Jesus at the Feast of Booths Part 6: Responding to the Golden Invitation - John 7:40-52

1:31My thirst. Okay. You know, something happened last week that kind of shook me up or just brought some sobriety in my life all of a sudden. I was at the board of directors meeting for the Shepherd's Theological Seminary, which you know we have an extension campus here, teaching site here. I was at the Board of Directors meeting last Monday, and we had a great meeting. But right as we left, one of the very last things that was said was by Attorney David Gibbs. You know him. He was our attorney, and he's been here to speak. One of the last things he said, he says, Mr. Chairman, we just want to remember that we do need a succession plan. And so the chairman of the board said yes, and pretty much dismissed.

2:35And that night was his last. And I sent Mr. Chairman an email the next morning, not knowing he had passed. And it goes, so be in prayer for the Shepherd Seminary right now, as we all need a succession plan, don't we? Days are all limited, and our days go by so quickly. And I got to thinking about some of the famous last words that I have heard people say. And I just want to share a few of those just to set in your mind just what last words can say about a person, but also what last words can say about our humanity.

3:28For instance, you may, well, let me see, maybe. Is it going? It's on. I've got this, but I can't advance. Okay, there's one. Now they're going, okay, just, I don't know if you remember James Dean. He was driving around in his sports car, a hot rod in California, and one of the last things he said to his friend, well, that guy's got to stop. He'll see us. The truck didn't see him. Remember John F. Kennedy? One of the last things he said was to the governor's wife. She said to him, Well, Mr. President, you can't say that Dallas doesn't love you. He said, No, you certainly can't. Last words. Malcolm X, you remember the Muslim leader, and some of his own people turned on him. And one of the last things he said was, Hold it, guys, hold it, hold it. Let's be cool, brothers.

4:38John Wayne, his wife came in and asked him, Do you remember who I am? He says, Of course I know who you are. You're my girl, and I love you. Steve Irwin, doing a shoot for his daughter's program about stingrays. Don't worry, they usually don't swim backwards. And his life's over. Remember Pete Maravich, Pistol Pete, great basketball player on the basketball court. Last words, he says, I feel great. He dropped dead of a heart attack. Joan Crawford, that Hollywood diva. She falls to the ground, a heart failure, and her housekeeper comes by her side and starts praying for her. Last words, Don't you dare ask God to help me.

5:35Edgar Allan Poe, that dark poet. Last words, Lord, help my soul. Dylan Thomas, a poet, I think it was Ireland. I've had 18 straight whiskeys. I think that's the record. Tells you something about people, doesn't it? P.T. Barnum. The receipts today at the Madison Square Garden. How about the Union commander in the Civil War lining up for battle? He says, Oh, they couldn't hit an elephant at this distance. They could. Vespasian, upon his deathbed, is, woe is me, methinks I'm turning into a god. No, you're not turning into a god.

6:34And on through history, John Barrymore, that actor, die? I should say not, dear fellow. No Barrymore would allow such a conventional thing to happen to him. And it did. Amelia Earhart, last letter she wrote to her husband. She says, I know about the dangers. She says, women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail, their failure must be but a challenge to others. Leonardo da Vinci. I have offended God and mankind because my work did not reach the quality it should have.

7:15Napoleon, last words, Josephine. Princess Diana of Wells, last words, what's happened? As she was in that fatal car accident. Louise, the queen of Prussia, known as the Queen of Hearts, she says, I am a queen. She had problems. She was paralyzed. She said, I am a queen, but I have not the power to move my arms. Queen Elizabeth I, all my possessions for a moment of time. Think about that for a moment. You who are here today have a moment of time, something that the Queen of England at one time would have given all of her possessions for. Life is worth something.

8:08And so the question becomes to us as we think about life and recognize that death is a reality of life, isn't it? In fact, our death is a reality in life. Life isn't about dying, though. It's about living. And it's about living life knowing that it will soon come to an end. So how are we to live in light of that reality? How do we live knowing that we will soon die? And the scriptures have much to say upon this. They don't want you to be ignorant about this fact. In fact, Psalm 90, verse 10 says this: As for the days of our life, they contain 70 years, or if due strength, 80 years. Yet their pride is but labor and sorrow, for soon it is gone and we fly away. So teach us to number our days that we may present to you a heart of wisdom. Solomon put his efforts to try to answer this question: What do we do with our days? And after all that he went through, he sums it up at the end of the book of Ecclesiastes in verse 12 and 13. The conclusion, when all has been heard, is this: Fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. This is wise living in light of the fact that you're going to die.

9:44Unless, of course, you're raptured. But the same principles apply. But there is no command in Scripture more necessary than that delivered by Christ Himself. If the conclusion is to fear God and keep His commandments, I can say this: the command we have from our Lord Himself in John chapter 7, verses 37 to 38 cannot be more clear and more important. Verse 37: Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the Scripture said, From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water. And our response to Jesus' invitation, what I have termed the golden invitation, our response will define our lives. Your life will be defined one way or another, how you respond to the golden invitation that I have just read to you. It will drive who you are, it will drive what you pursue, and it will drive how you are judged before God.

11:03Very few scriptures do you come to with such an emphasis upon your decision. How are you going to judge Christ? And by the way, by the way you judge Christ will serve the basis for how He judges you. Is there truth and integrity in you? But look at His last command. It is bold. Its invitation is too good to be true. He wants us to be coming to Him, He wants us to be drinking in what He gives, and He promises, He promises abundant satisfaction to all who do.

11:50And the question is: think about it for a second: who can make such an incredible appeal? Think about this. What are you saying? I mean, who does this guy think he is? If I were to stand up and say, come to me, and anyone at any time throughout history, come to me and I will completely satisfy you to the highest point to where such you will be such, so satisfied that your satisfaction will overflow to others. Now, who do you think I would be to say something like that? No man makes statements like this. There is implicit in his invitation a claim to omniscience. Number one, he knows who's coming to him.

12:40There's a claim to omnipresence. He is there ready to receive. There is a claim there to omnipotence. I can completely satisfy you when you come. I mean, who does this guy think he is making such a claim? Well, that's the same question that people were answering, were asking that day. And it's the same question being asked and answered in our passage this morning. You see, what light does is it invades the darkness and it forces the darkness to respond.

13:21The darkness must either be illumined or the darkness must retreat. Light gives no other option. And Jesus came into the world to force man to make a judgment about him. But look at verse 24. He makes it clear: do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment. He forces you to judge. He inserts himself into our world so that the world will make a judgment about him, so that you will make a judgment about him. But he wants your judgment about him to be right.

14:00And those whose judgment about him is right, they are the ones coming to him. They are the ones drinking from him. They are the ones satisfied in him. But look, in the wake of Jesus' incredible invitation, which comes down to us today, as it was then, it caused division. But look at verse 43. So a division occurred in the crowd because of him. A division occurred. In fact, there's a division in the crowd, and beginning in verse 45, as you go on, it's clear that the division wasn't just limited to the crowd, but it's also limited, it also expands into the very ruling class of the Sanhedrin, a division.

14:48And so, what I want to do with our time this morning is I want to look at eight responses to our Lord's invitation that come out of this text, and I want To do so, I want to look at these eight responses, and then I want to remind ourselves of the one response that is necessary so that you will not miss God's call upon your life. This is God's call upon your life right here in our text this morning.

15:16No matter what job you may take, no matter what relationship you may be in, no matter what you may be going on in your life, I promise you, this is the call of God upon your life, and I don't want you to miss it. And I want you to know how to properly respond. So, eight responses to Christ's golden invitation, and they will go fairly quickly. First of all, look at verse 40. First response: Oh, he is the prophet.

15:47Some of them, verse 40, some of the people, therefore, when they heard these words, were saying, This is certainly the prophet. In other words, this guy is speaking for God, for sure. In fact, you remember back in chapter 6 and verse 14, they said this same thing. After having the bread and eating of the bread and the fish, they said, Truly, this is the prophet, the one spoken by Moses in Deuteronomy 18, that would be raised up. This is the prophet who is to come into the world.

16:23Of course, Jesus, right away, perceiving that they were intending to come and take him by force, withdrew to the The mountain himself. So he is the prophet. Seems to match very clearly the connection that, okay, this is the prophet, and there seems to be a link between those who would come and make him king. But the bottom line is they were impressed with Jesus's words. Right? They're like, man, this guy, what he is saying, has this ring of prophetic truth. Wow. And certainly Jesus is the prophet. But such a response is incomplete. He's not just a man who speaks for God.

17:08It's not sufficient just to say he is a prophet and not listen to what he says. That says you really don't believe he's a prophet if you don't listen to what he says. It's not adequate to say that Jesus was merely a man from God or spoke for God because he's much more. And many people, and maybe some of you are here today, think that you give Christ the honor by give, or you honor Christ by saying, well, he's a prophet or he's a great man. He was a good teacher. He was a man sent from God. All that doesn't honor him.

17:42It brings him lower if you don't obey what he says. You really don't. And you're the hypocrite if you say you believe he's from God, speaks for God, but then you don't do what he says. So just a prophetic credential. I mean, what he says here is much beyond any. Claim that any prophet ever made. The promise to completely satisfy every soul that comes to him. No prophet ever made that. No prophet ever went that far.

18:17Second response. Look in verse 41. Others were saying, This is the Christ. Okay, he is the Christ. Look at that response. And these may have been true believers. They may not have been. John doesn't go into much detail about them. He just simply is giving us the range of opinions in the crowd what was circulating about Jesus. And certainly this is the right confession. Jesus is the Christ. But even the fact that Jesus is the Christ is not the complete response necessary, is it?

18:52One must not only believe that Jesus is the Christ, but he must be coming and drinking. So if you testify that he is the Christ, then the right response is to do what he says. To be coming, to be drinking, finding your satisfaction in him and him alone. Third response. Oh, he's not the Christ. He's not the Christ. Look at verse 41. Others were saying, this is the Christ. Still others were saying, surely the Christ is not going to come from Galilee, is he? Has not the scripture? Said that the Christ comes from the descendants of David and from Bethlehem, the village where David was.

19:38You see, these folks reflect an ignorant rejection that we often see today. They knew enough Scripture to excuse themselves from believing in the Christ of Scripture. Their acquaintance with the Word of God didn't impact their walk with God. Oh, they were acquainted, all right, to some degree. They could quote prophecy, but they'd reject Christ. An ignorant rejection. They had intellectual knowledge, but no change of heart. They had no love for Christ. And that comes from above. A love for Christ doesn't come from below. That's why you need a work of the Spirit in you to even come with a clean desire, with the right desire. They had no love for Christ. They could quote Scripture, but had no love for Christ, even when he stood right before their eyes.

20:46And they used Scripture in the very opposite way that it was supposed to be used. They used Scripture to remain in unbelief. So common today. I could. Interject a parenthetical thought here. Look at verse 43. So a division occurred in the crowd because of him. There's division going on. But I would say that there's probably within this mass, and he's the prophet, he's the Christ, he's not the Christ. I bet you there are some there that are at the feast, and they're just getting caught up in the debate. They love the point counterpoint.

21:22They're not so much enjoying the Christ of Scripture or thinking about the substance, just they love the intellectual exercise. I'm on that side. No, very good. I'm on this side now. No, he's right too, you know. And I imagine there was some of that going on. But then there was another response, response number four. And that response is: he needs to be stopped. Look at verse 44. Some of them wanted to seize him, but no one laid hands on him. Some of them just were so infuriated inside, they wanted him stopped, but then they couldn't stop him. They wanted him silenced. They were infuriated at his words. They were infuriated about his claims. Who does he think he is?

22:14But what really, I believe, irritated them the most was the demands that he made upon them personally. You come to me and drink. You judge me rightly. You come. Find your satisfaction. Oh, that's who do you think you are? And who do you think you are to put those kind of claims on my life? Jesus had no problem with coming. I am the Lord. I do have a claim on your life. And I am telling you, feel your thirst. Come to me, drink, and be satisfied.

23:01Then there's another category, fifth category. They were saying his teaching is just flat-out amazing. His teaching is amazing. Look at verse 45: the officers. You remember these officers that the Sanhedrin sends out to arrest Jesus? Probably been looking for an opportunity for about three days in there in that feast. Instead of arresting him, they're listening to him. And in verse 45, they come back and report, and they say this: the officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, and they said to him, Why did you not bring him? The officers answered, Never has a man spoken the way this man speaks. I mean, they were awestruck by his teaching. And certainly what was true of the officers was true of many in the crowd. They were simply taken in. They were captivated by Jesus' teaching and preaching. His teaching and preaching was marvelous, by the way. I don't think there was ever anyone who could ever preach and teach like him. In fact, I appreciate J.C. Ryle's summary of Jesus' teaching from the discourses that we have recorded in the Gospels, summarizing those discourses. This is what J.C. Ryle says about our Lord's teaching. The leading features of these discourses are plain and unmistakable. The world has never seen anything like them since the gift of speech was given to man. They often contain deep truths which have no line to fathom, but they often contain simple things which even a child can understand. They are bold and outspoken in denouncing national and ecclesiastical sins, and yet they are wise and discreet in never giving needless offense. They are faithful and direct in their warnings, and yet loving and tender in their invitations. For a combination of power and simplicity, of courage and prudence, of faithfulness and tenderness, we may well say, never has a man spoken the way this man speaks.

25:13But this situation is really almost comical. Okay, here comes these guys supposed to arrest him. Man, he was a good preacher, you know, couldn't do it. I mean, the police force, think about this, the police force, no doubt, had heard the Pharisees teach and preach before. For. Okay? And they pay the absolute highest compliments to Jesus, but that's a backhanded slam against the Pharisees, right? I mean, man, you should have heard that guy preach. That guy was good. I mean, never has, I've never heard any of y'all preach like this guy. I mean, this guy, you could not lay, I mean, this was good preaching.

25:57Nothing like what I hear from you. In fact, they actually echoed what Matthew records in 7:28. The crowds were amazed at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one having authority and not as their scribes. And these officers came back and just kind of put it in their face. Man, this guy's good. But the first five responses that we've just looked at, they're from those in the crowd. But beginning in verse 47, we shift gears and we see the responses of the rulers and the division that occurs in the Sanhedrin. We begin to see the panic of a ruling class that is losing control on the population and even their own police force. And we begin to see this intensifying resentment towards Jesus.

26:57So then there's another response. We see in the sixth response. And that response is: there are those within the ruling class that say, only ignorant fools listen to him. You see, their response, though it's directed at the officers, is ultimately directed at Jesus. They're offended if even somebody wants to listen or esteem Jesus' teaching, but it's ultimately a response against Jesus. They were jealous. But notice that it's the Pharisees who responded to the officers. Then the Pharisees jump in there, right? You just offended us, you know?

27:40And their response is: they're so offended that the thought that people would rather listen to this lowly, uneducated man over themselves. You see, their response is the response of the academic elite of the day. And it's filled with pride and a condescending condempt. Look at, there's two levels of this, of this statement or their response to their officers. Look at verse 47. The Pharisees then answered him, You have not been led astray, have you? No one of the rulers or Pharisees has believed in him, has he? In other words, the first charge, you are deceived.

28:30Officers, you are deceived. You are also deceived. And here's their argument: Since none of the rulers or the Pharisees believe on him, it is monstrous, it is preposterous, it is insidious that such men as you, mere underlings, mere employees, should yield to his claims. That's the response of the academic elite, right? You are deceived. Because none of us believe in that. That's what we would consider argument ad hominem, right? But then there's a second charge. Look at verse 49. But this crowd which does not know the law is accursed. So not only are there a charge of deception, those who follow him are deceived, but they're ignorant. They don't know, they're deceived, and they're ignorant, and they're cursed by God.

29:26They're foolish. They are foolish, and their opinion is foolish and worthless. You see, this is what happens when the enemies of biblical truth cannot prevent people from believing in it, and they cannot raise a legitimate argument against it, they attack the proponents of biblical truth, right? Since they can't really legitimately disprove Jesus, what they do is they just attack those who believe. Can't disprove Jesus' arguments. They can't disprove his claims, so what do they do? They just attack him personally and anybody who would sign on with him. That's argument ad hominem, right? Instead of attacking the substance of the argument, they attack the people who believe it. And what they do is they elevate themselves and they discredit those who believe it. And their thinking is, we see it clearly. We are not deceived. We are not ignorant. Therefore, if you listen to him, that must make you deceived and ignorant because we're not deceived and we're not ignorant and you're not listening to us. In other words, you're a bunch of dumb fundamentalists who know nothing and you can't think for yourselves. You ever heard that one?

30:49Well, that's just skirting the issue because you don't have a real ability to disprove the fact that Jesus is who he is. And that's what the Pharisaical academic elite of Jesus' day did. But the irony, as John goes on, they were the ones who were deceived, and they were the ones who were ignorant, who were ignorant. And John's going to make that clear in the next few verses. Next response. Response number seven is there were those. Who thought he deserves to be heard. He deserves an honest hearing. Look at verse 50. Nicodemus, he who came to him before, being one of them, said to them, Our law does not judge a man unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing, does it?

31:48So there in the midst of the Pharisees and the Sanhedrin was a Pharisee of Pharisees, a ruler of the Jews, the one that Jesus would refer to as the teacher of Israel, and his faith in Jesus was growing. And here they are saying, you know, no one, no, no, one of the leaders, no one of the Pharisees, yeah, the ruler of, a ruler and a Pharisee, the teacher of Israel, does have faith, or certainly we've seen it emerge. And tradition goes on to say that Nicodemus does become a believer. Some associate that he was baptized by Peter and John, or one of them.

32:30And as you go in John chapter 19, Nicodemus shows up as the one taking care of Jesus' body, along with Joseph of Arimathea. But I think we can say with confidence Nicodemus does become a believer. Even the testimony, even the words that we're reading right now, where do you think John got them? Right? They didn't say, oh, yeah, by the way, please come in away, John. I want you to make sure you come. In here and get this down for the record. How did John get his information about this exchange? Probably from Nicodemus, right?

33:10But it was the religious elite who were blind and ignorant. But what's even more, they were the ones setting aside the law of Moses. They're challenging Jesus as being a lawbreaker of the law of Moses. And Nicodemus just mildly doesn't even stand up and defend Jesus directly. He just raises a little procedural point that says, Look, about the law here, aren't we doing something that is against our law by the way we're handling this situation? So by a point of order, he needs to be heard, and he needs to be heard fairly. He doesn't make a judgment about Jesus. He doesn't make any kind of evaluation of his case. He just simply says he deserves an honest hearing. And wow, he is met with more contempt and despise and disdain than even those officers. Which brings us to the eighth response.

34:10Seventh response is, he deserves to be heard. The eighth response is, no, he doesn't. And neither do those who think so. Look at verse 52. They answered him, you are not also from Galilee, are you? Search and see that no person. Prophet arises out of Galilee. I mean, they're simply just closed to discussion. No discussion about this. It's done. It's settled. Look into it yourself. Look into the scriptures and you will find out no prophet comes from Galilee. Now, that's a real ignorant statement. In fact, it's so ignorant. I mean, Jonah, Nahum, in fact, the very words we read earlier from Isaiah 9 spoke about the land of Galilee would see a light the very first place as Isaiah sees judgment coming.

35:04It comes in the north, in the land, in the north, in Galilee, Zebulim, Naphthalai, the very place of God's beginning of his judgment will also be the very place of the beginning of his healing, and the light will come. So, in fact, this statement is so off base that there have been a number of attempts in church history to say they couldn't literally say this. They must have been saying that the prophet doesn't come out of Galilee. And there's even been a tradition where there's a tradition in the text that would say some simply, they were saying, search and see to it that the prophet does not rise out of Galilee. And you get this whole family of texts that say that. But the overwhelming evidence goes to the point that. No, they're saying no prophet. It's so ignorant. How can somebody claiming so much be that far out of it?

36:08That even historians try to correct it. In some places, limited. But it was the language of despise and bitter contempt. They were furious over just one little word being spoken favorably or kindly about Jesus. Just a little word, and it blows it out. Well, the despise, keep in mind, was directed at Jesus. The early church that were reading these words also very much had probably met with these responses. And even we can expect some of these responses today, right? In fact, some of these responses are going on even in our hearts now.

36:56But I want to, those are the eight responses we see in the text, and I want to bring our attention back to the response that really matters. And there are four concepts that are important. First is thirst, concept of thirst. Second, come. Fourth, drink. I mean, third, drink, fourth, be satisfied. These are the concepts. And the first response. That really matters is to feel your thirst. In fact, I'm starting to get thirsty right now. I need a good drink of water right now, something that will really satisfy.

37:44Second response is to come, right? It's to come. And that's the most easiest concept we have in the English language. To come, it's one of the first things we teach our children or our pets, right? And what it is, it's a movement of the feet, right? A movement of the feet physically in a direction of where you're to go. If I'm going to drink this nice, cool, clear water that's so pure, I've got to first turn my feet towards it, right? Very easy concept. And turning your feet physically is a picture of what has to happen in the heart. You must, first of all, think about just by turning my feet what the whole concept, I believe there is a source of satisfaction over here, nice, cool glass of water. And by turning my feet, I am confessing that is a belief that that is going to refresh. I am also changing my direction, orienting it to the source. That's the idea of coming, right?

38:47But it doesn't do it enough just to come. You've got to drink, right? You've got to drink. You've got to come over here, move your feet. And all this is a picture of what's happening on the inside of our souls, right? Move our feet towards him. We must come to him as the source, but it doesn't stop there. Is my thirst quenched right now? No, there's another step, right? I must take and drink, right? By the way, this is really good water. Did I tell you that? I am telling you, you drink this, you will be satisfied. There isn't any, I mean, it's pure, it's sparkling, okay? It is good, right? I can talk a lot about this water all day long, right? I can devote myself to pure water and understanding and seek, but does it satisfy unless I drink, right? It doesn't come, it doesn't, my thirst can't be satisfied until I drink, right? But there are many of us who can talk all around Christ, talk great things about Christ. We can recognize He is the source. He is the one who will satisfy my soul and never drink.

40:07It's not enough to thirst, to feel your thirst. It's not enough to feel that you need to be forgiven. It's not enough to feel that He is there and He can meet every longing of your soul. It's not enough, right? You must, boy, that's some good water. Right? You must drink. You must be drinking. And then that which was once on the outside comes in and it goes to work refreshing, right? That's the response that he wants. He wants us to be thirsting, recognizing our thirst, coming to him as the source. And how do we come to him? What does that look like? That's more intentional listening. That's more intentional listening to the Christ of Scripture, studying the scriptures. What is drinking spiritually? It's more uncontested believing. That's what drinking is. It's just coming with more and more uncontested believing in the Christ of Scripture, the words of Scripture, and saying, I will be defined and I will come and I will come to the Christ that is revealed in Scripture and I will let him satisfy me and I will believe.

41:30You see, we live in a world where death is a reality and our pending death is a reality. So how do we live wisely in such knowledge? You see, ultimate satisfaction in life does not come from pursuing the perishing things of this world. Do you know why? Ecclesiastes 3.11 says it very well. Because God has placed eternity in our hearts. We are eternal beings. And eternity is in our hearts, and ultimate satisfaction cannot come from that which is perishing.

42:08The infinite cannot be satisfied by the finite. You must have in yourself, in your being, a flow of living, eternal water. A living spirit. There's one thing necessary. Luke 10, 39 gives us that picture. You remember Mary and Martha? Let me just read to you Jesus' own words. She had a sister called Mary who was seated at the Lord's feet, listening to his words, but Martha was distracted with all her preparations. And she came up to him and said, Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me. But listen to the Lord's answer. Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things, but only one thing is necessary. For Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

43:11You know, love for Christ is the one thing that's necessary. Finding satisfaction in Him, no matter what you do in life, you will not find satisfaction anywhere else except for in Christ and in Christ alone. And out of that satisfaction will come a flow of living water that you will become. A source of satisfaction for others, and that flow will dictate your life and where it is to go and what it is to be. One of the incredible things in Acts chapter 4 was a statement that the rulers made about Peter and John verse 13 after they were beat up and encouraged not to communicate the word. This is what the rulers had to say about them.

44:06As they observed the confidence of Peter and John, and they understood that they were uneducated and trained men, they were amazed. And they began to recognize them as having been with Jesus. That's the thing that's necessary. Your satisfaction in him and him alone. So the invitation is for you to come. Feel your thirst. Feel your need for cleansing. Do you feel unclean? Do you sense your need for cleansing? Have you sinned against God? Do you need pardon? There's a longing there.

44:50Do you see your utter incapability, your own impotence, your own ability to make anything significant? Then come to Him. Longing it may be, come to him. He is significant. Well, he who fulfilled the festival of tabernacles there in John 7 stands today, and he can quench the thirst of every human being in our time as well. So feel your thirst. Come to him. Be drinking from him. Find your satisfaction in him. It will be there. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we just thank you for the truth that's revealed in your scriptures. We just thank you so much for sending your own Son into this world to communicate this message. Father, this goes so much beyond just our need for pardon and our need for forgiveness. It goes on to an ongoing, abundant life relationship with you. Father, we were created to be in union with you, Father, and that being out of order, Father, drives us to ruin. Father, we recognize that you are the only source, and you knew this. You're the only source that will ever satisfy. Father, forgive us for holding on to our sins. Help us today to just judge you rightly and be done, hear your call, and respond by coming to you, by turning our hearts to you. Towards you, turning away from our past patterns and past unbelief, and just simply drinking in, just simply believing, taking you at your word, and finding and being satisfied in you. In Jesus' name.