words.
- 21:32Because when we
- 21:33think
- 21:33who is
- 21:34Jesus Christ?
- 21:36Who is
- 21:36the Son of God?
- 21:38Well we're told
- 21:39very simply
- 21:39he is the creator
- 21:41of this world.
- 21:43The God
- 21:43man
- 21:43before
- 21:44he took
- 21:46human nature
- 21:47he was at the
- 21:48very center
- 21:49of the creation.
- 21:50His word
- 21:50brought everything
- 21:51into being.
- 21:52the great galaxies
- 21:54the sun
- 21:55the moon
- 21:56the planets
- 21:56great mountain
- 21:57ranges
- 21:58the sea
- 21:59animals
- 21:59humans
- 22:00because we're
- 22:01told in the
- 22:02scripture
- 22:02that
- 22:03for by
- 22:05him
- 22:06were all
- 22:07things
- 22:07created.
- 22:10No wonder
- 22:11they said
- 22:11nobody ever
- 22:12spoke like him.
- 22:14His words
- 22:14had power
- 22:15they had meaning
- 22:17they had reality
- 22:18and these are
- 22:19the same words
- 22:20that we are
- 22:21dealing with today
- 22:22the words
- 22:22of Jesus
- 22:23Christ.
- 22:25He has power
- 22:26over the world
- 22:27of the demonic.
- 22:29Satan has to
- 22:31submit
- 22:31to the authority
- 22:32and the power
- 22:33of Christ.
- 22:35He has power
- 22:35over death
- 22:36over spiritual
- 22:38death
- 22:39and that's the way
- 22:40we are by nature
- 22:41we're all born
- 22:42that's
- 22:43that's the way
- 22:45we're naturally
- 22:46formed
- 22:47but we're
- 22:47spiritually dead.
- 22:49That's why
- 22:49we can sit
- 22:50in church
- 22:51for years.
- 22:53Hearing
- 22:54preaching
- 22:55that is
- 22:56condemning
- 22:56our soul
- 22:57to hell
- 22:58and it means
- 22:59absolutely
- 23:00nothing
- 23:01or we can
- 23:02hear the sweet
- 23:03invitations
- 23:04of Jesus
- 23:05promising us
- 23:06endless glory
- 23:07and it still
- 23:09means nothing.
- 23:10It just
- 23:11drifts by
- 23:12because we're
- 23:13spiritually
- 23:14dead
- 23:15and only
- 23:16the Lord
- 23:17can bring
- 23:18spiritual
- 23:19life
- 23:19and every
- 23:20one of you
- 23:20today
- 23:21who has
- 23:21come to
- 23:21faith
- 23:22it is
- 23:22because
- 23:23of the
- 23:24word
- 23:24of Christ.
- 23:26He has
- 23:27spoken
- 23:28into your
- 23:29heart.
- 23:29You received
- 23:30him.
- 23:31You believed.
- 23:32You cried
- 23:33to him.
- 23:34You called
- 23:35to him.
- 23:35You believed.
- 23:37And so
- 23:37he is the one
- 23:38who brings
- 23:39life.
- 23:39Brings
- 23:40life spiritually
- 23:41and we know
- 23:42that he has
- 23:42power over
- 23:43death even
- 23:44physically as
- 23:45we saw
- 23:45in the
- 23:46raising of
- 23:47Lazarus from
- 23:48the dead
- 23:49and Jairus'
- 23:49daughter.
- 23:51But nobody
- 23:51ever spoke
- 23:52like Jesus.
- 23:55And how
- 23:55wonderful that
- 23:56is.
- 23:58When you
- 23:59and I
- 23:59when we
- 24:00sin
- 24:01when we're
- 24:02aware of
- 24:03how far
- 24:04short we've
- 24:05gone
- 24:05sin can
- 24:08often trouble
- 24:08us.
- 24:10But you
- 24:10know rather
- 24:11than drive
- 24:11us away
- 24:12it should
- 24:12drive us
- 24:13to Christ.
- 24:14They
- 24:15meant it
- 24:15by way
- 24:16of condemnation
- 24:17but what a
- 24:17truth they
- 24:18spoke.
- 24:18This man
- 24:19receives
- 24:21sinners
- 24:21and eats
- 24:22with them.
- 24:23I love
- 24:23that.
- 24:25That's a
- 24:25Jesus who
- 24:26today is
- 24:27calling you.
- 24:28He receives
- 24:29sinners.
- 24:31Wouldn't it
- 24:32be awful
- 24:32if it said
- 24:32he receives
- 24:33those who
- 24:34have reformed.
- 24:36Those who
- 24:37have turned
- 24:38their back
- 24:39upon.
- 24:39Those who
- 24:40have tried
- 24:40their best
- 24:41to sort
- 24:43themselves out
- 24:44and doesn't
- 24:44say anything
- 24:45of that.
- 24:46Receive
- 24:47sinners
- 24:47just as
- 24:48you are.
- 24:49Warts and
- 24:50all.
- 24:51All the
- 24:51baggage of
- 24:52the past.
- 24:53He says
- 24:54come on
- 24:54I'll receive
- 24:56you.
- 24:57There's nothing
- 24:57to stop you.
- 25:00So it's
- 25:00important to
- 25:01realize this.
- 25:03And he is
- 25:03the one
- 25:04who forgives.
- 25:05I even
- 25:06I am he
- 25:06that blotteth
- 25:07without thy
- 25:07transgressions
- 25:08and will
- 25:09not remember
- 25:10thine iniquities.
- 25:11Isn't that
- 25:12beautiful?
- 25:14Jesus is the
- 25:15one who
- 25:15says to us
- 25:16today when
- 25:17we're troubled
- 25:17and burdened
- 25:18in life
- 25:19he says
- 25:19come to me
- 25:20all you
- 25:21who are
- 25:21laboring
- 25:22and burdened
- 25:23and I'll
- 25:23give you
- 25:23rest.
- 25:26To all of
- 25:26your sorrowing
- 25:27maybe today
- 25:28your hearts
- 25:28are sore
- 25:29I will not
- 25:30leave you
- 25:30comfortless
- 25:31I will
- 25:32come to
- 25:32you.
- 25:33No man
- 25:33ever spoke
- 25:34like this
- 25:35man.
- 25:35In
- 25:37conclusion
- 25:37we see
- 25:40one thing
- 25:40here amongst
- 25:41all the
- 25:41voices
- 25:42condemning
- 25:42Jesus
- 25:43there was
- 25:44one lone
- 25:45voice
- 25:45a voice
- 25:46of reason
- 25:46and that
- 25:48voice
- 25:48of reason
- 25:49was the
- 25:50voice of
- 25:51Nicodemus.
- 25:54Nicodemus
- 25:54verse 50
- 25:55who had
- 25:55gone to
- 25:56him before
- 25:56and who
- 25:57was one
- 25:58of them
- 25:58that is
- 25:58one of
- 25:59the Pharisees
- 25:59said to
- 26:00them
- 26:00does
- 26:01our
- 26:01Lord
- 26:02judge
- 26:02a man
- 26:02without
- 26:03first
- 26:03giving
- 26:04him a
- 26:04hearing
- 26:05and
- 26:05learning
- 26:05what
- 26:06he
- 26:06does.
- 26:07Nicodemus
- 26:08is trying
- 26:08to say
- 26:08look
- 26:09we've
- 26:10got to
- 26:10hear
- 26:10what
- 26:10Jesus
- 26:11Nicodemus
- 26:12is here
- 26:12in the
- 26:12defense
- 26:13of
- 26:13Jesus.
- 26:15Now
- 26:15Nicodemus
- 26:17was on
- 26:17a journey
- 26:18and we've
- 26:19got to
- 26:19remember
- 26:20that for
- 26:20different
- 26:21people
- 26:21some
- 26:21people
- 26:22will walk
- 26:22into
- 26:22church
- 26:23and they're
- 26:23converted
- 26:24like that
- 26:24other
- 26:25people
- 26:26the journey
- 26:26takes a
- 26:27while
- 26:27took a
- 26:28while
- 26:28for
- 26:28Nicodemus
- 26:29and Nicodemus
- 26:32remember
- 26:32the night
- 26:33when he
- 26:33had to
- 26:33go to
- 26:34see
- 26:35of course
- 26:35it was
- 26:35under
- 26:35the cover
- 26:36of
- 26:36darkness
- 26:36because
- 26:38if the
- 26:38Pharisees
- 26:39discovered
- 26:39that he
- 26:40was
- 26:40identifying
- 26:41with
- 26:41Jesus
- 26:42he'd
- 26:42have
- 26:42been
- 26:42thrown
- 26:43out
- 26:43and a lot
- 26:44of the
- 26:44Pharisees
- 26:45were
- 26:45were
- 26:47sort of
- 26:48drawn to
- 26:49Jesus
- 26:49but they
- 26:50loved the
- 26:50praise of
- 26:51men more
- 26:51than the
- 26:52praise of
- 26:52God
- 26:53so they
- 26:54didn't want
- 26:54to lose
- 26:54their
- 26:55privileges
- 26:56they didn't
- 26:57want to lose
- 26:57their honor
- 26:58but
- 27:00Nicodemus
- 27:01he went
- 27:01to Jesus
- 27:02under the
- 27:02cover of
- 27:03darkness
- 27:03remember
- 27:04Jesus said
- 27:05you must
- 27:05be born
- 27:06again
- 27:07you're a
- 27:08student of
- 27:08the law
- 27:09Nicodemus
- 27:09do you not
- 27:09understand
- 27:10these things
- 27:11and Nicodemus
- 27:11didn't
- 27:12but the
- 27:13work had
- 27:14begun
- 27:14and here's
- 27:16now a
- 27:16wee while
- 27:17forward
- 27:17and Nicodemus
- 27:18is now
- 27:18trying to
- 27:19speak
- 27:20on behalf
- 27:21of Jesus
- 27:22a wee while
- 27:24later
- 27:24we will
- 27:25find that
- 27:26Nicodemus
- 27:27comes fully
- 27:27out on
- 27:28the side
- 27:29of Jesus
- 27:29more so
- 27:30than Peter
- 27:31more so
- 27:32than James
- 27:33Nicodemus
- 27:35remember
- 27:36joined
- 27:37Joseph of
- 27:38Arimathea
- 27:39in the
- 27:40burial
- 27:40of Jesus
- 27:41he was
- 27:42ready to
- 27:43lose all
- 27:44that he
- 27:44had
- 27:45all the
- 27:45privileges
- 27:46all the
- 27:47honor in
- 27:47this world
- 27:48because he
- 27:50had completely
- 27:50sided with
- 27:52Jesus
- 27:52I hope
- 27:53you're on
- 27:54a journey
- 27:54might be
- 27:55taking a
- 27:55while
- 27:56but I
- 27:57pray you're
- 27:58on that
- 27:58journey
- 27:58because if
- 28:00you are on
- 28:01that journey
- 28:01it will end
- 28:02well
- 28:02you make
- 28:03sure
- 28:03that you're
- 28:04seeking
- 28:05Jesus
- 28:05and that
- 28:06you listen
- 28:06to his
- 28:07call today
- 28:08where he's
- 28:09saying
- 28:09come
- 28:10to me
- 28:11let us
- 28:11pray
- 28:11Lord our
- 28:12God we
- 28:13pray to
- 28:14bless us
- 28:14we give
- 28:14thanks for
- 28:15your word
- 28:17a challenge
- 28:17to us
- 28:18an invitation
- 28:19to us
- 28:19and we
- 28:20pray that
- 28:21we will
- 28:21have the
- 28:23grace to
- 28:23obey what
- 28:24you're
- 28:24requiring
- 28:25of us
- 28:25grant us
- 28:26because
- 28:26help us
- 28:27to realize
- 28:28that we
- 28:29cannot
- 28:30our
- 28:30shells
- 28:30but that
- 28:32we can
- 28:32come to
- 28:33you
- 28:33and truly
- 28:35seek
- 28:35and you
- 28:36will indeed
- 28:37do the
- 28:38work
- 28:38you will
- 28:39do what's
- 28:40necessary
- 28:40for us
- 28:41bless us
- 28:42we pray
- 28:42part us
- 28:43with your
- 28:43blessing
- 28:43take us
- 28:44to our
- 28:44home safely
- 28:45forgiving sin
- 28:46in Jesus
- 28:46name
- 28:46amen
- 28:47we're going
- 28:50to conclude
- 28:50singing in
- 28:51psalm 63
- 28:51the 63rd
- 28:53psalm
- 28:53and we're
- 28:54going to
- 28:55sing
- 28:55it's a
- 28:56scottish
- 28:56psalter
- 28:56and we're
- 28:58going to
- 28:58sing
- 28:59verses 1
- 28:59to 5
- 29:00psalm 63
- 29:02scottish
- 29:03psalter
- 29:04verses 1
- 29:05to 5
- 29:06lord
- 29:09thee my
- 29:10god
- 29:11i
- 29:11rarely
- 29:11seek
- 29:11my
- 29:12soul
- 29:12doth
- 29:13thirst
- 29:13for thee
- 29:13my
- 29:14flesh
- 29:15longs
- 29:15in a
- 29:15dry
- 29:16parched
- 29:16land
- 29:16wherein
- 29:17no
- 29:17waters
- 29:17be
- 29:18that
- 29:19i
- 29:19thy
- 29:19power
- 29:20may
- 29:20behold
- 29:20and
- 29:21brightness
- 29:21of thy
- 29:21face
- 29:22as i
- 29:23have
- 29:23seen
- 29:23thee
- 29:24heretofore
- 29:24within
- 29:25thy
- 29:26holy
- 29:26place
- 29:27since
- 29:28better
- 29:28is
- 29:28thy
- 29:29love
- 29:29than
- 29:29life
- 29:29my
- 29:30lips
- 29:30thee
- 29:30praise
- 29:31shall
- 29:31give
- 29:31i
- 29:32in
- 29:32thy
- 29:32name
- 29:33will
- 29:33lift
- 29:33my
- 29:34hands
- 29:34and
- 29:34bless
- 29:35thee
- 29:35while
- 29:36i
- 29:36live
- 29:371
- 29:37to 5
- 29:37psalm
- 29:3863
- 29:38lord
- 29:39thee
- 29:40my
- 29:40god
- 29:40i
- 29:41rarely
- 29:41seek
- 29:41for
- 29:46thee
- 29:46my
- 29:47god
- 29:48i
- 29:49rarely
- 29:50seek
- 29:52my
- 29:53soul
- 29:54doth
- 29:55thirst
- 29:56for
- 29:57thee
- 29:58my
- 30:00flesh
- 30:01longs
- 30:02in
- 30:03a
- 30:04dry
- 30:04!
- 30:05thy
- 30:06far
- 30:06land
- 30:06where
- 30:08in
- 30:09no
- 30:09waters
- 30:11be
- 30:12that
- 30:15i
- 30:16thy
- 30:16power
- 30:18may
- 30:19behold
- 30:21and
- 30:22brightness
- 30:24of
- 30:25thy
- 30:26face
- 30:28as
- 30:30i
- 30:30have
- 30:31seen
- 30:32thee
- 30:33here
- 30:34to
- 30:35forth
- 30:36within
- 30:37thy
- 30:39holy
- 30:40place
- 30:43since
- 30:44better
- 30:46is
- 30:47thy
- 30:48love
- 30:49than
- 30:50life
- 30:51my
- 30:52lips
- 30:53thee
- 30:54praise
- 30:55shall
- 30:56give
- 30:57!
- 30:58I
- 30:59in
- 31:00thy
- 31:01name
- 31:02will
- 31:03lift
- 31:04my
- 31:05hands
- 31:06and
- 31:07bless
- 31:08thee
- 31:09while
- 31:10I
- 31:11live
- 31:12even
- 31:14as
- 31:15with
- 31:16marrow
- 31:17and
- 31:19with
- 31:20fat
- 31:20my
- 31:22soul
- 31:23shall
- 31:24fill
- 31:25it
- 31:26thee
- 31:27then
- 31:29shall
- 31:30my
- 31:31mouth
- 31:31with
- 31:33joyful
- 31:34lips
- 31:35sing
- 31:37praises
- 31:38unto
- 31:40thee
- 31:42now
- 31:44may
- 31:44the
- 31:44grace
- 31:44mercy
- 31:45and
- 31:45peace
- 31:45of
- 31:45God
- 31:45the
- 31:46Father
- 31:46Son
- 31:46and
- 31:46Holy
- 31:47Spirit
- 31:47rest
- 31:48and
- 31:48abide
- 31:48upon
- 31:49each
- 31:49one
- 31:49of
- 31:49you
- 31:49now
- 31:50and
- 31:50forever
- 31:50more
- 31:51amen
- 31:51I'll go to the door on my right
- 32:12that
- 32:12that
- 32:13!
- 32:15that
- 32:16Thank you.
- 32:46Thank you.