Grace for Your Day April 18
The story is told of the time that a man from Leeds, England went to see his doctor because he could not hear. He had purchased a hearing aid several years before but, for some reason, the device did not work and it was causing him great discomfort. However, after examining the device, the doctor determined that the cause of the problem was simple: he had never turned it on.
I mention that story because I believe that many Christians are doing the same thing today with the Gospel because they have heard the message of salvation. They know the Word of God but they refuse to turn it on and, as a result, it does not help them. Their lives remain a mess because they do not use the one thing that the Lord has given them to get victory.
When you study the ministry of Jesus, it appears that He thought that this was an issue as well because He was constantly saying things like “He who has ears, let him hear” (Matthew 11:15; 13:9, 43; Mark 4:9; Luke 8:8; 14:35). The reason He did that is because your ears cannot help you if you do not use them. They serve no purpose if you just close them off to the Bible. He also said other things like the following:
Some of that is difficult to understand but it essentially means that you should not drift away from God because this is what God has done for you. He has given you a great salvation.
In fact, it is so great that the Lord Himself testified to it with signs and wonders and miracles that the Apostles did in the First Century. In other words, He did not just tell them about salvation but He testified about it. He did not just explain it to them but He showed that it was true with miracles by healing people and speaking in tongues and raising the dead so that they would have irrefutable evidence that it was from Heaven. He proved its veracity in a supernatural way which is what we are going to talk about this week at Grace Fellowship Church.
This Sunday, we are going to look at the sign gifts of the New Testament. The reason it is important for us to do this is because this topic is misunderstood by many people today. So many churches practice a false version of these gifts that it is essential for us to have a good understanding of them in order to keep from being deceived.
This is also important because it demonstrates how important it is for us to listen to the Word of God. It shows us the value of this principle because there were onlookers who witnessed the Apostle’s miracles in the First Century but they did not believe. They saw the amazing things that they did but they tuned them out and were lost as a result because it takes more than that to go to Heaven. You have to actually hear the Gospel and take it to heart for yourself.
Please join us as we talk about that over the weekend. We will not be able to answer every question that you have about miracles but hopefully we will answer a few. The service begins at 9:30. – Jeremy Cagle
I mention that story because I believe that many Christians are doing the same thing today with the Gospel because they have heard the message of salvation. They know the Word of God but they refuse to turn it on and, as a result, it does not help them. Their lives remain a mess because they do not use the one thing that the Lord has given them to get victory.
When you study the ministry of Jesus, it appears that He thought that this was an issue as well because He was constantly saying things like “He who has ears, let him hear” (Matthew 11:15; 13:9, 43; Mark 4:9; Luke 8:8; 14:35). The reason He did that is because your ears cannot help you if you do not use them. They serve no purpose if you just close them off to the Bible. He also said other things like the following:
Matthew 4:4: “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’”
Luke 6:46: “Why do You call Me, “Lord, Lord,” and do not do what I say?”
Luke 8:21: “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the Word of God and do it.”
Luke 11:28: “Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and observe it.”
John 8:47: “He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.”
The Lord said all of that to remind you that it is not enough to have a copy of the Bible sitting on your book shelf but you need to pay attention to it. It is not enough to say that you love the Lord but you need to obey Him as well which is similar to what the Author of the Book of Hebrews says in Hebrews 2. After warning us not to drift away from the faith, he says in verses 3-4:
How will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.
How will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.
Some of that is difficult to understand but it essentially means that you should not drift away from God because this is what God has done for you. He has given you a great salvation.
In fact, it is so great that the Lord Himself testified to it with signs and wonders and miracles that the Apostles did in the First Century. In other words, He did not just tell them about salvation but He testified about it. He did not just explain it to them but He showed that it was true with miracles by healing people and speaking in tongues and raising the dead so that they would have irrefutable evidence that it was from Heaven. He proved its veracity in a supernatural way which is what we are going to talk about this week at Grace Fellowship Church.
This Sunday, we are going to look at the sign gifts of the New Testament. The reason it is important for us to do this is because this topic is misunderstood by many people today. So many churches practice a false version of these gifts that it is essential for us to have a good understanding of them in order to keep from being deceived.
This is also important because it demonstrates how important it is for us to listen to the Word of God. It shows us the value of this principle because there were onlookers who witnessed the Apostle’s miracles in the First Century but they did not believe. They saw the amazing things that they did but they tuned them out and were lost as a result because it takes more than that to go to Heaven. You have to actually hear the Gospel and take it to heart for yourself.
Please join us as we talk about that over the weekend. We will not be able to answer every question that you have about miracles but hopefully we will answer a few. The service begins at 9:30. – Jeremy Cagle
Posted in Grace For Your Day
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