Who We Welcome and Why - 1

                                                         Who We Welcome and Why - 1

Subject – Welcoming Jesus into Life Church and Our Lives

By Rick Welborne

John 2:1-11 (NLT2)
¹  The next day there was a wedding celebration in the village of Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there,
²  and Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the celebration.
³  The wine supply ran out during the festivities, so Jesus’ mother told him, “They have no more wine.”
⁴  “Dear woman, that’s not our problem,” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.”
⁵  But his mother told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
⁶  Standing nearby were six stone water jars, used for Jewish ceremonial washing. Each could hold twenty to thirty gallons.
⁷  Jesus told the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” When the jars had been filled,
⁸  he said, “Now dip some out, and take it to the master of ceremonies.” So the servants followed his instructions.
⁹  When the master of ceremonies tasted the water that was now wine, not knowing where it had come from (though, of course, the servants knew), he called the bridegroom over.
¹⁰  “A host always serves the best wine first,” he said. “Then, when everyone has had a lot to drink, he brings out the less expensive wine. But you have kept the best until now!”
¹¹  This miraculous sign at Cana in Galilee was the first time Jesus revealed his glory. And his disciples believed in him. 

--Today we begin a new series that has been stirring in my heart for a long time. If you have been coming to Life Church for any time at all you know we welcome Holy Spirit.

--During this series we will look at welcoming Jesus, welcoming God the Father, welcoming Holy Spirit, welcoming the lost and hurting, and welcoming other believers. May add others.

--Who we welcome and why in our church and in our lives will greatly define who we are and where we are going. It will help define our vision and purpose for the Lord.

--Today we are looking at welcoming Jesus to Life Church and into our lives. Since there is no other Name whereby we can be saved, welcoming Him is vitally important.

Acts 4:10-12 (NLT2)
¹⁰  Let me clearly state to all of you and to all the people of Israel that he was healed by the powerful name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the man you crucified but whom God raised from the dead.
¹¹  For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says, ‘The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’
¹²  There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” 

1. Welcome Jesus to a Wedding

John 2:1-2 (NLT2)
¹  The next day there was a wedding celebration in the village of Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there,
²  and Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the celebration. 

--Think about this…there was a wedding in Cana in Galilee. Not a church service, not a conference, not a prayer meeting, a wedding celebration.

--Do you just suppose that this is simply saying to us that Jesus should be welcomed or invited to whatever we are doing with our lives.

--If Jesus is Lord and Savior shouldn’t He be included into every aspect of our lives whether it is a wedding, a family gathering, a picnic, a ball game? I think you get my point. Everything!

--If you can’t take Jesus with you to whatever event you are participating in; it may be an indication you shouldn’t be doing the event. These verses kept coming to my mind:

Hebrews 13:5-6&8 (NIV)
⁵  Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."
⁶  So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"
⁸  Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 

--When we have received Jesus as Lord and Savior we have a promise from Him…He says, “I promise you… I promise you I will never leave you and I will never forsake you.” He is our helper.

--Interesting that the writer of Hebrews throws in here that Jesus has not changed…Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 

--We welcome Jesus because He is the One constant in our lives in whom we can depend on all the time. You can’t say that about anyone else.

--No matter how much we love someone and no matter how good our intentions are, we will always disappoint people at some point and on some level. Jesus is always the same.

2. A Miracle in the House

John 2:1-5 (NLT2)
¹  The next day there was a wedding celebration in the village of Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there,
²  and Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the celebration.
³  The wine supply ran out during the festivities, so Jesus’ mother told him, “They have no more wine.”
⁴  “Dear woman, that’s not our problem,” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.”
⁵  But his mother told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 

--They have no more wine. Does not seem like a big deal but what an embarrassing dilemma for the couple, the host, and the planners of the wedding celebration.

--Think about this, the first miracle that happened in the life of Jesus and at the beginning of His ministry was simply because He was invited to the event.

--Could it be that one of the reasons we do not see more miracles is because we do not invite Jesus, we do not welcome Jesus into whatever we are doing.

--Now wait a minute, Preacher, you just said Jesus promises to never leave us or forsake us. Is that true? Of course, but there is a difference between having someone in the house and them being welcomed.

--When we welcome (acknowledge) Jesus into the party, all bets are off because when Jesus is present and acknowledged there is a miracle in the house. 

--Watch this, when someone is invited and welcomed into the house, the event, or whatever, you truly want to get to know them better.

Philippians 3:8-10 (NKJV)
⁸  Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ
⁹  and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;
¹⁰  that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,

--When Jesus is welcomed in all sincerity, nothing is more important than Him being there. Paul was saying getting to know Jesus makes everything else insignificant.

--I can experience not only His presence but I can also experience His resurrection power…His miracles. Thus, the water being turned into wine. Power of His resurrection!

--A wedding that was potentially going to crash was totally transformed simply because Jesus was invited, He was welcomed into their lives and their party and everything changed.

--Meditate on this, the miracle you need in your family, your life, your finances, your job, your health may just be an invitation away. Welcome Jesus and let the water be changed into wine.

3. I Stand at the Door

Revelation 3:14-20 (NKJV)
¹⁴  "And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, 'These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God:
¹⁵  I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot.
¹⁶  So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.
¹⁷  Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing'--and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked--
¹⁸  I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.
¹⁹  As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.
²⁰  Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. 

--Revelations 2 and 3 are directed to seven churches which I believe are representatives of the churches that are in the world. He gave commendations but also correction. He says much in verses 15-19 correcting them.

--We often use verse 20 for someone to receive Christ and that’s ok but keep it in context. Jesus is standing at the door of the church, He gave His life for, waiting for a welcome or invitation to come in. How sad.

--Shouldn’t Jesus always be welcomed in His Church. Sadly, He is not. Our programs, platforms, and prejudices keep Him out. He’s knocking! Let Him in! Welcome Him!

--We need Him in our lives and in our church because He is our life and our salvation. We need Him here because He saves and because miracles happen when He shows up.

--Stand with me and let’s welcome Jesus into His house!