Sermon Tone Analysis

Our Scripture lesson this morning is taken from 2 Cor 12:1-12:

May God bless the reading of this, His holy and infallible Word.

They are calling it the “Great Resignation”, in August and September between 4 to 5 million Americans resigned from their jobs.

Some out of fear of COVID-19, some in protest to vaccine mandates, others because they are content with public aid, still others as they move to better paying jobs, but some because of resignation itself.

A growing number of Americans have lost hope as the reality of our situation has sunk in.

COVID-19 will not go away, and herd immunity will never be reached.

We are now in an endemic, not a pandemic.

In the foreseeable future we can expect one outbreak after another, and with-it thousands of deaths and long-term side effects.

Our economy is in ruins, store-shelfs are empty and prices are soaring.

People are with-out hope, and they are giving up.

People feel that they need a miracle.

If that is how you are feeling, I have good news.

In Christ Jesus, you can expect a miracle!

That is right, you can expect a miracle, but NOT a miracle worker.

This morning we turn our attention to the Sign Gifts of Healing and Miracles.

I am going to show you through Scripture that the sign gifts are given by the Holy Spirit not to meet people’s need for a miracle, but to attest to the authority of the Apostolic message.

This does not mean that we cannot expect a miracle.

God has made provision for that through prayer.

Finally, I am going to address the question of “unanswered prayer” and show you through Scripture that it is not a “no”, but a “better yes”!

Let us begin with the purpose of sign gifts.

The Purpose of Sign Gifts is to Attest to the Authority of the Apostolic Message

Without question, when we see in Scripture a person with on of the sign gifts using their gift people’s need for a miracle are met, but this is only a secondary purpose, the main purpose of sign gifts it to attest to the authority of the Apostolic message.

In our text today, we have Paul having to defend his apostolic ministry from a group of false teachers who claimed to be “super-apostles”.

In the closing verse he says this:

As I surveyed both the Old and New Testaments, this was true in every single case.

It was also the case in every one of Jesus’ miracles.

In his Pentecost sermon, Peter said this:

The reason the sign gifts were so prevalent in the first century is because the church was being established and the whole world was a pioneer mission field.

Once the church was established in a region, the need for sign gifts was no longer there.

Take Israel for example.

There has always been a remnant of true believers in Israel.

Other than to establish the authority of individual prophets, there was not need for sign gifts to establish the authority of God’s Word.

In fact, to seek sign gifts according to Jesus is a sign a wicked and evil heart:

Moreover, a fascination with signs and wonders opens us up to spiritual deception:

Therefore, I say NOT to expect a miracle worker, there is no need for one in the context of America.

The authority of the Apostolic message has been firmly established in our society for generations.

If a person in America does not believe the gospel it is not because of a lack of evidence, it is because of a wicked and hard heart.

Does this mean that we cannot expect a miracle?

Absolutely not!

God has made other provisions to miraculously intervene in our lives—it is called prayer!

God’s Provision for a Miraculous Intervention is Prayer

The believer does not need to seek a person with the gift of healing to be miraculously healed.

God has already made provision for this prayer.

James does not tell Christians to seek a faith healer, rather he tells us to call the elders and pray.

In other words, the presence of a person with a sign gift brings nothing more to the table, all you need for a miracle in your life is the prayer of a righteous person.

I can already hear the objections, “What about all the unanswered prayers?”

My response is this, “How do you know that God did not answer your prayer?

Is it because you did not get what you asked for?”

This does not prove that the prayer of a righteous man is not powerful and effectual, it only proves that our God is a wise and loving heavenly Father.

Did not Jesus encourage us to pray saying:

What we call “unanswered prayer” is really a “better yes”!

The Unexpected Miracle of “Unanswered” Prayer

In our text this morning, find Paul asking for a good thing, but not the best thing.

Paul was beset by what he called a “thorn in the flesh” and a “messenger of Satan”.

There is much debate over what this was, but we can safely say it was a bad thing, and it was causing Paul to suffer.

Three times Paul asked God to take it away and God’s answer was always the same, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor 12:9).

We know that this was not the answer Paul wanted to hear, because three times he went back to God in prayer after hearing God’s answer.

After the third time, Paul must have reflected more upon what was going on and writes:

Then he adds:

I ask you, what would have been the greater miracle?

For God to have taken the thorn away or to make Paul more like Christ?

I think you know the answer: Miraculously freeing us from temporal suffering is small potatoes compared to conforming us to the image of Christ.

In Romans 8, we learn what God’s plan is for all of us:

Suffering is the necessary price we must pay for glorification.

It is the price that Jesus paid:

I realize that God’s “better yes’s” are hard to accept.

We want our suffering and the suffering of those we love to go away.

It was hard for Paul to accept, even after directly hearing God’s voice!

It takes a miracle to accept God’s “better yes”, and that is exactly what we can expect.

Listen to how Paul prayers for the church:

Let us join Paul and pray for a miracle!