The miracle in Cana.
John 2: 1 -- 11. 11/09/03
When God created the world, he created certain laws and when we see these certain laws, it is God’s usual action. I mean by usual actions, that when an apple turns lose its tree, it falls to the ground. That is called the law of gravity and it is God’s usual action. So, the laws created in this universe are God’s usual actions.
Now, on the other hand, miracles are God’s unusual actions. Laws that are established, such as gravity, is God doing the ordinary. While on the other hand miracles is God doing the extraordinary. A miracle is God doing what he chooses with his universe. That is about the best definition I can come up with about laws and miracles. What you believe about miracles is determined by what you believe about God. If you have no trouble believing Genesis 1: 1, “in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,” then you have no trouble believing in the miracles that are given to us on the pages of the Bible.
I want to preach some about the miracles in the Bible and how they relate to us today. They tell me that there are 35 miracles that we can find in our Bible. I don’t know that we will cover them all but I want to some of them.
This morning we want to look at the miracle in Cana. Jesus turning the water into wine.
Now the first point I want to talk about is here we have A CELEBRATION. Look at verses 1 -- 2.
If you know anything about Jewish history, then you know these wedding celebrations could last as long as a week. That is longer than some couples stay married today. That is longer than some pastors stay at a church. I remember a church down in South Carolina called themselves a pastor. About three weeks later the pastor called the chairman of deacons from the moving van and said, tell the congregation I resign, I cannot get three sermons together a week.
What I want you to see here is, here was Jesus on a mission to save the world. That is the greatest mission in the history of mankind yet he took time to take part in the festivities. He got involved with people. By the way, the same people he came to save. He got involved in their lives.
What are you saying preacher? I am saying we are take time to say howdy. When people come into church, you and I ought to take time to make them welcome. We ought to be known as a friendly group of people. People are not a hindrance to you work but they are your very work. If you don’t know all their names, then learn them. Get involved with people. Listen, a pastor might get a few people to come to church but it’s the friendliness of the church that keeps them.
We see not only a celebration but also A COLLABORATION. Look at verses 3 -- 8. People pulling together.
Weddings in that day must have had the same impact on family budgets as it does today. Running out of wine was more than just an embarrassment, it broke the law of hospitality.
There were six water jars. Each would hold 20 to 30 gallons a piece. Jesus could have just as easily snapped his fingers and all the water jars would have been filled with wine. But he involved the disciples, the people of God. And all that he asked was something they could do. They could not turn the water into wine but they could fill the jars with water. The people around the tomb of Lazarus could not raise him from the dead but they could roll away the stone. You and I cannot save a soul, only God can do that but we can tell them about faith. The disciples were involved with the miracle. So can you. When you tell someone about Jesus and that person receives Jesus as savior, you are part of a miracle. A person passes from death to life.
Finally, I want you to see A CULMINATION. Look at verses 9 -- 11.
I liked what the governor said, “you have saved the best to last.” Isn’t that what Jesus has done? He has gone to build us a mansion. He has gone to prepare a place where there will be no more sorrow, no pain, no death, the best is yet to come. Do you know Jesus?
