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Pastor David Mitchell
Well, if the next bus is that plane air ride that brother Roloff used to talk about I'm ready to take that one. Turn with me to Romans chapter 8 and verse 32 and then to 1st Corinthians chapter 13 in verse 8 and that's really where we'll be this morning.
But I want to read Romans 8 and 32 because we've been studying. We had been studying through this passage and we are just about finished with it. But we were talking about the love of God and then when we got to verse 32 We talked about this aspect of him freely giving us all things and then we began to Preach the messages on some of the things he's given us things in the physical world things that have to do with spiritual with our spiritual life and So forth and then we worked our way to the point where we're talking about or had just come to the place of speaking about spiritual gifts that the Bible teaches about and so we're going to deal with the Issue of spiritual gifts over the next several Sundays, which is quite an interesting topic in our world today the largest movement in the realm of religion at least in Christian religion in the world today is the charismatic movement or the full gospel movement or Even newer than that to me is what I call the Babtic hostels, which is where they have most of their doctrine a straight but they're they're into believing that all of the gifts signed gifts in the scriptures are still operative today and They happen to be Sadly ignorant on that issue.
So we're gonna straighten them all out this morning. Now. No, they're none of them in here, right? So Nobody got up and left yet. So we're doing doing well so far. Let's read Romans chapter 8 in verse 32 he that spared not his own son But delivered him up for us all.
How shall he not with him also freely give us all things? And as I said that took us off into the area of speaking of the gifts he's given us and so now we're the place where we are actually going to speak about the spiritual gifts that are listed in the Bible and so the topic this morning is Why we believe that certain gifts are no longer operative in the church age and I really sometimes will Say things tongue-in-cheek.
But I'm not trying to be divisive on this issue at all because I know there are a lot of people Who have different thoughts on this? But what I'm and I'm not really trying to get anyone to believe like I believe on this issue.
What I'm trying to do is show why we believe what we believe. I'm trying to discuss what the historic Baptist belief has been and the only reason the Baptist belief has been this way is because Traditionally and historically Baptists were people of the Bible that's changing.
Of course today and Someday we may have to pull the old word off the side out there If if the whole group keeps going towards apostasy as it seems to be. If you've been out and around, you know that that's the case in many quarters.
We still have some good Baptist churches around there are good other churches around. God has his you he has his elect and he has his remnant everywhere and I'm not saying that this is the only right church in town or In the country and you know that if you know me very well.
But I'm merely trying to speak to this issue and show why it is that some of us don't believe in all of this Stuff that's going around today in modern Christianity in America and in the world why some of us still believe the orthodox Christian belief that has been around for almost 2 ,000 years that Some of the sign gifts some of the gifts I should say are no longer Operative in the church during the church age and I simply want to show why we believe that on January 1st 1909 Agnes Osman Who was a student at Bethel Bible College in Topeka, Kansas Was the first person? Recorded in modern times to have received the tongues experience as a result of specifically Seeking the baptism in the Holy Spirit in quotes what she thought that was with the expectation of speaking in tongues this along with the popularization of the modern tongues movement by the known adulterous Amy sample Macpherson and Her four square church on the west coast ushered in the modern Pentecostal charismatic full gospel movement.
Now if you doubt that history just go back and and find some old newspapers in the library and see if those facts are in fact facts. But they are and I bring them out to say this the Pentecostal charismatic movement is new.
It has not always existed. If you go back before the year 1901 you didn't see any Pentecostals. All you saw was some pew-jumping Baptists and You saw some Baptists who were Excited about the Lord Jesus Christ and yes.
They did amen and they shouted and I would imagine there was a case where maybe one or two stood up in their excitement. With tears in their eyes, and there's nothing wrong with that as long as the Holy Spirit is causing it all.
But what we had after the year 1901 is we had a group of people who went out from among us. Now, let me give you some scripture about that. First John chapter 2 verse 19 says this they went out from us.
But they were not of us. For if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us. But they went out that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. Let me say this. I've been accused before of being divisive about this issue.
I've had charismatic come up to me and tell tell me things like well You're gonna have a tent meeting out here and you're not going to invite us to come because you're divisive people and I said, wait a minute.
Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. I said, let me straighten you out a little bit on history. You left us we didn't leave you. You understand what I'm saying? We did not cause the division. Before the year 1901 there was no such division.
But it is here and it's full-blown capacity in these last days. It has done nothing more than divide the churches worse than they were already divided now. How many of you ever had a problem said wonder why we have all these denominations.
New Christians always ask me that question. Why do we have all why don't we just all worship in one place and be one? Well, I'll tell you what's interesting if you go back not very far. You can remember a time where the Methodists and the Baptists in the small towns.
Especially one year they'd have a Methodist revival a preacher come in and preach they'd all go to that the next year. They'd have a Baptist preacher come in preach. They'd all go to that. Why is it they could do that together?
Because they believe the same Bible. They all believe the Bible was God's Word. They may have had some minor differences, but they didn't differ on the major. They didn't differ on the Lord Jesus Christ and.
Yet now today we have so many divisions over so many things for the main issue though is that many groups don't believe the Bible is God's Word anymore and so they go out from those who do and now many today I'd like you to turn to 1st Corinthians 13 at this point in verse 8 many today.
Attempt to base their beliefs about whether or not the sign gifts in the Bible are still operative. Upon 1st Corinthians 13 8 and 9 which we will read in a moment. Most people today try to base the battle upon this verse.
What's interesting about and we will discuss this verse not so much today as we will later. But what is interesting about this historically? The verse never played a part in the view of the Orthodox Christian Church that tongues had ceased in the first centuries there are at least 100 other passages according to Joseph Dillow who wrote a book called speaking in tongues that lead us to the conclusions that tongues ceased during the first centuries of the church and the verse 1st Christian 1st Corinthians 13 8 and also verse 9 really was not an important verse that was used in Proving why this was believed for almost 2 ,000 years.
So this morning I'm really not going to use that verse as the text to study this we're going to look into some of the other reasons why the Orthodox Christian Church for almost 2 ,000 years has universally believed that tongues ceased in and about the first century.
Well Let's read this verse though. So we at least know what is being spoken of here in 1st Corinthians chapter 13 and verse 8. Charity which means agape love never faileth. But whether there be prophecies they shall fail.
Whether there be tongues they shall cease. Whether there be knowledge it shall vanish away. Don't ever let anyone tell you there's no place in the Bible where it says tongues will cease because there's place right there.
It says very clearly in verse 8. The battle is when. The battle is over the issue. When will these tongues cease and the interesting thing is that in modern times? This little passage is where the battle is found.
Whereas throughout church history this wasn't even used as one of the reasons why tongues had ceased. So I want to look at some of the other material that maybe is not so easily found today, maybe some of you've not seen some of these things and Discuss stick with those this morning.
We only have so much time so we can't cover all this material. But I'd like for us to cover a little bit of it. Well first of all, I guess our first main topic is this. I Want us to take a look at miracles in the Bible.
There is so much misconception about miracles today. We speak of miracles today as if they happened every day in the Bible. We speak of miracles as if every other word that was spoken and every other deed that happened was accompanied by a miracle or a sign in Bible times and that has never been the case if We would make a careful reading of the scriptures starting with Genesis and going all the way through to the end.
Which by the way, there is a back cover on your Bible. Have you ever noticed that before? It's finished. It's canonized. It's complete now and We don't need new revelation, it's all here. But if you'll study the book, you'll find out that miracles as we think of miracles.
Really? We're not the norm even in Bible days. They were the exception and They didn't come along every day. And so I want us to talk about miracles just for a little bit and that may be all we have time to cover this morning.
Signs and wonders have always been related to God's covenant with Israel. This is point number one. They have always been related to God's covenant with Israel and they have always had a Specific purpose.
In other words a miracle or a sign or a wonder that occurred in the Bible always had a specific Purpose and when that purpose was completed the sign ceased now. Do your own study of the whole Bible start in Genesis finish out the summer by reading the whole Bible and You won't find a miracle that happened.
But what this is the case? They had to do with God's covenant relationship with Israel with the future kingdom of the Messiah, which is foretold by all the prophets and Also when the miracle had fulfilled its purpose it ceased it did not continue to happen on a daily basis.
So miracles and signs and wonders in general. We have to understand that it is interesting to do an honest study of miracles in the Bible. We find out that they were not everyday occurrences and many people think that they were and so what happens is that's translated in today.
And we have a lot of people who are just like the people in Jesus's day when they came up to Jesus and said show Us a sign. What did he say to them by the way? Ye evil and adulterous generation an Evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign.
Isn't it interesting that we live in a day that began in? 1901 if you go back before that you do not see this in Christian history. But we live in a day where this is accelerated to the point where in the 1990s.
The majority of Christians sitting in churches today are looking for a miracle. And if a miracle doesn't happen Holy Spirit's not present in their mind. If someone doesn't speak in what they call tongues.
Then the Holy Spirit's not there. They're even some who say you're not saved if you can't speak in tongues now most of them will agree. That's not true. That that's not the case, but but they are seeking miracles and signs every day and the interesting thing about it.
They've brought that forward to today because their belief is that in the Bible times it was that way but it never was and we're gonna study this together for a few moments this morning a Man named Richard Trent wrote a book called notes on miracles and parables of our Lord.
This was published in 1953 and he said this we do not find miracles Sown like seeds being sown broadcast over the whole Old Testament history, but rather they are clustered Around a very few eminent persons and have reference to certain great epics and crises of The kingdom of God.
Now if you study you'll find that that's the case that miracles tended to happen in clusters around certain personages and around certain epics or changes in time where God was about to begin a new program or give new revelation.
A man named George Peters wrote a book called the Theocratic Kingdom in 1884 he wrote this the baptism of Pentecost. Which the whole Pentecostal movement is based upon those scriptures in the book of Acts.
He says in 1884 the baptism of Pentecost is a pledge of fulfillment in the future Evidencing what the Holy Spirit will yet perform in the coming age. Which means the kingdom age when Jesus is on the earth Reigning from Jerusalem and the fact is that we'll get into that later.
Not this morning, but we will eventually in our study we'll get the place where we talk about Jesus and the Apostles and the signs and wonders that happen in around about that time and the purposes that they fulfilled.
But Peters in his book the Theocratic Kingdom points out the fact that when Pentecost happened Around the time of Jesus and the Apostles we call it the apostolic age. That what this was was it was evidence pointing forward of what the Holy Spirit was going to do and on an everyday basis During the kingdom now listen at the second coming of Jesus Christ preceded by the seven-year tribulation period and Then when the Lord Jesus sets foot on this earth and the 1 ,000 year millennial kingdom is set up.
Miracles and signs and wonders will be an everyday occurrence. That's what people want to see today. That's what they want to say happen throughout Bible history and yet evidence shows very clearly that it did not.
The average day in the life of any of the patriarchs was very much like it is in our life today. Except they didn't have electric conveniences. They didn't see miracles happening every day. They would go long periods of time and many would live their whole life and several generations would go by and 500 years Would pass without one single miracle mentioned in the Bible in the history.
And so we don't view it that way and so we get a perverted view of how it's supposed to be today when the fact Is the Bible nowhere says it's supposed to be that way then or now. But it will be that way in the kingdom and at any time we see these clusters of miracles and signs and wonders happening.
They're always pointing towards that kingdom age. And it's almost like God just put a little piece of the kingdom in here to show it to us and took it back out. Puts it in again, and that's really the way it happens.
A German theologian wrote a book called man in God's world. He was one of the few German theologians who wrote something right, but he wrote this in 1963. He said and these signs of the New Testament listen to this are.
A lightning a lightning like lightning coming down from the sky. They are these signs are a lightning of the kingdom of God on the horizon. Lightning that proclaims the day the reign of God. So when things grow hard for us when the dark descends upon us when we no longer know how we shall get through The coming night and the following day.
Then we are to look to this kingdom, which is already making itself known in the lightning flashes of Jesus's miracles. Not only did these men in fairly modern times write these things but also the Bible prophets wrote the same thing about miracles and signs and wonders the Bible prophets taught that these signs and wonders are related to an era when Israel is in Belief in her kingdom and that certainly is not the case today.
Some will say well Israel's a nation again I tell you what though they're atheists and if they're not atheists. They're certainly agnostics and they are not believers. They are there in the land, but they're not in a state of belief and yet as we look at the Bible prophets of the Old Testament.
When they speak of signs and wonders and these things that will happen. They very clearly say that will happen after Israel is in her land and in a state of belief, which means they cannot be happening now so these signs and wonders the Bible prophets themselves say have to do with the Restoration of that nation in the kingdom of the Messiah.
It's a future event when these things take place. Now there have been moments in history where Israel was in the land and in a state of belief and during these times We did see some of these kingdom miracles come down as lightning on the horizon showing us where God reminds us here's what it's going to be like and They were always with a purpose and they always ceased after that purpose as we'll see in a few moments since the year 70 AD When Titus and the Roman legions came through and literally destroyed Jerusalem.
Since that time Israel has not been in her land and in a state of belief both at the same time. Now, let me read to you from Zechariah chapter 12. If you'd like to turn there I might have it done before you find it but Zechariah chapter 12 and verse 9 would be good if you turn to it.
And pick it up as you can catch me for sake of time. I'm gonna go ahead and begin Zechariah 12 9. And it shall come to pass in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem and I will pour out the house upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
Listen to this the spirit of grace and supplications. There is much said in the Old Testament About what the Pentecostals and Charismatics are trying to make happen today in their churches a pouring out of the spirit of grace of pouring out of sign gifts and Wonders and Yet as we read the scriptures, we see that there are timetables placed on when these events will happen.
God says that he will pour out the spirit of grace and of supplications on the house of David you see that's a Jewish event and They shall look upon me whom they have pierced now. Has that happened yet?
Since 80 70 you go into 80 70 when Jerusalem was destroyed and The Israel Israelite nation was dispersed throughout the world and no longer a nation. You come into the nineteen hundreds 1940 what six or so and when they became a nation again.
But let me ask you this if you have been to Israel lately, have you seen anyone over there? Who is looking upon whom they pierced with fondness? No, no. No. They in fact you try to hand a gospel tract to a child now.
They won't bother you much if you hand it to an adult. But you try to hand one to a child and you may find yourself in physical danger By the religious zealots over there. So this point in time has not happened yet that this Bible passage is referring to it's in the future and it says there will come a time when they shall look upon me whom they have pierced and they shall mourn for him as one mourneth for his only son and shall be in bitterness because of him because of what they did to him the first time he Came as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
Now we go into Joel chapter 2. This is an important passage if you would turn to that Joel chapter 2 in verse 20. It speaks of the same time frame. But I will remove far off from you the northern army now.
This goes out to a time after the Tribulation period looking back at the Tribulation and we know that the armies of the north came upon Jerusalem to attack and this is showing what happens that God himself will move that army back off away and That's when the Lord Jesus will return and I will drive him into a land barren and desolate.
With his face toward the East Sea and his hinder part toward the utmost sea and his stink shall come up. There'll be many dead bodies and his ill saver shall come up and He has done great things. Fear not O land and be glad and rejoice for the Lord will do great things.
He stopped that battle in its tracks is what he did and down in verse 23. Be glad then you children of Zion and rejoice in the Lord your God. For he hath given you the former rain moderately and he will cause to come down for you the rain the former rain and the latter rain in The first month.
That's an important passage to discuss the former rain in the latter rain there are some who believe that the former rain was a Symbolic of Solomon in his glory and the latter rain is symbolic of the coming kingdom of Jesus Christ.
Some believe that the former rain is Representation of the first advent of Jesus Christ and the latter rain is the second advent of Jesus Christ. But let's go on and look at verse 27 and He shall know that I am in the midst of Israel and that I am the Lord.
Look at this capital L capital O capital R capital D. That's important to note that because we're going to discuss that in this afternoon's message this means Jehovah your God and it's saying that I will be in the midst of Israel and It will be I the Lord your God and none else in my people shall never be ashamed.
And it shall come to pass afterward now. Look at this. Look at that. I want you to underline the word afterward. Because this place is a date on these events. There will come a time when as Zechariah said They shall look upon whom they had pierced.
Remember how the Apostle Paul said in the last of the tribulation period that all Israel shall be saved. Every Israelite who makes it alive through the entire tribulation period and is still alive at the end of that we'll see him come in his glory and will believe and be saved at that moment and will be ushered into the kingdom age and This is a reference to these things.
And so he says afterward in verse 28 of Joel chapter 2 afterward I Will pour out my spirit upon all flesh your sons and your daughters shall prophesy. Your old men shall dream dreams and your young men Shall see visions and also upon the servants upon the handmaids in those days Will I pour out my spirit and I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth Blood and fire and pillars of smoke and the Sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and terrible day of the Lord.
Come and it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be delivered. That's the Jews being saved at the end of the tribulation period for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance that's the Old Testament word for salvation as The Lord hath said and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call now this very clearly places a time period in the in the time when the sons and daughters shall prophesy and all this these signs Wonders and yet these are the type verses that the Charismatics Pentecostals of the day say this is what's happening now.
The problem with their interpretation is that G that God very clearly says that this will happen after These things come to pass they will happen at a point when earth and blood and fire and pillar of smoke and the heavens are like this and there's darkness and the moon will be turned into Blood and fire and there'll be pillars of smoke.
These are all obviously things that are going to happen during the tribulation period. So we're talking about a future event. So it doesn't apply to right now during the Church Age and yet they use these scriptures to make it apply.
Well If we're that if we're going to be that free with the scriptures to use them to teach what we want to believe we might as Well be Jehovah's Witnesses. We might as well be Mormons. We might as well be anything we want to be.
The Charismatics have at least to this date fallen short of writing their own Bible rewriting the Bible like the Jehovah's Witnesses did. They just changed the whole thing to say what they wanted to believe.
But what the Charismatics do is they just misinterpret things to make it teach what they want it to teach and they take it out of context. They take what applies to the Kingdom Age which is obviously future and try to make it apply to the Church Age which is now and It creates some real confusion in the church a careful study of signs and wonders and miracles in the Bible Will show that there are two major categories of miracles and that the second second category has three divisions now.
Let's talk about that for a moment. First kind of miracle is a miracle where God works through natural means. Can someone give me an example of that happening? In your life or in our church life. Can anyone give me an example of a miracle that God has done using natural means and when I say a miracle I mean what we was would call an answered prayer Through natural means all right.
It's exactly right the church prayed for her to be Healed diagnosed properly and healed and Through the means of doctors and medicine and natural things that God has placed here God made that happen. Now you say well, then that's not a miracle.
Well. Maybe in the truest sense of the word it's not but a lot of people would call that a miracle because it's an answered prayer and What a lot of people mean when they say miracles they mean something God did.
Now that's not the truest definition. We'll get to that in definition number two. So anytime we have a healing through doctors or medicines. Anytime we see people's needs met as the church or their individual families were praying for them and their needs were met through money.
That came from others as God brought the money that they needed. Anytime we see Crops that are grown through rain. Coming it's natural, but they prayed for the rain people consider these things to be miracles.
And I suppose that's okay, but let's talk about the second kind of miracle. And this is what we really want to get into today miracles in which natural law is suspended by God's supernatural intervention and That really is what a miracle is.
Now what I want us to do is think about the Bible History biblical history of these kinds of miracles and take a closer look at them. These would be miracles such as Jesus stilling a storm or such as the water being turned into wine or the parting of the Red Sea or Daniel in the lion's den or the three Hebrew children in the fire when there was a fourth individual passing through that fire with them and The signs of Moses in Egypt these kinds of miracles.
Well, there are three divisions of these kinds of miracles. Number one they happen during periods of revelation when God was giving revelation to man. Number two they happen during Dispensational paradigm shifts when when God was beginning to deal with his people in a different fashion.
And he had to give new revelation to tell how this was going to happen. And then he had to authenticate the one who was giving the revelation. The best example of that is Moses. When God gave the law.
There was a shift at that point in history and how God was going to deal with his people. God sent a man. To bring this about his name was Moses and Moses says well, how are they gonna believe that you sent me?
What shall I tell him your name is and that's where we see the first time that God told them his name was Jehovah. I am that I am hath sent you. You tell him that and that'll do. And then he brings all of these marvelous signs that we see in the book of Exodus and We see all the miracles that he did and we never ask ourselves.
What was the purpose of the miracles? Well the purpose of these miracles. Always have to do with authenticating the messenger who brings the new revelation and when that Has happened and that purpose has been served then those miracles cease.
They don't continue to be an ongoing everyday thing. You didn't see Moses going around the rest of his life with that rod throwing it down turn it into a snake. You didn't see making frogs come out of everyone's ovens every other day those signs fulfilled a specific purpose to Show that God was bringing new revelation about the law and his dealings with Israel and many other things and that his messenger Moses was his man and he authenticated it with these kinds of sign miracles.
So we see that there are periods of revelation there are Dispensational shifts where new revelation comes and God authenticate authenticates it through these signs in miracles. It's interesting to note that most of the miracles of the Bible were clustered around these two things new revelation.
Or a man whose credentials as the bearer of that revelation needed to be verified. Also note that it's interesting that the miracles never broke out before the messenger. Think about that the miracles never broke out before the messenger and his revelation.
First you had the messenger who arrived on the scene with the revelation and then the miracles happened to authenticate what he had said. It never happens the other way around the charismatics today are trying to say that the tongues and all this are breaking out.
To usher in the second coming it never happened that way in the Bible. The messenger himself always came on the scene with the message and then the authentication followed it and so they have that reversed today.
Well, Joseph Dillow and his book speaking in tongues wrote this according to the Bible the need for miracles is fourfold. Whenever God began to move in a miraculous way in biblical history, we are able to discern four common purposes.
Number one Miracles such as tongues were used to introduce a new era of revelation. Thus the miracles of Moses time introduced the Ten Commandments the new nation of Israel the tabernacle the Sacrifices the priesthood and all of the new revelations of the Jewish dispensation and Then we go forward some 500 years the miracles of Elijah and Elisha Revealed the prophetic era.
The Jewish dispensation consisted of both the law and the prophets. Miracles introduced both of these institutions and Authenticated them. Finally, of course miracles introduced the new era of the church.
When the one with a capital O the one of whom the law and the prophets had spoken came on the scene. So we see that the first thing that miracles did was they off brought in a new era of revelation. The second things secondly miracles were used to authenticate the messengers of the new era.
Thus Moses and Joshua in Exodus chapter 4 and then Elijah and Elisha in first Kings chapter 17 who brought in the Moses brought in the law Elijah and Elisha verified the prophetic Gifts and finally Christ and the Apostles in John 10 and 25 were all Attested by the miracles that God performed through them.
John 10 25 says this Jesus answered them. I told you and you believe not The works that I do in my father's name. They bear witness of me. There's a key formula They bear witness of me make mental note of that and never forget this that the purpose of signs and wonders and miracles is to bear witness of God's spokesman and to point out that he is the authentic messenger of new revelation.
Now the charismatics that I've spoken with personally as I try to understand what they believe and I try to go about it from an Honest point of view. I I really don't want to know so much what books tell me that the charismatics believe.
I like to talk to him and ask him what they believe and I have found that it's different than what I've been taught a Lot of them are not nearly as wild as is how I had them pictured in my mind. A lot of them their doctrine is almost identical to ours.
Except for the fact that they make no distinction of gifts that have ceased but that's kind of a major point. But what's what's interesting? about it is. That they will tell you that they do not believe that there's new revelation coming and I'll ask them What's the gift of prophecy for if it still exists?
I don't believe it does but if you believe it exists. Why do you need it? We have the whole book right here. Why do you need a prophet to give you additional? Revelation. And they'll say oh, no, that's not what they do.
And I'll say well then why do you need a word of knowledge? Because a word of knowledge has always been understood to be a prophetic type of gift where Knowledge was given specifically to an individual by God that he might share it with the others.
And if that's what you believe it means, why do you need that if you have the whole book right here? Why do you need it? Why do you need to have us a person stand up in the congregation and give new revelation that we don't already have in description.
Oh, no, no. No, that's not what we do. Well now listen, you can't cut it both ways. Either it is what we do and it's what prophecy and the word of knowledge were always about or it's not what we do. And so what they're playing is a game.
Now if it's a game the problem with it is is that here we have in the Bible days. That the works are supposed to bear witness of a new revelation. What new revelation is the charismatic movement giving us?
Have you seen any? I've seen nothing new. I've seen some new body movements and tambourine shaken. But I haven't seen any new message, so why does there need to be an authentication it never was so in the scriptures.
So the first reason for miracles Were to usher in a new era of revelation. The second purpose was to authenticate the messenger of that new revelation. And then the third purpose is to authenticate the message itself.
To actually authenticate the new revelation that came from the messenger. It's interesting that really if you study the whole Bible There are only three periods of extensive new revelation and out of that 20 of the Old Testament has to do with Moses and Joshua and the giving of the law and the only other two had to do with Elisha and Elijah and Britain authenticating the prophets and then Pentecost and the gifts and signs that happened for 70 years.
Around what we call the apostolic age which authenticated the Apostles and Jesus Christ himself. Jesus himself said look if you don't believe me. Then believe the works that I do in my father's name because they bear witness of me.
The works. Were the signs and the wonders that he had performed the healings the raising of the dead the turning of the water into wine. These miracle signs the purpose that came from Jesus's own mouth.
He says their purpose was to bear witness of me to prove that I am the Messiah that I am the word I am the messenger bringing new revelation to you. And so that has always been the purpose in the Bible and there is a fourth Reason for miracles and that is that always those who are standing around observing these events.
They they learn from it they learn from it. Now it's interesting if you made a timeline if you could take your notes This morning and just draw a straight line. Some of you may want to do this because it's it's helpful to visualize this you draw a straight line on your paper and You put a little dot at the far left side and you go out about an inch and you put another dot and you let that represent 70 years and Then you go out a couple of inches put another dot and another Small distance away put a dot and let that represent another 70 years.
Then you go out another couple of inches and then put a little couple of dots and let it there be another 70 year period. So you have three 70 year periods and in between those three 70 year periods between the first one, which represents Moses and Joshua 1441 to 1370 BC that 70-year period and in the next 70-year period which is around 870 BC to 785 BC, which is the time of Elijah and Elisha.
There are 500 years between those two 70-year periods if you'll examine the Bible during that 500 years. You won't find signs and miracles and wonders. So they were not an everyday event. They were clusters of events around these 70-year periods and the first one of Moses and Joshua was the bringing in of the law a whole new dispensation and Then 500 years go by and then you see a cluster of miracles around Elijah and Elisha which authenticated the prophets the office of prophecy in the Old Testament and then 814 years go by.
And then all of a sudden you see a 70-year period with Jesus and the Apostles we call that the apostolic age. It actually ended Around 90 80 90 and it began to end in 80 70 when Titus came through and destroyed the nation of Israel and so we see that the Bible miracles are Clustered around these three primary times in all of Bible history and during the other 500 years and in another 814 years throughout there.
You don't see miracles happening. It's an everyday event and yet we have that misconception. So sometimes we think well, it should be that way today. But it's not that way today. The norm is for God to work through natural means.
I'm not saying he doesn't heal. But he does it through natural means he will do it in many cases. He'll just strengthen a person's immune system and destroy a cancer. We've seen that we've there's one sitting right there.
Oh Miss Sharon had a malignant cancer and We have I don't know if y 'all still have it on file, but we had the doctor's report. Listing it is sarcoma or whatever. It's called Squamous cell and They sent her to Houston.
They said we cannot even handle this in Waco. We don't want to mess with it go to Houston. This church and her family began to pray for her and I mean some people were fasting and Praying she gets to Houston.
Was it? Wasn't it the big Cancer Center down there? She gets down there the doctor looks at the paperwork examines her and looks at x-rays and a different blood test and so forth and microscopic sections of that he says I Don't know why they put in this report that this is not what this is.
He said I really you know, I'll remove that come back in a week and I'll remove it, but it's not cancer. So she goes home and she's supposed to come back in a week to have it removed before she goes back.
It fell off. Now that was a miracle. Not in the truest sense of a miracle because I don't believe that God Intervened in it and stopped nature and just pew lightning came into her house and just knocked that thing off.
But he used her immune. He touched her body. He healed her and Didn't even use the doctors in that case. So those things are happening, but when's the last time you saw the Red Sea party? When's the last time you saw one of these category two type miracles where fire came down from heaven and consumed some people.
Or where the earth opened up? I shouldn't say that when it happened over in Turkey last week. No, the earth opened up and swallowed people because they were in direct disobedience to one of God's men.
You see those are the things you see clustered Around these things and yet those are the kinds of signs and wonders that the charismatic movement propagate. You see we never have doubted or debated whether God can heal in this church.
Have we I don't know anyone that says God can't heal today. Don't pray for God to heal because he doesn't do that anymore. We don't believe that we believe he heals. But you know what? We don't believe we don't believe I can bring brother Richard.
I'd be dangerous picking him. I should pick someone else bring brother Richard say here Let me slap you walk and hit him on the head and he falls over and all of his cancers go away because I touched him.
We don't believe that happens anymore. Do we you know why because I'm not an apostle and I don't need to be authenticated. I'm not Jesus and I don't need my ministry to be off authenticated. God authenticated at one time and We can look back at it and see it and it's already authenticated and he does not continue that Authentication once the purpose of the sign has ceased the sign ceases and it's always been the same Throughout the scriptures.
So we see these eruptions. Let me read you this beautiful quote about These eruptions of God's kingdom in time. Periodically God's kingdom erupts or breaks through into this world. Since miracles are part of everyday life in the future kingdom.
The eruptions of the kingdom always are accompanied by miraculous manifestations looking out into the future kingdom age. It'll be an everyday event miraculous things will happen at the second coming of Christ the kingdom will break in completely and Finally be established on the planet earth these eruptions that have happened in the past.
During Moses day Elisha's day and the apostolic age. These eruptions are evidences that God is moving towards fulfilling his promise to Israel. Now all throughout the Bible the Bible teaches that during the kingdom Miracles will be the norm.
You can go into Isaiah chapter 35 and read there and it's very interesting. I want to read just a portion and we'll close here. We've gone a little over time. Let me read you a portion of Isaiah 35 and I want to tie it into something that Jesus said.