Do what Jesus tells you to do

Jesus at The Table  •  Sermon  •  Submitted
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Jesus is with us but we have to

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Those first time moments in life.
First day of the pandemic
First plane that hit the world trade center.
First time Tom Brady won a Super bowl.
Your first child was born…
Your first job… Your first time in church…
The firsts are usually the most memorable.
In John 2, we see Jesus perform HIS first miracle at a wedding… he turned water into wine…
But for his first miracle, he used regular ordinary people, doing a regular ordinary activity, to do a supernatural unexplainable miracle
John 2:1–11 NIV
1 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” 4 “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. 8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 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.” 11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
John chooses seven miraculous highlights, four of which are unique to John’s Gospel and this is one of those accounts.
Jesus and HIS disciples were invited to a wedding in Cana in Galilee. I think it would be awesome if we invited Jesus to our wedding.
They ran out of wine.
I don’t know if the wedding planner bought too little or if the guests drank too much, but I’m sure a mini-crisis occurred when the bride and groom found out. Running out of wine might seem like a minor problem in the grand scheme of things, but in first-century Palestine it would have resulted in public shame.
I love the fact that this first miracle of Jesus is not about saving a life. It’s about saving face! And it reveals how much God cares about the minute details of our lives. God is great not just because nothing is too big. God is great because nothing is too small. If it’s a big deal to you, it’s a big deal to God.
God uses real people to reveal HIS miracle working power for the very first time on earth.
Jesus wants to walk and talk and live with us in every moment of our life.
As we celebrate, grieve losses, wrestle through conflict, as we walk through sickness and health, heartache and joy, life and death...
Jesus wants us to invite HIM into every part of life but Jesus is not going to show up unless HE is invited.
Since Jesus was invited to this wedding in Cana in Galilee, along with his disciples and His mother Mary.
Mary lets Jesus know… son, we have a problem… they ran out of wine.
Jesus said to Mary, “Dear woman, that’s not our problem,” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.”
Mary tells the servants at the wedding, do whatever Jesus tells you to do.
John 2:5 NIV
5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
That’s a great starting point after we invite Jesus into our life… simply do what Jesus tells you to do.
After you invite Jesus into your life, how do you know what Jesus is telling you to do?

1. Get close to JESUS

Getting close to Jesus has nothing to do with our ability, it has everything to do with our proximity.
Spending time every day in HIS Word.
Spending time every day in HIS presence
Walking and talking with Jesus throughout the day.
Am I willing to make the necessary adjustments and sacrifices to be close to Jesus?
Be aware of the distractions that keep us from being close to God.
The average person is on Social Media 145 minutes a day.
The average Christian spends less then 5 minutes in prayer a day.
How much time do we spend watching TV, binge watching Netflix, on YouTube or TicToc?
Are you willing to make the necessary adjustments and sacrifices to be close to Jesus?
Make an appointment with Jesus every day and keep it.
Sometimes I feel agitated when I pray but when I pray I love it and when we see the results of prayer we get even more excited. Making prayer my greatest love can be difficult. Busy, distracted.
God, help me to love prayer again.
God speaks to us in a still small voice (a whisper) because he wants us to get close to HIM.
Just like Elijah in 1 Kings 19
1 Kings 19:12 (NIV)
12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.
God’s voice was in the whisper.
God speaks to us in a whisper because he wants us to be close to HIM. God still speaks in a still small voice so take the time to be still and be close to God so you can hear God speak to us.
James 4:8 (NIV)
8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
When I intentionally get close to God, God drastically gets close to me.
We must get close to God and then...

2. Expect to receive from JESUS

God draws near to us for a reason. He wants to speak to us. God knows us better then anyone and wants to speak life… truth… faith… boldness… love and power into you.
Anticipate and expect to receive from God every time we meet with HIM.
Come to God with a notebook.
When we meet with the God, come prepared to receive a Word from God.
If it doesn’t make sense it’s probably God
God used a burning bush to speak to Moses
God used a talking donkey to get Baalam’s attention
God told Elijah that he was going to be fed by ravens.
God told Hosea to name his kids, “Not my People” and “unloved”
Peter payed his taxes with a fish
If you are unwilling to do the impractical you will never accomplish the impossible.
After we hear from God and respond to God’s voice we can say… It didn’t make sense but it was God.
But we must be available and open to God. Surrendering to HIM saying... whatever you want, I will do it.
Isaiah 30:21 (NIV)
21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”
Expect to hear from God whenever you meet with HIM. And then step out and do what God is telling you to do.
Church, we have a problem… we are way to safe to be significant.
Stay close to Jesus, expect to hear from Jesus and then…

3. Obey immediately and fully

One morning, the director of the Dream Center in Birmingham, Alabama, was walking out her front door on the way to work, she felt a prompting to go back and grab a pair of woolly socks. It was so strange that she figured it might just be God. So she tucked a pair of woolly socks in her purse and drove down to the Dream Center. She arrived to find a prostitute passed out on the front step. She carried the woman inside and called 911. As she held this prostitute in her arms, the woman slowly regained consciousness.
That’s when she asked her, “If I could get you anything, what would it be?” Without hesitation, the shivering woman said, “A pair of woolly socks.” Come on, what are the chances? That’s when she reached in her purse and pulled out her pair of woolly socks. The woman smiled and said, “They even match my outfit.”
John 2:7 (NIV)
7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.
The servants had to listen to Jesus and do what HE said and then Jesus did the impossible.
The impractical may be as simple as filling water jugs. This wasn’t a simple as firing up the garden hose and filling up the water jars.
These were stone water jars… they were big and heavy and could not be moved. The water had to be taken to them.
The servants had to go to the well, dip the bucket in the well, empty the bucket into another bucket and then walk to the jars and dump the water.
Begin the Bucket Illustration
Each jar held 20-30 gallons and there were 6 of them.
We could think, why is Jesus asking me to do all this work, what’s the point… none of this makes any sense.
Why couldn’t Jesus do this time consuming mundane job? Why did he ask me to do this? This is not solving our problem… we ran out of wine... This doesn’t help, this doesn’t make any sense.
Nobody really likes obedience. It’s always foolish until it’s finished.
God makes us fill the water pot before HE does the miracle.
The miracle is on the other side of our movement.
The miracle was Jesus completely changed the particles H2O into something completely different. It wasn’t only different, it was the very best wine they had every tasted.
When we fill the water pots… when we obey Jesus immediately, then Jesus does the miracle.
He wants us to be involved in HIS miraculous plan and Jesus’ plan begins when we invite HIM…
TAKE AWAY:
Get Close to JESUS
Expect to Receive from JESUS
Obey Immediately and Fully
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