What Are You Expecting?
John 2:1-12
“’Woman, why do you involve me?’” Jesus replied. “’My hour has not yet come.’”
Did 2015 Meet Your Expectations?
When you spend a little time and look back, did you find things in 2015 that you hoped might happen but weren’t sure they really might? Did anything surprise you?
Did you expect…
-The Raiders to have a better record than the 49ers?
-The Golden State Warriors to win their first NBA championship in 40 years?
-To see a man make a complete transition to a woman? (and have it accepted and heralded at heroic?)
-To see a front runner for President a woman? Donald Trump?
-Gas prices to drop anywhere from $1.50 to $2.00 in a lot of areas?
-Star Wars to make a comeback with its 7th movie?
-A 7.8 magnitude earthquake to hit Nepal on April 25th and kill over 9,000 people and injure 23,000 more
-Water Crisis – Too much back east, not enough in the west, will everything correct itself?
Obviously there are a lot of other things that happened in the past year that we haven’t touched on; both good and bad. Some things we hoped for, some we never saw coming and some just leaving us shaking our head. So what does 2016 hold? What do you expect going into the New Year. Today, let’s look at the very beginning of Jesus ministry and how that may spur us on as we move into 2016. If you are able, please stand as we read God’s Word from John 2:1-12.
Read Passage – John 2:1-12
On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” 4 “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. 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.” 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. Then he called the bridegroom aside10 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.” 11 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. 12 After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.
Some Interesting Considerations
As we approach John 2, Jesus has just come on the scene as far as his ministry life goes. We know very little about what happened to him during the years between the time we see him at the temple as a 12 year old boy and then as he begins his ministry at about age 30. It is interesting to conjecture but we are not going to do that this morning. We are going to focus on the first miracle that Jesus performs; turning water into wine. As we look at this passage there are a lot of different things to focus on and some interesting things to consider. For example it says in verse 1:
“On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee.” vs. 1
-3rd day – The third day of what? The wedding? Or could John be referring to Christ return from the grave on the 3rd day and this is a foreshadow of that?
-Wedding – Another interesting this is that this too place at a wedding. Remember, Christ 2nd coming for his bride and that somehow might play into this passage. Maybe the first and the last acts of Christ’s ministry?
-Wine – What about the wine thing? Christians tend to make too much of the whole wine thing, was it real wine, did Christ drink wine, why wine? Or, consider Christ and his appearance, then, now or in the future as a time of celebration.
-Mary – And Mary. why is she so concerned about the wedding. Could this be a relative, did she have something to do in the planning or organization of it? All interesting to think about.
-Wine Jars – The jars referred to here were for purification, now holding about 30 gallons of water for the wedding. Jesus changes the inside, does this imply his purpose, changing our inside?
These all in and of themselves might make up a whole sermon or a whole study. But there is some underlying things that come out in this passage that sometimes get lost amid all the other things. One of those things is trust. Trust is a theme that runs through this story and it led me to challenge you with this question this morning:
As you move forward, into 2016, do you trust God/Jesus with the future? And more than just in the material and economic and ups and downs of everyday life. Do you trust him spiritually? You know we make New Years resolutions. I want to get into better shape, eat healthier, get out of debt, be a better parent, spouse, person, etc. What about a spiritual resolution? Do I trust God/Jesus enough to make part of 2016 a commitment to walk in a deeper way with God?
Trusting Jesus with the Future
Maybe you have never thought about making a spiritual resolution for a New Year? Think about that as we see how this story of the first miracle of Jesus challenges us to trust him more as you move into a new year.
- Invite Jesus Into Situations
The first thing that struck me about this story and the theme of trust is that if we want to grow spiritually, we have to invite Jesus into our lives. Read again with me verse 1b-2:
“Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.” vs. 1b-2
Notice Jesus was invited as were his disciples and his mom. We often think about inviting Jesu into the big things in life, weddings, funerals, special events, etc. what about into the everyday part of life? One of the great passages of Scripture tells us that God never leaves us or forsakes us. He never forgets us. But…if you are like me, I forget him at times. Another great passage of Scripture is Micah 6:8:
“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8
Circle “to walk.” I think walking with God is having him there every step of the way. Now, it is almost impossible to tell you not to forget that God is with you. Life is busy and our little minds can only handle so much.
Challenge: What about just making a commitment to invite Jesus into your day? Your job? Your hobby? Your home? You get the idea. You could do this in prayer. You could do it by putting up reminders around you, verse cards, etc. Don’t make this an overbearing thing, make it fun, make it easy, make it a way of saying I will invite God into my daily life.
- Know Jesus Deeper
The second time trust comes up here comes in verse three. The people putting on the wedding have somehow miscalculated the amount of wine they needed. This could be embarrassing for them. Mary notices that this has taken place and brings it to Jesus attention in verse 3:
“When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, ‘They have no more wine.’” vs. 3
The real question comes in why did she tell Jesus about this? We don’t have an answer but think about his for a minute. She raised him. She saw him grow, work, and go about the things of everyday life. No one probably knew Jesus better than his mom. She knew what he was capable of. We don’t know what else she had seen Jesu do but she knew him, she trusted him. If we are going to trust jesus with our future we have to know him in such a deep way that we know what he is capable of and how he works. Matthew 7:7 says:
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Matt. 7:7
Part of the challenge of our life is how much we are willing to trust Jesus with every aspect of our life and that we know him deep enough to turn things over to him. Many people ask me how to discern God’s will for their life. Here it is in a nutshell; know him deeper. The more you know him the more you see him work, the more you trust him to handle what you can’t and the more you are likely to understand his will so you ask what he wants for you, you seek what his will is and you knock on the doors that he leads you to.
Challenge: How can you know him deeper? Join a Bible study/small group. Commit to a prayer schedule. Commit to a reading schedule to both God’s Word and other books that lead to deeper walks with God. Make a list of ways you have seen God work, answers to prayer, etc. so that you discern the ways in which he works with you and through you.
- Move Forward
The third time trust comes up in our story is in verse 5:
“His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’” vs. 5
What did Mary expect here? We don’t really know. We aren’t sure that she thought he could turn water to wine. Did Jesus know where the closest wine store was? J We don’t know exactly what she thought but we can discern this; whatever Jesus was going to do, that was good enough for Mary. She moved forward without really knowing exactly how Jesus would respond. And she instructed the servants to move forward with whatever Jesus told them to do. That is faith and that is trust. Many times we want the answer first then we will move. Can you move forward in trust?
There is a story in the Old Testament about God parting the water for the Israelites. The first time is in Exodus 13 when the Israelites are freed from slavery and they are leaving Egypt. But there is another time, it’s found in Joshua 3. The Israelites are just about to go into the promised land. Moses has died and Joshua is leading them. As they approach the Jordan they need to get to the other side. But how are they going to cross? God instructs them in verse 13:
“And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord—the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.” Joshua 3:13
So, notice they had to put their foot into the water before it would dry up for them to walk across. We are willing to cross the muddy waters if God parts them for us first but what about when we are called to put our foot in first. We have to trust.
Challenge: Where are you holding back because you want an answer first and God is calling you to move forward, put your foot in the water and trust him?
- Trust Through Uncertainty
And finally, the fourth time trust comes up is in verses 7-8:
“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…” vs. 7-8
Now, the servants are challenged to trust him too. They have no idea what Jesus can do but they follow his instructions. We can only guess that they may have been a bit confused by this or uncertain of what was going to happen. Of course being servants they had to do what was asked of them but we can still learn from them. Many times we have to trust through uncertainty. That is a hard place to be. Uncertainty is a place of questioning and confusion at times. It’s that place where you get afraid to do what you know you need to do.
One place like that is when we give to God. In Micah he challenges us to trust God in tithing. It says in Micah 3:10:
“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.” Micah 3:10
Tithing is just one aspect of trust.; but it is an important one too. Our challenge is to trust God in all things and let’s face it, sometimes some things are easier than others. Money is good example for us because we all have to deal with it. You really don’t have a choice. Do you trust God enough to give back to him?
Challenge: What are of your life have you been struggling to turn over to God and really trust him? Money? You children? Your job?
Jesus’ Glory Revealed
So let’s wrap this up with this thought; when we trust Jesus, and others see that, and they see that he comes through, his glory is revealed. Verse 11:
“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.” vs. 11
Challenges of 2016:
The roof
The plumbing
Attendance
?????
