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Greetings! Welcome to Lechem Panim. You know, one of the hard lessons I have had to learn in and throughout my Christian walk is how easy it can be to be religious and yet at the same time completely miss the presence of Jesus. I face this temptation often. And I think that this is because the presence of Jesus is uncomfortable (at least until we surrender to Him) because Jesus is always interested not just in changing my eternal destination, but in changing me; moving me to lay down my wants, my addictions, my own plans for what I think my future ought to be. I think I am like a lot of Christians, where I sometimes want Jesus to be a part of my life but I don’t want Him to take my life and BE my Life. But one thing Jesus never lets us escape, in all His preaching and teaching, is that the way to life is found in following Him; and He states directly and unabashedly (to the dismay of many a prosperity gospel prophet today) that that will involve our carrying our cross; laying our lives down (participating in His death in how we live our lives) in order for us to experience His life. And if we don’t every come to that point of surrender, we will miss the very saving presence of Jesus. That is why I would like to begin a study today on a passage many of you may know well. It is perhaps one of the saddest encounters Jesus experienced during His ministry; and that is His encounter with a rich young ruler. It says in…
Mark 10:17-31 (ESV)-- 17 And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” 20 And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” 21 And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. Roosevelt and Non-listeners— [The story is told of Franklin Roosevelt, who often endured long receiving lines at the White House. He complained that no one really paid any attention to what was said. One day, during a reception, he decided to try an experiment. To each person who passed down the line and shook his hand, he murmured, "I murdered my grandmother this morning." The guests responded with phrases like, "Marvelous! Keep up the good work. We are proud of you. God bless you, sir." It was not till the end of the line, while greeting the ambassador from Bolivia, that his words were actually heard. Nonplussed, the ambassador leaned over and whispered, "I'm sure she had it coming.”] Listening makes all the difference. And this is especially true when it comes to our relationship with God. And it’s not just about hearing audibly, but listening to what we have heard by changing our behavior or obediently following Jesus in the direction He wants to take us. Now in Jewish culture, one of the things you would recite on a daily basis was the Shema. And the main passage of the Shema comes from Deuteronomy 6... Deuteronomy 6:4-5 (ESV)— 4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. Shema— And the reason this is called the "shema" is because "shema" is the Hebrew word for "listen" or “hear". It is an interesting word because it conveys (in one word) the concept of hearing and doing. So every day, the Jews would remind themselves of the simple fact that they are to hear and obey Yahweh. To Whom God Reveals Himself-- Now God tends to reveal Himself to those whom He knows will obey Him. And often times God will cease communicating with and withdraw Himself from those who habitually fail to act on what He has told them to do. Hundreds of Them-- Once an old man was driving home from work when his wife called him on his cell phone. "Honey", she said in a worried voice, "be careful. There was a bit on the news just now, some lunatic is driving the wrong way down the freeway”. "It's worse than that", he replied, "there are hundreds of them!”]. This story illustrates the importance both of having an outside voice that is wiser than we are, and the importance of listening to that voice; Shema. If we don’t obey and turn, we’re in trouble. Even the demons practice Shema— And, in coming to our passage today on the rich young ruler, it is amazing to me that, in looking at the the previous chapter (where Jesus casts a demon out of a young boy), we find that this story takes place within a context where demons are hearing and obeying Jesus immediately in coming out of people at His command. And yet the people around Him are (like the rich young ruler) failing to obey. And we often times think of failure to obey God as demonic; but actually it is worse than being demonic because the demons obey. What amazes me in looking at the text is that the demons are practicing Shema and the rich young ruler (obviously Jewish because of his reverence for the Ten Commandments); a Jewish man who recites the Shema every day; fails to practice Shema. Now he wants to. He wants to be pleasing in God's eyes; he wants eternal life. So he comes to Rabbi Jesus and asks Him what he needs to do to obtain eternal life. Mark 10:21 (ESV)— 21 And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” all that you have-- Now what is interesting here is Jesus doesn’t say, “Give ten percent.” He doesn’t say “Give 30, 50, or 75 percent.” Jesus says, “go, sell all that you have”. And this reminds us of what true discipleship really costs; Jesus demands everything. Now we are pretty quick to say, “Well, the only reason Jesus said this to this rich young man was because He knew that to be this man’s particular idol. And so maybe Jesus commanded that from him, but surely Jesus doesn’t want me to give up all my stuff. Does He?” And so you see we water it down, telling ourselves that what Jesus wants is for us to, while still keeping our wealth, make sure that He is our focus and not our wealth. We say, “It is ok to have wealth as long as we put Jesus first.” Now I think that may be true. But I wonder if Jesus were to give to you and to me the same command He gave the rich young ruler, how we would respond? Would we take off faster than a wig in a fan shop? Or would we Shema? Does Jesus expect everyone to sell everything they have? Probably not. But might He expect that of you? Absolutely. You see, when we come to passages like this, instead of talking about forsaking all things, we talk about prioritizing Jesus above all our stuff. And the reason we do this is often grounded in our own reluctance to embrace the abandoned life that Jesus is pointing to; a life that has let go of everything in abandon to Him. “I can keep my money, my habits, my current occupation, and my dreams as long as I love Jesus more.”; though we never ask what we mean by “more”. What defines our “more” or what defines our “love”. More importantly, we never clearly define how we are going to measure the “more” or the “love”. How do we know how much of my own life I can still cling to? The answer is simple. The language of this story, which is recorded in all three of the synoptic Gospels, is not to prioritize, but to abandon; not to reduce, but to utterly forsake. This means that everything I have and everything I am and ever will be is surrendered without reservation to Him to be used by Him for whatever He wills whenever He wills it. This includes our hopes, our dreams, and our deepest desires; and ultimately the direction our lives are headed. It may be the job you think you should have; or that thing you have been saving for that you think you need or have a right to. Christ wants it. It involves our television time and what we read; what we shop for and look at on the internet. Christ wants it. This surrender even impinges upon the confines of our minds and hearts; what we think about, what we dwell on, and what we love. Do our hearts truly belong to Jesus? Have our dreams been surrendered to Jesus? In a society that cries out for us to embrace its thinking, Jesus calls us to have the mind of Christ. In a culture that beckons us to grasp what it has to offer, Jesus calls us to live as strangers in a foreign land and to set our hearts on things above. In a commercialized world that terms us “consumers”, and which calls us to accumulate more for ourselves and our kids, Jesus says to abandon all things. But why? I once read a touching story… Your Hand Is Bigger-- A little boy and his father visited the country store, upon leaving the store the owner of the store offered the little boy some free candy. "Get a hand full of candy", the merchant said to the boy. The boy just stood there, looking up at his father. The owner repeated himself, "Son get a hand full of candy, its free." Again the boy did not move, continuing to look up into the face of his father. Finally, the father reached into the candy jar and got a hand full of candy and gave it to his son. As they walked back home, the father stopped and asked his son why he did not grab a hand full of the free candy. The boy, with a big smile on his face, looked into the face of his father and said, "Because I know that your hand is bigger than mine.” Jesus’ command here to this man in this situation is not to simply try to rearrange his priorities. Jesus tells him to give up his wealth; to sell it! And it’s not so that he can have less, but so that he can have more. Because Christ’s hands are bigger. And then comes the man’s response. It says… Mark 10:22 (ESV)— 22 Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. What a tragic verse. Just think of all that he missed out on; and for what?! Stuff that (sure enough) passed away. Everything he had has passed away. Note how although He is a rich young ruler; an important figure (apparently); not even his name survives. We don’t have any idea who he was. And that’s the point isn’t it. The only life that will last is the life we give to Jesus. And that is why I want to say to you: today don’t hold back from Jesus. If there is anything that is keeping you from following Jesus with ALL of your heart, give it to Him. Maybe there is an area of your life that He wants control of. Maybe He is calling you to invest in eternity with your time, your resources, or even your life. If so, don’t water down what He is trying to say to you. Don’t make the mistake of clinging to that which will pass away. Hear what the Lord is saying to you. And don’t just hear, but listen. Shema Him this week. Hear and obey, so that in Christ you might reap a reward that will not perish or fade away. Amen.
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Greetings! Welcome to the show! It’s good to have you with us. We have been moving through the first of Jesus’ miracles, which He performs at a wedding in Cana. The wine has run out and Mary (Jesus’ mother) points out the situation to Him, expecting that He will help. Yet Jesus responds to her rather evasively. It says in verse 4…
John 2:4a (ESV)-- 4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? Isn’t This Harsh?-- Now this seems harsh to us, that Jesus would call His mother “woman”. And dangerous for any of us. If you ever address your mother or wife like that, I can guarantee you are probably going to have problems. Yet here Jesus means no disrespect. The word here translated “woman” some would say is like our word ma’am; it is not demeaning in any way; quite the opposite, in fact. It is actually the same word that Jesus uses of Mary later when He is hanging on the cross and He places her into the care of John. Remember Joseph died sometime during Jesus’ childhood or youth; sometime during those “silent years”; definitely by the time of the cross, because Jesus commits Mary into the care of John because she is a widow. Jesus therefore (because He was the oldest) had become the head of the household (taking responsibilities for the family ever since Joseph’s death) has the responsibility of caring for Mary. And for that reason, He was the go-to person for Mary’s every need. And He was a good caregiver; because He never made a mistake or a bad judgment call. He was the very embodiment of the wisdom of God. And therefore Mary trusts him implicitly. And that is why she comes to Him with this request to begin with, because she knows that Jesus will be able to give the best possible help to the situation. Now the reason Jesus responds the way He does to her is highlighted by His next statement… John 2:4 (ESV)-- My hour has not yet come.” His Hour Had Not Yet Come-- Now what Jesus meant was that the time for His glory to become complete had not yet come. He is operating on a divine time table and is moving in perfecting timing towards the fulfillment of His mission. All throughout John’s Gospel is repeated the phrase “His hour had not yet come.” all the way up until His hour finally does come at the time of His crucifixion; and He is glorified (lifted up) on the cross; becoming the very means of our glory. It is arrival language; His hour had come. And so here Jesus is showing that He is about to enter into the purpose for which He came to earth and is saying that everything He does must be brought into submission to that mission. Mary’s Relationship With Jesus Had To Change-- But in addition to this, in saying this the way He does, He is distancing Himself from Mary (in a way) and indicating that (because His ministry is starting) their relationship is going to have to change. She is to recognize Him not just as the son she raised, but is to start relating to Him as the promised Messiah and Son of God. He was no longer accountable to her, but from this point onwards was accountable only to His Father in heaven. But Jesus never denies her; this was always a part of His plan. And this is further demonstrated by the fact that she doesn’t take it as a denial. She knows He is going to do something about it because of what she then says to the servants. It says in… John 2:5-6 (ESV)-- 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 6 Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Why the Pots?-- Now it is interesting that Jesus chose these water pots as the means by which He would perform this sign; because these Jewish water pots weren’t meant for wine at all, but were meant for hand-washing in order that you might be made ritually clean before you ate. And so they represented the whole Jewish system of purification; and the old covenant. And in verse 7 it says… John 2:7a-8 (ESV)-- 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” They Obey-- Now I don’t know what the servants who had been commanded by Jesus to do this must have thought. They obviously probably would have been scratching their heads. But they obey and fill each of these stone water pots with water. It says… John 2:7b (ESV)--And they filled them up to the brim. And together these pots held somewhere between a hundred and twenty and a hundred and eighty gallons. John 2:8 (ESV)— 8 And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. At what point?-- Now we don’t know at what point the water became wine; before they took it or after they took it in faith, we don’t know. All we know is that they took it. They take it to the master of the feast; the maitre’d or head waiter. And it says… John 2:9-10 (ESV)-- 9 When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” Leftovers-- And isn’t that how it is. Somebody comes over to your house for a couple days and you serve them the best, but toward the end you are serving leftovers. The food quality depreciates somewhat. Yet here it is just the opposite. The master of the feast says, “Hey, this is the good stuff! What are you doing waiting to serve this! How much do we have?” “Well, gallons and gallons of it.” “What! You kept the best till the very end?” Who Knew?-- You see, he didn’t know where the wine had come from. Few at the party ever did. Not even the chief waiter knew. It was all kept secret. In fact, interestingly enough, the couple that was getting married may not even have been aware of what Jesus did at their wedding. Imagine having no idea what Jesus had done for you. And yet (in a way) there is a beauty in that. The quiet grace of Jesus allowed a wedding to be preserved and enjoyed. Unseen Touches of Grace-- And this is true in our lives as well. Jesus moves unseen in our lives every day; preserving us in an untold number of ways. When we get to heaven I can only imagine the awe we will have in looking over all those areas of our lives He touched; how many empty jars He has filled for us. The Servant Knew-- Yet the servants (who had no stake in this); they knew and were witnesses to what Jesus had done. And even more importantly, so were the disciples. The disciples knew where it came from. And we are told that they saw His glory… John 2:11 (ESV)-- 11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him. Beyond Expectation-- And what a joyous occasion to perform His first sign. In the Old Testament the two events that are almost alway mentioned in accompaniment with joy are the harvest and when you would hear the voice of the bride and the bridegroom. Those are the two greatest times for rejoicing. And here, the joy is found in the fact that, like I said before, Jesus doesn’t just fulfill a need, He does so abundantly (with a better wine; with excess and overflow; gallons and gallons of overflow). He’s saying to His disciples (and us), “Even though you expect me to stop at fulfilling the Jewish law (what these stone pots represent), I am going to go so much further. I have what it takes to meet your greatest need; to fill your emptiness; to cleanse you. The Jews had been trying to clean their hands; the outward parts, but Jesus is saying, “I want to go deeper than that. Just as I changed the inside of those pots, so also I want to change you from the inside.” He says in… Matthew 23:25-26 (NIV)-- 25 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. From The Inside Out-- And so Jesus touches those pots on the inside and makes wine that is altogether new; altogether better; altogether perfect; the most wonderful wine that had been tasted by any other person since the fall. And Jesus is saying to us, “Give me your cup and let me fill you. If you feel empty, let me fill you so that you will never thirst again!” Church More Than Ritual-- As a pastor, I notice when a person or persons stop attending church. And there are any number of reasons why. But I think that often times the reason some people eventually come to skip Church is that Church itself has often become just a ritual we go through (like washing our hands in those stone pots) to cleanse and wash our consciences every week; not a place we go to to experience the rich, overflowing, wine of the presence of God. In many ways, we find that we have lost the wine. We have lost the wine of the presence of God. Offering More than Ritual-- What Jesus is offering you today is more than ritual; He is offering you more than just forgiveness; He is offering you the life-giving joy of intimate fellowship with Him in a marriage relationship with Him. That is the depth of the relationship He wants to share with us; a marriage that begin now and extends on into eternity. And so today I would like to enter into the presence of Jesus in prayer and allow Him to fill you, to renew your strength, to cleanse you, and to make you new. And He will; and your life will be full; and you will also be a blessing and a source of life for those around you. Give yourself to Jesus today. Amen. Greetings! Welcome to the show! It’s good to have you with us. Last week we began talking about the first of Jesus’ miracles, which He performs at a wedding in Cana. And after laying some groundwork, let’s go ahead and start moving through this passage, starting with chapter 2, verse 1. It says…
John 2:1a (ESV)-- 1 On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee,… A Wedding in Cana-- Now the third day means the third day since Jesus’ encounter with Nathanael. On the third day after that, there is a wedding in Cana. Now weddings during that time were major, major events. In fact, in small rural life, it was the single most important community event. And this wedding took place in the small rural town of Cana in Galilee, a close neighbor of Nazareth (them being about eight or nine miles from each other). And I said recently how insignificant Nazareth was. During the time of Christ we are talking about a max population of about 500 people. Cana, however, had only a few dozen. I mean this is a very small village. And so (when understood in that light) that makes this wedding all the more significant of an event. And you have people coming from Nazareth as well, because during this time people weren’t mobile like we are in our society. No, people married and stayed within the area. And they intermarried with people in the surrounding area. Nazareth and Cana were very connected; they had been for generations; for generations they traded with one another; they intermarried with each other. And, in fact, it is very possible that the bride or groom (or both) were relatives of Jesus (very possibly distant cousins). There’s a joke about how, in small towns, everybody is related. How much more so when you and your family have been connected with a place for hundreds of years. So because of that this is a community event for Nazareth as well. And it (like all weddings) involved numerous people. And one of those people is Mary, the mother of Jesus. It says in verse 1… John 2:1b-2 (ESV)-- …and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. Mary’s Role-- Now Mary does not seem to have been there as merely an attendee, but as one who is either serving (which matches her personality) or helping in some other capacity. And why this seems to be the case is because she is obviously privy to information relating to the problem that occurs; a problem that was very sensitive and dangerous; and (as we will see) only a handful of people knew. She is facilitating or serving in some way. Jesus and Disciples Invited-- And Jesus and what disciples He had already called (which included Nathanael, who was himself from Cana) also have been invited and make the three day, 20-22 mile trip from where Jesus had called Philip and Nathanael up in Bethsaida. And remember Jesus had said to Nathanael that he would see the glory of God revealed in Himself, saying in… John 1:50-51 (NIV)-- 50 Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.” An Obscure Bridge-- And Jesus has been living for 30 years in absolute obscurity. And now He is about to bridge out and launch into His public ministry. And where Jesus would perform His first miracle would be very significant. And nobody (not even His disciples) expected His glory to be revealed here; in this kind of situation. Surely the Son of God would manifest His glory in the temple (His house); or at least in Jerusalem; or even in Judea. But, oddly enough, He chose to reveal His glory not in Judea or in Jerusalem; but in this tiny Galilean village for a relatively small gathering of friends and family (a place that would make a mere pinpoint on the map, if that) and to a simple couple who are so simple, they are not even named; we don’t know even know who they were. And there may be a beauty in that. Jesus cares (as Matthew 25:40,45 says) for “the least of these”. But, regardless of who this couple was, one of the worst things that could happen in a wedding during that time happens to them. It says in verse 3… John 2:3 (ESV)-- 3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” The Necessity of Wine-- Now wine was the staple drink of the ancient world and was made from all kinds of fruit, not just grapes. Now some argue that this was not really wine, but merely grape juice. That is simply not the case because you have to remember that they had no preservatives or refrigeration; and so because of that, all those juices were subject to fermentation; in fact they fermented and became alcoholic very quickly. But it was safer to drink than water because there was no such thing as a water purifier. And though moving water (like a river or a stream; what they called “living water” because it produced life, not death) was good, the majority of water you had access to was standing water; either from a lake or from wells; and whenever water sits it becomes subject to bacteria and disease. So wine (or wine mixed with water) was safer to drink; but because you might be working in the fields on a hot day and drink to become hydrated, you could very easily over-drink and become intoxicated. This is why scripture warns so adamantly about the dangers of alcohol; because drunkenness was so prevalent. And those who would use this passage in order to say that what Jesus is doing here is baptizing all social drinking as okay have no idea what is actually going on here; comparing modern drinks (which are designed to be intoxicating) to what naturally happened and was necessary in the ancient world; something which (with modern purification techniques and medicine) is completely unnecessary today. Fermentation was the only source of purification they had. A major catastrophe-- But nevertheless, wine (throughout much of the Old Testament) was a symbol of God’s favor and blessing. Therefore, to run out of wine was a big deal. Now this may not seem like a big deal to us, but in the first century this was a catastrophe; a disastrous embarrassment of the worst kind. In fact, you may be surprised to find out that the offending party could in fact be sued over this. The Betrothal Period-- And the reason this was so humiliating was due in large part to the fact that the bridegroom, after proposing to his prospective wife, would then enter into the beginning stage of the marriage covenant; which would be a betrothal period of about one year. And although they did not live together, the betrothal could not be dissolved except by divorce. And during this time, all throughout the year, the bridegroom would be making preparations for his betrothed; usually building an addition onto his father’s house and planning for the wedding and making provision for her to come and live with him in his father’s house. And so the responsibility of paying for and preparing the wedding fell solely on the groom. During this time before the wedding he had to prove that he could provide and care for her and meet her every need. And when he had demonstrated that he had what it took to provide and care for his bride, the festivities began, culminating in what was usually a seven-day-long wedding feast known as the marriage supper, after which the marriage was consummated. And so this was the moment that all of this time of preparation had been building towards. It was finally completed; the groom’s readiness to receive his bride was at hand. And then this happens. A Father’s Worst Nightmare-- And as a father, this is the last thing you would want to see. And many of you fathers can relate to this. In marrying your daughter off, your number one concern is that you want to know that your daughter is going to be taken care of; even more so in such a precarious culture and time such as this. And yet right at the outset of their marriage the wine runs out. And you (like all fathers) would wonder, “Does this guy really have what it takes to take care of my daughter; maybe he can’t plan.” So there is that element to it. But there is also the fact that because living during this time was so extremely difficult, weddings provided a relief from the difficulties a town like Cana would face; weddings were a pleasant distraction from the harsh realities of day to day life. And so running out of wine could ruin the spirit of the wedding by bringing in that harshness, bringing a very bad vibe to the whole celebration. That The Wedding Might Go Through-- And so what Jesus does here is truly remarkable. All throughout the Old Testament, just as God had made provision for His bride, so we now see the very picture of that as here Jesus (God in the flesh) begins His ministry by making provision for this bride in order that the wedding might go through. What a picture this is of the entire ministry of God; making provision for His bride (through Jesus) in order that our marriage to Him might go through. Mary’s Request-- Now Mary’s coming to Jesus with this problem plays out kind of humorously. She says to Him, they have no wine. Now here she is being very motherly. She is not merely stating a fact. I had a professor in seminary who said that it is kind of like when your wife or mother says to you [“The trash can is full.”? Or “The grass is long or “The car sure is dirty.” Yes those are all statements of fact, but we know that they are indeed much more {than} a statement of fact and if that is said {to me}, it is really going to be the best thing for me to empty the trash, cut the grass, or wash the car.” Such a mother thing to say. And yet it is a statement that also reveals that she knows there is something special about this person. To say that to a normal person, they would not be able to do anything about it. But she knows that there is something special about Jesus.] How she knew Jesus could do something about it, we don’t know. There are ancient legendary stories of Jesus having performed miracles as a child. We don’t know which (if any) of them are true. This is the first public miracle He performs. But she chooses to trust that in Jesus her needs (and the needs of others) can be met. A Great Immediate Response-- How awesome it would be if we could have that kind of trust in our relationship with Jesus; that when things get tough, our immediate response is to put the situation into Jesus’ hands; to hand it over to His control. Mary’s faith here is truly extraordinary. But it is a faith that each and every one of us can have. That illness you or a loved one may have; give it to Jesus. That lost family member or friend; turn the over to Jesus. Any emptiness in your life can be (like those jars) platforms upon which He can perform some of His greatest miracles. And so let us be faithful to give those situations over into His hands. Why? Because He is able. Give it to Him today. Amen. Greetings! Welcome to the show! We appreciate your joining us today. Our mission here on this radio program is simply to offer the life and encouragement that is found in the presence of Jesus. He is the Bread of Life; the source of all life; because He is the life. And He has life that He wants to offer you today; life in Himself. Last week we finished the end of John chapter 1. Jesus has just called about five of His disciples and at this point is preparing to enter into public ministry. But before that, He is invited to a wedding. And I’d like to pick up there today. John 2:1-11 reads…
John 2:1-11 (ESV) The Wedding at Cana-- 1 On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. 3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 6 Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons.[a] 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. 9 When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” 11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him. Witnesses-- Now the Gospel of John is all about witnesses to who Jesus is and the reader’s response to the testimony of those witnesses. Up until this point in the life of Jesus you have had people bearing witness to who Jesus is. John the Baptist has born witness about Jesus; God Himself has born witness at Jesus’ baptism; and Nathanael has born witness. So we have verbal testimony. But starting in our passage this morning, we also have the testimony of the signs that Jesus performed. And we know that there are many. In fact so many, that the Apostle John writes in… John 21:25 (NIV)-- 25 Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written. Nevertheless John chooses eight of these signs that bear testimony to Jesus as being fully man, yet fully God; and that show His awesome power and authority over every element of creation and (more specifically) every trial and difficulty that you and I face in our day to day lives. The Eight Signs-- He turns water into wine (2:1-12) so that we might know He is the source of life. He heals an official’s son (John 4:46-54) so that we might know that He is the master over distance. Jesus heals a lame man at the pool of Bethesda (John 5:1-17) so that we might see that He is master over time. He feeds the 5,000 (John 6:1-14) so that we might see that He is the bread of life. He walks on water and stills a storm (John 6:15-21) so that we might see how He is master over nature. He heals a man blind from birth (John 9:1-41) so that we might see that He is the light of the world who extinguishes our darkness. He raises Lazarus from the dead (John 11:17-45) so that we might know that He has power over death. He causes an abundant catch of fish (John 21:6) so that we might see that He has mastery even over the animal world; and that His authority; His dominion knows no boundaries. And that is so comforting to know as we move through our day to day lives; knowing who He is and the length of His arm; His power over those things that seems so unconquerable to us. Christ’s Authority, Our Hope-- This is why John’s Gospel is so important to us. Because it shows us that every element of our lives is in the control of Jesus. His dominion is complete; His power is perfect; and in Him is hope of life; if not healing in this life, in the life to come! The Apostle John drives home the reality the power Christ’s presence has in our day to day lives. In Him is the assurance of His power that (unlike anything else) can give us hope during times like this. But we have to believe. We have to believe. Our hope hinges on belief; our placing our faith in Him. This is why, John in the purpose statement of his Gospel, writes… John 20:31 (NIV)-- 31 But these (meaning the eight signs found in the book of John) are written that you may believe[a] that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. “Are you going to believe?”-- So the question becomes, “Are you going to believe?” And throughout John’s Gospel, after every sign Jesus performs, John records for us the responses of those who believed and those who didn’t and the affect that response had on their lives. Those who did believe experienced the life-giving presence of Jesus and the hope that He offers. And that is what Christ wants you and me to experience this morning. So please don’t miss it. Jesus wants to bring His life into your life today. A Hospital Encounter-- Once I was visiting somebody in the hospital; and while I was waiting to see the individual I had come to see, the Lord allowed somebody to come to me; somebody I had never met who began talking with me; and he freely confessed he was not a Christian nor had any interest in becoming one. And when I asked him what it was that he found most difficult to believe about the Christian faith, it was that God would care enough about us to interact with us in our world. And you know, I can identify with his struggle. The fact that God loves us and is willing to interact with us so personally; to suffer and die for us can be very hard to wrap your mind around. Even many of the Biblical writers had difficulty comprehending it. David himself writes in… Psalm 8:3-4 (NIV)-- 3 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? God’s Marriage-- And the Bible is so graphic in its language. In the Old Testament, the predominant picture is the intimate marriage relationship between a man and a woman. God enters into a relationship with Israel softly and tenderly. He woos her to Himself. He declares His love; He makes a covenant with her. He protects her like a jealous husband; He forgives and receives her back after her numerous affairs with other lovers (her idolatry). He picks Israel up in all of the brokenness she has led herself into and He clothes her anew and promises to heal her and make the marriage work. I mean it is some of the most moving imagery we have that unites the Old Testament with the New and gives us the grandest theme of all of Scripture; that God would choose to wed Himself to mankind is a wonderful and marvelous reality. A Ministry Bookended by Marriage-- And you cannot miss the significance of the fact that the very first sign Jesus performs, He performs at a wedding. In fact, His ministry is bookended by weddings. The Wedding in Cana begins His ministry and His ministry is punctuated and consummated in the Last Day at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. His ministry begins and ends with weddings. And that alone ought to reveal to us in a remarkable way just what kind of relationship our Creator wants to share with us. One-Flesh With Us-- That is the glory revealed to us in Christ Jesus; the glory Jesus promised Nathanael that he would be a witness to; that He (God) had become one-flesh with us and was making preparations for us to be able to enter into a marriage relationship with Him and live with Him in His Father’s house; a relationship so personal, that when the disciples ask Him to teach them how to pray, He doesn’t say to pray saying, “The Father”, or “His father, but “Our Father”. In Jesus, God has become our Father because we have (as one hymn puts it so beautifully) become “part of the family of God”. It’s words are so powerful. Just listen… Hymn: “Family of God” From the door of an orphanage to the house of the King, No longer an outcast, a new song I sing; From rags unto riches, from the weak to the strong, I'm not worthy to be here, but praise God I belong! I'm so glad I'm a part of the Family of God, I've been washed in the fountain, cleansed by His Blood! Joint heirs with Jesus as we travel this sod, For I'm part of the family, The Family of God God’s Abundant Provision-- And that is what our story today is all about; it reveals to us the abundance; the overflow of God’s blessing; as He doesn’t only give mankind what we needed (which was a Savior) but He gives us a Bridegroom; a Bridegroom with and in whom we might experience the wonder of a marriage relationship with God. If you understand nothing else from the Bible, understand this. God loves you wholly and completely; He loves you unconditionally. And not your past; not your brokenness; nor any of the barriers you think are too great for His love to overcome can hold a candle to His love for you. And Jesus His Son bled and died so that you might be wed to God Himself. And no matter who you are or what you are going through today, don’t let that offer of marriage slip you by. Don’t fail to accept that free gift He offers to us. Receive Him as your Bridegroom and you will be a part of the family of God. Amen. |
Rev. Cameron Ury graduated from Asbury University in 2007 with a B.A. in Bible and Theology. From there he continued his studies at Wesley Biblical Seminary in Jackson, MS. It was there that he met his wife Tanya, who graduated from WBS with her M.A. and M.Div. degrees. Cameron and Tanya got married in 2009. Cameron then graduated with his M.Div. degree with a pastoral concentration in 2011.
After shepherding churches in both Mississippi and Ohio, they joined the ministry team at Renton Park Chapel in January of 2018, where Cameron serves as Senior Pastor and Teacher. Cameron is also the founder and host of Lechem Panim, a weekly radio show that airs on KGNW 820AM "The Word Seattle". The ministry of Lechem Panim is centered around leading people into the life-giving presence of God in and through Bible study, prayer, and active discipleship with the aim of ministering to a world that is in desperate need of the healing touch of Jesus Christ. Archives
March 2020
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