The Grave Robber: Don’t Miss the Miracle John 14:12 I’ve been reading a book called The Grave Robber by Mark Batterson. In this book, the author talks about the incredible power behind the seven miracles that Jesus performed in the Gospel of John, showing us how they’re not just something Jesus did in the past but also something He wants us to do through us right now, in the present. Right before Jesus ascended to heaven He charged us to do something that seems impossible. Listen to what He said in…
John 14:12
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.
Now you might hear these words and say, “Well, Jesus wasn’t talking to us. He was talking to the disciples”. Listen to it again. Jesus said, “he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also”. Now that’s amazing all by itself, but He doesn’t stop there. He goes on to say, “and greater works than these he will do”. What? That’s crazy! Jesus says that not only will those who believe in Him do works just like He did, but He also said that we will do even greater works than He did!
Here’s what I’ve come to realize. There’s a big difference between what we say we believe and how we actually live our lives. Some of you may have heard of the Jefferson Bible. Thomas Jefferson decided that since he couldn’t scientifically prove the miracles that Jesus performed throughout the gospels, he would print his own edition of the bible and leave them out all together. It’s called the Jefferson Bible.
Now I don’t know about you, but I have a problem with that. How can a person believe that God created the universe and everything in it just by speaking it into existence and not believe in the miracles that Jesus performed throughout His earthly ministry? I call that cut-and-paste Christianity. It’s where we take the things of the bible that we like and ignore the things that we don’t. The problem with that is God is an all-or-nothing God. People who practice cut-and-paste Christianity end up with a small god who looks an awful lot like themselves.
Missing, or not accepting, the miracles in Jesus’ life will cause us to miss the miracles God wants to perform in ours.
So how can we take what Jesus says in John 14:12 and make it a reality? Without explaining it away, or watering it down, or twisting the meaning? This morning I want to share with you exactly how we can carry out the charge Jesus gives us in that verse. The first thing we gotta do is put things into…
Proper Perspective
A girl who had moved away to go to college wrote her dad this letter:
Dear Dad,
Sorry I haven’t written sooner. I recently broke my arm when I jumped from he second floor of my dorm which caught on fire. We were lucky though, a janitor saw the smoke from across campus and called the Fire Department. I was in the hospital for a few days. Paul, the janitor, came to see me every day. And because it was taking so long to get our dorm back to live-able conditions, I moved in with him. I must admit though that I’m pregnant. Paul and I plan to get married just as soon as his divorce is final. I hope things are good at home.
Love,
Susie
P.S. None of the above is true. But I did get a "C" in Sociology and flunked Chemistry. I just wanted you to receive this news in its "Proper Perspective!”
So how can we do greater works than Jesus? This was a man who fed 5,000 people with a sack lunch! This was a man who walked on water!
JOKE
A Methodist, Presbyterian, and Baptist preacher went fishing:
The Methodist forgot his worms so he got out of the boat, walked on the water to shore, and then walked on the water again back to boat! The Baptist said, “What faith!”
The Presbyterian forgot his lunch so he too sprinted across the water, got his lunch and came back. The Baptist said, “That’s incredible! I’m in the presence of greatness, but I believe I have faith too!”
So when the time came, the Baptist decided he needed to use the restroom so he stepped out of boat…and sunk to bottom!
The Methodist looked over at the Presbyterian and said, “You think we should we tell him where the rocks are?”
Now, do you think we will we actually walk on water? Raise the dead? No. So then how are we supposed to top things like that?
I want you to notice that Jesus didn’t say that we’d do greater miracles than Him, but that we’d do greater works. So the question remains, what are these greater works that Jesus is talking about?
Jn. 5:20-21; 24-25
For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel. 21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. 25 Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.
Greater than raising someone physically is to raise them spiritually.
One of the sad realities of the American church today is that prayer meeting is no longer prayer meeting. Even sadder is that many churches don’t have a midweek service anymore and the ones that do only have a quarter of the congregation in attendance. But for those that still have a midweek service, it’s primarily a bible study, not a prayer meeting. The little bit of praying done is for people who are sick. Why is it that we seem to spend more time praying to keep Christians out of heaven than we do praying to keep lost people out of hell?
Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that praying for the sick is unimportant. I’m saying that praying for the lost is more important. Jesus said something similar in…
Luke 14:26
“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.
Now, is Jesus saying that you should literally hate your father/mother, wife/children, brothers/sisters, and yes, even your own life? No. He’s saying that in comparison to your love for Him, it should seem like hate. He’s saying, “If you want to follow me, then I have to be first in your life.” He’s not saying that your family is unimportant, He’s saying that He should be more important.
So, if we want to follow Jesus then we have to love Jesus. If we love Jesus then we’re going to want to be like Jesus. If we’re going to be like Jesus then we need to reach the lost. That is the greater work. Salvation…seeing people pass from spiritual death into spiritual life.
Jesus’ primary work wasn’t walking on water, healing people physically, raising people from the dead…even though He did all of those things. The primary work of Jesus was to seek and save the lost. And He says that not only will we do that too, but we can do an even greater work than that. You see, I believe Jesus is talking about quantity…not quality.
Think about it. There were more people saved in one day at Pentecost than during the entire earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. How is that even possible? Because Peter took the ball that Jesus handed him, and he ran with it! We can do a greater work than He did because we’re building on what he started.
So then, here comes the sobering question. Why are we not seeing more souls won for Jesus? In Matthew 9:37 gives us the answer. Jesus says, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that we live in a lost world, “the harvest truly is plentiful”. But the reason we’re not seeing more souls won for Jesus is because “the laborers are few”.
If we’re going to do the greater work that Jesus spoke of, we need to put things into proper perspective. What’s more important, the church building or reaching lost souls for Jesus? What pleases you, or what pleases God?
Not only do we need to put things into proper perspective, but before we can experience the greater works that God wants us to perform in our lives we must to be willing to pay the…
Prescribed Price
Have you ever wondered how many blessings you’ve missed out on or how much trouble you’ve gotten yourself into because you failed to hear and obey God?
God, would my children be living differently if we had spent more time in prayer or daily family devotions?
Would I be walking a different path than I am right now?
What would be different had I learned early on to obey Your voice?
How much time have I wasted?
How much money have I wasted on worldly things?
Are we willing to pray?
Are we willing to Study the Word of God?
Are we willing to set aside our own desires and take on the vision that God gives to us?
Are we willing to take a step of faith and trust God?
Are we willing to witness for Him?
Are we willing to be persecuted or ridiculed for His sake?
There’s a price to pay if we want God’s best. There’s a price to pay if we want Him to dwell in us. There’s a price to pay before we can experience these greater works.
That price is called repentance. Believing in God and trusting in Him, and then accepting His ways instead of our own. God says in His word that obedience is better than sacrifice.
Are you willing to pay the proper price of obedience?
Once we have a proper perspective and we’re willing to pay the proper price, Jesus gives us a…
Powerful Promise
John 14:13-14
And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask[c] anything in My name, I will do it.
Obviously we know that if we ask God for a million dollars we’d better not hold our breaths. But when we ask something in accordance with God’s will...something that we KNOW is God’s will, God promises to make it happen. Why wouldn’t we take this powerful promise all the way to the bank?!
Some people may say, well I don’t know what to pray.
One night a dad overheard his little girl praying. As he passed by her room, he saw her kneeling by her bed. He was confused to hear her reciting the alphabet: “A, B, C . . .” He didn’t want to interrupt, but curiosity got the best of him and so he asked, “Honey, what are you doing?” “I’m praying, Daddy,” she replied. “Why are you praying the alphabet?” he asked. She said, “I wasn’t sure what to pray so I decided to just say all the letters of the alphabet and let God put them together however he thinks best.”
When we pray in accordance with God’s will it means that we want the same things He wants, and in order to know what He wants then we need to be in His Word! Jesus promises that when we pray in His name that He will do it so “that the Father may be glorified”.
This is what we need to be about. Bringing glory to God by leading people to Christ! There’s a life worth living. There’s a purpose worth committing yourself to. It’s bigger than just ourselves and our problems. God didn’t leave us here just to work a job and make money to pay bills. We’re here to keep people out of hell and finish His work on earth. And in so doing we bring great glory to our Father in heaven!
What about you? Do you believe? Do you believe that God loves you so much that He sent His only Son so that you could have everlasting life? Do you believe that He can make your impossible situations possible?
