2026_06_14 Who Is Jesus Anyway? Part 2

John opens the curtain on Jesus by calling him the Word who “was with God” and “was God,” then saying, “the Word became human and made his home among us.” That anchor insists that when Scripture speaks, God speaks. The living Word cuts to the bone, not to shame, but to show what is really there so a person can deal with it before God. John then lets Cana do the talking. The empty jars, the quiet command, and the “best saved for last” stand as the first sign. The miracle solves a party problem, but the sign says something bigger. Glory flashes, and the disciples believe.

The signs keep pointing. Like a GPS that re-routes around a pileup, the signs give a clue to what is ahead. Israel had gone four hundred silent years and drifted. Signs from Jesus said, in effect, reroute now. Preserved truth matters. A people who remember and act on the warning live when the wave hits.

John also answers why a Savior is needed. Isaiah shows yesterday’s Satan, lifted up in pride and thrown down. Jesus names today’s Satan “the ruler of this world.” Paul calls him the god of this age who blinds minds. That diagnosis explains the quagmire. Evil is real, authority is temporary, and Revelation shows tomorrow’s end when fire falls and the deceiver is thrown down forever.

Back in Jerusalem, the whip in Jesus’ hands and the coins on the floor say, “Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace.” When challenged for a sign, Jesus points to the true temple. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The resurrection becomes the final sign that flips the lights on for the disciples. Experience is what they get when they did not get what they wanted. Later, they remember, and it burns in.

John then says Jesus knows what is in a person. That does not crush anyone. That frees anyone. Jesus takes a person right where they are, and he will not leave them there. Colossians says all things were made through him and for him, and he holds all things together. If Jesus created a person and holds that person together, Jesus gets that person, and Jesus can be trusted.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Miracles point past themselves [36:42] Miracles fix problems, but John calls them “signs.” A sign signals identity and direction, not just relief. When relief fades, the sign still stands and keeps pointing to the Messiah. Faith grows sturdy when it reads the sign, not just enjoys the fix. [36:42]
• 2. Preserved truth steers from disaster [42:08] When truth is remembered and acted on, people run to higher ground before the wave hits. Forgetting breeds drift, and drift meets ruin. Memory is not nostalgia; it is obedience that moves feet. Keep the story, and the story keeps you. [42:08]
• 3. The ruler is real and temporary [45:58] Jesus names Satan the ruler of this world, which explains the chaos without excusing it. Authority is limited and already judged. Evil’s reign has an expiration date, and Revelation stamps it. Courage lives in that countdown. [45:58]
• 4. Jesus accepts and then transforms [56:58] Grace meets a person where they are, and love refuses to leave them there. Acceptance is not indifference; it is the doorway to change. The Savior’s welcome and the Spirit’s work travel together, day after day. Growth is the gift of being known and led. [56:58]
• 5. Jesus gets us because He made us [59:19] John and Colossians say all things were made through Him and held together in Him. The Maker does not need a briefing on the thing He crafted. If He knit a person together, He can shepherd that person wisely. Trust makes sense when the hands that formed also hold. [59:19]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [27:07] - Setting the stage and purpose
• [30:23] - The Word is alive and speaking
• [32:36] - Who is Jesus anyway
• [33:16] - The Word became human
• [34:18] - Cana: water to wine
• [35:43] - “You kept the best until now”
• [36:24] - Miracles defined and given as signs
• [37:18] - GPS and learning to read signs
• [39:18] - Four hundred years and drift
• [41:01] - Tsunami story and warnings
• [42:25] - Preserved truth matters
• [44:06] - Satan yesterday, today, tomorrow
• [47:59] - Satan’s end in Revelation 20
• [50:09] - Cleansing the temple
• [51:21] - “Destroy this temple” and resurrection
• [54:10] - Experience and “I get it now”
• [55:52] - Jesus knows human nature
• [58:04] - Christ the Creator and sustainer
• [59:19] - Jesus gets us and can be trusted
• [59:38] - Prayer and invitation

Bible Reading
John 2:1-11 (NIV)
On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.” What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

John 2:13-22 (NIV)
When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.” The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” But the temple he had spoken of was his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.

Colossians 1:15-17 (NIV)
The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

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Observation Questions

1. In John 2:1-11, what details about the miracle at Cana reveal it as a “sign” rather than just a solution to a problem?
2. How did the disciples respond to Jesus’ actions in the temple (John 2:13-17) and his statement about rebuilding the temple in three days (v. 19)?
3. According to Colossians 1:15-17, what role does Jesus play in creation and sustaining life?

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Interpretation Questions

1. Why might Jesus have chosen a wedding feast (John 2:1-11) and the temple (John 2:13-22) as settings to perform His first public sign and confrontational act?
2. Jesus says, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days” (John 2:19). How does this statement connect to His identity and mission beyond the physical temple?
3. Colossians 1:17 says Jesus “holds all things together.” How does this truth address the chaos and brokenness described in the sermon’s discussion of Satan’s temporary rule?

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Application Questions

1. The sermon states, “Miracles fix problems, but John calls them ‘signs.’ A sign signals identity and direction, not just relief” [36:42]. When have you experienced answered prayer or relief, but missed the “sign” pointing you to Jesus? How can you train yourself to look beyond the immediate fix?
2. The temple cleansing shows Jesus rejecting complacency in worship [50:09]. What habits or routines in your spiritual life might need “overturning” to refocus on God’s holiness?
3. Colossians 1:16 says all things were created for Jesus. How might viewing your talents, relationships, or daily work as “created for Him” change your priorities this week?
4. The sermon emphasizes that “Jesus knows what is in a person” and meets us where we are [56:58]. What area of your life do you hesitate to bring to Jesus, fearing judgment? How does His role as Creator (Colossians 1:15-17) reassure you of His understanding and purpose?
5. The people of Somalia survived a tsunami because they preserved and acted on truth [42:08]. What biblical truth have you neglected to “run to” when facing a crisis? How can you commit to remembering and obeying it?