Rossville Christian Church
Sunday, January 16th
  • Everlasting God
  • Because He Lives
  • Intro:

    The Wedding

    Read 2:1-11, the whole of the story then come back
    A. The Wedding
    John 2:1 NIV
    On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there,
    1. In a near by town
    a. Mother was present
    b. Setting the stage for what’s about to happen
    2. Jesus and disciples were invited
    John 2:2 NIV
    and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.
    a. Probably someone they knew
    b. Not uncommon to have a wedding celebration and invite many people
    c. Right people in place, two situations
    B. The Wine Ran Out
    1. Can’t just go to liquor store
    a. Would be an embarrassment for family
    b. Detract from the celebration’s purpose
    2. What does this have to do with me
    a. Woman
    i. It is formal but not disrespectful
    ii. Jesus isn’t putting her in her place
    b. Jesus is making a separation
    i. Things will not be the same
    Matthew 12:48 NIV
    He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?”
    ii. Purpose was bigger than wine
    c. Hour not yet come
    i. He wasn’t ready for public revelation
    d. His mother knew him
    i. Had a heart for people
    ii. Could trust He would do the right thing
    As we should trust Him. Give Him the reigns and walk away trusting. We trust pilots and bus drivers, we trust cooks and other drivers. But we have a hard time trusting Jesus.
    C. The Jars
    John 2:7–8 NIV
    Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so,
    1. Don’t miss this part
    a. Ceremonial washing
    i. These were special jars
    b. Made of stone
    i. Would not be disposed of
    ii. Would contain what was necessary for cleaning
    2. Fill the Jars
    a. Fill to the brim
    i. complete what is missing
    ii. Came to fulfill the Law
    Matthew 5:17 NIV
    “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
    b. Jesus fills to the top
    i. No halfway measures for Him
    ii. He is always in abundance
    D. The Wine
    John 2:8–9 NIV
    Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside
    1. Old is Gone
    . Jesus brings in the age of transformation
    b. No longer going to be an old way, but a new
    i. Jesus isn’t going to let people suffer in shame
    ii. He has come to take away the sin of the world
    2. Save the best for last
    John 2:10–11 NIV
    and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.” What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
    a. The old Covenant was good
    b. The New Covenant is better
    Hebrews 8:6 NIV
    But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises.
    i. See it in the confession, most people serve the good first then the cheap stuff
    ii. Jesus’ way is different
    3. And they believed
    John 2:11 NIV
    What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
    a. Key principle here
    b. They believed more deeply, for they already had faith
    i. Like Jesus’ mother

    The Temple

    John 2:12 NASB95
    After this He went down to Capernaum, He and His mother and His brothers and His disciples; and they stayed there a few days.
    A. After This
    1. Theological Transition
    a. John is being intentional in the story he is bringing
    b. He wants the reader to see the change
    i. See the comparison
    2. Many of the same people
    a. Now in a different context
    b. With some new additions
    B. Jerusalem
    John 2:13 NASB95
    The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
    1. Center of religion and studies
    a. Where the temple resides
    b. Where the pharisees and Sadducees are
    c. Most of the government is located here
    d. Theologically significant even to today
    2. Near the holy day
    a. Passover
    i. big feast and party
    ii. Celebration of Israel’s release from captivity
    b. Don’t miss the connection here
    i. Passover, was establishing a new covenant
    ii. Jesus ministry was about go public, starting a new covenant
    c. God always come in with a bang
    C. The Money changers
    John 2:14 NIV
    In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money.
    1. What is this scene
    a. We think it obscene now
    b. But don’t we talk about tithe and such?
    2. However these people were being extorted
    a. It was part of the priests “pay” to take a portion of the monies
    b. Well they found a way to get a bigger cut
    3. Not so fluffy Jesus
    John 2:15–17 NIV
    So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
    a. glimpse into God’s furry
    b. Making His temple a house of thieves instead of prayer
    4. Don’t miss the theological significance here either
    a. We are now the temple
    b. We must drive out all the bad
    c. Let the Holy Spirit clean house
    D. The Sign Seekers
    John 2:18–22 NIV
    The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” But the temple he had spoken of was his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.
    1. Remember these are the religious elite
    a. They were commanded to run the temple business
    b. It was no small thing to come in and drive them out
    2. However it was necessary
    a. New order of things is now in place
    b. But they wanted a sign
    i. Not for Jesus sake or the people
    ii. For their own, because they didn’t believe and didn’t want to believe
    3. Retrospect
    a. The disciples remember what He said
    John 2:19 NASB95
    Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
    b. We see the transition with John from the physical to the Spiritual

    Faith in the Sign Maker

    John 2:23–25 NIV
    Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name. But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person.
    A. Disciple vs People
    1. What they believed in
    a. Signs not the sign bringer
    b. They were seeing only the power not the source
    2. Where was their faith
    a. Faith was still in just a man
    b. They missed the sign, they saw the sign but missed it
    Matthew 12:39–40 NIV
    He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
    B. See and Hearing
    1. Disciples remembered what He said
    a. Believed and it came to pass
    b. They remembered and understood
    c. Their faith was deepened because they believed in Jesus not the sign
    2. People see and forget
    Mark 4:12 NIV
    so that, “ ‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’”
    a. Don’t hold to the Truth
    b. Only seeking the next big thing
    c. What are we seeking?
    i. Seeking a deeper love of Christ
    ii. Seeking the next big thing
    Tick-Tok and social media are used to distract you and divert you, seeking the next big thing, the next miracle
    C. Jesus Entrusts to the trustworthy
    1. Disciples trusted with the Church
    John 14:1 NASB95
    “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.
    a. he believed in them
    b. Their faith was in the eternal
    2. People Not Trusted
    a. Even what they have will be taken
    b. Their faith was in the temporary, in the physical
    Conclusion:
    Where is your faith today? Is it in technology, is it in fancy things, is it in the world and that which is dying or is it in the everlasting God. The eternal. I will close with this passage:
    Matthew 6:19–20 NASB95
    “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal;
    Begin to put your faith in the Spiritual and let go of this world and its distractions, have a disciple like faith not a mob type faith, then you see the truly miraculous things because then you will see God!
    Pray
      • John 2:1NIV2011

      • John 2:2NIV2011

      • John 2:3–6NIV2011

      • Matthew 12:48NIV2011

      • John 2:7–8NIV2011

      • Matthew 5:17NIV2011

      • John 2:8–9NIV2011

      • John 2:10–11NIV2011

      • Hebrews 8:6NIV2011

      • John 2:11NIV2011

      • John 2:12NIV2011

      • John 2:13NIV2011

      • John 2:14NIV2011

      • John 2:15–17NIV2011

      • John 2:18–22NIV2011

      • John 2:19NIV2011

      • John 2:23–25NIV2011

      • Matthew 12:39–40NIV2011

      • Mark 4:12NIV2011

      • John 14:1NIV2011

      • Matthew 6:19–20NIV2011

  • Come As You Are
  • Glorious Day