Scripture: Hebrews 7 v 22 - 27: "By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.
23 And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death:24 But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.
25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
26 For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;
27 Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself."
Every now and then the Holy Spirit puts a grain of sand into an oyster to make a pearl. He does this into my spirit until my mind grasps it and needs to discover some special insight to share with you all.
It happened quite simply on Friday when my son Sean and I were driving home from shopping and he said, I am thirsty! I never said anything because my mind heard Jesus on the Cross saying, I thirst. The oysters grain of sand had arrived.
When Jesus hung there absolutely everything He said or cried out, everything that happened to Him was of huge significance in His intercession for us. When He said, I thirst, He was manifesting our thirst for spiritual truth. He knew that God's people perish from lack of knowledge. He died so we could live, He thirsted so we could drink the living water.
The living water springs up inside our innermost being and the well never runs dry. Earlier this week I wrote about the breath God breathed into Adam to make him a living soul, and that one breath of God has given us life.
John 19 v 28 - 30: "After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.
29 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.
30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost."
After Jesus had died He was pierced with a sword and from His side came blood and water.
John 19 v 33 - 34: "But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs:
34 But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water."
This is the blood of Jesus that blots out every sin. It never stops flowing. Likewise that water from His dead body is the living water that flows continually to refresh us and saturate us with life in our spirits. Just like that one breath of God, so this one flow of blood and water lasts forever.
John 4 v 14: "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life."
Not long before Jesus died this occurred:
Matthew 27 v 46: "And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"
People nearby thought He was calling on Elijah to help Him, but He felt the horrific absence of His Father at that moment when He became Sin for us. Now the Father waits to hear that cry from our hearts when we realise we are lost forever and have strayed from righteousness into darkness. That moment when our sins overwhelm us and we call on Jesus to save us.
That's the moment God rejoices in the sacrifice of Jesus because a sinner has felt the conviction of sin from the Holy Spirit and is weeping while repenting. That's when a new name is written in glory in the Lamb's Book of Life. Make sure your name is written in that book, its your only passport to Heaven.
I was years in the Anglican and Presbyterian church, but I never once heard about the Lamb's Book of Life.
Revelations 20 v 11 - 15: "And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."
If your church is not telling you its because they don't know. Maybe you should mention it to them so they can also be saved. It certainly does not happen when you are christened as a baby. Just saying.
Prayer: Heavenly Father we thirst for knowledge about You and Heaven and eternal life. We praise and worship Jesus for all He did on the Cross in life and death, which gave us the way of salvation. He thirsted so that we could drink the living water from the eternal wells of salvation. His blood still is the atomic weapon against sin and always will be. Thank You that our names are written in the book of life of the Lamb. In Jesus' name. Amen.