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[0:00] Well, today is a very emotional day for me.

[0:24] I suppose that goes for a very logical reason.! I've been away from you for several weeks, and that's atypical. Judith and I took vacation and enjoyed it, first deer hunting, which she didn't participate in.

[0:43] And then we spent some quiet time at Norris Lake in Tennessee, but we couldn't help ourselves. We came back a little early, and it was our privilege last Sunday to be in the services and listened to you sing and listened to Pastor Saul as he ministered the Word of God to you, and I was blessed.

[1:03] I think about the words of the Shulamite woman when the prophet Elijah said, so what do you need?

[1:14] What can I give to you? And she said this. Does anybody know? How many of you know what the Shulamite woman said? One. Linda Parsons.

[1:26] Thank you. It would be a good idea to know what the Shulamite woman said. Here's what she said. I dwell among my own people. Don't underestimate the price and prize that that is.

[1:49] So, it's my rich blessing to be with you this morning, and it is my privilege to open the Word of God and share what we are going to study together in John chapter 7, and it goes without saying that one of the things that you have heard me say so many times is that this passage is really exceptional.

[2:19] It is. But one of the things that makes a passage exceptional, for one, is that I have that undeserved and rich privilege of studying the Scriptures specifically for my own soul's sake and then for yours.

[2:37] Most of the time, that is a one-week process of prayer, meditation, study, and then the matter of writing the sermon that I'm going to bring to you. And this is an exception because I really have had three weeks to do it.

[2:51] So, how many of you understand that things that mellow and ferment and kind of grow through meditation actually get better? And so, I want to tell you that this is an exceptional passage, for one, because it's the Scripture, and two, because it has had the benefit of three weeks of prayer and study.

[3:13] So, let me read the passage to you in John chapter 7, verse 37 through 39, and then pray. On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.

[3:34] Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow living water. Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

[3:57] Let's pray. Our Father God, this morning, as we come to you in prayer, we come with thanksgiving because you are the good, the giver of all that is good.

[4:17] You are supremely capable of meeting our needs far beyond our wildest imagination. You who have ordained the plan of salvation have graciously called us to be your own, have given to us your Scriptures that we rely upon this morning to inform and instruct us.

[4:42] And you've also given to us, who are believers, the indwelling Spirit whose many-faceted ministry includes helping us understand the Scriptures, includes helping us see the Lord Jesus more clearly, includes also working in us that we who are your children would grow to be more like him from day to day.

[5:12] And so our prayer this morning is this, is that you who abide in us, you who are at work in us, would this morning graciously work to tune our hearts to eternal and spiritual things and draw our hearts away from the affections of this world and its distractions and focus solely on you.

[5:41] And I pray, Lord, for those that are in our services that don't know Christ, that today the preaching of the Word coupled by the prompting of the Spirit of God would draw them to see, first of all, the darkness and the despair of their soul and that they would understand through your enabling that Jesus alone is the answer to the emptiness, to the shame, to the guilt, to the brokenness of an unrepentant heart.

[6:12] And that those who are here this morning that know Christ would have their hearts encouraged and strengthened, that their ambition when they leave this place would be to please you who are the lover of their soul.

[6:28] And that we with joy would drink from the well of living water. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

[6:39] Amen. Well, let me explain that this week is going to be the exegesis, fancy word, for I'm going to dive into the text and kind of break it out for you.

[6:51] And next week is going to deal with the application of this passage. The first week we're going to look primarily at what Jesus says in this passage and what we take away from that exactly as we see it here in the text.

[7:06] Incidentally, at the end of the day, that's really what a pastor's responsibility is. I'm not up here to give you a rendition on what happened in USA Today or CNN or Fox News or whatever else.

[7:21] I am up here to expressly and specifically open up the scriptures and help you see what God says. And by the way, one of the things that goes along with that is as I am preaching and teaching, I should be kind of coaching and modeling how you can find it for yourself.

[7:41] You see, being spiritually encouraged and nurtured and strengthened through the word of God is not something that God intends to have happen in the believer's life once a Sunday. It's to be a daily thing.

[7:53] And so I pray that as you are listening and as you are learning, one of the things that's happening is that you're learning how to do this yourself. Go ahead. Try it at home. By the way, how many of you have ever seen those TV ads where it says, this is being done by a professional, do not try this at home, that kind of thing?

[8:11] How many of you notice that? That is not what's going on here. Okay? I want you to try this at home. I want you to expose yourself to the word of God and prayerfully ask the spirit of God to help you learn and grow in understanding the word of God and in that process, grow in your love for the Lord Jesus Christ.

[8:31] So this week is exposition. And we're going to look at what the text says and in particular how this passage is evangelistic.

[8:42] Next week is going to deal with application. And we're going to dive in and delve in the matter of, okay, how does this passage apply to us as believers?

[8:55] With that, I want you to look there and recognize, first of all, that setting is important. Remember, I'm giving you little signals for Bible study at home. Setting is important. The context is critical.

[9:06] And I want you to understand the setting of Christ's great announcement. Sometimes when we're speeding through a passage, we have a tendency kind of, well, I want to do verse 48 and 49 and I want to finish the chapter because it's on my reading plan.

[9:23] And that's not all bad, but it helps to really dig in and say, what is going on here? So I want you to mark what the text says there in verse 37. It says, On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out.

[9:38] John uses that phrase to identify the moment in the Jewish celebration of the Feast of Booths or the Feast of the Tabernacles when Jesus made a particular announcement at that concluding day.

[9:55] Now, I want you to understand that the Feast of Tabernacles was one of three explicit feasts that God instructed His people, the nation of Israel, to celebrate publicly.

[10:06] They were celebrations that were obligations to the nation of Israel. How many of you enjoy Thanksgiving? I mean, hey, we're going to have a Thanksgiving dinner, and it's a nice thing.

[10:20] It's dinner on the grounds. It's potluck. It's all those good things rolled together. But do you know that Thanksgiving celebration is not something that is obligated on us spiritually? There's no passage in the Bible that says, Thou shalt do Thanksgiving and Christmas and Easter.

[10:37] You know, it's... But God told the nation of Israel, You are to have these three feasts and celebrations. One of them was the Feast of Tabernacles. And incidentally, that feast was the time in which God wanted them to live in...

[10:52] Actually, to get out in the neighborhood or in their yard and live in tents. And they did that. In fact, if you want to go home and fire up your computer and Google it, just kind of say, You could order a contemporary Jewish tabernacle, so you can do that in your yard when this time rolls around.

[11:17] And you can go from soup to nuts. The best ones are actually made out of real branches and kind of rough wood. And they'll send you a package deal where you can set it up in your yard and you can be right with it.

[11:33] Feast of Tabernacles was a celebration that they all kind of lived out in the rough for about a week. It was a week of just absolutely joyful celebration because the nation was remembering God brought us out of the land of Egypt and He cared for us all the way.

[11:53] How many of you have every now and then wondered, Is He really going to take me all the way home? I mean, today is pretty rough. And what the nation of Israel did during the Feast of Tabernacles is they reminded themselves, The God who made promises is the one who's going to get you home.

[12:09] He's going to take care of things. And this is a time when you remember His care. It was also a very interesting time where on every day, the priest, one of the priests that was assigned with the responsibility, would take a golden urn or a golden pitcher, a large water pitcher, and he would walk down to the Pool of Salome and he would dip it in and then he would carry it back to where the main altar was and he would pour that water out.

[12:44] Now for us, water's no big deal. It really isn't. I mean, if you want water, what do you do? What do you do? What do you do? Isaac, when you want water, what do you do?

[12:57] What do you do? It's a buh. If you want water, you can walk right out this door, those four doors, and you can go to the drinking fountain or you can go to the sink.

[13:10] Do you follow that? I grew up in India. My parents were missionaries. And I can tell you that we lived in an area that rained all the time for a very short period of time.

[13:23] I mean, we had floods and then we had dry seasons. And when it was a dry season, we had to have water carried. And as a result of having all of our drinking water carried, I have kind of an apoplectic attitude towards don't waste water, even now.

[13:41] When Judith and I first got married, and I've told this story before, but some of you probably forgot and others need to hear it. We'd been married about a week and a half, and I heard water running in the bathroom.

[13:57] Well, you know, I mean, when water runs in the bathroom, in my mind, it should be only temporary. I mean, you fill up a glass and that's it. And the water was running, and the water was running, and the water was running, and the water was running, and I became really concerned about the exorbitant waste that was going on, because even though water wasn't being carried at that time in my life, I knew that water shouldn't be wasted.

[14:23] I went into the bathroom. I said, what are you doing? She said, what does it look like? I'm brushing my teeth. I said, what's the water running for? She said, well, that's what I do when I brush my teeth.

[14:33] I said, no, you don't. I said, what? Now, there are some things that Judith has changed in my life, and there are some things that I've changed in her life. One of them is we don't waste water.

[14:48] And here was this picture. Day after day, the priest would dip that golden pitcher, and he would then walk in joyful procession, people singing and people rejoicing.

[15:02] They would walk from the pool of Siloam over to the steps of the temple, and they would come up to the great altar, and they would pour it out. And when they were pouring it out, one thing that they were remembering, certainly, was the way in which God had provided for them day after day after day in the wilderness, water from the rock.

[15:25] Another thing that actually is supposed is that the pouring out of the waters was kind of a prayerful time in which the nation of Israel would say, God, we are dependent upon you sending rain.

[15:43] That's what the rabbis today would communicate. I tend to think that the thinking of the Old Testament saint was probably a little more instructed by the Scriptures rather than the matter of seasons.

[15:59] And Alfred Edersheim, who is a Bible scholar, kind of references the fact that this matter of taking that water from the pool and then pouring it out on the steps there in front of the great altar was really a reference to the coming of the Messiah and salvation and also the giving of the Holy Spirit.

[16:20] And so I'll... By the way, when a pastor makes a statement, one of the things he ought to do is he ought to reference that with a Bible verse. How many of you understand that? So now we're coming to the, if he said it, he better be able to prove it.

[16:33] Everybody said, amen. Okay, well, here we go. Turn in your Bibles to Isaiah chapter 12, verse 3. And I'm going to just reference a little part of it.

[16:47] Isaiah chapter 12, verse 3. With joy, you will draw water from the wells of salvation, and you will say in that day, give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people, proclaim that his name is exalted.

[17:18] With joy, you are going to draw water from the wells of salvation. If you have ever been thirsty, if you've ever been in an environment where water was precious and valued and something that you didn't take for granted like we do today, then you can understand this verse is, with joy, you're going to have this resource that's available for you.

[17:44] And in this context, it was a reference to the matter of salvation. Another passage that I want you to reference, you're there in Isaiah, but I want you to turn over to Isaiah chapter 44, verse 3.

[17:59] This is a prophecy of what will come in the future. And there in verse 3 it says, For I will pour water on the thirsty land and streams on the dry ground.

[18:11] I will pour my spirit upon your offspring. And I want you to understand that when this water was being poured, for one thing, I do believe that it was a reference to the matter of salvation and to the satisfaction that an individual receives in having the gift of eternal life given to him by God.

[18:34] But I believe also, accurately on the basis of this passage, that it was a reference to the giving of the Holy Spirit. And I tend to prefer that understanding of the passage to the idea as opposite to the idea that it's just a matter of, hey, we're asking you to do something with the rain.

[18:55] So against the backdrop of this daily procession for seven days they would do this, and the recurring events of those seven days, Jesus used the symbolic pouring out of the water to announce his wonderful offer.

[19:12] I want you to understand as you go back to John chapter 7 that no one should be able to ever say that Jesus was not clear about his person, his mission, or his offer of salvation.

[19:26] Not only did he begin his public ministry with the cleansing of the temple, but he stepped out into the limelight on this great day, this great day of the Feast of the Tabernacles, at the end of those seven days of having the water poured and that imagery in people's minds, he came to the forefront, and here's what he did.

[19:48] Listen to me. He shouted. I debated in my office. Should I really shout? And I thought, well, some of you who are arresting, it might be disconcerting, so I won't do it.

[19:58] Okay? You understand that? But I want you to hear it. I mean, it's thunder. I mean, Jesus let it rip. He shouted, if anyone thirsts.

[20:11] In essence, Jesus was saying, I am the fulfillment of the promises of God. I am the fulfillment of the promises of God.

[20:21] Now, before we move on, allow me to emphasize something here from this opening text that tells us something about our God and our Savior, the Lord Jesus.

[20:32] I want to make this clear. He will never be faulted for hiding the message and the hope of salvation. Do you hear me say that?

[20:43] He will never be faulted for hiding the message of salvation. Those who end up in hell and die for their unrepentant sins will not die in total ignorance.

[20:58] They will die having chosen to refuse what they have heard with their own ears and seen with their own eyes. And I say that on the basis of the character of Christ, but I also say that on the basis of Romans chapter 1.

[21:15] What does it say there? Paul says, I'm not ashamed of the gospel of God because it's the power of God unto salvation to the Jew and to the Gentile. And then he says, hey, listen, everybody hears the testimony of the heavens.

[21:30] And people have willingly chosen to harden their hearts against God's indictment of sin and His offer of salvation. Men who die in their sins die because they have refused and they have chosen to stay with the hardness of their heart rather than to yield to the authority of Christ and the offer of salvation that He grants them in His finished work on the cross.

[21:57] Well, let's listen more carefully, not only to the context, but let's listen to this incredible offer. You're there in John chapter 7, verse 37, and on the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, if anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.

[22:14] I want you to understand that Jesus made this incredible offer, this broad offer of hope. Think about those words just for a moment. If anyone thirsts, if anyone thirsts, I want you to understand that when He made this announcement in the public setting that He did, He was speaking to all kinds of people.

[22:42] Now, the inner court, limited to Jews, but when Jesus made this announcement, it was something that could be appreciated by all who heard Him, and He made this just broad, overarching statement.

[22:55] Listen, if anyone is thirsty, let him come to me. Aren't you glad that the offer of salvation is not limited to those who've got their lives together?

[23:07] I mean, have you ever bumped into people who, well, I'd like to have Jesus as my Savior, but, you know, I'm just not there yet. Okay? Or, there are some people who think that, well, really, Jesus is valuable for those who are pretty religious anyway.

[23:24] I mean, I'm doing the best I can, and maybe I can add Jesus to my list of personal friends. That's not what He says here. He says, if anyone thirsts.

[23:36] I do love the privilege, the unbelievable blessing of being an ambassador of someone like that. Thirsty? Come on! Have you ever been thirsty?

[23:48] I mean, really, really desperately thirsty? I was talking to, Becky, where are you? Wave at me. Becky Green. Hi, Becky. Can I tell this story? That's okay.

[23:59] Well, now that I put you on the public spot, Becky's going to have surgery Monday. We're going to be praying for Becky, but Dennis and I are going to spend time while she's in surgery. She's out, you know, but Dennis and I, so we're talking about having coffee together, and Becky says, don't talk about that because I have to be NPO.

[24:14] You know what NPO means? It means it's tough. It's hard. Wait till you understand what those words mean. NPO. Whoa. Can't drink, can't eat, from 12 at night.

[24:25] Now, if you're going to have to go NPO, the best time to have surgery is like 6 o'clock in the morning. She's waiting till 3.30, and so I said, well, I said, Dennis and I, we'll share coffee, and we'll blow some off the top, you know, just, no one's ever accused me of not being thoughtful, you know.

[24:49] I can tell you this. Becky will be thirsty at 3.30. She'll be thirsty because our body craves water.

[25:03] Our body really needs water. Do you understand that? Water's not an option, and yet, it's amazing how easily we are distracted from things that are so important to us, and here's Jesus who comes and says, listen, if anyone is thirsty, let him come to me.

[25:37] I do think, just for a moment, about the blessing we have, you and I, who know Christ, of being able to announce on Christ's behalf what he said.

[25:47] Do you understand that? How many of you bump into thirsty people all the time? I mean, they're all around. Now, here's, they're really not aware of how desperately thirsty they are because they haven't connected, follow me, they haven't connected the unintended consequences of sin with the genuine concern of their heart.

[26:08] How many of you, people, well, my wheels are coming off, and the problem really is everybody else around me. That's how it goes. And we have the problem of saying, actually, what you need is Jesus.

[26:20] You're thirsty. Well, I want you to understand that not only did Jesus make this incredibly broad offer, but he promised to satisfy the thirst of desperate souls.

[26:33] Look at the passage. let him come to me and stand in a long line and wait for a sip. When Becky goes into surgery, I mean, they may give you a pill.

[26:48] I've been in there. And they come in with what I refer to as micro Dixie cups. They're medicine cups. You know, it's what you get your pills in, and they come in and say, now just take a sip.

[26:59] Now, what's wrong with filling it up to the top? I mean, if I'm going to have that 1.5 ounce, you know, it's like, go to the top. No, they just, all you have to do is have this little sip.

[27:10] Here's Jesus. You come to me and drink. I'll satisfy you. And as you stop and think about it, I want you to understand that here's Jesus making this incredible offer to people.

[27:24] You come to me and drink. I'm struck by the fact that getting thirsty enough to ask Jesus for a drink doesn't happen to those who think they've got it all together, right?

[27:42] I mean, you've got your membership in the country club, and you have a second vacation home, and you're really counting on the stock market supporting your future plans for self-indulgence.

[27:56] And everything's working perfectly. And someone comes along and says, if you're thirsty, you come to Jesus. I don't know if I can fit him into my schedule. But, you know, when life's rough and things are difficult and things aren't going right, that's the person who's interested in Jesus and wants to pay attention to the offer.

[28:18] I'm struck by how Jesus handled some of those people who were pretty full of themselves. Over in Luke chapter 5, and I'll turn there just for a moment if you would, Luke chapter 5, verse 31 and 32, here's Jesus kind of interacting with the scribes and Pharisees who really, they were irritated with Jesus.

[28:40] 31 and 32. 32. And Jesus answered them. What had happened is that the scribes and Pharisees were kind of grumbling with his disciples because he was around tax collectors and sinners.

[28:58] He was with them. There. Why are you doing that? Jesus said, hey, verse 31, those who are well have no need of physician.

[29:09] Now, by the way, did the scribes and Pharisees have a disease that was going to lead to their eternal condemnation? The answer is, oh yeah, they just didn't know it. They were sick, but they didn't think so.

[29:22] So here's Jesus kind of dealing with their attitude. He says, hey, those who are well don't need the physician. Mattia's a physician and I mean, I don't visit Mattia in his place of business except when I'm really sick.

[29:37] You don't go to the doctor if you're healthy. And so here's the statement. Those who are well have no need of the physician. Those who are sick, I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.

[29:48] So if you're sitting here and you're full of yourself and you think you got it all together, don't be surprised if you're not hearing anything. But if you're sitting here this morning and your heart's hurting and you're kind of thinking of all the baggage and the messes, then Jesus is talking to you.

[30:06] It says here, I came to call sinners to repentance. By the way, can Jesus satisfy? Can He really satisfy?

[30:17] Can He really meet the needs of broken hearts and people whose lives are a mess? I've got to tell you, yes. I'm living proof of it. And you are too who know Christ.

[30:31] One more piece. That's the unbelievable outcome. You look there at the passage, it says, verse 38, whoever believes in me as the scripture said or has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.

[30:52] Underline the passage, please. My pen started leaking. I don't think I have anything on my shirt, so it's over here wrapped in a Kleenex and inside the bulletin, okay?

[31:05] But take your pen out and underline this. Because I want you to understand that this is a supremely important statement that is very often overlooked in believers' lives.

[31:27] Let me read the two verses again and cling to them in your thinking. Whoever believes in me as the scripture has said out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.

[31:43] Now this he said about the spirit whom those who believed in him were to receive. Josh Bernard, where are you? Children's Church. Okay. Pray for Josh Bernard.

[31:55] I've asked Josh to do a little skit for me, okay? And he came to me this morning. You know, pastors think of harebrained ideas and then throw them off on other people and hope they can get them done. That's me.

[32:08] But I want Josh to do a little skit about this issue of the Holy Spirit and this passage. So you can pray with him, okay? There's no promises and there is pressure.

[32:19] But, you know, just so you understand. I've got to tell you, when I read this passage and it began to kind of soak into my life several weeks ago, like, my man, this is a good passage.

[32:33] This is a profound passage. Whoever believes in me as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.

[32:48] We know what Jesus was talking about because we're told in verse 39, what Jesus was saying is that those who believe will be more than just personally satisfied, they will become satisfiers to others.

[33:06] Did you hear that? Do you understand that? I want you to think with me just for a moment of what Jesus was really saying in this passage and turn, if you will, over to the passage in John 4, verse 14.

[33:28] Okay? John 4, verse 14. Now here's Jesus with the woman at the well. Rank, known sinner.

[33:39] Been shacking up with one man after another, just, you know, kind of a, she had problems. She comes to Jesus and he lets her know that if she believes in him, she would be satisfied.

[33:54] Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. And that's true. Those who come to faith in Christ are no longer thirsty.

[34:08] Their thirst is satisfied in the person of the Lord Jesus and I think it's fair for us to recognize that salvation satisfies the thirsty soul. Let me say it slowly.

[34:21] Salvation satisfies the thirsty soul. And one of the things that should go on in your life is you're thinking to yourself this morning, well, have I ever really had my soul satisfied?

[34:33] Am I satisfied with Jesus? There's some of you sitting here and the truth of the matter is you grew up in the church. You learned the Bible stories from childhood.

[34:46] You memorized all the verses in Awana. You've got it all together in terms of outside, but there's never been the genuine satisfaction that comes through the work of the Spirit of God in drawing you to the cross.

[35:06] All my life long I had panted for a drought from some cool stream. Songwriter goes on and says this, Hallelujah, I've found it.

[35:19] Talking about the Lord Jesus. Go back again, if you will, to John chapter 7, verse 38. And look at the passage where Jesus points this out.

[35:30] He says, Hey, listen. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture says, out of his heart will flow streams of living water.

[35:41] Genuine salvation not only satisfies, but it turns the believer into a satisfier. I want you to get your hands around that.

[35:55] Think with me. Let me say it again, and I want you to pay attention. Genuine conversion not only satisfies, but it turns the believer into a satisfier.

[36:07] Hey, I didn't say it. Do you understand that? I didn't say it. All I'm doing is repeating what Jesus said to you. He said, You who believe in Him are going to be satisfiers.

[36:26] Does a dissatisfied world like when other people are satisfiers? What's the answer? Well, think with me, you know.

[36:37] By the way, let's kind of, I'm going to steal ahead just a little bit and tell you a little bit about next week. Come anyway, you know, but here's the point. When the Holy Spirit is working in a believer's life, can a person be saved and not have the Holy Spirit?

[36:49] The answer is N-O. No. No. Okay? When the Holy Spirit is in the believer's life, and that happens at the moment of salvation, He is there as the resource to make us stop being dissatisfied, to be satisfied, and make us satisfiers.

[37:08] By the way, have you ever found anybody that argues with love, joy, peace, longsuffering, patience, goodness, meekness? Anybody? I really don't like peace. Yeah, that love business said, don't be giving that to me.

[37:22] You know, it's like, hey, the fruit of the Spirit satisfies broken people. Do you understand that? And those who have faith in Christ end up being satisfiers.

[37:35] Can you see that in your life today, honestly? You know, Zacchaeus was satisfied, wasn't he?

[37:51] Right? Remember that? Zacchaeus was satisfied after he met Christ, and he actually ended up being a satisfier. Matthew, the tax collector, he was satisfied.

[38:05] And he ended up being a satisfier. Boy, the woman at the well, classic illustration, remember? Came to the well, thirsty, went home satisfied, and she became a satisfier.

[38:17] Other people flocked to hear about Jesus because they were satisfied with what they saw happening in her life. Do you see that in your life today?

[38:28] I am fully persuaded that those who are genuinely saved stay saved. What Jesus does stays done. So, how do I know that he saved me?

[38:45] That's a fair question, isn't it? The way I know he has saved me is not because I know the Bible verses. Now, that's important. Apart from the word of God, you can't be well informed, but how do I know that I am saved?

[39:01] One is that my soul is satisfied. I have received by the grace of God an abiding, lasting relationship with the Lord Jesus that has granted me acceptance in the beloved.

[39:15] But there's something else. I can look back over my life and you who know Christ can see the same thing. And he took you from being a miserable, unhappy, broken wreck and slowly over the years has made you become someone who's not only satisfied with him but is a satisfier of broken, heartbroken, hard lives.

[39:41] Isn't that right? So, let me put it to you practically. There's some of you here this morning that do not know Christ as your Savior.

[39:57] Tim Kenoyer doesn't know because none of you have saved, unsaved written on your head. You follow that? It's not like I can see that. But I just know. There are some of you here that do not know Christ.

[40:09] And the truth of the matter is is that the unintended signals of that relationship come out like this.

[40:23] Your life is marked by perpetual dissatisfaction, by messiness, by the unintended consequences of sin, by a complete inability ultimately to change who you are.

[40:40] And I would plead with you this morning on the basis of the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. He came into the world to deal with broken, ruined lives and he offers salvation to all who will humble themselves and say, Jesus, I don't need, listen to this carefully, I don't need any more evidence.

[41:00] I figured it out. I'm a mess and I can't save myself. Will you please forgive me and be my savior? Isn't that simple? You know, it's not like you have to crawl across broken glass or walk on hot coals.

[41:13] You have to repent and confess your sins. There are some of you here today that do know Jesus. You've been saved. But the truth of the matter is is that you have not made much progress at moving from, well, there was a time when I was satisfied to being a satisfier.

[41:31] How do I know you're not a satisfier? Hey, everybody smile. People don't like grumpy people. At least in my home they don't like grumpy people and Judith doesn't like when I have those moments.

[41:45] And you know, you're not satisfied yourself. You're a grumpy. You're a moody. You're an unhappy. You're irritable. You're angry. Am I doing well with all the signals anybody identifying I've missed?

[41:55] You know, it's like, hey, you're not doing very well at satisfying other people. Well, so, you may have left your first love. You can't be filled with delight and satisfaction in Jesus without becoming magnetic to a broken world.

[42:16] You also may be an individual who is sitting here this morning who conscious and deliberate in your willing disobedience to God at the high and holy calling of your life.

[42:31] Do you follow that? So, why are you drawing breath? Trick question. So, I can spend more time on Pinterest. So, I can really invest my life in sports.

[42:45] So, I can acquire a mass so I can retire to Florida or spend the next six years driving around the world in a motor home.

[42:55] Is that why he kept me alive? No. So, I, satisfied in Jesus, can let other people know that there is only one person in whom there is redemption and it's Jesus Christ.

[43:13] Amen. Let's close in prayer. Holy Spirit, this morning we ask that you lift up Jesus and that those who are here today that are believers whose lives are marked by a deficiency in being a satisfier of other people would be humble enough this morning to come to you and say, Lord, it's not supposed to be that way.

[43:54] And I want to move forward in doing the right thing. I want my life to be about you and not me. And I confess, I need the work of the Holy Spirit.

[44:08] And that those who are here today that do not know Christ, that today the Spirit of God would bear in on their life and that profound dissatisfaction with the darkness and the despair of their soul would have no remedy except in Christ.

[44:27] That they would understand the sweetness of the gospel offer that whosoever comes to me, I will never cast out. And that they would come with brokenness and humility and say, I am a sinner who stands justly condemned before a holy God.

[44:46] But I believe God sent Jesus to be my Savior and He died on the cross for my sins and He made a promise. Whosoever believes in Jesus will have everlasting life.

[45:02] Let that be their prayer this morning. I ask in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Thank you.