“Preaching on Christ - The Sovereign Servant”
TOPIC:“Christ - His Vivid Miracles”
by Rev. Dr. Reg Dunlap
TEXT:Acts 2:22
“You men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of
God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in
the midst of you as you yourselves also know.”
In a complete study of the life of Christ we must not overlook the miracles that He performed during His earthly life. Jesus had supernatural strength by which He performed these miracles. When He made one of His post resurrection appearances He said to His disciples: “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Matthew 28:18). This miraculous power of Jesus was predicted by Isaiah the prophet when he wrote prophetically of Christ the suffering Servant: “Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him…To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and those who sit in darkness out of the prison house” (Isaiah 42:1, 7).
In coming to grips with this aspect of Christ's life I want us to realize that He possessed supernatural powers which belonged to God Himself. With this remarkable power Jesus had supreme command over all the laws of nature. He spoke and it was done. He touched and it was accomplished. Such made Jesus more than a wonder-worker, but acclaimed Him the supreme God, a Worker of mighty miracles and wonders.
Listen again to the words of Peter in his sermon at Pentecost: “Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as you yourselves also know” (v. 22). Let us now look closely at the miracle ministry of our precious Lord.
I.
To begin with, let us consider the NATURE of the miracles that Jesus performed. Give ear again to the words of Peter: “Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs” (v. 22).
A miracle is an extraordinary event that is not within the ordinary laws of nature, but can only be explained by a direct intervention of God Himself. Herbert Lockyer, in his book, All the Miracles of the Bible, writes: “In Bible miracles, original laws are not suspended, violated, or modified in any way, but a supernatural power . . .