THE GIFTED - PART SIX

M I R A C L E S

1 Corinthians 12:4–11 (ESV)

4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

How do we differentiate between miracles and healing? Let’s look first at the definition of miracle, as it’s used in 1 Corinthians 12.

Lexham Theological Wordbook (δύναμις)

δύναμις (dynamis). n. fem. power, deed of power. Literally, it describes the ability to perform an activity; by extension, it refers to someone in a position of power or the force of a person’s action.

A miracle is God’s power dynamic, explosive power working in the earth today through believers.

Is healing a miracle? It’s God’s power working in the world today. While healing is absolutely miraculous, Paul separates the two gifts here to demonstrate that all miracles are not exclusively in the healing category.

Throughout both the Old Testament and New Testament, we see miracles done that exist apart from the healing of bodies. As we briefly look at these, begin to build your faith for your miracle. If God has done it before, He can do it again. There is nothing you’re facing that is too big for Him and nothing you’re facing that’s too small. He works miracles to accomplish His will and to build His Kingdom. He does it for His children out of His great love. Miracles of provision and resurrection and deliverance aren’t performed from what is merited, but from what is given out of divine love. Here are just a few examples of miracles we see in Scripture. Which one sounds like something you need?

Moses brought water out of a rock in Exodus 17.

Exodus 17:1–6 (ESV)

1 All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of Sin by stages, according to the commandment of the Lord, and camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” 3 But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” 4 So Moses cried to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” 5 And the Lord said to Moses, “Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel.

2. Israel crossed the Jordan River on dry land in Joshua 3.

Joshua 3:15–17 (ESV)

15 and as soon as those bearing the ark had come as far as the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest), 16 the waters coming down from above stood and rose up in a heap very far away, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, and those flowing down toward the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. And the people passed over opposite Jericho. 17 Now the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, and all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan.

3. Joshua made the sun stand still in Joshua 10.

Joshua 10:12–13 (ESV)

12 At that time Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel,

“Sun, stand still at Gibeon,

and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.”

13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped,

until the nation took vengeance on their enemies.

Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day.

The power of God defied the laws of nature! The Word of God in the mouth of Joshua caused one of a couple of things to happen here. Either the earth stopped rotating on its axis for about a day, or the earth stopped in its orbit of the sun for about a day. Probably both in some way. How? Great question. The only answer? It was a miracle. It was God’s dynamic power at work in the earth through Joshua, His servant.

4. Elijah prayed down fire from Heaven in 1 Kings 18.

1 Kings 18:37–38 (ESV)

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.

5. Elisha made an axe-head float in 2 Kings 6.

2 Kings 6:1–7 (ESV)

1 Now the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “See, the place where we dwell under your charge is too small for us. 2 Let us go to the Jordan and each of us get there a log, and let us make a place for us to dwell there.” And he answered, “Go.” 3 Then one of them said, “Be pleased to go with your servants.” And he answered, “I will go.” 4 So he went with them. And when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. 5 But as one was felling a log, his axe head fell into the water, and he cried out, “Alas, my master! It was borrowed.” 6 Then the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” When he showed him the place, he cut off a stick and threw it in there and made the iron float. 7 And he said, “Take it up.” So he reached out his hand and took it.

Those are in the Old Testament, bu what do we see in the New Testament?

Jesus turned water into wine in John 2. This was His first miracle.

John 2:1–11 (ESV)

1 On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. 3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

6 Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. 9 When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” 11 This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.

Notice that last line. The result of the miracle was that more people believed in Jesus as the Savior.

2. Jesus calmed the storm in Matthew 8.

Matthew 8:23–26 (ESV)

23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. 25 And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” 26 And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.

Again, we see that natural forces are subject to spiritual ones.

3. Jesus and Peter walked on water in Matthew 14.

Matthew 14:22–31 (ESV)

22 Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”

28 And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

Here’s a great example of how a person who’s not the Messiah can see miracles in their own mortal bodies. Remember, though, that all the miracles Jesus performed on earth were done while He was fully human. Peter was even more fully human, though, and here he is walking on water.

It’s also a good template for us. How do we walk in the miraculous? We respond to the words of Jesus. Peter would have made it all the way to Jesus had he not taken His eyes off the Savior. People often begin seeing God’s power working in their lives and then foolishly take their eyes off of Him. Pride tells us that we are doing something miraculous because of our own greatness. When you look at Jesus in the midst of a storm, all you see is His goodness. All you see is His peace. All you see is His love. You have no time or capacity to look at yourself when you’re so captivated by Jesus.

4. Jesus fed many people with a kid’s lunch in John 6.

John 6:5–14 (ESV)

5 Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” 6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. 7 Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.” 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, 9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?” 10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” 13 So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten. 14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”

Jesus will work with what you bring Him. You may not be a theologian or have the most articulate prayers to pray, but the God of the universe can work through some crackers and minnows to accomplish His will and provide for His people. Don’t hesitate to bring Him what you have because it doesn’t feel good enough. He takes what we have and makes it more than enough.

5. Finally, Jesus raised a man from the dead in John 11.

John 11:1–44 (ESV)

1 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 4 But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. 7 Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” 8 The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” 9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” 11 After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” 12 The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” 13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, 15 and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 16 So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

17 Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. 20 So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

28 When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29 And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32 Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. 34 And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept. 36 So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?”

38 Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” 44 The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

To summarize, Jesus waited until Lazarus was dead. He didn’t want to demonstrate His healing power here; He wanted to demonstrate His resurrection power. It doesn’t matter how dead something looks. It doesn’t matter what the world says about it; when Jesus says to come, dead things can’t stay in the grave. The miraculous power of God cannot be bridled by death.

The greatest of all miracles is this. We were once dead and headed for hell, but God has raised us back to life. The work of Jesus has called us out of our grave and into marvelous light. We are walking, talking, living miracles to the glory of God. If you are a miracle, you can have a miracle and perform a miracle through the power of God working in you and through you.

It’s not about you; it has always been and will always be about Him! When we deploy the gift of miracles, we should do so at the instruction of the Holy Spirit living on the inside of us. He will teach and instruct and guide us in doing so. Say what He says to say. Do what He says to do.

There is an anointing tonight for miracles. That anointing is for you to receive and for you to catch. It’s to take into your job, your school, your family, and your area of influence to create a revival of God’s power in a world that badly needs it.

Choose life tonight. Choose the life-giving power of the resurrected Jesus and watch Him perform miracles through you.