Be a woman of faith                                                                      John 2:1-11

 

I have read a story some time of a story of the inner struggles and the pains of a mother. She’d be tossing and turning on her bed, thinking about her role as a mother, often asking herself: “Am I too tough or am I too lenient? Do I give in too much or too seldom? Do I listen to what he has to say? Do I understand him? Do I nag him too much? Am I really a good parent?”

 

Generally, while fathers are out there looking for bread, mothers today are constantly thinking about her children. All mothers are working moms. Just because they are home with the children doesn’t mean they are not working. It is tough to be a mom. It is punishing! Think of the times, she carried you for 9 months of discomfort and the terrible pain in delivery. If I were the first woman, this world would be people-less. I would not dare bear a child.

 

But no, it seems that God has put that desire to every woman to bear a child. I was there when Tess delivered Louis. If the delivery room had no walls, you’d be able to hear her screaming in pain from kilometres away. Have you ever noticed that the people around the delivering woman do not wear earplugs, despite? I believe it is because everyone there would be so drawn to her pain that they won’t even notice the deafening sound. That’s me.

 

I’ve lived with a woman all my life, first my grandma, my mother and then my wife. I’ve found women to be multi-tasking. Mothers in particular think a lot. At night she’d be thinking about what better food to feed you, what dress to wear, only to get a response like this from children, “ah, I don’t want that mom, I don’t want to eat.” And mom says, what’s wrong, what’s wrong? And mom musters all her patience without complaints.

 

And as she sends her children off to school in the morning, all kinds of things come into her mind knowing that any bad influence could ambush her child – things like drugs, bad influences, alcohol & pornography. By the way, don’t allow your children to sleep in at other houses. You can never trust people these days, even if they say they are Christians.

You don’t know who else is there. Don’t gamble the lives of your children.

 

In the past, government’s educational systems encourage development of Christian principles & attitudes. But today that is not necessarily true even in known Christian countries. I was told that Premier Andrews has stopped CRE in schools. That’s tragic! Today our children are being taught that there are no absolute standards of right and wrong. Anything goes, and everything is permissible, as long as it feels good.

 

It must be very difficult being a Christian mother today. But as hard as that may be, we need to realize that difficulties are not unique to our time. In every age, Motherhood has had its share of difficulties. How many of you agree that our mothers are not perfect and yet we need to adore and honour them?

 

This morning, as we come to worship God on the Lord’s Day and also honour our mothers, let me talk about A WOMAN OF FAITH. Mothers, be a woman of faith. There are a lot of women in the Bible we can call women of faith. To name a few, there’s…

Ruth, the Moabite in the Book of Ruth 

Queen Esther in the book of Esther

Priscilla, called the Woman of God in Acts

Elizabeth, Mother of John the Baptist in the book of Matthew

Mary Magdalene in the book of Luke

Rahab the Brave in the Book of Joshua

 

But this morning, I’d like to bring to you Mary, the mother of Jesus, a woman of faith. I’d like to focus on an incident that involved her and Jesus. This incident was at a wedding where Mary seems to have the hands on of the problem that the hosts of the wedding encountered. I am not going to go through all the Bible records at how Mary become a woman of faith but do you realise that there’s not a woman so honoured in the world as Mary.

 

Last Sunday, we honoured Violeta. And that’s good because that tells us that if we can do extraordinary things for someone we love, that means there’s nothing we cannot do for God. I am saying that because humans are capable of enshrining humans with significant achievements more than they enshrine God. Look at how Mary today is so honoured that the catholic church even teaches that she has never sinned.

 

We’re going to look into that briefly but let us be careful that we do not honour any human being more than we honour God. In this church I saw your passion in preparing and doing great things to honour someone. I included. Not very long ago I received a Plaque of Appreciation. Let me then invite you to make all these a confirmation to ourselves that we can do better and more for God, even when we don’t see Him.

 

John 4:24 – God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. It is so easy for us to fall into honouring man than God because we don’t see Him, we don’t see Jesus. But let’s talk about this woman of faith that mothers can emulate.

 

Mary was chosen by God to be the earthly mother of Jesus. And by faith she carried well the purposes of God in her life. But make no mistake, Mary is mortal and she DID sin. It is true that God chose her for a special task, but never does the Bible say she was sinless. And when the Bible says in Romans 3:23 that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” – that includes Mary. Mary did not come from nowhere but, like us, from Adam and Eve.

 

So, let’s get back to what happened in the wedding. The wedding ran out of wine. In that culture, running out of wine is not a minor problem. It was a major embarrassment, to say the least.

We cannot tell whose wedding it was but it seems that Mary have been very involved in this. Some believe that this wedding was the marriage of one of Mary and Joseph’s daughters. But that’s mere speculation. Others believe it was another of her relatives… or perhaps a close friend.

 

But whoever it was that got married, Mary jump into a control mode. She considered the problem a personal issue for her. And she KNOWS there’s only one man who can fix this problem. Who do you think is the only man that can fix this problem? Jesus! John 2v3 says, “And… the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.”

 

There’s no question in my mind that Mary is already seeing day by day who her son was as prophesied. And so she had no more doubt what things her son can do. So, as a mother very confident of her son, I could see Mary saying, “son, fix it!” Now, I’m not going to go through details what happened next except to say that Jesus as an obedient son did what her mother told him to do.

 

I have no doubt that God chose Mary for this role in Jesus’ life because she was a woman of faith. And God knows she’d do her job right. When God sees our heart’s intents is to be in step with Him, He will most likely use us for His glory. And Mary was a woman of faith whose desire was to please God 24/7. But she isn’t much different from any other moms that you and I have known. I could see that she’s a bit on the pushy side.

 

You could see that her request was more than just asking Jesus to solve a problem in that marriage ceremony. I don’t know for you but I could not help thinking that Mary, human as she was, wanted to show off what her son could do. Maybe, she’s thinking, it’s time for my son to start doing some miraculous things and impress people. And what a better place to begin than at a family gathering, where everybody can see – and possibly for her own benefit!

 

I don’t know if you could see this but here I see that Mary is not really faultless. If at all, I see her as a meddling mother. And there were times, as a mother, when she just couldn’t keep her hands to herself. It was as if she had to fix things for Jesus. I have read other stories in the Bible that gave me this thought about her. I am not saying she’s a bad woman. Not at all!

 

But remember, Jesus was already like 30 years old at this time. So don’t ever think that because you are old enough that you stop listening to your mothers. Mary was a nice lady, a great mom. In fact, records in the Bible attests that Mary was a woman of faith. God would not have chosen her if she wasn’t. But again, she’s mortal and being human she had the same weaknesses we all have.

 

And I believe there were times when she made wrong decisions. Have you ever made bad decisions? How many of you have made bad decisions? Have you ever done something you’ve regretted and wouldn’t want others to know about? So did Mary, I believe. And that’s what makes her story that much more powerful because she was just like us.

 

When I say Mary was “meddling”, she didn’t even worry about the fact that Jesus hadn’t really agreed. If you look our text closely, Jesus did not say He would do it. In fact, Jesus said, what’s that got to do with me if they ran out of wine? But she was very compelling in looking at the eyes of Jesus saying, “They have no wine.” Isn’t that what some mothers do sometimes?

I remember, my mother would just look at me in the eye, and say, we have no water. That means, the jar is empty and I have to fetch water to fill it. But no, just a sharp look, saying, we have no water. It’s understood. So was Mary, she had few words but expected that Jesus understood what she meant in just saying, “They have no wine.”

 

There were times I would complain, “Mom, I’m doing something!” Almost instantly, you’d hear these words, “you heard me, son!” End of the story! You do it or you’re done!  So, it is fair to say, that she was pushing Jesus to FIX the problem.  She simply said, “They have no wine” and expected Jesus to do something about it.

 

But here’s the twist. Mary didn’t try to tell Jesus HOW to fix the problem. She instead said to the servants: “Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.” Do whatever he tells you! I am not sure if she was under stress or whatever her predicament was but she was straight-talking.

 

Now, here’s my point: mothers, you get very stressed sometimes and you make mistakes once in a while. You get angry when you get tired. You will yell when you shouldn’t. You will fail more than you’d like to admit … and perhaps you feel terrible. But just like Mary, you can’t always do things right. But, mothers, you will never go wrong by telling your children: “Whatever Jesus tells you to do, do it.”

 

Mary had faith that what Jesus would instruct the servants to do, they would do the right thing. She had faith that if she asked, Jesus would and could do whatever needed to be done because there is nothing impossible with Him. And if you have that kind of faith in Jesus you’ll never go wrong in saying to your children:  “Whatever Jesus tells you, do it.” that’s obedience! Because…

 

Whether you like it or not, you will be wrong sometimes. And I will be wrong sometimes.

But will Jesus ever be wrong? NO! And her faith in Jesus was well founded. This was her most powerful trait. Just because she wasn’t without a fault doesn’t mean she wasn’t a great woman of faith.

 

Think of Abraham! We know of at least 2 or 3 times in his life where he made bad choices and yet God held him up as a great man of faith. He is actually known as the Father of Faith. In the same way, Mary was a great woman of faith. God saw in her a great potential. And, no doubt, that was the main reason God chose her for this role in Jesus’ life.

 

That was her great honour and role in life that she was chosen to be Jesus’ earthly mother. And for that place of importance that God had given her, she now exercises her God-given right as a mother. Btw, some religions believe that Mary still has the right to dictate Jesus today.

Her rights on Jesus as her dear son ceased when Jesus ceased to be human. Jesus in the Bible had this distinction: while on earth he was the son of man and in the Godhead, he is the Son of God and He is God. No one has the right to dictate God.

 

But Jesus as a son of man, having stepped down from heaven and took on human body, He was bound by the very Law He Himself decreed as a Son of God for the rest of mankind. Do you know what Law in the Ten Commandments Jesus had to obey her mother Mary? That’s right: (FIFTH)“Honour thy father and thy MOTHER.” Jesus honoured His mother.

 

He is a good example to what He decreed. Do you not know that God put so much weight on this particular commandment, the fifth of the ten? Do you know why I said that? It is because it is the only commandment that a promise is attached to it. And what is that? “That thy days may be long…” 

 

Kids, if there is anything I want you to remember in this message, this is it. Do not take this lightly. Honour! Respect your mother. Never talk back. You know they are not perfect but you can never pay for all the sacrifices she has done. They deserve respect you have in your veins. Husbands, the way you treat your wife will enforce to your children how they will treat their mother.

 

It was obvious that His mother wants a miracle. So, He performed a miracle. He literally made water into wine in front everybody. And it was publicly known what He had done because it says in John 2:11 that because of this miracle, it was the: “…beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.” Manifested means, He revealed his glory, as a result, his disciples put their faith in him and believed.

 

By giving His best for his mother, it gave a great testimony to the people around that his disciples really started to believe in Him. There was nothing too good for His mother. Do you ever realise that Jesus gave her more than she could possible imagine, because she asked in faith?

 

Mothers, you are in that place of importance God has given you for your children. And by the example of Mary, be a woman of faith. Faith is when you trust Jesus enough to tell your kids, your grandkids, your nephews and your nieces: “Don’t try to tell Jesus HOW to fix your problems… just do whatever Jesus tells you and you’ll be ok.” 

 

Mothers, you may have messed up in countless ways in your life, but if you drive home this one simple truth to your children, if you will teach them the words of God, you will have done more for your family than any Hollywood mothers. Be a godly mother who will teach your children the words of God and its principles, like the instructions we read in Deuteronomy 6:5-9 –

“And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

 

This is what Mary did being a woman faith. She BELIEVED in Jesus. Mary did what she did because she BELIEVED Jesus could do anything.  And mothers – she ought to be your example because as a woman of faith, Mary believed Jesus could do anything. Instil that into your children everyday. And tell them to do whatever Jesus wants them to do.

 

And Mary’s faith was why God chose to use her. And her faith was ultimately proven – not by what she said – but by what she didn’t say. Until the very end, it was her faith that gave her the courage to stand quietly by the cross, that at the feet of the crucified Saviour, and she never said a thing. That was her greatest witness of submission to the will of God.

 

That’s why we give an invitation at the end of every service for you to stand quietly at the feet of Jesus to make a witness of your submission to message preached.

 

Mary faced many difficulties in her life. Firstly, it was not easy to explain her mysterious pregnancy to her parents, to the community and especially to the person she was engaged to, Joseph.

Then, when Joseph believed her, he gladly supported her. They had to walk to look for a place to deliver her baby. But God is always there for those who is in step with Him. God is always there to people who follow His will. Despite all this, Mary had many blessings. For one, she had the wonderful blessing of a child who was obedient.

 

Please listen to this children, the best thing you can give your mom on Mother’s Day and any day, is to be obedient. It’s better than cards, better than flowers, better even than chocolate – just be a loving and be an obedient child! That’s commanded in the Scriptures that Jesus Himself did as a child. It is commanded for children to obey your parents. The book of Luke tells us that Jesus was obedient to His parents.

 

I did also mention about Joseph. Mary was blessed with a supportive husband. Now again, we know that Joseph was with her for at least 12 years, and probably a few years longer before he died. But, however much time God allowed them to have together, it was obvious that Joseph was very supportive of Mary. He was seen to be a caring and a loving man in Mary’s life. He was there for her whenever she needed him.

 

May I say to all the husbands and fathers here: The best thing you can give your wife, the mother of your children, today and always, is not flowers and chocolates and cards, but to be supportive of her, to pray for her, to encourage her, and always to be there for her, then plus chocolates and flowers.

There was a story I read sometime ago of a husband who was not very attentive to his wife. But one day he started feeling guilty about that, and decided to change. So on his way home from work he bought a box of candy and some flowers to surprise his wife.

 

He walks up to the door and rings the doorbell. She opens it, and there he stands, candy in one hand, flowers in the other, singing, “I love you truly, truly, Dear.” Instantly, she screamed and started crying. Her husband asked, what’s wrong? She sobs, “Oh, Harry! Everything went wrong today. We had a leak in the plumbing. The kids were terrible. The house is a wreck. And now you come home drunk!” 

 

Husbands, be a good and supportive husband. A happy wife is happy life. It is not demeaning for a man to wash dishes, to do the laundry and clean the house. I’ve done it all this time. I feel happy that these little things we do for our wives gives them a smile.

 

Mary was rewarded for her faithfulness as a mother. She was there to see Jesus resurrected from the dead. She was in the upper room when the 120 gathered to pray when the Holy Spirit came upon them. And she lived to see her other children accept Jesus as Saviour and Lord, too. And the God who rewarded her has promised to reward you when you are a woman of faith, too. Let’s pray.

 

Children, I want you to come to the altar and thank God for your mother. Promise God that you will love and obey your mother. Husbands, what a better time to come to God at the altar and thank God for the mother of your children. Promise God that you will support her and be there for her till death do you part.

 

Mothers, yes you fail, we all fail but come and thank God for His grace upon your motherhood. Promise Him that you’d be faithful to Him. If you are here this morning and you know you do not really have a relationship with Jesus, please come and we will help you find that relationship with the Saviour.