Today on Fellowship in the Word, Pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ.
There's a lot of impact in this, but I want you to see it from a particular point of view today. One thing is, Jesus represents the new wine. Remember, these pots were used for purification. But Jesus is now in the scene. Remember when Jesus spoke to them in the Gospels, he said about new wine going on to old wineskins? You see, it represents Jesus in a sense.
There's no question about that. But there's something else here that I think is much bigger. There's no detail too small for Jesus not to be involved in. This isn't the big kind of miracle.
But there's no detail too small in your life. Thank you for joining us today on this edition of Fellowship in the Word with Pastor Bill Gebhardt. Fellowship in the Word is the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible Church located in Metairie, Louisiana. Let's join Pastor Bill Gebhardt now as once again he shows us how God's Word meets our world. So, she just says to Jesus, as clear as she can, they have no wine.
Now, that's kind of an interesting thing. The question is why? Some commentators, but not many, but some have said, well, that's because she saw Jesus do hundreds and hundreds of miracles almost every day of her life and knew he'd do a miracle. I don't believe that at all. I don't think Jesus did that at all. That wasn't the way Jesus lived.
But I do believe this. She knew she could count on him. She knew what kind of person he was. Jesus is a firstborn son. Joseph is likely dead by now. He may have been dead for some time by now.
She had to lean on Jesus. What kind of son do you think he was? You see, was he resourceful? Was he bright? Could you trust him?
He's every one of the things you could possibly imagine. That's Jesus. And so, she just looks at Jesus and says, they have no wine. Now, built into that, there seems to be some expectation in some way. Watch Jesus' response.
Jesus says, woman, what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come. That's a little abrupt. It's interesting, though.
One of the most interesting things is right in the beginning. Woman. Gunay.
Why do you do that? I mean, how many of you at 30 years of age or something would call your mother man? I mean, don't you think you'd say mother?
No. Same thing you said to her all the way through his ministry. Gunay. There's a change here.
He's about to embark on his ministry. He always calls her Gunay. He doesn't call her mom or mother. It's not necessarily a derogatory term. It means, like I said, madam or man. It's a Semitic expression. And here's what he says after it.
And it's very typical. It says in the English Bible, what does that have to do with us? Literally, it says, what to me and to you is this?
That's literally what it says. What to me and to you is this? In other words, what does this have to do with me? So, they're out of wine. Whose responsibility is the wine? The groom's family.
What does this have to do with you and me? And then he says, my hour is not yet come. Now, a lot of times in the New Testament, hour means the cross, but also in a general sense, hour means the time he's about to begin his ministry until it ends at the cross. In other words, that whole point of his public ministry is called his hour. He said, my hour is not yet come.
I haven't started the public ministry. And that's kind of an interesting thing. You know, when you think about it from all the things that Jesus is going to do in his ministry, this seems like it could have been something very, very small. But he answers it in kind of an odd way. I want you to think about this, though.
Isn't that kind of a... There's one thing that Mary knew for sure. Her son was the Messiah and his father was God. She knew that her whole life. God told her. She knew that she was a virgin. She knew all this.
She always knew this. She knows he's the Messiah, so she just tells him the facts. And maybe with the anticipation, I mean, think of what Jesus did do.
Let's see. We know for a fact that Jesus would say, well, didn't you know that the lame walk, that the blind see, that lepers are made pure? I raised the dead. Think of the miracles that Jesus does. Unbelievable amount of miracles. And you're telling me they're out of wine?
Me? You see, that's what you want to... That's the point? And it's a very important point in why John chose this, and I'll get to that in a moment. And so what ends up happening here is, how does Mary react to this? His mother said to the servants... Notice the word mother. John's very careful to tell you he said woman, guna, next verse, mother.
So that's pretty clear. He didn't ever say... He wasn't just using another word for mother. He was careful not to say that Jesus called her guna or woman. And then it says that she said, whatever he says to you, do it. That's it. That's a conversation.
They're running out of wine. Whatever he says to you, you just do it. That's a statement of incredible faith on her part. From my point of view, it's just... I'm just amazed at it. Look, he's the Messiah.
He's the Son of God. Whatever he says, you just do it. How could have she reacted? I mean, she could have stomped off mad, right? She could have said, I'm your mother. She could have said, Dad, clearly. She could have said, if you really love me, you do this. Or, you know, she could have even said, I mean, after all the things I've done for you, do you know what labor was like with you?
Do you know how hard this has been for me? She doesn't say any of that. Her response is amazing. He just do what he says. I trust him. I know who he is.
You do what he says. That becomes an extremely important part of this particular story. Just imagine what it would have been like to be his mother. And I don't mean because he was a sinless young boy and a sinless man. Just imagine what it was like you knowing what he is and you live in a small town like Nazareth. Every time someone talked about Jesus with Mary and Joseph, I am sure the idea that he was illegitimate came up over and over and over and over again. We use another word for illegitimate.
I won't use it. That's him. That's Jesus, the illegitimate son of Joseph and Mary. And Mary knew who he was.
Well. All of a sudden, John goes into the explanation. Now there were six stone water parts set there for Jewish custom of purification containing 20 to 30 gallons each, actually 18 to 27 exactly from the Jewish pot of purification. Every time during this week period that you touched anything you shouldn't have touched anything like this, you had to wash your hands to be purified ceremonially as a Jew.
So the Jewish people would be great for COVID-19. They would have they would have constantly wash their hands for purification. And they were there. They had six pots. And these are really, really big pots. Up to 150 gallons, 2,400 glasses of wine.
So that's an awful lot of wine. It says that there were six stone water parts set there, Jewish custom of purification containing 20 to 30 gallons each. And Jesus said to them, fill the water pots with water. And so they filled them to the brim. And then he said to them, draw some out now and take it to the head waiter. And they took it to him. This is really an unusual thing. First of all, you might be thinking and a lot of people think along these terms, but you might be thinking that, you know, one thing I know for sure is that this must have been amazing, a miracle, even though it seems kind of small.
It wasn't amazing. False prophets in Israel did this all the time. One of the ways they would get an audience was that turn water to wine. Now, they would they would do it with all kinds of ways. They would create jars that they could do the magic through from their point of view.
They would have a different chamber where they and that they did it. It was one of the false ways to verify yourself. And then they would say, yeah, proves them from God. But notice, Jesus doesn't even try to prove anything.
No one even knows. Remember, he just told the servants one thing. That's all they know. Just take these.
All right. Now, take some take some of it, take to the headwaiter. All the headwaiter knows is the servants brought it to him. That's all he knows.
No one knows. Jesus isn't doing this to publicly show you what I can do at all. This has a very private kind of ring to it. There's no trickery here.
He keeps his distance. It says when the headwaiter tasted the water, which had become wine and did not know where it came from. Notice he did not know. But the servants who had drawn the water, they knew. The headwaiter called the bridegroom and he said to him, every man serves the good wine first. And when the people have drunk freely, then he serves the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now. Well. There's the miracle.
There's a lot of impact in this, but I want you to see it from a particular point of view today. One thing is. Jesus represents the new wine. Remember, these are there.
These these pots were used for purification. But Jesus is now on the scene. Remember when Jesus spoke to them in the gospels, he said about new wine going on old wineskins. You see, it represents Jesus in a sense.
There's no question about that. But there's something else here that I think is much bigger. There's no detail too small for Jesus not to be involved in.
This isn't the big kind of miracle. But there's no detail and too small in your life. And you need to understand that. How many times have you thought going to the Lord in prayer about something that was really difficult for you? And you thought, I don't really want to bother the Lord with this. I mean, I know what other people are going through. You know, that's hard for someone like me. And I have my own personal interest. And I know so much about so many of you. And I realize the difficulties you're having. Marriages are collapsing.
The whole idea of people stage four cancers. Well, what am I going to come and talk about? You see, we have a way of misunderstanding Jesus completely here. There's nothing is too small.
I mean, the whole issue here was a guest at this wedding. Mary said they're running out of wine. That's all there was.
And Jesus gets engaged in this. Do you ever run out of stuff in life? You find yourself running out. Energy, patience, you're running out. I don't know about you, but I know I'm running out of time.
I know I am. Thought, how many more Super Bowls do I see? I've seen them all. How many more do I get to see? I don't know. How many more Christmases? I don't know. How many more sunsets? I don't know. How many more days with the love of my life?
I don't know. You see, the day I was born, and you too, God took the hourglass of my life and he turned it over. And I realize now that there's much more on the bottom than there is on the top. Because that's what life is. That's what all of our lives is. We're constantly being drained of all of our resources for this life. Life depletes our resources. Ever look at an actuary table?
You ever do that? When you're young, you don't even care. It's going to be forever.
Who cares? When you get older, you start seeing the squeeze coming. Then you're hoping you can meet the actuary. At your age, it looks like the average will be 10 more years.
Let's hope it's 10. You see what I mean? That's life for us.
We run out of stuff. And what this miracle says is, Jesus said, I'm right here. I'm right here for you.
I can do this. You see, that's what this sign speaks to. I have no money.
I have no relationships with anyone. I have no strength to go on. Whatever it is, he says, I'm right here.
That's what happens. This sign tells me that Jesus is God incarnate. But it also tells me that he's not just interested in the big things of my life.
He's interested in every aspect of my needs in life. That's why John put it here. Turn with me to Philippians chapter four for a moment. Philippians chapter four. Verse six.
Paul writes this. He said, be anxious for nothing. Be anxious for nothing.
When you're anxious about something, always what's tied to it? I'm running out. I'm running out of a plan. I'm running out of my thought life. I'm running out of energy. I'm running.
Whatever it is, I'm running out. So I have anxiety or fear. God tells us through Paul, be anxious for nothing. There's no reason to be anxious.
But he said, in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. Don't be anxious about anything. Just tell Jesus I'm running out. You see, I'm running out of courage. Just tell Jesus I'm running out. That's what Mary, they're running out. He said, don't be anxious for nothing. Just tell Jesus that you're running out. The response to that and the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts. Because you'll get what you want.
No. But he'll do what he'll do. And that's fine with me. Do whatever he says, Mary says.
Do whatever he says. Lord, you just handle it. The result, I have peace. No more anxiety, no more worry, no more fear, I have peace.
I'm going to let that be in your hands. Down to verse 12, Paul says, I know how to get along with humble means. I also know how to live in prosperity in any and every circumstance. I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
By the way, he's writing this in prison. Doesn't matter if I'm in prison, it doesn't matter if I'm in a palace, doesn't matter if I'm wealthy, it doesn't matter if I'm poor. It doesn't matter if I'm healthy or it doesn't matter if I'm sick.
It doesn't matter. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. You see, you're a lot stronger than you think you are because he's a lot nearer than you thought he was. He's right there.
That's the point. Look at verse 19 at the end of Philippians here. Here's what Paul says. And my God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. How many resources does God have in the glory of his son, Jesus Christ? He says, out of those resources, I will meet all your needs.
Well, who gets to decide? He does. He's God. He does. I'll meet your needs. You see, that's the point of this.
It's an amazing thing. Please don't always think God has bigger fish to fry than my little needs. From God's point of view, they're all little fish. There's nothing, oh, that's going to be a lot harder for God. That person got a really tough diagnosis.
I just have a really stiff neck. You think one's harder for God? Boy, this is going to be hard. He spoke and the whole universe existed. This is not hard.
It's not about the degree of hardness. It's about the character of God and you trusting him in your life. That's what this is about. Now, let's go back one last verse, verse 11 of chapter 2. John says, this beginning of his signs, Jesus did in Cana of Galilee. Of all the miracles Jesus did, he picked seven signs and this is the first one, not just because he wants to show you Jesus is God. Even charlatans look like he could turn water to wine, but to show you how Jesus cares. He wants you to see he cares about the smallest things in your life and that's important for us to understand.
Now, notice the result. It says, and manifested his glory and his disciples believed in him. Why did John say he wrote it?
So that you would believe and that you would have life. So what happens with the five disciples that are there? Who else beside Jesus knew what he did?
No one, but they did and what did it do? It not just strengthened their faith because they believed it, but now they're beginning to have life. You see, they're beginning to see this is not just the Messiah of Israel or even this is a man who will eventually pay for my sins and let me go to heaven. What he's saying is this is the man, the son of God, who can meet my needs to give me an abundant life. So the way I look at it this, any time in my life that I'm running out of something, I need to tell God. God, I'm running out.
And after I tell him, I need to have this response and whatever he says to me, I'll believe it and do it. That's how I take advantage of who Jesus Christ is. Let's pray. Father, I'm afraid so often when we feel ourselves running out of something, instead of coming to you in prayer and just telling you how we feel and then allowing you to take control of a situation of which we have very little. Father, we often say that's not what I go to God for. There's so many other bigger things that he must be preoccupied with.
It's not true. Make us understand why John made this the first miracle, not because of its magnitude or its importance or the supernatural nature of it, but because it reveals your heart. It reveals your care for the mundane little things in our lives. Remind us over and over again how important this is for us. We need to tell you we're running out, and we need to allow you to work in our lives for our good and for your glory. In Jesus' name, Amen.
In Jesus' name, Amen. If you would be interested in hearing today's message in its original format, that is as a sermon that Pastor Bill delivered during a Sunday morning service at Fellowship Bible Church, then you should visit our website, fbcnola.org. That's F-B-C-N-O-L-A dot O-R-G. At our website, you will find hundreds of Pastor Bill's sermons. You can browse through our sermon archives to find the sermon series you are looking for, or you can search by title. Once you find the message you are looking for, you can listen online, or if you prefer, you can download the sermon and listen at your own convenience. And remember, you can do all of this absolutely free of charge. Once again, our website is fbcnola.org. For Pastor Bill Gebhardt, I'm Jason Gebhardt, thanking you for listening to Fellowship in the Word.
