Questions About The HOLY SPIRIT - Zacchaeus - Water Into Wine

 

How does The Holy SPIRIT work on us?

The HOLY SPIRIT is in The Bible from the beginning to Eternity:

Genesis 1:1-2 “In the beginning GOD created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And The SPIRIT of GOD was hovering over the face of the waters.”

Revelation 22:16-17 “I JESUS, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the Churches. I AM The Root and The Offspring of David, The Bright and Morning Star. And The SPIRIT and The Bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the Water of Life freely.”

JESUS and The Bible say:

He is the Power of GOD – Acts 1:8; Romans 8:11, 15:13,16

He is the Promise of GOD – Acts 1:4-5, 8; 2:1-4

He is Truth – John 14:15-18

He gives Life – Romans 8:11; 2 Corinthians 3:6

He seals us to GOD – Ephesians 1:13-14, 4:30

He sanctifies us – Romans 15:16

He convicts – John 16:5-11

He lives in us – Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 3:16-17

He comforts us – John 14:16; Acts 9:31

He reminds us of what JESUS said and did – John 14:25-26; 16:12-15

He gives us gifts – 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

He manifests fruit in our lives – Galatians 5:22-26

No forgiveness for blaspheme of The HOLY SPIRIT – Mark 3:28-30

 

The story of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10) is about salvation.

Zacchaeus was a tax collector, tax collectors were the most hated of all Jews by other Jews. Tax collectors were Jews who worked for the Roman government and many of them made themselves rich by over charging the citizens their taxes. The problem was that the Roman government did not care if the tax collectors cheated the citizens, but they did care if the tax collectors cheated the government.

The story is about a tax collector who was rich, it is assumed that he cheated his fellow citizens and was considered the worst kind of sinner. When JESUS came to town Zacchaeus wanted to see Him but because of his height he could not see through the crowd, so he climbed a sycamore tree. JESUS stopped below the tree, looked at Zacchaeus and told him He was going to eat at Zacchaeus’ house, this angered a lot of the people of Jericho.

During the meal Zacchaeus got up and announced, “Look, LORD, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.”

Then JESUS said, “Today Salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which is lost.”

The moral of the story is that no one is beyond Salvation and that as it says in John 3:16-17, everyone has the opportunity to be saved and change their life in JESUS.

 

Water into wine (John 2:1-12) is about Grace.

JESUS, his mother Mary, and His disciples are invited to a wedding in Cana. At the wedding the groom runs out of wine and Mary wants her son JESUS to solve the problem. We do not know Mary and JESUS’ relationship to the family but Mary does not want to see them embarrassed.

Mary pressures JESUS in to solving the wine problem, she tells Him there is a problem and when He replies that it’s not His concern she tells the servants to do what JESUS tells them to do putting Him on the spot.

JESUS tells the servants to fill the water jars with water and they do, to the brim. Then JESUS tells them to take some to the “master of the feast” and they do. The servants know that it was just water in the jars, but the “master of the feast“ does not. He tastes the water now wine and announces, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!”

JESUS never says anything to the water, He does not touch the water or the jars, but the water becomes good wine. Mary, His mother is satisfied that the hosts are not embarrassed about running out of wine and JESUS has done His first miracle, manifesting His Glory; and His disciples now really believe in Him.

Grace: JESUS gave grace to His mother and fulfilled her desire for the groom’s family. Mary gave grace to the groom’s family by having her Son provide wine for the wedding feast. Did she know what or how He was going to solve the problem, no, she just knew He could (maybe she knew by The HOLY SPIRIT). The master of the feast gave grace to the groom’s family by his declaration.

There are those who make an issue of the wine and drinking, but they did not have the options that we have today, they had unfiltered water, unrefrigerated milk and fermented juice. Everyone drank wine, not all wine was strong, some was weak and not everyone drank to get drunk. Water and fermented juice (wine) were the only drinks that could be stored; milk and unfermented juice would not last long.

Ephesian 5:18 tells us not to be drunk with wine but filled with The SPIRIT. Proverbs 23:29-35 talks about alcoholics. Proverbs 31:1-7 talks of giving strong drink to those who are dying and broken hearted. 1 Timothy 5:23 Paul tells Timothy to drink less water and more wine for his stomach.