Providence

Just like an itch or an ache, thirst can be unbearable until we find relief and satisfaction in water. Nothing compares to gulping down ice-cold water after mowing the lawn, playing basketball, or running a marathon. But water never fully satisfies, for within hours, the thirst returns. The same goes for our souls. The functional saviors we create are never able to fully satisfy the thirst of our souls; only Jesus, the Savior, can do that.

While on the cross, Jesus suffered the greatest of thirsts for our sake. Not only did he exhibit extreme bodily thirst, but His soul, which was carrying the weight of all sin, was completely dry. But, this was no surprise to Christ or His Father, for Jesus was fulfilling the final prophecy told long ago about the Messiah. By exclaiming His thirst, Jesus was confirming to those then, us now, and all forevermore that He is the prophesied One. Jesus endured thirst, so that we may know with resolution that He is faithful to fulfill His promises; to eliminate our doubt.

“On the cross, Jesus left no doubt in order to eliminate our doubt. There is nothing, including a Roman cross, that can deter his faithfulness to us in His Word.” – Brian Frost

Simultaneously, Jesus endured insurmountable thirst, while bearing our sin, to rescue us from everlasting thirst. Apart from Christ, hell is the consequence of our sin, a place of eternal thirst without hope of water. But, when we trust in Christ, heaven awaits us, a place full of Christ, full of light, and full of refreshment and satisfaction. Jesus came, endured the cross, and rose from the grave in order to be the everlasting source that we can come to. The ultimate satisfaction of the soul is found only in Him.

When we are connected for eternity to the Living Waters, our lives become river heads for the joy, forgiveness, and hope we have found in Christ. We become channels of these things for others to experience the lasting relief found in Christ compared to the functional saviors made by man that never satisfy.


 

SERMON NOTES 

  1. Jesus suffered the deepest thirst. (John 19:28-29)

    1. John 7:36 — This is the maker of every sea, lake, river, and raindrop. This is the one who brought forth enough water out of a rock in the desert to satisfy the thirst of a nation. And now, He thirsts.

    2. Psalm 32:4 — When David was sinning against God, he felt the guilt against his heart; he described his soul as dry. Jesus carried all the sins of the world on His back, and we cannot even imagine how dry His soul felt. He was drying up, but He was drying up just as promised. 

  2. Jesus suffered the deepest thirst to fulfill Scripture. (John 19:28-29)

    1. Hebrews 10:7 — When you look at the Bible, there are prophecies about what Christ would go through and experience so that we would be able to identify the One. 

    2. Psalm 69:21 — There was one promise left to be fulfilled. Every prophecy had been fulfilled, and in order to fulfill the scripture, He said one last thing. Jesus grew thirsty in order to fulfill the Book. 

  3. Jesus suffered the deepest thirst to satisfy our soul forever. (John 19:28) 

    1. Psalm 42:1 — Our souls crave for God. 

    2. Revelation 7:17 — Hell is eternal thirst without any hope of relief, Heaven is full of Christ, full of light, and full of refreshment and satisfaction. 

    3. Revelation 22:17 — Death and the curse were in our cup, Christ was full for thee. Thou has drained the last dark drop, ‘Tis empty now for me. 

    4. John 4:14 — The water that Christ gives to us does not eliminate once for all thirst here on Earth. He makes a spring quenching thirst every time we come back and take a drink. God never satisfies to the point where we would never need to return to Him this side of Heaven. 

    5. John 7:37-38 — When we’re thirsty as Christians, and we return to the well, we who once thirsted for joy, forgiveness, and hope become the channel of these things for others. 

 

INTROSPECTIVE QUESTIONS 

  • Are you trusting Christ and finding life in Him? 

  • Are you returning to the well to find satisfaction in the source of living waters? 

  • How can you be sharing His truth and love today? Tomorrow? In quarantine? 

 

CLOSING THOUGHTS 

The Creator of every ounce of water on this Earth thirsted for you and for me. He endured, and so we are called to endure. 1 Timothy 4 talks about inward transformation feeding our outward transformation. We are called to pursue godliness, and, “Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.” Let’s continue to run to the well and feed our souls with the truth of God’s word, and be proclaimers of this truth to others in the hopes that, by witnessing it, they may come to find salvation in Christ. 

 

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