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Welcome to Refinery Life Australia.
This week we are continuing our series titled Voices of the World.
The focus is on sharing the good news of Christ.
Today we are talking about Quiet Miracles.
Text
John 2:23 (AMP)
23 Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover feast, many believed in His name [identifying themselves with Him] after seeing His signs (attesting miracles) which He was doing..
Scripture Reading
Matthew 9:1-8 (AMP)
A Paralytic Healed
1 And Jesus, getting into a boat, crossed over the Sea of Galilee and came to [Capernaum] His own city.
2 They brought to Him a man who was paralyzed, lying on a stretcher. Seeing their [active] faith [springing from confidence in Him], Jesus said to the paralytic, “Do not be afraid, son; your sins are forgiven [the penalty is paid, the guilt removed, and you are declared to be in right standing with God].”
3 And some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man blasphemes [by claiming the rights and prerogatives of God]!”
4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?
5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven and the penalty paid,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? [Both are possible for God; both are impossible for man.]
6 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority and the power on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your stretcher and go home.”
7 And he got up and went home [healed and forgiven].
8 When the crowds saw this, they were awestruck, and glorified God and praised Him, who had given such authority and power to men.
Prayer
In Jesus name we pray.
Amen.
Introduction
Quiet miracles happen every day.
Nature itself proclaims a miracle each season as changes take place, from bare branches to buds, from flowers to fruits.
A transformation takes place that changes the world from winter to spring.
Likewise, from a smile, a loving word, and a touch, a distressed heart can go from cold despair to hope.
These quiet miracles illustrate God’s power.
And we hear of God’s quiet miracles in reports from mission fields around the world.
In todays Scripture reading from Matthew 9, we see Jesus performing the quiet miracle of forgiveness and linking it to the quiet miracle of physical healing as the paralysed man is given strength.
- Quiet miracles glorify God.
John 11:1-4 (AMP)
The Death and Resurrection of Lazarus
11 Now a certain man named Lazarus was sick. He was from [a]Bethany, the village where Mary and her sister Martha lived.
2 It was the Mary who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.
3 So the sisters sent word to Him, saying, “Lord, he [our brother and Your friend] whom You love is sick.”
4 When Jesus heard this, He said, “This sickness will not end in death; but [on the contrary it is] for the glory and honor of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.”
John 11:40-45 (AMP)
40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you believe [in Me], you will see the glory of God [the expression of His excellence]?”
41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus raised His eyes [toward heaven] and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.
42 I knew that You always hear Me and listen to Me; but I have said this because of the people standing around, so that they may believe that You have sent Me [and that You have made Me Your representative].”
43 When He had said this, He shouted with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”
44 Out came the man who had been dead, his hands and feet tightly wrapped in burial cloths (linen strips), and with a [burial] cloth wrapped around his face. Jesus said to them, “Unwrap him and release him.”
45 So then, many of the Jews who had come to [be with] Mary and who were eyewitnesses to what Jesus had done, believed in Him.
- In this miracle of raising Lazarus, something tremendous happened.
Jesus saw Lazarus’s death as an opportunity for the glory of God to be seen.
In that quiet moment when Lazarus came forth from the grave, many believed and gave God glory.
B. Likewise, tremendous things are happening around the world today.
We are always hearing stories of God at work.
God is doing extraordinary things in different people groups around the world, like the Maasai people in Africa who have resisted the gospel for over one hundred years.
But now opportunities have been opened up to missionaries to preach the word and se lives saved.
2. Quiet miracles illustrate God’s power..
Acts 15:12 (AMP)
12 All the people remained silent, and they listened [attentively] to Barnabas and Paul as they described all the signs and wonders (attesting miracles) that God had done through them among the Gentiles.
- The Holy Spirit had brought Paul and Barnabas to make their report.
They told the fascinating story of their labours among the Gentiles.
They reiterated the miracles, signs, and wonders that God had done.
It was as if they were saying, “let us give you examples of how we have seen the power of God change wicked people into holy people solely by the matchless grace of Jesus Christ.”
And so they gave example after example just as returning missionaries do when they return from a trip.
B. We read frequently in Acts of quiet miracles illustrating God’s power.
The records of Paul’s work during those years clearly illustrate his absolute dependence on the quiet, miraculous power of God and God’s plan.
God’s plan for Paul included three things.
- To evangelise Asia, the richest province in the Roman Empire.
2. To instruct the churches and encourage them to grow in Christian maturity.
3. To strategise for further missionary advances.
In each step of these plans, Paul depended completely on God’s quiet, miraculous power.
3. Quiet miracles produce faith.
John 20:30-31 (AMP)
Purpose of Writing this Gospel
30 There are also many other signs (attesting miracles) that Jesus performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book;
31 but these have been written so that you may believe [with a deep, abiding trust] that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed), the Son of God; and that by believing [and trusting in and relying on Him] you may have life in His name.
- Many of these unrecorded miracles and signs of Christ must have been quiet miracles.
John knew that one purpose of Christ’s miracles was to produce faith.
B. The Holy Spirit is bringing people across the world to the Christian faith.
An example I read through the week is two young Indian women came to know of Christ and slowly, quietly accepted His grace into their lives.
Today one of these women, a former Hindu, teaches the Bible to children in London.
Because of God’s great work in her life, she shares the Christian message with many, many children and adults alike.
The other young Christian has concluded her training in the USA and is serving as a missionary to her own people in India.
These women are modern examples of quiet miracles.
Conclusion.
God is still in the business of doing miracles, it’s time for us to start looking out for them.
Until next time
Stay in the Blessings
Giving
I really want to encourage you to be diligent with your Bible study time, because God has so much more for us than we can get from just going to church once or twice a week and hearing someone else talk about the Word.
When you spend time with God, your life will change in amazing ways, because God is a Redeemer.
Theres nothing thats too hard for Him, and He can make you whole, spirit, soul and body!
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