John 2:1-11On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there
2 Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.
3. And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine."
4. Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come."
5. His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it."
6. Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece.
7 Jesus said to them, "Fill the waterpots with water." And they filled them up to the brim.
8 And He said to them, "Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast." And they took it.
9 When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom.
10 And he said to him, "Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!"
11. This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.
When they ran out of wine, the Mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine." Thank God for Mary the Mother of Jesus. She saved the day for the wedding family. This teaches us that Mothers are important. The family of the wedding feast also did the right thing. They invited Jesus. Never forget to invite Him to your celebrations.
May I also say that the problem we have isn't lack of cups. Actually there are cups everywhere: tall tumblers, tea cups, coffee mugs, wine glasses, beer cups, water jars, even tiny tasting cups. There are all manners of cups. The only problem is that they always run out. You probably have also heard or read that sometimes rich folks run out of supplies and declare bankruptcy!
How often do you run out of needed supplies or support?
- Money?
- Working capital?
- Dependable friends?
- Business and ministry partners?
My Hour Has Not Yet Come
4 Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come"
- The covenant works according to a set order of time
- You may try to be very fast, but you can never outrun God
- Or decide to go slow playing the avoidance game like Jonah. Never mind, God has a way to bring you up to speed.
"But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." Matthew 24:36
He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority." Acts 1:7
Obedience is Key
"His Mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it."
- Obedience is the key to seeing the miraculous.
- God's word tells you what to do to see His move. If you obey, you will see the move of God
- God does not joke around with people who cannot obey His Word
Fill the Water pots
Jesus said to them, "Fill the water pots with water." And they filled them up to the brim.
- Realize the enthusiasm of these wedding people
- They took the word of Jesus as a command
- They didn't even consult the Master of the Wedding Feast
- Or first set up a committee of the family elders or women's wing of the family to evaluate the advice. (Praise our women everywhere!) They did it headlong
- They filled the pots "to the brim"
Draw some out...
"Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast." And they took it.
Note that miracles happen as we take steps of obedience:
Step 1: Whatever He tells you to do, do it
Step 2: Fill the water pots. They filled to the brim
Step 3: Draw out the water, take to the master of the ceremony. And they took it.
- You must know the levels of obedience required to see the miraculous in your line of work, business or ministry.
When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom...
- When God's miracle comes, everybody may be in doubt, but you will know
- Obedience brings affirmation and leads to repetition of signs and wonders. As you continue in the line of obedience, you will see greater dimensions of divine manifestation
- The Pharisees tried to placate a blind man whom the Lord Jesus had healed. The man countered: "Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see." (John 9:25)
- You just know it is God who is at work in your life.
Your Better Days Are Ahead of You
"Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!"
- Please Get familiar with the mystery of better days.
- Ecclesiastes 7:10 says, "Never ask "Why does the past seem so much better than now?" because this question does not come from wisdom."
- You must never say that your today is worse than your yesterday. You can never have a better last year if you're truly a believer
- On the contrary, provoke the spirit of faith in you and declare, "My best days are yet ahead of me"
- In the school of faith, invariably, what you say determines what you see
- Sing with me: "It's colorful and it's bright, I must get there (2ce). My future is bright, I must get there (2ce)".
- Remember, your today is better than your yesterday; and your tomorrow is better than your today. Your best life is ahead of you. The Psalmist says, "Weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning" (Psalm 30:5.) Maybe you have tasted the good life and things went south, or you have always barely made ends meet. Now is the hour to claim "The Cup That Never Runs Dry." Your better tasting wine has been preserved to this moment. The sour wine is going to be thrown away. But you have a part to play; your faith must be ignited. As the scripture says, "Be it to you according to your faith", Matthew 9:29
Your Water Will Turn to Wine
- In the hand of the miracle working Jesus Christ, every bitterness is an opportunity for the good wine
- Only reason the water remains sour in your mouth is if you don't heed the invitation, "Come to Me" (Matthew 11:28-30)
- If you come with an expectant heart, He'll use whatever is considered a reproach in your life, a stepping stone to your beauty.
- Because the Master is still working miracles, today marks the end of shame, lack of favor and suffering in your life.
Steps to Securing the Cup
- Matt. 11:28: There's an invitation: "Come to Me all ye who labor... I will give you rest"
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Believe Him as Your Lord and miracle worker; a little in His hand feeds thousands
- Without faith, you can't experience the cup that never runs dry! It is spiritual
- Love one another. God is love. Without love, you will run on empty
- The Word of God is the water of life, study it
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Give and it shall be given back to you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together...Luke 6:38
- You have to put your mouth to good use. You can't be saying the water is bitter and expect the wine to be good
Expect Testimonies
- Maybe you have never really had a true testimony. The wine of your life has always tasted terrible. Beginning today, testimonies will abound in your life, marriage, business or career
- People will start to say of you, "You have kept the good wine until now!"
- Very soon, people will begin to envy your new life made possible by redemption
- Friends, it is your season of sweetness after bitterness
- Ecclesiastes 7:8: "Better is the end of a matter than the beginning thereof"
- Your life story will end well. You will not be a scorn or laughing stock in the eyes of people around you
Go and manifest His Glory
Finally, John 2:11 declares, "This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him."
- The Lord Jesus will do some undeniable work in your life and family
- You will go from here to manifest the glory of God.
- People will believe that truly you're a child of the Lord
- Everyone who has doubted your legitimacy as a child of God will run to you to say, "You have kept the best wine until now".
- And you yourself will be under no doubt that you have encountered the resurrected Jesus.
The Cup That Never Runs Dry
- If you have not really met Jesus, or you don't have a deep salvation experience - your cup is always filling up and drying up - I invite you right now to step forward to meet Him.
- Jesus is holding the Cup and inviting you to come and drink. I know in my heart that if you run to Him, the cup will never run dry, it won't ever run out and the wine will taste good.
- Pray to Him at this hour to fill every empty cup, even to give you the "filled to the brim" encounter. Amen.
