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No book on earth has a more profound beginning as the prologue of John's

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Gospel in verses 1 through 18. He takes his readers back to peer into eternity

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past where we never see God the Father alone. Always there has been another

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with him who is to God what thought and word is to man. He is the Word. Through

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him through the Word God acts. God expresses himself. That Word became flesh

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and dwelt among us in the prison of Jesus Christ. John wrote the Gospel that

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bears his name with the object that the reader might come to a fuller understanding

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of the prison of Jesus Christ. He planned his writing around seven miracles

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which Jesus performed in John's Gospel. Yet there is an even more potent term

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for miracles in John that confronts us in the pericope this morning. The word John

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uses that is not used in Matthew, Mark, and Luke is the word sign. In classical

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Greek signs refer to a distinguishing mark, a token, or a signal. That's why

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fraternities and sororities are called Greek organizations because each of

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them have a distinguishing mark, a distinguishing token, or signal, or sign.

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In the Septuagint which is the Greek Old Testament, the Septuagint is the Old

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Testament written in Greek. Its meaning is often linked to a special part of

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prophetic activity which is a symbolic anticipation or showing forth of a

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greater reality which the sign is nevertheless itself apart. John prefers

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the simple word sign because the miracles of Jesus are never simply naked

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displays of power, but rather significant works that point beyond

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themselves to the deeper realities that could be perceived only through the eyes

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of faith. That Jesus first sign of his divinity takes place at a wedding and is

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designed to prevent serious social embarrassment marks Jesus out as far

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removed from the monastic asceticism of hermetic communities like the

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Koumran community in that day. Jesus in the text, there's a snap a snapshot of

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Jesus in the text seen in all of his humanity because he is concerned with

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the everyday situations of ordinary life. Jesus knows whether there is no line

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there is no joy. You're trying to be all Christian here this morning, but I need

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one or two believers to help me testify where the wine is. The joy is. Talk back

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to me if you can. There is no party without the wine. There is no good time

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without the wine and Jesus is not here talking about Welch's grape juice. That's

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the stuff we drink over here at Lily Grove, but but Jesus changed water into

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real show enough for true boons for home.

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Mad dog. Wine. Walk with me around the text. In John chapter 2 verses 1 through

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11 in these first couple of verses we see that there is a problem. The problem

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is that they're at a party. They're at a wedding party and they run out of wine.

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But before I delve into a homiletical unfolding and an exegetical

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presentation of the text, I want you to see something else. Look with me in

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these verses again. Now that was on the third day there was a wedding in Cana of

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Galilee and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples also had

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been invited to the wedding. I want you to get this. Mary was there, but Jesus was

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invited. Mary, the mother of Jesus, was already there, but Jesus was invited. At

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your wedding, make sure you have a DJ. Make sure you have some wine. Make sure the

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mother of the bride is there. Make sure the bride maids are all arrayed. But

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before you send out invitations, make room for Jesus. I think sometimes the

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reason our marriages don't work, mine included, is because there are times when

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we invite everybody else and leave out Jesus. There would be less divorces in

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our country if we forgot about the expensive invitations and invited Jesus.

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I wish I had time to stay right there, but Mary is there. Jesus is invited.

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A wedding celebration in that culture could last as long as a week and the

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financial responsibility lay with the groom. It's always embarrassing to run

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out of food and drink at a public occasion. Here at a wedding it was a

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catastrophe. In some instances, the offending family could be fined money

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because they ran out of wine. Additionally, to run out of supplies would

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be simply dreadful for it may have been that the groom had not planned well and

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had not provided for all his guests, which is purely unthinkable in Judaism

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because in the Jewish culture, just like in the African-American culture, when you

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run out, it's a shame. Let me see if I can unpack that. The Jews, just like

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African-Americans in America, we are or we used to be a shame culture. There used

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to be some things in our culture that made us shame. For the Jews to run out of

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food and drink would be like black people to invite somebody to your house

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and there's no more food. There's no more to drink. That would be totally

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embarrassing. We black folk would rather have food left over than to not have

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enough food because we are a shame culture. So much so that when we hear of

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some terrible thing that happens in the news, the first thing we want to know

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was it black?

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Lord, I sure hope it wasn't no black people doing that. Somebody ought to help me

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preach here. If a black woman gets on an airplane with a bonnet on her head, we

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put our head down. Lord, look at that car walking in here with that thing. Now that

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ain't got nothing to do with you but you're shame because you used to be

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shame of going out in the street with your nasty house slippers on. You used to

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be ashamed to walk in HEB in your pajamas. You used to be ashamed of going

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to store with your hair not comb. Somebody ought to help me preach it. But we

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have lost our sense of shame because we've taken God out of our situation.

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Those of you here who was raised right, your mom and dad had a sense of shame.

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And they say when you leave this house you act like I raised you. Put your shirt

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in your pants. Say yes ma'am. Say no sir. And when we go to these people's house

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you better not say you want something to eat.

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In this shame culture they ran out of wine. They planned it but they ran out.

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And brothers and sisters you will help me testify that life does not always go

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the way you planned. Job chapter 14 verse 1 says man that's born of a woman is

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of a few days and they are full of trouble. John chapter 16 verse 38 says these

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things I have spoken unto you that in me you might have peace. In the world you

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shall have tribulation. But be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.

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Edna St. Vincent Millay. Edna St. Vincent Millay said it is not true that life is

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one thing after another. It is the same thing over and over. The philosopher

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Schopenhauer said that life is an endless pain with a painful end. Ecclesiastes

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2 and 203 says for all his days are sorrows and his trivial his travail is

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grief. Yeah his heart taketh not rest in the night. This is also vanity. But

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brothers and sisters the good news this morning is that it is good to know that

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when problems come our way we can take them to Jesus. He knows our troubles and

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he feels our needs. Hebrews chapter 4 verse 15 and 16 says for we have not a

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high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities but

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was in all points tempted like as we are yet without sin. Let us therefore come

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boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help

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us in the time of need. When you run out go to Jesus. When life runs out. When

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friends run out. When health runs out. When money runs out. Find your way to Jesus.

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Problem in the text was they are at this wedding feast in this shame culture and

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they had more week than they had wine. They were running out of wine and when

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all the wine is gone Mary brings it to Jesus. The problem now leads to a

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procedure in verses 3 4 and verse number 5. 3 4 and 5 when the wine gave out the

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mother of Jesus said to them they have no said to him they have no wine and Jesus

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said to her woman what concern is that to you and to me my hour has not yet

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come his mother said to the servants do whatever he tells you. In these verses a

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great gulf a great gulf must be fixed between the mother and the Messiah. A

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great gulf must be fixed between the mother and the master. A great gulf must

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be fixed between mother and mediator. We must not avoid the conclusion that Jesus

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by rebuking his mother however courteously declares at the beginning of

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his ministry his other freedom from any kind of human advice agenda or human

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manipulation. He has embarked on his public ministry and the purpose of his

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ministry and his coming is not to do the will of his mother but to do the will

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of his father. Family ties have to be subordinated to divine mission. Now Jesus

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said woman in the text to address his mother as a woman sounds harsher in

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translation than it is meant in the original language. Woman is not as cold

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in the Greek as it sounds in English. It is a token of respect and affection. The

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term was a polite and common form of address for an elderly or older woman

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akin to our speaking to our mother or to our elder by saying ma'am. Jesus said ma'am

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mother ma'am mama ma'am. I know that but but but that doesn't have anything to do

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with you and I because my hour has not yet come. But Mary said don't don't don't

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don't don't pay no attention to that. Whatever he tells you to do do it.

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Because I don't care what you tell your mama. She gonna do what she want to do

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anyway. I wish I had somebody here who's who's still trying to raise a

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old person. They will tell you that they ain't gonna eat certain things. Soon as

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you leave the house they cooking bacon and fat back. Stuff they got no business

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eating then they call you at three o'clock in the morning. I don't feel good.

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Mama what you ate? I don't I don't I don't remember. They will do whatever they

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want to do. Jesus has just rebuked her and Mary said I heard what you said but

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whatever he tells you to do do it. Mary shakes off the gentle rebuked and

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exemplifies the best kind of persevering faith. She approaches Jesus as his mother

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and he rebukes her. But when she approaches him as a believer he honors

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her faith. Do whatever he tells you. Do whatever he tells you. That's in the

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heiress imperative which means do it at once. Do it without question. And I'm

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gonna tell somebody in here this morning who's struggling in your faith.

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However strong the act may seem to you. However foolish it may look in your wise

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eyes. No matter how useless or trivial it may seem. Whatever God says to do. Do it.

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I think that's where Nike got that from. Just do it. But Reverend they gonna laugh

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at me. Just do it. Reverend I'm gonna be criticized. Just do it. Pastor folk ain't

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gonna like me. Just do it. Because if God told you to do it. He will empower you

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to do it and protect you in it. The Bible says I will keep you. I wish I had a

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witness here. In perfect peace. If you keep your mind. Stay it on me.

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Listen to me. In making that statement of faith. Mary shows us two steps that we

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should always take when we run out of whatever we need. Mary shows us two

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steps that we ought to always take whenever we run out of whatever we need.

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Step number one. Flee. F-L-E-E. Hurry. Go to Jesus. And once you get there. The

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second step. Follow what he's saying. Flee. Run as fast as you can. And get to

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Jesus. Because Jesus has the answer. Wait a minute. He does not just have the

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answer. Yes. He is the answer. And once you get your answer. Follow what he tells

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you to do. I need somebody in here this morning. Who's been in some tight spots.

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You got yourself in the jam. Or somebody else got you in a situation that

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looked like you could not extricate yourself from. But some way. Somehow.

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God just showed up. Right when you needed him the most. And made a way out of no

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way. You can't understand it. You can't figure it out. You don't know how it

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happened. You're not smart enough to wrangle yourself out of it. You don't

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have enough money to buy your way out of it. You're not pretty enough to switch

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your way out of it. You just put it in the Lord's hands and say Lord I can't handle

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it. I can't do anything more about it. But I'm trusting you to make a way out of

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no way. I'm running to you with my troubles. Because my pastor said. If I call you.

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You gonna show up. If I stretch my hands to you. You will come to my rescue. And

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you in this church this morning testify. He showed up. He made a way. He opened

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the door. He answered a prayer. He brought my wandering child back home. He

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put food on my table. Because he's no shorter than his word. Ask and it shall

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be given. See. You will find. And the door will be open. And if God doesn't open

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the door. He's getting ready to open a window. And if he doesn't open the window

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our door. Don't go through it. Because he's got something better for you down

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the road. You think you lost something over here? God's got something for you

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over there. You think you have run out over here? God has supplies over the

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cattle on a thousand here. I'm trying to hold myself because I've been in some

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tight spots. I'm trying to keep from shouting and jumping off this pulpit.

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Because I've been in some situations where I've had to quote the scripture to

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myself. And pray the Psalms to myself until God could come to my rescue. The

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earth is the Lord. I wish I had a Bible reading. The fullness thereof. The world

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and they that dwell therein for he has founded it upon the seas and established

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it upon the flood. Who shall ascend unto the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand

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in the holy place? He that had clean hands and a pure heart who has not lifted

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up his soul unto vanity nor sworn deceitfully but he shall receive blessings

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from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the

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generation of them that seek him. That seek your face. Oh Jacob lift up your

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head. Oh he gates and be lifted up. He everlasting doors and the king of

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glory shall come in. Who is this?

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Hey, king of glory. The Lord strong and mighty. The Lord mighty in the battle. My

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back has been up against the wall and I've had to pray the Psalms. The earth is

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the Lord's. God has everything under control. My enemies had me trapped and

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then I had to leave Psalm 24 and go to Psalm 27. The Lord is my life and my

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salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life. Of whom shall I

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be? When the wicked even my enemy and my foes come upon me to eat up just

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before they got to me. They stumbled and they failed. Though a hoax

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shouldn't camp against me and this will I be confident. One thing I'm trying to

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hurry here but one thing have I desired of the Lord. That will I seek after that.

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I'll be as well in the house of the Lord all my days. I've been trying to get to

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this all the morning. In the time of trouble. Anybody here ever been in

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trouble? Anybody here ever needed the Lord to come to your rescue? Anybody here

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ever been down to your last time? In the time of trouble?

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He shall hide me.

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Wait on the Lord. Be of good courage. He's will strengthen your heart. Wait I say.

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On the Lord. Has God not known? I'm really trying to get finished here. Has

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God not heard? Did they ever last in God? The father, the creator of the ends of

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the earth. That's no such thing of his understanding. He gives it power to the

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faint and to them that have no might. He increases their strength. Even the youth

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shall faint and grow weary and the young men shall utterly fall. But they that

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wait, I wish I had a witness upon the Lord, shall renew their strength, shall

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mount up with wings as eagles, shall run and not get weary, shall walk and not

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free. I want you to notice something. Lord, I'm running out of time. I want you to

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notice something. It is not until all the resources are depleted. Jesus works a

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miracle. If you got a little bit left, he won't show up. If you think you can do a

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little bit to help it, he'll stay out of it. But the minute you acknowledge all

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my wine is gone. And I'm not talking about drink now. I'm talking about all my

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spirit is gone. All my hope is gone. All my character, all my integrity, all that I

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built my life on is gone. It's not until then that Jesus shows up. Mary was telling

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him what to do. But Mary is not co-redeemer. I said, Mary is not a co-redeemer.

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Mary just told him go get and do whatever he says. Just go do what he said.

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But now the redeemer speaks. He says, go get some water pots that are designed,

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that are made built for ritual purification. They were not clay jars because some

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impurities could have gotten in. They were stone jars because they contain water

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for purification. They are empty. Jesus said, fill them not halfway. But fill them

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to the brim. And I can tell people in here this morning who's been filled to

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the brim. Because I can hardly read the scripture before they start shouting.

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Because they don't have to come to church to get happy. They feel to the brim at

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home. I was watching some of y'all when we were singing the congregational songs.

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Y'all were sitting down there all cute, not opening your mouth. But some of us

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was just about to run all over this church. Because when we start talking

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about all to be kept by Jesus, I can't keep my mouth closed about that. When we

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start singing, blessed assurance, Jesus is mine. You can't get cute about that.

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Because you can't keep yourself. The Lord had to keep you. The Lord had to

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secure you.

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You don't have time to do it right now. We don't have time for you to do it

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right now. But next Sunday, find you a section of people who are filled to the

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brim.

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Because let me tell you what happens. And I'm gonna get back to my little word.

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But let me tell you what happens when you feel to the brim. You got to walk

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slow. Because something is gonna spill over.

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And so when you come to church, you want to be next to somebody who feel to the

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brim. Because you want something.

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Get out of that dead section. Find somebody who is filled to the brim. And

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if they don't have enough, you turn down. Feel my cup.

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Let it overflow.

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He'll come to your hospital room and make it overflow. He'll go to court with

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you and make it overflow. He'll go to your human research sources office with

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you. They were trying to fire you and you get in there and they give you a raise.

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Because God just made it overflow.

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I'm through.

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But we move from the problem to a procedure. In verses 6 through 11 is the

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provision. The sign of turning 180 gallons of water in the wine is the first

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sign in John's gospel that is that Jesus, here's the first sign, here's the

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meaning, here's the significance, here's the meaning of the first sign. Jesus is

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Lord of nature. The usual 12 month process of turning grapes into wine was

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shortened in a moment.

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They didn't have to go to Napa Valley. They didn't have to go to Spex.

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Am I on your street yet? They didn't have to go in the truck?

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They didn't have to go in the purse? Jesus just looked at it. John, what John wants us

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to know is that whatever Jesus touches, he transforms. What John wants us to see is

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not that Jesus wants to turn 180 gallons of water into wine, but that whenever

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Jesus comes into a life that comes a marvelous new quality of life, which is

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like turning dull water into sparkling wine, Jesus adds color to your life,

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flavor to your life, joy to your life. And what he did once in Cana of Galilee, he

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has repeated countless millions of times and is still doing in the lives of

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people who accept his rule and his authority right now. Jesus turns the

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useless into the useful. He turns the dull and colorless into the sparkling and

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vital. He turns a blundering fisherman named Peter and makes him into a rock

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like stable character. He takes a thunderbolt fiery tempered man named John

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and changes him into the Apostle of Love. He takes a greedy grasping tax collector

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named Levi and sets him to write by changing his name to Matthew and he

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writes the gospel. He takes a demon possessed woman like Mary and makes her

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the first herald of the resurrection. He takes all of Tarsus, the great

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menace of the Christian church and turns him into the great missionary of the

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Christian church. Now I'm gonna try to pronounce this word in Latin and if I

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mess it up you won't know because you don't speak Latin either but here is

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what happened. The modest water saw the God who made it and blushed.

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Now we hear who are saved. When we stand next to God we got to testify like

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Isaiah did. Whoa is me for I'm undone. I'm a man of unclean lips and I dwell in

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the midst of a people of unclean lips and then once the Lord touches us and

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saves us and redeems us the modesty of my sinful nature looks at the sweet God

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who made me and my spirit blushes in the new wine. I want you to get this and

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I'm through. Jesus could have made it wine by just speaking it but he told the

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servants go get the water pots. Jesus is gonna make the wine but you got to go

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get the water pots. Jesus is gonna feed the multitude but you got to have the

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fish in the load. Jesus is going to heal that impotent man but you got to tie up

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the roof to let him down. Jesus is going to heal that nobleman son but the

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nobleman got to come to ask for the healing. Jesus is going to heal that

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man at the pool of salam but the man got to tie Jesus I want to be made whole

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and God will save anybody in here this morning but you got to tell God you want

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to be saved. Now the miracle of salvation is no less a miracle because you

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participate but if you participate in it it makes it all the more sweeter wine.

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I'm through. Here's what happens at the end of the story. After Jesus turned that

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water in the wine he said now draw out some of that wine and bring it to the

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master of ceremonies and the servants drew out some wine and took it to the

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governor of the feast. He tasted it and did not speak to Jesus because Jesus was

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there to keep the bridegroom from being embarrassed. Jesus took a back seat

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because he didn't want the bridegroom to be embarrassed and the reason Jesus took

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a back seat to that bridegroom is because one day he's gonna be the bridegroom.

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When you know who you are you ain't got to beat your chest and stand out in the

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front and brag on it. If you know who you are and who God made you to become

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the bridegroom you don't need anybody's approval. Just do your work. Stand back.

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The governor of the feast didn't talk to Jesus. He called the bridegroom and he

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said hey bruh. I've been at a lot of parties and I drank a lot of wine and

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we've had a lot of fun and usually at these kinds of gatherings they serve the

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top shelf stuff first and then after everybody is high and glad to be in the

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service one more time. Then they bring out the old crow

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and that flat Budweiser. When everybody's had a good time then they bring the low

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shelf wine like Morgan David and Guggenheim. You know stuff you can get at

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at 7-eleven. Stuff you can get at the neighborhood still. He said but I see

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you have reversed this thing. You've saved the best wine the most extraordinary

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wine. The most sparkling, tasty, vital wine because people who drink wine when

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they taste it they know if it's good wine. I'm not gonna ask you to raise your hand

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but there's some wine drinkers in here this morning who know what kind of cask

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the wine has been in. They know what region it came from in Napa Valley. They

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can look at the bottle the name and tell what rather than it's a good wine. I'm

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not gonna ask you to raise your hand but to those of us who know that you know

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that you know you know good wine when you taste it and this governor said this

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ain't this ain't this ain't this ain't this ain't what they've been serving

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over there. This is the real stuff. You saved the best for the last. I'm through.

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I really am this time but wait. Can we lift that up a little higher? You think

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we having a good time in here this morning?

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You think we praising God in here today? He's saving the best for last.

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I wake up early in the morning. I'm an early rising and sometimes when I wake

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up no new program is on television so I just channel surf looking through

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through channels trying to find something to watch and and and every once

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in a while I run up on a an infomercial and on these infomercials they're

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trying to sell you some knives or they're trying to sell you some pots or

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they're trying to sell you some cups they're trying to get you to buy

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something and if you buy it right now they will double it and you will get

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the same amount of things for two different amounts of things for the

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same price and then if you if you ask for it right now they'll ship it with no

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cost because they're trying to lure you in and then when they almost got you

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don't think that you have already bit the hook the announcer say what wait

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there's more if you buy now we'll ship to for the price of one but wait there's

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more we'll throw in here come in with some other kind of stuff to get you

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well here's where I'm trying to go with that the Lord saved you and you have a

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blessed assurance right now but wait there's more in my father's house a

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mini mansion if it weren't I so I would have told you I go to prepare a place

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for you and if I go I'm gonna come again and receive you under myself that

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where I am there you will be also but wait there's more eyes have not seen

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ears have not heard neither has it entered into the hearts of men the good

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things that God has in store for them that love him but wait there's more the

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streets are paved with gold the walls are made of Jasper the doors are made of

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solid pearl but wait there's more there's a river running through the city and in

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the midst of a river is a tree called life and on the tree that's 12 manner of

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fruit but wait there's more God shall wipe all tears from the eyes but wait

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there's more that's no more crying no more death no more pain but wait there's

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more now are we the sons of God and it does not appear what we shall be but we

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know that when he comes we shall be like him but we shall see him as he is but

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wait as one more I show you a mystery we shall not all sleep but we shall all be

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changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye for the trumpet of God shall

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sound and the corruptible bodies of those who sleep in him shall be changed

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this marvel must put on immortality this corruptible must put on in

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corruption and when Marvel has put on immortality and corruptible has put on

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incorruptible then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written death is

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swallowed up in victory death where is your sting grave where is your victory

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the sting of death is sin the strength of sin is the law but wait there's more

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thanks be to God who just gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ

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wait there's more therefore my beloved brother be ye steadfast

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unmovable always abounding in the work of the Lord for as much as you know that

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your labor is not in vain in the law