Grace Bible Church
Pastor Teacher
Robert R. McLaughlin
082320
We should not demand that God meet our schedule or
desires in our timing but always “in His Time” not in our time.
We begin this morning by noting that at the first wedding in Cana, the headwaiter of the wedding turned and asked some of the disciples where they got the good wine that they are now enjoying.
Now, our Lord saved the good wine until the end and gave the lesser wine in the beginning of the wedding illustrating that the “Real God” always saves the best for Last.
When they passed the great wine around illustrating what good wine He had been saving, the principle that we have been noticing many times is: God saves the best for last.
The headwaiter points out that usually people serve the good wine first and then they bring out the bad wine after all the good wine had run out.
So, our Lord takes water, (a common substance) and without a word, without a gesture, without any laying on of hands, in utter simplicity, He turns the water into a wine, a product of fermentation.
Thus, He demonstrated his marvelous ability to master the processes of nature when called for.
Remember John said in Joh 1:3, "All things came into being by Him."
Now, in John 2, John is recording one of the miracles in which Jesus demonstrates that He is the Creator.
He is now willing to use His deity to reveal both the deity of Christ and the humanity of our Lord working together to perform a miracle that our Lord said would draw a crowd so that people would hear the message.
And that would be an even greater miracle if the believers and the unbelievers who heard and saw the Lord’s miracles responded with their faith and either believed the Gospel or believed the doctrine that our Lord taught.
And there is probably not a law of science waiting to be discovered that says if you put water into certain stone pots it will turn to wine instantly.
So, notice that the Lord does not show us a law of nature concerning the fermentation of the wine that comes from the Creator, who is in the midst of performing a miracle in front of all who were there.
The significance to the Jewish audience back in Cana of Galilee will be there because passages in the Old Testament that have a symbolism between wine and the presence of the Messiah working with God the Holy Spirit.
Now, you have heard this passage many times before and perhaps more importantly, those Jews who were guests at the first wedding were basically familiar and knew the customs that the pots were used only for water to cleanse them in ceremony.
What our Lord seems to be doing is to reveal to everyone that the present and the future are still in control by Him.
Jesus demonstrates himself to be the Creator and the Messiah.
He also revealed His glory (John 1:14) and in verse 11 of Joh 2, we read of the confirmed faith of the disciples.
I like the conversation between Mary and Jesus, or mother and son in which we see no doubt that Mary regarded our Lord more reverently than just her son.
As she obeyed Him, and told the others to do the same, great things were being planted for our Lord’s new ministry including the fact that He will tell His mother, she has nothing to do with her Son’s ministry.
He came to fulfill His Heavenly Father’s will and finish His work.
JOH 4:34 Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work.
JOH 5:17 But He answered them, "My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working."
JOH 5:36 "But the witness which I have is greater than {that of} John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish, the very works that I do, bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.
JOH 10:25 Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father's name, these bear witness of Me.
JOH 14:10 "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works.
Then we have in HEB 10:7, what our Lord said about the reasons why He came; "Then I said, 'Behold, I have come (In the roll of the book it is written of Me) To do Thy will, O God.
HEB 10:9 then He said, "Behold, I have come to do Thy will." He takes away the first in order to establish the second.
HEB 10:10 By this will [that is the Lord’s will] we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
JOH 10:18 "No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father."
We also see that we should not demand that God meet our schedule or desires in our timing but always “in His Time” not in our time.
He will do what He wants, when He wants, all in His perfect timing.
Notice that even the first miracle has the purpose of building faith, whether faith in the Gospel or faith in our Lord’s doctrine.
This miracle was glorious, but it was not “the hour of glory” for our Lord.
All the miracles build up to what is most important - the most glorious work of Christ - His work and death on the Cross – His resurrection, and His ascension, which is the basis of genuine saving faith.
It is also remarkably interesting that the servants saw the same miracle (but from a closer vantage point than anyone else, they were there but the Holy Spirit provides no record of their faith.
There is really no record of them believing, maybe they did or maybe they did not because it is always true that many will see the works of God, and yet will not respond in faith.
I also find that it is very interesting that Jesus created wine with apparent age, this was good wine that had an excellent aging process and therefore, it was the type of wine that is at its own unique perfection.
Now, what is this significance for the miracle as the “creation--evolution debate” especially because evolutionists say that the earth has to be millions of years old because of the empirical evidence (carbon dating).
For example, I have wondered in Gen 1:11 that if the Lord created all the trees, that very day if you cut one down, would it reveal rings?
If God created the world, why couldn’t He create it with apparent age?
If you take God out of the equation, the world looks old.
But if God did it 10,000 years ago, and created everything with age, then the empirical evidence for the age of the earth is not in conflict with any scripture.
So therefore, never look at another believer and judge him because you don't think they're not getting what they should get for what they have done.
How many times do I have to tell you....MYOB?
Your attention toward someone else's sins can only cause you to become involved in discipline, therefore the best thing to do is MYOB.
All you have to do is simply respect our Lord.
PHI 2:12b "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" rather than mine or someone else in your life.
In 1PE 4:15 "By no means let any of you suffer as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters."
1TH 4:11 "Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and mind your own business."
2TH 3:11 "For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies."
For example, there are times we can expect unjust and unfair treatment but those are the times that we need to give it over to the Supreme Court of heaven, I mean to let the Supreme Court Judge, Jesus Christ, handle the situation and as our Heavenly Judge, our Lord, Jesus Christ.
Just like there are times in the natural realm which we need to give something over to our Lord in the spiritual realm.
Remember 1PE 2:9 But you are a chosen race,
Think about it, you are a Royal Priest before God and the Royal priesthood must have privacy to fulfill its mission in this life.
In 2Co 5:14 The love for Christ motivates us.
In COL 3:17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
Even throughout the Gospels the Lord dealt with the disciples privately since much of what occurred was "family business." This is taught in Mat 17:19, 24:3.
MAT 18:15 "And if your brother sins, go and reprove him in private;
Or as the Rieu translation says, "Go and have it out with him privately."
Note that when a person sins, his privacy is still to be respected.
Paul respected the privacy of the leaders of the Jerusalem church when he presented his gospel to the Gentiles for their consideration, Gal 2:11-14.
A perfect illustration is found in Joh 21:21-22, Peter was sticking his nose into John's business and the Lord told him it was none of his business what happened to John.
Peter was to pay attention to his own life before the Lord, as all of us should.
In Joh 21:15-22, TLJC had just prophesied about Peter's death.
In other words, as our Lord treated His mother, He also had to deal with the Lord’s principles that if I want him to remain until I come back what business is that of yours?
The Phillips translation says, "Is that your business, your business is to follow Me!"
In other words, the Lord said you just follow me and mind your own business.
You see, busybodies do not follow the Lord.
They are too busy following the lives of other people.
Peter had his eyes on John instead of occupation with the resurrected Christ.
Peter stuck his nose into John's business and asked a question that was none of his business and TLJC cut him off.
However, Peter's job was to follow the Lord and not worry about John or any other apostle and work out his own salvation which he failed.
And that is why violation of privacy means judging others, Rom 14:4,10.
When you judge another person, you violate their privacy.
You are to live your life as unto the Lord not because some gun-ho person is bullying you.
It’s interesting that Peter had denied our Lord three times and now in grace, the Lord has given Peter three different questions to make Peter understand --- we all fail.
Privacy includes the principle of live and let live, 2Th 3:11-12.
2Th 3:11 For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies.
2TH 3:12 Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread.
“eat their own bread” = an idiom for minding your own business.
Apostates always violate the privacy of others, 1Ti 5:13.
1Ti 5:13 And at the same time they also learn to be idle, as they go around from house to house; and not merely idle, but also gossips and busybodies, talking about things not proper to mention.
Violation of privacy is similar to violations of other freedoms.
When you violate one freedom, you are violating other freedoms.
For example, freedom means life, privacy, and property,
When you stick your nose into the private business of someone else, you have violated their freedom.
The principle of life is violated by murder, slavery, and tyranny.
Property is violated by stealing.
Every time you stick your nose into someone else's business or malign them, you have violated their privacy.
And this is why murder, stealing and busybodies are put in the same verse.
1PE 4:15 By no means let any of you suffer as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler;
So, freedom means the right to life, property, and privacy.
And privacy is violated by gossiping, maligning, and judging.
And note that intrusion into the privacy of someone else is compared to stealing and murder.
Just think, the Lord put being a gossip and a busybody in the same verse as a murderer and thief.
Now, when it comes to our Lord’s wine that He used, not all grapes are the same.
All are different and all grow in different climates.
In fact, usually the older the grape, the better the wine from the vine.
Some wine is used for jelly, some for wine, some for white some for red. Some are for dry and some are for sweet.
There are a variety of spiritual gifts and a variety of believers who are at different stages of spiritual growth.
In most cases, it is better not to prune them yet than to do it incorrectly.
We cannot prune ourselves nor can we prune others, that is our Lord’s responsibility.
The principle is we have a perfect vinedresser.
Leave the “amount of pruning” and “when to prune to Him.”
For example, by making the pruning cuts in a certain order, the total number of cuts is reduced greatly.
The skilled pruner first removes all dead, broken, diseased or problem limbs by cutting them at the point of origin or back to a strong lateral branch or shoot.
Often, removing this material opens the canopy sufficiently so that no further pruning is necessary.
The confidence that God knows comes from the orders that God gave.
You may think that something needs to be pruned now, when God has His shears on a completely different part of you than what you thought.