A Nonstop Day of Miracles, Part 1

Various religious sellers value their traditions fall rigid, unbending and self-righteous.

The Pharisees were widely known for their legalistic way and they were threatened when Jesus entered the scene stepped onto their turf today on Insight for living Chuck Swindoll psychodynamic encounter between Jesus and the Pharisee in an obvious effort to discredit his growing influence. They tried to trap Jesus with a trick question. What followed, however, was a series of sensational events that would sabotage their plan to title today's message on nonstop day of Marilyn's working our way through Matthew's gospel we come to chapter 9 working around the wrong section of Scripture. So allow me to read excerpts from it. Verses 14 through 34 914 begins one day the disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus and asked him why don't your disciples fast like we do in the Pharisees do.

Jesus replied the wedding guests mourn celebrating with the groom.

Verse 16.

Besides, who would patch old clothing with new call verse 17 and no one puts new wine into old wineskins. Verse 18 as Jesus was saying this, the leader of the synagogue came and knelt before him.

My daughter has just died, said but you can bring her back to life again.

If you just come and lay your hand on her. So Jesus and his disciples got up and went with him.

Just then a woman who had suffered for 12 years with constant bleeding came up behind him. She touched the fringe of his robe, for she thought if I can just touch his robe. I will be healed in the verse 22 and the woman was healed at that moment when Jesus arrived at the officials home.

He saw the noisy crowd and heard the funeral music get out.

He told them the girl isn't dead. She's only a sleep verse 25 after the crowd was put outside Jesus went in and took the girl by the hand and she stood up 27 after Jesus left the girls home, two blind men followed along behind him, shouting, son of David, have mercy on us.

They went right into the house where he was staying and Jesus asked them, do you believe I can make you see.

Yes, Lord. They told him we do. Then he touched their eyes and said because of your faith, it will happen then their eyes were opened and they could see 32 when they left a demon possessed man who couldn't speak was brought to Jesus. So Jesus cast out the demon and then the man began to speak. Finally, verse 34 but the Pharisees said he can cast out demons because he is empowered by the prince of demons to study the book of Matthew with Chuck Swindoll. Be sure to download his searching the Scriptures. Studies by going to Insight world.org/studies another message from Chuck about nonstop day of miracles. We are moving through the story that Matthew is recorded and we have come to one day in the life of Jesus that is sort of nonstop. One event after another, one conversation after another, especially one miracle after another. How easy it is for us to read these things and not see how significant those events were because they appear back to back, as he is presenting himself as Messiah showing the authority of the Lord God, as was prophesied by the ancient prophets, he would calm he would set prisoners free, he would he would heal those who were said he would give sight to the blind and raise those who would die all of this in proof of his being Messiah. It all begins in the version I'm reading in words like one day the disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus and asked him why don't your disciples fast like we do in the Pharisees do that's found in Matthew nine verse 14. It's a question about fasting, but in reality it's a question of comparison you and your disciples fast at these times and in this way we have been taught by those above us around us to fast this way and you don't do it the way we do it now.

Hang on to this because I come back to it. Their words were based on traditionalism not tradition is a difference. I yellow slip telecast of Yale put it better than I've ever read from anyone else. Tradition is the living faith of those now dead. Traditionalism is the dead faith of those still living. Don't miss that tradition is the living faith of those now dead. Paul, Peter, John, Jude and the other prophets that we could name that that lived in the ancient days.

Tradition is the living faith of those now that traditionalism is the dead faith of those still living. It is easy in the process of gaining a knowledge of religion that we miss the message of Christ.

Christ came with a new fresh message, a message that brought hope and renewal and change.

In fact, transformation.

But the traditionalism crowd Pharisees at all were embracing what they had been doing based on their long-standing rules and regulations, not just 10 Commandments that but they had put together over 600 of them all the way down to the most incredible. Needless details of life and it's only come to fasting other saying you and your disciples don't fast like like we do now. Why don't you fast like we do look at Jesus reply to wedding guests mourn when celebrating with the groom, of course not, you and I go to a wedding there. There is joy there is laughter. I mean, a man even kisses a woman right in front of the public right there. They take of thereabouts that is over there celebration often dancing and over. The meal was served and is all excited about. Pictures were taken by me that that's no time to mourn is the time to celebrate. Jesus draws on that analogy when he says to them, of course not. But Sunday the groom will be taken away from them and then they will fast. There's a lot in that I'll not get into weddings. In those days were different than our day and he had that in mind, he says. Besides, who would patch old clothing with new cloth for the new patch would shrink and rip away from the old call, leaving an even bigger tear than before and while these dealing with analogies. No one puts into old wineskins of ancient days wind was, not bottled but was held in in the skins off and on in an entire organ from an animal that had been made, supple, soft, and when there was putting that needed to leave room for that wine to expand as the gas would increase.

While it was fermenting you don't put new wine in old wineskins, or your split the old skins and he said that is stored in new wineskin so that both are preserved is a beautiful thing and by the way, before I go any further there's application. Let me warn you about expecting everybody else to do all the things you do in the details of your Christian life.

Be careful about style, we have a certain style of worship that were comfortable with your Redstone right now nobody died and left Stonebraker Community Church in charge of all other churches so that every church must worship exactly as we worship that we certainly are to believe in the Scriptures, and we certainly are to teach the truths of the word of God, and we certainly are to live out the Christian life. But there are there's a lot of room for flexibility so don't like somebody, all because they worship in a different way or manner than you do or you fall into the trap of comparison, and you will you will you find yourself continually unhappy until you're just around those people who do it just like you doing I thought about this when I read the words of that great theologian, Gilda Ratner from Saturday Night Live notice Rosanna Danna don't act like you didn't watch her because you did. She's gone now but she wrote this when I was little. My nurse Debbie's cousin had a dog just a mutt and the dog was pregnant. I know how long dogs are pretty or pregnant, but she was do to have her puppies in about a week she was on the yard one day and got in the way of the lawnmower and her two hind leg got caught off. They rushed her to the vet. He said I can sober up or you can put her to sleep if you want, but the puppies are okay should be able to deliver those puppies. Debbie's cousin said will keep her alive so the vet sewed up her backside and over the next week the dog learn to walk that she didn't spend any time worrying. She just learned to walk by taking two steps in front then flipping up her backside and that you take two steps in front and sit flip up her backside. She gave birth to six little puppies, all in perfect health. She nurses them and then weaned them and when they learn to walk. They all walked just like her to step back, you got the point they want, just like she will hurt a cute story about newlyweds and had been married very long and and the broad decide she would fix a fix a hand and so she got the ham.

Then she cut off the sand and cut off that in the put him in and cook it in husbands. There is watch a little bit of his money going down the drain is thinking of you cut off the ends of the hand she so my mother always always cut off the ends of the hand to cook so one day he was with his mother. Lonnie said by the way my wife always cuts off the end of the hand which he fixes it wanted. She wanted you always do that.

She said well I had a shorthand so it wouldn't fit in the pan. I did cut the ends off like that silly little illustration but it's an example of how we cling to things that we think are the truth when in fact they're often traditionalism based on what Scripture teaches. The Lord gives us a lot of flexibility absent for years. He's a lot easier to live with the most Christian God gives you liberty God frees you and Grace. So how about doing the same for others, stop comparing who fast when or how the same message Jesus has for them in a number of others. I'm sure if we had the time to get into the please observe how quickly something else happened. My version verse 18 begins as Jesus was saying this so right after he is finished explaining this to the disciples of the baptizer, along comes a leader of the synagogue. We know from the other books. Mark and Luke that the man's name is gyrus he's not the rabbi of the synagogue is an officer in the synagogue and he came and knelt before Jesus look at this right out of the blue. My daughter has just died.

He said, but you can bring her back to life again.

If you just commonly her hand on her listener that this is a Jewish officer from the Jewish synagogue. He did not represent the majority opinion among the Jews in that day or this would, but he's been listening and he's got a sick daughter. We know from the other books. Mark and Luke. In fact, it's his only daughter. She's 12 years old and his heart is been knitted to hers. Like father with daughters often are is he seen it often is heard enough to know this one represents a power that no one else I know has he could do what no one else can do to go to him. Can you imagine the shock of the Pharisees and fellow Jews when they saw this officer from the synagogue showing up and bring his case before Jesus and pleading for the life of his daughter. She's did, but you can bring her to life.

If you just commonly her hand on her what faith is that this is what I call a sandwich miracle because there's a need presented. But before the need is met another need appears. Then later, the need of that first need is is met. So look in the middle of the sandwich he's on his way to gyrus home to raise the daughter from dead from from death out of the blue we read verse 20. Just then a woman who had suffered for 12 years with constant bleeding came up behind him. Don't go any further. Learn to do this when you read your Bible.

Live it in your mind 12 years. This woman has lived with the constancy of hemorrhaging. She has no intimacy in your marriage if her marriage even stayed together. She's viewed as unclean by people who viewed the woman as unclean at her time of the month. She's living with this for 12 years. She is desperate.

In fact, one of the writers I think it's Mark says that she had been to several physicians and had spent all of her money, and it only got worse as the desperate woman, heartbreaking situation when you read your Bible, let the truth of the setting land hard in your imagination. Now you got a feeling for the woman you didn't have earlier quite likely the woman comes in, touches the fringe of his robe, for she thought verse 21 you give if I could just touch his role be healed 12 years no position could help her, but she only got worse.

She knows something different, just as the officer from the synagogue knew there's something different about this one. This man is remarkable individual we call Jesus if I could just touch his robe will be healed.

Jesus turned around and and when he saw her look at the response. This beautiful, she didn't interrupt him. She did offend him. She didn't cause a delay.

I'm sure gyrus is very uneasy that he would take time for someone else with this urgent acute need at home with his daughter be encourage your faith has made you well. The woman was healed at that moment market down almost without exception, when there is a divine healing truly a healing is instant. Be careful what you call miracles okay be real careful, don't throw the word around lightly or frequently have a friend who says if they happen all the time that we call regulars there miracles finding a parking place at Nordstrom's during Christmas is not a miracle.

I could name a half-dozen other silly examples that we say point at miracle took place today I'm hi, I get a miracle a day know you don't it is living disillusioned you're jumping to a false conclusion.

Miracles are very very very very rare shock you in my entire 50+ years of ministry.

I maybe have been aware of five reps six true miracles were God broke into the realm of reality and broke all the rules and did the impossible couple of more healing miracles that took place not because there was a healer divine healers today. There's one healer who does healing on occasion, rare though it may be that he alone does without any fanfare without any cost. Without trying to call attention to the into a large number of people. He simply said, your faith has made you well and the flow of blood stopped. Imagine she'll never be the same.

She would tell the story. The rest of her life. First, her family and then she would tell her friends and then others because of this one who took time to speak a word to her when Jesus arrived at the officials home. He saw the noisy crowd and he heard the funeral music you might wonder what's that all about.

In those days there were hired mourners families would hire a group of people to calm with her songs their dervishes and their words and their prayers. If you will, and they would carry out the responsibility of their being hired. So he says to them, get out, get out the girl as it did.

She's only a sleep but the crowd laughed at. I'm not going to go any further before I ask you the direct question would you have left girls did.

She's did and he says none none none.

I'm here to tell you she's nearly asleep at the crowd was put outside today with her laughter. Imagine what they must've joked about when they were outside where they enforce shock. Whoever he went in and took the girl by hand. She stood up to leave the Coombe. The word use over and I think it's Mark's gospel. She stood up.

She's a 12-year-old girl and she's now resuscitating brought back to life. If I read no further. We got enough to go on for half a lifetime to get that power, though never ever ever doubt God's power in his time and in his way and for his purpose, he demonstrates it rarely would we expect and usually in ways we would never imagine this incredible miracle by Jesus was beyond its physical implications and the joy it brought to this girl's parents. So please keep listening is important that you hear the remainder of Chuck Swindoll's message about a nonstop day of miracles. This is insight for living and to learn more about this ministry.

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