THE MIRACLES OF JESUS

John 20:30-31

INTRODUCTION

A. What would you say if I told you that I know someone who
has restored life to dead bodies? someone who has given
perfect sight to a man who was born blind? someone who
fed 5000 men plus the women and children with them, using
only 5 loaves of bread and two small fish – and that he had
more food left over than he had at the start?

B. The Bible says this and much, much more about Jesus of
Nazareth!

1. During His own earthly life and ministry, He was a
well-known miracle-worker

2. Luke 23:8 a Herod hoped to see Jesus work a miracle

3. Probably most (if not all) in this assembly have studied the
matter and concluded that Jesus did, in fact, work miracles.

4. But there are others in our day which doubt it, or perhaps
even deny that Jesus preformed miracles.

5. What about the miracles of Jesus?

DISCUSSION

A. MIRACLE DEFINED

1. A miracles is not just something unusual (even highly
unusual) or amazing – having your car roll over at a high
rate of speed and coming out without a scratch

2. A miracle is an event which supersedes the natural laws
which govern and control the universe

a. Superseded the law of gravity by walking on the water

b. Jesus superseded the natural healing process by healing
people instantly, and even raising the dead

c. Jesus superseded statistical probability by pulling a coin
out of a fishes mouth

3. Note: Just because God does something, or is involved in
an event, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a miracle

a. E.g. when Jesus overthrew the money-changers’ tables
and drove the livestock from the temple, was it a
miracle??

b. God also works within the laws He Himself ordained to
govern His creation (e.g. works thru our immune
systems, medical technology, etc.)

B. WHY DO SOME NOT BELIEVE IN THE MIRACLES OF JESUS                                       (or other Bible miracles)?

1. Because they have not personally witnessed them

a. Compare Thomas “When I see, then I’ll believe”

b. This is a faith problem

c. Hebrews 11:1

d. NOTE: I am not advocating “blind faith” but rather faith
based upon solid evidence (more on this later)

2. Low respect for the Bible

a. Liberals deny inspiration, accuracy, authority, etc. – so
why believe what it says about miracles?

b. So-called “experts” claim that accounts of miracles are
just records of ‘normal’ things the disciples supposedly
exaggerated out of respect for Jesus.

1) Supposedly this was common among disciples of
other Rabbis

2) Since Jesus taught absolute honesty, how would He be
honored by lies?

3. Humanism

a. Exalts man to top position in the universe – says man is
becoming better and better.

b. Thus, since we cannot perform these feats, they
conclude that Jesus couldn’t either.

c. Humanism denies everything supernatural

4. Disgust at modern pretenders

a. TV miracle-workers poison right-thinking people’s
minds with their theatrical performances and hypocritical
fanaticism

1) Hitting people in the forehead with the palm of their
hand (“knocking them out”)

2) Screening people – not allowing cases that can’t be
faked to come up on stage (Benny Hin)

3) Constant appeals for money

b. There are documented reports where supposedly
“healed” people becoming worse, dying.

c. There are documented reports where “healers” were
being fed information via radio transmitter (as if from
God)

C. WHY SHOULD WE BELIEVE IN JESUS’ MIRACLES?

1. Because of the reliability of the Bible

a. Has proven itself over and over again to be scientifically,
historically, and in every other way accurate.

b. Time forbids a survey of evidence in favor of divine
inspiration; suffice it to say that such evidence is
overwhelming and assures us that the Biblical record
with regard to miracles is trustworthy, too.

2. Because of the sheer number of them

a. Number of recorded miracles of Jesus is well over 3
dozen.

b. These cannot be lightly dismissed but deserve thorough
investigation.

3. Because of the variety of them

a. Healing various infirmities (hemorrhaging, fever,
leprosy, paralysis, lameness, dropsy [accumulation of
fluid in limbs or abdomen], & others); note Jesus did
not screen out the hard cases!

b. Restoration of senses (sight, hearing, speech)

c. Restoration of life to the dead

d. Walking on water

e. Stilling storms immediately

f. Feeding multitudes w/ small amounts of food

g. Instantly turning water into wine

h. Casting out demons

i. Such a wide variety of miracles speaks against trickery
or deceit

4. Because of the verifiability of them

a. E.g. man born blind (John 9)

1) There was no doubt that this man was blind – not a
pretender, not someone “planted” in the audience, not a
mental case.

2) No doubt this was the right man–his neighbors and
parents said so.

b. E.g. raising of Lazarus

1) Obviously he was dead – already decaying!

2) When is the last time you saw or heard of anything
like this from a TV miracle worker?

c. Modern pretenders prefer to do things that cannot be
verified (e.g. internal problems or things emotionalism
may temporarily override–e.g. in wheel chair)

5. Because even Jesus’ enemies admitted that He did
these things

a. They accused Him of using Satan’s power to do them
– Matthew 9:32-34

b. John 11:45-48 – Pharisees acknowledged that He did
many signs–they feared that He would gain a big
following

D. CONSEQUENCES OF DENYING THE MIRACLES OF JESUS

1. Jesus loses His credibility as the Son of God

a. Acts 2:22 – it was the miracles that showed that God
approved of what Jesus said and did

b. His “works” proved that He was Who He said He
was  – John 5:36; 14:11

c. OT prophecies predicted that Messiah would work
miracles  –   Isaiah 35:5-6

2. John 20:30-31 – one great pillar would be knocked our
from under our faith.

CONCLUSION

We can be confident that Jesus really did perform the miracles which Scripture mentions, as well as innumerable more not recorded there. Those miracles attest to His
identity as the Christ, the Son of God. That identity, in turn, gives meaning to His sacrificial death upon the cross, and to that crowning miracle of all miracles, His resurrection from the dead. He also has the power to save you from your sins, and to raise you from the dead at the last day.