Six stone Jars 3 "Filling the Jars"

Fill the Jars

THIS PART IS NOT COMPLETE, LEFT OUT IS THE EXPLANATION OF THE SIX JARS, PERSONAL, FAMILY, FRIENDSHIPS, CHURCH, COMMUNITY, AND THE WORLD.

 

Jesus’ mother has left and Jesus has chosen the stone jars now he orders that the jars be filled with water. This is no small task that Jesus is asking, the jars are not movable, and they are most likely empty since the water they hold has been used by all the wedding guest to wash with. If the servants knew what Jesus was going to do they may have suggested that Jesus only use one or two jars. Even with the Jars half-filled they are still going to go get 60 gallons of water to fill the jars.

Filling our jars is not easy, it’s going to take some work. We often run for the newest spiritual book or video study and expect it to work some magic on us and transform our life. But this is just not going to happen. We will have to work if Jesus is going to transform us. Before Jesus can turn our water into wine we have to fill the Jars.

Often we think, “Jesus I only need a little water into wine, not all six.” Our temptation is to hold back and not fill our whole life but just part of it. It’s sad to say but if we are honest we want just enough water into wine to get by, to fix whatever we think is broken, or heal whatever disease we think we have. Jesus asked for all six jars to be filled before He did anything and Jesus expects no less from us.

In Matthew 22:34-40 the Pharisees and the Sadducees ask Jesus what is the greatest commandment. Jesus’ reply is “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and with all your mind.” Jesus has left nothing out, we must love God with everything. In Mark 8:34-36 Jesus tells the disciples whoever wants to save his life, (in this world) will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Jesus and the gospel will save it.” The disciples were told they would have to take up a cross and follow Him. Jesus will not settle for two or three water jars filled, He wants all six.

How do we fill the jars? We fill the jars of our life in the ways they have always been filled. Like I said earlier we all want some book, preferably a short one, or some video, or a sermon or two that would fill the jars of life with water. Jesus promised the woman at the well that if she asked He would give her living water that would spring up within her. So the first thing we have to do is ask, ask God for water. In asking Jesus for the water we acknowledge that we have none and need some. Professing our need and not our self-sufficiency is the first step in being filled. “Gods strength is shown in our weakness.”

Prayer must not stop with our telling God how needy we are and giving Him a list of what He can do for us. To be filled by God’s spirit we need to listen, really listen. The other day I was on the phone with a friend and I had said something and was waiting for him to answer. The longer this person did not talk the more uncomfortable I felt, finally they answered my question. God wants us to listen, be quite and listen. We have a whole list of things that come to mind when someone suggest this. What if someone sees me, they will think I am a nut. What if I really hear something, then I’ll think I am a nut. What does Gods voice sound like anyway?

The truth is you will know Gods’ voice when you hear it. You will need to listen until you hear it. A man was asked “why do you climb a mountain?” and he replied, “If you have to ask, you would never understand the answer.” When you listen long enough, you will hear God speak and there will be no doubt about who is speaking.

We also need to be filled with Gods’ word, not just a verse or two that we memorized or keep on a card in our wallet. We need to be filled with it. “This book of the law shall not depart from my lips but I will meditate on it day and night.” “Your word I have hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee.”

To be filled with Gods’ word we need to not only study and memorize it, but also read it. When is the last time for no reason you picked up your Bible and read something? We can often read a 300 page novel and yet reading 4 pages of our Bible seems like work. We need to just read it and let the words wash over our mind and heart, filling us.

Ultimately we must let Jesus fill our lives. We allow Jesus to be in our work life, our family life, our social life as well as our church life. That does not mean that we only do “Christian” things, it means that in whatever we do and wherever we are, Jesus is there too.