Three Guesses for the governor

While you are turning in your bibles to John chapter 2, I want to say a big thank you to my friends Bro. B.K and his wife Emily Nichols baby and the next little girl that will be here in a few days.

To Bishop Nichols for allowing me to be here with the Faith church family tonight and this weekend. His wife along with Matt and Kristin, Madison…and my buddy Colton. Grateful for this family…their example and influence within our organization.

Always!!! an honor to be here!!!

also glad to have two of my daughters in the house tonight. Riley came with me and Camryn came over with some of her classmates and friends from IBC...

I do give honor for my wife…Valerie and I are in our 23rd year of marriage…best decision I ever made…also my other 2 daughters…my oldest daughter Brooke and my youngest daughter Dakota.

John 2:1–11 KJV 1900

1 And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: 2 And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. 3 And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. 4 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. 5 His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. 6 And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. 7 Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it. 9 When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, 10 And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now. 11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.

Three Guesses for the Governor

Talk about what a guess is...

Maybe start off with the example of having 3 people guess.

Pick a number between 1 and 20…the person closes to the number that I have in my head…and I’ve already told the number to Bro BK Nichols…the one closes to the number gets this $20 bill.

Now…for a bonus…if you pick the number between 1 and 10…I already communicated that number to Bro. Nichols…but if you get that number right, you get a 2nd $20 dollar bill.

by definition to guess is to arrive at or commit oneself to an opinion about (something) without having sufficient evidence to support the opinion fully:

A guess infers uncertainty. To guess communicates an absence of awareness and lack of conviction.

And tucked into this first miracle of Jesus, there are three guesses of the governor…three areas of uncertainty and ambiguity. Truths that the governor was unsure and unaware of…And truths that the church in 2020 cannot afford to be uncertain of.

If there has ever been a day and an hour when the church had better know what what we know…when our lives and our churches must be built upon the rock solid foundation of conviction and belief…it is this hour.

Its a dangerous hour to be led by emotion and doing what the crowd is doing...

Posting what the crowd is posting…Hashtaging what the crow is hashtaging…

You better know what you know!

And I believe that in surveying and studying these three guess of the governor tonight, we can reveal three truths that we must believe in.

Start reading in vs. 7

vs. 7 Jesus said to the servant…fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.

vs. 8 and he said to the servants…draw out NOW…(everybody say NOW)…draw out now and carry it to the governor of the feast…and they bare it.

vs. 9…and the when the ruler…or when the governor of the feast had tasted the water that had been wine, and knew not whence it was

This is the first guess of the governor…The first truth of this great miracle that the governor lacked awareness of and the church can’t afford to be guessing about.

The governors first guess was the source.

Hear me tonight…if there has ever been an hour that the people of God must know who the source is…its the hour that we are in today.

The Bible says the governor didn’t know it…but the servants know it.

He didn’t know this this wine had once been water.

He didn’t know this miraculous juice had once been ordinary water.

He didn’t know that Mary’s boy was the source...

He didn’t know that this miracle was the result of a handful of servants just doing what Jesus told them to do...

He just knew this new wine was better than the old wine!

But HE DIDN’T KNOW THE SOURCE!

And the governor may have been guessing…but the church must be certain!

We’ve got to know who our source is!

our source isn’t good music and great lights.

Our source isn’t the USA or the UPC…our source is J-E-S-U-S.

I love the US and I’m grateful for this organization...

but only Jesus can turn water into wine!

And we’ve got to know that our source is Jesus…because when the cities of this great country are being rocked by violence and division…Jesus is still on the throne!

The governor might be Guessing

But Daniel 11:32 says “but the people that THAT DO KNOW THEIR GOD SHALL BE STRONG, AND DO EXPLOITS.

While the governor is guessing…the church is certain! The church knows! I know where the wine came from!

They shall be strong and do exploits....an exploit is a heroic action...

if you know your source in this hour…if you know your God, you will do strong and do GREAT exploits...

but if you don’t know the source in this hour…if you are guessing with the governor…you will be exploited.

Exploited - Taken advantage of

I’m noticing a trend in Apostolic young people that are doing less exploits and being more exploited.

Exploits are heroic acts…being exploited, means someone is taking advantage of you!

They caught you guessing!

thinking they are doing something great by putting their support behind demonic groups.

I think their intentions start out right, but they get wrong real quick...

right now there are a lot of things happening in our world that are disguising themselves as acts of compassion that are a cover up for corruption. They look like they are divine, but they are demonic.

We are being exploited rather than doing great exploits.

The second guess of the governor

vs. 9 When the governor had tasted the wine…He called for the bridegroom…(That is what happens when you don’t know the source…you call for the wrong people…You give credit to the wrong crew.

He called for the bridegroom

vs. 10 and saith until him, every man at the beginning doth set forth the good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou has kept the good wine until now.

The governor of the wedding tastes that wine and he calls for the bridegroom and says…this isn’t the way that things are supposed to be done.

The way that things are supposed to be done, is that the good wine gets served first, and then you bring out the cheap wine...

But your serving the good stuff at the wrong time.

The second guess of the governor....is there really the right time for the best!

And there are a lot of people that are guessing like the governor...

That the best days of the church are behind us...

That the best days of the Kingdom are finished.

That its the wrong atmosphere for revival...

That social distancing and masks and shutdowns…and riots…and racial tension…and political choas…that its the wrong time for a move of God.

But the church can’t afford to be guessing in this time.

Its the right time for the best wine!

It’s the right time for anointing!

Its the right time for a blessing!

Its the right time for an outpouring!

I feel that spirit of the guessing governor trying to make its way into our church…intimidating pastors in playing church…be careful…don’t get people too excited…Be careful…we can’t have that laying on of hands…we don’t want all of that singing and dancing and shouting…It’s not the right time for the BEST!!

I bind the spirit of the guessing governor…and I lose the assurance in the saints of the Most High God! NOW is the right time!

Its the right time for the best!

Notice what the governor says....He doesn’t say you saved the best for last…he says, you saved the best for NOW!!

Thats the funny thing about guess…even guessing once in a while you get it right…And the governor got that one right.

There has to be a conviction that rises in the church…an awareness…he saved the best for NOW!!

The best anointing!

The best moves of God!

The ministries!

The Third guess of the governor

John 2:10 the governor calls for the bridegroom. He doesn’t know the source…and He doesn’t know where the wine came from…he doesn’t trust the timing…but the most dreadful guess of the governor is that while he is amazed that the best had been saved for NOW…he wrongfully believes that is just the end of the story.

Perhaps he travels from the wedding back to his home and his family

Maybe he leaves from the wedding, to go to the next wedding that he will govern over.

I don’t know…but the governor guessed wrong...

Because vs. 11 says this miracle of 6 waterpots of water being turned into the best wine is only the beginning of miracles Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory

…And while the governor is guessing the church must be convinced…this is only the beginning

Just over a year ago, on Friday night of Youth Congress in St. Louis, Bro. Tuttle preached to a crowd of 35,000 and said “this isn’t big, its the beginning”. and in the midst of 35,000 screaming students, faith was high...

I say on a Friday night in New Albany, Indiana…in the middle of a global pandemic…in the midst of social and civil unrest…in an environment of world that is filled with fear and uncertainty…A world that can only guess what is next...

This isn’t big, Its the beginning.

Get ready…the glory of God is going to be revealed!

Get ready…this is just the beginning of miracles...

This isn’t the end of the church…its just the beginning.

This isn’t the end of your ministry…its just the beginning.

This isn’t the end of what God is going to do in your life…its just the beginning!!

While the governor is guessing, the church must be confident

We know the source!!

This is the right time for the best!!

And this is only the beginning!!