God Did Extraordinary Miracles

INTRO.- ILL.- I am reminded of the story of the duck hunter who was proud of his marksmanship. After a period of time a lone duck flew overhead. "Watch this," the hunter said to his friend, as he took careful aim and shot at the duck. But the duck just continued flying as if nothing had happened.

The hunter turned to his friend and said, "You have just witnessed a great miracle! There flies a dead duck!"

Miracles sound good, don’t they? Did you ever have one happen to you? Maybe a small one?

ILL.- Here’s a real miracle that happened recently. A bullet tore through a Geauga County Ohio home here Sunday night while a young family was inside. A deer slug came through the east side of the home, traveled through several walls and came to a stop after striking a child’s Bible in a bedroom closet. At the time of the shooting, the entire Milks family was home and the mother was in that room reading to her 2 1/2 year old daughter when it happened. It just missed hitting them by 33 inches. The family is not pressing charges.

The bullet came from a 12-gauge shotgun that was shot by a 17-year-old neighbor who was actually out hunting not far from the home. The 17-year-old came over Monday morning and apologized profusely. Had to be something of a miracle, wouldn’t you say?

ILL.- I totaled my 1955 Chevrolet while driving to work at 10 p.m. one time, probably in 1962-63. I was scheduled to go to work at Safeway at 10 p.m. I was a night stocker and I was running late that night and decided to take a back road from Webb City to Joplin, which was probably 5 to 8 miles to the store on 4th St. WRONG MOVE. Wrong decision. I wasn’t as familiar with that back road as I thought I was.

Needless to say, I never made it to work on time. That back road had a curve in it that was probably a 15 mph curve at best and I didn’t realize this. I was going 50 mph when I went into that curve and immediately, saw there was no way I would make it. I saw a telephone pole coming at me (actually I was heading toward it) and I quickly laid down in the front seat of my car and let her wreck, which she did. She just missed that telephone, however. My Chevy actually went between that pole and the guy wire! Amazing! Utterly amazing! How could I have missed hitting that telephone pole head on??

That’s what I call a miracle. It was something good and I attribute that good to the Lord. By the grace of God I was saved! At that time I didn’t know this, of course. I wasn’t a Christian and I just thought I was lucky.

Most of us, if not all of us, could say, "If it were not for the grace of God I would have....or I would be...." TRUE? It’s the grace of God or the graciousness of God that has kept us all out of a boat load of trouble!!! PRAISE HIM!

God delivered us from the mouths of lions. He kept us from being burned up in the fiery furnace. He saved us from the flood. He allowed us to walk through on dry ground. PRAISE HIM!

PROP.- God’s extraordinary miracles:

1- All heard the Word of the Lord

2- Many Illnesses were cured

3- Many openly confessed their evil

1. ALL HEARD THE WORD OF THE LORD

10This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.

ALL the Jews and Greeks in Asia heard the word of the Lord. Obviously, all the Jews and Greeks in Asia at that time wouldn’t be as many today! But, of course, they weren’t able to spread the Word of God compared to how we can do it today. WE HAVE RADIO, TV, THE INTERNET, CELL PHONES! We can spread all kinds of words and do through these devices and means. But are we spreading the Word of God, the gospel, the good news of Christ through these various means?

ILL.- Are you an American Idol watcher? There are about 25 to 30 million who view that show every week. I know. How worldly can you get?? Wednesday, April 2nd, 62 year old Dolly Parton was the guest star. Whether you like Dolly or not, she’s made a ton of money and has been clean as far as most famous people are concerned. She’s been married to the same man (Carl Dean) for almost 42 years. Her grandfather was a Pentecostal gospel preacher and her parents raised her in the Church of God. And I believe that she still believes in Christ and Christianity. I hope so. I pray so.