A Nonstop Day of Miracles, Part 2

Read the New Testament stories about Jesus and assumed his miracles were nothing more than clever illusion or sensational entertainment designed to recruit new followers but a deeper study of God's word shows how the miracles of Jesus reinforced his deity proved to a waiting world at their King and Messiah finally calm today on Insight for living. Chuck Swindoll teaches from Matthew chapter 9. In this passage we watch the reaction from Jesus adoring fan and conversely, is most cynical critics begins with prayer.

We bow in humble adoration before you, our awesome Almighty victorious God we calm having lived our lives this past week engaged in the world about us, a world of competition a world of secular thinking a world for the culture is designed to undermine and disregard you and your truth. I pray father as a result of our time with you that we will gain a perspective on truth that we will see how it is able to set us free from the things that have bound us free from traditionalism, free from the drives of the flesh in the lusts of the eyes and the ever present pride of life, and may we as we bow in humble adoration realize you are the Potter, we are the clay you are the Lord we are servants you are our God and we are those who follow you, trust you lean hard on you father today to get rid of those things that have plagued us in our long list of worries.

May they be dethroned from our lives as you are enthroned a price and a new may we in humble adoration acknowledge those words of Wesley and can it be that I should gain an interest in the Savior's blood died he for me who caused his pain for me to him to death pursued amazing love how can it be thou my God, has died for me in humble adoration. Our father we pray in the name of Jesus. The greatest of all names, the name, before whom every knee will one day bow and every tongue will one day confess that he is God, and it will all be done to the glory of your name. Father through Christ we pray and everyone said amen study the book of Matthew 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. Along comes a leader of the synagogue.

We know from the other books. Mark and Luke that the man's name is gyrus is 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 you could 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 be seen as 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 when Jesus arrived at the officials home. He saw the noisy crowd anywhere.

The funeral music so he says to them, get out, get out the girl isn't dead.

She's only asleep, but the crowd laughed at girls did. She's dead and he says I'm here to tell you she's merely asleep at the crowd was put outside play with her laughter. He went in and took the girl by hand.

She stood up.

She's a 12-year-old girl and she's now resuscitated brought back to life. 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, when we expect and usually in ways we would have never imagined that fact. One of the other writer says this is give her something to eat.

I smiled when I read that is almost a teenager, so she's hungry. Even was just getting from death to life.

She's healthy. She's old and the report of the miracles swept through the entire countryside course if the girl next door to you would died and she was raised from death unto the good Fred through the neighborhood. You couldn't wait to tell everyone you know a miracle happened next.

He doesn't promoted they do after this he leaves the girls home and there are two blind men following along you would think by now it would be good for him to have a rest and he's been hard at it. He's been dealing with those Pharisees and those of us disciples of John who want this whole comparison issue dealt with. He's raised girl from death. He has healed the woman with the issue of blood so time for break what you think but they follow along behind him, shouting, son of David, have mercy on us, son of David, have mercy on us, and he doesn't answer them. Don't miss that there shouting and he's not answering moves further and goes to the house was headed. Verse 28 and they went right into the house where he was staying. Jesus is in prison.

Perturbed isn't impatient. He simply asked him do you believe I can make you see.

Yes, Lord. They told him we do. Then he touched their eyes. He touched their eyes and said because of your faith, it will happen. Look at the verse then their eyes were opened and they could see the first image they saw the face of Jesus, right in front of I have a friend who is now retired from his practice of ophthalmology, excellent, excellent physician of the eyes and he used his practice in a very interesting way to make Christ known he had been reading in the Bible how a person without Christ is literally or should say spiritually blind and when a person comes to Christ. It's as if their eyes were opened and they and they see will because he did work on on eyes that were often the vision was often blocked by gross open thick foggy like cataracts and he threw his training and skill was able to remove the cataracts that they they could see for the first time many of them and he had a very interesting idea and I would go to when I Dr. Nate Flipper chart down and you read usually is something inane like now the time for all good men to come to the aid of the country or whatever his eye chart read God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. That's the first of the four spiritual laws that Gilbride introduced many many years ago and he said he would have the people. The very first thing they would see what they were test their eyes.

Is this God loves you and is a wonderful plan for your life while while many would say you're able to read that orchard they so great crying in all excited. He would say let's look at what it says right out of the chute. Think of it that's evangelism at its best. Blind. Now they see and hear the gospel, God loves you as a wonderful plan for your life or whatever you may wish to put their God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him should never perish but have everlasting life. Think of what that would mean to a person who has been blind for who knows how long the way.

This explains why you could be all exhilarated when you have truth explained to you on the Scriptures and the gossip. Next he was asleep, he's bored to tears. Or maybe preoccupied. Can't wait to look things over and he gets out and keep shaking his watch. Thinking it's maybe stopped on something else on the calendar. See how long were going to go this sermon and you can't. You don't want to JN what's the difference website quite like the person sitting next to you does not quite likely the reason you find yourself bored to tears is that none of this is enlightening to you and your still blind in blindness. Your life plays tricks on you and you cannot see what is really there but now eyes are opened and they're able to see because he is a ready to present himself as Messiah to go body of people. He says to them go tell anyone about this in my response under my breath is are you kidding. Instead, they went out and spread his fame all over the region.

Could you keep it to yourself. You been blind and I could see to go along. I'm not telling anybody why is Alaska changed the is a deeper reason for his statement to them about not.

It is not of disobedience is that's it's just out of exhilaration they can keep it to themselves.

By the way, sharing Christ is like that. It flows out of a life it's been changed and it is so transform you. You can't keep quiet about, but here's a man who follows who can't speak. Verse 32. When they left a demonized man who could not speak was brought to Jesus. Here we are again dealing with deep member that that session. We had were those pathetic individuals were in the caves of death. They spent their time at the cemetery. They were filled with demons, no change can hold them. No one could be around them. They were a danger to themselves and others.

They cut themselves and they lived in this miserable state.

You remember, here's a man who is filled with a demon and the demon is taken, his voice not able to speak.

He kept respondent can't answer questions, he can't state's need comes in. The man appears before the Lord in Jesus cast out the demon and then the man began to speak what to change. The crowds were amazed nothing like this is ever happened in Israel that exclaimed you say right now who on earth could doubt that this was truly a man of God. The Pharisees could they were there to find reason to believe they were there to find reasons to cast doubt their negativity isn't simply laughter as we read about up in verse 24, or the people who had been in the room where the girl had died left laughing at him as if this is a laughter. This is an accusation he cast out demons because he is empowered by the Prince of demon what audacity to make that statement, he represents the darker powers since they could explain away the miracles or deny the power that was at work getting supernatural, but it comes from satanic sources. We sit in this room today and we hear these words. It's easy to overlook that were part of the crowd, you're here somewhere on this pages somewhere in these verses, I asked you earlier.

Would you have left. I ask you now.

Would you have nodded in agreement that he may have power, but it really is not the power of God.

I am fairly late in that observation was back in 1944 that CS Lewis wrote a book came to be known as mere Christianity 1944 was earlier called the case for Christianity, and in that book. There appears a paragraph that is perhaps among the most often quoted from Lewis, the University philosopher who surprised by Joy came to Christ in his own life.

He writes this. I'm trying here to prevent anyone from saying the really silly thing that people often say about him meeting Jesus. They say I'm I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept his claim to be God. That's the one thing Lewis says that we mustn't say a man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said wouldn't be a great moral teacher. He'll either be a lunatic on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg or else it be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice was a my words to all of us today. You must make your choice. Either the man was and is the son of God or he's a madman or something worse. You can shut him up as a fool or spit at him as a demon, or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God.

But don't come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher.

He hasn't left that open to us.

He didn't intend to. I'm not asking you today simply to be impressed with the man who lived and died in whose name is now known among multiple millions around the world find man martyr for a clause good teacher was her silly answers the shallow answers right moral teachers would never say what he said.

In fact, 2004, many years after mere Christianity can't use wrote and then later one is more recent as Eric my Texas. In his book on miracles wrote this CS Lewis rather famously said that when it came to deciding who Jesus Christ was. We really only had three choices. First, we could say he was a liar that all the things he said were simply lies.

Second, we could say he was not a liar but a lunatic so we couldn't be held responsible for saying the things he said and third, we could say was actually who he said he was the Lord of heaven and earth. Lewis said there were no other options besides the three Lord, liar, lunatic, because Jesus had left us in the other options. He continues to regard Christ as a wonderful moral teacher is not possible because he said so many things that sane and wonderful moral teacher would never say such as when he cursed a fig tree or race. People from the dead, or said that he was the promised Messiah of the world or ready for gave sin and heal the blind, to name a few.

Example Socrates didn't do any of those things are claimed to do any of those things. But if he had claimed to we would rightly say he was out an outlier or a fraud or simply non-compass mentis and so it must be with Jesus. He can hardly be someone who pronounces deeply saying and wise things on the one hand and a madman or deceiver on the other. We are forced to choose, Lewis here holds our feet to the logical fire good words. In Texas, may have you bow your heads, please, please close your eyes and sit quietly there in the darkness provided by your eyelids in the quietness of this room.

What is your opinion of Jesus Christ banana not your parents, not what your preacher believes talking about any of that.

You would just set through a rather brief and simple narrative of a nonstop day of miracles, you're left with the choice God didn't give us his word simply to entertain us or satisfy idle curiosity. He recorded these events so that we might have our lives changed by belief in the one the officer from the synagogue, believed in the crowd around the girl who stood up now alive are the two blind men who now see the demonized man who now speaks for you and that story, the Lord our God stands before us with his arms open, saying, come to me come to me as you are. Come in faith believe that my son died that you might have life now and eternally in trust him now believe in him now you are no closer to God than you were when you came in, and if you came without Christ. If you have not turned your life over to him you got a few religious things you sung songs and you've been a part of time of prayer and teaching, but you're no different until you turn your life over to him until you trust him to forgive your sins to give you a whole new slate a whole new beginning. Anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation the old things are passed away. All things are new. We've heard of that new piece of cloth in the new wine I offered to you a whole new concept of faith, trust him with your heart right now your father.

We are so grateful that you cared enough about us when you were revealing your word that you included in it. This narrative designed to capture our attention to arouse our interest to convict us.

We live so many of our years looking in the wrong direction. Trying to find answers and a reason to go on from erroneous sources, we now realize it is Christ and Christ alone, in whom we have eternal life. Forgiveness and hope of eternity.

I pray that you would give no rest and no relief to those who do not know you turn their hearts over to me, sleep, flee from them, may anxiety be their constant companion. May there be restlessness until they find hope and rest in you, dear father through Jesus Christ, the son of God.

We pray everyone said witnessing these miracles of Jesus brings us to a crossroad of decision. According CS Lewis was Jesus a liar, a lunatic, or the Lord of heaven and earth you're listening to a message from Chuck Swindoll about a nonstop day of miracles and this is insight for living. To learn more about this ministry. Please visit us online@insightworld.org. If Chuck's verse by verse study through the book of Matthew has ignited your curiosity and you're ready to learn more, I'll encourage you to add Swindoll's living insights commentary to your personal collection of study tools, the addition for Matthew comes into large volumes, both hardbound, printed in a user-friendly format.

Commentary contains practical insight from Chuck including maps, photos and articles as well. It's a must-have for pastors, teachers, anyone who wants to know more about the Bible to purchase Swindoll's living insights commentary on Matthew Collis if you're listening in the United States., 1-800-772-8888 or go directly to insight.org/store. When you give a donation above and beyond the cost of books and resources. Your gift is channeled directly into supplying this daily program so people here at home and around the world will know the relevance of Matthew's gospel and we have ample evidence that your gifts are truly making a difference.

Rest is not long ago someone left a comment that read Chuck I live in England and listen to you on premier Christian radio. I always leave edified and encouraged comforted or inspired. Thank you for your faithful hard work and sacrifice on behalf of thousands of people you've never even met. Let me pass along our thanks to anyone who supports insight from the your donation allows us to provide free online resource and of course this daily Bible study program as well. So to help us continue providing these daily visits with Chuck give a donation by calling us listening in the US style on 800-772-8888 forgive online insight.org arrow Chuck Swindoll draws a disciples calling and hours today. Listen again Thursday to insight for living.

The preceding message on nonstop day of miracle was copyrighted in 2016 and 2021 and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2021 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. all rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited