Signs
January 19, 2025 - A message from a member of Red Church

John 2:1-11
The Gospel reading for today says that Jesus’ miracle of turning water into wine was “the first of His signs.” The definition of sign is “something that suggests the presence or existence of a fact, condition, or quality.” Jesus’ signs - His miracles - had a purpose behind them - they offered proof of the fact that Jesus is the Promised One, the Messiah, the Son of God.
These signs - these miracles of Jesus authenticated the words, the teachings, that He spoke. The people that saw the signs could know that what He spoke was from God - it was truth. Jesus said “ Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves..” (John 14:10-11) He also said, “For the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish - the very works that I do - testify about Me, that the Father has sent Me.” (John 5:36).
These signs not only proved that Jesus was sent by God, and He spoke truth, but they also demonstrated Jesus’ divine power and authority. Turning the water into wine revealed Jesus as Creator. John 1:3 tells us that “all things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.” Other signs described in John’s Gospel show Jesus’ power and authority over creation as Healer, as Provider, as Deliverer. He demonstrated His divine power and authority over nature by walking on the water, and over death, by raising Lazarus.
John wrote his gospel as a witness to all people, including us today. God preserved the writings of those who were eyewitnesses of Jesus’ life and ministry and He gave us His written Word, the Bible, so that we too, could see the signs and know who Jesus is - so that we could have faith that He is the Son of God.
But despite the evidence of the signs, some do not believe. Think of the Pharisees - they were eyewitnesses to some of Jesus’ miracles - yet they didn’t believe. They closed their minds to the facts presented before them. Jesus didn’t meet their expectations of who the Messiah would be. His teachings did not line up with their man-made traditions. Following Him would require personal sacrifice, it would require them to give up their political power and influence. John 1:11 says that Jesus “came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.”
The book of Romans tells us that all people have been given a measure of faith. But there must be a connection between faith and truth - the object of our faith must be truth The Pharisees put their faith in their customs and rituals. Jesus told them that they made the word of God of no effect because of their traditions. (Mark 7:13) Their religious practices blinded them to the truth, and they did not believe the signs of Jesus. Like the Pharisees, many people today put their faith in things other than the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. They are not exposed to truth, because they do not read the Bible, which is the source of both truth, and faith. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Last month, we celebrated Christmas - and the main message of Christmas is that through Jesus, God is with us - Emmanuel. And just because we are not living in the 1st century when Jesus walked the earth, it does not mean that we cannot experience “God with us.” Jesus said at the end of the gospel of Matthew, “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
As followers of Jesus, we have recognized the signs that Jesus is the Son of God, that He is our Savior, and we believe it and we have everlasting life. But - do we recognize the signs that He is with us right now - today? Do you see the signs of Emmanuel - the work of the Holy Spirit - in your life? - as your helper? your healer? your provider? your protector? Maybe you haven’t really thought about it. It’s easy for us to take things for granted, and we sometimes fail to appreciate God’s presence and influence over our lives.
But at any time, any one of us can find signs of God’s presence in His Word. It is primarily through Scripture that God speaks to us. When reading the Bible, have you ever noticed how certain verses seem to “jump out at you”? When that happens, I believe that that is a sign that God is speaking to you, personally. Hebrews 4:12 tells us that “the word of God is living and active.” We can apply the truths of the scriptures to our own lives. For instance - if you are dealing with anxiety or fear in your life, you can go to God’s Word to learn what He has to say about worry or fear - and you’ll find that God will speak directly to you, through the words of the scriptures, giving you the comfort, or peace, or assurance, or whatever it is that you need at that particular time. Every situation that you will ever face in life is addressed somewhere, in some way, in the Bible.
May we all be encouraged to look for the signs - the evidence - of God with us and may we all be aware of and thankful for the good things with which God has blessed us. Amen.