Jesus: The Wedding Singer
INSTAGRAM: Jesus Pics
“Images of Jesus from the Gospel of John”
CONNECT This is wedding season! Do y'all like going to weddings? I don't either! I was watching Family Feud the other night (Mom’s favorite show) and the question was, “Why do most people go to weddings? One of the top answers was, “To drink!” I have done many weddings in my lifetime and one question always come up, “Cash bar or free bar?” It seems that weddings and alcohol have always gone together; from the champagne fountain to the traditional toast.
TENSION John gives us a pic of Jesus at a wedding. It is here that Jesus performs His first miracle or sign. He turns water into wine! Now the question: How does that impact my life today?
SOLUTION Jesus is the ultimate ‘wedding singer’. Just as a great singer brings beauty to a wedding, He comes to bring a life full of joy! When you are empty, he will fill you up!
TEXT John 2:1-11 (NKJV) On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.
2 Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. 3 And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine." 4 Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come." 5 His mother said to the servants, "Whatever He says to you, do it."
6 Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. 7 Jesus said to them, "Fill the waterpots with water." And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And He said to them, "Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast." And they took it.
9 When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. 10 And he said to him, "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!"
11 This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.
INSTRUCTION
1. Jesus goes to insignificant places and touches seemingly insignificant people.
Cana was not a big town and it appears the family was not wealthy or renown. In fact, we don't even know who they are!
A popular song years ago was ‘Ordinary People’. God uses ordinary people in ordinary places. Francis Schaefer wrote “No Little People; No Little Places”. No matter who you are or where you live, you are important to God! Jesus met with the poor and the wealthy, the sick and the healthy, the ruler and the slave, the religious and the sinner. His arms were open to everybody!
John the Baptist was an ascetic who avoided folks and they said he had a demon. Jesus hung out with all kinds of people and was rejected for it.
Matthew 11:18-19 (NKJV) For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is justified by her children.
I am so glad Jesus is a ‘friend of sinners’ because that means He will hang out with me!
2. No need is too small or too big for Jesus.
The family had run out of wine. That is not the biggest problem in the world, but it is a need. To run out of wine was an embarrassment to the groom. Running out of wine would have dishonored the guests and brought shame on all those involved.
We don't know why they ran out of wine. Wedding feasts often lasted a week; perhaps there were extra guests; maybe everybody was drunk. The key here is that it doesn't matter! God responds to us at the point of our need, regardless of how we got there!
Philippians 4:19 (NKJV) And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Mary pointed out the need and wouldn't take “no” for an answer! Jesus said it was not their problem, but Mary interceded. Jesus responded to her cry!
3. Jesus invites us into His ministry.
Mary gives us the key, “Whatever He says, do it!” The servants obeyed and got to see a miracle. They didn't do it; but got to witness it! The first disciples saw it too! And they believed!
John 2:23 (NKJV) Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did.
We can participate in the ministry of Jesus!
John 14:12 (NKJV) “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.”
4. Jesus provides more than enough.
150 gallons of wine! What a party!
John 10:10 (NKJV) The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
Ephesians 1:23 (NKJV) … the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
Ephesians 3:20 (NKJV) Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,
Ephesians 4:10 (NKJV) He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)
Jesus wants to fill us today!
5. Jesus changes ordinary to special.
Water to wine. Not just any wine; the best wine ever! This is the first of many situations in John’s Gospel where Jesus restores something to better-than-original condition.
It also reveals Jesus’ deep concern for meeting people at their point of need, no matter how inconsequential that need may seem.
Matthew 9:9-13 (NKJV) As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him. Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
Jesus did much more than simply fill a need: He turned embarrassment into blessing. The chief steward’s pronouncement to the groom is the climax of the story. Instead of having to endure shame, the groom was publicly honored for his over-the-top hospitality—and for saving the good wine for last.
The best wine of your life is ahead of you! Don't give up!
INSPIRATION
Jesus ministered to the meanest men in town!
Luke 19:1-5, 7-10 (NKJV) Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.”
But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, “He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner.”
Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “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.” And Jesus said to him, “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 was lost.”
APPLICATION
There are many applications I could focus on from this Jesus pic: we need to hang out with people from all walks of life; take friends with you when you minister; listen to your mother…
But I want to focus on just one application…
Years ago I heard John Wimber, the founder of the Vineyard, tell about being empty; he pulled out his spiritual dipstick and it was dry! I knew exactly what he meant.
Are you here this morning and you’re running low on wine? You don't know why, or maybe you do. It really doesn't matter because Jesus wants to fill you up with new wine! Regardless of the past or the problems or the people, He wants to fill you with new wine!
Joel 2:23-26 (NKJV) Be glad then, you children of Zion, And rejoice in the LORD your God; For He has given you the former rain faithfully, And He will cause the rain to come down for you— The former rain, And the latter rain in the first month. The threshing floors shall be full of wheat, And the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil. “So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you. You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, And praise the name of the LORD your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you; And My people shall never be put to shame.
How does He do it!
Jesus used something already in the house and re-purposed it for a new task. A common water pot became a vineyard. What was in the vessel changed its use and and its value!
Isaiah 42:3 (NKJV) A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth.
Mark 2:22 (NKJV)And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.
God wants to make you a new wine skin! He wants to take the old bruised and broken life and fill it with new power, new faith, new life!
INVITATION
Isaiah 55:1 (NKJV) Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy, and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
Matthew 5:6 (NKJV) Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.
John 7:37-38 (NKJV) On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”
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