Water transformed to wine is analogous of doctrine transformed to God’s happiness, John 15:1-2Title: Water transformed to wine is analogous of doctrine transformed to God’s happiness, Part 2 John 15:1-2.
John 2:1 And on the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there;
John 2:2 and Jesus also was invited, and His disciples, to the wedding.
John 2:3And when the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine."
John 2:4And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what do I have to do with you [what is this to you and Me]? My hour has not yet come."
John 2:5His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it."
John 2:6Now there were six stone waterpots set there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing twenty or thirty gallons each.
John 2:7Jesus said to them, "Fill the waterpots with water." And they filled them up to the brim.
John 2:8And He said to them, "Draw some out now, and take it to the headwaiter." And they took it to him.
John 2:9And when the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegroom,
John 2:10and said to him, "Every man serves the good wine first, and when men have drunk freely, then that which is poorer; you have kept the good wine until now."
The wine is made out of water, but still something was made out of nothing. Although wine is mostly water (approx. 81%) with our modern knowledge of chemistry we now know the chemical composition of the ethanol and other components often found in wine (sugars, sulfites, proteins, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and other things like tannins). Water is made out of hydrogen and oxygen only with a small percentage of impurities, whereas ethanol is hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon. The other components include phosphorus and nitrogen and a number of other elements not found in all water.
This means that God’s happiness is formed in you out of something brand new that didn’t exist in you before which alludes to all the new doctrines you learn and new principles and applications of old doctrines you’ve had.
In no way is God’s happiness a remodeling of your old pseudo-happiness that always depended on circumstances.
God’s happiness is not something that was ever within you before nor has it anything to do with the pseudo-happiness of man.
An unbeliever can have a form of happiness based on divine establishment principles that is miniscule compared to God’s happiness and is not at all a relative of it.
This is why the new believer will often face inner adversity from the loss of old systems of pseudo-happiness while the water to wine transformation is in process.
The ever wise Solomon writes the book of Ecclesiastes from human viewpoint. Speaking of the natural state of man he writes:
Eccl 3:12 I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one's lifetime;
Eccl 3:13moreover, that every man who eats and drinks sees good in all his labor — it is the gift of God.
That gift is the gift of divine establishment as was communicated in the Mosaic Law. Our government and constitution was designed based on this concept. That’s why it can be applied with freedom of religion, including the atheist.
Eccl 3:14I know that everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it, for God has so worked that men should fear Him.
Eccl 3:15That which is has been already, and that which will be has already been [nothing new], for God seeks what has passed by.
Eccl 3:16Furthermore, I have seen under the sun that in the place of justice there is wickedness, and in the place of righteousness there is wickedness.
Eccl 3:17I said to myself, "God will judge both the righteous man and the wicked man," for a time for every matter and for every deed is there.
Eccl 3:18I said to myself concerning the sons of men, "God has surely tested them in order for them to see that they are but beasts."
Eccl 3:19For the fate of the sons of men and the fate of beasts is the same. As one dies so dies the other; indeed, they all have the same breath and there is no advantage for man over beast, for all is vanity.
The beast goes about looking and searching for that which satisfies. Though the taste of man is more sophisticated the primary craving for searching is the same.
Eccl 3:20All go to the same place. All came from the dust and all return to the dust.
Eccl 3:21Who knows that the breath of man ascends upward and the breath of the beast descends downward to the earth?
The natural minded man does not know.
Eccl 3:22And I have seen that nothing is better than that man should be happy in his activities, for that is his lot. For who will bring him to see what will occur after him?
Without abiding in Christ the believer wastes his life and certainly the unbeliever wastes his potential for eternal life and the life of Christ that would have been an open potential. So Solomon concludes – do your best to enjoy yourself and that is God’s gift.
If making someone miserable would lead to their faith in Christ, God would do it for He desires that all men be saved, but God knowing those who would not believe, provides a certain limited system of happiness and prosperity.
Doctrine in you will be converted to God’s happiness, which did not exist in you before you continued to abide in Christ.
That’s the miracle of water to wine.
The Father’s joy is our joy. The two go hand in hand. If the Father is pleased the believer is pleased. Such is the privilege of our union with Christ.
Wine is an analogy for happiness. Jesus Christ is dependable for perfect happiness. The cosmos makes this promise but cannot deliver because it is not the true vine.
Christ has prepared them for this introduction to God’s happiness since they entered the upper-room for the Passover. This is the water.
Wash feet [doctrine of rebound and humility], wash one another’s feet [doctrine of humility and service], offered morsel to Judas [doctrine of unlimited atonement], Christ glorified [doctrine of glorification of Christ], love one another as Christ loved you [doctrine of IUL], I go to prepare a place for you [doctrine of eternal security], I am the way, truth, and life [doctrine of the PPOG], I am in the Father and the Father in Me [doctrine of the Trinity], He who believes in Me the works I do he shall do also and more [doctrine of divine good], prayer – ask Me anything in My name and I will do it [doctrine of prayer], keep My commandments [doctrinal orientation], send the HS who will be in you [doctrine of the baptism of the Spirit and the indwelling of the Spirit], I and the Father will be in you [doctrine of the indwelling of the Trinity], we will build an edification complex (headquarters) beside your soul [doctrine of ECS], HS will teach you [doctrine of the teaching ministry of the Spirit], I give you My peace [doctrine of prosperity], I will sit at the right hand of the Father [doctrine of operation footstool], I will give you My body and My blood as a new covenant to you [communion].
The Lord's analogy representing His happiness flowing to the believer naturally follows the upper-room doctrinal teaching.
The doctrines are represented by the water and the happiness is represented by the wine. First He gave them water and now He shows how it can be converted into wine.
The Greek word meno meaning abide is used 11 times in this chapter and so it is purposely emphasized by the Lord.
meno – to abide, to remain, to tarry, to stay without leaving = communion with Christ, fellowship with Christ, residing in the PPOG for your life.
Before the rest of the mystery doctrine is taught Christ is sure the emphasize the extremely important principle of abiding in Him, mentioning it 11 times in 16 verses.
John 15:1 "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
The Father is the vinedresser.
The vinedresser cultivates the soil, prunes the good branches, and removes the worthless branches. He plans, He plants, and He cultivates = Divine Decree.
John 15:2 "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it, that it may bear more fruit.
“He takes away” does not refer to loss of salvation but to severance from the source of blessing, which is divine discipline in three stages from continued lack of communion with Christ.
Back in verse 2, and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it, that it may bear more fruit.
Pruning is suffering for blessing for the advancing believer. This is the cutting away of the excesses or distractions that every positive believer has for the purpose of bearing more fruit.
The purpose is that we bear more fruit. Pruning cannot be done to the negative believer, for any suffering to him is only disciplinary. This is suffering for blessing which momentary light affliction will produce an eternal weight of glory.
As we advance we still carry arrogance and ignorance within our thinking, which is gently pruned by the Father in His perfect timing.
What hurts for the moment produces fruit for eternity. 2 Cor 4:17 For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison,
Pruning is really purging. Each clip of the pruning sheers is a clipping at the shoots of the self life so that all the energy of the believer result in production unto the glory of Christ. This is why you must love Him before this can be accomplished because you will give up much. If you are not truly motivated to do so then you make a mockery out of real Christianity as you attempt to fake it.
What you lose is not a waste, as it may seem at the time, just like the leaves and shoots and branches on the ground of the vineyard may seem like a waste, but at Autumn when the harvest is gathered you will see that whatever loss there was, was more than made up for by such a splendid vintage.
The pruning sheers are in the hands of God the Father, they are not entrusted to man nor angel, therefore whatever is purged or severed is a part of His perfect will.
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