Sermon #S027 - Save The
Best For Last - (Part 1)
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Pastor Snell: Today, friends, we
want to continue in our teaching
series entitled family-ish
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and what we're going to spend a
few more weeks talking about is
just being able to identify
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God's plan for the formation,
the maintenance, and the
continued thriving of our
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families. How many of us want
our families to thrive? Let me
hear you say amen today. Amen.
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And so today we want to go ahead
and jump into the word. So do me
a favor, stand to your feet, as
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we go to the scriptures today.
And as you stand, I would invite
those who are watching at home,
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if you don't mind, do your part.
Be a digital disciple, be an
apple apostle, even if you're on
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the android anointing. If you're
watching on YouTube, you can
copy the link and send it to
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somebody who you want to see,
receive a blessing for their
family, or if you're watching on
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Facebook, just hit that share
button a few times so that
somebody else will be able to
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receive the word of God today.
Today we're going to go in our
Bibles to the book of St. John
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Chapter 2. St. John Chapter 2,
and we'll begin together at
verse number 1. St. John 2:1. If
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you don't mind turn to your
neighbor, just give them a
little fist bump, say, I'm glad
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to see you this morning or this
afternoon. Now... amen. Turn to
your neighbor, give a little
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fist bump, say I'm glad to see
you too. Amen. Amen. John
Chapter 2 and verse 1. I need
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you to know that even though
it's a family series, it's not
just for married folks. Any
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single folks in the room? I need
you to know there's a word for
you and here today. Any parents
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in the room today? All right.
There's a word for you today.
Anybody just need Jesus, raise
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your hand. Amen. There's a word
for you in the room today. Amen.
And so we're grateful and we
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pray that the Lord would speak
in a very clear way to his
people, John Chapter 2 and we're
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going to begin together at verse
number 1, when you get there,
just say Pastor, I'm ready.
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[Congregation: Pastor, I'm
ready] John 2:1, The Bible says,
on the... which day?
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[Congregation: Third day]
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Third day. There was a wedding
in Cana of Galilee and the
mother of Jesus was there.
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Now both Jesus and his disciples
were invited to the wedding and
when they had run out of wine,
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the mother of Jesus said unto
him, they have no wine. And
Jesus said to her, woman,
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what does your concern have to
do with me? Now, that sounds
like a harsh statement
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but in that time to refer to a
woman as woman was a term of
endearment and respect for an
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elder or someone you were
showing respect to. He says, my
hour has not yet, what?
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So, I need somebody to get that
God is a god of timing. Can
somebody say, timing?
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[Congregation: Timing]
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So his mother said to his
servants, whatever he says to
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you to do, do it. Now, there
were six water pots of stone,
according to the manner of what,
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purification of the Jews,
containing twenty or thirty
gallons a piece, and Jesus said
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unto them, fill the water pots
with water, and they fill them
up to the brim and he said to
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them, draw out... draw some out
now and take it to the master of
the feast and they took it. And
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when the master of the feast had
tasted the water that was made
wine and did not know where it
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came from, but the servants who
had drawn the water knew the
master of the feast called the
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bridegroom and said unto him,
every man at the beginning sets
out the good wine and when the
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guests have drunk, then the
inferior but you have kept the
good wine until now. This begins
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the signs Jesus did in Cana of
Galilee and manifested His glory
and his disciples believed in
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him, and after he went down to
Capernaum, he, his mother and
his brothers and his disciples,
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they went down and did not stay
there many days. But again, I'm
going to read for emphasis verse
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number 10. The Bible says, and
he said unto him, every man, at
the beginning sets out the good
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wine and when the guests have
well drunk, then the inferior,
but you have kept the good wine
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until now. Today, saints, for
just a little while, I want to
talk to you under the subject,
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Save The Best For Last. Let's
pray together today. Father,
through your word, would you
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give clarity. And father, all of
us are just at different phases
of our family experience so,
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Lord, would you speak to us
directly where we are? And so
father, we pray for a word that
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there's not just entertain the
ears or set on the countenance.
Lord, would you get beneath the
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surface, would you operate on
the level wake where we make
decision, and so father, I pray
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that in addition to an amen and
a hallelujah, and the waving of
the hand, may our response to
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the word be one of obedience. We
pray in the Blessed name of
Jesus, let them that believe say
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together, amen. And amen. You
may be seated in the house of
the Lord and we invite those who
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are coming from the outside in
to be seated. Again, we're
talking under the subject today,
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save the best for last. You
know, friends, there is an old
carpentry proverb that says,
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it's better to measure a thing
10 times and cut once than to
measure once and have to cut 10
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times. And what it speaks to is
the need to exercise patience in
the way that we evaluate things.
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In fact, this is supplemented in
scripture for Paul says to the
church at Corinth, he says,
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judge nothing ahead of its
appointed time because God
brings those things that are in
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the darkness into the light. And
one of the errant trends of
humanity, we have the bad habit
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of coming to conclusions about
things before we have sufficient
amount of data. In fact, as we
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are making decisions about our
wholeness, our happiness, and
our Holiness, we've got to be
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more thorough in our evaluations
and when we make romantic
evaluations, I need somebody to
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know that time is actually your
friend. In fact, what time does,
it allows you to see the true
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character of a person, their
motives, and their reasonings.
In other words, folk can hide
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their crazy for two weeks.
[Congregation: Yeah] They can
hide it for two months, but over
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the course of time, God is going
to provoke circumstances that
causes the true character to be
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seen. In fact, the only thing
that time hurts is infatuation
and the only way to know the
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difference between love and
infatuation is to allow time to
guide you in your evaluation and
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the larger Motif that I want the
church to get today is that you
get to got to get out of the
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habit of making permanent
decisions based upon a temporary
season. In other words, you
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should not decide to get married
based upon two or three good
dates and you should not decide
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to get a divorce based upon two
or three Bad seasons. In other
words church, I need you to know
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that next week, the first lady
and I will celebrate 19 years of
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[Congregation: clapping] And
see, this is my testimony that
year 19 was better than year 2,
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it was better than years 7,
marriage together. it was better
than year number 12, and like
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most couples, we've got a long
way to go, but I can testify
that God has brought us a mighty
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long way, and the reason I'm
saying this church is that if I
had made a decision at year 2, I
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may have made the wrong choice.
If we had made a final decision
at year 7, we might have come to
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the wrong conclusion. If we had
made a choice at year 12, we
would not experience the joy we
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are having today. And what I'm
saying to somebody today is
that, you'll never know what it
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can be if you make an evaluation
too soon. And what I'm saying to
somebody is don't forecast the
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weather 10 years from now just
because it's a little cold today
where y'all at today church. In
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other words, there are some of
us get messed up because we make
an evaluation too soon but,
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how many of us know that we
serve the God that doesn't do
his best work on the front end?
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We serve the God that does his
best work at the end. In fact,
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Ecclesiastes 7 and verse 8 says
that the end of a matter is
better than the beginning of the
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matter. In fact, he says,
through the prophet that the
latter days shall be greater
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than the former day. How many of
us know the Bible says, the path
of the just is like the shining
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sun growing brighter and
brighter to that glorious day?
In fact, he which has begun a
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good work in you shall continue
it until the day of Christ. I
need you to know in Christ, here
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is development. In Christ, there
is maturity. I don't judge it
based on the first year. I need
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you to know that God is saving
the best for last.
[Congregation: Yeah!]
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Okay, you all, not with me yet.
I shared some of this with you
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online last week, but I remember
a few years ago, about 10 years
ago, I bought a 1994 Acura
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Legend and I need you to know
that car served me well. It
drove as smooth as melting
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butter. Do I got to witness out
there today? And it's crazy
because after having it a little
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while it begin to give some
mechanical problems with some
regularity. Every month there
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was a repair that costs $100 or
$200 and eventually I got to the
place Malcolm where I said, I'm
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not putting another dime in that
car and I decided to get rid of
it. And so, we had a relative
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that said they were willing to
come and take the access of the
car and we told them how many
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issues it was having but they
were not deterred, they still
wanted the car, and so we gave
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it to them with full disclosure
about what was going on. And the
strangest thing is this car that
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I thought was on his last leg,
when they came to visit us four
and five years later, they were
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still driving the same car that
I gave up on and when I asked
them, how did you get it to keep
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running? She said there were
just two things that we did.
First of all, we didn't go to
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random mechanics. We start going
to the dealership. We took it to
the one that made it because the
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one that made it is able to fix
it. And then, we realize that
because you gave us the car for
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free because it was paid for, we
made it up in our minds that
we're going to drive it until we
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can't drive it anymore. Somebody
didn't get the point. See,
there's somebody that's willing
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to give up on a marriage. You're
not willing to put any more into
it, but what I'm saying to
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somebody, if you take it back to
the manufacturer and make it up
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in your mind that because the
price has already been paid,
you're not trying to figure it
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out whether if you're going to
work it out, you're just trying
to figure out how we're going to
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work it out because God does his
best work at the end. Are y'all
with me today, friends?
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So, as we go back to this thing,
we're going to unpack and say a
lot to you, hopefully, in a
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short period of time. Now
friends, one of the things I
loved growing up and, you know,
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hopefully I got a few cousins
out there. I used to love to
have old school family
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get-togethers where the uncles
and the aunties and the cousins,
we would come together and eat
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and tell stories and celebrate
one with another. But the one
thing that would make you a
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little anxious when company came
over as a kid, you know how I
was as a kid at some point you
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were going to have to come out
and do some type of performance
in front of company. In other
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words, you're a little kid and
you're going to come out and the
older folk are looking at you,
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y'all know what I'm talking
about today. So that if you
sing, you had to sing in front
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of company. If you played an
instrument, you had to play in
front of company. If you could
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speak, you had to recite
something in front of company.
And how many of us know that
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this was not so much about the
child's ability? It was so the
parents could show off.
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[Congregation:
Laughing and clapping]
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If I live this firsthand, when
the kids were a little smaller,
we would Skype or FaceTime my
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parents on the device and the
kids would say their ABCs and
sing all week long. And as soon
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as I got them in front of the
camera, they would act as if
they could not even talk. And
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it's crazy because Mom and Dad
are rolling their eyes and
looking like, what is going on?
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And I'm got an attitude now
because at this point, it is
really not about them.
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[Congregation: Laughing] This
was a chance for Daddy to show
off. Are you all hearing what
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I'm saying? And see, friends of
mine, this is where the
frustration of Mary, the mother
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of Jesus lies. You see, she's
the one mommy in the group that
can't show off her child's true
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potential. You see, because
his mission is different,
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she cannot really Express to the
world what he is all about and
so, Mary literally has to hold
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back her flesh, when the other
kids are playing piano, the
other kids are playing clarinet
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and the other kids are giving a
speech, there's a part of Mary
that wants to be like, Jesus,
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make it rain outside
today. [Congregation: Clapping]
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There's a part of Mary that
wants to be like, baby, bring
water from that rock. You see
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that funeral, Jesus, go and stop
it and bring that boy, back to
life. But understand, friends,
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that because his mission is
different, she cannot show off
in the same way and understand
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that this is an interesting
mother-son dynamic because Jesus
is her baby but he is also her
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Lord. He is her child, but he is
also her Redeemer. And you
realize that t is to guide and
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influence him to a point but
also recognize that he's got to
be about his father's business.
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Are you with me today? And see,
it's just funny because Ellen
White says that she would be
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more than human to not want to
steer and direct the way that
his life unfolds and even though
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she is honored to be the mother
of the Messiah, she is somewhat
disappointed in the way his life
00:16:12.33\00:16:17.44
has unfolded. She has not quite
digested the idea of a homeless
nomad servant Messiah. It's
00:16:17.47\00:16:27.82
crazy. In Desire of Ages, page
147, she literally says that she
hoped that he would announce
00:16:27.85\00:16:35.19
himself as Messiah, take the
Throne of Israel, and overthrow
Roman Authority. And see, the
00:16:35.22\00:16:44.60
first thing this story teaches
us is that kids get their
parents DNA but they get their
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assignment from God. ooh, you
all got quiet today. See, so I
need you to know that as
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parents, all we give them is DNA
but God gives them their
purpose. okay. See, that there's
00:16:57.31\00:17:06.92
a tension that is personified
here in the relationship between
mother and Jesus. Have you ever
00:17:06.96\00:17:13.40
noticed that? That was an
interesting dialogue that
happened as they raise this
00:17:13.43\00:17:20.17
special child? Do you remember
they're... in the Book of John,
when they were returning home
00:17:20.20\00:17:28.64
from Jerusalem for the Passover,
they had an expectation that
Jesus would be amongst their
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family and they spent three days
looking for him, but when they
went back to the temple they
00:17:36.15\00:17:41.66
found him discerning the
scriptures with the teachers of
the law. And when they began to
00:17:41.69\00:17:47.03
chasten him, Jesus stood up with
preteen base and said, don't you
realize that I've got to be
00:17:47.10\00:17:52.20
about my father's business. And
even here, Mary is wanting Jesus
to take center stage, but he
00:17:52.23\00:17:56.97
makes it clear that my time has
not yet come. And it's amazing
because Mary feels that being
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his mother entitles her to give
him some direction. She wants in
a motherly way to see his life
00:18:05.31\00:18:11.35
unfold in a certain fashion. But
what Mary's got to realize is
that even though she gives some
00:18:11.39\00:18:20.96
DNA, his purpose is given
exclusively by God. And see my
prayer today is that this is
00:18:21.00\00:18:28.07
going to free some of the
parents who have adult children.
In other words, I need us to get
00:18:28.10\00:18:36.31
that our job is to instill
character. Our job is not to
dictate their future.
00:18:36.34\00:18:38.18
[Congregation: Clapping] Okay,
all right. So let me stand here
and do this slow since y'all
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acting a certain way today. In
other words, we've got to give
them discipline. We've got to
00:18:43.12\00:18:51.13
teach them to be kind and
selfless and good citizens, but
guess what, it is not our job to
00:18:51.16\00:18:58.50
choose their path, to choose
their calling, to choose their
career, or even choose the one
00:18:58.53\00:19:03.67
that they marry. Oooh, y'all
mighty quiet in here today.
[Congregation: Laughing and
00:19:03.71\00:19:05.61
clapping] In other words,
friends, it is our job to teach
them to know God's will, not to
00:19:05.64\00:19:12.48
execute our will. And see
sometimes we bring undue stress
upon ourselves trying to make
00:19:12.51\00:19:23.43
children live in traditions we
ourselves have created. You see,
how many of us know that just
00:19:23.46\00:19:31.60
because you went into medicine,
it doesn't mean the child is
going to go into medicine. It
00:19:31.63\00:19:37.07
doesn't mean that because you're
into music that the child will
be into music. As much as I
00:19:37.11\00:19:45.58
would love for my children to
follow in my footsteps so I can
pass down the knowledge that God
00:19:45.61\00:19:50.39
has given, I realized that they
were created for God's glory and
not mine. [Congregation:
00:19:50.42\00:19:52.09
Clapping] And I want you to hear
me on this. This is not a call
to parental indifference.
00:19:52.12\00:19:55.66
You see, there is an interesting
balance that has to be struck.
00:19:55.69\00:19:59.29
In other words, we have to
guide them and help manage their
00:19:59.33\00:20:03.26
gifts. We are supposed to help
them not quit and make sure that
they don't give up, but how many
00:20:03.30\00:20:10.64
of us can testify that each and
every one of our kids is as
different as every day of the
00:20:10.67\00:20:19.18
week. Am I preaching to anybody
today? In other words, if they
are not into sports, you just
00:20:19.21\00:20:24.02
can't force them to be into
sports. You can invest all the
money in the world in
00:20:24.05\00:20:30.99
instruments, and when they're 18
years old, they're going to put
them down. You can try to get
00:20:31.03\00:20:38.90
them to like a certain man or
young woman, but until they see
it for themselves, it will not
00:20:38.93\00:20:46.37
matter. And what I'm saying
today is not that you should not
care, I'm trying to let you know
00:20:46.41\00:20:52.28
where your power is. I need you
to know, you've got more power
in your prayer closet than you
00:20:52.31\00:20:54.58
have on your soapbox.
[Congregation: Clapping] In
other words, the reason the
00:20:54.62\00:21:01.26
relationship is fractured with
your adult children is you spend
more time on your soapbox than
00:21:01.29\00:21:10.53
you do in your prayer closet.
But do I have one witness that
knows that the prayers of the
00:21:10.57\00:21:18.17
righteous availath much and that
what God does from your prayers
is more than what you can do
00:21:18.21\00:21:20.44
with 10,000 speeches?
[Congregation: Cheering] And
see, I need us to get this
00:21:20.48\00:21:25.95
principle. See, how many of us
know that parents are supposed
to be training wheels, not
00:21:25.98\00:21:28.65
handlebars? Okay.
[Congregation: Cheering]
00:21:28.68\00:21:30.55
In other words, I need you to
know Jesus is supposed to be the
handle bar that steers them but
00:21:30.59\00:21:37.46
Mom and Dad are supposed to be
on both sides as training wheels
to brace them. Oh, y'all quiet
00:21:37.49\00:21:43.57
today. In other words that is on
one side. Mama's on the other
side and you're bracing them so
00:21:43.60\00:21:50.54
that they don't fall, but how
many of us know that at some
point training wheels, get taken
00:21:50.57\00:21:55.41
away? [Congregation: Cheering]
00:21:55.44\00:21:57.05
And see, I need you to know that
if you train them to know Jesus
when they're young,
00:21:57.08\00:22:01.58
you don't mind falling back when
they get old, but because you
didn't give them Jesus in their
00:22:01.62\00:22:08.89
season, you're trying to parent
them outside of the season.
00:22:08.92\00:22:13.63
[Congregation: Clapping]
00:22:13.66\00:22:15.33
Are you hearing what I'm saying
today? Let me just say this to
encourage somebody today
00:22:15.36\00:22:21.47
and I want to encourage somebody
that's got a grown child because
they're 24 and they're 27
00:22:21.50\00:22:26.14
and they're 28 and they have yet
to hit their stride. Do you
realize that Mary the mother of
00:22:26.17\00:22:35.32
Jesus had the same concern? In
other words, your boy Jesus, 28
and he still living at home...
00:22:35.35\00:22:43.96
oh, why y'all quiet here today?
In other words, Mary, in her
mind is like, I know what the
00:22:43.99\00:22:52.10
angel told me, I know what God
put inside of him, I know there
is potential that has to come
00:22:52.13\00:22:55.64
out. But how many of us know
that Jesus didn't start his
assignment until he was Thirty,
00:22:55.67\00:23:01.24
and he didn't finish it until he
was almost 34? I just want to
encourage any parent that's got
00:23:01.28\00:23:09.92
a child, that's a late bloomer,
that not be discouraged because
Jesus said, my time is not yet.
00:23:09.95\00:23:16.36
In other words, God had some
things on the calendar that he
did not reveal to Mary. Ooh, are
00:23:16.39\00:23:22.96
y'all hearing this today? Just
because it has not been revealed
to you doesn't mean that it's
00:23:23.00\00:23:28.94
not been scheduled by God. There
are some that get discouraged
because you're 28 year-old. He
00:23:28.97\00:23:36.64
is not working yet, doesn't have
a degree yet, they're not
married yet and you don't have
00:23:36.68\00:23:43.49
grandkids yet. I need you to
know if it hasn't happened yet,
it just means that it's not
00:23:43.52\00:23:50.53
their time but, I need you to
know that God doesn't work in
our time. God shows up in due
00:23:50.56\00:24:01.64
time. And when God does it it'll
be more blessed than if you
planned it out according to your
00:24:01.67\00:24:08.38
own devices. Are you hearing the
word today? So the word says to
us, here in John chapter 2 and
00:24:08.41\00:24:14.52
verse 1. The Bible says, and on
the third day, there was a
wedding in Cana of Galilee. Now,
00:24:14.55\00:24:22.66
friends of mine, I need you all
to get that this story is wet
with principles of redemption.
00:24:22.69\00:24:34.07
Now, I need you to get that it
is no accident that Jesus shows
up to save a wedding that took
00:24:34.10\00:24:42.44
place on the third day of the
week. Now, I need you to get,
Pastor, that in every culture.
00:24:42.48\00:24:49.02
Every culture has a different
way of celebrating virtue
specifically, a woman's virtue.
00:24:49.05\00:24:54.79
Are you all still with me? So
you remember like that back in
the day that they would
00:24:54.82\00:25:01.03
celebrate a woman's virtue in
our culture so that a virgin
bride would wear white on her
00:25:01.06\00:25:06.74
wedding day, where someone who
was experienced would be kind of
kind of stigmatized by wearing
00:25:06.77\00:25:11.71
off white, where in our culture,
it was the wedding dress, but in
Hebrew culture, it was the day
00:25:11.74\00:25:20.72
in which you got married. So
that a virgin bride would be
married on the fourth day
00:25:20.75\00:25:25.95
because the Sanhedrin met on the
fifth day and if it was found
out that she was in inexperience
00:25:25.99\00:25:36.67
that the marriage could be
nullified, the next day of the
week, are you all with me? So
00:25:36.70\00:25:42.94
that a virgin would be married
on the the fourth day, a widow
would be married on the fifth
00:25:42.97\00:25:47.64
day, but a common or experienced
woman would be married on the
third day of the week. In other
00:25:47.68\00:25:53.78
words, one that got married on
the third day would be
considered a common woman of
00:25:53.82\00:26:00.56
sorts and so I need you to get
that not only is the bride
running out of wine, there is
00:26:00.59\00:26:05.39
already a stigma attached to her
wedding because of what day she
is getting married. In other
00:26:05.43\00:26:11.87
words, there are old ladies that
are watching her waistline to
see how far along she might be.
00:26:11.90\00:26:18.77
There are conversations in the
corner. There are shame to
parents. There are awkward
00:26:18.81\00:26:25.68
relatives as folk who are
looking to see what type of
shame is going to be announced.
00:26:25.71\00:26:32.82
But what would happen is the
woman's reputation would be
saved or secured as she would be
00:26:32.85\00:26:35.16
made and honest woman in her
Union to the bridegroom. And, of
course, friends of mine, Jesus
00:26:35.19\00:26:42.36
shows up on the third day
wedding as a symbol of
salvation. [Congregation:
00:26:42.40\00:26:49.64
Cheering] See, when Jesus shows
up on the third day, it is an
announcement that the Messiah is
00:26:49.67\00:26:54.88
here. You see in scripture, the
Bible always referred to my to
Jesus as the bridegroom, that
00:26:54.91\00:27:04.02
his people were referred to as a
woman or a bride, but Hosea
makes it clear that we were not
00:27:04.05\00:27:12.19
the Virgin bride that we are
some gomers that have been
around the block on a couple of
00:27:12.23\00:27:13.60
occasions. And see, how many of
us know that we couldn't wear
white when Jesus met us?
00:27:13.63\00:27:18.73
[Congregation: Clapping and
shouting] Can anybody remember
where Jesus first found you?
00:27:18.77\00:27:25.87
Come on and say amen. And do I
have a church that's thankful
that even though you've had
00:27:25.91\00:27:31.15
different partners, even though
you're a common sinner, even
though you've been around the
00:27:31.18\00:27:40.86
block, we serve a savior that
looks beyond your faults, and he
sees your needs? Is there
00:27:40.89\00:27:45.46
anybody that's grateful that he
read himself to a common bride,
the church? Thank you so much
00:27:45.49\00:27:55.97
for joining us, for the Breath
of Life Television Ministries
Broadcast. We hope and pray that
00:27:56.00\00:28:01.64
you have been blessed by Part
One of “Save The Best For Last”.
The second message in Our
00:28:01.68\00:28:31.14
“Family-ish” series. Join us
next week for Part Two. You
don't want to miss it! (Breath
00:28:31.17\00:28:46.19