7-30-23 Kasey Campbell: Miracles

 I will be back in 1 Corinthians today. We've been in a series talking about the gifts of the Spirit, and we've been talking about healing for a few weeks now as a side series because it's important we have an understanding of God's heart on the matter. When we know God's will, it will bring more faith and trust in Him and in His character. It is always God's will to heal, and when we don't see it happen in our timetable or in our way, it's important that we make the choice to move in expectant faith and choose to trust God, His plan, and His character. And so today, I want to move on with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and I want to talk about miracles today. I'll this section up because it's been a while since we've looked at it. 1 Corinthians 12:7-10 NKJV But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: 8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. Let's PRAY. Do we expect miracles in our daily lives? Some of us probably don't. That's not a put-down, it's just that often, the flow of life, work, family, chores, disciplines, friends, appointments, and other things are in our minds so much that we don't expect anything out of the ordinary. Some of us might feel like the kind of faith that produces real miracles is just too difficult to walk in. Or maybe, because of a Western worldview, we're just more prone to think of things that happen as random chance or circumstance instead of the daily move of the hand of our sovereign God. Miracles might come in small packages, but they happen more often than we think. God is always moving, especially for His children. Once we start living life expecting the small miracles, it's not that much of a stretch to expect the big ones.1 And miracles are gifts that God gives us. Paul says that God will give us, His people, "Holy Spirit workings of power" because miracles flow from walking with Jesus and continual openness to the Holy Spirit's work in us and through us. Miracles can take many forms; deliverance from demonic bondage, provision, someone coming to Jesus, etc. Healings can count as miracles, too, even though Paul lists them separately here. But transforming miracle power that comes from the Holy Spirit should be a hallmark of a believer's life. How many of you know that a changed life (even over time) is a miracle? A heart change is a miracle. Ezekiel 36:26 NKJV I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. When a person comes to Jesus and chooses to serve Him, when a person moves forward day by day trying to please the Lord, that's the miracle of a changed heart, one that God has turned from stone into flesh. After the miracle, even when we stumble and fall, our heart's desires have changed because we have a new heart! I want you to know that miracles, both in the Bible and today, have a purpose. First, they bring glory to God and establish His kingdom on earth. By that, I mean that God's purposes and plans and ways of operating come to us. Heaven comes down to where we live and everyone can see it. Second, miracles are intended to be a catalyst for people to come to Jesus and witness, or talk about what they've seen. And third, miracles are intended to bless the person that they happen to. This is what Peter speaks to in Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost. It's a part of his message after all of the Christians are filled with the Holy Spirit. I'm going to skim through this for us. Acts 2:14 NKJV But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. [...] Acts 2:22 NKJV "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know- [...] Acts 2:30 NKJV Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, [...] Acts 2:36 NKJV "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." [...] Acts 2:41 NKJV Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. Jesus performed miracles, signs, and wonders to bring God glory and establish His kingdom - Jesus was raised up by God to sit on the throne (v30). The miracles went with the message of the gospel so that people would be saved, and 3,000 were that day (v41)! And, of course, the people were blessed because they received eternal life and they heard the wonderful works of God spoken about in their own language! Acts 2:7-8 NKJV Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, "Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born? What a great miracle that is. It's a very personal miracle as well. If you're traveling in a foreign country where they speak a different language, and you hear someone praising God and talking about Him in the perfect dialogue of your home and your childhood, that's going to matter! I'm not going to get into tongues too much today, but one man shares a story of what happened to him when he visited Azuza Street in the early 1900s. He says: "I was in Los Angeles and was visiting the Old Azuza Street Mission. People traveled from all over to see what was happening there. There was a large auditorium with another room upstairs. It was open all day for years, with preaching services happening two or three times a day and people in prayer in the upper room when there wasn't preaching. I entered the building, and hearing people pray, I moved upstairs. The moment I walked in, a teenager named Kathleen pointed at me and started praying in a different language for a few minutes. Soon a bell rang (which meant the preaching was starting downstairs), and I went down to the main auditorium. I asked if I could share, and when it was time, I said, "I am a Jew, and I came to this city to investigate this speaking-in-tongues thing. No one in this city knows my first name or my last name, because I came here with a fake name. I actually go to places like this to listen to sermons so I can tear them about, discount them, and use them to lecture and argue against the Christian faith. This young girl, Kathleen, as I came into the room, started speaking perfectly in the Hebrew language. She had never even heard the Hebrew language spoken before, and she was enunciating perfectly. She told me my real first name and last name, why I had come here, and what my occupation was in life. She told me things about my life that would be impossible for anyone in this city to know. Then, I dropped to my knees, cried, repented to the Lord, and prayed as if my heart would break.2 The miracle of hearing his own language brought this man into eternal life. Miracles are events or something that happen that seem to violate the laws of nature but also reveal God.3 They are supernatural power to intervene and counteract earthly and evil forces. They are a display of power that goes beyond the natural, and they operate closely with faith and healing to show authority over sin, satan, sickness, and principalities of this age.4 And Jesus' miracles were often motivated by compassion. Compassion ministries express the heart of God to His people and bless those who come into contact with Christians filled with His Holy Spirit. Walking on water was because of compassion for His terrified disciples, and turning water into wine was to help solve a crisis. How more effective could ministry be if compassion was also cloaked in power? If the love of Jesus was also demonstrated by the power of the Holy Spirit? The death and raising to life of Lazarus capture both the compassionate and powerful nature of the miracles of God. Jesus was moved (he wept) because of compassion for the pain and grief of Lazarus' family and friends at his death. But Jesus also did this miracle to show His divinity, that He was the One and Only Begotton Son of God. John 11:43-45 NKJV Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!" 44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go." 45 Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him. Miracles show God's heart of compassion and that He is the One True God, worth following. And these kinds of miracles still happen today. One couple, both pastors, left their home in New Guinea to be missionaries on the island of Kiribati (kir-i-bas) in the South Pacific. They started a church with two teenagers in their house when they arrived, but didn't see much traction for a while, as the island was dominated by witchcraft. That all changed one afternoon. "My mommy is dead, my mommy is dead," were the screams in the local dialect by one of two teenagers at the church as she ran towards her pastor's house. So the pastors walked back to the home with the teenager, where her mother had collapsed and died. With no electricity or telephones, and the nearest medical center six miles away, options were limited. But faith rose as they walked, consoling a distraught daughter and praying along the way. This teenage girl had shown great courage by coming to Jesus, joining the church, and running to her pastors when this happened. Word of her mother's death had spread fast, and instead of showing compassion and support, many of the neighbors gathered around to shout insults and abusive language. Entering the dead mother's house with no walls (only woven mats for privacy), the pastor couple went directly to the body, which was covered by a white sheet. Mourners filled the house with wailing, and no one in the house except for the two pastors and the teenager, were Christians. Not even the dead mother was a Christian. The pastors knew without a doubt they would pray for this woman to be brought back to life. Moving in the gift of wisdom, they gathered the immediate family together and shared the story of Jesus and His raising of Lazarus. They then instructed the family to hold hands and pray. They prayed, rebuked death, and commanded life to come into the body. Nothing happened. Then, one of the pastors opened his bible and read John 10:10 NKJV The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. Ten more minutes passed. People in the house started to get agitated. Some got up and left. No one noticed the slight twitching in the fingers of the dead body. That changed when the movement became unmistakable. Steadily, she recovered completely, joined on the floor by her husband and children, sipping water. The pastors gathered the people around on the floor and shared the gospel, and many accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Eventually, a revival took place with those who witnessed the miracle becoming evangelists for Jesus, giving a powerful and undisputable message: She who was dead is now alive! John 11:25-26 NKJV Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" The church grew, healings and miracles continued to take place, and ministry continued along with a healthy mother and grateful daughter.5 We serve a God who does signs, wonders, and miracles because He loves people and He wants to see them come to salvation and freedom in Christ. But there are certain kinds of people that miracles happen to more than they happen to others. We live in a day where the miracle flow of God can come to you and can work through you. The world has some small reason to doubt our testimony unless transformative miracle power is at work in our lives. That doesn't mean that God performs miracles on demand or turns tricks just to show off His power. I like what Pastor Autumn said a few weeks ago - the Pharisees followed signs, wonders, and miracles, but signs, wonders, and miracles followed the apostles. Miracles don't prove that we're children of the Most-High God, but if we aren't functioning in a supernatural dimension at all, then something is wrong. Jesus only said and did what He heard His Father speak and what He saw His Father do. In the same way, if we walk closely with God, miracles will flow from that relationship. John 15:5 NKJV "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. So then, what kind of people get to see miracles? 1. Miracles happen to hopeful cripples. Acts 3:2 NKJV And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple; This man was born crippled, born lame. We're actually all born crippled in some way- spiritually if nothing else. We're all born into a sinful nature and have to overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil. And this man had someone carry him to the temple every day. He wasn't just sitting home feeling sorry for himself, wallowing in self-pity, but he was going out with hope every day sitting at the temple. If we give in to an attitude of 'I was just born that way,' or 'that's just how I am,' we close the door on miracles and the transformative power of Jesus in our lives. And this man wasn't ashamed to acknowledge his need. He needed something other people had. How much do we tend to cover up our weaknesses, handicaps, mistakes, and failures? How often do we fail to be vulnerable in the very area we need breakthrough? We need to learn how to acknowledge our need and learn how to receive. It's hard. It's difficult to do that because it is so vulnerable. We feel weak, not strong, and we feel needy. 2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. This man wasn't ashamed to acknowledge his need, and he looked at others expectantly. He wasn't expecting a miracle, he was expecting money. But he was expecting something. Acts 3:5 NKJV So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. How often do we pray without expectation? That doesn't mean we tell God what to do, or arm wrestle Him to try to get Him to do what we want Him to do. It means we come like a child to our Father and ask in faith knowing that He is a good Father who knows what's best and can't wait to pour out His blessings, compassion, and grace. And this man wasn't ashamed of his need, he looked with expectancy, and accepted a hand that reached out in Jesus' Name. Acts 3:6-8 NKJV Then Peter said, "Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk." 7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. 8 So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them-walking, leaping, and praising God. Any pride, self-preservation, people pleasing, or whatever was in his heart took a back seat to praising God. He responded wholeheartedly to the miracle of God. Is it possible that we don't receive a greater flow of miracles because we don't respond properly with exuberant and heartfelt praise and worship? So miracles happen to hopeful cripples; they also happen to steadfast believers. Jesus is always looking for clear channels to flow through. Peter and John had a pattern of worship and relationship with the Lord, and God flowed His miracles through them consistently, even though they didn't have bible degrees. They knew about Jesus, but more than that, they knew Jesus. They were friends of Jesus, who spent time with Him daily. Acts 4:13 NKJV Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. Miracles flow through people who spend a lot of time with Jesus and will step out in boldness. And miracles also happen to amazed sinners. The crowd watched what happened to this lame man and believed. Acts 4:1-4 NKJV Now as they spoke to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came upon them, 2 being greatly disturbed that they taught the people and preached in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 However, many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand. Miracles flow from walking with Jesus and opening to the continual work of the Holy Spirit. And they happen to steadfast believers, hopeful cripples, and amazed sinners.6 I'll close with this story from a Foursquare missionary to Africa. Greg Fisher writes: 'I'll have two days to kick back and rest finally, I thought. My travel schedule had been brutal up to that point. Exhausted, I still had duties in a little town in Ghana I was visiting, but nothing overwhelming, until I was "discovered" by an African evangelist who also happened to be in town. It's hard to say 'no' to someone so insistent - so we got into the truck and drove over some rough roads to a town he wanted us to visit. On arriving, normally you'd stop at the village chief's house, but we passed it and went directly to a small house. As soon as I entered, I noticed two stoic older women on the bed and a younger woman lying on a mat in the middle of the room. This young woman's left leg was twice the size of her other leg and much darker in color. It was bad, but as a missionary in Africa, I was used to bad. We immediately prayed and prayed, and prayed. We laid on hands and prayed some more, but nothing visually happened. Then the evangelist announced to everyone in the room that 'the missionary is going to pray!' I had been praying up to that point, but I guess he wanted to make it official with a formal announcement. Either that, or he was stalling for time hoping something would happen to build our waning faith. So I prayed some more. I prayed louder. I quoted scripture. I might have made up some scripture. I threw out an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink prayer. It's amazing how we filibuster in prayer when we have no faith. Then thankfully, God stepped in. I blurted out a word of knowledge. "This is not a physical disease, this is a curse!" The best way I can describe it, at that exact moment, is that the room got electric. The atmosphere changed. Then I pronounced, 'We are going to break this curse today!' I instructed us all to start to worship and to sing songs that elevated the Lordship of Jesus Christ. The presence of God came into that very desperate room. Then I commanded in the Name of Jesus for every curse to be broken. Nothing physical happened, but I sensed something moving in the spirit. Satisfied that I did all I could, we packed up the car to leave, when the evangelist insisted we take the afflicted woman with us. Everyone in the village came out, shouting at her as she limped to our vehicle. I later found out that they were yelling, 'Don't go with the white people, they'll cut off your leg!' After going back to the small town, I fulfilled my duties in the next few days and planned to go home. I told a young American missionary trainee who had been traveling with me that we'd stop to see how this young lady was doing. When we entered her room, we were greeted by the all-to-familiar odor of gangrene. Her leg was no longer dying; it was dead. I prayed for her more as an exit strategy than with any faith. In the car, the young missionary trainee asked me, 'Was there anything else we could have done?' Like what? I'm sure my curt reply conveyed my annoyance. 'Like take her to a hospital?' There's not a hospital anywhere, and there's not even a doctor or miles. And then I shared the stark but common reality for so many sick in developing nations. 'Unless God heals her, she's going to die.' Two months later, the evangelist came to my house. After about 15 minutes of traditional Ghana greetings, I asked the question, 'What happened to the lady with the leg?' Oh yes, he replied, you didn't know the whole story. Remember the two older ladies on the bed? They were her aunts and they had put a curse on her. This didn't surprise me. It was common for people in the region to put curses on someone in the village who they felt was doing too well. A kind of spiritual socialism; get too far about the rest of us and we'll pull you back down into your place. In this case, the aunts had hired the most powerful priest witch doctor in town. When they saw how badly she was suffering, they called him back to reverse the curse. In fact, they were hiding some of the priest's instruments under the very bed they were sitting on, thinking he might come back the same day I was there. He never did come back until something extraordinary happened. After I prayed my 'rather faithless exit prayer,' but before we left town, she discovered she could walk. By the next day, her leg was totally healed. When I left her less than 48 hours earlier, her leg was totally dead, but now it was alive. A true miracle. In fact, on the day of the healing, she walked back to her town, some five miles away. As she normally strolled into her village, she started loudly proclaiming, 'Jesus healed me! Jesus healed me!" The story gets even better, but not for the cursing priest. When he heard that missionaries prayed for her and the curse was broken, he demanded money. He insisted on what amounted to ten years worth of wages from the poor family. He would either get payment or place another, more powerful curse on the entire family. On the day he planned to collect a payment, he complained to his apprentice of pain in his leg. Abruptly and without any other signs, he dropped dead, much to the relief of the surprised family. After this event, word got out to the entire town - don't mess with those people; they have the real God! And, of course, the church grew. 7 Acts 2:22-36 NKJV "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know- 23 Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; 24 whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it. 25 For David says concerning Him: 'I foresaw the Lord always before my face,For He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken.26Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad; Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope.27For You will not leave my soul in Hades,Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.28You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of joy in Your presence.'29 "Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, 31 he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. 33 Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear. 34 "For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself: 'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, 35 Till I make Your enemies Your footstool." ' 36 "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." 1 Stott, Jerry, and Robert Hunt. Positioned for the Gifts: Preparing Us for Extraordinary Power and Compassion, P241. Edited by Laurie De Revere, Foursquare Missions Press, 2019. 2 Sherrill, John. They Speak with Other Tongues, P55-56. Grand Rapids, MI, Chosen, 1964, 2004. 3 Hayford, Jack W. The Hayford Bible Handbook, P720. Thomas Nelson Incorporated, 2004. 4 Stott, Jerry, and Robert Hunt. Positioned for the Gifts: Preparing Us for Extraordinary Power and Compassion, P216. Edited by Laurie De Revere, Foursquare Missions Press, 2019. 5 Stott, Jerry, and Robert Hunt. Positioned for the Gifts: Preparing Us for Extraordinary Power and Compassion, P220-223. Edited by Laurie De Revere, Foursquare Missions Press, 2019. 6 Hayford, Jack. The Kind of People Miracles Happen To. Sermon. 27 January 1974. Jack Hayford Digital Library, Gateway Church. 7 Stott, Jerry, and Robert Hunt. Positioned for the Gifts: Preparing Us for Extraordinary Power and Compassion, P232-236. Edited by Laurie De Revere, Foursquare Missions Press, 2019. --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ Miracles |