Jesus miracles helped people believe in Him

Transcription

1 Jesus Performed Miracles Session 1 Believing Without Seeing, The Of icial s Son helped people believe in Him For centuries, God sent prophets to His people to teach them, to lead them, and to keep them accountable to His statutes. In order to get the people s attention, many of them did more than simply prophecy. They performed miracles. Though Jesus was not just another prophet, rather He was God, He would use miracles much in same way, to validate His message and demonstrate the power of God. Performing miracles caused people to listen more intently and, perhaps, to believe that He was their Savior. Once, while in Cana, a royal of icial approached Jesus with news of his dying son. The nobleman begged Jesus to heal him and He did. However, the son was not present to be healed, rather he was at home in bed. Jesus told the of icial that his son was recovering and, incredibly, the nobleman believed Him and went on his way. John 20:29 Miracles were effective and Jesus was happy to perform them. However, faith that responded only to visible signs and wonders was a shallow faith. Jesus Himself said, Unless these people see miracles, they will not believe. Their faith only came by seeing, but is that really faith? While many of us would fall into that category, believing God only when we see His handiwork, Jesus said that those who believe in Him though they have never seen Him are blessed. Man wants to see in order to have faith, but God wants us to have faith in order to see! Before you take the lead... Which one are you seeing to believe or believing without seeing? Session 1 The Of icial s Son John 4:46-54 What happened when Jesus performed miracles? helped people believe in Him. 1) What was unique about Jesus healing the of icial s son? 2) What did Jesus mean PERFORMED MIRACLES

2 Jesus Performed Miracles Session 2 The Holy One of God, The Unclean Spirits Jesus is the Holy One of God At the beginning of Jesus ministry, His popularity grew exponentially because of the way He spoke as one having authority and because of the miracles He performed. By turning water into wine at a wedding, by commanding the ish to overwhelm the disciples nets, and by healing all kinds of human in irmities, scores of people were seeking and following Him. Though Jesus had already been identi ied by some as coming from God, His next demonstration took everyone s curiosity to a new level. A man with an unclean spirit or demon was listening to Him teach, when he called out, What are you doing here Jesus? Have you come to destroy us? We know that you are the Holy One of God. Jesus commanded the demon to be quiet and come out of the man. The demon led and left both the man and the masses in awe. 1 John 4:4; Ephesians 6:12 From this account, we can make several observations. First, demons are all around us, indwelling some and in luencing all. They are in your home, in your workplace, in your schools, even in the Church. Second, demons know that they will one day be destroyed for their rebellion to God. Third, even demons fall under the authority of Christ. He is more than a prophet who possesses the Holy Spirit; Jesus is God in the lesh, having unlimited power over all of His creation. Before you take the lead... You are battling an enemy that is unseen yet powerful; but, take heart, for the One in you is the Holy One of God. Session 2 The Unclean Spirits Mark 1:21-28 Luke 4: John 4:4 Ephesians 6:12 What did the evil spirits know about Jesus? Jesus is the Holy One of God. 1) Where are demons today? Are they in hell? 2) What is the purpose PERFORMED MIRACLES

3 Jesus Performed Miracles Session 4 Clean Inside and Out, Cleansing a Leper Session 4 Cleansing a Leper Matthew 8:1-4 Mark 1:40-45 Luke 5: John 1:9 Who can take away our sin? Jesus can and wants to take away our sin. 1) What is leprosy? Jesus can and wants to cleanse us from our sin In 1880, author Lew Wallace wrote a novel entitled, A Tale of the Christ. In 1959, director William Wyler brought the novel to the big screen with his epic movie Ben-Hur, starring the award-winning actor Charlton Heston. In the movie, Heston played Judah Ben-Hur, a wealthy Jewish businessman who was framed for a crime by the Romans. In the ensuing chaos, Judah was made a slave, and his mother and sister were imprisoned. Judah vowed to get revenge for his loss. In a strange turn of events, Judah saved a Roman Consul s life, was adopted as his son, and was given Roman citizenship. He also became Rome s champion chariot racer. Once he obtained his freedom, Judah returned to Jerusalem to ind his mother and sister. Unfortunately, both of them had contracted leprosy in prison; they had been released to live in a nearby leper colony. Judah s anger burned against Rome for destroying his family. He renounced his citizenship and began planning a Jewish rebellion, when he met a Rabbi that changed his life. It was Jesus of Nazareth. Judah took his leprous mother and sister to meet Jesus, only to ind that He had been arrested and sentenced to cruci ixion. The three of them watched as Jesus hung on the cross, but their faith in Him was awakened. As a result, the mother and sister were healed of their leprosy and Judah s anger was replaced with compassion. Faith in Christ changed everything for the Ben-Hur family. They were transformed on both the inside and outside, and their perspective on life was made new. The message of the novel and the movie was clear Jesus is the healer of body, soul, and spirit. 1 John 1:9 In today s story, a leper came to Jesus and begged Him for healing. In doing so, the leper did several things that are noteworthy. First, he knew where to turn for help; Christ, not self or others, is the solution to all our troubles. Second, the leper demonstrated genuine humility; he set aside his pride, fell to his knees, and cried out to Jesus. Third, he exhibited true faith; he believed, beyond doubt, that Jesus could heal Him. Fourth, instead of the word healed, he asked to be cleansed ; you and I were once unclean because of our sin, but, praise God, Christ has made us clean! Finally, the leper could not keep his new life a secret; he immediately proclaimed the good news to all! Before you take the lead... Praise God, though you were once unclean, you are now clean. are you turning to Him alone for help in your trouble? Are you telling others what He has done for you? Image by Ron DiCianni PERFORMED MIRACLES 2) People with leprosy were called unclean. But, in reality, we are all PERFORMED MIRACLES

4 Jesus Performed Miracles Session 5 Our Most Important Need, Four Friends Helped Jesus was going to take the punishment for sin when He died on the cross Once while Jesus was speaking to people in a crowded house, a commotion occurred on the roof. Four men had removed a portion of it in order to lower a paralytic down to be healed. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, Your sins are forgiven. That seemed rather an odd thing to say to someone coming for physical healing; however, the Lord knew that the condition of the man s soul was much more important than the use of his legs. Several Jewish of icials were in the crowd and when they heard Jesus statement, Your sins are forgiven, they balked. They knew enough of doctrine to know that only God can forgive sins, so they accused Jesus of blasphemy. What they failed to realize was that Jesus was God in the lesh. Thus, to demonstrate externally (heal) what He had the authority to do internally (forgive sins), Jesus told the man, Get up and walk, and he did. Even with this demonstration, the of icials would not believe. Matthew 16:26 The faith and creativity that these men demonstrated in bringing their friend to Jesus was certainly impressive, but Jesus response should remind us of an often forgotten truth. While meeting others physical needs is an admirable priority, it is more important that we meet their spiritual needs. The condition of a person s soul should always take precedence, and as we must be alert to ways we can help others, the best thing we can do for anyone is to lead them to Jesus. Before you take the lead... Are you aware of the needs of others, both physical and spiritual? To what lengths would you go for someone else to ind Christ? Image by Darlene Slavujac Thau Session 5 Four Friends Helped Matthew 9:1-8 Mark 2:1-12 Luke 5:17-26 Matthew 16:26 How could Jesus forgive people s sins? He was going to take the punishment for sin when He died on the cross. 1) Which is more important, having the PERFORMED MIRACLES

5 Jesus Performed Miracles Session 6 The Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus Heals a Hand proved that He is the Son of God As always, Jesus confronted the man-made rules of the religious leaders of His day. In our story, He confronted their hypocrisy regarding the Sabbath Day. The word Sabbath means seventh, and it related to the seventh day of creation, when God rested from His work. The nation of Israel was commanded to keep the Sabbath holy by not doing any work. In their piety, the Pharisees and Sadducees took the commandments of God to the extreme and refused to serve Him or minister to others on that day. Of course, the Sabbath was never meant to exclude service to God or ministering to the needs of others. Thus, when Jesus arrived, they sought to trap Him doing work on the Sabbath. Knowing their evil intentions, Jesus healed the man with the withered hand. It was an object lesson that con irmed His authority as God s Son and, at the same time, exposed their wicked hearts. The Sabbath was made for man, He said, and not man for the Sabbath. In other words, the Sabbath was made for man s bene it and not for his bondage. Mark 2:27 If one of the Pharisees had a withered hand, would he not want Jesus to heal him, no matter what day it was? Obviously yes. However, rather than rejoice with the man who was healed, they were enraged at Jesus and plotted to destroy Him. This response explains why Jesus asked them, Is it right to kill someone on the Sabbath? Since Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath, He gets to de ine it and determine how it is used properly. We do not have the right or authority to rede ine God s institutions or commands to it our opinions or preferences. In that, we are guilty of taking His place, elevating ourselves as god. Before you take the lead... Are you making religious rules where you have no right? Be careful that, in your piety, you are not becoming a deity. Session 6 Jesus Healed a Hand Matthew 12:9-14 Mark 2:27; 3:1-6 Luke 6:6-11 Genesis 2:2 Exodus 20:8-11 What did prove? proved that He is the Son of God. 1) What was the Sabbath? What was its purpose? PERFORMED MIRACLES