Running On Empty

Bible Book: John 6 : 1-14

Subject: Miracles; Water to Wine; Problems; Power of Jesus

INTRODUCTION

I am not a huge sports fan, but I like great sports stories.

Probably the greatest knuckle-ball pitcher who ever played the game was Hoyt Wilhelm. He was the first knuckleball pitcher ever elected to the Hall of Fame. What fascinates me about him is how he made his Major League debut as a hitter.

On April 23, 1952, in his second game with the New York Giants, he came to the plate for the first time in his Major League career as a hitter. On the very first pitch he ever saw from a Major League pitcher, he swung and hit a home run over the right field fence. Why was that so unusual? Although he played 21 seasons and went to bat 432 times, he never hit another home run.

You have to admit there is no greater way to make a debut as a hitter in Major League Baseball than to hit a home run in your first at bat. You could not script that kind of debut any better.

To me, the most interesting and puzzling debut I've ever known about was how Jesus first comes on to the scene as He begins His ministry. I want you to imagine that God has appointed youas the PR agent of Jesus. Your Public Relations firm has been given the job of planning how Jesus is going to enter His earthly ministry. You decide the best way to do it is for Jesus to perform a miracle, because nothing is going to get the attention of anybody like a miracle.

Naturally, you would think about the most extravagant, in your face, front-page headline miracle that Jesus could perform. Ideas fly like crazy. Someone says, ''Let's have Him raise someone from the dead.'' Somebody else says, ''Let's have Him feed thousands of people with a Happy Meal.'' Somebody else says, ''Let's have Him walk on water.'' One thing everybody agrees on is the miracle must be spectacular.

That is why the story we are going to study today is just absolutely shocking, because far from being spectacular, it is probably the simplest miracle Jesus ever performed. In fact, it looks more like magic in a way than it does a miracle. The plot is too simple. Jesus and His disciples are at a wedding, the host runs out of wine, all the stores are closed, His mother asks for help, Jesus transforms six jugs of water into wine and that's it. That is His debut. That is His first hit at the plate. It is certainly not a home run, not even a triple, maybe a double, but probably a single. On top of that, why would Jesus perform a miracle involving alcohol? This is the only miracle that Jesus performed that makes some church people very uncomfortable. Instead of trying to understand this miracle and enjoy it, some people spend more time trying to figure out how to turn the wine back into water.

Even though this appears to be the simplest miracle Jesus ever performed, it may be the most practical miracle Jesus ever performed. Let me tell you why.

Jesus had to perform this miracle for one reason. They ran out of wine at the wedding! I am going to share with you in just a moment why that was such a big deal. This wedding is a picture of life. The problem was they were running on empty. If you live long enough, you are going to learn every wedding eventually runs out of wine. You are going to find times in your life and you may be there now where you are literally running on empty.

•You've got a problem that you can't solve.

•You are in a crisis you can't handle.

•You are in a hole you can't dig yourself out of.

•You are at the end of your rope.

•You are running on empty!

If that is where you are, then this is what I want you to take away from this message. Key Take Away: Our problems are God's possibilities.

This miracle, as simple as it is, gives us one of the most profound lessons on what to do when we are running on empty that you will ever find anywhere in the Bible. In fact, it gives us a formula that never fails. This is one of those messages I would encourage you to write in the front of your Bible, to enter into your iPhone or iPad, and the next time that unexpected crisis pops up (and it will), the next time life goes south when you are driving north, remember a wedding, a woman, water and wine. If you will do the following, you will see the supernatural, a miracle take place in your life.

I. Turn to Jesus When You Have A Problem

John 2:1-3 states, “On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.” (NKJV)

What was the problem? The wine was gone. Why was that such a big deal? Back then, wine was to a wedding what cake is to a wedding today. Can you imagine coming to a wedding where they forgot to bake the cake? Nothing would be more embarrassing than not to have the wedding cake.

In Bible days, they didn't have wedding cake, but wedding wine. The number one faux pas would be to run out of wine. Celebration would instantly become a humiliation. Was it a problem of life and death? No, but it was a real problem.

The same thing is true for us. The vast majority of problems we face every day are not life and death problems. They are genuine problems.

• Losing your job or losing your car keys are not the same thing as losing your life, but they are actual problems.
• Facing a lawsuit or even jail is not like facing death, but it is still a real problem.

What is important is not the problems you face. What is important is how you face those problems.

Evidently Mary, Jesus' mother, was the hostess of this wedding or wedding coordinator if you will. She did not want any embarrassment to come to her friends and especially to the bride and groom. Mary did exactly the first thing any of us ought to do whenever we face any problem. She turns to Jesus.

She doesn't push the panic button. She doesn't go ballistic. She doesn't scream. There is no rise in her blood pressure. She doesn't tear her hair out. She simply turns to Jesus and tells Him the problem.

I know that sounds elementary, but let's all be honest here. What do we usually do? We usually do just the opposite. Where she took the problem to Jesus first, don't we normally take the problem to Jesus last? Isn't it our tendency to turn to anybody else and everybody else, before we turn to Jesus?

By the way, there is a great lesson we can learn right here. God wants to hear about every problem we have. I know you may think, ''But He already knows what my problems are.'' That is true, but He wants you to tell Him what those problems are just the same.

That is why God allows problems to come into our life to begin with. We all know that God is powerful enough

• If He wanted to, He could keep our lives problem free.
• If He wanted to, He could make sure we never face illness,never have problems, and never deal with difficulties.
• He could make our life all pleasure, no pain, all sunshine, no rain, all roses and no thorns.

Do you know what would happen if that were true? We would never turn to God for anything.

I will tell you right now, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. I've got problems in my life right now that I have no other recourse and no other choice except to turn to Jesus. There are some things in my life right now that I can't turn to anybody except Jesus. One of the hardest parts of being a pastor and one of the loneliest parts of my job is the fact that even though so many people turn to me and they've got problems, but I have things I have to deal with that I can't turn to anybody except Jesus. The sheep can turn to the shepherd, but who does the shepherd turn to? The only shepherd the shepherd can turn to is another shepherd. That is why I take such refuge in the realization that the Lord is my shepherd. Trust me. When I tell you to turn to Jesus, I do the very same thing with so much of my life. When you are running on empty, you turn to Jesus with the problem.

II. Talk To Jesus About The Problem

Listen again to exactly what Mary did. In John 2:3 we read, “And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.”(NKJV)

Some say, ''A problem well stated is a problem half solved.'' That is exactly what Mary did. She tells Jesus exactly what the problem is. Do you know why this was such a problem? It was a big problem. In Bible days, a wedding was ''the'' social event on any Jewish calendar. If you got invited to a wedding, you really didn't have a choice. You had to go. It was practically a social felony if you didn't go. There was not a bigger social happening in Jewish life than a wedding.

It usually began with a ceremony at sundown in the synagogue. Then the entire wedding party would leave the synagogue and begin this long candlelight procession right through the middle of town. They would escort the couple past as many homes as possible so everyone could come out and congratulate them. After the procession, the couple didn't go on a honeymoon; they brought the honeymoon to them.

They went home to a party! This party lasted several days. There would be gift-giving, speech-making, food-eating and wine-drinking. The place would be kept full of food and the glasses would be kept full of wine. If the food or the wine ran out, they considered it a tremendous insult.

So, Mary makes this 911 call to Jesus.

I can't leave out Jesus' response. In the next verse, John 2:4 the Bible says, “Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.”

I always get a kick out of Jesus getting away with saying that to His mom, ''Woman, why are you bothering Me with this? My hour has not yet come.'' Men, try this at home. The next time you are watching a ball game and your wife asks you to take out the garbage or help her with the dishes, just quote Jesus and say, ''Women, why are you bothering me? My time hasn't yet come.'' See what happens!

What Jesus was saying was it wasn't yet time for Him completely to reveal who He was. I don't want you to miss the bigger picture. Mary has a problem. She turns to Jesus with the problem and talks to Jesus about the problem, because she knew something about Jesus that you and I need to learn about Jesus, know about Jesus, and remember about Jesus. What matters to me matters to Jesus.

I know we believe that is true about the big stuff like cancer, bankruptcy, or divorce. Jesus also cares about grouchy bosses, flat tires, lost dogs, broken dishes, late flights, tooth aches and ruptured disks.

Let me ask you a question, ''Why did Jesus do this as His first miracle? Why did Jesus change this water into wine?

• Did He do it to impress the crowd?'' No. They didn't even know it happened.
• Did He do it because He had to? No. It wasn't His reputation on the line.
• Did He do it to prove He was the Son of God? No. That is why He didn't want to do it.

He did it, because He cared. He did it to prove what matters to us matters to Him. He did it to show that our problems are His possibilities.

A verse that I am lending on heavily in my life today and have so often is I Peter 5:7 which says,

''Cast all your cares upon Him, because He cares for you.'' (1 Peter 5:7, NKJV)

Do you know why you can bring all of your cares to God? Because He cares for you and He cares for your cares. If you care about it, He cares about it. What matters to you matters to Him. So, turn to Jesus with your problem, talk to Jesus about your problem. He did not perform any miracle when he was tempted of the devil in the wilderness, but now, for all these people in need, Jesus performs the supernatural.

III. Trust Jesus To Handle the Problem

The next thing that Mary does is the most important thing of all. There is one thing you and I have to do when the marriage is empty, the bank account is empty, and you have nothing left in the tank of your heart and it is found in the next thing Mary says.

His mother said to the servants, ''Do whatever he tells you.'' (John 2:5, ESV)

That is the greatest piece of advice ever given in the entire Bible. It is the best advice ever given in history. You don't have a problem right now in your life that Jesus cannot solve if you will do whatever He tells you to do.

Marriages would be transformed if husbands and wives would just do what Jesus tells them to do. Your finances would change if you would just do what Jesus would tell you to do. Your children would be happier if they would just do what Jesus tells them to do. Have you ever wondered why so many people who claim to know Jesus and say they follow Jesus aren't happy and aren't full of joy? They seem to have the same frustrations, same depression, same problems that people without Jesus have? I am not saying this is true for everybody at every time, but I will tell you the number one reason that is true. So many followers of Jesus have little joy in their life, because they are not doing what Jesus tells them to do. Too many of us know what Jesus wants us to do; we just don't do it. Jesus said in John 13:17, ''If you know these things happy are you if you do them.'' (John 13:17, KJV)

Let's see how this works. The Bible declares in John 2: 6-10, “Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. Jesus said to them, “Fill the water potswith water.” And they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.” And they took it. 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 he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!” (NKJV)

Did you notice the water was not turned into wine until they filled completely the jugs to the brim the way Jesus demanded? We have it backwards. We think obedience follows blessing. Instead, blessing follows obedience. Here is an example, ''When I get my bills paid, get completely out of debt and got plenty of money to spare, then I will start giving God a tithe.'' Here is another one, ''When I get my problems straightened out and get my act together then I will go back to church.'' Here is another one, ''When my wife is the wife, she ought to be then I will be the husband I ought to be.'' Do you know what happens in all those circumstances? People never tithe. They don't go back to church and their marriage goes on the rocks. Why? Obedience doesn't follow blessing, but blessing follows obedience.

When you obey God and you do what God tells you to do, you can expect God to come through. Jesus tells the servants to draw out some of this water and take it to the Master of Ceremonies to taste. You wouldn't know it, but Jesus was asking Him to do a dangerous thing. Those jugs normally held water that was used to wash dirty hands, not wine for a wedding. These men could have been sent to prison for doing such a disgraceful act as taking dirty water to a Master of Ceremonies that was expecting sparkling wine. Do you see what happened? The water became wine after they obeyed, not before they obeyed. Jesus will not do what you need Him to do for you until you do what He wants you to do for Him.

What does Jesus do? Each one of those jars held 25 gallons of water. That was enough for 2500 glasses of wine; more than enough to meet the needs of that banquet. When that wedding feast finally ended, there was still plenty of the best wine to drink. Our problems are God's possibilities. When I offer what I have, God will provide more than I need.

CONCLUSION

Now, we know why Jesus performed this simple miracle first. If Jesus can take ordinary well water and, in a heartbeat, change its molecular structure and turn it into wine so wonderful that the most experienced connoisseur would say it was the best wine ever tasted. What do you think He can do for you?

• He can change your marriage.
• He can change your children.
• He can change your spouse.
• He can change your financial circumstances.
• He can change your heart.