Text: Luke 7:2-10 What prompted Jesus to say, “Not even in Israel have I found such great faith” (Luke 7:9)? Let us consider what Jesus describes as “great faith.” Great Faith Recognizes One’s Own Unworthiness (v. 6-7) We must understand our insignificance in Creation (Psalm 8:3-4) We must understand our state as sinners (Romans 3:23) [...]

Text: Isaiah 53 He Did Not Have the Appearance of a King (v. 2) Man often superficially judges according to appearance (1 Samuel 16:1,6-7) God expects us to judge righteously (John 7:24) Man of Sorrows (v. 3) Jesus lived as a man (John 1:14) — necessary to fulfill God’s plan (Hebrews 2:14-15) In His life [...]

Text: 1 Kings 19:16 Requested a Double Portion of Elijah’s Spirit (2 Kings 2:6-14) Not referring to a greater ability to prophesy or perform miracles, but it had to do with the desire to follow in the footsteps of his master and continue his work (cf. Deuteronomy 21:17) Those who have led us are worthy [...]

Text: 1 Kings 17:1 Miracles Confirm the Spoken Word (1 Kings 17:17-24) Miracles were a sign that God was with the speaker & was confirming the message (John 3:1-2; Mark 16:15-20) Today, we have inspired testimony to lead us to faith (John 20:30-31; Romans 10:17) Who Are The Troublemakers? (1 Kings 18:17-18) Elijah was accused [...]

Text: Genesis 4:1 Two Ways in which God Can Operate Directly — through miracles Indirectly — through providence Childbirth fits into the realm of providence, rather than the miraculous Childbirth is Common This is not to say that conception & childbirth are automatic & without risk of complications But childbirth is common for all peoples, [...]

Text: John 11:35 Jesus Displayed Emotion We have emotions because we were made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27) We must control our emotions (1 Peter 5:8) Emotions are a response to conditions — they are not a goal (emotionalism) God Allows Human Suffering Jesus had the power to heal Lazarus & end his [...]

Text: Mark 14:22-33 “It Is a Ghost!” Faith is necessary (2 Corinthians 5:7) — but faith is not baseless (Hebrews 11:1) They had reason to conclude that they saw Jesus — already had seen Him perform miracles (Matthew 14:13-21) — but this was not their conclusion They concluded they were seeing a ghost — Why? [...]

Hebrews 1:1-2 He Speaks to Us through His Son Jesus is the spokesman for God (John 18:37) Son of God — through Him, we see the Father (John 1:18; 14:8-9) Creator — “through whom… He made the world“ (John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:16-17) Deity “radiance of His glory… exact representation of His nature“ (Colossians 2:9) Redeemer “made purification [...]

Peter (Acts 12:1-4) James had already been executed (Acts 12:2), yet no sign of panic (sleeping – Acts 12:6) Importance of fellow Christians — the first place he went was to the place where fellow Christians were gathered (Acts 12:12) Importance of prayer — they were praying for Peter (Acts 12:5,12) Paul (Acts 9:23-25; 14:19-20) [...]

Text: John 11 Nature of Miracles True miracles cannot be faked, attributed to coincidence, or be just an unlikely event True miracles are undeniable – Even Jesus’ enemies acknowledged the legitimacy of His miracle (v. 47-48) Miracles were performed to produce faith (v. 45; John 20:30-31) God Allows Human Suffering Jesus knew Lazarus was sick [...]