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The Gift of the Groom
If you drink what Christ offers, you will become a spring, overflowing to the blessing of others.
Scripture: John 2:1-11; John 3:22-36
Sermon Notes:
- Running out of wine at the wedding would lead to social disgrace for the groom, and possibly even lawsuits.
- Jesus’ answer to His mother appears harsh; He is creating a distance and changing His relationship from son to Lord.
- Mary acknowledges His Lordship, instructing the servants to follow Jesus’ orders.
- Jesus’ making of wine was not an invitation to drunkenness. God pours out His blessings upon us, but that is not an invitation to abuse them.
- God commands us to be sober (Ephesians 5:18).
- This was the first sign of Christ’s glory and power. Jesus did this sign in Galilee and His disciples believed in Him.
- This passage signifies1) that Christ is the true and faithful bridegroom;2) that it’s not the water from the jars (used for purification) but it’s the blood of Christ that purifies us; and3) that Christ supplies an abundance of wine by the filling of the Holy Spirit.
- John 1 follows Genesis, recounting the first week of the new creation. On day six, there is the first wedding.
- Jesus is the new husband (the new Adam) supplying the wine for the wedding feast.
- In John 3-4, Jesus again makes subtle references to Himself as the Bridegroom of the Church.
- The sixth day was the day of the wedding, but it was also the day of Jesus’ death in which He cleanses our hearts by His blood.
- If we confess our sins, Christ will cleanse us from our sin (1 John 1:9).
- Wine not only signifies the blood of Christ, but it is also a symbol of the Holy Spirit. In the very next chapter, John the Baptist says Jesus offers the Holy Spirit without measure (John 3:34).
- On the day of Pentecost, the disciples were filled with the Spirit, and onlookers accused them of being drunk with new wine. The Spirit is given to us without measure.
- Our heavenly Father will give us the Spirit, if we ask for it (cf. Luke 11:11-13).
- If you drink what Christ offers, you will become a spring, overflowing to the blessing of others.
- When we overflow with love, joy, peace, and patience we will become a blessing to others.
- We are not a container of the Spirit; we are to be a conduit of the Spirit.
- We bear that fruit for the blessing of the church and the people around us.
- When we are cleansed by Christ, we are freed from the power of sin, and this liberation is for a purpose: love and service to others.
- Christ provides the pure wedding dress, and He provides the wedding banquet filling us with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:25-27).
Application Questions:
- What are the significances of the wine that Jesus made?
- Are we drinking the new wine? Are we filled with the Holy Spirit? Have we prayed asking to be filled?
- How can we be freed from the guilt of our sin?
- Do we need to confess hidden sins in order to regain fellowship with the Holy Spirit?
- Are we filled to the brim with the love of God?
- What is God’s purpose in filling us with the Holy Spirit?
- How can we replace the works of the flesh with the fruit of the Spirit in our lives this week? Galatians 5:16-24.