What will your thoughts and feeling be if when you are about to die you are given an opportunity to look back over your life; as well as to look onward to what might have been but now won’t be – the things left unsaid, undone?

It is reported that when Queen Elizabeth I of England was dying she said to her lady-in-waiting, ‘Oh my God! It is over. I have come to the end of it – the end, the end. To have only one life, and to have done with it. To have lived, and loved, and triumphed; and now to know it is over! One may defy everything else but this!’

What do you know about the Yarra River, apart from that this church has it in its name and that Melbourne is situated at its mouth? One of its most interesting facts is that to the original inhabitants, the Wurundjeri people, the river was called ‘Birrarrung’ (ie, Place of Mists and Shadows). But because of language difficulties the white settlers called it “Yarra”, not understanding the Wurundjeri people were pointing out the nature of the river rather than indicating its name as they said “Yarra Yarra”. What they were saying in their language was ‘ever flowing’.

“Every blessing that comes from God is sent with the same message, ‘And more to follow.’ ‘I forgive you your sins, but there’s more to follow.’ ‘I justify you in the righteousness of Christ, but there’s more to follow.’ ‘I adopt you into my family, but there’s more to follow.’ ‘I educated you for heaven, but there’s more to follow.’ ‘I give you grace upon grace, but there’s more to follow.’ ‘I have helped you even to old age, but there’s still more to follow.’ ‘I will uphold you in the hour of death, and as you are passing into the world of spirits, my mercy shall still continue with you, and when you land in the world to come there shall still be more to follow.’”

It’s a warm Saturday afternoon and you’ve been chasing a football around the field for what seems like weeks. You’re tired, thirsty, and sweaty. When the game ends you have just enough time to duck into the change room, change your clothes, and slather on a fresh layer of deodorant before heading off to meet your friends for a 6:00 pm movie.

So what’s wrong with this picture? You didn’t take the time to drink. After all that exercise your body has lost some fluid and you might be a little dehydrated, which occurs when your body loses more fluids than it takes in. Physical activity, heat, drinking tea, coffee, coke or alcohol, and even dieting can dehydrate us. We are constantly told not to ignore our thirst.

When Jesus cried from the cross “I thirst” there is no doubt He that He meant it. Just the physical conditions He had suffered since the Passover the night before, probably the last time He had a drink, would have reduced the level of His body fluids. All the more so because He had been hanging on the cross for 6 hours. Sweating, struggling to breathe, bent over and bleeding. Thirstier than He has ever been. So it is no surprise that He cried “I thirst!” – but one word in the Greek and Aramaic.

What is the point of the Christian remembrance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, indeed of the very death and resurrection of Jesus itself?

Is it merely a metaphor to help us understand and face the difficulties and pressures of life? Is it merely that the crucifixion is a metaphor finding its parallels in the trials, difficulties and injustices of our life, and that the resurrection is merely a metaphor of hope, a symbolism which helps us face such trials with hope?

The history of the human race is marked by many famous, and in their times, influential men and women. And no doubt there have been times throughout our lives when we’ve thought ‘I wish I could be more like him or her.

But equally I am pretty sure that none of us would pick Judas Iscariot! Nor do I suspect any of us would choose to be Pontius Pilate – yet Pilate is the one man whose name is repeatedly on the lips of God’s people. He is the only one who is mentioned in what has become known as the Apostle’s Creed. But it is not in honour that we say his name, quite the opposite – for Jesus ‘suffered under Pontius Pilate’. Pilate showed such weakness in the trial of Jesus, knowingly allowing injustice to dictate, and to eventually sign the death warrant of Jesus and sending Him to be crucified. Pilate stands as one of the villains of history.

A genuine Christian should be a walking mystery because he is surely a walking miracle. Through the leading and the power of the Holy Spirit, the Christian is involved in a daily life and habit that cannot be explained.
A.W. Tozer

We are to “confess” Jesus, which means to acknowledge Him as Lord, and that in life or in death.
Yet we do not always do this, do we. Or if we feel we must we often temper what we say. Why?
“However, no one spoke openly of Him for fear of the Jews” (John 7:13). “Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.” (John 12:42-43).
Are we any different today? Is the pressure against us greater? Are you sure?
In this morning’s message we will be looking at saying no to fear by saying yes to fear.
How do we overcome this fear of what others may think, say [...]