Jesus at the Feast of Booths Part 4: The Golden Invitation - John 7:37-39

1:09You've heard of the red letter edition of the Bible, right? And what is that about? The red letters, how do they come about? Jesus' words, right? They put all of Jesus' words in red letters so you can distinguish them. Well, if we ever printed a gold letter edition, where some of the most profound and some of the most Significant words of scripture are highlighted or printed in gold, then these words would certainly be among them. Because truly, these words are golden words, golden words spoken for all of humanity and spoken by the king of heaven himself.

1:52Remember, in John chapter 17, verse 24, Jesus prays that his people would one day see his glory. That says, Father, I desire that those who you give me, have given me will be with me where I am, so that they may see my glory, which you have given me, for you loved me before the foundation of the world. And then in Revelation 4, John is given a glimpse of this glory. Verse 2, John, while on the island of Patmos, in Revelation 4, immediately I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and one sitting on the throne. And he was sitting, and he who was sitting was like a jasper sewn and a sardis in appearance. And there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance. And John takes us into this picture of the glory that. Christ shares with his father.

3:06Around the throne were 24 thrones, and among the thrones I saw 24 elders sitting, clothed in white garments and golden crowns on their head. Out from the throne come flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God. And before the throne, there was something like the sea of glass, like crystal. And in the center, and around the throne, four living creatures. And he goes on to describe these living creatures in verse 8: day and night. They do not cease to say, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come. And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne, to him who lives forever and ever, the 24 elders will fall down before him who sits on the throne and will worship him who lives forever and ever and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Worthy are you, O Lord, and our God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and because of your glory, they, your will, they existed and were created. And he goes on to describe this glory and then the glory of the slain lamb and this glory of heaven, where Christ shares. Glory with the Father.

4:35Now, I want, with that as a background, I want you to kind of think with me for a minute about the Glorious One, this Glorious One of Heaven with a glory shared with the Father. Now, imagine this Glorious One for just a moment, clothing himself in humility and leaving His glorious home. Picture him descending to earth. And imagine as he leaves, He carries with Him a golden invitation, an invitation to deliver to the sons of Adam and Eve, the sons and daughters.

5:15It's a glorious invitation. It's a glorious invitation for some of the most pitiful and undeserving part of all of creation. And nonetheless, the Glorious King comes and He delivers heaven's golden invitation to the inhabitants of the earth. Angels and cherubim marvel because of the extraordinary event, the Glorious King clothing himself in humility and delivering the most profound, the most glorious, and the most beautiful invitation to the most undeserving. And with this image, In your mind, I want to talk about that golden invitation because the words that we just read really are that golden invitation. And I want to specifically look at four details of this golden invitation so that you will take him up on his offer. Four details of this golden invitation that we see in verses 37 and 38. First of all, I want you to see the manner in which this golden invitation was delivered, the manner in which it was delivered. Look back at verse 37. I want you to see when this golden invitation was delivered, who delivered it, and how he delivered it that day. First of all, it was delivered at the most significant time. Look back at verse 37. Now on the last day, the great day of the feast.

7:00According to Leviticus 23, you know, they're celebrating the feast of booths. This has been going on for over a week now. Comes to the end of that. They've got their booths set up all around Jerusalem. You've got this daily procession of water being poured out. You've got this procession and this event of lighting up the temple so that to reenact and give a feel of God's presence with Israel in the wilderness after they came. Out of Egypt.

7:33So there were seven days. Leviticus 23 says, and on the first day there was to be a holy assembly. And on the eighth day there was to be a holy assembly. And it's on this most significant day. Some people see it as the seventh day, that that was the great day of the feast, because afterwards, on the eighth day, they break down the booths and they start to go home. But in Leviticus 23, it's clear that there is a holy assembly on the eighth day. And so I take it very simply, the last day, meaning the eighth day. And though it may not be the high point, may not have been the high point of the big water libation, yet it is a high point of the feast because at that point, everything that has been happening for the whole week is now in retrospect. And then there is one final holy assembly. And I believe it is on this day, a day of reflection, a day of breaking down and going back to your life, that Jesus utters these words.

8:48Very significant. In light of what you've been doing all week, let me invite you to come to me. Let me invite you to the true source of spiritual satisfaction. Regardless of which day it was, what John is clearly calling our attention to is that it is the most significant time of the feast. That is what John is bringing out. This invitation concludes the feast of booths, but it also concludes the whole festival year. The Jewish calendar, now, the festival calendar comes to an end. And it's at the end of the festival season that Jesus utters these words. Very significant. In fact, there could not be a more significant occasion for such an invitation, such as this.

9:55So it was delivered at the most significant time, but it was delivered by the most significant person. Christ himself delivers this. The glorious one of heaven, the king himself, delivers this invitation. Very significant. The most significant time delivered by the most significant person. And now I want you to see that he delivered it in the most significant way, with the most intense emotion. Look at how he delivered this invitation. Verse 37. Now, on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out.

10:43You know, most rabbis would sit while they're teaching. And when a rabbi took to his feet, he was making a point. But look at the way he delivers this invitation. He cries out. We looked at this last time, right? A few verses before. He cries out. The one who Isaiah says will not cry out in the street is here crying out in the temple. The only other time you see this kind of emotion attributed to Christ is when he is on the cross. This is intense emotion. In light of all that you have seen, Jesus stands up and he cries out.

11:34And he cries out the words of this invitation. Very significant. Such is the manner in which this golden invitation was delivered, delivered at the most significant time by the most significant person in the most intense way. So we should pay attention, right? Pay attention. These are golden words. Second, first detail of Jesus' golden invitation is the manner in which it was delivered. Second detail that I want to call your attention to is to whom it was delivered, to whom it was delivered. Look back, verse 37. If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. So Jesus stood, cried out, saying, If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Now, there are two categories of people being addressed here. First major category is anyone. Anyone. So the proclamation goes out far and wide to all peoples everywhere. Everyone in that assembly. Anyone. That's the word. You see, heaven's golden invitation is no respecter of persons, it is for anyone, regardless of class, of gender, of age, or how popular you are, or your value to society, or whatever your ethnic origins are. It goes out to all peoples everywhere. And by the way, there are really only two ethnic groups, right? Jews and Gentiles, right? And as Gentiles, there's Jews and the others, right? That's us, right? That's right. But pay attention. Pay close attention to the words of Jesus. Because if you look back, his invitation is not for everyone. Right? You see, sometimes we confuse the terms invitation. Anyone and everyone. Everyone is not invited, but anyone can come.

13:38Fit those two together, okay? But everyone is not invited, clearly, but anyone can come if they meet Jesus' criteria. Anyone. And so within that anyone, there is a subcategory, a second category that Jesus addresses. And the second category is really a subset of the first. Jesus' words are spoken to the whole assembly, but not everyone was interested in what he offered. Not all were thirsty. And the invitation, look back, is clearly addressed to the thirsty. To the thirsty. If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.

14:20So it's important to understand what being thirsty is. Is this golden invitation to us or is it not to us? Let's talk about thirst for a minute. What is thirst not? What is Jesus not talking about here? You know, there's a worldly kind of passion or a worldly kind of pursuit, a worldly kind of thirst, if you call it that, where people pursue things, right? Go after, you know, you know the gigs, right? There's money, there's power, pleasure, there's possessions, control, honor, rank, prestige, situation. Significance to be envied by others. Those are pursuits, right? That somehow we, in our natural state, we will go after them and make our significance known through these.

15:15But you see, we were made in God's image. We were made to reflect the image of His holy being. And when the image-bearer isn't reflecting that image, He isn't doing what He was called to do, and there is going to be an emptiness. Avoid a thirst for something greater. You see, worldly pursuits, such as all of these, will ultimately lead to sin, they'll lead to broken relationships, they'll lead to isolation from God, and they do not bring lasting satisfaction. Now, He's not talking about that kind of fleshly thirst, He's talking about another kind of thirst. And what kind of thirst is He talking about here?

16:07Let's just talk about thirst for a minute. What is thirst at its basic level? Thirst is basically a desire for relief, right? A desire for a strong desire for relief. You know, physical thirst is a desire for the quench of water, right? But the thirst that Jesus is speaking about here is not. Physical thirst, but spiritual thirst. He's not over there saying, Look, I got all these water bottles, got a jug of water over there. Anybody's thirsty, just come on over here and get some drink. You know, it's been a long ceremony. That altar's been burning pretty hot. Water, right? He's not talking about physical water.

16:49He's not talking about physical thirst. He's talking about a spiritual thirst. So let's talk about a moment about what is spiritual thirst. Let me tell you what I how I would define spiritual thirst in three words. Spiritual thirst is anxiety of soul, an anxiety of soul, a spiritual anxiousness, a yearning within one's spirit for a remedy of something that's out of order. A remedy. It's a spiritual yearning for remedy of something that's out of place, out of order, not right with the world.

17:31And the kind of thirst that Jesus is talking about here comes out of that thirst that comes out of the fallen human condition. A desire for something to be made right. There is something fundamentally wrong with our fallen condition. And because of that, there are many thirsts, right? There are thirsts. As we live in a world that's broken and fallen, we inevitably see. Many times things that are not right, and we long for things to be right.

18:06And one of the very first things we become very aware of is a thirst for needing a covering, a conviction of sin. There's a thirst that comes out of a conviction of sin, right? A desire, a thirst to be pardoned, to be forgiven. You know, if we were to take this just this past week, and if all of your sins, if all of the words of your mouth, if all of the things your hands did, if all of the places your feet went, if all of the thoughts in your mind that sinned against God were paraded around up here on the screen, you would run for cover, right? We all would, right? Be ashamed.

19:00We need a covering. We need a righteousness, right? We need for things to be made right. And so there is a desire that comes out of the fallen human condition, a desire, and honest, those who are honest of soul will have a desire for pardon. There will be a longing to have God's favor on your life. Sometimes we have a thirst, a thirst for victory over sin, right? Sometimes we get down, even as believers, we can fall into the same ruts. Pattern and be overwhelmed and crushed by sin and guilt and shame, and we want victory, right? That's a thirst. That's a spiritual thirst. A yearning for a restored fellowship with God, a yearning for peace and contentment in life, a yearning for relationships to be made right before heaven.

19:53All these are thirst, spiritual thirsts. And you know, the beginning of every good thing that will ever come into your life begins right here. It begins with the sense that you are guilty, that you are needy, that you are empty, and that you are separated from God. And when you feel that thirst, it's good because it drives you to the solution. Are you thirsty? Do you feel a need for God in your life? Do you sit here this morning and have a sense of your isolation from God?

20:39Is there something about yourself you just do not like and are ashamed of? Do you have sin that needs to be dealt with? Are you ashamed because you are overcome over and over by defeat, by your failings, by depression, by your lack? Well, you know, some of these things may be the very best thing that ever happened to you if it causes you to thirst for the living God. Listen, you've lived long enough to know if you can continue in these patterns, there is no satisfaction. There is no satisfaction on your own.

21:25I marvel at the Christ of Scripture. And I want to take a moment and just look at a character aspect about Christ. And he is totally unique. This morning, I just had to let my wife know that I did something really good. I fixed the shower curtain. And I did several days ago, and this went on without being noticed. You know, she didn't notice it. So finally, this morning, I said, have you noticed anything different about this shower curtain? You know, let me tell you how great I art. Let me tell you how great of a husband you have. He just out of his own volition and for no purpose whatsoever at all, he fixed this because he's just that kind of guy.

22:15Right? That's what we do, right? We want to show ourselves. We want to, look what I did right. Let me show you my righteousness. Let me show you what I did. We'd love to do that, right? And then when we're attacked or when we feel like our reputation is, well, no. No, I'm really pretty good, and I didn't say what I said, or I didn't say it in that way, and we're quick to cover ourselves up because we're very concerned about how we look, right?

22:42Right? Let me tell you something about Christ. He's not so much interested about how he looks, he's interested in how you look before the Father. He wanted to give His righteousness to you so that you could stand before a holy God. He doesn't say, That's my righteousness. He gives that righteousness. It's incredible. We're often, we want to be seen, but Jesus is about covering us in His righteousness. He's about giving us what is His because He wants us to look good before the Father. Now, that's an incredible individual. There's none like that.

23:31But I want you to pay attention to who's not invited. You see, this invitation is not for those who are not thirsty, right? Those who think they have no sin, this invitation isn't for them. For those who want to correct God's definition of sin, this invitation isn't for you. For those who think you know about the God of the universe, Those of you who think you know more than the God of the universe and know more what sin ought to be labeled and what sin is not, or those of you who think you know more than the Christ of Scripture and want to challenge his words and challenge his definitions, and challenge his morality, this invitation isn't for you.

24:27You see, the worst state of a soul to be in is to feel no concern about eternity. Is that you this morning? Are you indifferent to the things of eternity? Listen, one of the things of ministry, one of the main aspects of ministry, is to communicate and to preach the word in such a way that there is a thirst awakened. Awaken the thirst and point them to the source, right? Worst state to be in is to be unconcerned about eternity.

25:06But know who is invited? The thirsty. Is your name on that golden invitation? Do you want God in your life? Do you grieve over your sin? Are you tired of being a prisoner of your own sinful inclinations? Do you want relief? Do you want satisfaction of soul over relationships, over things that have gone wrong in this world? Do you grieve? Do you want satisfaction? Then your name is on this invitation. It's here. The golden invitation is for you.

25:52You're invited. If you are thirsty, this invitation is for you. So we looked at the manner it was delivered. We looked at to whom it was delivered. Now I want you to see what it requests of those who are invited. Look back at verse 37. Then he one is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Two imperative commands: be coming, be drinking, presence, present, continual action. Let him be coming, let him be drinking. Now, what is coming to Jesus, really, when you're talking about spiritually? I mean, if he was standing over there physically, coming to Jesus is leaving my proximity and going over there to his being proximity of Christ, right? But how does that work with him sitting on the right hand, the Father? How does that work with us here and spiritual being there?

26:54How does that work? Well, coming to Jesus is the soul's movement. Away from self-confidence to a confidence in Christ. That's what coming to Jesus is: it's leading self-confidence, self-trust, and moving to Christ, trust, to confidence in Christ, what he says, what he offers. That's what coming is: it's movement of the soul. It's a turning, it's a change, it's movement. It's casting aside confidence in your own goodness, your own sufficiency, your own worthiness before heaven, and it's trusting in Christ to relieve. And so, even in that act of coming, there's a paradox here. By coming, we die to self, it's movement away from self.

27:54So, by coming, we die, but by coming, we live. Paradox. By coming, we die, but by coming, we live because we come to the source of life. But there's a second imperative command that links, that is joined. You must be coming, and you must be drinking. Literal interpretation of this would be: if anyone should be thirsty, he must be coming to me and he must be drinking. Literal translation: he must be coming to me and he must be drinking. Drinking.

28:32But he wasn't, like I said, giving out bottles of water. So, what kind of drink is he offering? I'm going to be coming to Christ to drink. What kind of substance am I to be taking in? It's a good question, right? And the substance that he was talking about was not physical water, but a living spirit. And the question becomes: okay, now, what living spirit? It's not my living spirit. He didn't say, if you come to me, I'll give you the spirit of Tom. Boy, that clear the house, right? No, what spirit? Whose spirit? He gives his own spirit, right? His own living spirit.

29:14Remember, we looked at this in John chapter 4. He's already with the woman at the well, right between the Mount of Blessing and the Mount of Curses. There is Jacob's well. And Jacob's well is a well of living water. That's the idea there: water that flows from an underground stream into the cistern. There's a difference between a cistern that just was stale and stagnant and only had water from what was put in it, right? And it would grow stagnant. But Jacob's well was one where living water, water moved through it, and it still moves through it to this day. And what he was telling that woman that day is: you need living water, you need something that comes into your source or into your source. That's from another source, from a heavenly source. You need something alive. You need more than just physical sustenance. You need a living spirit, a clean spirit to come into you.

30:12And that's what he's offering here. We need his spirit. We need to see things as he would see. We need to approach life with that same holy resolve and that same Holy Spirit as our Lord had. That's what being a child of the king is about, having his same spirit. And that's what he gives. How does one drink his spirit? Keep in mind, we're spiritual beings. How does any spirit take in another spirit? You believe in it. Look back at verse 38. He who believes in me, he makes, the metaphor, the coming and the drinking, is compared, is a metaphor for believing.

31:02As a spiritual being before Christ who is spirit, we take in his spirit by believing in his spirit. We drink him in by faith, by believing, by taking his words to be true and what he says to be exact and precise and for us. And we take them in, we believe, and our lives begin to take shape based upon the truth, person, the truth. Coming in and taking place. We're spiritual beings. You have heard you are what you eat, but I say you are what you believe in.

31:47You are controlled by what you believe in. My kids asked me this past week: is demonic possession, does it happen today? And I said, yes, I believe it can, and I believe it does. Then the next question kids always ask: how? How does it happen, right? And by now, they're all wigged out. You know, how does it happen, Dad? You know, right? And I said, well, you don't catch a demon like you catch a cold. You don't sit in a chair where somebody may have been entertaining a foul spirit, and all of a sudden that tag, you're it. It doesn't happen like that at all. It happens when you start fixating upon the enemy, when you start listening to the enemy, and you start believing the enemy, and you start taking in that spirit's thoughts. And those thoughts start taking root in your life, and they start influencing you, then they start controlling you. That's the nature of the way a spiritual being takes in. And what you believe is very important because it shapes you, it drives you, it makes you what you are. So be careful what you listen to, be careful what you fixate on, and make sure you're listening, you're coming to the truth, and you're drinking in the truth, and you're being shaped and conformed by the truth.

33:25You see, it's not enough just to, you know, I think it's important to understand, it's not enough just to show evidence that your conscience has been awakened. It's not enough to feel a level of remorse and regret for your sin. It's not enough to know that you are empty and lost without Christ. It's not enough to seek Christ. You must find him and believe in him. Listen, the blood of the Passover lamb did absolutely no good for the Israelite in Egypt until its blood was applied to the doorpost, right?

34:07You see, drinking Christ is applying Christ. And it's very important to understand that drinking is very personal. And this is where the gospel gets very personal. You see, thirst isn't quenched simply by knowing there's a river out there with pure water, right? Just the knowledge of a pure stream does not quench your thirst, right? What quenches it? You must go to the stream, and you must drink from that stream. Then your thirst is quenched. Likewise, it's not enough to simply know that there is a river of forgiveness that flows from Calvary's mountain and goes out through all the world. It's not enough just to know that there is a river of forgiveness. You must go to the river and drink and take in of that river for it to satisfy you.

35:10It's not enough to know that Christ died for humanity. The devil knows that. It's not enough to know that he died for humanity. You must believe he died for you. That's the personal nature of the gospel. It's not just saying, I believe that there is a river of forgiveness. It's, I believe that river of forgiveness is for me. And the reason it flows through this land is because Christ desires for me to drink from it. Have you drunk? Have you taken it in?

35:57Well, those are the two imperative commands. You must be coming. You must be drinking. But I want you to see one person. One person. Who do we come to? Who do we drink from? If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me. To me. His invitation cannot be more clear. His invitation is to come to him and not to any other person, not to any other being, not to any other system, but to him. Listen, those who pray to saints or to any other are not drinking from the right source. They have let some animistic pagan practices take priority over Jesus' direct invitation. Come to me.

36:53Listen, he is not too busy, he is not too preoccupied to hear from you. You don't need another intermediary. And when Jesus uttered these words, he emphatically guaranteed that he has the capacity to hear all, to receive all, to hear your needs, to know your situation, to know intimately your thirst, and to satisfy it completely. And he says, You come to me. That's the king. And he wants. All of us who are thirsty to come directly to him and to drink freely of him.

37:37It is not coming to church, even as good as that may be. It is not coming to your Christian friends or your family. You must go to Christ. It's not even coming to the pastor, it's coming to Christ. Do you see where the king wants to be in your life? Come to me and drink. What an invitation. And he leaves us to extremes, right? You must disregard it and say, No, I'm not going to, or you have to go to him directly and take in what he has.

38:14You see, coming and drinking is something we must do continually. Keep coming, keep drinking. You start your journey by taking that first drink, but it doesn't stop there. In fact, I am really impressed with Job's life. You remember in Job chapter 1, you remember God was so impressed with Job. This is a righteous man. He will say in verse 8 to Satan, Have you considered my servant Job? For there is none like him on the earth, a blameless man and an upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil. And when you read back through Job 1, you know there's only one action. That is ascribed to Job.

39:04Every morning, or after the days of the feasting of his children, would end, he would rise up early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, Perhaps my sons have sinned and caused and cursed God in their hearts. And this Job did continually. He kept coming to the well of forgiveness. That's what God boasted about. Incredible. Come to the cross. Come daily. Come to the one who forgives. Let's keep going.

39:44Well, the golden invitation. First detail is the manner it was given. The second, to whom it was delivered. Third, what it requests of those who are invited. And fourth, I want you to see the blessing for those who accept. The blessing for those who accept. And this comes from Christ's words: He who believes in me, as the scripture said, from his innermost being will flow rivers of living water. Question: How many scriptures are in view here? Is there just one scripture that Christ has in mind, or is there a consensus, a truth that's communicated in many places? Well, certainly, I believe there's probably many scriptures that attest to this truth. One scripture may stand out. More than the rest, and that's Isaiah 58:11, where he says, and you will be like a watered garden and a spring of water whose waters do not fail. Not only will you be a garden water that is satisfied, but you will become a source of satisfaction to others.

40:58And what Jesus is speaking about here, the blessing for those who accept, the teaching is clear. He speaks about soul satisfaction. In fact, an abundant satisfaction to such an extent that the soul who drinks of Jesus is not only satisfied himself, but becomes a conduit that God uses to bring satisfaction to others. Say it like this: the soul watered by Jesus is used to water others. The inmost being. Notice how he says, from his inmost being, from that place, from the deep spiritual recesses of the heart, from the deepest part of humanity. In fact, Proverbs 4:23 calls this the heart, right? Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life. And that, if you Drink in Christ from that point, from the deepest recesses of your heart, will flow the springs of life, living water.

42:10And notice the word rivers, multiple rivers. They go out in all directions. Now, let me just bring in a little bit of my hydrology here. I always look for opportunities to do that, as if it's important, but I just want to make some observations about the behavior of water. First of all, think about a pitcher. A pitcher cannot overflow until it is what? Until it is full, right? And it cannot be full until it is filled. A thirsty soul must drink to satisfaction before it can be a conduit of blessing to others. And so, what Christ wants first and foremost from his people is a spirit of receptiveness to him, a receptiveness to what he gives, continual receptiveness to what he teaches, to where he leads, what he says, what he does, what he did, what he came for, who he is. That's what he wants from us, and he'll take care of the rest. Out of that, you take that in, all of a sudden will flow the waters of life, and you'll have a hard time keeping up with it. You be satisfied in him.

43:30Second thing about water is that floodwaters cannot be stopped, can they? They run their course. That's what they do. And the soul satisfied by Jesus will naturally find a place of ministry. A soul satisfied by Jesus will naturally find its place in this world. In fact, you'll have a hard time keeping up with it. I came across this rabbinic teaching that I found very interesting and insightful. One rabbi says it like this: When a man turns to the Lord, he is like a fountain filled with living water, and rivers flow from him to men of all nations and tribes.

44:16And this is really the key to ministry here at Emmanuel Baptist Church, isn't it? When our souls are satisfied in Christ alone, when our hearts have found him to be our all in all, then really no effort is going to be necessary. His supply is naturally going to overflow in all directions, right? You see, we must first come to Christ daily. You must first be satisfied by Christ before attempting anything for him. Right? And if there's one thing I want for this church, it's that we will be a people who love the Christ of Scripture more and more intently each. Day, and that we continually be a people who come to Him and receive from Him. And don't worry, He'll take care of the rest.

45:12You see, the problem with ministry today is that we have many empty ministers uttering empty words, unsatisfied souls that are trying to maintain some semblance of religion but have no real power. But we are invited to come and drink of His Spirit and to have the very living water, the King's Spirit Himself, flowing through us into this world. It's a golden invitation. The Glorious One left heaven to put in us His very Spirit. So, the question comes back to us: Are you satisfied in Jesus? Are you abundantly satisfied in Jesus? Is your life characterized by ups and downs, spiritually speaking? Now, you're going to have trials, but how do you handle those trials?

46:20Do you have up and down times? I think if you could pull back the screen and really see it carefully, I think you would notice that you're. Down times are very closely related to your drinking times, or I should say, lack of drinking times, right? Let us have a more consistent walk. Let us have a more consistent journey of coming to Him, trusting in Him for everything, leaving soul confidence, coming to Him and taking in Him.

46:58Well, I've gone, said almost enough. Heaven's golden invitation was issued by Christ Himself. It is for all who thirst, and it calls us to respond by coming to Him and believing in Him. I hope that will be the disposition and the character of your life. I read to you a poem by Lawrence Hausman, I think is appropriate in the context of John. It says this: Light looked down and beheld darkness. Thither will I go, said light. Peace looked down and beheld war. Thither will I go, said peace. Love looked down and beheld hatred. Thither will I go, said love. So came light and shone. So came peace and gave rest. So came love and brought life. And the word of God was made flesh and dwelt among us. And John. Goes on to say, and we saw his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and full of truth. Such is the glorious one from heaven who issues a golden invitation for us today.

48:18Angels and cherubim marvel. It is a good and generous gift. To despise it is to slander the giver. And only a fool would do such, for it is so glorious, so marvelous. So come, come to him. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, the applications of this truth are so many that they cannot even be elaborated on. But I pray that by your Spirit that you will instill them in our hearts, that you will call these truths to mind as we go through this week. Father, that we would be the first to respond. Father, and we thank you for the downtimes that cause us to thirst, the trials that cause us to thirst for you. And Father, even though they are painful, and Father, we recognize that if they lead us to you, then it is well with our souls. So, Father, please have your way in us. May we respond. May we RSVP. May we say, behold, I Take you up. I come as best I can. Help my inability to come. I come and I drink, I drink, I believe, I believe. Help my unbelief. And Father, we come. We believe.

49:45In Jesus' name.