Prayer Service in Malang, August 21, 2012 (Tuesday Evening)

Peace and grace in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Matthew 27:45-50 is about the crucifixion time from 9 a.m., 12 at noon, and 3 p.m.

There are some things that happen at the crucifixion time as follows.

1. Darkness [verse 45].
2. Jesus’ being left alone [verse 46-47].
3. Jesus drinks the sour wine [verse 48-49].

ad. 3. Jesus drinks the sour wine.
Matthew 27:48-49
27:48 Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink.
27:49 The rest said, "Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him."

Spiritually, it means Jesus bears all bitterness in human life that happens because of sinning besides He wants to give sweet wine or living water of heaven, namely Holy Spirit.
Carnal man will always be thirsty, dissatisfied, or dry in spirituality if there is no Holy Spirit. Consequently, he tends to seek worldly satisfaction until sins up to the peak of sin, namely sins concerning eating-drinking such as smoking, being drunk, and drugs abuse as as well as marrying-being given in marriage sins.
In such condition, his life becomes dissatisfied, sorrowful, and bitter more and more until there is perdition.

For example, Samaritan woman or the Gentile draws the water of the world but she is still thirsty.
John 4:15
4:15 The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw."

Meaning the Gentiles seek the satisfaction of the world until divorce then get married again for five times but there is no satisfaction, even they perish forever.

John 4:10
4:10 Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water."

Jesus has drunk the sour wine on the cross, so He can offer the new wine or the sweet one, namely living water or Holy Spirit and we can have heavenly satisfaction and joy.

The process of getting the new wine or Holy Spirit is as follows.

1. We must give Jesus sour wine on the cross.
   John 4:7,10
   4:7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink."
   4:10 Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water."
   
   It means we confess our sins to God and other people whatever risk we have to face.
   Do not hide your sin, or else your life will become bitter more and more. The sin must be confessed and do not repeat it after being forgiven. Stopping sinning means stopping the bitter sour wine to get the sweet one.
   
   There are three kinds of sin that is as the sour wine as follows.
   
   
   1. Bitterness in heart such as not making friendship with other people, being unfriendly, and having bad thought about other people or dislike and hatred without any cause.
      John 4:9
      4:9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?" For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.
      
   2. Idolatry.
      John 4:20-23
      4:20 "Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship."
      4:21 Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father.
      4:22 "You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.
      4:23 "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.
      
      Idol means all things that hinder us to love, serve and minister to God, or obey Him. It means something we love more than God. It will make bitterness in life and there is no beauty in it.
      
      
   3. Uncleanness, meaning fornication or adultery through saying, thought, deeds, and false marriage.
      John 4:17-18
      4:17 The woman answered and said, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’
      4:18 "for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly."
      
      Such sin makes bitterness in life.
      
      There is solution like the Samaritan woman who confesses her sin and leaves her waterpot, meaning she leaves her old life (verse 28) or the men in her life. Whatever bitterness we experience, the sour wine will be turned to the sweet one if we confess our sin and do not repeat it.
      
      
2. We have service and ministry to God that satisfy Him.
   Luke 17:7-8
   17:7 "And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’?
   17:8 "But will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink’?
   
   Meaning the service and ministry with girding ourselves with the belt of righteousness and faithfulness.
   Isaiah 11:5
   11:5 Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, And faithfulness the belt of His waist.
   
   It is as we give food and drink to Jesus to satisfy Him. As a result, He will satisfy us with the sweet wine or living water, namely Holy Spirit.

The result of having the living water or Holy Spirit is as follows.

1. Holy Spirit gives us life.
   John 6:63
   6:63 "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.
   
   Physically, Holy Spirit is able to preserve our life with miracles and give us beautiful future life. It is as the rod of Aaron which buds, flowers, and yields fruits.
   Spiritually, we can live in righteousness and holiness as well as become active in serving and ministering to God. As a result, there is sweetness, satisfaction, and joy of heaven.
   
   
2. Holy Spirit helps us to bear witness to other people who have been dry in spirituality so that they can be fervent in spirit anymore.
   John 7:37-38
   7:37. On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.
   7:38 "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."
   
   The flow of living water flows and springs up, meaning Holy Spirit helps us to worship God.
   
   John 4:14
   4:14 "but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."
   
3. Holy Spirit renews and changes our life from carnal men to spiritual ones as Jesus is.
   Titus 3:5
   3:5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,
   
   It is the greatest miracle, namely life renewal.
   
   Revelation 22:1
   22:1. And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.
   
   The sign of new men begins from being 'clear as crystal', meaning as follows.
   
   
   1. Honesty, saying 'yes' if 'yes', 'no' if 'no'.
   2. Pure and sincere faith. We can believe and fully entrust ourselves to God as well as become obedient.
      
      
   As a result, the physical miracle happens.
   Moreover, we can be renewed to become as glorious as Jesus is when He comes a second time and enter the throne of heaven, the fountain of living water.

God blesses you.