Do you believe in Miracles?
There are an awful lot of events passing themselves off as miracles these days. There are religions popping up all over claiming inner power, or secrets to the divine power. They tell us each and every one of us can experience miracles regardless what they believe. In other words, the spiritual world is open and is a friend to any faithful seeker. Erwin Lutzer said; Genuine miracles however are hard to prove; often a coincidence, or reversal of events is called a miracle, yet the skeptic remains unconvinced. Are there miracles done by the “dark side” of the spirit world? YES Mark 13:20 says; 22 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect--if that were possible. 23 So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.
Are there miracles that should convince us of the existence of God and His goodness toward us? YES JN 20:30 Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
John 10:37 says; 37 Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does. 38 But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father."
So there are miracles that should lead us to belief in God. John calls them signs and they should point the way to TRUTH.
I have read about a missionary who was trying to convince a drug user to read the NT. The man objected, saying he did not need “religion” in his life right now. The missionary insisted that the man keep the NT he gave him. The drug said he would use the pages to smoke pot. The missionary said that would be fine as long as he read them first. Years later the missionary found that man and found out he was now a Christian. He asked him what happened, he said “I smoked through Matthew, Mark and Luke, but when I got to John especially the third chapter I knew I needed to be born again. It is the Gospel of John that the skeptics have a hard time ignoring.
The next few weeks we will take a journey through the miracles recorded in the Gospel of John. May they help strengthen your resolve that Jesus is the Christ, or may the point you to the One who came so that we might have Eternal life.
Sometime ago a writer for a Chicago paper said, “The Cubs need a miracle”. They have not been in the World Series since 1945 and have not won a World Series since 1908. This prompted another to make up T-shirts with the Cubs logo saying, “Anyone can have a bad Century.” There are marriages we know that need a miracle. She is always critical of him; he is a workaholic that has found the company of another woman at work. Only a miracle can save their marriage. I was told in 1979 that in five years I would be stone deaf. It would take a miracle to stop the regression of my hearing. WHAT IS A MIRACLE AND HOW DO WE RECOGNIZE ONE? Some would say it is when God intervenes in the world. That is a wrong summation, because it assumes that God is not involved in the world on a daily basis. God is always involved in the world Col 1:17 says 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. A miracle is God breaking His usual pattern and does something extraordinary. It is when God does something unusual in the world. Elisha experienced that when the iron ax head floated in the water (2 Kings 6:1-7). It was an extraordinary event. The Cubs winning the World Series would not be a miracle, restoring that marriage would not be a miracle. Restoring my hearing or stopping its regression, maybe, healing a dying patient would be closer to the definition of a miracle. They are patterns so obviously contrary to established patterns that we cannot help but say: God has done it. That is what the blind man in John 9 said. Whether he is good or bad I do not know, but this I know I was once blind, and now I see and no one has ever been able to open the eyes of one born blind except he be from God.
So what would you say is the most incredible miracle God has ever done? Creation? Man or Woman? These are great yet there is one greater, the one from which all blessings flow. It was the one that brought Jesus to earth.
JN 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. 6 There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9 The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. :10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
JN 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Never has anyone stooped so low as Jesus. No one has ever come down as far as Jesus did. That is why it is so important that we understand “Emmanuel” God with US. The Hebrews writer talks about God intervening and letting people know who He is through first the patriarchs, then the prophets, and now in these last days through His Son Jesus Christ.
We need really only one miracle that is the birth of Jesus; we need to experience it in our lives. It is the one that can bring us from darkness to light, from death to life, from sin to God. Through the Incarnation we can be “born of God.” That is the greatest of miracles. For it is through Jesus, and only through Jesus that we can have this new life. It is only through Jesus that we are justified, sanctified and purified.
There is a popular Christian song “here comes a miracle” and we see it every time someone gives his or her life to the Lord. Be a Miracle.
