Miracle Worker or Good Teacher?

April 19, 2015


There have been many good teachers that have come and gone throughout human history. However, only one had just as many miraculous events in their life as they had inspirational teachings; Jesus Christ. Now in a time of hyper-skepticism and antagonistic atheism some modern doubters are trying to call into question the life of Jesus.

Seeing that dismissing Him as one would do with myths is not an option because of all the evidence of historical research proving His existence, the next best thing they try to do is dismiss His miraculous attributes as, “legend.”

Once again, as stated in previous messages, if Jesus wasn’t who He said He was, He is not even a good legend because He claimed that His miracles were evidence to His identity (Matthew 9:6). Therefore, be prepared in today’s sermon to encounter Jesus, the miracle worker!

SERIES TEXT

Matthew 16:13-18, “13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” 14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 

17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”

DO YOU BELIEVE?

  1. Jesus changed water into wine (John 2:1-11).
  2. Jesus cured the nobleman’s son (John 4:46-47).
  3. The great haul of fishes (Luke 5:1-11).
  4. Jesus cast out an unclean spirit (Mark 1:23-28).
  5. Jesus cured Peter’s mother-in-law of a fever (Mark 1:30-31).
  6. Jesus healed a leper (Mark 1:40-45).
  7. Jesus healed the centurion’s servant (Matthew 8:5-13).
  8. Jesus raised the widow’s son from the dead (Luke 7:11-18).
  9. Jesus stilled the storm (Matthew 8:23-27).
  10. Jesus cured two demoniacs (Matthew 8:28-34).
  11. Jesus cured the paralytic (Matthew 9:1-8).
  12. Jesus raised the ruler’s daughter from the dead (Matthew 9:18-26).
  13. Jesus cured a woman of an issue of blood (Luke 8:43-48).
  14. Jesus opened the eyes of two blind men (Matthew 9:27-31).
  15. Jesus loosened the tongue of a man who could not speak (Matthew 9:32-33).
  16. Jesus healed an invalid man at the pool called Bethesda (John 5:1-9).
  17. Jesus restored a withered hand (Matthew 12:10-13).
  18. Jesus cured a demon-possessed man (Matthew 12:22).
  19. Jesus fed at least five thousand people (Matthew 14:15-21).
  20. Jesus healed a woman of Canaan (Matthew 15:22-28).
  21. Jesus cured a deaf and mute man (Mark 7:31-37).
  22. Jesus fed at least four thousand people (Matthew 15:32-39).
  23. Jesus opened the eyes of a blind man (Mark 8:22-26).
  24. Jesus cured a boy who was plagued by a demon (Matthew 17:14-21).
  25. Jesus opened the eyes of a man born blind (John 9:1-38)
  26. Jesus cured a woman who had been afflicted eighteen years (Luke 13:10-17).
  27. Jesus cured a man of dropsy (Luke 14:1-4).
  28. Jesus cleansed ten lepers (Luke 17:11-19).
  29. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1-46).
  30. Jesus opened the eyes of two blind men (Matthew 20:30-34).
  31. Jesus caused the fig tree to wither (Matthew 21:18-22).
  32. Jesus restored the ear of the high priest’s servant (Luke 22:50-51).
  33. Jesus rose from the dead (Luke 24:5-6).
  34. The second great haul of fishes (John 21:1-14).*

*Visit Jesus.org for reference and further study on Jesus. 

SERMON TEXT

Matthew 11:1-6, “1 After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee. 2 When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples 3 to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” 4 Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: 5 The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. 6 Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”

DEFINITIONS

  1. MIRACLE: A supernatural event caused by the power of God that interferes with the laws of nature.
  2. NATURALIST: Someone who believes nothing exists outside the natural world. All existence is basically what man’s five senses experience and what science discovers.
  3. SUPERNATURALIST: Someone who believes in forces and beings that dwell outside of nature. Mainly God (His angels and creatures), the devil (his demons), and human souls.

COMPARING NATURALISM & SUPERNATURALISM

  1. Naturalism cannot explain the following:
    • Rational thought.
    • Life coming from non-living things.
    • The meaning and value of life (morals).
    • Reason for existence itself.
    • Therefore, naturalism isn’t true.
  2. Supernaturalism can explain the following:
    • Rational thought (God has a rational mind and He created mankind in His image).
    • Life from non-living things (God created everything from nothing by His power).
    • Meaning and value of life (God is intrinsically good and made man in His image to live in His goodness).
    • Reason for existence itself (God created everything for His purpose and plan).
    • Therefore, supernaturalism is true.

LOGICAL ARGUMENT FOR SUPERNATURALISM

  1. Rational thought, life, morals, and existence itself exists.
  2. Naturalism cannot explain why or how they exist, however, supernaturalism can.
  3. Therefore, naturalism is false and supernaturalism must be true.
  4. Since supernaturalism is true, God must exist because He is the greatest of all supernatural powers.

Further Resources:

CURRENT REPORTS OF MIRACLES

  • The newest figures estimate that they are roughly 614 million Pentecostals, charismatics, and neo-charismatics as of 2010 (out of roughly 2 billion church members, or 1.5 billion church attenders, in the world), with an estimate of nearly 800 million for 2025.
  • Pentecostal and charismatic Christians in the broad sense account for around 80% of Evangelical Protestantism’s worldwide growth.
  • In the 10 countries Dr. Keener studied with large groups of Pentecostals and charismatics, the estimated total of people claiming to have “witnessed divine healings” comes out to somewhere around 200 million (around 1/3).

Source: “Miracles,” by Dr. Craig Keener. 

miracle worker

JESUS… THE MIRACLE WORKER!

  1. Since supernaturalism is true and God exists, then Jesus is God’s Son.
  2. Jesus’ life is supported by more historical miracles than anyone else with the most verified being His resurrection.
  3. Currently, more miracles are claimed in Christianity than any other religion (approx. 300 million)!
  4. Therefore, Jesus was and is more than just a good teacher, He is a MIRACLE WORKER!

HOW TO RECEIVE A MIRACLE FROM JESUS

  1. Believe God exists and that He rewards those who seek Him, Hebrews 11:6.
  2. Have faith in Jesus for your specific need, Matthew 9:21-22.
  3. Pray and ask the Father for your miracle in Jesus’ name, John 14:14.
  4. Receive your miracle with thanksgiving by the power of the Holy Spirit, Luke 17:11-19.

Luke 4:18-19, “18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

 

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Posted in Who is Jesus Series