Gtcotr/ws060822
There is an account in the Gospel of Matthew which details the afternoon just after Jesus came down from the Mount of Transfiguration. Earlier, Jesus had taken Peter, James, and John up onto a high mountain while leaving the rest of the disciples and perhaps a great number of followers at or near the bottom of the mountain.
It was on this mountain, we read in Matthew 17 and Mark 9, that Jesus was transfigured, meaning His face began to shine with the true glory of who He was, and His clothes became as white as the light. Then suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared with them on the mountain.
It was an eventful morning to say the least, and afterwards Jesus and the three went back down the mountain to where the multitude was. It seems that while Jesus and His three closest disciples had been up on the mountain, a man who had a son who was possessed of a devil brought his son to the disciples who were waiting at the bottom of the mountain. They tried to cast the devil out of the boy, but were unsuccessful.
The account continues with Jesus delivering the boy from demonic possession. This perplexed the disciples a little and later they questioned Jesus as to why they were not able to cast that devil out of the boy themselves.
Matthew 17:20 So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”
It is evident something was missing in the lives of the disciples of Jesus that Jesus wanted them to know about and fix. Perhaps a little less than 2 years later, we see the disciples again, now they are Apostles, and they are working many miracles among the people in Jerusalem.
Acts 4:33 And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.
Not only did the Apostles do many signs and wonders among the people but so did others who we read about all throughout the New Testament.
There are a few key factors we see in each miracle whether performed by Jesus before His crucifixion or others after the day of Pentecost.
1.
Faith – Faith is
our trust in the truth.
§ Faith moves mountains
Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
o Where can I get me some faith?
Romans 10:17 So then faith comes
by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
o That’s a good place to start right there.
2. The Presence of God
Luke 5:17 ¶ Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present to heal them.
If we are to be the hope of God in the earth, we must be a people who cultivate the Presence of God.
I’ll
give you three things to start with:
·
Psalms 27:14 Wait on the Lord …
o Sometimes you just
have to be quiet and patient and listen.
·
Psalms 22:3 God inhabits the praises of His children …
o If you will praise God
and give Him glory, He will show up.
·
Matthew 18:20 Where two or three are gathered in my name …
o Get together with
other believers – go to Church …
o Church is the common denominator throughout the NT.
The people on the outside should in some way see and believe that our God is with us.
3. Prayer
Matthew 17: 21 “However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”
Later we see the disciples leading the whole Church to pray and believe for healings and miracles, signs, and wonders to be done in the name of Jesus.
Acts 4:30 Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
A prayer filled life is a power filled life.
4.
The Power of the Holy Spirit
o Authority
o Ability
Acts 1: 8 “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
There is no substitute for constantly being filled with the Holy Spirit. You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.
5.
Great Grace
o Megas = Great
o Grace = the unmerited favor of God
How can a person go from unbelief to walking in the presence and the power of God?
Mark 9 adds insight into that same day when the disciples could not cast the deaf and dumb spirit out of the young boy at the bottom of the Mount of Transfiguration.
Mark 9
23 Jesus said to the father,
“If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”
24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”
This is the element of grace. God has reserved the right to help you and cover you in the areas of life and faith in which you are lacking. The father of this boy lacked what he needed to help his son and even to get him the help he needed. All this father could do was to appeal to Jesus and be honest with Him.
There is no better place to begin than to appeal to Jesus with an honest heart and ask Him to help you where you lack.
Jesus
loves you and He will listen to you just like He listened to this father in
Mark 9, and just like He listened to the Church in Acts 4. Let me encourage you
to:
·
Start
by loading yourself up with scriptures concerning the things you need.
·
While
you are waiting on God, praise Him and get together with other Believers to be
encouraged and to sow some encouraging seeds in them.
·
Talk
to God in prayer and speak boldly to the mountains you face.
·
Be
a witness, not by your own power, but by the power of the Holy Spirit.
· Trust that Jesus will take care of the things you cannot. He’s got you covered.
Let’s
be a witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus with great power and great
grace.
