Water, Wine, And Whatever He Says
Dinner With Jesus • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 4 viewsNotes
Transcript
Story: The first wedding I ever performed
Worked at All Seasons Florist
Delivered flowers
Ran gift shop
Sold concrete statuary
Operated the tanning salon
Also performed a single wedding in the wedding chapel
At work one day…wedding was scheduled…preacher was sick
Boss told me to go home and get my suit so I could perform the wedding
I showed up — SUPER NERVOUS — and met the couple
I used the Fill-In-The-Blank wedding template I had found online and began
About halfway through the vows, the bride and groom got to giggling so hard they told me they had lost their place and wanted to start over
So I turned the binder back to Page One and started all over!
Thankfully…since then, I have completely changed the way I approach weddings. I have come to value the wedding ceremony and to look forward to meeting with couples in the weeks and months leading up to their wedding.
I’ve also learned that weddings are quite a bit different now than they were in Jesus’ day. But they were no less significant. And in John 2, we see Jesus attend a wedding.
And that’s where today’s Dinner With Jesus is going to take place…
PRAY
P. 724
1 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee.
Weddings were a BIG DEAL
Lasted a LONG time - much longer than the few hours our weddings take up
Guests assembled at the bride’s home and were entertained by her parents as they waited for the groom to appear
When the groom came near, the bridesmaids lit torches and went out to greet him
Everyone traveled - almost like a festive parade - to the groom’s home where the ceremony would happen
They would remain there for several days, celebrating and eating lavish banquets
Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.
Jesus, Mary, and the Disciples were all there. And everything was going great!
…at least until tragedy struck…
3 When the wine was gone,
We read this and so easily miss the significance…
So…the wine was gone. But deal, right?
Run and buy some more
Tell everyone to switch to sweet tea
As a last result…drink some water
But remember…this was a culture built on HONOR and SHAME
There was HUGE significance on external perceptions and social acknowledgment
HONOR was earned by being able to care for the household, the guests, and all obligations
SHAME was received by failing in the task
When the wine ran out…SHAME
Humiliation
Failure
Devastation
Loss of family’s culture power, strength, influence
So, to recap…
Jesus, the Disciples, and Mary are at a wedding, which would have lasted for several days with celebrating, eating and drinking
And the host has just run out of wine
No one knew what to do…other than Mary, of course…she had an idea…
Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” (hint, hint)
4 “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”
By “My hour has not yet come,” Jesus is referring to the cross. It wasn’t time for the cross yet but would be eventually.
1 It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
Mary settles it…
Mary — “Jesus, we’re out of wine!”
Jesus — “It’s not time for the cross yet.”
Mary doesn’t respond…doesn’t hesitate…just looks at the servants and says, “Obey him.”
The text doesn’t say that she walked away but I like to think that she stared Jesus in the eye, then glanced at the servants…”Obey him.” And then, she just backed out of the picture. After all, it wasn’t really about her.
How different would your life - and my life - be if we responded to every situation like Mary responded to the lack of wine???
Marriage is rocky… “Let’s do whatever Jesus tells us.”
Finances are tight… “Let’s do whatever Jesus tells us.”
Or even more difficult - you get a raise and finances are easier… “Let’s do whatever Jesus tells us.”
Pull of addiction… “Let’s do whatever Jesus tells us.”
Anger / Triggered… “Let’s do whatever Jesus tells us.”
Lie / Honest… “Let’s do whatever Jesus tells us.”
Opportunity to manipulate… “Let’s do whatever Jesus tells us.”
Do whatever Jesus tells you to do.
Mary doesn’t try to control the outcome - she leads the group toward obedience.
“Let’s do whatever Jesus tells us.”
SCALE OF 1-10
Question: Are you willing to do whatever Jesus tells you to do???
What if you don’t know His full plan?
6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.
These were large stone jars that held water for ceremonial washing
This washing was a daily practice for maintaining purity but might have been under even greater scrutiny because of the wedding
Hands, feet, cups, dishes…all would be washed to be clean
These jars held a collective 120-180 gallons of water but this was NOT drinking water…it was cleansing water
7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.
8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”
This makes NO SENSE!
There was absolutely no reason to do it this way…except of course because Jesus told them to do it like this.
Mary — “We’re out of wine! Listen to Jesus!”
Jesus — “Fill up the washing jars!”
Me — WHAT??? WEIRD??? WASTE OF TIME!!!
Servants — “Sounds like a plan!”
FILLS UP WASHING JARS TO THE BRIM
Jesus — “Take a scoop of the water to the master and have him drink it!”
Me — WHAT??? WEIRD??? GONNA GET US FIRED!!!
Servants — “Whatever you say!”
If you’re going to commit to DOING WHATEVER JESUS TELLS YOU TO DO…you HAVE TO commit to the second step as well…
Do it however Jesus tells you to do it.
How does this work???
Baptized
If Jesus has been calling you to surrender your life to Him…He’s been instructing you to be baptized
Finances
If Jesus has been calling you to surrender your finances to Him…He’s been instructing you to give generously…to give the “firstfruits” — not just the leftovers
Forgiveness
If Jesus has been calling you to forgive…He’s been instructing you to forgive everyone who has wronged you, as reflection of the incredible forgiveness He gave to you after you wronged Him (we call that “sin”)
Discipleship
If Jesus has been calling you to be a disciple…He’s been instructing you to commit yourself to a life-long process of learning to imitate Him
Evangelism
If Jesus has been calling to share His Good News (AND HE HAS BEEN)…He’s been instructing you to make it your NUMBER ONE priority and to do it at every chance you get
Story: Baccalaureate - why preach there???
Why would you preach somewhere like __that__??
If someone asks me to preach somewhere — and I can work the schedule out to do so — the answer is YES.
Because…it is HOW Jesus told me to do.
Jesus gave a strange command and the servants obeyed immediately, completely, and without question.
Obedience is NOT passive.
SCALE OF 1-10
Question: Are you doing things HOW Jesus instructed you to do them???
They did so, 9 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.
I LOVE THIS MOMENT!!!
The master of the banquet didn’t know what had happened…
The guest of the wedding didn’t know what had happened…
The bride and groom didn’t know what had happened…
BUT THE SERVANTS KNEW!
SIDENOTE: When you choose to obey Jesus, you get to experience and know things that other people will never know..
Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 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.”
Trust that Jesus knows what He is doing.
The result of obedience is abundance and excellence - the best wine.
BUT NO ONE KNEW THE BEST WAS COMING UNTIL THEY OBEYED AND THEN EXPERIENCED IT
People in the Connect Family:
Adam Cloe
Has invited his friend to church about a billion times…but keeps on because he knows he needs to do WHAT Jesus told him HOW Jesus told him to do it and he’s TRUSTING that eventually Jesus will bring the best out of it
Zach & Rosie Cloven
Dreaming and praying over future ways to care for kids who need someone to love and care for them…not sure how it will work but they know WHAT Jesus told them and HOW Jesus told them to go about it and they’re TRUSTING that eventually Jesus will bring the best out of it
Mick O’Hanahan
Serves a mission organization and things have been tough…not sure how they will go but he knows WHAT Jesus told him and HOW Jesus told him and he’s TRUSTING that eventually Jesus will bring the best out of it
**** *****
Struggling with pornography addiction and has confessed it to his wife and close friends…not sure what comes next but knows WHAT Jesus told him to do and HOW Jesus told him to do it and he’s TRUSTING that eventually Jesus will bring the best out of it
Blake Onstot
Heard Jesus call him to start a new ministry so he’s making plans…checking out places…buying website domains…praying…and he’s TRUSTING that eventually Jesus will bring the best out of it
I could go on and on telling you about how people in the Connect Family are listening to WHATEVER Jesus tells them to do and then trying to do it HOWEVER He tells them to do it.
SCALE OF 1-10
Question: How committed are you to OBEYING right now and trusting that Jesus will bring the best out of it later???
OFFER INVITATION TO OBEY JESUS IN SURRENDERING…
Baptism
Recommitment
INVITATION: Listen to WHAT Jesus is telling you to do.
CHALLENGE: Do it HOWEVER Jesus has told you to do it.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Why do you think Mary told the servants to ‘do whatever Jesus tells you’? What does this teach us about trust and obedience?
Can you think of a time when you had to trust someone or something without knowing the full plan? How did that feel?
What is something you sense Jesus has been telling you to do — but you’ve been hesitating?
In what ways might we experience ‘shame’ in our lives today, similar to the wedding host when the wine ran out?
How can we overcome feelings of shame when we fail or fall short in our responsibilities?
Jesus turned water into wine when the hosts obeyed His instructions. Why is it significant that they obeyed without questioning?
What do you find difficult about obeying commands that you don’t fully understand? How can you overcome that?
What steps of obedience are you trying to rationalize instead of just trusting Jesus?
Obedience to Jesus leads to seeing things that others may not understand. Why do you think that is?
Are there areas in your life where you feel you’re not able to see the benefits of obeying Jesus? How might you change your perspective?
How can the statement ‘Let’s do whatever Jesus tells us’ apply to specific areas of your life right now?
In what practical way can you start applying this mindset this week? What will you do first?
What’s an area of your life where obedience hasn’t “made sense” yet — but you’re still trusting?
How would your faith look different if you truly believed the best was on the other side of obedience?
