12/22/2024

Miracles

What is a Miracle?

A miracle is an event where God intervenes in the natural world, to bring about an unlikely or impossible result. The Bible records many such events. We even hear stories of miracles today, possibly even witnessing or participating in them. The creation of the earth and the universe was miraculous.

Genesis 1:1 (NASB)

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

John 1:1-3 (NASB)

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

Creation itself was a miracle. The gospel of John states that Jesus (the Word) was with the Father and the Holy Spirit, creating everything “that has come into being.”

Egyptian Plagues

Many years ago, the Jewish nation was in slavery in Egypt. God wanted His people to be set free, but the Pharaoh (king) did not want to let them go, so God sent ten “plagues” on the Egyptians.

Egyptian Plagues (Exodus 7-10)

Nile turned to blood
Frogs everywhere
Gnats/lice
Swarms of insects
Pestilence on livestock
Boils on Egyptian people and animals
Hail
Locusts
Darkness that could be “felt”
Death of Egyptian firstborn

Some of these could be explained away as “coincidence”, but not all of them. This was judgment on Egypt for enslaving the Jews. These plagues were leading up to the last plague, the death of the firstborn of all Egyptian people and animals. This is also known as Passover, because this is when the God’s judgment “passed over” His people, the Jews.
By the way, notice how God passes judgment, not people.

Red Sea

The Egyptian army was probably the most powerful army at that time. The Jewish nation had nothing with which to fight, and they were not trained.

Exodus 14:21-22 (NASB)

21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD swept the sea back by a strong east wind all night and turned the sea into dry land, so the waters were divided.
22 The sons of Israel went through the midst of the sea on the dry land, and the waters were like a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

God supernaturally protected them. Water does not normally just stand up “like a wall” (verse 22).

Exodus 14:27-29 (NASB)

27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal state at daybreak, while the Egyptians were fleeing right into it; then the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.
28 The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen, even Pharaoh’s entire army that had gone into the sea after them; not even one of them remained.
29 But the sons of Israel walked on dry land through the midst of the sea, and the waters were like a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

Pharaoh’s army was destroyed, because they did not acknowledge what God was doing. Their pride blinded them to what was happening right in front of them.

Virgin Birth

Isaiah 7:14 (NASB)

14 “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.

This prophecy was about 700 years before Jesus was born. It was obviously prophesying a miracle – this goes against nature itself. It was completely impossible.

Luke 1:34-35 (KJV21)

34 Then said Mary unto the angel, “How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?”
35 And the angel answered and said unto her, “The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee. Therefore also that Holy Being who shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

“Know not a man” means that she was a true virgin, as most translations say. By this miracle, God married the human race, through Mary. God gave us Jesus as a gift, in a truly miraculous way, so He could perform the miracle of reconciling us to Himself.

Reconciliation

Colossians 1:21-22 (NASB)

21 And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds,
22 yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach

Jesus gave of Himself, sacrificing Himself on the cross, so that we could be reconciled with Him. God is holy, so holy that anyone with sin would instantly die in His presence. We were sinful, without any hope of heaven. Jesus paid the debt that we owed, so that we could be with Him forever.
Even after His resurrection and returning to heaven, He continued to perform miracles through His followers, by the Holy Spirit.

New Testament Miracles

Acts 8:6-7 (NASB)

6 The crowds with one accord were giving attention to what was said by Philip, as they heard and saw the signs which he was performing.
7 For in the case of many who had unclean spirits, they were coming out of them shouting with a loud voice; and many who had been paralyzed and lame were healed.

This Philip was not a trained minister. He had not studied the scriptures. He was chosen to help lead the feeding of the poor widows in the church. Because he loved the Lord and trusted in Him, God was using him in mighty ways.

Today

Mark 16:17-18 (NASB)

17 “These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues;
18 they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

Jesus told His disciples that these signs would follow them. This does not mean that we should go around drinking poison and playing with cobras. It does mean that we should live supernatural lives. We should not settle for natural lives. God has created us for more.
Creation started with a miracle. Our lives should be miracles – every day.

What do you think?
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