Good Friday Seven Last Words Service

[Music] [Music] you [Music] the hour comes my brothers and sisters for us to begin our seven last words service these are the seven last other inches of Jesus from the cross from the sixth to the ninth hour he hung on the cross they did an inhumane act to the most humane person who had ever lived they use nails similar to this one that I hold here now this is a replica of what they used in that day and on a blunted end point hammered in straight through his hands and ankles until he was held fast to the cross that's what they did to him that day and we've gathered here like the crowd that came out to Calvary to see what was going on to see the man who loved the world put to death won't you bow your head with me and prayer father in Jesus name we hear the hammer ringing we feel the weight of Calvary now our Lord our Savior has come for our salvation and this is the price it takes he must die that we might live and he's willing to die that we might live we come to stand with him in these hours we come to understand him even better to hear him to see him and to love him now God speak to us in this service and let this seven last words of Christ become the new catalyst for us to drive us closer to his unending love and to lead us on the path he would have us follow we ask this in Jesus name Amen from the sixth to the ninth hour he hung on that cross from 12 o'clock to 3 o'clock in the afternoon he hung on that cross uttering statements that person's heard as they stood by the first statement today will be preached by Reverend Reggie Thomas pastor of the greater gas M&E Baptist following him will come bishop Dewayne seed Edmund the Morning Star Baptist Church in Baltimore following him coming with that word spoken in passion to marry his mother will be dr. Philip Porter from Little Rock Arkansas st. Mark's Baptist Church and then going from the feeling of a son to the mother to the feeling of a son to his daddy dr. William Houston Curtis jr. will come from Pittsburgh Pennsylvania with my God my God why has thou forsaken me we go now to the Word of God and we hear Jesus on that cross Father forgive them for they know not what they do so I want to express my appreciation to Bishop Walter Scott Thomas senior for this opportunity to come and the share as a part of new Samus is Good Friday service thank God for for Bishop thank God for my colleagues and the gospel who I share assignment with this service praise God for you the Bible says in Luke chapter 23 verse 34 says this then Jesus said Father forgive them for they do not know what they do this first saying from the cross this first word I'd like to preach from this title this thought this tag I'd like to preach about a radical request a radical request Jesus came teaching preaching and healing yet despite all the good that he did he was racially profile wrongfully arrested they hurried him through a mockery of a trial and sentence Jesus to be executed they beat him and bruised him to the point where he was almost unrecognizable and required of him to carry his own cross to go gothis Hill where they nailed him to that cross he's bleeding suffocating Jesus is dehydrated the bones in his shoulders are dislocated and the Bible shows us that in this situation Jesus prays praying his understandable ended praying is what we ought to do when life has become a nightmare but Jesus's prayer requests was radical what made his prayer request so radical I suggest today that his prayer request was radical first of all because of the context the context of his prayer Jesus is prayer of intercession was while he was himself suffering on the cross Jesus prayer is a prayer of intercession although he's the one who's actually suffering Jesus is in pain Jesus is bleeding Jesus is dying and yet Jesus takes the time to pray for somebody else I don't know about you but this is radical this is a radical context he's been catching hell since he was arrested in the garden and released by Pilate yet Jesus takes the time to pray for somebody else Jesus takes the time to pray for other people who are also in trouble whether they realize it or not Jesus takes the time to pray for them instead of praying for himself Jesus prays for somebody else I don't know about y'all but that's radical to me because there have been times in my own life where I've been admittedly consumed with my own situation and I've done what the Lord has invited me to do I have taken it to the Lord in prayer but Jesus shows us that you can be in trouble you can be suffering you can be struggling you can be in the midst of a pandemic you can be in the midst of a crisis and still reach out and help somebody else that this is a radical counterintuitive contextual prayer Jesus prays not for himself but Jesus prays for somebody else so that means that you end to me that we can be in the midst of a storm and God can still use us to bless somebody else you and I can be in pain and God can yet still use us to be a blessing to other people Jesus is dying on the cross and yet he prays a radical prayer he prays for somebody else so I suggest to you that Jesus's prayer was radical because of its context it was intersessional but not only was his prayer radical because of the context but Jesus's prayer was radical because of the content Jesus in his prayer calls out to the Father and he says to the Father father forgive them forgive them that's the content of his prayer father I'm praying for them I'm not praying that you wipe them out I'm not praying that you hunt them down but father I'm praying that you would forgive them forgive the ones who are actually doing this to me for forgive the ones who are behind my suffering forgive the ones who are the cause of my pain father forgive the ones who are actually hurting me right now forgive the ones who nailed my hands to the cross forgive the ones who nailed my feet forgive the ones who beat me and forgive the ones who tortured me Father forgive the ones who press the crown of thorns upon my head forgive the ones who talk bad about me forgive the ones who hated on me Father forgive the ones who sabotaged me father for the very ones who who are the human reason for me hanging here on this cross father don't retaliate against them but forgive them father don't revenge me but forgive them father don't tear them apart but forgive them father I don't want you to get them back I want you to give them another chance y'all this is a radical prayer first of all because of his context Jesus is suffering but he's praying for somebody else but it's also a radical request because of its content Jesus is actually asking God to forgive the very people who have wounded him and the very people who have caused him pain is there anybody watching this right now who's ever had God move on your life to actually encourage you to pray for somebody who've been talking bad about you to pray for somebody who've been trying to work against you to pray for somebody who've been scandalizing your name this is a radical request because Jesus actually wants the Father to give them another chance it's a radical request because of its context it is a radical request because of its content but then thirdly this is a radical request because of the conclusion look at the text up he says Father forgive them for they know not what they do his conclusion is that they really don't know what they're doing the conclusion is that ignorance is the dominant determining factor in their decision because it's as if Jesus is saying up that if they really knew who they were messing with they would have changed their minds and I need somebody to embrace that right now that there's some people who've been working against schewe some people who've been undermining you some people who've been trying to sabotage you there's some people who've actually been trying to take you out but the reality is that because you are a child of God that if they really they were messing with they would change them on go ahead and high-five yourself and give your awesome God some praise right now his request is a father forgive them because they really don't know what they're doing up and I've got to pray for them because they just don't know any better I got a call out their name in prayer because they don't know any better go ahead talk to yourself if you got somebody in the kitchen with you go ahead and he took the time because she's been praying for you [Music] she'll be a shouty air shalyah radical requests the first word from the cross god bless I call your attention this afternoon to the Gospel of Luke Luke chapter 23 beginning in verse number 42 Luke chapter 23 beginning in their 42nd verse and letting y'all know how we're over you were in the sanctuary you'd be standing on your feet for word of God let's do it even while you at home Luke 23 verse 42 it reads this way then he said Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom jesus answered him I tell you the truth today you will be with me in paradise it was now about the sixth hour when darkness came over the whole land into the ninth hour for the Sun stopped shining and the curtain of the temple was torn into Jesus called out with a loud voice father into your hands I commit my spirit and when he said this he breathed his last God we thank you today for what this moment is all about redemption of your people to solve your sovereign power and now God remind us of the hope the lives within your redemptive sovereign power Jesus name we pray amen Luke 23 verse number 46 says when he had said this he breathed his last from this thought from this I'm not gonna let it in like this I'm not gonna let it end like this standing at the foot of the cross just a few feet away from the limp weakened sagging battered lifeless body of Jesus a Mary John and some believe Mary Magdalene despite the fact that one disciple hid had already betrayed him and ten other disciples were too afraid to be connected to him mary his mother John the faithful disciple and Mary Magdalene the grateful rehabilitated prostitute show up at his crucifixion the arrived at their way through the fear being murdered to pray him through the lowest moment of his journey and ask this horrific scene unfolds watching every moment seeing and we drop a blood pour from his body observing every twitch of his body never eats here far from his eyes a John the Beloved Disciple Mary his mother and Mary Magdalene a woman whom he had rescued from life on the strimer streets on the city they watch and cry they watch and pray they watch and hurt because the Jesus whom had done no wrong the son who had been so caring and the Jesus who arrested the lost of the streets is being crucified on a cross he was the one friend who had been a friend through the difficult seasons of John's life he was the son who had always looked out for his mama and he was the brother who had helped those who could not help themselves his life this brother this man his son his life is ending nailed to a cross he's taking his last breath surrounded by executioner's who laugh as he lives it's Mary John and Mary Magdalene staying there watching him die a slow death they stand they watch this y'all helpless they stand there frustrated powerless and angry with tear filled eyes waiting for a miracle they're hoping to believe in that what he's done for others he was somehow being able to do for himself they think they think they know his history they know what he's done before and if he can raise Lazarus from the dead they're sure that his life won't end nailed to a cross if he could bring him back life to a little girl who had died he can surely keep himself from dying if he can turn water into wine at the request of his mother he can sure they save his mother the pain of dying before her eyes if he can turn people with bad habits into people with great passion for divine purpose it's a life Shirley y'all won't in like this it came in like this how can a life that did so much good end up like this how can a person who helped hurting people end up so badly hurt how can I God with so much power allow those life of his son to end up like this I wrestled I wrestled with this as I'm sure Mary John and Mary Magdalene also wrestled we see the story in hell in hindsight but they lived it in real time and they weren't privy to knowing the second end of the story until enduring the first in but we on the other hand though knowing the second in still wrestled with the why the first ending was so necessary and do understand beloved that most of us have had moments when we wonder why certain things have ended the way that they did you wondered why doors closed so abruptly you wonder why your family members life ended the way that it did you wonder while your job situation ended the way it did you wonder why that relationship ended the way that it did in your mind the floor is always lingered it didn't have to end like this so Mary John and Mary Magdalene watch Jesus die they wonder why his life was ending this way as a matter of fact that we even moments where they could be heard saying it won't end like this can't you hear Mary saying to John God's gonna work the miracle it won't in like this gospel to turn it around it won't end like this can't you hear John saying God's gonna block the Angel of Death it won't end like this guy's gonna say just shout from the streets it won't in like this guy's gonna wake up wake us up from this dream it won't end like this maybe the life of Paul could in like this that's all Paul had people murdered but not Jesus maybe life of Peter could end like this after all Peter wasn't always nice to Peter people but not Jesus maybe life of Judas put in like this after all Judas was a traitor but not Jesus can I suggest to somebody who's watching this is hard not everything has a good ended but this will here we are doing this crucifixion from the lenses of Mary John and Mary Magdalene who has seconds passed by saying to themselves it won't end like this he can't die like this he can't be killed like this it won't in like this a Nadal to me if I was wrestling with this unjustified undeserved unwarranted ended that some endings are not really endings but get this they are really transitions change overs their shifts they are really beginnings they are really moments that signal a shift in your level of grace understand that some endings are not about ending you but ending some behaviors ending some habits ending some consequences and maybe some storms this into Jesus was now simply about a life drawing to a close but it was about some consequences some habits and some behaviors changing Jesus young does not come to this moment something to die let me rewind then he doesn't come to this moment just to die he could have died in the garden he could have died but the blows of an angry mob he could have died by the hand of an assassin but he dies on a cross by crucifixion of a crown of thorns on his head nails through the bones and his body and spears through his shoddy dies to settle a debt the sin could not pay he dies the resolve an issue between the forces of evil and the good that God of good he dies to make sure that our lives don't in like this they don't in consumed but sin they don't in blanketed by our mistakes they don't injure ate them the chaos our bad choices and so he dies to make sure that behaviors change he dies to make sure that sins are forgiven he dies to make sure that our fears to create more failures he dies to make sure that our habits don't further had he kept our lives Mary and her crew stand at the foot of the cross replaying moments in their minds as to what they could have done to change the situation she fine trying to figure out how it came to this try to understand why something so bad is happening there's somebody who and so much good and all along I hear them saying to one another it came in like this on a cross nothing to borrow to not laughed at by naysayers not insulted by evil not humiliated by the spirit of darkness why couldn't he end up like Moses and just be buried with the fathers of antiquity why couldn't he end up like Joshua and just be celebrated for a job well done why couldn't he end up like David with an honorable sender why couldn't he end up like inna and just walk with God but in the dog to me that some victories only come after a major defeat and this moment looks bad and it's bad but it's going to get better can I tell somebody so what you're dealing with looks bad feels bad and even sales bad but the strength of your moment in this crisis is that this is the moment of turnarounds can I suggest the Calgary signals a turnaround this is not a moment of endings it's a moment of turnarounds and I tell you that unless things get rock bottom you may never turn things around there's somebody who can testify that we're finally forced you to get things together with when you hit rock bottom but finally can beat you to do better was hitting rock bottom and hitting rock bottom may not be a bad thing because Jesus proves that if you do hit rock bottom there's evidence that says you can bounce back from the bottom God talks about it who can thank God right now that you can bounce back from the bottom I know right because they're persons who are watching who can testify that you hit rock bottom before it's a matter of that over these last few weeks doing this crisis you felt like you hit rock bottom as a matter that you started over from the bottom look at this thief who's on the cross who - but Jesus he hits rock bottom but he gets that in against the hang-up with Jesus and Jesus says to him today you could be a flea in paradise that's why I won't in like this it won't end like this because his dying was about what's next not just about what's over God consider for a moment that this thief who dies on the cross with Jesus makes a special request he says to Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom that's pivotal because what the thief is suggesting is that I know you're dying but I sense there's a future this thief who to our knowledge had no prior relationship with Jesus but who apparently has heard of the works of Jesus has the Spirit sensitivity to know that this moment is nothing more than a chapter in a book that it still be written this moment it's a prelude to the introduction of a life that is just starting to make his impact this moment at Calvary is the trailer to the movie that is still being finished and so what you and I have got to understand is that this thief apparently already discerned and that is that this moment at Calvary is not only about what's over but it's more about what's the next thing I tell somebody this or what's next in your life that's the next chapter there's a new beginning in your life yes what's over is the reign of evil but what's next is the reign of God what's over are the eternal consequences of sin but what's next is the redemption of our souls what's over the stains of sin all of us but what's next is a new chance to get it right you've got a chance to get it right Judy on kipping and his raw song but it this way he says what's coming it's better than what's been what's been has been our faith with sin but what's coming is the grace of forgiveness what's been has been our dealings with the demonic but what's coming is the power to overcome what's been has been our failure to say no but what's next is the strip to trust what's next it's been the crisis that has you shut it but what's next is your bounce back what's next is your recovery from a journey to the slope what's next is peace what's over is the problem what's next is resurrection what's over it's crucifixion what's next is the stone be rolled away what's over is the deathless Joyride in my life what's next it's a fresh start what's over are the nails what's next is Redemption what's over is the stigma of said what's next it's reconciliation what's over other species in your side what's next is atonement what's obvious the guilt of my pen anybody's taking uh that's an ex coming what's next so to me with God and one with God at peace with God what's about what's next not just about what's over we also learn that the life of Jesus will not end like this because yes dying opened the doors now we must go through the door let me show you it's dying open doors that happens shut but what we must now do is maximize the open doors it makes no sense to watch it door open that you won't go through too often we pray for and ask for doors to open and then when God opens the door where he hesitate and even at times back away the thief on the cross it's on to something because he understands that a door has been open the thing for the cross understands the door has been open just happening to that next to Jesus that's divine providence he is dying on a cross looks like he just happens to be crucified next to one who has the power to not only forgive him but where's the power to grant him privileges that his life has not earned he's done earned the right to be safe but he's hanging next to Jesus don't miss Roger said he has not earned the right to be escorted into eternity but the door has been opened he has not earned the right to be given a second chance but he's dying next to Jesus the door has been opened he has not earned the right to be treated like anything but a good up no but he's dying next to Jesus to the door has been opened and so can I suggest to somebody that the life of Jesus cannot end like this because he's still opening doors you missed that the reason you can wake up every morning this crisis because he's still opening doors he's humping across but he's still opening doors they press the crown of thorns in his head but he's still opening doors they drag him around the city the Via Dolorosa but he still open doors they buried him in a borrowed tomb but he's still opening doors and the children and matter is 2,000 years later he's still opening doors I feel like sorry right here but there's some folk in here who I've been shut in for the last few weeks your job ain't been opening it's not opening back up but here's the good news God is still opening doors this food on your table the lights are still on there still chef in your body he still blessing you I messed up yesterday but he forgave me today I know he's still opening doors because my ladder is becoming better than my past I know he's still opening doors because I've got grace for my grind I know he's still opening doors because I made it through some pass into some president blesses you now tell somebody you about to walk you to some present let's say I know he's still opening doors because I made it through some rock-bottom season I know he still opening doors because I'm better than I've been I know he's still opening doors because I've been change anybody need to celebrate the fact that you've been changed you've been healed you begged me pause right there he's keeping you in a stolen enough Yura but the other I jump up and down in your house right now because in a storm he's keeping you when there's a crisis all around you he's still keeping you [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Oh [Music] [Applause] [Music] carpet [Applause] [Music] Oh [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] called the name after whatever provided could you please [Music] the name of cheese [Music] stop [Applause] Padma will : [Music] strong [Music] [Music] see Oh [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] the bishop Walter Scott Thomas and to my colleagues with whom I shared this platform it's my great joy to bring to you the third word third cry from the cross the Lord Jesus Christ it's found in the Gospel of John chapter 19 verses 25 through 27 John's Gospel chapter 19 verses 25 through 27 the English standard version renders it this way but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister Mary the wife of Clopas and Mary Magdalene when Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby he said to his mother woman behold your son then he said to the disciple behold your mother and from that hour the disciple took her to his own home I'd like to tag this little talk redefined relationships redefined relationships film critics and historians suggest that the 1956 film the conqueror is perhaps one of the worst movies ever made the Conqueror that 1956 film is a fictional account the life of Genghis Khan the historical famed leader of the Mongol horde and yet the fault for this failing film does not fall on the script writers the director or any of the persons involved rather they suggest that fault lies with the casting director Genghis Khan the principal figure of the film is played by movie star John Wayne whose fame and renown has lasted through the ages and yet John Wayne cast as Genghis Khan just didn't work a great actor with a great script but an actor who was not fit for that role friends in the same way on the stage of our lives the truth is we are only responsible for playing our part and we make very poor casting directors as it relates to the other persons who will be on the stage with us Jesus Christ alone reserves the right my friends to define and redefine the relationships in our lives and that is what is happening in this third cry from the cross it is our Lord hanging bleeding dying its yet in the early stages he's been there a couple of hours but it's still light outside as he strains on that cross he straightens up to speak in extreme agony his muscles are in tension his breathing is shallow and yet he strains to speak a word of care and concern there at the cross John tells us is a collection of women who have stuck by Jesus Mary his mother his mother's sister Mary the wife of Clopas and Mary Magdalene they are there with Jesus in tension emotionally even as he is in agony physically Jesus sees his mother and his disciple that he loves John the Apostle the writer of this gospel Jesus sees them and in his care for them casts them into new roles in one another's lives because Friends Calvary requires an assessment and an adjustment of our perspective of inter personal relationships Jesus cares enough not just to give us what we need in our lives but to give us who we need in our lives as such we must then let God give us spiritual insight into who is who in our lives I'm suggesting my brother I'm suggesting my sister that we've got to accept God's definition and redefinition of people's roles in our lives the struggle is that we have hopes and dreams and wishes for our interpersonal relationships and when people do not meet those hopes dreams and wishes we live in relational tension and disappointment because our expectations have not been met and Jesus says listen rather than try to cast your own crowd let me define for you who people are so you live with right expectation of away from and free from the disappointment that comes when they don't meet yours listen listen to Jesus redefine these relationships they may not be who you hope them to be or who even they have been to you but they can be what you need going forward in destiny let let me let me say a few words about this redefinition and and and then and then get out of your way let me say to you initially that this redefinition that Calvary's cross provides for us as a act of loving care but this comes because crisis demands redefinition I said crisis demands redefinition look at it in verse 25 they are standing by the cross of Jesus this ugly atrocious scene of agony and pain they are standing by Jesus's physical agony is their emotional agony he is literally nailed to the cross but but the mother that rocked him as a baby that that kissed him sweetly at night the mother that bore him in her womb is seeing her firstborn son killed as a common criminal criminal not not even not even a noble death but the death of a slave accused of blasphemy by religious leaders accused of treason by Roman leaders there Jesus is in agony and for mother Mary and these other women and for John the Beloved Disciple this is a crisis a crisis because they have committed themselves to following Jesus they have trusted that he is the Messiah the one promise of God and yet dying on the cross it seems as if their hopes for their future are dying with Jesus and yet Jesus in this word assures them that there is a future beyond the present crisis because in redefining their relationships he is telling them that they will live even after he dies while he has given them the promise of Resurrection that promise is not very present in their mental space right now but he does give them relationships that include responsibility that says there's more living to do even though you see me dying now look at the crisis he is dying their hopes are dying their wishes and desires for Christ to live and to conquer and overrule Roman oppression are dying and yet Jesus says you got more living to do and here's how you can know I'm giving you responsibility for one another the crisis friends demands demands redefinition listen look at them John and Mary are both looking up at Christ on the cross we're therefore in position here me to look at one another in a new dynamic and more helpful way did you hear what I said I want to say it again because they were both looking up at Christ on the cross they were therefore in position to look at one another in a new dynamic and helpful way listen I can determine your capacity to be committed to me based on your present commitment to Jesus Christ John is the only disciple at the foot of the cross the others have abandoned Jesus in his greatest hour of need and shame and therefore Jesus can assign John Mary because John is actually present in the crisis I'm saying to you that God uses crisis to reveal commitment he uses crisis to show us who to be committed to and who will be committed to us his sacrifice for us then calls us to sacrifice for one another the question must be raised and why does Jesus wait to hang on a cross to connect these two and and then why does he do it on the cross rather than post resurrection why do we need this word on Calvary it's because the crisis is what defined the relationship I want to say it another way if he waited until he was resurrected then they would not have had the commonality of the crisis to unite them and if he did it prior to his crucifixion then they would have had a connection based on times of perhaps ease and comfort rather than crisis but they always shared the moment of a bloody Jesus beaten battered and bruised Jesus hooking them up into this new life giving relationship I'm saying sometimes God uses shared pain as a conduit for redemptive relationships had either of them been absent from that ugly traumatizing scene the moment would have been lost and I'm trying to say friend that while we are in the midst of a crisis right now God is revealing to us those who can be redemptive ly related to us in our lives while we are crying our tears and dealing with financial uncertainty and emotional instability God is hooking us up with the Jones and the Mary's of who are with us in the crisis who are not abandoning us in the crisis but have their eyes fixed on Jesus and their ears attentive to his voice because the crisis is what's defining our relationships now I need to move from that quickly my time is running quickly but notice that crisis demands redefinition but the redefinition is mutually beneficial most people perceive this to be Jesus simply speaking the word of care for his mother Mary Mary this is your son woman this is your son that term woman is a term of endearment it's like my dear this is your son and John this is your mother but but that stops short of the significance of the statement it is not merely a word of care for his mother Mary it is also a word of care for his beloved disciple John and Friends most missed this because we miss John's role and relationship in the disciple ship community John is the youngest of the disciples somewhere at this time in his late teens or perhaps right at 20 years old John left his parents when Jesus calls him from the fishing boat John though considered technically an adult is still in need of mothering and mentoring mary has other sons Jesus is her oldest we assume at this time that Joseph her husband is dead and and that though Jesus has brothers at this time they are not believers and she does not need simply a practical caretaker she needs a practical caretaker who is a follower of Jesus she needs a disciple to take care of her she needs a disciple to take care of her practical needs john needs a parent to help develop him emotionally and mentally because he's been a follower of jesus but he is still in development as a person and his maturity still needs some mentoring so this is a symbiotic relationship that is not parasitic but it is mutualism they need one another John needs a parental figure as much as married needs a faith-filled faithful caretaker and Jesus sees two people who he loves that he was fulfilling the roles for both of them in their life Jesus as the oldest of Mary's son was the one responsible for her practical care and Jesus as the oldest of that band of followers that he had was the one who was the mental and emotional mentor for John his beloved disciple they need one another because Jesus is about to redefine his relationship with them he's about to die and then post resurrection he's going to ascend so he cannot be the physical presence that he had been before so here's what Jesus does he hooks them up with one another so that they will be to one another in physical presence what Jesus is going to be in spiritual presence and that's what he does when we connect at the cross Jesus causes us to be a mutually beneficial to one another they are living I don't have time I wish I had time to explain it they are living in what is a blessed tension of difference Mary is older and John is younger Mary his female and John is male Mary knew Jesus as a baby John as a young teenager comes to know Jesus and yet that blessed tension of difference is what provides the mutual benefit that moves them forward into what God has called them to be I don't have time I wish I did if I had time I tell you this is a redefinition of relationship and not not an introduction of because they are they are related they are related literally in fact this sister of Mary is Salome mark and Matthew tell us it's Salome Salome is the wife of Zebedee who is the mother they are the mother and father of James and John the disciples of Jesus Christ John has a mother at the cross his biological mother is at the cross but he needs another kind of mother let me tell you let me help you John has a biological mother but his biological mother has a husband Zebedee and an older son James who's also an apostle of Jesus Christ James from the time of Jeopardy's death is then responsible for taking care of Salome John's mother he has a biological mother but he does not have a mother who is his responsibility he is a secondary son a second born son as such he is not principally responsible for the care of Salome his mother his older brother is he's got a biological mother at the cross but he needs a spiritual mother in his house so Jesus says I'm gonna meet your need your devotee or developmental need let me let me let me suggest friends that the nature of this Gospel of John and the writings of the Apostle John 1st 2nd and 3rd John and even the book of Revelation that we generally agree is written by the same apostle john are inspired by the holy spirit instructed by jesus christ but influenced by Mary the mother of Jesus in fact John's Gospel has a unique ability to be sensitive to the female perspective of relating to Jesus Christ a Karen teason says it this way the Mennonites scholar John's story reveals a certain sensitivity and a deep respect for women which is evident in his selection and portrayal of incidents in Jesus's life the giant gospel of Jesus is not presented as seeking to modify the feminine role prevalent within Judaism rather Jesus seems to ignore it altogether as he calls women to public ministry and affirms them in the face of male of opposition listen to it just as much as Mary needs John John leads Mary because we don't have this gospel as it is written we don't have this perspective as it is given we don't have the fullness of the story of Jesus Christ without John having the influence of mother Mary in his life God will hook you up with who you need so that you can be who you're supposed to be my time is gone I'm over the time allotted to me let me say finally that the crisis demands redefinition the redefinition is mutually beneficial but ultimately the redefinition requires immediate reorganization look at the text Jesus says the word woman behold your son says the disciple behold your mother and look at it from that hour verse 27 says the disciple took Jesus or took her into his own home there it is it's immediate reorganization when God reveals redefines relationships you need to reorganize your life it required reorganization from both of them I'm done I'm done but but Mary was living in Galilee and scholars say that though John is from Galilee he has a house outside of Jerusalem at this time and and listen listen he takes her in his own home they both had to adjust Mary had to make moves John had to make room I'm done now but when when when God blesses you with who you need is gonna require that you either make moves Oh make room oh my god would we make the moves and make the room to relate more closely to those who are helping us to become better followers of Jesus Christ I'm through but there's a hymn I love that simply says this blessed be the ties that bind our hearts in Christian love the fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above before our Father's throne we pour our ardent prayers our fears our hopes our aims are one our comforts and our cares here's what we do we share our mutual roles our mutual burdens bare and often for each other flows the sympathizing tear when we asunder part it brings us inward pain but we shall still be joined in heart and hope to meet again god bless you may the Lord be good to you smile upon you and give you everything you need as you're at home in this crisis but I come to tell you that God is going to hook you up with who you need to get you where you need to go you are not in your crisis by yourself God's got somebody who will walk with you who will encourage you and who will uplift you through all that you're going through - Bishop Thomas and to all my colleagues in this creative and imaginative celebration of the seven last words it's considerate the most anguish cry in human history Jesus reaching back to the opening verse David's lament in Psalm 22 when we hear what a devoted follower of God does when caught somewhere between allegiance and ambiguity my god my god why have you forsaken me the question can be raised to anybody else because David's very life has been absorbed in his musings and melodies about the greatness and majesty of God it explains why Jesus gripped by the pain of crucifixion grabs this Psalm and not another he grabs this Psalm to express his inner thoughts the greatest voluntary sacrifice for human Redemption hangs now suspended between obedience and anguish and what might Jesus do from where will he pull his inspiration and you might ask from which stream will he drink to slake his thirst what a relief to me that Jesus grabs of all that he could extract from the Psalms he grabs a lament because I've often thought myself to be somehow a lesser or weaker Christian for wailing before God about my personal circumstances expressing to him how much I'm mourning the loss of all things normal comfortable and convenient in my life I don't often share how much my conversations with God can be my expressions of anguish and how there are times when I dance around his throne delicately when he asked me William Curtis how you doing and what are you thinking I agreed today with Richard Rohr when he reminds us that the rationalists is always looking for an explanation trying to find some intellectual space to fit this unexplainable season into oh end the romantic is looking for the sigh of relief even if it's not true just tell me that everything's gonna be okay soon even if I know it's not true tell me it's not gonna hurt as bad as it's presently hurting Anna now next question what is the lament in search of when it is raised if I can't explain it to my comfort level and if I can't find relief that it intends no more than a light affliction when it hits my life then what does the lament really offer me well to me it's clear that Jesus wasn't searching for a literal answer to that anguished question why because he knew how this was going to unfold but he sure was making a bold statement that he intended to work this pain and this conflict out nowhere else and with no one else but God to whom he directs the lament and from where he pulls it lets us know that he's very spiritually attuned and that the pain hasn't cluttered his view towards heaven I need that ability to lament to the God I love because it provides honest space for my need to express where I am and to express how I'm feeling thank God we are given permission to cross sometimes over the terrain of praise and thanksgiving and passed by the space of worship and adoration and that God also accepts our approach when it comes with great mourning and wailing and expressions fed by deep ambiguities regarding his will and how strange his ways can be sometimes when lavishing praise is not the genuine offering you can make to him based on how you're struggling to understand his will text teaches us there's also space enough in God's grace that you can bring to him your lament and he will hear that too in fact I want to lean in on it a little further and suggest to us that God brings us closer when it's connecting yes by lavish and praise or by lamenting my feelings of fear and frustration they don't mind when I make my ascent up that hill of Prayer with a confused look on my face with an indicted word first released from my mouth upon my arrival God what are you doing how can this be the angle or approach or strategy or plan for my life are you serious that this season is going to involve me to manage this and juggle that and you want me to handle it how you want me to forgive who you want me to include who and for how long did you say this will last you may not have been able to label this brothers and sisters you may not have ever been able to put a label on this shape of expression when talking about your relationship with the Lord but I promise you that you've done it because this lament is the cry every Christian knows when having been blessed to see God work swiftly and powerfully before if you've ever witnessed God's awesome displays of power then you know that is married and matched sometimes to the ambiguity and conundrum of his silence having a jex suppose the times you've seen God work quickly to intervene in your life over against the times it seems God holds back his direct presence and lets the suffering last longer than you concluded it should before I couldn't struggle long enough at all before God was defeating what was bent on defeating me and now it seems god you're noticeably silent in my struggle and I mourn the absence of swiftness with which I've grown accustomed when it comes to how you move on my behalf where God now is that multiplying protecting defending yoke destroying way making prayer answering immediacy that I know you're capable of oh I've seen you make ways before I've seen you answer my prayers immediately I felt you pull or push me in certain directions to avoid pits and perilous places and that's all the more reason why I'm totally baffled as to why you are delayed and silent now well what do I do when life pushes me from whatever lofty level I was living on down to the level of lament or maybe I should say up to the level of lament huh well this text teaches us you enter into your devotion with whatever authentic key you need to use to open the door that has separated you in God and if it's a lament then let that be your point of spiritual entry when you can't find a praise when what you're going through cannot content a Thanksgiving for you can I tell you that God doesn't mind you entering his presence with the lament as well don't try to find something positive to say when you can't find anything positive to muse about don't try to find something positive to say about what is driving you crazy or keeping you confused because the truth is there might not be anything positive about this level this space this place this season of pain you're feeling don't try to rationalize it because while we all need to endure these painful places the conundrum is I never thought it'd be my turn right now you mean it's my turn now that makes it different for me I was encouraging when it was somebody else's turn but now that it's my turn I have to express I'm confused I'm conflicted I was the one praying encouraging everybody else how can it be my turn there's no way to explain this thank God because I don't have any way to explain this I have to be honest I can't ascend this hill into your presence with a praise and a thanksgiving the lament is all I have God where are you what are you doing and why is this where you have me today and my brothers and sisters here's the point if the lament is all you have then you let that lament lead you right into the presence of God that's the goal anyway isn't it to take our anguish as deep as it is to take it to God and let me wrestle with God right there you'll quickly deserting Ament is an acceptable leader right to the heart of God just like other disciplines of our worship and expressions of Thanksgiving and whether he answers or not or answers quick or decides to delay the greater testimony is the statement you are making aside from the lament you are offering do you hear it in the text Jesus's words specifically oh my God my God why have you forsaken me but as having said it makes a bigger statement and what is that bigger statement here it is God I'm not letting go of you even from the extremities of my life I held on tight when things were calm and peaceful when you were answering quick and holding suffering at bay making all my enemies my footstool and you know what imma do now that I'm caught in confusion and conundrum now that I'm in mental conflict I'm gonna do the same thing I did when things were making sense I'm a hold on tight and no matter how to motorist and seemingly perilous the times of the coming I'm holding on to you even if you have to lean in on your relationship with God with the lament you offer it because it says even when life hits me hard god I'm not letting go of you praise is not my preference today no Thanksgiving is rising unimpaired I'm more doubtful than convinced I'm living in ambiguity that I haven't felt in a long time but I'm not letting go of you Lord and this is the best I can do to hold on to you the best I can do to hold on in this season is to lament God why are you forsaken me because even in my lament I'm expressing my trust I'm staking my claim that even this feeling of human isolation and conflict can't stop me from holding on to you I won't let my confusion make me doubt my absolutes and I will not let the conflict in my life make me forget my convictions you walk with me you talk with me so I repeat it again that God brings us close whether it's connecting by lavishing praise on him or lamenting my feelings of fear and my perceptions of abandonment thank God he lets me lean in however I need to lean in that great puppeteer Charles Spurgeon tells the story about two men in a boat they're caught in a very severe storm out on the water the rapids are raging they're headed towards a war fall and there's really no way if they hit those rapids headed towards that waterfall that they'll be able to survive and as you would imagine they started to struggle for their lives and as they're carried swiftly downstream they're carried towards the perilous rocks that are ahead of them some men on the shore saw them out on the water struggling they tried to save the two men by throwing a rope out by this time the men had fallen out of that little boat they were struggling with the current headed towards the waterfall one man caught the rope and he was pulled safely to shore at that same instant Spurgeon says the other man who could have as easily seized the rope in his panic of the moment he instead grabbed onto a log that was floating by and that turned out to be his fatal mistake one man was drawn to the shore because he had a connection with the people on the land the other clinging to a log was carried down through the rapids and unfortunately never found again I think you see it what faith does his faith gives you a connection to the shore doesn't it faith gives you a connection to the shore through an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ here it is even if the lament has to be your Roop that brings you to show my God my God is the rope you grab on to that leads you to shore and not the log that carries you to your human demise my brother my sister you stay connected no matter what no matter how you stay connected and it's not hard because the Rope is thrown to you and it's thrown to you from one side of lavishing praise it's thrown to you all the way from the other side of lamenting in pain maybe that's why Paul said what then shall we say to these things if God is for us who can be against us he who did not spare his own son but delivered him up for us all how shall he not with him also freely give us Oh things who shall bring a charge against God's elect it is God who justifies who is he who condemns it is Christ who died and furthermore is also risen who is even at the right hand of God who also makes intercession for us this the part I'm trying to get to who shall separate us from the love of Christ shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword as it is written for your sake we are killed all day long we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us for I am persuaded that neither death nor life nor Angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other created thing shall ever be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord when you can't ascend that hill lavishing praise upon God just know he wants you to a sin anyway even if all you had has the key to access your uninterrupted time with God is the lament you had he done mine you asking him God where are you and why have you put me in this predicament because after he ministers to you you were to send that hill within a short conviction that all things are working together for my good because I'm called by God and I'm called according to his purpose Father forgive them for they know not what they do they didn't know they were killing him and who he was they did not know they were killing the son of God this day you will be with me in paradise some of us are clinging to that right now woman behold thy son son behold thy mother and my God my God why has thou forsaken me those four utterances spoken by a man hanging from the cross fighting for breath struggling against the cross and the nails that were holding him fast to it dying for you and for me my brothers and sisters this is a major moment they are killing our Lord there's no if and buts about it they are killing our Lord we pause at the cross as they did that day and we're going to share our offerings of love now our gifts of faith as the Lord has blessed us I'm going to ask you to prepare your offerings now your preachers offering and your seven last words service offering prepare them both you can go to our website new psalmist out or you can go to give the thigh or push pay you can even text your offering two seven seven nine seven seven but let's give our offerings now as the Lord has blessed us we want to share we want to be able to be a blessing to others so let's give liberally this is Good Friday we give as the Lord has spoken to us somebody's already been blessed already with this word so let's give our gifts let's consecrate these gifts now father in Jesus name we give to the work of your kingdom thank you for making this moment available to us we thank you for them we give now in Jesus name Amen my brother's my sisters while you're sharing be sure to introduce yourself in the chat room tell others you're there and if you have questions about the faith about Jesus about what salvation is all about write it in the chat because our ministers are there and others are there we want to speak to you and help you understand what this is all about what Jesus did for us so write your questions down share them for those of you who've been in seven last words service before type in what it was like that you remember about seven last word type in some of the names of preachers you heard preach at seven last words and type in what God is saying to you today in these words that are being preached because we're getting ready to hear the word now you have time to give your offerings and if you don't give them now you can give them at the close of the service and I would invite you even now while we're worshiping to share this service with somebody else to click out to your friends and to invite them to be a part of it and tonight all my brothers and sisters tell everybody that you were in seven last word service now we're coming to the last three words of the Lord the last three utterances that he made on that cross as he hung on that cross dying for your sins and for mine they tried to watch him in his agony they spit up on him and he said I thirst when the moment became more than his body could bear he said it is finished then finally he looked at all around but he looked up and said father into thy hands I commit my spirit we're gonna hear three powerful words Reverend tisha Williams First Baptist Church rich Hampton New York Jesus said it is finished dr. Lance Watson st. Paul Baptist Church Richmond Virginia and then he said father into thy hands I commit my spirit welcome Walter Thomas jr. pastor First Baptist Church in Steelton Pennsylvania let's go back to the house good afternoon what a wonderful honor and a privilege to be able to share in this seven last word service with all of you I'm super excited to be with you all virtually at new psalmist and I'm so grateful to Bishop Walter Scott Thomas for this humbling invitation and I certainly counted a privilege to be among this August group of preachers and pastors I had the privilege this afternoon of presenting the fifth word I thirst coming from the book of John chapter 19 verses 28 through 30 reading from the King James Version after this Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished that the scripture might be fulfilled saith I thirst now there was set a vessel full of vinegar and they filled a spunge with vinegar and put it upon hyssop and put it to his mouth when Jesus therefore had received the vinegar he said it is finished and he bowed his head and gave up the ghost after this knowing that all things were now accomplished that the scripture might be fulfilled say it I thirst for the few moments that we have to share I'd like to preach from the subject I'd like to propose a toast let us pray father God in the name of Jesus I thank you God for the opportunity to stand at your sacred desk once again I ask right now God that you would empty me of anything that's not like you I have no delusions of grandeur I'm only what you make me in this moment so please empty me fill me with your Holy Ghost power that I might preach a life-affirming life-giving word to your people that you might get all of the glory this is our prayer in Jesus name Amen I'd like to propose a toast in their book titled toast and tributes a gentleman's guide to personal correspondence and the noble tradition of the toast authors John bridges and Brian Curtis shared that a gentleman should always do his best to give life's most important moments the attention they are due they go on to suggest that a gentleman cherishes the memorable moments of his life both while they are happening and after they are over when he is called upon to say a few words on a happy occasion he does his best to choose the words that honor the occasion itself and the people with whom the gentleman shares it in that way as he raises his glass to lead a toast he also raises the spirit of the moment making them even brighter truly if there was ever a moment when spirits needed to be lifted in a scene made brighter it is here at Calvary I've always considered the fourth and fifth utterances from the cross to be the most painful as one declares dereliction and the other dehydration and it seems strange that Jesus would decide to propose a toast in this moment that is until you consider the timing of a toast toasts are indicative of transition when a person honors the culmination of one season as they simultaneously look with hopefulness to the genesis of a new one and as Jesus prepares to transition from death to resurrected life turns out his timing as always is perfect the reality is it should not seem strange that Jesus would propose a toast truly his connection to wine and drink are prevalent throughout his ministry he proved to be quite the winemaker when he turned water into wine at the wedding at Cana producing a vintage too early for its time he presents himself as a veritable viticulturist when he declares I am The True Vine one wonders if along with carpentry he sighed hustled as a vintner after so expertly warning of the dangers of new wine in old wine skins why even after his departure Peter would testify that those filled with the Holy Spirit was thought to be filled with new wine and who could forget his most famous toast at the Passover Feast when he took the cup and serves as a salvific sommelier aptly describing the notes and complexity of the full-bodied wine they were about to consume saying this is the blood of my covenant which is poured out for many actually there is no arguing also that these two words I first demonstrates for us Jesus's humanity and his desperate need for hydration in this moment it is little wonder that he would be dehydrated trailing the biblical timeline we find that the last drink Jesus had was at the Passover meal a satiation far spent as immediately following the supper he retreats to the Garden of Gethsemane for prayer where he lost a great deal of bodily fluid water in the form of Tears electrolytes in the form of sweat and nutrients in the form of blood as he bore about of hematidrosis a condition common to those on death row why even when offered a cocktail of wine and gall to dull his pain Jesus refused and no one could blame him for turning away from the saliva that spewed from the mouths of the angry mob as he made his way to Golgotha he'll add to this the fluid lost from the subsequent beatings and torture and we can deduce without doubt Jesus was bursty and yet there's so much more to this statement I thirst and begs the question if Jesus as he so boldly declared in chapter 10 of this gospel has the authority to lay down his life and the authority to take it up again if he has the power to stave off death when he also had the power to stave off thirst Oh Church there's something happening here because I propose to you that Jesus was proposing a toast when he says I thirst it's not for him it's for them you know them the ones who know not what they do when Jesus says I thirst he's not begging he's commanding the attention of the audience the guards the onlookers the priests and everyone gathered at the cross as the triumphant Toastmaster when Jesus declares I thirst he's simply clinking the glass this is a word for someone today perhaps like Jesus you're physically exhausted you've been beaten down by life you've given all you have and you feel like there's nothing left I want you to know that all hope is not lost it is in the very moment when you are at your weakest that God will step in and give you enough strength to take command over some things as Jesus is proposing this toast that's why we post proposed toasts for so many of the reasons that we do he's toasting as one would at a wedding as the bridegroom to his church he's toasting as one celebrating a birth or new life as his redemptive work on the cross causes our old lives to pass away and our new ones to come into being he's toasting as one finding it hard to say goodbye to yesterday as he pours some out for the homies and disciples he's about to leave behind he's toasting as one entering retirement after laboring well he's toasting as one saying oh my gosh to this phase of life as he journeys into the next and while he is indeed toasting for all of the reasons we do I also believe that Jesus had his own personal reasons for toasting upon further examination we find this was a toast of consummation commemoration and celebration verse 28 begins after this Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished here Jesus toasts to the accomplishment of the consumed cup you know the cup the same cup that Jesus spoke about with James and John's mother requested Chiefs seats for her boys next to him one on his left and one on his right in his established Kingdom and you remember Jesus says response your boys are not able to drink of the cup that I must drink of I'm telling you now though the cup has been consumed you know the cup the same cup that Jesus prayed to pass from him in the Garden of Gethsemane remember when he asked his father if it be possible let this cup pass away from me but nevertheless not my will but thy will be done yeah well that cup has been consumed you know the cup the one Jesus referenced when the soldiers came to arrest him and that wild card Peter drew his sword and cut off the soldier's ear I wish Peter had kept that same energy before the crow but that's another sermon for another day remember when Jesus looked at Peter and said put your sword back am I not to drink of the cup that my father has given me yea that cup the cup has been consumed every sip every drop nothing has been wasted nothing has spilt it's gone it's out of here never to be drunk again because the cup has been consumed once and for all all has been accomplished now some of you may be wondering what was in the cup well my friends I'm talking about the cup of suffering the cup of shame and the cup of rejection by his own father it was a cup more costly than a crown and heavier that across filled with God's wrath long before William Shakespeare penned Romeo and Juliet there was a love story of a God who loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son to consume the poison that should have consumed us you see this Cup was supposed to be our cup this cup was supposed to be our punishment and now here in his Gospel John lets us know that the cup has been consumed let me help you hear the term toast as in drinking to one's health comes from the literal 16th century practice of dropping a piece of broken bread or scorched toast into wine the bread would help soak up some of the acidity impurities and the bitterness improving the flavour of the poor wine and thereby making the wine sweeter oh I think I'm on to something here because I'm told that every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before it was Jesus here in this scene the broken bread of life who absorbed the burden of our bitterness and removed our iniquitous impurities to improve the flavor of our sinful East our lives and after this knowing that all things were now accomplished Jesus says I first the cup that he asked to pass from him is now raising in victory so here's to the consumed cup that's a reason to celebrate that's a reason to rejoice but before Jesus celebrates he takes a moment to commemorate verse 28 goes on to say that the scripture might be fulfilled saith I thirst to commemorate something means to remember something and by doing so to honor it when Jesus says I thirst he's commemorating Scripture and while it seems strange in this moment keep in mind that any time God delivered his people in a miraculous way specifically in the Old Testament there was always a response by the people to commemorate their deliverance Jesus is no different why he's just celebrated the Passover with his disciples commemorating the exodus from Egypt and now his place of crucifixion becomes a place of commemoration with two words while the words I thirst only appear in this text they are inferred in Psalm 22 15 my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth and also Psalm 69 21 put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst there for Jesus's thirst is not indicative of his need for drink but rather his need to fulfill Scripture like an actor preparing for his great finale Jesus knows exactly when to deliver this powerful line here we see that Jesus is not a victim of circumstance he is fulfilling Scripture Jesus knows exactly who he is and he knows exactly what he's doing you see this was no impromptu toast made on the fly it was written years ago one theologian said in his final act Jesus decides when the curtain is dropped Jesus was always in control of how his story would end and let me pause here for a moment and say I know right now we are in a world of turmoil and you are wondering how your story is going to end here Jesus inspires us to take responsibility for how we come out of this thing you see you can come out of victim or you can come out victorious you can come out wrecked or you can come out rested you can come out insecure or you can come out inspired the choice is yours and when you come out and you will come out you got to get ready to celebrate as Jesus commemorates the past I believe he's also looking to the future after consuming the bitter cup what he wants now is a drink verse 29 says now there was set a vessel full of vinegar and they filled a spunge with vinegar and put it on his stump and put it to his mouth when Jesus therefore had received the vinegar he said it is finished you see a toast is only sealed when someone else joins by raising their glass how ironic that a nearby guard guard as recorded in Matthew would unbeknownst to him join in the celebration when he raises the hyssop branch and wine-soaked sponge to jesus' lip drawn from the same barrel the Roman soldiers dip into Jesus proposed the toast and got his enemies to pour sounds about right now prepares the table before me in the presence of mine enemies what was meant to mock Jesus actually seals the deal well I have clearly defined why Jesus was toasting I realized I neglected to identify who he was toasting to now I'm sorry to say I don't want to disappoint but this wasn't a great toast you see Jesus didn't follow any of the rules the industry experts suggest when it comes to making a great toast in fact he broke almost all of them it's void of emotion there's no clever story or joke and on top of that Jesus breaks the cardinal rule avoid saying I because it's not about you nevertheless I thirst this lets us know one thing Jesus is toasting to himself I believe that Jesus considered his messianic master list ran down what he needed to do they are forgiven I saved one more soul mama is in good hands and daddy and I'll on the mend after this Jesus knowing that all the things were accomplished that scripture might be fulfilled said I thirst I can hear Jesus saying here's to me not just for this moment but for every moment here's to every leper cleanse here's to every hearing ear here's to every sing I here's to every lesson taught here's to every dead person raised here's to every soul saved the one rule of toasting that Jesus managed to follow was end on a high note and when he declares cheers unto himself that's ending on a high note you see the phrase cheers is derived from the phrase be of good cheer how fitting for the one who has indeed just overcome the world Jesus is teaching us a valuable lesson here sometimes you gotta toast yourself the song says sometimes you have to encourage yourself you gotta Pat your own self on the back how about when you look back over all you've accomplished and all you've been through is there anybody out there back and say you know what cheers to me in every area that you've succeeded in all that you survived the torture the abuse to ridicule the trauma you turn around around you made it is there anybody out there that can say you know what yes to me it's likely you won't say I thirst but you can't say I won I made it I survived it I left him I found the one I graduated I pay down my debt I lived to see another day I didn't die I'm cancer-free I went back to school I started my own business I wrote the book I took the risk I proved everybody wrong I didn't break and I'm still here guess what here's to you go ahead and celebrate what you survived haven't emptied the cup Jesus is about to drink unlike the Dahl offered to doe his senses this vinegar and whined like mixture revived him and as it touched his lips and cleansed his mouth of the dregs of dried blood it did something else it also prepared his palate for one last shout oh you see it's not over this is only the fifth word his bogus declarations are yet to come there's a shout on the way in other words Jesus is saying have mercy I hope you don't mind let me clear my throat I hope there's someone out there who knows that for all you've endured as a shout coming that one of you are celebrating what you've been through God is preparing you for what he's about to do there's a shout coming there's a shout coming for your victory there's a shout coming for your breakthrough there's a shout coming for your healing there's a shout coming for your promotion there's a shout coming for your elevation there's a shout for your deliverance your shout is on the way and as we commemorate his death on the cross will you join me in a toast here's to Jesus and there's some words that come to mind when I think about this according to the Guinness Book of World Records for he's a jolly good fellow is the second most popular song in the English language following happy birthday and the song is sung while the lyrics recited to honor someone for a significant event or achievement come on you know the words for he's a jolly good fellow for he's a jolly good fellow for he's a jolly good fellow which nobody can tonight and while I don't know that I would say he's a jolly good fellow I can show enough say he's a mighty good God he's a mighty good Savior he's a mighty good healer he's a mighty good teacher he's a mighty good provider he's a mighty good counselor he's a mighty good comforter and a mighty good leader he's a mighty good friend which nobody can deny I don't know about you but I can't deny him I can't deny how he kept me I can't deny how he freed me I can't deny how he healed me I can't deny how he clothed me I can't deny how he fed me I can't deny how he opened doors for me I can't deny how he redeemed me I can't deny how he loved me I can't deny how he saved me which nobody can deny because at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord here's to Jesus I'd like to propose a toast amen and God bless you and so I want to read in your hearing verse 30 of John chapter 19 where the text says when Jesus therefore had received the vinegar he said it is finished and he bowed his head and gave up the ghost and from that text that I'd like to talk about I need some closure just tap two or three people and say who you telling aim amen you may be seated closure is critical following the end of any significant event or relationship in one's life close your signals finality it is a letting go of what once was it identifies the moment when you reconcile the account when you come to terms with the fact that things as you knew them experienced them and maybe even prefer them are now over closure is critical because without it the future is frozen by the chilly temperature of the past without closure we remain stuck in a dysfunctional cycle of dissatisfaction wondering what why and when closure is critical because when something ends whether it's a job or a journey a relationship romantic platonic professional or occupational we need to know why so that we can preserve our own peace of mind and assemble successfully the fragments of a future closers like a band-aid for a cut yes the cut could heal over time without one but the band-aid allows the cut to heal faster and mitigates the chance that the cut will not be reopened please hear me today because conclusions are like cuts the longer you keep them open once they have ended the more pain you put yourself through because nothing is more painful than a wound reopened after almost being healed and somebody knows what I'm talking about it needs closure in Acts chapter 20 the narrative reports that Paul that articulate African was preaching and his sermon was long not just 45 minutes not an hour but he was preaching like Lionel Richie that night all night long the place was packed the overflow had overflowed and while he was preaching there was and Utica sitting in the window and becoming drowsy he fell asleep and tragically fell out of the window down three stories hit the curb and he died now I could preach there today in light of where I am about the dangers of falling asleep in church but instead I want to suggest to you in all actuality that Eutychus would not have been heard if the window had had closure did you get it that whenever closure is not in place there's the poignant possibility that somebody is going to get hurt and I know you don't want anybody to know and you dressed it real well before you arrive today but somebody showed up today in need of closure closure to a relationship a separation a breakup a divorce are just being ditched dumped or dismissed somebody needs closure because you will over promised and then underwhelm you need closure because as soon as you get your fire going somebody keeps blowing out your candle you think the drama is over but it keeps coming back for an unsolicited encore and you beginning to feel like Michael Corleone and Godfather 3 just when I thought I was out they pull me back in you need closure so that you can stop calling their phone stop driving by their house in the middle of the night stop waiting for their car to pull up stop worrying about who they're with and why and stop wallowing and what it used to be you need closure so that you can stop hanging out in the cemetery of shattered dreams and move on to the mountaintop of new expectations you need closure so that you can accept what you really don't find acceptable and release what is ultimately uncontrollable because you cannot control somebody else's feelings whereas tank when you need him I came you love me if you don't I can't make your heart feel something it won't y'all notice all okay look you can't control the outcome of every situation you cannot guarantee the success of every endeavor you try but you can learn to release what you cannot control and make your peace with what went down and how it unfolded can I help your neighbor today because rest assured there is no one way to find closure because every seen scenario and situation has a different set of variables even if somebody has had a similar experience it was not an identical experience which means that at the end of the day you've got to find closure for yourself tap your name on both sides say you got to get it for yourself so you've got to make amends with what happened you got to transition from what used to be and you got to accept the agony of the reality that is now your reality closure is not easy because it's not easy to turn somebody who was yo everything into somebody who means nothing y'all gonna help me see it's hard to migrate somebody or something that was vital into the valley of the unimportant and the insignificant closure it's not easy but it is possible it's gonna take some time it's gonna take some help it's gonna take some healing but you've got to do it so you could move on no matter what it was or who it was life is too short to dwell on what you lost when there is so much more that you can gain tap somebody say you need closure see and by the grace of God you've got to find a way to transition beyond what is now finished towards what is yet undiscovered you got the move past what is no longer so that you can embrace what yet can be you've got to go beyond impose limitations in order to discover different possibilities because closure will empower you to move into your future unencumbered and optimistic closure will enable you to extract valuable lessons from what you went through even though it did not work out like you're playing collage you're will equip you to reframe what you went through and train yourself to see even the negative positively and that's what this single word that Christ shouted on the cross was designed to do after all he had been through it was designed to bring closure unless you were paying attention you would have missed it and all the chaos and confusion at cavalry because it was just one word in the Greek to tell us stop and what does that mean in English you know what it means I'm done I'm finished it's completed don't tap your neighbor say done amen not now look out and say stick a fork in me I'm done amen see it's a crucial word because it signifies the successful end to a particular course of action it's the word that you would use when you turn in the final copy of your dissertation or when you make the final payment on your car when you cross the finish line at the 10k run it means more than just I survived it means I did exactly what I set out to do and you've got to get that but you also need to notice that this verb listen is in the perfect tense now I know it's been a minute since fifth grade grammar but a verb in the perfect tense speaks of an action that has been completed in the past but whose results continue into the present that when Jesus cried out it's finished his verbs usage literally meant it was finished in the past it's still finished in the present and it will remain finished in the future I got closure see and this is a living lesson for all of us because his sample reminds us that when things happen that are beyond your control when critics conspire against you when friends walk away from you when followers forsake you when partners d'être you when confidants deny you and where the bottom drops out on you and what's happening to you there's not deserved by you you can still get closure anybody here interesting just shout bring it on round but Jesus says if you want close your first you have to own the options being offered tap somebody say own it neighbor see whatever yo it is you have to own it see spiritually speaking we recognize that the enemy the devil the adversary had been trying now to break Jesus for several hours through the ignorance that was beneath him through the insults that were beside him through the illusions that had emerged around him and now through the intimidation that was before him go to our verse it says when Jesus therefore had received the vinegar stop right there that he asked for water but they gave in vinegar it was actually cheap wine bad wine and I know you don't know anything about wine you don't look like connoisseurs but but this is wine gone bad it was bitter and unpleasant but in order to get closure Jesus in these final moments accepted it and that's the first step to gaining closure you have to own the options that are being offered they may not be preferable but since they are available you can make them useful as bitter as it is as undesirable as it appears that's difficult as it may seem there's no way around them you have to own them at that decision to own what is being what life is offering up to you empowers you to begin to reframe what you've been I cannot change it but I can change me I can alter the way I think about it this is not rejection it is direction this is not the end this is just a new beginning everything in my life is happening for a reason all things are working together for my good even things that I cannot see this pain has a purpose the storm is revealing my strength I'm wiser I'm better I'm stronger there is rhyme and reason to my life nothing is happening to me incidentally coincidentally or accidentally that door closed for a reason that relationship ended for reason I'm not just going to go through it I'm going to grow through it ok I see I gotta help you Howard Thurman that great african-american mystical theologian once told a story about his boyhood he grew up in a neighborhood that was rif with racism he lived with his grandmother next door to a Caucasian family who treated both he and his grandmother with disdain and disrespect the family next door never spoke even when spoken to and the ad agony the insult dr. Howard Thurman said that the mother who lived next door every evening would take her spatula scrape them Neuer off the bottom of her chicken coop and throw it over the fence in the Howard's backyard now how it was upset because she was throwing yeah y'all know what that is over on him but his grandmother never was and as time pass and things happened the woman next door became ill Howard's grandmother being a person of faith announced the Howard that she was going to cook her best chicken noodle soup and take it over to the woman and wanted him to go out to a rose bushes and cut 12 of her best roses to take to her neighbor as well Howard grumble Howard complained but he did it way they went to the woman's house and they presented her with a kiss and the woman was overwhelmed she thanked Howard's grandmother she said this soup is marvelous and these flowers are beautiful Howard's grandmother said well I grew them myself in my backyard she said well how in the world did you get the stems to grow so long and the petals to blossom so red and full Howard's grandmother said you remember that chicken manure that you keep throwing over my fence you meant it for evil but God used it for good you saw it as manure but God saw it as fertilizer I will help somebody on your own because somebody knows what it is to have somebody dumping on you every day but God sets you here so that I can tell you don't retaliate elevate so that you can translate you can't take what's done to you and change it into something good for you because the Spirit of God gives us the power to give beauty for Ashes and when life gives you a lemon you just had some sweet to it and make it into lemonade does that help anybody in here you gotta own the options being offered but secondly if you want to get closer listen you need to write this down you got to officiate over what's obviously offensive don't miss that that Jesus response is exceptional considering his circumstance he had been brutally beaten and miserably mocked tragically treated he had been arrested without an arraignment and tried on trumped-up charges of treason and tax evasion convicted without a cause like a criminal he had been crucified he was severely dehydrated had suffered massive blood loss he had hung suspended on this ancient instrument of capital punishment for three hours and yet in his closing moments listen he managed to talk to God in prayer provide redemption for thieves create community for his mother express his authenticity and appeal for a drink to soothe his tongue as offensive as the situation was Jesus died as Jesus had lived fully in charge of himself I need you to tap your neighbor and say get a hold of yourself hey man come on tap them again say stop trying to control everybody else just control yourself you can't control nobody else but you can hold yourself together see no matter how offensive that situation or circumstance in which you are forced to operate never lose your ability to officiate the situation you may not be able to control it but you can always control you and I'm going to try to help you right here cuz if you rewind the text to Luke chapter 4 where the text testifies about the early ministry of Jesus it says when he came to the village of Nazareth his boyhood home he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the scriptures the scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him he unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written the Spirit of the Lord is upon me for he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor he has sent me to proclaim to the captives freedom that the blind will see that the oppressed will be set free and that the time of the Lord's favor has come and the text adds this one footnote it says then he closed the book when you know who you are when you know who's you are when you know what you are supposed to do when you know your purpose and your assignment it gives you the ability to officiate even in the midst of that which is offensive he closed the book and sometimes when people are intimidated by your insight and jealous of your journey and perturbed about your progress and disturbed about your dreams you have the ability to close the book stop trying to read your story to people that don't want to hear it don't let their difficulty become your duty you got to close the book you got to be able to look them right in the eye and say this is why i'm hot this is why i'm hot this is why this is why this is why i'm hot cuz i'm fly and you might see and somebody looking at me right now needs to shut the book on some people who never should have been on your page in the first place see because before before jesus shut the book he understood what his assignment was he said this it's the year of the Lord's favor this is the acceptable year the Lord this is the year I experienced the favor of God and somebody ought to grab hold of that with both hands today you ought to walk out of here saying this is my year that the devil is defeated and evil cannot win trouble won't last this is the year of the Lord's favor I'm not Kuwait the next ship I'm not gonna be patient anymore this year God is going to bless me coming in and going out rise it up and laying down in my labor and in my leisure and my laughter in my tears God is gonna bless me despite who don't like me God is gonna bless you even with a negative doctor's report you'll be able to stand up and say I am healed even with a shutoff notice you'll be able to say I am blessed because this is my time for favor I need about five people in here just Kahala this year I receive favor you are to say it again and make the devil mad you ought to say this year I received favor I've been drinking bitter cups I've been struggling through stressful situations I've been battling with burdens and brokenness I've been robbing Peter to pay Paul I've been trying to hold myself together but I'm not gonna lie down I will not die here I'm not gonna drop out I'm not gonna quit my party to the enemy I'm going to officiate even in the midst of that which is offensive wait I'm pushing for closure because I understand that before I get to closure I have to get close yo you oughta have five three or four people and say that's why you fighting so hard cuz you close you closer to your destiny then you've ever been before you are right down the street right around the corner you are a few steps away from everything that God has promised you see that means that means that if I want to get closure I've gotta own the options being offered huh I've got to be willing and strong enough to officiate over what's obviously offensive and I gotta like it but I ain't gonna let it kill me I wish I had some help in here today see but then thirdly you gotta be willing to orchestrate your ordeal with order when Jesus was crucified he was not crucified by himself he was crucified with two other people listen usually when they crucified someone it took seven eight hours for them to die Jesus died in three and I don't know who this is for but the Lord told me to tell somebody that just cuz you came to church today he's gonna cut down the time you gonna be in pain see that you're not gonna grieve as long as other people you're not gonna hurt as long as they had to hurt God is gonna breathe eh Oh agony and if you know I'm talking to you just tap your neighbor say shut up this my shout right here see so that you won't come out of this with a testimony saying weeping may endure for a night but joy [Applause] will come in the morning as Jesus hangs on the cross a soldier near him pierced his side now don't miss that because whenever you are about to get closure in your life I'm trying to help you the enemy will send an emissary not from far away he's gonna nudge somebody near you in order to wound you from somebody you thought you could trust somebody in close proximity to you the soldier was angling for his heart but ended up piercing his side and similarly the enemy of your soul when you're getting close to your deliverance when you're getting close to your closure when you're getting close to your breakthrough he'll try to break your heart and that's why it may shock you but it should never shatter you if somebody near you throws you under the bus that leaves you for dead it's just the enemy to angling for your heart and notice that Jesus does not respond he let them have a front-row seat in the theater of his deliverance he's got spit on his face he's on the cross completely naked he's got dried-up blood on his body and all of the people he helped have left him and yet he summons the strength to push himself up on the nails and shout it's finished now get this he does not declare it's finished when he's off the cross he says it while he's still bleeding God told me to tell somebody that he's gonna heal you while they still hurt me he's gonna elevate you while they're still trying to eliminate you he's gonna bless you while they're still stressing you Jesus shouted it's finished I'm wounded I'm bleeding and I'm in pain I don't look my best but I'm about to get closure I don't know how long it's gonna take me and I'm going to have to deal with this by myself but I'm gonna get closure I know that they made it for evil but God it's going to use it for good and somebody hearing this word ought to be giving God some glory right now knowing that closure it's in God's hands but wait a minute preacher how dare you have the audacity to hope like that when I'm still in the situation how can I shout about it being finished I'm still struggling through it when my friend Jeffery Johnson tells this story about taking his nieces and nephews to see the movie The Karate Kid he took them to see the second edition the one with Jaden Smith Jaden you remember if you're a movie buff he was 12 years old he's 12 years old starring in a movie with Jackie Chan don't ever let anybody tell you what you can't do he's 12 years old starring in a movie with Jackie Chan and movie is about a kid living in Detroit with his mom his mom is a single parent and she moves to China to take advantage of a job opportunity but when they get to China if you watch the movie in the neighborhood where they live the bullies were beaten up Jaden's character every single day at every opportunity he was getting too beat up and the beat down he's small and he's skinny and they were pounding him for dear life every single day pastor Johnson said he looked down the road and all of his nieces had their hands over their eyes he asked what are y'all doing I brought to you so you could see the movie and they responded that's Jane was getting beat up and beat down on the screen we don't want to see this we don't know if he's gonna come out of this we don't know how he's going to survive and pastor Johnson reflected and said the reason he wasn't tripping it's that he knew it was a remake that he had seen Karate Kid back in 1984 with Danielson and mr. Miyagi he already knew how it was going to work out that in the end he was gonna win not he didn't like the bullying he didn't like to beat down he didn't like what Jane was going through but what helped him get through it was the fact that he knew how it was gonna turn out in the end can I help you before we go because with all the hell you face and with all the difficulty you navigate with all the troubles in your way I know it's hard but when you know this thing is going in you can endure it and get closure it's there anybody here who believes you gonna get the victory in the end see well how do I know pastor you gotta stay with the movie because in the movie wait you're gonna miss it cuz you're a little slow today Jaden Smith is Will Smith's son look okay you missed that Will Smith it's the executive producer of Karate Kid 2 that means he is in control of everything that happens in the movie and that's why his sign is the stop so it's your father put it together and your father is completely in charge you know you can't lose cuz in the end you go win is there anybody here who knows you're a child of God you ought to have five somebody and say I'm a child a producer and he won't let me go out like that he's controlling everything he's handling everything and so I got to wait to his over I can't shout right come on tap your neighbor say neighbor I'm calling it right now come on look your neighbor and I say negativity finish anger finish disappointment finished letting you pluck my nerves finish being upset all the time finish doing nothing with my life finished regretting my mistakes finish wishing somebody would make me happy finish struggling to pay the rich and keep the lights off somebody all I holler finish so in the name of Jesus I speak closure over your life take your neighbor by the hand [Music] look your neighbor in the eye and say neighbor neighbor I'm closing the door on yesterday and I'm throwing the key away tomorrow has no fear for me cuz I'm living today oh you ought to say that like you got an attitude say I'm living today if it coulda killed me it woulda killed me [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Laughter] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Bishop Walter Scott Thomas first lady Patricia Thomas and all the leadership of the new psalmist Baptist Church to all the preachers of the gospel who have shared in this Good Friday experience I do greet you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ and prepared to bring forth this last message from the seventh word on the cross can be found in Luke chapter 23 verse 44 the NIV says it was about noon and darkness came over the whole land until 3:00 in the afternoon but the Sun stopped shining and the curtain of the temple was torn into Jesus called out with a loud voice father into your hands I commit my spirit when he had said this he breathed his last won't you join me in a word of Prayer our Father and our God have your way Jesus name Amen I want to preach the time that shall be mine and as God shall guide from this theme and topic I'm not going out like this I need you just to share in the chat rooms or in the inboxes or the comments tell somebody I'm not going out like this Good Friday church is a dark day it's a dark day because we see our Savior and our Lord hanging on the old rugged cross it's a dark day because a guilty innocent man is taking on a guilty charge it's a dark day because he who knew no sin dies for the sins of the entire world it's a dark day because we see our Savior and our Lord go through the agony of the old rugged cross but not only is it a dark day because of what happens to Jesus but it's also a dark day because it is physically a dark day the atmosphere and the environment is dark Luke records that the Sun stops shining there's darkness in the air the Sun has refused to shine as packed up its bags and walked its way away and it's darkness all over the and and in this situation we find Jesus hanging on the cross in the midst of darkness Jesus is hanging on the old rugged cross he's near the hour of exploration we've heard the other six words that have been uttered on this hill and before he meets the end he declares out of his mouth father into your hands I commit my spirit it's nearing the hour of his demise and it's still dark but Jesus declares one more word father into your hands I commit my spirit because even with the darkness of the day and the darkness of the hour and the Sun refusing to shine our Savior and our Lord declares on that old rugged cross I'm not going out like this he declares with nails in his hands and nails and his feet that even in the midst of darkness the darkness will not win and God sent me by here on this Friday to help somebody understand that no matter how dark the situation's of your life may be you've got to be willing to stand and declare I'm not going out like this I don't care how bad it is this is not gonna be the end of my story I don't care how rough the situation is this will not be the last chapter in my book it does not matter what the government throws our way what the virus does how bad things get in the land somebody's gotta be willing to stand and declare I'm not going out like this oh you ought to type somewhere in your boxer that's my testimony I'm not going down this way I'm not going to be defeated by this problem this will not be the end of my story the darkness in my life will not be victorious on the other side Jesus on this cross in helping us understand that when you are in the midst of a dark situation and I know there's somebody watching on this day who's knows about some dark situations all sitting home all by yourself waiting for them to change the guidelines for you to be free who knows about being under stay at home order who knows about being told you got to stay quarantine who knows about wondering if the job is gonna leave me off if I'll be furloughed will I have enough money to make my bills all come together but what's the darkness surrounding you can you declare all today I'm not going out like this this is not gonna be the end this will not be the last step I'm getting through this thing Jesus declares I'm not I'm not going out like this in the midst of this darkness on the cross no this ain't gonna be the end my story's not ending here this is not how the story ends I've got a defeat the darkness so the question becomes what do you do when death comes for you in the dark when the darkness is surrounding you when the situation is oblique when you look like you are down on the mat and the referee is counting the 10 but you are declaring this is not the end of my story you gotta stand and say I'm not going out like this because when the darkness gets overwhelming you got to learn how to create a disruption in the darkness god help me preach him verse 46 it's all there in the text Jesus called out it's in the midst of the darkness the Sun has refused to shine the people are mourning and weeping because Jesus is on the old rugged cross his mother has been there his disciple has been there he's spoken a word to a thief on the cross they've tried to give him something to drink he's cried out God Bobby was shaking me cried out that he thirst cries out that he's finished everything is getting looked like he's getting from bad to worse but in the midst of all of that Jesus calls out in the midst of darkness he opens his mouth and he cries out somebody may be missing while that speaks to my soul let me help you understand this isn't just Jesus who is Mary's little baby this isn't just Jesus who is Emmanuel God with us no this isn't just Jesus who born and reared rather in nazma this is because Jesus who walked the streets for three years healing the sick and opening blind a tide this is Jesus who is also the Word made flesh I feel like heaven Church now matter of fact John says in the beginning was the word and the Word was God and the Word was with God this is the Word made flesh when the Bible says Jesus calls it isn't Jesus calling out this is Jesus the word this is the world being spoken in the word in the beginning Jesus declares a disruption creates a disruption in the midst of the darkness Bible says Jesus called out that I ain't going out like this no this is not gonna be the end of this story he calls out the darkness is overwhelming him but he creates a disruption in the darkness but when darkness is overwhelming you not only do you create the disruption but you also have to conjure up your god-given strength verse 46 says Jesus calls out loud voice now I must admit like some of you I was a little confused at first because Luke lets us know he's been going through this part of the journey from the sixth to the ninth hour he's been hanging on this cross for at least three hours now and this has not been the beginning of the process since Thursday night he's been taken from kangaroo court the kangaroo court folk have been talking about him and spitting in his face he has been beaten and dragged and a whipped had a crown of thorns placed on his head mocking his divinity and his royalty he has walked down the Via Dolorosa with a cross on his back and has hung on this cross for three hours but yet Luke records he cries out in the ninth hour with a loud voice our Savior is hanging on the cross he is dying on the cross but he cries out with a loud voice somebody still not getting it see crucifixion he is not dying because of the nails in his hands in his feet he's not dying from the loss of blood but but the Roman act of crucifixion he is dying from asphyxiation in other words he is suffocating on the cross but the nails in his hand and his body getting weak he began to fall down on the cross but as he would fall he could not get air in his lungs and so in order to get air in his lungs he would have to pull up on the nails but as he pulled up more pain went through his body which made him begin to fall even more somehow in the ninth hour he cries out with a loud voice still not getting it that means in order for him to call out with a loud voice he's got to get air in his lungs how does he get air in his lungs he's got to pull back up on those nails that are causing him pain and the nails that are causing him grief the nails that are rubbing against the nerve endings in his body he's got a pull-up on the nails god help me preacher to get air in his lungs to cry out with a loud voice but he's tired he's weak and he's spent but Jesus is no I've gotta conjure up the God giving strength on the inside of me I don't know how low life is taking you inside of you because God will give you the strength in the Lord somebody's asking well what do I do I can get up and get the strength but what do I speak in the dark situations huh I'm glad you asked Jesus shows us that you fight darkness with word you fight darkness with the word God has given you see when Jesus pulls up for this last word and he speaks it with a loud voice he does not speak a word to the crowd he does not speak a word for his mother he does not speak a word to the Centurions No he speaks a word that is word father into thy hands I commit my spirit he goes back to Psalm 31 and begins to boil only word that is in his spirit and when darkness is trying to overwhelm you you [Music] Jesus on this cross six to nine hour its darkness everywhere it's getting bleak it's looking like he's about to take an L Jesus says no I'm not going out like this somebody watching at home watch it in your car watch it on some device and you know the darkness in this world in this land has been overwhelming and surrounding you but can you just tap somehow on that screen send a message in saying I'm not going out like this because when the darkness gets overwhelming you create a disruption in the darkness you conjure up your god-given stranger here's the last thing and I'll bid you farewell you gotta centralize your focus on the God whose ability is unlimited Jesus cries out with a loud voice father I can stop right there in the midst of the darkness get this church I told you that Jesus it's a dark day he's dying for sins that he did not commit he's taking on a guilty charge that is not here sir a good man is the Sun has been torn into [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] my god what a word all three preachers all seven preachers have laid bare what Jesus did and I want to open the door of the church now because there may be somebody standing around the cross just as that Centurion stood around and he saw Jesus die and said surely this is the Son of God somebody sharing with us right now maybe standing around the cross recognizing and realizing Jesus Christ died for you he died for all of us and he died for you my brother my sister I invite you right now to give your life to Him he died so that we would be able to live our lives and know that God will take care of us and God has a plan for us if these messages bless your life you don't have a church home maybe you've never accepted Jesus as your personal Savior I want to extend the invitation to you now I want to extend the invitation to you to be a part of his family to join with us in his family there's a little space at the bottom of the screen that says II member if you'd like to be a member here I'd like to give your life to Christ just hit that or type in the chat box I'd like to give my life to Jesus Christ and we'll take it from there because somebody's being blessed right now and in this coronavirus environment it is time now to let God take the lead in your life listen God makes a way out of no way and I'm inviting you to trust him right now Jesus Christ died that day for our sins they took him down from the cross and buried him in a tomb but let me tell you something tonight I'm inviting you back because this is not the end of how we want you to understand what Jesus did all know there's tonight or rather today tonight and then Sunday morning tonight we are having a special service right on this space where you're watching now You Tube Facebook live new saw me screen we want you here seven o'clock tonight for the homegoing service of Jesus Christ that's right the homegoing service it's gonna be something like you've never seen before never shared before but it's the homegoing that he didn't have they took him down hastily and buried him but we're going to have his homegoing service right here at 7 o'clock tonight Bishop John Bryant and myself will be sharing the word we shared this moment and we're doing it again because it fits so appropriately at this time so meet us here tonight at 7 o'clock you're gonna be a witness to the homegoing service of the Lord Jesus Christ and then Sunday morning he gets up from the grave oh yes my brothers and sisters he gets up from the grave there'll be so much going on you'll want to be a part of this 7:15 9:30 and noon we will be in service and I want you to get your families together get dressed up it's going to be Easter Sunday get dressed up as a family sit together watch the the service together have a zoom party or Facebook live party a watch party and invite your friends in and share and talk with them as if you were in church on the road have a party together worshiping Christ as he rose from the dead I'm excited about that I'll be preaching it I'm excited about the word God has given for this Easter Sunday so be a part of it understand God's not through with what he's doing our young adults would want you to meet them tomorrow at noon on zoom' or rather on Facebook live and on you tube they would want you to meet them because they're gonna be having a great time celebrating together but Jesus Christ died for us we picked this up tonight we go out praising him now because he is the one who died for us you you

Channel: New Psalmist Baptist Church

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Length: 159min 28sec (9568 seconds)

Published: Fri Apr 10 2020