The
mission of the world is to remove the supernatural from the Bible. If this can be done, then Christ was just
another good man who lived a commendable life.
- People
react to miracles differently – Some hear the voice of God, others just hear
thunder. Some praise God for what
they witnessed, others run and tell the cops. – Some hear and understand the
spoken word of God others hear drunken men speaking gibberish.
John 12:28-29 – Voices or
thunder
28 Father, glorify your name!" Then a voice
came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and will glorify it again."
29 The crowd that was there and heard it said it
had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him. NIV
John 11:45-46 – Different
strokes for different folks
45 Therefore many of the Jews who had come
to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in him.
46 But some of them went to the
Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. NIV
Acts 2:13 – They spoke in a different language
13 Some, however, made fun of them and said,
"They have had too much wine." NIV
MIRACLES – WONDERS – SIGNS
Satan
can produce miracles.
Some
miracles are not immediate.
They
are a sign that is easily observable.
They
must be visible events – This is essential to their purpose.
They
impress the beholder with the nature and attributes of God.
They
exist that men may believe the Lord, the God of their fathers.
They
demonstrate His greatness, power, mercy and miraculous punishment.
They
are events in the “outward” world, not “inward” workings of providence and
grace.
Acts 2:22 – Miracles are wonders and are a sign
Men of Israel
DIVISION OF MIRACLES
Miracles
have three distinct divisions
- POWER
OVER NATURE
Water - The Red Sea , The Jordan, Marah,
Merabah, Rephidin, Jericho
ax head, Carmel Bethesda
Fire - Pillar of fire, Shenkinah fire, Carmel
Oil – The Widow’s cruse, oil in vessels
Sun - Joshua, the dials of Ahaz and Hezekiah, the
last days
Food – Manna, meal in the barrel, feeding hundreds or
thousands.
Natural Elements – Thunder, hail, rain,
floods, earthquakes, withered trees, opened doors.
Animate Realm – Frogs, lice, flies,
murrain, locust, ravens, lions, fish, swine and vipers.
- POWER
OVER SICKNESS AND DISEASE – Boils, leprosy, poisonous serpents, deadly
pottage, withered hands, sickness, fevers, issue of blood, dropsy, blindness,
deafness, dumbness, lameness and infirmities.
- POWER
OVER DEMONS – The witch at Endor, demoniacs, lunacy, unclean spirits
and even Satan who is on a leash like a dog and cannot go beyond divine
permission.
CATEGORIES OF MIRACLES
Miracles
were divided into five categories.
- Divine
–
Each person in the Trinity exercised miraculous power.
- Angelic – Delegated beings
to carry out God’s will and work; Gabriel, Michael and others.
- Jesus
Christ
– To whom ALL power was given – who prophets foretold as “The Son of Man”.
- Prophets – Human Agents - Servants of God performing
miracles as they were delegated; Moses, Aaron, Joshua, Samson, Samuel,
Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Peter, Stephen, Philip, Paul Barnabas and other
Apostles and Disciples.
- Evil
Agents – Counterfeit miracles
are designed to support false religions – Satan and those he controls have
power to do counterfeit miraculous wonders.
The spirit world is
divided into two realms:
Satan and his demons and God
and his faithful angels.
The evil spirits not only
temp man to sin, but also makes them suffer from sickness and diseases. So both sin and sickness have a common
demonic origin.
Christ came to destroy the works of Satan.
1 John 3:8 – Christ came
to destroy sin, sickness and diseases.
8 He that commits sin is of the devil; for the
devil sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was
manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. KJV
Acts 10:38 – Sickness is from Satan
38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the
Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that
were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. KJV
COUNTERFEIT MIRACLES
- In the Old Testament
we can see the magicians using their secret arts to produce what seem to be miracles, signs and
wonders.
- Every miracle should
be examined to determine the origin of the work. Does it line up with the Bible – Is it a
sign for the unbeliever – What is the wider implication of the sign?
- These wonders are so
convincing that even the Christian can be deceived if that were
possible. (So study the Word)
- Genuine
miracles are always “signs” that teach a lesson. Every miracle of God is a part of God’s
great integrated system of revealed truth.
2 Thess 2:9 – Counterfeit
miracles
9 The coming of the lawless one will be in
accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit
miracles, signs and wonders NIV
14 Because of the signs he was given power to do
on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth.
He ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the
sword and yet lived. NIV
Matt 24:24 – False workers
of miracles
24 For
false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and
miracles to deceive even the elect-if that were possible. NIV
Ex 7:11 – The secret arts are given by Satan
11 Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers,
and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts:
NIV
Ex 8:6-7 – Magicians use
slight of hand and secret arts
7 But the magicians did the same things by their secret
arts; they also made frogs come up on the land of Egypt
14 They are spirits of demons performing miraculous
signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for
the battle on the great day of God Almighty. NIV
MIRACLE definition
- The word Miracle comes from the Latin word “miraculum”
meaning a marvelous event or an event that causes wonder. – They are historical
events or natural phenomena which appear to violate natural laws, but
point to the hand of God acting for mankind.
- Spoken of as; Signs and Wonders –
Display of Power - Distinctively Wonderful - Mighty – Powerful – Marvelous
Works - Significant – Extraordinary – Astonishment – Amazement – Marvelous
Things – Strange Thing – Great Thing.
- No one term can
possible describe all the significance of a miracle. All the terms emphasize the exercise of Divine
power. They are visible emblems
of what He is and what He came to do. – They are a token and
indication of the near presence
and working of God.
- Webster says: An event or action that apparently
contradicts known scientific laws and is hence thought to be due to
supernatural causes, specifically an
act of God.
- It’s a work wrought
by Divine Power for a Divine Purpose by means beyond the reach of
men.
- In the OT, the word
SIGN denoted a miracle that pointed to a deeper revelation. The wise men followed a sign in the sky – a star – a deeper
revelation, a king.
- A miracle must be above nature; like the
resurrection of Lazarus or outside
of nature; like the multiplication of the loaves of bread which
nature can do, but not in the manner that actually occurred.
- To the
Christian a miracle or sign is
A)
An extraordinary event, inexplicable in terms of ordinary natural
forces –
B) It
is an event that causes the observer to postulate a superhuman personal
cause –
C)
It is a sign of implications
much wider than the event itself.
Matt 2:1-2 – A miracle – a
SIGN – a star – a king
2:1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea
in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem
2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the
Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship
him. KJV
ORDINARY WORKS or ACTIVITY of
God
- Miracles are
different from “the
- Miracles must be
separated from the ordinary reoccurring works of God such as a sunrise, a
shoot from a planted seed or the birth of a child.
- For the Christian
there are answers to prayers that certainly show the hand of God in action
in their life, but do not necessarily have a “demonstrative sign”
for the unbeliever.
- However, for the
person who no longer in pain, they certainly feel like their healing is a
“miracle”.
SPECIAL WORKS or ACTIVITY of God
- Miracles are
scattered though out the Old Testament and especially appear in connection
with Moses, Joshua, Samuel, Elijah and Elisha.
- The miracles were the
special activity of God showing Him as being in control of guiding history
down through the ages; every moment, every circumstance.
- Miracles are events
which dramatically reveal this living, personal nature of God, active in
history not as mere Destiny, but as a Redeemer who saves and guides His
people.
- He reveals more and
more of His design for “the plan of salvation” as the stages of history unfold
with each stage building on the previous. Seldom did God introduce
miracles into the course of day to day events.
PURPOSE of miracles
- There are about 40 “recorded”
references of miracles of Jesus in the NT and many more that were not
written down.
- Signs, wonders and
Miracles testify of the authority of God and the work of His Son.
- Sick people gathered
in the
- The reason miracles, signs and
wonders were done was so that we might believe on Jesus as the son of God
and obtain life through His name.
- The miraculous
multiplication of the loves and fishes – the calming of the storm –
walking on water. These types of miracle stories are actually “epiphanies” which reveal something
about the hidden and more profound character of Jesus.
- Most miracles are
produced by the “agency” of God through His representative to
confirm and authenticate the message that His representative brings. They are proper proof that the
miracle-worker could claim “he was accepted” by God - They are mainly
wrought for the sake of the “unbeliever”.
- Jesus Himself
regarded His miracles as evidence that He was from God – and was God.
- If we do not believe
in Miracles, then our faith is dead – The miracle of Christ’s resurrection
from the dead is the hinge pin of our faith.
- A miracle was not
only proof of God’s existence, but also testified of His faithfulness, His
saving love and Holy justice, His power, protection, salvation and glory.
John 20:30-31 – The purpose
30 Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the
presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book.
31 But these are written that you may believe
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have
life in his name. NIV
Heb 2:3-4 – Signs, wonders
and miracles point to His “salvation”
This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord,
was confirmed to us by those who heard him.
4 God also testified to it by signs,
wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed
according to his will NIV
Acts 5:12 – Christians
were doing the work of God
12 The apostles performed many miraculous signs
and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together
in Solomon's Colonnade. NIV
John 5:36 – The miracles testify of God
For the very work that the Father has given me to
finish, and which I am doing, testifies that the Father has sent me. N
IV
John 10:36-39 – Believe
the miracles and understand
37 Do not believe me unless I do what my Father
does.
38 But if I do it, even though you do not believe
me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the
Father is in me, and I in the Father." NIV
John 11:25-26 – Christ is
the miracle of the resurrection.
25 Jesus said to her, "I am the
resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he
dies; NIV
1 Cor 15:13 – No resurrection miracle - then Christ not raised
13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then
not even Christ has been raised. NIV
1 Cor 15:17 -19 – The hinge pin – No resurrection, we are lost
17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith
is futile; you are still in your sins.
18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in
Christ are lost.
19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ,
we are to be pitied more than all men. NIV
John 14:23-24 – My words
are from God
24 He who does not love me will not obey my
teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father
who sent me. NIV
FREQUENCY of miracles
- There were three
periods or “Epochs” of miracles recorded in the Bible.
- During the exodus of
- During the time of
the prophets and they guided
- During the time of
Jesus ministry.
- Epoch
one
-the years of the exodus, the miracle
of manna from heaven must have seemed quite common place as it
occurred every day for 40 years…. But it
hasn’t happened since.
- Epoch
two
- the time of the prophets, a
widow’s jug of oil and jar of flour stayed full day after day
during the prophet’s stay in her home. – A daily occurrence of the same
miracle.
- Epoch
three
- the time of Jesus, the laws
of gravity was suspended for Peter and he walked on water, dead people
came back to life. We haven’t seen much of that lately.
- There is no
uniformity of frequency for when miracles occurred or the quantity of
them.
- There have been long
periods of time in scriptures, two, three, or even four centuries where
there were no recorded miracles.
- Does
God do “demonstrative miracles” today?
Most ministries and Godly servants of God do not exhibit miracles
of God, only the message of His “Miracle
of Grace”.
- There
is no conclusive proof that miracles actually have taken place since
apostolic times. However, God may provide a miracle today if he so
chooses.
Luke 4:25-27 – Miracles
follow no pattern of time.
25 I assure you that there were many widows in Israel
26 Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but
to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon
27 And there were many in Israel
1 Kings 17:15-16 Jar of
oil and Jar of flour stayed full
15 She went away and did as Elijah had told her.
So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family.
16 For the jar of flour was not used up and the
jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the LORD spoken by Elijah. NIV
Ex 16:4 – Bread every day
for 40 years
4 Then the LORD said to Moses, "I will
rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and
gather enough for that day. NIV
MIRACLES have WITNESS’
- The miracles and
miraculous works of the prophets and Jesus were not done in secret, but
were done in full view of the witnessing public.
Acts 26:26 – The miracles
were not done in secret
26 The king is familiar with these things, and I
can speak freely to him. I am convinced that none of this has escaped his
notice, because it was not done in a corner. NIV
John 18:20 – Teaching were taught openly
20 "I have spoken openly to the world,"
Jesus replied. "I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all
the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret. NIV
GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT – a
miracle
- On the
“Day of Pentecost” God poured out His Spirit and the believers received
the gifts of the Spirit. Each
believer had at least one gift and all the gifts were present in
the body of the believers. They
were for ministering to the common good of the church body.
- Word of Wisdom - Word
of Knowledge - Special Faith - Gifts of Healing - Miraculous powers - Discerning
of Spirits - Speaking in Tongues and Interpreting Tongues – Serving –Prophesying – Teaching – Encouraging
– Giving - Leading and Mercy.
- NOTE: Gifts of healing is “plural”
suggesting that there are different kinds of healing. I desire
and seek the gift of healing cancer and that of discerning good and evil
spirits.
- We are told to desire
and seek the best gifts. Even with
that, they cannot be “achieved”, they are God given.
- Speaking
in Tongues
- There is much said today about the use
and misuse of this gift and was addressed by Paul in his letters to
the church – My reading of the scripture indicates that the listeners
heard the Disciples speak to them in their own “known” language which
the “scoffers” didn’t understand and just thought they were
drunk. There is much debate over whether
the miracle was an “Unknown” language spoken that the listener understood
or that the Disciples actually spoke in their “Known” language and
dialect; and has it ceased.
- Prayer
Language
- About 30 years ago I found myself while in prayer uttering words I did
not understand. – I shared this with my pastor and he said he also had a
prayer language.
- Prophecy – is a better gift to study – The Bible word
is “Propheteuo” which means “to magnify God”-“To speak of divine things”, and has nothing
to do with foretelling the future, but of witnessing to the grace of Jesus
Christ and magnifying His name. So
when you read about people “prophesizing” they are praising God’s name
and His attributes. Paul
wanted everyone to prophesy.
- Miracles are a SIGN to the pagan, the unbeliever
– they are a “convicting experience”.
- The miracle of people
speaking in tongues are a SIGN
to the unbeliever.
- Can we
operate with miracle spiritual gifts today? Yes, as the HOLY SPIRIT determines. NOTE: Because we see very little of the gifts
displayed, most believe that the gifts ended with the Apostles. However, I do not find anywhere that the
gifts were recalled; in fact I find that they are forever. These gifts were given so that
compassionate believers could minister to others, but it is “as the Spirit
willed”.
- The
Gifts of the Spirit will cease when Christ returns.
1 Cor 12:4-11 – Many Gifts
– One Spirit
4 There are different kinds of gifts, but
the same Spirit.
5 There are different kinds of service, but
the same Lord.
6 There are different kinds of working, but
the same God works all of them in all men.
7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit
is given for the common good.
8 To one there is given through the Spirit the message
of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same
Spirit,
9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to
another gifts of healing by that one Spirit,
10 to another miraculous powers, to another
prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another
speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation
of tongues.
11 All these are the work of one and the same
Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines. NIV
Rom 12:3-8 – Here are some
more gifts – One Body
4 Just as each of us has one body with many
members, and these members do not all have the same function,
5 so in Christ we who are many form one body, and
each member belongs to all the others.
6 We have different gifts, according to the grace
given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion
to his faith.
7 If it is serving, let him serve; if it is
teaching, let him teach;
8 if it is encouraging, let him encourage;
if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously;
if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy,
let him do it cheerfully NIV
1 Cor 14:22 – The miracle gift of Tongues are a SIGN
22 Tongues, then, are a sign, not
for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is for believers,
not for unbelievers. NIV
1 Cor 14:1-2 – Eagerly
desire the gifts
14:1 Follow the way of love and eagerly desire
spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy NIV
1 Cor 12:31 – Desire the greater gifts
31 But eagerly desire the greater gifts NIV
1 Cor 12:11 – The Gifts are as the Spirit determines.
11 All these are the work of one and the same
Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines. NIV
Rom 11:29 – The gifts are irrevocable
29 for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable.
NIV
1 Cor 13:8-10 – When Jesus
returns the gifts will cease
8 But where there are prophecies, they will
cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is
knowledge, it will pass away.
9 For we know in part and we prophesy in
part,
10 but when perfection comes, the imperfect
disappears NIV
Acts 2:1-13 – Speaking in
Tongues
1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all
together in one place.
2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent
wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.
3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that
separated and came to rest on each of them.
4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and
began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing
Jews from every nation under heaven.
6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came
together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own
language.
7 Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all
these men who are speaking Galileans?
8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in
his own native language?
9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents
of Mesopotamia , Judea and Cappadocia , Pontus Asia ,
10 Phrygia and Pamphylia , Egypt Libya Cyrene Rome
11(both Jews and converts to Judaism);
Cretans and Arabs-we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our
own tongues!"
12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another,
"What does this mean?"
13 Some, however, made fun of them and said,
"They have had too much wine." NIV
1 Cor 14:39 – Covet to prophesy
39 Therefore, my brothers, be eager to prophesy,
NIV
1 Cor 14:1 – Desire the
gift of prophecy
14:1 Follow the way of love and eagerly desire
spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy. NIV
SIN AND SICKNESS
- Sin and sickness go
hand in hand – Jesus had authority over both
- In the four Gospels
alone, of the 35 miracles reported, 23 of the miracles were of healing.
- Although the healing
miracles were an act of the “compassion” of Christ; they were all a
sign that pointed back to the message of “The Good News”, which was the deeper
and wider implication. The
majority of miracles were acts of mercy and compassion.
- Considering the demon possessed man, the leper and the resurrection of the dead, the miracles had a two fold
purpose – To show the authority of Jesus Christ over the “physical” body and His authority
over the “Spiritual” world. –
The deeper and wider implication.
Matt 9:2-8 Sin and
sickness go hand in hand
2 Some men brought to him a paralytic, lying on a
mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Take heart,
son; your sins are forgiven."
3 At this, some of the teachers of the law said to
themselves, "This fellow is blaspheming!"
4 Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, "Why do
you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts?
5 Which is easier: to say, `Your sins are forgiven,' or to
say, `Get up and walk'?
6 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has
authority on earth to forgive sins. . . ." Then he said to the paralytic,
"Get up, take your mat and go home."
7 And the man got up and went home.
8 When the crowd saw this, they were filled with
awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to men. NIV
ARGUMENT – THE CAUSE
It is our knowledge, or rather
perhaps lack of knowledge; our ignorance that makes an event a
miracle. The eclipse of the moon to an
astronomer who knows the cause, believes this is a normal event, but to
a rustic, who does not know the cause believes it to be a miracle.
In a sense, the cause
of a miracle is something done outside the order of the entire created nature. The
cause of a miracle is hidden from all people, and this cause is GOD.
If we can “understand” the
cause, then it’s not a miracle.
THE MIRACLE OF GOD’S INCARNATION
- The Bible begins by
telling us Jesus was at the creation of the world and became flesh and
dwelt among us.
- Isaiah
prophesied
that a virgin would bear a son; He would be called Immanuel meaning “God
is with us”; Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace.
- The angel Gabriel was
sent to Mary, a virgin to announce to her she would have a child
that would be the son of God and not the son of Joseph.
- Men in their meanness
would ask Jesus “Where is your father?” implying Jesus was a
bastard child.
- Today men say that
Mary was just “self-fertilized” like a plant louse, like fungus, like an
alga, or she was shocked into conception like some female rabbits have
been reported to do.
- The world today is
“hell bent” on removing the supernatural from the Bible in an effort to
nullify our faith.
John 1:1-2 – He was in the
beginning
1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word
was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was with God in the beginning. NIV
John 1:14 – He became flesh and dwelt among us.
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling
among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from
the Father, full of grace and truth. NIV
Isa 7:13-14 – Prophecy – A
virgin shall give birth to Immanuel
14
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child
and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
NIV
Isa 9:6 – The names of
Jesus
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful
Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. NIV
Luke 1:31-33 – You are
going to give birth to the Son of God
31 You will be with child and give birth to a son,
and you are to give him the name Jesus.
32 He will be great and will be called the Son of
the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,
33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob
forever; his kingdom will never end." NIV
Luke 1:35 – The Holy Spirit will come upon you.
35 "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and
the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will
be called the Son of God. NIV
Gal 4:4-5 – God sent Jesus
to redeem us.
4 But when the time had fully come, God sent his
Son, born of a woman, born under law,
5 to redeem those under law, that we might receive
the full rights of sons. NIV
John 8:19 – Who’s your daddy?
19 Then they asked him, "Where is your
father?" NIV
THE MIRACLE OF REGENERATION
- It is not our knowledge of God that saves us,
nor our actions toward others,
nor our participation in Bible
studies, choir programs nor activities or work in the community. - It’s a changed heart – When it occurs
it is an observable phenomenon.
- A rat cannot fly like
a bird or a turtle outrun a deer, nor a dog plow like a mule without a “change
in their nature”. Therefore it must
be understood, that man dead in sin cannot be alive in Christ
unless there is a “change in his nature” - He must be born again.
John 3:12 -13 – How can you believe spiritual things.
12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you
do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? NIV
John 3:5-7 – Your are born
of flesh not of the Spirit
6 Flesh
gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit NIV
2 Cor 5:17
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a
new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! NIV
John 11:25-26 – Jesus is
the life
25 Jesus said to her, "I am the
resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he
dies;
26 and whoever lives and believes in me will never
die. NIV
Acts 4:12 – There is no other way
12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there
is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
NIV
JESUS ANSWERS THE QUESTION – The good news is now preached
- Why did
Jesus do miracles, signs and wonders?
- He performed miracles
with the most unlikely people, the lame, blind, the dumb and the leper. They
were a sign that the Messiah’ kingdom as foretold by the prophets was now
fulfilled.
- Jesus refused to do
miracles just to prove that He was the Son of God. - His death was the
proof. He did no miracle to benefit
Himself or His disciples when a normal means of provision was
available.
- He consistently
refused to give a sign from heaven or to work useless and
spectacular wonders as many false conjurers of the “secret arts” were
doing. He never did a miracle just
to astonish people, but always to provide aid and give relief to the
needy.
- The crowds were more
interested in the miracles than the teachings of Jesus. The working of miracles is directed to a deepening of
men’s understanding of God.
- You can distinguish
from the FALSE miracle by the fact that the TRUE harmonizes with the rest
of the revelation of Christ and with the knowledge of His word that
believers possess.
- Signs,
wonders and miracles were God’s way of authenticating His apostles. - Jesus
demanded from His Disciples; faith, trust, “a decision”
and participation in the signs. and miracles When
Faith was not present, He could do no mighty work
Matt 11:4-5
– The good news is now preached
4 Jesus replied,
"Go back and report to John what you hear and see: 5 The blind receive
sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead
are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. NIV
Isa 35:5-6 –
Isaiah’ prophecy of the blind and deaf.
5 Then will the eyes of the
blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
6 Then will the lame
leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. NIV
Isa 61:1 –
Preach the good news to the poor.
1 The Spirit of the
Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good
news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim
freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, NIV
Matt 9:2 He required
Faith
2 Some men brought to him
a paralytic, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the
paralytic, "Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven." NIV
Matt 17:20 – He required their participation
20 He replied,
"Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith
as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, `Move from here to
there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." NIV
Matt 9:33 -34 – He required a decision
33 And when the demon was
driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and
said, "Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel
34 But the Pharisees said, "It is by the prince of demons
that he drives out demons." NIV
Matt 12:38 -40 – We want a sign - NOPE
38 Then some of the
Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, "Teacher, we want to see a
miraculous sign from you."
39 He answered, "A
wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will
be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
40 For as Jonah was three
days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be
three days and three nights in the heart of the earth NIV
Luke
11:29-30 – A wicked generation requires a sign.
29 As the crowds
increased, Jesus said, "This is a wicked generation. It asks for a
miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.
30 For as Jonah was a sign
to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation. NIV
Mark 6:5-6 –
Jesus was amazed at the lack of FAITH
5 He could not do any
miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them.
6 And he was amazed at their lack of faith.
NIV
1 Cor 13:12
For
now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in
part; but then shall I know even as also I am known KJV
In the multitude of counselors,
there is wisdom.
Prov 11:14
I
am grateful for those that went before me providing concepts, ideas, historical
information, and scripture verses.
Because of them I can stand on their shoulders and see further than I
otherwise ever could have.
90 Minutes in Heaven – Don Piper
A Grief Observed – C.S. Lewis
All the Miracles of the Bible – Herbert Lockyer
Bible Almanac; The – Nelson
Bible Almanac; The – Packer Tenny White
Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry - CARMS
Great Doctrines of the Bible - Christology – W.A. Criswell
Great Doctrines of the Bible – Pneumatology – W.A. Criswell
Great Doctrines of the Bible - Soteriology – W.A. Criswell
Harper’s Bible Dictionary – Harper & Row
Illustrated Bible Dictionary – Nelson’s
Illustrated Bible Dictionary; The - Tyndale
Illustrated Manners and Customs of the Bible – Packer & Tenny
Invisible
War; The – Donald Grey Barnhouse
International Dictionary of the Bible; The new – J.D. Douglas
Nave’s Topical Bible - Nave
New International Bible – NIV
Person and
work of the Holy Spirit; The – R.A. Torrey
Today’s Dictionary of the Bible - Guideposts
Victor
Journey through the Bible; The - Beers
Webster’s New World College Dictionary – Webster
Where To Find It In The Bible – Ken Anderson
Within Heaven’s Gates – Rebecca Springer
Zondervan NIV Nave’s Topical Bible - Nave
Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible; The
- Zondervan
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