There's Your Sign

Please open your Bibles up this morning to the Gospel according to John.

The Gospel according to John. We have made our way to chapter 2 this morning.

Several weeks in already in the Gospel of John, but that first chapter is so dense and so rich and so full, we took our time.

And I will say, if you're joining us for the first time this morning, you've come at a good time.

We're only one chapter in. I hope you got one of those scripture journals on your way in.

We encourage everybody to take notes as we listen to the sermons. It's a good way for you to follow along.

And Lord willing, by the end of this, we'll have a good understanding, a good grasp of the Gospel of John

and what it has to say about our Savior, Jesus Christ.

So if you would, John chapter 2, and we'll read from verses 1 through 11 this morning.

John 2 · chapter mention

If you are using the Pew Bibles there in front of you, you can find this on page 834.

If you didn't bring your own Bible, 834.

Follow along with me as I read.

On the third day, there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.

Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples.

When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him,

They have no wine.

And Jesus said to her,

Woman, what does this have to do with me?

My hour has not yet come.

His mother said to the servants,

Do whatever he tells you.

Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification,

each holding 20 or 30 gallons.

Jesus said to the servants,

Fill the jars with water.

And they filled them up to the brim.

And he said to them,

Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.

So they took it.

When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine,

and did not know where it came from,

though the servants who had drawn the water knew,

the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him,

Everyone serves the good wine first,

and when the people have drunk freely,

then the poor wine,

but you have kept the good wine until now.

This, the first of his signs,

Jesus did at Cana in Galilee,

and manifested his glory,

and his disciples believed in him.

This is God's holy, perfect word.

Would you bow and pray with me once more?

Lord, we thank you.

We thank you for the beauty and the power of your word,

and we pray now that as it goes forth,

that it would go forth with your spirit.

Lord, that you would accomplish the purposes for which you sinned.

We pray in Christ's name.

Amen.

I think every married couple has a story or two to share from their own wedding day.

You finally come to this moment after months and months,

sometimes even years of planning and preparing,

and you want everything to just go exactly just right,

but sometimes, no matter how much you prepare and how much you plan,

something inevitably goes wrong.

Amanda and I, we made most of the arrangements for our wedding ourselves.

It was very, very homemade, and so we went,

we found a dance floor through a friend of a friend.

We went and we picked it up in a borrowed truck.

We brought it back to the venue that we had selected.

We laid it out ourselves.

I got up.

I climbed up in the trees.

I hung up the lights around the dance floor.

We borrowed chairs from our church.

We set them all out.

We met with the food vendors and the restaurants to determine what the menu would be.

We had a friend serve as the DJ with a borrowed iPod and a playlist that we had put together.

We transformed a gazebo there on site into a photo booth.

We did that ourselves.

We had family bake pies instead of hiring a caterer to do a cake.

And we even had our friends vote on where we should take our honeymoon, which we planned ourselves.

It was all very homemade, and it was an adventure, and we loved it.

But it was not without its flaws.

The night was so busy that neither of us really got to enjoy the food that we had planned out and picked out, selected.

The gazebo had hundreds, if not thousands, of staples stuck in the wood that we later had to go and remove ourselves.

Our friends to this day still give us grief over the fact that we left after the ceremony,

and they remained to clean up and pick up the chairs and tables that we had borrowed.

And to top it all off, the tree that I climbed into to hang the lights, little did I know, was covered in poison oak.

I don't know if it is just the pressure of the moment.

Maybe it's a result of poor preparation, poor planning.

Whatever it is, it seems like weddings are just primed for a little bit of drama.

Our story here in John chapter 2, as you know, is no exception.

John 2 · chapter mention

In our passage here this morning, we see that Jesus has been invited to a wedding.

He's there with his family and his disciples.

No doubt, much planning and much preparation has gone into this event, this celebration.

But as we see, it is not without some drama.

The wine was gone.

This wedding had unintentionally become a dry wedding.

But thankfully, someone was smart enough to include Jesus on the guest list.

What I want us to see this morning is that this wedding drama, this story,

is more than just a story of water turning into wine.

This drama, John tells us, is a sign.

It's the first of the signs that Jesus has done in Cana.

It's a sign of who Jesus is and what Jesus brings.

It shows us that Jesus has the power to transform.

Not just water into wine, yes, that's part of it, but sorrow into joy.

And the question for us as we dig into this account, as we see this story is,

has Jesus worked this miracle in our hearts?

Do we have the joy of knowing Jesus, the giver of true and lasting joy?

Are our lives marked by the joy of knowing Jesus Christ?

We're going to see this unfold in two parts this morning.

This is going to be our outline.

If you're following along and taking notes, two parts here.

We'll see how Jesus transforms from drought to delight.

From drought to delight.

First, John presents us with a problem here.

In verses 1 through 5, there was a drought.

Look there with me.

In verse 1, John lays out the scene for us.

He says,

On the third day, there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee,

and the mother of Jesus was there.

Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples.

Now, a wedding in Jewish culture was one of, if not the most significant events in someone's life.

This was a major affair, a major celebration.

The bride and the groom were treated like royalty.

Often, they were even, they had crowns put on their heads.

And for that duration of the celebration, whatever they said went.

They were in charge.

The wedding feast in this culture, it was not a one or two or three hour event like it often is in hours.

It lasted for seven days.

And it was the responsibility of the host, the bridegroom,

to make sure that all of the guests were properly wined and dined for the duration of the feast.

Well, I'm not sure if they planned poorly.

Perhaps they were not wealthy enough to provide exactly as much as they needed to.

Maybe more guests showed up than anticipated.

We don't know exactly why this problem happened.

But verse 3 tells us the issue.

The wine has run out.

Now, to understand what John is telling us about this passage,

we have to understand how the Bible talks about wine.

This is the issue here in this passage.

We just kind of have to work through this whole alcohol thing for a minute

before we can begin to understand what John is telling us in this passage.

Some of us, I know, may have a personal conviction

that any alcohol consumption of any kind at all times is always sinful.

And so maybe you've never had an alcoholic beverage.

Maybe you never plan to have an alcoholic beverage.

Maybe you have a family history of abuse of alcohol,

personal history of abuse with alcohol.

And so you have chosen to stay away from it.

And if that's you, I want you to hear me very clearly

that if that is your personal conviction,

then you are 100% right to stay away.

You are 100% right.

Because your conscience is bound,

then it would be sinful for you to drink it.

But we need to acknowledge that this is a personal conviction

and not a universal rule.

A personal conviction and not a biblical mandate

for all people everywhere at all times.

The Old Testament, the Bible,

especially in the Old Testament,

it actually speaks very positively about wine.

In the Old Testament,

wine is presented as a good gift from God.

Now, of course, as with any good gift,

it can be abused.

And the Bible is explicitly clear

that drunkenness is always sinful.

I'll say that again.

The Bible is explicitly clear

that drunkenness is always sinful.

But it tells us that wine is a good gift

that gladdens the heart of man,

as we're told in Psalm 104, verse 15.

Psalms 104:15

It's a good gift where an abundance of wine

symbolizes God's blessing,

as we're told in Proverbs 3, Genesis 27.

And a lack of wine often is a sign of God's judgment,

as we see in Isaiah 24, for example.

Now, this is significant for us

as we seek to understand this text,

this passage,

because again,

the central problem here at this wedding

is that the wine is gone.

The wine has run out.

So what does this mean?

Well, the wine is gone.

That means the joy is gone.

The wine is gone.

The celebration is over.

The wine is gone.

The blessing is gone.

This was a major issue to be dealt with.

In fact, in this culture,

they took this so seriously

that if the host did not provide adequate wine

for the guest,

he could be liable for a lawsuit.

No joke.

So Mary, the mother of Jesus,

realizes the issue,

comes to Jesus,

says to him,

they have no wine.

It's difficult,

as you know,

to interpret tone

from written text.

That's often why we misunderstand

text messages and emails.

We have a hard time interpreting tone,

but I'm almost certain

that the tone here

was one of urgent panic

from Mary.

They have no wine.

And as all eyes were beginning

to turn to the bridegroom

to fix the problem,

to the bridegroom

to restore the joy

to the celebration,

Mary,

the mother of the Messiah,

turned her eyes

to Jesus.

Jesus.

They have no wine.

And again,

we can't really read tone

into the text,

but I believe he responds

with a term of endearment,

not disrespect.

Endearment.

As we see in verse 4,

he says,

Woman,

what does this have to do

with me?

My hour

has not

yet

come.

Can you sense the irony

here?

I wonder if you can see

the bigger picture

that Jesus sees

in this story.

See,

to Mary,

she's looking at

the immediate issue.

This is just wine

at a wedding.

She had raised Jesus.

She knew of his innocence,

knew of his power.

She knew how unique

he was

as a son of God.

She knew the tension

of that moment.

And she knew

that surely

if anyone could fix this,

Jesus could.

But to Jesus,

he had something

much,

much bigger

on his mind.

As he looked on

at this dilemma

at the wedding,

he saw the issue

at hand,

but in his mind

he was looking ahead

to a much bigger

dilemma.

Do you see it?

See,

Jesus,

Jesus knew

better than anyone

what this wedding

represents.

is a picture

of Christ

in the church.

He knows

better than anyone

that one day

the bride of Christ,

all of the redeemed,

will gather

to celebrate

the true wedding

of the Lamb

in glory,

and he knows

exactly

what that meal

will cost.

Jesus knows

that the hour

is coming

soon

when he will

take a jar

of wine

and pour it

into glass

and spread it

and share it

with all of his

disciples

and tell them

this cup

is the new covenant

in my blood.

And then the hour

will come

when Christ,

the true bridegroom,

will manifest

his glory

in full

and pour out

blood

from the vessel

of his own body

to purchase

and cleanse

and purify

his bride.

That time

is coming.

That hour

is approaching

for Jesus.

It is ever present,

ever weighing

on his mind,

even right here

at the very beginning

of his ministry,

but it's not

yet here.

He tells Mary,

I can't rush

that moment.

The time,

the hour

has not yet

come.

But we see

he does manifest

his glory

in part.

He does this miracle

as a sign,

we're told,

as a pointer,

again,

of who he is

and what he has

come to do.

You see,

Jesus knows

the state

of our soul.

Jesus knows

the state

of our needy,

dry,

desperate soul

apart from him.

That apart from him

we are spiritually

parched.

We are without joy.

We are without

God's blessing.

We are without

hope.

But that is

exactly

why

he

came.

See,

in one sense,

this story

of water

transforming into wine

is a picture

of our condition,

of our life

apart from Christ.

You may be here

and you think

that you're fine

apart from Christ.

You got everything

you need,

you're fine,

you're fine just

as you are.

You may think

this life is good,

you don't need Christ

at all,

but hear me,

this story

tells us

there is an end

to every worldly

joy,

every worldly

pleasure

apart from

Christ.

Christ.

There will come

a time,

it may be today,

it may be tomorrow,

we don't know when,

there will come a time

when the wine

will run

out.

Then where

will we turn?

Where do we turn

when we're spiritually

dry?

Well,

this story tells us

we turn to the only

one who can bring us

from drought

to delight.

delight.

This is what we see

in our second point

this morning.

We see the transformation

here from drought

to delight.

Look there to verse 6

with me.

Verse 6

shows us

this miracle.

He says,

Now there were

six stone water

jars there

for the Jewish

rites of purification,

each holding

twenty or thirty

gallons.

Jesus said to the

servants,

fill the jars

with water,

and they filled

them up to the

brim and he said

to them,

Now draw some out,

take it to the

master of the feast

and they took it.

When the master

of the feast

tasted the water

now become wine

and did not know

where it came from,

though the servants

who had drawn

the water knew,

the master of the

feast called

the bridegroom

and said to him,

Everyone serves

the good wine

first and when

people have drunk

freely then the

poor wine,

but you have

kept the good

wine

until now.

This is a miracle.

It's the first

recorded miracle

in the Gospel

of John.

It's the beginning

here, the onset

of Jesus'

ministry,

and of course

as with any

miracle in the

Bible, skeptics

and theologically

liberal scholars,

they twist and

they turn and

they work hard

to find ways

to explain this

away.

And they say

that while this

is not scientifically

possible,

it doesn't

happen.

Water does not

become wine

and so therefore

this must not

be a legitimate

story.

And so one way

that they explain

this occurrence

away is that

they say,

well, there must

have been just

a little bit

of wine there

at the bottom

of the jars

and when they

filled the jars

with water,

now it had

mixed together

and it had

some of the

wine taste in

there.

Now we have

the six jars

of really

watered down

wine, but

they were so

drunk from

the rest of

the wine that

everyone thought

Jesus had

performed a

miracle.

But that's

not what John

says, is it?

What does he

say?

He says that

the master of

the feast

tasted the

water, now

become wine,

and praised

the bridegroom for

saving the best

wine for last.

See, believe it

or disbelieve it,

that's your

choice to make,

but we have

to deal with

what John

actually says

here.

We can't just

change it into

what we want

it to say.

But see, skeptics

have a hard time

with miracles like

this because they

don't fit into

their understanding

of the world

and how it

works.

It doesn't fit

into their

framework of how

ordinary life

is.

But I want

you to see

that is exactly

John's point.

You see that?

John is making

a point.

He's showing us

the identity

of Jesus.

He's telling us

that Jesus

is not ordinary.

See, John's not

going out of his

way to tell us

a story of a man

who turned water

into water.

That's not what

he's doing.

He's making a

point that this

man, Jesus,

he is doing

things that don't

ordinarily happen.

This man, Jesus,

is doing things

that cannot be

done.

I've never seen

water turn into

wine before,

but this man,

Jesus, has done

it and it's a

sign, therefore,

of who he is.

He's demonstrating

a power and

ability that's

outside of our

ordinary experience

of normal life.

Science attempts

to explain and

describe what we

see, what we

observe.

John says, I

have seen and

observed some

special things.

The only way I

can describe this

is that this is

the Messiah.

This is the

Son of God.

So you may

leave here and

not believe what

John is saying.

Again, that's your

choice to make,

but we can't

ignore the

claim that he

is making.

We have to do

something here

with it.

John says in

verse 11 that

this was the

first of his

signs.

that Jesus

did in Cana

at Galilee.

He manifested

his glory and

his disciples,

they believed

in him.

The disciples

saw what Jesus

had done.

They believed

that Jesus

was the

Messiah.

This act,

this miracle

was a sign.

It's a sign

that this was

no ordinary

man.

We're going to

see more of

these signs

throughout the

Gospel of John.

This is the

first of these

signs.

In fact,

John has

seven signs

throughout the

Gospel of John.

Some have

called the

Gospel of John

the Book of

Signs.

He's presenting

to us this

claim, this

case.

He's showing

us that Jesus

is not

ordinary.

He is the

Son of

God.

You may not

accept what

John is saying

here, but

let's consider

for a minute

what this

means if

this story

is true.

this means

that Jesus

Christ has

the unique

power to

transform.

Jesus Christ

has the

unique power

to transform.

I want us to

see this in

five ways

here.

First,

Jesus has

the unique

power to

transform

material

objects.

water to

water to

water to

water to

water to

water to

water to

water to

water to

water to

water to

water to

water to

wine.

Water to

wine.

Jesus has

the unique

ability,

unique control

over substances

and materials

in creation,

which gives

us a clue

that he

is distinct

from creation.

He is

the creator.

And John's

already shown

us this,

hasn't he?

Chapter 1,

verse 3,

he says,

all things

were made

through him

and without

him was not

anything made

that was

made.

The water

was made

through him,

the grapes

were made

through him,

the wine

was made

through him,

and as

the sovereign

creator of

everything,

everywhere,

he guides

and controls

all things

even down

to the

smallest

molecules

in existence.

As Colossians

tells us,

he is before

all things

and in him

all things

hold together.

All of it

is from him,

all of it

is through him,

all of it

is for him.

But the

bigger picture,

understanding

of what's

happening here,

at a bigger

level,

we see,

number two,

Jesus has

the unique

power to

transform

the ages.

Jesus has

the unique

power to

transform

the ages.

Where do I

see that?

Well,

you have to

probe a little

bit here,

you have to

kind of

understand the

bigger picture

here.

Look there

with me again

to verse 6.

What was

used for

this

transformation?

Six

stone

water

jars

for the

Jewish

rites

of

purification.

I think

what John

is showing

us here

is that

Jesus takes

this Old

Testament

purifying

practice,

this water

of cleansing

and he

transforms

it into

something

new,

into wine

for celebrating

and for

rejoicing.

What's being

said here?

Well,

I believe

he's showing

us that

Jesus is

doing away

with the

Old Testament,

Old Covenant

matter and

means of

relating to

God and

he is

ushering

forth,

ushering

in something

entirely

new.

It's a

transformation

of the

ages,

a transformation

from the

Old Testament

ways that

people interacted

with God

through external

washing,

external cleansing,

through the

blood of

bulls and

goats that

were temporary

and external

and he's

ushering in

the new

covenant

in his

blood,

spilled

out from

the purest,

cleanest

vessel,

the vessel

of his

own body

for the

forgiveness

of the

sins of

his own

bride so

that we're

no longer

purified and

cleansed from

the outside

but his

blood

cleanses

us from

every sin.

His blood

purifies us

from all

guilt.

The better

true wine

has been

saved for

last.

See,

this is not

just a

transformation

from water

to wine.

This is a

transformation

from age

to age.

It's a

transformation

in how we

relate to

God,

no longer

through external

cleansing,

but through

the very

blood of

Christ

shed for

us

for the

forgiveness

of our

sins,

for our

cleansing

and for

our

joy,

which is

what we

see in

our third

transformation.

We see

number three,

Jesus Christ

has a

unique power

to transform

sorrow

into joy.

joy.

Jesus Christ

has a

unique power

to transform

sorrow

into joy.

Could you

imagine

what the

bridegroom was

feeling here?

Let's put

yourself in

his shoes

for a minute.

Imagine if you

were the

bridegroom here

at this

wedding.

Perhaps he

knows that

he's run

out of

wine.

Surely he

does.

Mary knows.

the servant

knows.

Surely he

feels the

weight of

embarrassment,

of shame,

of guilt,

possibly,

probably anxiety,

worry,

fear of

what might

happen,

worry over

what to do,

and then all

of a sudden

you hear the

master of the

feast call

out your

name in

front of

everyone.

You know

that you're

just about

to be

publicly

humiliated,

but instead

he praises

you.

Everyone

else saves

the best

wine,

serves the

best wine

first,

and then the

poor wine

when the

people have

drunk freely,

but you,

you have

kept the

good wine

until now.

Could you

imagine the

relief that

that man

felt?

His sorrow

in that

moment was

transformed into

joy,

celebration,

all of his

worry,

all of the

weight of

guilt,

all of the

shame is

gone,

and in

its place

is joy.

This is what

Jesus has

come to

do.

I shared

with some

of you,

I shared

with our

men's group

this week

that I had

the privilege

to disciple

some men

in North

Myrtle Beach

when we were

living there,

a couple of

them in the

group,

they were

old enough

to be my

grandfather,

but they

were my

brothers and

my friends.

I loved

them.

over the

past week,

they were

steadily growing

weaker,

growing older,

growing sicker,

and over the

past week,

we got news

that they

were not

in good

health,

and last

Tuesday,

both of

them,

Tuesday

evening,

same night,

both of

them passed

away.

I couldn't

believe it.

But I had

the chance

to call and

to speak

with one

of them

a few

days before

he passed,

knowing that

he was

hours,

days away

from death.

He laughed.

He could

hear the

smile over

the phone.

He sounded

good.

He knew he

was approaching

death's door,

but that man

was full

of joy

in the

Lord.

Let me

tell you

something.

That is not

something that

is possible

to be understood

by the world

around us

apart from

knowing

Christ.

Even the

sorrow that

we feel

in saying

goodbye

to these

men,

we do it

with joy,

knowing that

their suffering

is done.

Their sorrow

is done.

They have

nothing to

look forward

to but

eternal joy

in the

presence of

the Lord

forever.

I don't

want to

make light

of suffering.

It's very

real.

Sorrow

in this

age,

hardship,

pain,

evil,

death,

very,

very real.

But church,

we suffer

as Christians

who have

the joy

of the

Lord.

And knowing

Him

transforms

every ounce

of temporary

sorrow you

will feel

in this

fading age.

Jesus

came

to transform

all sorrow

into joy

for all

who know

the Lord.

And not

just a little

bit of joy.

Number four,

we see that

Jesus has

a unique

power to

transform

absence of

joy to

abundance

of joy.

I'm not a

math person

at all.

So check

my work.

Let's do

the math

here.

There's

six

stone

jars,

each of

them

holding

20 to

30

gallons.

They're

all filled

up to

the brim,

by the

way.

And that

means that

Jesus has

just created

somewhere

between

120 to

180

gallons

of wine.

the best

wine

imaginable.

This is

an abundance

of wine.

And then

go a little

bit further.

A typical

serving of

wine is

about six

ounces.

There are

128 ounces

in a gallon,

which means

you get

about 21

or 22

glasses

per gallon.

Again,

y'all check

my math,

but I think

Jesus just

whipped up

about

3,960

glasses

of wine.

And now

for one

thing,

he just

showed up

every other

person who

brought a

gift to

this wedding.

I don't

know what

the gifts

were normally

like in

this culture,

but I'm

pretty certain

that none

of them

outdid

Jesus on

that day.

This was a

rich gift

from Christ,

but this

is just

how it

is with

Jesus.

This is

how Jesus

gives.

We should

realize that

he is

full of

grace,

full of

truth,

and there

is no

limit on

the blessing

that Jesus

can and

will give

to all

of his

people.

Jesus

Christ does

not give

begrudgingly

or half-heartedly

or reluctantly.

He doesn't

extend grace

and joy

with his

hands gripped

tight around

it,

just wishing

he couldn't

give it

to you.

Jesus

gives

in

abundance

grace,

joy,

happiness,

satisfaction,

forgiveness,

the riches

of the love

of God

poured out

freely

for the

enjoyment

of his

people.

From his

fullness we

have all

received grace.

What?

Grace upon

grace,

which tells

me,

number five,

and here's

where we

close.

Jesus

Christ

has the

power to

transform

you

and me.

Jesus

Christ

alone

has the

unique

power

to

transform

our

dryness

to

delight.

Would

others

describe you

as full

of joy?

joy?

Are you

growing

deeper,

deeper,

deeper

in your

delight

in the

Lord?

Jesus

Christ,

this man

that we're

talking about

this morning

is a

never-ending

source,

an inexhaustible

fountain of

true and

lasting joy,

which means

Christians out

of all people

of the world

ought to be

marked by

joy.

Some of

you here

may be

spiritually

dry because

you don't

know the

Lord.

And if

that's you,

the call

of God

from this

text to

you this

morning

is to

stop

turning,

stop

relying,

stop

drinking

from

temporary

pleasures

that are

here today

and gone

tomorrow.

Stop

living

for fading

joy

and turn

to the

fount

of true

everlasting

joy.

joy.

Turn

to

Christ.

He is

far more

willing to

provide

abundant

joy than

we are

to seek

it in

him.

But some

of us,

I recognize

some of

us,

many of

us,

may be

here this

morning and

are spiritually

dry as

Christians.

And if

you're not

there right

now,

praise God,

but there

will likely

come a time

in your life

when you

will be.

So we

need to be

reminded,

time and

time and

time and

time again

that seeking

joy in

Christ is

not a

one-time

thing at

the beginning

of our

relationship

with him.

This is

something that

we need to

drink again

and again

and again

and be

satisfied with

the goodness

of Christ

again and

again and

again.

When is the

last time

you just

shut

everything

else out

and just

spent time

enjoying

the Lord?

this is

one of

our key

values

here at

Seaweed Bay.

We exist

to magnify

the glory

of God

in the

gospel of

Jesus Christ.

We've got

three ways

that we

do that.

Number

one,

by enjoying

the Lord.

So simple,

yet so

often

overlooked.

Are you

enjoying

him?

Are you

enjoying

him?

Not just

reading the

Bible, but

enjoying the

Lord and

the pages

of his

word.

Are you

enjoying

him in

prayer?

Not just

praying, but

enjoying

fellowship with

Christ?

Are you

enjoying him

with fellowship

with your

fellow brothers

and sisters

in Christ

here at

your church

family?

Not just

coming to

church, but

enjoying the

Lord together?

Are you

enjoying

him?

Christians,

out of all

people, ought

to be marked

by joy, because

again, church,

our joy is

not drawn from

the temporary

pleasures of

this world.

Our joy is

rooted and

drawn from

the overflowing

fountain of

true and

lasting joy.

We close

our time a

couple of

weeks ago

from Isaiah

25, and

I just feel

compelled to

do that

again, because

future hope

breeds present

joy.

We look to

the promises

of God and

remember what

we have to

look forward

to, but the

beauty is we

don't have to

wait until

then to enjoy

it.

That joy has

broken in to

the present.

Christ has

come to

bring joy in

full.

What does he

say?

These things

I have

spoken to

you that

my joy

may be in

you and

that your

joy may be

full.

So we close

once again

with Isaiah

25.

On this

mountain, the

Lord of hosts

will make for

all peoples a

feast of rich

food, a

feast of

well-aged

wine, of

rich food

full of

morrow, of

aged wine,

well-refined.

God, and

he will

swallow up

on this

mountain the

covering that

is cast over

all peoples,

the veil that

is spread over

all nations.

He will

swallow up

death forever,

and the

Lord God

will wipe

away tears

from all

faces, and

the reproach

of his

people he

will take

away from

the earth,

for the

Lord has

spoken.

It will be

said on that

day,

behold,

this is

our God.

We have

waited for

him, that

he might

save us.

This is the

Lord, we

have waited

for him.

Let us be

glad and

rejoice in

his salvation.

Let's pray.

Father, your

word tells us

you make known

to us the

path of

life.

In your

presence there

is fullness

of joy.

At your

right hand

are pleasures

forevermore.

Lord, lead

us to delight

in you.

Deepen our

joy in the

Lord.

We ask that

we would be

marked by

eternal joy.

Help us to

turn from

things that

are fading

and worthless

and set our

mind on

things above.

We pray

in Christ's

name.

Amen.

Amen.

Thank you.