DO MIRACLES HAPPEN?

1. DO MIRACLES HAPPEN?

2. What is a miracle? • A miracle is an extraordinary event that is a product of a being that is intentional, purposeful, and benevolent. Such an event couldn’t have happened apart from the agency of such a being. • Wayne Grudem says “a miracle is a less common kind of God’s activity in which He arouses people’s awe and wonder and bears witness to himself.”

3. THE CONTEXT & POSSIBILITIY OF MIRACLES. • GOD HAS CREATED THE UNIVERSE WITH WHAT WE CALL NATURAL LAWS. • EXAMPLE: GRAVITY • MIRACLES ARE OFTEN MISCHARACTERIZED AS A VIOLATION OF THESE LAWS, HOWEVER, MIRACLES ARE BETTER EXPLAINED AS AN ELEMENT THAT DOES NOT NORMALLY PRESENT ITSELF THE WAY THE WORLD WORKS THUS IT IS NOT ACCOUNTED FOR BY THE NATURAL LAWS.

4. PICTURE A VASE FALLING OFF A TABLE, THE LAW OF GRAVITY SAYS THE VASE WILL CONTINUE TO FALL UNTIL IT HITS THE FLOOR. THE VASE IS FOLLOWING THE NATURAL LAW OF GRAVITY, AND WE CAN PREDICT WHAT WILL HAPPEN. • BUT IF YOU ARE STANDING NEXT TO THE TABLE AND CATCH THE VASE, HAS THE LAW OF GRAVITY BEEN BROKEN? NO

5. TO CONTINUE THE ILLUSTRATION OF THE VASE, GOD IS ALWAYS IN THE ROOM, ALWAYS IN CONTROL OF THE VASE, AND HAS THE ABILITY TO ACT EXTRAORDINARY AT ANY TIME, GOD NOT ONLY CAN CATCH THE VASE HE CAN ALTER THE PATTERNS OF THE PHYSICAL UNIVERSE TO STOP THE VASE IF HE SO CHOSE.

6. DOES SCIENCE DISPROVE MIRACLES? • SCIENCE IS CONCERNED WITH OBSERVING MATTER AND ENERGY AND HOW THE 2 RELATE TO EACH OTHER. • THE METHODS USED ARE BASED ON THE PRINCIPLES OF PREDICTABIILITY. • SCIENTIST THEN OBSERVE NATURAL PHENOMENA. • THEORIES ARE THEN PROPOSED TO ACCOUNT FOR THE PHENOMENA. • TESTS ARE THEN DEVELOPED TO SEE IF THE THEORY IS RIGHT OR WRONG.

7. NATURAL SCIENCE, THOUGH EXTREMELY IMPORTANT AND USEFUL FOR PROVIDING INFORMATION ABOUT THE NORMAL, REGULAR COURSE OF THE PHYSICAL WORLD, IS NOT IN A POSITION TO COMMENT ON MIRACLES. • MIRACLES NEED TO BE INVESTIGATED AS NON-UNIFORM, IRREGULAR, PURPOSEFUL EVENTS.

8. SCIENCE IS NOT THE SOLE METHOD OF EXPLANATION OF THIS WORLD, NOR DOES IT TRUMP OR CARRY MORE WEIGHT THAN OTHER WAYS OF KNOWING. • OTHER METHODS OF EXPLANATION SUCH AS PHILOSOPHY, ARE NOT SUBJECT TO THE DOMINION OF NATURAL SCIENCE.

9. DOES OUR EXPERIENCES SHOW US THAT MIRACLES CANNOT HAPPEN?

10. THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE WE KNOW DO NOT CLAIM TO HAVE WITNESSED A MIRACLE. • SKEPTICS OF GOD’S EXISTENCE HAVE OFTEN SEIZED ON THIS AS EVIDENCE AGAINST MIRACLES. • BUT JUST BECAUSE SOMETHING HAPPENS RARELY OR EVEN ONLY ONCE IN THE COURSE OF HISTORY DOES NOT MEAN THERE IS NO REASON TO BELIEVE IT OCCURRED.

12. IN FACT, IT IS THE INFREQUENCY OF MIRACLES THAT GIVE THEM THEIR FORCE. • AFTER ALL, THE PARTING OF THE RED SEA WOULD CEASE TO BE NEWS IF IT HAPPENED OFTEN.

13. WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF MIRACLES?

14. IF MIRACLES ARE INTENTIONAL, EXTRAORDINARY OCCURRENCES PERFORMED BY GOD, WHAT IS THERE PURPOSE? • FOR THIS ANSWER WE CAN LOOK TO THE SOURCE THAT IN THE LAST 2 POWERPOINTS WE HAVE FOUND IS HISTORICALLY RELIABLE AND ALSO CONTAINS ACCOUNTS OF MIRACLES.

15. John 11:38-44 38 Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” 44 The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

16. Mark 2:1-12 2:1 And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. 2 And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them. 3 And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. 4 And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. 5 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8 And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— 11 “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” 12 And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

17. THUS, THE MIRACLES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT HAVE 3 ATTRIBUTES. • THEY GIVE GOD CREDIT FOR BEING THE SOURCE . • THEY AUTHENTICATE THE CLAIMS OF THE MIRACLE WORKER. • THE MIRACLE DISPLAYS A BENEVOLENT CHARACTER

18. IF THE NEW TESTAMENT IS TRULY THE CONTINUED AND FINAL REVELATION OF THE GOD DESCRIBED IN THE OLD TESTAMENT, THEN WE SHOULD SEE THE SAME PATTERN REGARDING MIRACLES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT.

19. Exodus 14:13-18 13 And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” 15 The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. 16 Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground. 17 And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen. 18 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”

20. AS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT, THE OLD TESTAMENT’S MIRACLES ATTRIBUTE THEIR SOURCE TO GOD. • THIS BECOMES AN IMPORTANT POINT BECAUSE THE EXISTENCE OF MIRACLES AND THERE ACCURATE DOCUMENTATION IN THE BIBLE WORK TO AUTHENTICATE THE BIBLE AS AN AUTHORITATIVE BOOK WHOSE TEACHINGS ARE WORTHY TO BE FOLLOWED AS THE WORD OF GOD.

21. WHAT ABOUT MIRACLES THAT APPEAR CRUEL?

22. 2 Kings 2:23-24 23 He went up from there to Bethel, and while he was going up on the way, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him, saying, “Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!” 24 And he turned around, and when he saw them, he cursed them in the name of the Lord. And two she-bears came out of the woods and tore forty-two of the boys.

23. 2 Chronicles 36:16 16 But they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord rose against his people, until there was no remedy.

24. WHAT ABOUT MIRACLES NOT DONE BY GOD?

25. THE BIBLE ALSO RECORDS MIRACLES AND SIGNS THAT WERE NOT DONE BY GOD OR HIS PROPHETS, BUT BY THOSE WHO REJECTED HIM.

26. Exodus 7:11-12 11 Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts. 12 For each man cast down his staff, and they became serpents. But Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs.

27. Acts 16:16-24 16 As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling. 17 She followed Paul and us, crying out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” 18 And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour.

28. Revelation 13:11-14 11 Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. 12 It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed. 13 It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people, 14 and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived.

29. 1ST, IN EVERY CASE THE GOD OF THE BIBLE IS DENIED AND A FALSE GOSPEL IS PROCLAIMED. • 2ND, THEIR PURPOSES ARE NOT BENEVOLENT BUT SELF-SERVING • 3RD, GOD RESPONDS TO THESE MIRACLES WITH A DEMONSTRATION OF HIS POWER THAT PROVES HIS POSITION OF ULTIMATE AUTHORITY OVER THESE LESSER POWERS. • 4TH, THE POWER TO DO THESE SIGNS AND WONDERS IS NOT DENIED IN SCRIPTURE BUT AT THE SAME TIME THE POWER IS NOT SUPERNATURAL.

30. THUS WHEN WE SEE SIGNS AND WONDERS IN THE BIBLE PERFORMED BY THOSE WHO DENY THE GOD PROCLAIMED BY THE BIBLE, WE MAY CHARACTERIZE THEM AS FALSE MIRACLES. • THEY ARE FALSE NOT IN THE SENSE THAT THEY ARE NOT MIRACULOUS BUT IN THE SENSE THAT THEY REVEAL BLASPHEMY AND PROMOTE UNBELIEF THROUGH DECEIT AS TO THE NATURE OF THEIR POWER.

31. THIS IS THE CASE WITH THE CLAIMS OF MIRACLES FROM OTHER RELIGIONS. • THEY MAY CLAIM MIRACLES AS A PROOF OF THERE BELIEFS, BUT THEY DIFFER IN THERE SOURCE AND THERE PURPOSE, THEY WILL GIVE GLORY TO MAN AND NOT TO GOD.

32. CONCLUSION • WE FIND THAT MIRACLES ARE NEITHER UNSCIENTIFIC NOR EXEMPTED FROM HISTORICAL INVESTIGATION. • MIRACLES OF THE BIBLE POINT TO A TRANSCENDENT, PERSONAL GOD AS THEIR SOURCE, THEY ARE PURPOSEFUL AND INTENTIONAL, AND THEY ARE BENEVOLENT IN CHARACTER.