Why Don't we see the Miracles described in the Bible?
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9 But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great.
10 They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.”
11 And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic.
12 But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
13 Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed.
14 Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John,
15 who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit,
16 for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
17 Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.
18 Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money,
19 saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”
20 But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!
21 You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God.
22 Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you.
23 For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.”
24 And Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.”
25 Now when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.
acts 8:9-
34 So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality,
35 but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.
36 As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all),
37 you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed:
38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.
39 And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree,
40 but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear,
41 not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
42 And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead.
43 To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
44 While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word.
45 And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles.
46 For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared,
47 “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?”
48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.
Acts 10:34-
Introduction: Anyone who reads the Bible cans see that there is the abundance of the supernatural throughout. Stories of impossible healings. Power of the weather and even over the sun. When the great people of faith wrote about the things of God, they wrote about His power made evident in the lives of His faithful followers.
I think my favorite story in the Bible comes in when God causes a donkey to talk. And for the last few years every time I read that passage in March, I don’t know why but the donkey always sounds like Eddie Murphy. Not sure why....
But a question that has been nagging many throughout history is the question of why these things are happening today. Why don’t we see Christians healing the sick and raising the dead.
Let me give you a spoiler....it’s not because we don’t have enough faith.
It’s because throughout the history of God’s people, these things were always normative. In fact between the end of the OT and the beginning of the NT, we witness 400 years of silence. No miracles and God wasn’t even speaking.
Now, would we say that because there were no miracles that God wasn’t at work and active in creation? Of course not, because we know at that time, we were moving towards something even better.
He was moving us towards Jesus.
Big Idea: Don’t seek for power and miraculous, seek for Jesus.
Big Idea: Don’t seek for power and miraculous, seek for Jesus.
Now we need to understand that these miracles in the Bible are written as history. They are written in narrative or story form. So for Christians we need to understand that yes, these things actually happened. These events actually took place and they are accurately recorded.
But beyond that we need to know that these miracles served a purpose that was beyond just “Hey look what I can do!”
And the truth is that every miracle had a purpose and it was to point us towards Jesus.
1. The power points to the person. (Acts 10:34-43)
1. The power points to the person. (Acts 10:34-43)
Now the scripture that Logan read is our text for today. And of all the miracles or seasons of miracles in the Bible, we’re look at that of the apostles because that’s the closest that we are today. The ministry of the apostles was so centered on the person of Jesus that they left no room for themselves. But they did a lot of miracles. They even talked about handkerchiefs being carried from Peter to the sick and they were healed. So and so is sick…here I blew my nose on this so take it to them. And bam they were healed.
But we have to understand that to many people this Jesus guy was new. And He was upsetting the ritualistic nature of Judaism. The mosaic law which had stood for thousands of years and with Jesus coming to earth, living a perfect life, dying on the cross and being raised from the dead, he fulfilled the law. He completed it. Which is why we don’t have to sacrifice bulls and goats when we come to church.
But for a people who had spent 1500 years worshiping God like this, any change is going to be met with skepticism.
We understand this. If we were to want to change the carpet color in here, there would be people combing their Bibles saying....”I don’t see it.”
So if you were to look back in the gospels you would see that every miracles that Jesus did pointing people to His true identity. And the ministry of the apostles were to continue that and to point people back to Jesus.
And if you want evidence that this is true, just look at the fact that these guys had the ability to heal the sick, give sight to the blind, cast out demons....and they died poor.
But Peter wanted to follow Jesus no matter what the cost so he preaching the message of Jesus to gentiles who needed to hear of the message of Jesus. And throughout this message to Cornelius’ household, Peter keeps the focus on Jesus.
Peter, by going to the house of a gentile was committing the equivalent of Judaistic suicide. He would be reviled and he was.
Look at
1 Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.
2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him, saying,
3 “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.”
acts 11:1
But Peter wanted to follow Jesus no matter what the cost so he preaching the message of Jesus to gentiles who needed to hear of the message of Jesus. And throughout this message to Cornelius’ household, Peter keeps the focus on Jesus.
His purpose is to point people to Jesus. This is so important.
Because when, in vs. 44, the power of the Holy serves to confirm the message that Peter has been preaching and point people toward Jesus.
Notice that Peter doesn’t say, “Hey look what I can do.” But the power is a byproduct of the message meant to further point people toward Jesus.
But there was something else. Jesus opened the door to expand the kingdom of God to include non Jewish people. This was huge and more than not sacrificing bulls and goats, letting the heathen in was going to cause questions. Is it possible that God’s kingdom includes more than just the children of Israel? The answer was absolutely and our second point is....
2. The miraculous authenticates the ministry. (44-48)
2. The miraculous authenticates the ministry. (44-48)
By going to the house of a gentile, Peter was committing the equivalent of Judaistic suicide. The Jewish people who didn’t even need anymore evidence that Peter was of the devil would have fuel added to the fire. But even in the Christian church, He would be reviled and he was.
Look at
1 Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.
2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him, saying,
3 “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.”
Sothe second thing that that the power of the Holy Spirit does it confirms that Cornelius has in fact been brought into the family of God. Cornelius was a gentile and according to Jewish custom was excluded from the people of God. And no one would believe that gentiles were simply accepted into God’s church without question. So God in His grace allowed these miracles to absolutely and undeniably attest to the truth of these gentiles conversions.
Cornelius was a gentile and according to Jewish custom was excluded from the people of God. And no one would believe that gentiles were simply accepted into God’s church without question.
I’d like to point out when the power of God fell on that house. It wasn’t after Peter was done and called for the invitation. There was no prayer of salvation. In the midst of the gospel message, before Peter had even finished speaking, Cornelius had heard enough, his heart was stirred and he believed in Jesus. The power fell to show Peter and everyone in that room that this was not a false conversion.
And when he presented this back to the church, Peter was going to need evidence.
What was I to do, they received the Holy spirit with power just like we did. So I baptized them and welcomed them into the family of God.
The miraculous served to authenticate the ministry of Peter in the life of Cornelius.
This happened before when the gospel came to the Samaritans.
14 Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John,
15 who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit,
16 for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
So we see that these miracles weren’t just for the miracles but to show people who Jesus is and what He is about about.
Transition:
3. The gift gives way to something better. ()
3. The gift gives way to something better. ()
3 On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation.
4 The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church.
3 On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation.
4 The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church.
1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,
2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.
3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
3. The gift gives way to something better. (Hebrews 1:1-4)
3. The gift gives way to something better. (Hebrews 1:1-4)
Tim Parinas!
Because we have the Bible.
And even in the book of Acts we begin to see a decline in the miraculous throughout the book of Acts as the New Testament is being written and distributed.
1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,
2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.
3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
Conclusion:
Now just because we don’t see miracles, doesn’t meant that God isn’t at work. And doesn’t mean they don’t still happen. But they aren’t normative.
Illustration: Story of the Easter candles.
Reflection: Is Jesus enough for you?
Reflection: Is Jesus enough for you?
Let’s reflect on that.
25 And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God.
12 Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico.
1 Then Moses answered, “But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you.’ ”
2 The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A staff.”
3 And he said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it.
4 But the Lord said to Moses, “Put out your hand and catch it by the tail”—so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand—
5 “that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”
6 Again, the Lord said to him, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” And he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow.
7 Then God said, “Put your hand back inside your cloak.” So he put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh.
8 “If they will not believe you,” God said, “or listen to the first sign, they may believe the latter sign.
9 If they will not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and the water that you shall take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.”
17 After this the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became ill. And his illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him.
18 And she said to Elijah, “What have you against me, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance and to cause the death of my son!”
19 And he said to her, “Give me your son.” And he took him from her arms and carried him up into the upper chamber where he lodged, and laid him on his own bed.
20 And he cried to the Lord, “O Lord my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by killing her son?”
21 Then he stretched himself upon the child three times and cried to the Lord, “O Lord my God, let this child’s life come into him again.”
22 And the Lord listened to the voice of Elijah. And the life of the child came into him again, and he revived.
23 And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper chamber into the house and delivered him to his mother. And Elijah said, “See, your son lives.”
24 And the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth.”
1 Kings 17:17-24
36 And at the time of the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word.
37 Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.”
38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.”
10 But Elijah answered the captain of fifty, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.” Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.
-39
2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.”
22 And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them.
14 Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled.
15 But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons,”
16 while others, to test him, kept seeking from him a sign from heaven.
17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls.
18 And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul.
19 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.
20 But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe;
22 but when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil.
23 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
Luke
33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
It seems to be a characteristic of the New Testament church that miracles occur. In the Old Testament, miracles seemed to occur primarily in connection with one prominent leader at a time, such as Moses or Elijah or Elisha. In the New Testament, there is a sudden and unprecedented increase in the miracles when Jesus begins his ministry (, ). However, contrary to the pattern of the Old Testament, the authority to work miracles and to cast out demons was not confined to Jesus himself, nor did miracles die out when Jesus returned to heaven. Even during his ministry, Jesus gave authority to heal the sick and to cast out demons not only to the Twelve, but also to seventy of his disciples (, , ; cf. ; ).[5] - Grudem
12 And all the assembly fell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.