He Knows Us

SERMON OUTLINE:

Life with Jesus – He Knows Us

Introduction: The Book of Signs

What is a “sign”?

A miraculous act of Jesus that reveals something about His identity. (2:11, 2:18)

 What is the purpose of Jesus’ signs?

To reveal His glory and invite people to believe in Him. (2:11, 2:23)

Today’s Passage:  John 2:1-25

The First Sign: Jesus Turns Water Into Wine (2:1-12)

Geographical Context: Cana in Galilee *Show Map*

Cultural Context: Wedding Feast

Relational Context: Jesus and Mary, Jesus’ brothers and disciples

What Jesus Does: He turns 150 gallons of water into excellent wine.

This Sign…

• … reveals Jesus’ power.
• … displays Jesus’ abundant grace.
• … points to a greater purification.

The First Confrontation: Jesus Overturns the Tables (2:13-22)

Geographical Context: The Herodian Temple in Jerusalem *Show Map*

Cultural Context: The Passover at the Temple *Show Picture*

What Jesus Does: He drives the money changers out of the temple.

What Jesus Prophesies: They will destroy His body, but He will rise again in three days.

This Story…

• … reveals how easily we make worship about us.
• … reveals Jesus’ authority over worship.
• … points to a greater temple.

The Final Revelation: Jesus Knows Us (2:23-25)

The signs reveal who Jesus really is.

Jesus reveals what is really in us.

Make it personal: What does Jesus see when He looks at your heart?

SERMON MANUSCRIPT:

Opening Illustration

In 2002, M. Night Shyamalan released a movie called Signs. On the surface, it is a science-fiction thriller about

a family living on a farm who begins seeing strange crop circles and eventually realizes something much bigger

is happening.

But underneath that story is a deeper question about faith.

Mel Gibson plays Graham Hess, a former pastor who has lost his faith after the tragic death of his wife. He has

come to believe that life is mostly random, that terrible things happen for no reason, and that there is no

larger purpose behind what we experience.

As the movie unfolds, though, little details begin to pile up. Things that seemed random start connecting.

Events that looked meaningless begin pointing beyond themselves. By the end, Graham has to wrestle with

the possibility that what he thought were coincidences may actually have been signs.

Need

That is a helpful way to enter John 2, because John repeatedly uses that exact word to describe the miracles of

Jesus: signs.

A sign is not meant to terminate on itself. It points beyond itself.

So when Jesus turns water into wine, John does not want us merely to be impressed by what Jesus can do. He

wants us to ask what this miracle reveals about who Jesus is.

And by the end of this chapter, John will make something else clear: it is possible to see the signs and still miss

the Savior.

Subject

As we start chapter 2 of the gospel of John, we are beginning the Book of Signs, which is often marked off as

John 2-12. The Gospel of John has four main sections.

John 1: Introduction to Jesus

John 2-12: Book of Signs

John 13-20: Book of Glory

John 21: CommissionToday, we will read about the first of 7 signs John explains from Jesus’ life and ministry.

What is a “sign”?

A supernatural miracle that Jesus performs during His earthly ministry. (2:11, 2:18)

As John writes at the end of the book, these aren’t all the miracles Jesus performed. He also performed many

others that John didn’t record.

What is the purpose of Jesus’ signs?

To reveal His glory and invite people to believe in Him and follow Him. (2:11, 2:23)

To set up our reading today, I think it’s helpful to see all 7 signs side by side in one chart.

*Chart: Seven Signs in John*

Each sign shows Jesus’ power over something in creation and reveals something about His nature.

The signs all point to Jesus. Don’t get stuck on the sign and miss the object revealed in the sign.

That would be like stopping to take a picture of the sign on I-35 that says, “Dallas, 150 miles.”

That sign is important, but only because it points to something greater.

The same is true of Jesus.

Can you open your Bibles to John 2 and stand for the reading of God’s Word?

TEXT: John 2:1-25

THE FIRST SIGN: TURNING WATER INTO WINE

On the third day a wedding took place in Cana of Galilee. Jesus’s mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his

disciples were invited to the wedding as well. 3 When the wine ran out, Jesus’s mother told him, “They don’t

have any wine.”

4 “What has this concern of yours to do with me, woman?” Jesus asked. “My hour has not yet come.”

5 “Do whatever he tells you,” his mother told the servants.

6 Now six stone water jars had been set there for Jewish purification. Each contained twenty or thirty gallons.

7 “Fill the jars with water,” Jesus told them. So they filled them to the brim. 8 Then he said to them, “Now

draw some out and take it to the headwaiter.” And they did.

9 When the headwaiter tasted the water (after it had become wine), he did not know where it came from—

though the servants who had drawn the water knew. He called the groom 10 and told him, “Everyone sets out

the fine wine first, then, after people are drunk, the inferior. But you have kept the fine wine until now.”

11 Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee. He revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in

him. 12 After this, he went down to Capernaum, together with his mother, his brothers, and his disciples, and

they stayed there only a few days.

CLEANSING THE TEMPLE

13 The Jewish Passover was near, and so Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple he found people selling

oxen, sheep, and doves, and he also found the money changers sitting there. 15 After making a whip out of

cords, he drove everyone out of the temple with their sheep and oxen. He also poured out the money

changers’ coins and overturned the tables. 16 He told those who were selling doves, “Get these things out of

here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!”,

17 And his disciples remembered that it is written: Zeal for your house will consume me. 18 So the Jews

replied to him, “What sign will you show us for doing these things?”

19 Jesus answered, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it up in three days.”

20 Therefore the Jews said, “This temple took forty-six years to build, and will you raise it up in three days?”

21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 22 So when he was raised from the dead, his disciples

remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the statement Jesus had made.

23 While he was in Jerusalem during the Passover Festival, many believed in his name when they saw the signs

he was doing. 24 Jesus, however, would not entrust himself to them, since he knew them all 25 and because

he did not need anyone to testify about man; for he himself knew what was in man.

Preview:

The First Sign

The First Confrontation

The Final Revelation

Sermon:

The First Sign: Jesus Turns Water Into Wine (2:1-12)

Geographical Context: Cana in Galilee *Show Map*

– Where is this happening? Let’s look at the map together.

– Cana was a few miles north of Nazareth, Jesus’ home town

– This explains why Jesus’ mother and brothers are there, why Jesus gets an invitation

– This could have been part of Jesus’ extended family

Cultural Context: Wedding Feast

– Why is this happening? Explain the 1st century Jewish wedding feast

– Betrothal first, then a year later a large, weeklong wedding party

– Major image in the NT that explains the return of Christ (wedding feast of the Lamb)

– Host was responsible for supplying the hospitality and food

Relational Context: Jesus and Mary, Jesus’ brothers and disciples

– Who was there?

– Mary, the mother of Jesus

– Joseph is not mentioned (he’s already died?)

– Jesus’ biological brothers are there (Mary and Joseph had other children after Jesus was born)

– Jesus’ disciples

What Jesus Does: He turns 150 gallons of water into excellent wine.

– Mary brings the problem to Jesus.

– Jesus first seems uninterested in helping with this problem (what is this to me?)

– He is aware that his “hour” has not come – a common phrase in John – the time of his death &

resurrection

– But Jesus has compassion on the host and honors his mom.

– He tells the servants to fill up 150 gallons of water into jars for Jewish purification

– And then, without anyone seeing, Jesus transforms the water into excellent wine.

– Jesus provides 150 gallons of high-quality wine to the wedding festivity.

– This is obviously not Jesus blessing everyone getting drunk (including you).

– This is Him providing refreshment for a big, multi-day party.

– What is the point of this sign?

This Sign…

1- … reveals Jesus’ power.

Jesus is the Creator God who can change anything within His creation.

Look at verse 11 – he revealed his glory.

2- … displays Jesus’ abundant grace.

Jesus cares about this wedding host, the wedding party, and his mother.

He is gracious to others.3- … points to a greater purification.

Why transform water used for religious purification?

Because Jesus brings greater purification – He cleanses not just our hands, but our souls.

After his first sign, Jesus gets into his first confrontation and it’s a big one:

The First Confrontation: Jesus Overturns the Tables (2:13-22)

Geographical Context: The Herodian Temple in Jerusalem *Show Map*

– This event happens in Jerusalem (go back to the map).

– King Herod ruled Judea from 37BC to 4BC.

– He was a master builder and led many large construction projects

– None larger than rebuilding the Jewish temple in Jerusalem.

– The first temple (Solomon’s temple) was destroyed in 586 BC.

– Herod’s temple (second one) was destroyed in 70AD by the Romans.

Cultural Context: The Passover at the Temple *Show Picture*

– We talked about the Passover celebration last week.

– Once a year, the Jewish people marked God’s deliverance from slavery in Egypt.

– At the Passover, the population of city of Jerusalem would grow 5x it’s normal population.

– Religious pilgrims would bring their offering and sacrifices to the temple.

– This gives you an idea of what the temple court would look like when Jesus walked in.

What Jesus Does: He drives the money changers out of the temple.

– The money changers and religious leaders had turned the temple into a marketplace.

– People were making money off of worshippers by charging them to exchange their money into local

currency or by charging them to exchange their animal to the right one.

– They were fleecing the people and turning worship into a money-making enterprise.

– Jesus makes a whip of cords and begins to drive people OUT of the temple.

– He turns over tables and drives out those who were misusing God’s house.

– After this event, Jesus makes a startling prophecy

What Jesus Prophesies: They will destroy His body, but He will rise again in three days.

– The jews ask for a “sign” that Jesus has the authority to do what He just did.

– He says the ultimate sign will be his resurrection from the dead.

– But look at the way he says it – “destroy this temple and 3 days later, I will raise it up.”

– Everyone is confused by this statement at the time, but it makes sense later.

– It’s interesting that Jesus explains his ultimate purpose this early in his ministry.

This Story…

1- … reveals how easily we make worship about us.

All of us can turn worship into something self-serving and not about God.

2- … reveals Jesus’ authority over worship.

Jesus doesn’t hesitate to take authority over the temple.Zeal for the house of the Lord consumes Jesus.

And so it does even to this day.

3- … points to a greater temple.

The temple was the center of Jewish worship and God’s presence on the earth.

But Jesus teaches that there is a greater temple, a greater location of God’s presence on the earth, and

it is Jesus Himself.

Jesus’ first sign reveals His power.

His first confrontation reveals His purpose.

But this isn’t the end of this chapter.

One final revelation…

The Final Revelation: Jesus Knows Us (2:23-25)

The signs reveal who Jesus really is.

Look at verse 23: many believed in His name when they saw the “signs” He was doing.

Again, John uses the word “signs” to show us that Jesus’ miracles are pointing to His identity.

Many people saw what He did and believed in Him.

Just as many people today look at the evidence for the resurrection and believe in Him.

But the passage adds 2 more verses where:

Jesus reveals what is really in us.

Look at 24-25: Jesus would not entrust (pisteuo/believe) himself to them, but he knew them all. He knew

what was in man.

Jesus came to die and rise from the dead because He knew what was in us.

We are hopelessly stuck in sin and self-deception and we need a Savior.

Jesus came to reveal His identity, but also to reveal our problem.

John wants us to believe in Jesus, not in ourselves.

Make it personal: What does Jesus see when He looks at your heart?

Are you trusting in your own goodness, your own wisdom, your own strength?

Or are you trusting in Jesus, the only perfect person who ever lived?

This leads us to our application this morning, which is receiving communion together:

Application: Communion

Communion (or the Eucharist) is the memorial meal that Christians take together to remember the death of

Jesus on the cross on our behalf.

We take communion together once a month as a church family, where we set aside time in our worship

service to fix our eyes on the cross.The meal includes bread and juice, which reflect the broken body of Jesus and the shed blood of Jesus on the

cross.

Jesus commanded us to take this meal together to remember Him in worship.

Today, we are going to do communion a little different than normal.

We are doing it with real wine rather than juice to remember Jesus’ miracle in John 2.

We are going to pass the trays to one another and serve one another this morning.

There are non-alcoholic cups if you need that option. Please take the prepackaged cup from the tray.

As the tray goes down the row, look at the person next to you and say: “Jesus died for you.”

Serve one another. Take a cup and a cracker. Be careful with the trays.

Hold on to your communion elements until everyone has them and we will take them together.

If you are not a believer in Christ, we are glad you are here, but please pass on communion.

Simply pass the tray to the person next to you.

If you would like to place your faith in Christ today, pray with me now.