Live Free with Josh Howerton - Miracles Through Obedience • Pastor Joby Martin | Ep. 217 | Tuesday December 5, 2023

Episode Date: December 5, 2023

Would you do whatever Jesus says to do? Jesus’s first miracle shows He is worth obeying. No matter how odd, unconventional or counter-cultural the path, Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and we can trust Him. You have no idea what He has waiting for you on the other side of obedience. For more information, visit lakepointe.church/dailydrive

Thanks for tuning in to today's daily drive with Lake Point Church, a daily dose of God's Word for your morning drive. When the word, not the world, becomes the majority of your week, your life will start to change. For that reason, our prayer is that God will speak to you through today's devotional. This Christmas, we want to invite you and your family to join us for our candlelight services on December 22nd through 24th at any of our six locations. or for church online. For more information, visit latepoint.com. slash daily drive. And now, let's dive in to today's devotional.

Welcome to the Daily Drive. I'm Pastor Joby. I'm so glad to be with you. I'm spending some time walking through the scriptures talking about miracles. And I want to look at John chapter 2. It's Jesus' very first sign or miracle. It's the Jesus turning water to wine at the wedding at Cana.

First, I think it says a lot about the character and nature of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that he would do his very first public miracle at a wedding. You see, the Lord is into weddings. In fact, the Bible starts with a wedding, the Bible ends with a wedding. And Jesus' first miracle is at a wedding. Years ago, I was asked by this young man who is beginning in ministry. I've been in ministry for 30 years, and he follows some of our teaching here at 1122 and podcasts and that kind of thing.

And he asked, what's the best advice that you could give me in all of the Bible? And I think the best advice, I know that's a bold statement, I think the best advice in all of the scriptures is found right here in John chapter 2. And so just to set it up, Jesus and his disciples go to this wedding. The groom has been preparing for this wedding day for probably years and years and years. Weddings in the first century would last for days and days and days. And there would be food and there would be wine. And a part of what the groom was proving is that he had what it takes to provide for his bride.

And if you're familiar with this event, then they run out of wine. And Mary, the mother of Jesus, comes to Jesus and says, son, they've run out of wine. And he says, woman, what does this have to do with me? My time has not yet come. Now, what he is talking about is his time is that time when he would go to the cross for the forgiveness of our sins, that he would die in our place, that he would shed his blood. and he knows the moment he goes public with his ministry, the hourglass has been flipped over and the countdown to his day of crucifixion at Passover, that countdown clock starts.

And then Mary gets the servants together and gives, again, what I think is the greatest advice in all of the Bible. She gets the servants together, she points at Jesus, and the Bible says that his mother Mary says this to the servants, do whatever he tells you to do. that's it that's the best advice i think in all of the scripture that we as his followers would do whatever it is that he tells us to do in john chapter 10 jesus makes it clear that he's the good shepherd that we're the sheep and that his sheep hear the voice of the shepherd and that the good shepherd has come that we may have life and have it abundantly which means this whenever we take steps of obedience in the direction of the good shepherd it always leads to abundant life

And so here's what these servants do. They do exactly what Jesus tells them to do. Now here's the faith part. The things that he tells them to do make no sense in the natural. He said, go get those six stone water jars. Those water jars were used for ceremonial washing. When you would walk into this wedding feast, you would dip your hands in there and wash the filth off of your hands. So the water that is inside those stone jars are nasty.

And he says, go get those stone jars. bring them over here. Now I want you to fill them up with water. And they're thinking, why would we do this? Then he says, I want you to get a ladle, and I want you to dip some of the water out, and I want you to take it to the master of ceremonies. Now think about this. If you were one of the servants, this doesn't make any sense at all. What do you mean? Get the stone jars and fill them up. That water's still going to be nasty. You want me to dip some out? I mean, I don't even have a ladle. Where do we get a ladle? You need me to dip some out and take it to the master of ceremonies? Are you trying to make me look like a fool? And yet, the miracle on the surface is that Jesus takes the water, turns it into one. Now, the eternal miracle is that we are the nasty, dirty water, and that God can take us who are filthy and nasty and really just need to be discarded.

And he can take that and not just clean it up or not just flavor it, but transform it into something really beautiful and valuable. But if the servants didn't do what Jesus told them to do, then no one would even know that the miracle has happened. And little do they know that on the other step of about six or seven steps of obedience, that there's a miracle that we're still talking about today. So my question to you is simply this, what is he telling you to do? And maybe that thing that he's telling you to do seems crazy in the natural. Like you've shared your faith with the person that you've been praying for for years and years and years with no response, but he's telling you to do it just one more time.

or maybe he's telling you to take a step of obedience to get more involved in the church that you're in. Or maybe he's telling you to pick up the phone and make that difficult phone call to begin the process of reconciliation and forgiveness, even though you've tried before. Or maybe he's telling you to be radically generous and so into his kingdom in a way you never have before. Here's what I can tell you. You have no idea what hangs in the balance. You have no idea what hangs in the balance. And oftentimes the miracles that we are looking for in our lives, whether it's a financial miracle or a health miracle, or you're praying that your prodigal son or daughter would come home, or you're praying that that lost friend or coworker would come to Christ, oftentimes those miracles are on the other side of about four or five steps of obedience. And so let me challenge you in your daily drive. Ask the question, God, what are you telling me to

do and then pray to God that he would give you the courage to step out and the obedience to do whatever it is that he tells you to do. Amen. Thanks for tuning in today. For more biblical teaching and worship, join us for our church online live weekend services on Saturdays at 6 p.m. and Sundays at 9.30 and 11 a.m. Central Standard Time. Also, if this podcast was helpful to you, would you be sure to rate, review, and share this podcast to help get the word out. For more information about all digital ministries of Lake Point, visit lakepoint.compt.combe.combe. Church slash daily drive.