Amen. John chapter two. John chapter two. So far, we've looked at the baptism of Jesus, the temptation of Jesus, Jesus choosing his first disciples or his first disciples following him in John chapter one. And now we're to John chapter two.

There are several events that take place in John two through four, five actually, I think, that are not recorded in the other three gospels that are the early part of Jesus' ministry right after his baptism. And so we'll be in John for the next few weeks as we cover a few events that are not in the other gospels. And then we'll go back to the other gospels to pick up with some things that are not recorded in the book of John. So why did God give us four gospels? Well, because they emphasize different aspects of the ministry of our savior Jesus Christ and they fill in gaps that others are not in the other gospel and so we get a much fuller picture.

Praise the Lord for his infinite wisdom. In giving us these. In John chapter two, Jesus is now up in Galilee. He traveled up there and on the way gathered some followers that we looked at last week. And now in verse one, he is up in Galilee at a wedding where he will perform his first recorded miracle.

John chapter two verse one. On the third day, there was a marriage in Cana Of Galilee and the mother of Jesus was there. And both Jesus was called and his disciples to the marriage. And when they wanted or lacked wine, the mother of Jesus said unto him, they have no wine. Jesus saith unto her, woman, what have I to do with thee?

Mine hour has not yet come. His mother saith unto the servants, whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. And there were were set there six water pots of stone after the manner of the purifying of the Jews containing two or three firkins apiece. Jesus saith unto them, fill the water pots with water and they filled them up to the brim. He saith unto them, draw out now and bear unto the governor of the feast and they bear it.

When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine and knew not whence it was or from from where it came, but the servants which drew the water knew, the governor of the feast called the bridegroom and say it unto him, every man at the beginning does set forth good wine and when men have well drunk, then that which is the worst, but thou hast kept the good wine until now. This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana Of Galilee and manifested forth his glory and his disciples believed on him. Let's go to the Lord in prayer once more. Dear heavenly father, thank you Lord for your word. Thank you Lord.

For Jesus Christ, our savior. Thank you for the record of this miracle to strengthen our faith. Lord, and to reveal who Jesus is to the world. Thank you, Lord. For sending your son.

Thank you, Lord, for our salvation. Thank you, Lord, for the privilege, appraising, and extolling the name of Jesus here in this place today. May soul souls come to know the savior. In Jesus name, amen. There are three words in the scriptures used to identify the miraculous works of the savior.

They're all used in acts two twenty two. So I'll put that up here on the screen. I'll read it. Let's read it. You men of Israel, hear these words.

Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you as you yourselves also know. The miracles of Christ were with purpose, And that is what Peter was saying here in Acts chapter two. Because they identified who Jesus is, the son of God. Three words here. We see miracles, wonders, and signs.

They are different words in the Greek as you would imagine. Miracles emphasize the manifest power of God, the supernatural power of God displayed through these acts. We call them miracles because they are not natural, they are supernatural. They reveal the hand of God intervening in the affairs of men. Wonders.

Wonders emphasizes the effect upon those who saw the miracles. Okay? Jesus did miracles and everybody wondered. It's like, wow. They were astonished.

Therefore, they were called wonders because they could not easily be explained, particularly by natural laws. They were wonders. They were different. And then signs. The word signs signifies the purpose of the miracles of Christ in respect particularly to the Jews in identifying him as who?

As the Messiah. The Messiah in the Old Testament who was to come would come performing certain signs that would identify him. And Jesus performed all of these signs during his earthly ministry to identify himself as the foretold Messiah of Israel. The Jews repeatedly asked for signs. Sadly, even after Jesus gave them hundreds of signs, they always wanted just what?

One more until Jesus finally said, okay, no more signs. I'll give you one more sign. What was that? Well, that was the resurrection of Christ. That was his final sign that he was who he said he was when he rose again from the dead.

Paul reminds the Corinthians in first Corinthians one eight twenty two, for the Jews require a sign. And so Jesus did give them signs. They had no excuse for not seeing who he really was in his fulfillment of these signs. So miracles, wonders, and signs. The word most commonly used throughout John is that of sign because John is specifically focused in on identifying Jesus as the son of God and the savior of the world.

He tells us so. In John 20 verses thirty and thirty one near the end of the book, we read, and many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these these signs are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ. Christ means Messiah, that Jesus is the Messiah, the son of God, and that believing ye might have life through his name. Very succinctly, John puts it together at the near the end of his book there.

Why did I write these things? I wrote them so that you might see that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and the Savior of the world, and that you might put your faith in him and receive eternal life. Thus, the reason for the record of these signs. They were not just to impress people. They weren't just tentulating sensationalism.

There was a purpose in the mind of John and even more so in the mind of Christ to point to him being the savior, the son of God. Let's look at that's kind of my introduction here. Let's look at point number one. We have two points, only two main points in the message today. The first one is the situation.

The situation in John chapter two and verses one through five. There was a wedding in Cana. Cana is just a short trip from Nazareth. Jesus was raised in Nazareth, a small village in Galilee that is in Northern Israel near the Sea Of Galilee. Cana is just a short distance, a day's walk maybe from Nazareth to Cana in Galilee.

About maybe as much as 10 miles. So, a good walk, okay? Weddings in Israel were apart from the religious feast were the biggest social gatherings and celebrations. So, we celebrate different things. We we we practically tear up a city because a basketball team won a championship last night.

It's it gets crazy in our country. But in Israel, the one the biggest celebration apart from the Passover, the Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles, the Day of Atonement was weddings, okay? Were weddings. They had a huge, made a huge deal of weddings on Israel in that day. The wedding feast and celebration would sometimes go on for as long as a week, okay?

So, big deal. People come have to have to find places to stay because you're going to you're going to be there for a while, several days at the wedding. This is no insignificant event for the savior to attend or to do his first miracle. There were quite a few people there from Cana would be at this wedding. And this further demonstrates God's God's endorsement of the institution of marriage which he ordained, which God ordained, which Christ ordained in the garden as the first institution of man.

Galatians two twenty two through 24, and the rib which the Lord God had taken from the man made he woman, brought her under the man, and Adam said, this is now bone of my bones, flesh of my flesh. She shall be called woman because she was taken out of man. Therefore, shall a man leave his father and his mother and shall cleave unto his wife and they shall be one flesh. What was that? That was the first marriage in the Garden Of Eden.

When Adam and took his wife, Eve, to be his wife and they became one flesh, one unit in service of the Lord Jesus Christ in the Garden of Eden. And that was not established, invented, or evolved in society or by man. It was initiated, established, and ordained by who? By almighty God. And thus, it was a huge deal in Israel and still today is a huge deal for many.

Most importantly, it is still a huge deal for who? For God. It remains very important to God today and thus the reason that Satan is desperately attempting to destroy the family. Sadly, he is doing a pretty good job. A sinful man is easy pickings often for the deceitfulness of the enemy, allowing him to destroy what marriage really is, its true purpose, and its stability.

The wedding the marriage and wedding ceremony itself represents the unbreakable relationship which God shares with Israel of the Old Testament and the church of the New Testament. Paul makes that clear in clear in Ephesians chapter five when he said, husbands, love your Christ love your wives even as Christ loved the wife, The church and gave himself for it. It is to represent an unbreakable relationship which sadly is broken over and over and over and over again in our society today. It was not meant to be that way. It would appear that Mary, not mentioned here by name as was John's custom, was likely more than a guest at the wedding, but a member or friend of the family and thus was aware of the lack of wine maybe before others would have been aware of it.

Jesus and his disciples were likely invited guests due excuse me, to the involvement of his his mother. Unlike weddings in The States, the groom's family was responsible for the wedding festivities, the celebration. And nothing was more publicly humiliating for the groom and his family than to run out of food and drink. Okay? That was the main thing.

You celebrated, you fellowshipped, and you ate and you drank. And then a few hours later, you ate and you drank. And a few hours later, you ate. And that was just that was the wedding celebration. It was, again, the biggest celebration apart from the prescribed feasts of Israel.

And there was nothing more humiliating than to, oops, you know, two days left to go and I'm out of something to drink or to eat. So the shortage of wine, which was the common drink at celebration signifying joy and prosperity in Jewish society was a major catastrophe. In respect to wine, in Middle Eastern society, the drinking of wine, particularly at social gatherings, was common. Vineyards were plentiful. Go to Israel today.

Guess what you're still going to see? You're going to see a lot of vineyards. You're to see a lot of fruit, orchards of different kinds of fruit, especially up in Galilee. It is a good climate for that. The word translated wine in our Bibles means fruit of the vine.

It does not differentiate between that which is just grape juice and that which has become alcoholic, which is called we call wine. So, it can be either. It is the fruit of the vine. It doesn't differentiate between the two. The sweetness of the nectar of the vine was very sought after seeing that there were few options for sweet beverages in their day.

Today, you can go to the grocery store, you can walk down the juice aisle, you can walk down the soft drink aisle, you can there are just a myriad of different beverages you can get that you can drink that are not alcoholic, that are sweet. Okay? There are obviously a lot of alcoholic drinks you can buy that are sweet. There is no shortness for beverages and drinks in our society today. But basically, in Israel, there was water, there was milk, and there was wine.

Okay? That was basically your your three choices. Okay? And for celebrations, the chosen drink was usually wine, which could be fermented or unfermented or in between the two. However, inebriation, drunkenness, intoxication of any kind is strictly forbidden in the New Testament.

Okay? Here it is. Ephesians five eighteen. And be not drunk with wine wherein is excess, but be what? Filled with the spirit.

Okay? To be drunk with wine is a what we would call a sin. It is a transgression of the revealed will of who? Of God. Do not be drunk with wine.

But it only says that in the New Testament. There's nothing about wine in the Old Testament. Right? You should know better. Turn if you would to Proverbs chapter 23.

Proverbs chapter 23. Proverbs 23. Now, let me ask a quick question while you're turning there. What is the best way to make sure you never get drunk? Don't drink alcohol.

Okay? And is it is it your only choice today? Why are soft drinks called soft drinks? Because they're not hard drinks. They're they're not alcoholic drinks.

And they're just a myriad of of You can go. If you don't like your tap water, if you're concerned that it's going to kill you, you can go to the grocery store and you can buy seven different kinds of water, okay? In bottles. It there's just no end to the options we have today. They didn't have so many in that day.

Yet, we read this in Proverbs 23 beginning in verse 31. Look not upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth its color in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. What is Solomon describing? He's describing grape juice which starts out purple but turns what? Red when it becomes alcoholic.

Okay? When the alcoholic content starts to become something that can intoxicate you and make you drunk, the color changes from purple to red and that's why they call it often red wine. So, verse 32. At last it, that is alcohol, biteth like a serpent and stingeth like an adder. Thine eyes shall behold strange women.

Thine heart shall utter perverse things. Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea or he that lieth upon the top of a mast. They have stricken me, thou shalt say. And I was not sick. They have beaten me and I felt it not.

When shall I awake? I will what? I will seek it yet again. What does Solomon say? When you look at the juice and it's red, pour it out.

Don't pour it down because you are likely to succumb to the evils and the dangers and the perils of alcoholism, of drunkenness. And you'll you'll wake up and you'll be beaten. You'll wake up and things have happened to you. And you won't know how you got there or what you did. And yet, after all of that happens, if you're a drunk, if you're an alcoholic, what are you gonna do?

You're gonna go right back to it again. The same is true of drugs as it is of alcohol. It is never wise to imbibe, eat or drink, intoxicating things. Solomon says, stay away from them. And the New Testament says, don't get drunk.

It is not the will of God. It is the will of God that we be led by the spirit and not led by a substance. In Jesus' day, to prevent this from happening, the wine was normally watered down to three or four parts water with one part wine or sometimes even weaker. This preserves some of the sweetness of the wine while also serving to kill off the bacteria in the water. See, you can, for the most part, drink the water out of your tap.

And if you're concerned, you can go buy bottled water. In that day, water was not purified. There wasn't a big water treatment plant down the road. And like it is in many countries today still, you just don't want to drink the water. And so what did they do?

Well, they mixed a little wine with the water. What alcohol there was in the wine killed the bacteria in the water. Okay? They were not drinking straight wine, at least not in good company, you didn't do that. It was not socially acceptable.

So you watered down the wine, you reduced the alcoholic content, and you kill the bacteria in the water. And by the way, do we need to do that today? The answer is no. You don't need to do that today. The bacteria is already killed.

Okay? And by the way, why do people drink wine today? Is it because they're thirsty and they desperately need something to drink? No. They want to get the what?

The the buzz because there's plenty of other things you can drink to quench your thirst, even things that are sweet if that is what you want. Thus, there's no reason today for the Christian to expose himself to the dangers of alcohol when there are so many other opinion options and people do not want and people, again, do not want to water down their wine. Sadly for the groom, back to our story. They were running out of wine for their guests, leaving nothing to replace it as a beverage. Couldn't drink the water, it might make you what?

Make you sick and they probably didn't have enough cows there for the milk and so we're running. We're we're we're in trouble. So Mary being party to the concern relayed the need to who? She relayed the need to Jesus. So back to John chapter two.

Mary said to Jesus, they have verse end of verse three, they have no wine. K? She came to you and said, they have no wine. Now, did Jesus know what she meant by that? Yeah.

He did. He wasn't just, you know, giving him information. Oh, by the way, they're out of wine. No. There was some intent behind that statement.

They have they have no wine. Okay? Jesus being party to the need, Jesus and knowing Jesus to be the Messiah and the miracles and signs that he was prophesied to give to the nation. Who knows in private, she may have already seen the evidence of Jesus, her son, being the son of God presented in miracles, albeit his very birth was one of the greatest miracles that ever was. She likely aware of the goings on at his baptism in Judea, now have met some of his disciples, thought now might be a good time for him to reveal himself by such a miraculous work in supplying a need, a pressing need, which no one else could so simply and quickly rectify.

Who else was going to I mean, where are you gonna you have to go out, buy the wine or buy the cow or mix this? No. So she came to Jesus and she says, there's no wine. And how did Jesus reply? Verse verse four, Jesus said unto her, woman, what have I to do with thee?

Mine hour is not yet come. He in a respectful manner said to her, woman. Now it wasn't a disrespectful term. It was respectful. But it wasn't the intimate word mother.

He didn't say mother. He said said woman. Indicating that by his statement that such a decision was not hers to make, but his father's alone. As Jesus revealed several times in his gospels, He had submitted his will to the will of the father. And also Mary needed to do the same.

And so he said, woman, it's not your decision to make. Also indicating that the hour, as he said, had not yet come. That was the time would come that he would clash with the Jewish leadership and eventually it would lead to his sacrifice on the cross. But that time had not yet what? Had not yet come.

And that time would come as a result of his teaching and as a result of his miracles. And so, he just wanted to let her know, my time has not yet come and it is not your choice, it's whose choice. It's it's under the father's choice. Some would have us believe, just a short aside here, Catholic church in particular, that Mary's Mary herself plays a role in one's salvation. That she is the conduit to the heart of Christ and that we should pray to and even worship her.

But nothing could be further from the truth. There's one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. Mary is not a mediator of salvation. She is not a conduit to the heart of Jesus Christ. Yes.

Mary was blessed and privileged to be the mother of Jesus' humanity and one who nurtured him as a child. She is to be honored for that. She is extolled by her own son and others in the gospel. But she is not responsible for his deity. She is was not sinless as she herself said she rejoiced in her savior.

She did not remain a perpetual virgin as we see in scripture that Jesus had other brothers and even sisters. She is not divine nor even seen as sharing in the prerogatives of God. She cannot hear your prayers nor answer them. She is not omniscient. And even during Jesus' earthly ministry, as she fades, he makes it clear in this passage and others that his mother does not call the shots but his father in heaven.

John five thirty, I can of mine own self do nothing. As I hear, I judge and my judgment is just because I seek not mine own will but the will of the what? The father sent me. Satan tempted him just couple weeks ago. We looked at in Matthew chapter four.

Turn the stone to bread. See, Jesus said, man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. What was Jesus saying? He was saying, it's not my decision to make when the father wants me to eat. I will eat.

I can turn that stone to bread. Sure, I can. But I don't need to and I'm not going to. I trust in the father as we should too. As we should too and seek to do his will.

While getting the message, Mary did not hear the word what? She did not hear the word new. They won't do it. So she being a person of some authority at the wedding asked the attendants to to follow her son's instructions whatever they might be. She didn't further try to compel her son.

She didn't argue with him. She simply said to the attendants, if he says something, do it. The message she gave them is the same one we should give to others. Do whatever Jesus tells you to do. You never go wrong doing what Jesus tells you to do.

And Jesus has given us quite a bit in here to learn that he has told us told us to do. Thus, she actually humbled herself and submitted to God's authority and asked others to do the same. Just do what he says. A good example, not a bad one. So we see the situation and then we see the supply, verses six through 10.

And there was set there six water pots of stone after the manner of the purifying of the Jews containing two or three firkins apiece. I bet you've used that measuring size, firkin often. Probably not. Jesus said unto them, fill the water pots with water and they filled them up to the brim. And he say it unto them, draw out now and bear under the governor of the feast and they bear it.

So, we'll stop there just for a moment. Jesus tells them to take six large stone water pots used for purification by the Jews in the house. These held anywhere from 15 to 30 gallons apiece. Depending on whose definition you use for firkin. Okay?

Don't know what that size exactly was but it is understood to be at least 15 to 30 gallons a piece. So that's a that's a lot of water. Okay? The Jews were fanatical about washing themselves and the utensils which they used. And so several of these water pots would be used during such a celebration.

Why would that be? Well, they didn't have something called indoor plumbing and running water. And so, therefore, they they filled these big pots up with water so that everybody they could wash the utensils and everybody could wash their hands over and over again every time they came. And so they needed a lot of water. Of course, a lot of that water has been used up, so they're now going to refill them.

Refill them in just a moment. Later, Jesus would rebuke the Pharisees who revealed that their concern for the outward cleanliness of their hands and cups were far more important than the purity of their what? And the pure of their heart. And this this goes to show the fanatical thing that they had with washing, washing, washing, washing. There were certain washings that were required in the under the old covenant before you went into the temple to worship.

But they had added to it and added to it and added to it and that's what the Pharisees often did in their day. They added to the laws and added to the laws to the point to which that the law often lost its purpose because it became all about these myriad of details they had added to it. So Jesus had rebuked them for that. Jesus had them fill these up to the brim with water. That means they were filled to the point to where nothing else could be added or else it would what?

It would overflow. Okay. That's what it means to the brim. And then he requested a servant to dip the water from the pots and take it to the head waiter, the master of the ceremony, which was at the point which was at that point revealed to be the best wine he had ever drunk. And for all the servant knew, he was taking the guy a cup of what?

Water. But then he drank the water and it tasted like the best wine he had ever drunk in his life. He didn't know where he didn't know it was water. He just knew that the servant brought here and here it is. Wow, that is the best stuff.

Question. Why to the brim and why the best? Why to the brim? Three thoughts about why Jesus had them fill it to the brim. Thought number one, quickly.

Filling them to the brim by filling them to the brim, there was no possibility of something else being added to cause the transformation in the water. There was nothing else that could be added. It was all what? A 100% all water, nothing else could be added. That's one of the reasons to fill it to the brim.

So is the case with salvation of the human soul. Only Jesus can transform our hearts. We have no power to do so nor anything else to add nor any need to add. Jesus is salvation. He is the way, the truth, and the life.

There is no other name, Acts four twelve, under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. Thus, Jesus filled it to the brim. There was nothing that could be added. There was nothing that needed to be added nor is there for our salvation. What each one of us needs is who?

Jesus Christ and nothing else. There can be no room for other gods or other idols. Jesus must be and is all in all to those transformed by his power. Number two, by filling them to the brim brim, Jesus revealed the extent of his power changing all in large quantities into the best tasting wine they had drunk. Luke one thirty seven, with God, nothing shall be, what?

Impossible. Jesus didn't turn a cup or a gallon, but literally a 100 almost gallons instantaneously. Number three, by filling all the pots, Jesus signified that the grace of God and power of God in our hearts is without limit. He, the water of life, can supply all we will ever need and more. John fourteen fourteen, whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst, but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

Now, Jesus isn't talking about the water in the pots. They're just a type. They're just a symbol. Not talking about the the wine that it became. He's talking about salvation and the Holy Spirit that he has given to all who trust in him.

In John six thirty five, Jesus says, I am the bread of life. He that cometh to me shall never hunger. He that believeth me shall, what, never thirst. Never thirst for something more all you need for heaven and eternal life, and the joy of the Lord is the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's it.

Why the best? Nothing that Jesus does is less than the very best and better than what man can produce. When Jesus healed somebody, he healed them what? Completely. A 100%.

The wine produced of them of man's hands is corrupt and corrupting. But it makes sense not only did Jesus produce wine in an instant, which takes man several months or years, but he did it likely without the deleterious effects which man's way produces. There's no reason to believe that Jesus produced wine that could make people drunk, but yet it tasted better than the wine that would make you drunk because it was made by the hand of God instantaneously. The celebration which man was incapable of saving from ruin, Jesus simply by the words of his mouth saved in an instance. And we see the situation, the supply, and the supply is Jesus.

That's the supply we need. Praise the Lord. He was there. He met their need. He meets our need of salvation through his sacrifice on the cross and by his grace.

And he meets our needs every day by his grace, those who know him as savior. The significance of all this, by this miracle, Jesus demonstrated who he was. He demonstrated his power. Who else could turn so many dozens of gallons of water instantaneously into the best wine they had ever drunk? By this, he authenticated his identity as the Messiah.

And he strengthened the faith of who? Particularly his disciples. There's a purpose here and that is to strengthen the faith of his disciples in particular and to get the attention of others, that there's someone special at that wedding. Someone special you need to get to know. There's someone special today you need to get to know.

If you don't know him, his name is Jesus Christ. He loves you so much he came to die for you. He'll save your soul. He will change your life. And Christian, if you will follow each day, he will lead you in the right path on the right way, the way of blessing and peace and joy.

By this miracle, Jesus also demonstrated that the weakness of the Jewish religion to provide for the needs of his people, which transformation only Jesus could provide. The old covenant couldn't provide all that they needed, and they had even messed that up. But what it could not do, Jesus could through salvation, transformation of the son of God. Let's pray. Dear heavenly father, thank you, Lord, for your word.

Thank you for the example of your son. Thank you, Lord, for sending your son. Lord, help us to follow the will of our father as he followed you. Lord, help us to grow in our faith. We can always grow more even today as we look to Jesus Christ, the creator of all that is, and the savior of all who come to him in faith.

And Lord, we do pray if there is one here today that is yet to receive Christ as savior. Lord, if they're trusting in their own good works, which are insufficient, if they're trusting in other gods that are no gods at all, If whatever it is they're trusting in, we'd open their eyes to see that there's only one they can trust, to save their soul, and give them eternal life. And I pray they would come as we sing in just a moment. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.