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Well, howdy. Welcome to Emmanuel Baptist Church. And howdy, please stand. I'll be reading from Exodus chapter 12. Exodus chapter 12. And as you're turning there, we do have opened up an overflow room in the chapel area. So that's open. So just in case, there's we're going to try to get every seat filled in here, but there is overflow over there.

And so be paying attention to that in the future. Okay, Exodus chapter 12, beginning in verse 21. Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, Go and take for yourselves lambs according to your families and slay the Passover lamb. You shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood which is in the basin and apply some of the blood that is in the basin to the lintel and the two doorposts.

And none of you shall go outside the door of his house until morning. For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians. And when he sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to smite you.

And you shall observe this event as an ordinance. For you and your children forever. When you enter the land which the Lord will give you, as he has promised, you shall observe this rite. And when your children say to you, What does this rite mean to you? You shall say, It is a Passover sacrifice to the Lord who passed over the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt when he smote the Egyptians, but spared our homes.

Let's pray. Heavenly Father, indeed, we bow before you as we're reminiscent of that first Passover lamb. Father, that you made a distinction between the Egyptians and Israel on the basis of an innocent sacrifice. Blood. That is what separated them. It was not their righteousness, Father, for we know their history.

They were a corrupt and idolatrous people whom you called out for your purposes. But the distinction was not based upon their ethnic background, their righteous standing, their goodness, but upon the shed blood of an innocent lamb. And, Father, as we gather here today, we recognize that unless his blood, Christ's blood, that of the innocent lamb, be put upon our lives, Father, we will certainly be destroyed.

Father, we thank you that you. You have given your Son, that you sent him in this world to accomplish a work, redemption for your people, blood poised to cleanse the nations. And so, Father, we come in that knowledge this morning, confessing our sins, wanting his sacrifice to be applied to our lives.

And so, we gather here to worship you, to give thanks to you, so that we could go forward from here, building upon that secure and eternal foundation, that finished work of Jesus Christ, and that the lives that we build, Father, would be pleasing to you, built upon that foundation.

We thank you, Father, and we want to honor you with our lives, with our hearts. We want to pay tribute to you this morning as we begin a new year, a new school year, Father. We pray that you would be present and give us wisdom and desire to build upon that sure foundation of Jesus Christ.

For it's in His name we pray. Amen. Well, again, good morning. Please turn in your Bibles to John chapter 19. We'll be looking at verses 28 through 30 today. John chapter 19, verses 28 through 30. And as you're turning there, I want to ask you a question. What foundation are you building your life upon?

It's good to see the students coming back. And of course, we are starting another year of school, coming back into that gearing up for the fall routine, I should say. But a new semester is before us, a new, for some of you, a new school year. Some of you, a whole new, you're a freshman, you're new, a whole new school is before you, a whole new college and a whole new life, a whole other life chapter is before all of us.

I want to ask you, what are you building your life upon this year as you complete it and you look back over it? What is the foundation that you have built upon? And is the foundation you're building upon a worthy foundation? Remember, years ago we built this building.

And I don't know if you remember, but it sure took a long time to lay the foundation. We spent an inordinate amount of money and time moving dirt, getting the right dirt, getting the right columns. There's columns all here. There's structural beams. There's all kinds of money and time and effort that went into building this foundation.

Then the walls could go up. And if you look around, we don't see any major cracks. So, So far, maybe the foundation was close to right. But you know, many people, their lives never really seem to go anywhere. I don't know if you've noticed that. They never seem to build a life upon a solid foundation.

Others seem to start off well, and then just a little bit later, they seem to collapse. Seen that happen over and over. Lives that seem to start out well seem to crumble after just a little while. And you know why that is? Because they are building upon an unreliable foundation.

And if you build your life upon an unreliable foundation, it will surely come down. So, what is a foundation that is worth building your life upon? You need to build your life upon a finished work, the finished work of Jesus Christ. Because one of the things that is most fundamental to us is we're spiritual beings.

We're not just physical beings, we're spiritual beings, and we must build our lives upon that which is solid and secure. And the greatest insecurity that man has is his relationship with God. How secure is your relationship with God and? And on what foundation are you building your life upon?

Is your foundation secure? Foundation that is finished, complete, cannot be added to. That is what God calls us to build our lives upon: something that is finished. And unless He gives it to us, we can't build upon it. And so this morning I want to spend time looking upon Earth's long-awaited Messiah as he dies upon the cross and as he hands his spirit over to the graves.

Let's read those words. John chapter 19, beginning in verse 28. After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished to fulfill the scripture, said, I am thirsty. A jar full of sour wine was standing there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to his mouth.

Therefore, when Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, It is finished. And he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. You notice Jesus makes two. Two simple statements in these verses. Two simple statements that say a lot about himself, say a lot about the work he accomplished, and a lot about how we are to relate to God.

First expression is an expression of thirst, and the second is an expression of satisfaction. I want to look at these. We've looked at all kinds of hearts lately. I'm going to continue this heart series a little bit more. I want you to be getting ready for Galatians. That's where we're going to go next.

We've looked at the life of Peter and the writings of Peter. Spent eight years looking at John and the writings of John. We're going to start looking at the life of Paul this semester. And so I welcome you back to that. We'll continue this heart studies in the evening services for just a little bit longer, and then we'll conclude it.

But this morning, I want to make another installment. We've looked at all kinds of hearts. One of those that you need to have is a trusting heart, a heart that trusts in God and trusts in His work, His finished work. And only then can you really go out and live the kind of life that God has for you.

If you're always insecure about your relationship with God, you never will be able to build something that praises him and honors him and that goes the distance. And so it's very important that you have a trusting heart, a trusting heart in the finished work of God. And only then can this semester, this year, be fruitful in God's eyes.

And so that's what I want to look at. First of all, we're going to look at Christ's finished work, and we're going to look, first of all, at his thirst. At his thirst. Look at verse 28. After this, what is that referring back to? Well, it's referring back to ensuring that his mother was taken care of.

He's just told John, Behold your mother. And John, the apostle, took Mary into his household. So after this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill Scripture, said, I am thirsty. I am thirsty. It's a marvelous scene. Here's the Lord of the universe, and he is thirsty.

This is the one who created everything. God. And this is how. When God walked among us, you say, How could God walk among us? He's God. He can do that. He can sit on the throne. He can walk among us. We've got to think about God as the scriptures reveal him.

And God walked among us. And it was evident that Jesus was God walking among us because he did things only God could do. He was Lord over the elements. He was Lord over the human body. He was Lord over the institutions of man. He could create matter out of nothing and determine its final form by the word of his mouth.

That only God can do. And Jesus Himself forgave sin, something only God can do. It's no question that Jesus Himself saw Himself as God, Son of God, coming in the flesh. It's the only explanation. And that's how His disciples saw Him when they finally were taught and they worshiped Him.

But it's a marvelous scene. The one who turned water into wine is thirsty. And the question is: what brought him to this point of being thirsty? Well, obviously, one's very obvious, and that is his physical suffering of crucifixion. Think about what happens in crucifixion. Lots of blood loss, dehydration.

His last drink may very well have been up in the upper room at the Lord's supper. So his physical suffering led to his physical thirst. But then the question is: what led to his physical suffering? And I'll submit to you, it's another kind of thirst, his spiritual thirst.

The very spiritual thirst of God. What is thirst? Think about it at its very basic level. What is thirst? You get thirsty all the time. It's a desire for relief. And so, physical thirst is the desire for the quench of water. But there's also a spiritual thirst. We're not just physical beings, we're also spiritual beings.

And you think about a spiritual thirst, what is it? It's an anxiety of soul, a spiritual anxiousness, a longing within the soul for something, for some sort of remedy to make something right, something that's lacking. It's a spiritual thirst. And you're looking for a remedy for that which is out of order, much like physical thirst seeks water.

So, an anxious soul or a yearning with one's spirits looks for the remedy. So, what was out of order from God's perspective? Here's Christ on the cross. What is out of order? Well, first of all, there's a desire for justice, isn't there? God desired justice. He desires justice among humanity, he desires righteousness in humanity, he desires relationship with his people.

He has a thirst for all things on earth to be made right. Have you ever started a project that you couldn't rest until it was finished? You start a project and you're and then you have to get interrupted, and maybe for minutes, maybe days, maybe weeks, maybe years.

And you want to get back to that project and finish it. Well, God started a project in Genesis chapter 1. He created man with the purpose to bear his image so that the invisible God could be seen, a true reflection. God cannot just be made like in an image or a A piece of stone or an animal or anything like that.

No, his image bearers are people, living people. And he created man with the purpose of being a living reflector of himself. He wants us to look like him, be in relationship with him, think like him, so that when we act, we do as he would do and so show forth his glory.

And he is zealous to complete that project. He's zealous to complete that project in you and me. In fact, that's one of the very first things that God makes known to the children of Israel in Exodus 34:14, you shall not worship any other God, for the Lord whose name is jealous, is a jealous God.

In other words, the project is he is going to make them bear his image. It is not right for them to make an image because they will certainly get it wrong. And so will we. So God's desire to form himself in humanity is like a powerful thirst. And you think about it, it is a powerful thirst because, number one, One, God's desire to form Himself in humanity is greater than His hatred of sin.

If His hatred of sin in us was greater than His desire to form His likeness in us, guess what He would have done? He would have wiped us out. No, His desire to form in you and me, first time I sin, boom, it's over. God's desire to form His likeness in us is greater than His hatred of our sin.

You've got to know that. Second, it's greater than His reluctance to put up with criminal earth and strive with us. He puts up with us and He lets things go on, not because He's unjust, but because He has a goal, a project that He is finishing. God's desire to form Himself in us is greater than His sorrow to sentence the vast majority of humanity to hell.

Jesus makes it very clear: wide is the gate that leads to destruction. Very narrow is the gate that leads to life. You see how much He desires His likeness to be formed in people. But God's desire to form Himself in humanity is also greater than His love. For his masterful works of creation.

Even the current heaven and the current earth is going to pass away. But God's thirst for righteousness in you and in me is greater than even his love for all of the realm of nature. And that's why he sent his son. And until you realize that God's God thirsts for you to look like him, you will never make sense out of your life.

You won't understand the circumstances. And until you surrender yourself to God's purpose, life will be a constant war with God. God has started a project, and that project involves humanity, you and me, looking like Him, forming His image in us. And until you understand that, you're not going to make sense out of life.

And until you surrender yourself to that desire, you will always be at war with God, and you will not win because this thirst in God for His likeness to be formed in humanity is so strong. And so, Christ's suffering on the cross. Accomplishes so much. Christ's suffering on the cross satisfies God's thirst for justice.

God is not arbitrary. He doesn't say, yeah, you're going to be forgiven. You're not going to be forgiven. No, he has a basis. He is going to send away sin on a legal, good, and just basis. Just like we read in the Passover, the difference between the Jews and Egypt was the shed blood of an innocent lamb.

It was not in themselves. Because they were just like the Egyptians in many ways, in their lostness. The distinction was made on the basis of an innocent sacrifice. And so God wants to send, he wants to absolve his people of sin, but he has to have a legal basis to do it, or he becomes arbitrary.

And he becomes open to the charge of not being just. If I am a judge and I let one person, I hold two people before, I bring two people before me and one of them, and they're both guilty of the same offense, and I let one go and I hold the other accountable.

There's something really wrong with the justice system. God holds all people and he has a basis for it. Imputing sin into the righteous sacrifice, who can take away our sin without God having to remove Himself or remove us from Him. It's a way to preserve the relationship with people and not be open to the charge of being unjust.

And this was rehearsed over and over. God is thirsty that justice be served, that every sin be punished. And in Leviticus 1, there is the priest who is to offer up a burnt offering before the Lord that would be a pleasing and soothing, pacifying aroma to God. In other words, it would satisfy God's wrath against His people.

And so Christ stepped in to take that wrath of God. Christ's suffering on the cross not only satisfied God's desire for justice to be served, but also God's desire that righteousness be accredited to our account, imputed righteousness. In other words, God's got to make us righteous to form Himself in us.

So not only does justice have to be served, But righteousness has to be granted. And those who are in Christ have that righteousness. But the point is that Jesus physically thirsted on the cross because God spiritually thirsted for reconciliation with mankind. Do you believe that? Do you believe that the physical thirst we read about in the scriptures this morning, about Jesus on the cross, is because God spiritually thirsted for reconciliation with you.

And so he made a way to deal with your sin justly and remove it. But the cross isn't just about how God satisfied his thirst, but it's also about how he satisfies the deepest longings of humanity. That's what the cross is about: how he satisfies the deepest longings of you and me.

Think about a car that cannot drive. Think about a clock that cannot tell time. Think about a compass that doesn't know where true north is. Such is a person that doesn't know God. You were created to image God, to be in relationship with Him, to Think like him, to reflect his goodness and his glory.

And when you do not do what you were created to do or wired to do, all kinds of internal longings go unmet. We're far more complicated than a clock or a compass. We were created to image God, and so all of the longings, all of the dispositions within the human makeup is geared to be in relationship with God, to perceive Him, to desire Him, and to live in such a way that God, the invisible God, is seen.

But sin came into the world, and so devastated things. And so sin awakens all kinds of thirsts. Things are out of order. And so sin creates a whole bunch of longings within us that cannot be met except at the cross of Jesus Christ and the finished work of his sacrifice.

Think about just for a moment about some of the thoughts or just some of the thirsts. Of humanity that sin creates. You think about eternal death. The Bible describes hell as a place of eternal thirst over and over again. Jesus Himself speaks of the place as an unquenchable fire where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched over and over.

One of the horrors of hell, certainly the physical torment, but there is a spiritual torment in hell. Think about these. Think about guilt with no pardon. Eternal guilt. You feel guilty. You know your guilt, and you know there is no pardon. Guilt is a thirst, a spiritual thirst that cries out for satisfaction.

Think about regret with no ability to make something right. Ever been there? Regret, look back, you regret something, something you said, something you did, someone you harmed, and you have no ability to go make it right? Think of an eternity like that, where all your regrets forefront on your mind.

Think about Broken relationships with no chance to amend. Think about a loneliness, a loneliness. I'm sorry, a loneliness. Loneliness with no hope for company. Think about naked shame without an ability to cover. Think about eternal embarrassment with no excuse. Think about a sorrow with no remedy. Think of yourself being an eternal example of what not to do.

Think about self-loathing forever. See, over and over, this rampant rise in suicide. A person despises themselves in this life, and so they take their own life. Do you think it's going to be any better in the next? If you loathe yourself here, don't you think you'd loathe yourself forever in the next?

That is a thirst that cries out and it can only be satisfied in the finished work of Jesus Christ. Such is hell. But John brings good news. Jesus accomplished something on the cross that quenched. All the thirsts that are caused by sin. Guilt, ah, but pardon. Regret, I wronged, I fouled things up.

And then there's God that says, I make all things new. I've overcome what you fouled up. Think about broken relationships and think about the family of God. That's what happens at the cross. A new humanity, one in Him. Think about loneliness. Oh, the company of God's eternal presence and the whole host and family forever.

Think about naked shame and eternal embarrassment. Ah, but then there's the gospel that says, Here is eternal righteousness that you are covered in. A gift. Think about sorrow with no remedy. But the gospel erases that. And every tear is wiped away. Instead of self-loathing forever, there is rejoicing in his presence forever.

That's the gospel. And Jesus came to satisfy the spiritual thirst caused by sin. He is here today to grant you. Satisfaction in him because of the things and the thirst that your sin has caused. But his finished work goes beyond this. It does more than just satisfy our negative longings for things to be right.

It grants us positive desires. It puts in us desires to please him, to follow after him, to live for his glory. It puts those desires in us so that he can meet them. He satisfies the deepest longings of those who have had their sins forgiven, and the deepest longings of those who live to please him.

And this is really one of the themes in John's Gospel. You remember we spent some time there. You remember in John 4, there was a woman with five husbands, currently living with a man who is not her own husband. She was a thirsty soul in need of living water.

Her sin had left her disappointed, devastated, cynical, and lonely. And if such is life, why live? But Jesus came to satisfy such souls, and he offers her the living water, and he promises, he says, whoever drinks of the water. That I will give shall never thirst. You see, God is glorified when you find your satisfaction in Him.

So go, build your life finding satisfaction in Him. And He offers this, John 7:37. Jesus says, If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. If anyone is thirsty, if any one of you has guilt, regret, broken relationships, loneliness, naked shame, embarrassment, sorrow, come. You will find satisfaction in him.

And he says to such a degree, he who believes in me, as the scripture said, from his innermost beings will flow rivers of living water. The drink becomes an internal river, like an underground well. That drink becomes an artesian well of God's Spirit, rivers flowing out. You remember in the Garden of Eden, there was one big river that came up and it split and it went in four different directions and watered the garden.

Think about that's what. Taking in Christ and really understanding who He is and what He did and what His death means for you personally. When you take that truth in, it becomes like a fountain, an artesian well, and it flows through your whole life, touches every aspect of your being, and then it flows out of your life to others, and you become a conduit of blessing to others.

That's how a thirsty goes, a thirsty soul becomes a joy and extends God's glory to others. You see, the soul watered by Jesus is used to water others and bless others. Just some, as you know, I love water, can't help myself. I love water. That was my training background was in water.

But just some personal observations about water, behavior of water. I know this much: a vessel can't overflow until it's full. Not hard to understand. And it cannot be full until it is filled. And so a thirsty soul must drink to satisfaction before it will become a conduit of blessing to others.

You must drink in who God is and what He has done before you can be a blessing to others. But another thing about water, I've learned, floodwaters cannot be stopped. They run their course. And so if your soul is satisfied in Jesus, it will naturally find a place of ministry.

In fact, you can't stop it. Problem is, we have so many ministers who aren't satisfied in Jesus. Trying to satisfy others or trying to build something. But I'll tell you what, if your soul is satisfied in Christ and you are excited and the joy of your salvation permeates your whole being, you will find a place of ministry.

You can't help but find a place of ministry because of the nature of these heavenly flood waters flowing through you. But the question is, where can we find such a satisfying stream? Well, we go to the place. We go to that moment in time where Jesus said, it is finished.

Look back at verse 28. After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished to fulfill the scripture, said, I am thirsty. Now, notice how the soldiers responded. Verse 29, a jar full of sour wine was standing. There. So they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it to his mouth.

Probably a bundle of hyssop. Now, what is hyssop? Hyssop is a plant that is often used for sprinkling. So you take a bundle of hyssop and you wrap it up together and you dip it. You could dip it in water or you could dip it in blood, and it was used for sprinkling.

We read about this in Exodus 12. You remember the first Passover? God instructed the Israelites to kill a lamb, take its blood, put it in a basin, and then dip it in hyssop and then put it on the lintels of their house. It was also used in Leviticus 14 for the cleansing of people, hyssop.

Psalm 51, David, after his great sin with Bathsheba, says this: Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean. In Hebrews, again, talks about the blood of the lamb, the blood of calves and goats and water, and hyssop, sprinkling clean the worshippers. So, what do you have here?

You think about what's happened. They have Elevated when they heard Jesus was thirsty, they sprinkle it, they put this hyssop down in the sour wine and they didn't want to touch him, so they crammed it in his face. I think it'd be impossible for the hyssop not to have picked up some of Jesus' blood in the process of giving him a drink.

It's not clear exactly what John makes. No other gospel writer writes this detail. John was there, but you think about what this indicates: blood, hyssop, blood poised to cleanse the nations, to cleanse every soul. Think about what's man's need. We need cleansing. What is God's provision? Cleansing through the blood.

We need cleansing. God sent His Son to shed His blood. And now, what's next? The application. It's poised. And faith is what applies. Believe in your need. Believe in God's. Provision, ask God to apply, to cleanse you personally based upon his work. This was the last detail that Jesus said needed to be fulfilled.

It's interesting. One last detail. Oh, one more thing. Everything's accomplished, but there's one more thing. I am thirsty. And here comes the hyssop. And then he says, look at verse 30. His thirst has been announced, declared, and now his satisfaction is going to be declared. Therefore, when Jesus had received the soured wine, he said, It is finished.

And he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. It's interesting what John omits that the other writers talk about. John doesn't talk about the volume of Jesus' words as Mark does. He shouted with a loud cry. John gives the contents of his words. It is finished. John does not mention the tearing of the veil as the other three gospel writers do.

John gives us the reason why the veil Was torn. Everything that the ceremonial law had rehearsed for millennia was realized in Christ's sacrifice, and at the moment Christ was sacrificed, that veil was torn. What does the word finished mean? Completed, accomplished, done. What was finished? It. Look back.

It is finished. What does the it refer to? Well, it is finished. It's like a masterpiece that is completed. The artist says, it's done. You cannot add to it anymore without diminishing it. It's completed. It's perfect. It is finished. The sacrifice of the Son is finished. And from God's perspective, what does this involve?

It is finished. Something that is so wonderful, such a masterpiece, such a work that is so comprehensive that it meets exhaustively the law of justice, the thirst of things to be just. God's desire to provide a Basis for pardoning sinners is finished. The appeasement of God's infinite, holy anger against sin is accomplished.

Think about it from a human perspective. This work, this masterpiece, so wonderful that it supplies a living stream of life that is fully and eternally capable of satisfying the deepest longings of humanity. It is finished. It is finished. The law is kept, the sacrifice complete. The law kept, as Luther said, in this word, it is finished, will I comfort myself?

I am forced to confess that all of my finishings of the will of God is imperfect, piecemeal work, while yet the law urges me that not so much as one tittle of it must remain unaccomplished. Christ is the end of the law. What it requires, Christ has performed.

And yet there's more. I wish I fully understood it myself. It is finished, said Jesus. The temptation is over. And our Savior and Lord is without sin. Finished. Duty complete. The ceremonial law perfectly fulfilled. Pardon is now just. The prophecies of Christ's suffering are completed, done. It is finished.

The suffering and the humiliation of the Son of God is done. Next, his exaltation and his reigning. It is finished. Evil is crushed. Sinners are freed. Satan is bankrupt. His claim against humanity is cast out. Humanity now has a beachhead, a perfect humanity, one that does not sin.

Now has been revealed. And there will be more. Because he is just the first fruits of a mighty and great people. Righteousness is granted. The way to true godliness is opened up to sinners. It is finished, Jesus said. Death is conquered. A fountain of life is opened. Obedience for you and I to live before God Almighty is now granted.

Empower. Glory of God is displayed. Love demonstrated. The veil torn. The communion between God and his people realized. The sacrifice of the Son is complete. It is finished. That is what Jesus is saying. His thirst is satisfied. All his life. Jesus did everything necessary. He obeyed every precept.

He performed every duty. He paid every price. He suffered everything needed to save sinners, to satisfy the righteousness of God, and to fit us for eternal fellowship with God. And when it was done, he told us, It is finished, it's been accomplished, it's done. You see, a new humanity was born that day.

One that will fully bear the image of God as God desired. And this is that finished foundation upon which humanity, a glorified humanity, will be built. And I don't fully understand what all is implied there. But this much I'm certain of. My life is now built upon a finished work.

Your life can be built upon a finished work. Work. You see, when I approach God now, it's no longer I approach God, but we approach God. Who is the we? My Lord Jesus Christ. I am in Him. And so when I approach the throne, it is no longer an I approaching the throne, it is a we, and I go in His perfect sacrifice that is finished.

And so I know I am completely acceptable before God because of His work. That's the gospel. And that's what you are called to build upon. It must be a foundation granted to you because only there can you find security in your relationship with God. Because we know we're sinners.

And we need to know something about God that we're fine, that we're in good relationship with, and that comes through the person and work of Jesus Christ at the cross. You see, I do not need to try to complete something that's already completed. I don't need to try to finish something that is already finished.

I do not need to spend my life trying to satisfy some unquenchable lust for more or for something new or exciting for something significant. The most significant thing is what Jesus said, it is finished. There, my life begins. I am secure. In God because of the person and work of Jesus Christ.

And when I look upon the cross, I can hear the words, it is finished. And I know that I too can bear that wonderful title that John the Apostle bore, a disciple whom Jesus loves. It was enough. That title was enough for John. It's enough that I am simply a disciple whom Jesus loves.

Now, if you're in Christ, this is you, a disciple whom Jesus loves. Now go build your life as a disciple whom Jesus loves. That's granted. Now go live. Live according to his desires. Approach life no longer as an I, but as a we, pleasing the Father through him.

It is finished. And so this year you can build your life upon a finished foundation. This statement, it is finished, is God's invitation for you to get caught up in his crosswork. And it's the only place you'll find satisfaction that will last. God's motivation for you. The cross is love poured out, love demonstrated.

Drink in this reality. Satisfy your soul in your gospel standing. The foundation is there. That's the gospel. Satisfy your soul in this foundation. This gospel foundation. Now go build your life upon it. I invite you back tonight because we're going to discuss how you build a life upon this finished foundation of Christ.

But let's go to Him now in prayer. Heavenly Father, we thank you for this finished work. It is finished. It is complete. We don't have to strive to earn your approval. We don't have to excuse our sin. We can come before you with Christ as our advocate, His perfect sacrifice, which was for and necessary, so that we could be made right with you.

Father, we thank you for His work. Forgive us where we have sought after other things and not been not building upon this gospel foundation, this good news that you love us and you want us to be like you, and you have made A way through Christ's sacrifice for our sins to be forgiven.

You've placed in us a desire to grow in His likeness and pleasing to our Heavenly Father in all your ways of righteousness. We thank you in Jesus' name.