h2o

Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. Its molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state.

Water covers 70.9% of the Earth's surface,[3] and is vital for all known forms of life.

Water on Earth moves continually through a cycle of evaporation or transpiration, precipitation, and runoff, usually reaching the sea. Over land, evaporation and transpiration contribute to the precipitation over land.

Clean drinking water is essential to humans and other lifeforms.

When we are thirsty we crave water, our body needs water to exist! We can try and fill our bodies with soda or juice or some other liquid but it will not ultimately satisfy our thirst or need for water. Even water itself can not satisfy and sustain us if it has been altered from its pure state. Salt water, water mixed with dirt or chemicals etc will not satisfy but in many cases can lead to destruction and death.

Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink." Jhn 7:37

Jesus Christ the God Man knew about thirst, He knew that water, clean and pure water would quench our human thirst. But in John 7 He is speaking of spiritual thirst. Notice in the verse Jesus is not saying come to Me and I will pour you a cup of water. He is not saying I have a case of bottled water from Costco - come and get it. He says "come to Me and drink". Jesus is the source, the well, the spring, the brook, the ocean, the river, the lake. He is the one pure and true source. The only source that can satisfy a persons thirst when it comes to spiritual matters and ALL THINGS THAT PERTAIN TO LIFE AND GODLINESS.

I drink water daily. I drink lost of water daily!! When I was younger I experienced dehydration. Dehydration can be defined as excessive loss of body fluid. It is literally the removal of water from an object. In this case the object was me. This dehydration had immediate ramifications on me. I got sick and had to be helped by medical staff at the local ER. All this to say that if we stop drinking water we will thirst again for it. Our bodies will crave and desire it because we have been created in a way that needs it to sustain or life. We have also been created to crave and thirst and long for spiritual life/ water. The same way we must come to the well or in modern times the refrigerator or sink to get our fill of water, we must also come to Christ to receive our spiritual water.

If we look at Scripture we can start to see that this spiritual water that we need and that Christ is offering has different elements and sustaining power altogether.

"He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water." Jhn 7:38

"but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life." Jhn 4:14

"I will open rivers on the bare heights And springs in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water And the dry land fountains of water." Isa 41:18

"Therefore you will joyously draw water From the springs of salvation." Isa 12:3

"And the LORD will continually guide you, And satisfy your desire in scorched places, And give strength to your bones; And you will be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail." Isa 58:11

This last verse is my desire not only for my life but for yours!! Can you say that your life physical or spiritual is like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail? Do you have strength in your bones? The driver of having that garden, spring, water or strength to your bones can be found at the beginning of the verse. The Lord has to guide. The Lord (a person who has authority, control, or power over others; a master, chief, or ruler.) The Lord has to be just that, Lord of you. He is your guide, He is your desire. That is my prayer for you! That you would be quenched, satisfied today and that you would realize that there is only one source for pure, clean everlasting water - JESUS CHRIST.

The Father's Bargain

An excerpt from the sermon The Covenant of Redemption between the Father and the Redeemer, John Flavel (Puritan) ,1671

“How reasonable it is that believers should embrace the hardest terms of obedience unto Christ, who complied with such hard terms for their salvation: they were hard and difficult terms indeed, on which Christ received you from the Father’s hand: it was, as you have heard, to pour out his soul unto death, or not to enjoy a soul of you. Here you may suppose the Father to say, when driving his bargain with Christ for you:

Father: My son, here is a company of poor miserable souls, that have utterly undone themselves, and now lie open to my justice! Justice demands satisfaction for them, or will satisfy itself in the eternal ruin of them: What shall be done for these souls And thus Christ returns.

Son: O my Father, such is my love to, and pity for them, that rather than they shall perish eternally, I will be responsible for them as their Surety; bring in all your bills, that I may see what they owe you; Lord, bring them all in, that there may be no after-reckonings with them; at my hand shall you require it. I will rather choose to suffer your wrath than they should suffer it: upon me, my Father, upon me be all their debt.

Father: But, my Son, if you undertake for them, you must reckon to pay the last mite, expect no abatements; if I spare them, I will not spare you.

Son: Content, Father, let it be so; charge it all upon me, I am able to discharge it: and though it prove a kind of undoing to me, though it impoverish all my riches, empty all my treasures, (for so indeed it did, 2 Cor. 8:9. “Though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor”) yet I am content to undertake it.

Blush, ungrateful believers, O let shame cover your faces; judge in yourselves now, has Christ deserved that you should stand with him for trifles, that you should shrink at a few petty difficulties, and complain, this is hard, and that is harsh? O if you knew the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ in this his wonderful condescension for you, you could not do it.”

The Curse (Sin) - Do we really understand our depravity?

In Deuteronomy 27 - God instructs For the curse, these shall stand on Mount Ebal: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali. They were to stand on Mount Ebal and out loud speak of the sin and the curses that should fall upon the heads of the covenant breakers (Insert my name, your name. Every one of those curses is yours and mine. But on the cross every one of those curses fell on Christ!

Do we comprehend sin? Do we comprehend the fact that we humans who at NO time in our lives from birth to death can say we know no sin? Do you comprehend that Jesus Christ who has never known sin became our propitiation? Do we really understand the glory of the Gospel? Lets read Deuteronomy 27 and insert (JESUS) in place of "man" or your name. Christ upon the cross bore our sin and guilt!!

27:15 -'Cursed is (JESUS)who makes an idol or a molten image, an abomination to the LORD, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and sets it up in secret.'

27:16 - 'Cursed is (JESUS) who dishonors his father or mother.'

27:17 - 'Cursed is (JESUS) who moves his neighbor's boundary mark.'

27:18 - 'Cursed is (JESUS) who misleads a blind person on the road.'

27:19 - 'Cursed is (JESUS) who distorts the justice due an alien, orphan, and widow.'

27:20 - 'Cursed is (JESUS) who lies with his father's wife, because he has uncovered his father's skirt.'

27:21 - 'Cursed is (JESUS) who lies with any animal.'

27:22 - Cursed is (JESUS) who lies with his sister, the daughter of his father or of his mother.'

27:23 - 'Cursed is (JESUS) who lies with his mother-in-law.'

27:24 - 'Cursed is (JESUS) who strikes his neighbor in secret.'

27:25 - 'Cursed is (JESUS) who accepts a bribe to strike down an innocent person.'

27:26 - 'Cursed is (JESUS) who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.'

It is only against the pitch blackness of mans depravity that we can see the glories of the Gospel.

From Shouting Hosanna to Shouting Crucify

Monday
According to Jewish law the sacrificial lamb was to be set apart on the 10th of Nissan. The very same day Jesus arrives in Jerusalem
Mark 11: 8
And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields.
This was an old custom that showed or symbolized submission. Their submission was superficial at best. As long as Jesus was coming and going to meet their needs and expectations they would submit. The people wanted Jesus to come and establish His kingdom - His earthly kingdom and overthrow the Romans
Mark 11:9
And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
They had "salvation joy" as they got closer to Jerusalem they could feel the excitement,drama and emotion of their Savior. As long as he was coming to save them they way they wanted to be saved. They wanted earthly, political salvation now
Mark 11:10
Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!"
All of these praises are Messianic proclamations

Luke 23:18
But they all cried out together, "Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas"--
Luke 23:21
but they kept shouting, "Crucify, crucify him!"
Mark 15:13
And they cried out again, "Crucify him."

Jesus was coming not to reign but to die

Just a few days later after the praises and shouts of joy they turn on Jesus and shout to have Him crucified. Why? Because Jesus did not do what they wanted Him to do! They wanted Him to attack the enemy and instead He attacked them and their faithlessness. When Jesus did not do what they wanted Him to do they turned on Him. Oh how things have not changed! If Jesus does not do what people want Him to do, they turn on Him. This happens today, this happens all the time. Are we shouting Hosanna or are we shouting Crucify Him???

Jude 1:1

1: Jude, a servant [fn] of Jesus Christ and brother of James, To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for [fn] Jesus Christ:

2: May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.

3: Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.

4: For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.