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Dr. Ronald Powell
He presented Himself alive!
John 11:25-26 (NIV)
25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
Introduction:
Everyone wants a miracle. But here's the catch: No one wants to be in a situation that necessitates one! Of course, you can't have one without the other. The prerequisite for a miracle is a problem, and the bigger the problem, the greater the potential miracle. He is the God who can make your impossible possible!
If you have your Bible, go ahead and open it to Acts, chapter 1. It's easy to find. It should be well-worn in your Bible.
Acts 1:1-3 says this: "In the first book (that's the book of Luke. Luke is the same author who wrote the Gospel of Luke; he also wrote Acts) "O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when He was taken up, after He had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom He had chosen. He presented Himself alive to them after His suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God."
There are eight miracles in John's Gospel and eight signs, and each sign points straight to Jesus. So let me offer a word of caution: Don't seek miracles. Seek Jesus. If you follow Jesus long enough and far enough, you'll eventually find yourself in the middle of some miracles.
The eight signs are:
- Changing water into wine in John 2:1-11
- Healing the royal official's son in Capernaum in John 4:46-54
- Healing the paralytic at Bethesda in John 5:1-18
- Feeding the 5000 in John 6:5-14
- Jesus' walk on water in John 6:16-24
- Healing the man born blind in John 9:1-7
- Raising of Lazarus in John 11:1-45
- of eight signs; concluding with the great harvest of fish in John 21:1-14.
The seven signs are seen by some scholars and theologians as evidence of new creation theology in the Gospel of John, the resurrection of Jesus being the implied eighth sign, indicating a week of creation and then a new creation beginning with the resurrection.
As I have said: The prerequisite for a miracle is a problem, and the bigger the problem, the greater the potential miracle.
If the wedding party in Cana hadn't run out of wine, there would have been no need for the Wine Maker to do what He did.
What the bride and groom perceived as a problem was really a perfect opportunity for God to reveal His glory. And nothing has changed since Jesus turned water into wine, healed a man born blind, or walked out of the tomb three days after His crucifixion.
He is the God who can make your impossible possible!
What's done is done. Some things in life are irreversible.
You cannot un-bake cookies, uncut hair, undelete documents, or un-run red lights. These are a few of the lessons we've learned the hard way. Some of those lessons were easily laughed off after a little embarrassment. Then there are those irreversible moments that leave a hole in your heart forever-like standing at the foot of a casket.
If you've been on the receiving end of divorce papers, answered a frantic phone call in the middle of the night, or gotten lab results from your doctor that affirm your worst fears, you know that feeling all too well. It feels like your life is over. But it's not over until God says it's over!
When Jesus walked out of the tomb, the word impossible was removed from our vocabulary.
And His resurrection isn't something we celebrate one day a year on Easter Sunday. It's something we celebrate every day in every way.
The Seventh Miracle
The seventh miracle reveals the true identity, the full identity, of Jesus. He's not just the Wine Maker or the Water Walker, as impressive as those miracles are. He's the Grave Robber. And He saves His boldest claim for last: "I am the resurrection and the life" (John 11:25).
It's that unique claim which sets Jesus apart and puts Him in a category by Himself-the Son of God. Christianity is not built on the foundation of philosophy or a code of ethics.
The footer of our faith is one fundamental fact: the empty tomb. After cheating death by calling Lazarus out of his tomb, Jesus walked out of His own tomb under His own power! That's the ultimate apologetic-there is no argument against it.
But Now Sign Eight: Power to become witnesses... a great catch of fish for fishermen who had caught nothing until they were endued with power. Remember Jesus said Follow me and i will make you fishers of men!
We have heard of Jesus miracles and heard His Promises and now .... Acts ONE, endued with power.
NEXT SERVICE:
1:00 Pm - This Sunday @ Crosswinds International
109 Westfaul Dr
Macon, Ga. 31216
478-254-3143
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