Look inside this book.Where the Bush is Burning: A Daily Devotional by [Thomas Tice]

Tag: John 2
Conclusions About Christ

Conclusions About Christ

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Conclusions About Christ

This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.

John 2:11

If we observe the actions of Christ, as the Scripture sets them forth to us, what are we to conclude? As we said when we began our considerations of this passage a few days ago, John was writing to lead his readers to a specific conclusion about Christ; ‘but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing, you may have life through His name.’ As we have considered this account, it has brought us to the conclusion that Christ intentionally enters into the events of our lives with the express purpose of doing us good. The good that He does to us, He does miraculously. He meets us at our point of deepest and most immediate need. What He does for us produces that which is of better quality that we could anticipate. These conclusions all work together to lead us to the one great conclusion to which the disciples came, ‘His disciples believed in Him.’ What Christ does in our lives, He does with the purpose that we may believe in Him. All of Christ’s interactions with us are to the purpose of increasing our faith and trust in Him. They occur with the intention that we will believe that He ‘is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you might have life through His Name.’ The lesser conclusions lead us inevitably to the greater conclusion. Christ is at the very crux of our whole experience of God. ‘No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.’

Our Glorious Living Christ,
we rejoice that You are our Alpha and Omega.
We praise You that You evermore attract our attention,
that we may know You, and in knowing You,
come to know the True and Living God.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning
Preparing for Worship

Preparing for Worship

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Worship Service

9:30 am

10900 Huron Street

Northglenn, CO

Scripture:  John 2:1-11

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.”  His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”  Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim.  And He said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.” And they took it. When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!” This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.

Sermon:  Watching Christ Work

  1. Christ entered into the situation to do them good.
  2. Christ demonstrated that He was in control.
  3. Christ showed His compassion in a miraculous way.
  4. Christ led them to a specific conclusion.

Catechism: Westminster Shorter Catechism Question #2

What rule hath God given to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him?

The Word of God, which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him.

1 Matthew 19:4-5. And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? With Genesis 2:24. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. Luke 24:27, 44. And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself…. And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. 1 Corinthians 2:13. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 1 Corinthians 14:37. If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. 2 Peter 1:20-21. Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. 2 Peter 3:2, 15-16. That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour…. And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
2 Deuteronomy 4:2. Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. Psalm 19:7-11. The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward. Isaiah 8:20. To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. John 15:11. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. John 20:30-31. And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. Acts 17:11. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. 2 Timothy 3:15-17. And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. 1 John 1:4. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

Worship

You Are My All in All

O Great God

A Mighty Fortress

 
Christ in Compassion

Christ in Compassion

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Christ In Compassion

Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.” And they took it. When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!”

John 2:6-10

We come now to consider the actual miracle which Christ performed to begin His public ministry. Christ had entered into the company of these ordinary folk. He had demonstrated His control over the timing and manner of His revelation of Himself. We see, in our passage, that at the critical moment Christ demonstrated compassion toward this young couple and their family. He demonstrated His compassion miraculously and abundantly. He transformed the water into wine in such abundance that they would have wine to sell to start their life together. He created the wine with such high quality that the governor of the feast commented upon it. As we consider these things and seek to see how they apply to us, we observe that Christ enters into our lives, demonstrates His control, and then extends His compassion toward us in meeting our most urgent needs. He works miraculously to alleviate our distress and to set us on a course for future success. In every way, we have found Christ to be utterly able and willing to do us good. His Compassion toward us is abundantly satisfying and overwhelmingly encouraging. Today, let us spend some time dwelling, upon the compassion of Christ towards us, with the desire that having contemplated Him, we may in some small way imitate Him.

Our most Gracious and Compassionate Christ,
we praise You that You do us good at every turn of the road.
We rejoice, that You will continue to show Yourself compassionate  
all throughout our lives and unto eternity.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning
Christ in Control

Christ in Control

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Christ in Control

And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” …

John 2:3-5

As John sets forth the inaugural miracle of Christ, he demonstrates His Divinity in companionship with His Humanity. John sets before us the interchange between Christ and Mary. Mary comes to Him with the pressing issue of, ‘They have no wine.’ Christ is not rude to her in His response, but He does set forth clearly that He is in control of the situation, and His revelation of Himself. By His response, Mary  understood that He would do something to alleviate the distress of the young couple, but that He would do it in His Own time and in His Own way. Here are some valuable thoughts for us. Christ enters into our company with every intention to do us good and to meet our needs. Having said that, what He will do for us? He will do it in His Own time and in His Own way. Christ is utterly in control of every situation. We can rely upon Him to do us good. What we cannot know is exactly when or how He will act on our behalf. Because we can trust Him implicitly, we can rely upon Him to act on our behalf in the time when it is critical for Him to do so. The hard part for us is the waiting. Here is where He tests our faith. The evidence of history shows that He will act in the time most appropriate. He has never failed His people before. He will not fail us now.

Our most Wise and Sovereign God,
we rejoice that You control every circumstance.
We praise You that You do everything for our good,
and for Your Glory.
We are glad that You hold us in the palm of Your Hand.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning
Christ in Company

Christ in Company

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Christ in Company

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. …

John 2:1-2

We come to consider Christ’s first public miracle. In order to do that successfully we should take some time to observe the context in which it occurred. Let us contemplate the purpose of John in writing his gospel as he declares it in John 20:31, ‘but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name’. John intends to give us a picture of Christ which will lead us to this conclusion. In order to do that, this is where he begins. He begins with Christ in company. In the larger plan and purpose of God, it was God’s intention to show Christ as He interacts with a very needy humanity. He appears as the One Who has come to do us good at every level. What is even more significant is that Christ entered into this company knowing what He would ultimately do. He did not stand apart from their festivities. He did not look down upon them for their neediness. He entered into their lives, and brought with Him what would do them the most good. So Christ does with us. He enters into our lives with every intention and ability to do us good. He knows what He will do for us long before we ourselves recognize even what our needs will be. Christ does not stand apart from us or look down upon us. Today, let us dwell upon the Christ Who enters into our company to do us good.

Our Gracious and Loving Christ,
we rejoice that You do not stand apart from us.
We praise You, that You in every way,
enter into our lives with every intention of doing us good,
and with the power to make it so.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

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