Preserve Us

Preserve Us Welcome to everyone that’s new here! Today, we’re continuing our teaching series “Blueprints”. In this series, we’ve discovered who our foundation is(Jesus) and how He’s equipped us with gifts to do His will on the earth. For the past few weeks, we’ve specifically been studying the gifts of the Holy Spirit as found in 1 Corinthians chapters 12-14. Declaration: ● ● ● ● ● My eyes are on Jesus My heart is tuned to His Spirit My ears are listening to His voice My mind will believe what He says My voice will declare the truth of His word So, today we are talking about miracles. 1 Corinthians 12:1 NKJV “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant.” 1 Corinthians 12:4-8,10 NKJV 4 There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: 8 for to one is given: 10 … the working of miracles… Definition: Just so we’re on the same page, a miracle is: I. Supernatural power to intervene and counteract earthly (the ordinary course of nature) and evil forces II. It literally means a display of power giving the ability to go beyond the natural III. a temporary suspension of the accustomed order through the Spirit of God. As I survey the truth of the Word and observe life around me, there are a number of miracles I can think of. Some would fall into a general category, such as financial blessings, health, breath in my lungs, the rising and setting of the sun, etc. others would fall into the supernatural category - healings (limbs regrown), raising the dead, freedom from the demonic, etc. Some of these are heavily partnered with gifts we have studied (faith, prophecy & healings). Miracle of His Bride (the Church) Ephesians 3:3-7 NKJV He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, 4 by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), 5 which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: 6 that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel, 7 of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power. As you can see, I am not talking about buildings. The church is His people and we are His bride. He’s commanded us to walk in unity and to continue to meet together and encourage one another. The fact is, many agree with gathering, the disagreement usually in the details. The problem is that the gathering has become so much like business or politics that most people don’t want to come within 10 feet of us. Sometimes the great miracle that the Holy Spirit works in us and through us is the ability to forgive as He did and to bring peace and unity in difficult situations. While this may sound like it belongs in the “general miracle” category, if you’ve seen some of the churches in the U.S. we could use this type of miracle. I like the quote by a greek philosopher that says, “you were given two ears and one mouth so that you can listen twice as much as you speak” So, the miracle might be for us to sit down, be quiet and to stop talking. That way we can truly hear the hearts of our brothers and sisters and walk in the unity of the Spirit. – Do you love His church? Do you love His bride? Miracle of Preservation (Preservation of the Saints) Preserve - to keep (safe from harm) - Antonym - to abandon Psalm 91:1-3;9-10 NKJV 1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” 3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. 9 Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place, 10 No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; Acts 27:21-26 NKJV - Pauls Journey to Rome 21…then Paul stood in the midst of them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me, and not have sailed from Crete and incurred this disaster and loss. 22 And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. 23 For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, 24 saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ 25 Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me. 26 However, we must run aground on a certain island.” In verse 37, we see that there are 276 people on the ship! Not only did they get to have a meal together God gave them all favor because of Paul and they weren’t killed by the soldiers. All they had to do was follow God’s instructions. They were all saved, but the ship was destroyed. Who are you listening to? It’s wise to have counsel, but it should be from Godly men and women who’s fruit is evident but it should never substitute God’s leading in your life by the Holy Spirit. – He saved us and He keeps us. Fear has no more power because of the eternal abiding we have in Christ. Miracle of the Resurrection Romans 8:9-11 NKJV 9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. 10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. John 14:19-24 NKJV 19 “A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. 20 At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. 21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me. – He didn’t come to make bad people good. He came to make dead people live! Miracle of Forgiveness As I was going through these miracles I began to think, Lord, which is the greatest? Then He showed me it was forgiveness. When mankind was tricked in the garden, what was the lie? Eat this fruit and you’ll be LIKE God. Why was it a lie? Because we were already made in HIS IMAGE! So, when we ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, we set things into motion. We created a natural (although damaged/flawed) order of things. Remember one of the definitions above was God suspended or intervening in the order of things. If He suspended the order it would always be so, He had to take a more direct approach. He himself would come and pay the debt for sin. What was the debt? Death! In the OT they had a sacrifice appropriate for different things. In this case, not just any sacrifice would do, this life would need to be blameless. That life didn’t exist in anyone presently on the earth. So, God gave His only son, Jesus, so that He could have all of us back. Jesus was the sacrifice for All! Luke 7:36-47 NKJV 36 Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to eat. 37 And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, 38 and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, “This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.” 40 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” So he said, “Teacher, say it.” 41 “There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And He said to him, “You have rightly judged.” 44 Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. 45 You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. 46 You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. 47 Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.” Who loves much? The one who’s forgiven of much! Does your life show that you Love much? – Say - “I believe in miracles!” Say, “I am one!”