October 14, 2016

“To All Who Thirst”

Let’s review our journey so far. We started at the Sheep Gate where Jesus, the Lamb of God, serves as the only gate through which we can come to God. Next we visited the Fish Gate and were reminded our journey is not about us but about Christ and sharing Him with others.  We are, according to Christ, to live our lives as “fishers” of men and women. From there we visited the Corner Gate where we were reminded to live our lives according to God’s will and not our own.  Consequently, this journey will require all of us to repent and turn many corners in life as we follow Jesus. We then visited the Valley Gate and learned how God uses difficult chapters in our lives to humble us, to develop our faith, and to reassure us He is always with us no matter what comes our way. Next we visited the Dung Gate where God helped us face the sin and trash in our lives.  It was here we came to realize that Jesus, on Calvary’s cross, took our sin upon Himself and, in its place, offers us His righteousness. This coming Sunday we’ll visit the Fountain Gate where believers can experience the filling of the Holy Spirit.  It’s helpful to note the succession of these last three gates. God humbles us at the Valley Gate.  He cleanses us at the Dung Gate and He fills us at the Fountain Gate.  That’s always God’s order.  Only the humble can be cleansed by God and only the cleansed can experience God’s fullness. Listen to the words of Jean Danielou regarding this cleansing and filling:

I have a need of such clearance

As the Savior effected in the temple of Jerusalem

A riddance of clutter, of what is secondary

That blocks the way to the all-important central emptiness

Which is filled with the presence of God alone

Because the journey matters, pastor jamie PS  In preparation for Sunday’s message, I hope you’ll take the time to prayerfully read and meditate on John 7:37-39.