The Miracle of Restored Joy
John 2:1-11
A young couple very much in love were getting married in church. However, Sue the wife was very nervous about the big occasion and so the Pastor chose one verse that he felt would be a great encouragement to them. 1 John 4:18 which says “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear” Rather unwisely the pastor asked the best man to read it and to say that the pastor had felt that this was a very apt verse for Sue and that he would be preaching on it late in the service. However, the best man was not a regular churchgoer and so he did not know the difference between John’s Gospel and the first letter of John. So he introduced his reading by saying that the pastor felt this was a very apt verse for Sue. But he read John 4:18, which says, “You have five husbands and the one you now have is not your husband.”
Things often go wrong, sometimes really wrong at weddings. And at one particular wedding in the Bible we read of a terrible problem that occurred.
Jesus was on a mission to save the world
The greatest mission in the history of mankind
This event takes place early on in Jesus’ ministry
Within the first week after His baptism
This was the beginning of His three year journey to the cross
Where His mission, His mission to save the world would finally culminate.
Yet He took time to attend a wedding and take part in it’s festivities.
The Miracle of Restored Joy is what we are going to focus on this morning
Sometimes is seems like we are running on empty
There are times when we lose our joy
The last week I talked about the power of secret sin and how that secret sin can not only affect yourself
But your family, and your church
And while we try and live with these secret sins, or habitual sins, or any sin
We often lose our joy
Well I brought some joy with me this morning
Joy detergent, Almond Joy, Joystick
What happens when you run out of Joy?
You have an empty bottle, all you have left is Almond, and you video game doesn’t work.
Life just isn’t as good when you run out of joy
Maybe you are here this morning and you’ve lost some of your joy
Something is bothering you, troubling you
You’ve got worry that just wont go away
You’ve been disappointed, hurt, or grieved
You’re running on empty, you’ve lost your joy.
We read here in John how Jesus restored joy to those who attended a marriage celebration in Cana.
Jesus can do the same for you this morning. John 2:1-11
2:1 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. :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. 6 And there were set there six water pots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. 7 Jesus saith unto them, Fill the water pots 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.
How can Jesus restore your Joy?
I. Be where Jesus is (2:1-2)
The third day, third day of what?
Third day of His ministry
Jesus had just called His first 5 disciples
Andrew, Simon Peter, Philip, Nathanael, and the unnamed disciple who was surely John who also witnessed this miracle.
So these 6 men, along with Jesus’ mother Mary were invited to this marriage celebration in Cana
The fact that they were all invited suggests that the wedding may have been for a relative or close friend since this wasn’t there home town, but probably 9 miles North of Nazareth
It began with a parade, when the father of the bride would bring his daughter to the groom’s house
The whole town would join in on this parade…
It was a huge celebration
When they got to the groom’s house, the marriage ceremony would take place at the front door
THEN the feast began, which lasted for 7 days (paid for by the groom’s family)
There was no honey-moon, they had an open house for a week
Lots of food, wine, a week long party.
Jesus and his newly called disciples were invited to this feast
Think of the change for the disciples
At least 2 of them had been disciples of John the Baptist
John the Baptist wasn’t what you would call a socialite
Ate grasshoppers and wild honey, wore animal skins for clothing, lived in the wilderness
John the Baptist wouldn’t be very comfortable at a wedding feast.
Jesus was not out of place by being at a wedding.
Jesus was DIFFERENT
He liked social events, He liked being around people and parties
He liked having a good time.
Jesus was a much sought after dinner guest
He was the life of the party
People were comfortable around Him.
Jesus was often criticized by the religious leaders for His love of life and people.
Listen to their unjust accusations
Matthew 11:18-19 “For John (the Baptist) came neither eating or drinking, and they say, He has a demon! 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they say “Behold a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!”
Aren’t you glad He is a friend of sinners?
Jesus was not out of place
You are out of place anywhere if He is not with you.
Jesus brought joy to people’s lives
That’s what happens when you are where Jesus is
LESSON : The further away you are from Jesus in your spiritual life
The further away you are from the fullness of joy
The closer you are to Jesus, the more joy you will experience
Psalm 16:11 “Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”
Nehemiah 8:10 “For the joy of the Lord is your strength”
So How can Jesus restore your Joy? Be where Jesus is …also
II. Be aware of the need (2:3-4)
Mary went to Jesus with a problem “They have no wine”
This was a very serious thing to happen in a Jewish wedding feast
The groom’s parents were responsible to make sure there was enough wine to last the whole week.
For some unknown reason they ran out
We may not think this was such a big deal
But in that day it could ruin a family’s reputation forever
They could even be sued.
It was a disaster. It would be like me getting up here to preach and saying I had already ran out of sermons and we would just sit here and stare at each other for 30 minutes, and then go home.
Its like McDonald’s running out of cheeseburgers.
Weddings usually have something go wrong.
One Sunday morning the pastor was scheduled to do a special wedding ceremony immediately following the morning worship
His plan was to do the ceremony before the entire congregation
But for the life of him he could not remember the names of the two members whom he was to marry
Always quick on his feet he said
“Will those who wish to get married now, please come stand before me.“
At once six single ladies, four widows, and five single men stood, went to the aisle and walked to the front.
We’ve all probably been to a wedding where something went wrong
Things going wrong at weddings can make them interesting
But the mood changed at this wedding.
The Joy was gone (wine is a symbol of joy in the Bible)
You could feel the tension in the air
The wedding feast was about to become a disaster.
So Mary came to Jesus with the problem
LESSON: Jesus is interested in your every need. If its important to you, its important to Jesus.
If you’ve lost your sense of Joy
If you’ve got a problem you can’t solve
Jesus CARES
Got to him because He wants to bring back the joy in your life.
4 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.
This statement isn’t as harsh at it sounds
Ladies what if you told your child to take out the garbage and their reply was “Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come”
I think this child would soon realize that his hour HAD come. And he’d better take out the garbage.
But this statement is not as harsh as it sounds
Jesus is letting Mary know that He has just begun His public ministry and that she has to detach herself from Him.
So that is where the harshness comes in
Maybe this is the first time it really hit home for Mary
Jesus’ ministry is going to pull Him away from her.
She must cut the apron strings on her first born son.
And its interesting that Jesus uses the word woman instead of mother.
Woman, a term of respect, but letting her know that His goal in life is not to please her
But His heavenly Father
Makes you think back to the only story we have about Jesus’ childhood
When He had been left behind in Jerusalem
And they found Him in the temple
49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? know ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?
Jesus is now beginning His earthly ministry
Which will not be over until it leads to the cross
“Mine hour is not yet come.”
John 17:1 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:
This are the words Jesus spoke as He prayed in Gethsemane before His betrayal by Judas
Jesus is telling His mother Mary “I can no longer do what you want, I have began My Father’s ministry
Now Jesus has to live the rest of His life, NOT as the son of Mary
BUT as the Son of God.
Nonetheless Jesus doesn’t ignore His Mother’s request nor the need of the wedding feast
Mary made Jesus aware of the need
Their Joy was gone, and Jesus could do something
So you can ignore the fact that you’ve lost your joy OR
You can take it to Jesus.
You must be aware of the need and then take it to Jesus
This shortage of wine is a perfect illustration of the failure of all this world’s joys
The world will always come up short
We will never find joy in things of this world
Only the presence of Jesus can fill our hearts to the brim
And make us full
All will be well if He is there so…
Be where Jesus is, Be aware of the need and
III. Be Obedient (2:5-8)
2:5 His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.
Mary had the right idea
Let Jesus handle it, turn to Jesus
She didn’t know what Jesus would do
But she had full confidence in Him
Jesus had never preformed a miracle before
But she knew her son Jesus could and would handle the situation.
2:6 And there were set there six water pots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece.
This 6 large stone water pots held about 30 gallons each, so a total of about 180 gallons
This water was used to wash their hands before they ate
Ceremonial washing
According to the Jew’s ceremonial law, people became symbolically unclean by touching objects of everyday life
Before eating the Jews would pour water over their hands to cleanse themselves of any bad influences associated with what they had touched.
With a party that lasted 7 days they needed a lot of water.
By this time much of the water was gone
Jesus told them to fill them to the top
This wasn’t an easy task, they couldn’t get out the hose and turn on a faucet
They had to make quite a few trips to the well, which may have been a long way off.
But these servants didn’t need water, they needed wine
They didn’t understand how this would solve their problem BUT THEY OBEYED
2:8 And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it.
What did they do? They took it to him They obeyed without question
Do you want the joy in your life restored?
Then obey Jesus
Have you seen very many happy Christians who are out of fellowship with Jesus?
When do we lose our joy? When we live in disobedience to Jesus and His Word
If you disobey Jesus you wont find it much joy to be around Him
You’ll be avoiding Him because you feel guilty and ashamed for not living according to His word
2Timothy 2:15 Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Needeth not to be ashamed
Maybe these servants didn’t understand why Jesus wanted the water pots full of water
How would that bring back joy to the party?
They obeyed anyhow
LESSON: You don’t need to understand everything God is telling you to do before you start obeying Him.
The more you obey, the more joy you will find
You’ll be miserable if you continue to disobey what Jesus wants you to do
You’ll never find peace if you ignore Jesus
Be obedient
And then you’ll find yourself getting back the joy that you’ve lost
Years ago Johnnie Carson interviewed an eight year old boy on the Tonight Show one night.
The boy was asked to appear because he had rescued two friends in a coalmine outside his hometown in West Virginia.
As Carson questioned the boy it became apparent to him and the audience that the young man was a Christian.
So Carson asked him if he attended Sunday School .
When the boy said he did Johnny inquired “What are you learning in Sunday school?“
“Last week” the boy replied “our lesson was about when Jesus went to a wedding and turned water into wine.“
The audience roared with laughter but Carson tried to keep a straight face.
Then he said “And what did you learn from that story?“
The boy squirmed in his chair.
It was apparent he hadn’t thought about this.
But then he broke into a smile and said,
“If you’re going to have a wedding, make sure you invite Jesus!“
Be where Jesus is, be aware of your need, and be obedient
And that will help you to…
IV. Be the Best (2:9-10)
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.
This group of verses is often used to justify drinking
And it is true the wine served was subject to fermentation
In the ancient world however to quench thirst without inducing drunkenness
Wine was diluted with water to between 1/3rd and 1/10th of its strength
Also because of a lack of water purification process
Wine mixed with water was safer to drink than water alone.
The fact is, this was a sober party, since there was a distinction between the quality of the wine.
If they were drunk, they would not have noticed the wine was now better.
Usually they served the best wine at the beginning of the feast
To make a good impression
If you served day old coffee at the beginning of the meal
You wouldn’t have too many takers when the pie is served for dessert
If the coffee got a little strong toward the end of the meal, it wouldn’t be as noticeable.
This was the best wine they had ever tasted
Jesus took wash water, and turned it into GOOD WINE
I don’t drink enough water
They say you should drink 8 glasses a day
I have a hard time drinking enough water.
I don’t like the taste of water
That is why God invented Diet Dr Pepper
These people didn’t want to drink water either
They still wanted wine
And this was the best wine
So I’ll ask you this question
Are you the BEST you can be for Jesus?
Be honest, why not?
LESSON: If Jesus can take wash water and turn it into the best wine…think what He can do with you.
Do you want God’s best for your life?
Most of us would probably settle for God’s second best.
I’m afraid to say we’ve settled for far worst than God’s best because we are not willing to turn our lives completely over to Him
My life its not my own ITS EVEN BETTER
My life its not my own ITS YOUR FOREVER
Where do you find the joy?
You find the joy in getting the BEST that Jesus has to give you
We are like those stone pots in verse 7
The Bible calls us earthen vessels in 2Cor 4:7 “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.”
He wants to fill us the problem is
Maybe we are so full of wash water that there’s no room for the wine
Maybe we’ve got some pride in us that needs to be emptied out
Some bitterness, some guilt, some sorrow, some resentment, some selfish living, some of these hidden secret sins we deal with
Maybe you need to empty some things out of your life this morning
So Jesus can fill you with the joy of His blessing
Notice that Jesus didn’t perform this miracle until there resources had ran dry
When you’ve come to the end of your rope
When everything you try doesn’t work
When you have nowhere to run
JESUS OFFERS YOU HIS BEST
Do you want God’s best?
Are you ready to come to Jesus?
Have you found out that life without Jesus brings no joy?
If Jesus can take wash water and turn it into the best wine
Think what He can do for you
And finally…
V. Be Ready(2:11)
This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.
One of the reasons Jesus performed this miracle was to show that He was the very Son of God
Remember this was just 3 days into His ministry and He was already surrounded by green disciples
They had never seen Him do a miracle before
But now He “MANIFEST HIS GLORY”
And what was the result?
“HIS DISCIPLES BELIEVED ON HIM”
Can you imagine what His disciples must have thought?
They must have been excited
“WOW this is going to be an amazing journey. Jesus can perform miracles
There’s nothing He can’t do
This is just the beginning of a new and exciting experience with Jesus for these men.
Have you lost your excitement?
Have you lost the joy of being a Christian?
David, a man after God’s own heart did at one point
For he asked in Psalm 51:12 for God to Restore unto him the joy of his salvation.
Be ready, Jesus wants to bring you along on an exciting journey
He can do the same thing in your life that He did for those at the wedding feast in Cana
How can you restore the joy you’ve lost?
Its all about Jesus
Conclusion …
Be where Jesus is - don’t run from Him, get as close to Him as you can
Be aware of your need - Jesus knows your every need, if its important to you, its important to Him
Be obedient - you cant be filled with joy, if you’re filled with shame and guilt
Be the best - don’t settle for a second rate Christian life, that’s not what Jesus has for you
Be ready - Jesus wants to bring you along on an exciting journey
Empty your vessel of all that dishonors Jesus, and He will fill you with His joy.
Earthly joy brings no satisfaction.
Allow Jesus to change your watery earthly joy
Into Heavenly Joy
And you will be filled
