WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOUR WINE RUNS OUT?
JOHN 2:1-10
I have discovered that when it comes to managing our time, many of us are not good stewards…! Many of us both in and out of the church oftentimes find ourselves burning the candle at both ends… And because we find ourselves not using our time wisely, we tend to become easily burned out… Because we spend so much time doing on things that really don’t matter when it comes to the Kingdom, we can’t handle the things that do matter…! I can’t speak for you, but I have found myself in this position many times… And as a result, I find myself at a loss when it comes to doing the things of God… IOW every now and then, I lose my zeal, my will to go on, my determination… It seems as if your wine has run out…!
This text paints for us a mirror-like metaphor of the world we live in… It parallels the current situation that many of us find ourselves in each and every day…! The text lets us know that there was a marriage feast going on, and at such feasts, it was customary to serve wine as the drink…
However, shortly after the feast begins, a tragic thing happens… After only three days into the weeklong celebration, the wine runs out…! And that’s what happens in many of our lives today… Soon after you start serving the Lord… Doing His Will… Walking in His Way… IOW Turning away from sin… Leaving ungodly folk behind… Changing your lifestyle… Changing your mindset… Your wine begins to run out…!
You see the feast represents the celebration of our new life in Christ… Remember wine was the customary drink at wedding feasts, and just as a man and woman are joined in marriage or union, so are we with Christ at the time of our salvation… What I’m trying to say is that your new life in Christ ought to be like a feast (honeymoon) that never ends…! And at this feast, the wine that is being served is symbolic of your joy, your peace, and your hope in Jesus Christ… The wine is indicative of what everybody who is in the body should have… But for whatever the reason may be (work it…) We’ve run out of wine…! We’ve run out of joy… We look good on the outside, but on the inside, we’re empty…We’ve run out of hope… We’ve become spiritually bankrupt, empty depleted, and exhausted… And there’s nothing left in storage… Nothing left for us to pull from… And as a result, our Praise has become Passive… Testimony is Tired… Witness is Weak…! We’ve run out of wine…!
Now if you research the customs of feasts and celebrations, and the use of wine, you will find out that it was an indictment for the family hosting the feast to run out of wine…! It was unthinkable to run out of wine… Let me suggest to you today that it is an indictment against the church and the body of Christ to run out of joy, hope, and peace… You ought to have so much of Christ in you that you never run out…!
(Problem) When we run out of wine, all of our preaching, teaching, singing, and service is of no value because we’ve run out of wine…! So we find ourselves asking the question… (title)What do you do when you feel like you can’t go on…? How do you restore the joy that was once there…? (3 steps)
I. FIND THE SOURCE
Mary knew where to go... She knew what she had to do.... She didn’t waste time fooling with everything else... She knew how to find the source...! Likewise, we have to know how to find the source...! We need to know how to go to God in our time of need... How to go to Him when our wine runs out.... For indeed He is The Source... Just look at Gen 1:1: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth....”
Then Jesus adds commentary Rev 1:8: “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, says the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty...!” That’s proof in itself that He is The Source....! When your world is turned upside-down... When it seems as if hell is hovering right over your head.... When it seems that your wine has run out, go to The Source...! Psalms 46:1, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble...”
What I’m trying to say is that when things look shaky and my wineskin gets empty, I know that have to go back and find The Source....
Because Paul told me that (Acts 17:24-28) “God made the world and everything (that includes wine!) in it, (and because) He is Lord of heaven and earth, He does not dwell in temples made with hands; Neither is He worshipped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, (and because) He gives to all life, and breath, and all things... And has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth... (and because) He has determined their pre-appointed times and the bounds of their dwellings; so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him, and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us: For in Him we live, and move, and have our being...” I know He is The Source...! Tell somebody, “He is...!” (Title.......)
II. FOLLOW THE RECIPE
Notice what Jesus says in verse 7: “Fill the waterpots with water...” They had run out of wine, but Jesus said, “Fill the waterpots with water...!” The waterpot represents a vessel (that’s you and me) hard; empty vessels ready for use...
Likewise, the water is symbolic of the Word of God... Jesus said, “Fill the waterpots with water...” When your wine runs out, you have to follow the recipe the Jesus has prepared for us.... When your wine runs out, you’ve got to fill yourself (the waterpot) up with water.... You’ve got to fill yourself with His Word...! If you’re going to follow the recipe, check out some of the added ingredients found in Psalms 1:1-2... "But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law… He meditates day and night....”
One who fills himself with the Word is one who is “fully satisfied…” One who is filled with the Word is completely full with it to the point that it permeates and pervades throughout their very being…They’ve got so much Word on the inside, that it literally runs over and pours out in their everyday walk with the Master…! When we fill ourselves with God’s Word, it becomes a part of our inner person… It infiltrates us… And when it becomes part of our inner man, we say what David said "Your Word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against you…!” And as we fill up with His Word, it will eventually become a part of us… His Word will become more than just mere words put together on a page…
But it will become a living, breathing, and life changing Word…! That will have meaning to us…!
Once we start to fill up on His Word… Once we become filled to the brim with His Word… We’ll be able withstand the attacks of the enemy when he comes our way…! You’ll begin to experience a rejuvenation of God’s Goodness...
When you are filled with the Word, you won’t have room for anything else... When you’re filled with the Word, you won’t have room for any foolishness... Not only that, but when you’re full with the Word, you’ll be able to share it with others... (Title) Find The Source.... Follow The Recipe...!
III. FEAST ON THE GOOD WINE
The word feast (in this context) means to celebrate, to praise, to exalt, to glorify... It means to take pleasure in... To enjoy...! You see, when you have found the source... When you have followed God’s recipe.... When you have filled your waterpots the brim with water... Not just any water, but the Living Water… You’ll be able to feast on the Goodness of the Lord... You’ll be able to feast on the hope restored unto us...
You’ll be able to feast on His everlasting Mercy...! You’ll be able to feast on His Grace...!
(Title) Just get a hold of The Good Wine...! For when you get hold of the Good Wine...
You’ll never thirst again...!
Your joy will be fulfilled...!
Your faith will be renewed...!
All because of Jesus... He is The Good Wine...! So come and drink... Of The Good Wine...Come and drink... Isaiah said, “Ho, everyone that thirsts, come to the waters, and you that have no money; come buy and eat; yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend money for what is not bread and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance. Incline your ear, and come to Me: Hear, and your soul shall live...”
The more you feast on the Good Wine, the better it will ‘taste’ to you... You’ll begin to say, “Everyday with Jesus is sweeter then the day before...” The more you feast on the Good Wine, the more you’ll begin to say, “He’s sweet I know... He’s sweet I know… Dark clouds may rise... Strong winds may blow…
But I’ll tell the world...Wherever I go…That I have found a Savior And He’s Sweet.........!”
You see every time I get a hold of the Good Wine, I understand more what Peter meant in (Acts 2:14-21...)
“Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning!
No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: "`In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’”
(Physically Drunk v. Spiritually Drunk…!)
