Water or Wine? Which are you living in? > We have been looking at our Lord’s first miracle (St. John 2) and what messages are to be gleaned from it. We’re talking about his turning the water to wine at the wedding. As with many things in the Bible, we see God has encoded messages to be understood by those who have eyes to see, and this event is full of such messages! Very powerful messages!

It’s like trying to eat an elephant. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time, so they say. And so today I try to illuminate one more piece of this miracle puzzle. We have spoken of how the master of the ceremony said the best wine had been saved for last! And scholars believe this is speaking of a Last Days Revival that will be greater than all previous outpourings of God’s Holy Spirit.

However, whether this is that, whether we live to see that or not, what is in this miracle for us to embrace today, for us, NOW? There is a lot. But let’s chew on this one, today. When God rescued the Children of Israel out of slavery in Egypt, and painted us a picture of salvation in the crossing of the Red Sea, in which Pharoah and his army drowned, we see He led them into a wilderness. A wilderness? Why God?

His promise was to lead them to a promised land flowing with milk and honey, but there was a period of testing between Egypt and the Promised Land. This place was known as the wilderness, desert, a hard place to inhabit. A place where the old man needed to die before entering the supernatural of the Promised Land. A place where the flesh was meant to be put under while the Spirit would be empowered. Unfortunately, that generation of Israel really struggled, and failed to pass through the wilderness. It became their home until they died. Tragic really. And not God’s desire for them. Wilderness life became their way.

God’s will was the Promised Land as He had said. There final point of failure was when they sent the 12 spies into the land, but 10 of them came back with a report of “we can’t do this!” And fear kept them from obeying God. But look at this report of something they found in that land: >

“Then they came to the Valley of Eshcol, and there cut down a branch with one cluster of grapes; they carried it between two of them on a pole.” (!!!) (Numbers 13:23a)

Giant grapes! The Promised Land not only flowed in milk and honey, but also had giant grapes! A land of wine! You mean God’s will for us can be compared to a fine wine? Is not that what the master of the ceremony said? You saved the best wine for last? And who made that wine? Jesus! Look what the Israelites settled for, rather than God’s best. Sure, there was a fight there, but so was a mighty fine wine that God says was theirs!

The wilderness was desert like, a dry land, in which they were constantly searching for water and crying out for water, when God wanted them to enjoy a land with both plenty of water and wine! A merry heart doeth good like a medicine! But remember, we’re not talking a merry heart drunk on man’s wine. We’re talking drunk on God’s Holy Spirit! And believe me, it’s actually a very good analogy. Christians living in the Promised Land have a joy hard to explain, even like the Apostle Paul in prison. He had a supply of wine from somewhere.

Wine is not only a celebration of weddings, but also of warriors. More will be spoken of that later. If you study Jacob’s prophecy to Judah you will catch a glimpse of what I mean. God wants to take our water and turn it into His wine. The water of His Word enters us for years. For me, its been almost 70 years. Actually, if you count time in my mother’s womb, it has been 70 years. But as God’s Word ages in us, it begins to come out as a fine wine! As God’s anointing dwells on us, He turns our water into His wine! Praise God forever!

I have the great and humbling honor to share God’s Word with 12 incredible men in a small group called, Brave Heart. I take this very seriously. We have been looking at this whole thing of God turning our water to His wine, and how OUR part is the water! Not the wine! If we do OUR part to fill our vessel, our pot with the water, then God will do His part, but until we do, we experience wilderness living, not the Promised Land, because that land also flows in a mighty fine wine! This is God’s supernatural and there are not any ways to really verbally explain it.

So how do we make that effort to fill our pot with water? It’s all the things God has told us to do. Mary told the servants, whatever He says, do it! We need to cease from our own works, and do His. This is living in the 7th Day everyday. Entering God’s supernatural REST. It’s not just reading and learning His Word. That Word in us is meant to be lived!

If you know the Word but do not pray, your pot is almost empty. We become the five foolish virgins who get left. Yikes! Don’t want that!

What is Jesus, by His Word and by His Holy Spirit telling us to do? What do we give of our money? Our time? Are we self sacrificing or self serving? Is our faith proven by good works? Are we spiritually growing into the Bride or remaining a child? Are we involved in spiritual warfare? Do we have a good Church body we are involved with? Do we have the kind of brother and sister fellowship God tells us to have? God does not expect us to be perfect in these things, but we are to be growing in them! All those things and more, make up water going into our pot. these are all thing we CAN DO. Is our pot full yet? We don’t want to be the unbelieving 10 spies.

God does the perfecting, not us. If I teach anything and it comes out as a fine wine? Let me tell you right now, that’s God, not me! I grew up a complete introvert terrified of speaking in public! If I write something and it flows as a fine wine, it’s God, folks. Not me. He gave whatever talents I may have. This may sound bad, but my highest aim in my service to God is to just be a donkey He can ride in on.

Imagine this. When Jesus rode into Jerusalem that day on that donkey, and all the people were shouting Hosana! And waving palm leaves! Laying palm leaves on the dirt for the donkey to walk on! Can you imagine if the donkey thought they were all worshiping him? Can you imagine if that donkey had considered any of that glory to be about him?

I will say though, that was one lucky donkey, and he was chosen. If I remember right, he had never been ridden by anyone. I wonder what that might mean? Set apart? Undefiled? Holy? I can think of a few things it could mean. A donkey even spoke once and saved a prophets life. So there is honor to being someone the Spirit of God is able to ride in on. For sure! But don’t let it go to your head if you want to continue being such a person. We all should desire to be such a person.

It is God’s will for us! He wants each of us to have that honor! Why live in God’s wilderness of testing when you can be in the milk and honey He desires for us? We are called to high places! He has the wings of eagles He desires to give us! A supernatural way of living that cannot be explained in human terms. It’s all ours in Christ, in His Name, like a marriage. Here comes the Bride!

“BECAUSE he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, BECAUSE he has known My name.” (Psalms 91: 14)

If any good thing comes from me, or from any of us, it’s because HE turned our water to HIS wine. Amen! So be it!