WEBVTT 00:00:01.280 --> 00:00:05.559 Let's start off in prayer today. Lord, as we 00:00:05.559 --> 00:00:12.119 come before you, I pray that our hearts are soft 00:00:12.119 --> 00:00:16.399 and surrendered to you, that whatever's going 00:00:16.399 --> 00:00:18.339 on in our world today, that we can kind of just 00:00:18.339 --> 00:00:23.379 set that down, fix our gaze upon you and your 00:00:23.379 --> 00:00:29.000 word, and just ask Holy Spirit that you do a 00:00:29.000 --> 00:00:35.320 work inside of us. Help us to listen to what 00:00:35.320 --> 00:00:42.439 you're saying to us this morning. Amen. Well, 00:00:42.539 --> 00:00:44.659 grab those Bibles, hang on to them, get your 00:00:44.659 --> 00:00:47.159 pens out. We got a lot of cool work. This is 00:00:47.159 --> 00:00:50.159 an awesome section of Scripture and one of my 00:00:50.159 --> 00:00:51.880 favorites. So I got to start off, though, before 00:00:51.880 --> 00:00:54.200 we jump in, I want to ask you a question. And 00:00:54.200 --> 00:00:56.039 when I ask you a question, I want you to respond. 00:00:56.159 --> 00:01:00.039 So real loud so everybody can hear because my 00:01:00.039 --> 00:01:02.679 head is, you can tell. I got a head cold today, 00:01:02.759 --> 00:01:05.219 which means my ears are plugged. So on top of 00:01:05.219 --> 00:01:07.920 the fact that I can't hear anymore, I've got 00:01:07.920 --> 00:01:08.980 this. So you're going to have to be real loud. 00:01:09.099 --> 00:01:11.719 So here's the question. When you think of a wedding, 00:01:11.900 --> 00:01:15.900 what kind of emotions are going on in that wedding? 00:01:15.959 --> 00:01:22.000 What are people feeling? Joy. What else? Huh? 00:01:22.200 --> 00:01:27.099 Love. Love is in the air, right? What else? Huh? 00:01:28.579 --> 00:01:32.740 Excitement. I'm coming down some closer. Huh? 00:01:32.740 --> 00:01:41.019 Hope. What else? Celebration. Yeah. I mean, when 00:01:41.019 --> 00:01:43.480 you think about a wedding, and these are our 00:01:43.480 --> 00:01:47.920 weddings, they usually involve this ceremony 00:01:47.920 --> 00:01:49.920 where people are coming together and they're 00:01:49.920 --> 00:01:51.920 making a covenant with one another. And then 00:01:51.920 --> 00:01:53.900 there's an after party where everybody's celebrating. 00:01:55.849 --> 00:01:59.510 having stupid comments said, and a dance, and 00:01:59.510 --> 00:02:02.750 a great food, and whatever it is, right? Celebration. 00:02:03.629 --> 00:02:09.729 A big wedding is the setting for our story, but 00:02:09.729 --> 00:02:11.789 it's bigger than anything you can imagine, okay? 00:02:11.949 --> 00:02:15.509 So let's just jump in, not like our North American 00:02:15.509 --> 00:02:18.050 weddings. This is different, and I'll explain 00:02:18.050 --> 00:02:19.969 some of that, but let's start with verse one 00:02:19.969 --> 00:02:24.530 and two. On the third... day, a wedding took 00:02:24.530 --> 00:02:27.469 place in Cana of Galilee. Jesus' mother was there, 00:02:27.590 --> 00:02:31.610 and Jesus and his disciples were invited to the 00:02:31.610 --> 00:02:34.090 wedding as well. Pretty much that's the setting. 00:02:34.409 --> 00:02:38.930 You see, in Jewish culture, the wedding celebration 00:02:38.930 --> 00:02:43.289 was considered to be the most grand event in 00:02:43.289 --> 00:02:47.650 your life. It was a massive, it was a big deal. 00:02:47.949 --> 00:02:51.389 Now, we think it's a pretty big deal, but to 00:02:51.389 --> 00:02:54.599 them, Many, because people lived in poverty or 00:02:54.599 --> 00:02:57.800 whatever, everything was focused. Like this was 00:02:57.800 --> 00:03:02.180 your day or your week. So it was a really big 00:03:02.180 --> 00:03:05.280 deal. A typical wedding would last for an entire 00:03:05.280 --> 00:03:08.020 week. Can you imagine that? Not an entire day. 00:03:08.300 --> 00:03:12.060 Not starts at noon and ends up at 7 or 8. All 00:03:12.060 --> 00:03:15.759 week long. And during this week, the bride and 00:03:15.759 --> 00:03:19.379 the groom were considered to be king and queen. 00:03:22.000 --> 00:03:25.740 And they actually wore crowns and dressed in 00:03:25.740 --> 00:03:28.939 bridal robes. And their word was actually considered 00:03:28.939 --> 00:03:35.020 to be law. Yeah, it was that serious. This event 00:03:35.020 --> 00:03:38.960 was considered to be the most supreme occasion 00:03:38.960 --> 00:03:42.900 of their life. And just like a side note, Jesus 00:03:42.900 --> 00:03:46.159 and his disciples are part of this party. Now 00:03:46.159 --> 00:03:48.400 Jesus had just gathered his disciples together. 00:03:49.159 --> 00:03:50.819 And they go to a party. So I'm not sure what 00:03:50.819 --> 00:03:54.180 your view of Jesus is. I think this is actually 00:03:54.180 --> 00:03:57.780 a really important question. What is your view 00:03:57.780 --> 00:04:00.979 of Jesus? Well, one of the things we discover 00:04:00.979 --> 00:04:05.460 about Jesus in the Gospels is that he liked a 00:04:05.460 --> 00:04:08.919 good party. He liked a good party. I don't know 00:04:08.919 --> 00:04:11.439 what's happened many times with Christians, but 00:04:11.439 --> 00:04:13.860 we kind of go the other direction. We're not 00:04:13.860 --> 00:04:16.959 very good partiers. We're not very good celebrators, 00:04:16.980 --> 00:04:18.860 like, oh, you don't got to be a good person. 00:04:19.120 --> 00:04:22.339 No, Jesus was considered the opposite. Like, 00:04:22.339 --> 00:04:24.839 not bad, but he liked a good party, and it's 00:04:24.839 --> 00:04:29.379 evidence. In fact, people would get upset with 00:04:29.379 --> 00:04:34.040 him because of who he, who and where he went 00:04:34.040 --> 00:04:38.480 and who he hung out with. Jesus was without sin, 00:04:38.560 --> 00:04:40.680 don't get that, don't miss that, but at the same 00:04:40.680 --> 00:04:43.689 time, he hung out with sinners. And he hung out 00:04:43.689 --> 00:04:46.269 where they hung out. And so Matthew chapter 11 00:04:46.269 --> 00:04:49.269 verse 19 says, the son of man came eating and 00:04:49.269 --> 00:04:53.110 drinking and they say, look, a glutton and a 00:04:53.110 --> 00:04:55.970 drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners. 00:04:57.310 --> 00:05:02.550 People didn't like this about Jesus. Joby Martin 00:05:02.550 --> 00:05:05.769 says this, he said, the people who weren't like 00:05:05.769 --> 00:05:10.629 Jesus, liked Jesus. That's pretty significant. 00:05:11.980 --> 00:05:14.399 It wasn't that Jesus was conforming to this world. 00:05:14.519 --> 00:05:17.180 He was a light in this world. But because he 00:05:17.180 --> 00:05:20.120 was a light in this world, people that were living 00:05:20.120 --> 00:05:23.560 in darkness in a sense went, huh, I like that 00:05:23.560 --> 00:05:26.519 about Jesus. But it started with Jesus going 00:05:26.519 --> 00:05:29.120 to people that didn't know Jesus, that didn't 00:05:29.120 --> 00:05:33.699 know him. He was a friend of sinners. So it's 00:05:33.699 --> 00:05:36.439 not a surprise to see Jesus at a huge wedding 00:05:36.439 --> 00:05:40.199 celebration. You remember John the Baptizer, 00:05:40.240 --> 00:05:43.040 who we talked about earlier, kind of had a different 00:05:43.040 --> 00:05:45.079 way of operating, right? He was out in the wilderness 00:05:45.079 --> 00:05:47.879 and dressed really crazy and came as a prophet 00:05:47.879 --> 00:05:52.980 and only ate weird things and didn't drink any 00:05:52.980 --> 00:05:56.079 wine or anything. Jesus is the opposite. Jesus 00:05:56.079 --> 00:05:58.180 shows up at a party and says in verse 3, look 00:05:58.180 --> 00:06:02.560 at this, and when the wine ran out, Jesus' mother 00:06:02.560 --> 00:06:07.519 told him, they don't have any wine. Now, before 00:06:07.519 --> 00:06:08.899 we go any farther, I've got to say something 00:06:08.899 --> 00:06:14.439 about this text. This text has been poorly used 00:06:14.439 --> 00:06:18.399 throughout history. It's got two sides to it. 00:06:19.079 --> 00:06:22.180 One side loves to use this to justify the fact 00:06:22.180 --> 00:06:27.920 that they can drink. Right? They say, see, Jesus 00:06:27.920 --> 00:06:31.680 drank. I can do whatever I want. And then others 00:06:31.680 --> 00:06:34.560 will say, grossly miss it, by saying, he actually 00:06:34.560 --> 00:06:38.139 wasn't wine. It was grape juice. It was diluted. 00:06:39.100 --> 00:06:42.279 Guys, both of those are incorrect. That's not 00:06:42.279 --> 00:06:46.939 what this is about. So in Jewish wedding feast, 00:06:47.240 --> 00:06:53.459 wine, not juice, was essential. Not so that the 00:06:53.459 --> 00:06:59.449 guests could get drunk or have a good time. It 00:06:59.449 --> 00:07:02.730 was because of what it symbolized. See, it was 00:07:02.730 --> 00:07:07.350 a symbol of exhilaration and celebration. In 00:07:07.350 --> 00:07:10.110 the scriptures, wine is used. I hope you catch 00:07:10.110 --> 00:07:12.949 this. This is really important for today. In 00:07:12.949 --> 00:07:16.129 this Bible, the wine is used as a symbol for 00:07:16.129 --> 00:07:22.670 joy. Here is just a few examples. Psalm 104 verse 00:07:22.670 --> 00:07:27.069 15 says, wine gladdens the heart of man. Isaiah 00:07:27.069 --> 00:07:30.930 51. 55 verse 1 says, come everyone who is thirsty, 00:07:31.009 --> 00:07:35.569 come to the water and you without silver, come 00:07:35.569 --> 00:07:39.589 buy and eat. Come buy wine and milk without silver 00:07:39.589 --> 00:07:44.089 and without cost. Judges 9 verse 13 says, should 00:07:44.089 --> 00:07:47.769 I stop giving my wine that cheers both man and 00:07:47.769 --> 00:07:51.250 God and man and rule over trees? Kind of a weird 00:07:51.250 --> 00:07:56.889 statement. So to the Jew, wine represents, symbolizes 00:07:56.889 --> 00:08:00.850 joy. And without wine, there is no joy. Keep 00:08:00.850 --> 00:08:03.149 that in your mind as we go through this text. 00:08:03.329 --> 00:08:07.529 Without wine, there's no joy. So in this wedding 00:08:07.529 --> 00:08:11.870 celebration, something went wrong. The host, 00:08:11.889 --> 00:08:17.269 who is the bridegroom, runs out of wine. Now, 00:08:17.350 --> 00:08:21.930 this presents two massive problems. First of 00:08:21.930 --> 00:08:26.180 all, See, in a high honor, high shame culture, 00:08:26.399 --> 00:08:32.120 which is not really what ours is, this is a massive 00:08:32.120 --> 00:08:34.679 embarrassment that would be marked the rest of 00:08:34.679 --> 00:08:38.960 his life. He was the guy that ran out of wine. 00:08:41.100 --> 00:08:44.059 Number two is that even worse, the groom could 00:08:44.059 --> 00:08:47.259 actually face a lawsuit for this. That's how 00:08:47.259 --> 00:08:51.659 serious a deal it was. And so, there's a serious 00:08:51.659 --> 00:08:54.860 problem. Doesn't seem that serious to us. You're 00:08:54.860 --> 00:08:57.059 not paying for it, right? We ran out of wine, 00:08:57.100 --> 00:09:03.100 sorry. But the problem is big, and Jesus' mother 00:09:03.100 --> 00:09:07.779 hears about this dilemma and is having compassion 00:09:07.779 --> 00:09:10.620 on the bridegroom, and she immediately goes to 00:09:10.620 --> 00:09:14.360 Jesus. It's important to understand that Jesus 00:09:14.360 --> 00:09:18.320 has not yet done a miracle. He hasn't shown his 00:09:18.320 --> 00:09:22.679 power. He hasn't done any of that yet. But unlike 00:09:22.679 --> 00:09:27.240 the others, Mary, Jesus' mother, knows who Jesus 00:09:27.240 --> 00:09:34.019 is. And she believes in Jesus. And she's been 00:09:34.019 --> 00:09:39.799 waiting in anticipation. From the day that she 00:09:39.799 --> 00:09:43.279 was told that she's carrying Jesus in her belly, 00:09:43.419 --> 00:09:48.700 she's been waiting. And so, she comes to Jesus 00:09:48.700 --> 00:09:54.070 and presents a problem. And basically says, do 00:09:54.070 --> 00:09:59.330 something. Fix it, Jesus. They've run out of 00:09:59.330 --> 00:10:06.830 joy. They've run out of joy. And Jesus responds, 00:10:07.149 --> 00:10:11.850 look at verse 4. What has this concern of yours 00:10:11.850 --> 00:10:16.610 to do with me, woman? Jesus asked, my hour has 00:10:16.610 --> 00:10:18.429 not yet come. Now these, like I said before, 00:10:18.690 --> 00:10:21.450 John is loaded with meaning. The whole way we 00:10:21.450 --> 00:10:24.929 go through this. You've got to slow down, underline, 00:10:24.929 --> 00:10:28.809 circle, because these things matter. See, this 00:10:28.809 --> 00:10:30.990 response is a little strange. Especially for 00:10:30.990 --> 00:10:34.269 our reader. Some of the versions start off with 00:10:34.269 --> 00:10:38.730 woman. You're like, what? So it's a little strange. 00:10:38.889 --> 00:10:42.429 But it could be translated this way. Dear woman, 00:10:42.669 --> 00:10:48.669 why do you involve me? It sounds a little harsh 00:10:48.669 --> 00:10:52.539 to our ears. But Jesus' remarks here are actually 00:10:52.539 --> 00:10:57.899 very tender. Jesus addresses Mary the same way, 00:10:57.899 --> 00:11:02.879 this way, when he hangs on the cross and tells 00:11:02.879 --> 00:11:06.700 John to take care of Mary. The same one language. 00:11:07.419 --> 00:11:11.120 It's great compassion. He turns to her. He says, 00:11:11.279 --> 00:11:15.259 my hour has not yet come. Now this is really 00:11:15.259 --> 00:11:20.120 significant. He's referring to the hour. He is 00:11:20.120 --> 00:11:22.340 crucified. Whenever Jesus uses this language 00:11:22.340 --> 00:11:25.659 of my hour has not yet come, he's talking about 00:11:25.659 --> 00:11:27.820 the hour upon which he hangs on the cross and 00:11:27.820 --> 00:11:31.419 he takes our sin upon himself. And he's telling 00:11:31.419 --> 00:11:33.460 Mary, he says, my hour has not yet come. Why? 00:11:38.860 --> 00:11:44.519 This man, the groom is going to be greatly shamed 00:11:44.519 --> 00:11:48.980 if he runs out of this wine. So Mary comes to 00:11:48.980 --> 00:11:52.600 Jesus and says, can you do something to fix his 00:11:52.600 --> 00:11:58.259 shame? Can you do something to fix the joy problem, 00:11:58.500 --> 00:12:03.960 his shame? And ultimately, Jesus is going to 00:12:03.960 --> 00:12:07.159 do something about this sin and shame as he goes 00:12:07.159 --> 00:12:09.659 to the cross. But he's saying to her, my hour 00:12:09.659 --> 00:12:13.379 is not yet. It's not yet come. Look what he said. 00:12:13.519 --> 00:12:16.000 Psalm 34, our verse that we get radiant church 00:12:16.000 --> 00:12:19.159 from, Psalm 34 verse 5 says, those who look to 00:12:19.159 --> 00:12:23.460 him are radiant, they're with joy. I love the 00:12:23.460 --> 00:12:26.600 CSB version because it says they're radiant with 00:12:26.600 --> 00:12:34.259 joy. Their faces will never be ashamed. If you're 00:12:34.259 --> 00:12:37.399 gripped, church, if anyone in this room is gripped 00:12:37.399 --> 00:12:42.500 with shame, where does shame come from? It comes 00:12:42.500 --> 00:12:47.340 from sin. The sin in our life causes shame. Jesus 00:12:47.340 --> 00:12:52.379 can take it from you and give you joy. Then he 00:12:52.379 --> 00:12:56.820 says in verse 5, she says to those around Jesus, 00:12:57.120 --> 00:13:02.559 Mary says this, do whatever he tells you, his 00:13:02.559 --> 00:13:06.240 mother told the servants. Underline that, do 00:13:06.240 --> 00:13:10.580 whatever he tells you. This is the best advice. 00:13:12.840 --> 00:13:16.080 This is the best advice ever. Do whatever Jesus 00:13:16.080 --> 00:13:19.220 tells you. If you want to be a disciple of Jesus, 00:13:19.259 --> 00:13:21.279 you want to grow in your faith, do whatever he 00:13:21.279 --> 00:13:27.059 tells you. Right? Jesus is telling you, if there 00:13:27.059 --> 00:13:32.480 is sin and you need to repent, repent. Maybe 00:13:32.480 --> 00:13:35.320 he's telling you that it's time to stand up and 00:13:35.320 --> 00:13:37.120 actually step forward and get baptized. You've 00:13:37.120 --> 00:13:39.200 been kind of hiding out in the corner. Do it. 00:13:39.820 --> 00:13:41.580 Maybe he's telling you that it's time for you 00:13:41.580 --> 00:13:44.279 to share your faith. Don't be a chicken. Get 00:13:44.279 --> 00:13:46.200 out and tell somebody about the Jesus you love. 00:13:46.960 --> 00:13:49.279 Maybe he's telling you it's time for you to step 00:13:49.279 --> 00:13:52.059 up and stop being a spectator in the church and 00:13:52.059 --> 00:13:56.139 be an active participant and belong here. I don't 00:13:56.139 --> 00:13:57.919 know what he's telling you, but whatever Jesus 00:13:57.919 --> 00:14:01.919 is telling you, it's going to line up with Scripture, 00:14:02.100 --> 00:14:08.539 and you better do what he says. So Mary says, 00:14:09.230 --> 00:14:12.429 Do whatever he tells you. Look at verse 8 or 00:14:12.429 --> 00:14:18.250 6. Now there were six stone water jars had been 00:14:18.250 --> 00:14:21.669 set there for Jewish purification, which contained 00:14:21.669 --> 00:14:26.409 20 to 30 gallons. Fill the jars with water, Jesus 00:14:26.409 --> 00:14:31.730 told them. So they filled them to the brim. Then 00:14:31.730 --> 00:14:35.549 he said to them, now draw some out and take it 00:14:35.549 --> 00:14:38.179 to the head waiter, and they did. Okay. First, 00:14:38.240 --> 00:14:41.559 we need to unpack a couple things in this. We 00:14:41.559 --> 00:14:44.840 need to unpack the crucial role that these stone 00:14:44.840 --> 00:14:49.080 jars, not clay jars, stone jars, played into 00:14:49.080 --> 00:14:54.039 what Jesus is doing. They symbolize a powerful 00:14:54.039 --> 00:14:58.419 transition from the Old Testament covenant to 00:14:58.419 --> 00:15:03.980 a new covenant. Why? These jars... We're there 00:15:03.980 --> 00:15:07.279 for Jewish custom purification. Why? Because 00:15:07.279 --> 00:15:12.620 of my sin, I'm dirty, right? I'm unpure. I'm 00:15:12.620 --> 00:15:18.080 unholy. Because God is holy and we are not, we 00:15:18.080 --> 00:15:20.659 cannot enter into the presence of a holy God, 00:15:20.759 --> 00:15:24.019 so I need to be purified. And so they took this 00:15:24.019 --> 00:15:27.340 ceremony very seriously because they realized 00:15:27.340 --> 00:15:32.000 they're broken sinners and they need help. So 00:15:32.000 --> 00:15:35.159 before a meal or a celebration, the guests would 00:15:35.159 --> 00:15:38.320 pour water or dip their hands into these big 00:15:38.320 --> 00:15:42.500 jars, symbolizing the removal of spiritual defilement. 00:15:45.279 --> 00:15:48.100 When Jesus points at these jars and says, I want 00:15:48.100 --> 00:15:51.379 you to use those jars, fill them. He's talking 00:15:51.379 --> 00:15:53.860 about, I want you to fill them to the brim, totally 00:15:53.860 --> 00:15:57.440 full. They're probably not empty. They probably 00:15:57.440 --> 00:16:00.080 had their hands all... doused in them. So it's 00:16:00.080 --> 00:16:03.179 not exactly maybe your cleanest, purest water. 00:16:05.279 --> 00:16:07.720 When Jesus uses these jars and he says, fill 00:16:07.720 --> 00:16:12.700 them, and he changes them to wine, he's testifying 00:16:12.700 --> 00:16:16.200 that the old religious rituals were dead and 00:16:16.200 --> 00:16:18.779 that he was filling these jars with new life. 00:16:19.100 --> 00:16:26.080 A new age had come, a new and better joy. Jesus 00:16:26.080 --> 00:16:32.860 is saying that That he is a better joy. And you'll 00:16:32.860 --> 00:16:34.919 see how this plays out as we see what he does. 00:16:35.440 --> 00:16:40.679 That Jesus is a greater and better joy. That 00:16:40.679 --> 00:16:43.340 could be the statement that summarizes this whole 00:16:43.340 --> 00:16:52.279 text. That Jesus is the greater joy. And the 00:16:52.279 --> 00:17:01.080 joy he gives is abundant. and overflowing with 00:17:01.080 --> 00:17:04.720 the best coming last. What Jesus is offering 00:17:04.720 --> 00:17:11.579 is way better. Look at verse 9. So when the head 00:17:11.579 --> 00:17:15.359 waiter tasted the water, after it had become 00:17:15.359 --> 00:17:19.779 wine, he did not know where it had come from. 00:17:20.900 --> 00:17:23.700 Though the servants who had drawn the water knew, 00:17:23.839 --> 00:17:28.039 he called the groom and told them. Everyone sets 00:17:28.039 --> 00:17:31.460 out the fine wine first. Then after people are 00:17:31.460 --> 00:17:38.680 drunk, the inferior. But you have kept the fine 00:17:38.680 --> 00:17:43.940 wine until now. What he's saying is, this cheap 00:17:43.940 --> 00:17:46.500 stuff, the two buck chuck stuff, is what you 00:17:46.500 --> 00:17:49.640 normally have at the end. The really good stuff 00:17:49.640 --> 00:17:51.900 is what you start with. Why have you flipped 00:17:51.900 --> 00:17:59.319 it? The joys of this world, church. will always 00:17:59.319 --> 00:18:04.599 run out. They will not satisfy. And Jesus brings 00:18:04.599 --> 00:18:10.880 the great joy. Jesus brings the greater joy. 00:18:11.400 --> 00:18:14.319 And it's a simple metaphor. It's a simple illustration 00:18:14.319 --> 00:18:17.119 to see that you can run after the things of this 00:18:17.119 --> 00:18:20.380 world to find your joy, to find your blessing, 00:18:20.619 --> 00:18:23.680 to find your hope, and it will never satisfy. 00:18:23.680 --> 00:18:28.180 It will always run out. I think it's so cool 00:18:28.180 --> 00:18:31.440 that Jesus says, see, I'm the greater joy. What 00:18:31.440 --> 00:18:36.880 I have to offer is much fuller. And you will 00:18:36.880 --> 00:18:44.339 experience blessing upon blessing with me. Verse 00:18:44.339 --> 00:18:50.720 11. Jesus did this. The first of his signs in 00:18:50.720 --> 00:18:55.559 Cana. He revealed his glory. And his disciples 00:18:55.559 --> 00:18:59.410 believed in him. And after this, he went down 00:18:59.410 --> 00:19:01.970 to Capernaum together with his mother and his 00:19:01.970 --> 00:19:04.329 brothers and his disciples and they stayed there 00:19:04.329 --> 00:19:08.869 only a few days. See, now John tells us his purpose 00:19:08.869 --> 00:19:14.710 for all of this. This was Jesus' first sign or 00:19:14.710 --> 00:19:17.369 miracle. Many of your Bibles, I think right in 00:19:17.369 --> 00:19:20.109 there will say the first sign. And as John goes 00:19:20.109 --> 00:19:23.349 through John, you're going to see that there's 00:19:23.349 --> 00:19:25.990 multiple signs. The first sign, and then he... 00:19:26.140 --> 00:19:28.539 group of signs that are there. What in the world 00:19:28.539 --> 00:19:33.500 is going on with signs? Throughout John's, we 00:19:33.500 --> 00:19:37.440 see this pattern. Jesus does a sign and that 00:19:37.440 --> 00:19:42.819 sign shows us his glory that we would believe. 00:19:44.279 --> 00:19:46.900 Remember I said that last Easter we talked about 00:19:46.900 --> 00:19:48.900 how that sunrise was coming up and that it was 00:19:48.900 --> 00:19:51.470 just a glimpse. And what John wants to do is 00:19:51.470 --> 00:19:53.769 just bring it brighter and brighter and brighter. 00:19:53.910 --> 00:19:55.630 He wants to bring Jesus front and center for 00:19:55.630 --> 00:19:58.190 you. And every time there's a sign, he's saying, 00:19:58.250 --> 00:20:02.890 I want you to see his glory. I want you to see 00:20:02.890 --> 00:20:06.430 so that you would believe. Your belief goes deeper. 00:20:06.450 --> 00:20:09.430 It's not just shallow. That your belief goes 00:20:09.430 --> 00:20:12.710 deeper and deeper and deeper into who Jesus is. 00:20:15.869 --> 00:20:20.650 So. The purpose of Jesus' miracles is not just 00:20:20.650 --> 00:20:24.950 to show his power or just to help that person 00:20:24.950 --> 00:20:30.049 or whatever. Although both are true. We see his 00:20:30.049 --> 00:20:32.609 power and we see his compassion and his love 00:20:32.609 --> 00:20:37.490 for people. But the main point is to show us 00:20:37.490 --> 00:20:40.670 his redemptive purpose. That God is on something 00:20:40.670 --> 00:20:44.490 greater and that his glory is massive. I want 00:20:44.490 --> 00:20:48.059 to close. Our time by going back to John chapter 00:20:48.059 --> 00:20:50.400 1. You can flip over there. And I want you to 00:20:50.400 --> 00:20:53.279 look at these two verses together. Verse 14 and 00:20:53.279 --> 00:20:58.319 verse 16. Look what it says. The word became 00:20:58.319 --> 00:21:00.519 flesh. That's Jesus. Remember we talked about 00:21:00.519 --> 00:21:03.900 this part of John is the prologue or the entry 00:21:03.900 --> 00:21:06.559 or the foyer to John. Which means we need to 00:21:06.559 --> 00:21:08.859 keep looking back to that first section. Because 00:21:08.859 --> 00:21:11.359 what John does is blows up this massive view 00:21:11.359 --> 00:21:13.900 of who Jesus is. And then he's going to bring 00:21:13.900 --> 00:21:17.319 it down to everyday walks of life of Jesus. He 00:21:17.319 --> 00:21:19.559 says this, the word became flesh and dwelt among 00:21:19.559 --> 00:21:22.640 us. The creator of all things became flesh, dwelt 00:21:22.640 --> 00:21:27.480 among us, walked among us, and we observed his 00:21:27.480 --> 00:21:31.539 glory. The glory of the one and only son from 00:21:31.539 --> 00:21:34.539 the father full of grace and truth. Now verse 00:21:34.539 --> 00:21:41.759 16. Indeed, we have all received grace. Upon 00:21:41.759 --> 00:21:47.319 grace from his fullness. Because of Jesus, we 00:21:47.319 --> 00:21:50.000 have received grace. We talked about this the 00:21:50.000 --> 00:21:53.579 first time. We've received grace upon grace upon 00:21:53.579 --> 00:21:57.960 grace upon grace upon grace. It just goes like 00:21:57.960 --> 00:22:03.420 that. That's you and me. Jesus is the greater 00:22:03.420 --> 00:22:07.839 joy. So at the wedding in Cana, Jesus gives us 00:22:07.839 --> 00:22:12.900 this first sign. He says, my hour has not yet 00:22:12.900 --> 00:22:18.420 come. His first sign is pointing to a greater 00:22:18.420 --> 00:22:23.039 joy that comes when Jesus goes to the cross and 00:22:23.039 --> 00:22:27.599 becomes death and his burial for us and his resurrection 00:22:27.599 --> 00:22:29.720 all happen. His death, burial, and resurrection. 00:22:29.819 --> 00:22:32.380 He says, that's what I'm coming for and that's 00:22:32.380 --> 00:22:36.500 what will bring greater joy in you. My hour has 00:22:36.500 --> 00:22:39.579 not yet come. And then at the Last Supper, just 00:22:39.579 --> 00:22:42.779 before Jesus goes to the cross, he's with his 00:22:42.779 --> 00:22:46.920 disciples. And I think this is so cool. He took 00:22:46.920 --> 00:22:50.720 the bread and the wine. And we're going to explain 00:22:50.720 --> 00:22:52.460 something different here today. But he took the 00:22:52.460 --> 00:22:55.599 bread and the wine. And he has it there with 00:22:55.599 --> 00:23:00.700 his disciples. And he has this to say. As they, 00:23:00.799 --> 00:23:06.079 Matthew 26, verse 26 through 28 says this. As 00:23:06.079 --> 00:23:09.299 they were, Jesus took the bread, blessed it, 00:23:09.359 --> 00:23:12.019 and broke it, and gave it to his disciples. He 00:23:12.019 --> 00:23:16.480 says, take ye, this is my body. Then he took 00:23:16.480 --> 00:23:24.019 the cup, the cup of wine, greater joy. He says, 00:23:24.079 --> 00:23:28.099 this cup. And after giving thanks, he gave it 00:23:28.099 --> 00:23:31.640 to them and said, drink from it, all of you, 00:23:31.740 --> 00:23:35.490 for this is my blood of the covenant. which is 00:23:35.490 --> 00:23:39.890 poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 00:23:40.589 --> 00:23:43.230 Jesus says, what I offer is the greater joy. 00:23:49.109 --> 00:23:54.890 His body and his blood is poured out for you 00:23:54.890 --> 00:23:59.190 that you might experience a greater joy. If you 00:23:59.190 --> 00:24:03.130 are not yet a follower of Jesus, to you I want 00:24:03.130 --> 00:24:06.839 to encourage you. This morning to put your trust 00:24:06.839 --> 00:24:12.759 into Jesus. What Jesus did for you when he hung 00:24:12.759 --> 00:24:15.720 on that cross, he paid for your sin. When he 00:24:15.720 --> 00:24:18.640 rose on the third day, he proves that his new 00:24:18.640 --> 00:24:22.799 life is found in him. Putting your faith in Jesus 00:24:22.799 --> 00:24:29.180 means he is your savior and he's your Lord. And 00:24:29.180 --> 00:24:30.619 if that's you and you're just sitting there, 00:24:30.640 --> 00:24:33.240 man, I've never done that. Right today, when 00:24:33.240 --> 00:24:34.859 we go into our time of response, let me just 00:24:34.859 --> 00:24:37.779 encourage you to pray a simple prayer. Just talk 00:24:37.779 --> 00:24:42.759 to God. Say, Father, I'm here. I admit that I'm 00:24:42.759 --> 00:24:48.000 a sinner. I believe that when Christ died on 00:24:48.000 --> 00:24:52.940 the cross, that it counted for me. And I confess 00:24:52.940 --> 00:24:56.759 Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. When the 00:24:56.759 --> 00:24:59.539 Bible says what you believe in your heart and 00:24:59.539 --> 00:25:04.410 you confess with your mouth, you're saved. For 00:25:04.410 --> 00:25:07.130 those of us who have a relationship with Jesus, 00:25:07.250 --> 00:25:15.769 what is it that Jesus is asking of you? See, 00:25:15.890 --> 00:25:21.950 what is he asking of you? We went through some 00:25:21.950 --> 00:25:26.089 of those questions earlier. Maybe there's conviction 00:25:26.089 --> 00:25:28.250 of your sin in your life. Every one of us in 00:25:28.250 --> 00:25:33.849 this room struggles with sin, don't we? Are you 00:25:33.849 --> 00:25:39.049 pushing it away like it doesn't exist? If that 00:25:39.049 --> 00:25:42.390 sin is in front of you and you see it, the Bible 00:25:42.390 --> 00:25:46.609 says repent. Turn from that. And Jesus is saying 00:25:46.609 --> 00:25:50.490 to you, don't play around with it anymore. Then 00:25:50.490 --> 00:25:52.589 I encourage you right where you sit today to 00:25:52.589 --> 00:25:56.269 say, okay, here it is, Lord. I give it back to 00:25:56.269 --> 00:26:01.250 you. I lay it down at your feet. Maybe it's time 00:26:01.250 --> 00:26:05.349 for you to... Get off the edges. Whatever you're 00:26:05.349 --> 00:26:06.730 doing. Maybe it's time for you to get baptized. 00:26:06.950 --> 00:26:09.029 Maybe it's, what is it that Jesus is saying to 00:26:09.029 --> 00:26:13.269 you? Do whatever he says. Like Mary says, do 00:26:13.269 --> 00:26:18.829 whatever he says. Why? Because real joy is in 00:26:18.829 --> 00:26:25.269 Jesus. Real joy. We're going to take a respond. 00:26:25.430 --> 00:26:29.430 The band, you can come up here now. But take 00:26:29.430 --> 00:26:34.789 this time of response. You guys have a moment. 00:26:36.009 --> 00:26:37.769 In the next, we're going to do three songs. You 00:26:37.769 --> 00:26:40.910 have a moment in your busy day just to pause 00:26:40.910 --> 00:26:44.589 for a minute. You and Jesus have a conversation. 00:26:44.910 --> 00:26:47.950 Take a time in this. Take a minute here just 00:26:47.950 --> 00:26:51.450 to have that moment. And surrender to Jesus. 00:26:52.970 --> 00:26:54.410 And then we're going to celebrate communion. 00:26:54.549 --> 00:26:56.609 I want to talk about this really briefly. We're 00:26:56.609 --> 00:26:59.049 doing it different. And I really apologize. Easter 00:26:59.049 --> 00:27:01.210 Sunday, we ran out of communion. So we decided 00:27:01.210 --> 00:27:05.410 this is a good reason to change it up. In the 00:27:05.410 --> 00:27:09.009 back, there will be a cup like this somewhere. 00:27:10.230 --> 00:27:13.150 And there's bread that has been broken. And so 00:27:13.150 --> 00:27:15.329 when you go up, if you are following Jesus and 00:27:15.329 --> 00:27:17.609 you're participating, you take one of these and 00:27:17.609 --> 00:27:19.589 you dunk it in, and that's where you go. No little 00:27:19.589 --> 00:27:22.230 cups anymore. We're going back to the old way 00:27:22.230 --> 00:27:27.809 Radiant used to do it before COVID. And part 00:27:27.809 --> 00:27:31.900 of this is that... It makes it simpler for us. 00:27:31.980 --> 00:27:33.500 But I just wanted to be clear on that. But when 00:27:33.500 --> 00:27:35.920 you celebrate communion, you're celebrating the 00:27:35.920 --> 00:27:39.180 greater joy that you have in Jesus. So if you're 00:27:39.180 --> 00:27:41.880 a follower of Jesus, you get to take communion. 00:27:41.940 --> 00:27:44.640 You get to celebrate that greater joy of what 00:27:44.640 --> 00:27:48.240 Christ did for you. And then as we respond, as 00:27:48.240 --> 00:27:51.400 we take our time to respond to the Lord, like 00:27:51.400 --> 00:27:54.160 we give our tithes and our offerings to Jesus, 00:27:54.279 --> 00:27:56.460 not to this church, but back to him. And then 00:27:56.460 --> 00:28:01.240 we sing. We sing with our voices loud. To a Jesus 00:28:01.240 --> 00:28:05.099 who has greater joy for you. Let me pray for 00:28:05.099 --> 00:28:07.599 us and then we'll do that. Lord Jesus, we come 00:28:07.599 --> 00:28:10.579 before you. It's a real simple but really important 00:28:10.579 --> 00:28:12.759 message that we understand that everything we 00:28:12.759 --> 00:28:15.779 have comes from you. That you are the greater 00:28:15.779 --> 00:28:17.779 joy. That we don't have to chase after the things 00:28:17.779 --> 00:28:20.500 of this world to find our satisfaction or joy. 00:28:20.640 --> 00:28:23.000 But that you provide that. So we run to you with 00:28:23.000 --> 00:28:26.210 everything. I pray for those in this room that 00:28:26.210 --> 00:28:28.150 are wrestling with whether or not they fully 00:28:28.150 --> 00:28:32.349 surrender to you, Jesus. I pray today, right 00:28:32.349 --> 00:28:34.269 where they sit, that they will surrender their 00:28:34.269 --> 00:28:37.710 lives to you. For those that know that God has 00:28:37.710 --> 00:28:40.849 been speaking to them, Jesus, you've been speaking 00:28:40.849 --> 00:28:44.109 to them and they can hear it in their soul. They 00:28:44.109 --> 00:28:45.609 will do what you say.