Water to Wine Wedding at Cana John 2:1-12 Written Sermon

If you are a pastor or lay person who wants to use this to preach in church – that is why I posted it.  I don’t care about credit, I only care that God’s word is preached and Christ is glorified.  I pray He uses this sermon in a mighty way through you.  You have my permission to alter it and use it however God leads you.  God bless you in your ministry. You can also bookmark this to check out the other free written sermons on my blog.

1. – Water to wine

*Lesson number 1 – Being with Jesus isn’t about being boring, like monks in a monastery.  Coming to Christ shouldn’t be boring.  If it is, you’re not following close enough.

Rondal had underlined this in the Interpreter’s Bible Commentary that may surprise people of these amazing truths – First, there is the fact that Christ was even there; that they wanted him to be there, they had no fear that he would be out of his element or fail to fit in or that he would make others uncomfortable.  Christ did not hold aloof from innocent human happiness, a fact that many of his followers have forgotten, with tragic results, making his religion a more rigorous and stern thing than he ever did.

In plain English – Some people don’t want to become a Christian because they think Jesus wants to rain on their parade.  Know this about weddings when Jesus lived – often lasted a week or more and it was an indulgence of eating, drinking, and wild celebration.  yet we often make Jesus out to be a fuddy duddy.  Where do we get this idea?  From Christians. 

Jesus does His first miracle and the party goes longer and it’s better wine!  Sounds awkward.  The Scripture’s not saying it’s OK to get drunk – but if you do, you don’t have to let that keep you from becoming a Christian.  Or if you are a Christian and you still do, God may work on you about that.  The point I’m making is being with Jesus isn’t boring.

Jimmy Johnson – up for Male athlete of the year at the ESPN awards – ESPY’S.  Seattle Seahawks football player Golden Tate tweeted asking if Jimmy Johnson’s really an athlete.

Heard a sports personality say – A football player makes a mistake – they call a 15 yard penalty – If Jimmy Johnson makes a mistake – someone can die.  I’d say he’s an athlete.

If we’re truly a Christian – truly a follower of Jesus – life’s often going to be dangerous and exciting.  If ESPN gave an award for Christian of the year – probably going to go to someone who’s putting it all on the line.

Lesson number 1 – Being with Jesus isn’t about being boring, like monks in a monastery.  Coming to Christ shouldn’t be boring.  If it is, you’re not following close enough.

*Lesson number 2 – Jesus cares about every aspect of our lives –

 Upper Room today says changing the water to wine wasn’t one of Jesus’ bigger miracles, and I get the point, but we also mustn’t minimize this situation – Running out of wine was a big deal. Scholars believe weddings could go on for a week.  The wedding celebration was as much about honor as anything – We don’t understand how important honor was in Jesus’ time.  It would have been a major embarrassment for the family to run out of wine – didn’t go to champagne or beer, they usually had two things to drink: wine and water. It not only would it have been embarrassing for the family throwing the party to run out of wine, it would have been a horrible start for a marriage.

But I get the point in the upper room – and the point I take from the fact that Jesus helped out in this situation is that he cares about every aspect of our lives.

Amber – learned to ride a bicycle.           Our cat Bob has or had a lump under his jaw.   A family is going to run out of wine at their wedding reception at Cana.   Jesus cares about it all.  The world may not care that Amber learned to ride a bike.  Jesus Cares.  The world may not care that our cat has a lump under his jaw – But Jesus cares.  He wants to help.  That help is sometimes celebrating victories, sometimes providing the answer we want, and sometimes comfort when it’s not the answer we want.  But he cares about every aspect.

In this case, he’s caring is going to be shown by providing.

Jesus said – Get stone water pots, which are ceremonial cleansing jars.  One commentary said that the catering team would likely have been worried that Jesus was going to do some kind of ceremonial spiritual thing – instead of simply taking care of the problem.  But what other choice did they have?  Some of you may only need to hear this part of the sermon today.  You’re desperate, you’ve tried everything else, and you have nothing left to try.  Jesus is your last chance.

Lesson number 2 – Jesus cares about every aspect of our lives – The good, the bad, and the ugly.  He wants us to turn to him with it all.

*Lesson number 3 – When you serve with Jesus, he calls you friend.

The master of feast tasted the wine and did not know where it came from – but the servant knew –

How often do miracles happen right under our noses and we don’t know it.

The servant knew. How heartening is it that the servants were his fellow workers.

Still to this day he works this way, yet he raises the profile of the servants.  The servants don’t raise their own profile, the servants don’t look to be honored, but that’s the way Jesus works –

John 15:15 – “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business.  Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” 

Once the master lets you know what He’s up to, Once He gives you an assignment, once your willing to be a servant, he turns the tables and you’re no longer simply a servant.  You’ve received a promotion.  Even though you are still a servant, you’re a servant and more.  He no longer calls you servant, he calls you friend, and not only does He call you friend, he calls you His child.

• When you went to Dayton, Jesus called you friend.
• When you worked here in town yesterday, Jesus called you friend.
• When you go to New Orleans next month, what’s Jesus going to call you?
• When we go work in New Haven in September, what’s Jesus going to call you?
• When you call or visit someone who’s stuck in their home or in the hospital or in the nursing home or in prison, what’s Jesus going to call you?
• When you give $1 a month for Carrie Roush, what’s Jesus going to call you?

What’s Lesson number 3 – When you serve with Jesus, he calls you friend.

* Lesson number 4 – Jesus saves the best for last. 

In that time, a father started preparing for his daughter’s wedding day the day she was born.  Each year from the time she was born, when he would ferment his family’s barrels of table wine, he would make one extra barrel and set it back for his daughter’s wedding.  Girls would usually get married by 15 or 16.  Setting one barrel back each year would give a diligent father on average 16 barrels of wine.  Some now superbly aged.  The ones from when she was born or 1 or 2 years old would be the best and they would bring these out first.  The newer wine was brought out last.

Don’t you think the wedding couple and the master of the feast would have been happy with ANY wine at this point?  But Jesus doesn’t do the minimum.  He blesses them ABUNDANTLY.

 You think this wine is something, wait until you see the signs and miracles to come.

John says this is the beginning of the signs.  The miracle of the water to wine at Cana is the first hint of the Gospel of Jesus Christ which is to come – That Jesus enters into people’s troubles, and whatever he does is sufficient in every difficulty, making it better than we could have even asked.

 

Life as we know it – drinking cheap wine and then running out is not as good as it gets. 

When we drink what the Savior provides, that satisfies; that’s as good as it gets.

Imagine going from the newest, not so good wine to the best wine again.

In one way, in this life when we accept Christ – it’s going from the cheap to the best, but not in full.

I think about some people who are near death or who have battled and battled to remain in this life and lost their battle.  Some of them are living right now and their best in this life is years and years behind them.  But for those who are in Jesus, covered by the blood, saved, the lesson is the best is yet to come.  It’s going to be like going from the cheap wine to the best wine in the blink of an eye.  For those who have already left this life, they’re already tasting the best.

Campmeeting – preacher was asked after a sermon, “Is it true? Can I really believe what you said?  It’s true. Jesus saves the best for last. 

Whatever your need today – He’s ready to meet it, no strike that, He doesn’t do the minimum, whatever your need today – He’s ready to abundantly, exceed it.  All it takes is for you to ask – Like Mary asked – Or you can cry out to him – maybe not even with words, but with tears.

   And Mary knew He would.  Mary has confidence in Him – evident in her instructions to the servants – Do whatever He tells you to do.  This confidence can only come out of knowing him, out of an experience of knowing he is always unselfish, always thoughtful, always dependable, always unfailing.  Knowing he’ll come through when you need him.