John chapter 2 verse 1, it says, In the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. And both Jesus was called and his disciples to the marriage. And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus said unto him, They have no wine. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come. His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. And there were yet, and there were set, there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast, and they bear it. 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, 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. Beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee and manifested forth his glory and his disciples believed on him may we pray Lord Thank you again to be able to gather here in your house to sing your praises We asked tonight that we would hear from heaven that you wouldn't that we wouldn't hear just a man speak or the wisdom of man But we want the truths that Come straight from the mouth of God May you change our hearts tonight. May our will align with your will. In Christ's name we pray, amen. This is the account of Jesus's first miracle. You probably have heard this story since you were in Sunday school class many years ago. The wine at this marriage feast had run out and there was no more. Mary knew who to ask, Jesus, and Jesus took care of all the details. What I'm going to find in this story today and the point that I want to drive home this evening is maybe not just the traditional point that is brought up, but maybe something just a little bit different. I want to focus in specifically on verse number 10, where it says, And he saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine. And when men have well drunk, than that which is worse, but thou has kept the good wine until now. There are two approaches to life that we find here. One's now and one's later. That's the title of the message tonight. Now or later. The world offers. You can have it now. Let's put forth the best now. Jesus, on the other hand, does quite the opposite. And he says later. and he saves the best for later. In the 1960s, there was a psychology test that was done with a bunch of preschoolers, and this test was called the Marshmallow Test. Has anybody heard about the Marshmallow Test before? A handful of people. Well, it's a pretty simple test. They would take a young person of preschool age, and they would bring that young person into a room. And they would sit that young person down at a chair and at a table, and they would take one treat and put it in front of that young person. And they would say to that young person, whether this was a marshmallow, a cookie, a piece of candy, whatever it may be, says to that young person, all right, now little Johnny, this piece of candy is all yours. You can have it. You can take it, you can eat it. However, I'm gonna leave for just a few moments, and if you wait and do not eat that piece of candy or that marshmallow, I'm gonna bring you another one and you can have two when I come back. And so the test would go that the person administering it would walk away and would walk out the door and leave that little preschooler, three or four year old, with a decision to make. Now, I have had three preschoolers, and I can tell you right now, I know what two out of the three would choose. I do know that. And so, the person that made that offer would leave, and in 15 minutes, which for a preschool-age young person is an eternity. It's an eternity. He would leave, 15 minutes later he would come back to find whether or not that young person had devoured that treat or would he reach into his pocket and pull out another one and they could have double. The results from the test were not concluded right at that moment. They actually began to track those young people's progress throughout their life and years and years later found out that the children that decided to wait and had the self-control to wait for the second piece of candy, they achieved greater success in life. I don't know the specifics as to what that means, but they achieved greater success in life. Also, even had a lower body mass index. True. And it seemed to be that the ability to delay gratification was a key to success in their life. Pretty amazing. Folks, for us, spiritually, it's the exact same way. We have an opportunity in front of us. Do we want it now or do we want it later? The Lord comes by to us and says, I've got some good things for you, but it's going to take a while. I've got some things that are going to bless you, but you have to wait. And the devil comes by, sadly, and he says, I can give it to you right now. Do you want it? So, today we're going to see in this passage these two approaches to life. We're going to see the world's approach, how the world offers it now. We're going to see Jesus, how Jesus offers it later. And hopefully by the end of the message tonight, you'll determine, are you gonna settle for now or are you gonna wait for later? Well, let's look at the first point that I have here. Point number one, the world offers good wine. It says in our verse, and he saith unto him, every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine. What he's saying here is when you go to a wedding, they offer something that's good. I think when it comes to the world, the world has some things that are pleasurable. They have some things that are enjoyable. The world is not initially unattractive. When we look at what the world has to offer, it doesn't look repulsive at the moment. It actually looks appealing, does it not? I think sometimes we try to lie to young people. and give them a false sense of reason, and we try to tell young people and say, oh, there's no fun over there, there's no pleasure in that, but that couldn't actually be further from the truth. What we should be telling young people is, Yes, there is absolutely a thrill when it comes to what the world offers. There's absolutely enjoyment when it comes to what the world offers. Oh, there's some temporary satisfaction when it comes to what the world offers. You want to chase those things? You will have some pleasure and some enjoyment for some time. There's no sense in lying. How do we know there's enjoyment? Well, first of all, many of us have participated in those things, we know. We do a disservice when we tell people there's no pleasure in those things. Going out and partying, going to the clubs, you name it. There's fun, there's enjoyment. You want to leave your wife and chase after some young floozy? There's going to be some enjoyment in it. It's God's honest truth. It's not going to last, but there's going to be some enjoyment in it. It's temporary, but it's still there. Here's the thing, if all that the world has to offer was not fun, and they didn't have something good, we will say, some good wine to offer, nobody would ever be going after what the world is proposing. They wouldn't be chasing after it. But yet people, scores of people, good Christian people, are running after what the world has to offer because they want it now. And they want the world's good wine now. Hebrews 11.25 talks about Moses. And even the Bible affirms that there is pleasure to sin. Because he says about Moses, choosing rather to suffer the afflictions with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. But nonetheless, pleasures of sin You can enjoy it. Young people, you can enjoy lying. You can enjoy cheating on your test. You'll find some enjoyment in that. There'll be some pleasure in doing that, cutting corners. Someday, however, it will catch up. But there's pleasure in doing wrong and doing wickedness for a time. There's pleasure in immorality, absolutely. Because sin always starts sweet, doesn't it? It's exciting, it's appealing, it's desirable. If I go to any young person in our school and I hold up a big stick of fluffy cotton candy and I take some vegetables and put them right in front of them, what do you think they're choosing? They're absolutely choosing the cotton candy. You put that in front of me, I'm taking the cotton candy too. Why? Oh, because it's so much more enjoyable. However, what's better for you? Oh, the vegetables, long-term, the vegetables are going to help you out more than the cotton candy, absolutely. You know, when you got a tummy ache five minutes later after downing that whole big old thing of cotton candy, you're going to be in a world of pain. Sin, it does start sweet. It says in Proverbs 9, stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant. Absolutely, the world does offer good wine. It promises satisfaction. Immediate gratification. This is what all the young people my age are looking for. I want it now. They want the house that their mom and dad worked for for 30 years. They want it now. They're not okay with having a small starter home being cramped a little bit. Putting up with some pain as they save and save and save and try to work for it. Instead, they decide they're gonna balloon out that big mortgage. We'll pay it. Oh yeah, we'll get to it. Instant gratification. They want to go out instead of saving up for a vehicle that they've wanted for so long, instead of riding around in their car that's kind of clunks a little bit, but it's paid off. They instead want to go out for that nice shiny car that's way out of their budget because they want the gratification immediately. This is exactly what we were talking about last week when we referred to the prodigal son and how he left home and he desired and begged his dad to give him his inheritance. Why? The money was always his anyway, was it not? He was gonna get it. He was gonna get everything between him and his brother. He just couldn't wait. He couldn't wait. He was like one of those young people with the marshmallow test and he failed. Because he had to have it right now, and he ruined it for himself. The world always offers its good wine first. It doesn't just offer good wine, but it does offer it first. It says in our verse, verse 10, And he saith unto him, Every man at the beginning, at the beginning, doth set forth good wine. Not only does it promise satisfaction, but as we mentioned, it promises it immediately. The world, it front loads pleasure. It has the idea of enjoy now, pay later. It's the idea of, oh, okay, go ahead and abuse your body now, deal with that when it comes down the road. Live for yourself today, get right with God later. Sow your wild oats today. Oh, you can deal with it down the road. There was a young man I knew in Bible college. He was set to be a preacher. One semester, he didn't come back. I didn't know this man necessarily personally, but maybe a casual acquaintance. And I began to ask around to some of his dorm mates, hey, where'd that guy go? You know where he went? He literally said, I'm young right now and I want to live for myself. In His words, I want to sow my wild oats and then I'll just get right with God later. He wanted it now. Couldn't wait till later. It front loads pleasure, does it not? when you see a commercial on TV or a trailer maybe for a movie that's coming out and they show all the greatest scenes. You got two minutes of just the most spectacular movie, I mean, that's ever come out. They pump it up big, put big titles on there. You have to see this movie. And how often have we went and watched a movie and then been utterly disappointed for two hours as it was not what it was cracked up to be. That's how the world does. It offers its good wine, which it has good wine, but it offers it first. It throws it up in front of us and says, this is what you need, and doesn't talk about the trouble that comes later. The devil pressures us to enjoy now. It's like a salesman that comes by and says, for a limited time only. Hey, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Like he said to that young man that I was at college with. Hey, you're only young once. Live it up while you have opportunity. Hey, the things of God don't wait until later on down the road. You can have your cake and you can eat it too. Thirdly, the world's wine always gets worse. It always gets worse. In our verse, we're going to read it again. Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine, and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse. That which is worse. It starts off good, and it's only downhill from there. If you ever have purchased a new vehicle, and you've pulled into the parking lot, and you've showed Pastor Bill I know one statement that he's probably gonna make. He'll go out to the vehicle, he'll look at it, and he'll say, he'll cross his arms like this and he'll say, wow, look at that car. You better enjoy it now, because that's the best that thing's ever gonna look. And I mean, way to just throw a wet blanket on the enjoyment there, that it's only downhill from here. Oh, the joy of sin, it diminishes over time. Solomon experienced this in chapter 2, he says of Ecclesiastes, Then I looked, and all the works that my hands had wrought, and on all the labor that I labored to do, and behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun. There was nothing of value. He enjoyed every pleasure you could possibly enjoy, but he came away with nothing at the end of it. This is a message we all need to get. Don't let the devil trick you as in when you partake of sin, you're gonna be happy and happy and happy for the rest of time because you're not. It's only the hook that is gonna entrap you for the rest of your life. sin which satisfied now enslaves. What happens is the thing that thrilled you is now dull. I've heard it's like taking drugs. I've never taken drugs unless caffeine is a drug. I've taken a lot of that. But from the testimony what I hear from individuals who have went down the road of drug abuse say that they are always chasing the first high. That there's nothing like that first time that they took drugs. And from then on, all they're trying to do is chase that first high that they have and each one falls shorter and shorter and shorter and shorter. Oh, it was fun to begin with. but now it's just misery. It goes back to this idea that there is payday someday. I like in Strand's, if you have a Bible commentary, Strand, I believe is the guy's name, fabulous commentary. He has a little section in there that really impressed upon me. It was a verse that talked about sin and he said in his commentary, sin is like a credit card. Sin is like a credit card. Oh, it's something that you have and you go and you want something and you really don't have the money for it but you know you just go ahead and swipe. Oh, you got a high limit on that credit card. You got a lot of time in your life to pay that off. And so you take it and you swipe it on something else. You go and you swipe it and swipe it and swipe it with no thought that the bill is coming due at some point. Soon enough, at the end of the month, after all that fun you've experienced, the bank sends that bill. Payday someday. That's just how sin is. So many people are living their life saying, I'll deal with it someday, and they swipe it. They say, oh, it's not that big a deal. God will forgive me. They swipe it. Galatians 6-7 says, Be not deceived, God is not mocked. Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. If you sow wickedness, you are going to reap wickedness. Mark it down. Try to be the exception. You're not going to be. Try to weasel your way out of it. You're not. A harvest is coming. A little saying that comes with sowing and reaping, you reap what you sow. You reap later than you sow. You reap more than you sow. It's absolutely true. The devil says, oh yeah, young people, before you get married, it's okay. Be involved in some sexual promiscuity. Be involved in it. Be involved in some immorality. It's not gonna hurt you. You can have it now. You don't have to wait till you get married. Have it now. Oh, you know what? God has some special things waiting for you when you get married, but you know, all you gotta do is type in a little address on your phone here and you can experience it early. Do you want it now? You can have it now. God says, wait. Later is going to be better. Later is going to be much better. And when it comes to sin, the end is always worse than the beginning. Mark it down. The end of sin is always worse than the beginning. James says, when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin, and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. When you're partaking of it in the moment, it doesn't seem like anything bad is going to happen. But why don't you come sit in my office when I talk to people whose marriages are falling apart because of unfaithfulness? Why don't you come sit in my office and Pastor Bill's office when people are so addicted to this thing right here and viewing things that are on the internet? Why don't you come sit in my office, people that have no self-discipline, and it's ruined their life. Enjoy it for a moment. It may not seem like there's any trouble, but Pastor Bill and I, we live in like the emergency room. We see it all that maybe the average person doesn't. I can tell you what James says under the inspiration of Holy Spirit is true. When lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin, and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. You mark it down, take it to the bank. Point number four, we see as we turn this and we have looked at what the world has to offer. The world offers good wine, oh it does. The world offers its good wine first, yes. However, the world's wine always gets worse as time goes on. We're going to see here Jesus. Jesus, he prepares the best wine in his time. in his time. Our verse again says, 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. But thou hast kept. Jesus could have performed this miracle at the beginning of the wedding. Don't you agree? Do you think Jesus knew at the beginning, before He ever arrived there, that there was going to be a shortage? I think He knew that. The Creator of all absolutely knew that that was going to take place. He could have just supplied it at the beginning so there would have been no trouble, and He could have just given the best wine first, but He decided not to do that. Why? I think it's a principle in the way just God works. God seems, if you look throughout Scripture, it seems that God saves the best for last. Look throughout Scripture. For instance, creation. Oh, God created some amazing things. He created the world, the universe in which we live, every beautiful thing that our eyes behold. He created it all. And I bet when He created it, it was better than we see it now. But what was the last thing, on the last day that He created? He created the best thing, mankind. He saved the best for last. I'm not saying that to puff you up tonight, to give you a big head. But according to God, you are the apex of His creation. You are something special to God. He saved the best for last. Do you know when Adam and Eve sinned that God could have taken care of that probably a lot quicker than waiting thousands of years for Jesus Christ to come? But He didn't. It was as if He saved the best for last. You look throughout the sacrificial system that the Jews had to do. and looking forward, and looking forward, and saying, it's not now, it's later, and they put it off, and put it off, and waited, and waited, and eventually Jesus came. I'm gonna remind you, the best is still yet to come. Because Jesus is coming back. It seems to be with Jesus, in the ways of God, that he saves the best for last. When you look at people throughout, when you look at people throughout, Biblical history, you think of Noah, for 120 years he hammered on an ark. God saved the best for last for him, didn't he? We think of people like Joseph, who was abused and taken advantage of by his brothers, by Potiphar, by Potiphar's wife. He was enslaved, he was betrayed by a friend in prison, left there for years to rot. But eventually he went from prison to the palace. and he became second in command of all of Egypt. Why? God seemed to save the best for last. When David was selected to be the next king of Israel, there was quite a bit of time from when he was anointed to when he took the throne. You know what? There was times when David had opportunity to take Saul out. He chose not to do it. Why? He didn't want to settle for now. He trusted God that the best was yet to come, and the best was going to come in God's timing. So my question tonight to you is, don't you think it's probably the same with you? Don't you think tonight that it's possible? You say, well, my life right now is extremely difficult, and I don't see how possibly that it could work out, and it just doesn't seem like God has my best interest in mind, just keep waiting a little longer. I promise you the best is yet to come. You may say tonight, well, I just don't see my life is coming to an end. I don't see how God could give me the best. Heaven is just around the corner. The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that we're going to see. It's going to be worth it. Don't settle for now when later is coming. You say, Jesus, well, you know, it says that, you know, every man at the beginning, he does set forth the good wine and that which is worse, but then, but thou has kept the good wine until now. It seems like the world and average men put out good wine and Jesus puts out good wine. You missed it. You have absolutely missed it. Because the good wine that the world has to offer, however great it may be, compared to the good that Jesus has to offer, the world's looks like garbage. The best they have, what this man testified, that the best they had to offer, they thought it was the worst because of what Jesus brought to the table. What Jesus has waiting for you is not to be compared with any pleasure of sin that this world has to offer. So do not waste your life chasing after the world's good wine. Think of Esau. He had the birthright, he had the blessing, but yet he traded it for a stupid bowl of soup. Squandered it. Why? He cared more about the flesh than he did the spirit. Unfortunately, that's how many of us are. We got the spirit of Esau in us. And we're trading the best wine for the worst. My last point is this, the longer you live for Jesus, the better it gets. The last statement in our verse, verse 10, but thou has kept the good wine until now. I like the song, every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before. Every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before. I believe for the Christian, every day you wake up, your relationship with the Lord ought to be better. You literally ought to be able to say throughout your entire life, every day, Jesus, you saved the best wine until now. I honestly don't believe it's necessarily something we're waiting for all the way down the road, but it's something we're experiencing each and every moment. When I look back to the day that I got saved, I can tell you right now, it's sweeter today and better today than it was back then. And I can say, Lord, my salvation, you have saved the best until now. When I look at my marriage, I love my wife and I loved her the first day that I said, I do. But I love her today far more than I did over 10 years ago. It just keeps getting better. Those of you that have been saved for a long time know that the more you read the Bible, just the better it gets. And we can say when we crack open the pages of this book, you have saved the good wine until now. Every day, every moment. So, tonight, you are in a marshmallow test. I'm serious. It's as if you have an opportunity right in front of you, you're like a little preschooler. At the beginning, we laughed at those little preschoolers and said, it's not that big a deal, just wait. Well, tonight I'm telling you, don't cave to what the world offers. You're going to look back at this in eternity and say, why? Did I ever do that? Pass the test now. Well, you can partake of the world's good wine now and be disappointed later, or you can trust God now and enjoy his best later. Choice is up to you. Will you pass the test? Let's bow for prayer. Lord, we thank you again. If you would like to know more about the Lord Jesus Christ, you may contact us at the church website, gospelbaptistchurch.com, or you can go to Facebook and type in Gospel Baptist Church Bonita Springs, Florida. Also, you could call the church office at 239-947-1285. Thank you and God bless.