John 19:28-30After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, "I thirst!" Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. It is finished; all is accomplished; no more need be done. However, Jesus last request was “I thirst!” and He was given sour wine. At this last moment He was denied water, symbolic of ‘the word of God’ and was given a bitter spirit instead — certainly not the comfort of the Holy Spirit. Sufferings were laid upon Him to the full. He could withstand no more and thus God’s purpose was realised in Jesus. This is the pivotal moment when God’s Eternal Plan is released to mankind. All we have now in the Holy Spirit stems from this. “It is finished!” is the new beginning. It is the finish for Jesus the man on this earth, but the beginning of Jesus the Christ, the Promised Messiah, but only after He has come through the pits of hell — separated from The Father, and bearing all sin. For many, this is a difficult concept to get to grips with. This is understandable, for it is inconceivable. It is the stuff of fantasy to the natural mind, and yet Christ’s message has gripped the human race for more than two thousand years and, despite a decline in recent times — mainly in the ‘civilised’ west, who evangelised so many other nations — following Jesus Christ is still the largest religion by far, across the globe. And yet it is not a religion. If not religion, then what is it? It is a relationship. A personal meeting of each one of us with Jesus Christ, who intercedes with Father God for us. And that personal is combined with every other believer to form a global Church of Jesus Christ, a mighty fellowship, which is the body of Christ, with Jesus the head … becoming one. MEDITATE ON THESE THINGS2 TIMOTHY 4:6-8 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing. MORE OF YOU — Marty Nystrom LOVE with all your STRENGTH"ANGUISH" COMES FROM a word meaning to press tightly, to strangle, and the idea is not a bit too strong for the things people are going through. They are not sentimental things, but real things, where every bit of a man's life is twisted and wrung out to the last ebb. Can the love of God in Christ hold there, when every thing says that God is cruel to allow it, and that there is no such thing as justice and. goodness? Shall anguish separate us from the love of God? No, we are more than conquerors in it, not by our own effort but by the fact that the love of God in Christ holds. LISTEN TO THIS MEDITATION BY CLICKING ON ‘DOWNLOAD FILE’ BELOW
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