HOW CLOSE IS YOUR MIRACLE?
2 KINGS 4:1-7
I've tried to look at ministry through the eyes of Jesus. What was the message Jesus preached? If pastors are to carry out His ministry until He returns, it would be good to know what type of message and ministry Jesus had when here on earth.
The good news Jesus proclaimed was the gospel of the kingdom of God. A good summary of the message of Jesus is found in Mark 1:14-15 (READ) The heart of Jesus' message was both the proclamation of God's action..."the kingdom is near"...and the demand for a response..."repent and believe." This salvation was summed up in the idea that the "kingdom of God" is close...are you ready?
And for the rest of His public ministry, Jesus demonstrated that the kingdom of God was near by doing what? ...healing the sick, casting out demons, and raising the dead. Every miraculous act had a purpose...to confront people with the message that the kingdom had come and that they had to decide to accept or reject it.
This was the two-fold pattern of Christ's ministry which was repeated wherever He went. First proclamation, then demonstration. First He preached repentance and the good news of the kingdom of God. Then He cast out demons, healed the sick, raised the dead...all of which proved that He was the presence of the kingdom...the Anointed One.
Jesus told Peter that the "gates of Hell would not overcome the church"...and we learned that the gates of hell are the strongholds of evil and death...satanic powers that seek to destroy us (Ephesians 6:10-12)
And as Christ's instruments...we don't just cower in a corner hoping the enemy won't bother us...we wage war on these strongholds...replacing their dominion with the kingdom of God. We've been given the keys to the kingdom...the power and authority over the enemy.....but if we don't exercise that power, it's of no use.
The kingdom of darkness is organized to distract us...to prevent us from doing God's specific will. But everyone...according to Acts 1:8, can receive power from the Holy Spirit. And power is the ability...the strength...the might to complete a given task.
Now, in Luke 9:1-2, when He Jesus had called the 12 together...He not only gave them power... but also the authority to...Let's read this....(READ)
He gave them supernatural power and authority to do what could never be done by our own strength or ability. And the disciples followed Jesus pattern for ministry...they not only proclaimed the kingdom...they demonstrated the works and miracles of the kingdom.
For the past 3 months I've been trying to help you to understand that we've been thrust into the middle of a battle with Satan....a tug of war - and the prize is the souls of men and women...your family, friends and loved ones.
Now, Satan's captivity of men and women has many facets...and denying then salvation is his primary goal. But there are also other strongholds...bondage to sin...physical and emotional problems...social disruptions...and demonic affliction.
And our mission is to rescue those who have been taken captive by Satan and his lies. How are we going to do that? Ideally, as Christians we should all be saved, sanctified, filled with the Holy Spirit and set free to demonstrate the power of God through signs and wonders...as we find in Mark 16.
But in our case here at Goodridge Church of God...I think we need to first of all experience the power of God...and I mean really experience it...because only after we've personally experienced the miraculous, awesome power of God can we honestly testify about it...and follow Jesus' pattern of proclamation and demonstration.
And that brings me to my question for today. Can you personally testify to the supernatural power of Almighty God? For many, the answer will likely be "No." Well, I believe God wants to reveal His miraculous power to us...not to thrill us, or entertain us...or to make us think or seem more spiritual than someone else...
...but in order to be a visible demonstration of the truth of the gospel. If we are ever going to reach those who are so trapped by the deceptions of the world...they need to see that what we claim to believe in is real...and powerful...and able to meet needs and fulfill the deepest desires of the heart. Something that brings a peace that the world can never give!
It is clearly Christ's intention that the kingdom of God be spread by others in the same way He did it...through proclamation and demonstration.
The apostle Paul's understanding of this accounted for his tremendous success in Corinth. And it came after only a modest response in Athens (Acts 17). Now, in Athens, Paul argued eloquently...he preached a good sermon...at the Areopagus...but the result was that "a few men became followers of Paul and believed."
But in Corinth...his next stop...the results were quite different. Acts 18:10 says that many people in this city believed. Now, there were several factors involved, but Paul himself wrote to those in Corinth and said, "My message and my preaching were not with wise persuasive words...but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power...so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power."
Paul changed his evangelistic methods...in Athens he argued eloquently...but in Corinth he combined demonstration with proclamation. Now...the question I want to ask you is this...where does your faith rest? On men's wisdom...or God's power?
I believe that God wants to demonstrate His love and power in your life to meet a need...but ultimately to use that as a powerful example to help you and help others believe that, as Christ said, "the kingdom of God is near...repent and believe."
Now, how many of you here have a need...and I mean a need that is one that could only be accomplished by the power of Almighty God? Some of you may be facing what seem like impossible situations. It could be physical...or financial...maybe relational - family problems etc...and of course spiritual battles.
If you are in a place where only God can intervene, I need to ask you..."How Close Is Your Miracle?" Are you just spinning your wheels...is there any hope of divine intervention...Is God really out there and will He help?
I believe that the answer to your need begins with something that is already there within your grasp...within your ability or in your possession. Most of the time God's miraculous provision for us in our need doesn't come so much like manna from heaven - but in the multiplication of what we already have...like loaves and fishes for example.
Now, sometimes God's miracles are found behind some pretty uninviting doors...and we miss the miracles because we don't look in the places where God hides them. I want you to turn with me to 2 Kings 4 as we look at how God often works miracles...because there just may be a miracle in your house! READ 2 Kings 4:1-7
Now, there are several things I want us to see as we look at this familiar story. And the first thing we see is that the only thing this woman had going for her was that she knew where to turn. And this simple truth is probably one of the most important. Where we place our expectations determines whether we receive a miracle. (repeat)
I honestly believe the reason we see little in the way of miracles is because we turn to everything else possible before we decide to turn to God...and by then our faith and our expectations are depleted to the point we don't expect God to work either. (right there you ought to say Amen...because like it or not that is good preaching...that is truth!)
The major battles of life are spiritual...so there must be spiritual resources if things are to turn around. God wants to show Himself strong on your behalf...But going to God means asking, praying and believing! Paul exhorted the Philippians to worry about nothing and pray about everything. But we are experts in the area of worry!
Our worrying is most often expressed by an on-going, inner conversation we have with ourselves. We will argue, complain, and moan about the situation just as if someone were actually listening. That's why, when someone asks us sincerely how we are doing, that person gets such an earful...the complaint has been well rehearsed.
Looking to God in the midst of your troubles means that you stop rehearsing your complaints and turn that inner conversation into upward prayer. That's when faith begins.
And don't seek an earthly "Messiah." Christianity is very celebrity oriented...if I could just talk to so and so...have so and so pray....As Christians we should be seeking to touch the hem of Jesus' garment - and no one else's!
Like the needy widow, we get so caught up in what we don't have - that we don't see the possibilities in what we already do have. What she needed was to recognize that God had already given her the beginnings of her miracle...even though what she had seemed so small.
Our first reaction to crisis is always negative...isn't that true? We whine, complain, grumble... The widow also started out in the negative but quickly passed to the positive. Nothing could be more important! When you look to the God of possibilities...you suddenly pass from the natural to the supernatural.
It's easy to say, "I have nothing." We do it all the time! But it takes faith to go on and say, "Nothing but a jar of oil...one small possibility...one small asset...one insignificant thing I can offer for God to use and multiply." A little boy did that with a bag lunch one time and we all know what Jesus did there.
Now...faith doesn't deny present reality. (Roxann-cold- not claim it) It just acknowledges that all things are possible with God. But faith in God does change how you see things. It is faith that enables us to see beyond the difficulties to the possibilities.
Miracles begin with faith...and it takes faith to break through the negative and see the seed you have to cultivate. If you don't look with eyes of faith...small blessings are too little to recognize. But faith is not faith until you do something...action is required.
Elisha told the widow she had to take some action to get out of her fix. She was to go out and borrow as many vessels as she could find. She had to get active if she was to experience a miracle.
Most people want God to act on their behalf - while they sit around and wait for it to happen...but that's not the way it must be. We must first act by faith on our own behalf. Faith is action! And the opposite of faith is unbelief...and unbelief is not expressed so much by what people do...but what they do not do.
READ 2 Kings 4:3 He said, "Get as many as you can...think big!"
In the spiritual world we must attempt things so big for God that unless He helps us we will fall flat on our faces...because only then will He get full credit for what is accomplished. And only then will this knowledge keep us humbly aware that but for His blessings - we are nothing. It is His work and His success - not ours!
God works through our positive expectations. You can't do great things if you don't attempt great things! God works with us according to our expectations...or the lack of them.
A key factor in this miracle story is what happened after the widow had borrowed the empty pots from her curious neighbors. Elisha told her, "And you shall go in and shut the door behind you and your sons." Now why did he say that?
There will always be plenty of naysayers...those who say, "We've tried that before and it failed...We can't afford it...We've never done it that way...It'll never happen! But Elisha simply insisted that she shut out the skeptics and be deaf to doubt.
The fact is...many miracles are stillborn because doubt was invited into the delivery room. Jesus cautioned..."Consider carefully what you hear" (Mark 4:24). He knew we act on and react to what we hear from those around us. And Elisha also knew how quickly seeds of doubt grow in the soil of human depravity and despair.
Jesus said clearly....Matthew 7:6...let's read it
This is an important truth...don't throw your miracle into the hands of skeptics...or they will trample it and tear you to pieces. They can destroy your faith and belief in God's power to perform the miraculous.
The widow provided the effort - while God made the miracle. As she poured, the oil flowed. And the exciting thing is that provision continues to come as we continue to pour.
This doesn't mean we'll never have any problems. There will always be the constant struggle against the god of this world. But, miraculously, the provision comes as we continue to step out in faith.
I believe the oil of anointing will only stop when we stop offering up empty vessels. 2 Corinthians 9:10 gives us this promise..."Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food, will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness." I love that!! He'll supply and multiply - Hallelujah!!!!!!
READ 2 Kings 4:7
It was not enough for her to witness the miracle. There had to be purpose in it. God gives great miracles for a divine purpose...not just for our entertainment. Miracles are so mighty that we are often tempted to glorify them rather than get on with the work of the kingdom.
Miracles are not meant to dazzle us...they are to facilitate the spread of the gospel. Now, I believe that God blesses us because He loves us...and wants to provide for us. But He also loves those who are dead in their sins...who are facing eternity in hell.
Miracles are a supernatural work that, when experienced, should cause us to fall so much in love with Jesus that we'll want nothing more than to tell other people about Him. He touches us...so that we can touch others.
Do you have need of a miracle in your life? If you do, I'd like you to come down to the altar right now. If you believe in a miracle working God...if you have faith, even if just the size of a mustard seed...then come down here and let's pray.
God has been preparing us for this...He's been bringing us to the place where we'll begin to take Him at His word...step out in faith and trust Him to work and move in a way that will bring glory to His name...and souls into His kingdom.
Do you have loved ones who need to know God...then believe Him for a miracle
Do you need a touch in your body...then believe Him for a miracle
Is there a relational problem that seems impossible to resolve...then believe God for a miracle.
God's Word tells us, and I believe it...we serve a mighty God...a loving God...a miracle working God. He wants to work in your life so that you will draw closer to Him and that through you others will also come to know Him.
If you desire special prayer...come and stand here at the altar and we'll anoint you and pray for you......If you just want to spend some time one-on-one with God...then come kneel at the altar or make an altar here at one of the empty pews....
God is here...He is able... Are You Willing?
