Mary's Story - Pastor Robert Morris

turn to John chapter 2 and we're going to continue in our series called face to face divine encounters and I know last week we talked about the Apostle John and we were in John 1 and I'm in John 2 now I tell you this I won't be in John 3 next week talking about Nicodemus but I might be in John 4 and I might be in John 5 after that I've been looking at the divine encounters in the book of John and they're just blowing me away because this is the only place we have unrecorded and so as I looked at this is the first sign the Bible says that Jesus ever did turning water in Hawaii but I thought about this sign through Mary's eyes and so this weekend is Mary's story now Mary obviously had a face-to-face encounter with Jesus she probably had the first and she had many wouldn't you say so here she she raises Jesus in the incarnate form in her home you know she also when you think about a mother's perspective unfortunately it was very difficult for Mary I mean when she takes him to be dedicated to at the temple see me and prophesize over Jesus you know this is the Messiah this is the one but he turns to Mary and says you know the word for you is a swords gonna pierce your soul and it's pretty difficult thing I mean she had some sort of knowing his whole life that something was going to happen that would affect her greatly and obviously we know she was at the the crucifixion because Jesus says to to her behold your son referring to John and to John behold Your Mother she knows her son is dying and and John's gonna take her to take care of her from then on so what a face-to-face encounter but I wonder I want to just remind you that when we talk about a face-to-face encounters I realize there's the first time there's the first time we meet Jesus we realize that he is the son of God but if we're going to grow as believers we need many face-to-face encounters and John had those and Mary had those and because Mary had many face-to-face encounters I think that's what prompts her to do something that when you understand this passage it's actually unusual what she did okay so John chapter two look at verse one it says on the third day now I'll explain to you what that means in a moment there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee and the mother of Jesus was there obviously it's Mary now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding and they ran and when they ran out of wine the mother of Jesus said to him they have no wine jesus said to her woman what does your concern have to do with me my hour has not yet come we will talk about that statement later as well his mother said to the servants whatever he says to you do it now they were set there six waterpots of stone according to the manner of purification of the Jews this is a religious tradition by the way containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece jesus said to them feel the waterpots with water and they filled them up to the brim that that's important and he said to them draw some out now and take it to the master of the feast and they took it when the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made blind and did not know where it came from but the servants who had drawn the water knew the master of the feast called the bridegroom remember who the groom is well we'll come back that's not telling us but we think we know and he said to him every man at the beginning sets out the good wine and when the guests have well drunk then the inferior you have kept the good wine until now now let me tell you again some traditional historical things about the story that aren't in the Bible that we think from history are true most theologians believe that this is John's wedding actually the Apostle John because remember how in his gospel he doesn't refer to himself by name he says the disciple whom Jesus loved are the other disciple and they would they soon this is his wedding because he knows these facts so well or obviously he's intimidates his wedding because Jesus and the disciples were invited and Mary his mother was there so was it just they were decided to invite it because there were disciples most believed they were invited because they were family remember John is Jesus's cousin John's mother is Salome who's Mary's sister okay so Mary's there this also explains why Mary is so concerned about the line cuz she's probably you know how a sister would do in her you know a nephew's wedding she's probably helping her sister with all the refreshments and things now you need know something about weddings and that day in those days they didn't take honeymoons it's kind of the pits but they didn't go on a honeymoon what they did was they actually had a reception or a celebration for seven days sometimes it was eight most time it was seven dates though and and they would stay in town and family and friends would come and for seven days that's how long the reception lasted and they would treat the the bride and the groom like a king and a queen but I want you to think about this it says on the third day so it's the third day of a seven day party they run out of wine okay this what would happen is this would be a scandal and a shame to the bride and groom into this family I mean no one would let them forget that you know you invited me in I took off work and I had to go home after three days because you guys didn't plan enough you know so that that's that's that's Mary's you know she's upset about this this is this is going to be a scandal to our family and so she goes to Jesus and says they have no wine now you'd come when you got to think about this why why why did she go to Jesus okay if the Bible says verse 11 we didn't read this is the first sign that you did now sighing is a little different than a miracle in that it means it's a messianic sign it's a it's a it's a Fedak sign to say hey this is who I really am this is the first sign they did okay now what I'm about to say I'm not trying to start a new doctrine I'm simply giving a little comedic conjecture if that's okay all right I'm wondering if the reason Mary came to Jesus when they ran out of wine is because some strange things had happened around their house when he was growing up I'm just wondering why why else would she say we're out of wine why tell Jesus you know he's not he doesn't grow grapes oh well I tell Jesus this see I think some things happen you know I'm kind of wondering if maybe like you had a family reunion you know Mary had to call Jesus over and said you need to get down in the water and swim like the rest of the children I just watch me you know I wonder if you know maybe you know Skippy you know the family pet you know got hit by a chariot one day and you know all the brothers and sisters are crying Skippy's dead you know I just wonder if Mary looked at Jesus like and Jesus like mom it's not my time I can't I can't do that I know who you are listen the angel came to me before anyone I know I know who you are you know look look at your brothers and sisters okay what kind of so you know you wonder if Jesus said here let me let me see oh look skip he's okay he was just sleeping you know Jesus just used that word a lot if you notice about people who had died don't y'all don't need to cry she's sleeping you know so I just don't know I wonder if he's doing his homework one night you know and Mary said Jesus I need you to go to the store and get some flour mom I'm I'm kind of busy this this papers due tomorrow son I need the flour now because well I have to have it for dinner why don't you look in the cabinet again mom okay I'm not saying those things happen I'm just wondering come on you got him you got to wonder why I didn't marry go to Jesus and notice what she does say shadow I don't mean this wrong please hear me but she does it typical Roman style she says they have no wine okay now I you know I'm not lived with one almost 33 years now so here's what I'm saying women never come out and say straight out what they won't you are supposed to divine what they want is that right you're supposed to know rather than saying would you make some wine she says they had no wine I mean that's a I'm telling you it's just like a woman you know you leave your pants on the floor and this is what you know my wife will stay are these yours well I hope they are because if they're not I have to speak questions am i okay wait come on just say pick him up that's what you were just okay okay so she come are y'all okay all right so she says something I just think it's funny to me they have no wine he says mom I I can't do this I can't do this it's not my time yet okay now here's watch here's the mom here's the mom cuz she doesn't take no for an answer okay the servants are here Jesus is here this way I see it okay she says they'd had no wine she said I can't do anything and then this what she does she turns to the servants and says whatever he says do it and then I think she went like this I got you and of course you know the Bible honor your mother and father so he stuck okay here's what I want you to notice though the words that she said are some of the most profound words you will ever hear in your life when it comes to receiving a miracle this listen what she said whatever he says to you do it you'll know how to get a miracle that's it that's how simple it is whatever he says to you do it now listening it's amazing to me that just a few weeks ago and our vision time and I'm telling you about do you know what we're gonna what we want to do this year and what we did last year I said you here's our theme for the year pray and obey whatever he says pray whatever he says to you do it obey obey okay so I want to I want to share with you because today remember today if this is your first time here you're coming in on something we've been talking about for a few weeks today we're going to make a commitment of what we're going to give over and above our tithe to what we call heart for the kingdom we've talked about the five areas there are actually many initiatives we have but five that we're highlighting its major initiatives and I'm asking every person in the church to do it and I'm going to unashamedly ask you to it because what we do is going to expand the kingdom and it's going to bless you and I know that I know that if God says something to you now I don't want you to make up anything but if God said something to you and you obey that there's a miracle I know that I know that because it's all through Scripture okay so I want to show you some things about obedience from this passage all right so here's number one obedience is measurable obedience is measurable it's very for instance it says they filled the water pots up to the Brio okay do you know how much wine they got back as much water as they put in all the way to the brim if they filled the water pots up halfway that he got that half as much it's amazing that Jesus says whatever measure you use when you give it will be measured back to you in other words however I give and I'm not talking about an amount now because we all have different incomes so I'm not talking about you know giving a large amount I'm talking about a percentage whatever God says to you but however we give that's how the Lord gives back to us that's what the scripture says obedience is measurable you think about this even with your children if you tell your daughter to clean her room and you go in later you can tell how many minutes she spent in the room you can tell if she was in there three minutes or thirty minutes is that right obedience is made well you know how much she obey if you tell your son to study for a test when you get the score back you can see how much he studied obedience is measurable you know the Zig Ziglar tells a story such a great spokesman that's with the Lord now he tells the story of that one time he brought home a report card with four FS and a d4 F and a D and his mother said can you explain this and he said well off this obviously mother I've been spending way too much time focusing on that one subject the point is his obedience to how much he studied at that time is measurables right there in front of you okay please hear me that's that's the same thing with us we can say all day that we're walking out in obedience but let me tell you something that is very very measurable our checkbook they really is and I'm not talking about giving because you feel manipulated I'm simply talking about obeying God he's God says something to you are you gonna obey to the full measure that he says we have a single mother in our church that told me this came up to me and she said let me tell you what happened she said I'm just so excited to have to tell you she said you know I'm known for years I should tithe never thought I could afford to tithe had all the excuses single mom you know this this and this and she said I just finally got so convicted no this is the Lord's this is what the Bible says I'm going to tithe and I'm going to start this week so she said I got my paycheck full paycheck thousand $30.00 gross everything you know and she said I thought okay the tide the full tide would be a hundred and three so she came to church she said I brought my checkbook very excited said during church I got it out and I was writing out the check and and before I wrote the quano 303 you know without a tithe she said I just felt like the Lord said to me make it out for a hundred and twenty she said Lord this is a struggle for me they said I know I want you to watch what I do I want to show you not only when you tied but when you give over and above what I can do and she said I struggled see even seventeen were dollars she said but I thought you know what okay god I'm gonna trust you so she writes a check out for 120 she puts it in the offering box on her way out she's in the parking lot she's almost to her car and a man walks up to her and says hey the Lord told me to do something I don't know you but God told me to do this please receive this from the Lord now listen she wrote a check out for 120 and he gave her a hundred and twenty dollars in cash and then he said but I have to tell you something he said one was one was a hundred dollar bill and then the other was a twenty he said I carry hundred-dollar bills around in my wallet and every now and then the Lord will say give it to this person tell him it's from the Lord give it to this bird to us from knowing he said the Lord told me that about you today but when I reached in to get it the Lord said add 20 listen me that that's God I want every member of Gateway to have stories like that but you can't have a testimony you can't have one unless you obey you have to pray and obey and when you do it's incredible as a matter of fact that brings me to my next point here's point number two obedience is exciting it's exciting I mean these these water parts pots you got a mirror these were ceremonial washing pots okay they they were not exciting nobody was excited about these water pots they came in they put their hands in they went on okay these water pots were represented dead religion listen until Jesus got involved okay and I'm not trying to be melodramatic here but by the end of the evening these water pots were party central people are hanging around these water pots you know people are saying to to John probably where'd you get these pots you know I mean they won't I'm gonna get me a pot like this when I get home this is the best wine I've ever had this listen this was Heaven's wine I know we're in church not supposed to talk about wine but Jesus made it so I guess we got to talk about it so you know it was good and all of a sudden it just transforms everything you realize there are many many people that their life their Christian walk with God is like the ceremonial washing pots they just come in they just do their thing they go okay let me tell you how to make your Christian walk exciting whatever he says to you do it you'll go from miracle a miracle miracle whatever he says to you did at our Grand Prairie campus which used to be Shady Grove Church there's a man there who can verify this story he told me the stories a good friend of mine we were doing I was there at the time this was probably 20 years ago we were doing a three-year building campaign and he asked the Lord Lord what he want me to give now I'm going to tell you the amount because it plays in the story and I know it's a large amount but we talk about how a single mom stretches here's a man who owned the company but it would still stretch for him he said Lord what do you want me to give and the Lord said to him fifty thousand dollars over three years over a three-year time period and he was actually standing in his backyard he lives in Irving and so while he sings backyard not far from DFW Airport this airplane is flying over and he's looking up watching this airplane and the Lord said to him do you think I'm gonna drop this money out of the sky he said go in and set down at your computer and put this in your budget figure out what you're gonna have to give on a monthly basis to give this amount over and above your time so he obeyed he went in he had to he said I'd take some things out of my budget to make it work I figured out how much that was a month and I put it in the budget so for sure I would do it he started giving here's his testimony at the end of that three years he gave all of the money God told him to and he said God so blessed his company that everything he gave he everything he took out of his budget he was able to put back in his budget but now listen this is exciting part he finishes his three-year commitment he gives $50,000 and I can't remember whether someone came to his door I think someone came to his door are they sent him a letter but I think someone came to his door and said I'm from DFW Airport we've done a flight path study and your home is in the flight path so we're going to give you an out of money for depreciation we think because the flight path might have affected your home and they gave him a check for $50,000 okay that's how how do you do that how do you figure that out now here's cool he's right after this he goes in his backyard again he's standing there he's just shocked and this plane again flies over and he looks up and the Lord said I can drop it out of the sky if I want to but he had to obey now let me please hear my heart as your pastor I want all of you to experience that Jesus is the same yesterday today and forever he still does miracles but we have to pray and obey whatever he says do you do it okay here's the third point obedience is the key and I put in parentheses to your heart's desires because I want you to understand what I'm trying to say here exactly obedience is the key to your heart's desire so this is going to shock you this is this probably is really going to shock you but I want you to think about this miracle his first miracle was not raising someone from the dead or healing someone his first miracle was saving a family from embarrassment let me stay another way his first miracle was simply blessing a family at the marriage the wedding of one of their children here's what's amazing about that we think that God doesn't care about things like that as a matter of fact every time we we have some sort of a giving emphasis at the church we think well you know what I better hold back a little over here for these heart's desires that I had you know I want to I want to get a nicer home one day well I want my children to go to a better school I want to send them to college I want to drive some more dependable cars you know I had these desires over here and I'm not sure God cares about these things I you know it's possible these are selfish and so I better hold back some money to take care of me because if I don't take care of me no one else will that's the way the devil talks just okay can I say this to you too do you realize that every miracle in a fit someone have you ever thought about that when a person gets healed they receive a benefit their life it's better now and here's what the devil does don't pray for healing because that's selfish listen to me every miracle benefits someone God does it mine and actually wants to bless his children just like you want to bless your children so the enemy just so twists are lying you know don't don't pray for that that's selfish I'm telling you something I'll tell you something that I actually shock you God will bless you more than you will bless you if you'll give him the opportunity I want you to hear that God will actually bless you more than you'll bless yourself if you'll give him the opportunity and I'll tell you two reasons why I'm - just these are its logical things I could show you all the scripture on it and I will show you scripture in a minute I'll show you a lotta Scripture let me give you two logical reasons why God can and will bless you more than you'll bless yourself number one he's Richard and you are he has more potential to bless you than you do and number two he loves you more than you love you he loves you enough that he had his son die for you you probably wouldn't let your son die for you you'd die for your son but he loves you enough that he let his son die for you Psalm 37 real well-known scripture Psalm 37 verse 4 do you like yourself and the Lord and he shall give you the desires of your heart I just paraphrase that for a moment obey and God will do a miracle in your life and that miracle will be a blessing to you and your family that's exactly what we're just read in John - you know what's amazing me is even as I'm sharing this I feel like I'm plowing a little bit I feel like we have been so brainwashed by the enemy no no no when you talk about God blessed of me no no God doesn't want to bless me why do you think he's sent his son why do you think he redeemed you from your sins why do you think he bore your sicknesses on the cross because he wanted to bless you cuz he wants to bless you and in here over here we have this the prosperity doctrine and we want to stay so far away from the prosperity doctrine we don't want to get in there that here's what we actually do we fall into the poverty doctrine and God wants us to be poor and if report will be godly listen you can be selfish and be poor and you can be selfish and you can be rich I'm not saying God wants everyone rich by I'm saying that God cares about you and your family I can't remember many many times when I've made commitments like this to the church I've had needs I've had needs like everyone hey here's something the Lord told me a long time ago he said if you'll build my house I'll build your house he's built a much better house than I could have ever built so you just I just want you to know it's ok it's ok when we say if God says to you to give it's ok to give God will you don't have to hold back something because God can bless you more let me put another way I want you to see this in your mind Jesus is seated at your dining table and he knows that you don't have enough he knows that but he's waiting to see if when you break the bread you'll give him the first piece because he has the power to multiply but he's the only one table here's what many people do they say Lord I know the pastors talked about this and I'd love to give you some of our bread but we don't have enough and he's thinking but I can multiply it the one commentator where he said woman what does your probably have to do with me my time is not yet coming it sounds kind of harsh one commentator this is the way he interprets that he said here's what Jesus was actually saying is they have not recognized me yet for who I am nor invited me to be a part of this situation and I think that's the reason many many times that we don't receive miracles in our lives it's because we won't recognize him for who he is and we don't invite him in and the way we invite him man it's very simple is whatever he says do it that's the way you invite him into whatever situation you have tell you about one other family in our church we were doing this we've done commitments like this since the beginning of the church so this is not new for us and we were doing this one time and I said why don't you ask the Lord what miracle he would like to do in your family in your family is there a miracle that God wants to do in your family and when you make your commitment just say Lord I'm not bargaining with you I'm obeying but I do want to see this miracle in my family and so this couple came down and I was standing on the platform and I looked at it when they came down I know him and I knew that their daughter was away from the Lord and I just prayed for their daughter right there well later I talked to him and I told him I said let me let me tell you what I prayed for when I saw you and they said that's exactly what we're praying for we're praying for our daughter a few months after this their daughter just calls them out of the blue and says can I go to church with y'all this weekend just calls him up they said well of course honey she came that Sunday this was about eight years ago and she's been here ever since I'm telling you God likes to do stuff like that he's just waiting to be included in your life and one of the easiest ways I know that we can obey Him is an area of our finances that's a very easy way you can give up a coffee you can give up something just to obey God in this area God I want to include you in my life so I'm gonna ask you to do it right now we're gonna do it at the end of the service at every campus here's what I'd like for you to do all right we're gonna have a time where we can pray for people like we do it later and we'll end our service that way but if you'll take your worship guide out and open it up you'll see a heart for the kingdom card right there and just tear it off all right and I know this is a little different from the way we normally in so if you're new this may be different for you but those you've been here for a while know that we've done things like this and we see it's got completely part of our worship you can see we be reminded of what the initiatives are for this year the North Fort Worth campus to finish the construction on that the Grand Prairie campus the Kings University my gateway I've gone through these you can look at the message on the internet a few weeks ago the additional parking but then on the back would you just take a moment and fill it out and make a commitment whatever God says to you that's all I'm asking all right you just fill it out you put your name and address down at the bottom and then you put the amount that you're gonna give this is over and above your tithe this is not included in your tithe by the way if you don't have a worship guide if you didn't get one there are some uh sure's if you just raise your hand they'll get you one just leave it up until an usher gets to you and they'll get you on all right now and then you just put the amount in it now if you're if you're married I want you to talk with your spouse and pray about it and let me just say this if you're married and you come up with two different amounts the one who has the higher amount is hearing god okay you always want to stretch your faith okay you know it's good to be in the church where you can talk about giving and you can even joke about it and so I'm just you're the greatest giving Church that I know of I promise you it's unbelievable I've said that to you a lot but would you just take a moment fill this out and I really I really pray every person will do something all right do something do what the Lord tells you that's what I'm asking whatever he says do it okay and then I'm going to pray for you and after I pray we're gonna stand we're gonna have a worship song and we're gonna come at every campus and just give I'm gonna ask you to come and give in these containers at the front and then please don't leave just go back to your seat and then we're gonna we'll in the service but I want to pray over our commitments and you before we leave all right so let me pray for you and after I pray then we'll stand and you come Holy Spirit I ask you in Jesus name that you will speak to each of us so that this will not be dead religion Lord but we won't obey whatever you say we'll do in Jesus name Amen I was 19 years old when I gave my life to the Lord and everything changed I didn't have any desire to go back to that old life I wanted to walk with the Lord and learn more about him and some people helped me to learn the Bible and to learn how to pray and to learn about my new life in Christ and that's what we want to do for you I am so excited that you've given your life to the Lord he's forgiven all of your sins and you're on your way to heaven but we need to learn some things now about the Bible about prayer about some basics of the Christian life so that you can be victorious and live for the Lord like I know you want to so we've designed the class called fresh start and I want to encourage you to sign up for this class because we want to help you grow in your walk with the Lord now I love you and I'm so proud of you

Channel: gatewaychurchtv

Views: 79,140

Rating: 4.7722878 out of 5

Keywords: Robert, Morris, Gateway, Church, Mary, money, miracle, Christianity (Religion), Religion (Literary Genre), Church (building), Mary (mother Of Jesus), gatewaypeople, Pastor Robert, Face to Face

Id: qimTu22yPXc

Length: 34min 37sec (2077 seconds)

Published: Wed Mar 06 2013