Keep My Commandments
A Sermon on John 2:1-11
Originally preached Oct. 17, 1965
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
During Jesus’s first miracle of turning water into wine, Mary tells the people there an important command which is still relevant today: “do whatever he tells you.” Listen as Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones speaks about this command in this sermon on John 2:1–11 and how Christians are to listen to this advice from Mary. He brings up the importance of the balance between God’s part and the Christian’s part of this command, which takes the form of His activities being lived out through His people. In order for this to be lived out in the Christian life, they must live in obedience to the commands of the Lord. They must listen for His still, small voice and pursue the things which draw them closer to Him. It is through this obedience to the Lord that they will experience Him working in their lives and be able to see firsthand His great promises, stepping into the new possibilities He brings. Through this sermon, Dr. Lloyd-Jones encourages to realize the blessings which come through obeying God and to take the advice of Mary: to hear whatever the Lord says and to respond in wholehearted and unwavering obedience to Him.
Sermon Breakdown
- Jesus performed his first miracle at the wedding feast in Cana by turning water into wine.
- The miracle illustrates how Jesus provides in times of need and brings joy.
- Mary told the servants to do whatever Jesus tells them to do. We must have the same attitude of obedience.
- There are two dangers in the Christian life: overemphasizing our own efforts or being completely passive. The right approach is activity under God's control.
- We must start by realizing our inability and dependence on God. We cannot dictate to Him.
- God's blessings often come in ordinary ways, not in the dramatic fashion we expect. We must not be impatient.
- There are two elements to receiving God's blessings: His part and our part. We must do what He commands.
- Keeping God's commandments is the first step. We must obey in detail, not just in general.
- Reading the Bible, praying, fellowship, and obedience in daily life are some of the details we must attend to.
- Filling the water pots represents going beyond just obedience to stepping out in faith. We must believe in the possibilities of the Christian life because God promised them.
- Drawing out the wine was the crucial act of faith. We must act when God speaks, even if it seems impossible. He will provide the power.
- Trusting and obeying God is the only way to be happy in Jesus. We must venture out on faith alone.
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.