WATER To WINE—Declaring God's Anointed-V—John 2:1-12
Attention:
Taco Bell’s ‘Breakfast Defectors’ campaign.
“Taco Bell has been aggressively targeting the breakfast market among fast-food chains since last year, when it unveiled a new breakfast menu & a cheeky campaign that took a jab at McDonald’s to go along with it. Its entry was well-timed: Breakfast sales had recently increased in the fast-food sector compared to a decline in lunch & dinner.
According to food market research firm NPD Group, not only do 47 percent of Americans regularly go to restaurants for breakfast, but “quick service” restaurants account for 79 percent of total restaurant morning meals. Further, breakfast is also the only main meal time growing, up by 2 percent in 2014. Taco Bell’s overall ad budget increased from approximately 32.8 million in 2013 to 35.6 million in 2014, according to Kantar Media. While McDonald’s still maintains the breakfast lead, the brand also said that within 6 months of its new breakfast menu launch last year, it had matched Burger King’s awareness numbers.
“Last year was about breaking into the breakfast category,” said Brett Craig, executive creative director at Deutsch LA. “This year is about distinguishing ourselves from the sea of sameness.”
Taco Bell is also compiling “Influencer kits” for a select group of fans, consisting of t-shirts, bandanas & posters relating to the campaign. The brand is relying on these fans to further spread the word about the campaign.
“Taco Bell has an enviable position, where they don’t have to rely on outside influencers for their campaigns,” Tom Pettus, evp & group creative director at Deutsch LA, said. “All the background social engagements that the brand does, sets the stage for these campaigns.”—Digiday.com
Everything Taco Bell does of late sets the stage for their ‘Breakfast Defectors’ campaign.
Everything they do of late sets the stage for their ‘Breakfast Defectors’ campaign.
Taco Bell is declaring their ‘anointed’ ‘Breakfast Defectors’ program.
God has declared His ‘program’—Christ Jesus—for the salvation & cooperation of mankind!
Need:
When we bypass Jesus’ glory, we bypass Jesus’ blessing. Our lives become meaningless & joyless...Our work laborious & pointless. Our relationships fleeting & distant.
Jesus turned water to wine in order to initiate/call attention to/set apart His public ministry.
Jesus is set apart as God’s Anointed.
Declaring God’s Anointed can/may be accomplished thru particular signs.
Why turn water into wine?
*Where is Jesus set apart as God’s Anointed?
6 stages for heralding God’s Anointed.
Previously we found that God’s Anointed is heralded on the stage of....
1. INSIGNIFICANCE(:1)
2. PRESSURE(:1-3)
3. DESIRE(:4)
4. TRUST(:5)
5. SUPPLY(:6-8)
6—God’s Anointed is heralded on the stage of...
TRANSFORMATION, SUPERIORITY, & JOY(:9-10)
Explanation:(:9-10)Better/Best/Celebration/Comparison
:9—“When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, & did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom.”
The headwaiter(“master of the feast") “tasted” what the servants brought to him. The water from the waterpots had been turned into “wine” by Jesus. Only those “servants who had drawn the water” knew how they acquired the “wine.”
“The servants knew the source of the water, but not the power that made the wine.”—RWP
The servants had drawn the water themselves & it was changed to “wine” either in the waterpots or in the process of transportation to the headwaiter. Regardless, “the water” “had become wine.”
Upon tasting the wine, the “headwaiter” then “calls” the “bridegroom,” to inform him of the ‘good call’ he had made regarding prioritizing the “wine”(:10).
“Tasted”—geuomai—1) To taste, to try the flavor of; 2) To taste—2a) i.e. Perceive the flavor of, partake of, enjoy, 2b) To feel, make trial of, experience; 3) To take food, eat, to take nourishment, eat. Strong—a primary verb; To taste; by implication--To eat; figuratively--To experience(good or ill).
“Was made”—ginomai—Perfect Passive Participle—1) To become, i.e. To come into existence, begin to be, receive being; 2) To become, i.e. to come to pass, happen—2a) Of events; 3) To arise, appear in history, come upon the stage—3a) Of men appearing in public; 4) To be made, finished—4a) of miracles--To be performed, wrought; 5) To become, be made.
“Wine”(See :3)—oinov—
“Know...Knew”—eidw—Pluperfect Active Indicative—1) To see; 2) To know. Eidw denotes to see with the mind's eye, signifies a clear & purely mental perception. Strong—a primary verb; used only in certain past tenses, the others being borrowed from the equivalent optanomai & oraw; properly--To see(literally or figuratively); by implication(in the perf. only)--To know.
“Servants”(See :5)—diakonov—
“Came from”—poyen—Adverb—1) of place:--From where, from what condition; 2) of origin or source:--From what author or giver; 3) of cause:--How is that?, how can that be? Strong—From which(as interrogative) or What(as relative) place, state, source or cause.
“Bridegroom”—numfiov—1) A bridegroom. Strong—A bride-groom(literally or figuratively).
:10—“And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, & when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!”
“When men have drunk freely (otan meyusywsin). The verb does not mean that these guests are now drunk, but that this is a common custom to put "the worse" (ton elassw, the less, the inferior) wine last. It is real wine that is meant by oinov here.”—RWP
‘Teetotaling, card-carrying baptists’—Those who prioritize their denomination over & above their calling upon Christ Jesus! Sadly many are teetotalers because they are Baptists but not because they are Christ’s! These will be shocked at what Jesus does here & will either, 1)Assign guilt to Jesus or 2)Reinterpret ‘wine’ as unfermented grape juice...both are remiss to such.
“Unlike the Baptist Jesus mingled in the social life of the time, was even abused for it(Mt 11:19; Lu 7:34). But this fact does not mean that today Jesus would approve the modern liquor trade with its damnable influences. The law of love expounded by Paul in 1Cor. 8-10 & in Rom. 14:15 teaches modern Christians to be willing gladly to give up what they see causes so many to stumble into sin.”—RWP
1Cor. 8:10—“For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols?”
Rom. 14:15—“Yet if your brother is grieved because of your food, you are no longer walking in love. Do not destroy with your food the one for whom Christ died.”
But we have to ask, if this “wine” is indeed “wine” then would it be acceptable in God’s scheme of things to supply something intended for abuse(though it is not intended for such!)? “Wine” by nature does not constitute misuse regarding the flesh. However it can very easily be misused & must be approached with extreme caution particularly given the secular societal & cultural norms present. The Scripture always denounces its misuse &/or abuse.
Rule of Thumb(my own!)—Anything willingly done or partaken of, that causes loss of control of one’s God-ordained cognitive abilities(to reason properly)—anytime you engage in anything for the simple reason of ‘getting high or even a buzz’—you have stepped out of fellowship with God. If you can approach “wine” in that way, then you are not guilty. However if you cannot or are not sure if you can, then please stay away from it altogether!
This is why the Church Covenant states ‘We also engage...to abstain from the sale of, & use of, destructive drugs or intoxicating drinks as a beverage...’
Southern Baptists are, in my opinion, closer to biblical truth than other entities, or I wouldn’t be one. But to brag on the tenets of the Church Covenant over & above the Scripture is a serious misstep! Don’t live by the ‘Church Covenant’...Live by God’s word, which you are compelled to recall via the Church Covenant! Find out WHY the Covenant states what it states! Neither Legalism nor Liberalism are acceptable.
*You think you’ve got your buzz on now(thru “wine”), just let the Lord God in Christ get ahold of you & you’ll know how blessed & euphoric surrender is! Blood-bought believers do not need artificial relaxants or stimulants(aside from true medical need)!
*What is important to gain here is that Jesus is the Agent & point of Supply, Transformation, Superiority & Joy!
“Beginning”(See :11—arch)—prwton—Adverb—1) First in time or place—1a) In any succession of things or persons; 2) First in rank—2a) Influence, honor, 2b) Chief, 2c) Principal; 3) First, at the first. Strong—Firstly(in time, place, order, or importance).
“Sets out”—tiyhmi—1) To set, put, place; 2) To make; 3) To set, fix establish. Strong—To place (in the widest application, literally & figuratively); properly--In a passive or horizontal posture, (& thus different from isthmi, which properly denotes an upright & active position, while keimai is properly reflexive & utterly prostrate).
“Good”2X—kalov—Adj.—1) Beautiful, handsome, excellent, eminent, choice, surpassing, precious, useful, suitable, commendable, admirable. Kalov is a much higher word[than either asteiov[Urbane, polite, elegant] or wraiov[ timely, since everything is beautiful in its hour of fullest perfection]. It means beautiful, physically or morally. It is, however, distinctly the beauty which comes from harmony, the beauty which arises from a symmetrical adjustment in right proportion, in other words, from the harmonious completeness of the object concerned. Strong—of uncertain affinity; properly--Beautiful, but chiefly figuratively--Good(literally or morally), i.e. Valuable or virtuous(for appearance or use, & thus distinguished from agayov, which is properly intrinsic).
“Wine”2X—oinov—1) Wine; 2) metaph.--Fiery wine of God's wrath. Strong—a primary word (or perhaps of Hebrew origin [Nyy]); “Wine”(literally or figuratively).
“Well drunk/Drunk freely/Had too much to drink”—meyuw—1) To be drunken; 2) metaph.--Of one who has shed blood or murdered profusely. Strong—To drink to intoxication, i.e. Get drunk. Used 7X.
“Inferior/Poorer”—elasswn—1) Less—1a) in age--Younger, 1b) In rank, 1c) In excellence, worse. Strong—comparative of the same as elacistov[Least]; Smaller(in size, quantity, age or quality). Used 4X.
“Kept”—threw—1) To attend to carefully, take care of—1a) To guard. Threw expresses watchful care & is suggestive of present possession, fulassw indicates safe custody & often implies assault from without. Strong—To guard(from loss or injury, properly, by keeping the eye upon); (& thus differing from fulassw, which is properly to prevent escaping; & from koustwdia, which implies a fortress or full military lines of apparatus), i.e. To note(a prophecy; figuratively--To fulfill a command); by implication--To detain(in custody; figuratively--To maintain); by extension--To withhold(for personal ends; figuratively--To keep unmarried).
“Now”—arti—Adverb—1) Just now, this moment; 2) Now at this time, at this very time, this moment. “Just, now, even now", marks time closely connected with the present; later, strictly present time.
Argumentation:
Gal. 4:1-7—“Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, but is under guardians & stewards until the time appointed by the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, & if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.”
Eph. 5:18-21—“And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms & hymns & spiritual songs, singing & making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God.”
In contrast to being “drunk with wine” & its consequent descent into “dissipation,” we are to rather, “be filled with the Spirit” of God Himself.
Ps. 51:7-13—“Purge me with hyssop, & I shall be clean; Wash me, & I shall be whiter than snow. Make me hear joy & gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You.”
2Cor. 3:12-18—Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech-- unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away. But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit; & where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
Heb. 11:7, 8-10, 13-16, 22, 24-27—“By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world & became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac & Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder & maker is God.”.....“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them & confessed that they were strangers & pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.”.....“By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel, & gave instructions concerning his bones.”.....“By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward. By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible.”
Illustration:
I really like my home town of Granite Quarry, NC/I was raised there/I knew &/or knew of most everyone there/I have laughed & cried with them...BUT it is not my home!!/THIS town is not home...Nor can it be!/No country, state, county, city, town, house...no place I have ever lived or will ever live, can be my home!/Because Jesus who is Superior to all, has Transformed me & given me a Joy that cannot be had other than in Him alone!/TRANSFORMATION, SUPERIORITY, & JOY
There is someone who is in our congregation today, who does not like NC Barbecue!!/I know...hard to fathom!/This person has told me that they don’t like that nasty vinegar-based stuff!/Now folks, I grew up in a place with a bbq joint on just about every corner/All of it was pork & None of it was slathered in sweet bbq sauce!/I love bbq sauce with a little heat & a vinegary bite!/But Mary has told me that she hates it & wrinkles up her nose at the thought of it!...How dare she!!/Her taste buds need to be Transformed experiencing the Superiority of such bbq & thereby like me, live with the sheer Joy of eating such delectable delights as Rowan County, NC bbq in either sandwich or ‘plate’ form/TRANSFORMATION, SUPERIORITY, & JOY
Charger for the iPhone/You can use the original-stock Apple-brand charger(has a thin short easily broken wire)/OR you could buy a separate one which is much more sturdy, longer & longer-lasting/TRANSFORMATION, SUPERIORITY, & JOY
OR your habits of use could change, using the original & experience—TRANSFORMATION, SUPERIORITY, & JOY
Application:
?Your Personal TRANSFORMATION, SUPERIORITY, & JOY a stage upon which Jesus is heralded?
?You set the Stage for heralding God’s Anointed?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Taco Bell’s ‘Breakfast Defectors’ campaign...Everything they do of late sets the stage for their ‘Breakfast Defectors’ campaign.
Action:
God’s Anointed is heralded on the stage of...
6. TRANSFORMATION, SUPERIORITY, & JOY(:9-10)
1. INSIGNIFICANCE(:1)
2. PRESSURE(:1-3)
3. DESIRE(:4)
4. TRUST(:5)
5. SUPPLY(:6-8)
Pt. 6 only! Presented 08/16/2015am to:
FBC Cbelle
209 Storrs Ave.(Ave. A) SE
Carrabelle, FL 32322
