When God saves, He provided numerous graces, so that the saved may move towards the life that He designates. When the saved live according to salvation, then God is satisfied (Mt. 25:22-23). This is why salvation is amazing. It is the believers greatest boast. It is a Christian’s strength which only grows stronger over time (2 Pt 1:4). Salvation is God’s wonderful gift.

What is salvation?
The context starts with man. Man is a sinner with no hope and unable to self regenerate. We wrongly think salvation begins with our effort and results in God’s donation. Salvation only belongs to God. We have no part. In addition, we don’t know the specific reason why a certain person is saved. How can we, when we are saved from beginning, when nothing existed but God alone. Yet God in his foreknowledge, decided to save. Our lives were surely head towards destruction before God showed mercy and intervened. What we know is that God is love and instead of pouring out His wrath, God shows mercy (1 Jn 4:8, Jn 3:16, Mi 7:18-19).

God is faithful
If God fails to keep His promises, then our salvation is not possible. On the contrary, God is the most trustworthy and always keeps his promises. Wherever you go, whatever you do, you can trust in God and depend on Him.

`and to remember his holy covenant`
God remembers. In fact, God doesn’t have to remember since He knows everything at all times. He is omniscient. When God remembers, He is emphasizing and adding surety for our sake. Man forgets, but God remembers. He never forgets His promises. From Genesis 3:15, we find God’s promise of Eve’s descendant crushing the serpent and written in Luke, Jesus is the son of Enosh. God even remembers all our sin (Rev 20:12-13). God will undoubtedly remember His holy covenant.

A covenant is the historical method used by God to bring us into a relationship with Him. God entered into a covenant with Abraham. This covenant in the Old Testament parallels the new covenant in Jesus in the New Testament. The promise to Abraham was many descendants dwelling in the land and being protected. Abraham wants to know for sure God will do what He says. (Gen 15:8). God then commands Abraham to divide various animals and lay them opposite each other. God then passes (cuts) through them, establishing His covenant with Abraham. The word covenant means ‘to cut’. We see God’s faithfulness in the establishing of the covenant with Abraham, as He passed through the animals.

Application
Jesus is the guarantee and fulfillment of the new covenant (Heb 7:22, Ac 4:12). Through Jesus, God has made a covenant with those He saved. If you believe in Jesus and trust His faithfulness, then even though your situation gets darker, your hope gets brighter (2 Th 1:5,9-10). We must remember God’s faithfulness through the gospel of Jesus Christ. God’s covenant are not just words, but power to convict and save. Depend on God like a child, simply and fully. He is the same God, same covenant, same faith. God is faithful, must also be faithful to Christ.

In the long-awaited moment of John the Baptist’s birth, the first words out of Zacharias’ mouth were not about his precious newborn son, but they were a benediction of God’s salvation. He blessed the Lord because he believed God was truly praiseworthy. He understood the power of God’s salvation and expressed his thankfulness and praise.

God is the God of our salvation. Salvation is simply this: Christ is in me, and I am in Christ. In a world that holds so many different views of salvation, it is important to have a biblical view of salvation because each one will live by his own belief of how to be saved. What does the Bible say about salvation? Zacharias’ benediction tells us the ultimate purpose of why God saved us. In these verses, we can see three hallmarks of true salvation, the first of which we will consider today.

Biblical salvation is possible because God is merciful. God does everything based on His goodness, kindness, and love. His mercy is not merely an abstract idea, but He shows us His mercy through Jesus Christ. We see God’s mercy in Jesus’s miracles, and ultimately, His death on the cross for our sins. It is symbolized in many ways in the Old Testament, such as the mercy seat in the tabernacle covering the sins of Israel. We receive God’s mercy through Christ alone. (Jn 1:4-5, 11-12; Rom 3:25)

God’s mercy is rich. The prodigal son asked for nothing more but for his hunger to be satiated, but his merciful father not only gave him a feast, but lavished him with all his goods. This is a picture of God’s mercy, and only those who truly know the richness of God’s mercy find satisfaction in Christ alone. Where there is mercy, there is the grace of God, and where there is grace, there is faith.

Many Christians debase God’s mercy and don’t value it much in their lives. They don’t understand the evilness of their own heart, but they believe they are good and have something to offer to God. Let God’s mercy into your heart, and let it remain. God’s mercy is towards His elect, and He invites us to come to Him through Christ Jesus. (Lk 15:17, 22-3)

How do you know you have God’s mercy? This is important to consider, because without God’s mercy there is no salvation. In Luke 7:37-39, we find a perfect picture of what someone who has experienced God’s mercy is like. There was a woman who was known publicly as a sinner, but God showed her mercy and forgave her sin. She therefore gave everything up for Jesus, including her sin, by God’s mercy. Those who truly understand God’s mercy want to commit to Christ fully, submitting to Jesus’ lordship in their lives. Moreover, those who experience God’s rich mercy is merciful. Just as how Stephen imitated Jesus on the cross when he himself was martyred, believers are able to forgive and show mercy to others because Christ, who is the fountain of all mercy, abides in them. (Lk 23:34; Acts 7:60)

Salvation is by God’s mercy. Let His mercy abide in you, and show His compassion and love towards others.

The Gospel of John focuses on the deity of Christ framed in seven miracles. Jesus manifested the glory of God through the miracles He did (v11). Since God does not share His praise or glory, Jesus undeniably demonstrates He is truly the Son of God. The culture of that time fully understood Jesus’ claim and wrongly accused Jesus of blasphemy to the point of crucifixion.

Background
Cana was a small town 3.7 miles from Nazareth. It had maybe 500 population. It was a town where everyone knew each other, everyone was friends and family and everyone was invited to the wedding. Jesus was also at the wedding, celebrating the joy of the marriage. Marriage is a wonderful blessing ordained by God, so naturally Jesus would be there.

The Crisis
A crisis happened at this wedding. The wine ran out. This was not a crisis because the people loved to drink; it was a neglect of hospitality. It was a severe breach of etiquette as well as shame for the groom. It could even escalate into the bride’s family suing the groom because he had not prepared properly for their daughter’s wedding. Wine was the main drink at a wedding and a wedding without wine was a disaster. In comparison, Jesus is central and necessary for life. Life without Jesus is a disaster.

Mary Turns to Jesus
When Mary, the mother of Jesus, told him there is no wine she probably wasn’t expecting a miracle. She was simply a mother relying on her eldest son to find a solution. Maybe he would go out and buy some more wine?

Jesus replies with ‘woman’, instead of ‘mom’. Many misinterpret this greeting as disrespect. ‘Woman’ is not disrespectful but a courteous addressing. Jesus is showing that what he is doing is not because His earthly mother asked him to, but because it is the will of His heavenly Father. The miracle was not done as a favor to Mary, but with the power of His deity for the purpose of His ministry. He is obeying God’s will as the Son of God.

Mary understands what Jesus is saying and humbly submits. She doesn’t get offended but instead tells everyone else to do as Jesus says. Similarly, knowing our life is in crisis, we must also submit and turn to Jesus for salvation.

Jesus Saves
Jesus then turns pots of water into wine. Jesus rescued the wedding. Not only did he miraculously turn water into wine, but it was much better than the original wine. As the guest explains, normally wine worse as the wedding goes on. Similarly, as life goes on, we get weaker and weaker, life gets worse and worse. But here Jesus turned it into good wine! Through Jesus we have the good news (the gospel), by which our deteriorating life can be made good.

4 dilemmas in life (even non believers will admit)

1. Everybody is a sinner (Rom 3:23)

2. We will all die. (Rom 6:23)

3. Everyone is judged (Heb 9:27)

4. We cannot save ourselves. In fact, we don’t want to be saved.

The 4 dilemmas explain the crisis in every person’s life. It is only by God’s grace can a man’s stubborn heart be made to seek God and desire to be saved. By our sins, we have given God countless reasons to not love us, yet He still shows mercy. It is only by His grace can we be saved.

Only Jesus can save us like He saved this wedding. He became man as God. He understands our plight and overcame our crisis, our inability and helplessness. Jesus is the good wine, the good news. His death on our behalf and resurrection on the third day is the miracle by which we are saved.  With His life and death, Christ fulfilled the holy law which no man could. Jesus saw our best which ended in crisis and then died to forgive it.

What must man do?
We must repent of our sins and believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior.  Repentance is confession of wrong and changing of mind, heart and life.  Belief is trust in Christ with your life. Those who follow Jesus are convicted He is the Son of God who saved them from death. They love Jesus for what He has done and obey Him.

Mary’s rejoicing and praising the Lord stemmed from her faith, her humility, and as shown in these verses, her knowledge of God.

Mary Knew God Provides
Verse 53: He has filled the hungry with good things

The spiritual climate of Jerusalem was not very healthy. While extremely religious, the people  were very hypocritical. In Mary’s life God had provided a righteous husband and faithful cousin, to help Mary in her situation. Still, her life was in danger and her future was very bleak, yet she trusted in God’s provision for the hungry. Her song of praise stemmed from her faith and knowledge  in God’s word (Ps 107:9).

God Cares and Provides
God cares both generally for all creation and men and specifically for the believer through their redemption in Jesus Christ. There are numerous examples of Scriptures of God showing care to the weak and needy and people acknowledging His care (Ps 27:10, Is 48:15, Lk 22:31-35, Lk 13:34).

God cares for your physical needs. In Matthew 6, Jesus says not to worry for God feeds the birds and clothes the flowers (Mt 6:25-31). This is one of the first truths we must realize of God. He is the one who cares and provides (Ps 24:10). It is fundamental to our attitude towards God that we trust in His provision in all areas of our lives.

Spiritually Hungry
God also provides for those who are spiritually hungry. Like the eunuch trying to understand the prophecy of Jesus, God provides someone to explain. Just as Zaccheus was unsatisfied with his wealth, he found satisfaction in Jesus. We must realize as sinners, we are spiritually poor. Not just poor, but completely bankrupt, without a single spiritual cent. It is those who confess their poverty and hunger who will be blessed and inherit the kingdom of heaven (Mt 5:3). Our first partaking in the gospel of Jesus is our admittance of our need for the Savior, our spiritual hunger. Take care to remember and remain spiritually hungry, otherwise we go astray and backslide in our faith (1 Pt 2:2).

Those who are spiritually fed will share Christ with those around them. Christians are silent because they are not filled with Christ. A healthy church is a church who is spiritually hungry and being fed with God’s word. A healthy church is filled with joy and growing as a true body of Christ. A healthy church is what we want to be.

Mary Trusts the Faithfulness of God
He has given help to Israel His servant, In remembrance of His mercy, As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever.

God is faithful to the promises of His word. The promise given to Abraham was not just to the Israelites but for many nations (Gen 12:2). Through Jesus, God fulfills His promise of mercy. Sin is most terrible and there is nothing worse. Any tragedy and hardship, any death any crime is because of sin. All pain and sorrow is due to sin. We do not hate sin as we should. We fail to grasp the pervasive devastation of sin and as a result, we fail to rejoice to Christ who saves us from it. Christ is the source of joy when sin is our enemy.

Wonderfully, God is faithful to His promises of mercy and salvation (Ps 98:3). He is not obligated to show mercy to any of us. Yet he remembers and is determined to show mercy to us who are sinners (Eph 1:4-6). Those who practice faith and bear the fruit of sanctification are counted as descendants of Abraham (Rom 1:16-7, 9:6-7).

Conclusion
Mary rejoiced because the baby she carries is the Savior! The Savior who would die on a cross and rise again to take away our sins. She trusted in God’s provision in her physical and spiritual needs and remembered God’s faithfulness to His promises. Let us also rejoice like Mary, who had faith, was humble and knew her God.

The knowledge of God is key to remaining joyful in all circumstances because God Himself is the foundation of joy. Despite Mary’s trying circumstances, she was able to rejoice because of her biblical theology. In these verses, we see Mary’s understanding of God.

Mary knew God as merciful. And His mercy is upon generation after generation…
Mercy and grace come through Jesus Christ. Just as faith is never without repentance, so mercy and grace always go hand in hand. Mercy and grace are distinct from one another. Grace is when God gives the sinner what he does not deserve- salvation and blessings. Mercy is when God does not give the sinner what he does deserve- punishment, judgment, and wrath. God’s ultimate display of mercy is Christ on the cross, who suffered and died in order to offer sinners God’s mercy and grace.

Mary understood she was a sinner who received God’s mercy. This understanding was the spring that brought forth joy, even when she faced a difficult trial. We see that joy is not circumstantial, but spiritual, and only believers who experience God’s mercy and grace can experience joy. When you are suffering under various circumstances and are tempted to be in despair, think deeply about God’s mercy and grace and you will find your footing again as you see God’s mercy sovereign over all difficulties. Your salvation could not be bought or earned- it was given by His choice. His mercy has extended from man’s Fall to today; it has never and will never cease.

Why do we fail to experience joy in God? God’s mercy is towards those who fear Him. We must check our hearts- what do you fear? Or in other words, what idols do you have in your heart? God pours His mercy on those who fear Him, who hold a high view of His majesty and holiness. A right fear of God comes through knowing that God is love and God is just. His love stirs us to be thankful, and His justice compels us to give homage to Him. In any situation, if you fear God, you will find refuge in His mercy. He will be greater than whatever you face.

Mary knew God as mighty. He has done mighty deeds with His arm…
Every earthly kingdom rises and falls by God’s might and will. He is above all kings, rulers, and authorities. By the power of God, Mary the virgin conceived. There are only two types of religion in the world- false salvation by man’s achievements, or salvation by God’s accomplishment in Christ. By His sovereign might, God has done the impossible- He saved us.

Why do we fail to experience God’s power? God’s power is upon humble men. Humility is self-denial. It is to think nothing of yourself, and to see God as greater than whatever you face. God has His own purpose for you. Wherever you go, there is never a shortage of people who need the gospel and your service. If you are humble, you will be useful to God. Even our Lord was humbled when He was baptized by John the Baptist before He began His ministry. Humility is a mark of a true child of God because Christ was humble. When you think nothing of yourself, God’s power is yours, and you will therefore have joy.

Dwell upon the mercy and might of God in Jesus Christ. There you will find joy.