Christianity and its Message
A Sermon on John 2:1-5
Scripture
1And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: 2And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. 3And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. 4 …
Sermon Description
Who is Jesus and what has He come to do? This was the question that everyone was asking when Jesus was performing miracles and proclaiming the kingdom of God. Modern humanity is still asking this question. In this sermon on John 2:1–5 titled “Christianity and Its Message”, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones examines the question of who Jesus is and why it matters. Jesus said He came to do the will of the Father; He would not let other people define who He was or His mission. He tells this to the Jewish people, His disciples, and even His own mother. Jesus says He came to die and rise from the grave for sinners. He is not merely a political figure, but He is God in the flesh. The gospel is concerned with humanity’s ultimate reconciliation with the triune God, and not solely on ending war, temporal suffering, and pain. This sermon calls all to repent and believe in Jesus. It calls all to believe that Jesus has been sent from God and that He alone can redeem.
Sermon Breakdown
- Jesus attended a wedding feast in Cana with his mother Mary and his disciples.
- During the feast, the wine ran out. Mary told Jesus about the shortage of wine.
- Mary expected Jesus to solve the problem and provide more wine. She addressed him as her son and expected him to do what she said.
- Jesus corrected Mary and reminded her that while he is her son, he is also the Son of God. He does not take orders from humans but only from God the Father.
- Jesus told Mary that his "hour" or the time for him to act had not yet come. Everything Jesus did was according to God's predetermined plan and timing.
- The "hour" Jesus referred to was his death on the cross to bear the sins of humanity. This was his mission and purpose for coming into the world.
- Jesus did not come to simply solve superficial human problems and make people comfortable. He came to deal with the root cause of human problems which is sin.
- There is another "hour" coming which refers to Jesus' second coming to judge the world, destroy evil, and establish his eternal kingdom of peace and righteousness.
- We do not know when Jesus will return. But we must be ready through repentance and faith in him as the Son of God and savior of the world.
- Like Mary, we must do whatever Jesus tells us to do. We must repent, confess our sins, and believe the gospel.
The Book of John
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.