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Watch 2022-2023 online sermons » Jentezen Franklin » Jentezen Franklin - What The Holy Spirit Wants To Do For You

Jentezen Franklin - What The Holy Spirit Wants To Do For You


Jentezen Franklin - What The Holy Spirit Wants To Do For You

If you have your Bibles, I want you to open them to John 2:2. "Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. And they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, 'They have no wine.' John 2:5, His mother said to the servants, 'Whatever He says to you, do it.' Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of the purification of Jews, containing 20, or 30 gallons a piece, and Jesus said, 'Fill the water pots with water,' and they filled them up to the brim," notice that. And they started drawing out, "and they took it to the master of the feast, or the governor, and they took it". And then lastly, verse 10. "And he said to them, every man, from the beginning sets out the good wine. And when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior, but you have kept the good wine until now". Some translations say you have kept the best for the last.

And I want to talk to you, and I want to entitle it, "What the Holy Spirit Wants to do for You". What the Holy Spirit Wants to do for You. In the Hebrew culture, there was a great importance upon marriage in the marriage ceremony and vows and covenant. It was so serious to even consider getting married, that if you got engaged to someone and decided to call the marriage off during the engagement, you couldn't just walk away and never speak again, you had to write up a legal bill of divorcement.

This is told in the story of Joseph and Mary, you had to write up... If engagement was that serious of a commitment, can you imagine how serious of a commitment marriage was in the time in which Jesus attended this wedding to perform his first miracle and began His earthly ministry? It was more than a ceremony, weddings. Especially in Jesus' day, it was something that would go on for days, and days and days. And people came in from everywhere, remember there were small villages. It was a it was a community celebration, all the neighbors, all the friends, all the dignitaries would come, all of them. And they would come from everywhere. And it was a massive celebration that went on for up to seven days. If you can imagine. It was a huge party. And I've studied this, you can check this out. It was a huge party.

And what I love about this story is that Jesus was invited to the wedding. He was invited to the party. He had not yet begun His earthly ministry and yet, He gets up and when He was invited to the party, He went to the party. He got up and got his clothes on. And I'm sure as he was about to go out the door and the disciples were hustling and bustling to get their clothes ready and to go with him. They thought, where are we going? I don't know, probably going to the synagogue, probably going to church, He's probably got a brand new revelation and teaching he's gonna share on with the multitudes. We're going to something spiritual, I guarantee you. And as they're leaving, somebody just casually says, Where are we going, Jesus? He says, we're going to a party. We are going to a party. Not to synagogue, not to church, not to a miracle meeting, we're going to a party.

When he got there, there was quite a celebration going on. There were people who were dancing and hooping and hollering and singing and dancing and drinking, and carrying on like you wouldn't believe. And Jesus was there. They had the head table. They had the guest of honor. They had the governor of that region. They had the bridegroom, and everybody was there. The real guest of honor was not at the table of honor. He was not up front. He was among the people and they didn't even know he was there.

Did you know that you can be in the presence of God and not get the benefits of God until circumstances arise that only God can handle? Sometimes God manipulates circumstances so that you can come into an awareness of who is with you. It's possible that you are going through something right now, and you don't even know who's with you. But it's amazing to me how God can take and let something happen. And all of a sudden you need him. All of the sudden there is no human answer. All of the sudden, nobody can fix it, but Jesus, and your whole attitude changes. And suddenly you need Him and you develop an appreciation for him, and what he can offer in your life. And God has a way of putting you in circumstances that cause you to need him.

Nobody was praying at this party. Nobody was doing anything but drinking and partying and dancing and having the biggest time, but he knows how in the midst of a party to get your attention. It ought to make us tremble, it really should. It ought to make us shudder to think how many times Jesus sat back in a corner. And he went with us to every situation we got ourselves in. He was at the party, you know, that party. He was there. You know, that hotel room, you know, that situation, you know, that dog track, you know, I don't know, he goes to places like that. He's not just Holy Jesus, who comes the church, he was there, and they didn't even know he was there. And what's so amazing is he's sitting there in the corner, while they're having their party, and they are unaware and could care less about him and anything he has to offer until the party ran out of wine. They had been dancing, music, carrying on, but they ran out of wine.

Wine in the Bible represents sustainable joy. The party that the devil will throw you is one that sooner or later will run out of wine. Sooner or later, there's pleasure in sin for a season, but then the party, they're partying without wine. And at some point, it hits them, we don't have anything to sustain the party. The party scene isn't as great as you thought it was, the money hasn't got the power that you think it does, the person that you are willing to wreck your world for doesn't fulfill you like you thought he would or she would, because everything the devil offers you, he offers you the best first and then it gets worse and worse, and the wine runs out of his party every time.

There is no sustainable joy in turning your back on God and good and walking away from the presence of the Lord. There is no sustainable joy. No amount of money can give it to you. No amount of success can give it to you. No amount. And I don't care where you live, what neighborhood. Oh, if I had that I would have sustainable joy. No, you would not. If Jesus is not the center of your life, you will never know joy, peace, and the happiness that God wants us to have. Clap your hands and praise the Lord somebody. It was in this moment that when something went out of the party. Everybody's looking at the bride up to this moment, the couple, looking at the governor, looking at the celebrities that were at the main host table, looking at all the wedding party and what they're wearing and all of that. But the moment that it ran out, all attention...

Isn't it funny how we can focus on everybody but Jesus until we get in an emergency. Jesus didn't plan on doing anything, his mother made him. He said it's not my time mother. And she said whatever he says do, do it. That means you 'gon do something, now out there and do it. But this was an emergency. All of a sudden, the party crowd is talking about, "If there is a God up there, we sure could use some help". It's kinda like the church has come to the world's party after all that we've been through the last year or so. Now is the time for Jesus to give what the world is missing. And notice how he does it. In verse six, he said bring me the six ceremonial pots and fill them with water to the brim. I want you to bring those six, six is the number of man, six is the number of sin. And they were ceremonial pots that were used by the Jews to wash themselves before they went into the temple. He said, I want you to bring the old religious pots and I'm going to work a new miracle in old pots.

I believe those pots represent denominations, represent the church that basically has nothing to offer a world that has no joy. Because we have become so religious, all we care about is our own personal righteousness and holiness and how pure and clean we are when the world is dying, and they're dying right before our eyes. And the Lord says, I'm going to use those old ceremonial pots. But I'm going to have to do a new miracle with some old pots. And I wonder sometimes if we don't watch it, that we don't come to church, and we become those old pots. We get in here and we hear a song like that God can dissolve plates, God can heal cancer. And we almost give it mental assent and act like I don't really don't have miracles might happen. But I don't really believe for anything. You know what you are? An old pot that needs to get in the presence of Jesus, and let him fill you to the brim. And you can say, Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever, what he did, he can still do. What he was, he still is. What he said, He's still saying. He's not the great I used to be, he's not the great I'm going to be. He is the Great I Am.

He said fill them with water to the brim. And I like the fact that he said fill them with water to the brim. See if they had brought Jesus pots full of grapes, and he would have made them turned him into wine. That would be kind of understandable a little bit. But he said, I want you to bring me something that has none of the source of what I will make out of it in itself. There is no way that water can make itself by its own actions into wine. They're two different completely creations one is water, and one comes from grapes and it's wine. And the two are not the same. And he said I want you to fill it to the brim with what I know it cannot be to please me. And when it's full, and when you know in other words, what's you're full of. Pride, religiosity, legalism, self justification, your own holiness, your own righteousness, your laundry list of I gave my tithe this week, blah blah blah.

And God says when you finally get full of what... I want you to bring me what you're full of that you can never, ever, ever, all your righteousness, when you're full of it. All your righteousness is as filthy rags to me. And he says, "You come, now". And I cannot explain to you, the Bible isn't clear. It does give one hint, it said, and he said to them, when they filled it full, he said "pour it out," and that means they were pouring it from one vessel to another vessel. And while the pouring was taking place, the power of His presence... It's not enough to sing songs and give talks from the pulpit. There will be no transformation. Water is weak, wine is strong. Water is cheap, worthless, wine is expensive. Water is tasteless, wine is intoxicating. How in the world can I make that into this? There's only one answer, it has to get in the power of the presence of Jesus.

And I'm so desperate for that because our young people, they hear sermons and stuff, but if we don't get desperate to get ourselves in these services, in the power of His presence... My greatest gift to communicate will not transform water into wine. But if I can somehow become a gateway. And if the team can somehow and if you can somehow with your hunger become a gateway that we get people into the power of His presence. Suddenly as it's being poured out, suddenly God begins to turn weakness into power and God begins to turn worthlessness into something extremely costly. Everybody say, "the power of His presence". How long has it been since you've been in His presence? Not church, not another service, not another alter call, not another "raise your hands, praise the Lord, clap, happy clap, bye, see you next week".

When was the last time you left church saying I'll never be the same again? And as they poured it... You can't evolve into what God wants you to be, it only comes from being in his presence. And as they poured it, Jesus said serve it to the governor. The guy who has everything. And he had a preconceived idea that what they were offering him was inferior because he said I really don't want to drink this trash. Because what I've got, what I can afford and the life that I have compared to what pitiful little, what's his name? Jesus? I never heard of him. But anyhow, whatever little blessing he put on there. You're offering me that compared to my power and my position? Have you seen my house? Have you seen the car I rolled up in? Do you know what kind of rims? Do you know? Do you know the boat? Do you know the lifestyle I live, and I'm not used to this cheap trash stuff, but I guess I'll give it a sip.

And here's the big point. How do you explain water to wine? You can't. All you can do is taste it. How do I explain the baptism and the Holy Ghost? How do I explain that God can heal through your hands? How do I explain the gifts of the Spirit? How do I explain walking with Jesus? How do I do that? You really can't explain it. The only thing you can do is try to get people in the power of His presence long enough that they take a sip. And he thought, y'all are just lucky I'm at this party. And I really don't want this cheap stuff because I'm used to Cabaret. I don't even know now, we're really getting in a mess here. But I don't drink. I never been a drinker. And I don't intend to be.

So I don't know what I'm talking about. But I do know this story happened like this. Because this guy said, I have a preconceived idea that what you're offering me is so inferior to what the party I've been living with my stuff. Then he takes a sip. He says, I had life, but this is life more abundantly. I had joy, but this is sustainable joy. Now, by that I don't mean you have a perfect life. I don't mean that somehow you're excluded from pain and sorrow and trials and tough days and horrible things that happen in your life. But I have a sustainable joy, that no matter what I go through, I will make it. I will rejoice, I will come out because all things work together for my good. I'm almost done. The governor said, my goodness. He said, most people serve the best first and then the cheap stuff, but you saved the best for last. Then Jesus turns and he says to His disciples, I want you to go to Jerusalem. I'm about to go to Heaven.

Oh, no, Lord, you're the best! We can't make it without you. You're our comforter. When we get in storms, you come walking on the water. When we need provision, you make fish pay our taxes. You're our comforter in the storms of life, in the trials of life. You can't leave us. No! He said it's all right. John 14:16, I will send another comforter. Oh, hallelujah. I'll send another comforter. He'll hold you at the grave site of a loved one. He'll be there in the middle of the night when your mind is racing and you don't know what to do. And you don't have the answers and you feel like the whole world is on your shoulders. He'll come like a comforter; he will attach Himself to you. Because I'm gonna go away and you thought I was the best. But I'm sending you have a gift called the Comforter, the Holy Spirit.

So can you see those 120 disciples, you know, Mary, the mother of Jesus was in there. Peter, James and John were in there. They go up in the Upper Room. And he said stay there 50 days til the day of Pentecost. And they're trying to have church, they're trying to have a party, but they don't have no wine. That's why I'm glad I'm in a spirit-filled church. I'm sorry, there is a difference. I said that, and may we always keep it. If it were left up to some of you, we'd become some old dead religious pot with still water in it. But may it never happen at Free Chapel. May we never be ashamed of the power in the anointing. May we always rely on the power of His presence, more than our talent, more than our gifts, more than our buildings, more than our wealth, more than anything we have, we can't transform anyone, only Jesus.
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