Beauty from Ashes
A Sermon on John 2:9-10
Originally preached Oct. 31, 1965
Scripture
9When 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, 10And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth …
Sermon Description
Christians are promised the great celestial blessings of the Lord. Are they living in light of the promises of these blessings? Are they drinking from the rivers of the Lord’s grace and goodness? In this sermon from John 2:9–10 titled “Beauty from Ashes,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones talks about the blessings of the Lord and what they look like. He begins by focusing on the character of these blessings, which is that they are always good and pure. Dr. Lloyd-Jones then goes on to show what these blessings do for God’s children. The Christian often does not think about how these blessings show the desperate condition of need and dependence upon the Lord. These blessings do not come through anything Christians have done to deserve them, but as a free gift from the Lord. Their righteousness is but filthy rags but when they thirst after Him, in His grace and mercy, the Savior brings beauty from filthy rags and fills with His blessings of eternal life and His fullness. When the Christian receives these blessings, not only will they know, but those around them will see what only God can do in bringing beauty from the ashes.
Sermon Breakdown
- The sermon is based on John 2:9-10 which describes Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana.
- The miracle illustrates how Jesus meets our desperate needs and hopeless conditions.
- The blessing Jesus provides is pure, unmixed, and superior to anything the world offers.
- The blessing Jesus provides utterly transforms our situation, changing water into wine, ashes into beauty, mourning into joy.
- When we receive this blessing from Jesus, we know we have received it. We have assurance and certainty. We do not need to "take it by faith."
- Not only do we know we have received the blessing, but others around us also know. It produces evident changes that cannot be hidden.
- Revival comes when Christians receive this life and blessing from Jesus in greater fullness. The world sees the change in them and becomes open to the gospel.
- We must ask ourselves if we can say honestly that Jesus has come to us, that we know him, feast with him, and taste of the heavenly blessing he provides.
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.