SERMON BRIEF
Date Written: February 2002, edited August 2010
Date Preached: August 29, 2010
Church: OPBC (AM – Lord’s Supper Service)
FOUNDATIONAL ELEMENTS
Series: Recognizing and Responding to the Living Word
Title: The Giver of Abundant Life
Text: John 2:1-11 [ESV]
Introduction:
When we read the Gospels, especially the Gospel of John, there can be NO doubt in the mind of the reader that the key to the ministry of Jesus in this world is that Christ came to this world to give life…and He promised us that He would give it more abundantly than we could ever imagine!
This morning we see a story about the very early moments of the ministry of Jesus and how that ‘abundance of life’ was manifested in a physical manner!
Jesus was invited to a wedding feast. Now when I read this passage I believe we can conclude that this was the wedding of a close relative of Jesus… and I want to point out 3 reason why I say this:
1st we can see that Jesus’ mother was there in attendance with Him, this was not some celebration that was foreign to her, but she was in attendance which leads us to believe that it was someone close to the family!
2nd we see that Mary also was very put out and took a personal interest in the embarrassment of the family when the wine ran out (v.3)
And 3rd, we can also see that Mary seemed to have a great deal of influence over the servants of the wedding because when she called them to do something, they responded as if she was family… (v.5)
As a pastor I know what it is like to work with the nervous families of a wedding celebration! I know just how UNEASY they can become if everything does NOT go well. I can remember MY own feelings of anxiety when Whitney was married here in this very church…
When we read this passage we can see that this particular wedding celebration was about to become a disaster of epic proportions!! It seems as if the groom’s family had NOT made the appropriate preparations for the celebration!
It could have been that they underestimated how many people would be there OR how much people would consume… OR it could have been that they had tried to save money on expenses and they chose to try to get by with as little as possible!
Either way… whatever the reason… they found themselves in a terrible position for hosts… they did not have enough wine for the guests! This was a terrible tragedy for a host in the 1st century… they would have been ridiculed and dishonored in the community and the couple
This was something that was just NOT done…it is like inviting everyone in the church to a barbeque and after one hotdog apiece, then you telling all there…sorry we ran out!
This family faced a problem in that it was going to affect them in the social arena as well. It would be a long time b4 they would be able to live down this embarrassment.
Now fast forward to today and our world. When we look at our world today we know one thing for sure that it is that things that come and go and nothing is permanent.
In our world today there are those who are satisfied with simply existing… they are not LIVING! Many in this world live by ritual and routine, and have little if any, true joy in their life. This applies to the physical world as well as the spiritual realm…
In viewing this outlook at this world… and knowing that there are SO many people today who are simply existing from day to day and have literally ZERO joy in their lives… I give you Jesus Christ! I present to you the One who has come to give us MORE than we can ever expect out of this life and into the eternal afterlife! Jesus is the abundance of ALL life… here and into eternity!
Today I offer to you, the One named Jesus who – in a world of people willing to settle for the minimum, seeks to improve our lives and give us God’s fulfilled life and maximum experience!
I give you the Jesus Christ who – in a world fixated on the routine and ritual of merely existing and surviving in this world – I give you the ONE is the TRUE source of life and joy. This morning I want to put forward the One who, in a world of little or no joy, He is the ULTIMATE source of joy…because He is bread of life!
The Bible is clear to us that Jesus came to bring life and He said He wants to provide us with a MORE abundant than what we have... a life filled with purpose and direction… a life that not only carries with it great meaning, but there is a valid rationale to our existence… to our living!
Jesus wants to give us a life that is NOT just existing and surviving… but it is a life that stands out in this world… in this world where things run out and lose meaning… Jesus gives us a life that is eternal in both form and function!
This morning I present to you the Jesus who is the abundance of life for all who look to Him and accept His gift of eternal forgiveness and life!
Our Life Matters to Jesus! – v.3:
3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, "They have no wine."
Now as we look at this verse from our passage this morning, we see how John begins to reveal to the world, the great and wonderful signs that Jesus performed to demonstrate God’s power over the natural world.
Jesus delivered many things in His time here on earth. His ultimate mission was to reveal God to those around Him and to provide a sacrifice for the sin of the world, but Jesus does more…Jesus wants to connect with you on a personal level, and to do that Jesus CARES about you… your life matters to Him!
Now when I say your life matters to Jesus, understand that I don’t mean that your desires and your selfish motives matter to Him. Jesus wants to see you experience God in the most intimate and personal way, and because He desires that… He reaches out to you on a personal level!
Jesus brings many things to the table, joy, peace, fulfillment, but we also know that Jesus brings judgment and condemnation to those who reject Him. This judgment is currently being withheld from humanity by the grace of God, and will not fall on us here until God’s appointed time, which we do NOT know… But the wonderful news is that even though we all deserve judgment, God’s grace is preventing it to such a time as we repent OR He chooses to act!
2 Peter 3:9 [ESV] states, 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
Condemnation and destruction are laid up for those who choose to reject Jesus, but for those who are willing to accept Christ as Lord, He brings a healing to those! He changes their lives by giving them a personal relationship with Him…
However, in His ministry here in this world, Jesus often sparked a spiritual interest by providing for the physical needs of those around Him. Jesus wanted to be a PART of their personal lives… Jesus revealed that God DOES care about His creation!
We know that Jesus provided food for the hungry 5000, but we also know that it was more than just satisfy their hunger! However, Jesus did meet their hunger, but there was so much abundance that 12 baskets of food were leftover! Talk about love in abundance…
We know that Jesus opened the eyes of the blind, cured the diseased skin of the leper, healed the limbs of the crippled, and raised the dead back to life! And when these people were healed, Jesus would teach about the Kingdom… revealing a loving and caring God to the people!
We know that Jesus cared about the 12 men He selected… he calmed their hearts with His presence, He stretched out His own hand to command the sea and wind to cease and desist! Jesus cares about US!
Jesus never did anything with mediocrity but was abundant in all of what He did and how He lived! Jesus touched the lives of so many people by meeting their physical needs to reveal their need for spiritual healing! Jesus delivered above and beyond in His life… He met the needs of the people in this life, not just in the eternal future of those He had met!
Today we live in a world where ‘that’s good enough’ is a phrase of excellence in the eyes of the world. We live in a world ready to settle for whatever the world has to offer, a world where people are starving for love, intimacy and the knowledge of a purpose in life!
Today I am telling you that Jesus brings ALL that to the table… FIRST by getting into your life and KNOWING you on a personal and intimate level… and then by bringing abundance to your life!
We come to eventually realize that this world has nothing to offer us that is going to last… we come to realize that a life without Jesus is a life without meaning or purpose and we are left empty and hollow! However, Jesus will NEVER leave us wanting, but He has promised that we will be blessed with EVERYTHING that God has to offer!
We see in Scripture that Jesus was NOT about mediocrity… Jesus was NOT about settling for what the world has to offer… Jesus is not about maintaining the worldly status quo, but Jesus seeks to REMAKE and BETTER our lives; so when we look this passage in v.10 we see:
10 and said to him, "Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now."
The steward of the feast… which would translate to what we may call the ‘wedding coordinator’ in our society today… He was obviously very surprised AND impressed as he called to the bride-groom… what they had provided to their guests had gone above the mediocre and had provided the ABUNDANT… This is a picture of what Jesus brings to us when we accept Him as Lord and Savior!
Throughout the Gospels we can see time and time again where it seemed as if there was NO hope, and destruction was coming… then Jesus shows up and He brings not only deliverance, but salvation as well…
We have terrible things in our lives as well… sickness, death, job loss, financial problems, relationship issues… and when these happen, we have a hopeless and helpless feeling… like life itself caved in upon you!
In these moments Jesus not only comes to rescue us, but He brings with Him… grace that is sufficient enough for our situation and He also brings joy and fulfillment and purpose into our lives… restoring us in Him! As the psalmist says… He restoreth my soul!
So we need to understand that Jesus is interested in YOUR life! He wants to know you personally.
He is not a stop gap measure til we can get back on our feet again…
He does NOT come to us so that we can just get thru trouble and pain in our lives…
Jesus will deliver in our trouble, but He also is going to improve on your situation and gives you an abundance in THIS life as well!
Jesus does not merely provide what is needed, but He goes above and beyond and provides a complete blessing! He provides the resources of Heaven itself, where His children are fully blessed and taken care of!
Jesus is interested in our lives, but MORE than our physical lives Jesus is also concerned for and longing to heal our SOUL, and return us to our created place before God…
Our SOUL matters to Jesus – v.6-8
In this world we have so many opinions that spew a depressed outlook on all of creation and all of humanity... We are told things are hopeless and will only continue to get worse! We also look at the world and SEE how things are NOT what they should be and that things DO look hopeless!
Many atheists and agnostics in this world point to this hopeless and helpless outlook on life and say that if there was a God he would NOT have created a world like this…
Well I am here to tell you that God did NOT create the world we live in today! What I mean by that is God DID create the physical world, but as humans we have failed God and sinned against Him and we have brought sin and death into this world… this world is like it is today because humanity has perverted and polluted the perfect Creation that God gave to us!
But even though we have rebelled and sinned against Him, God still sees His creation as worth His time and effort! This was the reason Jesus came to earth, to reveal God’s ultimate love for His creation! Jesus came so that the created could know reconciliation with their Creator!
Many today see the depressed state of affairs in our world and have lost all hope. They simply feel that all they can do is to go thru the motions of life for the years of their life and then there is NOTHING to look forward to… they are living by ritual and by routine… and in reality only EXISTING from day to day! I want you to know that God does NOT want that for you!
In our country today clinical depression affects more than 25 million adults and children, and many times leads a person down a path where they see NO purpose for life, no REASON for them to continue to ‘exist’ and so they take their own lives! Depression leading to suicide was the cause of over 30,000 people to take their lives this past year.
Jesus is the ONLY true source of life and joy for those who don’t have it… Let me explain just what I mean when I say this…let’s look at v.6.
6 Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons.
This parable has some very deep spiritual meaning to it, as we read it and study the meaning of what God does here… Follow along with me… you will be glad that you did…
The 6 jars represent Jewish ritualistic and ceremonial law, 6 is an incomplete number, it is one less that the sacred and complete number of 7. God created the universe in 7 days. 6 represents the incompleteness of the Jewish rituals and ceremonies outside of God, which is where the nation of Israel was at the time of Jesus…
In Creation, we know that God stopped His work on the 6th day, but things were not complete! On day 7 according to God, rest and reflection, were observed as a vital part of life as well! Without this rest and reflection on the 7th day…God considered things incomplete.
The number 6 is the number of man and incomplete. We are incomplete because we sinned and fell away from God’s perfect creation… we have a sinful nature about us, but the number 7 is the number of God and is a complete number. With God we become complete…
John used the number 6 because John understood who Jesus was… Jesus was the ONE who came to complete what was lacking! What Jewish law could NOT do, Jesus came to accomplish!
So many of the Jews had become entrenched in the ritual and routine of their Temple duties that they had become lost in them… wondering aimlessly in their connection with God.
John understood Jesus came to be the COMPLETION of those ceremonies and rituals, that without Jesus, they were empty and void! Jesus came to bring true joy and purpose! Jesus was Messiah, the Chosen, anointed and called One who IS the completion of God’s plan!
Now I want you to know that the water in these jugs was not used for the wine, even tho Jesus turning dirty footwashing water into great new wine is a great picture of what God can do… that is NOT what scripture tells us happened. Let’s look again at v.7-8…
7 Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water." And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And He said to them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast." So they took it.
The jars were possibly partially empty and what water was in them was filthy from feet washing and hand washing… so Jesus instructs them to fill the water pots. I believe v.8 Jesus instructs the servants to “draw out” some of the water… they were to ‘draw out’ the water they had put into the jars in v.7…
The spiritual implication here is the jars had to be emptied of the useless and polluted water and they had to be re-filled with new water… this represents God’s rejection of the incompleteness of the insincere ceremonial and ritualistic actions of the Jewish people!
God replaces the empty useless ritual and ceremony with a ‘new covenant’ represented in the ‘new water’ the servants filled into the jars. The ‘new water’ was turned into new and the best wine by Jesus and that ‘new wine’ cannot be contained within the old wine skins of ritual and ceremony, but require new wine skins!
What the Jewish rituals and ceremonies for righteousness could not do in cleansing the heart, the Gospel, this ‘new wine’ of God’s grace and forgiveness could do!
This new wine not only cleanses the heart, but it restores the soul back to the peaceful state before its Creator! What we can also see in this story is that this ‘new wine’ only comes FROM Jesus…the giver of abundant life!
Jesus said to His disciples in John 15:1 “…I am the TRUE vine…” It stands to reason that if Jesus is the TRUE vine then from that TRUE vine will flow the TRUE wine!
Here in a miracle that is seemingly just Jesus revealing His sovereign powers over the elements, we find Jesus actually revealing so much more! Jesus does away with all substitutes for the abundant life.
He is the true vine that is gives this ‘new wine’ that brings abundant life! This new wine will never run out, never run dry… and it frees people from the old wine that would leave them thirsting for more and WILL run out!
In a world overrun by ritual and ceremony Jesus brought us a refreshing NEWNESS of life…and HE brought it in abundance. The ‘new wine’ that Jesus brings is more than we could ever imagine from God! In our passage today, it is called the BEST wine… Jesus brings us only the BEST!
Now I want to clarify something here that some of you may misunderstand. When I say that the ‘new wine’ of the Gospel sets us FREE… I want you to fully understand JUST what it is that we are free from.
We are MADE free in Christ NOT to do whatever we wish… but we are freed by Christ from Satan’s dominion and from the sin that held us in bondage. We are free to worship God without the guilt and consequence of our sin dangling around our necks. Satan will try to convince you that your sin disqualifies you from worshipping God, but that is a lie! We are made FREE in Christ!
Let me give you a picture of what Christ did for us… our sin carries with it a consequence and eternal punishment. In the legal economy of God’s heaven, we are held responsible, and there is NOTHING we can do to rid ourselves of this sin… or the consequences of our sin!
In Col 2 Paul tells us that what Jesus came to do was eliminate that legal ramification for those who will accept Jesus. Let’s read Col 2:13-14 [ESV]
13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
So when Scripture tells us that we are free… we are freed from the penalty of our sin because Jesus out of love for us NAILED it to the cross!
But we are also freed from the useless ritual and ceremony of the religious… there is NO ceremony… there NO ritual that can bring us into a saving relationship with God! It is only thru the ‘new wine’ of Jesus that we can know salvation!
Don’t misunderstand me about ritual and ceremony… Don’t try to justify your NOT coming to church as being part of your freedom in Christ! That is NOT what Scripture tells us!
Coming to church… coming to WORSHIP GOD, is NOT to be viewed as ritualistic OR ceremonial! Worship is SO much more! Coming to worship is a validation by the believer that you desire to show the world how GREAT your God is!
When we come together to worship God… it is a sign to the world that OUR GOD is GREAT and greatly to be praised! True worship never relies on the form or the ceremony… but it focuses on function of worship… it focuses on WHO is being worshipped!
No, our salvation does NOT depend on our church attendance…but God has established the local fellowship as a witness for Him…as a witness of His love (reflected in our love for each other)…as a witness of His forgiveness!
God desires us to come together to worship Him. So please don’t confuse the ritual and ceremony we speak of here…with the worship we experience here in our wonderful fellowship of believers here at Oak Park Baptist Church!
Our lives matter to Jesus and our souls matter to Jesus, but this morning I want to share one more point with you and that is Jesus desires to bring us Joy, not only for the next life but a joy unspeakable for this life we have here in THIS world!
3. Jesus is NOT a killjoy.. Jesus loves a celebration!
Contrary to what the world would have you think about Jesus… Jesus enjoyed celebrating life. In Jesus’ day wine was a symbol of joy and of the blessings of life. We find this proven true throughout the Scripture.
In Ps 104:15 David speaks of the many great things that God brings into this world and he says, “…and the wine that makes man’s heart glad…”
In Eccl 9:7 King Solomon wrote about the joy of being in God’s hands when he said, “…go then and eat your bread of happiness and drink your wine with a cheerful heart…”
In Is. 25:6 Isaiah sings a song of praise for God’s favor when he writes, “…and the Lord of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain; a banquet of aged wine, choice pieces with marrow, and refined aged wine…”
In places all thru out Scripture we can read how wine is a symbol of the joy and blessings of life… But I know what many of you are thinking right now… you are probably thinking the preacher has gone stark raving mad…he’s preaching that drinking is not only OK but that the Bible actually encourages it…
So I want you to LISTEN to me clearly here on this point! DON’T misrepresent what I am saying here this morning… Don’t get me wrong here…
Scripture also points out that there are great dangers and pitfalls with this ‘wine’ that is pictured as a symbol of joy!
In Prov 23:29-32 Solomon describes the downfalls of wine and what it CAN do, “…who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaining? Those who linger long over wine, those who go to taste mixed wine…when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly; at last it bites like a serpent and stings like a viper…”
Isaiah proclaims in 28:7 that, “…they are confused by wine, they stagger from strong drink…”
And in Eph 5:18 we find the Apostle Paul exhorting the Ephesian believers to, “…not be drunk with wine, but be filled with the Holy Spirit…”
Paul message in Eph is that we cannot consume ourselves with our desires and pleasures, but we must be seeking to please our Lord and Savior! So instead of filling our belly with wine that pleases US, we are called to fill our hearts and minds with the Holy Spirit that pleases God!
So I want you to understand that I am NOT preaching that drinking is something that is ok, or that you can socially drink! ABSOLUTELY NOT! My point here is that Jesus was NOT opposed to a joyful time, but we do know that Jesus IS opposed to anything that can and does that work AGAINST His people…
Jesus is FOR everything good, but He is against harmful things that tear down his children… and we know how alcoholism tears families apart… we also know how social drinking destroys the witness of righteousness we must seek to put forward everyday!
When God is against something, it is not because He doesn’t want us to have fun. When God is against something it is precisely because He is FOR us and it is His desire to prevent us from fall into the pit of danger and suffering the pain and consequences of our ill fated decisions! God cares for us and wants us to celebrate and be joyful in our lives!
Alcoholism is a threat to anyone, drunk drivers on our roads, a family member who is drinking that terrifies his or her family… and even those who are in the pew on Sunday morning AFTER being in the bar on Saturday night… God will not honor it!
It is not honored by God because it does not honor Him! It places your selfish desire and will before your relationship with Him! Because of that, I have made the conscious decision NOT to drink ANY alcoholic beverage at all! I do it to honor my God! I do it to put Him first! I do it because I know it can tear down my witness!
People we have to understand that it is not our job to see how CLOSE we can get to the world without crossing the line… our duty is to reject the world and to cling to God. We are in the world and reach out in love to those in the world, but we reject the lure and draw of the world’s vices and temptations! We do this out of obedience to our Savior… to give Him 1st place in our lives… to honor Him in our actions!
Conclusion:
As Christians we instinctively know that the greatest joy in this party we call life is the presence of Jesus Christ in our lives! Jesus, who is the “new wine” that satisfies our EVERY craving.
In our passage this morning I believe that the disciples saw the glory of God in Jesus Christ as He performed this miracle of changing the water into wine. They knew that in and through Jesus, God was acting to provide abundant joy in their lives, as is evident in v.11 where it says, “…and His disciples believed in Him…”
In Jesus there is an intimacy and a desire to know you!
In Jesus there is a urgency in saving your soul!
But also in Jesus there is an abundance of life, far beyond what this world can offer! In Jesus there is a NEW way. In Jesus there is a NEW hope. In Jesus there is NEW life.
This morning YOU too can know this ‘new wine’… today you can also know this new hope… I call on you today to believe on Jesus as your Savior… to confess your sin and surrender to Him… When you do this you will be invited to join in the joy, join in this eternal party we call salvation.
This morning there professing Christians sitting in the pews who are living their Christian life in a ritualistic and ceremonial manner! They are going thru the motions of coming to church, giving their money, checking the spiritual boxes in their lives… they are merely ‘existing’ here in this world, hoping and praying to get to the next!
They hold to their traditions and their rituals and ceremonies… thinking that those things are going to bring joy, and because of that they have little or no joy in their life!
Jesus takes beyond mere ritual and ceremony directly to the throne room of God where we can rejoice in true worship, and Jesus provides us with real-time joy in THIS world where joy is just NOT found… but is given by God!
Maybe you are here this morning and you do not know Jesus as Lord and Savior. I know that He is calling to you to come into His joy! He is calling you to be a part of His family. Today you CAN know the joy that only God can give… and it comes in serving the God of the Universe!
There is NO ritual or a ceremony that will get you closer to God! Nothing for you to DO… I want you to know that Jesus has already provided all you need to come closer to God. He did this on the Cross of Calvary some 2000 yrs ago… all because He loved you! Jesus has done it all, all you have to do is accept Him for who He is…your Savior and Lord!
Can you do that as Steven leads us in our hymn of invitation… won’t you come…
