{"id":30069,"date":"2026-04-04T00:40:01","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T00:40:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/immanuelfamily.org\/?post_type=cpl_item&p=30069"},"modified":"2026-04-09T12:42:38","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T12:42:38","slug":"drinking-gods-wrath","status":"publish","type":"cpl_item","link":"https:\/\/immanuelfamily.org\/es\/sermons\/drinking-gods-wrath\/","title":{"rendered":"Drinking God’s Wrath"},"content":{"rendered":"

Title: Drinking God\u2019s Wrath<\/strong><\/p>\n

Scripture: John 19:28\u201330<\/strong><\/p>\n

Introduction<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 1994, Sprite debuted their iconic slogan: \u201cObey Your Thirst.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

This slogan emerged at a time when conventional advertising often talked down to youth. But what Sprite did was different\u2014it issued a call to action. It told consumers to trust their instincts, follow their passions, and fully own their individuality. In doing so, Sprite made its mark as a countercultural icon.<\/p>\n

\u201cObey Your Thirst\u201d urges consumers\u2014particularly younger generations\u2014to embrace their individuality and remain true to themselves rather than conforming to outside pressures. The campaign celebrates authenticity and encourages the defiance of conventional expectations.<\/p>\n

Now, this is a very clever campaign\u2014genius, even\u2014because it taps into something universally true:<\/p>\n

We all have thirsts. You have thirsts. I have thirsts. And our thirsts involve more than liquid!<\/strong><\/p>\n

We all have desires\u2014needs that demand to be met.
\nThere are longings within us that cry out for satisfaction.<\/p>\n

So in a very real sense, every person\u2014young or old, rich or poor, across every political, religious, and cultural background\u2014feels the urgency to obey their thirst<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

But here is the question we must ask:<\/p>\n

What are our most basic thirsts?<\/strong>
\nIf we strip everything down\u2014if we narrow our desires to their core\u2014what do we actually want?<\/p>\n

Two Thirsts<\/strong><\/p>\n

To answer that question, I want to look at two thirsts<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. The human thirst<\/strong><\/li>\n
  2. And then, Christ\u2019s thirst<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The Human Thirst<\/strong><\/p>\n

    When we turn to the Bible, we are told very clearly what the fundamental desire\u2014the deepest want\u2014the most pressing thirst of every human being truly is.<\/p>\n

    In Genesis 6, we read:<\/p>\n

    \u201cThe LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n

    Notice what the Lord observes:<\/p>\n

    The wickedness of humanity is not superficial\u2014it is comprehensive.
    \nIt is not occasional\u2014it is constant.<\/p>\n

    Every intention<\/strong>\u2014every plan, every goal, every internal inclination of the human heart\u2014<\/p>\n

    And that word heart<\/em> is not merely emotional language. It represents the core of who we are:
    \nour desires, our will, our thirsts<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    And what is the verdict?<\/p>\n

    Only evil\u2014continually.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    This is an uninterrupted, unhindered, undeterred pursuit\u2014a relentless thirst\u2014for what is opposed to God.<\/p>\n

    The prophet deepens this diagnosis in Jeremiah 17:<\/p>\n

    \u201cThe heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick.\u201d<\/p>\n

    The human heart, compared to everything else that could be called deceitful, stands in first place.
    \nIt is the champion of deceitfulness\u2014the very emblem and symbol of human depravity.<\/p>\n

    And because this is true, it is desperately sick<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    Now when we hear the word desperately<\/em>, we tend to think in terms of urgency\u2014as if a solution might still exist. As if, with the right plan, we could heal the human condition.<\/p>\n

    We imagine:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Better environments<\/li>\n
    • Better education<\/li>\n
    • Better neighborhoods<\/li>\n
    • Better incentives<\/li>\n
    • Better role models<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      And perhaps then\u2014maybe then<\/em>\u2014the heart could outgrow its sickness.<\/p>\n

      But that is not what the prophet means.<\/p>\n

      The word does not mean severely sick but treatable.<\/em><\/p>\n

      It means incurably sick<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

      There is no remedy.
      \nThere is no solution.
      \nThere is no rehabilitation program for the fallen human heart.<\/p>\n

      God does not improve the sinful heart.<\/p>\n

      He replaces it<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

      That is why Scripture speaks of a new birth<\/strong>\u2014of being born again<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

      Not reformed.
      \nNot repaired.
      \nBut recreated<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

      And that\u2026<\/p>\n

      is the human thirst<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

      Do You Feel It?<\/strong><\/p>\n

      Do you feel that thirst welling up inside you?<\/p>\n

      That desire to do what you want\u2014
      \nwhen you want\u2014
      \nhow you want\u2014
      \nand for whatever reason you want?<\/p>\n

      You feel that thirst:<\/p>\n

        \n
      • That thirst for vengeance and hatred<\/strong> when you are wronged<\/li>\n
      • That thirst for suspicion of God\u2019s purposes<\/strong> when life becomes hard<\/li>\n
      • That thirst to elevate your goals, your priorities, your ideas, your ambitions<\/strong> above God and His purposes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Do you feel that deep down inside?<\/p>\n

        Even as, almost instinctively, you find yourself resonating with the anthem of autonomy from Frozen:<\/p>\n

        \u201cIt’s time to see what I can do
        \nTo test the limits and break through
        \nNo right, no wrong, no rules for me\u2014
        \nI’m free<\/p>\n

        Let it go, let it go
        \nI am one with the wind and sky
        \nLet it go, let it go
        \nYou’ll never see me cry\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

        Does that sound like someone who needs help?<\/p>\n

        Does that sound like someone who is incurably sick\u2014
        \ndevastatingly corrupted\u2014
        \nbeyond moral repair?<\/p>\n

        Oh, how often we fail to recognize:<\/p>\n

          \n
        • The misery<\/strong> of our sin<\/li>\n
        • The tragedy<\/strong> of our rebellion<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          If we could but catch even a glimpse\u2014
          \njust a glimpse\u2014of the true horror of our depravity,<\/p>\n

          we would not linger,
          \nwe would not delay,<\/p>\n

          we would flee<\/strong>\u2014<\/p>\n

          At once\u2014<\/p>\n

          To the cross of Christ,<\/p>\n

          and seek refuge in the blood of the Lamb who was slain for us.<\/p>\n

          Christ\u2019s Thirst<\/strong><\/p>\n

          In order to understand the thirst of Christ, we must consider it in three realms:<\/p>\n

            \n
          • Physical<\/strong><\/li>\n
          • Scriptural<\/strong><\/li>\n
          • Theological<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

            Physical<\/strong><\/p>\n

            The physical thirst that Jesus experienced was real.<\/p>\n

            It was the natural reaction of His body under extreme suffering:<\/p>\n

              \n
            • The weight of the crossbeam He was forced to carry\u2014so heavy that He could no longer bear it, and it had to be given to Simon of Cyrene<\/strong><\/li>\n
            • The brutal effects of scourging<\/li>\n
            • The agony of crucifixion itself<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

              One commentator describes it this way:<\/p>\n

              \u201cThe weight of the hanging body made breathing difficult, and death came from gradual asphyxiation\u2026 To prolong the death and increase the agony\u2026 death came only after several days and resulted from the cumulative impact of thirst, hunger, exhaustion, exposure, and the traumatic effects of the scourging.\u201d<\/p>\n

              And yet, Jesus did not last for days.<\/p>\n

              His suffering was so intense\u2014so severe\u2014that He died in approximately six hours<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

              So when we hear Jesus say, \u201cI thirst,\u201d<\/em>
              \nwe must understand:<\/p>\n

              This is not symbolic language.<\/p>\n

              This is not metaphor.<\/p>\n

              This is real, physical thirst<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

              But it is not only<\/strong> physical.<\/p>\n

              Scriptural<\/strong><\/p>\n

              Look at John 19:28:<\/p>\n

              \u201cAfter this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), \u2018I thirst.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

              By this point:<\/p>\n