Re-Filling Your Empty Life by Kraig Pullam
John 2:1-2:1
One of my favorite movies of which I will boldly, blatantly and unashamedly admit is the sequel “Bad Boys II.” It is a funny/amusing/somewhat comical/quite insightful movie whether you like or not with Martin Lawrence (of which I am a die hard fan/admirer/aficionado) and Will Smith and Gabriel Union. At the end of the movie, this Cuban villain, if you will, has gotten angry with the characters of Will Smith and Martin Lawrence because they have caught his racketeering of the drug called Ecstasy; and they have retrieved his money; they’ve got 10 million dollars of his cash that he believes belongs to him. And his sister, Martin Lawrence’s sister (played by Gabriel Union), has now been snatched and kidnapped by the Cuban man and the government comes and now says to Martin Lawrence’s character “I’m sorry—we don’t do negotiations in Cuba—there’s nothing we can do.” If you saw the movie then you know the story—they decided to go over there and rescue Cid (that was her name in the movie) on their own. They get over there; they’ve set the plan in place; they’ve got bombs in place; they’ve got people in place; and then out of nowhere the plan goes awry. Something does not go right in the plan and they are now under attack, assault and harassment unexpectedly. All of a sudden Will Smith yells “Abort plan A…go to plan B…go to plan B.” Martin Lawrence looks at him and says “What is plan B?” They go to another scene and another soldier says “Plan B? What is plan B?” They both look at Will Smith and ask proverbially and urgently “What is plan B?” Will Smith’s character responds by saying “I don’t know. But plan A ain’t working. Let’s do something”.
And while we laugh at the humor of that there is a harsh reality and ruthless principle interwoven within the fabric of the director’s writing. And that is—every now and then—we make great plans where plan A is laid out to get whatever we want—but every now and then we come under unexpected/astonishing/sudden assault from areas where we were not looking for it—and we end up running for our lives. Because even though we run looking for plan B we don’t really have a plan B—because we never expected for plan A to fail and not to work.
Who am I talking and preaching to already? One poet put it this way: The best laid plans of mice and men sometimes go awry.
How many of you know you’ve laid out some plans in your life,
• you’ve had some things written down
• you knew what you wanted to do, where you wanted to be; who you wanted to be with; who you didn’t want to be with;
• what you wanted to have in the bank;
• what you wanted to do with school and in your career;
• where you wanted to get a job;
• the business you wanted to open;
• you had your plan laid out; it looked like everything was going the way that it was supposed to go; and out of nowhere Plan A gets blown up and blown away; and now you are walking around crazy going Coo Coo for Coco Puffs because you don’t have a plan B.
Who am I preaching to already? You laid out some plans for 2006 and they never came to fruition. You laid out some plans in January of last year that you wanted and intended and purposed to be in by December of last year—but December has come and it has gone—and you still are where you were in January of 2006 because the best laid plans of mice and men have a tendency, proclivity, bent, predisposition to go awry. Yes, every now and then, inspite of the plans that we make, things blow up in our face and go unexpectedly the way we did not anticipate them to go.
And that is exactly and precisely what happens in this very familiar, proverbial, true and well-known story. You know the story—known affectionately and commonly as the Wedding at Cana. It is a well-known story—how Jesus the Christ fixed what went wrong in the story.
But the other day as I was reading the other day and doing my exegetical work for my sermonic presentation and biblical exposition—I discovered a fact of sociology and geography that added for me a poignant point of theology that I think could help us understand the sermon today.
It was said that Galilee was essentially divided into two parts and these two parts represented two different socio-economic pictures. One side of town was down by the Sea of Galilee—and those who lived down by the Sea were said to be people of little, meager means; they were said to be poor people; they were seen as the people who did not have much; as people who had to hustle just to make a living; they were the people who could not make ends meet without a struggle. They were always in need; they were always dependent; they were hopelessly handcuffed by helplessness and handouts.
But then there was another area in Galilee called Cana. Cana was known as the well-to-do section of Galilee.
- If you lived in Cana then you were thought to be well off.
- If you lived in Cana then you were thought to be a Balla-tician on a mission—a Big Balla Shot Calla—and number one stunner.
- If you lived in Cana you were thought to have everything that it would take to be what you wanted to be and to have what you wanted to have and to go where you wanted to go.
- If you lived in Cana—then you had your life together, didn’t have a care in the world, didn’t have to depend on anybody because everything that you needed you already had in your pocket and in your bank account.
- If you lived in Cana—all of your ducks were in a row and were paid for.
- If you lived in Cana—you had more money and to spare to buy what you needed and a little bit of what you wanted.
• And the Bible declares, proclaims and concedes that it was in Cana where the wine ran out.
I did all of that and ya’ll missed it. Because you must understand that if the wedding happened down on the other side of the tracks—then you wouldn’t be surprised that the wine ran out. Because maybe they had only bought as much wine as the little money that they had would allow. You would expect this kind of crises on the other side of Galilee; but you would not expect to be in Cana—where you’ve got more than enough—and have your wine run out.
- What do you do when you run out in areas where you don’t expect it?
- How do you handle it when you run out in places that you expect to have always what is needed to keep things filled and full?
- How do you handle it when PLAN A goes unexpectedly astray and awry?
- What do you do in areas where you thought you had it together and all of a sudden it begins to fall apart?
- What do you do when you run out of what you need in a place you are not SUPPOSED to run out of what you need?
Cana represents the place of abundance, wealth, plenty, bounty, more than enough. And what do you do when you end up in a crises in a place where you did not expect it to happen?
And I am talking/preaching/rolling down the street of somebody here today—you are on empty in places that you never thought you would be empty and that where you would always be full and filled.
- You’ve found yourself in a place where you said you’d never go
- You’ve found yourself in a position that you thought you would never find yourself in
- You’ve discovered yourself doing some things that you thought were beyond you and swore you would never be now where you presently find yourself now
Something has gone wrong in a place where you thought it would never go wrong. And you are on empty in areas and with things that you did not expect to go empty.
- You’ve got a good job but you’re empty
- You’ve got a nice home but you’re empty
- You’ve got a good mate but you’re empty
- You didn’t get married to catch hell but unexpectedly it’s running out….
- You didn’t get a job and a raise to be broke and struggling—but you’re in Cana and you’re broke and can’t pay your bills
- You go from paycheck to paycheck; you don’t answer the phone when you see unavailable; you’ve a job but you stay broke; you write checks hoping and praying that the deposit beats the check to the bank account; you are absolutely in Cana and you dress like you live in Cana/you got on cologne and perfume like you live in Cana/you drive a car like you live in Cana—but if we went home with you—you’d have to admit that you’re struggling in Cana because suddenly/surprisingly/unexpectedly life ain’t going right!!!
• You didn’t join church to feel empty—but you just don’t feel the presence of the Lord; you don’t feel as if God has deposited gifts in you to be used.
And, believe it or not, there are a whole lot of people losing their minds because of struggles in unexpected places and with unexpected things. It can begin to mess with your mind/psyche/emotions/mentality/sanity.
Watch this—at that time they are having a wedding. And in that day in time a wedding feast lasted 3 days. It was party time/time to get foot loose and fancy free/time to let the good times roll. And—guess what—Jesus was at the party. That’s why I don’t understand people who come to church looking as mean as who shot John; come to church looking broke, busted and disgusted—Jesus went to parties.
Maybe you need a good, classic, uncut definition of a party: social gathering/get-together/festivity/revelry/merrymaking social event/bash/celebration…
A place where you had fun/got down/relaxed/chilled/shot the breeze/passed the courvosier/dropped it like it was hot and shook the laffy taffy/had a good time/enjoyed yourself/let yourself go/and sometimes let it all hang out….
That us why I don’t understand church folk from time to time who always have to be so stiff/staunch/starch/can’t smile/can’t crack a joke/can’t speak but you’re always so holier than thou/pompous and pomstickity. Take note, I am an intellectual human being and I have an education and a degree; and I do understand empirical thought and it can be kind of difficult to think/absorb your theology—but every now and then something ought to break in your spirit. (Because your PHD didn’t die for you/your degree isn’t what gave you piece of mind, etc.) JESUS WENT TO A PARTY.
• At a party spirits are HIGH!
• At a party everybody’s having fun! (Everybody’s singing, dancing to the music—on the radio having a party)
• At a party spirits are high; joy is high; everybody’s happy; everybody’s fellowshipping/greeting. You even talk to people you don’t love and don’t even like because when you get a little wine in you, you don’t really know what you’re doing. You start hugging everybody and speaking to everybody—their spirits are high—BUT THEN THE WINE RUNS OUT…And they have to go from an emotional HIGH to an emotional LOW.
And who am I talking to today—your life seems to be up and down on an emotional roller coaster;
- one day you’re high and the next day you’re low;
- one day you’ve got joy and the next day you’re telling people don’t speak to you
- one day you’re calling everybody and the next day you’re telling others “I don’t want to be bothered.”
Can I take it a little further?
At the wedding is where they run out. Which means things go wrong for them in PUBLIC. In other words, their problem is not something that happens in private; their problem is not something they can fake and hide/conceal/veil/cover/secrete.
I mean—it’s one thing if you can dress up so good that nobody has an idea/hint/indication/clue that you’re going through. It’s one thing if you can shout so well that nobody knows what you’re struggling with underneath the shout. But what do you do when what you’re going through is up for PUBLIC DISPLAY.
• Everybody knows you’re going through a divorce (Because you’re sitting on one side of the church and he’s sitting on the other)
• Everybody knows you can’t find a job (Because they call at home everyday and you’re sitting with rollers and with your blinds closed)
• Everybody knows you’re struggling financially (Because you’ve called every Tom, Dick and Harry trying to borrow a little money)
What do you do? Can I take it further?
On a spiritual level/plane/dimension there’s a lesson being made by John to the first century church. You know in the Bible—whenever there are significant details there is meaning behind it. Everything means something and points beyond the something that you see.
Get this—there are 6 stone waterpots that was used for the religious ritual of Jewish purification. In Jewish numerology—the number 7 is the number of completion and perfection and the number 6 is the number of the unfinished and imperfect. 6 stone waterpots—used for the water of religion and rituals—the ritual of handwashing. Now the ritual has gone empty because it’s wrapped in incomplete jars. So Jesus comes and fills with new wine where RELIGION went EMPTY. Because what John is trying to teach the church is that Jesus came to bring NEW WINE and NEW JOY because the ritual of religion would only go so far before coming up empty in your life.
• You don’t need religion you need JESUS.
• You don’t need Cornerstone you need JESUS.
And the reason why some of us can’t get set free is because we have gotten caught up in religion.
- So you don’t know how to pray demons out your house.
- You don’t know how to lay hands on your family.
- You don’t know how to pray in the spirit.
Because you don’t believe in all that stuff because you’re caught up on religion. But let enough hell come in your life/let enough stuff go empty in your life.
- You’re not going to be looking for a hymnbook
- You’re not going to be worried about who’s preaching
- You’re not going to be worried about how many people and church groupies are flocking to a building.
When you get desperate/frantic enough where you are pushed by life and Satan to being anxious/distressed/distracted/hopeless/forelorn/reckless
- you’re going to lift up your hands
- lay prostrate before God
- anointing your house/your home/your family/your boss
- cleaning out your closet and going in with a gallon of water and laboring before God until you get through/come through/go through and breakthrough—and say I will not let you go, God, until you bless me!!!
• Cana is the place where Nathaniel lives. Now who is Nathanial? Nathaniel is a person who in the preceding chapter is the very one who says when they come to him that we have found the Christ, Jesus of Nazareth. Nathaniel is the one who says, declares, poses—“Ya’ll must be mistaken—because nothing good comes out of Nazareth”. To which they say “Come and See”. But Jesus goes to Nathaniel’s hometown and shows him that a homeboy from the hood/slum/ghetto/projects can step into YOUR culture and do in YOUR culture what you can’t do for yourself.
Let me make an announcement: LIFE WILL RUN OUT ON YOU. LIFE WILL RUN ON EMPTY. And the Devil wants to get you so caught up on the unexpected CRISIS that you become distracted from your DESTINY.
But I came by to shout you real quick: When PLAN A goes wrong there is a PLAN B. There is a plan beyond your plan.
See what you must understand is that YOUR PLAN is NEVER the REAL PLAN. That’s why it really doesn’t matter if your plan doesn’t work out. Because it ain’t your plan that’s the real plan in the first place to begin with—so that when things begin to go wrong and awry in your life/when things begin to run on empty—don’t give up because the LORD has a plan. And when you HOOK up with the Holy One—you can learn to run on even when you’re running on empty.
Is there anybody in here—you’ve been running on empty but you’re still here/God keeps on blessing you/standing on God’s promises. And the only reason you keep coming to church is because when PLAN A didn’t work, PLAN B stepped in and He worked it out because we know ALL things work together for the good!!!
How do I not give up when PLAN A goes wrong? How do I remain faithful to the plan that IS the plan when my plan doesn’t work? Three things and I’ll be through.
I. THINGS CAN RUN ON EMPTY EVEN IN THE PRESENCE OF JESUS.
Now I know that some of you don’t like this point already in what it suggests/hints/conjures—because there are so many that suppose/deem/believe that problems have no place/purpose/point in the life of the Christian believer—and too many of you are listening to this stupid, dim-witted theology that runs/wanders/meanders around purporting and suggesting that once you hook up with Jesus, all your problems in your life cease and desist and if you have any problems in your life that it is because you have unconfessed sin in your life; and you need to come to the altar because once you get in Jesus everything will be perfect and peachy. That is the biggest lie you can ever believe in your life. Now I am not suggesting that Christian believers need to walk around living a defeated/subjugated life—what I am suggesting is the Lord Jesus Christ never promised problem-free living—He just said “Be of good cheer WHEN the problems come I have ALREADY overcome the world!”
• Which means I can come over anything that’s come over me!
• Which means no matter WHAT comes in my LIFE I can handle it!
And somebody needs to hear me today—you need to stop turning your nose up at
- people who’ve got struggles in their life,
- churches that have less that 10 people and don’t have a 100-voice choir,
- saints who don’t live in your neighborhood,
- believers who don’t have a car and can’t afford a bus pass, don’t shop at the galleria, don’t eat out 3 times a week.
- Believers who are raising their child alone
Those things just very well may not be a sign of God’s disapproval—but rather a sign of preparation.
You need to quit walking around spiritually sedate, bouji, blaze’, perfect and you don’t have any problems because you read somebody’s book that taught you to have the power of positive thinking.
Maybe your problem is that you’re living on Fantasy Island.
• Is there anybody in the building who knows that you really didn’t know what problems were until you stepped in the kingdom?
And there are a lot of people in the church, believe it or not, who are messed up because you got hooked up with Jesus thinking that life would all of a sudden be perfect/ideal/just right/great/wonderful/seamless/unspoiled—only to discover that it wasn’t perfect. So you ran away from where God planted/rooted/established/assigned you to some other religion only to find out that IT wasn’t perfect. (By the way—we also do that with churches and relationships and problems)
• The DIFFERENCE now that you’re hooked up with Jesus—is NOT that you have a struggle-free life. But now your struggles have MEANING and PURPOSE.
Watch the text—Jesus has been invited to a wedding. Which implies that on some level that Jesus has a relationship with somebody in the house.
So—He has a relationship with somebody IN the house and He is IN the house and the WINE runs out in the presence of Jesus Who is IN the house and He is in the house because He has a relationship with somebody who is IN the house when the wine runs out.
• Because you can be in the presence of Jesus and still have to deal with unexpected, problematic, tripped-out situations.
And that really ought to bless somebody right now who thought that something was wrong with your faith because you’re having a struggle.
• Do you know that every now and then that struggle is a compliment from God?
• Did you know that every now and then and problem and a crisis is God’s way of saying what you CAN handle?
Children of God, People of Faith are not problem-free; we just know what to do and where to go when we have a problem. We just have sense enough to know what to do when it runs out.
• You see—I’m convinced that the Lord will let some STUFF run out because we’ve been depending on STUFF even in His presence. So sometimes He’ll let THINGS and RESOURCES and PEOPLE run out in order to put your focus where it needs to be. And when it goes wrong or haywire, even when you are in relationship with Him, that’s your SHOUT—that you are in RELATIONSHIP with Him.
- Your shout is not the car he gave you/the house you’re living in/the clothes on your back/the money in your bank account. The shout is that when it all runs out and you find yourself on empty—you’re in relationship with Him.
Because watch what Mary says, Pullam translation: “Baby—you need to fix this situation.” She’s giving Him one of those mother talks: Before you were born—your Daddy sent an Angel to talk to me and told me how special you were. Now I’m telling you—you’ve got something that nobody else in this room has. They don’t have any wine…FIX this!” And he says Woman (don’t confuse the word, He’s not being disrespectful—it is the word Goo-Nay—the same word He uses at the cross—a term of endearment and affection—more properly translated Lady). He says: “this is not my time yet.” And some scholars have misinterpreted that to denote that He was referring to the time of the crucifixion. But when you go back to read the original Greek Masoretic text—(oupo ekei he ho-ra egos) and what he is saying in plain English: LET ME DO THIS IF I DO ANYTING WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT.
He says it is not time for me to do anything; so let me handle it.
So Mary goes back and says: WHATEVER HE SAYS—I DON’T KNOW WHAT HE’S GOING TO SAY/I DON’T WHAT HE’S GOING TO TELL YOU TO DO/I DON’T KNOW HOW HE’S GOING TO WORK IT OUT—I NEED YOU ALL TO DO WHAT HE TELLS YOU. I don’t know WHAT He’s going to do. But I know when the time is right—He’s going to do something.
And the Holy Spirit showed me that that is really all He was waiting on because He wanted her to understand that you can’t come to me demanding me to do what you want me to do. You’ve got to come to me in faith. And say “I don’t know what you are going to do—but whatever you do IS ALRIGHT WITH ME”.
And is there anybody in here who can say:
- I’m not going to tell God what to do
- I’m not going to tell God how to fix it
- I’m not going to give God advice
- I’m not going to tell God when to deliver me
But I’m going to have enough faith to say in 2007—when the time is right-WHATEVER YOU TELL ME TO DO…I will DO IT!!!
• And that’s why some of us can’t get blessed. Because you keep taking a WISH LIST to God like He’s Santa Claus: DO THIS AND DO THAT AND FIX THIS AND GIVE ME THIS AND GIVE ME THAT.
That’s not how God works.
• I know preacher—but the Bible says Ask and you shall receive……………
You have to put the Bible in context—in context that’s when the Spirit has saturated YOUR MIND with the will of God—then ask for what you want because then you are not going to ask for anything that He doesn’t want you to have.
Saying “Lord I don’t know what you are going to do—but I’m believing you are working it out for my good”.
- If you don’t give me the job
- If you don’t get the cancer out my body
- If I STAY single sleeping in a double bed
- If I don’t get the car
- If you DO decide to take mamma on to glory
- If I KEEP living from paycheck to paycheck
That will be alright with me—I’m not settling for mediocrity—but I know that whatever you do is going to give me the best testimony of my life.
II. THE LORD IS SO AWESOME THAT HE’LL USE WHAT’S AVAILABLE TO GIVE YOU WHAT YOU NEVER HAD.
It’s so simple. Let me tell you something. If there is anything that I think the church is guilty of—it is downplaying the miracle-working power of God.
Let’s just be honest for a minute. WE REALLY DON’T BELIEVE IN MIARACLES.
I mean we talk about it/shout about it/say Amen about/it sounds churchy and spiritual—but let’s be honest—we REALLY, as a whole, don’t really believe in miracles.
How do I know? BECAUSE WE ARE SO QUICK TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE LITTLE WE HAVE LEFT TO GET WHAT WE NEED. And if you really believed in miracles you would never complain or factor in what you don’t have to get what you need. Because you need to be in a position NOT to HAVE in order to NEED a miracle.
• You around here asking the Lord and complaining at the same time, you are contradicting yourself—because a miracle presupposes that you don’t have what you need to GET what you need. So if you don’t have to GET what you need, you are the perfect candidate for a miracle.
Watch the text—the text said that all they had was water. They said that the WINE ran out.
Something CHEAPER than wine--WATER.
Something beneath what was missing and less than what was needed—WATER
And when all was said and done, the water was turned into wine. Jesus took pots used for water, put water back in them and made it be more than it had ever been.
• Jesus took what was LESS than perfect and made it something that it should be able to become.
• He used what was available and transformed it into a marvelous display of God’s power.
Are you forgetting what a miracle is? A miracle happens when God breaks His own law of nature. And does what the laws of nature says ought never be done.
- It’s when he heals without medicine—the laws of nature say there ought to be chemicals in your body.
You see, God is bigger than the hopeless that what you don’t have is making you feel and point to for validity and security.
You need to know that it does not matter what you don’t have; it doesn’t matter if you situation does not fit into the laws—He can break them and do what He needs to do. YOU need to turn it over to Him and watch Him bless it beyond everything it should be.
God really desires what is available. Because whatever you need God will supply.
Illustration: 2 fish and five loaves of bread…He can work a miracle.
I came to Jesus just as I was—that’s why I don’t understand how some people can come to church and not know what the Lord has done for you—because when the laws of nature said you were a slave/couldn’t get the education…You ain’t nothing but a miracle!!!
I’M A MIRACLE!!!
Nobody but God got me out of jail/get off of crack/put the bottle down/get a job/let me raise that child by myself…NOBODY
III. You’ve got to learn to say GOODBYE to what was before you can say HELLO to what can be
I THINK I’m preaching.
Don’t get caught up in trying to analyze and wallow in what went down that you don’t open yourself up to the FAITH FACT that what went down only went down to make room for what needs to come up…
I MUST BE ON A COME UP—BECAUSE I’VE BEEN DOWN SO LONG…
2006 WAS THE DOWN—BUT 2007 IS THE COME UP
- I’m coming up with anointing
- I’m coming up with deliverance
- I’m coming up with praise
- I’m coming up with victory
- I’m coming up healed/in my right mind/joy/blessings/miracles/confidence/smile/shout/everything I’m supposed to have. This is the year of my come up!!!
It’s in the text—notice what the head waiter says: NORMALLY you serve the best wine first; but you have saved the best for last!
Don’t miss this: We can deduce from that comment that what they were using—though it was good—was not the best. It’s obvious what they had been using was more settling. But the BEST didn’t become available until what they had been using ran out and got out of the way—in order to experience what was better.
• Jesus had something better that he could give them but they wouldn’t know it or even experience it until what they were dealing with ran out.
• If you run out what you’ve been working with—don’t cry—that’s just the Lord making room to give you something better.
• And some of ya’ll aren’t running out quick enough—you need to pick it up, take it out and dump it out.
You need to go home today and call some people and say: you’re taking up too much room-you’re messing up my life—I need to dump you out—because God’s got the best waiting for me.
This scarcity, lack, little bit—it’s just a SET UP for something BETTER.
Quit throwing a pitty party/crying and complaining—it’s a set up.
So what he broke up with you—it’s a setup
So what she walked out on you—God’s got something better
So what that Job didn’t work out—God’s got another job better than that one.
The Faith thing to do is GET UP, GET ON and GET OVER IT—Trusting that what you lost ain’t even compared to what God has waiting for you. Because He is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all you could ask or think!!!
- You need to leave the failure go to the future…
- And the future is always better than the failure—because technically it wasn’t failure it was just time for a New SEASON and a NEW Day.!!!
Because even though your situation said THE END; your faith said TO BE CONTINUED!
You are crying over something that is somewhere that you are not. It’s in the past. IF it’s in the past, why are you crying over something that’s over. The Devil is a liar. I’ve come to prophesy over somebody’s life that your latter will be greater than your past; that 2007 is the year of your come up. And it’s possible to have a future; my blessed days are ahead of me!!! Because if my past has been that bad—then my future has to be that much greater—or else the Devil would try to keep me from it!!!
Water into wine—you do know that God can turn you into something greater…
• He said take it to the head waiter. Because the head waiter could determine the veracity of the wine. Now notice that it didn’t turn to wine when it got to the waiter—he was already acting like it was so because it was already so.
• Just because you haven’t seen it yet doesn’t mean that God hadn’t fixed it. It just hasn’t gotten to you yet. He gave it to some angels and it’s working it’s way down through the second heaven, all the way down to the first heaven. But since I know he’s already fixed it, I’m not going to wait until I get it to act like I got it—I’m going to act like I got it already.
- I ain’t got healed—but I’m walking like I’m healed
- I don’t have the job—but I’m walking like I got it
- I don’t have the money—but I’m walking like a millionaire
- I ain’t married—but I’m dressing like I’m the bride
Is there anybody here—who can say I’m not going to wait until I get it to talk about it—but I’m going to shout like I already have it. I’m going to shout right now. I’m going to praise right now. I’m going to rejoice right now.
