Mother_s Day 16

"The Best Advice Ever Given"

Mother's Day 16

John 2:2-5 "On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. 3 And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.”

4 Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.”

5 His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”

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This is the story of a wedding that both Jesus and His mother attended.

And it's also the setting where Mary offers the best advice ever given.

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From time immemorial Mother's have offered great advice that we can all benefit from today...

Here's a few examples I've dug up:

Actress Halle Berry's mother advised her, "Before you do anything life-changing, call me!"

One popular singer writes that his mother quoted the Bible saying, "Bad associations spoil good habits. Be careful who you let into your life." That one piece of advice, he says, has saved me countless heartaches, and I've never forgotten it to this day."

One young lady from the Bahamas wrote, "My mom told me to put God first in everything that I do, and don't worry about boys until I finish my education."

And a lady named Mary writes, "When I was young and dating men, my mom always told me to watch how my boyfriends treated their mothers. She said they would treat me the same way. I found this to be so true. I have a husband who thought the world of his mom and shows that same love to me. It's the best advice my mom ever gave me."

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All of these are great pieces of advice, but the best advice a mother ever gave is what Mary told the servants at the wedding feast:

"Whatever He says to you, do it."

It just so happens that these are the last words Scripture records Mary speaking...

What a powerful final statement to leave to the world!

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I notice that the first word in her advice is filled with TRUST.

She said "WHATEVER" He says to you...

No matter how hard it may seem, or unusual, or contrary to logic, or humbling, or sacrificial, or risky....You can trust Him 100 percent!

"WHATEVER" is an open-ended blank check for you to confidently cash in on no matter what He says!

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You see, Jesus has a 100 percent success rate with the advice He gives...

Isaiah the Prophet predicted that Jesus the Messiah would be called, "Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace" (9:6).

Some suggest that the first two names should be one phrase, "Wonderful-Counselor."

Isaiah 28:29 says, "This also comes from the LORD of Hosts. He gives wonderful advice; He gives great wisdom."

So Mary could confidently advise, "Whatever He says to you, do it."

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Now, back to our wedding:

Vs. 1 "On the third day a wedding took place in Cana, in Galilee."

For the record, I believe Jesus performed the very first wedding in this world in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve.

Scripture is clear that Jesus was there as Co-Creator of man and woman with God the Father, and now thousands of years later He continues to sanctify marriage.

Jesus has the patent on marriage....He invented marriage and placed His heavenly seal of approval on it when He quoted Moses saying:

“Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate" (Matt. 19:4-6).

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First, notice that this wedding was....

By invitation only

Verse 2 says, ”Jesus and His disciples had also been invited to the wedding."

So this was a large, prestigious wedding...

And this wedding reveals something important---that Jesus comes by invitation only!

Jesus won’t come into your home, He won’t come into your life, unless you invite Him.

As this wise couple did at the beginning of their lives together, we too would be wise to do---invite Jesus into your life, into your marriage, into your home.

Think about it: Had Jesus not come, there would have been no miracle at this wedding! It would have ended on a sour note!

FACT OF LIFE: If there's no place for Jesus in your life or marriage, then there won't be any place for the miracles of Jesus.

So if your home needs a miracle today, keep listening because you’re going to learn how a miracle can happen!

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Next we see that right when everything was going wonderfully....

II. An unexpected problem arose...

Verse 3 says, "When the wine ran out, Jesus' mother said to Him, ‘They have no more wine.’"

The wine running out happened because of mismanagement and poor planning---the wedding planner had blown it!

In those days in the Middle East they placed a huge emphasis on caring for every need of your guest.

So.....On the most important day of this couple's wedded life there was now a huge, embarrassing blotch.

The town gossips might even suggest this was an omen, a bad sign of troubles to come.

So something needed to be done, and FAST!

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Now......Running out of wine is a picture of real life....

It illustrates those times when we experience a pressing lack, an embarrassing dilemma, a crying need.

Just like these young newlyweds, many of you here today are aware that the "wine" has run out in your life.

You have a lack of something important, an emptiness that aches...

Perhaps today you need the WINE OF FORGIVENESS because you are riddled with guilt.

Or you’ve got something eating on you that’s destroying you...It might be your MARRIAGE where the WINE OF LOVE has run out....

Or your kids have walked away from the way you raised them and you've lost the "WINE OF ENCOURAGEMENT AND HOPE"....

Or you're just plain weary with paying the bills, going to a job you don't like, and doing the motions of making a living and the "WINE OF JOY" is only a distant memory.

Or a financial need is threatening to engulf you and the "WINE OF INNER PEACE" has disappeared.

What to do?

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Next we see that...

III. Mary knew Who to turn to....

Look where Mary went when there was a problem...

She didn't go to the wedding planner, or to the master of the feast, or to the bride and groom....she went to Jesus.

There is no better place to go first off when you’ve got a problem than to Jesus.

Not the psychiatrist or counselor, not your lawyer....

The very FIRST thing you should do is call upon the Wonderful Counselor!

Mary came to Jesus with a need and Jesus answered her in a miraculous way, and you can do the same thing today!

Listen, Jesus hasn't gone out of the miracle business!

After offering to Jesus her request, Mary turned to the anxious servants and offered the best advice ever given,

"Whatever He says to you, do it."

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Notice here that Mary does not tell Jesus WHAT to do, or HOW He should solve the problem.

So often when we have problems, we say, “Lord, here’s my problem and here's how I think you should fix it."

Mary shows us here not to tell Jesus how He needs to fix it.

Her actions tell us----Let Him be in charge.

Just come to Jesus, and say “Here’s my problem....You solve it in whatever way You feel is best.”

Here's why: Because His answer will be better than anything you could imagine!

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And Jesus' answer indeed went far beyond what anyone would have guessed...

Verses 6-7 say, "Nearby stood 6 water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding 20 to 30 gallons of water. Jesus said to the servants, 'Fill the waterpots with water.' And they filled them up to the brim'" (vs. 7).

I ran the numbers and that comes to 180 gallons of water!

Now I’ve conducted a lot of weddings, and I have never been to a wedding where they drank 180 gallons of anything!

This was a super-abundance, and that’s what Jesus always provides!

No wonder Paul the Apostle wrote, "Now glory be to God, who by his mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of—infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes" (Eph. 3:20).

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Now I also notice that these containers were filled with PURE water, because it was water for ceremonial use---for washing your feet and hands before eating---so it had to be pure and clean water.

So Jesus performed His miracle in a clean vessel!

Listen: If you want a miracle in your life, first let Jesus wash your sins away....

All you need pray is, “Please forgive my sins and cleanse me from all unrighteousness.”

Then you can expect the first great miracle illustrated here.

Just like they poured pure water into the jars, He will pour into your heart the pure water of life, the Holy Spirit!

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Then He told them, “Now draw out some and take it to the master of the banquet."

Notice with me that Jesus' first miracle required the cooperation of people.

Servants filled the jars....Servants drew out the new wine....Servants delivered it to the wedding....Servants put it on the tables.

Miracles require human cooperation, a step of faith.

If you expect a miracle in your life, God will rarely do it without your cooperation...We have to do our part!

If you pray for a job, go looking for one.

If you pray for romance in your marriage, establish a dating night.

If you pray for rain, get out your umbrella!

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The wedding with a problem and a prayer closes with a miracle and....

IV. A Testimony of Answered Prayer...

Vs. 9-10 say, "When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom.....and said, everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now."

The testimony is: Whatever Jesus does, it is the best!

What Jesus did stood out with distinction as remarkably excellent!

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Do you need to give Jesus a problem you can't fix today?

Do you have a need that only He can handle?

Has the wine run out in your marriage, in your soul, in your satisfaction with life?

I say with Mary, come to Jesus and "Whatever He says to you, do it."

LET'S PRAY