Do any of the young folks remember what Emmanuel means? What does Emmanuel mean? Caleb? God with us. Yeah. God with us. Okay. Well, we're going to turn to John's gospel chapter two today. John chapter two. We were a long time in John chapter one. What a wonderful chapter that is. We'll begin reading with the first verse and just read a short portion of this chapter. Let us hear God's word. And the third day, There was a marriage in Cana of Galilee. And the mother of Jesus was there. And both Jesus was called and his disciples to the marriage. And when they wanted wine or lacked wine, the mother of Jesus said unto him, they have no wine. Jesus saith unto her, woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. His mother saith unto the servants, whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. And there were set there six water pots of stone after the manner of the purifying of the Jews. And just to explain that little, snippet after the manner of the purifying of the Jews. That just means that's the way they got things clean and even ceremonial clean with some of that water. Containing two or three firkins a piece. Good size water pots. Jesus saith unto them, fill the water pots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. And he saith unto them, draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bear it. When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was, but the servants which drew the water knew, the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine, and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse. But thou hast kept the good wine until now. This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory. and his disciples believed on him. Amen. We end our reading there at the verse 11, and we trust that the Lord will bless his word to all our hearts today. Oh, may the Spirit of God give us hearing ears and understanding hearts. Many messages have been preached over the centuries, even the millennia of time on the wedding feast at Cana and the turning of the water into wine. And Spurgeon preached several messages on that. I only briefly looked at them. And in one of them he said, Well, you know what I'd love to preach on here, but I'm not going to preach on here. I'll say the same thing. Here is the first ray of the flashing forth of Christ's glory. He had already amazed Nathaniel privately with his omniscient knowledge of him by seeing him from miles away with all kinds of buildings in between, and all kinds of structures, and yet Jesus could see them from miles away. And you know the Lord can see us right now. He does see us. He sees what's going on in your pew. He's seeing what's going on in your hands. He sees what's going on in your mind. while we're here this morning with the word of God open. But Nathaniel was amazed just in him seeing him some miles away. And now his few disciples there, Mary and the servants beheld his glory of changing tasteless water into sweet wine. It was the third day after the Lord had found Philip of Bethsaida. That's what is right at the beginning of the chapter, the third day, since he found Philip. A marriage feast was underway in Cana of Galilee, and marriage feast lasted for several days. Now, it must have been a relative of Mary's that was getting married, for Mary had previously gone the four miles from her home in Nazareth over to Cana in Galilee and was aware already of the lack facing her poor relatives. What's more evident is Mary's obvious position in the family as she commanded the servants, imperative moot, she commanded the servants to do what they were to do. Jesus and his few disciples were also invited to attend the wedding feast. Now, as we briefly consider this wonderful event, Christ's first miracle, let us note three things. Number one, his creative power. Number two, his cheering presence. And number three, his caring provision. First of all, his creative power. He knew when he went to the wedding what he was going to do. Nothing took Jesus by surprise. When Mary knew the need, she said to Jesus, they have no wine. Verse three, Christ's response note was a gentle rebuke. Having just entered into his public ministry, he no longer ever referred to Mary anymore as mother. He used the respectful term, woman, here. And in chapter 19 of this gospel, verse 26, as he was hanging on the cross, he said, woman, behold thy son. And oh, what a sight for faith, even for Mary. The omniscient Christ knew very well that false religion would one day exalt Mary to the idolatrous place called the mother of God. And so Christ's gentle reproof would not let her advice direct his timing and doing any longer. He had been subject to her, he had been subject to Joseph, but that time's done. What a lesson to potpourri, since Christ would not let Mary advise during his period of humiliation on earth, much more will he not permit her to command him on his exalted universal throne, as they say. Jesus takes no commands. He gives the commands. Mary received the general proof. She received it sweetly and submitted by commanding the servants to submit and to obey Christ. Notice she spoke to them. The miracle now, look at verse six. Verse six, and there were set there six water pots of stone after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. Jesus saith unto them, fill the water pots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. And he saith unto them, draw out now and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bear it. There is the miracle. Obviously, water pots of stone do not retain flavors. Again, these pots were filled to the brim and Christ made no touches. He made no motions. He simply willed the change from water into wine. Spurgeon said, wine made from water is not going to hurt anyone. Augustine, one of the earliest interpreters of this passage, wrote these words. Listen to Augustine. The miracle indeed of our Lord Jesus Christ, whereby he made the water into wine, is not marvelous to those who know that it was God's doing. Listen to Augustine, for he who made wine on that day at the marriage feast in those six water pots which he commanded to be filled with water, the selfsame God does this every year in the vines. for even that which the servants put into the water pots was turned into wine by the doing of the Lord. So in like manner also is what the clouds pour forth changed into wine by the doing of the same Lord. But we do not wonder at the latter because it happens every year in the vines. It has lost its marvelousness by its constant recurrence. Spurgeon said it was the preserved sweetness of the wine that made it the good wine. It is a biological fact that when the fruit of the vine ferments and the sugar turns to alcohol, it loses its natural sweetness. Now, whether the water in all the pots turned to wine in the pots, or if it became wine as it was drawn out from the water pots, we do not know. The commentators say, we don't know, either or. But we do know that the Lord Jesus altered the properties of the very matter by his sovereign power, so that water became wine, and thus he manifested his glory. I love that movie that we've seen of that called Wine of Mourning. And it's like the angel starts singing. As soon as, you know, the governor of the feast, he gets this. The angels are all singing. What we find here is creative power. Secondly, his cheering presence. Christ came to make a joyful occasion even more joyful with his presence. He came into the midst of common human society, that men not only have life, but that they have life more abundantly. He sanctified that marriage with his presence. You know, he had already sanctified the first marriage with his presence as he gave Eve to Adam in the Garden of Eden. And the first marriage pronouncement was made in the Garden of Eden. Christ stamped that same marriage pronouncement with an earthly permanence when he declared, what God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. Godly marriage, home and family are a great part of the kingdom of Christ. Our Lord has hallowed every corner of human life by his presence. Please understand that in order to be a godly Christian, a holy person, you do not withdraw from society in order to become holy. No, Christ came to teach us to be in the world, but we are not of the world. Our Lord's coming to Cana that day demonstrated afresh that God established and blesses the very institution of marriage and he is pro-family rather than pro-monastery or pro-convent. He is pro-family. This first miracle showed Christ's creative power and secondly, Christ's cheering presence. And finally, Christ's caring provision was very evident. And this is where it really got to me. It may get to me again, so I don't know. Mary said to Jesus, they have no wine. The marriage feast lasted a few days, and like weddings still today, there are strain on the finances of the bride's family. They have no wine. What a tragic sadness this would bring to the remainder of the marriage feasts. No wine. What had begun and proceeded happily would have come to a screeching halt. How embarrassed, I want y'all to get this, how embarrassed and ashamed the family and especially the bride would have been with this display of their real poverty as a family. The bride's dreams and fulfillment of those dreams would have been marred. Pointing out this reality, I found in going through some of my mother's things during the last couple of years a little thing of hers that really brought tears to my eyes. Some of the papers my mother had, it would bring tears to your eyes if you understood what they were. My dear mother had, like so many young girls, a hope chest. Somebody in the family I think still has it. In her late teens and early 20s, she had collected things for her future life and home someday, looking forward to marriage. You know, girls look forward to that. But because my father's family were more recent immigrants of the last 60 years in Alabama and had not been one of the original families of the state of Alabama like my mother's family had been, my mother's dad looked down on the newcomers who had only been in the state for 60 years. Okay. The other family had been here before the state was even formed. And the second thing is that grandfather hated Baptists, and my dad was a Baptist. And so he refused to let my mother have anything to do with my father. It broke my mother's heart because she was in love with my dad, and they ended up having to get married secretly, just going to the Justice of the Peace, instead of having a beautiful church wedding of which she had dreamed. And I can show you My family are curious of these things. I might have already shown you, I don't know. But it broke my heart when I saw the awful disappointment that had come to my mother. Now, her mother had died when she was a little girl. And if her mother had been alive, I think it'd have been totally a different story. But it was a thing that the Lord put on her life. broke her heart. And, you know, those things, things about weddings can break your heart. Our Lord in doing this miracle at the wedding feast was very tenderly ministering to the heart of the bride. Blessed Jesus is indeed touched with the feeling of our infirmities. He cares for us so sympathetically, so mercifully. Therefore, we may indeed cast all our cares, our anxieties, our worries, our troubles upon Christ because he cares for us. Do you know that? He cares for you. He cares for me. All the matters that would disturb or crush our peace, Christ is able and willing to care for, to soften, to soothe, to alleviate because He is our peace. He is our peace. Ephesians 1.14, 2.14. having made peace by the blood of his cross. In this first miracle, we see the clear evidence that Jesus of Nazareth is indeed the Messiah, possessing infinite power. All he has to do in any of our difficulties is simply to will our help. or just to speak a sovereign word, and our need will be fully satisfied. It is not only His power, but His very presence that sweetens all our human joys. The beautiful wedding ceremony that 30 of us enjoyed on Friday night was spiritually and socially a blessing because of Christ's presence. His name, his attributes, his work was exalted. They were exalted to the great joy and to the satisfying of our souls. We know that the same Jesus who supplied the need at that wedding will supply all our need for his promise, only to supply the needs of his believing people. As the governor of the feast said in verse 10, usually the good wine is enjoyed at the beginning and then is followed by that which is worse. But you've kept the good until last. This is true. In this world, the sinful course of wicked men waste themselves in sin when they're young until the bitterness of old age and remorse follows and then hell at last. But for the righteous, the best comes at last. The end is better than the beginning. The light grows brighter and brighter until the perfect day in glory. As we pass into heaven, this word will no doubt come to the lips of many. Lord, thou has kept the good wine until now. Let us pray. O Lord, we rejoice in thy power. What a blessing it is to even sense thy presence and to know, O Lord, we are just even standing in the very midst of thy provision. Thou art so generous, Thou art so great, Thou art infinite, O God, infinite, eternal, and unchanging, and we worship Thee, O Lord. We pray that Thou will cause Thy Word to grip our hearts. We pray in Jesus' name, amen.