Expecting Miracles -- Jesus and the Miracle at the Wedding, Part Three

Jesus brought a new way of life -- the Jesus Way.  The old system of having to live up to an impossible legal code has been replaced by the wine of God’s grace which washes our sins away. We are cleansed on the inside. This is not just symbol; it is substance. Our sins are not just taken away, we have a changed heart that desires to love God and live for him. He places within us holy desire. There is no limit to his grace. What Jesus gives is never just enough, it is always more than enough, with more left over. Just take a look at a flower. Many are blooming this summer. The blossoms are so intricate and beautiful that it could take your breath away.

Think of the miracles of creation itself. You are a miracle! The human body is miraculous. What it does without your conscious thinking is totally awesome.    Think of this -- In the depths of the ocean where no one has ever been, God paints his creatures with exotic color and beauty. Below the ground, where no one has yet gone, God places gold and precious stones. He is extravagant.

In very ordinary places He creates extraordinary beauty. Let Jesus touch you, and see if your life is not filled with new beauty and wonder — new flavor and fragrance. See if it is not like wine that gladdens the heart of man (Psalm 104:15). Jesus is in the business of turning water into wine, sinners into saints, fear into courage, sorrow into joy, defeat into victory, despair into hope and death into life.

The third point I would like to make concerning this story is that: Miracles happen when we understand that Jesus extravagantly provides for our everyday requests. There were six jars containing between 20 and 30 gallons apiece. So, at the very least, the jars contained 120 gallons of wine, and as much as 180 gallons. That is a lot of wine. There is no way the guests could have consumed that much wine. Why did Jesus give so much wine? Because he is an extravagant giver. He never gives just enough; he always gives superabundantly.

What the guests had tasted cautiously before, they ... now drank in abundance. This is the same thing Jesus did when he fed the multitude. He multiplied five loaves and two fish so that 5,000 men and their families were fed. And when everyone had eaten their fill, there were twelve baskets of bread and fish left over. He gave them more than they could possibly eat. But that is the way God gives.

Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly, to the full” (John 10:10). We may be poor according to this world’s standards, but we are rich toward God. We may have nothing, but have everything. For we have an extravagant God who lavishes us with his blessings. I like the way The Message translates Psalm 145:16. It says, “Generous to us all, you lavish your favor on all creatures.”

God’s grace means that h is generous to us. The Bible says H gives “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20). He loves to bless, or as the hymn says, “He comes to make his blessings flow.” To a dying thief on a cross he gave the gift of paradise. To a woman caught in an immoral act he gave the gift of God’s amazing grace and forgiveness. To a grieving father he gave back a child from the grip of death. To the one who denied him he gave the keys of the kingdom. He is lavish with his gifts. And to you who come with your requests, he gives the promise of abundant life here and now, and beyond this world, eternal life.

You remember in the story that when they filled the jars, they filled them to the brim. And when the master of the banquet tasted the wine his eyes lit up. He could not believe what he was tasting. He 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” (John 2:10). Jesus always saves the best till last. The world puts its best up front and things go downhill from there. But when God shows up things go from good to best. John wrote: “From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another” (John 1:16).

We have been filled to the brim with the blessings of God. One day as we enter his kingdom we will be treated to sights we never dreamed possible. Absent will be everything we have feared, and present there will be the best of everything here and much, much more. Heaven is where the deepest longings of our lives will be met. We will hear him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant. . . enter thou into the joy of thy lord” (Matthew 25:23). Rapturous joy will overtake us and we will say, “You have saved the best till now!” The Bible assures us, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). The best that the world has to offer now is only a hint of what is yet to be. The difference will be as different as water is to wine.

One last big thought to share with you today -- It is interesting that Jesus waited until their resources had run dry before he performed the miracle. Only when the people came to the end of their supply were they ready to receive what Jesus had to give. John Piper, in an article entitled “The Present Power of a Future Possession,” said, “The cost of food in the kingdom is hunger for the bread of heaven, instead of the white bread of the world. Do you want it? Are you hungry? Or are you satisfied with yourself and your television and your computer and your job and your family?”

Likewise, the cost of the new wine that Jesus is offering is thirst. Are you thirsty? Do you want something more? If so, when you come to Jesus you have come to the right place, for he is the God of abundance and life. He gives extravagantly. To receive this wine you have to come to him with your thirst. As you stand there with your empty life, follow the instructions of Jesus’ mother when she says, “Do whatever he tells you.” If you do, something wonderful is about to happen — a miracle. Expect a miracle. God makes miracles happen! Amen. Amen.