Matthew 11:4-5 NKJV Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: (5) The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.
According to the Book of Acts, the miracles that Jesus did were good.
Acts 10:38 NKJV how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
The miracle working God of the Old Testament is still a miracle working God today!
Psalms 77:14 TLB You are the God of miracles and wonders! You still demonstrate your awesome power.
Job 5:9 NLT He does great things too marvelous to understand. He performs countless miracles.
Jeremiah 32:27 NIV “I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?
To begin to see and understand God’s miracle working power, there are some things about Him we need to understand:
John 4:24 NKJV God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
God is Spirit and not of this natural world.
God is not a physical being at all, although He is very real.
God created this natural physical world out of the world in which He lives called the spirit world.
He created this world out of His Word.
Hebrews 11:3 NKJV By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.
If I limit my scope of my understanding to the natural realm, I can never really begin to understand God or the realm in which He lives.
1 Corinthians 2:14 NKJV (14) But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
The natural man says, “I will not believe in it unless I can prove it by feeling it, seeing it, etc.” He says, “I have to prove it in order to believe it.”
There is a spiritual world that the natural man cannot understand.
The power of God has superiority over any of the natural laws that are in operation on the earth.
The very first thing we see that Jesus did in the Gospels, was to show His superiority over the natural.
John 2:1-10 NKJV On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. (2) Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. (3) And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.” (4) Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.” (5) His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” (6) Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. (7) Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. (8) And He said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.” And they took it. (9) When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. (10) And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!”
Jesus had never worked a miracle up to this point so Mary probably was not expecting a miracle. But He was full of wisdom and His mother knew that He could solve the problem.
Water pots were at a minimum of 3 firkins each which was 9 gallons per firkin or 27 gallons. We are talking about close to 150 gallons of water and it took quite a while to fill them up and the pots were very heavy. This took a lot of work.
We think it would be easier to turn the water into wine because it is a liquid but that is not true. Jesus could have turned air into wine as easy as it was to turn water into the wine.
Jesus had them fill the water pots because He wanted them to be involved in the process of God’s power showing up to change the situation.
God could do everything that He ever wanted to do without us because He is God and could leave us out.
He chooses to bring us into the process and let us have a part in what is going on.
God wants to work WITH us in His plan in the earth but He must have faith to work with for that to happen.
Faith is the invitation we give God for Him to move in our situation the way He wants to and we need Him to.
John 2:11 NKJV (11) This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.
Notice in verse 11, it says that because of this miracle, His disciples believed on Him and this came about because they were involved.
Matthew 18:2-4 NKJV Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, (3) and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. (4) Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Little children intrinsically trust that they will be taken care of. This is the way that we should be in our faith in God.
Jesus was showing us that we must approach the Kingdom of God as a little child believes without any hesitation and question.
Why is faith such a big deal to God?
God wants to work with us all through faith to be able to get His power over into our lives so that He can make the difference He wants to make.
What is a miracle?
- A miracle is a Divine intervention in the ordinary course of nature.
Matthew 8:1-3 (NKJV) When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. (2) And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” (3) Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
- Most people do not question Jesus’ ability to do miracles. But they do question His willingness where they are concerned.
- Faith begins where the will of God is known.
- The ability to receive a miracle begins where the will of God for you is known.
For Whom and Will Jesus Perform a Miracle and Why?
- Jesus healed someone who did not even know Him.
Matthew 15:21-28 (NKJV) Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. (22) And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.” (23) But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.” (24) But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (25) Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” (26) But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” (27) And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” (28) Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
This woman acknowledged Jesus when she said, “Yes Lord,”.
A healing miracle is such a powerful and personal thing that it shows the character of God and He uses it to prove that He is the One True God and He genuinely loves people.
- Jesus healed those that were outcast from society.
Luke 17:11-19 NKJV Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. (12) Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. (13) And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” (14) So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed. (15) And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, (16) and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan. (17) So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? (18) Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” (19) And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”
- Jesus heals those who are left behind because of their disease.
Mark 2:1-5 NKJV And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house. [2] Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them. [3] Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. [4] And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying. [5] When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”
Mark 2:10-12 NKJV [10] But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic, [11] “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” [12] Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”
Life had left this man behind because of his paralysis. He was always at the mercy of everyone else. Thank God for the friends he had.
- Jesus heals the one who was limited because of disease.
(Mark 3:1-5 NKJV) And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand. [2] So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. [3] And He said to the man who had the withered hand, “Step forward.” [4] Then He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they kept silent. [5] And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.
The religious leaders were more concerned about whether Jesus was going to break the law than they were about the man being healed.
- Jesus healed the man from his mental illness.
(Sickness and disease can affect someone mentally as well as physically.)
Mark 5:1-20 (NKJV) Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes. [2] And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, [3] who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, [4] because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him. [5] And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones. [6] When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him. [7] And he cried out with a loud voice and said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me.” [8] For He said to him, “Come out of the man, unclean spirit!”
Mark 5:1-20 (NKJV) Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind…
- Jesus heals those conditions that are long standing and that maybe you have learned to live with.
Luke 13:10-13 NKJV Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. (11) And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. (12) But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.” (13) And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.
Luke 13:16 NKJV So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?”
- Jesus wants to heal people so that they can have some normality in their lives and not have their lives revolve around some kind of sickness.
Mark 5:21-24 NKJV Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea. [22] And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet [23] and begged Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live.” [24] So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him.
Mark 5:35-43 NKJV While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” [36] As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid; only believe.” [37] And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James. [38] Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly. [39] When He came in, He said to them, “Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeping.” [40] And they ridiculed Him. But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying. [41] Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, “Talitha, cumi,” which is translated, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” [42] Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age. And they were overcome with great amazement. [43] But He commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said that something should be given her to eat.
The commandment to not say something had nothing to with what Jesus was doing or had done or even the effect on His ministry. The reason He said this was that they had been amazed with a great amazement.
He had just healed a twelve year old girl and actually raised her up from the dead. In the eyes of the people she could have become a spectacle and been harassed for the rest of her life. The nature of people is that for the rest of her life there would have been whispers about her and what she had experienced. Plainly put, Jesus wanted her to have a normal life as a little girl, a teenager and then a young woman. He said to give her something to eat. He wanted to restore to her normality in her life.
- It does not matter what the condition is or how great or how small, He cares about it and wants us to be healed.
Mark 6:4-5 NKJV But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.” [5] Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.
Their unbelief did limit Jesus in what He was able to do there. BUT he still healed some LITTLE physical problems.
Hebrews 13:8 NKJV Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Jesus is the same miracle working Jesus today, that we read about in the Bible. He has not changed and will never change.