How Christ Reveals His Glory in Us

John 2:11 KJV 1900

11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.

john 2.

This is the basis for the miracle?

The reveal His glory

A miracle that no one could explain

It would be done in the community that watch Christ grow up

It had to be from God...

Don't get side tracked the miracle has one purpose.

The first public miracle was to reveal His glory and the disciples believe on Him...

Now we come to chapter 2, we move from verbal testimony to testimony by the works of Jesus.

Chapter one was all about a verbal testimony of who Christ is

Now we move to the physical side of proving who Christ is

And John is going to alternate now as we go through His gospel, between the words of Christ, and the works of Christ.

He’s going to have us look at the statements Jesus made that indicate His deity and the works He did that demonstrate and prove His deity.

He will do what no one but God can do.

And we see that in the very first miracle in chapter 2.

Now in John’s book, he gives us eight signs, eight miracles that Jesus did that are signs pointing to His deity. He turns water into wine in chapter 2.

He heals a dying man in chapter 4.

He cures a paralyzed man in chapter 5.

He creates food for thousands of people in chapter 6.

He walks on water at the end of chapter 6.

He gives sight to the blind in chapter 9.

He raises a man dead for days in chapter 11.

He creates a meal in chapter 21, breakfast for His disciples.

And then the culminating miracle beyond the eight, He is raised from the dead.

A Miracle is no other way to explain.....

There is no human way to explain Jesus. He has to be God.

If this was all we had, we would know that, because He creates wine out of nothing.

We already know He is the Creator: , “Nothing was made that He didn’t make. Nothing was made without Him making it and He made everything that exists from nothing.” Here you have a miracle in which the God/Man creates wine out of nothing.

This is evidence that He is divine. And Scripture leaves us no other explanation, and that is John’s mission, and it will mount as we move through this book.

Now let me just break down this account into four simple features.

A note about alcohol in the Bible:

When strong drink, wine and alcohol is mentioned in the Bible the overwhelming references are negative. Only a few instances could be neutral or supportive. As with any biblical interpretation the context is what is important.

Proverbs 20:1 KJV 1900

1 Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: And whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.

Proverbs 21:1 KJV 1900

1 The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: He turneth it whithersoever he will.

prov 21.

Proverbs 23:31 KJV 1900

31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, When it giveth his colour in the cup, When it moveth itself aright.

Ephesians 5:18 KJV 1900

18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

A note on Alcohol:

A position of total abstinence will:

Never hurt your testimony

Never lead to drunkenness

You will never wake up wondering what you said or did...

Never will your children use you as an excuse as to why the consume alcoholic beverages

Abstinence from alcoholic beverages is a conviction firmly rooted in what the Bible teaches about the abuse of wine, the consumption of strong drink

Not to be overlooked as well has been the obvious and well-publicized devastation resulting from alcohol abuse in so many homes and communities.

Throughout our history, the proclamation of the gospel has been a powerful force in bringing addicted persons to dynamic faith in Christ, delivering them, enabling lifelong abstinence, and enhancing healthy homes, churches, and communities.

Unfortunately, one hundred years after the founding of our Fellowship, consumption of alcoholic beverages has become even more pervasive. In large part, this has been the result of a massive, multibillion-dollar, annual advertising campaign by the alcohol industry over the last several generations touting the pleasures and benefits of drinking. The entertainment media have also played a major role in the transformation of public attitudes by frequent and sophisticated portrayals of social drinking in movies, television, and other media.

Entire great awakenings of cultures over the years resulted in the abstinence position....

Consumption of alcoholic beverages has become even more pervasive. In large part, this has been the result of a massive, multi-billion-dollar, annual advertising campaign by the alcohol industry over the last several generations touting the pleasures and benefits of drinking. The entertainment media have also played a major role in the transformation of public attitudes by frequent and sophisticated portrayals of social drinking in movies, television, and other media.

To have a conviction of abstinence will result in that will be bullied and outcast in social functions. Some will call you judgmental and non loving....

Many evangelical Christians even will call you judgmental

A city of Erie police officer told me they could lay off 1/3-1/2 of the force is alcohol was removed.

Drinking is everywhere

Just try abstinence and see how many times you have to say no.

Auburn football

Ann/Fred’s Testimony

This text is not about the use of intoxicating beverages:

This text is not about the use of intoxicating beverages:

It about a miracle.

In our miracle today :

Exploring the Gospel of John: An Expository Commentary 2. Jesus and His Mother (2:3–5)

Wine was wine. The word used is oinos, the only word for wine in the New Testament. In the Septuagint it is used to translate the Hebrew words yayin and tirosh. The word yayin is derived from a root word yayan meaning “to ferment.” The word yayin occurs 142 times in the Old Testament and includes all kinds of fermented wine. The first use of the word is in connection with Noah’s drunkenness (Genesis 9:21). It is used of the wine brought forth by Melchizedek for Abraham (Genesis 14:18). The same word is used in connection with Nabal and his extreme intoxication (1 Samuel 25:36–37). It was used at the feasts of the Lord (Deuteronomy 14:23–26) and was the wine poured out in the drink offering (Exodus 29:40; Leviticus 23:13; Numbers 15:5).

The word tirosh comes from the root yarash, (“to possess”), evidently because of wine’s power to take possession of a person’s brain. The word occurs thirty-four times in the Old Testament.

There can be little doubt that wine is what was served at the wedding, not grape juice. And they ran out of wine.

The word tirosh comes from the root yarash, (“to possess”), evidently because of wine’s power to take possession of a person’s brain. The word occurs thirty-four times in the Old Testament.

There can be little doubt that wine is what was served at the wedding, And they ran out of wine. [1]

How strong was the wine ? Ancient wine was very weak they thy did not have distilling processes

Was it fermented?

Don’’t get side tracked the miracle is not about the use or abuse of wine.....

How Christ Reveals His Glory In Us

I. We are with Family and Friends

John 2:1–2 KJV 1900

1 And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: 2 And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage.

maybe a hospital room, maybe a family gathering

maybe a funeral

51 Woodhaven Way Sicklerville NJ

exgete

A wedding , let’s start with the wedding, okay? It’s a the most important event in the ancient world in the life of people in a town and a village.

It is a wedding. It is a wedding.

Verse 1 says, “On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee.” Now that identifies this as the most significant and important and carefully planned event that happened in ancient family life.

They have gone from being across the Jordan and Judah, all the way back to Galilee to the village of Cana, which is about nine miles

All of this happens in a very power-packed week. Jesus being declared, these men being called to follow Him, and they do so and end up in the town of Cana. As you remember now, we’re talking about Andrew and Peter and Philip and Nathanael and John.

This is a very small place. Nazareth, for example, the highest number we read about in terms of the population of Nazareth at the time of Jesus would be 500. That would be the max. Small place.

Cana is a village nine miles away, even smaller; maybe a few dozen people, a sort of a gathering place for the agricultural folks in that region; very, very small place. That would make this wedding a huge event.

And obviously people from Nazareth would know those people because they lived nearby, they farmed together, the people in the outlying areas would come to Nazareth when they needed things that could only be gained in Nazareth.

We’re not surprised that Mary would be there, she had lived in Nazareth for a long time. And we’re not also surprised that the rest of these folks from Galilee, the other men who came with Jesus, would also be there. Surely they would know people in that wedding as well.

So on the third day, there’s a wedding in Cana of Galilee.

So Jesus went to a wedding. And the mother of Jesus was there.

Not surprising. Again, how many generations of her family had lived in the little town of Nazareth?

Again this is a major event going on, it lasted for days. Some writers say they usually would start in the middle of the week and go on for many days. Sometimes they would start early in the week and go all week long, as long as seven days.

When people came to this celebration, they came because there had been a betrothal, an engagement period. About a year earlier, the couple had been engaged. That’s a legal, binding, covenantal contract that could only be broken by divorce. But the marriage wasn’t consummated; it wasn’t consummated till the end of this wedding.

It was a great celebration because he had been working hard for a year. She had been waiting and preparing for this, and finally the time comes, and it’s just an immense celebration. Jesus is there, as well, with the five; and they’re in the celebration.

I just want to stop here to say this.

Key - There’s something really beautiful about this because He’s had thirty years in Nazareth in this little town, a few hundred people, and He’s about to step out into the world, if you will.

His private life to His public ministry is a miracle for His family and friends. Do you see that? This didn’t happen in Judea.

This happened for His family and His friends, they were the first ones who were to recognize what He had never demonstrated before, that He is the Creator God. It’s a family and friends miracle,

So He starts His miracle ministry with a friends and family miracle, transitioning Him from the obscurity of Nazareth to public ministry. By the way, Joseph isn’t mentioned and I would assume that Joseph was dead. He must have died during those silent years.

Well, a wedding, as I said, is the greatest occasion. No occasion like it. And the celebration is in full swing. Everybody’s having a wonderful time. That’s the party.

We with family:

Those that know us best are there

It at a location a place that God willshow us his glory

maybe a hospital room, maybe a family gathering

maybe a funeral

51 Woodhaven Way Sicklerville NJ

Our children

Our parents

Maybe its with family and friends

Our friends

How Christ Reveals His Glory In Us

II. We are Presented With a Problem

john 2.3-

John 2:3–5 KJV 1900

3 And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. 4 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. 5 His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.

Read each verse and comment here

vs 3 - And then comes the predicament, verse 3, when the wine ran out, that’s a problem. When the wine ran out, this is a major catastrophe.

This is a colossal social embarrassment because if there was anything that the bridegroom had spent a year trying to prove is that he could take care of his bride.

He had to build her a house; he had to acquire everything that was necessary. He had to demonstrate his ability to take care of her for the rest of her life.

One year during the betrothal period

Her father was handing her over to him. This is a problem. Maybe he can’t plan.

Is this guy going to be able to make a living? Is this guy going to be able to take care of you? It was a difficult world to just survive and a celebration like this meant so much as a relief and then to run out of wine.

“When the wine ran out,” what about the wine?

Well, it was a staple drink in the ancient world, and they made it from all kinds of fruit, mostly grapes, but other fruit as well.

And let me just remind you of the fact that wine and the juice of any of those fruits was subject to fermentation because there was no refrigeration.

So everything fermented and developed alcohol. To quench your thirst with water was dangerous because water was not purified.

But to quench your thirst with fermented wine was dangerous because you could get drunk and that was a sin.

You didn’t want to be sick and you didn’t want to sin.

John MAuthor states:

So the way they dealt with that is that they diluted the water, or they diluted the wine with water, one to three to one to ten--ten parts water, one part wine, down to three parts water, one part wine.

And they did that so they could drink the water because it had been purified, and they could drink the wine and it wouldn’t make them drunk because it was diluted.

Surly it would not have had the alcohol content of today that was their staple drink for a week… if that's the case they would have been drunk all week ...

So this would have been prepared in the normal fashion and it ran out. This is a problem--big problem, big embarrassment.

The mother of Jesus, verse 3, said to Him, “They have no wine.”

Why her? Well, I don’t know; maybe she was in charge of things. I don’t know. We don’t know that. But she certainly knew what was going on.

When the wine ran out, everybody knew the wine ran out; there’s nothing to drink. No water nothing?

Why go to Jesus - his public ministry had not yet started ..... no miracles

In the past

He had the perfect solution to every dilemma. He had the perfect answer for every predicament. Everything that ever went wrong in a house, He knew why it went wrong and how to make it right. He was the most wise, intelligent, resourceful person that had ever lived or ever will live on this earth. And He was in the house with her.

Who else would she go to?

I don’t think she’s necessarily asking for a miracle. She just goes to the One she would always go to when there was a very difficult predicament.

Verse 4, after Mary says to Him, “they have no wine,” Jesus said to her, “Woman.” Woman, not mother? It’s not harsh to say “Woman.”

Verse 4, after Mary says to Him, “they have no wine,” Jesus said to her, “Woman.” Woman, not mother? It’s not harsh to say “Woman.”

Some say it’s kind of the southern expression, “ma’am.”

It’s not harsh, but it’s not intimate.

It’s not mother. It’s courteous. By the way, it’s the same word that He used on the cross in when He said to her, “Woman, behold your son,” and handed her over to John.

He called her “woman” there as well. Why? Because He is telling her we don’t any longer have the relationship we’ve had up till now. It’s over.

She is no longer in a position to act as an authority in His life. She is no longer in a position to tell Him what to do, to make suggestions to Him.

We are presented with a problem

No money

No food

A bad test result

A wayward child

A marriage that has gone south ....

How Christ Reveals His Glory in Us

III. We Witness a Provision

John 2:6–12 KJV 1900

6 And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. 7 Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it. 9 When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, 10 And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now. 11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him. 12 After this he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples: and they continued there not many days.

read each verse here

This goes pretty quick. “There were six stone water pots set there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing twenty or thirty gallons each.”

So what have you got? A hundred and twenty to a hundred and eighty gallons in these water pots.

This is not for drinking.

I told you they didn’t drink water unless it was mingled with a purifier wine!

So they filled them to the brim, which is what He wanted.

“And He said to them, ‘Draw some out now and take it to the head waiter”--the architriklinos, the maitre d’, the chief waiter, take it to him--“so they took it to him. When the head waiter tasted the water which had become wine

How do you get wine? Grapes.

How do you get grapes? Vines. How do you get vines? Seeds.

How do you get seeds? Other vines.

How do you make the vine grow? Sunlight, water, earth.

How do you get the wine? Crush, strain.

There are no grapes, no vines, no seeds, no other seeds, no sunlight, no water, no earth. Nothing. He’s created wine out of nothing. I mean, at least He could have said, “Wine!” Right? I mean this is a pretty dramatic deal here.

The head waiter tasted the water which had become wine, and didn’t know where it came from.

But the servants who had drawn the water knew they knew what happened. So you’ve got these completely disinterested eyewitnesses giving testimony that He had literally created wine to replace water. Where did the water go?

And by the way, this would have been unfermented wine that just sort of bypassed the curse. It bypassed the earth, the vine, the grapes, everything. This was the best wine ever. This was Eden kind of wine.

And it becomes apparent right away because the headwaiter calls the bridegroom and the bridegroom is the guy who wants the news ’cause he’s responsible for this.

Said to him, “Every man serves the good wine first, then he serves the poorer wine, but you’ve kept the good wine until now.” That’s just axiomatic. Everybody does that. You do that.

You have company over. If they keep eating long enough, they’re going to get the leftovers that are still in the refrigerator. You know, I mean, that’s the way it goes.

You prepare something; you give them what you’ve got. If they’re still hungry, you start digging down into yesterday and the day before and last week.

I mean, that’s...so he says, “Nobody does this. Nobody keeps this quality of wine until the end, nobody does that.”

And it was not only wine, it was the best wine that had ever been consumed, pure, sweet, unfermented, delicious, like nothing else the man had ever tasted.

So you have this testimony of a creative miracle in the mouth of people who have no stake in trying to prove anything about Jesus.

It’s amazing. Well, the party was back in full bloom. And verse 11 gives us the final word on this. And the final word is the purpose. We saw the party, the problem, the predicament, and then we saw the provision and the

purpose in verse 11. “This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee and manifested His glory and His disciples”...What, did what?...“believed in Him.”

The purpose - the disciples believed.....

His disciples believed in Him. That’s group one. Turn to , we’ll close here. , ,

The Family

The Problem

The Provision

Maybe God is revealing himself to you......

Threre is a problem

We have run out of hope

We have run out of money

We have run out of patience

We have run out health

Jesus say sit down and go draw out of my waterpots

I will give you the best hope

I will give you all you need

Just trust me......