"The Miracle Of Restored Joy"

“The Miracle Of Restored Joy”

John 2:1-11

INTRODUCTION: This AM we are going to start a new series on the highlights in the ministry of Jesus. TONIGHT, we will look at Jesus cleansing the Temple in Jerusalem.

SOMETIMES, it seems like we are running on “empty” … AMEN? There are times when we lose our “joy”.

I brought some “joy” with me this AM. (a bottle of JOY detergent, an Almond Joy, a Joy Stick, Joy our pianist). What happens when you run out of “joy”? You have an empty bottle … all you have left is an almond … your video game doesn’t work … you have to look for another pianist. Life just isn’t as good when you run out of “joy” … AMEN?

Maybe you are here this AM, and you’ve lost some of your “joy”. Something is bothering you … troubling you. You’ve got a worry that just won’t go away. You’ve been disappointed, hurt, or grieved. You’re running on empty. You’ve lost your “joy”.

John is going to tell you how Jesus restored “joy” to those who attended a marriage celebration in Cana. Jesus can do the same for you here this AM.

TEXT: John 2:1-11

How can Jesus restore your “joy”?

I. BE WHERE JESUS IS – 2:1-2

“third day” – 3 days earlier, Jesus had just called His first 5 Disciples to follow Him. It wasn’t very long until the 6 of them were invited to a marriage celebration in Cana.

“marriage” – Jewish weddings lasted for a whole week.

It began with a parade, when the father of the bride would bring his daughter to the groom’s house. The whole town would join in on this parade … it was a huge celebration. When they got to the groom’s house, the marriage ceremony would take place at the front door.

THEN … the feast began … which lasted for 7 days (paid for by the groom’s family). There was no honey-moon … they had an “open house” for a week … lots of food, wine … a week-long party.

Jesus & His 5 Disciples were invited to this wedding feast. Think of the CHANGE for the Disciples. At least 2 of them had been disciples of John the Baptist. John the Baptist wasn’t what you would call a socialite … ate grasshoppers & wild honey … wore animal skins for clothing … lived in the wilderness. John the Baptist wouldn’t be very comfortable at this wedding feast.

Jesus was DIFFERENT! Jesus liked social events … He liked being around people, and parties … He liked having a good time. Jesus was a much sought-after dinner guest. He was the life of the party. People were comfortable around Him. Jesus was even once criticized by the Religious leaders for His love of life and people. Listen to their unjust accusations. Matthew 11:18-19 - "For John (the Baptist) came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ’He has a demon!’ [19] (But) "The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ’Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax-collectors and sinners!’“.

Jesus brought JOY to people’s lives … that’s what happens when you are where Jesus is.

LESSON: The further away you are from Jesus in your spiritual life, the further away you are from the fullness of joy. The closer you are to Jesus, the more joy you will experience.

Psalm 16:11 – “Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”

Neh. 8:10 – “for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

If you’ve lost some of the “joy”, you need to spend some time around Jesus.

II. BE AWARE OF THE NEED – 2:3-4

2:3 - Mary went to Jesus with a PROBLEM … “They have no wine”. This was a very serious thing to happen in a Jewish wedding feast. The groom’s parents were responsible to make sure there was enough wine to last the whole week. For some unknown reason, they ran out. We don’t think of this as too big a deal, but in that day, it could ruin a families reputation forever … they could even be sued!

It was a DISASTER. It would be like me getting up to preach and telling you that I had run out of sermons and you should just sit there for the next 30 minutes and wait until 12 o’clock, and then go home. It’s like McDonald’s running out of hamburgers (Hardee’s told me they weren’t serving fried chicken anymore!). It’s like Publix running out of food.

Weddings usually have something go wrong … that’s what makes them interesting! At my wedding, the rolled white carpet wouldn’t stay attached & my father got up & stood on it while they rolled it down for the Bride. I did one wedding where the Bride was 45 minutes late. At my last wedding, we forgot to light the center unity candle ahead of time. That’s what makes weddings interesting!