Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

I think a lot of us struggle with this idea that somehow in Jesus Christ we have been made new and are being made new.

As we read John chapter 2 we find two very different stories.

On the one hand we have Jesus hanging out at a wedding with his disciples.

2 Corinthians

If I can be vulnerable for a moment.

It seems difficult to grasp.

I mean looking at my life throughout the years of being a believer could I have counted assuredly the times that I believed I was a new creation in Christ?

Did I feel new?

Did I feel I was becoming new?

Maybe some of us are wrestling with these questions today.

We sit here and we doubt a newness and a work that is being done inside of us.

What does becoming new even look like in a practical sense?

That is why I am so glad that John wrote John chapter 2. It is a full chapter straight on newness.

The New Wine

John

Let’s get a little background picture on Jewish weddings.

Normally the Bridegroom would bring his bride back to his house and they would have a wedding supper and a week of festivities.

At some point throughout the festivities they ran out of wine.

I mean this was a big problem.

The groom would have been responsible for the wine and thus his whole family would have been disgraced.

Now we don’t know exactly why but somehow this was brought up to Mary who then went and brought it up to Jesus and after some dialogue we get this beautiful picture of utter surrender and dependence.

Let’s get a little background picture on Jewish weddings.

Normally the Bridegroom would bring his bride back to his house and they would have a wedding supper and a week of festivities.

At some point throughout the festivities they ran out of wine.

I mean this was a big problem.

The groom would have been responsible for the wine and thus his whole family would have been disgraced.

Now we don’t know exactly why but somehow this was brought up to Mary who then went and brought it up to Jesus and after some dialogue we get this beautiful picture of utter surrender and dependence.

John 2:

I mean maybe Mary didn’t know if Jesus could do anything at all, but she puts all her trust in Him.

In essence she is saying Jesus please do what you can.

The miracle at Cana was birthed out of a full dependence on Jesus Christ and it leads us into such great example.

The newness in our life comes from a complete surrender and depending on Jesus.

Let me tell you today if you didn’t know, but Jesus is very capable of handling whatever you bring him in surrender.

He desires for our dependence to be fully rested in Him.

You will never be able to possess a new mind without full surrender.

You will never be able to see the newness of Christ in you without a full surrender.

Surrender brings newness in Jesus.

I am sorry to say but there can be no split.

It is either all Jesus or none of Him.

You cannot split your dependence on Him with your job, or your family, or your friends, or your church, or you money.

There needs to be a conscious decision that I am going to not split but surrender all to Him.

Look what happens because of the surrender in this story.

John 2:

At this point in the story Jesus turns to 6 stone jars.

Here is the interesting thing, these jars were used for ceremonial washing which means that they would have constantly been exposed to impurities.

They were some dirty jars.

Jesus turns not to the wine jugs but to “six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing.”

Their purpose was to render the unclean ritually pure, which would take place when a person dipped their hands and feet in the water (Mark 7:1–5).

The jars were thus constantly exposed to impurity.

When Jesus had them filled with water and then turned it into wine, a double miracle took place: (1) The unclean was made clean.

ceremonial washing which means that they would have constantly been exposed to impurities.

Could you imagine Jesus selection for the new wine.

I mean he could have turned to the

Could you imagine Jesus selection for the new wine.

I mean he could have turned to the wine jars.

I could only imagine the look on people’s faces when Jesus chose these jars.

There is a story that is being painted here.

It is symbolic of what happens to you and I when Jesus encounters us.

The most impure can be made new.

We look so intently at the miracle of the new wine that we miss the second miracle of what the new wine was created in.

An impure, filthy jar.

Relate this to us

The New Temple

The New Temple

The passage switches from the story of a miracle to the controversy of the temple, but I believe that John had a harmonious purpose for putting these 2 stories of Jesus together.

On the one hand Jesus creates something new and beautiful from something that was considered impure.

On the other hand Jesus removes that which does not belong to restore the beauty of what should be.

A lot of people like the first scenario but have a difficult time with the second.

As I have been praying for more revelation in my life of what God wants to remove I can tell you truthfully that sometimes it wasn’t and won’t be pleasant, but without it I will never thrive in the newness of what God desires for me.

I mean look at the temple story.

When Jesus started removing that which should not be there from the temple people got mad.

I believe that people haven’t changed.

It doesn’t matter if it is a physical temple or the temple of our heart.

We still get mad at God.

What do you mean I need to remove this from my life?

This isn’t a problem.

This doesn’t stop my intimacy with you.

Imagine this for a moment with me.

You come to the temple to pray and earnestly seek the face of God and all around you you hear the sound of animals screaming, people yelling, and money being collected.

Your focus will be pulled constantly.

Why is it any different with our heart.

I believe that God wants to do some table turning and whipping in our hearts so our focus becomes intimacy with Him.

Discerner of Hearts

At the end of the story we read 2 verses on Jesus knowing the heart of man.

He knows your heart tonight

Conclusion