Thursday, November 17, 2011

A Genuine Miracle!

John 5:1-9 After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. (2) Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. (3) In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. (4) For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. (5) And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. (6) When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? (7) The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. (8) Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. (9) And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.


Not long ago, I was flipping through the many TV channels choices and stopped on one that caught my eye. It was a “televangelist” that always humors me. He was performing a so-called “miracle service. One person came on stage that I will remember the rest of my life. It was told that this woman was deaf and mute from birth and that they had healed her off-stage but they brought her on stage to “glorify God”. While on stage the televangelist wanted to demonstrate the evidence of this “miracle” so he asked this newly “healed” person to say “B-A-B-Y”. On three separate tries, the lady tried her best to make the proper sounds, but was never able to form the word in a recognizable manner. After the third attempt, the preacher quickly ushered her offstage and then offered this excuse. “Well, she was really healed....but now she will have to learn to talk” Really?


That was NOT a miracle according to the Bible!


In our text today we have a real miracle recorded. Jesus found a man that had been crippled for 38 years. He had been left at a pool where it was believed that if one was able to get into the pool at the right time, they would be healed. This man was desperate and had no hope. Jesus, realizing the deteriorated condition of this man, decides to heal him. Notice though in verse 8, there is no elaborate stage show. There is no hocus pocus. There is no drama, no head pounding, no selling of tickets. Jesus simply speaks a basic sentence:


John 5:8 ...Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.


In verse 9, we have the results. IMMEDIATELY, the man was made whole and from that moment he was able to walk. No physical therapy required. No building up of muscles, No learning to walk. God made it happen with the spoken word.


There are so many people that throw around the term “miracle” to describe less than miraculous events. The one that comes to mind is childbirth. While it is an event that is awe inspiring, it is NO miracle. It happens thousands of times a day. So what is a miracle? Miracles that are described in the bible follow this definition


1. TRUE Miracles Break or Suspend the laws of nature!

Miracles are much much more that hard to explain, they literally are IMPOSSIBLE with out the intervention of God.


2. TRUE Miracles are Instantaneous

Miracles are not like medicine that have to get into one’s system. Nor does it take time to work, but rather, when God acts his will is DONE!


3. TRUE Miracles are Thorough

Again, a true miracle does not wear off nor need additional installments to be effective. Nor does it need assistance from other sources like the medical community.


4. TRUE Miracles are Provable

Too many times folks on TV tell us they have performed a miracle but we have to take their word for it. In the Bible, there are generally always lots of witness that both see the miraculous event, and can testify to knowledge that the person was really sick to start with.

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