Sunday Sermon: The Spiritual Gift of Prophecy (Romans 12:6)

You're listening to the preaching ministry of Gabriel Hughes, pastor of Providence Reformed Baptist Church in Casa Grande, Arizona. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday on this podcast, we feature teaching through a New Testament book, an Old Testament book on Thursday, and our Q &A on Friday.

Each Sunday we are pleased to present our sermon series. Here is Pastor Gabe.

Spiritual Gifts Must Be Exercised in Love

As the offering continues to come around, if you will open in your Bibles, please, to Romans chapter 12. We are continuing this series in this particular section, reading about spiritual gifts. And this is the Sunday, as I had said to you, that most of you are probably looking forward to, as we would mention or talk a little bit more about those miraculous gifts, those sign gifts.

And we'll do this in the context of the gift of prophecy that Paul talks about in verse six. But before we talk about these more miraculous gifts, which I'm sure many of us would love to see with our own eyes in our own days.

I was reminded of this quote from Martin Luther, who said the following, I have covenanted with my Lord that he should not send visions, nor dreams, nor even angels. I am content with this gift of the scriptures, which teaches and supplies all that is necessary, both for this life and that which is to come.

So we would certainly desire to see a miracle in our day, but let us be content with the word of God that has been given to us and has been revealed through his prophets and apostles and written down for us in the scriptures, that these things may illuminate us and also sanctify.

As we consider the more miraculous spiritual gifts today, we will do this in the context of scripture, especially in the passage, as we read it here in Romans chapter 12, verses three through eight in honor of the word of the King.

Would you please stand? I'm reading here from Romans chapter 12, beginning in verse three, hear the word of the Lord For by the grace given to me, I say to everyone among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

For as in one body, we have many members and the members do not all have the same function. So we, though many are one body in Christ and individually members, one of another having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us.

Let us use them. If prophecy in proportion to our faith, if service in our serving, the one who teaches in his teaching, the one who exhorts in his exhortation, the one who contributes in generosity, the one who leads with zeal, the one who does acts of mercy with cheerfulness.

You may be seated as we pray. Heavenly Father, we come back to your scriptures once again, the word of God that was spoken to your prophets and apostles and written down for our benefit and for our instruction.

And dear God, we desire to be instructed by your word today. We desire to be guided by it, to have illuminated for us your will, as we read even in this same chapter, that we may test and approve and discern what is the will of God, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

We desire to do what pleases you. And so, Lord, we read from the scriptures that it has pleased you to give us gifts, that we may use these gifts in the service of your body. But Lord, we desire to know what that gifting may be and how we can serve in your body to the benefit of each other and to the praise of your glorious grace.

So guide us and teach us as we go and help us to be patient with one another and loving toward each other. As we'll read later on in Romans in chapter 15, we who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves, but our neighbor for his good to build him up.

And so how can we serve one another in this most holy faith and in this body to which we have been positioned? Lord, you are good and guiding toward us. And in the ways that we have seen your grace demonstrated in each of our lives, may we show the grace and love of Christ to each other.

It's in the name of Jesus Christ that we pray and all God's people said, amen. When the apostle Paul confronted the Corinthians about their misuse of spiritual gifts, desiring the showy gifts like speaking in tongues, but they were neglecting those less pronounced gifts like charity and service.

He said this to them, I will show you a more excellent way. And that is why right in the middle of teaching about spiritual gifts in first Corinthians chapters 12 and 14, we have chapter 13. And what does Paul say there in the more is the more excellent way in chapter 13, the way of love.

That is why first Corinthians 13 is called the love chapter. And you have to say it like that every time you mentioned the love chapter of the Bible. But this was not Paul being romantic. He was actually rebuking the Corinthians because of their selfish attitudes.

And so we have actually a rebuking, though rebuking tone in love at the start of chapter 13, when Paul says, if I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but I have not love, I'm just a noisy gong or a clanging symbol.

And if I have prophetic powers and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but if I have not love, I'm nothing. He actually says you could be the greatest prophet and have the most powerful faith, but without love, that would mean nothing.

If I give away all that I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. You could sacrifice your very life, perhaps claiming that it is for the cause of the gospel.

But if there's not really love in it, if it's just for people to be amazed by you because of your sacrificialness, then it's just an empty gesture for which there is no reward. And as we study through these spiritual gifts, as we read about those gifts that the spirit has given to every one of us, we have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of us.

So we have a gift that is given to us to serve the body of Christ. It is so very important that we keep in mind these gifts are to be exercised in love, or it doesn't mean anything. Consider these words from John Durant, the 17th century English Puritan, who said the following, quote, I cannot help but think those blameworthy who in these times flaunt their abilities to hammer out some of the more controversial truths of Scripture and yet neglect the study of his love, which is of such necessary importance.

I do not altogether blame those who study the headship of Christ, yet to study the head of Christ while neglecting his heart to mind his government and yet neglect his love is without doubt a thing to be reproved, unquote.

And so beloved, as we continue our study of spiritual gifts, let us do so in love, love for God and love for one another. For the purpose of these gifts is to love one another. This morning we will focus on the first of the list of those spiritual gifts.

And the first one that we have mentioned here in verse six is the gift of prophecy. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them. If prophecy in proportion to our faith.

Now, even though there's only one gifting or ability that is mentioned in this verse, there are three blessings as we might consider them. Grace, prophecy, and faith. The grace of God that is given to us.

The gift of prophecy that is given by God. And then faith, which as we read in verse three is according to the measure that God has assigned. And since I'm always looking to summarize my sermons in a three-point outline, let's consider that then in this order, grace, prophecy, and faith.

Grace Gives Every Believer a Gift for the Body

So first of all, grace, once again, verse six begins, having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them. Now verses three through eight, this section that we're studying mainly here in the month of July, these verses revolve around this line.

Last week, we considered how we, this church specifically, are one body in Christ with many members, as said in verses three through five. And though there isn't anything explicitly said about spiritual gifts in verses three through five, we considered spiritual gifts in light of the grace of God mentioned in verses three and here in verse six.

In verse three, Paul said, by the grace given to me. And now we have in verse six, having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us. It was by God's grace that Paul was called to be an apostle.

And it's by God's grace that you are called to be part of his body. If you are part of Christ's body, then you are a member with a particular function. And that function is a gift that has been granted by the Holy Spirit for the benefit of the whole body.

Remember that grace, what is our definition of grace? Grace is unmerited favor. We don't deserve anything from God. We deserve the judgment of God because of our sin. But by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, he has given us what we don't deserve.

He has saved us. He has cleansed us and made us part of his body. So since it is by grace, then the blessings that he has given to us, we should exercise by grace, unmerited favor in the love of Christ for his body.

You don't do something for somebody expecting equal measure in return, but we do it in service to each other and to the glory of our King. I find it necessary to remind you once again, the purpose of spiritual gifts.

Our brother Alan read for us this morning from Ephesians 4, 11 to 16, and it's there in verses 11 to 12 that God gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers for what purpose?

Do you remember? To equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ. God gave these people equipped with these gifts to equip other saints for the building up of the body.

I read to you from 1 Corinthians chapter 14 last week. And if you want to turn there, in fact, I'm going to pull various verses out of 1 Corinthians 14. We'll be here for a little bit and then come back to Romans 12.

I said in 1 Corinthians 14 that the purpose of these gifts is to benefit and build up the church. And it's there in 1 Corinthians 14 verse 12 that we read, strive to excel in building up the church. If you turn there, look at verse 26, which says, let all things be done for building up.

And that is why I said last week that Paul argues in 1 Corinthians 14, that speaking in tongues is not beneficial for the body because no one knows what you're saying. So it does not edify or build up the church.

Sign Gifts Served as Apostolic Confirmation

Now let me take the opportunity right here to mention something about those, what we would call sign gifts. Scripture refers to them as sign gifts. There are certainly gifts that were given by the Holy Spirit that were intended for regular use in the service to the corporate gathering of the body of Christ.

It's those kinds of gifts that we're going to be considering more in the next couple of weeks in the context of Romans 12. But then there were other gifts that were not for the use of the regular corporate gathering of the body of Christ.

They were meant to be signs and they signified the word preached in that time of the apostles and prophets that the word preached came from God. As Hebrews 2, 3 through 4 says, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?

It was declared at first by the Lord and it was attested to us by those who heard while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

In 2 Corinthians 12, 12, the apostle Paul said to that church, the signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works. Those signs, what did those sign gifts include?

They included prophesying new revelation and foretelling of future events, gifts of healing, the working of miracles and speaking in tongues. And these signs were unique to that apostolic age. They signified that someone was truly speaking from God.

The regularity of those spiritual gifts, as we see them demonstrated in the New Testament, especially in the book of Acts, ceased with the death of the last apostle. In 1 Corinthians 15, 8, the apostle Paul says that he was the last to be appointed an apostle.

And we know from history and as hinted at in scripture that John was the last apostle to pass from this earth. Now that is not to say, that's not to say that God will not do miracles in our days. I cannot say that I have ever seen one with my own eyes, but God will do as he wills.

If it is God's will to raise someone up from their hospital bed, he will do it. James 5, 14 says, is anyone among you sick? Then let him call for the elders of the church and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

I do believe that God still heals to this day, and I even have a responsibility as a pastor to pray for someone's healing. But he does this healing in more providential ways through our prayers, rather than gifting someone who may fancy himself as some kind of a healer.

Now understand me, brethren, that there are no men, no men walking the earth this day that healed the way that Peter, Paul, John, Philip, Barnabas, Silas, or any of these men did in the New Testament.

Benny Hinn, Ken and Gloria Copeland, Todd White, Paula White Cain, Catherine Crick, Bill Johnson, Mike Signorelli, and all of these different teachers in that orbit. None of these people are healing the sick, receiving visions from God, speaking in tongues, or casting out demons.

They are liars and deceivers. They have never performed a miracle in their lives. They are as the super apostles, as Paul described them, as he made fun of them in 2 Corinthians 11, and he also called them servants of Satan in 2 Corinthians 11, 14.

Now, I am not meaning to come down hard on anybody in talking about this. I am telling you this and warning you of this because I love you. This is me exercising my gift for your benefit. These sign gifts, as we read of them in the Bible, they were clearly miraculous.

Biblical Tongues Were Known Human Languages

Even the gift of tongues was miraculous. It was not the babbling that is done by charismatics today, which they call speaking in tongues. And again, I say this with much grace because I was caught up in this teaching for well over a decade, and I was mostly in charismatic churches from about age 18 to 28.

Then I still held on to the teaching until I was about 35. And what changed my mind was simply arguing from Scripture. Permit me to go on about this, still keeping all of this in context because in 1 Corinthians 14, Paul contrasts speaking in tongues with prophesying, which is the gift that we're reading about here in Romans 12, 6.

So speaking in tongues is only ever defined in Scripture this way. It was a supernatural occurrence, an ability that was given by the Holy Spirit to speak another human language that the person speaking did not previously know.

As said in Acts 2, 4, the apostles were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. And in verse 11, the crowd who witnessed this remark, we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.

And that is the only way tongues is ever defined in Scripture. It's never defined anywhere as a private prayer language between you and God. Now, some will argue that 1 Corinthians 14, 2 says,. For the one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men, but to God.

For no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. They will claim then that mysteries of the Spirit is in reference to these utterances that are practiced by the charismatics. But you are reading that into the text.

You would have to be changing the definition of tongues that's been used in Scripture at every other point up till 1 Corinthians 14. And it's there in 1 Corinthians 14 that Paul explicitly says what the gift of tongues is for.

If you're still there, look at verse 22, where it says,. Thus tongues are a sign not for believers, but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers, but for believers. The gift of speaking in tongues does not benefit the corporate gathering of the body of Christ.

It was meant to be a sign to unbelievers of the mighty works of God. Whereas when someone prophesies, they speak in a language people understand, and therefore that builds up the church. Speaking in tongues, no one understands.

You're speaking to God or there are mysteries in the Spirit. And in the context of corporate worship, as Paul is talking about here in 1 Corinthians 14, that is not beneficial. Now, a person arguing for speaking in tongues may also turn to verse 4, which says, The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church.

And I've had many cite this verse to me and argue, see, I can have this private prayer language, and it says it's for building myself up. But you're missing the point of the text. If the purpose of the gifts is for building up the church, then it's actually not a good thing.

If all that gift is accomplishing is building up yourself, that's really what Paul is saying there. If you believe that you have some private utterance with the Lord in your own personal prayers, I'm going to leave that between you and God, or we can have that conversation another time.

But just understand me when I say this, what you are doing is not supernatural or miraculous. There are pagans who practice the same thing. In Hinduism, Kundalini is a spiritual expression of utterances that it looks no different from the way that Christian charismatics speak in tongues.

Shamans will enter into trances and produce utterances believed to be spirit languages. This is practiced in Haitian voodoo and Native American traditions. There are Asian religions that teach reincarnation, and they believe that when a person starts speaking such utterances, they are channeling into their past lives.

Let me just state this plainly. You do not possess any of the supernatural sign gifts of the spirit. How do I know that? Because if you did have them, we all would know. If you could speak another language that you did not previously know, you would be doing it.

If you could predict the future, you would be doing it. If you could heal the lame, you would be doing it. And we all would see it, and we would all know you could do it. It's simple as that. And I do not believe that there is any way to argue against signs that are truly miraculous.

They are so obviously miracles that it would be absurd to deny them. Even Nicodemus recognized this with Jesus. In John 3, too, he said, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs unless God is with him.

The Pharisees could not deny Jesus' miraculous works, nor did they even try to. They just said blasphemously that he was a Beelzebul or he had a demon. They could not deny that Peter and John had just healed a lame beggar outside the beautiful gate when that beggar was standing right there next to them.

Why is it that since about the second great awakening, which by the way was neither great nor an awakening, have we been arguing about whether or not these charismatic giftings are truly spiritual gifts?

Because they are not clearly miraculous. If they were, we would not be arguing about them. Now, there is much more that could be said about this. And you know, you no doubt have many questions and perhaps arguments that you could make with me.

But for now, let me stick with the page. The kinds of spiritual gifts that we are reading about here in Romans 12, and you can turn back there to Romans 12, these are much more practical. If there is any gift in this list that could be considered miraculous, it would be the gift of prophecy here in verse 6.

But I believe that Paul's intention in listing prophecy is more attainable than receiving new revelation or the ability to foretell future events. So part two here, let's consider prophecy. Coming back to Romans 12, and we move on to this specific gift that's mentioned here.

Prophecy as Revelation and Proclamation

Again, Paul says, having gifts that differ according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them. If prophecy in proportion to our faith. Now, whenever we talk about prophecy, no doubt the first place that your mind goes is the ability to predict future events.

It is a supernatural revelation that is given by God, right? Now, the Abbott Smith Greek lexicon defines prophecy this way. Prophecy is the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose. A prophet then was a man or a woman to whom God personally spoke and revealed his will, his intention, or his plan to be communicated to God's people.

Some of the most famous prophets in scripture include Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, though even a man like David was said by Peter to have been a prophet. A woman was called a prophetess. And though fewer in the Bible, they included Miriam, Deborah, and Huldah.

There were also prophets in the New Testament, such as Simeon and Anna. John the Baptist was considered the last prophet before the coming of Christ. But there were also New Testament prophets who acted in Congress with the apostles, including the prophets in the church of Antioch, a man named Agabus, and Philip's daughters.

The book of Hebrews begins. Long ago at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets. But in these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.

This indicates that there was an age of prophets that came to an end with the revealing of the Son of God. And Christ appointed his apostles, and the ministry of those apostles was complemented by prophets, though they functioned in a different capacity than the prophets of the Old Testament.

Now, though a prophet spoke from God, that did not mean his words could not be tested. And Scripture had harsh words and strict penalties for those who were false prophets, who claimed to speak a word from God, but it was not of God.

As said at the start of Deuteronomy 13, If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, let us go after other gods which you have not known, and let us serve them, you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death because he has taught rebellion against the Lord your God. As I believe it was Justin Peters who said, if we were still practicing this to this day, there would be a lot fewer false teachers in the church, a lot fewer people that would come forward and claim to be speaking a word from the Lord.

In Deuteronomy 18 verses 20 to 22, we read,. But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name, that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.

And if you say in your heart, how may we know that the word of the Lord or that the word is a word that the Lord has not spoken? When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the Lord has not spoken, that prophet has spoken presumptuously, and you need not be afraid of him.

But this, that we're talking about here in Romans 12, 6, is this special revelation? That kind of prophecy that we have being talked about and tested in Deuteronomy 13 and 18, is this the same kind of prophecy we're reading about in Romans 12?

I'm gonna argue, no. And also, yes. First, let me tell you why I say yes. I do not wanna rule out the possibility. That Paul is specifically talking about special revelation from God or even foretelling, the revealing of future events.

Maybe that is what Paul means. After all, he referred to his gifting as an apostle in verse three, and it could be that prophecy in verse six is in relation to apostleship. Therefore, this would be a very unique gift and limited only to certain men at a particular time.

This was during a time, Paul is writing this, during a time when the New Testament is still being written. He's writing the New Testament right here with the book of Romans. God was still revealing new things.

And once that revelation was completed and that prophetic revelation from God had ceased, then we eat the fruit of this gift of prophecy every time we read the Bible, which is still a benefit to the body.

But it could also be, it could also be that as all the rest of the gifts on this list here in Romans 12 are more practical in their service to the church, then it could be in that context, prophecy is meant to have a more common and ongoing use.

Is there somewhere in scripture where prophecy is defined this way? I believe that there is. Remember that in 1 Corinthians 14, Paul had contrasted the gifts of prophecy and speaking in tongues. Speaking in tongues was not a benefit to the body because no one could understand it.

Rather, he says to the whole church, you should desire to prophesy. And he explains it this way in verse six. Now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching?

So it appears that prophesying includes revelation and prophecy. It includes the disclosure of new divine truth or the foretelling of future events. But prophesying also includes knowledge and teaching.

Knowledge meaning to know and investigate spiritual truths and teaching meaning doctrine or that which is taught. That is how Paul defines prophesying in 1 Corinthians 14, six. It is not only foretelling, but forth telling.

Now about its use in Romans 12, six, John Gill says the following, quote, the offices here and hereafter mentioned are not of an extraordinary but ordinary kind such as are lasting and will continue in the church unto the end of time and are divided into two parts which are after subdivided into other branches.

The division is into prophesying and ministering. By prophesying, it's not meant as foretelling things to come but preaching the gospel is here designed which is the sense of the word in many places of scripture particularly Gill says in 1 Corinthians 13, two, unquote.

Now, having said this, let me tell you what prophecy here in Romans 12, six does not mean. So there's the two things that it could mean. Here's what it does not mean. It does not mean that if I had a dream of Justin being on a pirate ship and sharks were chasing after him, that I need to go to him and say, Justin, I believe that God gave me a dream about you.

You were on a pirate ship and sharks were chasing after you. I don't know what that means, but maybe it's some prophetic word for you. And Justin replies, oh, you know, now that you mentioned it I just got a promotion at work and it involved overseeing shipments, but there's someone who is after my job like a shark.

So that must be what that means. Thank you for telling me that. That's not prophecy. And prophecy is never defined that way in scripture. Charismatics will also do this thing where somebody will stand up in front of a congregation and say, I see someone whose name starts with the letter M and they're sitting over here in this section.

And someone like a woman will raise her hand and say, that's me, my name is Megan. And the so-called prophet will say, I see a yellow swing. And Megan will say, yeah, that's the swing that my daughter used to swing on when she was little.

This is also not prophecy. This is called a cold reading. Psychics and mediums do this. It is not prophetic revelation from God. Now, when I've talked about this before, an example that's commonly used in rebuttal is that of Charles Spurgeon, who on occasion might call somebody out from the pulpit who is in sin.

And he would be able to do so with such incredible accuracy. It was like that he had knowledge about a person that he could not have known beforehand unless it had been revealed to him by God, some will say.

So one time he called out a young man during his sermon who was wearing gloves. And he said, young man, those gloves that you were wearing, they have not been paid for. You have stolen them from your employer.

Well, this just completely shook the young man. And he went up to Spurgeon afterward and he confessed and he said, I'll remedy this right away. I'll pay for them and I will never do this again. Will you promise not to tell my mom?

She'll kill me. She'll kill me if she found out that I did this. Spurgeon wrote about it. I don't know if it was in the lifetime of that young man, but, and he said there were many other occasions where something like this would happen to him in a sermon that he would say something like that.

It would speak directly to someone. So isn't this an example of prophecy? Well, Spurgeon himself would have told you no, that that's not prophecy. He spoke about that ability to call out a man in his sin.

And he explicitly said it wasn't prophecy. Rather, he said, I got an impression. And he said of these impressions that they were subjective and fallible. In other words, Spurgeon acknowledged sometimes he got it wrong.

Spurgeon was a cessationist and about the gifts of the Holy Spirit, he said the following, quote, you know, dear friends, when the Holy Spirit was given in the earliest ages, he showed his presence by certain miraculous signs.

Some of those who received the Holy Spirit spoke with tongues others began to prophesy and the third class received gifts of healing. The remaining works of the Holy Spirit, which are at this time vouchsafed to the church of God are in every way as valuable as those earlier miraculous gifts, which have departed from us.

The work of the Holy Spirit by which men are quickened from their death in sin is not inferior to the power which made men speak with tongues. The work of the Holy Spirit, when he comforts men and makes them glad in Christ is by no means second to the opening of the eyes of the blind, unquote.

In other words, when you were brought to faith in Christ, you were blind, but now you see. And that miraculous working by the Holy Spirit in your life is every bit as great, if not greater than the Holy Spirit endowing a gift to somebody that would allow them to open the eyes of the blind.

That's just a physical healing. That does not guarantee that man's soul for eternity. But you've received something more, a spiritual healing, a spiritual awakening, an opening of your eyes to see. And this has eternal implications to it, that you would see Christ and know and believe in him and be brought from death to life.

And my friends live forever in the wonderful presence and grace of God. Spurgeon saying, the fact that that's happened in your life is even greater than if we could see any of those miraculous signs done in our days.

You know, there was a time in my life, I was about 18, 19 years old. I was praying to God, Lord, increase my faith. I still pray that prayer. But at the time, what I wanted to have happen for me, what I thought would increase my faith is if I could see some kind of miraculous sign.

Can I see something? Lord, make this bush catch on fire. I wanna hear your voice come from this bush. That would convince me even more of you. I wanna see this lake part. I lived in Meade, Kansas. The only body of water we had in that county was Lake Meade.

I wanted to see Lake Meade part, okay? Something, just some sort of miracle that would clarify to me that God is there or that he would tell me exactly what he wanted me to do. It was in that season of my life that I was seeking after those things that I opened my Bible to the book of Exodus because that's where those miracles were.

So maybe I'll be able to find how I could see a miracle like that if I read through Exodus. And you know what I find when I read through Exodus? I find a group of Israelites who saw far greater miracles than I'm even asking God to show me and what happened to them.