16:9-20 Confirming Miracles

1. 16:9-20Confirming Miracles Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed His word by the signs that accompanied it. (v.20)

2. THEMES Miracles are God’s tool for confirming the importance and value of His Good News. God moves heaven and earth to rescue people cut off from Him. Understanding miracles provokes us to share the Good News.

3. Miracles are real, genuine actions of God • They involve principles and processes we know nothing about–yet. • There is no word for “miracle” or “supernatural” in the NT: Signs or “pointers” (semias), act of power (dunamis), work (ergeis), a wonder (teras) • They are natural (normal) for God; they do not violate the laws of nature.They are not weird, freakish or a fantasy. • God is the Author of Laws, thus one law may overrule another. • God is God, and is confirming Himself to us all the time by revealing Himself as the author of laws, acting with powers and actions outside the scope of our understanding.

4. 1. Confirming The Miracle of Resurrection

5. A. He appears to the unlikely – to the compassionate,the sincere, the “average” 9 When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. 10 She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping. 11 When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it.

6. B. Appears in a veiled form – so His message & mission were foremost 12 Afterwards Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country. 13 These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either.

7. C. Appears to the 12 rebuking – exposing their prejudice 14 Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.

8. 2. Confirming The Miracle of Salvation 15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

9. 3a. Confirming The Miracle of “Salvation Signs” 17,18 And these signs will accompany those who believe: A word about signs: pointers, they are “indicators of the coming thing (like lighting gives way to thunder), portents,”

10. 3b. ConfirmingThe Miracle of “Salvation Signs” A. In my name they will drive OUT demons; So we can drive IN the Savior Demonized people resist salvation. B. They will speak in new tongues; so we can reverse the Tower of Babel event and tell anyone about the Salvation. Failure to communicate blocks the salvation message

11. 3c. Confirming The Miracle of “Salvation Signs” C. They will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all – so they will be able to tell the salvation message Dead messengers can’t bring the salvation message

12. D. They will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” Sick people are distracted from the salvation message.

13. 4. Confirming The Miracle of His Destination 19 After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. 20 Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.

14. The Challenge… Get your salvation passion back. Let salvation have its way in your life.