When the Wine Runs Out

Good morning. How you guys doing?

Would you mind turning your Bibles to John chapter 2, the

John 2 · chapter mention

Gospel of John chapter 2? We're continuing with our series

John 2 · chapter mention

through encounters with Jesus, and the title of this morning's

message is When the Wine Runs Out.

When the Wine Runs out. What a tragedy.

So in John chapter 2, we come to Jesus's first miraculous sign.

John 2 · chapter mention

You could call it his big reveal, the first time Jesus

himself reveals who he truly is and what he came to do.

And it begins at an ordinary wedding.

So as people, we love to announce that we've arrived.

Isn't it true we do this through the fancy cars we drive?

Like we could have. Let's pick on the Land Cruisers

this week. Now let's pick on the Land

Cruisers this week. Could have a fancy Land Cruiser.

Or it could be about the school I could go to.

You know, sometimes we go. What school do your kids go to?

Oh, they go to that and that. OK, well, mom, go to this and

this. Yes, yes, yes.

We can afford that school. Or sometimes we like to update

our job titles. In the past, when I was growing

up, it was always our business cards.

But now it's your your LinkedIn profiles.

And now I found some gems over the week.

Yeah, some of you are actually on that list because, yes, you

know who you are. So there's a global change maker

in our midst. Yes, global change maker.

Global change maker. There's a brand igniter.

Who's the brand igniter? Rory, is it you?

No, not you. OK, sorry.

OK. And then two of my absolute

personal favourites and they are in this church.

So, you know, be proud you you get get a mention this morning.

There's a Wizard of light bulb moments.

That's you. That's you.

And and then and then my personal favorite, digital

overlord. I mean, what does that mean?

You're digital overlord. OK, so well done.

You're going to mention this morning.

Very, very proud of you. But we love to show the world

that we have arrived. Isn't that the case?

And so I've got a pretty embarrassing story to to tell

you if if you've known me like Clint Harris for a while and

Damien and, and some of the guys, yeah, they know that I

like to get myself into really embarrassing situations.

And here's a story about when I was chosen to be an executive

for Coca-Cola. I'd worked many, many years to

try and get to this promotion. And then one day I saw my inbox.

You have been invited to the Executive Leadership Quarterly

Review. Fancy the Executive Leadership

Quarterly Review? And it felt like I had reached

the big time. This was my great reveal.

And the MD at the time, he was an American.

He had run bottling operations across the United States.

He'd run bottling operations in Norway and in India.

And he was known at the as the turn around king.

And he had come to the South African operation to basically

come and save us. And he had the strange mix of

seagull leadership. Do you know what Seagull

leadership is? Oh, yeah.

One of you, One of you knows. It's basically when you swoop in

and then you deposit Nuggets of wisdom and then you fly away and

then you swoop in again, exactly like it and then you swoop away.

So he had the strange mix of of seagull leadership and drill,

drill Sergeant. You know, his dad was actually a

drill Sergeant in, in the Navy. So he knew how to be a drill

Sergeant and to say that he put the fear of the living garden me

would be to give you an understatement.

I was petrified of this man. And whenever I was around him, I

felt like I could not say anything right.

So anyway, we used to we, I was invited to the executive review

and I arrived there and for two days I kind of survived head

down, managed to make it through it.

And then right at the end, we had this fancy dinner, this

formal dinner. And just before it started, he

raised the gloss. King, king, king, king, king,

king. He said, and this is my best

American accent, so follow me. When I used to run the bowling

operations in Norway, we used to have a tradition called tat for

napkin. Have you guys heard of tat for

napkin? Anybody In this tradition, the

newest member of the tribe must prove his worth to the elders by

spontaneously giving an insightful speech, expanding on

a proverb and brings new wisdom. You know what's happening next.

I'm like, he's not going to ask me.

Please don't ask me. Whatever you do, don't ask me,

car, please, will you stand and present your tat for napkin?

So I stand up and I go completely like, I mean

completely like. There's nothing in my mind

blank. And all the eyes turn to me, 30

executives. And I'm thinking this is my

moment. What, what proverb can I start

with? And I'm searching scripture.

I'm not going. No, no, no, no, that's not going

to be appropriate. No.

And like, the more I think the blanker I get, the more I don't

start, the more they stay, the more nervous I get.

And I say, OK, OK, OK, can I just start, just start saying

something? So I start with like a very

weak, you know, it's just so wonderful to be here.

And I just, I look up to, to all of these amazing, or if you got

such amazing leaders, you know, you're well done.

You know, you've, you've done such a good job.

And, and then I rambled on for a minute and I was like, I'm not

doing a tut for Nakin. I don't even know what a tut for

Nakin is like it, it's like there's no proverb, there's no

new wisdom. This is an absolute fail.

And then right at the end, now here's the clincher.

Right at the end, this saying, which I'd heard from DJ Bobo,

came into my head. You know, it's nice to be

important, but it's important to be nice.

Absolute fail. I sat down.

Everybody just looked at me like an absolute horror.

What is this kid on about? You know, anyway, so you know

what the craziest thing is like I googled a few years later

because I couldn't do it immediately.

Like what is a tut for knocking? You know what I found it doesn't

exist. There's like this Norwegian

thing called a tut for Martin, which is basically saying to the

host, thank you for dinner. But that's the closest thing I

could find. So anyway, but that was my big,

big reveal. And, and the lesson here is that

if you're going to have a big reveal, if you're going to show

up, if you're going to present to the world who you are, one,

you need a plan and two, you need a substance to be able to

support it. And Jesus chooses this low key

wedding. If you were the Messiah, the

Savior of the world, how would you announce your ministry?

Maybe a packed stadium, LED screen like we have over here,

massive lights, a grand press release, something like that.

Instead, Jesus chooses an ordinary wedding.

So let's read from John chapter 2.

John 2 · chapter mention

Jesus changes water to wine. On the third day, a wedding took

place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus's mother was there, and

Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.

When the wine was gone, Jesus's mother said to him, they have no

more wine. Woman, why do you involve me?

Jesus replied, My time has not yet come.

His mother said to the servants, Do whatever he tells you.

Nearby stood 6 stone jars, the kind used by the Jews for

ceremonial washing, each holding from 20 to 30 gallons.

And Jesus said to the servants, fill the jars with water.

So they filled them to the brim. They did.

Then he told them, Now draw some out and take it to the master of

the banquet. They did so, and the master of

the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine.

He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants

who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom

aside and said, Everyone brings out the choice one first and

then the cheaper one after the guests have had too much to

drink. But you have saved the best till

now. This, the first of his

miraculous sons, Jesus performs at Cana in Galilee.

He thus revealed His glory, and His disciples put their faith in

him. So a few things to point out.

It starts at an ordinary wedding.

Jesus is invited along with his disciples and his mother Mary.

Mary is the only other person besides Jesus that is named in

the story. The bride, the groom, the master

of the banquet, the disciples. Everybody else remains

anonymous, but Mary is named. Weddings in those days used to

last up until about 7 days. It was a full week of

celebration. And for two full days,

everything goes according to plan.

But then on the third day, on the third day, on the third day,

the wine runs out. Now let's get into deeper

meaning of the wine running out. John is showing us that we all

have that moment, the moment that the celebration continues

on the outside. But on the inside, you know that

the supply is gone, the taps run round, the fuel tank is empty,

and there's nothing left to sustain the celebration.

You see, this is isn't a story about wine.

This isn't a story about wine. This is a story about emptiness.

The marriage still exists, but there's no life.

There's no joy, there's no peace.

There's just an emptiness. The job still pays, but there's

no fulfillment or meaning. It's just the ground.

There's this emptiness, and you can have all the money in the

world, but deep inside you, when you lie in bed at night, you

just feel empty. The wine has run out.

The bottom line is this, that without God.

Without God there is always an emptiness.

Nikki Gumbel, the founder of the Alpha Course describes it this

way. Says there's a guard shaped

vacuum in the heart of every human being which cannot be

filled by any created thing, but only by God the Creator, made

known through Jesus Christ. There is a God shaped vacuum,

There is a God shaped hole inside the heart of every single

one of us, which can only be filled by Jesus Christ.

And we all feel this hunger. We all feel this hunger and, and

we spend our lives trying to fill it with the success.

And then, and then I'm going to try and fill it.

I'm going to try and make a little bit more money and I'm

going to try have have a Better Business.

And what about if I work in my relationship?

Then I will be filled, won't I? If I have a better relationship,

if I, if I just have a good marriage or if I find a

girlfriend, then you know, it's going to work.

Or maybe maybe I'm not having enough holidays.

Maybe I need more pleasure in my life, hey?

Or you know what it is the world teaches you that you need to

have purpose. I need to have a purpose.

I need to know why I do what I do.

But the truth is, is that the emptiness, despite trying to

work on all of that stuff, it still remains.

And it's right there in that moment, within the context of

the wine running out and that emptiness that we feel in our

lives that Jesus says, let me step in.

Let me step in and fill what is empty.

So three points that I'd love to draw from us this morning.

Thanks, Roy. One Jesus is the only one who

can fill our emptiness. Point #2 Jesus is the true

groom. And point #3 Mary shows us how

to respond when the wine runs out.

So point #1 Jesus is the only one who can fill our emptiness.

Running out of wine on day three would have been a social

disaster. It would have been shame for the

family. It would be embarrassment for

the groom. And it was the groom's

responsibility to ensure that there were adequate provisions

for the wedding. So it was his job to make sure

that this wedding could last for seven days.

The celebration would limp on, but everybody would have known

that something had gone wrong. But this isn't really about

trying to save some embarrassment for the family.

This is about emptiness. And Jesus steps into that moment

where human resources, where all our efforts have reached their

limit, where all our planning, all our preparation, all our

good intentions have run out. And that's life.

You know, we can keep things going for a while.

I'm great at it. I'm great at chugging along.

I'm great at it. Just you know what, it's tough.

There's a lot going on, but I'm just going to power through and

we put up this vision board, Vision Board 2026, all the

things that I'm going to do and I'm going to read this self help

book over here and I'm going to keep the hamster wheel going.

Just keep it going, maybe a few days, maybe a few months, maybe

a few years, but eventually the wine runs out and Jesus doesn't

respond by saying let me just come and top you up.

I remember being a student and I used to be able to put ten round

of fuel in my in my tank and it actually got me somewhere.

Just that little top up. Jesus doesn't say I'm going to

give you 10 rounds of fuel. He doesn't say I'm going to give

you a coping strategy. He doesn't say why don't you try

harder next time? He doesn't say here are five

steps for you to be pretty better prepared for a tat for

knocking. You know He says he doesn't give

you that. He says, come, come, let me

actually fill what is empty inside.

And John is building something over here.

Let me show you in John chapter 2, you see that the wine has run

John 2 · chapter mention

out. And then John chapter 4, Jesus

John 4 · chapter mention

meets a Samaritan woman whose relationships have run out and

he says to her, you, you asking to get some water from this,

this well over here. But everybody who drinks of the

water that I give them will never ever thirst, thirst again.

And then in John chapter 6, he says, let me deal with all of

John 6 · chapter mention

humanity's hunger. Let me feed the thousands.

And he says I am the bread of life.

Whoever comes to me will never go hungry.

And whoever believes me will never ever be thirsty again.

And then in John 10, he says, let me show you how the world

can never ever give you. What I can give you can never

satisfy you, says the thief comes only to steal, kill and

destroy. And the world is going to take,

it's going to take, it's going to take, and it's going to keep

on taking from you. But I have come to give, to

give, to give life and life to the full.

Do you see what John his building?

Do you see what he is saying? He's saying one that doesn't run

out, water that doesn't leave you thirsty, and bread that

doesn't leave you hungry. Jesus is not topping up your

life. Jesus is saying you are thirsty

because you were made for me. You are hungry because you were

made for me and you are empty. You are empty.

The wines run out because you were made for me.

I am. I am Jesus Christ, The Messiah

is the only one who can fill the emptiness inside of your heart.

And a wedding is the perfect setting.

It's the absolute perfect setting because a wedding is

covenant. A wedding is commitment.

A wedding is a shared life. Jesus isn't offering a once off

miracle, He's offering himself. He sang every single day, every

single moment. I want to walk with you.

I want to be with you. I want to help you.

I want to guard you until we realize that life was never,

ever meant to be sustained by us.

It was meant to be received from Him and in Him.

And now for the big reveal. Jesus doesn't just provide one

point #2 is He steps into the role of the groom.

He shows us that He is the true groom.

Remember, it was the groom's responsibility to make sure that

the wedding could last for seven days, that there were enough

provisions. But he failed.

He failed, human effort failed. But then something strange

happens is that the master of the banquet actually praises the

groom. He says well done, this is

amazing. You've done something that

nobody else does. You've saved the best wine for

last. But the groom, he did nothing,

but Jesus did everything, and without fanfare, without

applause. Jesus quietly in the background,

takes responsibility for what the grim could not supply.

He bore the weight, He carries the cost, and he provides

abundantly more than we can ever, ever imagine.

And he takes this water that's in these jars that were meant

for ceremonial washing water and jars connected to human effort,

to trying to be clean, to trying to be enough.

Let me try and clean myself. Let me try just a little bit

harder. And he turns that into the best,

most abundant wine. And this is the gospel.

This is the good news that no amount of self help, no amount

of self cleansing can sustain us.

No amount of effort can fill what is empty inside.

But Jesus can. And in that moment, he reveals,

he said, let me show you exactly at this ordinary wedding,

quietly in the background, but with all the power of heaven,

let me show you exactly who I am.

I am the true sustainer of your lives.

I am the one who always provides and supplies what you cannot.

And I am the true groom, committed to walking with you

day in and day out and filling what is empty.

So how do we respond when the wine runs out?

And this is where Mary comes in. And this is so beautiful.

Point #3 is that Mary shows us how to respond.

At first, the interaction between Mary and Jesus seems a

bit a little strange, doesn't it?

If we read it again, it seems almost like why is Jesus being

so rude? Why is he responding so abruptly

in this moment? Woman, why do you involve me?

My hour has not yet come, woman. Now I don't know about you, but

if I was growing up and I said to my mom, woman.

Boy, boy, come here, boy. Yeah, I don't mind giving you a

good old warp in front of all of these gifts, you know?

But Mary doesn't take that approach.

The point I want us to focus on today is that Mary doesn't get

offended by Jesus. Time.

Instead she does 2 remarkable things.

The first she doesn't try to fix the problem.

She simply turns to Jesus and says they have no more one.

No long pray, no explanation, just honesty.

I am empty, I am done. Jesus help beautiful.

And secondly, she obeys. She turns to the servants and

says do whatever he tells you. Do whatever he tells you, Jesus,

whatever, whatever you tell me. She doesn't take offence, she

doesn't argue. She simply trusts and obeys.

Isn't that incredible? She simply trusts and obeys.

And then the servants fill the jaws, and they fill them to the

brim. They obey completely.

Not whole, not half heartedly, but completely.

They're filling to the brim. And somewhere between the

filling and then the pouring water becomes warm.

Not just in one, but the best one in abundance.

So enclose and maybe the band can come up and we can sing that

song. Turn your eyes upon Jesus.

So cool, Matt. So my big reveal didn't really

go as planned, would you agree? It was.

It was less than Stella now. I felt exposed, felt

embarrassed, I felt like I didn't have what it takes to

sustain it. But Jesus reveal is completely

different. There's actually no stage,

there's no spotlight, there's no speech.

It's just an ordinary wedding, but with all the power of the

omnipotent God behind it. And on that third day, remember

it happened on the third day, on that third day when the wine ran

out and the jars were empty, Jesus said, can I show you a

better third day when the tomb is empty, when I can fill every

single human need, every single emptiness that you have inside

of your heart? Can I show you a third day?

We even though the world thought I had failed because I ended up

on a cross on that third day, I rose.

I rose in victory and I reveal that I am the true Messiah, that

I am the promised Savior, that I am the sustainer of everything

that you're going to go through in this world and the next.

And I'm the one. I'm the only one that can fill

every single human heart. So dear 3 CR, where will you

turn when the wand runs out? Amen.