I would like to invite you one more time to turn with me to John chapter 2. John is, if we were to take a poll, perhaps the church's favorite gospel, certainly as you begin your Bible reading program for the year. It may be the text that you are most excited to delve back into once again and is certainly one of my favorites to be with. About your gospels, there are three which are known as synoptics, Matthew, Mark, and Luke. They tend to, as it were, view the storyline of Christ, though with varying purposes, through one particular lens. And when you turn to John, things are astoundingly different. Whether it's chronology or doctrine, it's a different gospel than the others. John's gospel is the only gospel which we are confident is written after the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem in AD 70, which places us around the year AD 80 or 90. This is significant. Where the synoptics tend to prophesy the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, John is going to write to a discombobulated Jewish populace. who was wondering what are they going to do now that destruction has fallen upon Jerusalem. And so as you do your Gospels reading throughout this year, you'll notice that the synoptic Gospels will place Christ's presence in the temple, his cleansing of the temple. Later on in their Gospel accounts following his triumphal entry, John does not do that. John is going to pick up that story, move it to the forefront of the gospel in the first several chapters. And he's doing that intently. He wants us to know that Jesus, writing to these Jews, Jesus is the fulfillment of the temple. Jesus is the priest of the believer. Jesus is the one who we flock to after destruction has fallen upon Jerusalem. This is the reason that he writes in the beginning of John, that the word has become flesh and tabernacled among us. And so we are looking in that gospel today, this fascinating gospel of John. If you want to outline the gospel, it's quite simple. There's only four points to it. You have your introduction and your conclusion. And then John's going to split the book right down the middle with the book of the signs or miracles and his book of passion. And so it's quite simple to be able to grab an understanding of what John is doing in this gospel. He has seven signs, or we might call them miracles, but he wants to call them signs and so we will too. And today we're going to look at his first one, namely his presence at the wedding of Canaan. I have had the privilege of officiating several weddings over the last several years and have had the privilege of attending more than I can remember. One thing that is remarkable to me about every one of them is that while I am there, I will inevitably find myself reflecting upon my own wedding. Witnessing the vows, the excitement, the devotion, the passion that is displayed between the two of them encourages me to reflect upon my vows and to pursue their fulfillment even much the more so. And I have a feeling that perhaps I am not alone. The Bible tends to speak as though these magnificent events, these life-altering events, call us to look at them with a sense of reflection. The writer of Ecclesiastes mentions that concerning funerals. For those of you who are single, perhaps you find yourself at a wedding and you find yourself longingly daydreaming about that day and who it may be and what it will be like. And for those of you who are married, as you find yourself at weddings, you might find yourself, similarly to myself, reflecting upon those commitments that you've made not too long ago. regardless of which side you were on, one thing may be true, that we find ourselves wondering, reflecting, and dreaming about what it will be like to be in those shoes. And as we look at John 2 today at the wedding at Cana, we will find Jesus attending this wedding. Throughout this story, we will discover that Christ himself, much like us in some sense, was thinking about his own wedding day while attending this floundering celebration in Cana. As we walk through this passage together, I believe that we will see how this miracle reveals Christ's compassionate provision, his sacrificial love, and the joy of the great marriage supper that is to come, when we as his bride will be united with him forever. With that said, I want to approach this text through three points, with the first for this evening being a purpose communicated. As we look at this passage, we find that Mary is a fellow guest at the wedding in Cana. And she, after noticing that they have ran out of wine, comes to the Lord with a concern. Now the question that we have as Mary approaches the Lord, at least that I had, is why would this have been a concern for Mary at all? And second, why does she go to Jesus? It's important for us to understand that at this time, these were not a mere two hour long celebration at the end of a wedding ceremony. As a matter of fact, when you read some of the extra canonical books of the Jews, you will find that these celebrations could last some one to two weeks. And you, as a hospitable groom, were expected to be able to provide an abundance of food and wine for that event. It's so significant. that if you were to fail to meet this obligation or expectation, that in the shame-driven culture of the time, if you brought dishonor upon your name, your in-laws could sue you for defamation and disgrace of their family name. It's not really a great way to begin your marriage, is it? Mary understands, apparently, the significance of pleasing your in-laws, and so she comes to the Lord, bringing forth the concern They've ran out of wine. But why does she go to Jesus? There's a keeper or an overseer of the wedding there. Why doesn't he handle it? Why does she come to the Lord? We can speculate, but one of the things that is generally agreed upon is that by this time it is assumed that Joseph has died and that Mary is but a widow. And she, like most widows, has become dependent and reliant upon her eldest son. And so she goes to him expecting him in some way to be a benevolent giver and to help to meet the needs of this wedding. That is certainly a possibility that we cannot be dogmatic. Or it could, on the other hand, be that she indeed, though the text does not tell us, recalls the miraculous nature of his birth, expects to see him perform a miracle, and comes to him longingly expecting that. While one of these is possibly the case, neither of them give us an answer as to why Jesus responds the way that he does. So we need to ask the question of the text, what is it about Mary's request or Mary's statement about the absence of wine, what is it about this statement that provokes the response that we see from the Lord? As Jesus is approached by his mother, he looks at her and he says, What does your concern have to do with me? My hour has not yet come. And this is where our deep dive begins, as Jesus begins to communicate his purpose to his mother Mary. And with that said, I want us to notice two things in this subheading or as a subheading, which is first, I want you to notice Christ's deliberate separation from Mary. Why does Jesus sing to rebuke his mother? Well, regardless of whether Mary was expecting Jesus to perform a miracle or not, the reality stands that Jesus is about to enter into his public ministry as he performs this first sign. With that in mind, the rebuke that Jesus delivers to his mother serves the purpose of emphasizing to Mary that as Jesus enters his ministry, no one, not even his own mother, has the authority to direct, manipulate, or compel the direction of his ministry but the Father. Therefore, in this gentle rebuke, Mary is being reminded that even though Christ is her Son, He is also her Lord. And thus, at this juncture, or at this time in his life, he is now calling her to assume the posture of a faithful disciple moving forward. This does not mean that Jesus is abandoning nor rejecting his mother. As a matter of fact, one of the most emotion-pulling experiences that you read of in the Gospels is as Christ lay dying upon the cross, pulls up upon the nails while drowning in his own blood, and calls for John to take care of his own mother for the rest of his life. And so Jesus is in no way disrespecting her role as his mother, but he is calling her to acknowledge her role as a faithful disciple. This reality of Jesus's separation is most certainly the tip of the sword that would pierce Mary's soul, which Simeon prophesies in Luke chapter two, verse 35. And surely any mother here could have some small sense of sympathy for Mary as you have experienced the growing independence of your own children. But second, I want you to notice Christ's distant gaze. So not only His deliberate separation from His mother, but His distant gaze. We are now able to look at the text and ask the question of, what does Jesus mean by, my hour has not yet come? Because if your mom When you walk home or go home tonight, or to approach you and ask you to take out the trash, or to hand her a water, or to mow the lawn, you would not respond, Woman, my hour has not yet come. If you respond to her in that manner, the hour of your expiration may have come. And so this is not language that we use regularly. So it's important for us to kind of get a hold of what Jesus is trying to communicate here. And I believe that we can understand this as a distant gaze in the eye of Christ. In the wider context of the Bible, of the biblical story. We find that the prophets are interested in tying together the time of the Messiah with a time of abundant blessing, which is defined as having or described as having a plenteousness of wine. Let me read a few texts to you. In Amos 9, verse 13, we read, Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord. When the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him who sow seed, the mountains shall drip with sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it. Joel chapter 3 verse 18 reads, And it will come to pass in that day that the mountains shall drip with new wine, the hills shall flow with milk, and all the brooks of Judah shall be flooded with water. Now there's one more I want to show you, but I want to invite you to please turn with me to Isaiah chapter 25. This is perhaps the most enticing and significant of the ones I've read thus far. Isaiah chapter 25, I'll read verses 1 through 9. Just a beautiful, beautiful passage of Scripture. The text reads, You are my God. I will exalt you, I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things. Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth. For you have made a city a ruin, a fortified city a ruin, a palace of foreigners to be a city no more. It will never be rebuilt. therefore the strong people will glorify you. The cities of the terrible nations will fear you, for you have been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge in the storm, a shade from heat, for the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall. You will 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, notice, a feast of choice pieces, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of well-refined wines on the lees. And he will destroy on this mountain the surface of the covering cast over all people and the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever. And the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces. The rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken. 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. Just a marvelous, beautiful passage of Scripture. that is referring, in my interpretation, directly to the messianic ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. To further prove that Christ is the one whose ministry and his messianic fulfillment will come forth with the consumption of death and with the plenteousness of wine, I think that we can find it no more definitively defined as being a Christological passage of scripture than from the disciples of the Lord himself, the apostles, John and Paul. Paul in 1 Corinthians 15 54 says, citing Isaiah 25 8, So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, death is swallowed up in victory. John is going to cite it twice in Revelation 7 and in Revelation chapter 21 verse 4. It's going to be an echo, listen for it. God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. That sounds like verse eight here. There shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. We'll read this text one more time in Isaiah 25, eight. He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces. understanding the Old Testament context a little more, that it seems in the mind of the prophets that there's some sort of abundant plenteousness that is tied to, tethered to the presence of the Messiah upon the earth. We can understand Jesus' response to Mary a little more as it is highlighted by the fact that in His Old Testament consumed mind, He was currently focused on all that His coming entails. So whether Mary means to ask for a miracle or not is not the question. Because the scripture saturated mind of Jesus, he took it as though she were asking for one. However, this doesn't explain to us why he tells her that his time has not come. What is the time? Well, in John 2, 4, where we just read, Jesus says, my hour has not yet come. In John 7.30, Jesus says, My hour has not yet come. In John 8.20, Jesus again says, My hour has not yet come. And so seeing that He is repetitively making it clear that His hour has not yet come, it would be a great blessing for us if He did tell us when that hour had come. And as a matter of fact, He does. In John chapter 17, verse one, Jesus had just finished predicting his death, burial, and resurrection. And as he is about to begin that great and marvelous prayer, both for himself and for those who would come to him, this is what he says in John 17, one. Jesus spoke these words, lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, Father, the hour has come. Glorify your son that your son may glorify you. What this means for us is that when Mary comes to make her request of the Lord, Jesus understands it as a request for him to perform his messianic work, which will bring forth the plenteous wine that was prophesied in the time of the Messiah. To which he responds that at the time of his death, the messianic action, which would provide abundant blessing to the world, has not yet come. Has not yet come. In response to this, Mary tells the servants properly, do as he says, modeling as though she has properly received and understood what the Lord is calling her to assume. Now from Mary, we learn that in our lives, we often bring things to God with an expectation as to how he will act and how things are going to turn out. However, we must remember that God is God. and that he will act when and how he wishes. That doesn't mean that we should not come to him, but it does mean that when we come to him in prayer, we should remember what the roles are, and that we should come to him with a softened heart, willing to be molded to the direction of his will, and to rest in his wisdom. Because even though his timing and actions might not align with our desires, his way is always perfect. Most of all, what I want us to pull together at this time is that while Jesus is present at this wedding, there's another wedding in His mind. He is looking ahead to a wedding of His own, and the price that He would have to pay for His bride, which we will see demonstrated by the Lord's miracle. So far we have seen the Lord's purpose communicated in His identifying with Old Testament prophecies and messianic expectation. But now He is going to illustrate His purpose for us in His miracle, which takes us to our second point. So far we have seen a purpose communicated, but now we are going to see in the heart of this text a passion demonstrated. While thinking through my illustration for this point, My lovely wife told me that it would be safer for me not to use her as an illustration, so I decided that I would use her sister as one instead. With that said, I will never forget being at the wedding of my second to youngest sister-in-law. While both her and her groom were standing on the platform in front of hundreds of people, she surprises him with a prerecorded song that she had written and sung and prerecorded for this specific occasion. He, being a brilliant romantic, leans forward and whispers in her ear, not knowing that it was her voice that he was listening to, wow, you could have done this so much better than her. Which that gave me the answer to, why did your face look so distorted while you were up there during your wedding? And that gave me the answer. Now while we might not have a similar wedding day story, most married men here can relate as they reflect on a time that we tried to demonstrate our affections and it inevitably backfired on us. Perhaps the reason Reagan didn't want me to use her as an illustration is because it would have taken up the rest of my preaching time here tonight. Fortunately for us, however, the Lord's illustrations always communicate with more power and with more beauty than we could possibly understand. And that is what we see here in John 2, verses 6-10. It's there that we are going to learn that Jesus has come to provide a new covenant cleansing for his people. In verse 6, John tells us that Jesus has his servants take six water pots in front of them to fill them to the brim. Now, I'm not going to put too much stock into this, but it may be significant that there are only six pots and that they are only partially filled. That may be significant, and we'll mention that later. However, we're not going to put too much weight on that. However, I do want to put an intense amount of weight on the fact that John wants to stop and to tell us something about these stone water pots. He says in verse 6 that they were there for the purpose of the manner of purification of the Jews. Now, in my introduction, I told you that John is a Jew, that John is writing to discombobulated Jews, trying to convince them that Jesus is the Messiah. If you read Matthew's Gospel, you're going to find Aramaic terms that aren't translated, and he's not going to explain things, but Mark will, because Matthew's assuming that you know this, because he's writing to a Jewish audience. And if John is doing the same thing, and he is, It's important for us to ask ourselves, why is a Jew writing for other Jews wanting to explain to them the significance of these water pots? They certainly would have known what these were being used for. And so that makes you need to stop and to investigate and to ask a question. John wants us to capture this, to understand that these pots were used for the washing or purification rituals in Israel. So I want us to go ahead and explore the Old Testament practices, two Old Testament practices and themes that will give us a better understanding of the miracle here in John 2. First, we need to look at washing in the Old Testament. In the Jewish world, washings were extremely common. It was a common practice of daily life, not for health purposes, but for consecration and cleansing from sin. Regarding cleansing, there are myriads of texts throughout. Look at the Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. And they prescribe washings after subjects such as sexual intimacy, the carrying of the ashes of a cow, eating an animal that was found dead, being cleansed from leprosy, and even the cleansing of clothing and utensils. As a matter of fact, by Jesus' time, washing had become such an event that Jews could be found lined up at these things called mikveh baths, waiting to walk in to wash their couches in them. Now, if you go to the Holy Land, you will find these mikveh baths all over the place. They are formed in some similar to our baptistry up here. They are a large body of water that has a reservoir that runs water into them so living water is present and it has steps on each side. So you can picture these Jews lined up waiting to wash their couches because washing has become such a central aspect of their daily life. Also, Side point there, as a Baptist, I believe that the mikveh baths and the manner of purification of the priests gives a strong argumentation for believers' baptism in the New Testament. But I will not hit that tonight unless you do want to stay here until midnight. And in that sense, I've had my caffeine and I pray you have too. But we will move on. We will move on. Furthermore, washing was prescribed not only for cleansing, but for the consecration. of a man from sin. In passages such as Exodus 19, verse 10 through 11, we read, Then the Lord said to Moses, Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes. Let them be ready for the third day. For on the third day the Lord will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all people. During the Old Testament sacrificial system, a priest was to wash his hands and feet before approaching the tabernacle and making offerings or he would die, according to Exodus chapter 30. Should an unclean Jew refuse to or forget to wash themselves after becoming unclean and enter the sanctuary, Numbers 19 verse 20 tells us that he must be cut off from the people of Israel for defiling the Lord's sanctuary. This takes us to another Old Testament theme, understanding a little bit about cleansing and washings in the Old Testament. I want you to begin thinking with me about this act of transforming water now. So we're switching themes. And as I mentioned something about turning water into wine or water into blood, I hope that there's another story that's kind of piquing your interest. And I hope it is Moses and the epic against Pharaoh of Egypt. As you read through the Gospels, it is inevitably, unbelievably clear that they frequently aim to highlight Jesus as the second and greater Moses. Pastor Karn scared me a little bit this morning because he edged a little bit too closely to the point I'm wanting to make here tonight, but he did a lot of the heavy lifting for me, so we will just take the cream right off the top and you can go back and reflect upon what he said this morning. There is great correlations between Moses and the Lord Jesus that I want you to think on here tonight with me. When God sends Moses to lead the people of Israel out of Egyptian bondage, what is the first curse that God strikes the rebellious Egyptians with as the mark of the beginning of Israel's deliverance? It's the turning of the Nile into blood, of water into blood. And according to John's gospel, what's the first miracle that is exposed from Christ to mark the beginning of His deliverance ministry for sinners? It's the turning of water into wine. Furthermore, at the end of Moses' interactions with Egypt, what is the final curse that results in the deliverance of the people of Egypt? It's the death of the firstborn. And at the end of the story of Christ in the Gospels, certainly not the end of His ministry, but the climactic act where with He crushes the serpent's head, we find similarly the work of Jesus' bookended with the shedding of His blood for our deliverance. These great thematic reaches into the Old Testament showing that Jesus is a better Moses. As Pastor Carnes mentioned this morning, in the Mount of Transfiguration, the Greek insight that we are given from Luke, when he is talking with Moses, is that they are discussing his exodus. His exodus. So Jesus has come to provide a great exodus through his works. Namely, the shedding of his blood. Now, with the prevalence of these things in mind, it is significant that Jesus takes six pots used for an old covenant ritual. He fills them to the brim, and he turns their water into wine. Now, I don't want you to go, oh, well that's a nice gift, Lord, and march on. This is yielding some 100 to 180 gallons of wine. That's an astronomical amount of wine that the Lord has prepared for this bridegroom. Now, as I mentioned earlier, the number six and the pots being only partially filled may be significant. As we understand, it's kind of communicating a sense of incompletion, insufficiency. on behalf of those customs. But even if they aren't intended for that, the miracle of the Lord does make it clear that the ritual cleansing of the Old Covenant could never grant true and lasting purity. As Christ fills them to the brim and turns what was used for cleansing into a place of abundant blessing, He is making it clear that Christ has come to provide abundant and freeing grace through His work on our behalf. In Isaiah 25 verse 7, which we read earlier, we are told that Jesus will come to rid the world of the veil which is over all nations, that is death. But in a minuscule sense, the spiritual death of rebellious men and their attempts to cleanse themselves from sin are faulty and ineffective outside of Christ's saving work. And so beloved, just as Jesus made provision of wine for unknowing guests who enjoyed the fruits of his labor, Jesus has likewise made provision for those who have yet to be called unto his saving grace. Yet they all will come to taste and see that the Lord is good. Do you tonight find yourself lingering in the wash pots of your self-righteousness and of your own works? Jesus declares to us at the wedding of Cana, come and find yourself truly cleansed. Do you find yourself longing for that which can quench your thirst more than the inferior distractions of this world? Come to Christ who will quench your thirst that you might never thirst again. Do you feel that there is not enough grace for someone as sinful as you? Remember that He is the Lord of abundant grace, and that where His grace is extended even to the chiefest of sinners, it is extended unto us sinners still. Remember that Jesus has come to call not the righteous, but sinners. And remember, as the old hymn says, guilty vile and helpless we, spotless lamb of God was he. Full atonement can it be. Hallelujah. What a Savior. This leads us to our last point, which is a passage contemplated. I felt like this was a very Barkman-esque outline for you all, a purpose communicated, a passion demonstrated, and finally, a passage contemplated. So there you go, there's my nod to Pastor B, wherever he may be in the world. The first thing I want us to take away from this text is help for hopeful singles and hurting couples. This is a wedding scene, after all. As we examine this passage, it is immediately clear that even the most charming of grooms are all prone to fall short. While some of you may be at the point in life where you daydream longingly for life with your future spouse, others of you are sitting with broken hearts as you consider the tumult of your own relationships, either current or past. In this we recall that truly Christ is the only constant provider who can meet our every need. Thus the cornerstone of our marriages, the superhero of our affections, and the one whom we will and must always trustingly gaze upon must be Christ above all. If He is not that foundation, and if our spouses, as frail and as sinful as they are, are the crux of our trust, when they fall, so too will the foundations of our marriages. Christ is the most trustworthy bridegroom of His people. Next, I want us to consider two things about the beauty of the Lord's Supper. First, I want us to address our taking of it. Beloved, when we partake of the table together, it is not a time for us to begin zipping up our Bibles and to begin whispering to each other about how long we think the line might be at Chili's tonight. It is what we might call the most blessed and climactic experience of Christian worship, where the victorious Lord of glory calls you and I from our labor to fellowship with him and to receive strength in our pilgrimage home. Furthermore, I want to emphasize the evangelistic nature of the Lord's table. While we do our best to fence the table here as pastors, we must also understand that while only believers are invited to take it, there are unbelievers among us who witness it. The beauty of this, however, is that this ordinance is a visible sermon, both to us who believe and those who don't believe. With that in mind, I wanna encourage those of us with children to ensure that they are present with us at the time that we take of the Lord's table, that they might witness and wonder at the experience which their believing parents are taking before them. We have began doing this with our daughter, and it has produced some beautiful Christ-centered conversations with her as she wonders about the significance of the ordinance that we are doing together. Finally, in my introduction, I said that this event foreshadows the great marriage supper. But how? How does it do that? How does it do that? Well, Jesus shed his blood for his bride and established a meal to sustain us until we get home. And one aspect of that meal is that we drink the wine which recalls his bloodshed for us. One aspect of that meal is that we drink the wine which recalls his bloodshed for us. And furthermore, he made it clear in Matthew 26, 29, that he would not enjoy wine again until we were together with him once more. The text reads, but I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my father's kingdom. This foreshadows This gives us a foreshadowing of that great celebratory event to come. But I want to explore that thought a little further, if you'll permit me time. In Revelation 1, verse 4 through 18, John makes it clear to us that Jesus has won the victory over sin, death, and Satan. I will read the text to you. Revelation 1, verses 4 through 8, John to the seven churches when they're in Asia. Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come. And from the seven spirits who are before his throne and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To him who loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood. and has made us kings and priests to his God and Father. To him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Behold, he is coming with clouds, and every eye will see him. Even they who pierced him, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of him. Even so, amen. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, says the Lord, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom, and patient with Jesus Christ, was on the island, that is Patmos, for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. John makes it clear that Jesus has won the victory through his acts over sin, death, and Satan, and thus is to be adored. This reminder is spread throughout the book of the Revelation in chapter 5 and chapter 12. However, when we reach chapter 19, something different occurs for us there. There is a beautiful climax to his conquering. When we reach chapter 19, The culmination, the full culmination of Christ's conquest and campaign over his enemies is complete. And what happens on that day? Let me read it to you. After these things, I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven saying, Alleluia, salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God. for true and righteous are his judgments, because he has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication, and he has avenged on her the blood of his servants shed by her." Again, they said, alleluia. Her smoke rises up forever and ever. And the 24 elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sat on the throne saying, amen, alleluia. Then a voice came from the throne, saying, Praise our God, all you His servants, and those who fear Him, both small and great. And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters, and as the sound of mighty thundering, saying, Alleluia, for the Lord God omnipotent reigns. Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints. Then he said to me, Write, Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. I've got to wait for my eyes to clear up before I can read my text again. On that final day, we find that Christ's campaign against evil will come to an end. And there will be a celebration that the world has never known. And all those who are present are called blessed. And we, beloved, who are in Christ, will step forth, draped in our beautiful works like a bride on her wedding day. Not that they are the basis by which we are invited, but that they are a result or a benefit of us having been invited to begin with. And on that day, we will step into the purpose for which we were made, and we will begin to enjoy full, unbroken, and unceasing sweet communion with our most blessed Lord. So as our next time of communion approaches, may we, amid the crushing of bread and the slurping of the wine, hear the distant chiming of wedding bells as we think of the great marriage feast which is to come, when we will finally be with our beloved Lord forever. Not only is the table a time for reflection, but a time for contemplation as we look forward to what is to come. At this great wedding in Cana, Christ provides the greatest wine last for unsuspecting guests. But even more so, he does it to communicate that for us who are his bride, even as he calls us to enjoy his table, he offers the greatest wine to us for it is flavored with the savory works of his bloodshed for us. Tonight, it is imperative that we come from this text understanding that Christ is the all-sufficient master of the feast, who provides abundant and matchless grace through the shedding of his blood for the forgiveness of our sins. And with this, I am reminded of an old hymn that we sang growing up. Would you be free from your passion and pride? There's power in the blood. Power in the blood. Come for a cleansing to Calvary's tide. There's wonderful power in the blood. Would you be wider? Yes, wider than snow. There's power in the blood, power in the blood. Sin stains are lost in its life-giving flow. There's wonderful power in the blood. This great wedding at Cana is much more than Christ's divine ability to transform water into a tasty beverage. It is a sermon to us. that he was aware, even this early in his ministry, of the bride that he was coming for and the cost of her. This is the word of God for the people of God. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for the word. And we do ask that even this evening you would sanctify what is true to our hearts, that we would be thankful that you call us from the weariness of this daily life on the Lord's day To come aside from our work, to contemplate Christ given for us, may our anthem be in our hearts cry, stay. Only Christ and Him crucified for sinners. And Lord, as we enter into a new year and do approach those times we're with, we are called to partake of your table. that we understand that there is more there than what meets the eye, that you nurture us in soul as we feast upon and think of your works for us. Strengthen us in the new year, for beloved Lord, if you do not hold us, we will not make it through. We ask this in Jesus' name, amen.