What Do You Do When Your Wine Runs Out?

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.......)