The Sermon Obedience Brings Change by David McGee
Apr 29, 2012
Obedience Brings Change (37:37)
Referenced Scriptures: John 2:1-10; 2 Corinthians 9:11
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The scriptures below are from the WEB Bible.
John 2:1-10
1) The third day, there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee. Jesus‘ mother was there.
2) Jesus also was invited, with his disciples, to the marriage.
3) When the wine ran out, Jesus‘ Mother said to him, "They have no wine."
4) Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does that have to do with you and 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 six water pots of stone set there after the Jews‘ manner of purifying, containing two or three metretes apiece.
7) Jesus said to them, "Fill the water pots with water." They filled them up to the brim.
8) He said to them, "Now draw some out, and take it to the ruler of the feast." They took it.
9) When the ruler of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and didn‘t know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the ruler of the feast called the bridegroom,
10) and said to him, "Everyone serves the good wine first, and when the guests have drunk freely, then that which is worse. You have kept the good wine until now!"
2 Corinthians 9:11
11) you being enriched in everything to all liberality, which works through us thanksgiving to God.
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And they were going to John chapter two. Last week we did the money. Remember firefly pancakes into sardines are not thinking nothing and making something out of it. Multiplication by division, and seems like that's a very odd way to think of a life. His mother. We give something away, and you divide something. How can be multiplied, but you know whenever we share love and we share, respectively. Share with someone you know we give it away. It never diminishes who we are and it adds to what happens and someone else life, and the same thing is very hard, but in the end in the same ways hard to imagine how God does that with our finances and how that yell. We ask God to bless our gifts and we said, while I take so much out of my income. How is that going to be multiplied back to me in our logic says it doesn't happen that way. But God says he gives back to us first down, shaken together, running over soul, there are ways in which God has taken help us and divide what we seemingly divide me that multiplying becomes seed that is sound in his kingdom and his law and in the lives of all people, and it is not challenging them and changing them so were grateful for those things. So John chapter two. Reading from the message Bible and this is where obedience brings about change obedience brings about change. Three days later there was a wedding in the village of Cana in Galilee, Jesus mother was there. Jesus and his disciples were guest. Also, when they started running low on wine at the wedding banquet Jesus mother told him there just about out of wine. Jesus said is that any of our business mother, yours or mine. This is my time. Don't push me. She went ahead anyway, telling the sermon whatever he tells you do it six oh water pots where there used by the Jews were ritual washing each held twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus ordered the servants fill the pot with water and they filled them to the Bren now fill your pictures and take them to the host. Jesus said, and they did when the host taste of the water that have become wine, he didn't know what had just happened. But this, but the service. Of course, new callouts of the bridegroom. Everybody I know began their fight begins with their finest wines and after the guests have had their fill brings in the cheap stuff but you saved the best till now this act in Cana of Galilee was the first sign Jesus gave the first glimpse of his glory and his disciples believed in him no. If we look at the end of those verses verse twelve this was the first sign Jesus gave the first glimpse of his glory. Every time I conduct a adding I refer to this king of Galilee, and that Jesus sanctified marriage with his very first act of turning wine water into wine and he was there at the present of this marry him seemingly humble occasion began a very significant change in the water in the life of this of this couple. Now the wedding has its usual Gastineau, though the bride and groom the family and also has Mary the mother of Jesus with Jesus and five of his disciples at this time at Albany about this with the limit of his disciples were then five and so they're probably the thought is that they were probably relatives of Jesus probably relatives of Mary and that they had and bought been invited to this wedding as part of the family we only received an invitation to be there. So the point that we look at today is that there was not provided. Yet it was all spent that with a lot of young and preparations for weddings yesterday we were yesterday and they were understanding Perkins anomaly departments in setting up Perkins and there were the strongest couple that was his two women to young women into guys K two guys from one side to limit on the other side to guys never said a thing. They sat in the ladies were planning some type of event tables and chairs and flowers. Now mother was a wedding or whatever they were just gone online, making phone calls in the guise of setting their cell. The hands on it. She can decide all learn why we come to this little hand in deciding after they were planning a wedding or whatever, but any of you ever plan an event, know that it takes a lot of planning no dislike for sport depends on the something happens flawlessly and sometimes it doesn't happen flawlessly but when something happens flawlessly. There's been a lot of planning. When things come off dissonant and order sequence. There is a plan behind it. Things don't just fall into place now. My sermons and things like this, there's always in order. There's always so I was have plans and notes, and so on. And sometimes they get all shuffled in the shuffle, but it comes together near, but we always have a plan. You always have a purpose. You always have a direction and that's very important that we allow ourselves to have this and put it in its so I can imagine that the same thing happened with this wedding and McCain and Clinton Kelly that they were planning the wedding money. We've got to have enough room for the gas. We've got to have enough to Yahoo! have drinks for the guest and don't want at that time was not the best ever see that the web back to the future when she goes back to the last, and that he guides his car people, all done over the& Antony goes into his. His grandfather 's house. You know in the end they pull out the pitcher of water and dump it in error, and it's just like mud, any drink amigos. He looks at it as though like you have bottled water so when a water in the Middle East. In these places where was very scarce, but what they had was a mess, sometimes not. Though the purest of your much it would probably be taken from the well and would be drawn out and in who knows whether it was. But what quality it was whether the bottom of the well or whatever, but then there was a provision for their their drinking provision was there so they would drink wine and have a lot of wine that would've been provided for this for this wedding ceremony, so that was much provided. Yet it was all spent can we identify with. There is not provided in, yet it is all spent we look around us and not only as the congregation, but as a nation is a community, there was much given we travel and travel travel different places. Wheat we go places we went out from here to John's family of near Pittsburgh. We go now wherever we travel a lot. We see when the goal when it's cold. We assume you have water with clothing there are things all around us. When lots of stuff and we realize how much of the worlds population don't you do not even have a third of what we have there was once provided. Yet it is often doing so, we spoke on second Corinthians nine eight two eleven this most generous God, who gives seed to the farmers that becomes bread for your meals is more than extravagant with you is more than extravagant and gives you something you can then give away which follows until full form lives, robust in God, wealthy in every way so that you can be generous in every way, producing with us great praise God. So we are looking at what God has generously extravagantly brought into our lives and him and whenever we take what we've got and put it in bags and give her the going well. We came recycling and all these things are important and if we shop at Goodwill. We taken when he was in late one take it back and there are things we continue to recycle and continue to reuse and we're what are we doing were allowing something to begin at the Wasson, then we give it away whether we allow the purchase of new or whether we go out and purchase again is still that which is given while the government of the owners of everything we are only stewards of whether we own it, whether we rented, or whether were here, somebody else is going to happen someday. So we are. The Bible says it's more than extravagant the divine provisions of God have no limits to the divine information is never diminished divine provision has never diminished with use. So, just like dividing the five loaves and two fishes that it is not diminished with the division is multiply so the negative side of extravagances whenever we taken and saved. I mean nine no hoarding the thing that the extravagance that the greening meaning that the never wealthy who are greedy needy that that people will look at their wealth and set. I got to build bigger barns that the greedy needy of the wealthy, their greedy and want more, but to half a lot extravagant God blesses us with Israel happened to Sharon Cabral is like, see the farmer that you continue to plant the seed and the savory for harvest. Porn you get one flat one. Currently, engineers now you have five hundred kernels of corn. So that is that extravagance that God places in our life. While this wedding is out of wine. Now, to us, would that be like running out of food running out of soda right out of water. Not having enough food for all the people that you invited somehow it was miscalculated and the wedding ran out of wine, Mary the mother of Jesus brings this need on the couple 's attention to Jesus. Now if this is a relative of Mary relative of Jesus that to run out of anything are at a wedding in those days was an unpardonable. I mean, it would be something that will be remembered as a characteristic against it for the rest of their lives. You know, you know, salsa, they got married a native plan ahead and they didn't plan and they ran out of food. Imagine going to wedding and not having a food if people are talking that would release that will be the subject in all of the conversation it would always be this disdain upon this couple 's marriage I also think that was very much a part of everything working out everything being planned and everything being applied ill today CLI is no problem. Every works out. While in those days it wasn't such of his isn't it was a catastrophe. So Jane, Mary brings us need of this couple. It wasn't that the people needed more wine. It was at this couple was going to be embarrassed. It was going to leave a mark on their life upon their marriage. This response they'll is somewhat different. This is one of responses that somehow he says. In a message Bible says is that any of your business mother, yours or mine. Now that the hard phrase through to interpret. There are about three or four different that I found interpretations of that out of that verse. Some think Mary was not thinking of the miraculous, but that she was trying to point this out to Jesus so that Jesus whenever he could stand up or make an announcement to provide some decent excuse so that this would not be a mark against the wedding that this couple for the rest of their lives. So maybe she was looking at that phrase, and that bringing visited for that reason others have said while Jesus knew that later on in our timeframe, there would be people who would put eight to Mary Ann and all, as if she were going to intercede on their behalf and he is using this to kind of put in place that is not. He is aware of the situation without Mary's advice that we don't marry now that was in another commentary, or we find that others believe she was looking for lyrical because she made no response Jesus will then have to not reply to review but he is not. She instructed the assignments to do whatever he requested. So here she is coming to Jesus and say Jesus. Your presence here. Somebody near your relatives have run out of one now that is that is a mark against our family and against their family and everybody in the whole village is going to know about this Jesus says the word about mom, though I'm not as they care at the dignity paraphrase mom, don't worry about taking care of our enough so the mother of Mary Nether Mary the mother. Jesus says to the service, Inc. she leaves. Use Google reader service budget at all. Whatever he tells you to do you do think it's very important because that sets in motion. What Jesus is about to get narrative puts things in perspective for the service for Jesus is going to last disservice to do something that has servants that you get in trouble for the trouble they can be and is targeting of water out instead of the one, and this is really going to be yell running out of wine is one thing but replacing it with water is another. I mean this is down. We had when cheapo cheapo people here cannot. There are the bottom of the barrel people they got to have run out of wine and there'll even have the courtesy to tell you that I want to replace it with water as it were not going to know it, but the NR, line this will have much and we spent and gone and the UN are not praying about something because you felt that it's your fault, it's gone and you blew it. Therefore, you don't have the right to ask God for Jim and think that your brain. I know I have not been blessed with the less we were blessed out of our sock CL with it. Now I'm a John Deere tractor. Now why should I complain about low back problems and I was on your tractor. I don't know where I can write around the yard, but it's too bumping. So now you're rolling out in our guiding roller is you want to have anything to pray for when these bills are, we have this thing that we would like to purchase for somebody else. But you know our limitations, and so rather than looking to our divine permission, we look at our ability to provide and say it's not enough. That's what I think the point of this not the only point of this on this scenario, but it's one of the points of the scenario that the people have lack because they spend what they have to would then they plan properly. They probably plan because there had been a plan in place while maybe more people showed up in what was supposed to be there if I ever do that now send out invitations and you know you figure while there, the personages say that eighty percent will show up and now, but a hundred percent showed up when you're in trouble. We are planning on the eighties because that's the statistics show bar where everybody in the eight percent a night out since the they were coming, and then all of a sudden more people came out. I'm a human mind are always meanwhile brought my family at the reminded me read the Joplin conventions break the Missouri and the chaplain 's convention is to achieve really a great place is probably the one the best times that we have. I think we have with the everywhere because the chaplains you have all the different chaplains prison chaplains military chaplains hospital chaplains rodeo chaplains right on NASCAR chaplain slamming you ever get a chapel even imagine my care chaplains now they would have bikers. They are led by a by Harley-Davidson. I should apply for them. But anyhow they live in Harley-Davidson 's and they got all the big rallies, and I have made are the chaplains at these rallies enable prayer or they set up their cancer. Their tents and people to come in and they can pray with people in the whole parcels all kinds of chaplains lyricists. There were these Spanish people there and he was a chocolate of some sort and eight on the invitation it says no family so that they were there to check in and I was like fifteen of them, but I call them while you know, family, husband, wife, kids, while they were husband, wife, mother mother mother, father, both sides, plus brothers and sisters in the theater when he never check in one click affair outline and so they showed up when and how they were expecting that they should be able to get in the provision was not there, so they had to provide a couple more rooms for them, but there was this picture that contains water for the ritual wash the Rex all what I think is that everybody who's coming it has washed her feet washed their hands in this part of the ritual washings that they had to go through the pictures of water twenty to thirty gallons. These containers were empty and so Jesus tells the flying instruments. I also know these these containers. The twenty thirty down there till them up with water. When I tell them what they fill them with water. It was a common practice for these containers to be filled with water so they would then set these containers that where empty, fill them with water and then Jesus says, take and serve the host and who's going to be first to take water out of the picture and take it in the house don't water no one is one, and you're going to put it in the host pitcher in their car and the goblet of the glass itself in Europe. With that in now. Jesus didn't say everything stand back, you are about to see America by I am going to change water. Why they didn't need it, and there was no theatrics. There was only obedience. Now whenever we don't have enough because we have been given plenty and it's gone to redo the theatrics hold bottom heavens, creator of heaven and earth take this money that I now plugged in the will furnish now long that why you have so much more than when I get home I will have baskets. I will give school. I will have a closet full of them, and to do that. Don't drive that had not yet only met where is the answer. Where is he this was in this lyrical and water out of the well dumping it in the picture dragging the pictures of the house, taking the pictures putting it into the smaller pictures taking it over and delving into the glass of the individual. The health in the house drinking it when you change the wine is a change where is the transformation taking place. We know now so we don't know when the transmission takes place in our lives. Whatever you lately. We belong to become read that this week to win the long until we become you think you belong here. While I'm not a perfect Christian. That's okay, were becoming in allowing here. There are many people that are on here today. That alone here. While they're not perfect. Because worst the process of becoming when a process of becoming the child of the god wants us to be where the process of taking the challenge that we have in making them greater developing them worldwide across a busy with a long and then we become an Jesus. It is here, and in this wedding feast. This wedding celebration, and he belongs there, and while he's there. There is a miracle that becomes part of this wedding that we referred that I referred to the descriptors that we refer to every time I went Mary every somewhat. Every time someone is never as NASA, a place where he belongs, but yet there was the coming of the miracle and it applies them along a lot of places that work for families, our neighborhood with alone. There which belong here to his church on the body of Christ, but belonging and then becoming young. Sometimes we feel wave of ourselves were places that we seemingly is above us. I trust that we talked about their uppercrust method. I trust the upper crust enough, but we belong to him. I David this week. It was this week. Last Sunday it with public church and look against John Hubble search and David did a presentation in the boardroom of Willow Creek. Okay, now what quick is the one of large churches in United States and their lack of the present their two missions board and potential contribution contributors for a million people who represent billions of dollars of financial aid to organizations and David the presentation because the person who was supposed to do the presentation with it either so they would fill that representation saw was he trying to believe along there. Yes, but you see, they did her presentation for fourteen when young women and Somerset County while pushing buttons. Wish you about here is a whole different stage a whole different platform whole different arena of life that normally isn't open to just anybody, you have to qualify to get there, you have to qualify to be there and allow you there you have to come up performed as a virtual halt upper-level, but you think God has a way of taking us from where we are to where we need to be, and talking to us from where we start and how that was below air, but yet that we become as big as we below estimates. This is a process and that is the miracle take place as Americans take place coming on well doesn't take place as we dump the water into the pictures and monitoring those thirty thirty gallon containers is that where the miracle takes place to Jesus 's young project and assist you or me nothing. There's no theatrics is no prayer. There is no prior. There is only obedient and in the act of obedience. There is a mirror at the end that's the challenge to each of our lives following the words the instructions of Jesus to do the right thing at a time to belong normally belong to the kingdom of God not only belong to the family of God and that God has a way in that the longing and ignore obedience to bring about American without any of the theatrics is not even a simple prayer. There is only the act of obedience and that is the most common thing that we do we get up for your work. Why can't we have to we swipe the card and to those of you who have scarred swiping activism that your employment and you swipe the card and you are officially checked in and you are on duty and you set about to do your everyday work. So where's the miracle on all of this. Where's the transformation transformation is inside of us. The transformation is how the God does a work inside of us and that as we look at the accumulated effects of everything that we do is get the water out well competent work pitchers in the thirty gallon containers holding thinners and take water out of the out of the pictures dump amendment to the glass of the guy drinks when does the miracle take place don't know. But we know all that the best was safe to last. The best was saved, unless we know that when the Halls tasted the water that I become line these days everybody know that we begin with the firm finest wines and when they just have had their full bring in the cheap stuff but again so now gone. There is now in his extravaganzas of transformation in the extravagance of God 's transformation. He takes the ordinary and changes it into something extraordinary. And so when we prior when we touch people when they talk to people, the compassion, the understanding the knee. The challenge that we bring to people 's lives in is in these situations that God is at work, taking the ordinary making an extraordinary. They performed the miraculous is not where we belong to the process of becoming, taking what we once were, and making a new creation when we lived by his word. The word of his life transforms us when we lived by his word our life is transformed. While we know that we give our life to Jesus. Okay, now that if change is now the crisis in our hearts as a transportation window. I become perfect. There's a long way, but there is the transforming of the YM in this whole process of obedience and as I am obedient to God. Things change in me. When did you become so good when did you become so high and mighty when you know what I'm not religious air while you know, that's a compliment, you know, I was just trying to be my water and air yourself and something happened in the process. The abundance from God. The extravagance in Christ provisions above all that we can ask or think he's a visit the problem went out and I thought we will get our thoughts with all my never be that I remember when I delivered I could never win, Somerset, Hawaii was oh oh outline a guide whenever we why not all school. I could never be the top doesn't necessarily be mean being on top as in one hundred of the top one hundred meet is that I transformed in the process of becoming the miracle and the miracle doesn't stop the miracle doesn't stop just like the miracle of the wedding didn't stop when the wedding feast was over it was remembered that family long behind them as individuals because it's remembered today. It's remembered in every wedding ceremony that people do, as Jesus blessed the wedding in Cana of Galilee by his presence and turning water into wine. We asked his presence to be part of this ceremony in the changing of two lives into one still. The miracle is still going on. Seek God 's work in us. We come as his servants obeying his word. Go feel the pictures with water. Fill your life with the word of God and prayer. Dedicate your life to God where he takes the ordinary of life and changes it into the extraordinary. What you are worried about God can take and say will we walk in obedience to his Word. We are not to worry about in everything give thanks because God is about the work a miracle is about the work America. One provision. He's a mathematical word miracle in change them out to make a miracle in our lives because he has touched our life and we are walking in obedience to him as he took the five loaves and two fishes, and fed five thousand men and class women and children as easy as he takes the water that has just been in obedience toward the one container to another became the best wine of the evening. Provisions we have a mission in our relationships and our time and our talents and our finances in the direction of our life and our place of service or place of ministry. All are for one purpose, to glorify Christ. So we take what you have. I have an empty container will then fill it fill it with God 's word filled with praise, ask Jesus, the blessed Jesus to take and as we seemingly divided, it multiplies as we think a report from one container to another. It changes. There was no theatrics, the miracle. We need was driven the miracles that were provided here were driven by the need of ordinary people and ordinary situation in which they had taken their abundance and used it out for the needs of the people. And in that place they found an extraordinary provision. Jesus turn water into wine. So here we are ordinary people in ordinary places in need of an extraordinary touch, and he has a way of changing us from the inside out and then I was so you think I should pray that very theatrical prayer like that at we can do the theatrics know who are yelling to know the performances or can we just do the Jesus bless this provision was this meal that we are about to receive. Bless this gift. We are about to get. Bless this picture you and I this container that needs your spirit to fill it fill the container with your spiritual overflowing, so that all that I speak to it all that I touch will receive a divine blessing from you. Take my ordinary and make an extraordinary as we walk in obedience to your work and then they may publishAnd they were going to John chapter two. Last week we did the money. Remember firefly pancakes into sardines are not thinking nothing and making something out of it. Multiplication by division, and seems like that's a very odd way to think of a life. His mother. We give something away, and you divide something. How can be multiplied, but you know whenever we share love and we share, respectively. Share with someone you know we give it away. It never diminishes who we are and it adds to what happens and someone else life, and the same thing is very hard, but in the end in the same ways hard to imagine how God does that with our finances and how that yell. We ask God to bless our gifts and we said, while I take so much out of my income. How is that going to be multiplied back to me in our logic says it doesn't happen that way. But God says he gives back to us first down, shaken together, running over soul, there are ways in which God has taken help us and divide what we seemingly divide me that multiplying becomes seed that is sound in his kingdom and his law and in the lives of all people, and it is not challenging them and changing them so were grateful for those things. So John chapter two. Reading from the message Bible and this is where obedience brings about change obedience brings about change. Three days later there was a wedding in the village of Cana in Galilee, Jesus mother was there. Jesus and his disciples were guest. Also, when they started running low on wine at the wedding banquet Jesus mother told him there just about out of wine. Jesus said is that any of our business mother, yours or mine. This is my time. Don't push me. She went ahead anyway, telling the sermon whatever he tells you do it six oh water pots where there used by the Jews were ritual washing each held twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus ordered the servants fill the pot with water and they filled them to the Bren now fill your pictures and take them to the host. Jesus said, and they did when the host taste of the water that have become wine, he didn't know what had just happened. But this, but the service. Of course, new callouts of the bridegroom. Everybody I know began their fight begins with their finest wines and after the guests have had their fill brings in the cheap stuff but you saved the best till now this act in Cana of Galilee was the first sign Jesus gave the first glimpse of his glory and his disciples believed in him no. If we look at the end of those verses verse twelve this was the first sign Jesus gave the first glimpse of his glory. Every time I conduct a adding I refer to this king of Galilee, and that Jesus sanctified marriage with his very first act of turning wine water into wine and he was there at the present of this marry him seemingly humble occasion began a very significant change in the water in the life of this of this couple. Now the wedding has its usual Gastineau, though the bride and groom the family and also has Mary the mother of Jesus with Jesus and five of his disciples at this time at Albany about this with the limit of his disciples were then five and so they're probably the thought is that they were probably relatives of Jesus probably relatives of Mary and that they had and bought been invited to this wedding as part of the family we only received an invitation to be there. So the point that we look at today is that there was not provided. Yet it was all spent that with a lot of young and preparations for weddings yesterday we were yesterday and they were understanding Perkins anomaly departments in setting up Perkins and there were the strongest couple that was his two women to young women into guys K two guys from one side to limit on the other side to guys never said a thing. They sat in the ladies were planning some type of event tables and chairs and flowers. Now mother was a wedding or whatever they were just gone online, making phone calls in the guise of setting their cell. The hands on it. She can decide all learn why we come to this little hand in deciding after they were planning a wedding or whatever, but any of you ever plan an event, know that it takes a lot of planning no dislike for sport depends on the something happens flawlessly and sometimes it doesn't happen flawlessly but when something happens flawlessly. There's been a lot of planning. When things come off dissonant and order sequence. There is a plan behind it. Things don't just fall into place now. My sermons and things like this, there's always in order. There's always so I was have plans and notes, and so on. And sometimes they get all shuffled in the shuffle, but it comes together near, but we always have a plan. You always have a purpose. You always have a direction and that's very important that we allow ourselves to have this and put it in its so I can imagine that the same thing happened with this wedding and McCain and Clinton Kelly that they were planning the wedding money. We've got to have enough room for the gas. We've got to have enough to Yahoo! have drinks for the guest and don't want at that time was not the best ever see that the web back to the future when she goes back to the last, and that he guides his car people, all done over the& Antony goes into his. His grandfather 's house. You know in the end they pull out the pitcher of water and dump it in error, and it's just like mud, any drink amigos. He looks at it as though like you have bottled water so when a water in the Middle East. In these places where was very scarce, but what they had was a mess, sometimes not. Though the purest of your much it would probably be taken from the well and would be drawn out and in who knows whether it was. But what quality it was whether the bottom of the well or whatever, but then there was a provision for their their drinking provision was there so they would drink wine and have a lot of wine that would've been provided for this for this wedding ceremony, so that was much provided. Yet it was all spent can we identify with. There is not provided in, yet it is all spent we look around us and not only as the congregation, but as a nation is a community, there was much given we travel and travel travel different places. Wheat we go places we went out from here to John's family of near Pittsburgh. We go now wherever we travel a lot. We see when the goal when it's cold. We assume you have water with clothing there are things all around us. When lots of stuff and we realize how much of the worlds population don't you do not even have a third of what we have there was once provided. Yet it is often doing so, we spoke on second Corinthians nine eight two eleven this most generous God, who gives seed to the farmers that becomes bread for your meals is more than extravagant with you is more than extravagant and gives you something you can then give away which follows until full form lives, robust in God, wealthy in every way so that you can be generous in every way, producing with us great praise God. So we are looking at what God has generously extravagantly brought into our lives and him and whenever we take what we've got and put it in bags and give her the going well. We came recycling and all these things are important and if we shop at Goodwill. We taken when he was in late one take it back and there are things we continue to recycle and continue to reuse and we're what are we doing were allowing something to begin at the Wasson, then we give it away whether we allow the purchase of new or whether we go out and purchase again is still that which is given while the government of the owners of everything we are only stewards of whether we own it, whether we rented, or whether were here, somebody else is going to happen someday. So we are. The Bible says it's more than extravagant the divine provisions of God have no limits to the divine information is never diminished divine provision has never diminished with use. So, just like dividing the five loaves and two fishes that it is not diminished with the division is multiply so the negative side of extravagances whenever we taken and saved. I mean nine no hoarding the thing that the extravagance that the greening meaning that the never wealthy who are greedy needy that that people will look at their wealth and set. I got to build bigger barns that the greedy needy of the wealthy, their greedy and want more, but to half a lot extravagant God blesses us with Israel happened to Sharon Cabral is like, see the farmer that you continue to plant the seed and the savory for harvest. Porn you get one flat one. Currently, engineers now you have five hundred kernels of corn. So that is that extravagance that God places in our life. While this wedding is out of wine. Now, to us, would that be like running out of food running out of soda right out of water. Not having enough food for all the people that you invited somehow it was miscalculated and the wedding ran out of wine, Mary the mother of Jesus brings this need on the couple 's attention to Jesus. Now if this is a relative of Mary relative of Jesus that to run out of anything are at a wedding in those days was an unpardonable. I mean, it would be something that will be remembered as a characteristic against it for the rest of their lives. You know, you know, salsa, they got married a native plan ahead and they didn't plan and they ran out of food. Imagine going to wedding and not having a food if people are talking that would release that will be the subject in all of the conversation it would always be this disdain upon this couple 's marriage I also think that was very much a part of everything working out everything being planned and everything being applied ill today CLI is no problem. Every works out. While in those days it wasn't such of his isn't it was a catastrophe. So Jane, Mary brings us need of this couple. It wasn't that the people needed more wine. It was at this couple was going to be embarrassed. It was going to leave a mark on their life upon their marriage. This response they'll is somewhat different. This is one of responses that somehow he says. In a message Bible says is that any of your business mother, yours or mine. Now that the hard phrase through to interpret. There are about three or four different that I found interpretations of that out of that verse. Some think Mary was not thinking of the miraculous, but that she was trying to point this out to Jesus so that Jesus whenever he could stand up or make an announcement to provide some decent excuse so that this would not be a mark against the wedding that this couple for the rest of their lives. So maybe she was looking at that phrase, and that bringing visited for that reason others have said while Jesus knew that later on in our timeframe, there would be people who would put eight to Mary Ann and all, as if she were going to intercede on their behalf and he is using this to kind of put in place that is not. He is aware of the situation without Mary's advice that we don't marry now that was in another commentary, or we find that others believe she was looking for lyrical because she made no response Jesus will then have to not reply to review but he is not. She instructed the assignments to do whatever he requested. So here she is coming to Jesus and say Jesus. Your presence here. Somebody near your relatives have run out of one now that is that is a mark against our family and against their family and everybody in the whole village is going to know about this Jesus says the word about mom, though I'm not as they care at the dignity paraphrase mom, don't worry about taking care of our enough so the mother of Mary Nether Mary the mother. Jesus says to the service, Inc. she leaves. Use Google reader service budget at all. Whatever he tells you to do you do think it's very important because that sets in motion. What Jesus is about to get narrative puts things in perspective for the service for Jesus is going to last disservice to do something that has servants that you get in trouble for the trouble they can be and is targeting of water out instead of the one, and this is really going to be yell running out of wine is one thing but replacing it with water is another. I mean this is down. We had when cheapo cheapo people here cannot. There are the bottom of the barrel people they got to have run out of wine and there'll even have the courtesy to tell you that I want to replace it with water as it were not going to know it, but the NR, line this will have much and we spent and gone and the UN are not praying about something because you felt that it's your fault, it's gone and you blew it. Therefore, you don't have the right to ask God for Jim and think that your brain. I know I have not been blessed with the less we were blessed out of our sock CL with it. Now I'm a John Deere tractor. Now why should I complain about low back problems and I was on your tractor. I don't know where I can write around the yard, but it's too bumping. So now you're rolling out in our guiding roller is you want to have anything to pray for when these bills are, we have this thing that we would like to purchase for somebody else. But you know our limitations, and so rather than looking to our divine permission, we look at our ability to provide and say it's not enough. That's what I think the point of this not the only point of this on this scenario, but it's one of the points of the scenario that the people have lack because they spend what they have to would then they plan properly. They probably plan because there had been a plan in place while maybe more people showed up in what was supposed to be there if I ever do that now send out invitations and you know you figure while there, the personages say that eighty percent will show up and now, but a hundred percent showed up when you're in trouble. We are planning on the eighties because that's the statistics show bar where everybody in the eight percent a night out since the they were coming, and then all of a sudden more people came out. I'm a human mind are always meanwhile brought my family at the reminded me read the Joplin conventions break the Missouri and the chaplain 's convention is to achieve really a great place is probably the one the best times that we have. I think we have with the everywhere because the chaplains you have all the different chaplains prison chaplains military chaplains hospital chaplains rodeo chaplains right on NASCAR chaplain slamming you ever get a chapel even imagine my care chaplains now they would have bikers. They are led by a by Harley-Davidson. I should apply for them. But anyhow they live in Harley-Davidson 's and they got all the big rallies, and I have made are the chaplains at these rallies enable prayer or they set up their cancer. Their tents and people to come in and they can pray with people in the whole parcels all kinds of chaplains lyricists. There were these Spanish people there and he was a chocolate of some sort and eight on the invitation it says no family so that they were there to check in and I was like fifteen of them, but I call them while you know, family, husband, wife, kids, while they were husband, wife, mother mother mother, father, both sides, plus brothers and sisters in the theater when he never check in one click affair outline and so they showed up when and how they were expecting that they should be able to get in the provision was not there, so they had to provide a couple more rooms for them, but there was this picture that contains water for the ritual wash the Rex all what I think is that everybody who's coming it has washed her feet washed their hands in this part of the ritual washings that they had to go through the pictures of water twenty to thirty gallons. These containers were empty and so Jesus tells the flying instruments. I also know these these containers. The twenty thirty down there till them up with water. When I tell them what they fill them with water. It was a common practice for these containers to be filled with water so they would then set these containers that where empty, fill them with water and then Jesus says, take and serve the host and who's going to be first to take water out of the picture and take it in the house don't water no one is one, and you're going to put it in the host pitcher in their car and the goblet of the glass itself in Europe. With that in now. Jesus didn't say everything stand back, you are about to see America by I am going to change water. Why they didn't need it, and there was no theatrics. There was only obedience. Now whenever we don't have enough because we have been given plenty and it's gone to redo the theatrics hold bottom heavens, creator of heaven and earth take this money that I now plugged in the will furnish now long that why you have so much more than when I get home I will have baskets. I will give school. I will have a closet full of them, and to do that. Don't drive that had not yet only met where is the answer. Where is he this was in this lyrical and water out of the well dumping it in the picture dragging the pictures of the house, taking the pictures putting it into the smaller pictures taking it over and delving into the glass of the individual. The health in the house drinking it when you change the wine is a change where is the transformation taking place. We know now so we don't know when the transmission takes place in our lives. Whatever you lately. We belong to become read that this week to win the long until we become you think you belong here. While I'm not a perfect Christian. That's okay, were becoming in allowing here. There are many people that are on here today. That alone here. While they're not perfect. Because worst the process of becoming when a process of becoming the child of the god wants us to be where the process of taking the challenge that we have in making them greater developing them worldwide across a busy with a long and then we become an Jesus. It is here, and in this wedding feast. This wedding celebration, and he belongs there, and while he's there. There is a miracle that becomes part of this wedding that we referred that I referred to the descriptors that we refer to every time I went Mary every somewhat. Every time someone is never as NASA, a place where he belongs, but yet there was the coming of the miracle and it applies them along a lot of places that work for families, our neighborhood with alone. There which belong here to his church on the body of Christ, but belonging and then becoming young. Sometimes we feel wave of ourselves were places that we seemingly is above us. I trust that we talked about their uppercrust method. I trust the upper crust enough, but we belong to him. I David this week. It was this week. Last Sunday it with public church and look against John Hubble search and David did a presentation in the boardroom of Willow Creek. Okay, now what quick is the one of large churches in United States and their lack of the present their two missions board and potential contribution contributors for a million people who represent billions of dollars of financial aid to organizations and David the presentation because the person who was supposed to do the presentation with it either so they would fill that representation saw was he trying to believe along there. Yes, but you see, they did her presentation for fourteen when young women and Somerset County while pushing buttons. Wish you about here is a whole different stage a whole different platform whole different arena of life that normally isn't open to just anybody, you have to qualify to get there, you have to qualify to be there and allow you there you have to come up performed as a virtual halt upper-level, but you think God has a way of taking us from where we are to where we need to be, and talking to us from where we start and how that was below air, but yet that we become as big as we below estimates. This is a process and that is the miracle take place as Americans take place coming on well doesn't take place as we dump the water into the pictures and monitoring those thirty thirty gallon containers is that where the miracle takes place to Jesus 's young project and assist you or me nothing. There's no theatrics is no prayer. There is no prior. There is only obedient and in the act of obedience. There is a mirror at the end that's the challenge to each of our lives following the words the instructions of Jesus to do the right thing at a time to belong normally belong to the kingdom of God not only belong to the family of God and that God has a way in that the longing and ignore obedience to bring about American without any of the theatrics is not even a simple prayer. There is only the act of obedience and that is the most common thing that we do we get up for your work. Why can't we have to we swipe the card and to those of you who have scarred swiping activism that your employment and you swipe the card and you are officially checked in and you are on duty and you set about to do your everyday work. So where's the miracle on all of this. Where's the transformation transformation is inside of us. The transformation is how the God does a work inside of us and that as we look at the accumulated effects of everything that we do is get the water out well competent work pitchers in the thirty gallon containers holding thinners and take water out of the out of the pictures dump amendment to the glass of the guy drinks when does the miracle take place don't know. But we know all that the best was safe to last. The best was saved, unless we know that when the Halls tasted the water that I become line these days everybody know that we begin with the firm finest wines and when they just have had their full bring in the cheap stuff but again so now gone. There is now in his extravaganzas of transformation in the extravagance of God 's transformation. He takes the ordinary and changes it into something extraordinary. And so when we prior when we touch people when they talk to people, the compassion, the understanding the knee. The challenge that we bring to people 's lives in is in these situations that God is at work, taking the ordinary making an extraordinary. They performed the miraculous is not where we belong to the process of becoming, taking what we once were, and making a new creation when we lived by his word. The word of his life transforms us when we lived by his word our life is transformed. While we know that we give our life to Jesus. Okay, now that if change is now the crisis in our hearts as a transportation window. I become perfect. There's a long way, but there is the transforming of the YM in this whole process of obedience and as I am obedient to God. Things change in me. When did you become so good when did you become so high and mighty when you know what I'm not religious air while you know, that's a compliment, you know, I was just trying to be my water and air yourself and something happened in the process. The abundance from God. The extravagance in Christ provisions above all that we can ask or think he's a visit the problem went out and I thought we will get our thoughts with all my never be that I remember when I delivered I could never win, Somerset, Hawaii was oh oh outline a guide whenever we why not all school. I could never be the top doesn't necessarily be mean being on top as in one hundred of the top one hundred meet is that I transformed in the process of becoming the miracle and the miracle doesn't stop the miracle doesn't stop just like the miracle of the wedding didn't stop when the wedding feast was over it was remembered that family long behind them as individuals because it's remembered today. It's remembered in every wedding ceremony that people do, as Jesus blessed the wedding in Cana of Galilee by his presence and turning water into wine. We asked his presence to be part of this ceremony in the changing of two lives into one still. The miracle is still going on. Seek God 's work in us. We come as his servants obeying his word. Go feel the pictures with water. Fill your life with the word of God and prayer. Dedicate your life to God where he takes the ordinary of life and changes it into the extraordinary. What you are worried about God can take and say will we walk in obedience to his Word. We are not to worry about in everything give thanks because God is about the work a miracle is about the work America. One provision. He's a mathematical word miracle in change them out to make a miracle in our lives because he has touched our life and we are walking in obedience to him as he took the five loaves and two fishes, and fed five thousand men and class women and children as easy as he takes the water that has just been in obedience toward the one container to another became the best wine of the evening. Provisions we have a mission in our relationships and our time and our talents and our finances in the direction of our life and our place of service or place of ministry. All are for one purpose, to glorify Christ. So we take what you have. I have an empty container will then fill it fill it with God 's word filled with praise, ask Jesus, the blessed Jesus to take and as we seemingly divided, it multiplies as we think a report from one container to another. It changes. There was no theatrics, the miracle. We need was driven the miracles that were provided here were driven by the need of ordinary people and ordinary situation in which they had taken their abundance and used it out for the needs of the people. And in that place they found an extraordinary provision. Jesus turn water into wine. So here we are ordinary people in ordinary places in need of an extraordinary touch, and he has a way of changing us from the inside out and then I was so you think I should pray that very theatrical prayer like that at we can do the theatrics know who are yelling to know the performances or can we just do the Jesus bless this provision was this meal that we are about to receive. Bless this gift. We are about to get. Bless this picture you and I this container that needs your spirit to fill it fill the container with your spiritual overflowing, so that all that I speak to it all that I touch will receive a divine blessing from you. Take my ordinary and make an extraordinary as we walk in obedience to your work and then they may publish