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you you you you you you you [Music] you you you you you you welcome to everyone we have a few announcements before we begin in the first place we do now have nursery available up to the age of the end of three that's how it was presented to me so i think three and below uh if you would like to utilize that facility i don't think there's anybody down there right now so you can go ahead and take your child down there so nursery from here on out on sunday morning during the service and then the lord's supper service will be tonight at 5 pm and then we will resume our wednesday night bible study this week at 7 30 p.m we're currently in the book of exodus i think around chapter 12. so for our call to worship now you can turn with me in your bibles to the prophet isaiah isaiah chapter 55 isaiah 55 i'll read beginning in verse 1. ho everyone who thirsts come to the waters and you who have no money come buy and eat yes come buy wine and milk without money and without price why do you spend money for what is not bread and your wages for what does not satisfy listen carefully to me and eat what is good and let your soul delight itself in abundance incline your ear and come to me here and your soul shall live and i will make an everlasting covenant with you the sure mercies of david indeed i have given him as a witness to the people a leader and commander for the people surely you shall call a nation you do not know and nations who do not know you shall run to you because of the lord your god and the holy one of israel for he has glorified you seek the lord while he may be found call upon him while he is near let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts let him return to the lord and he will have mercy on him and to our god for he will abundantly pardon for my thoughts are not your thoughts nor are your ways my ways says the lord for as the heavens are higher than the earth so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts for as the rain comes down and the snow from heaven and do not return there but water the earth and make it bring forth and bud that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth it shall not return to me void but it shall accomplish what i please and it shall prosper in the thing for which i sent it for you shall go out with joy and be led out with peace the mountains and the hills shall break forth into singing before you and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree and instead of the briar shall come up the myrtle tree and it shall be to the lord for a name for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off amen well please turn to psalm 84. psalm 84 a as in alpha will stand as we sing together oh is to you is [Music] oh [Music] is [Music] is is oh [Music] is is [Music] is [Music] well let us pray god most high it's a great joy and a blessed privilege to gather in your house on this day as the psalmist said i would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my god than dwell in the tents of wickedness we bless you and we praise you and we glorify your great and awesome name we acknowledge that you are from everlasting to everlasting we acknowledge that you are most high even father son and holy spirit we see the works of your hand in the created order and it truly does declare your majesty and your righteousness and your glory we see your sovereignty in providence and we stand amazed that you govern all your creatures and all their actions and what a comforting thought this is and chaotic days in which we live as well god we come to marvel at your redemption the fact that you sent the son of your love into this world sinners to save we rejoice in that gospel of our lord jesus christ we praise you for his life of obedience to the law we praise you for his death at calvary as a substitute and as a sacrifice and god we give glory to you for the resurrection from the dead and the current session of our blessed redeemer at your right hand and we look forward to his return in glory to judge the living and the dead and god we pray that each and every one in this place would be fit and ready clothed in his righteousness having been forgiven of sin so that we are prepared to meet him on that great day we ask now that you would cause us to reflect upon your holiness and your majesty and your glory that it would frame our hearts a right that we would not approach you as an equal but we would be mindful of the fact that you are a creator that we are your creature and may it be the case that we would have that fear of god that reverence toward god that is fitting and appropriate for the creature as well god may we rejoice and may we express our thanksgiving and our gratitude to you now for certainly you have not dealt with us according to our sin neither have you rewarded us according to our transgression but as david says you have taken that sin you have you've cast it or rather you have taken it away as the east as far as the east is from the west and as the prophet micah says you've thrown that sin into the depths of the sea so god help us now to rejoice on these truths and help us to worship you in spirit and in truth and to that end may your holy spirit guide us and direct us as we come to the father through the mediation of the son in the power and strength of the holy spirit and may god be all in all in this place we ask father that you would look with favor upon this congregation she would grant us grace and strength to grow in our understanding of jesus christ that you would forgive us now for all of our sin and transgression scripture is so clear that if we confess our sin you are faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness and god we don't do this in a flippant manner we don't do this in a in a trite manner we are mindful that we are supposed to live in a manner that is consistent with our calling and yet god we do fall short and we do have remaining corruption the good that we wish to do we don't always do and the evil that is in us we we don't want to do it and yet we find ourselves doing it but wretched men that we are we have this blessedness of the gospel the freeness and the forgiveness of sins in and through our lord jesus christ so wash us now and purify us now and fit us for communion with a holy god as well father we pray for those who've come here this morning that are still dead in their trespasses and sins we don't appeal to them and their free will to make good decisions or to to raise their hand or to sign a card we appeal to the god of absolute unrivaled sovereignty that one who is able to make men willing in the day of his power we pray that you'd open hearts that you'd grant the graces of faith and repentance that persons would see the glory of christ and by grace would believe on him for the salvation of their never dying souls we ask that you would bless the gospel as it goes forth in this city and throughout this nation and to the uttermost parts of the earth may it run swiftly and be glorified and as we read in the prophet isaiah we have that great confidence that it will not return unto you void but it always accomplishes the purpose for which you sent it and as we read the book of revelation we see the purpose of god revealed in the salvation of a great multitude that no man can number from every tribe and tongue and people and nation so god we pray with a confident expectation of your mercy and your grace to be poured out through the proclamation of the truth and by the presence and the power of the holy spirit and do this for your glory and do this for the good of image bearers in this land we ask that you would look with favor upon those in our church that have ongoing affliction in terms of the physical we just commit each one to you and to the word of your grace as well god for all of us as we have the spiritual trials and the difficulties that face us in a sin cursed world may you indeed supply what is lacking in each of our hearts and minds and may you strengthen us with might and the inner man and may we know the presence of the pow and the power of the holy spirit in our day-to-day lives as well god we pray for churches in our community we thank you for those we found alliance with over the last several months we pray for your blessing upon them we also ask god that you would look with favor upon the church in surrey and bless pastor mike as he continues to proclaim truth and may you indeed look with favor upon that local church we pray for the plant in vernon we thank you for that body we thank you for that group of believers and we pray that in your time you would station a man there to labor in the word and in doctrine we pray for our brother that you would continue to grant him grace in his studies grant him grace and the ministry there and god we look forward to seeing what you may do in your timing and look with favor upon the group in dryden we thank you that they have a desire to see a biblical church plant planted and we ask god that you would give them encouragement give them grace and strength and may you cause all things to work together for good in this endeavor and lord bless the curries we thank you for the report concerning their good health we thank you for the report concerning the work of the building there and we pray that that place would be a beacon that that place would shine as a light in a in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation and that pastors carlos and luis would hold forth that word of truth in that community for the salvation of sinners and god be merciful as well to myanmar as we prayed in the last hour our hearts go out to the brethren there the fact that children cannot sleep because of constant bombing the fact that they live each and every day and threat of of execution we just commit them to you into the word of your grace we pray for peter that you would bless this man thank you that he has good health and able to oversee this work and god give give him great strength and great grace and lord be merciful in afghanistan so we're reminded in the last hour the taliban is no friend of the church no friend to christians and it was already difficult for believers to exist in that land and even now god the increasing pressure and persecution and oppression is very very difficult god and we just pray that you would be merciful to the saints there that you would bring stability and peace in the region and those still stuck in that land would be able to to leave and and to return home and father we pray for your blessing upon our civil government we ask god in heaven that you would be merciful to us we know that when uh righteousness exalts a nation but certainly sin is a reproach to any people and we see abortion we see euthanasia and we see a a wholesale rejection of the law of god most high and so we pray that as solomon says that you would restrain the hearts of the kings those in high places that would cause them to do what you would have them to do for your glory ultimately and for the good of your people in this land bless the churches of jesus christ help us to be faithful help us to proclaim christ and him crucified and help us to live in a manner that is consistent with the holy word of the living and true god and again we thank you for this privilege to gather together in public worship we thank you for the fellowship of the saints and the ability to encourage one another and would you just build each of us up and may you cause us to be further conformed unto the image of our blessed lord jesus christ and it's in his holy name that we pray amen we can turn with me again in your hymn books to 153 hymn number 153 will stand as we sing together foreign is [Music] is uh salvation [Music] uh [Music] nations is is [Music] your voice is well you could turn with me in your bibles to ephesians 5 for our scripture reading this morning ephesians chapter 5. in the practical section of the book of ephesians so in chapters one and two you have the doctrinal statement the declaration concerning the gospel of jesus christ our lord chapter three functions as a bit of a transition the apostle highlights how he prays for or first he highlights his role in redemptive history and then how he prays for the saints in ephesus and here in chapters four to six you have practically the application of god's word to the life lives of god's people as new men and new women in christ jesus so beginning in chapter 5 at verse 1. therefore be imitators of god as dear children and walk in love as christ also has loved us and given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to god for a sweet smelling aroma but fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness let it not be let it not even be named among you as is fitting for saints neither filthiness nor foolish talking nor coarse jesting which are not fitting but rather giving of thanks for this you know that no fornicator unclean person nor covetous man who is an idolater has any inheritance in the kingdom of christ and god let no one deceive you with empty words for because of these things the wrath of god comes upon the sons of disobedience therefore do not be partakers with them for you were once darkness but now you are light in the lord walk as children of light for the fruit of the spirit is in all goodness righteousness and truth finding out what is acceptable to the lord and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but rather expose them for it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret but all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light for whatever makes manifest is light therefore he says awake you who sleep arise from the dead and christ will give you light see then that you walk circumspectly not as fools but as wise redeeming the time because the days are evil therefore do not be unwise but understand what the will of the lord is and do not be drunk with wine in which is dissipation but be filled with the spirit speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs singing and making melody in your heart to the lord giving thanks always for all things to god the father in the name of our lord jesus christ submitting to one another in the fear of god wives submit to your own husbands as to the lord for the husband is head of the wife as also christ is head of the church and he is the savior of the body therefore just as the church is subject to christ so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything husbands love your wives just as christ also loved the church and gave himself for her that he might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word that he might present her to himself a glorious church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing but that she should be holy and without blemish so husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies for he who loves his wife loves himself for no one ever hated his own flesh but nourishes and cherishes it just as the lord does the church for we are members of his body of his flesh and of his bones for this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and the two shall become one flesh this is a great mystery but i speak concerning christ and the church nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself and let the wife see that she respects her husband amen well over the overarching plan of the apostle paul is threefold in chapter five notice in the first place the people of god are to walk in love verses one to seven secondly they're to walk in light verses eight to fourteen and then thirdly they're to walk in wisdom in verses 15 to 21. so the apostle paul says that those who have been saved by grace through faith in our lord jesus christ will live in this particular manner they'll walk in love they'll walk in light and they'll walk in wisdom they're not saved because they do that rather they are saved in order that they may do that that reflects the pattern that you see in chapter one if you want to look back there for just a moment chapter 1 at verse 3 blessed be the god and father of our lord jesus christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in christ just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world notice that we should be holy and without blame before him he doesn't choose us because we are holy but rather he chooses us in order to be holy now the way that god applies that grace is found in chapter 2. notice specifically in verses 8 to 10 for by grace you have been saved through faith faith is the instrument by which we receive the blessings and the gifts and the goodness of god those every spiritual blessings paul mentions in ephesians 1 3 so for by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves it is the gift of god not of works lest anyone should boast so again when we get to the latter chapters in ephesians paul is not saying do this and then you'll be saved no he's already said you have been saved by grace through faith in our lord jesus christ now this is how you are to live you're to walk in love you're to walk in light and you're to walk in wisdom and then one other observation in the walk-in wisdom section notice what he says in verse 18 do not be drunk with wine and which is dissipation but be filled with the spirit how do we know what it is to be filled with the spirit some have in the history of the church suggest it that filling with the spirit would evidence itself through speaking in tongues filling with the spirit would evidence itself through prophesying but that's not what paul says in this brief section notice be filled with the spirit and then he gives us four participles four words that indicate what it looks like to be filled with the spirit notice verse 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs second seeking a singing and making melody in your heart to the lord third giving thanks always for all things to god the father in the name of our lord jesus christ and then finally submitting to one another in the fear of god that's what it looks like to be filled with the spirit so then having made that statement concerning filling with the spirit and submitting to one another in the fear of god he comes to apply this in the life of the family that's verses 22 to the end verse 33 husbands and wives and then he deals with children and parents in chapter six verses one to four and then finally bond servants and masters in chapter five uh chapter six five to nine so what why do i bring this forth so that we understand we're not saved because we're great guys and girls we're saved by grace through faith in jesus christ again so that we'll be great guys and girls and even then we will struggle and even then we will have remaining corruption and even then we will always and constantly stand in need of the blood of jesus christ as son to cleanse us from all sin that's what john says in first john chapter one my little children i write these things to you so that you may not sin but if anyone does sit we have an advocate with the father even jesus christ the righteous so if as you read this book of ephesians and you see or lament wow i've not been walking in love i've not been walking in light i've not been walking in wisdom as i ought then confess your sin to our blessed god invoke the blood of the lord jesus christ for cleansing and seek by the grace and the power of the holy spirit to live in a manner that is consistent with god's holy word it is a wonderful thing that the lord has done for us and in us in terms of the gospel of our salvation justified freely by his grace and then given the aid of the spirit to sanctify us and that by his truth so that we may represent him faithfully in this present evil age let us pray our father we thank you for this book of ephesians we thank you for the the emphasis in terms of doctrine and application we thank you for the the extolling of the grace and the goodness and the glory of god in the salvation of sinners we know it's not because of our accomplishments we know it's not because of our good works we know it's not because of our righteousness that one day we will enter into heaven but we see and acknowledge happily and joyfully that it's all bound up in the work of our lord jesus christ his life his death his resurrection it is by grace and faith in him by which we stand and we bless you for this in jesus name amen well please turn with me again in your hymn books to 425 hymn number 425 will stand as we sing together [Music] is [Music] is is [Music] is [Music] foreign is is so [Music] is you can turn with me in your bibles to the gospel of john john chapter 2 we'll be looking at verses 1 to 12 the wedding at cana of galilee remember that we've considered chapter 1 thus far the prologue is in chapter 1 verses 1 to 18 where the apostle goes behind the scenes as it were before he deals with redemption before he deals with the economy of salvation he deals with theology he gives us the relations between the son and the father in terms of the triune god here we now embark on the public ministry of our lord jesus christ it begins in chapter 1 properly at verse 19 and goes to about chapter 12 at verse 50. so i'll read beginning in chapter 2 at verse 1. on the third day there was a wedding in cana of galilee and the mother of jesus was there now both jesus and his disciples were invited to the wedding and when they ran out of wine the mother of jesus said to him they have no wine jesus said to her woman what does your concern have to do with me my hour has not yet come his mother said to the servants whatever he says to you do it now there were set there six water pots of stone according to the manner of purification of the jews containing 20 or 30 gallons of piece jesus said to them fill the water pots with water and they filled them up to the brim and he said to them draw some out now and take it to the master of the feast and they took it when the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine and did not know where it came where it came from the servants who had drawn the water knew the master of the feast called the bridegroom and he said to him every man at the beginning sets out the good wine and when the guests have well drunk then the inferior you have kept the good wine until now this beginning of signs jesus did in cana of galilee and manifested his glory and his disciples believed in him after this he went down to capernaum he his mother his brothers and his disciples and they did not stay there many days now the passover of the jews was at hand and jesus went up to jerusalem and he found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves and the money changers doing business when he had made a whip of cords he drove them all out of the temple with the sheep and the oxen and poured out the changers money and overturned the tables and he said to those who sold doves take these things away do not make my father's house a house of merchandise then his disciples remembered that it was written zeal for your house has eaten me up so the jews answered and said to him what sign do you show to us since you do these things jesus answered and said to them destroy this temple and in three days i will raise it up then the jews said it has taken 46 years to build this temple and will you raise it up in three days but he was speaking of the temple of his body therefore when he had risen from the dead his disciples remembered that he had said this to them and they believed the scripture and the word which jesus had said now when he was in jerusalem at the passover during the feast many believed in his name when they saw the signs which he did but jesus did not commit himself to them because he knew all men and had no need that anyone should testify of man for he knew what was in man amen let us pray our father thank you for the written word of the true and living god thank you for the gospel of our salvation thank you for these written records concerning our lord jesus and his life death and resurrection we pray now the spirit would guide and lead us and direct us that we would appreciate what we find in holy scripture that our hearts would be thrilled at the blessedness and the glory of our of our savior jesus christ and again father we ask that you would be merciful to save sinners and we ask that you would forgive all of us of all of our sin and wash us in that precious blood of the lord jesus and we pray in his name amen well as i said after a lengthy introduction in terms of the prologue and then a bit of introduction by john the baptist and then the early disciples of our lord we now embark on the ministry of our lord jesus christ one man says above the evangelist showed the dignity of the incarnate word and gave various evidence for it now he begins to relate the effects and actions by which the divinity of the incarnate word was made known to the world so in other words john goes behind the scenes as i've said he shows the relationship between the son and the father and now he's going to shine the light upon the sun in term of the in terms of the work given to him by the father to accomplish now as we come to this wedding at cana of galilee we'll notice three things first the setting in verses one to five secondly the sign in verses six to ten and then finally the summary in verses 11 and 12. let's look first at the setting notice the occasion in verses one and two on the third day there was a wedding in cana of galilee so this lord jesus christ the one by whom all things were made john 1 3 is also the one who made marriage marriage is not only made by christ but it's approved by christ because christ comes to this particular feast so is there is this wedding in cana of galilee now a wedding feast kids you've probably been to weddings and you've probably rolled your eyes at times because they go a bit longish you go through a service and you're perhaps thinking is it going to end anytime soon and then you go off to the reception and then you think is it going to end anytime soon well if you lived in the first century they could last typically seven days so if you started rolling your eyes in day one you'd be rolling them out of your head by the by the time this actual feast came to a conclusion so it was a time of great celebration it was a time of great rejoicing and it wasn't just about the bride and the groom but it was about the bride's family and the groom's family as well and there was a lot of protocol in place in terms of what was honorable and what was dishonorable as we move through this particular scene we'll see there's a problem we'll see that there's attention we'll see that there's a particular issue that needs to be dealt with so for them it wasn't a matter of oh we have no wine just run down to the local liquor store and pick some up no it could potentially cause great dishonor to the family that was giving this particular celebration so there is this wedding in cana of galilee notice that the mother of jesus is there according to verse two uh verse 1b now the fact that she does take an act of interest in the absence of wine seems to indicate that it was perhaps her family or her relatives that were having this wedding and then notice as well that the lord and his disciples are present verse 2. now both jesus and his disciples were invited to the wedding so the lord again the one who makes marriage honors marriage marriage is good in the history of the church there have been those that have seen it as perhaps a lesser form of existence but that's not true at all the apostle dignifies marriage there in ephesians 5 22-33 he celebrates the reality he points back to the uh the background in terms of genesis and so there ought not to be any of us that look bad uh uh look a skew at marriage but then in terms of the disciples it's probably andrew simon peter philip nathaniel and the one that wasn't named in chapter one most likely the apostle john now that brings us to the problem look at verse three and when they had run oh when they ran out of wine the mother of jesus said to him they have no wine again it's not just the two people but it's the two families status honor rank all those things come to play and so this was a real live issue that they needed to deal with now the fact that uh mary says this to jesus again indicates that perhaps joseph was already dead and jesus as the eldest brother in the family would be the go-to one for her to indicate what the particular problem was now that brings us to the response in verses 4 and 5. notice in the first place the words of jesus now it's here that we should slow down just a little bit because jesus gets a bit of bad press here it's almost as if he's speaking uncourteously to his mother he doesn't call her mother rather he calls her woman he does this as well when he's on the cross in chapter 19 at verse 26. that's not derogatory i think what he is doing is a bit of simple disengagement from her we've already seen his dignity in terms of the word from the father no one has seen god at any time but the only begotten son who is in the bosom of the father he has declared him so jesus lives in submission to his earthly parents until the time of his public ministry so again a bit of disengagement from her is not untoward and as well this is not discourteous one man suggests that it probably is kind of like a a mam and then notice what he says in verse four what does your concern have to do with me now as i pondered this i wondered what commentators and what bible readers are thinking jesus did did he scowl did he say woman why are you bothering me with such things could he possibly had a smile on his face could he possibly have been speaking kindly and courteously why do we go automatically to associate this particular response with something untoward in the person of our lord jesus he was holy harmless and undefiled simple disengagement from one's mother is not an abandonment of one's mother it is rather to suggest that now he's embarked on his public ministry now he is the one that is about to fulfill all that the father has given him could he have perhaps said this isn't really my concern ma'am it could have been so gentle and so kind and most likely was and then notice as well he says your concern have to do with me my hour has not yet come now often times in john's gospel the hour refers to his death so i think it's best to understand it's not just the death but all of the events associated with it his life his death his resurrection in other words his exaltation my hour has not yet come but that doesn't keep him from doing the right thing or the good thing in this particular context so he responds to her in a gracious way identifies to her that it's really not his concern and that his hour had not yet come now notice her response she wasn't offended she didn't say how dare you answer me that way son how dare you not give me the term of love and approval mother how dare you try to distance no she doesn't do that in fact as many have observed the only command that mary ever gives in the entirety of god's word is found right here in john 2 5. listen to what mary says to you whatever he says jesus do it that's her only command in all of the bible whatever jesus says to you do it now we can obviously extrapolate from that that when jesus says come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden and i will give you rest mary would say do that when jesus stands up on that last great day of the feast and says if any man thirsts let him come to me mary would say do that in other words don't uh reject don't resist and don't think lightly of those blessed offers of our savior that come from his mouth again come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden now when jesus speaks those words in matthew's gospel in chapter 11 the heavy labor isn't a tough week at work you were schlepping whatever it was and now your back hurts that's not what's in view the rest that he is giving there is not physical rest it is soul rest the labor the heavy laden-ness has to do with your sin it has to do with your rebellion it has to do with your transgression and your lack of conformity under god's law so what does jesus say that you're supposed to do when you're conscious of that are you supposed to try to fix it yourself are you supposed to engage in self-help are you supposed to go get therapy now i'm not suggesting all of those things are necessarily wrong but in the context of a gospel invitation they are wrong jesus says come to me and i will give you rest come to me and take my yoke upon you and learn from me so this is the one abiding command that mary gives and i wish that everybody in the roman church would listen to her and would respond favorably that they would do what jesus has said now notice secondly in terms of the sign jesus gives instruction he's going to deal with this issue now if you think about this particular story who are the two most important persons at a wedding feast it's the master he comes up later and it's the bridegroom but they're really not it's jesus jesus is the the star of the show if you will now notice the instructions that jesus gives concerning the water parts verse six now there were set there six water pots of stone according to the manner of purification of the jews containing 20 or 30 gallons a piece now brethren i'm going to do a little spiritualizing and then later you're going to see that it's legit the old covenant water of purification gives way to the blood of the new covenant that ushers in the celebratory wine that god has promised to his church in the days of messiah again you're going to say how did he get that from this i hope to show you as we move along but there's something more going on than just the satisfaction of persons at a wedding and their desire for wine remember we haven't left the the arena of the prologue remember what john says in john 1 16 of his fullness we have all received the law was given through moses but grace and truth came through our lord jesus christ so could it possibly be that john the apostle in giving us the book of signs the public ministry of our lord starts with this comment concerning new covenant blessing in jesus there is celebratory wine in jesus there is profusion in jesus there is abundance in jesus there is bounty so the use or rather the instructions here again don't necessarily underscore that but what they do specifically is indicate that when he changes this water into wine it won't be mistaken notice he doesn't say bring me the empty wine vats fill those with water because then persons will say oh it just took on the flavor of the vat or perhaps the vats weren't absolutely empty and so the water tasted like wine no nothing to see here no big deal no miracle that's not what happens there were set there six water pots of stone according to the manner of purification of the jews containing 20 or 30 gallons of peace some commentators say that would have been about 150 persons would have been able to drink wine based on that sort of uh amount i think it was calvin that made that reference i didn't do the math i didn't think through it i didn't wonder i think that was what calvin says so notice what jesus says to them in verse seven fill the water pots with water and they filled them up to the brim and he said to them draw some out now and take it to the master of the feast again very cut and dry we've all read this we've all pondered it we all have hopefully said wow that's amazing christ is lord of nature not only can he steal the wind and the sea not only can he can he raise the dead not only can he cure the blind but he can take something that is water and turn it into wine and not just wine but as the master of the the ceremonies indicates it was good wine very very excellent wine so notice after having received those instructions they took it the servants are very obedient to the lord they're obedient to mary because mary said whatever he says to you do it fill up the water pots they did it they filled it to the brim take some of this to the master they did it they just obey it's a good lesson there for each and every one of us when god tells us or when christ tells us something we're supposed to do it we're supposed to walk in love we're supposed to walk in light we're supposed to walk in wisdom if you're not a believer you're supposed to believe the gospel you're supposed to look and live you're supposed to understand god is a holy god you're a sinful man woman boy or girl and that if you don't repent you don't believe you will end up in hell and so god in his gospel has called sinners to believe on his son that they may have everlasting life where in the world did we think as the creature it was okay to disobey the creator see none of us live that way if we have children do we ever say to our children i'm going to give you a command but you really don't need to obey i'm going to give you a command to not eat the cookies out of the cookie jar but if you do that's up to you no that's not the way we govern our homes that's not the way we conduct our lives that's not the way we function if we're in business if you're a master or an employer in business you don't give commands to your to i was going to call them servants but i don't want everybody triggered you you give commands to your employees that they're supposed to carry out you don't tell them i want you to put this over there but don't do it if you don't want to how in the world have we as creature ever thought that it was acceptable to disobey the creator he made us he governs us he feeds us he gives us water he gives us oxygen everything necessary for life and being god supplies to us and yet in our sin and in our rebellion and in our transgression we say nah i'm not going to do what you command i'm not going to do what you say even though what you command and say leads to blessedness and provision and kindness and love abound it so when we go back to this passage the servants set forth a good example they actually obey notice that the master tastes the wine verse 9 a he knew that there was no more wine and this master was probably the chief of the guests the the master of ceremonies we have those sorts of people at weddings today and especially in the reception he usually goes up he tells a few jokes and that sort of thing but in this particular instance he was most likely the most dignified or the most honored among the family that was giving this particular feast and so the master does uh taste the wine and he doesn't know where it had come from but the servants do the servants are sort of our keyhole into with the the divine sort of commentary on what's happening here the servants knew precisely what had happened and then notice at the end of verse 9 the master of the feast called the bridegroom and he said to him every man at the beginning sets out the good wine and when the guests have well drunk now brethren it means well drunk and i know that for most of us we want to make sure we add the ethical qualifications john doesn't but most of his commentators and all of his preachers do they always stop here and they say make sure you understand that drunkenness is a sin we just read that in ephesians chapter five do not be drunk with wine in which is dissipation but we cannot conclude from that that all drinking of alcohol is necessarily sin especially when the bible portrays it in a positive light there are the negative comments to be sure the negative prohibitions against or the prohibitions rather against drunkenness you find them in proverbs you find them there in ephesians you find them throughout scripture but in terms of a moderate use of alcohol that is not condemned by the bible and this is a classic passage or a classic text to tell us that so the normal practice is that the good wine comes first and the guests have well drunk but then notice what he says to the bridegroom he says you have kept the good wine until now you have done what is not common you have done what is not normal you have done what is not symptomatic of the age you have provided good wine to begin with the guests have well drunk and then now comes out round two and you've made even better or have provided even better wine in its in the absence of the other one so this was a practice that did exceed the master in this particular instance now here i want to show you the spiritualizing of the text and its legitimacy in the first place christ is the bridegroom christ will be identified by john the apo by john the baptist in john 3 as the bridegroom not necessarily of this historical account it was a different person altogether but there is spiritual reality going on in the wedding at cana of galilee christ is the bridegroom christ brings the better wine christ brings profusion from others fullness we have all received and grace from grace for grace the law was given through moses but the the grace and truth came through our lord jesus christ so christ is the bridegroom that ushers in the new covenant era that excels or exceeds rather the water of purification and water pots and it comes down to the blood of jesus christ which inaugurates that new covenant therein the fullness of christ is received it will ultimately redound at the marriage supper of the lamb according to to revelation chapter 19. and there certainly we will see him as the bridegroom as he becomes the one who has married his bride the church paul speaks of that in ephesians 5 32. i speak a great mystery in other words human marriage typifies shadows forth or demonstrates the greater marriage between christ and his church this is the purpose for the book the song of solomon it's not simply to describe the beauty of conjugal relations in the marriage relationship it is to show god and israel it is to show christ and his church and it shines forth in this particular miracle that he has kept the good wine until now the wine of the old covenant was good but the wine of the new covenant is better hebrews 7 and 8 underscore that the new covenant is built on better promises it affords a better hope and it is in fact a better covenant again reflecting what the prologue indicates and of his fullness we have all received and grace for grace now turn back to the prophet isaiah the prophet isaiah there is an expectation that in association with the messianic reign there would be wine flowing in abundance isaiah chapter 25 at verse 4 for you have been a strength to the poor a strength to the needy in his distress a refuge from the storm a shade from the heat for the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall you'll reduce the noise of aliens as heat in a dry place as heat in the shadow of a cloud the song of the terrible ones will be diminished and in this mountain the lord of hosts will make for all people a feast of choice pieces a feast of wines on the leaves of fat things full of marrow of well-refined wines on the leaves just to give you a bit of a a an overview of the prophet isaiah he is living at the time of great destruction he's living at the time of great judgment from god upon both the northern and the southern kingdoms of israel but in the midst of that that declaration of judgment there are these announcements of blessing there are these announcements of the of the new covenant and an era that would would be ushered in by messiah notice in verse 9 and it will be said in that day behold this is our god we have waited for him and he will save us this is the lord we have waited for him we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation turn over to jeremiah 31 most of you know that the end of jeremiah 31 celebrates the new covenant behold i will make a new covenant with the house of israel and judah in those days not like the covenant i made before which they broke but in this covenant the new covenant these essential features will be present they will be forgiven of their sins they will have the law of god internalized they will be those who have a saving knowledge of the lord but even prior to that notice the announcement concerning new covenant blessing in 31 10. hear the word of the lord o nations and declare it in the isles of far off and say he who scattered israel will gather him and keep him as a shepherd does his flock for the lord has redeemed jacob and ransom him from the hand of one stronger than he therefore they shall come and sing in the height of zion streaming to the goodness of the lord for wheat and new wine and oil for the young of the flock and the herd their souls shall be like a well-watered garden and they shall sorrow no more at all turn to the prophet joel you go to the new the minor prophets you've got hosea and then joel hosea the first of the miners and then you've got joel and know that they're not called minor because their prophecies are insignificant they're called minor because they didn't write as long of books as did isaiah jeremiah and ezekiel that's why they're the minor prophets not that oh we don't have to pay attention to amos or obadiah or jonah no their word is in fact the word of god but notice in chapter 2 of verse 8 verse 8 chapter 2 verse 18 in joel then the lord will be zealous for his land and pity his people the lord will answer and say to his people behold i will send you grain and new wine and oil and you will be satisfied by them i will no longer make you approach among the nations now brethren look at how verse 1 starts then go back in the context just a little bit to verse 12. look at the flow verse 12 now therefore says the lord turn to me with all your heart with fasting with weeping and with mourning so rend your heart and not your garments return to the lord your god for he is gracious and merciful slow to anger and of great kindness and he relents from doing harm who knows if he will turn and relent and leave a blessing behind him a grain offering and a drink offering for the lord your god so essentially what you have in verses 12 to 17 is a call to repentance and then what you have in verse 18 is the evidence of repentance when they return to the lord what will they receive they will receive abundance they will receive a profusion of blessing from the hand of god almighty and that's another thing we all need to consider as we look at this particular passage god does not pour out or god rather does not give out blessings like a miser he's not ebenezer scrooge from the christmas carol he's not the guy that is that is always so stingy and just gives out a little bit the prophet isaiah says elsewhere look to me all ye ends of the earth and be ye save for i am god and there is no other we've accepted the lie that god is like us that he is a miser when it comes to the to the giving out of his grace that he is stingy that he is hard hearted that he is not willing that's not what you get from reading the scripture we saw isaiah the prophet 55 verse 1 ho everyone who thirsts let him come you who have no money come by and eat delight yourself in the ref the the nourishing milk of the gospel the refreshing water of the gospel and the exhilarating wine of the of the gospel god is profuse in his blessings to his people turn to the prophet amos so after uh hosea joel amos amos comes after joel i was thinking of something else there but notice in amos chapter 3 again a promise of i'm sorry amos 9 a promise a new covenant blessing we know that because of verse 11. look at verse 11 in amos 9 on that day i will raise up the tabernacle of david which has fallen down and repair its damages i will raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of all we should know that passage that passage is in the jerusalem council in acts chapter 15. as their discussion discussing gentile inclusion in the promises of god the apostle calls to mind or calls out this particular passage he interprets it with reference to the inclusion of gentiles in the covenant promises of god under messiah now back up just a little bit in chapter 9 at chapter 9 at verse uh i'm sorry go on in chapter 9 at verse 13. behold the days are coming says the lord when the plowman shall overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes him who sows seed the mountain shall drip with sweet wine and all the hills shall flow with it i will bring back the captives of my people israel they shall build the waste cities and inhabit them they shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them they shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them i will plant them in their land and no longer shall they be pulled up from the land i have given them says the lord your god zechariah chapter 10 zechariah chapter 10 same sort of an emphasis in terms of new covenant blessing at 10 6 i will strengthen the house of judah and i will save the house of joseph i will bring them back because i have mercy on them they shall be as though i had not cast them aside for i am the lord their god and i will hear them those of ephraim shall be like a mighty man and their heart shall rejoice as if as if with wine yet yes their children shall see it and be glad their heart shall rejoice in the lord i will whistle for them and gather them for i will redeem them and they shall increase as they once increase so going back to john's gospel at chapter 2 there was a promise made through several several prophets concerning the blessed profusion of god's grace in new covenant times and that is represented by the wine so that when we get to this wedding at cana of galilee yes be amazed that jesus turned water into wine it is a most wonderful expression of his lordship over nature but don't forget the prophetic testimony especially in light of the prologue at john 1 16-17 the law was given through moses but grace and truth came through jesus christ our lord it is a most wonderful uh sort of emphasis at this point in the gospel of john because it tells us that when jesus goes about when jesus ministers when jesus ultimately dies when jesus is raised from the dead when jesus ascends to the right hand of the father the church of jesus preaches the profuseness of his grace they preach the celebratory wine of new covenant blessing that there is forgiveness in him there is mercy to be had there is a righteousness that avails with god that comes through our lord jesus christ listen to john gill he says the gospel which may be compared to wine for its purity pleasant taste and generous effects in reviving drooping spirits refreshing weary persons and comforting distressed minds as also for its antiquity was published before the coming of christ in the times of adam noah abraham moses david and the prophets but in a lower and weaker way at sundry times here a little and there a little by piecemeals as it were and in divers manners by promises prophecies types shadows and sacrifices and was attended with much darkness and bondage but under the gospel dispensation which is compared to a marriage feast it is more fully dispensed more clearly published and more freely ministered so again may seem like a scratch oh he's spiritualizing what the what went into the water pots and what comes out of the water pots but there's warrant in light of the prologue in light of the prophets in light of what we find everywhere concerning the grace and the mercy and the kindness of god in short i want to tell you this that if you want christ if you want salvation if you believe in him he will receive you that's a promise later in john 6 37 he says all that the father gives me will come to me and the one who comes to me what i will certainly not cast out again we've adopted and embraced this mindset that god is up there and that he's a miser and that only a little bit of grace is ever being poured out turn to the book of revelation sometime look at the great multitude that no man can number hear the prophecy concerning gentile inclusion in the covenant of grace not just with isaiah but it goes all the way back to the to to to noah noah was told that that japheth would come and find safety in the tents of shem that is gentile inclusion in the covenant promises of god it's always been god's purpose genesis chapter 12 he tells abraham that in him all the nations of the earth would be blessed all the families of the earth would be blessed genesis 13 he tells abraham to look up into the sky count the stars if you can what's god's lesson that you can actually count the stars no the lesson is that your descendants will far exceed the stars in heaven abraham's also told to look at the seashore look at the sands the grains of sands god says there will be more descendants to abraham because of the seed of abraham who is jesus christ than there is grains of sand at the seashore in other words the gospel brings blessing jesus christ ushers in an age of grace and truth jesus christ is the one who inaugurates the new covenant through his blood and has promised to receive all those who come to him in faith do not resist do not reject do not neglect and do not try to argue yourself out of inclusion in the covenant promises of god you can't do it because the word of god goes forth and the gospel promise is sure he who believes will be saved now notice the summary of the feast in verses 11 and 12. john tells us that in the first place this was the beginning of his signs verse 11 8 this beginning of signs jesus did in cana of galilee or if we heard that word beginning so far in john 1 1 in the beginning was the word and the word was with god and the word was god that underscores the dignity the divinity and the glory of our lord jesus but so does this in verse 11 this is the beginning of the signs that jesus did there will be several others that follow on the heels of this and john the apostle knows this notice as well in reference to these signs it was a manifestation of the glory of christ this beginning of signs jesus did in cana of galilee and manifested his glory in other words brethren as we would have been there we would have said wow this is incredible we would have imitated the master of the feast we would have said when we've gone to weddings in the past they serve decent wine but when it comes to the latter you know latter hours they they pour out the swill they give you the rot gut because everybody is well drunk and they don't have a discerning palate anymore but this bridegroom has put out the best it was a manifestation of his glory again power over nature turning water into wine but the inaugurator of the new covenant which affords a better hope built on better promises and it is in fact a better covenant according to hebrews chapter 7 and 8 and then notice the faith of his disciples is underscored here this beginning of signs jesus did in cana of galilee and manifested his glory and his disciples believed in him i don't think it means they hadn't before but this helped them this confirmed them this further authenticated for them that he was messiah remember we have available to us the entirety of john's gospel these men didn't these men had jesus say come and see so they came and they saw and they believed and now in the manifestation of his glory as the lord over nature turning water into wine it strengthens their faith it confirms their faith it functions in such a way as to build them up in a way that is most wonderful calvin said these words point out likewise the advantage of miracles namely that they ought to be viewed as intended for the confirmation and progress of faith and incidentally that's john's purpose throughout the gospel isn't it i'm not trying to pick on you if you're not a christian here this morning i really am not but i'm trying to encourage you that christ is a willing savior for will for willing sinners christ is a willing savior and mess that up a willing savior for needy sinners christ has abundance notice what john's purpose is in the gospel and truly jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples which are not written in this book but these what do you think he means these signs are written that you you in chilliwack in 2021 you in you know naphtali's church and elder at kenya in 2021 you in the underground church that covenant church uh the the latter latter rain covenant church in china that you may believe when we go out and testify concerning the gospel of our lord jesus when we undertake in terms of evangelism let's remind people of john the apostle's purpose under the inspiration of the spirit that you the person to whom we are speaking believe that jesus is the christ the son of god and that believing you may have life in his name again john isn't writing in some esoteric way it's not just writing for informational purposes he tells us and underscores that these signs are written that you may believe that jesus is the christ the son of god and that believing you may have life in his name what's the alternative if you don't believe you don't have life in his name john speaks to that in john 3 36 you can turn there and you see what he says there's not three options there's not four options it's not the case that all religions ultimately lead to the same place notice in john 3 36 he who believes in the son has everlasting life he who does not believe the son shall not see life but the wrath of god abides on him right now presently currently just imagine if you would we had a can of green paint and we could spray the wrath of god that was biting over you we would see it it would be tangible it would be something that was quantitative qualitative something that we could sink our teeth into ex empirically that means by way of evidence we can't do that we can't spray green paint to see who's under the wrath of god but that doesn't change the reality he who believes the son has everlasting life the one who does not believe the son does not have life and that's bad enough itself but the wrath of god abides on him so please listen and please understand the profuseness the blessedness the goodness of god in the gospel of our savior that's where john begins in the public ministry of our lord so that nobody will ever conclude well there's just no mercy to be had for me there's just no grace to be had for me once those first century jews and those few gentiles use it up there'll be no more for the 21st century oh no that's not it jesus can take that water he can turn it into wine and that wine far exceeds what was even given in the previous sort of distribution of wine the lord christ does not waver the lord christ does not lose his efficiency the lord christ does not lose his sufficiency so believe on him and you will be saved well in conclusion just a couple of thoughts and then we'll go in the first place we should appreciate the goodness of marriage we should appreciate again what the lord has created the lord dignifies by his presence he actually went to a wedding we see in this the true humanity of jesus christ we learn that jesus assumed our humanity with all the essential properties and the common infirmities thereof and yet without sin what does true humanity do it goes to weddings what does true humanity do it dignifies things like weddings what does true humanity do it goes and it celebrates various feasts and occasions and that leads me to the second one the legitimacy of feasting now brethren the bible does command fasting we saw that in joel 2. humble yourself rend your garments fast there are seasons and occasions to be sure for that but as well there are seasons and occasions for feasting in the first place there's a popular perception that piety should be miserable you've perhaps seen those people they look like they carry lemons around in their pockets and every now and then they take a chomp out of it and they just look you know i mean it's funny when we do it to our babies he'll do that right when your baby's just getting to that point where they they eat lemons and well they don't but so we give them a little taste just to see sort of their their response to the lemon or to the lime well they grimace don't they they have a sour face consistent with lemon eating well there are some in the christian life that seem to associate piety with that approach well i've got to look like i've you know been eating lemons i've got to look miserable brethren the threefold sort of breakdown in the heidelberg is guilt grace gratitude guilt and misery sort of go together right grace produces gratitude it produces happiness it produces joy it produces feasting in the presence of our great god in deuteronomy chapter 14 there is laws with reference to the tithe and laws with reference to the tithes suggest that if persons couldn't make the journey with all of their tithes they could sell stuff take that money and buy for themselves items to feast with in deuteronomy chapter 28 one of the prophesied reasons for ejection from the land would be that israel would taste all of the blessed benefits that god gives them in the land but they wouldn't be thankful they wouldn't rejoice they wouldn't be happy well as a result they along with many other reasons they would be ejected from the land and would go into exile when you look at the psalms the psalms are very clear as well and again i'm not advocating excess i'm not promoting drunkenness we give the qualification the bible prohibits drunkenness but it doesn't prohibit feasting in psalm 104 verse 14 he causes the grass to grow for the cattle and vegetation for the service of man that he may bring forth food from the earth and wine that makes glad the heart of man oil to make his face shine and bread which strengthens man's heart the trees of the lord are full of sap the cedars of lebanon which he planted where the birds make their nests the stork has her home in the fir trees the high hills are for the wild goats the cliffs are a refuge for the rock badgers he appointed the moon for seasons the sun knows it's going down you make darkness and it's not and it is night in which all the beasts of the forest creep about the young lions roar after their prey and seek their food from god when the sun rises they gather together and lie down in their dens man goes out to his work and to his labor until the evening brethren some the the the christian is not agnostic it's not that the world is icky it's not that the created order is bad it's not that we revile steaks or wine or good gifts that god has given now if we have a problem with the ingestion of certain things then don't do it by all means but don't think it's a mark of piety to be miserable i suggest that misery is associated with the devil and his minions in john 10 jesus says i came that they might have life and that they might have it abundantly in the book of proverbs jesus speaking his wisdom makes this observation he who sits or sins against me wrongs his own soul all those who hate me love death it was a great and vivid illustration of this in the past week in texas you mean we can't kill babies if we hear their heartbeat no goal you can't that is absolutely reprehensible you see how people are are just going nuts over this new law in texas which by the way doesn't go nearly far enough just because we can't detect the heartbeat doesn't mean it isn't a baby psalm 139 tells us god's the divine weaver who puts us together in the womb scripture is clear at this particular point but the people that are pro-abortion are just incensed with the idea that we can't kill little ones if their hearts are beating this is proverbs 8 36 he who sins against me wrongs his own soul all those who hate me love death so misery pain destruction horribleness typically it's associated with the devil not god god is good god is merciful god is god provides god gives grace god does so profusely and god in his grace and in his mercy not only blesses us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in christ he gives us good steaks he gives us mangoes he gives us lemons not for the grimace but for lemonade he's good and he's kind paul says this is a doctrine of demons in 1st timothy 4 to forbid marriage and the eating of meats that god made to be enjoyed by his creatures the doctrine of christian fasting needs to be recovered but so does the doctrine of christian feasting again not to excess not to gluttony not to drunken drunkenness not to revelry and the like but it's not a sin to enjoy the good things that god in his grace has given us again we don't function this way in our homes we give a gift to our child for their birthday and they just look miserable no we want them to be happy that's why we gave them a good gift we want them to rejoice in it we want them to celebrate and delight in it again israel's ejected from their tenure in the land because they receive the benefit from god and they don't give him praise or thanksgiving and then finally in terms of this passage we see the glory of our lord jesus christ the word became flesh and dwelt among us they could say this at this wedding of canaan and galilee in a very real way the word became flesh and he dwelt among us and we beheld his glory the glory as of the only begotten of the father full of grace and truth how did you behold it because he made water into wine and by doing that he signified for us that the prophetic message concerning the profuseness of god's grace and blessing had arrived the new covenant has come the blessed promises of god are yea and amen in our lord jesus christ they witnessed with their own eyes they witnessed with their own palates the glory of christ manifested in the changing of water into wine and then finally listen to the command of mary whatever he says do it i'm going to leave that with you today whatever he says do it think of matthew 11 come to me and think of john 7. all you who thirst let him come to me let us pray our father we thank you for your word we thank you for the sufficiency the excellence and the glory of our lord jesus christ thank you for the prophetic testimony to the days of messiah and thank you for that inauguration in the fullness of the times when god sent forth his son born of a woman and born under the law to redeem those under the law and god as this gospel goes forth today we pray that it would run swiftly and be glorified and that a great multitude by grace would believe on him and know the joy of being found in him and we ask this in jesus name amen we'll take your hymn books and turn to 568 568 will close our service by singing the doxology oh grace [Music] o israel hope in the lord for with the lord there is mercy and with him is abundant redemption and he shall redeem israel from all his iniquities god we thank you for that blessedness that we have in our lord jesus christ and again our desire is that sinners everywhere today would believe on him and know that that wonder that glory of being transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of the son of god's love go with us now watch over us bring us back together tonight that we may worship you in spirit and in truth and we pray through jesus christ our lord amen well please be seated for a brief time of meditation you