Seven Last Words

thank you for joining us my name is minister eva mcmillan and on behalf of dr e dewey smith and the entire house of hope atlanta family i would like to welcome you to our seven last word presentation featuring ministers from the house of hope atlanta and the house of hope west point the canonical gospels matthew mark luke and john record seven utterances that jesus said while he hung on the cross these sayings are also reflected in the old testament in psalms 22 psalms 31 and psalms 69. the ministers of hope will present eyewitness accounts of the seven last sayings of jesus christ from the cross however we will deviate slightly from the typical presentation of these sayings this presentation would be presented through the eyes of those who were there including inanimate objects our presentation will follow or will occur in three parts part one of the presentation will be the utterances through the use of first-person narratives of those in the crowd the thief on the cross and mary the mother of jesus part two of the presentation will be the utterances from god's point of view when jesus said my god my god why hath thou forsaken me and from the viewpoint of inanimate objects namely the water when jesus said i thirst and it when jesus said it is finished our last presentation will be the last utterance through the hand's point of view when jesus cried out father into your hands i commend my spirit let us now join our first part featuring the ministers of hope atlanta and west point this is the day that the lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it oh lord our god how excellent is your name and all the earth we greet you on behalf of our lord and savior jesus christ who is both the lion and the lamb and on behalf of dr e dewey smith jr lady andrea smith and the entire house of hope atlanta family we welcome you to our seven last words worship experience our worship today has been made more special just because you are joining us and we are so blessed to have this opportunity to share in the death of our lord together and we know that he bids us to come and die and be born anew through his shed blood will you pray with me god we thank you for the gift of your son your love is reckless it never ceases and your mercies never come to an end they are renewed every morning we thank you for your shed blood on the cross augustine that great bishop of hippo said that you love each of us as if there were only one of us and that is good news so in this worship experience we invite you to have your way speak to us tonight and remind us of what it felt like for you to bear our sins on the cross keep us ever mindful that you didn't have to do it but you did it just for us we love you oh god we honor your name we thank you for your sacrifice we thank you right now for the blood that came streaming down for all of us it is that blood that makes the difference in our lives and we ask all these things in the name of jesus the christ amen and it is so sauron kielke guards once said that sometimes god must become our enemy to become our friend and so today we are invited to come and experience the last words of our lord and savior jesus the christ and i believe that our strength will be renewed as we hear these eyewitness accounts from the foot of the cross [Music] oh yeah [Applause] that gives me chances [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] get what represents the lord's body the night before he was crucified he took unleavened bread representing his body which you're going to be given and broken for us i want you to get your family together and get your crackers your bread bob said he break it and he blessed it father bless this is some of the body which was broken for us on the cross of calvary thank you for your body and we're now in the body of christ help us to be your body he all over the body of our lord he then took the cup guys the cup the blood of jesus they put wine to his mouth to remind him and they made a mistake to remind him of who he was remind him of his first miracle today we take this wine to remind us of the miracle of salvation may this wine remind us of what he's already done for us on the cross of cavern father thank you for the assembly of your blood that you for us on the cross of calvary drinking all of it the blood of our lord they then went out to the mount of olives and that they sang a hymn and we get ready to close this service and i want you to know that the god who's with us is going to be with you right now may protect you may keep you all the days of your life i want you to know that when you have those questions about the darkness that god's blood is gonna find you and it's gonna cover your entire life may you be covered and protected by the blood of jesus may you be protected at all times to walk in victory top of the day house of hope family it is it is indeed a pleasure to be with you today i must admit i did not expect to see so many congregants out here in the congregation i am just overjoyed that pastor smith even thought enough of me to ask me to come and speak on this good friday celebration as we honor the seven last words of our lord and savior jesus christ i'm just in awe so many people out here which leads me to believe that pastor smith did not let you know who was coming today because if you had known who was coming to speak to you this afternoon most of you would not have come into the second speaker was scheduled to speak if you had known who was coming to speak to you today you would have exited left exited right or exited to the rear so once i tell you who i am if you choose to leave i don't blame you i stand before you as pontius if you'd like to leave go ahead and leave now but i really wish you would stay and hear the words i'm about to speak i am pontius pilate the infamous pontius pilate who history has treated so badly who christians for two over 2 thousand years have vilified i pontius pilate am the one who sentenced jesus to death i pontius pilate am the roman governor of the province of judea and i am here in jerusalem for passover celebrations that the jews have every year i come to jerusalem to ensure that there is no insurrection i come to ensure that peace is had and fun is had by all but this particular year i come i came to jerusalem and there was a roman high priest by the name of caiaphas who approached me about a gentleman i had never in my life met heard of or had seen this gentleman's name was jesus he came to me with what you all called is a birther issue he didn't have an issue with where jesus was born not his geology he had an issue instead with jesus's genealogy of who he was born he came and told me that jesus claimed to be the son of god i explained to caiaphas that has nothing to do with me but then he went on and said jesus claimed to be the king of the jews in essence he was committing sedition against tiberius the empire the emperor who had assigned me over this province rather than do the right thing and find this man that i had spoken to innocent i acted as the judge the jury and the executioner for jesus i literally had my neck my knee on the neck of justice while justice cried out i can't breathe i literally rested my knee on justice's neck until justice no longer had any breath oh i sentenced jesus to crucifixion one of the worst deaths a man could endure during this time he was whipped beaten kicked spat upon oh but i'm here to tell you today where matthew mark luke and john place the period jesus indeed put a karma where matthew mark luke and john left me in limbo in history jesus put a comma and with that comma jesus begin to change my story oh matthew mark luke and john will lead you to believe that after the crucifixion there was no more pontius pilate oh but i'm here to tell you as i stood and i watched jesus march up to via dolorosa oh he could hardly carry his cross due to the due to the infliction of pain that he had occurred incurred as i watched him as they stretched him nailing his hands into the cross nailing his feet into the cross stretching him wide and lifting him high something on the inside of me began to change oh and as i stood there in the crowd watching jesus oh it is as if he lifted his head and looked directly at me and he uttered these ten words he said father forgive them for they know not what they do but oh my sisters and my brothers i didn't hear that that morning oh this is what i heard i heard father forgive pilate for he knows not what he does and in that instant oh in the pit of my stomach there began a swelling oh and i looked over and i saw jesus his mother's mary and i realized that jesus had just forgiven me the man who sentenced him to die a just man a man i could find no wrong in and i looked at his mother mary and i went to his mother mary and i i decided to see if jesus was really real and if he really does what he says he does and if he really infects those people who worship him and i went to his mother and you can ask her she'll be up she'll be up in a couple of people you can ask her for yourself i said mary will you forgive me like jesus forgave me for killing your son and right then and right there she embraced me with the mother's love i never knew my mother but she embraced me just like i was a son jesus on the cross and i don't know who i'm talking to today but just like mary embraced me jesus is waiting to embrace you i don't know what you're dealing with today i don't know what burden you are burying i don't know what load you are carrying i don't know what sin you think you have done that is unforgivable but i'm here to tell you one day i heard him say father forgive them for they know not what they do and i want you to know that you are part of the they you are part of them and we have all been forgiven so as i stand here before you today oh as i stand here before you today don't let people write your story and put a period where god wants to put a comma because as long as god puts a common he has time to continue to change your story now house of hope as i leave you i want you to know that god that jesus has room [Music] at the cross not only for me the man who sent us them to die but he has room at the cross for you just remember father forgive them for they know not what they do you are forgiven praise the lord saints hallelujah i'm so glad to be a part of this passion week i'm going to share with you what our lord and savior said in his second words on the cross but i'd like to remind you that our god the god that we serve has no respect of persons he loves those who sit high and he loves those who are low he even loved the two thieves that were on the cross with him so dr luke tells the story then one of the criminals hanging there began to yell insults at him aren't you the messiah save yourself and us but the other answer rebuking him don't you even fear god since we are undergoing the same punishment you are punished justly because we're going giving back for what we deserve the things that we did but this man this man has done nothing wrong then he said jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom and he said to him i assure you today you will be with me in paradise well every word and every symbol in this holy text is powerful and in this particular text the movement of just one comma makes a difference see the word today is not the time frame of when the promise would be fulfilled but the time the promise was made the cross is where all prophecy and divine plans are filled there was a conversation at the cross there were two male factors and one blessed savior now the conversation wasn't just our run-of-the-mill sunday afternoon conversation there was blood and gore everywhere it was gloomy the sun had refused to shine even nature knew that things were amiss but only one of the mild factors understood at the end that he was in the presence of the most high he was in the presence of the king of king and the lord of lords the savior of the world in the end he understood that jesus every word he spoke had power every word he spoke had purpose every word he spoke had promise the criminal the one who was low was the only one in the end who understood who jesus was well there were lots of people there the pharisees were there you know the one who interpret jewish law the scholars in the group but they had no understanding the sadducees were there the privileged priests but no discern meant the soldiers and the military were there they had might but no mastery of who jesus really was judas had already given up and defeated and hung himself and the disciples were hiding where fear trumped their faith john was there to take care of mary and the women disciples and mary they just wailed and mourned they had no voice the crowd together didn't understand who jesus really was because a week ago they had shouted crown him but today they shall crucify him the conversation is between three people two with sin in them and one with sin placed upon him well i'm the thief on the left i'm a hardened criminal i'm low down i have no remorse for what i have done i speak in the language that is blasphemous if you are the christ save yourself and us if you are the christ if you are the son of man if you are the son of god if you were born of the virgin mary if my heart is heartened and i don't understand forgiveness i don't even realize that forgiveness was just an arm reach away i don't even understand that mercy that suits my case was standing right there the words coming out of my mouth was the language of a sinner selfish if you are the christ because actually i really don't believe you are the christ i don't even fear god i'm just speaking that i'm just hedging my best in the case you really are god but you see that sign up there it says king of the jews so are you the son of god or are you just the king of the jews well i'm just like some 21st century christians over 200 years will pass but there will be some just like me they won't understand who jesus really is they don't understand that god is not going to accept lukewarm they just kind of got their foot halfway in the door and halfway out the door they dropped by on sunday morning to check off i've been to church leave their check but no they don't operate in love there's no forgiveness and certainly i'm not feeding the poor or looking after the offerings i'm in the presence of jesus as a mouth factor but even though forgiveness is all around i'm dying in my sin well i'm the thief on the right i was in the courtroom when they convicted an innocent man i saw the crooked judge and the opportune ruler i saw them when they released a guilty man and laid a rugged cross on the innocent man's life to die i saw how they mocked him i saw how they abused him but in the middle of his dying he prayed a prayer of forgiveness what kind of man is this he said father forgive them for they know not what they do i'm that thief i'm admitting that i was a theater i deserved to die i deserved judgment i didn't go to church i didn't make any offering but being in the presence of jesus what i have heard and what i have seen my heart has gotten soft i have just changed because you can't be in the presence of jesus and something that happened just remember lord when you get to your kingdom remember me i don't know when you're gonna get there lord but i know that you sit high and look low just remember me and lord thank you for your promise because you said today i'll be with you in paradise so even one like me even one who is caught in my mess never had it quite right didn't do the right things sinned consciously and unconsciously but you still loved me and you still forgave me and at the end of the day today i shall be with you in that holy place in that place where the streets are gold i shall be with you in paradise a man and a man and a man good evening i've been invited here several times by my friends tamika palmer and sabrina fulton to share with you all however for some reason tonight just feels different they've been saying i need to let it all out to just tell what went on instead of keeping it bottled up they said i needed to be around people that might understand that if i just talk about it i might start to feel better really i just can't believe what they did i can't believe that they they killed him my son my son well before i tell you everything let me just tell you a little bit about him cause as long as i can remember i've always known there was something special about him to tell the truth even how i found out i was pregnant with him was special now wait wait i know what you're thinking that every woman says that but in my case it really was special this is gonna sound hard to believe but it was an angel who came and told me that i was pregnant the angel told me that my son was going to be great gonna be called son of the highest that the lord god was gonna give him the throne of his father david he was gonna reign over the house of jacob ever and that his kingdom was going to last forever i was so young and i feared what was gonna happen when i told joe see back then joe was my soon to be husband however i was so excited that i've been chosen for such a special purpose to carry such a special gift i mean he had to be special if an angel was coming to give me the news right and besides even though i was betrothed to joe i hadn't even known a man yet all i wanted to be was an obedient servant of god so i just told the angel let it be according to your word and until recently i thought it was you see when my son was just a baby people will come up a sign to me and go about him like one time we was at the temple dedicating him and this man i think his name was simeon saw my child and just burst into praise he was saying for my eyes have seen your salvation what you have prepared in the sight of all nations a light for revelation to the gentiles and the glory of your people israel i was just looking at him kind of crazy you know i mean my baby was cute now but this simeon he had just burst into praise like the baby was his or something anyway he must have noticed how i was looking i was in he blessed us too and told me that this child is destined to cause the fallen and rising of many in israel and to be a sign that will be spoken against so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed and a sword will pierce your own soul too now i'm wondering could this be what he meant even as i thought back about that same day a very old woman also came up to us i think her name was anna and she too started giving thanks to god for the child my child she spoke of all who were looking forward to the redemption of jerusalem i know i know i'm sorry it seems like i'm rambling i'm just trying to collect myself it's just that all my son ever did was try to help people he fed the hungry he healed the sick and once he told me that his focus was to seek and save that which is lost jesus was his name but to me he was just my manny you know that was my nickname for him short for emmanuel cause that's what the angel told me to call him he never really gave me any trouble except well it was that one time when he was about 12 and we was out of town in jerusalem for the passover feast we was on our way back having already traveled a whole day before i realized he wasn't with us so me and joe had to go back and look for him i thought for sure somebody had snatched him up but when we got back to jerusalem about three days later there he was sitting in the temple chomping it up with the preachers and the sunday school teachers they was all loving it but i was so hot i could have beaten the breaks off of him he had me and joe wearing sick then instead of understanding why we were so anxious he had the nerve to ask us why we was looking for him and didn't we know that he had to be about his father's business i didn't have a clue what he was talking about i figured he'd been listening to some of that contemporary gospel instead of our messianic hebrew music thank goodness though he never did anything like that again the next time i had to even almost give him the look was when we went to a wedding in cana i forget whose wedding it is but have mercy i was the first to notice that they had ran out of wine now you know i was attending that wedding i couldn't have that new couple being the laughingstock of town it would have been a scandal they were just getting started in life and they couldn't have a disgrace like running out of wine you know wine is a big deal at a wedding it's the heart of the celebration and it can make one merry wine at a wedding symbolizes joy and blessings and prosperity and i just knew my son could help you know he was so connected and he had done so much for so many people i knew that pulling off a miracle of getting more wine new wine when all they had left was water and old wine skins would be no big deal for him you know he was a little hesitant at first saying that his hour had not yet come but i simply told the people in the kitchen do whatever he said needless to say my baby got it done he turned that water into wine and it was better wine than what they had started out with you see that's the type of stuff he did he restores joy blessings prosperity and he can put new mind in old blind skins which is why he did not deserve this i've been going over all this in my head and i'm still trying to figure it out since i know that angel couldn't have lied to me he just couldn't have he couldn't have told me all those things or to end like this see when the women came at me and told me that jesus had been taken i didn't know exactly what was happening we just started walking walking towards galgotha people were everywhere and it was like an eerie electricity in the air the city was bursting because it was the day of the preparation of passover but i had a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach and i knew something depraved was looming my spirit was unsettled and i didn't really pay attention or notice all the droves of people around me i could hear the mob screaming and i heard the noise of the insults and mocking all around me i only wanted to find my son when we got down by the cross is when i saw him i saw him beaten and bloody scourged with a makeshift crown of thorns on his head they praised him on the side and he was hanging there my heart was pounding my mouth was dry i almost fell to my knees i could barely get one foot in front of the other i couldn't catch my breath and i felt like a sword had pierced my own soul i felt pain that i pray none of you ever have to feel can you imagine seeing your child hanging up there i wanted to run and pull him down i wanted to trade places with him i would have easily given my life a hundred times over for his surely he could make this stop he done so many other miracles including raising people from the dead at the moment that our eyes locked he must have felt my anguish in the midst of his own because when he saw me standing there with john through all he'd been through really able weak beaten disrespected and bloody he said to me woman behold your son and he told john behold your mother when jesus spoke something happened you hear what i said when jesus spoke something happened really when i looked back something always happened when he spoke at the moment that i heard his voice it was like a sound or an ointment had been placed on my own wounds suddenly my mind went from racing as i was watching this scene in horror before me i started remembering every word that had ever been spoken to him to him to me about him and every word ever spoken between us it was then that i felt joy the same way i did when angel first visited me peace as i did when i went to visit my cousin until i was pregnant esteem as i did when simeon and anna prophesied to me about my baby boy in the temple i felt relief as i did when i found him that day when he was 12. righteous pride as i did that day when he turned that water in the line i felt admiration like when i heard of him healing the sick and raising the dead and feeding the hungry at that moment when he saw me from the cross in the multitudes through his own pain and left instructions for me and john suddenly his whole life made sense i knew what he meant today in luke 2 49 when joe and i went looking for him and found him at the temple and he asked why did i seek him didn't i know he had to be about his father's business this was his father's business it dawned on me what he said at the wedding when he was talking about his time had not yet come i knew what he meant because now was his time to the naked eye he was but a shell to everyone else he looked weak he looked broken he looked defeated but in my heart i knew that this was his destiny this is why he been sent through me these people weren't taking his life my son jesus was laying his life down he was laying it down for you and for me he was laying it down for our sins because if there's no shedding of blood there can be no propitiation for our sins he was laying it down that we might have life and have it more abundantly he was laying it down that we might have life everlasting jesus the bread of life emmanuel savior deliverer messiah the christ the king of king and the lord of lords father we just want to thank you for your love [Music] your love kept you on the cross you stayed right there you could have came down but love kept you on that cross and we just want to say thank you hallelujah your grace your [Music] peace and your love is never in [Music] your grace and your peace your love is never-ending help me say it one voice you're come on your peace and your love is never-ending sing your grace your peace and your love is never a name [Music] on the mountain in the valley no matter what's surrounds me your love if i make can i sing it again it says on a mountain in the valley no matter what surrounds me your love if i may sing your grace and your love was never ending yes lord your grace your peace and your [Music] it's yours your peace and your [Music] no matter what sold [Music] [Music] no matter what surrounds you no matter what's going on come on [Music] me [Applause] [Music] [Music] is [Music] saving [Music] [Music] changed [Music] [Applause] [Music] we thank you for your love your love saves me your life changes me your life frees me it keeps my mind it keeps my heart you're alive you're not never [Music] it keeps on saying [Music] [Music] [Music] no matter what situation [Applause] [Music] and [Music] it changes the [Music] no matter what surrounds me it keeps on finding me no matter where we are keeps on finding me [Music] no matter what surrounds me your love anybody else glad about anybody else god about it on a mountain in the middle of the desert in the middle of whatever you're going through in the middle of the tornado in the middle [Music] no matter what surrounds me your love well praise the lord saints praise the lord again this is the day that the lord has made and we're here to rejoice and be glad and my goodness we're so thankful uh for everybody who's been a part of this good friday experience it's such a joy uh to have you here with us today and my goodness have we not been blessed by the word of god i mean listen don't those words father forgive them for they know not what they do uh my goodness and jesus saying today you're gonna be with me in paradise and and and then woman behold your son son behold your mother my god what what an awesome awesome time for us just to remember those words of our lord from the cross and then to be blessed with that dance like we have today just to to allow us to concentrate and to focus on this good friday i know it's strange that it's called good friday but as we've heard uh with the messages thus far and through dance that we've witnessed that it's certainly good friday because it was through good friday that he sacrificed his life for you and i and i'm grateful to god for that i want to thank dr sharon mitchell and uh minister brian harris for the incredible job that they've done uh in putting together this good friday service and i've just been so blessed i can't wait to hear uh the rest of the messages to see what god is going to do and say today and i've been blessed by i hope you've been blessed by i hope you if you've been watching that you shared this link with somebody else uh to get this preaching and to just remind us of who god is to that we say to god be the glory and you know uh 2000 years ago christ gave his life for you and i and uh and now that we're in worship now we have an opportunity to also give everybody can't preach everybody can do dance but we all have an opportunity it's something that we all can do we all can give we all can sow into the kingdom of god and today i want you to prepare to give and to give liberally on this good friday uh if the lord has ever done anything for you and kept you and provided for you but even in pandemic uh during times like these we still can worship god we still can give and we still can uh commemorate the things that are important to our faith and to our faith i want to pray with you right now we're going to prepare to give god i thank you that you give seed to the sower thank you that you're going to make all grace abound toward us that we have all sufficiency in all things thank you for allowing us to experience this good friday worship and now as we come to bless your name and to sow into your kingdom would you receive our gifts sanctify every gift for every giver let no one lack let no one have a need after giving these gifts today but multiply them and use them in your service in jesus name amen listen friends there are four ways that you can give today and i want you to prepare to give and of course the first one you can give today is through our text to give it's very very simple you can get your phone and you can text uh the codes h-o-h-a-t that's household atlanta ties for those who want to give tithe or h-o-h-a-o that's household atlanta offering for those who want to give an altering and then also h-o-h-a-g-f-h-o-h-a-g-f that's god first that's our mission 2020. you can text the girls by texting those codes to 678-201-1351 the information is on the screen now text to 678-201-1351 and give your tithes your offerings or your god first which is mission 2020. you can text a gear also while you're watching when you so desire you can give through cash cap cash app is dollar sign h-o-h-a-t-l so we invite you to give to cash out so you can give text to give cash out also for those who are watching uh online are watching through the website rather uh you can go and click the giving link while you're watching just follow what says online giving you again while you're watching right there through the website and follow the prompts and follow directions and it will lead you into how you can give while you're watching uh to the website and of course last but not least for those who desire to send some send it into the p.o box or po box for you the po box is po box 361 499 decatur georgia again that's po box 361 499 decatur georgia zero three six again one more time three six one four nine nine decatur georgia three zero zero three six i hope you've been blessed so tasty give cash out to the website and you also can give by send it into the p.o box listen i'm so excited to see what else god has in store for us on this good friday service i want to invite you to stay with us let's support the preachers who are preaching doing a wonderful job come on continue to put those comments and the emojis and the chats your amens and your go heads and your hearts uh to be interactive and give them your virtual amends and please do that and also let me invite you that on this coming resurrection sunday that is coming sunday uh you can be a part of our worship experience we're gonna have six worship opportunities for you sunday uh we'll have sunrise service as we always do i know that's why we're having sunrise service virtually because you know because he got up literally so if he got up if he got up early sunday morning literally we can get up early sunday morning and worship virtually i'm old school so we're gonna have a sunrise service at six a.m i want you to stay tuned to that uh and uh and then the other service times are on the screen so that's 6 a.m 7 30 a.m 10 15 a.m 4 30 p.m 7 p.m and then 10 p.m so you have six opportunities to work with us on sunday send the link out we have a production for you sunday it's going to tell we're going to tell the passion story like you've never seen me told before it's going to be incredible uh so sunrise service is going to be at six and the production is gonna view the other uh five times check it out on sunday uh and be in tune for something special something different something powerful uh for our special presentation and short film it's called freed it's called freed by written by our own minister greg kirkland so check it out check freed out on this coming sunday uh for our production all right we're gonna get back into our seven last words hope you've been blessed by it let's see what this god has in store for us love you take care praise god wasn't that that a powerful presentation of the first person narratives of jesus the first three utterances at the cross now let us continue with the next three utterances of jesus on the cross hallelujah there is a profound presence in this place there is one that stands that comes when called and comes whether you see him or not when i first heard this call it reminded me of all the things that i have done beforehand it was a call that came from the guttural sound of someone that was suffering and i would show over time who i am i am that i am and i always have been so when i heard a hebrew by the name of jesus speak these words and simply say eli eli lama which means my god my god why have you forsaken me it would be written in scriptures thousands of years to come and compiled that my response was not verbal my response my word took action because in him my word became flesh in him my word became life and in him my word would be seen he would be my snapshot you would look at him and see my presence and so i simply respond to his cry of agony knowing in him i see myself and simply say not only am i a present god but i see you i know you're in pain right now but i see you it's been a long journey but i see you when my holy spirit came upon your mother a young hebrew girl in jerusalem and came upon her with the holy spirit i saw you then i saw you when you were gestating in your mother's womb and you had a praise break with john when she met elizabeth i saw you i saw you when you were old enough to travel with your presence with your parents to hebrew festivals and you were so busy caught up in my word that i would drape you with wisdom and favor that you were so busy with the wise men making my business your business that your life was always my business i saw you when you were baptized by john i sent a dove to proclaim my joy and happiness and my blessing when you started gathering disciples and folks started trying to figure out who you were i saw you i was with you all along while you're frustrated and in pain i'm with you i was with you in the beginning when your disciple john would go on and write this letter he would say in the beginning was the word and the word was with god and the word was god and through the word all things were created and even as your as people that will come after you would utter those words even in your pain i give you my word that you have neither been left nor forsaken which means that geographically i won't leave you there is nowhere you could have gone that would escape my presence and emotionally you're never bankrupt with me i will never abandon you you will always know that i am standing by you even in your pain at the end of the day there will be someone who comes in your future that says we have not a high priest which cannot be touched by the feeling of our infirmities but it wasn't all points tempted and we are as we are and yet remained sinless long before anyone had an opinion my child before eternity became conceivable in time by human beings i had a discussion with you before eternity became time and i wrapped you in flesh in my favor long before social media had keyboard warriors saying things they would be far too weak to say to your face i wrapped you in long-suffering legitimate gifts and love and sent you down to a planet who did not know your goodness but would know your light long before you prayed to me in the garden of gethsemane that you hoped i could pass this cup from you long before then when i answered your plea with passion piety and a purpose that would outlast your pain long before then i was with you i am with you right now through all your struggles when the enemy came for your life as a baby i came with the heads of protection as a defender i talked to your stepdaddy joseph and told him take your little ebony brown skin down in egypt where they couldn't find you i hid you behind a hedge i told joseph that take care of my seed long before you were even born i was defending you to his mother letting her know that in your belly i will bring salvation and it shall be of the jews and when your calling made you feel like you did not belong inside of your own community because they will read a scripture that says jesus wept for he went to his own and his own did not receive him even when you were set outside of your own community i would take you inside with me i made sure that as you handled my business i handled not only your business but the business of everyone who would believe on you for all of eternity i am with you while you're suffering while you fasted in the wilderness you were hungry and tempted and rejected the devil in my name when you could do little work because of people's lack of faith i was with you when you were on the run because you threatened the power structure that was over you i was with you thousands of years in the future commentators will say that they're trying to figure out who you were and then you'll talk to them about the conversation that we had in your scripture when you say long before abraham was i am they'll still be commentating on your life i know you're in pain and i know you're frustrated i know you're hurting and i see you for i am a never present god and your humanity is just as precious to me as your divinity every time someone speaks your name there was power that leaks from their lips every time you've done a miracle i have been present every time the holy spirit moves i have given my approval there is nowhere you go that i am not present and in the end of the day even in your pain i am divinely responding and in the end in the end when the time has moved away from your crucifixion when you have given up the ghost when you have ascended before you have us ascended when you have descended to your grave this is what will happen you'll be there all night friday you'll be there all night saturday but early sunday morning you're going to get up with all power in your hand sunday morning you're going to be met by some women walking they're actually going to be the first ones to see you like the one you met at the well they're going to preach your gospel for before these men ever get a hold of it be aware that at the end of the day i was with you in the beginning as the alpha i'll be with you in the end as the omega and i'm with you in between as the dash but know this no matter where you go when you're suffering i am an ever-present god and i have not left you nor have i forsaken you my son my daughter you are mine and i have not forgotten you john 19 28 king james version after this jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished that scripture might be fulfilled saith i thirst it was the best of times it was the worst of times this is the first line in charles dickens a tale of two cities it was the age of wisdom it was the age of foolishness a time of epoch according to miriam webster epoch an event or a time that begins a new period of development a memorable event or date an extended period of time usually characterized by a distinctive development or by a memorable series of events rome was certainly no different the time of 30 to 33 a.d was a tale of two cities one was roman occupied and influenced by caesar augustus the second were converse of the way followers of christ and here i am in the midst of it all i observed jesus in the heat of the day scorched and beaten now hanging on the cross cries out i thirst let me introduce myself i am called water chemical compound known as h2o well well it is quite the commotion today the town and the surrounding areas are out here on golgotha's hill a place called the skull to witness the crucifixion of jesus crucifixion causes suffocation loss of body fluids and multiple organ failures the weight of the body pulling down on the arms makes breathing extremely difficult says jeremy ward physiologist at king's college in london in addition the heart and the lungs would would stop working as as blood is drained from his wounds he is now crying out i thirst of course he thirsts for me i'm the most powerful element there is water well maybe fire and wind they got something going on too i cover 71 percent of the earth's surface water is a part of everything up to 60 of the human adult body is water according to usgs a scientific research an agency with no regulatory land management or enforcement powers h.h mitchell journal of biological chemistry 158 says the brain and the heart are composed of 73 water the lungs about 83 percent and the skin approximately 64 percent muscles and kidneys 79 even the bones contain 31 of water i am important honey i'm necessary no one can live without me you need me to survive i can be helpful or i can be harmful i can help farmers with food plants animals i can help in the survival of life in some of the most remote places like the sahara desert i can wash away bacteria and i can wash your clothes but honey let me tell you i can cause floods like katrina i can cause mudslides in california i can create tsunamis in thailand and cause massive snowstorms hurricanes and tornadoes look at here i've been around since the beginning of time since the world was in existence don't you remember i was in genesis in the beginning when god's ruach blew over the face of the waters i was also with noah when it rained 40 days and 40 nights in exodus i hid moses in the now to be rescued from genocide i was the plague when the waters of the nile river was changed to blood i was with moses when god commanded me to part the red seas and let the hebrew children walk across on dry land and after they got there i drowned pharaoh's army in the red sea oh yes i did i was a participant with joshua and the hebrew children when they crossed safely over the jordan to the promised land in kings i heal naming of leprosy after being told by the prophet to dip in the jordan river seven times jonah met me when he was thrown overboard and landed in the belly of a large fish in the new testament i was there for the baptism of jesus when the holy spirit ascended like a dove and god was heard saying this is my beloved son in whom i am well pleased in john i was a participant in jesus's first miracle where he instructed the servants to fill the water pots and he changed water to wine at a canaan wedding i was listening from the well when jesus converted the samaritan woman to being a believing evangelist in matthew jesus walked on me and he allowed peter to do the same thing what is jesus to do he's crying out i thirst do they hear him do the soldiers care do i care he is the son of god all is at his command how is it that he thirsts he is the living water he is one of the trinity he is a creator i am the created how can he be thirsty is it water he wants i can feel the rhythm of life slowly draining from his body his heartbeat is beginning to fade all the water in his lungs kidneys and vital organs is dehydrated where are his divine attributes now is he not 100 divine and 100 human oh my i see now i understand christ moves forward with a sense of agony and urgency yet he is at peace he is fulfilling his purpose death on the cross he is not thirsty for water he is thirsty for the salvation of the human soul [Music] let the church say amen as we celebrate holy week and the last words of our savior let's turn to john 19th chapter the 30th verse there you will find the words written so when jesus had received the sour wine he said it is finished and bow on his head he gave up his spirit yes sometimes we can have what we call a bad day a bad week even a bad year life has a way of teaching us that we can be on a high one day a palm sunday on a one day and hosanna everything is good but then on a friday we hear people saying crucify him crucify him friends have forsaken you you must give up your right for somebody's wrong tragedy seems commonplace seeming defeat everywhere to say the least sometimes we are confronted with what looks like a bad day and in our scripture we have what some people would call a bad friday ah but we have a different hope oh we call it good friday some people look at it as a bad property but we call it good practice in our scripture found in ninth john 19 30 uh the greek word translated it is finished is tetelestai it's an accounting term meaning pain and full the dead old by man by to his creator to god on account of adam's sin is finally paid in full it is finished the mission the purpose is complete it is finished it reminds us first church that god is a god of purpose god is intentional in fulfilling the scripture ah jesus drank the sour wine the vinegar and proclaimed that the purpose is complete god said it the scripture had to be fulfilled he intended it he purposed it ah jesus was born for this tragic day jeremiah jeremiah said before i formed you in the womb i knew you i set you apart i appointed you for purpose yes i know the plans i have for you plans to prosper you and to do you good for an expected him jesus knew his purpose church we must know our purpose glorify him we must spend time with him to discover to know our expected end ah when we can't see our way he is the way it is finished it reminds us not only that god is a god of purpose but number two god is a god of perspective focus on the crown beyond the cross ah bear with me church hebrew 12 and 2 says looking under jesus the author and finisher of our faith who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross despising the shame and set down at the right hand of the throne of god it is finished it teaches us to endure the cross of life by looking beyond to a joy yes a joy that the world didn't give us and a joy that the world cannot take away it is finished but how do you look at it huh look at the look for the crown uh the victory in the seeming defeat huh it may seem like there's defeat that may but in every seeming defeat of the seas of victory uh the agony of the cross tries to keep us right there and hold our attention but we must move on to find our joy there's always something good is the glass half full of this the glass has half empty napoleon hill in his book thinking grow rich says every adversity every failure every heartbreak cares within the seed of an equal or a greater benefit it is finished it is how you see it how do you look at it what's your perspective ah hammered hank aaron babe ruth uh what do you think about when you see them you don't think about a strikeout king but you think about a home run king but they also were each strikeout kings the most strikeouts ever it is how you look at it what's your perspective it reminds us even with thomas edison with these lights that we take for granted he failed some ten thousand times ah he didn't focus hallelujah on the ten thousand pills he focused on the end from the beginning he's focused on the lights and that's why we have these lights this electricity that we enjoy uh have you focused on the fear and the pain of the process or do you look forward to the joy despising the pain of whatever is being birthed in you fulfill your destiny be all that god call you to be oh may all my power engage i got to just do my master's will there is no failure because in christ there is no failure we got to look beyond the cross hi to the crown thirdly it is finished it reminds us not only that god is a god of purpose he's intentional not only it is finished reminds us of a perspective focus on the crown beyond the cross ah it is finished reminds us that it's already done ah it is finished god does the end from the beginning oh come on and talk to us in talk to us before the foundation of the world i was because the father does the end from the beginning i was before the very foundation of the world before sin i was the solution i was the answer before the question before the problem i was the beginning before the beginning yes finally time has caught up with eternity i was eternity before there was time salvation before we could even understand hallelujah it was finished it is finished and it's going to be finished and in eternity there is no time it's already finished church he has given us everything in the heavenlies we just got to pull it down into time second peter 1 3 says his divine power has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of him that has called us to glory and virtue whereby given unto us many exceeding great and precious promises whatever you need whatever you need i tell your church is finished it's already done he finished it ah then he started it we must be all that he called us to be you may be a laugher like you may laugh at your call on your life but abraham because became the father of many nations ah the world may see you as a drunk but noah built an ark of safety ah that was never seen before you may be hiding out like gideon but god called you to be a mighty man of bella turn your fear into faith let the weak say i'm strong do only hallelujah do you only see the cross and shame or do you see your crown common place is tragedy but look for your triumph it reminds us hallelujah it is finished it reminds us to trust him when we can't trace him not my will but your will be done lord trust him i'll trust him to stay on the cross i'll trust him when my body reacts in pain because by his stripes i'm healed trust him when i can't pay my bills more money than money trust him when he calls me to start a business handle my family trust him when the storms of life are raging trust him past jim crow dressed up in a suit in time better known as james crow trying to take my voting rights my civil rights if we must learn hallelujah to count how many balls in a bar soap pay a poll tax literacy test no drop box for absentee boating whatever it takes i believe with the modern day prophet dr martin luther king i ain't going to let nobody turn me around we as a people will get to the promised land he stayed on the cross our lord and savior to set the captives free it is finished not any not just in eternity not just in time it's finished in you you are finished before you start if you just believe and receive the finished work god has purpose and a plan for your life speak the end from the beginning let the wheat say i am strong you're healed even when your body cries out sick you not the head and the tail huh god said it i am the head i am the tail i'm above and not beneath blessed going in and blessed coming out hallelujah blessing overtake me when the enemy comes in one way he'll flee seven different ways it is finished hallelujah because of purpose it is finished because of perspective look beyond the hallelujah cross focus on the crown it is finished it's already done we gotta know hallelujah that all things work together for good for them that are called hallelujah called according to his purpose hallelujah if you love him he'll make a way he'll make a way out of no way the cross is not the last story why because three days later he got up with all power in his hand and he'll get up in your life if you just walk in him believe in him oh do all that he calls us to do i love you church god bless you god keep you it is finished walk in your purpose walk in your destiny cause god has something good for you in jesus name hallelujah walk in your purpose amen it's already finished it's already done i turn it back over hallelujah to our moderator thank you jesus glory hallelujah thank you pastor smith thank you church thank you house of hope thank you travelers rest amen amen amen it's just good to know that the lord had us on his mind as he agreed to give his life we give god praise today hallelujah let's sing here song says this [Music] [Music] he did it all just for me they let him in his hands they nailed him in his feet they led him to a cross to die and all the while he was thinking of me [Music] the lashes you took they were meant for me but you told god you would take them instead you agreed to do it [Music] sacrifice you've made for me knowing all that you would have to go through hey you agree [Music] somebody ought to give god praise for how awesome he is for his sacrifice way on the cross let's sing together [Music] just for who church [Music] they nailed him in his feet [Music] [Music] snails [Music] [Music] you agreed to die [Music] knowing all that [Music] [Applause] oh what a sacrifice to say [Music] [Applause] [Music] you didn't have to do it but you didn't know [Music] come on come on but i'm sure can you help me say this right here [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] worshipers hallelujah [Music] [Applause] [Music] we shall [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] jesus hallelujah [Music] [Applause] [Music] you're yeah [Applause] [Music] [Music] you [Music] you agreed to die [Music] god [Music] you knew i would lie you knew i would for the case you knew what i would do but to stay right there i said you stayed right there i said you're staying right there i said you're staying right there you couldn't came down but you stayed right there it was loud it was loud it was loud that have you on that cross it was life that held you on that promises they thought it was the nails but it was life that held you on that road [Music] come on give god praise while you watch it come on give him praise come on while you're watching while you're watching type in the comments he agreed to do it come on type in the comments he'll agree to do it come on type that in the comments he agreed to do it he agreed to do it he didn't have to do it and i'm thankful are they anything for people who are watching right now on this communion sunday somebody say he'll agree to do it my i want to take the time to introduce myself to you this evening i know you've heard from others who've come before me they've told about their roles and the part that they played on this great friday evening that they crucified our lord and savior jesus christ but we were there in the crowd as well you've read about us all throughout the bible you've heard about us time and time again you're even personally familiar with us as we sat there in the crowd there were times that we wanted to stop everything were times we wanted to get in people's way there were times we wanted to prevent people from what they were doing to jesus christ but at the command of his father we had to sit back and watch them beat him we had to sit back and watch them mock him we had to sit back and watch them crucify jesus christ the messiah the great i am and after they had done all of that his father began to position us because he's so omniscient that he knew what was coming and he waited for the words of his great son when he simply said father it is into your hands that i commend my spirit and it was at that moment that his father released us until the nation see we come before you this evening as the hands that jesus commended himself into those were some of the greatest words that we had ever heard since we formed the universe when we heard those words we immediately rushed to the aid of our lord and savior jesus christ we grabbed hold of him and we began to comfort him as we held him in our aid and we said unto him since the beginning of time we have long to hold you and now that you have entrusted your spirit into our care we would have you to know that we represent divine approval and especially accept the sacrifice that you have made by offering your life we began to comfort jesus while holding him and we told him that we would have him to know that although we both hold you this hour we uniquely have our own identity i the right hand introduced myself and i told him that i represent omnipotence and honor i told him that i bring refuge in times of trouble i let him know that it was me that makes people's enemies their footstool and then i the left hand begin to introduce myself unto him i told him that i am known as kingdom power i encouraged him and let him know that i am the one that brings law in order and although little was said about me in the scripture i let him know that i always have the advantage in a battle i've been known to sling a stone at a hair and never miss although we are have our own unique individual functions we encouraged him and let him know that if whenever we get ready to come together once we join forces together we create a supernatural inseparable cohesive synergy that's second to none for when we come together and we place ourselves up on someone we validate them when we come together we make sure everyone's needs are met when we come together we open doors that no man can shut together we make ways out of no way together we lift those up who are cast down we bring about promotion and provision together we move stuff out of the way to make room for what's coming when we place ourselves up on someone we verify that they have been chosen by god to carry out his divine perfect will if we could introduce ourselves to you all this evening we would have for you to know that thousands and thousands of years these hands we have come together and go to extreme measures to protect preserve feed rescue and deliver others just for the sake of this auspicious occasion together we held the foundations of the earth together we spread the heavens out into the sky it was us in the very beginning that separated the waters from the waters we placed the pacific ocean between the continents of asia and australia we directed the atlantic ocean to flow between europe and africa we chiseled out portions of the earth and made the red river flow east from northwest texas along the southern border of oklahoma down into the mississippi river and then we made it flow down into louisiana and after doing all of that after five days of creating the universe we reached into the soil of the earth and god used us to meticulously manufacture man into his own image it was us after man had failed we made tonics of animal skin and clothed adam and his wife for 42 generations these hands have graciously held your bloodline together jesus letting nothing in no one ruin this moment there were times that these hands we had to intervene on your behalf when others were determined for preventing this moment from happening we fought kings and brought down monarchies for this very moment remember when that tyrant king pharaoh refused to let your father's children go it was us these hands that fled the plagues throughout the land causing him to change his mind it was these very hands jesus that led abraham the patriarch and forefather of the first 14 generations of your jewish bloodline to an unknown place to make his name great it was these hands that anointed a young shepherd boy named david who would lead the second 14 generations through 70 years of babylonian captivity and these same hands that kept the first 28 generations were determined to keep the last 14 generations so jesus we kept your great great great grandfather we kept your great great grandfather we kept your father who birthed your mother and then one day your father reached us over the banisters of heaven to touch the purity of your mother's womb and we strategically placed you inside of your mother's womb we watched over her while she carried you throughout her pregnancy and then after nine months we poured you out of her womb it was us jesus who watched over you when herod wanted to kill you and assassinate you it was us jesus these very hands that held you up so that you could walk on water it's these very hands that took two fishes and five loaves of bread and multiplied them turning of two fishes and five loaves of bread into a weekend buffet for 33 years we waited for this moment for 33 years my son waited for this moment to hold you in my hands so now that you have entrusted us with your care we want you to know that you are in good hands and we want to encourage you and let you know that we have good news from glory after all that you've been through and the good news is this when they take you up off this old rugged cross later this afternoon we're going to be with you when they place you in the grave we're going to be right there with you when you lay in the grave but whenever you go down to hades we'll be right there with you to snatch the keys back from satan we'll play we'll be with you all friday evening we'll comfort you all saturday morning we'll wipe the blood away we'll heal the scars we'll abandon up your wounds we'll watch over you while you rest on saturday night but early sunday morning that's the good news early sunday morning somewhere in between tick and tock these same hands are gonna roll the stone away pick you up out of your grave place you on your two feet and place you before men and women so that they can see you and after you've shown yourself to men and women we want you to know that these same hands are going to pick you up and place you at the right hand of your father for you are in good hands with us but not only that jesus are you in good hands with us after you with your father these same hands are going to come back down and we're going to watch over those who believe in you and we're going to provide for them we're going to take care of them and we're going to hold them in our hand and one day when you get ready to come back these same hands are going to us or all of those who believed in you up there to be with you and your father because our hands are filled with the love of your father thank you for joining the presentation of the last word from the ministers of hope it is our desire that in hearing these seven final statements by jesus christ during his last hours on the cross that you have been educated informed and inspired as followers of christ these phrases offer a glimpse into the depth of jesus suffering to accomplish our redemption be blessed [Music] [Music] you

Channel: The House of Hope

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Keywords: jamal bryant, kelontay gavin, edeweysmith, gospel music, tasha cobbs, maranda curtis, e dewey smith singing, e dewey smith preaching, GOD., house of hope, atlanta, macon, hymn, greater travelers rest, john wesley, millennials, TD Jakes, mega church, hotatl, baptist, alfred street baptist church, church music

Id: eYWFZ03dnLY

Length: 105min 30sec (6330 seconds)

Published: Fri Apr 02 2021