A young man in college was reading the bible when a liberal professor walked by. “Wow” said the young man. The professor, interested in what caused his excitement, asked the young man what he was reading. The young man said that God had parted the Red Sea to allow the Hebrew people to cross. The professor started to explain how at that period in history there was a drought and really the Sea was only about three inches deep, so it was not really a miracle. “Oh” said the disheartened young man as he went back to reading. “Wow!” the boy said again, even more excited. The professor said, “What is it now?” to which the young man replied, “God just drowned the whole Egyptian army in three inches of water!
In today’s world a lot of attention has been given to the miracles that some preachers can seemingly perform. TV evangelists, such as Benny Hinn, supposedly can simply breathe out over a crowd of needy people and the power of his breath can cause them to be instantly healed of whatever sickness or disease they are suffering from. Now, as to whether his breath can really knock people out I will not doubt. But that it causes the lame to walk, that I do doubt. But this miracle working power is something that a lot of hurting people are attracted to. And in my opinion it’s something that many frauds have taken advantage of in order to gain personal wealth while leaving hurting people still hurting. And this evening, I think that this scheming that some men have done has caused the rest of us to doubt whether God really does do miracles today. I think that because there are those who have scammed so many with their make believe powers, it has driven us to a place where we don’t believe that God has the power to work miracles in our life.
But you know, we talked last Sunday morning about the fact that God still has the same power today that He did in the time of Moses and Joshua. The same God who split the Red Sea and brought the walls of Jericho tumbling down is the God that we serve today. And while there are those who have made an industry out of the power of our God, I believe that we are serving a God who still does miracles. I believe that God is still interested in doing things for us today that are beyond our human ability to explain or understand. But I think that in order for God to be able to work a miracle in our lives there are some requirements that He has given us.
In John 2:1-12, we find the story of the first miracle that Jesus performed. What was that miracle? He turned water into wine. I want us to read that story together and I think there are some lessons that we can draw from it when it comes to seeing God work miracles in our lives today. Let’s read it together…
The story is told about an alcoholic who became was wonderfully saved. One day he was asked how he could possibly believe all the nonsense in the Bible about miracles. “You don’t believe that Jesus changed the water into wine do you?” they asked him. “I sure do,” he replied, “because in our house Jesus changed the whiskey into furniture.”
Friends, I believe that God still works miracles. I believe that we don’t have to allow the fakes to drive us away from believing that God can perform a genuine miracle in my life today. But I do believe that there are some requirements that we must fulfill in order to give Him the ability to do it for us. There are three of them that we can see in this passage. Let me share them with you.
I. Seeing Miracles Requires A Right Perception Of Jesus
First of all, seeing miracles requires that we have a right perception of who Jesus is. You see, Mary, the mother of Jesus, came to Him and said, “They have no wine.” Now, it’s possible that Mary was telling Jesus this to hint that before the wine ran out, Jesus needed to go to town and get some more. It’s possible that she was hinting that Jesus and those who were with Him needed to leave before the party ran out of wine so as to try and make sure that there was enough for those who were left. Or it could be possible that she was just sharing with Jesus the fact that the wine was running out. But I don’t think so. I would have to think, and it’s more reasonable, that Mary told Jesus about the lack of wine with the expectation that He would show His glory by doing something extraordinary to supply the need. I would tend to believe that while Jesus had yet to do a miracle, Mary had come to form an idea about His power and His goodness. No doubt she remembered the miraculous way Jesus was born. No doubt she had heard what John the Baptist had said about Him. And now that Jesus had a following, a group of disciples, Mary probably felt as though Jesus was entering in already to His Messianic work of building His Kingdom. And so she ventures out and asks Jesus for a miracle.
But Jesus, who knows the heart, sees the presumption that comes along with this request. The presumption that she, as His mother, had the authority to tell Him how He needed to carry out His ministry. The presumption that He was at her beckon call. The presumption that she could direct and control Him in His power to work miracles. And so He says, “Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come.”
Now, if I were to have called my mom, “woman,” at least the way that it appears Jesus calls His mother, I probably would have gotten a swift kick in the rear by my dad. But Jesus was in no way being disrespectful. For if you look through the Scripture you will find that Jesus used that word several times. He addressed His mother as “woman” while He was consoling her from the cross. He even addressed Mary Magdalene as “woman” after His resurrection. The word, “woman,” in the Greek is actually very gentle and respectful. His answer was not disrespecting at all. However, it was a gentle reprimand that He was not at her beckon call, and that His work would be done in His timing and in His way. His work cannot be dictated by any man or woman.
You see, before God can work a miracle in our life we must first come to a right perception of who Jesus is. I think a lot of people today look at God as a divine vending machine. They think that His power is totally at their disposal and completely at their beckon call. “Well, I’ll just pop somebody over here in the forehead and God will work a miracle. And I’ll blow over these people over here and God will work.” But can I tell you this evening, God is not a vending machine. He is not directed by mortals. His power is not dictated by men and women who would use it to their advantage. And while we may not go around slaying people in the Spirit and claiming to heal their every woe, I think we could be guilty of presuming that we can push a button and God will react immediately. I think we can be guilty of looking at God as a holy Santa Claus. We can just read off our list of desires, all the things that we want from Him, and He’ll come along in His chariot pulled by angels and drop those things into our laps. I think we could be guilty of taking the verse that says, “ask and ye shall receive, seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you,” and take it to mean that God is obliged to answer to our every whim.
The trouble is we look over the parts that say, “if we ask anything according to his will, he listens to us.” And we look over the verses that say, “we have not because we ask amiss, so that we may spend it for our pleasures.” You see, God isn’t in the business of doing miracles in order to fulfill our fancies. And for us to think that He is would be, in my opinion, one of the worst forms of arrogance. God is not a vending machine. He is not Santa Claus. He isn’t obliged to work when we snap our fingers.
Now, having said that, I do think that God at times, still does work instantaneous miracles. I have sat in healing services and heard testimonies of people who had a test that revealed cancer, and when the doctors went in to do more tests or do work to try and fix the problem, there was no cancer to be found. I am sure that you know of people who have been healed, and it was no act of doctors, it could only have been the work of God. I know that you and I both have probably experienced God doing something supernatural, whether big or small, for us. I believe that God still has the power to do that and still chooses to work that way at times. If I didn’t believe that, I probably wouldn’t keep this anointing oil behind the pulpit. If I didn’t believe that God could and would still do the extraordinary, I probably would have stopped praying a long time ago. So while I don’t believe God is to be commanded by His creation, I do believe that God will, at times, heed to our sincere requests for His miracle working intervention. But before He can do so, I think we must have a right perception of who He is and who He isn’t.
II. Seeing Miracles Requires A Complete Obedience To Jesus
Not only that, but I believe that this story tells us that before God can work a miracle in our lives He requires a complete obedience to Him. The Scripture tells us that after Jesus’ conversation with His mother, Mary speaks to the servants and says, “Whatever He tells you to do, do it.” Not long after that Jesus tells them to fill 6 20-30 gallon stone jugs with water. And what do they do? “What do you mean, fill theses jugs with water? It’s wine that we need, not water. That’s just stupid.” No, the Bible says they did as He told them to. Now, I’m sure that there were probably some strange glances thrown His way, perhaps even some complaining or sarcastic comments under their breath. But these servants did just as Jesus told them to do. They filled up 6 jugs with anywhere from 120-180 gallons of water. And they didn’t just fill those jugs, they filled them to the brim. They obeyed completely.
In the book of 2 Kings, you’ll remember a story about a little girl who had been captured and made the servant of the wife of Naaman. Naaman was the commander in the armies of Syria. The Bible tells us that he was a great man, an honorable man, a mighty man of valor. But it also tells us about the fact that he was a leper. And we know the story of how this servant girl tells her master of a prophet in Israel who could heal him. So Naaman travels to Israel to find this prophet and when he does, he doesn’t receive the welcome that he expected. And when told of how he could be healed he is upset because it wasn’t the way he expected or wanted to be healed. He wanted Elisha to come and lay hands on him and call on the name of the Lord and heal him that way. But Elisha didn’t even come to meet him at the door. He sent his servant to give him the message to go dip in the Jordan river 7 times. And Naaman almost didn’t do it. He thought, “Why should I dip in that filthy little stream, when there are great and better rivers back home I could dip in. But his servants talk him in to giving it a try. So Naaman did. And when he did, he was healed, not after 1 dip, or even after 6 dips, but after the 7th dip. It took complete obedience on his part for God to work a miracle in his life. Had he decided to go back home and dip in one of the rivers there, we would have no story of God’s miraculous touch on Naaman. Had he only dipped 6 times in the Jordan River we still wouldn’t be reading this story. It took complete obedience.
And before God can do miracles in your life there must be complete obedience on your part. A lot of times when we are asking God to work a miracle in our lives we already have our idea of how we want it done. We want it done now. We want it done in a way that causes us as little inconvenience as possible. I’m working through this in my own life. There’s something that I have been praying that God would do. I’ve been asking Him to work a miracle in my life. And believe me, for it to happen would be a definite miracle. And I have my idea of how I would like it to be done. I have my timeframe. I have my suggestions to God for how He could do this for me. But I tell you, I’ve had to make myself say, “God, you know how I’d like this to be done. I would be so absolutely grateful if You did this the way that I think it would be nice. But I know that Your way is always best, so I want You to do Your will.” Because listen, before we can expect God to work a miracle in our life we have to be able to yield to His will. We have to allow Him to do it His way. We have to be obedient and submissive to Him.
Think of it this way… if you have a physical ailment that can be taken care of naturally/humanly, and you go to a doctor to get it fixed, and he says, “OK, you need to take this medicine three times daily, and you need to stick to this diet.” Do you think you would say, “Now Doctor, I really think this problem should be solved this way. I don’t really want to have to eat jello only for three weeks.” No, if you really wanted to have your ailment cured, you would do what the doctor told you to do. What if you were deep in the hole in debt? So you went to a credit counselor and he told you that you needed to, 1. cut up your credit cards, 2. quit eating at Outback every night, 3. make paying your debt off the highest financial priority you have. You probably wouldn’t say, “Sir, I don’t think that’s the way it should be done, and besides that, it’s a little too inconvenient. So I’ll do it my way.” No, if you really want to get out of that hole you would do what the trained and experienced professional said you should do.
So what about the supernatural needs we have? Those things which only God can do? Those miracles that we need? Who do you think has the better idea of how they should be done? I’d say it would be the One who is all knowing, all powerful, and all caring. He knows your need. He knows the best way to meet that need. And His way is always best. Don’t you think you should obey and submit to Him?
I’m sure that these servants and probably even Mary had their ideas of how this wine problem could be solved. But they were obedient to the instructions of Jesus, they submitted to His idea of how it would be done, and only then was the miracle going to happen. And it’s the same way in your life this evening. Before God can do a miracle for you, you must be completely obedient and submissive to Him, and His way of working.
III. Seeing Miracles Requires An Unwavering Faith In Jesus
Thirdly, this evening, seeing miracles requires that we have an unwavering faith in Jesus. Hudson Taylor tells about his trip to China. As the ship he was sailing on neared a channel, the missionary heard an urgent knock on his door. He opened it, and there stood the captain of the ship. "Mr. Taylor," he said, "we have no wind. We are drifting toward an island where the people are heathen, and I fear they are cannibals. " "What can I do?" asked Taylor. "I understand that you believe in God. I want you to pray for wind." "All right, Captain, I will, but you must set the sail." "Why that’s ridiculous! There’s not even the slightest breeze. Besides, the sailors will think I’m crazy." But finally, because of Taylor’s insistence, he agreed. Forty- five minutes later he returned and found the missionary still on his knees. "You can stop praying now," said the captain. "We’ve got more wind than we know what to do with!"
James says that we must ask of God in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. Seeing miracles demands unwavering faith. You see, these servants not only obeyed Jesus when He said, “Fill these water pots with water,” but they had the faith to obey Him when He said, “Now, take this and give it to the governor of the feast to drink.” That took some serious faith. I mean, it was one thing to go ahead and put water in those pots and kind of laugh under your breath. It was a completely different thing to that what very well could have been water to the governor of the feast, your boss, and tell him to try the wine. That could have been very embarrassing. It could have been very hurtful to your career as a servant in that household. But they obeyed in faith.
As well, it could have been one thing to give that water/wine a taste before you walked into that feast hall just to see if it had really been turned into wine. And I’m sure the unlucky guy that got voted in as water/wine bearer was very tempted to do so, but they didn’t. The Bible says they just did as Jesus told them to do.
And another thing you have to remember… this was the first of Jesus’ miracles. These servants had never seen Jesus do something extraordinary. He had yet to feed the five thousand. He had yet to heal the leper or to raise the dead. He had yet to do anything of that sort. And so it wasn’t like they had recently witnessed Jesus doing some mighty wonders, so they could trust Him to be able to do this. It was a thing of complete faith that this man had the power to do what He was claiming to do. And some brave soul was willing to make that step of faith. And when he did, a great miracle was brought about.
And before Jesus can do something miraculous and amazing in your life, you have to be willing to believe unwaveringly that He can and will do it. All through the Gospels we see wonderful accounts of the miracles of Jesus. And something that is common between all of those miracles is the faith of the ones touched. It was when Jesus saw their faith that He was able to work. Time and time again we hear the words, “Thy faith hath made thee whole,” and, “According to thy faith be it unto you.” When people didn’t have faith Jesus was not able to work. Matt. 13:58 says about a town that Jesus did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief. Seeing miracles requires that we have faith, that we believe in the power and goodness of Jesus. You’ve got to believe that He has the power to touch that physical ailment that’s hurting you. You’ve got to believe that God can meet that financial need that only He can supply. You’ve got to believe that God will save that son or daughter that everyone else has lost hope for. Without your faith it’s impossible for God to work in your life.
Do you need a miracle tonight? Is there something that you need God to step in supernaturally for? Is there a problem or a need that you have that you can’t take care of yourself? If there is, then I know a God who can supply that need for you. I’m serving a God who has the power to heal the sick, provide for the needy, bring lost children home, and meet any other need that you might have. The only requirements are that we have a right perception of who He is, that we obey Him completely, and that we believe Him unwaveringly.
This evening, I wonder if there is someone here who has a need and you need God to step in a do a miracle in your life. You realize that God is not a vending machine, but you know He has the power to do what you need Him to do. You are willing to obey Him and let Him do His work His way. And You have no doubt in His ability to meet your need. If you’re like that tonight, and you want to come an be anointed I would invite you to do so. I know we generally use the oil for physical needs, but tonight I’m opening it up to any kind of miracle. If you need a miracle in your body or in your broken home or in a work situation or in the area of your finance, if you need a miracle for your lost relatives I want you to come and let us pray for you...
