Epiphany: Where is my miracle?

Blessed Are the Unexpected

Bible Passage: Luke 6:17–26

Focus: Miracles are events of power where God rules over creation apart from His usual ordering of nature by demonstrating a sign that points you towards faith in Jesus.

Function: (faith goal) That my hearers have a biblical view of miracles

Structure: Question answered (see above)

Summary: In Luke 6:17-26, Jesus heals and teaches. There is an inseparable connection between Jesus’ teaching and His work. He performs miracles to demonstrate that He is the prophet greater than Moses (Deuteronomy 18: 15-19 ; Hebrews 3:1-6). Which creates this community of God’s people that are found in the “blessed” ones of His teaching. Jesus’ teachings become central to this new community of believers. The presence of this community serves as judgement upon unbelievers as those who have “woes” from Jesus teaching.

Application: This sermon encourages believers to not misunderstand or misinterpret the purpose of miracles in the Bible. Believers are blessed and they are the ones who trust in the promise of redemption through Jesus Christ's death and resurrection.

Teaching: The teachings from this passage illustrate the radical nature of God's kingdom and the countercultural values of Jesus. It emphasizes that “me” centered earthly conditions do not determine God's love or favor, but we are encouraged to believe in Christ rightly so that we can learn what it means to be blessed.

How this passage could point to Christ: In this passage, Jesus is revealed as the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Messiah who comes to lift up the humble and provide salvation. His death and resurrection serve as the ultimate act of divine love, offering hope and restoration to all who believe in His word and as a result become a part of this new community of faith in the world that waits in hope.

Big Idea: True blessing comes from God, and even in suffering, believers are assured of His presence and eventual vindication through Jesus Christ's resurrection.

1. Where is my miracle?

Luke 6:17-20

Jesus gathers a group of people which are lowly and humble and He gives them an experience of the future kingdom of God by His miracles. What immediately follows after His miracle working is key to understanding why He did them. He teaches them Gods word and He gives a little way to know how to find this new community, gathered around the word, in the world. They are the “blessed.” So that leads us to the most obvious conclusion. I want to be blessed! So where’s my miracle?

2. They are just supernatural explanations for scientific phenomenon

Luke 6:21

We have seen enough TV Evangelists and their shenanigans to know that this path usually leads to disappointment. (Westridge Story: Not always tactful but you can understand the point). There are many ways we can talk about miracles we could talk about at least seven: Avoidance, Overemphasis, Overgeneralization and Minimalization (God does it all the time through nature or Baby born, Sunrise, Chili Cheese Fries [covered in a previous sermon]), Spiritualization, Allegory or symbol.

However today we are going to unpack one that effects a lot of modern people. People will often say (in order to feel like they got it figured out or in order to justify God and his lack of doing provable miracles today) that miracles in the Bible were just things that we can explain with science now so we should just focus on Jesus’ teaching (He is a teacher and the the interruption of God in the world) and that’s what’s important (Thomas Jefferson Bible, David Hume on miracles and liars)

But this cannot be the case. Without a miracle the consequences would be devastating to belief. Case in point the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15)

3. Miracles happen when you pray hard enough and believe hard enough

Luke 6:22-23

This is the most common view of miracles and it is the most damaging and the one which is most prone towards spiritual abuse and the lead cause of driving people away from the faith today. The problem of “I” verses “Him” focus in belief. We ask for “I” instead of asking “Him” what He wants. Ironically, He does miracles in service of us rather than Himself. We don’t help God make a decision about who gets miracles… as if He didn’t have it all figured out. Melissa’s story of Mr. Bieber’s wife at Faith and praying for her. The problem of YOU need enough faith for a miracle. The truth is the focus is all wrong. Miracles happen so you might believe in Christ and believe not on account of your ability to bring about a gracious intervention of God for yourself But we believe on account of the greatest miracle (all miracles were point to this one) Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. This is the miracle that God brought about to save us despite ourselves.

4. Restatement of the Question with a Full Gospel based answer: Where’s my Miracle? Look to Jesus- His death and Resurrection. If there is one miracle that you need it’s that one because miracles happen so that you might believe in Jesus as Savior and be saved for eternity. They are “events of power that reveal Jesus as the Prophet greater than Moses which also reveals a people (community/disciples) chosen by God who gather around God’s Word (Gospel) which becomes Central to this community of faith. The community is not centered on the miracles themselves. The presence of this community serves as judgement upon unbelievers (Law).

Luke 6:24-26

A Miracles is Divine intervention whereby God rules over creation apart from His usual ordering of nature. It is a demonstration of God’s Providence

Acts 2 and Deut 18 and 34 frame miracles in terms of Signs and Wonders

a. Signs and Wonders are events of power that reveal God to the world

b. Signs and Wonders accompany the gracious intervention of God and reveal Moses/Jesus as prophet

c. This gracious intervention of signs and wonders results in the revelation of a specific people for God within this world

d. To this people, in the midst of signs and wonders, God commits the word of the covenant

e. This word becomes central to the covenant community, judging future signs and wonders

f. Signs and wonders function as judgment upon those who do not believe

V. Summary

a. Miracles happen so that you might believe in Jesus as Savior and be saved for eternity