WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.160 Thank you so much for reading, Charlie. 00:00:02.459 --> 00:00:04.900 And let me pray as we begin. 00:00:07.520 --> 00:00:14.080 Heavenly Father, we pray that this morning as we open your word together, 00:00:15.080 --> 00:00:18.600 as your Holy Spirit is at work amongst us, 00:00:19.879 --> 00:00:23.379 that you would help us to see Jesus for who he really is this morning. 00:00:26.519 --> 00:00:29.920 For we pray in his precious name. Amen. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:30.100 Amen. 00:00:32.619 --> 00:00:36.859 I'd like you to begin by thinking about the last wedding that you went to. 00:00:37.579 --> 00:00:40.039 Maybe some of the younger ones, if you've never been to a wedding, 00:00:40.140 --> 00:00:42.000 just think about the last party that you went to. 00:00:43.380 --> 00:00:44.840 And I wonder as you think about that, 00:00:44.880 --> 00:00:49.340 if there is something specific about that wedding or that party that you remember it for. 00:00:50.679 --> 00:00:52.480 Here's a couple of examples for me. 00:00:53.000 --> 00:00:55.439 It was Pete and Hannah Campbell's wedding earlier this year. 00:00:56.060 --> 00:00:59.179 The thing I'll always remember about that wedding is the pizza van. 00:01:00.000 --> 00:01:03.899 Like we'd already had canapes and a full big meal. 00:01:04.260 --> 00:01:08.319 And a couple of hours later, this pizza van rocks up and you can just eat as much pizza as you want. 00:01:08.359 --> 00:01:08.939 It was epic. 00:01:10.000 --> 00:01:11.980 That's what I'll remember about their wedding. 00:01:12.519 --> 00:01:16.500 But actually, the one that really sticks out for me was my sister-in-law's wedding earlier this year. 00:01:17.200 --> 00:01:18.939 The father of the bride, my father-in-law. 00:01:18.939 --> 00:01:20.399 He stands up to give his speech. 00:01:20.879 --> 00:01:24.000 And it starts in the standard sort of way, you know, all the polite thank yous. 00:01:24.060 --> 00:01:26.799 But then this beat starts to play in the background. 00:01:27.259 --> 00:01:30.959 He pulls on a backwards cap and he literally wraps the rest of his speech. 00:01:31.000 --> 00:01:32.000 I couldn't believe it. 00:01:32.599 --> 00:01:36.200 For me, that is the one thing that I will always remember from that wedding. 00:01:37.159 --> 00:01:38.719 Maybe you've had some similar experiences. 00:01:38.879 --> 00:01:40.099 What's the thing that you remember? 00:01:40.099 --> 00:01:48.399 Well, the wedding party that we've read about this morning, the thing that all the guests would be talking about in the following weeks, 00:01:48.500 --> 00:01:50.819 the one thing that they would remember, it's obvious, isn't it? 00:01:50.819 --> 00:01:51.679 It's the wine. 00:01:52.459 --> 00:01:54.539 The best wine they've ever drunk. 00:01:54.540 --> 00:02:02.820 But for us, as we read John's account of this wedding, we've got to see that it's just so much bigger than that. 00:02:03.700 --> 00:02:10.580 Because what John remembers, what he wants us to remember about this wedding is the Christian hope. 00:02:11.360 --> 00:02:16.800 Because what it points to for us is the great eternal wedding feast. 00:02:17.540 --> 00:02:20.540 And that really changes everything for us today. 00:02:21.840 --> 00:02:23.759 Because it's true in life, isn't it? 00:02:23.759 --> 00:02:27.780 That what we hope for in the future changes how we live today. 00:02:28.399 --> 00:02:32.780 If you're at school or university and you're working hard to get the grades that you need, 00:02:33.159 --> 00:02:38.019 it's because you have a hope of what your future might look like, the sort of job you'd like to have. 00:02:38.679 --> 00:02:42.739 What we hope for in the future shapes how we live today. 00:02:44.000 --> 00:02:47.919 Maybe you're here this morning and you're not all that sure that you've got much hope for the future. 00:02:49.000 --> 00:02:51.799 You might be thinking that your best is behind you. 00:02:51.800 --> 00:02:57.600 Or maybe that you just don't have that much hope for what you know is ahead. 00:02:59.120 --> 00:03:03.980 Well, wherever you're at this morning, this is what John wants us to know. 00:03:05.140 --> 00:03:10.280 In Christ, there is the most wonderful, eternal hope. 00:03:10.280 --> 00:03:14.460 And in Christ, it is a hope that we are all invited to share in. 00:03:14.699 --> 00:03:17.240 And it shapes the way that we live today. 00:03:18.699 --> 00:03:21.939 This morning, as we think about Jesus, in whom our hope is found, 00:03:22.000 --> 00:03:24.159 and as we explore how that shapes our lives today, 00:03:24.439 --> 00:03:26.800 three things that I want us to see in the text. 00:03:26.800 --> 00:03:29.740 Jesus is powerful over creation. 00:03:30.719 --> 00:03:32.620 Jesus is the substitute groom. 00:03:33.200 --> 00:03:35.340 And Jesus is a bountiful provider. 00:03:35.480 --> 00:03:36.100 We'll get there. 00:03:36.600 --> 00:03:40.400 But before we do, I just want to get our heads into the story itself. 00:03:40.520 --> 00:03:42.360 And in an attempt to take us to the scene, 00:03:42.420 --> 00:03:47.280 what I'm going to do is retell this story from the perspective of one of the servants. 00:03:47.280 --> 00:03:52.060 I remember that weekend so clearly. 00:03:52.960 --> 00:03:55.860 The night before the wedding, I was already super tired. 00:03:56.379 --> 00:03:58.699 We'd been all week preparing for the celebration. 00:03:59.439 --> 00:04:01.800 The family that I worked for, they're kind people. 00:04:02.000 --> 00:04:04.620 And the man that they'd chosen to be the master of the banquet, 00:04:04.719 --> 00:04:06.759 he just seemed to really know his stuff. 00:04:07.180 --> 00:04:11.539 If anything, he was just overly efficient and precise in the preparations. 00:04:12.259 --> 00:04:15.280 I even overheard an argument, actually, between him and the groom. 00:04:15.280 --> 00:04:17.000 It was the wine, you see. 00:04:17.939 --> 00:04:20.480 He was worried, the master, that there wouldn't be enough. 00:04:20.720 --> 00:04:22.480 And this man, he really knew his wine. 00:04:22.899 --> 00:04:25.639 He actually ended up storming off from that argument. 00:04:25.779 --> 00:04:30.259 Well, if we run out of wine, you're the one who'll have to bear the shame of it. 00:04:31.379 --> 00:04:34.779 On the day of the wedding, everything seemed to be going pretty well, to be honest. 00:04:35.079 --> 00:04:39.139 We'd been so well prepared in the run-up to the wedding that there was very little left to do. 00:04:39.840 --> 00:04:43.360 But as the day wore on and everyone seemed to be having a great time, 00:04:43.360 --> 00:04:49.199 every time I ventured back into the kitchen to get another jug of wine or a plate of food or whatever it was, 00:04:49.400 --> 00:04:53.040 I could just tell that the master of the banquet was getting increasingly anxious. 00:04:54.199 --> 00:04:57.860 Because the wine, he was right, was definitely running out. 00:04:57.860 --> 00:05:04.300 Eventually, one of the guests, Mary, I think her name was, came to the kitchen door to ask for more. 00:05:05.199 --> 00:05:07.960 And I had to tell her that there was no more wine. 00:05:08.939 --> 00:05:11.040 And at that moment, a young man passed by. 00:05:11.120 --> 00:05:13.319 It might have been her son to look at him. 00:05:13.540 --> 00:05:15.620 And she told him that they'd run out of wine. 00:05:16.199 --> 00:05:19.220 And his reply, well, it was strange, if I'm honest. 00:05:19.300 --> 00:05:20.500 It sticks in my mind. 00:05:20.500 --> 00:05:22.920 Woman, why do you involve me? 00:05:23.240 --> 00:05:24.819 My hour has not yet come. 00:05:25.720 --> 00:05:28.079 It's not as though he was being rude to her or anything. 00:05:28.620 --> 00:05:29.959 That wasn't it at all. 00:05:30.600 --> 00:05:32.160 But what could he possibly mean? 00:05:32.220 --> 00:05:33.839 My hour has not yet come. 00:05:35.139 --> 00:05:37.600 The woman seemed to understand whatever it was. 00:05:37.639 --> 00:05:40.240 And she just told us to do whatever he told us to. 00:05:40.600 --> 00:05:42.540 And he pointed to these washing jars. 00:05:42.540 --> 00:05:48.620 You know, the sort of washing jars that guests use to clean their unholiness on their way into a feast. 00:05:48.620 --> 00:05:50.620 And he said, fill those jars with water. 00:05:51.560 --> 00:05:53.379 And there must have been at least six of these jars. 00:05:53.660 --> 00:05:57.000 I guess that's like 600 liters of water that he asked us to fill. 00:05:57.340 --> 00:05:58.620 But we did as we were told. 00:05:59.600 --> 00:06:02.000 And this is where things got really weird. 00:06:03.139 --> 00:06:06.500 He told us to draw some out and to take it to the master of the banquet. 00:06:06.639 --> 00:06:09.199 So I got a cup and I drew some out. 00:06:09.220 --> 00:06:10.180 And you won't believe this. 00:06:10.180 --> 00:06:11.459 I hardly believed it. 00:06:11.740 --> 00:06:13.139 But I could see the water. 00:06:13.399 --> 00:06:16.519 It looked, it even smelled like wine. 00:06:16.519 --> 00:06:22.339 Now by this point, the master of the banquet, he'd taken himself off into the corner of the kitchen. 00:06:22.519 --> 00:06:25.120 He was sat on a stool with his head in his hands. 00:06:25.399 --> 00:06:28.459 But I took him this small cup and he tried it. 00:06:28.519 --> 00:06:31.959 And his stress just immediately, it turned into shock and then to joy. 00:06:32.219 --> 00:06:34.599 It was the best wine he'd ever tried. 00:06:35.639 --> 00:06:37.959 He didn't even want to know where it came from. 00:06:38.019 --> 00:06:39.479 He just rushed straight to the groom. 00:06:39.480 --> 00:06:45.600 Everyone brings out the best wine first and the cheaper wine once the guests have had too much to drink. 00:06:45.680 --> 00:06:47.939 But you saved the best till now. 00:06:49.200 --> 00:06:52.100 I tell you, there's a wedding I'll never forget. 00:06:54.860 --> 00:06:55.900 That's the story. 00:06:56.720 --> 00:07:01.680 And I'm sure that the guests would have been talking about that wine for weeks and for months. 00:07:01.680 --> 00:07:09.319 But the servants, the ones who knew what had really happened, they'd be talking about Jesus, wouldn't they? 00:07:11.060 --> 00:07:12.360 Water into wine. 00:07:12.740 --> 00:07:13.680 That's impossible. 00:07:14.819 --> 00:07:18.720 And that takes us to the first thing that I want us to see about Jesus this morning. 00:07:19.460 --> 00:07:22.180 Jesus is powerful over creation. 00:07:23.379 --> 00:07:26.360 If you've got the text in front of you, it's in verse 9. 00:07:26.360 --> 00:07:33.300 The master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. 00:07:33.480 --> 00:07:35.439 Now, let's be clear, that's not normal. 00:07:35.620 --> 00:07:38.180 In fact, we'd probably say that's impossible, wouldn't we? 00:07:38.759 --> 00:07:44.540 To change the chemical makeup of H2O into whatever the formula is for wine, just like that. 00:07:46.120 --> 00:07:52.639 Katie and I were in the south of France this summer, and we had a great time visiting a couple of wineries and seeing how wine is made. 00:07:52.720 --> 00:07:54.259 It's an incredible process. 00:07:54.259 --> 00:07:59.699 It's an incredible process, the thought and effort, and especially the time that goes into making a decent wine. 00:08:01.000 --> 00:08:02.180 And this was decent wine. 00:08:02.319 --> 00:08:05.500 See, at the end of verse 10, you saved the best till now. 00:08:06.120 --> 00:08:07.060 It's good wine. 00:08:07.159 --> 00:08:14.980 It's not as though Jesus could have just added a bit of grape juice into the 600 liters of water to make something a bit like wine. 00:08:15.539 --> 00:08:16.740 No, this is miraculous. 00:08:17.259 --> 00:08:18.319 Water into wine. 00:08:18.599 --> 00:08:19.659 The finest wine. 00:08:19.660 --> 00:08:24.320 John is saying Jesus is powerful over creation. 00:08:24.319 --> 00:08:30.099 Now, maybe you're here, and before we even get going, this is a problem for you. 00:08:31.459 --> 00:08:33.399 Because the world just doesn't work like that. 00:08:33.500 --> 00:08:34.980 Miracles don't happen. 00:08:35.960 --> 00:08:38.439 In other words, what we see is what there is. 00:08:38.740 --> 00:08:46.120 If we can't see it or touch it or smell it or taste it, essentially, if we can't measure it, then it doesn't exist. 00:08:46.120 --> 00:08:51.279 And of course, if there is no God, then that is all the universe is. 00:08:51.460 --> 00:08:57.679 The material matter that the universe is made up of, the cause and effect of things acting upon that matter. 00:08:57.940 --> 00:09:04.179 If there is no God, then what John is claiming has happened here can't have been a miracle. 00:09:05.419 --> 00:09:08.159 It must have been something else, a trick, an illusion. 00:09:08.159 --> 00:09:18.219 Jesus' attempt to wow or to manipulate, or maybe just a group of stupid, deluded disciples, too gullible to realize what was really going on. 00:09:19.500 --> 00:09:27.639 If that's you this morning, if you're tempted to just rule out the possibility of a miracle altogether, then let me just say two things this morning before we go on. 00:09:27.639 --> 00:09:34.899 Firstly, if there is a God, then we can't disregard the possibility of a miracle. 00:09:35.059 --> 00:09:43.679 Not just because, obviously, God is God and can do whatever he wants to do, but because if there is a God, how else would he reveal himself to us? 00:09:44.659 --> 00:09:47.199 How else would we know anything about him at all? 00:09:48.860 --> 00:09:52.960 For what it's worth, I'd like to suggest that our existence is a miracle itself. 00:09:52.960 --> 00:10:05.879 Whatever our theories about creation and the universe or the multiverse or whatever, the fact that you and I exist, that something has come to exist out of nothing, is miraculous. 00:10:07.300 --> 00:10:11.240 And more than that, the universe that we live in, it is an ordered universe. 00:10:11.560 --> 00:10:12.560 There's a logic to it. 00:10:12.600 --> 00:10:17.000 It is, generally speaking, like I said, bound by the laws of cause and effect. 00:10:17.480 --> 00:10:21.060 And I think that tells us something about the God who created it. 00:10:21.059 --> 00:10:29.299 But for God to make himself known to us in more specific ways, he has to do something outside of that ordered system. 00:10:30.059 --> 00:10:31.379 And that's what miracles are. 00:10:32.579 --> 00:10:35.939 But these miracles, we'll see, they're not just random showing off. 00:10:36.339 --> 00:10:38.659 It's not a sort of attention grab. 00:10:38.799 --> 00:10:39.619 Look at me. 00:10:40.679 --> 00:10:41.779 These are signs. 00:10:41.899 --> 00:10:47.079 You see in verse 11, they're signs that point to something much bigger. 00:10:47.080 --> 00:10:53.400 They reveal something about who God is, about who Jesus is and what he came to do. 00:10:54.080 --> 00:10:57.080 I guess fundamentally here that he is powerful over creation. 00:10:58.700 --> 00:11:07.080 The second thing I'd like to say to you, if that's you, is that it's really important that we don't make unfair assumptions about the sort of people that we read about in this story. 00:11:07.080 --> 00:11:11.680 It's very easy for us to look back and to think that this was 2,000 years ago. 00:11:12.360 --> 00:11:17.460 These people were just stupid, gullible, nowhere near as intellectually able as us. 00:11:17.520 --> 00:11:18.700 We've come on since then. 00:11:19.460 --> 00:11:24.480 And it is true that we live in a world today that is technologically incredible. 00:11:25.259 --> 00:11:28.440 No doubt we've made progress, haven't we, in so many ways. 00:11:28.440 --> 00:11:33.780 But that doesn't mean that we're in a position to treat people in the past as though they weren't even really human. 00:11:35.040 --> 00:11:40.600 Really, you don't have to spend long studying the ancient world to recognize how incredibly capable these people were. 00:11:41.300 --> 00:11:48.500 Their literature, their architecture, even their technology is far more advanced than many of us might imagine. 00:11:48.500 --> 00:11:51.559 The simple truth is this, though. 00:11:52.659 --> 00:11:58.620 These people saw Jesus do something that any human being would recognize only God could do. 00:11:59.460 --> 00:12:02.960 A child can tell the difference between water and wine. 00:12:03.799 --> 00:12:05.120 These people aren't stupid. 00:12:05.600 --> 00:12:06.799 This is no trick. 00:12:08.320 --> 00:12:12.700 Jesus was beginning to reveal that he is powerful over creation. 00:12:14.779 --> 00:12:17.820 And John doesn't just record these things for fun, right? 00:12:17.820 --> 00:12:19.800 We've seen that over the last couple of weeks. 00:12:19.900 --> 00:12:20.740 John had a purpose. 00:12:20.879 --> 00:12:21.740 Here's his purpose. 00:12:22.800 --> 00:12:24.060 It's in John chapter 20. 00:12:25.020 --> 00:12:30.840 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 00:12:31.060 --> 00:12:36.800 But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, 00:12:36.980 --> 00:12:40.520 and that by believing you may have life in his name. 00:12:41.600 --> 00:12:45.620 These miracles, these signs, they're recorded for us 00:12:45.620 --> 00:12:52.539 so that we, like those who were there, might read them and see Jesus for who he is. 00:12:53.480 --> 00:12:56.700 I take it that's why John goes into so much detail in this story. 00:12:56.820 --> 00:13:01.159 He tells us exactly when this happened, exactly where this happened, 00:13:01.840 --> 00:13:03.659 the size of the water jugs even. 00:13:03.759 --> 00:13:05.080 It's not a made-up story. 00:13:06.220 --> 00:13:10.060 John's telling us about a wedding that he would never forget. 00:13:10.059 --> 00:13:11.139 Why? 00:13:12.339 --> 00:13:16.179 So that we might believe that Jesus is who he said he was. 00:13:17.219 --> 00:13:21.119 That we might believe that he is powerful over creation. 00:13:22.659 --> 00:13:25.619 And there are loads of implications for us today, aren't there? 00:13:26.119 --> 00:13:29.099 Lots of things about this that affect how we might live today. 00:13:29.199 --> 00:13:32.359 But I want to just focus right now, especially on prayer. 00:13:32.360 --> 00:13:37.800 See, if we believe that Jesus is powerful over creation, 00:13:38.620 --> 00:13:42.460 and if we believe that we are not, which I trust that we do, 00:13:43.440 --> 00:13:45.159 wouldn't that affect the way that we pray? 00:13:46.480 --> 00:13:50.220 I'm not saying that we should be praying for our water to turn into wine 00:13:50.220 --> 00:13:51.740 at the next dinner party we go to. 00:13:52.279 --> 00:13:55.480 But if this is true, if this is true of Jesus, 00:13:56.000 --> 00:13:59.800 then would we trust that he is powerful in our lives? 00:13:59.799 --> 00:14:03.339 That he does and that he can answer prayer. 00:14:03.699 --> 00:14:07.479 Perhaps not always how we would wish him to, but always for our best. 00:14:08.379 --> 00:14:10.679 If we believe that he has this power, 00:14:10.779 --> 00:14:12.799 I just think we'd be praying all the time. 00:14:13.819 --> 00:14:17.159 In all the small, quiet moments that we get throughout the day, 00:14:17.259 --> 00:14:22.099 whether it's driving to work, short walk, lunchtime, 00:14:22.159 --> 00:14:23.599 whatever it is when we're on our own, 00:14:23.679 --> 00:14:26.579 depending on his power in our weakness. 00:14:26.580 --> 00:14:30.639 And our prayer life as a church, I guess, too, 00:14:30.700 --> 00:14:34.340 it's often said that the best measure of the spiritual health of a church 00:14:34.340 --> 00:14:35.720 is its prayer life. 00:14:36.540 --> 00:14:36.980 Why? 00:14:37.680 --> 00:14:39.620 Because we really need him. 00:14:40.720 --> 00:14:42.500 As we seek to grow together, 00:14:42.500 --> 00:14:44.540 and as we seek to reach our community, 00:14:44.540 --> 00:14:47.780 these are things that we simply can't do in our own strength. 00:14:48.420 --> 00:14:52.300 We desperately need the help of this powerful God as we do that. 00:14:52.299 --> 00:14:55.219 How's our prayer life? 00:14:56.740 --> 00:15:00.539 You might remember that wedding that you went to for this reason or for that, 00:15:00.679 --> 00:15:04.199 but have you ever experienced the wonder of answered prayer? 00:15:05.159 --> 00:15:08.120 It's incredible to be able to look back at a prayer meeting, 00:15:08.259 --> 00:15:10.559 remember when we prayed for this together. 00:15:12.139 --> 00:15:14.539 Wonderful to be able to do that as a church. 00:15:14.539 --> 00:15:19.639 Jesus is powerful over creation. 00:15:20.819 --> 00:15:26.679 But his power over creation, I guess, means nothing to us today if he isn't also, 00:15:26.779 --> 00:15:29.839 and this is the second thing I'd like us to see about Jesus this morning, 00:15:30.500 --> 00:15:31.980 the substitute groom. 00:15:33.519 --> 00:15:37.259 As you think about the most memorable wedding that you've been to 00:15:37.259 --> 00:15:39.259 and the things that make it memorable, 00:15:39.419 --> 00:15:44.059 maybe it was a beautiful dress or a special setting or incredible food, 00:15:44.059 --> 00:15:45.639 it's almost always the food for me. 00:15:46.819 --> 00:15:48.699 I suppose traditionally in the UK, 00:15:48.959 --> 00:15:52.859 the sort of responsibility for that has fallen on the bride's parents. 00:15:53.359 --> 00:15:54.699 Certainly in the past, traditionally, 00:15:54.779 --> 00:15:56.939 it would be the bride's parents who would foot the bill. 00:15:57.179 --> 00:15:58.539 I'm not sure that's actually true anymore, 00:15:58.699 --> 00:16:01.819 but 2,000 years ago in Cana in Galilee, 00:16:02.039 --> 00:16:04.019 it was always the bridegroom. 00:16:05.139 --> 00:16:06.459 See at the end of verse 9, 00:16:06.539 --> 00:16:08.379 who does the master of the banquet go to? 00:16:09.059 --> 00:16:10.579 He goes straight to the bridegroom. 00:16:10.679 --> 00:16:10.979 Why? 00:16:10.980 --> 00:16:14.580 Because he was the one responsible for the thing. 00:16:15.300 --> 00:16:17.680 He organized it, he paid for it, 00:16:17.700 --> 00:16:21.940 it was his job to make sure that there was plenty of wine to go around. 00:16:22.560 --> 00:16:24.139 And for him to get that wrong, 00:16:24.480 --> 00:16:27.539 maybe especially in such an obvious way as the wine running out, 00:16:27.620 --> 00:16:29.379 it would have been massively shameful. 00:16:30.200 --> 00:16:35.240 I think especially in this sort of honor and shame culture of the ancient world. 00:16:35.240 --> 00:16:38.759 And maybe for us, 00:16:39.500 --> 00:16:41.060 I don't know if you can think of, 00:16:41.159 --> 00:16:44.720 it could be a wedding or a party or even just a day that you remember, 00:16:45.840 --> 00:16:49.019 not because of something fun or joyful that happened, 00:16:50.080 --> 00:16:52.180 but because as you remember that day, 00:16:52.740 --> 00:16:54.860 you feel deep shame. 00:16:54.860 --> 00:17:00.019 I can certainly think of times like that looking back at my life. 00:17:01.440 --> 00:17:03.500 And this is what the bridegroom faced. 00:17:04.319 --> 00:17:06.140 His shame made public. 00:17:07.720 --> 00:17:11.420 And so do you see what Jesus does in turning the water into wine? 00:17:12.299 --> 00:17:14.160 He deals with that shame. 00:17:14.940 --> 00:17:17.940 He steps in as a substitute for the bridegroom. 00:17:17.940 --> 00:17:21.500 And in verse 11, we've said already, 00:17:21.640 --> 00:17:23.539 he isn't doing that just to show off. 00:17:24.140 --> 00:17:27.360 In verse 11, this is the first of the signs 00:17:27.360 --> 00:17:30.000 through which he revealed his glory. 00:17:31.320 --> 00:17:34.380 It might be that the people at this wedding remember the wine, 00:17:34.759 --> 00:17:39.440 but it points to, just like a sign points to something much bigger. 00:17:40.380 --> 00:17:42.039 And so what did Jesus come to do? 00:17:42.120 --> 00:17:43.680 What is this pointing to? 00:17:43.680 --> 00:17:46.779 Well, have a look at verse six, 00:17:46.820 --> 00:17:50.980 as we think about how Jesus is the substitute bridegroom. 00:17:51.960 --> 00:17:53.720 What sort of jars is the water in? 00:17:54.740 --> 00:17:58.299 These are the jars that are used by the Jews for ceremonial washing. 00:17:59.080 --> 00:18:02.120 Again, John isn't just recording that detail because it's interesting 00:18:02.120 --> 00:18:05.360 or because it's true, though I guess it is true, 00:18:05.720 --> 00:18:08.400 but because it helps us understand the sign. 00:18:09.200 --> 00:18:10.220 So how does that work? 00:18:10.279 --> 00:18:12.500 Well, this was the ways of Jewish ritual, right? 00:18:12.500 --> 00:18:16.380 One of the processes that a gracious God had given the Jews 00:18:16.380 --> 00:18:18.220 of dealing with their shame. 00:18:18.680 --> 00:18:21.539 They were unclean by their sin 00:18:21.539 --> 00:18:24.980 and by contact with external unclean things. 00:18:24.980 --> 00:18:27.299 That was a form of shame for them. 00:18:27.759 --> 00:18:29.599 And so on their way into a feast like this, 00:18:29.640 --> 00:18:31.579 they would submerge their entire arms 00:18:31.579 --> 00:18:34.519 into these ceremonial cleansing jars 00:18:34.519 --> 00:18:38.579 to clean themselves, to deal with their shame. 00:18:38.579 --> 00:18:42.599 Notice that is an entirely external process. 00:18:43.019 --> 00:18:45.500 It is other things that make me unclean. 00:18:45.899 --> 00:18:47.319 And the picture of cleansing, 00:18:47.500 --> 00:18:50.339 it's an external cleansing that removes the shame. 00:18:51.460 --> 00:18:53.679 But Jesus came with a new message. 00:18:54.460 --> 00:18:55.839 He says you are unclean, 00:18:55.899 --> 00:18:57.899 not only by what you've touched and tasted 00:18:57.899 --> 00:19:00.079 and interacted with, but on the inside. 00:19:00.079 --> 00:19:04.099 And to deal with that internal shame 00:19:04.099 --> 00:19:05.720 and to deal with it finally, 00:19:05.960 --> 00:19:07.879 something new had to happen. 00:19:09.039 --> 00:19:10.919 Shame was going to be dealt with in a new way. 00:19:11.619 --> 00:19:14.059 And this miracle is a sign. 00:19:14.179 --> 00:19:16.439 It is a picture of that new thing. 00:19:17.299 --> 00:19:21.299 The picture is Jesus as the substitute groom, 00:19:22.299 --> 00:19:24.859 stepping into the place of the groom 00:19:24.859 --> 00:19:26.919 and dealing with his shame on his behalf. 00:19:26.920 --> 00:19:30.039 And that's an Old Testament picture, really, 00:19:30.519 --> 00:19:32.660 as the Old Testament prophets looked forward 00:19:32.660 --> 00:19:34.440 to the powerful creator, 00:19:34.620 --> 00:19:36.680 stepping in as the substitute groom, 00:19:37.080 --> 00:19:38.820 dealing with the shame of his people. 00:19:39.259 --> 00:19:41.880 Here's how Isaiah puts it in Isaiah 54. 00:19:43.200 --> 00:19:44.519 Do not be afraid. 00:19:45.600 --> 00:19:47.480 You will not be put to shame. 00:19:48.140 --> 00:19:49.740 Do not fear disgrace. 00:19:50.779 --> 00:19:52.420 You will not be humiliated. 00:19:53.100 --> 00:19:55.340 You will forget the shame of your youth 00:19:55.339 --> 00:19:58.519 and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood. 00:19:59.759 --> 00:20:02.119 For your maker is your husband. 00:20:03.240 --> 00:20:04.899 The Lord Almighty is his name. 00:20:05.559 --> 00:20:07.720 The Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer. 00:20:08.379 --> 00:20:11.119 He is called the God of all the earth. 00:20:12.939 --> 00:20:15.339 See, Isaiah says, 00:20:15.679 --> 00:20:18.059 wait for this guy to come, 00:20:18.599 --> 00:20:20.019 the creator of the universe, 00:20:20.019 --> 00:20:24.220 and he is going to come to be the substitute groom. 00:20:24.740 --> 00:20:27.299 He is going to come to take the shame 00:20:27.299 --> 00:20:29.539 that you deserve in your place. 00:20:30.339 --> 00:20:31.400 I guess in some ways, 00:20:31.480 --> 00:20:33.539 honor and shame aren't really on our radar today, 00:20:33.539 --> 00:20:34.039 are they? 00:20:34.400 --> 00:20:37.139 And yet I'm sure that we can all think of things 00:20:37.139 --> 00:20:38.440 that we are ashamed of. 00:20:39.019 --> 00:20:40.779 Certainly as I examine myself, 00:20:40.940 --> 00:20:41.859 things that I've done, 00:20:42.359 --> 00:20:44.200 ways that I've related to other people, 00:20:44.359 --> 00:20:45.619 things that I've said, 00:20:45.700 --> 00:20:46.980 even things that I've thought. 00:20:46.980 --> 00:20:49.180 I wonder if you think, 00:20:49.480 --> 00:20:50.500 maybe imagine this, 00:20:50.519 --> 00:20:52.860 if everything you had thought about this week, 00:20:53.259 --> 00:20:55.160 everything that you have desired this week, 00:20:55.240 --> 00:20:57.200 let alone all the things that you've done in secret 00:20:57.200 --> 00:20:58.539 and behind closed doors, 00:20:59.220 --> 00:21:01.960 imagine if as we left church this morning, 00:21:02.440 --> 00:21:04.799 all of those things were being projected 00:21:04.799 --> 00:21:07.220 as a video onto the building across the street. 00:21:08.019 --> 00:21:09.339 I promise that's not going to be happening. 00:21:09.579 --> 00:21:11.059 I've not been hiding with a camera 00:21:11.059 --> 00:21:12.220 or anything like that. 00:21:12.519 --> 00:21:13.900 But if that did happen, 00:21:15.160 --> 00:21:16.339 wouldn't that bring you shame? 00:21:16.339 --> 00:21:19.579 In our heart of hearts, 00:21:20.319 --> 00:21:22.720 aren't there things that we are all ashamed of? 00:21:24.379 --> 00:21:26.519 And so this is what Jesus came to do. 00:21:27.199 --> 00:21:28.919 And don't we desperately need him 00:21:28.919 --> 00:21:31.299 to be our substitute groom too? 00:21:32.699 --> 00:21:33.699 And he does that. 00:21:33.779 --> 00:21:34.859 He offers to do that, 00:21:34.919 --> 00:21:37.500 not because of any merit on your part or mine, 00:21:38.379 --> 00:21:40.059 but the shame that we face 00:21:40.059 --> 00:21:41.559 for the things that we have done, 00:21:41.899 --> 00:21:43.359 the shame that we face 00:21:43.359 --> 00:21:45.699 for the things that we have thought and desired, 00:21:45.700 --> 00:21:48.860 he offers to take that burden on his shoulders. 00:21:49.799 --> 00:21:51.620 He's carried it to the cross, 00:21:51.980 --> 00:21:53.080 dying in my place, 00:21:53.220 --> 00:21:54.340 dying in your place. 00:21:54.440 --> 00:21:57.240 And then because he is powerful over creation, 00:21:57.680 --> 00:21:59.019 he rises again, 00:21:59.400 --> 00:22:01.740 proving that he is who he says he is. 00:22:01.740 --> 00:22:04.559 And so if you're here this morning, 00:22:04.980 --> 00:22:07.420 if you're dealing with guilt, 00:22:07.920 --> 00:22:10.059 if you're dealing with shame, 00:22:10.740 --> 00:22:13.460 would you bring it to Jesus? 00:22:14.680 --> 00:22:18.660 Because only he can stand in your place as your substitute. 00:22:19.620 --> 00:22:22.900 Would you let him take your burden on his shoulders? 00:22:23.079 --> 00:22:24.059 Would you be free? 00:22:24.059 --> 00:22:25.940 Friends, 00:22:26.000 --> 00:22:27.599 you do not need to be ashamed 00:22:27.599 --> 00:22:30.519 if you are in Christ 00:22:30.519 --> 00:22:33.980 and if he stands as your substitute groom. 00:22:35.559 --> 00:22:37.559 Jesus is powerful over creation. 00:22:38.619 --> 00:22:40.539 He is the substitute groom. 00:22:40.740 --> 00:22:41.379 And finally, 00:22:41.579 --> 00:22:44.460 Jesus is the bountiful provider. 00:22:45.859 --> 00:22:48.119 You may have heard it said in answer to this question, 00:22:48.119 --> 00:22:51.379 how can you tell a Scottish Christian? 00:22:52.819 --> 00:22:53.259 Answer, 00:22:54.239 --> 00:22:56.059 they'll be the one doing their very best 00:22:56.059 --> 00:22:57.519 to avoid having fun. 00:22:58.939 --> 00:22:59.500 Christianity, 00:22:59.959 --> 00:23:00.979 and I guess Jesus, 00:23:01.519 --> 00:23:03.439 have earned something of a reputation 00:23:03.439 --> 00:23:05.239 and maybe especially here in Scotland, 00:23:05.399 --> 00:23:07.199 I'm not sure if that's unfair to say, 00:23:07.759 --> 00:23:09.719 for being anti-fun. 00:23:11.059 --> 00:23:12.059 At a party, 00:23:12.239 --> 00:23:14.819 I wonder what you would expect Jesus to be like. 00:23:14.819 --> 00:23:18.480 What would you expect God to do at a party? 00:23:18.899 --> 00:23:20.639 I guess most of us instinctively, 00:23:20.740 --> 00:23:23.799 wouldn't we expect Jesus to be turning wine into water? 00:23:25.079 --> 00:23:27.839 Would expect God to be policing fun, wouldn't we? 00:23:29.240 --> 00:23:32.439 But if signs point to who Jesus is, 00:23:33.480 --> 00:23:35.779 well, would we see him for who he is this morning? 00:23:36.519 --> 00:23:38.139 Again, at the end of verse 10, 00:23:38.579 --> 00:23:40.500 you have saved the best. 00:23:40.740 --> 00:23:42.859 We've already said this is the best wine, 00:23:42.980 --> 00:23:44.579 wine of the highest quality. 00:23:44.819 --> 00:23:45.919 And more than that, 00:23:45.980 --> 00:23:46.740 in verse 6, 00:23:46.819 --> 00:23:48.919 we saw that this is loads of wine, 00:23:49.039 --> 00:23:50.819 probably around 600 litres. 00:23:51.299 --> 00:23:52.119 It's quality, 00:23:52.279 --> 00:23:54.539 but that is an insane quantity too. 00:23:55.639 --> 00:23:58.059 Jesus is a bountiful provider. 00:23:59.519 --> 00:24:00.700 Again, I think for us, 00:24:00.740 --> 00:24:02.439 this should encourage us in our prayer life, 00:24:02.539 --> 00:24:02.859 shouldn't it? 00:24:02.899 --> 00:24:05.939 Not only is our God powerful over creation, 00:24:06.119 --> 00:24:08.359 but he also provides for his people. 00:24:09.700 --> 00:24:11.099 So would we go to him, 00:24:11.799 --> 00:24:13.019 depend on him in prayer, 00:24:13.019 --> 00:24:15.240 trusting that he will give us all that we need. 00:24:17.039 --> 00:24:17.960 But ultimately, 00:24:18.400 --> 00:24:22.680 we saw at the start that this miracle is really about the hope, 00:24:23.559 --> 00:24:24.619 the Christian hope. 00:24:25.740 --> 00:24:28.099 Because the hope that we have for the future 00:24:28.099 --> 00:24:30.039 shapes how we live today. 00:24:30.039 --> 00:24:33.779 And because Jesus is powerful over creation, 00:24:34.319 --> 00:24:37.839 and because he deals with our shame as the substitute grew, 00:24:38.700 --> 00:24:43.839 he is ultimately able to provide for us bountifully into eternity. 00:24:45.500 --> 00:24:46.799 See in verse 4, 00:24:46.899 --> 00:24:49.159 that mysterious reply that Jesus gives, 00:24:49.299 --> 00:24:51.399 my hour has not yet come. 00:24:52.139 --> 00:24:56.399 That's a phrase and an idea that is repeated throughout John's gospel. 00:24:56.400 --> 00:24:59.060 My hour has not yet come. 00:25:00.160 --> 00:25:04.240 That is until he speaks of his death and resurrection, 00:25:04.740 --> 00:25:06.000 where he says, 00:25:06.140 --> 00:25:10.519 the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 00:25:11.780 --> 00:25:13.400 Why does he speak this way? 00:25:13.620 --> 00:25:15.900 How does that help us make sense of this sign? 00:25:15.900 --> 00:25:18.400 Well, what does the sign do in verse 11? 00:25:19.680 --> 00:25:20.380 It begins, 00:25:20.480 --> 00:25:22.820 just begins to reveal his glory, 00:25:23.019 --> 00:25:24.759 so eventually he is glorified. 00:25:26.620 --> 00:25:26.940 Friends, 00:25:27.019 --> 00:25:29.320 Jesus' death on the cross and his resurrection 00:25:29.320 --> 00:25:32.019 is where he was ultimately glorified. 00:25:32.380 --> 00:25:35.420 And it was where he made a way for the eternal wedding, 00:25:35.920 --> 00:25:39.100 where we will be with him in glory. 00:25:39.099 --> 00:25:42.559 We read at the beginning of our service, 00:25:42.659 --> 00:25:42.959 didn't we, 00:25:43.000 --> 00:25:44.899 the words of Isaiah chapter 25. 00:25:46.599 --> 00:25:49.099 Don't know if they sounded familiar to you 00:25:49.099 --> 00:25:50.359 as we read John's gospel. 00:25:50.559 --> 00:25:53.839 Here's this wonderful picture of the great eternal wedding feast. 00:25:55.059 --> 00:25:56.259 On this mountain, 00:25:57.000 --> 00:25:58.699 the Lord Almighty will prepare 00:25:58.699 --> 00:26:01.919 a feast of rich food for all peoples, 00:26:02.879 --> 00:26:04.779 a banquet of aged wine, 00:26:05.339 --> 00:26:07.679 the best of meats and the finest of wines. 00:26:07.680 --> 00:26:10.320 On this mountain, 00:26:10.460 --> 00:26:13.440 he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, 00:26:13.980 --> 00:26:16.080 the sheet that covers all nations. 00:26:16.720 --> 00:26:19.380 He will swallow up death forever. 00:26:21.000 --> 00:26:25.080 The sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces. 00:26:26.240 --> 00:26:29.940 He will remove his people's disgrace or shame 00:26:29.940 --> 00:26:32.420 from all the earth. 00:26:34.060 --> 00:26:35.019 At Cana, 00:26:35.019 --> 00:26:37.779 Jesus says his hour has not yet come, 00:26:38.200 --> 00:26:42.319 but he performs a sign that points us to that hour, 00:26:42.700 --> 00:26:45.599 to the great eternal wedding feast. 00:26:46.059 --> 00:26:48.420 And he's made a way for us to be there 00:26:48.420 --> 00:26:50.639 in becoming our substitute too, 00:26:50.799 --> 00:26:52.799 which means that I'm invited. 00:26:53.319 --> 00:26:55.000 It means that you're invited. 00:26:55.720 --> 00:26:57.200 This is the hope for the future 00:26:57.200 --> 00:26:59.059 that changes everything today. 00:27:00.440 --> 00:27:00.960 Weddings, 00:27:00.960 --> 00:27:02.039 these parties, 00:27:02.039 --> 00:27:04.220 they often have that memorable moment, 00:27:04.340 --> 00:27:04.640 don't they? 00:27:04.700 --> 00:27:06.240 That defining feature. 00:27:06.799 --> 00:27:07.880 The wedding at Cana, 00:27:08.000 --> 00:27:10.019 it's got to have been the incredible wine. 00:27:10.340 --> 00:27:11.759 They'd have been talking about it. 00:27:11.799 --> 00:27:13.340 I guess they'd have been drinking it, 00:27:13.740 --> 00:27:15.600 certainly for weeks to come. 00:27:16.620 --> 00:27:18.500 But here's why John remembers it. 00:27:18.900 --> 00:27:21.400 And here's why he wants us to remember it. 00:27:22.039 --> 00:27:23.779 Because it was a sign, 00:27:24.240 --> 00:27:28.700 an image of the great eternal future wedding feast to come. 00:27:28.700 --> 00:27:30.340 For John, 00:27:30.539 --> 00:27:32.799 he remembers it because for him, 00:27:33.100 --> 00:27:34.840 it's hope for the future. 00:27:36.180 --> 00:27:36.960 Now there are again, 00:27:37.039 --> 00:27:39.819 lots of implications for this hope for us today. 00:27:39.920 --> 00:27:41.500 I guess it's really the Christian life, 00:27:41.580 --> 00:27:42.039 isn't it? 00:27:43.019 --> 00:27:44.160 But just as we finish, 00:27:44.259 --> 00:27:46.080 I want to offer two things in particular. 00:27:47.480 --> 00:27:47.980 Firstly, 00:27:48.080 --> 00:27:50.120 I want to say to those of you 00:27:50.120 --> 00:27:52.240 who are facing deep suffering, 00:27:52.920 --> 00:27:55.200 that this is incredibly good news for you, 00:27:55.259 --> 00:27:55.700 is it not? 00:27:55.700 --> 00:27:58.720 But it's true in life 00:27:58.720 --> 00:28:01.120 that light at the end of the tunnel 00:28:01.120 --> 00:28:03.380 makes the challenge of the moment memorable, 00:28:03.880 --> 00:28:05.080 manageable, sorry. 00:28:05.740 --> 00:28:06.580 Light at the end of the tunnel 00:28:06.580 --> 00:28:08.840 makes the challenge of the moment manageable. 00:28:10.120 --> 00:28:11.799 Just in really simple ways, 00:28:11.900 --> 00:28:13.340 you know the feeling of you're working 00:28:13.340 --> 00:28:14.559 and you're sitting at your desk, 00:28:14.580 --> 00:28:15.819 it's the middle of the afternoon, 00:28:16.059 --> 00:28:17.600 and it's just a couple of hours 00:28:17.600 --> 00:28:19.860 until you can sign off and relax for the weekend. 00:28:19.980 --> 00:28:21.220 It's light at the end of the tunnel. 00:28:21.299 --> 00:28:22.080 We know the picture. 00:28:22.079 --> 00:28:24.159 But this is bigger than that, isn't it? 00:28:24.879 --> 00:28:25.699 Because here, 00:28:25.960 --> 00:28:28.460 it's the final enemy of death 00:28:28.460 --> 00:28:29.899 that is defeated. 00:28:31.299 --> 00:28:32.639 And not only that, 00:28:33.119 --> 00:28:34.339 but Isaiah would tell us 00:28:34.339 --> 00:28:36.799 that it's a time where every illness, 00:28:37.980 --> 00:28:38.919 every pain, 00:28:40.299 --> 00:28:41.379 every frustration, 00:28:42.460 --> 00:28:43.939 every ounce of shame, 00:28:45.019 --> 00:28:47.699 where every tear is wiped away forever. 00:28:47.700 --> 00:28:50.400 This is real hope, 00:28:50.500 --> 00:28:51.620 and it's really good news 00:28:51.620 --> 00:28:53.019 when life sucks, isn't it? 00:28:54.860 --> 00:28:56.200 And I guess secondly, 00:28:56.360 --> 00:28:57.880 really following on from that, 00:28:58.539 --> 00:29:00.340 if this hope is true, 00:29:01.000 --> 00:29:01.960 wouldn't we want to do 00:29:01.960 --> 00:29:02.819 whatever we could 00:29:02.819 --> 00:29:04.279 to remind ourselves of it 00:29:04.279 --> 00:29:05.500 as often as possible, 00:29:06.420 --> 00:29:08.039 especially when life sucks? 00:29:08.140 --> 00:29:09.259 And the temptation, I think, 00:29:09.299 --> 00:29:09.799 when life sucks 00:29:09.799 --> 00:29:10.980 is often to do the opposite, 00:29:11.779 --> 00:29:14.299 to stay away from church, 00:29:14.299 --> 00:29:16.759 to face it on our own 00:29:16.759 --> 00:29:18.099 and sort of stumble through. 00:29:19.200 --> 00:29:19.740 But friends, 00:29:19.799 --> 00:29:21.079 this is why we do the things 00:29:21.079 --> 00:29:22.359 that we do here on a Sunday. 00:29:23.059 --> 00:29:24.279 As we go to the bread 00:29:24.279 --> 00:29:25.220 and the cup together, 00:29:25.220 --> 00:29:27.220 it points us to this hope. 00:29:27.579 --> 00:29:29.039 As we open God's word, 00:29:29.119 --> 00:29:30.399 it points us to this hope. 00:29:30.659 --> 00:29:31.779 As we sing together, 00:29:31.779 --> 00:29:33.119 we are pointing one another 00:29:33.119 --> 00:29:34.359 to this hope. 00:29:34.940 --> 00:29:36.639 As we depend on him in prayer, 00:29:36.819 --> 00:29:37.919 it points to this hope. 00:29:37.980 --> 00:29:39.079 As we serve one another, 00:29:39.339 --> 00:29:40.980 it points to this hope. 00:29:40.980 --> 00:29:44.220 And not only would we want 00:29:44.220 --> 00:29:45.420 to remind ourselves of it, 00:29:45.460 --> 00:29:46.279 but wouldn't we want to 00:29:46.279 --> 00:29:47.960 point other people to it too? 00:29:48.819 --> 00:29:50.019 To share this hope 00:29:50.019 --> 00:29:51.759 with a world that doesn't know it? 00:29:53.640 --> 00:29:56.480 To invite people into spaces like this 00:29:56.480 --> 00:29:57.660 where they might encounter 00:29:57.660 --> 00:29:59.420 that hope in Jesus. 00:30:00.799 --> 00:30:02.299 Because whoever we are, 00:30:02.860 --> 00:30:04.460 we love one another best 00:30:04.460 --> 00:30:06.120 as we encourage each other 00:30:06.120 --> 00:30:08.920 to keep holding fast to this. 00:30:08.920 --> 00:30:12.600 the hope that Jesus points us to 00:30:12.600 --> 00:30:13.340 in this miracle, 00:30:14.120 --> 00:30:16.580 the hope that Jesus invites us to 00:30:16.580 --> 00:30:17.820 in this miracle, 00:30:18.420 --> 00:30:20.740 the hope that we have 00:30:20.740 --> 00:30:23.960 of the great eternal wedding feast. 00:30:25.840 --> 00:30:27.779 Let's pray together as we finish. 00:30:32.039 --> 00:30:32.920 Heavenly Father, 00:30:33.060 --> 00:30:35.180 we thank you so much for Jesus. 00:30:35.180 --> 00:30:39.759 we thank you so much for this 00:30:39.759 --> 00:30:42.980 incredible sign that he gives us 00:30:42.980 --> 00:30:45.420 of the hope that we have in him. 00:30:46.160 --> 00:30:48.140 Lord, we thank you for that hope, 00:30:48.539 --> 00:30:49.860 hope of that wonderful, 00:30:50.060 --> 00:30:51.860 eternal wedding feast. 00:30:53.600 --> 00:30:55.519 Father, help us to know Jesus 00:30:55.519 --> 00:30:57.960 for who he has revealed himself to be. 00:30:59.500 --> 00:31:00.960 And by your spirit, 00:31:01.060 --> 00:31:03.080 would you help us to point one another, 00:31:03.079 --> 00:31:04.319 that even this morning, 00:31:04.819 --> 00:31:07.299 even as we sing and drink coffee together, 00:31:07.939 --> 00:31:09.419 help us to point one another 00:31:09.419 --> 00:31:12.059 to the glorious hope that we have in him. 00:31:13.960 --> 00:31:15.779 We desperately need your help 00:31:15.779 --> 00:31:17.039 to live this life 00:31:17.039 --> 00:31:19.759 and to keep our eyes fixed on him. 00:31:19.879 --> 00:31:21.179 So be with us, we pray. 00:31:21.779 --> 00:31:23.259 Be with us by your spirit 00:31:23.259 --> 00:31:25.579 for the glory of your son. 00:31:25.579 --> 00:31:27.099 Amen.