WEBVTT 00:00:17.620 --> 00:00:21.059 That's a miracle in itself. I had some friends 00:00:21.059 --> 00:00:25.660 that moved to Seattle from Virginia. And they're 00:00:25.660 --> 00:00:27.320 here during the winter. Just wait until the summer. 00:00:27.539 --> 00:00:30.079 It's the best right here in the summer. It's 00:00:30.079 --> 00:00:33.259 always sunny. It's awesome. And last week, she 00:00:33.259 --> 00:00:36.359 was like, it's mid -June. And it is still pouring 00:00:36.359 --> 00:00:39.799 rain. You guys lied to me. No, we promise it's 00:00:39.799 --> 00:00:42.700 going to get better. So I really need God to 00:00:42.700 --> 00:00:46.359 come through on my behalf. And give us some sun. 00:00:46.500 --> 00:00:48.359 But what a great day. And once again, all the 00:00:48.359 --> 00:00:50.219 fathers, thank you for being here. Hope you're 00:00:50.219 --> 00:00:53.460 celebrated today. Spiritual fathers, actual fathers, 00:00:53.600 --> 00:00:55.979 in any realm that you father or lead, thank you 00:00:55.979 --> 00:00:58.560 for doing so. I think this world needs a lot 00:00:58.560 --> 00:01:03.200 more good fathers, not less. And so thank you 00:01:03.200 --> 00:01:05.980 for everything that you've been doing that is 00:01:05.980 --> 00:01:09.329 never seen and possibly never thanked. I know 00:01:09.329 --> 00:01:11.650 it sounds as cheesy as it is, but God knows and 00:01:11.650 --> 00:01:14.709 God sees everything that you do and you're a 00:01:14.709 --> 00:01:16.989 part of and that you lead. And so continue to 00:01:16.989 --> 00:01:19.250 do so. Continue to lead and be faithful. And 00:01:19.250 --> 00:01:22.030 God's going to continue to bless you. Amen? Well, 00:01:22.250 --> 00:01:25.310 it's such an honor to be here today with you 00:01:25.310 --> 00:01:27.069 guys. Last time I was here, I was a freshman 00:01:27.069 --> 00:01:29.450 in college. Last time I was here. So that was 00:01:29.450 --> 00:01:33.790 a long time ago. A lot longer than I want to 00:01:33.790 --> 00:01:36.530 admit. It's such an honor to be here today with 00:01:36.530 --> 00:01:39.450 Pastor Brad and Jenny and their family. I was 00:01:39.450 --> 00:01:40.730 actually born in Eugene. I don't know if you 00:01:40.730 --> 00:01:44.069 guys know that. So I'm kind of back home, I guess. 00:01:44.730 --> 00:01:46.329 I've been born in Eugene, lived here until I 00:01:46.329 --> 00:01:48.569 was four. Then my dad, I went back to Portland. 00:01:48.709 --> 00:01:51.950 So I love the Ducks and hate the Beavers. So 00:01:51.950 --> 00:02:00.870 if you're a Beaver fan, there's a great church 00:02:00.870 --> 00:02:07.209 down the road for you. And they would love to 00:02:07.209 --> 00:02:16.509 have you. And if you're a Washington State Cougar 00:02:16.509 --> 00:02:22.030 fan, there's no church for you. Just kidding. 00:02:22.150 --> 00:02:29.669 We love all teams. Amen. Hey, do you have your 00:02:29.669 --> 00:02:31.409 Bible this morning? If you have your Bible with 00:02:31.409 --> 00:02:33.069 you, I hope you do. I believe we'll have it on 00:02:33.069 --> 00:02:35.210 the screen for you. I was kind of going back 00:02:35.210 --> 00:02:39.330 and forth on our drive down here yesterday. My 00:02:39.330 --> 00:02:41.710 wife is here, obviously, Julia. Next month, we've 00:02:41.710 --> 00:02:47.169 been married for six years. Next month. We're 00:02:47.169 --> 00:02:49.789 making it. We got two kids. We have an almost 00:02:49.789 --> 00:02:52.490 four -year -old son named Cruz and a two -year 00:02:52.490 --> 00:02:55.110 -old daughter named Quinn. And they are highly 00:02:55.110 --> 00:02:58.750 unsaved. So please pray for them. They need Jesus 00:02:58.750 --> 00:03:02.789 really, really bad, especially my son. That child 00:03:02.789 --> 00:03:06.710 needs some prayer. But we love them. They're 00:03:06.710 --> 00:03:09.310 with my parents up in Portland today. So we left 00:03:09.310 --> 00:03:12.669 them and came down alone. So it's a great Father's 00:03:12.669 --> 00:03:21.750 Day for me. I love my kids, but I love free time 00:03:21.750 --> 00:03:27.080 as well. Everybody said amen. John chapter 2. 00:03:27.120 --> 00:03:28.979 If you have a Bible today, go with me to John 00:03:28.979 --> 00:03:32.340 chapter 2. If you don't have a Bible, why don't 00:03:32.340 --> 00:03:34.259 you just go to the lost and found and steal someone 00:03:34.259 --> 00:03:37.960 else's? Because apparently they don't need it. 00:03:39.300 --> 00:03:41.500 I'm just kidding. I'm not promoting stealing 00:03:41.500 --> 00:03:45.979 in the house of God. John chapter 2. It's an 00:03:45.979 --> 00:03:49.879 amazing story about Jesus. I think it's a wise 00:03:49.879 --> 00:03:52.840 thing that we talk about Jesus every Sunday and 00:03:52.840 --> 00:03:56.599 focus on him. And I think this is one of my favorite 00:03:56.599 --> 00:03:59.000 stories in the Gospels, and I'm going to do my 00:03:59.000 --> 00:04:01.259 very best to unpack it. It says this in John 00:04:01.259 --> 00:04:02.900 chapter 2. We're going to read from the NLT version. 00:04:03.000 --> 00:04:04.840 I don't know what version you have, but this 00:04:04.840 --> 00:04:08.259 is the NLT version. It says this. The next day, 00:04:08.280 --> 00:04:10.939 there was a wedding celebration in the village 00:04:10.939 --> 00:04:13.659 of Cana of Galilee, and Jesus' mother was there. 00:04:14.080 --> 00:04:16.600 And Jesus and his disciples were also invited 00:04:16.600 --> 00:04:22.879 to the celebration. The wine supply ran out during 00:04:22.879 --> 00:04:25.480 the festivities, so Jesus' mother came and found 00:04:25.480 --> 00:04:32.040 him and said, they have no more wine. Dear woman, 00:04:32.240 --> 00:04:35.459 that's not our problem. Only Jesus can call his 00:04:35.459 --> 00:04:40.180 mom dear woman. The rest of us are dying. Dear 00:04:40.180 --> 00:04:43.240 woman, that is not my problem. Jesus replied, 00:04:43.540 --> 00:04:45.319 very interesting phrase, which we'll get to at 00:04:45.319 --> 00:04:48.100 the end of the message today, my time has not 00:04:48.100 --> 00:04:50.930 yet come. But his mother told the servants, just 00:04:50.930 --> 00:04:52.350 do whatever he tells you. I love that mom. She 00:04:52.350 --> 00:04:55.129 just ignores everything Jesus says. Just do what 00:04:55.129 --> 00:05:00.170 he says. Standing by were six stone water jars, 00:05:00.230 --> 00:05:02.709 six stone water jars used for Jewish ceremonial 00:05:02.709 --> 00:05:06.189 washing. Each of them could hold 20 to 30 gallons. 00:05:07.649 --> 00:05:10.290 Jesus told the servants, fill the jars with water. 00:05:10.670 --> 00:05:12.629 When the jars have been filled, he said, now 00:05:12.629 --> 00:05:14.949 go and dip some out and take it to the master 00:05:14.949 --> 00:05:19.110 of ceremonies. So the servants followed his instructions. 00:05:20.370 --> 00:05:22.250 When the master of ceremonies tasted the water 00:05:22.250 --> 00:05:24.029 that was now wine, not knowing where it had come 00:05:24.029 --> 00:05:26.149 from, though the servants obviously knew, he 00:05:26.149 --> 00:05:30.310 called the bridegroom over. And he said, a host 00:05:30.310 --> 00:05:34.310 always serves the best wine first. He said, then 00:05:34.310 --> 00:05:36.470 when everyone has had a lot to drink, he brings 00:05:36.470 --> 00:05:40.069 out the least expensive wine last. But you have 00:05:40.069 --> 00:05:43.769 got the best until now. This miraculous sign 00:05:43.769 --> 00:05:47.480 at Cana in Galilee was Jesus' first. revealing 00:05:47.480 --> 00:05:50.600 of his glory. This is the first time he reveals 00:05:50.600 --> 00:05:54.519 who he is. And his disciples believed in him. 00:05:55.540 --> 00:05:57.220 We'll end here. And after the wedding, he went 00:05:57.220 --> 00:05:59.420 to Capernaum for a few days with his mother, 00:05:59.439 --> 00:06:02.139 his brothers, and his disciples. If you're taking 00:06:02.139 --> 00:06:03.639 notes today, if you're going to write a few things 00:06:03.639 --> 00:06:05.360 down, which I challenge you to do so, hopefully 00:06:05.360 --> 00:06:07.319 you can write some things down and ponder them 00:06:07.319 --> 00:06:09.779 even after today or this week. And my title for 00:06:09.779 --> 00:06:15.170 today's talk is A Father's Love. Due to Father's 00:06:15.170 --> 00:06:18.269 Day, I just want to talk about a father's love. 00:06:18.449 --> 00:06:20.050 And we're going to unpack and kind of go through 00:06:20.050 --> 00:06:21.970 this story a bit. And then we'll land somewhere 00:06:21.970 --> 00:06:24.529 when it has to do with our Heavenly Father. Let's 00:06:24.529 --> 00:06:26.889 pray as we dive into this amazing passage. Father, 00:06:26.949 --> 00:06:30.709 I thank you for your word. For this amazing story. 00:06:31.269 --> 00:06:32.910 Father, I pray that you'd illuminate it. God, 00:06:32.949 --> 00:06:35.189 you'd open up our eyes. And Father, those that 00:06:35.189 --> 00:06:36.790 walked in discouraged today, that you'd lift 00:06:36.790 --> 00:06:40.529 their head. Those that are just needing a word 00:06:40.529 --> 00:06:42.230 from you, God, I pray that your spirit would 00:06:42.230 --> 00:06:45.660 begin to impart to them. And encounter them and 00:06:45.660 --> 00:06:47.860 experience them today, God. We love you so much. 00:06:48.060 --> 00:06:50.120 Open this word to us, God. Let us see you more 00:06:50.120 --> 00:06:52.860 clearly today. Let us leave this room different 00:06:52.860 --> 00:06:58.279 than we walked in. Everybody set? Amen. As I 00:06:58.279 --> 00:06:59.620 said, I've been married for almost six years 00:06:59.620 --> 00:07:02.759 next month. And I remember our first year of 00:07:02.759 --> 00:07:05.339 marriage. If you can go back to that. I don't 00:07:05.339 --> 00:07:07.420 know how long it's been for you. But I remember 00:07:07.420 --> 00:07:09.740 our first year of marriage. It wasn't the easiest 00:07:09.740 --> 00:07:13.560 first year of marriage. And because I'm a very 00:07:13.560 --> 00:07:15.939 strong personality and my wife is a very strong 00:07:15.939 --> 00:07:19.220 personality, she's Italian and from New York. 00:07:21.160 --> 00:07:25.980 So she's crazy. So I remember our first year 00:07:25.980 --> 00:07:30.079 of marriage, we were like, how is this going 00:07:30.079 --> 00:07:33.000 to work? We got to figure out how to communicate 00:07:33.000 --> 00:07:35.180 to each other. And I'm very strong -willed and 00:07:35.180 --> 00:07:37.819 she's very strong -willed. And so I, as you've 00:07:37.819 --> 00:07:40.560 noticed by now, I'm a very outward, extroverted 00:07:40.560 --> 00:07:44.660 person. I love people. If you want to discipline 00:07:44.660 --> 00:07:47.819 me, don't spake me. Just put me alone. Like that's 00:07:47.819 --> 00:07:49.699 how I was disciplined when I was a kid. I didn't 00:07:49.699 --> 00:07:51.339 get spakings very often unless I was really bad. 00:07:51.480 --> 00:07:53.420 I just got to put my room alone. And after five 00:07:53.420 --> 00:07:56.269 minutes, I was so repentant. I was so sorry about 00:07:56.269 --> 00:07:58.889 anything I did and did not do. I was sorry for. 00:07:59.089 --> 00:08:01.189 I hate being alone. I don't know why. I don't 00:08:01.189 --> 00:08:03.269 like being alone. I always like people. And so 00:08:03.269 --> 00:08:05.410 I thought my wife always liked being around people 00:08:05.410 --> 00:08:07.990 as well. So throughout our first year of marriage, 00:08:08.069 --> 00:08:09.689 I'll be on the couch and the door would knock. 00:08:09.750 --> 00:08:11.649 And she's like, babe, who's that? Like, I don't 00:08:11.649 --> 00:08:14.110 know. But I knew because I text them to come 00:08:14.110 --> 00:08:18.629 over. I'd be like, I don't know who it is. And 00:08:18.629 --> 00:08:20.350 then like, she opened the door. It's like two 00:08:20.350 --> 00:08:22.250 of my college friends, which therefore they're 00:08:22.250 --> 00:08:26.139 poor and they're hungry. They're like, hey, we're 00:08:26.139 --> 00:08:27.620 here to hang out. And she's like, babe, why are 00:08:27.620 --> 00:08:29.439 they here? I'm like, I don't know. I'm winking 00:08:29.439 --> 00:08:32.480 at them behind the wall. So then five minutes 00:08:32.480 --> 00:08:34.580 later, more people come over. So after a few 00:08:34.580 --> 00:08:36.600 months later, my wife was like, you have to tell 00:08:36.600 --> 00:08:40.220 me when people are coming. This isn't going to 00:08:40.220 --> 00:08:42.639 work. You have to tell me when friends are coming 00:08:42.639 --> 00:08:44.320 over. I'm like, I thought you loved people too. 00:08:45.480 --> 00:08:47.659 She's like, I do. Not in my home every single 00:08:47.659 --> 00:08:51.399 day, all of the time. I'm like, it's news to 00:08:51.399 --> 00:08:55.580 me. Took me a while to figure out. I remember 00:08:55.580 --> 00:08:58.539 my 21st birthday. My mom, who has been here, 00:08:58.620 --> 00:09:01.240 I'm sure many of you know, who is a gem. My mom 00:09:01.240 --> 00:09:06.059 is so funny. And she has bad OCD. If you don't 00:09:06.059 --> 00:09:08.700 know, bad OCD. So my 21st birthday, my mom goes, 00:09:08.799 --> 00:09:10.940 can I host your 21st birthday party at our house? 00:09:12.100 --> 00:09:13.360 I was like, she's like, I'll pay for all the 00:09:13.360 --> 00:09:15.440 food. We'll host everything here. I'm like, I 00:09:15.440 --> 00:09:18.860 am in. Like, absolutely. So she goes, well, how 00:09:18.860 --> 00:09:20.720 many people are coming? I was like, oh, mom, 00:09:20.779 --> 00:09:24.580 like 20 tops. 20 tops, mom. She said, okay, because 00:09:24.580 --> 00:09:25.940 I'm going to buy a certain amount of food. I 00:09:25.940 --> 00:09:29.159 go, mom, just 20 tops. God is my witness. An 00:09:29.159 --> 00:09:31.440 hour into this party, there's well over 100 people 00:09:31.440 --> 00:09:34.480 in my parents' home. All of which are like my 00:09:34.480 --> 00:09:36.419 friends are in college basketball, so they're 00:09:36.419 --> 00:09:39.080 eating every single item in my parents' house. 00:09:39.320 --> 00:09:41.840 No lie. My friends are going through their kitchen, 00:09:41.960 --> 00:09:44.379 going through my mom's fridge. They're in the 00:09:44.379 --> 00:09:47.080 garage going through that fridge. They're eating 00:09:47.080 --> 00:09:49.220 leftover food from last week because they ate 00:09:49.220 --> 00:09:52.440 everything else. No lie. It was like locusts 00:09:52.440 --> 00:09:55.120 in the book of numbers just coming to my parents' 00:09:55.220 --> 00:09:57.919 house and eating everything. As God is my witness, 00:09:57.980 --> 00:09:59.899 my mom starts crying halfway through this party. 00:10:01.350 --> 00:10:03.429 Yeah, I know, I'm a bad son, okay, I'm sorry. 00:10:03.970 --> 00:10:07.889 My mom starts crying. And everybody's like, what's 00:10:07.889 --> 00:10:09.789 wrong? She's like, I'm a better party planner 00:10:09.789 --> 00:10:12.450 than this. I would have bought more food. It's 00:10:12.450 --> 00:10:14.909 Andrew's fault. He told me 20 people were coming. 00:10:15.169 --> 00:10:16.950 He told me there wasn't gonna be this many people. 00:10:17.029 --> 00:10:18.909 I would have bought more food. I'm a way better 00:10:18.909 --> 00:10:20.629 party planner. Please don't look down upon me. 00:10:20.649 --> 00:10:23.929 Like, she is so beside herself that all my friends 00:10:23.929 --> 00:10:26.570 are like, there's no more food here. This is 00:10:26.570 --> 00:10:30.470 a bad party. And my mom, my mom is so mad at 00:10:30.470 --> 00:10:32.940 me. And all my friends were like, you're a jerk. 00:10:33.960 --> 00:10:37.039 Go to the store and buy us more food. Your mom 00:10:37.039 --> 00:10:39.279 planned this party for you. My birthday party 00:10:39.279 --> 00:10:42.480 went so south so quick because all the food was 00:10:42.480 --> 00:10:45.480 gone. Today in John chapter 2, we're reading 00:10:45.480 --> 00:10:47.899 a party that went really wrong really quick. 00:10:49.019 --> 00:10:50.779 We're reading about a story in John chapter 2 00:10:50.779 --> 00:10:53.100 about a wedding. And the Bible says a few days 00:10:53.100 --> 00:10:55.120 into this wedding, some translations say the 00:10:55.120 --> 00:10:59.740 third day in, that the wine is gone. Now, for 00:10:59.740 --> 00:11:01.600 me and you, we could just easily read over this, 00:11:01.620 --> 00:11:05.039 and you know what? It's frustrating. The alcohol's 00:11:05.039 --> 00:11:06.779 gone, and the wine's gone. It's whatever. Keep 00:11:06.779 --> 00:11:08.820 on going. No, when you understand the biblical 00:11:08.820 --> 00:11:11.320 context of what this would have meant, it was 00:11:11.320 --> 00:11:15.320 a catastrophe. This is a massive deal for the 00:11:15.320 --> 00:11:18.240 wine to run out. This is the worst thing to ever 00:11:18.240 --> 00:11:21.539 happen to a wedding. Because you and I think 00:11:21.539 --> 00:11:23.769 of a wedding. Two, three, four hours maybe if 00:11:23.769 --> 00:11:25.909 it's a longer wedding. In ancient day, in ancient 00:11:25.909 --> 00:11:28.070 text, a wedding would last from one week to four 00:11:28.070 --> 00:11:32.269 weeks long. It was a festivities. That's why 00:11:32.269 --> 00:11:34.549 the Bible calls it that. It was a party. And 00:11:34.549 --> 00:11:36.409 actually when it comes to weddings, it wasn't 00:11:36.409 --> 00:11:38.909 the family hosting the wedding. It was the village 00:11:38.909 --> 00:11:43.129 hosting the wedding. So villages, one of our 00:11:43.129 --> 00:11:46.750 families, their kids are getting married. Our 00:11:46.750 --> 00:11:50.039 village is going to host this wedding. So they'd 00:11:50.039 --> 00:11:52.220 invite all the other villages to come around 00:11:52.220 --> 00:11:55.200 and celebrate this village with this couple. 00:11:55.340 --> 00:11:58.100 And so when this party would go wrong, it wasn't 00:11:58.100 --> 00:11:59.799 just the family's fault, it was the village's 00:11:59.799 --> 00:12:03.740 fault. And the Bible says the wine runs out and 00:12:03.740 --> 00:12:05.639 the mom comes to Jesus and says, hey, the wine 00:12:05.639 --> 00:12:07.580 ran out. And everybody would have been so upset, 00:12:07.759 --> 00:12:10.100 so frustrated. Because we have to understand 00:12:10.100 --> 00:12:12.720 this morning that wine in ancient text wasn't 00:12:12.720 --> 00:12:15.460 just alcohol. Wine represented life and joy. 00:12:17.440 --> 00:12:20.340 That's what alcohol, this specific wine represented. 00:12:21.000 --> 00:12:24.740 Life and joy. So when wine ran out of this party, 00:12:24.840 --> 00:12:29.659 what really ran out was life and joy. So when 00:12:29.659 --> 00:12:31.500 they would come to Jesus or come to the bridegroom 00:12:31.500 --> 00:12:33.000 or come to the family and go, there's no more 00:12:33.000 --> 00:12:36.779 life and no more joy in this party. That's what 00:12:36.779 --> 00:12:39.139 they're saying. This party's over. Just like 00:12:39.139 --> 00:12:43.600 my house times 20. This party's over. There's 00:12:43.600 --> 00:12:47.480 no more life and there's no more joy. And then 00:12:47.480 --> 00:12:50.919 Jesus proceeds in this amazing miracle, which 00:12:50.919 --> 00:12:52.879 we'll get to in a little bit. And then he says 00:12:52.879 --> 00:12:54.700 this very interesting phrase, take the wine or 00:12:54.700 --> 00:12:56.620 the water that enters the wine and take it to 00:12:56.620 --> 00:12:59.899 the master of ceremonies. Not to the bride, not 00:12:59.899 --> 00:13:03.100 to the family, not to someone in charge, but 00:13:03.100 --> 00:13:05.460 to the master of ceremonies. Now, if you've heard 00:13:05.460 --> 00:13:07.659 the word MC, like to MC, that's where master 00:13:07.659 --> 00:13:11.000 of ceremonies comes from, to MC. Learn something 00:13:11.000 --> 00:13:13.940 new every day, people. Master of ceremonies, 00:13:14.019 --> 00:13:17.529 the MC. This man's job. was to coordinate the 00:13:17.529 --> 00:13:19.210 party. He was the wedding coordinator. He'd make 00:13:19.210 --> 00:13:21.090 sure the alcohol was good, make sure people were 00:13:21.090 --> 00:13:23.250 having fun, make sure the music's going, make 00:13:23.250 --> 00:13:25.750 sure everybody's mingling. He was the party host. 00:13:25.909 --> 00:13:27.490 And so really for the wine that went out was 00:13:27.490 --> 00:13:30.570 his fault because he didn't orchestrate the party 00:13:30.570 --> 00:13:32.850 right. And I just find it so powerful that Jesus 00:13:32.850 --> 00:13:35.149 says, when you get the wine or the water that 00:13:35.149 --> 00:13:38.929 turns into wine, take it to that man because 00:13:38.929 --> 00:13:41.529 it's technically his fault that it's run out. 00:13:42.669 --> 00:13:44.490 And then the man drinks the wine and says, this 00:13:44.490 --> 00:13:48.879 is the. best wine of the entire party. And obviously 00:13:48.879 --> 00:13:50.539 he would have found out eventually that Jesus 00:13:50.539 --> 00:13:52.259 did this miracle because they all found out who 00:13:52.259 --> 00:13:56.620 he was at this moment. I asked the question this 00:13:56.620 --> 00:13:59.860 morning, why of all miracles did Jesus choose 00:13:59.860 --> 00:14:06.399 this one to be first? No one's dying. It's not 00:14:06.399 --> 00:14:09.779 an important thing. He's not raising a child 00:14:09.779 --> 00:14:14.299 from the dead. He's not raising Lazarus. He's 00:14:14.299 --> 00:14:17.279 not walking on water. He's not feeding the 5 00:14:17.279 --> 00:14:20.740 ,000. Of all of the miracles, think about it. 00:14:20.759 --> 00:14:22.779 In the narrative of human history, God says, 00:14:22.879 --> 00:14:25.159 I'm going to put flesh on, come down to earth. 00:14:25.379 --> 00:14:27.279 And this is going to be the first moment I tell 00:14:27.279 --> 00:14:31.440 people who I am. Of all of the miracles, he says, 00:14:31.480 --> 00:14:34.259 I'm going to bring wine back to a party. This 00:14:34.259 --> 00:14:39.200 will be my first miracle. Jesus, let's wait for 00:14:39.200 --> 00:14:41.879 someone to die. That's way better. You talk to 00:14:41.879 --> 00:14:46.860 a marketing manager. Jesus, this isn't really 00:14:46.860 --> 00:14:50.240 the first thing that we're going to do. It's 00:14:50.240 --> 00:14:52.899 not that cool. Let's wait until a bigger miracle, 00:14:53.000 --> 00:14:55.679 Jesus, to show the world that you're God. He 00:14:55.679 --> 00:14:57.559 says, no, I'm going to show people I'm God through 00:14:57.559 --> 00:15:01.720 resurrecting a party. No, what Jesus is saying 00:15:01.720 --> 00:15:04.220 is I'm going to show everyone that I resurrect 00:15:04.220 --> 00:15:10.399 life in joy. So what happens is this is my first 00:15:10.399 --> 00:15:12.059 point I want to talk about this morning. When 00:15:12.059 --> 00:15:14.700 you allow anyone else to be the master of your 00:15:14.700 --> 00:15:17.840 ceremonies, your life and your joy will run out. 00:15:20.779 --> 00:15:22.960 See, every single one of us, we have a party 00:15:22.960 --> 00:15:26.570 that's going on. It's called your life. It's 00:15:26.570 --> 00:15:28.629 called your relationship in this world and this 00:15:28.629 --> 00:15:30.629 human experience and this human narrative. You 00:15:30.629 --> 00:15:33.269 have a party and it's called your life. And every 00:15:33.269 --> 00:15:35.690 one of us, no matter how old, how young, how 00:15:35.690 --> 00:15:38.110 saved, how on your journey with Jesus you are, 00:15:38.230 --> 00:15:40.250 you have a master of ceremonies over your life. 00:15:41.350 --> 00:15:45.169 Everyone has one. You choose one. Everyone does. 00:15:45.570 --> 00:15:47.590 Now, I know most of us will say, oh, it's Jesus. 00:15:47.929 --> 00:15:51.750 I believe you, but let's unpack that a bit. My 00:15:51.750 --> 00:15:53.950 question is this. When life is overwhelming, 00:15:54.230 --> 00:15:58.139 how do you get out? Your first mental thing. 00:15:58.200 --> 00:15:59.840 Well, I just, I'm going to work more. Man, life 00:15:59.840 --> 00:16:02.240 is so crazy right now. I'm really down on myself. 00:16:02.519 --> 00:16:04.480 I don't like my life. So I'm going to work more. 00:16:04.559 --> 00:16:09.759 Your job is your master of ceremonies. I'm stuck. 00:16:10.019 --> 00:16:12.620 I'm bored in my relationship with God, family, 00:16:12.759 --> 00:16:14.360 friends. I don't like where I am. So I'm going 00:16:14.360 --> 00:16:17.259 to start a new investment. Oh, so a new investment 00:16:17.259 --> 00:16:19.919 or a new money expansion in your world. That 00:16:19.919 --> 00:16:23.049 is now the master of your ceremonies. I think 00:16:23.049 --> 00:16:25.210 we automatically want to say it's Jesus, but 00:16:25.210 --> 00:16:27.210 let's unpack that a little bit. Because I think 00:16:27.210 --> 00:16:29.450 often we believe it's Jesus, but we function 00:16:29.450 --> 00:16:33.990 like it's not. We mentally believe it's Jesus. 00:16:34.070 --> 00:16:36.190 We want to say that, but in practicality, when 00:16:36.190 --> 00:16:39.250 it comes to our daily life, Jesus is not the 00:16:39.250 --> 00:16:42.470 master of our ceremonies. Psalms in the message 00:16:42.470 --> 00:16:44.389 version says this, and I love it. It says he 00:16:44.389 --> 00:16:48.250 is the heir to our soul. So I can pitch it this 00:16:48.250 --> 00:16:50.669 way to you. When life sucks the air out of you, 00:16:50.710 --> 00:16:56.159 how do you get it back? When life squeezes you 00:16:56.159 --> 00:16:58.480 and air is sucked out of your life and sucked 00:16:58.480 --> 00:17:00.860 out of your soul, the way that you put air back 00:17:00.860 --> 00:17:02.820 into your life, that is the answer to who is 00:17:02.820 --> 00:17:06.099 the master of your ceremonies. That is the answer 00:17:06.099 --> 00:17:09.000 in itself. When I need to breathe and I need 00:17:09.000 --> 00:17:11.759 life to start over and I need a fresh day, how 00:17:11.759 --> 00:17:14.700 do I get life back into my sails? That is the 00:17:14.700 --> 00:17:18.480 master. That is the leader. That is the master 00:17:18.480 --> 00:17:20.380 of your ceremonies. And what Jesus is saying 00:17:20.380 --> 00:17:24.750 is, if you were anyone else but me, Be the master 00:17:24.750 --> 00:17:29.289 of your party. Your life and your joy will run 00:17:29.289 --> 00:17:34.710 out. You see, this is what happens. John chapter 00:17:34.710 --> 00:17:37.210 2, we're reading today. If you flip over to John 00:17:37.210 --> 00:17:40.890 chapter 3, there's a story about Nicodemus. Back 00:17:40.890 --> 00:17:42.269 in the day, we used to call him Nick at night. 00:17:44.230 --> 00:17:48.009 Church jokes, people. I have them all day. John 00:17:48.009 --> 00:17:51.829 3. Nick at night comes, who is a Sadducee. He's 00:17:51.829 --> 00:17:54.250 a Pharisee. He's a religious leader. And Jesus 00:17:54.250 --> 00:17:56.890 has the audacity to say, you're not born again. 00:17:58.230 --> 00:17:59.529 Do you know how offensive that would have been 00:17:59.529 --> 00:18:02.089 to a man that did everything he could to be holy 00:18:02.089 --> 00:18:04.890 by the age of 12? And Jesus says, you're not 00:18:04.890 --> 00:18:08.170 a part of me. And then you flip over to John 00:18:08.170 --> 00:18:11.190 chapter 4, and we encounter a desperate housewife 00:18:11.190 --> 00:18:16.990 with the woman at the well. Right? She's had 00:18:16.990 --> 00:18:18.910 multiple husbands and now Jesus encounters her 00:18:18.910 --> 00:18:20.250 and then she leaves her water pot and that whole 00:18:20.250 --> 00:18:23.509 story. I obviously know that John 2, 3, 4 is 00:18:23.509 --> 00:18:25.250 in numerical order. I actually think it's in 00:18:25.250 --> 00:18:28.529 spiritual order. What I mean is this. Every single 00:18:28.529 --> 00:18:30.069 one of us are going to have a John 2 in your 00:18:30.069 --> 00:18:33.069 life. At some point, if you haven't had it yet, 00:18:33.150 --> 00:18:36.329 you're probably four. For the rest of us, you 00:18:36.329 --> 00:18:38.609 have a moment. This is not what I thought it 00:18:38.609 --> 00:18:41.069 was going to be. I thought life would be more 00:18:41.069 --> 00:18:43.319 full. I thought marriage would be better. I thought 00:18:43.319 --> 00:18:45.619 kids would love me more. I thought money would 00:18:45.619 --> 00:18:47.240 fulfill me. I thought that job was going to be 00:18:47.240 --> 00:18:49.500 everything. Every single one of us at some point 00:18:49.500 --> 00:18:51.359 in your life are going to have a John 2 of life 00:18:51.359 --> 00:18:54.019 and joy is running out. So when you have that 00:18:54.019 --> 00:18:56.180 moment, you're either going to be a John 3 or 00:18:56.180 --> 00:19:00.720 a John 4. Let me explain it. John 3 is a man 00:19:00.720 --> 00:19:03.519 who is trying to fix himself by being religious. 00:19:05.140 --> 00:19:08.180 I pray more. I fast more. I memorize the entire 00:19:08.180 --> 00:19:11.180 Bible, the first five books back then, the Pentateuch. 00:19:11.519 --> 00:19:14.279 By the age of 12, I was holy. What is he doing? 00:19:14.359 --> 00:19:19.140 I'm going to complete myself by being holy. John 00:19:19.140 --> 00:19:21.160 chapter 4 is a woman who's trying to complete 00:19:21.160 --> 00:19:25.799 herself by the world. By men, by money, by relationships. 00:19:26.000 --> 00:19:28.559 So what's happening is, if you ever feel void 00:19:28.559 --> 00:19:31.220 like John 2, either you would try to fix it yourself 00:19:31.220 --> 00:19:34.200 like Nicodemus, or you would try to have the 00:19:34.200 --> 00:19:38.630 world fix it like John 4. So what God is saying 00:19:38.630 --> 00:19:41.329 is, when you have life and joy run out, are you 00:19:41.329 --> 00:19:42.930 going to fix it or is the world going to fix 00:19:42.930 --> 00:19:47.430 it? And both are going to fail you. You can never 00:19:47.430 --> 00:19:49.450 fix the hole in your heart. You can never fix 00:19:49.450 --> 00:19:51.529 the void that you feel. No matter how many days 00:19:51.529 --> 00:19:55.150 you pray, read, fast, go to church, that is never 00:19:55.150 --> 00:19:58.430 going to fix the issue that's really in the soul 00:19:58.430 --> 00:20:01.910 of your heart. You cannot be so religious you 00:20:01.910 --> 00:20:06.230 perfect yourself. You can never do it. You can't 00:20:06.230 --> 00:20:08.769 tithe yourself to wholeness. You can't give yourself 00:20:08.769 --> 00:20:10.890 away to wholeness. You can't worship yourself. 00:20:10.970 --> 00:20:14.150 It is Jesus and Jesus alone that comes and fills. 00:20:14.390 --> 00:20:17.890 So you can't be religious. And then if, you're 00:20:17.890 --> 00:20:19.430 like, well, I would never do that. I know better. 00:20:19.569 --> 00:20:23.029 Oh, so you think money's going to do it. So we 00:20:23.029 --> 00:20:25.750 become John 4. Well, it's money. It's relationships. 00:20:26.009 --> 00:20:28.009 It's new cars. It's new homes. It's new positions. 00:20:28.849 --> 00:20:31.390 It's new relationships in the world that we live 00:20:31.390 --> 00:20:33.509 in. What are we doing? We all have a John 2 and 00:20:33.509 --> 00:20:36.619 we're trying to fix it ourselves. And so this 00:20:36.619 --> 00:20:38.279 is why I think it's so powerful that this is 00:20:38.279 --> 00:20:40.740 the first miracle that Jesus does, saying, no, 00:20:40.819 --> 00:20:43.220 there is a party that's gone wrong, and it's 00:20:43.220 --> 00:20:48.019 called the world. And if you let anybody else 00:20:48.019 --> 00:20:50.000 be the master of your ceremonies, your life and 00:20:50.000 --> 00:20:52.339 your joy is going to run out. So I'm going to 00:20:52.339 --> 00:20:54.380 show the master of ceremonies that I'm really 00:20:54.380 --> 00:20:58.599 the master of ceremonies. And I bring the best 00:20:58.599 --> 00:21:02.420 wine. I bring the best party. I bring the most 00:21:02.420 --> 00:21:05.619 life. I bring the most joy. I bring the most 00:21:05.619 --> 00:21:08.019 fulfillment. I bring everything that you need. 00:21:08.119 --> 00:21:10.420 And I find it so powerful. The Bible says it 00:21:10.420 --> 00:21:15.000 is the third day that Jesus shows up. The third 00:21:15.000 --> 00:21:16.980 day. Why? Because the way that you are trying 00:21:16.980 --> 00:21:21.119 to live might work for a few days. It might work 00:21:21.119 --> 00:21:24.680 for a few years. It might work for a few seasons. 00:21:25.059 --> 00:21:28.880 But eventually, if it's not Jesus, it's going 00:21:28.880 --> 00:21:31.650 to hit rock bottom. It's going to run out. It's 00:21:31.650 --> 00:21:33.269 not going to be everything you thought. It's 00:21:33.269 --> 00:21:35.109 not going to pan out how you want it. It's going 00:21:35.109 --> 00:21:37.970 to go south. Why? Because he is the master of 00:21:37.970 --> 00:21:40.309 our ceremonies. He is the leader of our party. 00:21:40.410 --> 00:21:43.289 He is the life. He is the joy. He is the fulfillment. 00:21:43.430 --> 00:21:45.910 He is everything that we're looking for, but 00:21:45.910 --> 00:21:48.869 we have to choose him. Isn't it fascinating? 00:21:48.950 --> 00:21:50.869 We read it. The Bible says he was invited to 00:21:50.869 --> 00:21:54.869 the party. See, you have to understand, Jesus 00:21:54.869 --> 00:21:59.569 is not a bully. He's not rude. He enjoys being 00:21:59.569 --> 00:22:03.519 invited. So my question to you today is how often 00:22:03.519 --> 00:22:06.420 do you invite Jesus into your circumstances? 00:22:07.940 --> 00:22:10.400 Invite him into your board meeting. Invite him 00:22:10.400 --> 00:22:12.640 into your marriage. Invite him into your family. 00:22:13.039 --> 00:22:14.819 Invite him into the crisis you're experiencing. 00:22:15.259 --> 00:22:16.779 Invite him into the battle that you don't know 00:22:16.779 --> 00:22:21.319 how to win. God wants to be invited. Hey, Jesus, 00:22:21.420 --> 00:22:23.339 I'm on this way to this board meeting and I don't 00:22:23.339 --> 00:22:25.359 know what to do. God, would you come with me 00:22:25.359 --> 00:22:28.630 to this board meeting? Jesus, there's a problem 00:22:28.630 --> 00:22:30.150 in my home with my kids. I don't know how to 00:22:30.150 --> 00:22:32.410 fix it. Jesus, would you enter my home? Would 00:22:32.410 --> 00:22:35.190 you enter my life? Because I don't know how to 00:22:35.190 --> 00:22:37.589 fix it. Because, Jesus, you're the master of 00:22:37.589 --> 00:22:41.910 my ceremonies. So I'm inviting you. And then 00:22:41.910 --> 00:22:44.710 Jesus says this powerful phrase. He says, Mom, 00:22:45.029 --> 00:22:48.829 it's not my time yet. Do you need a half hour? 00:22:49.009 --> 00:22:53.150 Do you need an hour? You're nervous? Need a pep 00:22:53.150 --> 00:22:59.559 talk? You hungry? What do you mean it's not your 00:22:59.559 --> 00:23:03.380 time yet? You see, what Jesus is saying is, Mom, 00:23:03.559 --> 00:23:08.660 there is a party that's gone wrong, but it's 00:23:08.660 --> 00:23:11.359 not just this party. It's the party of the world. 00:23:13.220 --> 00:23:17.019 And Mom, I am going to fix it, but Mom, I don't 00:23:17.019 --> 00:23:19.119 think you understand what I have to do to fix 00:23:19.119 --> 00:23:22.059 it. You see, mom, you think there's this little 00:23:22.059 --> 00:23:23.819 problem with the wine running out, and that's 00:23:23.819 --> 00:23:25.039 a big deal, and I'm going to fix it. I really 00:23:25.039 --> 00:23:27.059 am, mom. But you don't understand. In order for 00:23:27.059 --> 00:23:29.019 me to give life back to the world, I have to 00:23:29.019 --> 00:23:33.640 give mine up. Mom, in order for me to give joy 00:23:33.640 --> 00:23:37.880 back to this world, I have to give mine up. So 00:23:37.880 --> 00:23:39.640 what Jesus is saying is, oh, there is a party 00:23:39.640 --> 00:23:42.940 that's gone wrong. There is a situation in the 00:23:42.940 --> 00:23:45.460 world that I have to fix, but I came to make 00:23:45.460 --> 00:23:49.029 a way to fix it. And I don't know, Mom, if you 00:23:49.029 --> 00:23:52.869 understand what I have to do to fix it. You see, 00:23:52.910 --> 00:23:54.210 when you go to the book of Genesis chapter 2, 00:23:54.230 --> 00:23:57.369 when man, Genesis 2 and 3, man was created and 00:23:57.369 --> 00:24:01.150 man fell. From that day on, we have been trying 00:24:01.150 --> 00:24:05.089 to get back to the Garden of Eden. Just process 00:24:05.089 --> 00:24:08.730 me for a little bit. We had divine, uninterrupted 00:24:08.730 --> 00:24:11.829 communion with God. The Bible says, I love it, 00:24:11.829 --> 00:24:15.029 he walked in the cool of the day with God. Face 00:24:15.029 --> 00:24:17.609 to face like he would talk to a friend. That 00:24:17.609 --> 00:24:19.910 was our beginning. That was the plan. And then 00:24:19.910 --> 00:24:22.470 we ruined it as man. And now from that moment 00:24:22.470 --> 00:24:24.529 on, all the way until right now, God has been 00:24:24.529 --> 00:24:26.730 trying to get us back to that moment, to face 00:24:26.730 --> 00:24:30.109 -to -face, uninterrupted relationship with him. 00:24:31.000 --> 00:24:33.359 So we get out of the book of Genesis and we have 00:24:33.359 --> 00:24:34.839 the Garden of Eden. We fall out of the book of 00:24:34.839 --> 00:24:37.900 Genesis. Then we start having judges to be with 00:24:37.900 --> 00:24:40.440 us and talk to God on our behalf. And that doesn't 00:24:40.440 --> 00:24:42.380 go well. So then they ask for a king. And then 00:24:42.380 --> 00:24:43.920 Saul's our first king. And that goes really south. 00:24:44.000 --> 00:24:45.700 So then we get David. And then before we know 00:24:45.700 --> 00:24:47.500 it, we're making sacrifices with bulls and goats 00:24:47.500 --> 00:24:49.660 and altars. And now all the Old Testament, we're 00:24:49.660 --> 00:24:51.299 making all these sacrifices to cleanse ourselves 00:24:51.299 --> 00:24:54.880 and make us right with God and apologize to God. 00:24:54.960 --> 00:24:56.779 So that isn't going how God isn't thinking because 00:24:56.779 --> 00:24:59.500 no matter how much they are sacrificing, they 00:24:59.500 --> 00:25:02.509 weren't really changing. Our relationship with 00:25:02.509 --> 00:25:04.269 God wasn't getting better. So then Jesus says, 00:25:04.390 --> 00:25:07.150 all the bulls and goats and all the altars and 00:25:07.150 --> 00:25:08.730 all the judges, all the kings, it's not really 00:25:08.730 --> 00:25:11.490 working. It's not bringing the people close enough 00:25:11.490 --> 00:25:13.190 to be the way that I want. So I'm going to send 00:25:13.190 --> 00:25:17.930 a better sacrifice. The bulls and goats is not 00:25:17.930 --> 00:25:19.569 cutting it. So I'm going to send the ultimate 00:25:19.569 --> 00:25:23.009 sacrifice. I'm going to send the ultimate avenue 00:25:23.009 --> 00:25:27.769 to bring man back to me. So I'm going to put 00:25:27.769 --> 00:25:32.680 flesh on and I'm going to send my son. To die 00:25:32.680 --> 00:25:35.940 on a cross. And then the Bible says this, which 00:25:35.940 --> 00:25:38.000 is so powerful. It's one of my favorite parts 00:25:38.000 --> 00:25:40.279 of the whole Bible. When Jesus hung on the cross, 00:25:40.299 --> 00:25:45.000 it says, it is finished. And then the Bible says 00:25:45.000 --> 00:25:51.630 this. And then the veil was torn. That's so important. 00:25:51.809 --> 00:25:53.309 We have to understand this thing because this 00:25:53.309 --> 00:25:55.269 is what Jesus is doing. What he's saying is, 00:25:55.309 --> 00:25:56.890 we think of like a veil, like a wedding veil, 00:25:56.930 --> 00:25:59.349 like a small veil. No, in ancient texts, if you 00:25:59.349 --> 00:26:03.710 do your history, a veil was five feet thick and 00:26:03.710 --> 00:26:07.990 20 feet high. That's a veil. I mean, that is 00:26:07.990 --> 00:26:12.069 huge. It's five feet by 20 feet. In every synagogue 00:26:12.069 --> 00:26:15.029 or every temple, there was a veil. And one man, 00:26:15.130 --> 00:26:18.559 one time a year, could open up the veil. go behind 00:26:18.559 --> 00:26:20.740 and be in God's presence for an hour and then 00:26:20.740 --> 00:26:25.180 come back out. One man, one time a year, could 00:26:25.180 --> 00:26:27.160 go behind the veil for all of mankind or all 00:26:27.160 --> 00:26:29.119 of his friends, bring all the names and all the 00:26:29.119 --> 00:26:31.559 petitions to God for an hour and then come back 00:26:31.559 --> 00:26:35.299 out. And then, hear me, watch, this is so important. 00:26:35.420 --> 00:26:39.220 When Jesus dies on the cross, that barrier is 00:26:39.220 --> 00:26:45.559 torn. That barrier that was keeping everyone 00:26:45.559 --> 00:26:51.019 out, But one man could go in. God's saying, this 00:26:51.019 --> 00:26:54.920 isn't working for me. This barrier, this veil, 00:26:55.059 --> 00:26:58.000 this whole me and them on opposite sides is not 00:26:58.000 --> 00:27:00.420 working for me. So I'm going to send one man, 00:27:00.599 --> 00:27:08.279 Jesus, to go behind the veil and tear it so that 00:27:08.279 --> 00:27:11.579 now there is divine communion with me and my 00:27:11.579 --> 00:27:14.880 people. There's no more. Brick and mortar and 00:27:14.880 --> 00:27:16.799 building. Hebrews and Romans says that now we 00:27:16.799 --> 00:27:19.599 are the house of God and his spirit resides in 00:27:19.599 --> 00:27:25.559 us. Did you know 187 times Jesus called God Father? 00:27:28.079 --> 00:27:30.420 187 times. Did you know that there's only one 00:27:30.420 --> 00:27:32.759 time in the entire Bible, maybe you're smarter 00:27:32.759 --> 00:27:36.380 than me and you can find it, one time he didn't 00:27:36.380 --> 00:27:39.299 call him Father and he called him God? It was 00:27:39.299 --> 00:27:43.609 on the cross. We said, my God, my God, why have 00:27:43.609 --> 00:27:46.009 you forsaken me? That is the only time in the 00:27:46.009 --> 00:27:49.450 entire Gospels that Jesus called him God instead 00:27:49.450 --> 00:27:54.329 of Father. You know why? Because in this moment, 00:27:54.369 --> 00:27:59.230 he was saying, Father, I'm going to give up calling 00:27:59.230 --> 00:28:04.049 you Father one time so that the people I'm dying 00:28:04.049 --> 00:28:08.849 for can call you Father for all time. You see, 00:28:08.869 --> 00:28:12.019 God, I... I'm going to call you God one time 00:28:12.019 --> 00:28:15.859 so that the people I'm dying for can call you 00:28:15.859 --> 00:28:18.599 Father for the rest of history. You see, you 00:28:18.599 --> 00:28:20.400 have to understand that the Son of God became 00:28:20.400 --> 00:28:23.579 the Son of Man so that the sons of man can become 00:28:23.579 --> 00:28:28.160 the sons of God. So what Jesus is doing in this 00:28:28.160 --> 00:28:31.180 story is there is a party. And I think it's so 00:28:31.180 --> 00:28:32.940 important that we understand there was six water 00:28:32.940 --> 00:28:38.809 pots. Six. Not five. Not three. Six. There's 00:28:38.809 --> 00:28:40.210 something very important in the Bible called 00:28:40.210 --> 00:28:44.150 numerology or the study of numbers. Number of 00:28:44.150 --> 00:28:46.130 two is unity. Number three is the trinity. Number 00:28:46.130 --> 00:28:47.450 five is the number of grace. Isn't the number 00:28:47.450 --> 00:28:51.710 six is the number of man? Do you know what number 00:28:51.710 --> 00:28:55.650 seven is? The number of perfection. You know 00:28:55.650 --> 00:28:58.109 what Jesus is saying? Grab six water pots because 00:28:58.109 --> 00:29:02.529 man has failed you. The way that you've tried 00:29:02.529 --> 00:29:06.799 to get to me has failed you. So you grab six 00:29:06.799 --> 00:29:09.640 water pots, and then this is his first miracle. 00:29:09.720 --> 00:29:12.019 So in three and a half years from now, I'm going 00:29:12.019 --> 00:29:16.180 to become the seventh water pot. I'm going to 00:29:16.180 --> 00:29:20.500 become the seventh perfection. and completion 00:29:20.500 --> 00:29:23.839 of this life. And I'm going to become the master 00:29:23.839 --> 00:29:26.640 of your ceremonies. And now from now on, if you 00:29:26.640 --> 00:29:28.980 will commune with me and you have a relationship 00:29:28.980 --> 00:29:32.220 with me, your life and your joy will never run 00:29:32.220 --> 00:29:34.940 out. And that is why John 4, he says there is 00:29:34.940 --> 00:29:37.799 a river that is everlasting and it will flow 00:29:37.799 --> 00:29:40.259 from you and it will never end. What he's saying 00:29:40.259 --> 00:29:43.680 is when you understand that I have come to rip 00:29:43.680 --> 00:29:46.039 the veil and I want to meet with you face to 00:29:46.039 --> 00:29:48.319 face, there's no more veil, there's no more brick 00:29:48.319 --> 00:29:51.480 and mortar. Not me. and you. And I want to have 00:29:51.480 --> 00:29:54.079 divine and intimate communion and relationship 00:29:54.079 --> 00:29:56.759 with you. You see, that's why I love we are not 00:29:56.759 --> 00:29:58.960 Catholicism. We don't have to go to a booth and 00:29:58.960 --> 00:30:01.500 look through a little slat with our father. We 00:30:01.500 --> 00:30:03.960 actually get to look at his face and talk to 00:30:03.960 --> 00:30:06.140 him face to face. We don't have to go to some 00:30:06.140 --> 00:30:09.579 altar somewhere or go look at a statue. God came 00:30:09.579 --> 00:30:12.640 in flesh so that we can look at his face and 00:30:12.640 --> 00:30:15.559 talk to him and interact with him and be with 00:30:15.559 --> 00:30:18.400 him. What Jesus is saying is, you are going to 00:30:18.400 --> 00:30:23.849 have a John. to, but I've come to fix it. You're 00:30:23.849 --> 00:30:26.230 going to have a moment when life is not what 00:30:26.230 --> 00:30:31.390 you thought. But good news, I have come to give 00:30:31.390 --> 00:30:35.849 you life and life more abundantly. And this is 00:30:35.849 --> 00:30:38.109 where I want to end today. And this is why I 00:30:38.109 --> 00:30:40.130 said all of what I said to land here. Then Jesus 00:30:40.130 --> 00:30:46.210 takes the water and tells him, takes the water, 00:30:46.250 --> 00:30:51.279 dip it, turns the wine. And then there's this 00:30:51.279 --> 00:30:53.579 important phrase that I think is so profound. 00:30:53.680 --> 00:30:57.140 The Bible says the disciples believed in him. 00:30:58.539 --> 00:31:04.759 Didn't they already? This isn't them for the 00:31:04.759 --> 00:31:08.539 first time. They already knew he was Jesus. They 00:31:08.539 --> 00:31:11.619 already knew he was God in human flesh. But the 00:31:11.619 --> 00:31:18.440 Bible says they believed in him. You see. Salvation 00:31:18.440 --> 00:31:23.980 is not a one -time occurrence. Now, one time 00:31:23.980 --> 00:31:26.299 when you make that prayer, you go from being 00:31:26.299 --> 00:31:30.359 outside of God to in God. In that moment. I believe 00:31:30.359 --> 00:31:33.460 in that. But I actually believe our salvation 00:31:33.460 --> 00:31:35.640 prayer is not a one -time prayer. It's a daily 00:31:35.640 --> 00:31:43.380 prayer. That God is saving us. Every single day 00:31:43.380 --> 00:31:46.119 we are being saved. We are being renewed. We 00:31:46.119 --> 00:31:48.339 are being redeemed. We are being made whole. 00:31:48.480 --> 00:31:50.519 And once again, the disciples are saying, I believe 00:31:50.519 --> 00:31:54.380 again. Now that I've seen this, I believe once 00:31:54.380 --> 00:31:57.920 again. And this miracle now sheds a light and 00:31:57.920 --> 00:32:01.900 has a whole new encounter with Jesus and his 00:32:01.900 --> 00:32:05.660 disciples. And this is where I want to land today. 00:32:05.819 --> 00:32:07.480 And this is why I titled it A Father's Love, 00:32:07.539 --> 00:32:09.319 because this is what I want you to get today. 00:32:11.499 --> 00:32:15.839 The Hebrew people always viewed God as a far 00:32:15.839 --> 00:32:19.920 and distant deity, God on a throne, holy, and 00:32:19.920 --> 00:32:22.000 you can't touch him. And if you do anything wrong, 00:32:22.059 --> 00:32:23.960 you're going to die. And what God is saying is, 00:32:24.000 --> 00:32:25.960 I don't want you just to view me as a king to 00:32:25.960 --> 00:32:29.599 a people. I want you to view me as a bride to 00:32:29.599 --> 00:32:35.059 a bridegroom. This is what's happening in the 00:32:35.059 --> 00:32:37.359 story. Jesus is saying is, I've come to make 00:32:37.359 --> 00:32:40.990 a different relationship. than you have never 00:32:40.990 --> 00:32:44.869 imagined. Okay, how do you think God wants to 00:32:44.869 --> 00:32:49.029 relate to us? Like a bride to a bridegroom? Well, 00:32:49.069 --> 00:32:51.609 I thought he was like this big king on a tower 00:32:51.609 --> 00:32:54.269 and he was way up on his throne and we were just 00:32:54.269 --> 00:32:57.009 supposed to be in always fear and reverent and 00:32:57.009 --> 00:32:59.430 he was God and he is holy. No, he is all that. 00:32:59.529 --> 00:33:01.710 But the way that God leads is not just on a throne, 00:33:01.869 --> 00:33:06.029 it's through relationship. You say, I love the 00:33:06.029 --> 00:33:07.609 God that we serve because he doesn't lead through 00:33:07.609 --> 00:33:13.410 a scepter, he leads through a towel. He leads 00:33:13.410 --> 00:33:17.789 by serving. He leads by loving. And what Jesus 00:33:17.789 --> 00:33:21.069 is saying is this. I've come in human flesh to 00:33:21.069 --> 00:33:25.069 give you a new experience with God. See, it's 00:33:25.069 --> 00:33:28.589 not only one man and one veil. No, that's not 00:33:28.589 --> 00:33:32.750 going to happen anymore. Now, it's not a veil. 00:33:32.829 --> 00:33:37.670 It's a name. And it's Jesus. So what he's saying 00:33:37.670 --> 00:33:41.269 is you can experience Jesus in the car. The same 00:33:41.269 --> 00:33:43.690 way the priest experienced Jesus behind the veil. 00:33:46.849 --> 00:33:49.650 So that means when you're on a run and you're 00:33:49.650 --> 00:33:51.390 saying the name of Jesus, what are you doing? 00:33:51.450 --> 00:33:54.130 You're stepping behind the veil. Because now 00:33:54.130 --> 00:33:56.210 you don't have to go to a temple and go to a 00:33:56.210 --> 00:33:58.910 veil. You say a name and you breathe in and out 00:33:58.910 --> 00:34:01.529 and you say his name. And then he joins you on 00:34:01.529 --> 00:34:03.349 your run where you're doing the dishes, where 00:34:03.349 --> 00:34:05.450 you're taking your kids to school. It is now 00:34:05.450 --> 00:34:08.849 everywhere I go, I'm breathing in God. I'm encountering 00:34:08.849 --> 00:34:11.409 God. I can meet with my father face to face. 00:34:11.570 --> 00:34:14.630 I know I love Sundays and church is so important. 00:34:15.750 --> 00:34:18.250 But once I get theologically off that, this is 00:34:18.250 --> 00:34:21.599 not a church. This is a building. When we gather, 00:34:21.679 --> 00:34:27.139 it becomes a church. So that means in your car, 00:34:27.420 --> 00:34:30.880 it becomes the church. While you're on a run, 00:34:30.940 --> 00:34:32.179 while you're doing the dishes, while you're with 00:34:32.179 --> 00:34:33.559 your husband, while you're on a date, while you're 00:34:33.559 --> 00:34:39.099 doing laundry. I hate laundry. But as you're 00:34:39.099 --> 00:34:41.440 actually folding, you can actually start, Jesus, 00:34:41.500 --> 00:34:44.960 I love you so much. God, thank you so much for 00:34:44.960 --> 00:34:46.840 my family. Thank you so much for that job. I 00:34:46.840 --> 00:34:48.739 hate my boss so much, but thank you for my job. 00:34:50.599 --> 00:34:53.079 I'm thankful that you are so faithful to me. 00:34:53.260 --> 00:34:55.500 What are you doing? You're stepping in and out 00:34:55.500 --> 00:34:57.460 of the veil. You're stepping in and out of his 00:34:57.460 --> 00:35:00.019 presence. And every time you breathe in and out, 00:35:00.099 --> 00:35:03.039 you are asking Jesus, be the master of my ceremonies. 00:35:03.179 --> 00:35:06.260 Take over my life. Take over my family. God, 00:35:06.340 --> 00:35:09.280 without you, my life and my joy is going to run 00:35:09.280 --> 00:35:12.119 out. Jesus, you are my life. You are my joy. 00:35:12.420 --> 00:35:14.940 Everything I am, everything I need is found in 00:35:14.940 --> 00:35:19.019 you. Jesus, would you have a John 2 wedding day 00:35:19.019 --> 00:35:25.340 experience? With me every single day. You see, 00:35:25.380 --> 00:35:27.500 I have to understand that this is a father's 00:35:27.500 --> 00:35:31.380 love. Saying, I want to be with my people so 00:35:31.380 --> 00:35:35.820 bad. And this veil and this whole one man, one 00:35:35.820 --> 00:35:37.780 year name and all this stuff, I'm going to erase 00:35:37.780 --> 00:35:40.980 all of that. And then you're going to be found 00:35:40.980 --> 00:35:49.460 in Jesus, in my son. I don't know your relationship 00:35:49.460 --> 00:35:50.820 with your father, good, bad, or indifferent. 00:35:54.239 --> 00:36:01.860 But this father loves you so much that he bankrupt 00:36:01.860 --> 00:36:07.199 his own family. It's not like he had 17 sons. 00:36:07.320 --> 00:36:11.059 He's like, ah, you're it, go ahead. Eeny, meeny, 00:36:11.119 --> 00:36:19.760 miny, moe, your turn, go. He had one. One. And 00:36:19.760 --> 00:36:25.559 he sent him so that he could have a divine communion 00:36:25.559 --> 00:36:30.599 relationship and face -to -face love relationship 00:36:30.599 --> 00:36:37.360 with you. And my fear and my concern and what 00:36:37.360 --> 00:36:39.679 makes me sad is so many Christians are not living 00:36:39.679 --> 00:36:45.849 this. They're living Nicodemus. They're living 00:36:45.849 --> 00:36:50.690 John 4. Oh, they love Jesus and they love God 00:36:50.690 --> 00:36:52.590 and are thankful their sins are gone. No, God 00:36:52.590 --> 00:36:55.809 didn't just come to erase all of your sins. That's 00:36:55.809 --> 00:36:58.130 a big part of the cross. He actually came to 00:36:58.130 --> 00:37:06.510 have a relationship and communion with us. A 00:37:06.510 --> 00:37:11.309 father's love like no other happens in this story. 00:37:14.280 --> 00:37:18.199 Today I want to land here because I want this 00:37:18.199 --> 00:37:24.500 message to stir a new perspective of Jesus. And 00:37:24.500 --> 00:37:29.760 the perspective of our Father. That he did everything 00:37:29.760 --> 00:37:35.000 he could and the band can join me. Because he 00:37:35.000 --> 00:37:38.840 wanted to break every barrier between you and 00:37:38.840 --> 00:37:43.179 him. You see, when the veil was torn, I actually... 00:37:43.420 --> 00:37:45.619 believe it wasn't just letting God out, it was 00:37:45.619 --> 00:37:54.559 letting man in. It wasn't just saying, hi Stephanie. 00:37:57.719 --> 00:37:59.260 Are you going to make me sound super spiritual? 00:37:59.559 --> 00:38:09.119 Okay. Are you still, are you single? Are you 00:38:09.119 --> 00:38:11.840 dating someone? You are? Anybody want to date 00:38:11.840 --> 00:38:15.219 Stephanie? Anybody want? Just kidding. I'm just 00:38:15.219 --> 00:38:37.860 kidding. You see, I do think that we need to 00:38:37.860 --> 00:38:42.880 view God as a king. That he is holy. That he 00:38:42.880 --> 00:38:45.860 is perfect. That he is on a throne. I believe 00:38:45.860 --> 00:38:49.480 all of that. But then why does Jesus say, I want 00:38:49.480 --> 00:38:54.900 to call you friend? If I could submit to you, 00:38:54.920 --> 00:38:57.800 and if I'm wrong, Pastor Brad is right, and I'm 00:38:57.800 --> 00:39:00.539 wrong. But I actually think we need to not only 00:39:00.539 --> 00:39:08.079 view God as your king, but as your friend. The 00:39:08.079 --> 00:39:09.619 Bible says he wants to talk to us face to face 00:39:09.619 --> 00:39:17.139 like a friend. This morning, I want to do my 00:39:17.139 --> 00:39:20.920 very best to unpack to you that this is such 00:39:20.920 --> 00:39:25.619 an amazing story of a father's love. Sending 00:39:25.619 --> 00:39:31.199 his son to make a way that we can now have uninterrupted 00:39:31.199 --> 00:39:36.889 divine relationship with him. Everywhere. At 00:39:36.889 --> 00:39:43.190 all times. Isaiah says, he is as close as the 00:39:43.190 --> 00:39:49.070 mention of his name. That means freedom is one 00:39:49.070 --> 00:39:54.630 name drop away. Wholeness is one name drop away. 00:39:57.389 --> 00:39:59.250 Fulfillment is one name drop away. That when 00:39:59.250 --> 00:40:02.750 you start saying that name, your heavenly father 00:40:02.750 --> 00:40:06.659 starts swooping in. And filling every hole and 00:40:06.659 --> 00:40:09.320 every gap and every crack. And you start having 00:40:09.320 --> 00:40:11.800 this new perspective. If you read the Gospels, 00:40:11.840 --> 00:40:14.039 how many times the Bible says, and they believed. 00:40:14.500 --> 00:40:17.639 And they believed. It wasn't that they were unbelieving 00:40:17.639 --> 00:40:20.199 before. It's that every miracle and every scenario, 00:40:20.300 --> 00:40:22.980 they were seeing God in a new way. Seeing Jesus 00:40:22.980 --> 00:40:25.380 in a new way. And they kept believing over and 00:40:25.380 --> 00:40:28.880 over and over and over and over. Miracle after 00:40:28.880 --> 00:40:31.000 miracle. Scenario after scenario. I believe again. 00:40:31.239 --> 00:40:33.780 I believe he is God again. I believe he is God 00:40:33.780 --> 00:40:35.929 in flesh again. I believe that's who he is again. 00:40:36.070 --> 00:40:39.989 God actually wants to show you a new perspective, 00:40:40.090 --> 00:40:46.489 a new relationship with him. Can we stand to 00:40:46.489 --> 00:40:56.170 our feet? I'm going to pray and then... If you 00:40:56.170 --> 00:40:58.750 wouldn't mind, would you mind just close your 00:40:58.750 --> 00:41:00.590 eyes and bow your head and just give me a moment? 00:41:01.869 --> 00:41:03.769 I know you're thinking about Father's Day lunch 00:41:03.769 --> 00:41:06.010 and want to beat the crowd and want to go see 00:41:06.010 --> 00:41:08.429 the cars and whatever it might be, but would 00:41:08.429 --> 00:41:10.590 you just give me a few moments just between me, 00:41:10.610 --> 00:41:12.329 you, and God that you just close your eyes and 00:41:12.329 --> 00:41:15.469 shut your spirit in and maybe shut everybody 00:41:15.469 --> 00:41:25.929 else out and just give me a few moments. I want 00:41:25.929 --> 00:41:28.110 to pray for those that if you'd be so bold, and 00:41:28.110 --> 00:41:30.730 I'm not saying... You're unsaved or you don't 00:41:30.730 --> 00:41:32.610 know God. Maybe you very well love God, know 00:41:32.610 --> 00:41:34.650 God, serve God, worship God, that you're saved, 00:41:34.690 --> 00:41:35.909 that you're a believer, you're a follower of 00:41:35.909 --> 00:41:41.389 Jesus. But you would say, I am John 3 or John 00:41:41.389 --> 00:41:45.289 4. I actually sometimes think I'm good with God 00:41:45.289 --> 00:41:47.849 because I'm good. I've been saved for so long. 00:41:47.909 --> 00:41:49.869 I give, I serve, I tithe, I lead a small group, 00:41:49.889 --> 00:41:51.409 I show up at church every weekend, I never miss. 00:41:51.690 --> 00:41:57.730 I actually tend to think I kind of deserve. part 00:41:57.730 --> 00:41:59.489 of the cross because I'm a good person. I've 00:41:59.489 --> 00:42:02.570 done a lot and I actually have kind of become 00:42:02.570 --> 00:42:06.929 Nicodemus. I feel religious. I feel like I tend 00:42:06.929 --> 00:42:09.250 to do that too much. Maybe you're like John 4 00:42:09.250 --> 00:42:10.969 that maybe it's not a religious thing. It's a 00:42:10.969 --> 00:42:12.849 world thing. It's money, relationships, cars, 00:42:13.050 --> 00:42:16.130 homes, business endeavors, money, whatever it 00:42:16.130 --> 00:42:18.929 might be that you are trying to find your fulfillment 00:42:18.929 --> 00:42:21.449 in one of those two areas. And today you would 00:42:21.449 --> 00:42:24.210 acknowledge between you and God that I want to 00:42:24.210 --> 00:42:26.389 choose Jesus as the master of my ceremonies again. 00:42:27.179 --> 00:42:30.099 I know I think it in my mind, but in reality, 00:42:30.280 --> 00:42:35.199 he's not. If that's you today and you'd be so 00:42:35.199 --> 00:42:37.400 bold across this place, would you just put your 00:42:37.400 --> 00:42:39.260 hand up saying, I would like to invite Jesus 00:42:39.260 --> 00:42:41.780 to be the master of my ceremonies again? Because 00:42:41.780 --> 00:42:44.599 if I'm real honest, he's not. I find it other 00:42:44.599 --> 00:42:47.159 ways. I look for other ways. When I'm down, I 00:42:47.159 --> 00:42:50.320 do other things or I try other avenues. But if 00:42:50.320 --> 00:42:52.360 I'm really, really honest with myself, man, Jesus 00:42:52.360 --> 00:42:55.550 is not. He's not the master of my ceremonies. 00:42:55.610 --> 00:42:57.510 He's not the first place I go. He's not the first 00:42:57.510 --> 00:42:59.710 person I see. He's not the name that I seek. 00:42:59.769 --> 00:43:02.409 He's just not. I wish he was more, but he's not. 00:43:08.230 --> 00:43:10.409 Awesome. Put your hands out. The second group 00:43:10.409 --> 00:43:12.650 I want to pray for is this, that you would once 00:43:12.650 --> 00:43:15.309 again be so bold to say, I do not know Jesus 00:43:15.309 --> 00:43:17.949 to the way that you're describing. It's a far, 00:43:18.070 --> 00:43:20.050 it's a distant. I mean, I love him. I'm so thankful 00:43:20.050 --> 00:43:21.789 that the cross is mine. I'm so thankful that 00:43:21.789 --> 00:43:24.389 heaven is my reward. I'm thankful I love Jesus, 00:43:24.469 --> 00:43:27.309 but I do not have that love relationship like 00:43:27.309 --> 00:43:29.630 a bride to a bridegroom. It's more of like a 00:43:29.630 --> 00:43:32.829 holy king distant. I just try to be in awe and 00:43:32.829 --> 00:43:35.050 reverence and fear. I just try my best, but it 00:43:35.050 --> 00:43:38.449 is not this. Jesus is my best friend. He's the 00:43:38.449 --> 00:43:40.469 lover of my soul. He's a bride to a bridegroom, 00:43:40.550 --> 00:43:44.079 and I want to know Jesus in a new way. in a profound 00:43:44.079 --> 00:43:45.760 and a more intimate way. If that's you, would 00:43:45.760 --> 00:43:47.219 you put your hand up? Say, man, that's me. I 00:43:47.219 --> 00:43:49.500 want to know Jesus in a new way because I've 00:43:49.500 --> 00:43:51.840 never thought or encountered Jesus in that way 00:43:51.840 --> 00:43:54.300 before. It's always been a God to a king and 00:43:54.300 --> 00:43:56.219 on a throne, but I want to know him as friend. 00:43:56.239 --> 00:44:02.539 I want to know him as bride and bridegroom. Awesome, 00:44:02.619 --> 00:44:04.239 let's pray. I'm going to hand the mic back over 00:44:04.239 --> 00:44:05.679 to Pastor Brad. Father, I thank you right now 00:44:05.679 --> 00:44:07.139 for every single person that lifted their hand. 00:44:07.380 --> 00:44:10.179 God, we are so thankful that you are. the master 00:44:10.179 --> 00:44:12.079 of our ceremonies. You are everything that we 00:44:12.079 --> 00:44:13.860 need. You are everything that we are looking 00:44:13.860 --> 00:44:16.420 for. God, you are the life. You are the joy. 00:44:16.659 --> 00:44:18.760 You are the fulfillment. God, when life goes 00:44:18.760 --> 00:44:21.239 away, when life goes south, God, you are everything 00:44:21.239 --> 00:44:23.639 that we need. God, for those that need to redirect 00:44:23.639 --> 00:44:25.739 that, God, those that need to re -choose you, 00:44:25.840 --> 00:44:29.079 God, collectively, we re -choose you today, God. 00:44:29.219 --> 00:44:31.679 Be the leader of our life. Be the leader of our 00:44:31.679 --> 00:44:35.000 party. God, we want life and joy to be full and 00:44:35.000 --> 00:44:37.679 abundant and overflowing in our life, God. And 00:44:37.679 --> 00:44:40.320 it comes. from you. And God, I pray for those 00:44:40.320 --> 00:44:41.980 that maybe don't know you the way they want to 00:44:41.980 --> 00:44:43.820 know you. God, they want to step closer. They 00:44:43.820 --> 00:44:45.320 want to know you closer. God, I pray that you 00:44:45.320 --> 00:44:48.199 would swoop in. God, you would fill. God, you 00:44:48.199 --> 00:44:50.860 would encounter them in a new way today. God, 00:44:51.000 --> 00:44:53.519 like a friend. God, to a face -to -face, like 00:44:53.519 --> 00:44:56.159 a bridegroom. God, that you would step in and 00:44:56.159 --> 00:44:59.119 encounter them and know them in a new way. God, 00:44:59.159 --> 00:45:01.539 I thank you for everybody today that we are loved 00:45:01.539 --> 00:45:04.559 by a Father. In your name I pray. Everybody set. 00:45:13.840 --> 00:45:16.039 If you are interested in hearing other podcasts 00:45:16.039 --> 00:45:20.780 or contacting Life Bible Church, go to www .lifebiblechurch 00:45:20.780 --> 00:45:25.579 .org or call us at 541 -995 -8282.