Wine and the Temple of God


John 2
"1 And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there:
2 And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage.
3 And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.
4 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come."

Mary knew who to go to when she needed help. She went to Jesus. That is a good lesson to learn. Go to Jesus when you need help and go to him because he cares. I would assume that Mary could see his power, his authority as he was growing up. It is recorded that she marvelled when he was in the temple at age 12 teaching the teachers and she hid these things in her heart. Check Luke 2:42-50. She knew he was a supernatural child, put within her womb by the Holy Ghot, he was born of her when she was a virgin. There was no sprem or egg involved in the process

John 2 cont...
"5 His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it."

This is Mary's only command to the people in the scriptures. It is a good one too... So let's obey the Lord Jesus Christ... He alone is worthy... She did seek to get Jesus out one time when he was ministering and healing. Jesus ignored her request, he was about his Father's business in...

Cf. Matt. 12:46-50,
"46 While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him.
"47 Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee.
"48 But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?
"49 And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!
"50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother."

The Lord Jesus Christ disobeyed his physical mother here since she had to go to the wayside as he presented himself as the Saviour to the world just as the greatest prophet who ever lived had to go to the side when he presented himself as the Son of God to the world. Check the words of John the Baptist in John 3:30. Everyone and everything is small compared to his majesty.

John 2 cont...
"6 And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece.
7 Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.
8 And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it.
9 When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom,
10 And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now."

Changing water into wine. Jesus' first miracle. There is a debate as to whether the changed water to wine is wine as we have today- alcoholic, in other words, fermented or was it unfermented? A few thoughts here! If it was fermented and fermented grape juice can be addicting besides causing drunkeness then I have some problems. Would we say that Jesus is making something that causes a drunken stupor? If it is unfermented, it would make more sense in regards to grape juice being one of the best beverages for you.

But then again wouldn't the wedding party want an alcoholic beverage? It seems that a lot of Americans do... Some say, "Yes". But I don't know for sure using logic.

Time is a thing in fermentation but God doesn't need time and he proved it when he made the universe, it appears old but it is young. Tkae Adam, he was created mature, full grown but he was the age of a new born baby. The bible talks about "new" wine and that being a type of Jesus but it pictues the old wine and it wouldn't make sense unless the old was fermented since it goes on to say in the book of Acts that the disciples were filled with the new wine. They didn't touch or need the old stuff, they were filled with the new wine, the Holy Ghost and to the ones watching them, they appeared to be drunk with the old wine. [Check Acts 2:13). A thought just hit me. Couldn't the one who made water into wine in a split second also make it taste like the type of wine they were expecting and not be capable of making one drunk or be addictive? Sure he could!

Let's silence the talk and use the word of God to see if it is fermented or unfermented wine. As I was doing a study I don't see that it could be anything but unfermented wine.

A. We are not to even give a man an alcoholic drink.

Habakkuk 2:15
"15 Woe into him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness!"

B. We are to abstain from all appearance of evil.
Ck. I Thess. 5:22,
"22 Abstain from all appearance of evil."

C. Priests are not to drink strong drink.
Reading
Lev.10:9-11.
"9 Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations:
"10 And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean;
"11 And that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the LORD hath spoken unto them by the hand of Moses."

It says when they go into the tabernacle of the congregation and this separates the holy from the unholy, the clean from the unclean..Christians today are the temple of God, the tabernacle of God..
Check
Acts 7:48,
"48 Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet,"
AND Acts 17:24,
"24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;"

We will see in a few minutes where he dwells.

D. Kings are not to drink strong drink either...
Check
Proverbs 31:4,5
"4 It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink:
"5 Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted."

By reading I Peter 2:9 and Rev. 1:6, we see that all Christians are kings and priests unto God...

        E. Reading
Prov. 20:1
"1 Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise."

Can't you see it, the Lord said wine is a mocker and strong drink is raging and then he uses it to show a type of his blood??? 'Fraid not, his blood is precious, alcoholic booze isn't.

        Closing this section on where strong drink has taken many...

Isaiah 5:
"11 Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them!
"12 And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts: but they regard not the work of the LORD, neither consider the operation of his hands.
"13 Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst.
"14 Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it."

John 2 cont...
"11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.
12 After this he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples: and they continued there not many days.
13 And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem,
14 And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:
15 And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables;
16 And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise.
17 And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up."

Remember the types are in the Old Testament and the New Testament shows the reality. Today all Christians are the tabernacle, the temple of God. He doesn't dwell in temples made with hands anymore. He lives in those who are born of his Spirit.
I Cor. 3:16,
"16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?"
II Cor. 6:16
"16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people."

I would like to deal with three parts of the temple area. The outer court, inner court and the most holy place...

OUTER COURT-In the Old Testament, the outer court is where the Jews and Gentiles could meet. Our body in the New Testament, we can talk, share, witness the love of Jesus to the world through the outer court.

INNER COURT-- Only the Jews could be here. Today, Christians should just let those who are born of the Spirit of God into their inner court. Their mind, emotions, and will. We are not to fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness. Hence, the world and their ways should not be allowed into the inner court. Letting things like the tv, movies, dirty magazines, just the world's garbage into out soulish realm is wrong. It should be only those who are walking in the Lord, submitted to him communing with us in our soulish being.

MOST HOLY PLACE-- The most holy place is our spirit which is born of God. We are born sinless in our spirits when we are born of the incorruptible seed of God. We are to bring the soul and body in line with our spirits as we grow in his grace and truth.

John 2 cont...
"18 Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign showest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?
19 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.
20 Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?
21 But he spake of the temple of his body.
22 When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said."

Jesus is showing here that the type is the reality by showing that he was going to raise the themple in three days once it was destroyed. We see that the temple that he raised was his body. Only God raises the dead...

John 2 cont...
"23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did.
24 But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men,
25 And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man."

We should agree with this, Jesus knew how filthy we were since he came to die in our place. He didn't put his trust in man. They needed a new nature to do what he wanted them to do. man in himself is not capable of good. The bible tells us that all of our righteousnesses aer as filthy rags... Check Isa. 64:6. We don't have what it takes within ourselves and that is why Jesus came, to set us free from sin, its power and results.


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