I Believe In Miracles!

by Dennis Michelson
(Painesville, Ohio)

John 10:37-42

Introduction: The POWER of God informs us of what God can do. The PROGRAM of God informs us of what God will do. The PURPOSE of God informs us of why God does (or does not) do what He does. When one confuses any of these three things he can find himself in serious error at the least and heresy at the worst.

The first two are revealed to us and the last one - the purpose of God - is not always known.

1. The Possibility of Miracles

B.B. Warfield said "The core of the Christian profession is the confession of a supernatural God, who may and does act in a supernatural mode, and who acting in a supernatural mode has wrought out for us a supernatural redemption, interpreted in a supernatural revelation, and applied by the supernatural operations of His Spirit."

To deny the possibility of miracles is a denial of the faith.

To insist that miracles can be summoned at will (or with enough faith) is a distortion of the faith.

2. The Principles of Miracles

• A new message or messenger required new miracles.



• God breaks His usual pattern and does something unusual (II Kings 6:1-7)

3. The Purpose of Miracles

• Authenticaton of the messenger and message - blessing points to the Blesser.



• Preservation of the heirs of salvation - deliverance points to the Deliverer.



• Human benefit and Divine glory - miracle points to the Meaning.

4. The Problems with Miracles

• Two extremes - atheistic naturalism or superstitious supernaturalism



• Two miracle workers - God is not the only one in the miracle business.



• Two criteria - Basis of verification on the Scriptures or your senses. The latter will generally contradict the former.

5. The Perfection of Miracles

If the Lord's healings are supposed to be a pattern for us, then absolute success in all cases which present themselves must be the standard - including the blind, withered, dismembered and dead.

6. The Possession of Miracles

• Supernatural Fact - God


• Supernatural Act - Creation


• Supernatural Pact - Redemption

My Father is omnipotent
And that you can't deny
A God of might and miracles
Tis written in the sky

It took a miracle to put the stars in place
It took a miracle to hang the world in space
But when He saved my soul, cleansed and made me whole,
It took a miracle of love and grace.