Good Friday 7 Last Words Service April 2, 2021

[Music] so [Music] so [Music] [Music] [Applause] praise the lord again new psalmist are you ready to lift the name of jesus hi wherever you are i the name of the lord the name of jesus is lifted high lifted high lifted high the name of jesus is is sons and daughters shall be saved shall be saved shall be saved [Music] [Music] [Music] release your say release your glory [Music] really sound is an army arising i hear the sound of an army or i said you're in the army of the lord right for the weapons right oh [Music] stand up prize is [Music] this place [Music] now [Music] [Music] my brothers and my sisters i'm so glad you have decided to spend the day sharing with us at 12 noon the words from the cross the seven last words of jesus the words he spoke from the cross that changed lives and for centuries we've sought to understand what he meant we're going to hear now those words from the cross three preachers are coming now and the rest will be following bishop guy robinson is coming pastor tyrone thomas and pastor dr patrick claiborne are coming to preach the word of god let's go to the cross to bishop thomas and the new psalmist family and friends grace and peace to you in the great name of our lord jesus christ join me in the 23rd chapter of luke if you will where verse 34 reads this way then jesus said father forgive them for they do not know what they do the word of the lord for the people of god thanks be to god as we talk from the theme the power of forgiveness forgiveness can be thought of as an act of self-care evidence-based research shows that forgiving others is good for our physical and mental health in fact in one study just the thought of forgiving offenders was found to be helpful to cardiovascular and neurological wellness and the process of actually learning to forgive through counseling was found to reduce symptoms associated with anger and depression furthermore there are also interpersonal and societal benefits to forgiveness because true self-care is never just about us but as innately social beings authentic self-care is also about being the very best possible version of ourselves for and with those around us it is difficult to foster healthy relationships with others while bearing the burdens baggage brokenness drama and untreated trauma of past offenses so research has concluded that forgiveness is an essential part of a functional society inasmuch as it increases our capacity and potential for healthy and meaningful connections with others so it is certainly no coincidence that the very first of jesus's final words from the cross of calvary are about the power of forgiveness after all he is the great physician he is our healer a wonderful counselor and more specifically a righteous relationship counselor his ministerial purpose and passion is to reconcile a fallen and offensive creation with the holy righteous and altogether lovely god whom he calls father after all without this reconciliation between god and humanity there is no hope of reconciliation between humanity and humanity and all relationships would be lost so one of the healthiest moments of a blatant display of human dysfunction at calvary is jesus's exemplary display of the power of forgiveness to forgive does not mean to forget in fact prior to this moment it is jesus himself who ordains his disciples to remember his death but forgiveness means to remit or release the charges of a debt that is owed and contrary to the images perpetuated by a psychologically misinformed culture to forgive is not a sign of weakness but it is indeed a display of power or strength that is greater than the attachment issues of the offender attachments are the strong emotional bonds we form with other people places and things in our lives these attachments can either be healthy or unhealthy for we are constantly being formed deformed or transformed by our relational connections but in our imperfect state we are all susceptible and culpable in forming and sustaining some unhealthy attachments clinging to some relationships we should release and releasing or rejecting those to which we should cling previous verses inform us that this moment on the cross is the result of the people's choice to passionately reject and condemn jesus who embodies our highest and fullest human potential and choose to connect or attach to barabbas who represents the culpability of our lower nature thus jesus hangs on the cross for our unhealthy attachment issues there's something about us that we cling to the lesser and refuse the greater he's there because we hold on to grudges and reject health and wellness we cling to our pain and refuse the great physician we cling to our addictive behaviors and reject the anointing we cling to our hubris and reject the holy but jesus's prayer demonstrates the healing power of forgiveness that vaccinates us from the infection of internalizing the attachment issues of the offender lest we would needlessly conflate their rejection with our deficiency of being the truth is sometimes people disconnect because they have their own issues that preceded you so do yourself a favor and strive to be like jesus pray for the one who cut you off forgive the one who stopped taking your calls and even forgive the one who broke your heart trusting and believing that god can and will heal the hurt do it because the power of forgiveness is greater than the attachment issues of the offender and greater than the ignorance of the offender father forgive them jesus prays here it is because they do not know what they are doing i am convinced that there would be a whole lot less hurt harm crime systemic evil societal injustice racism sexism ageism slander and scandal in the world if we really knew the full scope of physical emotional and spiritual harm that we were doing to ourselves and others when we allow the adversary to deceive us into indulging our lower nature and ungodly passions the truth is beneath the veneer of our hubris and behind our defensive walls of intellectualization and rationalization we can actually be dangerously clueless to the fact that we are mishandling god's children we can be dangerously ignorant of the fact that wrath is as much a part of the divine character as those attributes we find more amenable now his anger is but for a moment while his mercy endures forever but a moment is all it takes for any of us to be profoundly humbled under the hand of an angry and omnipotent god so jesus prays for an outpouring of forgiveness that is greater than the ignorance of the offender and greater than the attachment issues of the offender but finally we see the power of forgiveness through the witness of the intercessor forgiveness frees us up to focus on and finish our god-given assignment jesus has got much more to do than to respond to uh mean tweets jesus has got much more to do and yes he could have summoned legions of angels to defend him but if jesus had been more concerned with clapping back than staying on the cross he would have missed the moment and we would all be lost but jesus shows us that spiritual success facilitates emotional healing i said spiritual success facilitates emotional healing the psychiatrist victor frankl called it logos therapy whereby the discovery and fulfillment of a greater purpose can heal the pain of the past and the present process for those who discover the why it happened can overcome how it's happened if you want to be healed focus your energy on fulfilling your god-given purpose the witness of christ the suffering intercessor is that the victory is not in the pursuit of revenge but the victory is in the divine promise and assurance of resurrection what happened happened but i'll rise above it is the witness of the intercessor you did what you did but i'll rise above it is the witness of the intercessor you said what you said but i'll rise above it that is the witness of the intercessor and somebody today needs to join him in saying what happened was painful but i've made the decision that i'm pressing on the upward way new heights i'm gaining every day a higher plane i have found because god has destined my feet for higher ground is there anybody who will help me give god the glory that's due his name come on and lift your hands if you can right where you are because the more i praise him the better i feel because the joy of the lord is my strength mercy there was great and grace was free pardon there was multiplied to me there my burden so found liberty at calvary there's forgiveness at calvary there's another chance and if he did it for me he can do it for you say hey and let the redeemed of the lord say so hallelujah this is the day that the lord has made we are to rejoice and be glad and the god of our salvation we're so happy today to be gathered in the presence of the lord for the word of god declares that in his presence there is the fullness of joy and at thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore we gathered around the world in front of televisions ipads and listening devices waiting so desperately to hear the word of our god as the deer painted after the water broke so panteth my soul after the o god will you bow with me as we go to god in prayer father we thank you and praise you for the ultimate phenomenal god that you are we thank you for your saving grace we thank you for your keeping power we thank you for your darling son jesus who died so that we can live and for that god we give your name the glory now god have your way you're the potter we're the clay mold us and shape us fashion us after your own will and we'll forever give your name the praise the glory and the honor for us in the wonderful magnificent powerful name of jesus we do pray and the people around the world said amen can you begin to give god some praise by way of the hearts god is a wonder in our soul and for that we give his name praise i would like to say thank you to bishop walter scott thomas for allowing me to come and share the word of god with the wonderful people of the new psalmist baptist church new psalmist you know that you are blessed because god has given you one of the best pastors in the world and for that we give god praise i want to thank bishop walter thomas for his prayers and his support this is my first time standing behind the sacred desk after being tested positive with covet 19. my family and i we all tested positive but now we can testify to the fact that god is a healer god healed my wife god help both of my daughters and he healed my four-month-old granddaughter and for that i give god all the praise i want to thank bishop walter thomas for calling me and walking me through the different stages and phases of covet 19 i didn't know where whether i was coming or going but i thank god that he was a spiritual leader spiritual father that reached out and talked me through and checked on me on a daily basis and i want him to know i'm eternally grateful new psalmist you are truly blessed god has given you a shepherd god has given you a man after god's own heart can you help me salute the man of god bishop walter scott thomas we thank you sir we thank you for your leadership and we thank you for how you care about the people of god we thank god for the first lady of new psalmist baptist church lady patricia thomas can you help me thank god for the wonderful woman of god who stands beside him so that he can do the work that god has called his hand and heart to do and for that we give god praise thank you so much new psalmist has been such a tremendous blessing to me over the years and i thank god for you allowing me to come and share my convictions in the faith today i've been given an assignment to share the word of god with you in a brief and powerful way if you would have if you have your bibles i'm going to ask that you return with me to the gospel according to luke luke chapter 23 verses 39 through 43 claims our attention today i'll be reading from the new king james version this is the word of our god then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed him saying if you are the christ save yourself in us but the other answering rebuked him saying do you not even fear god seeing you are under the same condemnation and we indeed justly for we receive the due reward of our deeds but this man has done nothing wrong then he said to jesus lord remember me when you come into your kingdom and jesus said to him assuredly i say to you today you will be with me in paradise this is the word of god for the people of god across the length and the breath of this country if you would lift your bible repeat these words after me bread of heaven feed me until i want no more look at your family and say let's eat once again i want to thank god for the charity church that i've been privileged to pastor this coming month 16 wonderful years and i give god all the praise glory and the honor thank god for my beautiful wife whom i've been married to for 24 wonderful years and have two beautiful children and one beautiful granddaughter i thank god for their prayers and their support and jesus said to him assurely i say to you today you will be with me in paradise for the time that is mine as the holy spirit shall guide i want to preach for just a few moments from the theme pardon power pardon power if you and your family are still on speaking terms in the midst of this pandemic look at them and say hey family our god has pardoning power if you believe god is going to bless us come on and give god some praise by way of the hearts pardon power a pardon is a government decision to allow the person to be relieved of some or all the legal consequences result resulting from a criminal conviction a pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime depending upon the laws of the jurisdiction pardons demonstrate that the individual has paid their debt to society or are otherwise considered to be deserving of them in the natural the president of the united states has the power to pardon individuals who have committed criminal offenses in the kingdom of god jesus has the power and the authority to forgive the sins of sinners according to first john 1 9 it declares that if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness today i want those under the sound of my voice to know that jesus has pardoning power with that being said i don't care who you are or whether you're upper class middle class lower class or no class i want you to know that our god has pardon in power he has the power to reach and to release you from whatever you've done in life it doesn't matter where you've been whether you're in the trap house or the crack house the pardoning power of our god has the ability to reach us at the deepest level of our need not only can the pardoning power meet us where we are but it can undo whatever we've done in our lives to wreck it to destroy it to do anything that would cause us to get out of the will of god our god wants you to know my brothers and sisters he has the power to reach you and i don't know about you but that's good news today to know that how god can reach us no matter where we are in life today my brothers and sisters god wants you to know that the pardoning power is available somebody ought to put in the timeline it's available yes my brothers and sisters and that's what you and i ought to celebrate that thou god can reach us he can turn our lives around for his glory and for his honor in our text today we are examining two thieves who are hanging on the cross both of them committed crimes and they were now getting ready to be banished or punished to death but aren't you glad that god knows how to step in and turn things around the bible shares these wonderful this wonderful story of how the two male factors were hanging one on the left and the other on the right and jesus was in the middle uh yes this text my brothers and sisters unfolds unto us the partning power of our god in order to experience the pardoning power of our god there are several things that must take place i lift them before you and then i'll bid you good morning firstly in order to experience the pardoning power you must be a candidate let the church say i am a candidate for the bible says in verses 39 through 40 then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed him saying if you are the christ save yourself and us but the other answering rebuked him saying do you not even fear god seeing you are under the same condemnation you see within these verses my brothers and sisters we have two candidates who are eligible to receive a pardon from christ um there the bible calls these men a criminals if you will one of their names were justice and the other was dissonance a justice was the bad thief if you will and dismiss was the deep the thief that confessed and received a pardon i would like to park here to tell you there are people who have an opportunity to be a candidate to be pardoned but because they are hardened by their sin now they no longer are able to receive what god wants to give them i guess my brothers and sisters both were eligible if you will but one decided to go in another direction you see one of the criminals started to blaspheme jesus by saying if you are the christ then save yourself and us i would like to pause here to say that the thief uh god does not have to prove anything to anyone uh yes my brothers and sisters because god is already proven who he is that jesus didn't have to do and act in order to prove that he was and he is the son of god and can i pause here to tell you that god doesn't have to do anything to prove who he is he is who he says he is and he can do what he said he can do you see one of them offended christ while the other defended christ today my brothers and sisters god wants you to know that you can be a credible a person that will receive what god has in store for you but you must understand that you have to defend who god is you must understand people of god that this thief on the cross thought that jesus was going to prove himself by giving them what they wanted but we must understand people of god that jesus knows exactly what he's doing god wants you to know that the charges have no power over the christ and i don't know who i'm talking to i don't care who you are i don't care what you've been doing and how long you've been doing it god wants you to know that your charges can be dropped and somebody ought to pause right there and give god a praise because you and i we were candidates for death but god stepped in and made ways for us god turned things around for our good and for his glory that's why it doesn't take much for you and i to give god praise because we know that we were candidates for death we know we were too mean to live and wasn't fit to die but instead of god giving us what we deserve he extended to us what we needed and somebody ought to pause right there to give god praise because he dropped the charges yes my brothers and sisters a god says it doesn't matter if you're black or white it doesn't matter if you're rich or poor it doesn't matter if you're upper class or lower class or you have no class at all god wants you to know that if you have breath in your body that you are a candidate the bible says that this man said if you are the son of christ i save yourself and us but the other rebuked him saying do you not even fear god you see this is not a fear of terror but this is a reverential fear and can i tell you my brothers and sisters the reason why you and i are candidates to receive the grace and the mercy of god is because we have the fear of god oh yes god my brothers and sisters has given us a reverential fear we fear god because of who he is we know that he's able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that you could ask or think according to the power that worketh in us and that today my brothers and sisters and god says you are a wonderful candidate you don't have to hang your head low you don't have to sleep in what you've been going through you are a candidate to receive a pardon all you have to do my brothers and sisters is confess to god and i believe that that's where god wants us to be he wants us to confess that's what we have to do in order to receive the pardon we must have the confession i let the church say the confession for the bible says in verses 41 and 42 and we indeed justly for we receive the due reward of our deeds but this man has done nothing wrong then he said to jesus lord remember me when you come into your kingdom a good god almighty this is confession at its best you see there's an old adage there's an old truism that says confession is good for the soul or somebody put it in the timeline it's all right to confess yes my brothers and sisters one of the thieves recognized that they were going to receive if they would simply confess yes confession my brothers and sisters is good for the individual it helps you to read you from where you are and what you've done it opens you up to the grace and the mercy of our god yes my brothers and sisters this thief goes on to say that this he has done nothing wrong yes he says but we have committed wrong in other words he said i know we messed up i know we didn't cross every t we didn't dot every high i know we didn't do what we were supposed to do we touched some things that we were not supposed to touch we did some things that we were not supposed to do but this man has done nothing wrong you see this man is confessing if you will and can i pause here to tell you that when you start confessing god begins to release the blessings in your life all you have to do is realize who you are and who you're not and recognize who he is and god my brothers and sisters will begin to turn things around the bible says upon the completion of this confession he says to jesus remember me when you get into thy kingdom this is another confession if you will he recognized and confesses that jesus is a king you see every kingdom has a king he says when you get into your kingdom he says i want you to remember me and i don't know who i'm talking to today a god says when you begin to confess you'll begin to get everything that the king has in store for you and somebody ought to pause right here and thank god that instead of god giving you an eye what we deserve he gave us what we needed now we ought to give him praise because when we confess unto him that we're wrong and he's right when we confess unto him that he is the king of kings and the lord of lords it begins to release the pardon in our lives somebody ought to give god a shout of praise because you confessed unto god yes the bible says that if we confess our sins he'll be faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness and that's what the thief decided to do he says i'm confessing that i messed up that i didn't do everything right i didn't got every high i didn't cross every teeth god gave me the ability to confess with my mouth and i recognize who he is he is the king of kings and he is the lord of lords he says remember me when you get into your kingdom i snap down to tell somebody that this man because he confessed right he was going to be remembered and i don't know who i'm talking to god says all you have to do is confess that you're messed up confess that you didn't get it all right confess that you didn't cross all your teaser confess that you didn't doubt all your eyes confess that he is the king of kings and the lord of lords and watch god begin the part in you have i got a witness here somebody throw your head back and give god the biggest sign of praise i said give them the shout of brain that you have i got to close this thing but somebody shake the airway and shout my god has parting power i don't care where you've been i don't care what you've been doing now i'm god is able to do exceedingly i find it lean above all that you could ask for me according to the power that have i got a witness here somebody put it in the timeline he has pardon power i know the devil has been running up one side of you and down another he's making you feel like you can't come back from where you are but i want you to know that the man in the middle is able to turn it around have i got a witness here all you gotta do is open your mouth and say father i stretch my hand to me no other help i know if i withdraw myself from me whether shall i go i feel like preaching now somebody shake the hair weight and sound god has a pardon and power have i got a witness here finally as i get up out of here the pardoning power look at somebody and tell him he will conceive he will give me what i need have i got a witness here for the bible says and jesus said to him or surely i say to you today you will be with me in paradise good god i'm nighty i feel like preaching this thing look at somebody and tell him he commuted my sentence have i got a witness here i know i did wrong but he commuted my sentence and that's what he did for the thief on the cross he commuted his sentence he says this day thou shalt be with me in paradise he gave it to him right then and there have i got a witness here you see my brother's insisted what i've discovered i'm now gone he's progressive he's instantaneous sometimes he progressively forgive us but then there are other times he forgives us instantly and gives us what he needs he tells this man this day now shall be with me in paradise he didn't tell him you need to go down to the jordan and get baptized but he said this day and i shall be with me he didn't say you have to speak in tongues but he said this day now shall be with me in paradise he didn't say you have to run around the church you didn't have to have a membership number but he said right now you can be with me in paradise somebody put it in the timeline he shifted him from being a sinner to faith have i gathered this here i feel like preaching here you see the reason why i praise god the way i praise god is because he has pardon and power he knows how to do it right now he knows how to do it quickly he knows how to do it straightforward have i got a witness here that's why it doesn't take much for me to give my god praise because when i think of this goodness when i think of this pardon and power and all that it's done for me my soul cries out hallelujah i thank god for saving me i feel all right now it feels like my lungs are better look at somebody and tell somebody i thank god he's a god of another chance have i got a wind his head when i look at the thief on the cross i look at myself i was too mean to live one bit to die but instead of god giving me what i deserve he gave me grace and mercy you see you shout for your house in your car but i shout because of his amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved the wrench like you and me somebody ought to throw your head back and give god the biggest shadow praise i said give them a shout of praise because they pardon you he woke you up this morning that means he gave you another change he wiped your slate clean you should have been dead in 2001 the god is so good he plotted out all your sins he arrested you he saved you that's why you have your hands lifted that's why you have your mouth open saying i will bless the lord and all times his praise shall continually be in my mouth oh magnify the lord with me come let us exalt his name together well good morning y'all may the lord bless you real good but i wonder if i have anybody in virtual land who can praise god for the pardon and power i know donald trump pardoned some people before he left the white house he may have commuted their sentence but i thank god that the god i serve not only commutes my sentence but he saves my soul have i got a witness here i feel like preaching now let's ride tj look at somebody and tell somebody there is no secret what my god can do what he's done for the thief he can do the same for you have i got a witness here lift up your head and the king of glory shall come in throw your head back and shout who is this king of glory he's the lord strong and mighty he's the lord mighty and have i got to win this here y'all better come and get me because it's like fire shut up in my bones have i got a witness here i should have been dead sleeping in my grave but he parted all of my sins and you mean to tell me i'll sit here cool calm and collective the devil is a liar i got the hope in my mouth i got to blast it through the world that god is able somebody shouty ass i said soundy ass i have a question for you ain't it all right won't it pardon your sins somebody out yeah i said shouty ass let the redeemed of the lord say so open up your mouth and give god the biggest shot of praise [Music] somebody put it in the timeline pardon power somebody shout he forgave me he gave me another chance and i rose to give him glory i rose to give him praise somebody open up your mouth and help god thank you god almighty i said good god almighty you ought to look over your shoulder and begin to thank god that justice didn't have his way but god stepped in and gave us grace gave us mercy somebody give him a shout of brave hey [Music] glory to god thank you jesus hallelujah to god be the glory pardon in power [Music] glory be to god thank you jesus he pardoned the sinner who was on the cross and he pardoned you and died [Music] praise god we greet you in the name of our lord and savior jesus christ who is the head of the church amen to new psalmist baptist church and to your pastor bishop walter scott thomas and to first lady thomas and to all the officers and members of new psalmist we greet you in the joy of jesus christ on this blessed good friday as we celebrate the sacrifice of our savior for our sins to be forgiven so we give god praise for this opportunity to come and preach this third word from the cross john chapter 19 verses 26-27 and when jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her he said to his mother woman here is your son then he said to the disciple here is your mother and from that hour the disciple took her into his own home please pray with me as we think together on this topic the push of death the push of death god have your way in jesus name amen here we find mary the mother of jesus at the cross grieving she is grieving for her son her child her boy she's grieving her sacrifice you know she made an investment in jesus she she she risked uh divorce and shame and embarrassment gave her a body for nine months to birth him in her life to raise him she invested faith and good works into him she is grieving uh this loss but it's also a loss of celebration jesus was her pride and joy this was her sign that she had walked with god jesus uh his life was evidence that god had touched her that god had favored her that god had blessed her higher than any other woman she is grieving because the role that she played in his ministry you do realize that she was his ministry activator according to the gospel of john seeing matthew mark and luke the holy spirit pushes jesus into the wilderness the spirit is the ministry activator jesus says in luke that the spirit of the lord is upon me and has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor as he reads from isaiah jesus gives credit to the spirit in the synoptic gospels but in john there is only one reference to the spirit that the spirit descends on jesus like a dove and it seems to be an inference to the baptism of christ but there is nothing directly stated in the gospel of john about jesus being baptized there is no quote of god saying this is my beloved son in whom i am well pleased there's no spirit driving jesus into the wilderness there's no coming out of the wilderness with power and might all you get in john chapter 1 is jesus described as god's word made flesh that jesus is the lamb of god and disciples begin to follow him but there's no preaching of the kingdom there's no healing of the sick there's no casting out of demons why because there's no ministry activation it's not until john chapter 2 that mary activates the ministry of jesus at the wedding in canaan galilee she tells him that they have run out of wine and jesus kicks back and says you know woman is not my time yet woman my hour has not yet come and she looks past him to the service and said whatever he tells you to do you do it and guess what jesus did he told the servants to do something and they did it and water miraculously became wine mary activated the ministry of jesus she she pushed him drove him to his first miracle and she was playing the role of holy spirit in the gospel john how because she's operating in the mode of ministry activator and she's doing this through the ministry of mothering mothering is a ministry we had as a guest a teacher for our bible study just recently the reverend dr raquel sinclair new testament scholar repel saint claire lesson and she talks about the ministry of mothering when she was looking at romans chapter 16 looking at rufus's mom and paul says i want to bring commendations to rupert's mom because she was a mother to me as well so we have to be clear that this was a mystery of mothering on the part of mary but as a ministry of activation uh that there is such a thing as a ministry of activation remember paul laid hands on timothy uh to stir up the gift of god that's inside of him so there is this ministry and so mary compels jesus to miraculously supply wine she does this by being mama but three years later she is grieving because it seems like being mama ain't helping mary is standing next to the cross maybe hoping that jesus has one more miracle left surely if he could turn that water into wine maybe he can figure out a way to get off this cross and come back to the house maybe i can activate him like i did three years ago i i know i got some of the women folk here uh my sister uh i got married cope was his wife i got married magdalen and i even got the disciple they love john maybe they can help me activate him because he loves all of us yet it's not working but mary saw in canada was a beginning now all she sees on the cross is ending what she saw at the wedding were possibilities but now on the cross she sees finality in canada she experienced deliverance now she only sees death hence her grief but jesus seems to undermine this moment of pity uh he doesn't allow her to wallow in her heartache at the cross instead he gives her a push woman the same reference he made to her in john chapter two woman uh three years ago you pushed me and so in my death now i'm going to push you you do know that death will push us not just to grief or sorrow or pain jesus shows us that death can push us even further death pushes to redirect purpose death will push us to redirect purpose woman behold your son this is not about replacing jesus john can never do that this is not about avoiding pain the pain of loss uh the pain was already there jesus was dying not trying to dodge this jesus not trying to pretend that this is not happening this is not a construction of an alternate reality jesus is not erasing himself out of history uh he's not trying to rewrite mary and john's story this is about redirecting mary's purpose you can still do ministry mary you can still be a mother you can still activate others you're just gonna have to do it differently instead of being a biological mother now you'll have to be a spiritual mother instead of activating me now you've got to activate john and all those who will come under your mother in care same calling same anointing different area different focus different ministry assignment death will push us to redirect our purpose covet as you know has pushed us as church uh uh to redirect purpose it's pushed us out of church buildings out of physical spaces but but we still maintain our purpose we are still church we just got redirected from from physical space to virtual space to doing more ministry outside of the walls death was pushing us to redirect purpose that divorce that bankruptcy that loss of job that breakup that fall out that misunderstanding that fatal mistake uh they're not killing our callings they're not destroying our destiny they're not murdering our purpose what death is doing is pushing us to redirect or find another area find another venue find another person find another mentor find another time fine another job fine another ministry find another team uh so we can still work in our calling we just have to do it differently that pushes us to redirect purpose but death also pushes us to find new partners john is mary's new partner woman behold your son son behold your mother john is beloved by jesus and it's clear that john loves jesus right back jesus telling both mary and john you need new partners my time is up you two can lean on each other please note how death will position people in and out of your life 12 guys rolled with jesus for three years but all those guys were gone when jesus was dying except one john the one that jesus loved that's the one that mary needed she needed somebody whom her son loved jesus wanted his mama to have somebody that was strong enough to handle death and john would need somebody who could activate his ministry think about the folks that came around supportively when your loved one was dying think about the ones who disappeared without a trace death will show us who has our hearts death will show us who has the strength to walk with us in tough times realtors will tell you you don't look at a house just when it's sunny outside make sure that there's a house you want to buy look at it when it's raining you want to see it when it's under duress you want to see it when it's under stress to know if that's for you death is a character revealer please see how death will push us to see to look and see woman behold your son son behold your mother death will push us to look at things and people and ourselves and god more deeply in the year the king assigned that i saw the lord high and lifted up some things we won't be able to see until death comes death will push us how to see how our family really acts death will push us to see what is really on the inside of us death will push us to see what is really happening around us death will also push us to find new paths instead of going to the old home mary goes to the home uh with john and lives there permanently john just doesn't go back home the way he left it he comes back home with a new mama death will push us into new patterns new agendas new world views new points of view new conversations new thinking new mindsets new postures new appreciation new gratitude new being when mary and john go home together they are taking a new path and this path is symbolic of life death pushes us to live jesus dies that we might live he came that we may have life and have it more abundantly he even says in the gospel john unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies it remains a single grain but if it dies it bears much fruit ah there's the hint that if death is pushing mary to live where is death pushing jesus then jesus say destroy this temple and in three days yeah yeah i i know that some things have died in your life i know some loved ones have died some opportunities have died some choices have died some options have died and maybe you're watching them die right now but i need to let you know you're being pushed yes you're hurting yes you're in pain yes you're in grief yes you're lost yes you're in sorrow yes take time to honor those feelings but be clear god allow death to come in to push you to push you to your next assignment to your next purpose to your next partner to your next person to your next path to your next area god is pushing you to your next promise your next blessing your next miracle your next breakthrough even in the behold to live is christ and to die is gain behold god is doing a new thing do you not perceive and behold if anyone is in christ they become a new creation all things are passed away and behold all things become new behold life is right here next to you possibility is here new avenues are here your future is here god says i am pushing you to a higher height to deeper death to greater levels to expanding visions to robust relationships to powerful partners pushing us from faith to faith and from glory to glory it will even push us to give god praise yes i thank god for the push we would not be here if he had not been pushed i wouldn't have the prayer power that i had if i had not been pushed if death had not pushed me if sickness had not pushed me if he hadn't put you you wouldn't be where you are today huh living where you live by speaking how you speak thinking how you think you got here let's turn about right now you got here because death got ahold of us because god allowed it because god knew there was some things on the inside of you that wouldn't come out unless you got full of stuff so get ready for the puss he's pushing you to purpose he's pushing you to power he's pushing you to pray he's pushing you thank you for the push [Music] praise god the events at the cross started at 12 o'clock and we've heard the first three powerful words that came from that cross i'm praying and believing that you heard something that's beginning to change the way you think and especially the way you feel we're getting ready to lift our offering at this point so i'm inviting you to prepare to give your gifts now as the lord has blessed you we're going to give you can use givlify or push pay you can use the new psalmist fellowship system you can mail your offerings to 6020 marion drive you can give your special gifts for the preachers and you can give your special offerings for the service so let's prepare now to give out gifts on this good friday let's give as the lord has blessed us and then we're coming back with the next three words from the cross dr deborah higgins from hampton university is coming bishop dwayne deadman is coming to preach the word of god and pastor dr navor mitchell is coming with the sixth word so let's get ready to pray and hear the word of god father in the name of jesus we give these gifts of love we stand by the cross we see the pain of our savior we see the anguish that he endured and we thank you o god for what he did for our salvation now accept these gifts we give for the upbuilding of your kingdom in the name of jesus christ we all say amen when jesus [Music] okay [Music] people came [Music] you foreign [Applause] christ [Music] come down [Music] and save your life oh but jesus my sweet jesus he never [Applause] [Music] answered for he knew that me no nasty satan him and if he had come down thank you jesus [Music] would still be lost and if he [Music] [Music] thank you jesus [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] crush [Music] [Applause] himself it is [Music] joshua run run [Music] [Applause] [Music] is [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] yes [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] i bring to you the fourth word from the gospel of matthew chapter 27 verse 46 and it reads in this way and about the ninth hour jesus cried with a loud voice eli eli lama sabachthani that is my god my god why have you forsaken me this is the fourth word jesus uttered from the cross this fourth word like the formal words expressed in this forum so beautifully and powerfully today is a significant word it is significant because it stands at the center of the seven sayings of christ from his cross this fourth word stands at a point of pivot and transition in the final hours of the passion of jesus christ this fourth word is a word that stands in the middle to balance the scales not of justice but of righteousness and so here we are at the fourth word where the tragedy of the cross reaches its highest point the fourth word is a tragedy within a tragedy a crucifixion within a crucifixion and that it was a crucifixion of the body as well as the psyche my body and my mind are telling me that god has left me this is a tragedy within a tragedy to be in a situation and you don't feel the presence of god this fourth word is a word of anguish and right here jesus pivots from an outward focus toward others to finally an inward focus on himself this fourth word is jesus's defining moment of existential transition what was going on in the mind of jesus my god my god why have you forsaken me could have been the christological crisis that left the world left us left us in utter darkness making our faith in god our belief in the gospel of jesus christ nothing more than a fantasy and an optical illusion of mythic proportions but my brothers and my sisters this is the ninth hour and it appears that this passion this crucifixion ordeal is near its end and my goal this afternoon is to relieve the tension between the sincere yet subtle misinterpretation of matthew 27 46 my god my god why have you forsaken me therefore i begin with that admission i have to admit that i used to be confused concerning the fourth word i must admit that it was the fourth word that used to have me i have to admit that it was this eight-letter word forsaken that made me ask these questions would god forsake himself would god abandon himself would god release himself with no support would god leave himself untethered loosed deserted isolated and derelict after all we do serve a triune god he is god the father god the son and god the holy ghost and he's never alone you see if god would abandon himself if god would abandon or leave his son hanging then there is no hope for me or you nothing to anchor our faith i didn't have a sneaky suspicion there was nothing sneaky about my suspicion but what i experienced was a real crisis of faith because everything i knew about god loved about god trusted about god hinged on the fact that i believe what he promised when he when i read i will never leave you nor will i forsake you i will be with you even to the end of the age wait a minute i'm in good company king david knew it and wrote about it in psalm 138 he said i will worship and praise your name for your loving kindness and your truth you have magnified your word above all your name in other words god your word will never fail king david believed it and wrote about it in psalm 139 if i ascend up into heaven you are there if i make my bed in hell behold you are there based on all i believe my brothers and sisters being forsaken by god was a matter of life and death for me i was upset here because it shook me to know that this on time god who may not come when you want him but will always be there right on time could abandon me and his only begotten son you see i grew up in a church and a household that lived by this rule don't you ever question god god said what he meant and he meant what he said your duty is simply to receive his word by faith don't worry baby you'll understand it better by and by to question god in our household was nothing short of bordering on brazen to blasphemy but in this case the inquisitor here wasn't me or you the inquisitor was jesus and in this fourth word jesus identifies his father properly and calls him my god my god and asked him directly why have you forsaken me he didn't call in my father he didn't call him my creator my rock he called him god so i returned to my original question did god or did he not abandon jesus let me help you before my time is complete in my study of matthew 27 46 this is what i discovered you see i found the mystery of the supposed abandonment of christ juxtaposed between psalm 22 and matthew 26 and year after year as this beautiful tradition would have it with this saying we have combined two texts into one with the problem being our conflated interpretation of the word forsaken you see what we overlook is the difference between the cry of david in psalm 22 and the cry of jesus in matthew 27 and psalm 22 and matthew 27 the first part of the cry is the same eli ilama my god my god why but the last word forsaken differs in its original meaning forsaken here in the case of christ is a homophone we learn this in first a second grade that a homophone is a word that looks the same and sounds the same but it means something totally different and here is the hermeneutical rub david wanted to know my god my god why have you abandoned me but jesus wanted to know my god my god why have you sacrificed me why have you done this to me why have you offered me up there is a difference between being abandoned and being sacrificed if i abandoned you i leave you on the proverbial side of the road with no visible means of help of support and i don't care what happens to you but if i sacrifice you if i martyr you if i ransom you if i offer you up in a sacrifice i'll offer you up for a greater cause and a greater purpose and i'll ask my question for the last time did god or did he not abandon jesus and my answer you know it absolutely and unequivocally you can now tell the world that god did not forsake jesus he sacrificed it but he didn't abandon him and i don't know about you this afternoon but i'm so glad that god's greater purpose and jesus's higher calling was for me and i'm so glad that it was for you you see we're not confused anymore we're not troubled any longer by the prospect of living our lives for christ and then getting to the end and coming to the realization that it was all a dream a mirage of false hopes and empty promises i believe the promise of god like i've always believed his promise i will be with you i don't care what you go through i will be with you i will be with you from the cradle to the grave i will be with you from the womb to the tomb i'll be with you from creation to calvary i'll be with you from earth to paradise i'll be with you come hell uh how water when you feel me i'll be with you and when you don't i'll be with you i'll be with you when you hear me and i'll be with you when you want i am as close to you as breath and your hands i won't abandon you but i will sacrifice you i'll sacrifice you for the sake of the gospel i'll sacrifice you for the lifting of the cross i'll sacrifice you for hungry people everywhere i'll sacrifice you for homeless people everywhere i'll sacrifice you for social justice everywhere i'll sacrifice you to love and seek mercy everywhere i'll sacrifice you for the glory of almighty god i'll sacrifice you on a good friday and then raise you on resurrection sunday i won't forsake you but i'll sacrifice you and prove to the world that on your worst day i'm still with you i won't leave you breathless against your accusers i won't leave you helpless against your abusers i won't leave you helpless against your haters i won't leave you strength against your agitators i won't leave you defenseless against your aggressors i will prepare a place for you in the presence of your enemies on your worst day i'm there no friends i'm there no family i'm there no help i won't leave you hanging just remember what i told you i'll never leave you nor will i forsake you i will be with you always even to the end of the age god will not forsake us but he will sacrifice us this was the fourth word amen bishop thomas to lady patricia thomas the new psalmist church family we greet you in the powerful peaceful name of jesus our christ so all my co-laborers who are sharing in this seven last words worship experience we honor and salute you on this day let me call your attention to the gospel of john chapter 19 and this fifth word from the cross john 19 verse 28 reads this way it says later knowing that everything had now been finished and so that the scripture will be fulfilled jesus said i am thirsty come and pray now your god our hearts god our thoughts and may the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in my sight o lord my god and my redeemer and the people the living god said amen john chapter 19 verse 28 jesus said i thirst i want to talk just for a few moments from this start from this title i need a drink i need a drink have you ever wanted or thought you needed a drink has life ever left you parched drained and dehydrated to the point where you felt like you simply needed watch this a drink truth the matter is life can sometimes drain you discourage you drive you to the brink of wanting or needing a drink and what's interesting about the journey of life if there's sometimes it's not about the things you have done wrong but oftentimes the temptation comes as a result of the things that you do right the apostle paul would say it like this when i would do good evil was always present and so the question that i have to raise on this friday that we call good is why why does life sometimes leave you parched why is it that when you do the right thing do what you're supposed to do do what you're asked to do why are there moments when we are driven to the point of spiritual dehydration and exhaustion why is it when we do the things that god wants us to do why is it that we are sometimes met with opposition and not just a moderate amount of opposition but a fierce opposition the type of opposition that drains you the type of opposition that pushes you to want to cuss the type of opposition that pushes you to want to fight the type of opposition that pushes you to declare i need a drink and let me just add that it doesn't matter how strong or weak of a christian you are it doesn't matter how faithful christian you are it doesn't matter how close to god you are life is twists and turns life is ups and downs life is mountains and valleys can sometimes make you want to cuss it can sometimes make you want to quit it can even sometimes make you declare i need a drink anybody in worship i know you're sanctified but anybody worship ever felt like you needed a drink when we take a deep dive into this unprecedented volatile yet necessary moment of calorie jesus utters a couple words to lead us to believe that he needed a drink no he wasn't asking for a rum and coke or singapore slaying but in the moment when his spirit and his throat were parched from the strain of the moment jesus said i thirst jesus son of god jesus the one who performed miracles signs and wonders jesus the one who turned water into wine and who offered living water to a samaritan woman at a well says to a crowd who did not care and a god he could not find he says i need a drink jesus says to a crowd that hated him and the god who he felt had forsaken him i need a drink to be exact the text says knowing that everything had now been finished and so that scripture will be fulfilled jesus said i thirst jesus the one who turned water into wine is asking for a drink jesus the one who met a woman at a well was asking for a drink jesus the one who made blind men see deaf folk here and lame folk walk is asking for a drink his soul is heavy his body is filled with pain his life is on the line and the bible says so that scripture might be fulfilled jesus said i thirst naturally he was weakened by the heat of the day and spiritually he was wounded by the weight of the moment so the scripture will be realized he said i thirst so the scripture will be experienced jesus said i thirst i want to pitch my tent right here because i want to know why was this moment so necessary why why while barely hanging on to life did jesus feel the need to fulfill the prophecy of scripture well i believe jesus is saying that the time has come for me to prove my purpose calry y'all was a moment about purpose jesus arrives at the cross not only to die not only to cry out but to prove purpose his purpose was to fulfill the scripture his purpose was to win while wounded his purpose was to defeat a demon his purpose was to overcome and obstacle the obstacle is not the soldiers who whipped him the obstacle is not the thief who ridiculed him the obstacle was not the heat of the day but the obstacle is that life has left him parched painting and broken the obstacle is winning while empty the obstacle is finding victory when drain drained of your energy drained of your fight drained of your power so to prove purpose he has to fight through being broken cannot conquer cavalry unless he can fight past the moment when he is broken the pain was setting in the pain was messing with his mind the pain was messing with his spirit the pain was messing with his focus but he does in this moment what he had to do he fights through the pain to prove his purpose he fights through the pain to do the will of the one who sent him he fights through the pain to prove that he is the bread of life and in fighting he has to fight through the attacks on the mind the attacks on the body the attacks on the spirit and so he fights and he fights and what somebody in worship needs to recognize is that they are moments when to reach purpose you will have to fight when parts fight when empty fight when broken fight will bruise their moments when you recognize the purpose is on the line and when purpose is on the line you must do what you have to do and what you have to do is call on god to give water to the thirst is anybody in worship who's ever needed god to give you water when you were thirsty water when you when you were thirsty is strength when you are weak water when you are thirsty its direction when you are dazed by life water when you are thirsty its calm in the midst of your storm water when you are thirsty its salvation when you were broken water when you are thirsty its power when you are tired i need to tell somebody i know that these last 12 months have left you parched drained tired wearied and broken but jesus reminds us that god gives water to the thirsty god gives water without cost to the thirsty he makes streams in the desert in the time of trouble he shall hide you god gives water when you're thirsty jesus said i need a drink because god gives water to the parched but as i move quickly we recognize in this moment that when life leaves you parched the time has come to conquer your reality with your reality calorie was complicated it's complicated because the cross was just one of the obstacles that jesus was dealing with in this moment not only did he have the cross to bear but there was also the crowd and the chaos it was the cross the crowd and the chaos that had left him drained and parched jesus says i thirst i need a drink because my problem is my reality and what i'm feeling is real and what i'm dealing with is not a figment of my imagination but what i'm dealing with is my reality has closed in on me my reality has pinned me down my reality is i'm on the cross my reality is these nails are pressing into my body my reality is this crown of thorns it's pressing into my skull my reality is i've been whipped 39 times my reality is my blood is pouring out my reality is my body is becoming lip my reality is my soul is thirsty and the issue is i've got to confront a reality that's conquering me a reality that is emptying me i've got to conquer a reality that is training me of life draining me of my strength and there are moments when you've got to admit that life is putting a hurt on you is anybody in worship whose reality whose context whose life has ever closed in on you anybody whose reality has not been kind to you anybody whose reality has taken you down so low hurt you so bad broken you in so many places wounded you so many times made you feel like you could not escape made you feel like you were at the end jesus was in a moment just like this but while there he teaches us that if you want to conquer the moment that's trying to conquer you recognize that you live and adore reality you live in a reality that will declare yea that we slay me yet will i trust in him a reality that says in the time of trouble he shall hide me a reality that says though friends forsake me the lord will lift me up a reality that says we are hard pressed on every side but not cross perplexed but not in despair and persecuted but not abandoned struck down but not destroyed and jesus says i've got to conquer my reality with the reality that the lord will provide my need according to his riches and glory he gives water from a fountain that never runs dry clothes and purpose must be proven you must conquer your reality with reality but finally when life makes you weak leaves you parts drains you of your drive you must remember the plan no matter what i needed to know when i read this text why would a man who came to die ask for a drink while dying why would jesus whose aim in this moment was to give up his life ask for a drink to prolong his life why didn't he just let nature take his course why didn't he before asking just give up his spirit and die but then it dawned on me that him what he was doing was sticking to the plan of god the purpose and the process of god and this is where i'm closing because jesus was making sure that every prophecy was fulfilled it was making sure that every scripture was fulfilled he was making sure that every plan was achieved and i need to tell somebody that sometimes life will leave you parts sometimes life will leave you drained sometimes life will wound you and sometimes life will make you cry but please know god is perfecting those things concerning you please no it won't always be like this please know that the plan will work for your good but he knows the plans that he has for you plans to prosper you plans to give you hope in the future please know that the god you serve he's able i'm done i'm bored of my seat bishop thomas he's able to do exceedingly and abundantly more than you can think or imagine please know that all things are working together for your good please note that in due season you shall reap a harvest if you're faith i can't find some vote who can thank god i'm done i got to close my time is up but there's anybody who can testify it's worship right now that in due season you shall reap a harvest if you faint not cause he's able to do exceedingly and abundantly more [Music] jesus said i'm done [Music] i need a drink but all i'm doing is making sure that the plan is fulfilled i hope that you're being blessed today in this seven last word service god is using the men and women of god to bring powerful messages that are speaking to each of us in blessing us on this good friday and today we wanted to pause for just one moment and salute our pastor today church is his birthday and we wanted bishop thomas to know just how much we love him and how much we appreciate him for all that he does for us and let you know bishop that we are saluting and celebrating you today on your birthday so family i need you to do me a favor i need you to tag bishop in a post on instagram or twitter or facebook let him know that you're celebrating him saluting him today let him know how much he is a blessing to your life because we are so thankful that we have bishop walter scott thomas senior in our lives now today bishop a few of our staff members want to send a special message to you on your birthday hey doc just wanted to reach out and say happy birthday man you know you mean the world to me and i wish i could give you the world but take this time just to relax just to enjoy and just sit back and remember all the great times and i'm sure there'll be more great times to come once again love you much wish you a happy birthday this day and many many more god bless you bishop i want to wish you a happy birthday i wish you nothing but life health and strength and i pray this year would be the best year yet happy birthday bishop i pray god's precious blessings upon you and your ministry today and in the coming year enjoy your special day happy birthday bishop thomas i hope you have a great day today and the year ahead is full of many blessings god bless you now it's our prayer bishop thomas today that this is your best birthday yet that you enjoy this day that you have an opportunity to reflect on all that god has blessed you with and know that your church family loves you your family your children we love you and we are so thankful for all that god does through you for us and we pray god's rich blessings on you on your birthday now make sure family that you go out and tag bishop on a message on facebook on twitter on instagram at bishop w s thomas or send an email you can send it right to the amen at newsalmonds.org mailbox and we'll make sure that bishop thomas gets all of those messages and we also want to salute bishop's firstborn sister joy thomas tomorrow is her birthday bishop's birthday is april 2nd and joy is april 3rd and so joey wants you to know that we love you and appreciate all that you do for the work of the kingdom at new psalmist and we're saluting you with a happy early birthday and we pray that you enjoy your day now let's jump back on in to the seven last sayings of jesus on the cross with word six and dr neville michener first giving honor to god for is in him that i live move and have my knee to my pastor bishop walter scott thomas senior and to all the phenomenal preachers that i share this platform with to all my brothers and sisters in christ and in creation i greet you in the name of jesus i want to call your attention to the gospel according to john john 19 30 is where we find the six word 1930 and it reads as dustin i'll be reading from the niv when he had received the drink jesus said it is finished with that he bowed his head and gave up his spirit let us pray god sent me now and stand up in me god speak for we need a word from you it is good friday and leading up to this point we have heard jesus's torment before the cross the trial that resulted in the cross the walker to the cross the wrong doers on the cross the writing above the cross the wardrobe below the cross the women at the cross and now his words from the cross it is now the sixth word it is finished these words are words of triumph not words of defeat these words are not spoken by one who have succumbed to his circumstances because to succumb to your circumstances mean that you have yielded to a superior strengther or force and with jesus there is nothing it means to succumb to be brought to an end by the effects of destruction or disruption disruptive forces it is not what's happening here it is finished or words of triumpha now that's good news for us because after the year that we've had after what we've seen and this year we have come closer many of us have come this to succumbing to the effects of destructive or disruptive forces can i get a witness up but can nobody say that jesus is not with us and because he is with you don't give up because the work on the cross i keep holding on keep having favor cause there is hope in jesus jesus has of the victory this is a victory cry this is not a cry of defeat it is finished is uh hear me this is a victorious declaration it is a triumph proclamation this is a cry of victory because jesus uh god through him he reconciles us back to himself this is a victory cry because these words are spoken by jesus himself uh why does it matter that jesus spoke these words it it's finished it matters because the one who spoke to him is the christos victor which is latin for chris the victor he's christos victor the one who fought against and conquered evil all types of evil in this world he is the one the christos victor who takes down the tyrants that's trying to take you down he is the christopher victor the one who stands against what is ever that's trying to weaken your faith or steal your joy christ is already overcome hear me was trying to overcome you christ overwhelmed whatever is trying to overwhelm you it is finish it is finishing whatever is trying to steal your pizza whatever is trying to steal your power or your praise has already been dealt with the cross is the reminder that jesus has victoriously dealt with whatever you're going through he has victoriously dealt with whatever is dealing with you huh now that you have had an official reminder that jesus has already won has already conquered what is trying to conquer you uh you need to let your situation know that it's been happening somebody's been threatened up it's been heavily you need to have the confidence to let it know it's been handled not confidence in yourself but to work on the cross huh so somebody needs to let's say you know uh you've been hacked or not had no disease handled depression handled our fear handled it been handled because jesus covered it all on the course nothing was left undone it's been handled so when you face whatever you're facing face it with faith and confidence when you face whatever you're facing face it with faith and confidence speak to your struggles speak to your dreams and your goals speak over your situation and speak over your life but before you speak check your stance before you open your mouth check your stats because you need to be standing on the word of god and in the will of god so before you speak check your stance notice that even in the midst of an unpleasant reality jesus speaks from a victorious stance a while in the midst of what looks like and i'm sure feels like a bad situation he speaks from a position of authority he speaks from the disposition of that of a conqueror jesus speaks from a victorious stand question what's your stance in your situation what's your stance in your situation see your mindset matters many people think that their suffering and suffering is caused because of external conflicts things that are happening around their life things that are happening in relationships with other people uh job issues misfortune etc however the true cause of suffering comes from within the zoo cause of suffering is a result of our perception how you perceive the situation not necessarily the situation itself so i'ma ask again what's your stance in your situation has your inner voice started talking more like a skeptic than a believer have you said to yourself if it ain't one thing it's another it's always something or have you taken the approach to life from the stance that someone has you just someone that really thinks that um it's just gonna be okay from the the mere hope that everything's gonna work out or from the stance of faith from the sense take a stand of faith from the stance of faith that declares all things work together for the good of those who love the lord what you're saying to her no weapon forth against me shall prosper what's your stage greater is he that is in me then he that is in the world check on your stance check your stance think about i want you to think about that thing you've been worried about try addressing it from a different position a different attitude try to addressing it from a different sense here's one like a posture of prayer here it is try addressing it from a posture of prayer where i'm not praying the problem but i'm praying a solution which shifts me into a position of power jesus didn't die for us to be controlled by our circumstances as people of faith as followers of christ we should never allow our circumstances to dictate our stance and our response so i hear you i hear you but preacher i'm struggling is a meekness isolating this isolation is getting to me but the bible says what then shall we say in response to these things if god before us teach us how to respond with a victorious declaration from a victorious stance here it is no matter what it looks like so take your right full place child of god take your rightful pleasure here's why because your stance influences your declaration and your declaration influences your manifestation it influences what will show up in your life for jesus makes a victorious declaration from a victorious stance but he takes it a step further he he takes it a step further he doesn't stop with his words he backs it up with some action i'm in the taxer jesus said it is finished and with that he bound his head it says it is finished and with that he bowed his head and gave up his spirit huh as the atonement motif continues i want to talk about the with that i want to touch on the with that the bible says with that he bowed his head and gave up his spirit good fat says to me that there is something that needs to go along with what he said the fact says to me that there is something in addition to what he said and i believe what jesus does speaks louder than what he has said the next thing that jesus does speaks louder than words he conveys a message without words the next thing he does uh he follows it up with a declaration he follows his declaration and his stats up without words he follows it up with an intentional act he follows it up with an intentional way he bowed his head and gave up his spirit understand this there is a difference between a bowel head and a lord there's a difference between a brown head and low ahead i don't have time to unpack that but jesus intentionally bows his head because unlike us mortals jesus uh possessed within himself of the power of eternal life prior to and after his incarnation therefore the immortal life of god the son could never die he possesses in himself eternal life so therefore the immortal life of god the son could never die jesus is the son of man who could experience a physical death but only if he chooses only if he chooses so because he is fully human and he is fully god i suggest crucifixion could not have killed him how can you make someone who is immortal you cannot uh-huh so who but the son of god could actually dismiss his spirit from his body okay uh so my point is the redemption that jesus secured for us at the cross was planned within the godhead and the councils of eternity uh it was intentional i will leave you with this right here your next move and this next season needs to be intentional uh-huh we must be intentional about what we do intentional about what we set him intentional about what we don't believe because of the new covenant you are more than a conqueror i know you're watching from home right now but let's have churches it is a good friday [Music] [Music] victorious stance make a declaration over your life because of what jesus did on the cross you are more than a conqueror [Music] i am [Music] [Music] i can't [Music] jesus defeated it it is almost the ninth hour six to the ninth hour he hung on the cross from twelve in the afternoon to three in the afternoon our savior hung on the cross feeling the pain and the agony of crucifixion for it was a horrible horrible death people died from suffocation on the cross the preachers have told us the words of jesus spoken in his pain the words spoken in his agony but then comes the seventh word through all he's been through this last word is a word of power and a word of victory bishop dante hickman is coming father into thy hands i commend my spirit from the rising of the sun to the going down of the same the lord's name is worthy to be praised and how we honor the spirit of christ that so richly dwells among us certainly we salute and thank god for bishop walter scott thomas we thank god for first lady patricia thomas for the thomas family all of the ministers officers members and guests of the new psalmist baptist church i am once again appreciative to god and to bishop thomas for allotting and affording me another opportunity to stand before god's people to proclaim god's holy word and please allow me a word of salutation to thank god for the mentorship the leadership and the friendship of bishop walter scott thomas throughout this pandemic i can certainly testify that he has kept me and so many others sane and on a sure footing trusting in the power of god that god would bring us through how we praise and thank god for how the lord continues to use and bless all of us through the life faith and witness of bishop walter thomas now then i want to call your attention to the gospel of luke chapter 23 verse 46 and the bible says there and when jesus had cried out with a loud voice he said father into your hands i commit my spirit having said this he breathed his last and i want to preach it for a few moments as the spirit of god shall guide from the thought even after all of this if you're an interactive worshiper i would that you would type it and text it wherever you're watching from even after all of this by the time of our text my dear brothers and sisters jesus had come to the conclusion of his excruciatingly painful death on the cross and while going through that experience he gives us the most powerful commentary of his agony authority and assignment on the cross of calvary and it cannot go unstated nor undervalued that his conscientiousness in the crucible of pain was incredibly impressive he was still clear he was still communicative and he was still in control through it all but beyond making an impression jesus wanted to continue to be impactful for the faith the future and the followers of the kingdom of god for jesus it was important for him and for us to understand the elements the experience and the effectiveness of the crucifixion so he practiced a constant metacognition while on the cross metacognition in other words he processed in real time everything that he was going through and how to get through it he demonstrated that nothing we go through is a wasted or futile experience unless we fail to intentionally process it and you and i must learn to process in order to make progress through the good and bad experiences of our lives it was precisely this metacognition that enabled jesus to process his restoration listen at him in this last word as he closes his soliloquy on the cross addressing god as his father now just a few words ago he referred to him as god my god my god because pain and suffering has a way of dismantling the intimacy of our communication and our relationships but through the process jesus was able to reconnect in his disposition when recognizing that his father never left his position of being by his side and you and i my dear brothers and sisters may become disconnected emotionally with god but we are never disconnected relationally from god so that we can always come back somebody ought to type in text to someone who may feel like they've gone so far that they have backslidden so far away from god that they are not welcomed back but i'm here to report to you that restoration is possible when we would come back to god our heavenly father jesus use metacognition to process his restoration but to also process his resiliency he said into thy hands i commit my spirit see despite his pain and the loss of his flesh he was fully aware that his spirit was still alive and it was that same spirit that sustained him through the struggle of the cross think of it my dear brothers and sisters when he wanted or needed something to drink they offered him what we call spirits but he denied it knowing that his spirit was enough and can i tell us my dear brothers and sisters that we have survived a lot of struggle and a lot of pain because god's spirit within us can't die no wonder we're so tenacious what no wonder we're so resilient no wonder we're able to take a licking and keep on ticking no wonder we're able to bounce back no wonder we're able to have joy through it all because it is not the flesh in which we live but when we walk by the spirit and when we live in the spirit and when we are filled with the spirit that it does not matter what attacks us or tries to bring us down god will show us the resiliency that comes from having him on the altars of our heart jesus used this metacognition to process his restoration he used it to process his resiliency but then he used it to process his resolve and that's where i want to hang my hook because jesus said into thy hands i commit my spirit this was his final act of committal and commitment in the flesh and it amazed me my dear brothers and sisters how after all he had been through when given a choice he was still fully committed to god our heavenly father and in my estimation he didn't have to say this word but he wanted to make his choice clear that he still trusted god and after a pandemic that has separated us from loved ones in life and death after a pandemic that has closed down our church buildings where we find fellowship disrupted our sense of normalcy and upset us emotionally i have determined to still trust god and i'm preaching this sermon my dear brothers and sisters because this word from the cross conveys that the ultimate aim of our lives love joy and peace does not hang on the hinges of our worldly affairs our worldly attachments our worldly accomplishments and our worldly accommodations but jesus demonstrated that even after all of this that we can still trust god because we are fulfilling his purpose that's point number one i want you to write it down i am fulfilling his purpose when jesus said father into your hands i commit my spirit he was dying on purpose for the purpose of our salvation and can i tell you that no matter what life brings don't lose sight of god's purpose don't lose sight of the plan of god don't lose sight of the fact that it's all working together for the good of them that love the lord and other called according to his purpose can i tell you today that his purpose is greater than our pain the bible says that jesus was able to trust god even after all of this because he knew he had fulfilled his purpose but he was also focusing on prevailing somebody type it and text it focus on prevailing jesus was on the cross but he had already moved on beyond it listen at him when he says into your hands i commit my spirit he was not committing his hands merely to the nails on the cross but now he was committing his spirit into the hands of god and can i tell you that the enemy of our destiny wants to keep us focused on what we're going through but god has given us the power and the promise to get over it so i came by here to tell somebody whatever you're going through it can't stop you whatever you're dealing with it can't block you whatever the devil's got you up against it cannot hinder you because god has a promise over your life and god has a future even beyond this world's activity the bible says that you and i can still trust god even after all of this where we realize we're fulfilling his purpose when we're focused on prevailing but then finally when we realize that we're finishing better than we're perceived i need somebody to type and text that that's my third and final point that we're finishing better than we are perceived because in the end the bible says jesus was still calling the shots the bible says in the end it was not the enemy it was not the scribes it was not the pharisees and it wasn't even the devil that told him when it was over he said father into your hands i commit my spirit hey here child of god have you ever checked you out in the midst of going through i contend that you are not check out before you check you out can i testify that through this year we've lost some friends we've lost some money we've lost some clothes we've lost some opportunities we've lost some health and we lost some strength and we almost lost our minds but is there anybody here that can testify i still have my peace i still have my joy and i still have my expectation hey here i'm winning even when it looks like i'm losing somebody ought to shout somebody ought to testify my hope is built on nothing less than jesus blood and his righteousness i dare not trust the sweetest frame but a holy lean on jesus name on christ the solid rock i stand all of the ground is sinking sand so even after all of this i still trust god i still believe god i still serve god i still love god i still thank god and i still praise god and i don't know about you but i will be where i've always been i need somebody to text it i need somebody to type it i need somebody to testify that i will be where i've always been and that's in his hands can you testify i'm in his hands that's why i've not lost my mind i'm in his hands that's why i'm not giving in to depression i'm in his hands that's why anxiety can't get the best of me and be not dismayed whatever be tied god will i said god will take care of you beneath his wings of love abide god will take care of you won't he do it hasn't he done it has he kept you has he blessed you has he raised you has he saved you has he protected you has he provided for you has he looked beyond every one of your faults and met you at your point of need somebody on a holler i'm in his hands whether on this side on the other side i'm in his hands for the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us somebody on a holler there will be glory after this yes yeah yes [Applause] yeah yay even after all of this i still trust god i hope today's service has spoken to you my brother my sister you've seen the agony of jesus you've heard his agonizing statements and yet he did all of this for our salvation he died for us he died for our salvation that we might know life that we might not have to go through what he went through and that whatever comes our way we know he is with us if you've been sharing this moment and you don't have christ in your life but today having been at the cross you want to know this jesus then i offer you an opportunity to give him your life right now to say lord jesus come into my life and change my life forgive me of my sins and my shortcomings and help me to be the man the woman i can be if that's your prayer today then i invite you to send us an email at amen a-m-e-n new psalmist.org and just say in it i want to give my life to jesus and we'll be right back with you to share with you and to help you understand what it means to love the lord well we're getting ready to close out but all my brothers and sisters even while jesus goes to the tomb we start living in expectation of easter sunday morning if you can go through your gethsemane and if you can endure and mount the cross of your calvary then trust god there is an easter waiting for you and easter sunday morning we're going to gather 7 15 9 30 and noon and you're welcome to be in the number with us as we praise the god who raised jesus from the dead and teaches us that earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal be sure to meet us in worship send out this service to all of your friends do some click evangelism get all of your family ready to worship with you on easter get your zoom parties all set up get your watch parties all set up because this is going to be the biggest most meaningful easter of your life join us in worship because we're going to say christ the lord is risen today god bless you that may the lord bless you and keep you and the benediction will be given sunday when christ is raised from the dead you

Channel: New Psalmist Baptist Church

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Length: 133min 3sec (7983 seconds)

Published: Fri Apr 02 2021