Thirsty for Jesus

Have your Bibles with you turn with me if you would to Revelation chapter 21 to be looking at verses five through eight and he was seated on the throne said, behold, I'm making all things new. Also, he said, write this down for these words are trustworthy and true.

And he said to me, it is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end to the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death that with me as we go to our Lord in prayer.

Heavenly father, we are dealing with the passage of Scripture today that is centered on heaven. But what we see is a passage of Scripture that is permeated with the cross. It would almost seem that after we been in heaven for 10,000 years would be more focused on your throne and the glories of your creation with the theme of heaven will always be the cross every time we will look at Jesus.

We will see the nail prints in his hands and we will be soberly reminded that Jesus suffered our hail for us. It was the great exchange he took our hail and gave us his heaven he took our sin gave us his righteousness.

He took our misery and gave us his joy. We will never move past that we will never get over it. The truth of the substitutionary atonement will gloriously ring in our hearts and minds throughout all eternity.

Father, help us to realize that the most glorious thing about heaven is not the pearly gates the streets of gold, the most glorious thing about heaven is now and will ever be the nail scarred hands of Jesus Christ. Jesus use this sermon to focus our hearts correctly, and may we say, along with Paul God for bid that we should glory save in the cross of Christ.

What is in the precious name of Jesus that we pray. Amen. I will begin this message on heaven the day by going back to our high school days, where many of us were required to read a novel by Charles Dickens entitled a tale of two cities.

It was a story about 2 million that was said during the horrible days of the French Revolution ones man's name was Charles Don Yeh.

He was a man of great dignity. A man of impeccable character, a man that was a role model to follow. The other man was Sidney Cardone.

He was a debauched human being.

He was a man of devoid of any any redeeming virtue, there were almost complete opposites, except for two things.

They looked exactly like almost like identical twins and they were in love with the same woman woman who eventually married Charles Garnier is a French Revolution heated up the rebels begin to seek out the French aristocracy in order that they might arrest them, execute them and rid the country of them.

Charles Don Yeh, was arrested, he was put in prison and sentenced to death by the guillotine for what for being a part of the aristocracy, for heaven aristocratic blood flowing through his veins every day.

His beloved wife would ride up to the road that overlooked the prison so she could stand there for hours and look it Charles Garnier's prison sale in hopes that she might get a glimpse of him in every day. Sidney Cardone would look at her with voyeuristic legal look at her and he would look at her because she was the woman that he deeply loved. And he would look at her from a nearby dark alley where she could not see him as the day of the execution nears. Sidney comes up with a plan.

He gains admittance into the jail sale of Charles Garnier and he immediately gives him a drink that has a stupefying drug in it and he drinks that Charles doesn't immediately is knocked unconscious while he's unconscious. Sidney takes his close and exchanges them with the prisoner exchanges a close he adjust his hair and he tries to get himself calm down a little and he screams for the jailer to come and get this unconscious drunk out of his out of his jail sale. Sidney had a friend who told Garnier's wife to come to the prison with a horse drawn carriage and bring all of her children with her, and that friend gave to Dornier's wife traveling papers that Sydney's name all the papers and she came, she came to the prison. She stopped right in front of the prison and the guards brought out the unconscious Dornier and placed his his body in the in the back of the of the carriage. She took off and she went through Paris and and got out of Paris and it wasn't long few hours later, where she went right out of the country of France and as she did finally Dornier walk wakes up out of his stupor a little bit later that day Sidney is going to be is in that prison sale and they come in getting and they bring them out to be executed on the guillotine and he's executed as Charles Dornier now wanted Sidney do that he did that for his great love for a woman right before his death he made a statement I will read that statement to you is a far far better thing that I do that I've ever done is a far far better rest that I go to that I have ever known how we like that.

Don't wait. It's a consecration. It is a a voluntary specific purposeful consecration.

The center dies for the foot for the St. the unjust dies of the just the unworthy dies for the words he now has that different from the gospel is the complete opposite of the gospel in the gospel, the sinless dies for the center.

The just dies for the unjust worthy dies for the unworthy and that's why were able to sing the great human guilty violent helpless with the spotless Lamb of God was see full atonement can it be hallelujah what a Savior and was that got to do the new heavens and the new earth. It has everything to do with it. We read Revelation 21, not just to show us what's gonna happen to us in the future but also to see what Jesus Christ has done in the past, folks, this this king this ruler, this sovereign God. This one who is seated on his throne and glory has nail prints in his hands and his feet.

Revelation chapter 21 is covered with the gospel when we look at the throne we are to remember the cross was talking to Dave Weakley last week and we were talking to each other about this worldwide pandemic that has hit the world so powerfully, and God is kind of move days heart in the same way he's moved mind about what's really going on here and we say you know this is probably a judgment on the entire wicked world.

But then we were convinced that it was more than that, we believe that it is a wake-up call to the church of Jesus Christ. Where's the cross in the life of the of the modern day church and we turn on our television the day and watch Christian preaching that's going on and what do we hear we hear about positive thinking and and and personal happiness. Folks folks is more than that heartfelt God reaching repentance is not mentioned dying to self is not preached. We tend to forget the forgiveness of God which into think that repentance is just for the robbers and the thieves in the rapist, but not really for us, but we need to remember this, God has called us to the cross.

He is called us to the cross in this crisis is probably here for at least one reason to remind us that we need to be thirsty for Christ three points that I want to share with you today in this message .1 the ruler of our thirst Outlook with me if you would it Revelation 21 verses 5 to 6 and he was seated on the throne said, behold, I make it all things new.

Also, he said, write this down for these words are trustworthy and true. And he said to me, it is done. I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning of the end to the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment two weeks ago, we focused on the actual new heavens and the new earth and I share with you that when we get there. He's gonna wipe away every tear from her eyes. He's going to give us a new glorified body but a body that is going to be absolutely perfect.

A body that is not limited by time and space body that can never see and that can never get old. They can never get sick that you can never sorrow a body that can never die within Jesus focuses us back to the throne and he makes an announcement and any says this behold I make all things new.

Write it down. He says, believe it counted to be so put it in the bank.

It is done in other words, when we get to this point in history when we get to this point after the judgment is taken place that it's going to go a glorious thing. What we have waited for what we have long for what we hundred four is going to be right. They are we going to experience it. We will have our new glorified bodies. Though the unbelievers the Christ projectors that they will be cast into the burning like a fire.

They will be separated from us in judgment for eternity.

They will never persecute us again they will never mock us again that they will never heard us ever again. From that point on, to all of eternity.

We will never know anything else but joy unspeakable and full of glory. Then Jesus identified himself. He said I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the last of alpha is a first letter of the Greek alphabet. The Omega is the last letter in the Greek alphabet known read you what it says in Revelation chapter 22 verses 13 through 16. I am the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last beginning and the end. Blessed are those who wash their robes so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and that they may enter the city by the gates outside of the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify to you about these things for the churches.

I am the root and the descendent of David, the bright and morning star who is the Alpha and Omega. We don't have to guess we were not left wondering, we are told right here by Jesus himself. He said I'd Jesus, I am the Alpha and Omega you ever had a Jehovah witness a walk-up on your porch, and he starts talking you about the Jehovah witnesses and what they believe in.

Come to understand very quickly that this man does not believe in the deity of Christ, he does not believe that Jesus is God when when that happens, always take them immediately to Revelation chapter 21 verse six and then Revelation chapter 22 of verse 13 to 16 and then I will use that in connection with the Old Testament passage Isaiah chapter 44 and I will say to this Jehovah witness.

I want you to open your Bible right now and and read me one verse and revel in the Isaiah chapter 44 and verse six and there will open their Bible and then read these words thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and his redeemer the Lord of host. I am the first and the last beside me there is no God, then I will say to them. Who is this who is this who claims to be the Redeemer who claims to be the Lord of host who says I am the first and the last.

There is no God beside me who is that and they will say will that's easy that's Jehovah that is Yahweh.

That is the eternal God.

That is the one that we worship. They will say to me, I'll say okay turn with me to Revelation 21 verse six and also Revelation 22 verse 13 through 16, and they will read that and then I will say who is it who is claiming here to be the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last essay were not lent left to wonder about this as it is very explicit is Jesus who fails Jesus. I am the Alpha and Omega. Jesus says I am the first and the last what was Jesus saying he was connecting this back with Isaiah 44 and he was saying, I am Jehovah God I am Yahweh.

I am the great I am. I a.m. God is Jehovah witnesses might not like that but they can't reasonably argue with it. Joel Vicki said that several years ago. He was the sitting by his mother as she was on her deathbed. She was 92 years old. She was a strong Christian lady but for the last several years.

She had had advanced dementia and he sat by her bed. He opened up his Bible. He said my Mona read you about heaven and he opened up his Bible to Revelation chapter 21 and he started reading that chapter and he got to verse six it says I am the Alpha and Omega. He said mama do you know who that is. And he said all of a sudden her eyes just brightened up and they begin to sparkle and she said yes I know who that is.

That's my Jesus. That's my Jesus. He is the Alpha and Omega is the first and the last, and everything in between, and Joby Hickey said he just about fell out of the chair. He said his mother for the last couple years have been totally incoherent that she had been an not able to even put altogether at all and all of a sudden it was like the Lord just lifted lifted the fog up.

Oh off of her mind and she was able for that few minutes to give glory to Christ. Joel Vicki said that he wept beside his mother's bed that evening. A few days later, his mama passed away and went on to be with the Lord. But for those few minutes God gave her clarity and what did she remember she remembered this Jesus is our everything Jesus is our everything back to Revelation 21 verse six, Jesus says that he will give to the thirsty springs from the water of life without payment. The spiritual rewards are not earned. They're not merited up by what we do, but they are given to us on the basis of our first, for God. John Piper's entire life and ministry is built around this theme desiring God that God that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. Let me ask you question how thirsty are you, for God are you thirsty for God and I'm not asking you if you thirsty for his rewards or his blessings or his gifts. I'm asking you this. Are you thirsty for God.

Some chapter 42 verse one. The Scripture says is a dear pants by the water brooks, so pants my soul after the God what a great passage you that are hunters you ever been out hunting a dear and you see the deer in East Callaway in front of you and he sees you and the deer is frightened and the deer starts running through the woods as fast as he can go you try to keep up with them but you can't and then finally see them way off in the distance in the deer's thereby a creek in the deer is is is down in the water and he puts his head. Then water is gulping that water up just as fast as he can wisely doing that because he's dehydrated. His mouth is like cotton and and what is the water done flooring. It refreshes him and invigorates him and strengthens him and then he takes off running again as fast as he can go now. What good did that water do that dear of the good that it did for him was this.

It helped him to survive brothers and sisters. That's the kind of thirst that we had that we ought to have for God.

Psalm 63 verses one through eight.

The Scripture says this of God. You are my God, earnestly ICQ. My soul thirsts for you. My flesh faints for you is in a dry and weary land where there is no water so I looked upon you in the sanctuary and by holding your power and glory because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live in your name I will lift up my hands my soul be satisfied is with that in rich food in my mouth will praise you with joyful lips when I remember you up in my bed and meditate on you and the watches of the night for you have been my help in the shadow of your wings. I will sing for joy. My soul clings to you my right hand uphold your right hand upholds me in heaven are thirst for God is not going to diminish.

This might sound strange is going to increase.

But when your desire for God in heaven increases God in every moment will satiate your thirst for him and he will satisfy that thirst.

Many times you hear man or woman after they been married for several months. I well I guess honeymoons over my wife or my husband just doesn't excite me like they used to when we were first married, that happen sometimes in a marriage, it ought not to, but sometimes it does. It happens on earth when detail is it will never happen in heaven are thirst for God is Gillick increasing increased an increase but as it increases God's goodness satisfies moment after moment, day after day, Dr. Douglas Kelly said something about verse six, in his commentary on Revelation that just running my bail. I wanted to share with you. He said this God.

Set your day of birth and day of death. Verse six confirms the truth that the new begins with the old. I am Alpha and Omega. In other words, Christ is the beginning of the alphabet in the end of the alphabet verse John 11.

He is the word of life. He is the first word the final word and everything in between. He has our future as much in control as he does our past and for some reason after I was 50 years old occurred to me that God was in control the day I was born in control of the environment I was brought into the in my case it was a Christian family, not a perfect one, but believing people is going to be just as much in control the day in our in place of my death. He did it well the first time, when and where I was born. Why should I not be confident that he will do it just as well. The second time when and where I shall die.

Jesus is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end and he is in charge of our whole Pilgrim journey from beginning to end on point number two.

The reward for our thirst. Revelation 21 seven the one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. There is a reward for thirst I don't get proudly cocky and and start walking around poking at your chest as if somehow you develop that thirst for God you didn't do it. God did sometimes talk to people who have no spiritual thirst at all.

People who don't have anything to do with God. People you don't want to read the Bible.

People don't want to go to church people. If you start talking to them about the Lord they they want to hush you up very quickly. They'll even walk away from you. People who think church is boring.

I remember in my freshman year in college and I went down to the campus post office and I have big bulletin board. They are in a guy had written on index card the following words he said. Jesus said, what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul and he put answer to gain the whole world. He said I'll take that. That's a great thing. I'll take the whole world to me tell you something if you're Christian you said no I will not take that world for it's not worth the trade-off. But what's wrong with spiritually on Thursday. People are they stupid are they dance or they are they unintelligent know they are spiritually dead and the only hope for them is a spiritual resurrection and when God resurrects them. They will be resurrected for ever for ever if I'm thirsty for Jesus is because God woke me up and made me thirsty for Jesus. They got open my eyes that that I might see Jesus that I might be dissatisfied with the things of this world that I might be hungry for heaven.

God did that. In other words, I have nothing to be proud of. If I'm his child and he's my God I can rest assure this, God did it first Corinthians chapter 1 verse 27 to 31.

Paul said these words. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong. God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not to bring to nothing things that are so that no human being might boast in the presence of God and because of him. You are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God. Righteousness and sanctification and redemption so that as it is written, let the one who boast, boast in the Lord to God the father chose me from the foundation of the earth. Jesus died for me in order that he might pay must send it and impute to me the righteousness of Jesus Christ. He regenerated my heart in order that I would believe in Christ in order that I would repent of my sins and as a result of that we have this heritage, he is my God and I am his son job he cocky and proud over that note, should I look down with condescending discussed at the lost absolutely not. Should I brag about the things that I have done for the Lord. No, it was Paul. He said in Galatians 614 God forbid that I should glory except in the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ Kevin Rayl one of the pastors at Stonebridge PCA church preached a sermon in our Presbytery meeting about seven years ago and it was a sermon entitled the tyranny of self-importance is a good sermon very convicting, but he took his texts from Mark chapter 10 we were Jesus was talking to his disciples about his soon coming crucifixion and right in the middle of this conversation about his soon coming crucifixion about how he was going to die right in the middle that James and John. The two brothers break-in and they launch into a quest for significance. They say Jesus we will sit on your right hand and on your left hand in your kingdom.

Lord we want a matter we want to be made much of we will personal glory Lord we want everybody to know that we are special. O Lord, we been telling everybody about you that you are the king, but when we had our part to want people to know that Kevin used an illustration from a book and it was written by a man named David Ireland. The book is entitled letters to unborn child and in the preface of that book, he explains why he wrote it when we read you a little of that. He said the tapes from which this book was written were originally intended for my then unborn child, knowing that my neurological condition might well in my life prematurely. I felt a deep compelling need to leave some record of thoughts, feelings and insights gained in the various struggles of my life so that my child might someday know me illustration came from a chapter in his book called the coming husband. He wanted this son that would one day be born as he was writing the book. He wanted that son to know what a wonderful mother. He had and he wanted his son to know what a wonderful wife that she had been to him.

David said the following.

Your mother's very special for me and know what is like to receive appreciation for taking their wives out to dinner, what it entails, what it does for us. It means that she has to dress me, shave me, brush my teeth, comb my hair wheeled me out of the house and down the steps. Open the garage and put me in the car take the petals off the chair, stand me up, sit me in the seat of the car with me around so that I'm comfortable fold of wheelchair, put it in the car go around to the other side of the car started up back it out get out of the car pull the garage door. Dale get back into the car drive off to the restaurant. Then it starts all over again.

She gets out of the car and pulls the wheelchair opens the door spins me around stands me up seeks me in the wheelchair pushes the petals out closes and locks the doors wheels me into the restaurant then takes the petals off the wheelchairs that I will be uncomfortable. We sit down have dinner. She feeds me throughout the entire meal when it's over, she pays the bill pushes the wheelchair out of the car again and reverses the same routine when it's all over, finished with real warmth, you'll say honey, thank you for taking me out to dinner. I never quite know what to answer every week, sometimes twice a week. I have to wash my hair. This involves sitting with my shirt off in front of the sink. There's a mirror. They are able to look at myself which otherwise I rarely can each time I see my concave chest my head leaning to the right. The muscles and flesh of my arms and shoulders, having slowly disappeared over the past few years I begin to feel depressed and Joyce will say all don't look I'm gonna take that silly mirror down if you don't stop admiring yourself, then perhaps a little later I may be lying on the bed taken a nap and your mother will sit down next to me to place my hand in her lap and looking in my eyes with all depths of sincerity. She will say you're so handsome to me you the most handsome man in the world.

I love you so much and somehow ancient well of our experience together. I know she means it. What a picture of our relationship with Jesus. He died for us.

He regenerated us, justified us, he adopted us. He is in the process of sanctifying us and one day he will glorify us and he will say to us, well done my good and faithful servant well done.

What is the main well done were nothing but sinners saved by grace, we are saying sit still sin walk about like little spiritual peacocks went with our chest poked out when reality on our face before God, giving thanks to him for this unbelievable amazing Grace, and yet what we do we stand before him and say what we will sit on your right hand in your left hand in your kingdom. Lord we want to be recognized. Lord look at what we've done for you.

What I preached your word Lord we built a building for your glory. Lord we built a stained-glass window and built it for your honor that we want to be recognized to Lord we need to be recognized brothers and sisters in heaven will realize just how little we really understood about how amazing Grace, how grace is so absolutely amazing and I think that that will feel a whole lot like David Ireland felt about his wife working feel that same way about Jesus and wilderness say Jesus paid it all, all to him.

Sin is left a crimson stain, he washed it white as snow is Revelation 21 is not doing that to your heart, then you've missed what it's all about .3. The reason for our thirst.

Revelation 21 eight but as for the cowardly, the faithless to the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.

If I didn't know the gospel, this verse would absolutely scare me to death because I'm guilty of some of the scenes and so were you were guilty of the sins and in the Scripture says here that those who are guilty of these sins will have a destination in the burning like a fire. Yet I read in the Scripture or someone most beautiful and joyful saint in heaven were guilty of these very same things. David was a murder and adultery. Moses was a murder. Sampson was a fornicator.

The woman at the whale was a fornicator.

The woman who was almost stoned to death in John eight was probably a prostitute. Thomas was a faithless doubter.

Peter was a denier of Christ and yet they are in heaven today and it will be in heaven for ever and ever and ever. Why Hebrews 11 explains it to us. They were saved by grace through faith plus nothing Dr. Kelly said it beautifully want you to listen to this and rejoice looking under Jesus the author and finisher of our faith. Faith means looking to him for forgiveness. The issue determining whether we get into heaven or hell is whether we look to Jesus in faith and repentance is not that the people in heaven did not commit sin, they did it was where they look after they send.

They looked in faith to the Lord for pardon and for new life and fellowship with him in the eternal plan of God all their sins that otherwise would put them in the hail have been transferred to the suffering and hail that Jesus endured on the cross at Calvary.

All that is left for those who exercise faith to drink from the water of life freely.

That is why Hebrews 11 never mentions any of the sins of the heroes of the faith.

They are all covered in the blood of the Lamb that is your only hope the God who raises the dead can enable you to come and drink, of these living waters if you will seek his help and call upon him while he is near. Verse eight says that the wicked and unbelieving, will experience the second death, which is the burning like a fire so we're left with his truth. Those who were born wants will die twice and those were born twice will die wants what a promise. What a promise.

And what a Savior is probably heavenly father. This world has been shaken and we are ready to listen. Teach us what it means to deny self, take up the cross, and follow you, increase our thirst for Jesus, convict us where we need to be convicted. Comfort us really need to be comforted. Challenge us to be more for Christ than we are. Father don't let us get spiritually proud. Don't allow apathy or laziness to destroy our testimony make us thirsty for Jesus and then satisfies with yourself.

We love you Lord Fortson Jesus holy and precious name we pray. Amen