Do You Really Believe in Miracles — David Wilkerson

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The Feeding Miracles and Entering the Biblical Story

You know, when I read these Bible stories and what Jesus did, we're going to be talking about the feeding of the 5 ,000 to 4 ,000. I like to put myself in the picture. I like to go there in my mind and experience it and see it.

Jesus’ Compassion for the Crowds

And in the 14th chapter of Matthew, Jesus has just heard that John the Baptist has been killed, beheaded and buried. And he wants to get alone. So he leaves the he leaves his ministry for a season for a day and he gets in a boat and heads to another side.

The crowd heard about it and ran him. They found it and went by foot around the edge of the lake. And when Jesus opened his eyes, there were thousands of people gathering. If you had been on that hillside, you would have seen people being carted in homemade vehicles, wooden carts.

And those were the infirm. And you would have seen cripples hobbling to see him and be touched by him and the lame or the blind being led by their friends to get as close as they could to Jesus himself.

And if you had been there and seen those miracles, if you had seen a cripple who was legs were gnarled and you suddenly saw the hand of Jesus touch and you saw a leg straightened, you saw miracle after miracle, you saw blind people screaming with delight at the sights and sounds and colors and the excitement of the crowd.

Five thousand people beside women and children. And if you could have been there and seen them picking lame people up that couldn't walk, the deaf were suddenly crying out, praising the Lord, the sights, the sounds, the miracles would have been so overpowering.

The Disciples Witness the Multiplication of Bread and Fish

He would think if you were there with you, that you'd be on your knees and praising the Lord and saying, I will never doubt him again. I'm so amazed. And then when Jesus gathers his twelve around him, this is on the third day.

And Jesus said, they've been with me three days now and we're going to have to do something. We're going to have to feed them. And then you see Jesus taking a few loaves and dried fish. It had to be dried fish in this hot climate.

And he takes these loaves and a few fishes and he prays and he begins to break them piece by piece. The disciples of David borrowed twelve baskets from the crowd and they bring them to Jesus. He blesses him and starts breaking.

And had you been there and watching piece by piece that bread in his hand, one piece stays the same. And he keeps breaking from that piece, picks another and breaks from that piece. And then he picks up a dried fish and pulls off pieces of that.

And the baskets begin to fill. Now, surely, if you saw that, you say, if the if the those miracles didn't impress me, if they didn't do something for those apostles or those disciples, then nothing will touch them in a matter of faith.

And if you had been there, I'm sure you're thinking now, well, I would have believed. I would have trusted the Lord if I saw those things happen with my eyes. And that's what people say. If I could see a miracle, I would believe.

And many unbelievers say I've never seen a miracle. Now, you would think that you especially would believe the feeding is finished. They have fed everybody. Everybody is filled. And Jesus instructs him to take the baskets.

And then then you're dumbfounded. You see 12 baskets of bread and fish brimming with with food. You said I would be impressed. Then you watch Jesus asking his disciples to come. And he said, look, follow me.

I'll dismiss the crowd. And they go down to the shore and Jesus said, brother, get in the boat. Just go on the other side. And the word says he constrained them. And that word constraint in Greek means either by force or in almost a push.

It means almost to beg, plead. And even the word force is used. Get in the boat was a command. You see, Jesus knew their hearts. He knew that the miracle had not registered, not the instant miracle, not the feeding had registered in their hearts.

It had not registered. He knew that they were still plagued with doubts and unbelief. I'll prove that to you in just a moment. Jesus sends them in, puts them in the boat. They head out. And of course, you know, a storm broke out and the waves began to toss.

Jesus Walks on the Water While the Disciples Fear

And Jesus sees them in the scripture, says he comes walking on the water and they think it's a ghost. And the scripture said Jesus went to them walking on the water. You know, when Jesus put them in the boat and said, go to the other side.

And I say this lovingly because the context when you come down to the final picture here, you'll see that their hearts were hardened. And you say, well, I'm not like that. I would never have hardened my heart.

These are men who love the Savior. These are with men who deeply in their heart believe God could do miracles for others. But there was something missing when they regarded miracles for themselves. And the Bible makes it very, very clear that there was unbelief.

They suppose it was a spirit and they cried out for they saw him and were troubled. They were so amazed in themselves beyond measure and wondered. Matthew says, then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying of a truth, you are the son of God.

And now we breathe a sigh of relief and say, well, now they're getting it. They're saying we acknowledge you as the son of God. You are truly the miracle worker. In other words, that's not so because Mark says they were so amazed in themselves and beyond measure and wondered.

Hardened Hearts and the Failure to Remember Miracles

And listen to this. For this is Mark six fifty two, for they considered not the miracle of the lows for their heart was hardened. They considered not the miracle. It did not register. The Bible said their heart was hardened in the original Greek.

It's calloused, a callous layer, layer after layer of hardened skin. And you see, you can say that Jesus is Lord. You can acknowledge him as Lord. You can come to church and you could worship him and you could worship him truly and love him truly.

Be his disciple and yet be calloused by fears and unbelief, one fear after another, one disappointment after another. And this becomes layer after layer until we get a thick skin when it comes to really believing in miracles.

We get callous. The Bible says they they were hard at heart. And listen to what it says. They considered not the miracles of the lows. That miracle of the lows and the fishes did not register. It did not lay a hold of them.

The Second Feeding and the Same Spiritual Blindness

There's not a foundation for their faith. In Matthew 15, there's another miraculous healing and feeding gathering. This time, there are four thousand and, of course, women and children. Another miracle of feeding, this time seven lows and a few fishes.

And we see the same thing happen over again. And Jesus, he must have been grieved. He must have been deeply wounded. I wonder if when he first left the five thousand, they're about to get in the boat and he watches the boat leave.

I wonder if Lord just didn't shake his head incredibly and say, what do I have to do? Walk on water. And that's exactly what he did. And now this is the next step in chapter 15. In Matthew, you go to chapter 15, one chapter.

It's just a short time between these two episodes. And Jesus just fed these four thousand. He had healed the sick. He'd done the very same thing over again. And they'd collect up this time seven baskets full.

And the scripture says they got in the boat and they head for Magdala. And while they're en route to Magdala, they have a conversation among themselves. Jesus listens and they're they're busily engaged in conversation.

Who forgot the bread? How are we going to eat? In other words, how what are we going to do? We're going to an isolated area. Magdala is a very small town. May not even be a bakery, may not even be stores.

It was a very isolated, according to the commentary that I read, that it was very isolated. They're going to a very isolated area and they're saying, who forgot the bread? They're focused on their own needs.

They're focused on on their own need for bread. Now, they've just come from feeding four thousand. They just picked up seven loaves of bread and fish remaining. And now they're in the boat. And this is just a short time later and they're saying, who forgot the bread?

How are we going to eat? How many miracles has the Lord done for you and me? How many times has he worked delivering us out of temptation, delivering us out of our foolishness, doing miracle after miracle?

They may not seem like miracles, but you know, it's a miracle because you couldn't have made it on your own. And God has done something. And then when the next crisis comes, we begin to doubt and waver in our faith.

Jesus Commands the Disciples to Remember the Loaves

Jesus said of them, they had hardened their hearts. And in Jesus overhearing them, he's incredulous. And Jesus answers, do you not yet understand? Do you not remember the five loaves and the five thousand?

How many baskets you took up? Do you not remember the seven loaves and the four thousand? And how many baskets you took up? Matthew 16, 9 and 10. How is it that you don't understand? How is it this does not register on you in your mind?

How is it that you cannot understand? And why does Jesus, when he's trying to put a foundation of faith on them, say, I want you to lay hold of faith. Why does he refer them back to the loaves and fishes?

Why does not he refer them back to the to the turning of water into wine? Because that happened prior to all of this. Why doesn't he refer them back to the time that they tore open a hole in the roof and dropped on ropes a palsied man in front of him?

This man takes up his bed and walks and hadn't walked in years. Why doesn't he say, remember the palsied man? Why doesn't he refer to all these other miracles when demons saw him and cried out and cried out, thou art the son of God?

Why didn't Jesus say, remember that time, remember that twice? Jesus takes them back to the loaves and fishes. He says, go back. Remember the loaves. Remember the fishes. And I believe Jesus is making a statement.

He said, if you see me only as a healer, if you see me only as power and might, you're going to fear me. But if you go back and remember what I said, I have compassion on this people. I will not let them go out hungry and I will not let them faint.

And the word is compassion. He said, you have not seen yet how compassionate I am. I tried to show you in front of five thousand and I showed you in front of four thousand how I care for you. Because you were the pillars of my church is what he's thinking.

And I have to have faith in you. You have to have faith in me and you have to be established in that faith so that anything comes along at any time. You will not be wavering in your faith. You'll set the example.

God’s Provision for the Personal Needs of His People

And Jesus is talking men whose hearts were were calloused by something that I'll bring you to in just a moment that I think affects everyone in this building, everyone who hears me. We go back to that feeding, go back to the feeding of the five thousand and the four thousand.

Scripture says, then Jesus called his disciples unto him and said, because they continue with me now three days. They have nothing to eat. I will not send them away fainting lest they faint in the way.

Jesus said, I am not just power and might. I'm not just a miracle worker. I'm not here just to do those kind of miracles. That's to confirm who I am and who sent me. But he said, I am also compassion.

I provided food for the table. In other words, I'm concerned about their food. I'm concerned about finances. I'm concerned about everything that affects you. And this is what the disciples did not see.

I believe they truly believe that Jesus was a healer for others. I believe they truly believe that he was a miracle worker. But when it came to their own needs, they couldn't apply it. And how many of you here listening to me now have given and given like these disciples to others?

You've told people in their crisis, just believe. God can do it. Just hold on. Don't give up. Just trust the Lord. I'll stand with you and I'll pray. And you've given up so much. You've been giving up the bread.

You've been like the disciples and you have fed others. But then when it comes to your own need, when it comes to believing that God will do the miracle for you, I wonder what happened to that bread. What happened to the 12 baskets and the seven baskets of bread and fish?

Did they just go make Jesus and put it at his feet and offer it as a sacrifice? That's not what the Lord. And this is not speculation. I'm not just trying to imagine something. Did they bring their own lunch or were they going to partake of that which they were ministering?

And there's some of you have not partaken. I have the same problem. I give out to people. This past week, I've been on the phone with a couple of cases that are absolutely hopeless. Broken homes. Near suicide.

And I'm sitting in my office and I'm instructing these people to hold on. I'm instructing these people and I'm giving them scripture after scripture and I'm telling them what they ought to do to break through to faith.

And then I hang up the phone. And then a crisis will come into. My life. That's when you have got to believe. That's when you have to partake. Let me read to you the scripture. Paul, the apostle, says, The law says, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn.

Does God care for oxen? Or does he say it altogether for our sakes? Yea, for our sakes, this is written that he that plows should plow in hope and he that threshes in hope shall be partaker of this hope.

Believing God for Miracles in Personal Crisis

Beloved, if you're going to give out and tell people that God can be trusted, that he's a miracle working God. I can't tell you how many people have told that in the past year. God's a miracle worker.

But do you believe he can work those miracles for you, for your finances, for where you are right now? And you can't see a way out. There's no possible way out of your situation. Do you believe for yourself now?

That's what the issue is here this morning. Do you believe that God has heard your prayer? Do you believe that God has heard your cry? Some of you are waiting for a miracle. You've been praying for a miracle.

But you see no sign of it. You see no evidence of your prayer being answered. Now, folks, there are two kinds of miracles. There are instantaneous miracles and there are progressive miracles. And I want to talk to you about that for just a few moments.

Instantaneous Miracles and Progressive Miracles

Both kinds of miracles are shown here in both of these feedings. The instantaneous healings of cripples and the blind and the deaf. All of those are instantaneous. They have happened in a moment. There is all there is wonder.

There is thrill. You go to the Old Testament. You see instantaneous miracles page after page. You go to the Old Testament. You see the Red Sea opened. And what a marvel. What a wonder it is. And you see Elijah on the mountaintop and the thunder and the lightning and the earthquake and all of the sound and all the fury.

Instantly God speaking. God doing something. Showing his power and his might. And those are the kind of miracles we'd like to see. And I believe God does those kind of miracles. I believe he does it all the time.

I believe God can do instantly. He can just in a moment of time speak the word. And he can give you a miracle. He can do wonders. He can run the heavens. I believe that with all that's in my heart. But most of God's good work that the kind of faith that he wants comes from believing in progressive miracles.

Where there's no thunder. There's no lightning. There's no movement. It's indiscernible by the human eye. And you can't see it. But faith tells you God's at work. Faith tells you that something is happening.

And that's what the feeding of the five loaves of the loaves and fishes mean. And that's why Jesus said go back. Consider that. Think about it. This was not some instantaneous miracle. There's no thunder.

There's no lightning. There's no earthquake. There's no sudden thing happening. Jesus is standing there offering prayer to the father. And he has bread in his hand. And he's just silently, quietly breaking one piece after another.

Piece after piece. One at a time. Bit by bit miracle. You see, we want to see God come down now. Lord, I've got a financial problem. And couldn't you, Lord, move on somebody's heart to put a $50 ,000 check in my hand?

Lord, my son, my daughter in trouble. Could be drugs, whatever it may be. Something dysfunctional in their lives. And we want God to just overnight come. You want to wake up the next day and it's all fixed.

We're all like that. We want to see the thunderous instantaneous miracle. But, folks, real faith is believing that when you first prayed. When you first laid hold of God. You believe that God hears and he answers.

You believe he's a miracle worker. And little by little, bit by bit, piece by piece, he's putting it all together. You can't see it. You can't feel it. You can't smell it. But God's at work. Hallelujah.

David’s Prayer and the Unseen Work of God

I just want to throw this in. The Lord was showing me this last night. And don't turn there, but in Psalms 18th chapter. David said, in my distress I called upon the Lord. He heard my voice. My cry came into his ear.

Then, in other words, after prayer, the earth shook and trembled. Smoke went out of his nostrils, fire out of his mouth, hailstones, coals of fire. The Lord thundered. He sent out arrows and scattered them and he shot out lightnings.

He opened the channels of water at the blast of his mouth. You talk about lightning, thunder and everything. And none of these things literally happened. Didn't happen. It was it was something David saw in his spiritual eye.

He saw something in the spiritual world happening. Just as Elijah turns to his servant, he said, Oh, God, open his eyes. Let him see all of the horse, all of the armies of God surrounding us. Something has happened.

Elijah prayed and believed and called forth an army. You couldn't see it. You couldn't hear it. An invisible army. And I'm telling you now, I believe and this is what real faith is. This is really believing in miracles when you can't see it.

And yet, you know, in your heart, God is answering prayer. God is at work and your whole soul and body and mind is at rest. That's what God wanted out of it. That's what Christ wanted out of his disciples.

Gentlemen, you can't see it, but there's a miracle happening right now. And many of you have been praying for America are in the middle of it right now. And you don't know it. You are in a miracle. God is at work.

The Holy Spirit is working. The Lord is shooting arrows at your enemies. Every demon is coming against you. Lying spirits, lies of the devil. The Lord is shooting arrow after arrow. You can't touch him.

He's mine. David ends up saying, he brought me forth also out into a large place and delivered me because he delighted in me. Jesus delights in these disciples, even though they're calloused in heart.

He knows that they want to believe and he's bringing them to a place of faith. And David said, God is doing all this because he delights in me. God's not mad at anybody here today. He delights in you.

You've got to believe he's going to see you through. Hallelujah. I got so excited this past week looking and living through this. I want to read John 6 57. I was reading John's version of this. The feeding of the five thousand.

I got so amused. I started laughing out loud. In fact, I got up and walked around the living room laughing and picturing this scene. This is in this. I would have loved to be there and seen this. This is the feeding of the five thousand before the crowds just being gathered.

And he's Jesus is already. This is after the gathering and Jesus has already healed the sick. And now it's time to feed. He calls Philip. To his side. Now, when they when Jesus lifted up his eyes and saw the great company, he said to Philip, Now, this is what amuses me and blessed me.

Philip, what are we going to buy? Where are we going to buy bread to feed all these people? And the scripture says he said that to prove him for he knew in his heart what he was going to do. Jesus knew what he was going to do and he calls Philip.

And I see Philip coming over and Jesus said, puts his arm around and said, Brother Philip, we have a problem. These people are hungry. What do you think we should do? And I picture Philip scratching his head.

He said, well, I've just talked to Peter, James and John, and we went to Judas and found out we've got 200 penny worth in the common purse. But that wouldn't be enough. Jesus, we've really got a bread problem.

What are we going to do? I got to thinking that how how loving of Christ, how incredibly how he's trying to teach us something. You see, you and I have a problem. And Jesus comes and says, what are we going to do?

And so you said, well, then so you sit up a half the night figuring out, well, if this works, if that doesn't work, this might work. I'll call so and so. I'll go to my boss. And so you play, play all these things here.

Here's Philip trying to tell you, you see, Philip doesn't have just the bread problem. He's got a bakery problem. He's got a time problem. He's got a distribution problem. Where are you going to find bakeries?

He wasn't thinking this through. You see, if you really think it through, your problem is bigger than what you're thinking. It is so massive. It's so beyond any human. And I believe Jesus allows some of these things to reach the point of impossibility because he's the God of the impossible.

He waits till it's totally impossible and tell you know it and acknowledge it. I acknowledge it. This is hopeless. It can't work. God, I give up you. And the right answer should have been your God. Nothing's impossible with you, Jesus.

This is not my problem. I'm Philip. It's not my problem. It's your problem, Jesus. I give it to you. I got to thinking about Philip. They're trying to tell Jesus. We can't do this. Can't be done. I don't want to live like that.

Building a Church with Unwavering Faith

Hallelujah. I'm sorry. It's only 35 minutes. I preach. But I've come to conclusion. When it's been said, it's been said. The Holy Spirit's been speaking to my heart. In this church, if you've been coming here, especially in the last three months, you have heard almost exclusively messages to build your faith.

I've heard it from all of these on the stage and even our guest speakers. Evidently, and I've heard the pastors say this, something is ahead. We don't know. I just don't even like to listen to radio news anymore.

It gets so overwhelming. But I know something that God is preparing a people. You know, these disciples did come finally to faith. God built faith in these men, an unwavering faith. And that's why you hear James say in the book of James, they've come to God must believe that he is and he's a reward of those who diligently seek him.

The Scripture says, if any man like wisdom, let him ask God to give us freely to all men and upbraid us not. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For the man who wavers, let not that man think he should receive anything from God.

God, it's not enough to believe that he's a miracle worker in the Old Testament. It's not enough to believe he's a miracle worker in the New Testament. It's not enough to say you've seen miracles in lives of others.

Are you ready to believe God for a miracle now for your condition, your crisis and your need? Will you believe with me that God is preparing your heart? He's preparing mine and bringing the greatest rest and peace I've ever known.

Tested, yes, but saying, Lord, I believe, Lord, I trust you. This should be a trusting church after all we've heard. How many sermons do we need? Think of what God did for his disciples trying to get them to believe.

Taking a Step of Faith

But we're no better off if we come to church week after week and have our faith pumped and injected with the word of God that should establish and put a foundation under us. Folks, I've prayed and prayed, Lord, in my final days in my race, I want to know that I have, when I stand before you, that I have trusted you more than anything else in this world.

I could say that's the number one cry of my heart. Be like Jesus and also to know that I fully trust him to do what he said he would do. Will you stand? Now, can I get very personal? Upstairs, the balcony here in the main floor did the annex.

God does not take his word lightly. And I speak in the spirit. He doesn't take it lightly. He does not bring you messages like he's been bringing from all the pastors of this church and all the visitors, pastors.

He's making a statement. He's saying, get ready, prepare your heart. Trust me now. Let the word build your foundation. Let it be on the word of God. Don't let the word go in one ear and out the other.

Lay hold of it right now. Think of the greatest need you have right now. Think of the crisis, the biggest thing that has to be done, the one need for a miracle in your life. Think about it. Do you have faith in that area?

Will you believe God for just that thing, that God is able to do the impossible? Not saying it anymore, but believing it all. I don't want to talk it anymore. I want to live it. I want God to be pleased.

And he can look at me and say, David, trust me, before the sons of men, there comes a time. God said, you've heard enough preaching about it now. Take the step. Take such a dramatic step and let it register.

It didn't register there with those who are disabled at first, but let it register. Because this is not the first time. It's not the second time. How many, many times we have heard now, I beg you in the love of Jesus Christ.

A Congregational Prayer for Faith and Miracles

So, God, by your Holy Spirit, let this register in my spirit this morning. So that when I hear it again from another pastor from this pulpit, I'll say, amen, because I got it. I understand it. Lord, I thank you this morning for the peace and the rest that you have in store for those who will take a step of faith.

And say, I have heard it and heard it. And I will not be calloused. I'm not going to be overwhelmed by this. I'm not going to be exhausted by this. I'm not going to be weary of this. Lord, I pray now that you help us to roll off every burden and every trial and every crisis.

Roll them off on you, Jesus, and take a stand this morning. I believe that when I pray, God heard and God is answering. I thank you, Lord, for a miracle. I want everybody in this house that believes in miracles, raise your hands and thank God for a miracle that's happening in your life right now.

In the annex upstairs, thank you. Lord, thank you for the miracle that is in my life right now. I acknowledge that God is at work. God is doing it in my life right now. All things are working together for good because I love you.

Now, praise him. Give him thanks. I want to give a baggage invitation. I want you to bring all your baggage to the altar. Unbelief, fear, because you're going through a trial. You're going through it.

And, folks, I want to tell you something. You think you got something? If you could just listen to those standing around you. Everybody's got problems. Everybody has needs. Everybody's being tested. There's no strange thing happening to you or to me.

I want you to bring everything that would stand in the way of faith. Everything that's blocking the channel of faith, discouragement, fear, whatever it may be, bring it to this altar now. You know in this church we don't just pack the altar or fill people up here or in the aisles.

We just open it to you, and we will offer prayer for you and believe God for you. Up on the stairs, come down either side. And in the annex, why don't you just take a step forward and stand between the screens, and you can hear me pray.

And we will pray together and believe together that the Lord will help you build a foundation for unwavering faith. Please move in close as they come. When you leave this morning, will you keep in mind and repeat those words to yourself over and over again, progressive miracle, that God is at work.

Scripture Promises and the Call to Trust God

And believe that and trust him and rest in it. Now, folks, this is all I'm going to say. This has to be based on the Word. The only foundation is the Word. And I would trust that you would, in the days and weeks ahead, start digging into this Word and laying hold of the promises of God.

Let me give you just a few of those promises before we pray. Psalm 121, My help comes from the Lord. It's made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved. He that keeps you will not slumber.

He that keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper. The sun shall not smite thee by day nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve you from all evil. He will preserve your soul.

The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time and forever. I believe that. Will you pray this prayer with me? Lord Jesus, I want to believe you. I want unwavering faith. And I'm asking the Holy Spirit to come upon me now and remind me of past faithfulness of God in my life.

You are a miracle worker, Lord. Help me forgive my unbelief, my doubts and my fears. I come humbly to you now to confess. I believe that God will do a miracle for me, my home, my life. Now just lift your hands and thank Him for miracles.

Lord, I thank you for miracles. I believe in miracles. I believe in miracles. If you came forward in the annex or here right now and you were baxtered in your heart and you were cold, I want you to believe God with me right now just by your heads.

And I want you to just breathe a prayer softly under your breath. Just say, Jesus, I confess and I come to you now to be renewed. If you don't know Christ as your Lord and Savior, it doesn't take all night.

It takes this is where the instant miracle happens. The moment you believe Jesus hears and answers, confess to him right now and say, Lord, I come here to be healed of my sins. I come here to be healed of all my hurts and trust him now.

He will start the work and he will continue. The Bible said he'll continue it to the last day. This is the conclusion of the message.