Jesus Unfiltered - Follow - Jesus, Miracles, and You, Part 1

Let me ask if God could do a great a supernatural miracle in your life right now. I mean the kind that can't be explained away by skeptics or scientific reason God could do that for you. What a relationship health issue finances will have you got it today will talk about Jesus miracles stay with welcome to this Edition of Living on the Edge mission of these daily programs to intentionally disciple Christians, the Bible driven just a minute. She will begin the second volume of Jesus unfiltered series titled follow over the next several programs to watch the Gospel of John chapter 6 revealing what it means to follow Jesus for this message reminds us that while God performed fantastic miracles throughout history still got miracles today with that. If you have a Bible turned out John chapter 6 storage for his message Jesus miracles and you will welcome to Jesus unfiltered wearing a journey through the book of John. In the first five chapters. We looked at what is it mean to believe in chapter 6 there's a big shift.

Jesus popularity is that absolute apex.

In chapter 6, seven, eight, nine and 10.

This shift is going to be from not who you believe in me, but will you follow me in and one of the big think it's going to turn is a miracle.

The feeding of the 5000 is the only miracle that all four gospel writers write the most important miracle of all that he does save the resurrection as we get started. I remember as a little boy finger up in a Bible teaching church and you kind of wonder about God and I had that these problems with my knees in would get injections in them and then they would swell up and I remember you know, wondering if God exists. If you could still really do miracles and a member praying you know, a member looking down just praying got if you would just make my knees work again then you know I could believe in you are what I want to be like if I could walk on the earth when Jesus was on the earth. Then maybe I could believe there's really a God and this is all really true you ever thought about what would be like if you could been back then or maybe better.

Let me ask you very personal question. If God would do a great a supernatural miracle.

I don't mean like a little help I mean a break the laws of nature intervene in your life personally that there's no explanation except God supernaturally intervene for you. What miracle would you want to do. Might be a health issue might be a relationship might be finances.

What what would you really wanting to do what what is that maybe one thing that you would say boy. If God did that then because what I learned what it looks like the following more than a learned miracles are really important, but they have a very clear purpose and sometimes we don't know what the purposes I would ask you to do something to jump right in. If you would open your Bibles to John chapter 6, I'm going to read. Here's here's the structure it's a very very long passage were actually going to go through it. The passage goes something like this miracle number one. The 5000 miracle number two. Jesus walks on the water with his disciples major rebuked by Jesus to a large multitude about why they're following him and minutes followed by a very long and important message that part of it is really hard to understand. So let's start with the miracles and by the time you see it all. You'll begin to understand what it really means to follow Jesus noticed the context here. John six sometime after this, Jesus crossed the shore to the Sea of Galilee.

That is the sea of Tiberius and a great crowd of people followed him.

Why, because they saw miraculous signs that he performed on whom the sick Jesus went on the hillside and sat down with his disciples the Jewish Passover feast was near.

When Jesus looked up and saw the great crowd coming toward him. He said to Philip, where shall we buy bread for all these people to eat. He asked this only to test them for he already had in mind what he was going to do. Philip answered eight months wages would not buy enough bread for each one have a bite. Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother spoke up.

Here's a little boy with five barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go with so many Jesus and have the people sit down with plenty of grass and so they had the men sit down 5000 other gospel writers let us know that there's 5000 men, so there's probably somewhere between 10 and 20,000 people if even a few wives and children are along Jesus then took the loaves he gave thanks, he distributed those receded as much as they wanted and then he did the same with the fish. When they all had enough to eat.

You might underline that in your mind. He said to his disciples gather the pieces of brother left over. Let nothing be wasted.

So they gathered them and they filled 12 baskets with pieces of barley loaves left over by those who need notice the after the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they begin to say, surely this is the prophet who is coming to the world and Jesus knowing what they intended to come in by force, make him king, he withdrew into the hills by himself. Now what is going to do literally imagine this crowd, maybe 15, 20,000 people they'd seen this miracle. This is the prophet there thinking.

Deuteronomy chapter 18 were Moses said, raise up another prophet like me and Moses brought manna in the wilderness, Jesus in the wilderness, they see the parallel and are starting to rush toward him to make him king a political king, the Messiah, and after doing that.

He says the disciples okay pick up all the stuff he's in a send them away and then he goes up on a hill to pray. Notice what happens when evening came, the disciples went down to the lake where they got into the boat and the set off across for Capernaum by now. It was dark and Jesus not join them in a strong wind was blowing, the waters grew rough when they wrote three or 3 1/2 miles they saw Jesus approaching the boat miracle number two walking on the water and they were terrified. But Jesus said to them, it is I don't be afraid. Then they were willing to take him into the boat and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading context. The next day the crowd that stayed on the opposite side of the lake realize that only one boat had gone in the Jesus not enter the boat with his disciples, but they'd all gone away, and some boats and Tiberius landed near the place where the people would eat the bread after Laura given thanks, and once the crowd realize neither Jesus nor his disciples were there. They got the boats and they went to Capernaum. Notice this in search Jesus miracle miracle search of Jesus. Jesus does this miracle on purpose. Jesus has been teaching before he's over in Jerusalem the Jewish rulers or are giving them a hard time he's declared clearly, he's the Messiah he's taken the disciples off they went on a little trip over here at Caesarea Philippi. And it's worth a place for there's all these different gods and false religions and their Peter months earlier.

Very shortly before this event send you the Christ the son of the living God. So the disciples believe he's the Messiah, crowds, and throngs. Now he gets out of Jerusalem because it's getting dangerous because they're trying to kill and if you remember, and now he looks out of there's throngs of crowds and I mean he's a rock star of rock stars. It is crazy. He's gone viral.

People are tweeting about him there on Facebook everywhere. I mean literally is in and of his day and now they're crowding and crowding and they got this expectation. The king has come in in their mind. That means he's going to overthrow Rome will make him our King will pull down the room until set up a utopian society. This is their mindset of what they want in the Messiah. He's going to make my life count now now is going to talk to have his disciples understand who he is and you notice on your notes there's some different reasons why miracles occur and I want to just give you these sort of theologically because God still does miracles, but he doesn't for purpose. Miracles are never at end in themselves. Jesus performed miracles to authenticate his identity number. He claimed he's God. These kind of miracles, healing the sick, raising people from the dead. It authenticate his identity. It's authenticated his teaching. He had while teaching the father and I are one if you seen me you seen the father. I am the only way the truth and life. Then he raises someone from the dead repeats fourth thousand over here and 5000 over here. Miracles also reveal Jesus heart.

He had this power. But how to use it. The poor were helped the lame walked the blind would see a destitute parents in agony. Their little girl has died and he speaks and raises her from the dead, a widow is going through town with her only son and he's in a coffin and he's died and Jesus moved with compassion, touches the coffin and raises the boy from the dead, these miracles reveal a heart of compassion and concern for he's with his disciples, and there's a storm in the ready to capsize and he's he speaks to the wind and he speaks to the ways of or there's a Domani act with power, and no one can restrain him.

And Jesus speaks his words and he's clothed in his right mind miracles off that his identity is teaching his heart and his power, and it did this one last thing to do. Notice the opening passage, a great multitude, they drew crowds, even today, right when people hear about something supernatural. Everyone flocks to know. Could this really be God's who has his large crowds, but now what we can find is he's been teaching teaching, teaching, teaching, and if you could study this entire chapter very carefully there'll be grace truth grace truth grace truth and now what he wants and understand is not.

Not everyone is following Jesus for the right reason and not everyone really gets what it means to be a follower. Let's get a couple lessons from the miracles.

The sign in the feeding of the 5000 is 5000 adults and families are fed the barley loaves really don't think of a local bread. Think of a little piece of pancake about this big. The two fish.

Don't think of like you know couple big ones there a little of this word is maybe a little bit bigger than a sardine. It was probably pickled and dried so he takes the resources of one tiny little boy feeds 5000+ their families, and then he has the disciples do something it's very important. The word for basket here is in a small basket was a large basket with the top like this and that often carry with them after he does this miracle those followers who will change the world are each carrying a basket full of pieces of bread and all of them hours before Saul. These three little pancakes and a couple fish in their learning something about Jesus and it probably didn't miss their thinking that there were 12 baskets full. He's the Messiah, to Israel and there's 12 tribes. He's the bread of life. He's the source he's the answer.

All these claims are true not only for them but to fulfill all God's promises for the nation of Israel.

Now I don't know if you've ever been a leader but if your leader and and thousands of people following you, and these are your key 12 men that were going to take on and they start to take you by force. This is not a healthy situation for your followers and so you send them on ahead at what you need understand is that the sea of Tiberius, a color see is not really very big and there's mountains around it and when the sun goes down. The cool air in the water often will cause very very choppy high strong winds. These are professional fishermen and notice it says the rowing and so there their back is there. Here's the map right. Here's North Capernaum is over here and there's a synagogue were he's going to give a message over here in bite bite.

It's about 4 miles across the lake.

This way he just said 5000 people. They've been about six or seven hours rowing and are making no progress. Jesus is up on the hill and he sees them. Notice he sees and he cares and then a struggle. Notice the lesson of the 5000 is that if we bring our limited resources to Jesus. He has the power and desire to meet our need.

That's what it means to be a followers, not just intellectually believe here's the lesson if you bring your limited resources.

I don't have enough time.

I don't have enough courage. I don't have enough money. I don't how to address a situation I don't have the resources to be the kind of parent you want to be.

I don't know how to live this way is a single person if you bring your limited resources to Jesus. He has the power and the desire to help you being a follower isn't just eating the bread where the fish are him doing things for you. It's bringing your needs. To him, he wants to help you. It's an engagement it's a life journey. Notice the responses they try to make him king in the next section the sign as Jesus walks on the water and you'll know from the other Gospels that Peter actually says if it's really you asked me to come in Peter Watson. He does well until he begins to look at circumstances and waves, and he begins to sink, and then immediately Jesus gets in the boat and you have one of the Star Trek moments right gets in the boat immediately to their note what he think he's wisely preparing them. There's going to be 11 of these 12 men they're going to blaze a trail that is so countercultural that it be so difficult they will go through such suffering.

Every single one of them will be martyred and will not waiver for their faith because they understand who he really is the conviction of following someone is you can't follow him unless you can trust him and you can only trust people that you can believe their word, they have the power to do what they say they can do and you can only trust if you really know they care about and Jesus sees their struggle and Jesus walked on the water purposefully to let them know that whatever comes into your world and your life. I want you to know even the very powers of nature are not a limitation for me and so here's the lesson from miracle number two. If we invite Jesus into the storms of our life to rescue us about why this is hypothetical. I still remember I was very very young Christian and a good friend of mine was in an accident that he broke his body. He severed his spinal cord. They gave him no chance to live.

We were all young Christians, we really didn't know what we were doing and the doctor said were sorry. There's internal bleeding everywhere, apart from a miracle, and we went to little chapel on our campus, about 30 of us. We prayed for about a day and 1/2 or two days, we didn't eat we just prayed and we beg God we didn't know any better.

I still remember when the girl came in the chapel and said the doctors actual words is it's a miracle some reason, some way, internal bleeding everywhere. If it stays stop teasing a live in Franklin and frankly are actually not only live but he was a wheelchair.

The rest of his life and had an amazing attitude. He became a science teacher, a wrestling coach. He actually later got married. I mean it was a miracle was my first time to see a miracle and revealed God's heart and that he would actually listen to us. I remember as a young pastor and a little church about 35 people in the first year or two and I was just beginning. I know one thing about being a pastor and was in the hospital visiting one of our people, and there was a lady, a young mom maybe 30, 32 years old and a little toddler and she had a brain tumor the size about an orange and I just got a prompt and we got some people.

We prayed for her and this was the first time I ever seen anything like this happen. I mean I'm I believe the Bible believe God can do supernatural thanks I just had to see much of it.

We prayed for that woman in like three days later she came back, the doctors can't explain it. It's completely gone, not what you want to give you some perspective here. I've anointed people with oil with elders I've prayed for many people and buried them two weeks later so that it is no claim there's no special powers or anything.

All I know is that at certain times God intervenes in supernatural ways to authenticate his identity to us to reaffirm his teaching to us to to give us faith and encouragement for his heart of compassion and that we could remember. He has power and that in the circumstances of life that he sees our struggle and he wants us to cry out to him and have a relationship with him.

It's not about what we can get from him or what he can do for us, but to understand he's invite him into your struggle inviting into the storm of your life. This can be a big shift here. The response of the disciples first. They're terrified and they're overwhelmed right when the last time you were terrified of who God really is me, not because you are afraid of him like he would hurt you but terrified just how powerful unapproachable like holy how magnificent I think somehow Jesus is stuck in our minds is meek and mild and sort has a pale complexion and isn't the kind of person if you had a big job to do, you would want him to help because it pretty weak and you probably can't pick up anything and you probably really sweet and just hangs out with women and little kids and really you know is low flannel graphing or like the pictures you know the Christian bookstore Jesus Jesus of the Bible the Jesus of the Bible strong is powerfully supernatural. He cares he loves before you elected to stop right now like you to stop and think, what's the biggest storm in your life or someone you love.

Okay think of someone you know that you love the got cancer.

Think of someone you love and their marriages not going well think of someone you love that has a child who is just far from God.

Think of someone you love that is single or divorced her in the midst of deep personal pain, or depressed. Have you got them got it in mind right now. Ask God. Maybe that person is you ask him to come into the storm of that person's life for you right now. Oh God, you are not a you're not a god of the book of thousands of years ago. Lord you are with us where we move and live and have our being your personal your intimate Lord you take all of our cheers and you put them in a bottle. Your heart grieves for us. You long for us to come and pour out her heart and share our needs and our hurts. You long to enter in and help. And so we ask in the name and the power of Jesus himself, our holy father that you would do miraculous things that you would intervene that you would give grace that you would give courage that you would restore relationships you would even choose to heal bodies and we would commit in advance. It will give you credit and honor and glory. Jesus name this shift now happens where their learning to trust because these miracles are affirming who he is and then at the end. Did you notice that the people were searching for him, not get this in your mind what how it really works I mean it was just yesterday and you know you were with 20 or bodies you were supposed to go fishing don't auscultation it you heard about this new young rabbi, Jesus got yeah will you to hear about all the people got healed and all that stuff in Jerusalem. I heard he's going to be over. You know over that lien. Air yeah, let's go sleep and you went and it was like all the people got fed and you went back and said Bob Mary uncle Herb. You gotta see this guy that were going back would make another meal is you go over there is like wow he's gone. Where is that where is yet one boat left the mountains were not sure what's happening everywhere he went to Capernaum okay about every does get about something in there, searching for Jesus. Jesus popularity is now going to change because he's given them ample evidence like he has us to believe now is going to talk about our motives and what it means to be a follower. Pick up the text with me.

Verse 25 when they found him on the other side of the lake. They asked him rabbi.

When did you get here like what miracle did you pull off lightly. Jesus answered, I tell you the truth you're looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs, but because you ate the lows and had your fill.

Do not work for food that spoils, but food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you on him. The father has placed a seal of approval. How do the miracles translation. Don't just follow me and want to use me.

I'm not a self-help genie, I didn't come to the earth just to make your life work out. My goal wasn't that you know I could be sort of like a spiritual vending machine to make your life what you wanted to be. I am God.

I provided the food and I did the miracle so that he could see who I am. So you could follow and have relationship not you didn't even come because of the miracles you came because I met some material physical needs and you wanted more command do not work. Don't give your energy.

Don't give your life for stuff that spoils, or parishes, or stuff that it never last. Don't give your life for success. Don't give your life from money.

Don't give your life for houses don't give you like for jobs. Don't give your life for where your kids get into school. Don't give your life for impressing people don't give your life for anything that is here today and tomorrow instead give your life for the food, the truth that leads to eternal life and then this favorite phrase about himself. The Son of Man and what he what he saying is, are you ready jot this in your notes. If you would. He's exposing the air of spiritual consumerism. The rebuke is there motives. He says you're not searching for me for me.

Your searching for me for what you can get the lesson is don't give your life for things that are temporal, but for that which is eternal in just a minute. They have a question to see in their mind their mindset about what it means to have a relationship with God or belief in God is so fixed about what you do in your performance. The Pharisees did this this and this.

It was all about. Do do do do so. He's done the miracles. Yes, your special so what we need to do. I mean Readmore the Bible I do we go to synagogue more often.

What's the formula everyone had a formula tell us the four things to do. The three things to do. The two things to do. So our lives can work out we can control this little God and get what we want. He says this is the work of God. Verse 29 that you believe on him whom he sent is not about your working is not about you are doing is not about your religiosity. It's not about getting God in a box so you can use them to make your life and your relationships in your finances and your kids and your singleness in your education and all your stuff is about believing and trusting and having relationship with the God who made you so you could discover his purpose and live out of his fullness. And your love just for who you are and know that he has forgiven you, and he will place his spirit in you, and he's deposited gifts in you and he is a purpose for you that the greatest and deepest joy all the earth and the byproduct of some of these things will be very wonderful relationships in the byproduct maybe financial blessing in seasons and other seasons not financial blessings in the byproduct maybe kids that turn out very wonderfully and actually get into some very nice schools but if that's the goal you miss this one and you end up empty. My experiences been people who have devastating life experiences or people who actually make it are the people who most quickly break free from materialism.

By the way materialism has nothing to do with how much you have some of the poorest people in the world are shot through the material is what they do is they falsely believe that if they just had then been like just a minute, listening to the first heart of his message miracles and you were just from the second volume of his Jesus unfiltered series titled follow. When Jesus called his disciples used to simple words follow me about phrases since change the lives of countless people throughout history. So what is it look like to follow Jesus today. In the second volume of Chip series Jesus unfiltered were continuing our study of the Gospel of John in chapter 6 through 10. Chip dives into topics like living without shame.

Understanding the miraculous and finding true contentment and how those subjects relate to the practice of following Jesus, you're not going to miss a single program for complete information about our resources or to check out the other volumes of our Jesus unfiltered series is LivingontheEdge.org hapless nurse Special offers which if we just started the second volume in your series Jesus unfiltered and in this next section of John you're tackling the subject of following explain why this concept is foundational to our Christian faith and what you're hoping your listeners will learn through the series. Why hope they learn a lot.

Dave and and one thing I hope they learn is just to think their way and actually have exposure to the biblical text, and I was really look at chapter 678 910 and working to study it in context about the life of Jesus. I think one of the downsides of so much Christian information, then you know it's a message here and podcast therein in a television program here and there is value in all of that, but there's something powerful about studying the life of Jesus in context of what he said over a period of time and this is about the following. And it's interesting. It starts in chapter 6 where you know people have been very excited about the meals they're getting the healing they're getting, and the demons that are cast out on me like a man I we love this Jesus and then he begins to talk about what it really looks like in obedience to be a follower of his and the cost of that and where he's going and so that you understand chapter 6 near the end it'll say after he sort of raises the bar of the cost of following it says. From that day forward. A great many of his disciples no longer followed him. In other words, you know we we want the product but we don't want that process and Jesus unit would say to his close disciples, are you gonna leave to and and Peter has that great line, to whom shall we go. Lord, you have the words of eternal life, and then will walk through chapter 6, seven, eight, nine, and when you get to chapter 10. There's this great reward and he'll he'll tell them I've came that you might have life, you might have it to the fullest.

We could have it abundantly, and that actually the process of following is what creates and allows us to experience that life so I know that's God's will for every one of us who are believers and followers of the Lord Jesus, so I cannot wait for people to go through that experience and begin to see their life and what it means to actually follow Jesus in the world that we live in so they can experience the life that is really life.

Thanks for the trip. What we hope you'll make plans to be with us for this entire series. And if you have a Melissa program.

You can always listen on the Chip Ingram map or@livingontheedge.org as we wrap up today's program. Let me ask you if you could ask God for a miracle. I mean a bona fide grade.

A supernatural miracle. What would you ask him for nothing. Sometimes we think very subtly, God becomes this sort of impersonal force and there's these principles and everything is just cause and effect, and we do this, God does that, but we don't believe he'll break into our world into a miracle now a miracle is rare.

Okay I get that. But what what would you really ask him for and you know I've seen a handful of times where I have seen God intervene in ways there is no scientific rational explanation. It is just an intervention of God. I member. One lady was listen to the radio and I was teaching similar to this, and she had this health issue that is been going on and on and on and on and on and she just heard it in and faith, met the word of God and she said God I'm going to ask you for this sin, God intervened. He healed her miraculously. So all I want you to know is that God does intervene ask him seek him and and but you can't manipulative the very chapter that you study. Here is a place where people were following Jesus to get the miracles and get the food in other words, what they wanted us to use Jesus. He's not a self-help genie is the God of the universe, but let me encourage you to plead your case seek him with all your heart and then in trust that he may deliver you out of something with a miracle he may deliver you through it and give you grace just to keep on going. Or he may teach you something that he really wants you to learn but I think God is pleased when we come boldly in faith and ask as we wrap up this program just a quick but important thought Living on the Edge depends on listeners just like you to help us continue to encourage Christians to live like Christians. So, would you consider partnering with us on a monthly basis so others can benefit from a ministry of Living on the Edge to set up a recurring donation. Call us a triple late. 333-6003 or go to LivingontheEdge.org hapless nurse Donate and thanks in advance for doing whatever God leads you to do will join us next time. Esther continues with our study of the Gospel of John. This is really saying thanks for listening to this edition