Hour 8
Ministering With God’s Power
Hour 8: The Miracles of Jesus Preview of The Miracles of Jesus In The Miracles of Jesus we will see that a miracle it instantaneous and supernatural. Like all the other manifestations workings of miracles are done by our free will choice. We must refuse to fear, and say and do whatever God tells us. We should be specific and speak to the problem directly. We are to do the works that Jesus Christ did and glorify God, and inspire believing in others.
Introduction
The Manifestation of Workings of Miracles is: To exercise the authority and ability, which God gives, to bring to pass miracles, according to whatever God, tells you. A miracle is instantaneous and supernatural. The manifestation of faith is involved because one must have absolute trust and confidence in God, that He will perform that which he has revealed to you. It is having the faith of God as Jesus declared in Mark 11:22,23. Mark 11:22,23: And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. 23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. “Faith to move mountains” is figurative. It means to do the impossible, something you could not do on your own, or to do whatever is needed. God has given us the ability to manifest faith. We do not lack it. You have all you need; you need to manifest it. If there is lack it is due to free will choice. We choose not to. Usually that happens because of fear. You can know this Word of God, but you still have to believe it. Fear and ignorance are just plain unbelief. People choose not to have faith. We do not judge anybody. Faith cometh by hearing, maybe they need to hear a little more. We do not lack faith to work 113
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Hour 8: The Miracles of Jesus miracles. We do not lack faith to minister healing. We do not lack faith to cast out devils if that is what needs to be done. We do not lack faith! You have to get that into your mind. I have what God says I have, and I can do what God says I can do. It is God working within me. You are to do His good will and pleasure. We do not work miracles without Him, but we do it with Him. Another key point is that God never oversteps your free will choice. God’s will is to give us utterance as we speak in tongues, but what if we do not speak? Then, it will not happen, will it? He will not possess our mouth, our lips, our throat, our tongue. He will not move it for you. You must move it. When this manifestation of faith comes, you are going to do whatever needs to be done. You literally step out. You do that with all of the manifestations. God will not make you speak in tongues, interpret, or prophesy. He cannot make you because of freedom of will. The reason God gave us free will is because by our free will He wanted us to love Him because that is the only way that it works. You cannot make somebody love you, can you? It has to be a free will choice that is why God gave it to us; He wants us to love Him. Jesus worked miracles. Most of them were miracles of healing, but some did not have anything to do with healing. They are still a miracle. This free will choice is a big thing. We must choose. We must choose to speak in tongues, to interpret. We must choose to speak forth a word of prophecy. We must listen to revelation. We choose to listen to word of knowledge, word of wisdom, and discerning of spirits. We must choose to take action or ignore the revelation. We choose to manifest faith by having absolute trust and confidence in God that He will perform that which He has said. We must choose to work miracles when the opportunity arises or we can get scared and not do anything. Fear is the thing that stops you. You know why I say that because you cannot have fear and faith in the same spot. We must choose to minister gifts of healing when the opportunity arises. God never oversteps our freedom of will. God’s will is to give us what He has promised. God’s will for us is to manifest faith to move mountains, to work miracles, and minister healing. God always does His part. This must be your belief and attitude every time we are given the opportunity. God’s will for our lives is to manifest faith to move mountains, to work miracles, and to minister healing so that His deliverance may be manifested in all. He wants His kids delivered, and He gets glorified. In I Corinthians 12:6 the word “miracles” is dunamis. Another meaning is capable power to do anything, wrought by divine power, work with reference to power required for its performance. It is inherent power. Inherent according to Webster’s dictionary is: existing in someone or something as a permanent characteristic. When you got born again it is permanent. It came in and it is not going to get washed out. “Let him minister with the ability that God giveth.” Remember I Peter 4:11?
The Miracle at the Wedding in Cana Jesus’ first miracle is in John 2. This takes place shortly after Jesus begins his ministry. He just picked up a few disciples, Simon Peter and his brother Andrew and Philip and Nathaniel. The four of them were traveling along with Jesus and they got invited to this wedding. 114
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Hour 8: The Miracles of Jesus John 2:1-3: And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: 2 And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. 3 And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. 4 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. Now this verse never made any sense to me, to say to your mother, “Woman, what have I do to with you?” Another translation of this verse, which is better, reads, “Gracious mother, what concern is this of yours or mine? My turn has not yet come.” This term “my turn has not yet come” refers to customs of wedding where they would serve the wine in order according to age. To the oldest guests they would serve the wine first. Another key here is the woman. For instance if I was there then Mary Lou would be responsible to have the wine there. So, the older ones would always get the best wine and when that over the it was the next ones turn not quite as good and then the next age would have a turn. What would happen here? This would continue until they got to the younger ones with the quality of the wine degenerating. Apparently the wine ran out before it was their turn. Their turn was coming up and guess what, mama did not have the wine. That is what he is saying, “It is not my turn.” Nevertheless there is a problem here. So, Jesus addressed his mother, “gracious mother,” not “woman.” How disrespectful would that be? Jesus loved his mother and she was gracious and she was concerned about the guests. She was concerned because she was responsible. John 2:5: His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. Mary believed her son was going to do something, but she did not know what or how. Nevertheless, she knew he was going to do something. John 2:6: And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. These water pots were stone jars that held between six and nine gallons. A firkin is three gallons. Jesus never touched these pots. They were just there and he began to speak. There is power in words. That is something you have to remember, too. There is power in words. There is power in the Word of God. When you say the Word of God there is power, it has life in it. John 2:7: Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.
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Hour 8: The Miracles of Jesus I love that. It is kind of like a new believer. You get filled to the brim with holy spirit. John 2:8-11: And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it. 9 When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, 10 And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now. 11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him. This miracle caused his disciples to believe on him, and God was glorified in His son. Also, the wedding did not lack. It was a great deal for all of them. That is the way God works. Jesus took some stone jars and filled them with water, and when it was served, it was wine. The impossible happened. The mountain was cast into the sea. Water was changed into wine; this was just a warm up. Six water pots were used. In Numbers in Scriptures69 it says that the number six is representative of man’s short coming of spiritual perfection. In this case, man ran out of wine, he fell short. The six water pots without divine intervention would have fallen short; they would have just been water. There would have been lack. Jesus commanded they be filled with water. He commanded the servants to draw it out, and the lack vanished. God fills us to the brim with His holy spirit and power. If you are diligently seeking to do the things of God and to walk in the steps of Jesus Christ, you will not lack! You have the power. You have the authority in the name of Jesus Christ.
The Miracle of Walking on the Sea Matthew 14:22-24: And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. 23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. 24 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. The disciples were on a ship. The word ship means transport. Jesus was on a mountain by himself, praying. As the ship was in the midst of the sea, it got caught up in a storm. Matthew 14:25: And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. 69
Bullinger E.W., Numbers in Scripture, Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids MI, 1967
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Hour 8: The Miracles of Jesus Man does not walk on water, folks. That is a miracle. Bugs do, but man does not walk on water. That is not in our genes. Matthew 14:26: And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. “Troubled” is the Greek word, tarass!, and it means, “emotionally stirred up.” They were cranked; inside, they were a bundle of emotion. They were full of fear. Matthew 14:27: But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. “To be of good cheer,” means to have your thoughts well arranged on the Word of God. When you are tempted to fear you go to the Word of God. What does the Word of God say? God has not given me the spirit of fear, but of power, and love and a sound mind. Jesus knew that their thoughts were not well arranged. There was one that had a little bravery. His name was Peter. Matthew 14:28-30: And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. 29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. Fear will always work against faith. That is what the devil uses to try to take your faith, your believing that you can do all things through Christ… that you can be more than a conqueror. Maybe for you it is a medical report or a financial report or some other report, or something on you body, to try to put fear into you. If he can do it then he just shoved out your faith. You are not going to manifest it because you are going to manifest fear. You will never work miracles or exercise any of the other manifestations of holy spirit if you allow fear to be a convincing part of your life. Now is there a temptation? Yes. Everybody is tempted to fear, but you do not hang onto it. Cast it off; kick it to the curb so to speak. Get rid of it. Peter was doing fine. He had the desire to do the things that Jesus Christ did. I wonder how many people started out that way? I wonder how many ministers started out that way? They say, “I am going to walk in the steps of Jesus Christ.” Then some fear comes and starts to take it away. I do not read in the scriptures any place where it says any of the 11 stepped out there. At least Peter tried, but trying does not get it. A few years ago, a few of us read a book called If You Want to Walk on Water You Have To Get Out Of The Boat. It was written by John Ortberg. If you are ever going to work miracles or minister gifts of healing you are going to have to get out of the boat. 117
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Hour 8: The Miracles of Jesus Everybody puts a name on a boat. The boat that most people are in is called FEAR. You have to get out of that boat. That boat focuses on your fleshly inadequacies instead of on that God is able and I have authority to do what Jesus Christ said I could do… that I can command in the name of Jesus Christ and that thing will happen. [John Lake incident.]70 God takes care of you if you move with Him. Remember, the manifestations of holy spirit all work the same way. If you can speak in tongues then you can do miracles, you can do wonders, you can minister, you can cast out devils, you can do whatever needs to be done but the manifestation of faith is necessary for these manifestations. Matthew 14:31-33: And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? 32 And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. 33 Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.
The Miracle of Calming the Sea Mark 4:35-39: And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. 36 And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. 37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. 38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? 39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. Jesus worked another miracle. He calmed a great storm instantly at his command. Jesus had no fear, only faith. He knew that his Father would do it. Jesus handled two elements, the wind and the sea and this was something that needed to be done right away. One key here is be specific. When you minister find out what it is and nail it. Speak to it and tell it to move. Speak to it! Jesus certainly did. (Headache be gone!, Bone heal!) Jesus spoke to the wind and to the water. Tell it what to do. Be of good cheer, have your thoughts well arranged and get it done. Mark 4:40: And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? Jesus is saying, “What have you watched me do?” These are disciples and they are supposed to follow the one teaching. He asked, “Why are you so fearful? Why have you no faith?” Faith eliminates all reason for fear. Fear will give you every reason in the 70
Lairdon, Robert God’s Generals: Why They Succeeded and Why Some Failed
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Hour 8: The Miracles of Jesus world for not receiving healing or deliverance. If you do not get rid of fear you will never manifest faith to do any of the manifestations. You will never have the courage to speak to the problem you are facing. We do not command out of fear, we command out with faith. We command in the name of Jesus Christ. We must absolutely trust and believe that God will bring to pass whatever He has told us. Why, because we know Him. Get to know God better; love Him bigger. We know that He is able and therefore we are able to do signs, miracles and wonders. We can minister gifts of healing; we can exercise all the manifestations of holy spirit. God has given us much to do and He has equipped us to do all the He has asked. Signs follow, accompany, those that believe not those that fear in unbelief. People of all nations live in a world of fear it is time we choose to live in a world of faith. You are going to be living in one or the other. Mark 4:41: And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him? I will tell you what manner of man it was. Jesus Christ was a man of faith. He is our example. He was a walking, talking, man of faith. He was the son of the Living God. He was powerful. God gave him authority and he used it. Now we have authority, when are we going to use it? Jesus confronted his disciples and said, “What is a matter with you? You could have done the same thing if you had gotten rid of your fear.” The wind and the sea must be obedient to the words spoken on the lips of believers. When we exercise the manifestations of faith, working of miracles, and gifts of healing then stuff happens.
The Miracle of the Fig Tree Matthew 21:17-19: And he left them, and went out of the city into Bethany; and he lodged there. 18 Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered. 19 And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away. Be specific. What was the problem here? The tree was the problem; it did not have any good stuff on it. That very moment means right now. Jesus was looking for those buds on the fig tree. It was the time of year there should have been buds on the tree. Jesus spoke to the fig tree, condemned it, and the tree withered away immediately. Matthew 21:20,21: And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away! 21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. 119
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Hour 8: The Miracles of Jesus The mountain is the problem, the difficulty. It is the challenge. We see the pattern of Jesus speaking to the problem (in this case it was the fig tree before it was the sea and the wind) and making a command and seeing it come to pass. When the disciples marveled Jesus would confront them with the truth. In Mark 11 is another record of a fig tree. It did not die immediately, but it died over night. Again, Jesus directed his command to the object in this case it was the fig tree. Again, after the miracle took place he confronts his disciples about what is possible if you manifest faith. What is possible? All things. What is possible for you? Get specific. What do I need? What are my old squatters trying to steal from me?
The Miracle of the Coin in the Fish’s Mouth In another account Jesus needed some money to pay taxes, tribute. Jesus told Peter to go to the sea, cast a hook, and when he catches the first fish; open his mouth and ye shall find a gold coin. Pay the tax. Peter did what he said and guess what, a gold coin. Miracles inspire believing in others. Miracles are the glory of God shown. Do not you want to shine for God? In all the miracles of Jesus he manifested the power of God and he showed his disciples and others that they could do it. It is possible if they would have the faith of God. Signs, miracles, and wonders follow those that believe and people follow those that work signs, miracles, and wonders in their lives and ministries.
The Miracle of Feeding the Multitude John 6:1-6: After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias. 2 And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased. 3 And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples. 4 And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh. 5 When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? 6 And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do. Jesus already knew. He already had the revelation. Philip said we do not have enough cash for that. We do not have enough bread to buy bread for all of these folks. We only have 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes. Then Jesus commanded the people to sit down, and then he took the loaves and fishes and gave thanks to God and distributed the food to everyone. After the multitude was fed they gathered 12 baskets full. People our God is a God of more than enough. It would have been nice if they had all been fed, but they had leftovers. God never falls short. John 6:14: Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world. 120
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Hour 8: The Miracles of Jesus The miracles of Jesus validated who he was. He was not just a man named Jesus. He was Jesus the Son of God with power. He validated his life and his ministry that he was the son of God, the Messiah, the Promise Seed. The miracles confirmed the scriptures about Jesus Christ. When he taught them about the kingdom of God, these miracles helped confirm his ministry.
Summary The manifestation of holy spirit, exercised and energized, validates our sonship too. You do not have to tell people that you are a son of God or a daughter of God. You do not have to say, I am a minister of the Lord Jesus Christ. You get out there and be and do. It gives testimony of God’s gift of holy spirit, which is given to everyone that believes on the lord Jesus Christ, that God raised him from the dead. Miracles are witnesses of Jesus Christ’s life and ministry plus God’s plan of redemption and salvation for mankind and also for his future return. He is coming back folks. We are given the example of Jesus Christ in the gospels plus the apostles and believers in the book of Acts. We have the testimony of the miracles and healings they did as they exercised the manifestations. Remember Peter and John at the temple gate Beautiful. Paul and others, even a certain disciple Ananias. The gospel of Christ was preached, it was taught, and the power of God was manifested. The ministry of deliverance continued, and God was glorified. That is why he said, “He that believeth on me the works that I do….” We are to continue his ministry. What kind of ministry did he have? He preached; he taught; he healed; he cast out spirits; and he ministered deliverance to people. What they need first is to hear the Word of God, the good news about Jesus Christ and the new birth, his death and resurrection, and ascension and the day of Pentecost. That is what they preached in the Book of Acts. They needed to hear that but they also needed to know that they could be delivered, that they could be healed. I Corinthians 2:4: And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: People, that has to be our testimony. That is where we want to live. That is where you are living, not on the edge but right in the midst of everything. You get the joy of being a part of all that and it is humbling. It is a blessing, and it is so exciting. When you are involved in the deliverance of somebody it is like speaking in tongues for the first time. This is a big family God has. It has a whole household, and it is not just here in the USA. There are people all around the whole wide world. We need to help each other. We need to believe what the Word of God says and do it.
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Hour 8: The Miracles of Jesus
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Hour 8: The Miracles of Jesus Preview of The Miracles of Jesus In The Miracles of Jesus we will see that a miracle it instantaneous and supernatural. Like all the other manifestations workings of miracles are done by our free will choice. We must refuse to fear, and say and do whatever God tells us. We should be specific and speak to the problem directly. We are to do the works that Jesus Christ did and glorify God, and inspire believing in others.
Introduction
The Manifestation of Workings of Miracles is: To exercise the authority and ability, which God gives, to bring to pass miracles, according to whatever God, tells you. A miracle is instantaneous and supernatural. The manifestation of faith is involved because one must have absolute trust and confidence in God, that He will perform that which he has revealed to you. It is having the faith of God as Jesus declared in Mark 11:22,23. Mark 11:22,23: And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. 23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. “Faith to move mountains” is figurative. It means to do the impossible, something you could not do on your own, or to do whatever is needed. God has given us the ability to manifest faith. We do not lack it. You have all you need; you need to manifest it. If there is lack it is due to free will choice. We choose not to. Usually that happens because of fear. You can know this Word of God, but you still have to believe it. Fear and ignorance are just plain unbelief. People choose not to have faith. We do not judge anybody. Faith cometh by hearing, maybe they need to hear a little more. We do not lack faith to work 113
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Hour 8: The Miracles of Jesus miracles. We do not lack faith to minister healing. We do not lack faith to cast out devils if that is what needs to be done. We do not lack faith! You have to get that into your mind. I have what God says I have, and I can do what God says I can do. It is God working within me. You are to do His good will and pleasure. We do not work miracles without Him, but we do it with Him. Another key point is that God never oversteps your free will choice. God’s will is to give us utterance as we speak in tongues, but what if we do not speak? Then, it will not happen, will it? He will not possess our mouth, our lips, our throat, our tongue. He will not move it for you. You must move it. When this manifestation of faith comes, you are going to do whatever needs to be done. You literally step out. You do that with all of the manifestations. God will not make you speak in tongues, interpret, or prophesy. He cannot make you because of freedom of will. The reason God gave us free will is because by our free will He wanted us to love Him because that is the only way that it works. You cannot make somebody love you, can you? It has to be a free will choice that is why God gave it to us; He wants us to love Him. Jesus worked miracles. Most of them were miracles of healing, but some did not have anything to do with healing. They are still a miracle. This free will choice is a big thing. We must choose. We must choose to speak in tongues, to interpret. We must choose to speak forth a word of prophecy. We must listen to revelation. We choose to listen to word of knowledge, word of wisdom, and discerning of spirits. We must choose to take action or ignore the revelation. We choose to manifest faith by having absolute trust and confidence in God that He will perform that which He has said. We must choose to work miracles when the opportunity arises or we can get scared and not do anything. Fear is the thing that stops you. You know why I say that because you cannot have fear and faith in the same spot. We must choose to minister gifts of healing when the opportunity arises. God never oversteps our freedom of will. God’s will is to give us what He has promised. God’s will for us is to manifest faith to move mountains, to work miracles, and minister healing. God always does His part. This must be your belief and attitude every time we are given the opportunity. God’s will for our lives is to manifest faith to move mountains, to work miracles, and to minister healing so that His deliverance may be manifested in all. He wants His kids delivered, and He gets glorified. In I Corinthians 12:6 the word “miracles” is dunamis. Another meaning is capable power to do anything, wrought by divine power, work with reference to power required for its performance. It is inherent power. Inherent according to Webster’s dictionary is: existing in someone or something as a permanent characteristic. When you got born again it is permanent. It came in and it is not going to get washed out. “Let him minister with the ability that God giveth.” Remember I Peter 4:11?
The Miracle at the Wedding in Cana Jesus’ first miracle is in John 2. This takes place shortly after Jesus begins his ministry. He just picked up a few disciples, Simon Peter and his brother Andrew and Philip and Nathaniel. The four of them were traveling along with Jesus and they got invited to this wedding. 114
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Hour 8: The Miracles of Jesus John 2:1-3: And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: 2 And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. 3 And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. 4 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. Now this verse never made any sense to me, to say to your mother, “Woman, what have I do to with you?” Another translation of this verse, which is better, reads, “Gracious mother, what concern is this of yours or mine? My turn has not yet come.” This term “my turn has not yet come” refers to customs of wedding where they would serve the wine in order according to age. To the oldest guests they would serve the wine first. Another key here is the woman. For instance if I was there then Mary Lou would be responsible to have the wine there. So, the older ones would always get the best wine and when that over the it was the next ones turn not quite as good and then the next age would have a turn. What would happen here? This would continue until they got to the younger ones with the quality of the wine degenerating. Apparently the wine ran out before it was their turn. Their turn was coming up and guess what, mama did not have the wine. That is what he is saying, “It is not my turn.” Nevertheless there is a problem here. So, Jesus addressed his mother, “gracious mother,” not “woman.” How disrespectful would that be? Jesus loved his mother and she was gracious and she was concerned about the guests. She was concerned because she was responsible. John 2:5: His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. Mary believed her son was going to do something, but she did not know what or how. Nevertheless, she knew he was going to do something. John 2:6: And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. These water pots were stone jars that held between six and nine gallons. A firkin is three gallons. Jesus never touched these pots. They were just there and he began to speak. There is power in words. That is something you have to remember, too. There is power in words. There is power in the Word of God. When you say the Word of God there is power, it has life in it. John 2:7: Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.
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Hour 8: The Miracles of Jesus I love that. It is kind of like a new believer. You get filled to the brim with holy spirit. John 2:8-11: And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it. 9 When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, 10 And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now. 11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him. This miracle caused his disciples to believe on him, and God was glorified in His son. Also, the wedding did not lack. It was a great deal for all of them. That is the way God works. Jesus took some stone jars and filled them with water, and when it was served, it was wine. The impossible happened. The mountain was cast into the sea. Water was changed into wine; this was just a warm up. Six water pots were used. In Numbers in Scriptures69 it says that the number six is representative of man’s short coming of spiritual perfection. In this case, man ran out of wine, he fell short. The six water pots without divine intervention would have fallen short; they would have just been water. There would have been lack. Jesus commanded they be filled with water. He commanded the servants to draw it out, and the lack vanished. God fills us to the brim with His holy spirit and power. If you are diligently seeking to do the things of God and to walk in the steps of Jesus Christ, you will not lack! You have the power. You have the authority in the name of Jesus Christ.
The Miracle of Walking on the Sea Matthew 14:22-24: And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. 23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. 24 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. The disciples were on a ship. The word ship means transport. Jesus was on a mountain by himself, praying. As the ship was in the midst of the sea, it got caught up in a storm. Matthew 14:25: And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. 69
Bullinger E.W., Numbers in Scripture, Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids MI, 1967
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Hour 8: The Miracles of Jesus Man does not walk on water, folks. That is a miracle. Bugs do, but man does not walk on water. That is not in our genes. Matthew 14:26: And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. “Troubled” is the Greek word, tarass!, and it means, “emotionally stirred up.” They were cranked; inside, they were a bundle of emotion. They were full of fear. Matthew 14:27: But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. “To be of good cheer,” means to have your thoughts well arranged on the Word of God. When you are tempted to fear you go to the Word of God. What does the Word of God say? God has not given me the spirit of fear, but of power, and love and a sound mind. Jesus knew that their thoughts were not well arranged. There was one that had a little bravery. His name was Peter. Matthew 14:28-30: And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. 29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. Fear will always work against faith. That is what the devil uses to try to take your faith, your believing that you can do all things through Christ… that you can be more than a conqueror. Maybe for you it is a medical report or a financial report or some other report, or something on you body, to try to put fear into you. If he can do it then he just shoved out your faith. You are not going to manifest it because you are going to manifest fear. You will never work miracles or exercise any of the other manifestations of holy spirit if you allow fear to be a convincing part of your life. Now is there a temptation? Yes. Everybody is tempted to fear, but you do not hang onto it. Cast it off; kick it to the curb so to speak. Get rid of it. Peter was doing fine. He had the desire to do the things that Jesus Christ did. I wonder how many people started out that way? I wonder how many ministers started out that way? They say, “I am going to walk in the steps of Jesus Christ.” Then some fear comes and starts to take it away. I do not read in the scriptures any place where it says any of the 11 stepped out there. At least Peter tried, but trying does not get it. A few years ago, a few of us read a book called If You Want to Walk on Water You Have To Get Out Of The Boat. It was written by John Ortberg. If you are ever going to work miracles or minister gifts of healing you are going to have to get out of the boat. 117
Ministering With God’s Power
Hour 8: The Miracles of Jesus Everybody puts a name on a boat. The boat that most people are in is called FEAR. You have to get out of that boat. That boat focuses on your fleshly inadequacies instead of on that God is able and I have authority to do what Jesus Christ said I could do… that I can command in the name of Jesus Christ and that thing will happen. [John Lake incident.]70 God takes care of you if you move with Him. Remember, the manifestations of holy spirit all work the same way. If you can speak in tongues then you can do miracles, you can do wonders, you can minister, you can cast out devils, you can do whatever needs to be done but the manifestation of faith is necessary for these manifestations. Matthew 14:31-33: And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? 32 And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. 33 Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.
The Miracle of Calming the Sea Mark 4:35-39: And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. 36 And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. 37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. 38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? 39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. Jesus worked another miracle. He calmed a great storm instantly at his command. Jesus had no fear, only faith. He knew that his Father would do it. Jesus handled two elements, the wind and the sea and this was something that needed to be done right away. One key here is be specific. When you minister find out what it is and nail it. Speak to it and tell it to move. Speak to it! Jesus certainly did. (Headache be gone!, Bone heal!) Jesus spoke to the wind and to the water. Tell it what to do. Be of good cheer, have your thoughts well arranged and get it done. Mark 4:40: And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? Jesus is saying, “What have you watched me do?” These are disciples and they are supposed to follow the one teaching. He asked, “Why are you so fearful? Why have you no faith?” Faith eliminates all reason for fear. Fear will give you every reason in the 70
Lairdon, Robert God’s Generals: Why They Succeeded and Why Some Failed
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Hour 8: The Miracles of Jesus world for not receiving healing or deliverance. If you do not get rid of fear you will never manifest faith to do any of the manifestations. You will never have the courage to speak to the problem you are facing. We do not command out of fear, we command out with faith. We command in the name of Jesus Christ. We must absolutely trust and believe that God will bring to pass whatever He has told us. Why, because we know Him. Get to know God better; love Him bigger. We know that He is able and therefore we are able to do signs, miracles and wonders. We can minister gifts of healing; we can exercise all the manifestations of holy spirit. God has given us much to do and He has equipped us to do all the He has asked. Signs follow, accompany, those that believe not those that fear in unbelief. People of all nations live in a world of fear it is time we choose to live in a world of faith. You are going to be living in one or the other. Mark 4:41: And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him? I will tell you what manner of man it was. Jesus Christ was a man of faith. He is our example. He was a walking, talking, man of faith. He was the son of the Living God. He was powerful. God gave him authority and he used it. Now we have authority, when are we going to use it? Jesus confronted his disciples and said, “What is a matter with you? You could have done the same thing if you had gotten rid of your fear.” The wind and the sea must be obedient to the words spoken on the lips of believers. When we exercise the manifestations of faith, working of miracles, and gifts of healing then stuff happens.
The Miracle of the Fig Tree Matthew 21:17-19: And he left them, and went out of the city into Bethany; and he lodged there. 18 Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered. 19 And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away. Be specific. What was the problem here? The tree was the problem; it did not have any good stuff on it. That very moment means right now. Jesus was looking for those buds on the fig tree. It was the time of year there should have been buds on the tree. Jesus spoke to the fig tree, condemned it, and the tree withered away immediately. Matthew 21:20,21: And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away! 21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. 119
Ministering With God’s Power
Hour 8: The Miracles of Jesus The mountain is the problem, the difficulty. It is the challenge. We see the pattern of Jesus speaking to the problem (in this case it was the fig tree before it was the sea and the wind) and making a command and seeing it come to pass. When the disciples marveled Jesus would confront them with the truth. In Mark 11 is another record of a fig tree. It did not die immediately, but it died over night. Again, Jesus directed his command to the object in this case it was the fig tree. Again, after the miracle took place he confronts his disciples about what is possible if you manifest faith. What is possible? All things. What is possible for you? Get specific. What do I need? What are my old squatters trying to steal from me?
The Miracle of the Coin in the Fish’s Mouth In another account Jesus needed some money to pay taxes, tribute. Jesus told Peter to go to the sea, cast a hook, and when he catches the first fish; open his mouth and ye shall find a gold coin. Pay the tax. Peter did what he said and guess what, a gold coin. Miracles inspire believing in others. Miracles are the glory of God shown. Do not you want to shine for God? In all the miracles of Jesus he manifested the power of God and he showed his disciples and others that they could do it. It is possible if they would have the faith of God. Signs, miracles, and wonders follow those that believe and people follow those that work signs, miracles, and wonders in their lives and ministries.
The Miracle of Feeding the Multitude John 6:1-6: After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias. 2 And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased. 3 And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples. 4 And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh. 5 When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? 6 And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do. Jesus already knew. He already had the revelation. Philip said we do not have enough cash for that. We do not have enough bread to buy bread for all of these folks. We only have 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes. Then Jesus commanded the people to sit down, and then he took the loaves and fishes and gave thanks to God and distributed the food to everyone. After the multitude was fed they gathered 12 baskets full. People our God is a God of more than enough. It would have been nice if they had all been fed, but they had leftovers. God never falls short. John 6:14: Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world. 120
Ministering With God’s Power
Hour 8: The Miracles of Jesus The miracles of Jesus validated who he was. He was not just a man named Jesus. He was Jesus the Son of God with power. He validated his life and his ministry that he was the son of God, the Messiah, the Promise Seed. The miracles confirmed the scriptures about Jesus Christ. When he taught them about the kingdom of God, these miracles helped confirm his ministry.
Summary The manifestation of holy spirit, exercised and energized, validates our sonship too. You do not have to tell people that you are a son of God or a daughter of God. You do not have to say, I am a minister of the Lord Jesus Christ. You get out there and be and do. It gives testimony of God’s gift of holy spirit, which is given to everyone that believes on the lord Jesus Christ, that God raised him from the dead. Miracles are witnesses of Jesus Christ’s life and ministry plus God’s plan of redemption and salvation for mankind and also for his future return. He is coming back folks. We are given the example of Jesus Christ in the gospels plus the apostles and believers in the book of Acts. We have the testimony of the miracles and healings they did as they exercised the manifestations. Remember Peter and John at the temple gate Beautiful. Paul and others, even a certain disciple Ananias. The gospel of Christ was preached, it was taught, and the power of God was manifested. The ministry of deliverance continued, and God was glorified. That is why he said, “He that believeth on me the works that I do….” We are to continue his ministry. What kind of ministry did he have? He preached; he taught; he healed; he cast out spirits; and he ministered deliverance to people. What they need first is to hear the Word of God, the good news about Jesus Christ and the new birth, his death and resurrection, and ascension and the day of Pentecost. That is what they preached in the Book of Acts. They needed to hear that but they also needed to know that they could be delivered, that they could be healed. I Corinthians 2:4: And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: People, that has to be our testimony. That is where we want to live. That is where you are living, not on the edge but right in the midst of everything. You get the joy of being a part of all that and it is humbling. It is a blessing, and it is so exciting. When you are involved in the deliverance of somebody it is like speaking in tongues for the first time. This is a big family God has. It has a whole household, and it is not just here in the USA. There are people all around the whole wide world. We need to help each other. We need to believe what the Word of God says and do it.
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