How Jesus Speaks Through The Supernatural Series

How Jesus Speaks Through the Supernatural

Series: Hearing Jesus Speak Today

September 5, 2010

Today’s message is a 2 parter. This morning, I just want to give you the introduction and maybe a little more (depending on time), and then next week we’ll finish up…so I hope you plan to be here both weeks. Otherwise, you’re only going to hear ½ a message.

I want to start out with a statement of fact…God is supernatural, and so He does things in a supernatural way. Do you believe that statement? The word “supernatural” means that it goes beyond our natural way of seeing and doing things. That it supersedes the physical laws of nature. There are a lot of people today in the world that don’t believe the things they read Jesus doing in the bible because “they’re impossible!” “There’s no way a person can walk on water, turn water into wine, heal paralyzed people with the touch of his hand. That’s impossible!” And they’re right! There’s no way a man could do those things… IF he was just a man! But what if that “man” was God in flesh? If He really was in fact… God… wouldn’t you almost expect Him to do the kinds of things Jesus did? Otherwise, you could say, “Well, Jesus can’t be God…if He was God, wouldn’t He be doing some miracles?” See, you can’t have it both ways!

Now, because God made the laws of nature, He’s not bound or restricted by them, right? He’s not a prisoner of His own creation. And so when He temporarily supercedes a law of nature… that’s called a “miracle”. Now, unfortunately, in our western, rationalistic mind-set, we’ve been conditioned to read the Bible in terms of our experience rather than in the experience of the people who were actually living it. In otherwords, if I don’t hear God’s voice today in supernatural ways… I assume that He’s not speaking in supernatural ways anymore. If I don’t personally SEE miracles being performed, then I naturally conclude that God doesn’t do miracles anymore. But nothing could be further from the truth!

The bible is filled to the brim with supernatural events and ways that God communicated with His people. Dreams, visions, impressions, angels…even His audible voice. What you may not realize is that the way God communicated with people in the bible… is the WAY He communicates with us now… if not more so! The bible says that Jesus Christ is the same… yesterday, today and forever! (find vs.) In otherwords, He doesn’t change His tactics and His methods. And just because you ‘personally” haven’t experienced it, doesn’t mean it isn’t happening! Again… if God is a supernatural God… then wouldn’t you expect Him to act and communicate in supernatural ways?

I don’t know if you’ve ever read the book of Acts before, but it’s a fascinating study of how God wants to work through His people. In it we find stories of what it was actually like to be a Christian in the early days of the church, (directly after Jesus was resurrected). It doesn’t deal in theories or doctrines…it deals in the real life experiences of people (just like you and me) who lit. heard and felt the living Lord Jesus acting in their lives! Maybe that’s why it’s called the “book of ACTS” and not the book of theories.

At the beginning of Acts, the resurrected Jesus and his disciples are standing on the Mt. of Olives. Jesus had just gotten done telling them to wait in Jerusalem for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. After promising them power from the Holy Spirit, He was taken up to heaven before their very eyes! But instead of returning to Jerusalem (like He told them to do)… they stood there staring into the sky. YOU WOULD TOO! They couldn’t believe their eyes! (STAND AND STARE AT CEILING)

This must have gone on for quite a while, because God had to dispatch a couple of angels to shake them out of their stupor! They said in Acts 1:11…"Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." In otherwords…”There’s no time to waste, He’s coming back…so get off your buns and get moving to Jerusalem!”

So right off the bat, at the beginning of the churches history God begins by communicating in a supernatural way. God is showing us that if the church is going to be successful, it’s NOT going to be because of our superior intellect, or cleverly devised programs and gimmicks. It’s going to be built through the supernatural revelation and power of God! Jesus HIMSELF would be directing the growth of His church, All the disciples had to do was listen and obey! In case you wondered…NOTHING HAS CHANGED! So, off they go to Jerusalem, to wait for directions and power to be given to them. And they’re going to need it, because they don’t have a CLUE about how to build Jesus’ church! And neither do we!