WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.900 Please turn, if you will, to John 7, verses 25 to 52. 00:00:07.419 --> 00:00:09.679 So if you've got a church Bible, if you've got a black church Bible, 00:00:11.019 --> 00:00:14.720 that is on page 893, and they're just on the rack as you come in. 00:00:19.339 --> 00:00:22.820 And there is something, isn't there, about raising Jesus in conversation. 00:00:24.080 --> 00:00:25.900 I don't know whether you've experienced that in your office, 00:00:26.140 --> 00:00:28.600 or at the school gate, or in school, in the classroom. 00:00:28.600 --> 00:00:32.399 People don't seem to mind that I go to church. 00:00:33.079 --> 00:00:34.920 They quite like that I'm religious. 00:00:36.100 --> 00:00:41.020 They're interested that I'm a minister, but you bring Jesus into it, 00:00:41.740 --> 00:00:44.799 and people start to bristle a little bit, I find. 00:00:46.240 --> 00:00:51.460 I never cease to be amazed at just how confused people are about the Lord Jesus. 00:00:53.160 --> 00:00:56.920 How they've misunderstood him, or misunderstood what he came to bring. 00:00:58.600 --> 00:01:00.399 But there are many people out there that are hostile. 00:01:01.880 --> 00:01:04.079 There is a tension in our society. 00:01:05.140 --> 00:01:11.200 When you bring up Jesus, some people think of Jesus as a good person, a likable person. 00:01:12.299 --> 00:01:15.920 Some people might say, I'm all for Jesus, but I don't like the church. 00:01:16.719 --> 00:01:19.060 I like Jesus, but I don't like Christians. 00:01:19.060 --> 00:01:23.620 And I think that's so encouraging, is that when we come to the Gospels, 00:01:23.740 --> 00:01:26.980 that opposition to Jesus is the dominant response. 00:01:28.540 --> 00:01:29.680 Many reject him. 00:01:30.980 --> 00:01:32.920 Some reject Jesus out of complete ignorance. 00:01:34.379 --> 00:01:39.300 Some oppose him because they refuse to submit to his claims on their life. 00:01:39.299 --> 00:01:44.859 Some dislike Jesus intensely because he exposes religious hypocrisy. 00:01:46.299 --> 00:01:51.120 Some look at Jesus and think, you come from the wrong town, you've got the wrong accent. 00:01:51.959 --> 00:01:52.939 You've got the wrong background. 00:01:54.379 --> 00:01:57.500 Some think of Jesus, you're not educated like we are. 00:01:57.500 --> 00:02:02.099 How could this possibly be someone who is worth listening to? 00:02:04.239 --> 00:02:08.879 And yet, we see in the Gospels, don't we, some, who I hope like you tonight, 00:02:09.240 --> 00:02:11.020 some see Jesus and they rejoice. 00:02:12.460 --> 00:02:15.780 Who see Jesus and say, at last. 00:02:17.500 --> 00:02:20.960 There are some who see Jesus and they see in him bread for the hungry. 00:02:20.960 --> 00:02:27.240 Fresh water for the thirsty, sight for the blind, joy for the downhearted, 00:02:27.520 --> 00:02:30.580 deliverance for the broken, hope for the hopeless. 00:02:31.400 --> 00:02:37.060 And the key to receiving Jesus is knowing your need for Jesus. 00:02:39.580 --> 00:02:42.640 And that's why the religious leaders of Jesus' day, 00:02:43.500 --> 00:02:45.960 the ones that Reuben read to us about, 00:02:46.719 --> 00:02:50.879 they think they don't need the Lord Jesus because they've got religion. 00:02:51.159 --> 00:02:52.000 They've got their laws. 00:02:53.620 --> 00:02:58.020 They've got their system for improvement, self-improvement sorted out. 00:02:58.320 --> 00:03:02.659 Or there's the crowd and they're drawn to Jesus because they see in him, 00:03:02.960 --> 00:03:04.900 here is someone who can meet my physical needs. 00:03:06.240 --> 00:03:10.420 Food, health, here is someone who is entertaining, he puts on a good show. 00:03:10.420 --> 00:03:16.100 But the one who receives Jesus and gets real life, the life that lasts, 00:03:17.020 --> 00:03:20.780 is the one who sees Jesus and knows that they are spiritually poor. 00:03:20.960 --> 00:03:26.340 The one who receives Jesus is the one who knows that they are lost. 00:03:27.100 --> 00:03:29.980 The one who receives Jesus knows that they're running on empty. 00:03:30.939 --> 00:03:35.060 And they know that they have a thirst which cannot be quenched by anything in this world. 00:03:35.060 --> 00:03:42.699 Such a person who knows their spiritual thirst looks at Jesus and says, 00:03:43.159 --> 00:03:45.000 yes, at last. 00:03:45.000 --> 00:03:52.500 And there will be some here this evening who don't know this real need for Jesus. 00:03:54.639 --> 00:03:59.680 And maybe Jesus does not appear to you as wonderful as he really is. 00:03:59.680 --> 00:04:05.280 And there may be some who are here tonight, it's possible, isn't it, to grow up in a church like this 00:04:05.280 --> 00:04:09.260 and think that Jesus is for the weak but I'm strong. 00:04:10.700 --> 00:04:14.900 Jesus is for the hopeless and actually I'm self-sufficient. 00:04:14.900 --> 00:04:20.060 And some of us who have been Christians for many years, and that's most of us, isn't it, 00:04:20.540 --> 00:04:26.300 I think we too, I certainly can, lose that real sense of dependence on Jesus. 00:04:27.620 --> 00:04:33.000 The sense that I, moment by moment, hour by hour, day by day, month by month, year by year, 00:04:33.120 --> 00:04:34.899 need to be fed by Jesus. 00:04:34.899 --> 00:04:39.639 And need to depend on him for everything. 00:04:41.060 --> 00:04:44.839 And it's so easy to forget, it's so easy to become self-reliant. 00:04:44.919 --> 00:04:49.939 And so my prayer tonight as we walk through this passage is that God might do two things for us tonight. 00:04:51.259 --> 00:04:56.459 That he might give to you and to me a deep sense of our need of Jesus wherever we're at. 00:04:58.199 --> 00:05:02.159 And that he might fill us also with joy at the gift of Jesus. 00:05:02.160 --> 00:05:08.080 John 7, Jesus is back in Jerusalem, he's been absent for about a year. 00:05:09.560 --> 00:05:13.120 But Jerusalem is still buzzing from what Jesus did a year ago in chapter 6. 00:05:14.560 --> 00:05:17.580 He healed a well-known paralysed man. 00:05:18.800 --> 00:05:21.780 And he did it on the Sabbath and it raised all sorts of questions. 00:05:22.600 --> 00:05:25.280 And then Jesus left and now a year later he's back in Jerusalem. 00:05:25.900 --> 00:05:28.660 And he's arrived halfway through the Feast of Tabernacles. 00:05:28.660 --> 00:05:32.860 And Jesus appears and he amazes the crowd. 00:05:33.220 --> 00:05:36.160 They say, where did you get this teaching from, Jesus? 00:05:36.720 --> 00:05:40.420 And he says, I'm simply a servant of the one who sent me. 00:05:41.860 --> 00:05:43.300 And that leads us to our first point. 00:05:43.400 --> 00:05:46.080 There are three C's tonight and the sermon is like a sandwich. 00:05:46.300 --> 00:05:49.260 There is confusion on either side of calling. 00:05:49.259 --> 00:05:53.800 And so the first confusion is about the coming and going of Jesus. 00:05:55.519 --> 00:05:57.920 The confusion about the coming and going of Jesus. 00:05:58.159 --> 00:06:00.159 You see this particularly in verses 25 and 26. 00:06:00.240 --> 00:06:00.740 Look down there. 00:06:00.980 --> 00:06:01.959 There is confusion. 00:06:05.719 --> 00:06:10.159 And here is this man, the religious authorities, we know they want to arrest him. 00:06:11.439 --> 00:06:13.060 And they're planning to kill him. 00:06:13.060 --> 00:06:15.139 But they're not doing anything about it. 00:06:16.959 --> 00:06:21.980 And so maybe, just maybe, they've concluded that he really is the Messiah. 00:06:22.379 --> 00:06:23.180 He is from God. 00:06:23.259 --> 00:06:24.899 But then they're confused, verse 27. 00:06:25.500 --> 00:06:30.980 Because they think, well, when the Christ comes, no one will know where he's from. 00:06:30.980 --> 00:06:37.340 They've got this idea in their head that when the Christ, God's anointed king appears, 00:06:37.560 --> 00:06:39.580 when the saviour appears, he's going to come out of nowhere. 00:06:41.460 --> 00:06:44.060 And yet, they think, well, we know where this man comes from. 00:06:44.120 --> 00:06:47.720 We know that he comes from Nazareth, this little village in Galilee. 00:06:48.840 --> 00:06:51.340 And Jesus answers their confusion in verse 28. 00:06:51.439 --> 00:06:51.800 Can you see it? 00:06:51.800 --> 00:06:54.080 He cries out, he says, verse 28. 00:06:54.960 --> 00:06:57.840 He proclaims, he speaks loudly, you know me. 00:06:58.840 --> 00:07:00.400 And you know where I come from. 00:07:01.700 --> 00:07:04.400 But I've not come of my own accord. 00:07:05.540 --> 00:07:09.120 He who sent me is true, and him you do not know. 00:07:09.520 --> 00:07:10.280 I know him. 00:07:11.040 --> 00:07:14.800 For I come from him, and he sent me. 00:07:16.420 --> 00:07:17.560 Just think about that for a moment. 00:07:17.680 --> 00:07:20.720 Jesus is saying, yes, you know where I'm from, sort of. 00:07:21.840 --> 00:07:25.020 You know where I'm from in an earthly sense. 00:07:25.420 --> 00:07:28.879 You know the town that I grew up in, but you don't really know where I'm from. 00:07:28.879 --> 00:07:32.540 Because you do not know the one who sent me, the Father. 00:07:32.540 --> 00:07:37.100 You know my earthly origin, but not my heavenly origin. 00:07:38.620 --> 00:07:40.720 And that can be so easily true today, can't it? 00:07:40.720 --> 00:07:47.500 People try to make sense of Jesus just as a human phenomenon. 00:07:50.000 --> 00:07:53.740 They say, well I'm sure he was an extraordinary man who had an extraordinary influence. 00:07:53.740 --> 00:07:56.680 But they discount that Jesus actually came from heaven. 00:07:56.680 --> 00:08:01.379 And without understanding that, it is impossible to make sense of him. 00:08:01.379 --> 00:08:07.040 You will never know Jesus if you view him only from an earthly point of view. 00:08:07.360 --> 00:08:13.279 You will never come to Jesus because you'll only ever see him meeting needs that are earthly. 00:08:13.699 --> 00:08:15.060 But Jesus came from heaven. 00:08:15.060 --> 00:08:18.939 And the needs that he meets are heavenly. 00:08:19.339 --> 00:08:21.959 And the crowd, they only saw Jesus' earthly origin. 00:08:23.399 --> 00:08:25.920 They saw only his earthly usefulness. 00:08:26.160 --> 00:08:27.280 He was a great healer. 00:08:27.600 --> 00:08:29.300 They knew that he provided food. 00:08:29.540 --> 00:08:31.959 He put on a good show, so they missed Jesus. 00:08:33.899 --> 00:08:35.000 And the confusion continues. 00:08:35.299 --> 00:08:36.639 Some in the crowd, verse 30. 00:08:36.799 --> 00:08:37.360 Can you see that? 00:08:38.059 --> 00:08:43.500 So they are seeking to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him. 00:08:45.419 --> 00:08:46.379 Verse 31. 00:08:48.139 --> 00:08:49.879 Yet many of the people believed in him. 00:08:51.739 --> 00:08:53.259 Perhaps they believed in him. 00:08:55.039 --> 00:08:55.959 Verse 31. 00:08:56.079 --> 00:08:59.239 They said, when the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done? 00:08:59.379 --> 00:09:01.159 That's not actually a good sign in John. 00:09:03.019 --> 00:09:07.399 In John, people's faith that's based on miracles is viewed with huge suspicion. 00:09:08.519 --> 00:09:10.699 They're only interested in the show, are they? 00:09:11.699 --> 00:09:14.839 Or are they interested in what the signs are pointing to? 00:09:15.059 --> 00:09:21.279 The Jewish religious leaders, they hear about Jesus' rising popularity in verse 32. 00:09:21.779 --> 00:09:24.159 And they send guards to arrest him. 00:09:24.379 --> 00:09:26.459 There is confusion about the coming of Jesus. 00:09:26.460 --> 00:09:29.860 But there's confusion about the going of Jesus. 00:09:30.100 --> 00:09:30.840 Look at verse 33. 00:09:33.720 --> 00:09:35.800 Jesus answered, I'll be with you a little longer. 00:09:37.040 --> 00:09:39.100 And then I am going to him who sent me. 00:09:39.460 --> 00:09:40.720 And you will seek me. 00:09:41.440 --> 00:09:42.360 And you will not find me. 00:09:43.720 --> 00:09:45.100 And where I am, you cannot come. 00:09:45.100 --> 00:09:49.420 At this point, the crowd's listening. 00:09:49.519 --> 00:09:50.899 They've not got a clue what he's going on about. 00:09:51.519 --> 00:09:53.139 Look at their response in verse 35. 00:09:53.139 --> 00:09:57.199 Where is he going to go that we would not be able to find him? 00:09:58.419 --> 00:10:00.059 Is he going to go out amongst the Greeks? 00:10:01.000 --> 00:10:02.699 Is he going to go out amongst the seas? 00:10:03.340 --> 00:10:04.139 Where's he going to go? 00:10:04.139 --> 00:10:07.139 Jesus is saying, isn't he? 00:10:07.199 --> 00:10:08.840 I am returning to my Father. 00:10:10.360 --> 00:10:12.600 I am returning to the one who sent me. 00:10:12.860 --> 00:10:17.259 And I am returning to him via death and resurrection and glorification. 00:10:17.519 --> 00:10:20.159 I'm with you on this earth only for a short time. 00:10:20.419 --> 00:10:22.419 So now, now is the moment to believe. 00:10:22.419 --> 00:10:25.639 Now is the moment to respond. 00:10:27.360 --> 00:10:30.879 Because the day is coming when you will look for me and I will not be there. 00:10:33.059 --> 00:10:35.620 And that can be as true for us as it can be for them. 00:10:38.079 --> 00:10:40.439 It may be that tonight, this very night, 00:10:41.360 --> 00:10:44.719 is the opportunity where Jesus says, 00:10:44.939 --> 00:10:46.559 now is the time to come. 00:10:46.559 --> 00:10:54.019 And you leave this room having said no to the Lord Jesus 00:10:54.019 --> 00:10:56.219 and you immerse yourself in one distraction, 00:10:56.699 --> 00:10:58.339 one false trail after another. 00:10:59.779 --> 00:11:01.219 And the opportunity is lost. 00:11:04.000 --> 00:11:05.039 And the moment goes. 00:11:07.119 --> 00:11:10.199 And you come face to face with the Lord Jesus on the last day. 00:11:10.599 --> 00:11:14.119 This, tonight, is the night Jesus will remember. 00:11:16.559 --> 00:11:20.779 The night when Jesus stood up on the feast on the last day 00:11:20.779 --> 00:11:21.419 and he called out, 00:11:21.539 --> 00:11:23.839 if anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. 00:11:25.599 --> 00:11:27.899 That is the day they heard those words. 00:11:28.179 --> 00:11:30.059 And this is the night you hear those words. 00:11:31.459 --> 00:11:33.319 That Jesus has come to the Father 00:11:33.319 --> 00:11:34.779 and he is going to the Father 00:11:34.779 --> 00:11:36.659 and his coming and his going 00:11:36.659 --> 00:11:39.099 caused great confusion. 00:11:42.259 --> 00:11:43.659 But the second point is, 00:11:43.659 --> 00:11:45.599 Jesus calls tonight. 00:11:46.559 --> 00:11:48.379 Jesus calls us 00:11:48.379 --> 00:11:50.519 to come and drink. 00:11:51.939 --> 00:11:54.059 Listen again to the words of Jesus. 00:11:54.219 --> 00:11:55.159 Verse 37. 00:11:55.319 --> 00:11:56.879 They are remarkable words, aren't they? 00:11:56.919 --> 00:11:58.259 On the last day of the feast, 00:11:58.699 --> 00:12:00.359 the great day, 00:12:00.439 --> 00:12:01.439 Jesus stood up 00:12:01.439 --> 00:12:04.299 and he cried out, 00:12:05.299 --> 00:12:07.299 if anyone thirsts, 00:12:08.319 --> 00:12:09.459 let him come to me and drink. 00:12:09.460 --> 00:12:14.060 The feast that Jesus is talking about there, 00:12:14.060 --> 00:12:15.379 that he was on, 00:12:15.600 --> 00:12:16.160 right at the end, 00:12:16.259 --> 00:12:19.160 is the end of the harvest, really, 00:12:19.280 --> 00:12:21.820 commemorating God's goodness to them. 00:12:23.120 --> 00:12:24.080 God's goodness to them 00:12:24.080 --> 00:12:25.500 in bringing them out of the land of Egypt 00:12:25.500 --> 00:12:26.700 all those centuries ago 00:12:26.700 --> 00:12:28.519 and giving them harvest. 00:12:28.639 --> 00:12:30.519 God's kindness to them in the wilderness. 00:12:31.460 --> 00:12:33.780 And the festival was like a giant camping trip. 00:12:33.779 --> 00:12:37.819 It was like the IPC getaway up in Kazakh. 00:12:38.000 --> 00:12:39.879 People would come from all over the land 00:12:39.879 --> 00:12:42.799 and they would set up their tents 00:12:42.799 --> 00:12:44.799 and rent B&Bs 00:12:44.799 --> 00:12:46.399 and they would remember the years 00:12:46.399 --> 00:12:47.399 wandering in the wilderness 00:12:47.399 --> 00:12:49.799 where God provided for them. 00:12:49.839 --> 00:12:50.899 It would be a joyful feast, 00:12:51.000 --> 00:12:53.439 just like the IPC getaway will be in Kazakh. 00:12:54.220 --> 00:12:55.679 Booking spaces are still available. 00:12:55.679 --> 00:12:58.259 And they would give thanks 00:12:58.259 --> 00:12:59.739 for the blessing of God's provision. 00:13:00.759 --> 00:13:02.759 And it would be a joyful celebration, 00:13:03.479 --> 00:13:05.620 celebrating all of God's goodness, 00:13:06.179 --> 00:13:08.379 all of the good things that we need. 00:13:10.639 --> 00:13:11.579 And on the great day, 00:13:11.620 --> 00:13:12.839 Jesus stands up and he says, 00:13:14.099 --> 00:13:15.559 all those who are thirsty, 00:13:17.039 --> 00:13:17.879 come to me and drink. 00:13:20.719 --> 00:13:22.659 The Jewish people still celebrate the feast today. 00:13:22.779 --> 00:13:23.419 They celebrate. 00:13:23.419 --> 00:13:26.879 They give thanks for God's provision. 00:13:28.699 --> 00:13:30.000 And yet they've missed it. 00:13:32.759 --> 00:13:33.559 They've missed it. 00:13:35.759 --> 00:13:36.479 Jesus says, 00:13:36.620 --> 00:13:38.379 come to me all you who are thirsty 00:13:38.379 --> 00:13:39.419 and drink. 00:13:39.599 --> 00:13:41.179 I am God's great provision. 00:13:43.919 --> 00:13:45.559 And this invitation to Jesus 00:13:45.559 --> 00:13:47.860 is not just intellectual assent. 00:13:51.839 --> 00:13:52.959 It's a difficult question, isn't it? 00:13:52.960 --> 00:13:53.639 When we say to people, 00:13:53.720 --> 00:13:54.840 do you believe in Jesus? 00:13:57.200 --> 00:13:59.160 They say, well, yes, I believe in Jesus. 00:13:59.200 --> 00:14:00.700 What do they often mean by that? 00:14:01.980 --> 00:14:03.680 It's kind of an intellectual assent. 00:14:05.540 --> 00:14:06.900 It's a tick box, isn't it? 00:14:06.900 --> 00:14:08.860 In the census for what faith are you? 00:14:10.860 --> 00:14:12.000 But that's why John's gospel 00:14:12.000 --> 00:14:14.060 is so very, very helpful. 00:14:14.740 --> 00:14:16.080 What does it mean to believe in Jesus? 00:14:16.080 --> 00:14:19.560 Jesus keeps using vivid images of participation, 00:14:20.320 --> 00:14:22.080 of drinking, 00:14:22.360 --> 00:14:23.060 of eating. 00:14:24.620 --> 00:14:27.660 It is wholehearted participation 00:14:27.660 --> 00:14:29.639 in Jesus Christ. 00:14:31.320 --> 00:14:33.960 Jesus is the spiritual drink 00:14:33.960 --> 00:14:35.900 for the spiritually thirsty. 00:14:35.899 --> 00:14:38.600 And of course, 00:14:38.819 --> 00:14:41.100 you can't not think of, 00:14:41.159 --> 00:14:41.340 can you, 00:14:41.360 --> 00:14:42.600 that great passage in Isaiah, 00:14:42.659 --> 00:14:43.600 in Isaiah 55, 00:14:44.399 --> 00:14:47.199 where the servant of the Lord passages 00:14:47.199 --> 00:14:47.840 have happened. 00:14:48.639 --> 00:14:50.519 And the great climax of Isaiah 53 00:14:50.519 --> 00:14:53.079 depicting Christ's crucifixion. 00:14:53.080 --> 00:14:55.139 And then, 00:14:55.280 --> 00:14:55.960 chapter 55, 00:14:56.139 --> 00:14:56.759 the invitation, 00:14:57.060 --> 00:14:58.420 come everyone who thirsts, 00:14:58.440 --> 00:14:59.259 come to the waters, 00:15:00.300 --> 00:15:02.480 and he who has no money, 00:15:03.740 --> 00:15:04.400 come buy and eat, 00:15:04.460 --> 00:15:05.620 come buy wine and milk 00:15:05.620 --> 00:15:06.900 without money and without cost. 00:15:07.160 --> 00:15:08.420 Why do you spend your money 00:15:08.420 --> 00:15:10.300 for that which is not bread, 00:15:10.500 --> 00:15:11.840 and your labour for that 00:15:11.840 --> 00:15:13.540 which does not satisfy? 00:15:13.700 --> 00:15:13.980 Listen, 00:15:14.220 --> 00:15:14.940 listen to me. 00:15:15.780 --> 00:15:17.120 And eat what is good, 00:15:17.220 --> 00:15:18.240 and delight yourself 00:15:18.240 --> 00:15:19.600 in rich food. 00:15:20.700 --> 00:15:21.720 Incline your year, 00:15:22.120 --> 00:15:22.900 come to me, 00:15:23.620 --> 00:15:24.940 hear that your soul may live. 00:15:27.259 --> 00:15:28.840 And so Jesus stands on that day, 00:15:28.980 --> 00:15:29.540 and he says, 00:15:29.620 --> 00:15:30.660 come all who are thirsty. 00:15:32.520 --> 00:15:32.960 Jesus, 00:15:33.139 --> 00:15:35.080 the living water for our souls. 00:15:36.940 --> 00:15:37.540 Of course, 00:15:37.600 --> 00:15:38.600 it's full of the Old Testament, 00:15:38.740 --> 00:15:38.960 isn't it? 00:15:40.600 --> 00:15:41.879 There's people of Israel 00:15:41.879 --> 00:15:43.639 who had been redeemed from Israel 00:15:43.639 --> 00:15:44.820 and kept for 40 years 00:15:44.820 --> 00:15:45.300 in the wilderness. 00:15:45.460 --> 00:15:45.879 Do you remember? 00:15:46.000 --> 00:15:46.840 They were thirsty, 00:15:47.640 --> 00:15:49.000 and God provided water 00:15:49.000 --> 00:15:50.100 from a rock in the desert. 00:15:50.100 --> 00:15:52.980 And now, 00:15:53.399 --> 00:15:55.259 God has provided living water 00:15:55.259 --> 00:15:56.860 for you tonight in Jesus. 00:15:56.980 --> 00:15:57.759 Are you thirsty? 00:16:00.560 --> 00:16:03.060 Do you know your need for Jesus, 00:16:03.480 --> 00:16:04.340 for what he offers? 00:16:04.680 --> 00:16:06.600 Are you yearning for forgiveness 00:16:06.600 --> 00:16:07.700 and acceptance? 00:16:07.700 --> 00:16:11.820 Have you reached the end 00:16:11.820 --> 00:16:12.680 of your efforts, 00:16:13.680 --> 00:16:16.040 knowing that you are unable 00:16:16.040 --> 00:16:16.720 to do it? 00:16:18.720 --> 00:16:21.259 Because when you are truly thirsty, 00:16:21.259 --> 00:16:24.159 you will see Jesus 00:16:24.159 --> 00:16:25.819 and you will delight in him. 00:16:27.639 --> 00:16:29.679 You will delight in that soul 00:16:29.679 --> 00:16:31.159 quenching water 00:16:31.159 --> 00:16:32.120 that he provides. 00:16:32.120 --> 00:16:36.620 And the chances are, 00:16:36.759 --> 00:16:36.960 maybe, 00:16:37.100 --> 00:16:37.539 that tonight, 00:16:37.860 --> 00:16:38.860 you don't feel 00:16:38.860 --> 00:16:40.539 particularly spiritually thirsty. 00:16:43.240 --> 00:16:45.259 You may not particularly feel 00:16:45.259 --> 00:16:47.340 that you need Jesus right now. 00:16:47.460 --> 00:16:48.700 You've got things sorted, 00:16:48.820 --> 00:16:48.980 maybe. 00:16:51.919 --> 00:16:53.120 Can you heed the warning 00:16:53.120 --> 00:16:53.899 of verse 34? 00:16:54.060 --> 00:16:55.539 Look what verse 34 says. 00:16:55.539 --> 00:16:58.639 You will seek me 00:16:58.639 --> 00:17:02.240 and you will not find me. 00:17:04.519 --> 00:17:05.319 Where I am, 00:17:05.379 --> 00:17:06.059 you cannot come. 00:17:10.599 --> 00:17:11.980 You need to drink, 00:17:12.099 --> 00:17:12.440 don't you? 00:17:13.940 --> 00:17:15.379 Even when you don't feel thirsty. 00:17:15.380 --> 00:17:19.780 I'm not really a runner, 00:17:20.260 --> 00:17:22.960 despite my part run excellence. 00:17:25.160 --> 00:17:26.460 But I'm not really a runner. 00:17:26.560 --> 00:17:27.960 I don't do endurance sports. 00:17:28.640 --> 00:17:30.160 But the golden rule 00:17:30.160 --> 00:17:31.400 of hydration is this, 00:17:31.520 --> 00:17:31.820 all right? 00:17:32.500 --> 00:17:33.860 You don't wait 00:17:33.860 --> 00:17:35.580 until you're thirsty 00:17:35.580 --> 00:17:36.480 before you drink. 00:17:37.360 --> 00:17:37.660 Is that right? 00:17:39.160 --> 00:17:40.160 If you wait 00:17:40.160 --> 00:17:40.980 until you're thirsty 00:17:40.980 --> 00:17:41.660 in a marathon 00:17:41.660 --> 00:17:44.280 before you really start drinking, 00:17:44.340 --> 00:17:44.780 it's too late. 00:17:46.100 --> 00:17:47.480 Your body will never 00:17:47.480 --> 00:17:48.160 catch up 00:17:48.160 --> 00:17:48.940 on that hydration. 00:17:49.400 --> 00:17:49.640 And so, 00:17:49.800 --> 00:17:50.580 that is why, isn't it, 00:17:50.580 --> 00:17:52.060 you see people in marathons 00:17:52.060 --> 00:17:53.140 right at the end, 00:17:53.200 --> 00:17:54.120 they get delirious 00:17:54.120 --> 00:17:55.820 and they trudge along 00:17:55.820 --> 00:17:56.860 and they're all over the place 00:17:56.860 --> 00:17:57.340 and they don't know 00:17:57.340 --> 00:17:57.880 where they are. 00:17:57.900 --> 00:17:58.200 What's happened? 00:17:58.240 --> 00:17:59.160 They become dehydrated. 00:18:00.780 --> 00:18:02.740 Because in the endurance race, 00:18:02.840 --> 00:18:03.540 whether it's cycling 00:18:03.540 --> 00:18:04.400 or running 00:18:04.400 --> 00:18:05.180 or anything like that, 00:18:05.460 --> 00:18:06.460 you need to drink 00:18:06.460 --> 00:18:07.620 even if you don't feel thirsty. 00:18:09.320 --> 00:18:10.200 You need to drink 00:18:10.200 --> 00:18:11.140 when you feel great. 00:18:12.340 --> 00:18:13.200 You need to drink 00:18:13.200 --> 00:18:13.880 when you feel like 00:18:13.880 --> 00:18:14.840 you can keep on going 00:18:14.839 --> 00:18:15.939 at this pace forever. 00:18:19.259 --> 00:18:20.559 And you might feel your life, 00:18:20.779 --> 00:18:22.019 you're spiritually self-sufficient. 00:18:22.259 --> 00:18:23.339 Yeah, you assent to Jesus. 00:18:25.139 --> 00:18:27.079 Yeah, I'm part of the Christian club. 00:18:27.079 --> 00:18:30.539 But what does that actually mean 00:18:30.539 --> 00:18:31.299 for my dependence 00:18:31.299 --> 00:18:32.740 on Jesus moment by moment, 00:18:32.839 --> 00:18:33.319 day to day? 00:18:33.439 --> 00:18:33.720 Drink. 00:18:34.720 --> 00:18:35.119 Drink. 00:18:36.779 --> 00:18:38.059 All you who are thirsty, 00:18:38.399 --> 00:18:39.659 drink from this living water. 00:18:39.759 --> 00:18:40.659 And Jesus goes on to say, 00:18:40.720 --> 00:18:40.960 doesn't he, 00:18:41.259 --> 00:18:42.259 in verse 38, 00:18:42.339 --> 00:18:43.359 whoever believes in me, 00:18:43.439 --> 00:18:44.319 as the scripture says, 00:18:45.359 --> 00:18:46.279 whoever believes in me, 00:18:46.379 --> 00:18:48.099 streams of living water 00:18:48.099 --> 00:18:49.079 will flow out 00:18:49.079 --> 00:18:50.099 from within him. 00:18:50.099 --> 00:18:53.939 The one who drinks Jesus, 00:18:54.059 --> 00:18:54.339 that is, 00:18:54.419 --> 00:18:55.079 believes in him, 00:18:55.139 --> 00:18:55.719 will become 00:18:55.719 --> 00:18:57.379 not just filled 00:18:57.379 --> 00:18:58.319 with this water, 00:18:58.319 --> 00:19:01.019 but will become 00:19:01.019 --> 00:19:02.419 a source of living water 00:19:02.419 --> 00:19:02.699 for others. 00:19:02.759 --> 00:19:03.619 We could play with this image 00:19:03.619 --> 00:19:04.119 for ages, 00:19:04.240 --> 00:19:05.279 but I've got time. 00:19:05.279 --> 00:19:10.180 John tells us here, 00:19:11.019 --> 00:19:11.839 this is what Jesus meant, 00:19:11.899 --> 00:19:12.779 this living water 00:19:12.779 --> 00:19:13.680 from other people. 00:19:13.759 --> 00:19:14.460 Verse 39, 00:19:14.740 --> 00:19:15.420 he said, 00:19:15.519 --> 00:19:15.779 didn't he, 00:19:16.399 --> 00:19:17.460 now he said this 00:19:17.460 --> 00:19:18.240 about the Spirit, 00:19:18.339 --> 00:19:18.980 the Holy Spirit, 00:19:19.700 --> 00:19:21.180 whom those who believed in him 00:19:21.180 --> 00:19:22.000 were to receive, 00:19:22.160 --> 00:19:23.039 for as yet the Spirit 00:19:23.039 --> 00:19:23.779 had not been given, 00:19:23.899 --> 00:19:24.579 because Jesus 00:19:24.579 --> 00:19:26.680 was not yet glorified. 00:19:29.220 --> 00:19:30.279 He's teaching us really 00:19:30.279 --> 00:19:31.399 something important here, 00:19:31.480 --> 00:19:32.680 that after his death 00:19:32.680 --> 00:19:33.619 and his resurrection 00:19:33.619 --> 00:19:34.720 and his ascension 00:19:34.720 --> 00:19:35.640 and glorification, 00:19:35.819 --> 00:19:37.100 Jesus would give 00:19:37.100 --> 00:19:37.940 his Holy Spirit. 00:19:39.779 --> 00:19:40.559 And that's what 00:19:40.559 --> 00:19:41.400 he's talking about here. 00:19:42.900 --> 00:19:44.440 This living water, 00:19:44.600 --> 00:19:46.980 Jesus pours upon us 00:19:46.980 --> 00:19:48.000 by his Holy Spirit. 00:19:48.299 --> 00:19:49.940 That is the present work 00:19:49.940 --> 00:19:50.660 of the Holy Spirit, 00:19:51.140 --> 00:19:52.519 the fruit of the Holy Spirit, 00:19:52.860 --> 00:19:54.600 this pouring into us 00:19:54.600 --> 00:19:55.360 and through us, 00:19:55.440 --> 00:19:56.600 this living water. 00:19:58.460 --> 00:19:58.740 Of course, 00:19:58.779 --> 00:19:59.460 if you know your Bible, 00:19:59.620 --> 00:20:00.539 you know that the Holy Spirit 00:20:00.539 --> 00:20:01.860 was active in the Old Testament. 00:20:02.240 --> 00:20:02.720 The Holy Spirit 00:20:02.720 --> 00:20:04.000 was there in creation. 00:20:04.000 --> 00:20:05.660 Let us make man, 00:20:05.759 --> 00:20:06.240 God says. 00:20:07.799 --> 00:20:08.500 He was there 00:20:08.500 --> 00:20:09.180 in the kings, 00:20:09.299 --> 00:20:09.619 wasn't he, 00:20:09.759 --> 00:20:10.579 and in the prophets, 00:20:10.880 --> 00:20:11.799 and in the judges, 00:20:12.119 --> 00:20:13.160 and in the musicians, 00:20:13.440 --> 00:20:14.380 and the craftsmen. 00:20:14.440 --> 00:20:15.420 The Spirit was there 00:20:15.420 --> 00:20:16.220 and was upon them. 00:20:16.599 --> 00:20:18.319 But this full gift 00:20:18.319 --> 00:20:20.119 of the Holy Spirit 00:20:20.119 --> 00:20:20.940 is the fruit 00:20:20.940 --> 00:20:22.259 of Jesus' ministry. 00:20:24.180 --> 00:20:25.599 Up to that point, 00:20:25.700 --> 00:20:26.319 the Holy Spirit 00:20:26.319 --> 00:20:27.779 had not been given 00:20:27.779 --> 00:20:28.500 in this way, 00:20:28.559 --> 00:20:29.380 because the Son 00:20:29.380 --> 00:20:31.240 had not yet been glorified. 00:20:31.240 --> 00:20:32.759 this is what the Old Testament 00:20:32.759 --> 00:20:33.599 anticipated 00:20:33.599 --> 00:20:34.720 and pointed forward to. 00:20:36.779 --> 00:20:37.640 And they actually 00:20:37.640 --> 00:20:38.480 remembered it 00:20:38.480 --> 00:20:40.019 at the Feast of Tabernacles. 00:20:41.539 --> 00:20:42.400 It was one of the things 00:20:42.400 --> 00:20:42.799 they remembered. 00:20:42.859 --> 00:20:43.359 Let me read to you 00:20:43.359 --> 00:20:44.279 from Zechariah 12. 00:20:44.440 --> 00:20:45.339 You don't need to turn to it. 00:20:45.640 --> 00:20:46.759 But in Zechariah 12, 00:20:46.880 --> 00:20:48.579 this is what is promised. 00:20:48.579 --> 00:20:51.559 And I will pour out 00:20:51.559 --> 00:20:52.659 on the house of David 00:20:52.659 --> 00:20:53.419 and the inhabitants 00:20:53.419 --> 00:20:54.059 of Jerusalem 00:20:54.059 --> 00:20:55.099 a spirit of grace 00:20:55.099 --> 00:20:57.359 and please for mercy, 00:20:57.619 --> 00:20:58.699 so that when they look on me, 00:20:58.859 --> 00:21:01.039 on him whom they have pierced, 00:21:02.299 --> 00:21:03.220 they shall mourn for him. 00:21:04.199 --> 00:21:05.019 As one mourns 00:21:05.019 --> 00:21:05.899 for an only child 00:21:05.899 --> 00:21:07.319 and weep bitterly over him, 00:21:07.359 --> 00:21:08.279 as one weeps 00:21:08.279 --> 00:21:08.939 over a firstborn. 00:21:08.980 --> 00:21:09.919 And then in chapter 13, 00:21:10.000 --> 00:21:10.359 verse 1, 00:21:10.500 --> 00:21:11.460 on that day, 00:21:11.799 --> 00:21:12.859 there shall be a fountain 00:21:12.859 --> 00:21:14.519 opened in the house of David 00:21:14.519 --> 00:21:16.500 and the inhabitants 00:21:16.500 --> 00:21:17.059 of Jerusalem 00:21:17.059 --> 00:21:17.980 to cleanse them 00:21:17.980 --> 00:21:18.619 from all sin 00:21:18.619 --> 00:21:19.480 and unrighteousness. 00:21:21.679 --> 00:21:22.519 And here Jesus 00:21:22.519 --> 00:21:24.720 stands up in Jerusalem 00:21:24.720 --> 00:21:27.859 as the firstborn son. 00:21:29.319 --> 00:21:30.299 As the one who 00:21:30.299 --> 00:21:31.519 in six months' time 00:21:31.519 --> 00:21:33.119 they would pierce. 00:21:34.440 --> 00:21:35.339 And he says, 00:21:35.440 --> 00:21:36.200 when you pierce me 00:21:36.200 --> 00:21:37.200 on that day, 00:21:37.399 --> 00:21:39.159 a fountain will be opened 00:21:39.159 --> 00:21:40.259 that will cleanse you. 00:21:41.159 --> 00:21:42.379 And it will cleanse you 00:21:42.379 --> 00:21:43.220 from impurity 00:21:43.220 --> 00:21:44.039 and from sin. 00:21:44.119 --> 00:21:45.220 That's what living water does. 00:21:47.059 --> 00:21:48.179 It is a fountain 00:21:48.179 --> 00:21:49.599 of life and cleansing. 00:21:50.139 --> 00:21:51.299 And through us, 00:21:52.700 --> 00:21:53.679 this life and cleansing 00:21:53.679 --> 00:21:54.659 goes to others. 00:21:56.779 --> 00:21:58.619 A bit later in Zechariah chapter 14, 00:21:58.720 --> 00:21:59.200 it says this, 00:21:59.259 --> 00:21:59.879 on that day, 00:21:59.980 --> 00:22:00.859 on that same day, 00:22:00.980 --> 00:22:02.099 living water will flow 00:22:02.099 --> 00:22:02.759 out of Jerusalem. 00:22:04.480 --> 00:22:05.579 Half to the eastern sea, 00:22:05.679 --> 00:22:06.779 half to the western sea, 00:22:07.039 --> 00:22:08.159 in summer and in winter. 00:22:08.160 --> 00:22:10.120 and the Lord, 00:22:10.300 --> 00:22:10.800 Yahweh, 00:22:11.320 --> 00:22:13.040 will be king 00:22:13.040 --> 00:22:13.660 over the whole earth. 00:22:15.700 --> 00:22:16.540 And on that day, 00:22:16.600 --> 00:22:17.380 there will be one Lord 00:22:17.380 --> 00:22:19.759 and his name, 00:22:19.820 --> 00:22:20.360 the only name. 00:22:22.040 --> 00:22:23.019 Living water 00:22:23.019 --> 00:22:24.340 flowing out 00:22:24.340 --> 00:22:24.980 in Jerusalem, 00:22:25.200 --> 00:22:25.680 flowing out 00:22:25.680 --> 00:22:26.880 across the lands 00:22:26.880 --> 00:22:27.900 to us here 00:22:27.900 --> 00:22:28.360 tonight, 00:22:28.880 --> 00:22:29.480 to the ends 00:22:29.480 --> 00:22:30.100 of the earth. 00:22:30.099 --> 00:22:33.519 And this need 00:22:33.519 --> 00:22:34.099 for water, 00:22:34.219 --> 00:22:34.879 this need 00:22:34.879 --> 00:22:37.159 is a cleansing 00:22:37.159 --> 00:22:37.740 from sin 00:22:37.740 --> 00:22:38.539 of bringing life 00:22:38.539 --> 00:22:39.219 to the dead. 00:22:40.799 --> 00:22:41.759 And that is the work 00:22:41.759 --> 00:22:42.679 of the risen Lord Jesus 00:22:42.679 --> 00:22:43.439 by his spirit 00:22:43.439 --> 00:22:44.159 in us. 00:22:45.859 --> 00:22:47.199 And praise God, 00:22:47.279 --> 00:22:47.919 it is the work 00:22:47.919 --> 00:22:48.899 of the risen Lord Jesus 00:22:48.899 --> 00:22:49.799 by his spirit 00:22:49.799 --> 00:22:50.359 through us 00:22:50.359 --> 00:22:51.219 going out 00:22:51.219 --> 00:22:51.799 from here 00:22:51.799 --> 00:22:54.399 as that living water 00:22:54.399 --> 00:22:55.199 goes out from us. 00:22:55.200 --> 00:22:58.080 Well, thirdly, 00:22:58.160 --> 00:22:58.940 there's confusion again 00:22:58.940 --> 00:22:59.660 in verse 43. 00:23:00.799 --> 00:23:01.759 Confusion and calling 00:23:01.759 --> 00:23:02.420 and confusion. 00:23:02.799 --> 00:23:03.519 The people are divided 00:23:03.519 --> 00:23:04.240 because of Jesus. 00:23:04.559 --> 00:23:05.059 Verse 40, 00:23:05.180 --> 00:23:05.559 some say, 00:23:05.880 --> 00:23:06.900 he is the prophet, 00:23:07.100 --> 00:23:07.980 the one that Moses said 00:23:07.980 --> 00:23:08.420 was coming. 00:23:09.400 --> 00:23:09.819 Others said, 00:23:09.840 --> 00:23:10.440 he is the Christ. 00:23:10.559 --> 00:23:11.080 Others said, 00:23:11.360 --> 00:23:12.340 how is it possible 00:23:12.340 --> 00:23:14.140 for the Christ 00:23:14.140 --> 00:23:15.000 to come from Galilee? 00:23:16.480 --> 00:23:17.019 The Christ 00:23:17.019 --> 00:23:17.440 is going to come 00:23:17.440 --> 00:23:18.140 from Bethlehem. 00:23:19.620 --> 00:23:20.500 They're so confused, 00:23:20.580 --> 00:23:21.000 aren't they again? 00:23:23.039 --> 00:23:24.000 A bit earlier on 00:23:24.000 --> 00:23:24.380 in the chapter, 00:23:24.480 --> 00:23:24.980 we saw earlier 00:23:24.980 --> 00:23:25.460 they said, 00:23:25.500 --> 00:23:25.579 well, 00:23:25.640 --> 00:23:26.440 when the Christ comes, 00:23:26.519 --> 00:23:26.900 we won't know 00:23:26.900 --> 00:23:27.559 where he comes from. 00:23:27.599 --> 00:23:28.620 But here's another group 00:23:28.620 --> 00:23:29.140 saying, 00:23:29.259 --> 00:23:29.519 actually, 00:23:29.620 --> 00:23:30.279 we are the ones 00:23:30.279 --> 00:23:30.640 that know 00:23:30.640 --> 00:23:31.319 where he's coming from. 00:23:31.360 --> 00:23:32.380 He's coming from Bethlehem. 00:23:34.440 --> 00:23:35.059 He's coming from 00:23:35.059 --> 00:23:35.620 the wrong place. 00:23:37.299 --> 00:23:38.299 They're thoroughly confused. 00:23:38.599 --> 00:23:39.339 Verse 44, 00:23:39.660 --> 00:23:40.000 again, 00:23:40.220 --> 00:23:41.579 some want to seize him, 00:23:42.140 --> 00:23:42.940 but no one 00:23:42.940 --> 00:23:44.579 laid their hands 00:23:44.579 --> 00:23:45.120 on him. 00:23:48.240 --> 00:23:48.920 Temple guards 00:23:48.920 --> 00:23:49.360 have been sent 00:23:49.360 --> 00:23:49.940 to arrest him. 00:23:50.019 --> 00:23:50.480 They come back 00:23:50.480 --> 00:23:51.279 to the Pharisees. 00:23:52.880 --> 00:23:54.120 In verse 45, 00:23:54.119 --> 00:23:55.079 the Pharisees say, 00:23:55.159 --> 00:23:55.699 why didn't you 00:23:55.699 --> 00:23:56.359 bring this Jesus 00:23:56.359 --> 00:23:57.039 back with you? 00:23:58.839 --> 00:23:59.779 And they say, 00:23:59.879 --> 00:24:00.500 can you see it? 00:24:04.339 --> 00:24:05.319 No one ever spoke 00:24:05.319 --> 00:24:05.879 like this man. 00:24:09.339 --> 00:24:10.359 No one ever spoke 00:24:10.359 --> 00:24:10.899 like this man. 00:24:12.539 --> 00:24:13.379 He's the greatest preacher 00:24:13.379 --> 00:24:13.939 I've ever heard. 00:24:16.319 --> 00:24:17.500 You can feel the temperature 00:24:17.500 --> 00:24:18.319 in the room rise, 00:24:18.319 --> 00:24:19.359 the Pharisees. 00:24:19.359 --> 00:24:19.439 The Pharisees 00:24:19.439 --> 00:24:20.779 fume. 00:24:21.519 --> 00:24:22.099 Are you kidding? 00:24:23.119 --> 00:24:24.159 Are you kidding me? 00:24:25.019 --> 00:24:26.399 Has he deceived you also? 00:24:28.159 --> 00:24:28.700 They say, 00:24:28.899 --> 00:24:29.500 has anyone 00:24:29.500 --> 00:24:30.059 of the people 00:24:30.059 --> 00:24:30.899 that really matter 00:24:30.899 --> 00:24:31.439 believed him? 00:24:31.559 --> 00:24:32.559 Have any of the rulers 00:24:32.559 --> 00:24:33.279 of the Pharisees 00:24:33.279 --> 00:24:33.779 believed him? 00:24:33.939 --> 00:24:35.019 Have any of the important 00:24:35.019 --> 00:24:35.779 people in Jerusalem 00:24:35.779 --> 00:24:36.519 believed in him? 00:24:37.659 --> 00:24:38.599 It is only you 00:24:38.599 --> 00:24:40.299 uneducated riffraff 00:24:40.299 --> 00:24:41.220 that believe in Jesus. 00:24:42.460 --> 00:24:43.359 You are fools 00:24:43.359 --> 00:24:44.240 to believe in him. 00:24:44.399 --> 00:24:45.579 A curse be upon you 00:24:45.579 --> 00:24:46.379 for believing 00:24:46.379 --> 00:24:47.779 this man is from God 00:24:47.779 --> 00:24:48.579 and yet there's one, 00:24:48.659 --> 00:24:48.919 isn't there? 00:24:50.220 --> 00:24:50.819 There's one 00:24:50.819 --> 00:24:51.919 who's not rejected Jesus. 00:24:52.379 --> 00:24:53.019 Verse 50, 00:24:53.259 --> 00:24:54.799 Nicodemus speaks up. 00:24:58.259 --> 00:24:59.240 Nicodemus comes back 00:24:59.240 --> 00:24:59.939 into the picture. 00:25:03.619 --> 00:25:04.500 And Nicodemus 00:25:04.500 --> 00:25:05.419 is on a journey 00:25:05.419 --> 00:25:06.439 here at the expense 00:25:06.439 --> 00:25:07.419 of his own reputation 00:25:07.419 --> 00:25:08.439 and position. 00:25:08.579 --> 00:25:09.559 It's not a massive 00:25:09.559 --> 00:25:10.359 stand he makes, 00:25:10.419 --> 00:25:10.639 is it? 00:25:11.799 --> 00:25:12.659 He simply says, 00:25:12.740 --> 00:25:13.319 don't you think 00:25:13.319 --> 00:25:14.059 it might be appropriate 00:25:14.059 --> 00:25:14.839 for us to investigate 00:25:14.839 --> 00:25:15.419 this a little bit 00:25:15.420 --> 00:25:15.720 further? 00:25:17.160 --> 00:25:18.140 To actually look 00:25:18.140 --> 00:25:18.880 at the evidence? 00:25:22.440 --> 00:25:23.140 How often, 00:25:23.300 --> 00:25:23.620 tragically, 00:25:23.740 --> 00:25:24.519 do people dismiss 00:25:24.519 --> 00:25:25.180 the Lord Jesus 00:25:25.180 --> 00:25:26.500 without even looking 00:25:26.500 --> 00:25:27.180 at the evidence? 00:25:29.840 --> 00:25:30.840 And Nicodemus says, 00:25:30.940 --> 00:25:31.160 he says, 00:25:31.220 --> 00:25:31.740 well how about, 00:25:31.800 --> 00:25:32.580 how about we actually 00:25:32.580 --> 00:25:33.580 check it out a little bit? 00:25:37.279 --> 00:25:37.980 We're reminded, 00:25:38.100 --> 00:25:38.279 aren't we, 00:25:38.320 --> 00:25:38.920 verse 50, 00:25:39.039 --> 00:25:40.120 that this is the same 00:25:40.120 --> 00:25:41.019 Nicodemus who'd come 00:25:41.019 --> 00:25:42.240 to Jesus in chapter 3 00:25:42.240 --> 00:25:43.740 in the middle of the night. 00:25:43.940 --> 00:25:44.759 And Jesus said to him, 00:25:44.759 --> 00:25:46.140 you must be born again, 00:25:46.539 --> 00:25:47.019 Nicodemus, 00:25:47.480 --> 00:25:48.640 to enter the kingdom 00:25:48.640 --> 00:25:49.039 of God. 00:25:50.799 --> 00:25:51.660 And here Nicodemus says, 00:25:51.720 --> 00:25:52.500 does our Lord judge 00:25:52.500 --> 00:25:53.400 a man without first 00:25:53.400 --> 00:25:54.240 giving him a hearing 00:25:54.240 --> 00:25:55.240 and learning what he does? 00:25:55.839 --> 00:25:57.039 Our society certainly 00:25:57.039 --> 00:25:57.900 condemns Jesus, 00:25:58.000 --> 00:25:58.200 don't they, 00:25:58.240 --> 00:25:59.140 without even listening 00:25:59.140 --> 00:25:59.500 to him, 00:26:00.500 --> 00:26:01.920 without hearing him. 00:26:05.839 --> 00:26:06.920 Nicodemus is wealthy, 00:26:08.619 --> 00:26:09.619 Nicodemus has power, 00:26:09.759 --> 00:26:10.819 he has influence, 00:26:10.819 --> 00:26:12.059 he is privileged, 00:26:13.179 --> 00:26:15.059 and yet Nicodemus 00:26:15.059 --> 00:26:15.679 knows his need. 00:26:18.019 --> 00:26:19.019 And Nicodemus is there 00:26:19.019 --> 00:26:19.879 at the end of the story. 00:26:21.519 --> 00:26:23.139 He's there in chapter 19 00:26:23.139 --> 00:26:24.339 when Jesus is taken down 00:26:24.339 --> 00:26:24.899 from the cross 00:26:24.899 --> 00:26:25.859 and it's Nicodemus 00:26:25.859 --> 00:26:27.179 who is there with Joseph, 00:26:28.439 --> 00:26:29.759 carrying Jesus' body, 00:26:30.039 --> 00:26:30.700 wrapping it, 00:26:31.480 --> 00:26:32.299 caring for it, 00:26:32.599 --> 00:26:32.819 laying it in a tomb 00:26:32.819 --> 00:26:35.059 because Nicodemus 00:26:35.059 --> 00:26:35.679 knew his need. 00:26:37.099 --> 00:26:38.339 He knew his thirst 00:26:38.339 --> 00:26:39.599 and he comes to Jesus. 00:26:40.480 --> 00:26:40.799 And so, 00:26:41.039 --> 00:26:41.759 from this passage, 00:26:42.159 --> 00:26:42.679 this week, 00:26:42.819 --> 00:26:43.779 we ought to expect 00:26:43.779 --> 00:26:44.799 when the name of Jesus 00:26:44.799 --> 00:26:45.259 comes up, 00:26:45.319 --> 00:26:45.879 great division, 00:26:46.319 --> 00:26:47.019 great confusion, 00:26:47.419 --> 00:26:48.359 great polarisation, 00:26:49.439 --> 00:26:49.859 anger, 00:26:50.279 --> 00:26:50.819 aggression. 00:26:53.480 --> 00:26:54.559 But we ought always 00:26:54.559 --> 00:26:55.139 to rejoice 00:26:55.139 --> 00:26:58.539 when those who are thirsty 00:26:58.539 --> 00:26:59.759 come to Jesus 00:26:59.759 --> 00:27:00.919 and are cleansed. 00:27:02.359 --> 00:27:03.359 And we need to come 00:27:03.359 --> 00:27:03.779 to Jesus. 00:27:03.779 --> 00:27:07.379 You may have been 00:27:07.379 --> 00:27:07.740 a Christian 00:27:07.740 --> 00:27:08.899 for 20, 00:27:09.059 --> 00:27:09.519 30, 00:27:10.119 --> 00:27:10.879 40 years. 00:27:13.119 --> 00:27:13.559 Children, 00:27:13.899 --> 00:27:14.680 do you know this? 00:27:14.819 --> 00:27:15.639 Do you know that your 00:27:15.639 --> 00:27:16.399 mum and dad 00:27:16.399 --> 00:27:17.220 needs to come 00:27:17.220 --> 00:27:17.759 to Jesus? 00:27:20.099 --> 00:27:21.440 In whatever situation 00:27:21.440 --> 00:27:22.119 of your life 00:27:22.119 --> 00:27:22.779 you're in tonight, 00:27:24.539 --> 00:27:25.119 you're at the end 00:27:25.119 --> 00:27:26.759 of your rope. 00:27:27.980 --> 00:27:28.839 You're at the end 00:27:28.839 --> 00:27:29.799 of your ability 00:27:29.799 --> 00:27:30.639 to deal 00:27:30.639 --> 00:27:31.579 with that situation. 00:27:31.899 --> 00:27:33.019 Come to Jesus. 00:27:33.779 --> 00:27:35.879 And tonight, 00:27:36.000 --> 00:27:36.420 things might be 00:27:36.420 --> 00:27:36.960 going brilliantly 00:27:36.960 --> 00:27:37.619 for you. 00:27:38.059 --> 00:27:39.339 You need to come 00:27:39.339 --> 00:27:39.799 to Jesus. 00:27:42.899 --> 00:27:43.839 So tragically, 00:27:43.940 --> 00:27:44.119 isn't it, 00:27:44.139 --> 00:27:44.779 we try to get 00:27:44.779 --> 00:27:46.579 that reviving energy 00:27:46.579 --> 00:27:47.639 from everything else. 00:27:51.240 --> 00:27:52.599 We make new resolutions. 00:27:53.000 --> 00:27:54.019 We try hard. 00:27:57.819 --> 00:27:58.779 And we can forget 00:27:58.779 --> 00:27:59.639 that it is Jesus 00:27:59.639 --> 00:28:00.379 who says, 00:28:00.720 --> 00:28:01.440 come all you 00:28:01.440 --> 00:28:02.099 who are thirsty, 00:28:02.279 --> 00:28:03.099 come to the waters, 00:28:03.099 --> 00:28:03.919 come by 00:28:03.919 --> 00:28:04.559 and eat. 00:28:04.699 --> 00:28:05.379 Listen to me. 00:28:07.219 --> 00:28:08.039 Eat what is good 00:28:08.039 --> 00:28:08.819 that your soul 00:28:08.819 --> 00:28:10.439 may delight 00:28:10.439 --> 00:28:11.259 in the richest affair. 00:28:11.379 --> 00:28:11.719 Give ear 00:28:11.719 --> 00:28:12.259 and come to me. 00:28:12.339 --> 00:28:12.759 Hear me 00:28:12.759 --> 00:28:13.579 that your soul 00:28:13.579 --> 00:28:14.000 may live. 00:28:18.480 --> 00:28:19.119 As we finish, 00:28:19.219 --> 00:28:19.599 let me show you 00:28:19.599 --> 00:28:20.299 just one little thing. 00:28:21.899 --> 00:28:22.819 Look at verse 37. 00:28:22.819 --> 00:28:26.200 on the last day 00:28:26.200 --> 00:28:26.579 of the feast, 00:28:26.579 --> 00:28:27.319 the great day, 00:28:27.500 --> 00:28:28.720 Jesus stood up. 00:28:29.500 --> 00:28:30.119 Teachers normally 00:28:30.119 --> 00:28:30.740 sat down 00:28:30.740 --> 00:28:33.200 in New Testament 00:28:33.200 --> 00:28:33.700 times, 00:28:33.939 --> 00:28:34.279 but Jesus 00:28:34.279 --> 00:28:34.879 stands up 00:28:34.879 --> 00:28:37.259 and he cries out. 00:28:40.259 --> 00:28:40.759 Kids, 00:28:40.879 --> 00:28:41.399 you're in school 00:28:41.399 --> 00:28:41.759 tomorrow 00:28:41.759 --> 00:28:43.939 and they're in the corridor 00:28:43.939 --> 00:28:44.919 and there's nobody 00:28:44.919 --> 00:28:45.639 moving in the corridor 00:28:45.639 --> 00:28:46.200 and there's bustling 00:28:46.200 --> 00:28:46.899 back and forth 00:28:46.899 --> 00:28:47.700 and the head 00:28:47.700 --> 00:28:48.299 master 00:28:48.299 --> 00:28:49.599 or the head 00:28:49.599 --> 00:28:49.960 mistress. 00:28:50.399 --> 00:28:51.019 She stands 00:28:51.019 --> 00:28:51.659 at the corridor 00:28:51.659 --> 00:28:52.899 and she 00:28:52.899 --> 00:28:54.639 raises her voice 00:28:54.639 --> 00:28:56.599 and she shouts 00:28:56.599 --> 00:28:58.819 and she wants you 00:28:58.819 --> 00:28:59.359 to hear, 00:28:59.500 --> 00:28:59.859 doesn't she? 00:29:01.639 --> 00:29:02.240 Let's say 00:29:02.240 --> 00:29:04.359 after the service, 00:29:04.460 --> 00:29:05.000 you're milling around 00:29:05.000 --> 00:29:05.700 after coffee and tea 00:29:05.700 --> 00:29:06.259 and somebody's got 00:29:06.259 --> 00:29:07.180 an announcement to make. 00:29:07.279 --> 00:29:08.379 They stand on a chair 00:29:08.379 --> 00:29:10.019 and they raise their voice. 00:29:10.119 --> 00:29:10.680 What are they doing? 00:29:11.680 --> 00:29:12.539 They're wanting you 00:29:12.539 --> 00:29:12.900 to listen. 00:29:16.060 --> 00:29:17.100 And Jesus Christ 00:29:17.100 --> 00:29:18.279 is standing up tonight 00:29:18.279 --> 00:29:20.120 and he is raising 00:29:20.120 --> 00:29:20.660 his voice 00:29:20.660 --> 00:29:22.779 and he is raising 00:29:22.779 --> 00:29:23.200 his voice 00:29:23.200 --> 00:29:23.820 because he wants 00:29:23.820 --> 00:29:24.320 you to listen. 00:29:26.299 --> 00:29:27.120 And this is what 00:29:27.120 --> 00:29:27.779 Jesus Christ 00:29:27.779 --> 00:29:28.539 wants you to hear. 00:29:28.660 --> 00:29:31.320 If anyone thirsts, 00:29:31.320 --> 00:29:33.220 let him come to me 00:29:33.220 --> 00:29:33.539 and drink. 00:29:35.620 --> 00:29:36.160 Let's pray. 00:29:40.680 --> 00:30:10.660 Let's pray.