Read this study to understand law vs grace

Here is the link on hubpages
http://glendoncaba.hubpages.com/hub/Understanding-2-Corinthians-3

Sermon: The Greatest Thirst of Our Lord

The Greatest Thirst of Our Lord

332 Crimson wave

336 There is a fountain

John 19:18

*Les Brown tells story of going to radio station to seek job from Mr Butterball.  No vacancy.  Turned up next day and next.  Till owner got fed up and said boy go get me some coffee.  Became errand boy.  Driving guests, no license.  One day Rock the DJ was drinking and could not keep going so boss called him Les r u there.  Yes. Rock can’t go on.  I know.  Go play some music.  He must be joking.

Les called up family.  I’m about to come on the air.

And he launched his radio career that day with passion.  Les said “I was hungry”

Physical hunger and thirst but mental one.

Passion.  Drive.  Thirst for accomplishing something wonderful.  Something excellent.  For my Maker and my King who suffered so much for me and who offers in his suffering something new and different to that which we have in our communities.

Peace.

Love.  Joy.

Not the kind from ball of coke or perfume at the end of spliff.

Under his wings

Under his wings

This gospel of the kingdom must be preached, must be sung

To all world and then shall the end come.

Some who have forgot the songs they used to sing.

So many who say they used to come to church.

There is a need to reach these lost coins, lost sheep and lost boys and girls.

Time is running out on us in the toenails of history.   But to make from Paradise Lost to Paradise restored, to sing with the holy choir in the New Jerusalem we have to pass by Calvary.

I Thirst

Author: Bev Lowry
Copyright: Homeward Bound Music (BMI). Used by permission.
Album: High and Lifted Up (1993)
1. One day I came to Him, I was so thirsty
I asked for water, my throat was so dry
He gave me water that I have never dreamed of
But for this water, my Lord had to die
(Chorus)
He said, “I thirst,” yet He made the rivers
He said, “I thirst,” yet He made the sea
“I thirst,” said the King of the Ages
In His great thirst, He brought water to me
2. Now there’s a river that flows as clear as crystal
It comes from God’s throne above
And like a river, it wells up inside me
Bringing mercy, and life-giving love
Repeat Chorus (twice)
TAG:
In His great thirst, He brought water to me

Look again at our Friend and Savour.

Look at the supreme moment of grace and judgment.

For the Christian, Calvary is the centre of who we are as a people. 

We are duty bound to study and meditate on the passion of our Lord on a regular basis and find in it lessons old and new to keep us going and motivate us in this journey.

I.                    Jesus our Crucified Redeemer is Thirsty for Water

Why is Jesus thirsty?

1)      Godman is suffering for the lost race.  And feels literal thirst.  As part of agony he is going through for you and for me.

Pain.  Thirst.

Not to mention the beatings.  Whipping.

Movie the Passion of the Christ could very well be renamed the beating of the Christ.

Day of loss of blood and water.

Suffering is the lot of the faithful, there is blessing it suffering with Christ.

"this is the most dangerous trial of all, when there is no trial and everything is and goes well; for then a man is tempted to forget God, to become too bold and to misuse the times of prosperity"
— Martin Luther (A Treatise on Good Works)

II.                  Jesus Our Crucified Redeemer is Thirsty for Divine Comforting Presence of God

When Godhead is together Jesus is source of Water of Life.  Now sin is bringing separation and thirst is cosmic.

What a mystery. 

But in this is salvation.

For in that moment of separation i is connecting me with God.

Psalm 42  David in hiding cannot go to sanctuary and equates presence of God with going to church so in wilderness he looks around and sees the hart.

“As the hart panteth for water brooks so he longs for God.”

We ought to daily pray for hunger and thirst after righteousness that we will be filled.

Hunger and thirst not for sinful delights, not for unclean words and, but for holiness and ethical living.

“You alone are my heart desire and I want to worship thee.”

Bless the Lord

O my soul

And all that is within me

Bless Hi holy name

David says, “When shall I come and appear before God?”

He longs for company of saints on holy days and cant.

We take this privilege and the freedom for granted but it is only for a time.

2)      Thirsting too for the comforting presence of the Father because he is slipping closer and closer to a death for my sins and yours.  Pushing Him farther and farther away from the presence of Father.  Blocking out the glory of Father.  Sin is doing its work and he is feeling forsaken, hungry and thirsty.

Ten thousand angels would have come with waters from the river of life. 

For he could have called ten thousand angels.

But ten thousand angels had to fold their wings for they know

Because of the victory won by that thirst

Angels will not know the joy that my salvation bring

They watch the vindication of the law of God and of grace when they see innocent blood shed for sin that character of sin might be revealed and God’s character of love and justice shines through

But it is for me He is thirsty.

He endures the thirst that I CANT endure that I may drink from  streams of living water.

Woman of Samaria knows.

Read John 4:13,14.

What did he tell Martha:

²⁵ Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; ²⁶ and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

For in the great paradox of the gospel story in his thirst he has won victory which now offers us water.

George W Reid formerly of biblical Research Institute”

QUOTE

in Christ's atonement a monumental price was paid, not in crass commercial terms, but to accomplish reconciliation between us as fallen sinners and our righteous God, to set us right with God. "For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life" (Rom. 5:10).
        Before a watching universe God demonstrated once for all how far He would go to make possible redemption of lost sinners. In this extension of His love is revealed the manner in which His sacrifice partakes of ransom qualities.
        We must never forget that it was our God who initiated our rescue, who reached out to us. "All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself" (2 Cor. 5:18). And He continues to reach out to us today. When we accept His merciful invitation, we walk in the certainty of salvation guaranteed by His death and resurrection.
        In one brief sentence Paul probes the depths of what it means for God to love. "But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:8).

UNQUOTE

See him earlier at the feast of Tabernacles.

Desire of AGES

At the first dawn of day, the priests sounded a long, shrill blast upon their silver trumpets, and the answering trumpets, and the glad shouts of the people from their booths, echoing over hill and valley, welcomed

Page 449

The festal day. Then the priest dipped from the flowing waters of the Kedron a flagon of water, and, lifting it on high, while the trumpets were sounding, he ascended the broad steps of the temple, keeping time with the music with slow and measured tread, chanting meanwhile, "Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem." Ps. 122:2.

He bore the flagon to the altar, which occupied a central position in the court of the priests. Here were two silver basins, with a priest standing at each one. The flagon of water was poured into one, and a flagon of wine into the other; and the contents of both flowed into a pipe which communicated with the Kedron, and was conducted to the Dead Sea. This display of the consecrated water represented the fountain that at the command of God had gushed from the rock to quench the thirst of the children of Israel. Then the jubilant strains rang forth, "The Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song;" "therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation." Isa. 12:2, 3.

Day after day He taught the people, until the last, "that great day of the feast." The morning of this day found the people wearied from the long season of festivity. Suddenly Jesus lifted up His voice, in tones that rang through the courts of the temple:

"If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." The condition of the people made this appeal very forcible. They had been engaged in a continued scene of pomp and festivity, their eyes had been dazzled with light and colour, and their ears regaled with the richest music; but there had been nothing in all this round of ceremonies to meet the wants of the spirit, nothing to

Page 454

satisfy the thirst of the soul for that which perishes not. Jesus invited them to come and drink of the fountain of life, of that which would be in them a well of water, springing up unto everlasting life.

The priest had that morning performed the ceremony which commemorated the smiting of the rock in the wilderness. That rock was a symbol of Him who by His death would cause living streams of salvation to flow to all who are athirst. Christ's words were the water of life. There in the presence of the assembled multitude He set Himself apart to be smitten, that the water of life might flow to the world. In smiting Christ, Satan thought to destroy the Prince of life; but from the smitten rock there flowed living water. As Jesus thus spoke to the people, their hearts thrilled with a strange awe, and many were ready to exclaim, with the woman of Samaria, "Give me this water, that I thirst not." John 4:15.

He gave us to drink water of life from the rock, and we have give him gall and vinegar.

He said, “I thirst,” yet He made the rivers.
He said, “I thirst,” yet He made the sea.
“I thirst,” said the King of the Ages.
In His great thirst, He brought water to me.

(Let us use the time wisely because Christ is full of the third thirst of the soul.)

III.                Jesus Our Crucified Redeemer is Thirsty for Souls to be Saved

God’s people need to have a hunger a thirst for harvest of souls.

From a wonderful sermon “I Thirst” at bible centre.com I found the following illustration

While on the cross, Jesus was certainly physically thirsty and dehydrated.  However, in the spiritual sense, Jesus' greatest thirst…His greatest desire…is for us to be saved.

On March 5, 1994, Deputy Sheriff Lloyd Prescott was teaching a class for police officers in the Salt Lake City Library.  As he stepped into the hallway he noticed a gunman herding 18 hostages into the next room.  With a flash of insight, Prescott (dressed in street clothes) joined the group as the nineteenth hostage, followed them into the room, and shut the door.  But when the gunman announced the order in which hostages would be executed, Prescott identified himself as a cop.

In the scuffle that followed, Prescott, in self-defence, fatally shot the armed man.  The hostages were released unharmed. 

Likewise, Jesus, dressed himself in street clothes, entered into our world, and freed us from our captor,  On the cross, Jesus died, and delivered us from our hostage taker…Satan. 

  My friends, Jesus gave everything He had to free us from our sins.  His greatest thirst is for you and me to be saved.

Consequently, Jesus Is Thirsty for Your Sacrifice of Time and Commitment to Seek the Lost

And the lost are right around you in your city and beyond.

1.       What if there were no branch Sabbath schools?  What if we were in countries where we could only have house churches?  Where bible is forbidden.  Would you with a thirst so Christly from the Christ of Calvary take the hope of salvation to your friends, your family, your neighbour, your co-worker.

2.       This outreach here needs your thirst.  We are blessed with the presence of Loving Saviour.  But we need your help.  In the book of Judges Deborah rebukes Meroz for not coming to help of Lord against mighty.  Busy with business, farms, their personal zones of comfort never came to help of Barak against Sisera.  Let it not be said of you. 

Come to the waters provided by the Man who cried “I thirst”.

In the words of EG White, a messenger of the Lord:

“The cry of Christ to the thirsty soul is still going forth, and it appeals to us with even greater power than to those who heard it in the temple on that last day of the feast. The fountain is open for all. The weary and exhausted ones are offered the refreshing draught of eternal life. Jesus is still crying, "If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink." "Let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." "Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." Rev. 22:17; John 4:14.”

King James Version Isaiah 55

---

1Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

2Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.

3Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.

He said, “I thirst,” yet He made the rivers.
He said, “I thirst,” yet He made the sea.
“I thirst,” said the King of the Ages.
In His great thirst, He brought water to me.

Do you long for peace and sweet rest

To drink of waters of hope and love and life

Come today for there is a fountain filled with blood

Drawn from Immanuel’s veins

(Chorus)
He said, “I thirst,” yet He made the rivers
He said, “I thirst,” yet He made the sea
“I thirst,” said the King of the Ages
In His great thirst, He brought water to me
2. Now there’s a river that flows as clear as crystal
It comes from God’s throne above
And like a river, it wells up inside me
Bringing mercy, and life-giving love

(Chorus)
He said, “I thirst,” yet He made the rivers
He said, “I thirst,” yet He made the sea
“I thirst,” said the King of the Ages
In His great thirst, He brought water to me