What does the Bible say about "miracles" (part 3)
1. One of the saddest events in modern religion is the castigation of someone who is ill.
2. Sick people hear someone claim that they have the power to heal them.
3. The person who is ill goes in faith or sends in money for healing.
4. Healing is sought but the ill person does not get better.
5. When the ill person asks why he or she did not recover, it is said that he or she lacked faith.
FOR THE LAST TWO WEEKS WE HAVE MADE SEVERAL POINTS OF COMPARISON BETWEEN NEW TESTAMENT MIRACLES AND MODERN CLAIMS.
A. Tonight we conclude this study by looking at seven other differences.
B. The 15th difference was just given.
C. At the present time sick people who ask for healing are not cured.
D. The failed healings are allegedly caused by a lack of faith on the part of the one who is ill.
E. This a common claim but it cannot be found in the Bible.
F. No one remained sick because they lacked faith.
G. There is an account which describes insufficient faith.
1) This was read for our scripture reading.
2. In Mt. 17 there was a young man who was not healed.
3. Notice again where the faith problem was. It was not on the part of the young man.
4. Neither was it on the part of the young boy’s father.
5. The lack of faith was on the part of Jesus’ disciples – verse 16 – READ.
6. The disciples were charged with having insufficient faith.
7. Important information is also found in verses 19-21 – READ.
8. Who has ever heard a miracle worker say, “I cannot heal you because I do not have enough faith?”
9. This type of statement is not made. It would be bad for business.
10. The only miracle that failed because of a faith problem was because of the healers.
11. There is no basis for blaming failures on sick people.
12. The failure in Mt. 17 occurred before the apostles were baptized with the Holy Spirit.
13. After they were immersed in the Spirit, there are no recorded failures.
14. Such should be the case today.
15. The religious teachers who claim to be baptized in the Holy Spirit should never have a failure.
16. We find that they do have failures and are thus at odds with the New Testament.
17. Point 16 is related to the information just given.
18. Jesus and the apostles never refused to perform miracles because unbelievers were present.
19. Yet, we find that at the present time healers who say they cannot heal unless those present believe.
20. It has been openly said that God cannot heal because unbelievers are in a room.
A. The absurdity of this reasoning can be demonstrated with an illustration.
B. Imagine a situation where a person wants to be baptized.
C. This person really wants to be immersed but many of his friends are against it.
D. The unbelieving friends follow the candidate to the water.
E. During the trip to the baptistery the group tries to convince the person to forget about it.
F. As the person gets into the water the unbelievers are shaking their heads.
G. They are still trying to convince their friend to not go through with it.
H. The group argues that baptism is a worthless act that accomplishes nothing.
I. The person is dipped and the people say that what was done was a complete waste of time.
21. Unbelief fills a room. Does the unbelief interfere with God’s power to wash that person’s sins away?
22. Two weeks ago a similar point was made from Jn. 11.
23. Jesus was with people who did not believe He could bring Lazarus back from the dead.
24. The unbelief was irrelevant. Jesus told Lazarus to come forth and he did.
25. The unbelief assertion is nothing but a smokescreen for fake healers to hide behind.
26. Moving on to point 17.
A. At the present time we hear some other claims from faith healers.
B. They say, “I am going to pray and believe that you will be healed.” “I want you to know that…
C. “We must leave the healing up to God. Perhaps you will be healed; perhaps not.”
D. “We must rely upon God’s will and see what happens.”
27. This claim should be enough to make the blood of a New Testament Christian boil.
28. Mk. 16:15-20 says that miracles were designed to confirm the word (the preaching).
29. How convincing would it have been if Peter or Paul would have said,
30. “You need healing. I am going to pray; maybe you will be healed, maybe not.”
31. “You have a 50/50 chance with God.”
32. “How would you like to study the Bible?”
33. People were healed one right after another and this led to Bible studies and conversions.
34. There was none of this “maybe yes” and “maybe no” hocus pocus found on t.v.
35. What is said by preachers in the faith healing movement is a disgrace to God.
36. God is dishonored, discredited, and presented as being something like a lottery ticket.
37. Take a chance with Him and hope for the best. This is deplorable.
38. Acts 1:8 says that Holy Spirit would come upon the apostles.
39. These men would then be “witnesses.”
40. They would not prance around and say, “maybe it will work, maybe not..”
41. These men spoke with authority just like their Lord and they healed person after person.
42. The healings in New Testament times do not match what is done today.
43. At the present time healing services are advertised. This is point # 18.
44. Come to Tulsa; Chicago; Sacramento; Dallas; Atlanta; or somewhere else.
45. The word is shouted to the world in a wide variety of ways.
A. If true healing were being done, there would be no need to advertise.
B. Suppose that a car dealership in this area decided to give away new cars.
C. Anyone who steps is given a set of keys, given a car, and they drive away.
D. How fast would word spread? Would you call any of your friends or send them an e-mail?
E. Would a car dealer need to advertise the fact that he is giving away new cars to all who come?
F. The word would spread like wildfire and people from all over would converge on the dealership.
46. This same principle applies to New Testament healings.
47. There was no need to advertise.
48. We know that such was the case in New Testament times because of Acts 5:16 – READ.
49. The apostles did not need to have an advertising campaign.
50. People had seen what they could do and the word went out like a lightning bolt.
51. Folks came from cities outside Jerusalem because the healings were real and word spread.
52. Do we see this kind of thing today? The answer is no.
53. A lot of money as well as time go into building up a “healing service.”
54. This kind of thing is totally foreign pages to the New Testament.
55. For point 19 you might write down “special atmosphere.”
A. It is common for modern crusades to have everything just right.
B. There is a nice line where people can come up one at a time.
C. A phone number to call in with your credit card flashes on the screen.
D. I just read Acts 5:16.
E. Let’s look at the healing atmosphere described in Acts 5:15 – READ
F. People like Peter did not need to have a personal conversation with every sick person.
G. There was no showmanship.
H. He didn’t, as we now hear, “slay people in the Holy Spirit.”
I. The apostles engaged in acts of benevolence.
J. Just passing by the sick was enough to heal them.
K. The healings we real so there was no need to build people up into a frenzy or manipulate them.
56. Who since the apostles has ever tried what is described in Acts 5:15, let alone done it?
57. When we look at the miracles of New Testament times and what is done now, things do not match.
58. The apostles did not try to work the crowd; charismatic preachers do.
59. We hear things like “The Spirit said to me; God’s power is nigh; this will be a night of miracles.”
60. We see promotion but not power.
61. We see hollering but no healing.
62. Preachers talk about faith but produce failures.
63. There are claims about the Spirit but sick people stay sick.
64. Let’s look at point 20.
A. Jesus and the apostles did not seek publicity.
1) In Mt. 9 we read about a terrible problem—blindness.
B. In the first century blindness was a problem that really made people miserable.
C. Those who were blind we seen as individuals who were being punished for sin.
D. When blind people were met, it was not uncommon for them to hear,
E. “Praise God. God is just. You or your family committed sin and God has punished you.”
F. “We give Him glory because you got what you deserved.”
G. It is no wonder that in Mt. 9:27 two blind men said “have mercy on us.”
65. This is very understandable when we know how the blind were treated.
66. Jesus did have mercy on these men.
67. Jesus healed these men and then gave them a command – verse 30 – READ.
68. How many modern faith healers “heal” someone and then ask them to keep quiet?
69. I have never heard of a single case.
70. Someone might say, “Silly man. You don’t hear about it because the people keep quiet.”
71. Look at verse 31 – READ
72. An incident similar to this is found in Lk. 5.
73. Jesus met up with a man who was “full of leprosy.”
74. The leper asked to be healed and Jesus did what he asked.
75. The Lord also made a request – verse 14 – READ.
76. Verse 15 shows that word about the healing got out.
77. New Testament miracles were not publicity stunts.
78. There was no showing off or theatrics.
79. At various times those who were healed we asked to not tell anyone.
80. The miracles we so great those who were cured could not keep quiet.
81. These things are not found when we look at the modern claims.
82. For point 21 we find that miracles were sometimes used to protect the people of God.
A. Jesus alluded to this in Mk. 16.
B. He spoke of “drinking poison.”
C. He also referred to taking up snakes.
D. We are not given specific information about these things.
E. With a little thought we can draw some tentative conclusions.
F. We know that Christianity was a faith that was sometimes hated.
G. We also know of times when leaders wanted to kill God’s people.
H. Murder is a fairly obvious way to end someone’s life.
I. An alternative to outright murder would be poison.
J. Why plot to have someone killed when something could be slipped into a Christian’s food/drink?
K. It would appear that God foresaw this type of situation and said to His people, “Don’t worry.”
L. “I will not allow them to kill you with poison.”
M. Christians were sometimes exposed to deadly animals.
N. We know the story about Daniel being in the lion’s den.
O. Daniel stayed safe.
P. Perhaps rulers exposed Christians to a pit of deadly snakes.
Q. It would seem from Mk. 16 that this would not matter.
83. Christians were able to handle the most deadly serpents without harm.
84. This is one more demonstration of the fact that the NT and modern Pentecostalism do not agree.
85. We have look at 21 dramatic differences between Bible times and modern claims.
86. If we believe the Bible, we must reject the current claims.
87. The Bible helps us determine truth from error.
88. Are we interested in the truth?