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MIRACLES WORK BY HIS AUTHORITY
John 10: 31-33 "Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, Many good works have I showed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me? The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God."
Many people want miracles and miracle ministries but don't realize the price that comes with it. If we could do miracles at whim, we would not need God. But too often when we need a miracle, we are not prepared to receive one.
There are two forces at work - the true and the counterfeit. If our foundation is not secure and grounded in Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, we may become victim to a counterfeit source that seeks to set you up to kill, steal and destroy. The reason it is important to bring this issue up is because there are challenges to miracles.
Miracles grab people's attention. They cause people to notice and believe because of the wonder of it. Even Jesus said in John 10:37-38 "If I do not the works of my Father, believe Me not. But if I do, though ye believe not Me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in Me, and I in Him."
Jesus also exhorted people to discern about the false miracles and wonders in Mark 13: 21-23: "And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ [the anointed one]; or, lo, he is there; believe him not: For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall show signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect. But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things." Miracles are a calling card to faith.
The Pharisees were worried about what people believed about Jesus. In John 11: 47-48: "Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles. If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation."
But there was one of their members who wanted to believe Jesus. So he secretly came to Jesus (out of fear) by night and petitioned Jesus for more understanding. The first thing Jesus spoke about was Kingdom order.
John 3:1-3 "There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God..."
Jesus was asking him about the source of his faith.
[v. 9-13] Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
Jesus knew that if Nicodemus did not understand Kingdom authority, he would only see the miracles as a gimmick. It was important to Jesus that He ground Nicodemus in truth. Nicodemus was an influential man, a leader and teacher in Israel. Jesus knew that He had to get him on the right SPIRITUAL foundation. He continues speaking to Nicodemus:
[v. 14-16] And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Now we often see John 3:16 as the foundation Scripture for salvation, but Jesus wanted Nicodemus to see that salvation encompasses every part of supernatural living.
Yes, it will deliver us from sin and hell, which is a very good thing, but that is just the beginning. It's Love that saves and it's Love that heals and delivers. Nicodemus was at a place where he was going to have to choose his Source. Would it be the teachings and traditions (familiar ways of man) or would he believe the authority of God? Nicodemus had colleagues in leadership who had made another choice.
Because they could not market and control what Jesus did or overtake Him by their authority, they sought to kill Jesus. Their envy provoked them to wrath, and then persecution and murder. There is a price to pay for working miracles. It's why the disciples were told that it's not them who would be rejected but the One who sent them. Sometimes the lack of honor for God's servants will not allow miracles.
Jesus told them in Matthew 10:25-26 "It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household? Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known."
The Love of Jesus WANTS to do miracles. But His guard had to continually be up. His fellow men there looked for every opportunity to condemn Him. They attacked His family, His birth "out of wedlock," His personal habits and lifestyle, His "lack of" training, His followers, they did anything they could to discredit Him and make Him "merely common." They could not see the Love of God. They were determined to make Him "a sinner" in not just their eyes, but in the eyes of all the people. They would even lie to the political powers that be in order to get that accomplished.
We see some of that in Mark 6: 2-6 "And when the sabbath day was come, He began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing Him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto Him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house. And He could there do no mighty work, save that He laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. And He marvelled because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching."
Jesus was "familiar" to them. They saw His "humanity." He wasn't "a flashy superstar." But they were offended at His authority. "Who does He think He is???" He knew who He was. And in His efforts to still try and reach them, He "went round about the villages, teaching." But He could do no mighty works.
Some just do not want to believe and some are prevented. At the end of Jesus' ministry, the rejection was pent up in Him. He cried out in Matthew 11:16-26: "But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows, And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented. For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil. The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.
"Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not: Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you.
"And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee. At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight."
It's a frightening thing when we hear the condemning judgments of God. Many people want to exercise God's authority and take vengeance on their fellow man. But Jesus was not issuing judgments here, He was testifying from what He knew was the character and nature of God.
Jesus taught in John 5: 30-34 "I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me. If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true. Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth. But I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved."
Jesus is saying here that He did not come in human form to be a human Judge. He was teaching people to put their trust in God's Spirit. He even used John as one who bore witness to the truth. He was wanting man to see that the Glory came from God and not man and that God offers repentance, grace and restoration. It can be a hard thing to minister the glory and the truth.
Some will sell out for any price. Just tempt them. For money, position or power, some will betray others to gain temporal advantage. Their motives are not really for God's Kingdom work. You can see it in their fruit. But Jesus "went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with Him." (Acts 10:38)
We must have the excitement and anticipation of the resurrection power of God. Some are calling this the Third Day ministry or Third Day Church, from the Scriptures in Hosea 5:15 - 6:3 which prophesies: "I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek My face: in their affliction they will seek Me early. Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for He hath torn, and He will heal us; He hath smitten, and He will bind us up. After two days will He revive us: in the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live in His sight. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: His going forth is prepared as the morning; and He shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth."
Are we going on to know the Lord? When Jesus returns, will He find faith on the earth? Are we believing Him now? The last days move of God will be with a people who believes. They won't be criticizing and judging their fellow man, they will be looking to see God in whatever form He comes in. They will know His Love and they will seek peace and pursue it.
If they can't do signs and wonders because of unbelief, they will teach. They will work to equip and enable the Body. But there will be a people who will believe God. They will know that faith works by Love and they will walk in that. They will seek truth and walk in it. Through them God will do wonders. But they will need their armour on and their foundation will have to be secure.
They will touch and agree with God and their fellow man, believing that God can and will and is willing, and they will see the miracles happen. When the people marveled at the miraculous healing of the lame man at the gate called Beautiful, (for beautiful feet?), the crowd was amazed.
The disciples (now matured into apostles) proclaimed in Acts 3: 12-14: "And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk? The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go."
Peter went on to teach the people there and ground them in the true authority for that miracle and focus them on their proper Source. As obedient disciples, they were now prepared to do God's will and work, and they did.
They had learned to give the glory and authority to God. They did not take it for themselves. They did not become "judges" of the people. They were servants of God. As Jesus did, they submitted and gave their lives to the power of God's Holy Love, which is ever revealing in supernatural and amazing ways. But it's not a form of works, for His Presence is enough. It's just that we can increase in that glory and weightiness, for it's tangible glory that benefits and produces life.
The glory of the latter days is when true disciples come together in faith. They will not be doing "their own thing," but they will harvest a crop of righteousness for the Lord and His Glory shall be seen! Yes, we will suffer persecutions, but if the Church will come together, forsaking human judgments, we will see the enemy's kingdom overturned and dethroned. It will happen because we believe in Him!!!
God will do miracles! He really never stopped, for it's His Nature. We just need to line up in true Kingdom authority.
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