The Making of a Miracle

Intro.: “Do you really believe Jonah was swallowed by a whale?”

“Do you seriously think that Jesus actually fed five thousand people using only five loaves of bread and two fish?”

Many people today will scoffat the concept of miracles. “Miracles don’t follow the laws of science.” “Miracles can’t happen!” “You have no proof of Miracles.”

Yep. That’s what makes them miracles.

Now don’t get me wrong.

There have been countless, verified, certified, bona fide... miracles.

The medical images showed a problem that no longer exits. {Alex’s broken arm}

But skeptics just cover their eyes. Nope. Don’t see anything. No miracles here.

Just something we can’t explain.

And it’s not that they have a problem with someone receiving the blessing they needed.

It’s that if a miracle occurs… Then they have to deal with…

The reality… of God

This is a question that Jesus discuses with His disciples in John 14.

TEXT: John 14:8-14 NIV Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”

Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time?

Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me?

The words I say to you are not just my own. 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 miracles themselves. I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing.

He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.

You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

The God of the Bible is, by definition. all-powerful, therefore the concept of miracles for a Christian should not be difficult to understand.

In the absence of belief in an all-powerful God the possibility or existence of miracles is difficult (if not impossible) for the sceptic or unbeliever to accept.

The sceptic has many questions:

· questions about the credibility of miracles,

· questions about the validity of predictive prophecy,

· questions about any supernatural act.

It is difficult to understand God from a human perspective.

Many questions that arise, stem from man assuming that the nature of God (if He exists) is the same as the person asking the question.

The real question is this: “If an all-powerful God, who created the universe, exists why do we have difficulty in believing that he transcends the natural laws He created?”

As Christians our view, our belief is in a God who is alive, active, powerful, loving and caring.

The 18th Century philosopher David Hume defined a miracle as “a violation of natural law.”

God would not be God if He were prisoner of His own natural laws.

The Christian views natural law as behaving in an observable cause-and-effect way, all the time - day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, century after century.

God is outside, over and abovenatural law, He is not bound by it. God has the right and the power to intervene when and how He chooses.

{A wrist watch moving forward}

When is a Miracle not a Miracle?

Miracle is a loosely used word today.

If a student passes a difficult examwith a high grade they might say, “It was a miracle”.

People who stand in line for hours at a Black Friday salemight say that it was “a miracle they were able to purchase their desired products at the door buster rate”.

Contestants being selected for game shows might describe their appearance as “a miracle beyond belief”.

But those probably aren’t miracles. They’re just fortunate turns of events.

Today the term miracle can mean anything that is unusual or unexpected or just fortunate.

Today when people talk about miracles it is often in a context that does not involve God being at work.

But Miracles. Require God.

What are real Miracles?

In the New Testament four Greek words are principally used to designate miracles:

1. Semeion signs, evidence of a divine intervention by God; token of the presence and working of God; the seal of a higher power.

John 2:18-19 ESV So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

2. Terata wonders; wonder-causing events; a miraculous wonder, done to elicit a reaction from onlookers

Acts 2:19 ESV And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke…

3. Dunamis might, miracle, mighty wonderful works, power, strength, a higher power

Acts 2:22, 24 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know…God raised him up, loosening the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. 4. Erga “works;” the works of Him who is “wonderful in working”

John 5:20 ESV For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel.

Miracles as recorded in the Bible, are acts of God. These are events, actions or circumstances entirely different to the common use of the word today.

The biblical use of the word describes an act of God breaking into, changing or interrupting the ordinary course of things.

The Bible records various kinds of miracles. Some of them could have a natural explanation with miraculous timing.

There are also many miracles that have no natural explanation and occur outside the realm of so called natural law.

Some sceptics attempt to explain the miraculous healing performed by Jesus on many occasions simply as psychosomatic responses.

Do you think that Jesus only healed psychosomatic illnesses?

Psychosomatic response cannot explain the healing of leprosy,a disease that arises from a bacterial invasion of the body.

Lepers who were healed by Jesus experienced the direct power of God in a supernatural way.

Psychosomatic response also cannot explain the cases of congenital diseases being healed by Jesus for example the man born blind who received his sight in John 9.

Were people in Bible times ignorant, gullible or superstitious?

Another notion commonly expressed is that people in ancient times were exceedingly ignorant, gullible or superstitious.

Perhaps some thingsthey thought were miracles, were not miracles at all but simply phenomena they did not understand.

Our understanding has expanded exponentially thanks to the benefits of modern science.

If we flew a modern jet over a primitive tribe today, they may fall to the ground and worship the ‘silver bird in the sky’. They may think the sight they observed was a miraculous phenomenon, a miracle.

In the case of the blind man, there was a realistic view of his situation. The people observed that since the beginning of time it had not been known for a man born blind to receive his sight.

The people of the time were not stupid, today we have no more natural explanation of Jesus healing him than they did.

Today who has more explanation, in a natural sense, of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead than when it happened? No one! We simply cannot ignore the supernatural aspects of the Biblical record.

Do Miracles conflict with natural law?

Generally speaking there are two views among Christians about the relationship between miracles and natural law.

1stMiracles employ a higher natural law, which at present is unknown to us.

It is quite obvious that despite all of the impressive discoveries of modern science, we are still standing in ocean “what we don’t know”.

If our knowledge increases sufficiently, the belief is that we will realize that things we thought of as miracles are merely the working of the higher lawsof the universe. Miracles are not contrary to nature, only contrary to what we know about nature.

2ndBiblical miracles are an act of creation

a sovereign, transcendent act of God’s supernatural power.

This is the more appropriate view for a Christian to hold.

What was the purpose of Biblical miracles?

In contrast to miracle stories recorded in the writings of other religions or pagan literature, the Bible records miracles with a clear order and purpose to them.

In the Bible, miracles were never performed as entertainment, they were never performed for personal prestige.

In the Biblical recordings of miracles there is a consistent purpose: to confirm faith.

Miracles do not appear in the Bible without rhyme or reason, They authenticated the message and the messenger

They demonstrated God’s love by relieving suffering.

Israel was brought into existence by a series of miracles. The first five books of the Bible list many supernatural wonders. Many of the prophets were identified as God’s spokesmen by their power to perform miracles.

Jesus came not only preaching but also performing miracles Compared to other religions the New Testament miracles of Jesus are extraordinarily unique.

They are part of an entire, authentic message: His birth, His message of forgiveness, His death, His resurrection.

What can science say about miracles?

Science can only state miracles do not occur in the ordinary course of nature.

Science cannot forbid miraclesbecause natural laws do not cause and therefore cannot forbid anything.

Natural laws, as we see them, are merely descriptions of what happens.

The difference between the Christian and the scientist is philosophical.

Each has distinctive presuppositions, the base of all opinions. The possibility of seeing something as a miracle depends on our point of view or our worldview.

What is the presupposition of the Christian?

God exists, has created natural law, can make or break it, can intervene or not. The supernatural, personal God is at the base of all phenomena, natural and spiritual.

“A miracle is startling; but it is simple. It is simple because it is a miracle. It is power coming directly from God instead of indirectly through nature or human wills” -G.K. Chesterton

What is the presupposition of the agnostic or atheistic scientist?

God does not, and cannot exist. Scientists (unless they are Christians) generally make judgements and opinions based on naturalistic, materialistic observations, believing there is no other option.

The supernatural does not intrude and would not be considered.

The scientist can only ask, “are the records of miracles historically reliable?” He or she will not go further.

What about the Miracles Jesus performed?

Jesus performed His miracles in public.

They were not performed in secret before only one or two people who then announced them to others.

There was every opportunity for people to investigate the miracles on the spot.

It is impressive to note that the opponents of Jesus never deniedthe fact that He performed miracles but they did try to suppress the evidence, or attributed them to the power of Satan.

Jesus performed miracles in the presence of unbelievers.

Today miracles claimed by cults or sects never seem to happen when the sceptic is present to observe them.

This was not so with Jesus. The miracles of Jesus displayed His power over a variety of things.

He had power over nature, demonstrated when He turned water to wine.

He had power over disease, the healing of the lepers.

He had power over demons - shown when He cast them out.

He had supernatural knowledge - knowing Nathaniel was under a fig tree.

He demonstrated His power to create when He fed five thousandfrom a few loaves and fish.

He had power over natural forcesdemonstrated when the wind and waves obeyed His command during the storm.

He demonstrated His power over death in the raising of Lazarus from the dead.

There is a testimony in those Jesus healed, Lazarus was not a psychosomatic healing or a result of an inaccurate diagnosis.

Okay, I have to stop here:

Q: "Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?" A: "No." Q: "Did you check for blood pressure?" A: "No." Q: "Did you check for breathing?" A: "No." Q: "So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?" A: "No." Q: "How can you be so sure, Doctor?" A: "Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar." Q: "But could the patient have still been alive nevertheless?" A: "It is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law somewhere."

Miracles still happen today!

“Why don’t miracle happen today.

They do.

The problem isn’t in a Miracle Working God.

The problem is in a people who do not believe.

John 14:12-14 NIV Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.

And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.