Well, good morning, everyone.
My name's Steve, if I've not met you before.
And if this is the first time you've been here at St. Paul's,
so you've just joined in, tuned in at the moment.
We have been, over the course of a couple of months,
working our way through the second half of John's biography
on the life of Jesus.
And we did the first half early this year.
What we've been really the undercurrent all the way through
is really just showing out here again and again
from the text of John's Gospel,
how the Christian faith is relevant, it's reasonable, and it's good,
and that ultimately it leads to abundant life.
That's the undercurrent.
Today's passage is really getting to the crux of it all.
It's like Jesus' whole life and ministry is coming to this point,
and this is what, this crucifixion of Jesus, as we've just read,
is what Christianity offers a world that is losing hope
in its ability to fix itself.
That's what we're looking at today.
It's what Christianity offers you,
who are struggling to change,
for you who are looking for peace,
who cannot find security,
for you who are looking for hope.
And it's crucial, this message,
because over two centuries now,
Western societies like us here in Australia
have put our hope in the progressiveness of history.
We've held this strong belief for over two centuries
that every generation will experience a better world
than the one before it.
We've held out this hope that it's just a matter of time,
just a matter of time,
and we'll be able to solve our greatest ills.
We've assumed that human reason,
ingenuity,
science,
once it's freed from superstitious beliefs,
and especially anything to do with religious belief,
we will have a much better world,
a much better world,
a better future.
And the reality is,
over the last couple of centuries,
there's a number of good things that have come our way.
But the reality is,
that the first four decades of the 20th century,
last century,
should have been enough
to wipe out the illusion of the progressiveness of history.
In the space of four decades,
our world faced two world wars,
a pandemic,
and a Great Depression.
What followed that was the Cold War,
and the threat of nuclear holocaust.
Holocaust.
It seems the greatest threat to our hope for a better world,
in the end,
is not the natural environment,
but the various forms of evil that spring from the human heart.
You see, science can come up with a vaccine.
We're thankful for that.
And we've got a bunch of technology.
And 16's coming out.
That's sure to make life better for everyone.
There's a heap of stuff.
That's sarcasm, in case you didn't pick that up.
But what it can't do,
it can't eradicate human evil.
It still exists.
The ordinary cruelties of self-interest in business,
racism,
arrogance,
pride,
dishonesty,
corruption,
abuse,
sexism,
bullying,
the countless acts of selfishness
that we witness,
and, dare I say,
we even practice day by day ourselves.
And so John 19 offers us our deepest hope.
The word that the Bible uses for hope
is a word that means profound certainty.
Christianity offers a profound certainty
about our future,
and even about our presence,
even during evil and suffering,
a profound certainty that God is guiding
every twist and turn
in our life towards the resurrection
of our bodies and our souls
to a new,
perfect,
and eternal world
where there is no more pain,
no more death,
no more tears.
In fact,
Christianity
is the only worldview
that has ever existed
in society,
anywhere in the world
in history,
that offers
a perfect new world
with new bodies
as our ultimate hope.
It's the only one.
all founded on the resurrection
of one person.
But that's next week.
It's really all founded here
in these explosive three days of history
that are the death and resurrection
of Jesus and Nazareth
2,000 years ago in Israel.
And today I want to focus on
just two things on this passage
just read out to you.
Open your Bibles,
John 19.
Two things
that Jesus said on the cross
those two things reveal
firstly of all
the nature
of the hope
that Jesus offers us
and secondly
how do we take up,
how do we accept
this offer of hope?
That's in these two points
and if you've got the St. Paul's app
you can follow along in there
if you like
and take some notes.
So first of all
the nature
of his offer of hope.
At the end of the crucifixion account
in John 19
we read this in verse 28.
Later
knowing that everything
had now been finished
and so that scripture
would be fulfilled
Jesus said
I am thirsty.
Now our first reaction
to hearing Jesus say that
is you go
well of course he's thirsty
you know like he's
he's out there
exposed
you know
crucified
under the
hot Middle Eastern sun
losing bodily fluids
he's got no
sun protection
and of course he's thirsty.
But I think
we need to dwell on it
just a little bit more
than that.
because think about it
up to this point
Jesus has suffered
an awful lot.
He's been beaten
in the face
with fists
he's been lashed
with a whip
in such a way
that his back
would have been
looked like a chunk
of raw meat
his ribs
would have been
exposed from behind
he's had
tent pegs
driven
through
his wrists
and his feet
a crown
of thorns
squeezed
over his head
he's endured
all of that
and he's not
said a single
word
nothing
not even
an oof
ow
that hurt
nothing
he accepted
it
and he has
submitted to it
so why now
does he say
actually I'm thirsty
something deeper
is happening here
than mere physical
thirst
and so what you need
to do is you need
to read the
I am thirsty
in the context
of everything
that John's
already written
in his gospel
earlier John
records Jesus
encountering a
woman at a
well
she's a Samaritan
woman a first
century
mortal enemy
of the Jewish
people
and she is
surprised that
Jesus who's a Jew
asks her for a drink
and then Jesus
says to her
in John 4 verse 13
everyone who drinks
this water
will be thirsty
again
talking about the
water that's in
the well
but whoever
drinks the water
that I give them
will never thirst
indeed the water
that I give them
will become
in them
a spring
of water
welling up
to eternal
life
so Jesus
in this
encounter
is talking
about something
much more
significant
than drinking
water
out of a
water bottle
out of a
well
you see
in the
Bible
thirst
is a
metaphor
for the
spiritual
emptiness
that comes
when God
is not the
centre of
our life
Psalm 42
another one
of the
famous
Psalms
as the
deer
pants
for
streams
of
water
so my
soul
pants
for
you
my
God
my
soul
thirsts
for
God
for the
living
God
where
can I
go
and meet
with
God
you see
it's one
thing to
believe
that God
exists
it's another
thing
entirely
different
to have
him as
the central
reality
of your
life
it's not
belief
in God
that our
soul
needs
so much
as
meeting
God
as
knowing
God
as
experiencing
God
you see
without
God
being the
central
reality
of our
life
we
die
of
thirst
spiritual
thirst
that is
it's
actually
possible
to believe
that God
exists
but have
something
entirely
different
as the
central
driving
reality
of our
life
if I
may
continue
to
use
the
metaphor
here
these
other
things
they might
be
success
approval
comfort
friendship
family
sex
romance
influence
it might
be money
are the
actual
drink
that we
are consistently
pouring
into our
lives
in order
to satisfy
a soul
quench
that we
constantly
feel inside
the emptiness
the void
that we
feel inside
the point
Jesus
is getting
to is
this
if we
attempt
to quench
the thirst
of our
soul
with anything
other
than the
love
and the
beauty
and the
comfort
of God
in Jesus
then we
will thirst
again
and again
until we
thirst
forever
only God
in Jesus
can fully
and completely
satisfy
that thirst
of emptiness
everything else
is like drinking
seawater
momentarily
makes you
feel okay
until you
just thirst
again
and again
until it
kills you
so what
Jesus does
here is he
offers this
woman something
better
the water
I give them
will become
in them a
spring of
water
welling up
to eternal
life
this woman
replies
sir
give me
this water
so that I
won't get thirsty
and won't have to
keep coming back
here to draw
water
Jesus
wants to
give it
she
immediately
wants it
but Jesus
doesn't
give it
to her
instead
it appears
that he
entirely
changed the
subject
altogether
go and
get your
husband
well
actually
I don't
have a
husband
and Jesus
says you
are right
when you
say you
have no
husband
in fact
you have
had five
husbands
and the
man you
now have
is not
your
husband
so she
wants to
take up
his offer
of this
water
of life
and he
changes the
subject
and brings
up her
broken
messed up
life
it's a
little bit
harsh
isn't it
Jesus
but he
isn't
changing
the subject
at all
he's
being
incredibly
tender
with this
woman
in this
moment
he's
pointing
out to
her
that all
her
messed up
love
life
is
simply
a result
of her
looking
for men
to give
her what
only God
can give
her
to use
the metaphor
again
her
life
has
revealed
that she
has been
drinking
the seawater
all her
life
the seawater
of romance
and relationships
and she
is thirsty
and thirsty
and it will
never satisfy
and so
Jesus
offers her
the fresh
water
that will
fill her
up
and satisfy
her
forever
the reason
her life
is going
so poorly
is because
when we
look to
someone
or something
other than
God
for our
love
and our
significance
and our
identity
and our
security
and our
hope
we will
simply
thirst
over
and over
again
until we
thirst
eternally
what she
needed
was God
as the
living reality
at the
centre of
her life
she needed
to have
the love
of God
at the
centre
of her
life
so that
she didn't
need to
look to
the love
of a
man
in her
case
to give
her
what only
the love
of God
could give
her
and so
Jesus
was not
so much
confronting
her
as he
was
lovingly
convicting
her
this is a
woman
who we
see in the
text
had a
belief
in God
but the
belief
wasn't
enough
God
wasn't
the centre
of her
life
and Jesus
helped her
see it
helped her
see that
other things
were in fact
more important
to her
so
that's the
back story
let's jump
back into
John 19
to the
crucifixion
of Jesus
that's the
reason why
Jesus says
I am thirsty
his thirst
is a
picture
of what
he is
really
going
through
on the
cross
as he
experienced
ultimate
thirst
for us
the old
testament
the book
of Nahum
puts it
like this
who can
withstand
his
indignation
this is
talking about
God
who can
endure
his
fierce
anger
his
wrath
is poured
out like
fire
as
I said
last week
on the
cross
Jesus
is here
getting
what the
whole human
race
deserved
for our
evil
in putting
everything
else but
God
our creator
God
is the
centre
controlling
influence
of our
life
he's
getting
what we
deserve
our
life
our
creator
God
he was
experiencing
divine
justice
it was
like in
that moment
the white
hot anger
of God
like a
million
suns
burning
down
on him
he is
thirsting
and thirsting
so that
we could
receive
living
water
he is
dying for
our
spiritual
thirst
he is
experiencing
the agony
of being
separated
from God
the fountain
of living
water
so that
we can
have access
to the
fountain
of living
water
for all
of eternity
he experienced
the agony
of separation
from the love
of his
father
the experience
of his
fire of
judgment
so that
we can
experience
his
love
and the
never ending
refreshment
of the water
of eternal
life
he got
what we
deserve
so that
we can
get
what he
deserves
he
suffered
so that
we can
have a
river
of life
welling
up in
us
that is
another way
of saying
his
favour
his
love
his
approval
his
acceptance
that's
the nature
of his
offer
to us
today
as it
was to
this
woman
at the
well
in
John 4
so how
do we
if that's
the offer
how do we
take up
the offer
and that's
that's the
next point
I want to
go to the
next thing
Jesus says
the last
thing he
says
as he
breathes
out his
last
is in
verse 30
it
is
finished
it is
finished
Jesus
is using
a word
here
in the
original
language
means
totally
paid
it's a
word
you'd
write
across
an
account
in
the
original
language
in the
Greek
language
it would
be
it is
finished
it is
totally
paid
in
full
one of
the
wonderful
and
great
paradoxes
of
history
is
that
here
is
the
helpless
and
powerless
and
dependent
Jesus
dying
on a
cross
and
his
last
words
are
I
did
it
I
did
it
I've
triumphed
I've
accomplished
it
it's
finished
it's
done
victory
and
what
he's
described
what
he is
his
accomplishment
here
is what
a little
bit later
in the
New
Testament
is
described
by
in
1
Peter
3
Christ
also
suffered
once
for
sin
the
righteous
for
the
unrighteous
to bring
you
to
God
I've
done
it
the
way
is
now
open
there
is
this
infinite
chasm
between
us
and
our
creator
God
and
Jesus
has
done
absolutely
everything
that's
required
he has
paid
every
single
debt
that we
owe
to
God
dealt
with
every
single
bit
of
shame
and
guilt
and
sin
he's
accomplished
it
all
there's
nothing
more
that we
must
do
to
bridge
the
gap
between
us
and
God
that's
his
last
words
it's
finished
a
word
to my
Asian
friends
and
elite
western
people
can
contrast
the
last
words
of
Jesus
with
the
last
words
of
Buddha
do
you know
what
his
last
words
were
strive
without
ceasing
strive
without
ceasing
Jesus
I
have
thirst
for
you
it
is
done
it
is
finished
it
is
accomplished
Buddha
says
keep
working
keep
going
keep
going
keep
going
and you
may
get
there
now let
me say
there is a
whole lot
of admirable
things about
Buddhism
like the
self-denial
and the
recognition
that selfishness
is in fact
a major
problem
but the
eightfold
path of
Buddhism
is
incredibly
hard
it is
demanding
and that's
why his
last words
were strive
without ceasing
if you want
to achieve
enlightenment
Jesus
last words
was I've
done
everything
I've
done all
the striving
for you
I've done
everything
that's required
to bring you
to salvation
I've
thirsted
for you
so that
you can
be satisfied
religion
as I said
last week
is where
you give
God a
performance
and hope
that he will
bless you
on the
base of
your
performance
the core
message of
Christianity
is that
God blesses
us in
Jesus
Christ
and we
get to
live
to love
to serve
him
the one
who has
already
given us
the love
the blessing
and the
acceptance
Jesus
says
it's
done
any
effort
on our
behalf
to make
his
finished
work
better
does
not
in fact
make it
better
in any
way
whatsoever
it
actually
makes
it
worse
any
effort
at all
any
striving
at all
when
Jesus
says
it is
finished
what he
meant
to say
was
it
is
finished
we
cannot
receive
his
salvation
and act
as if
we can
add to
it
in
any
way
whatsoever
and I
know
there's
a bunch
of
Christians
sitting
in the
room
going
yeah
you know
I heard
this
30 years
ago
I
understand
that
Steve
got this
piece
of
information
but
let me
speak
particularly
to the
Christians
in the
room
right
now
someone
who
says
I
follow
Jesus
there
are
two
kinds
of
Christians
if you
like
who
try
to
add
to
the
work
of
Jesus
one
kind
is
the
beat
myself
up
person
and
the
other
is
to
prove
myself
person
the
self
beater
is
the
one
where
every
time
someone
criticizes
them
they
are
devastated
and
they
beat
themselves
up
every
time
you
do
something
wrong
or
make
a
mistake
you
beat
yourself
up
in
fact
you
did
something
15
years
ago
and
you
still
can't
get
past
it
always
the
need
to
feel
bad
about
yourself
let
me
just
tenderly
say
to you
in
this
moment
you
need
to
know
and
you
probably
need
to
know
this
every
hour
of
every
day
Jesus
was
beaten
up
for
you
he
was
beaten
up
for
you
and
good
enough
for
you
he
paid
for
your
sins
stop
trying
to
pay
for
them
yourself
it
is
finished
any
attempt
to
add
to
anything
that
he
has
done
is
simply
going
to
subtract
from
it
and
your
joy
in
it
the
other
person
is
the
self
prover
this
is
the
other
end
of
the
spectrum
they
usually
feel
much
better
about
themselves
they're
often
proud
self
made
person
you've
had
a bit
of
success
in
your
life
and
you
think
it
means
something
in
actual
fact
and
there's
the
need
to
have
the
money
there's
the
need
to
have
the
success
the
possessions
the
family
the
career
the
recognition
to
feel
secure
and
significant
means
you
are
constantly
adding
to
Jesus
work
he's
the
only
one
who
makes
you
feel
secure
and
significant
and
acceptable
the
message
of
Christianity
is that
we are
all
sinners
saved
by
grace
and
if we
trust
in the
finished
work
of
Jesus
that's
it
it's
so
simple
and
it's
so
simple
that
our
rebellious
human
heart
hates
it
and
that's
why
we
must
preach
the
gospel
to
ourselves
every
single
day
as I
said
last
week
our
hearts
are
more
evil
than
we
ever
dare
to
believe
but
we
are
more
loved
and
we
are
much
more
affirmed
and
accepted
than
we
ever
dare
hope
or
imagine
in
Jesus
the
person
who
tries
to
prove
themselves
doesn't
understand
they
never
can
you
never
can
I
remember
sitting
with a
pastor
a few
years ago
now
and
we were
talking about
church
growth
and
so on
he was
a pastor
of a
church
of 15,000
people
and he
said
to
me
Steve
you
know
it's
never
enough
the
size
of your
church
is
never
enough
never
satisfy
only
Christ
satisfies
what
is it
that
you're
pursuing
the
person
who
tries
to
prove
themselves
doesn't
understand
they
never
can
be
in
factual
fact
you're
more
evil
than
you
ever
imagined
that's
a
crowd
conversely
people
constantly
trying to
atone
for their
flaws
by beating
themselves
up
never
will
because
you're
already
more
loved
and
affirmed
more
than
your
wildest
dream
God
humbles
one
and he
affirms
the
other
it
is
finished
it's
done
Jesus
death
doesn't
contribute
to
our
salvation
it is
our
salvation
all of
our
overwork
and anxiety
and constant
striving
and lack
of gratitude
and joy
is because
we don't
yet
realise
it
is
finished
and
this is
the amazing
truth
of the
Christian
faith
as in
is
central
to
the
events
of
Easter
it's
so
summarised
succinctly
in the
New
Testament
writer
this is
1 Timothy
here is
a trustworthy
saying
that deserves
full
acceptance
Christ
Jesus
came into
the world
to save
sinners
is there
any
any more
wonderful
news
for people
like us
who know
that we
cannot measure
up to the
demands of
our own
conscience
let alone
the demands
of our own
morality
while living
in fear
what the
future holds
Christianity
is so
full of
hope
hope for
the self
beaters
hope for
the self
provers
it is
full of
hope for
you
it is
full of
hope for
this
world
let me
just say
it's why
we're
raising
funds
for
Burundi
for
training
of
theological
students
this
hope
might
go
out
it's
why
we're
raising
funds
for
Layla
Park
there's
someone
there
already
in the
role
imagine
an extra
day
and I
suspect
that
as
this
hope
wells
in up
in us
more
and more
we would
be like
the
Thessalonians
in 2
Corinthians
8
despite
our
extreme
poverty
just
overwhelmed
in
generosity
why
not
because
they
had
to
but
Paul
tells
us
it's
because
of
love
of
Christ
has
flooded
their
hearts
right
now
we
are
way
behind
on
both
targets
way
behind
I'm
not sure
what you
want to
do
about
that
it
is
finished
in
Jesus
see
your
need
met
in
him
and
center
your
life
around
him