Bill Johnson - The Mandate for Miracles
By the way, Chayanna is going to be with us tonight. He’s a great friend of the house, a great apostolic leader from Southern California, and I’m so glad he’s coming. It’s always fun when he’s here; he’s a dear friend. He and I met on the floor—literally. We met on the floor when we were laid out, and our heads were close enough that some prophetic guy walked by us, grabbed both of our hands, joined them, and began to prophesy. That’s a strange way to meet another guy, you know, but it worked. He’s from Southern California; of course, we’re in Northern California. We made a real partnership in that moment for the state of California. So anyway, Cha will be here tonight, and I always look forward to seeing my friend.
I just got back Friday night from Edmonton, Canada. How many Canadians do we have here? You live in a cold country! The best definition I heard of Edmonton was: we have ten months of winter and two months of bad sledding. It was so cold, and I was moaning and groaning about the temperature; it was freezing with ice everywhere. I complained about the cold, and they said, «You should have been here last week—it was forty below zero!» I began to rejoice. You know, I was actually in that area like thirty years ago; it was my only other time, thirty years earlier. The night I landed in the morning, the previous night it was twenty-eight below zero. I had a mustache at the time, and I could actually feel my mustache hairs squeak as they rubbed against each other. I didn’t even know that was possible—I didn’t know they made that noise. But I could hear something going on with that hair. In three days, the temperature was seventy degrees! It was a one-hundred-degree turnaround in three days because they had what they called Chinook winds. It’s a miracle it didn’t come while I was there. I was hoping the government would gift us with the Chinook winds again, but that was a one-time experience, apparently.
Anyway, I have something to read: «Women and cats will do as they please; men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.» I thought it was funny.
Anyway, three friends from a local congregation were asked, «When you’re in your casket and friends and congregation members are mourning over your death, what would you like for them to say?» Artie said, «I would like them to say I was a wonderful husband, a fine spiritual leader, and a great family man.» Eugene commented, «I would like them to say I was a wonderful teacher and a servant of God who made a huge difference in people’s lives.» Al said, «I would like them to say, 'Look, he’s moving! '» That’s so dumb, but it may speak to either IQ or whatever involved.
Alright, we’ll leave it right there. I want to talk to you today about the mandate for miracles that is upon our lives. It is in the bold preaching of the Gospel that the hand of God is released to demonstrate His love and power. Jesus did not give us power and authority so we could sit in a pew and wait for the rapture; He gave us power and authority to deal with the works of the devil. He gave us power and authority to silence that illegal voice that torments people with lies and deceptions. He has given us the great privilege to walk in the anointing that Jesus Himself walked in. It’s a miracle mandate.
In Romans 15, I forget the exact verse reference—it’s around 17, 18, or 19. At any rate, Paul makes this statement about going to certain cities, saying that in mighty signs and wonders, he has fully preached the Gospel. How many want to fully share the good news of the kingdom? It requires miracles to be fully preached. It’s the bold decree; as you look through Scripture over and over again, it’s that bold confession of faith, that bold declaration. Preaching is not just from the pulpit; it’s one-on-one, it’s over coffee, but it’s that confidence in Christ where we share the good news of the Gospel of the kingdom. That literally helps manifest the hand of God in given situations.
But I want to approach this subject from a different angle because what was in my heart this morning was to bring to you two portions of Scripture that are often used against those who pray for the sick, those who pursue the demonstration of power. There are a couple of portions of Scripture that are frequently sent to individuals like myself to discourage us from praying for the sick or to expose heresy. It’s not in defense of that because they’re not in the room; it’s just so you and I would be deeply entrenched in the assignment that God has given us.
I may stink at what God’s called me to do, but I don’t have the luxury of changing the assignment. I don’t have the luxury of changing what He said to do just because I don’t do it well. Often, people retreat to what they do well and forsake what He’s called us to do. We don’t have that luxury. Our gifts and skills are valuable; they are important and are part of our offering to the Lord. But we cannot lose track of the very fact that God has called us to invade the impossible and demonstrate His love, purity, and power. So that’s what we’re going to look at today.
The first portion of Scripture we’ll look at is in Matthew 7. In fact, both portions of Scripture we will look at today are in the Gospel of Matthew. So, Matthew 7, verse 21: «Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord, ' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name? ' And I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practiced lawlessness.'»
I’d like to suggest that there are actually two parts to the lesson Jesus is trying to instruct this crowd in. The first is concerning the will of God. He said just because you call Me Lord, it has to be demonstrated by your obedience. Interestingly, Jesus was in a similar crowd, and His disciples came to Him and said, «Your mother is outside waiting for you, and your brothers, your sisters, your family are out there waiting for you.» Jesus made this statement, probably sounding rude at the time: «Anyone who obeys Me, anyone who does the will of God, those are My brothers, My sisters, My mother.» What is He saying? He’s saying you can’t find your identity apart from obedience.
Those who do the will of God, those who yield to the assignment and commission that God has given, that’s where we find our identity in Christ. It’s like two-part epoxy: obedience seals what is revealed in Scripture. Yes, Bill, that was an extremely good point: two-part epoxy. You got it!
Alright, I’ll leave it there. I was expecting a bigger smile—at least a loud smile or something like that. Yeah, I’m teasing you because I’m in a teasing mood. It was sunny yesterday, glory to God! The last time I saw the sun was a while ago. We got reacquainted, oh my!
The two parts to this: He said just because you call Me Lord, if you don’t do the will of God, you can’t call Me Lord. You can’t call Me Lord and not obey, right? So what is the will of God? Well, the broadest definition is found in what we usually call the Lord’s Prayer: «Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.» So it’s the reality of that world changing and affecting the reality of this world. Every other commission Jesus gave, every other assignment He gave, was an expression of that overall commission; the overall commission is heaven to earth. It became practical when He said, «I’m going to send you two by two; you’re going to a home, heal the sick that are there, find the peace, heal people, minister to them, make sure deliverance comes, cast out demons, cleanse lepers, raise the dead.» That’s very specific!
So what is the will of God? If they’re sick, heal them! Amen! That’s the will of God. So when He says, «Don’t call Me Lord» and you disobey when I give you a commission to pray for the sick, I’m not saying that’s the only way we demonstrate the will of God. But don’t ignore it because it’s part of the program. Don’t say He’s my Lord and yet you don’t pray for the sick, you don’t confront someone who’s tormented with dreams. «Well, I don’t know how to deal with demons.» Tell them to leave—start there! Just pretend like you’re standing in Jesus' clothing and use His name to come against that demon. Tell them to break off that person’s life. This nonsense of torment stops today.
The whole point is you can’t call Me Lord and not do the will of My Father in heaven. The second verse, though, verse 22, He says, «Many will say to Me, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons, and done many wonders in Your name? '» What group is that? Those are the people who don’t have a relationship with God but know enough spiritual truths to demonstrate His authority. They prophesy and heal the sick, doing the will of God. The first group doesn’t even try; the second group tries, but there’s no relationship—"Depart from Me; I never knew you.» So people will say, «Well, here’s evidence that we’re not supposed to pray for the sick and stuff.» No, it’s the opposite!
Here’s the deal: if people who don’t have a relationship with Jesus can use His name and people can get healed, those who know Jesus have no excuse! Jesus didn’t give us the spirit of the resurrected Christ so that we could sit down and wait for someone else to do something. He put the spirit of resurrection in us because He’s looking for us to confront death, loss, destruction—all those signs of the enemy! That is our assignment! You were born for this!
Yes! Amen! Verse 23 says, «I’ll declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me.'» So we have the question: what’s one thing more important than knowing God? There is one thing: it’s Him knowing you. I have certain heroes in my life—there may be athletes. You know, I grew up with Willie Mays as my hero. I used to watch every game I could. Everything about Willie Mays, I watched. His birthday is May 6th. God was kind enough to allow my firstborn, Eric, to be born on May 6th. It’s just the mercy of God, but I’ve never met him. I don’t know him. I can tell you facts about him; I saw him play. I saw his home runs, all the amazing catches and throws. I loved baseball, but I don’t know him.
Yes, God knows everything about you and everything about me, but it’s only as we open and are totally honest—totally transparent—before this one who knows everything. See, Scripture says I’m supposed to worship Him in spirit and in truth. «Spirit» implies a relationship with the Holy Spirit who enables and directs me in the true privilege of honoring who God is. But the second is in truth: truth means nothing hidden—nothing hidden.
So, the one thing more important than knowing God is Him knowing you. Paul says in First Corinthians that those who do the will of God are known by God. I want you to look at Matthew chapter 12. The second portion of Scripture that is often used to discourage people from praying for the sick is found here. Verse 38, 39: «Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, 'Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.' But He answered and said to them, 'An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.'»
I always love when I’m given this verse: «An evil and adulterous generation seeks for signs and wonders.» That motivates you to pray for the sick, doesn’t it? Just take a quick look at the context. Verse 9 of Matthew 12: «Now when He had departed from there, He went to their synagogue. Behold, there was a man there with a withered hand. They asked Him, 'Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath? '—that they might accuse Him. Then He said to them, 'What man is there among you who has one sheep? If it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not lay hold of it and lift it out? How much more value then is a man than a sheep? '»
Of how much more value is a man than a sheep? Of how much more value is a baby in the womb than a baby whale? It’s a twisted form of logic, a twisted effort to express righteousness to disregard humanity and spare everything else. Both should matter, but not above a human life. Jesus here, I’m preaching to the choir. So let’s move on.
Verse 13: He says to the man, «Stretch out your hand.» As he stretched it out, it was made whole. Verse 15: Jesus knew what the Pharisees were plotting against Him; He withdrew and great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all. Verse 22: «Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind, and mute. He healed him so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw.»
Verse 38: «Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, 'Teacher, we want to see a sign.' Did you get it? What’s wrong with this picture? They were looking for something they could control—a sign, like a pillar of fire, water out of a rock, which Israel had, experience manna on the ground. Because of the callousness of their hearts, they had no regard for the well-being of the people in their community. Can you imagine knowing a man who has a paralyzed arm, a shriveled-up arm that he’s never been able to use? It limits him in what he’s able to do.
Jesus comes to that neighbor of yours, and you watch as that man stretches out his hand and is completely restored and healed. What does it take to see that and be unmoved? Unmoved! To see another neighbor who’s never been able to say a word in his life and can’t even hear, and Jesus comes and suddenly the ears are opened? What about the crowd that follows Jesus out of town and watches as every single person with affliction gets healed?
And for it to not move you? See, the miracles of God were not for entertainment; they were to restore us to God’s original intent. They bring justice to the demonic realm that came to kill, steal, and destroy. That’s got to bother us. We must stop creating theological reasons for disease to exist. We can’t say, „Well, I’m just getting older, and this is just what happens.“
„My parent, my father had it; my grandfather had it; sure enough, I’m going to have it.“ No, stop! Stop creating! Stop adjusting your understanding of how the kingdom of God works and shaping the kingdom according to the laws of nature. It’s not that way; it’s the other way around. When we think that way, we make room for certain things to flourish that were never intended.
You may be in a struggle or a battle. Just stay on course with dealing with that, which the enemy has released against you. One of our elders here had a grandson with extreme autism. I don’t know how it works, but there’s some kind of a number system, and his was, I think, normal is around 11, and he was like 26. It was just extreme. They took a year, and they prayed for him day after day, and slowly it changed. The last time they had him tested, he was like number 4; he’s more normal than normal children; he’s like „extra normal"—normal on steroids!
To change from that to that! See, all of Jesus' miracles were to restore people to God’s intent for them—to live in health, to live with life, to live abundantly, to live with joy, to be able to fulfill our assignments, and use both hands to work, etc. Jesus performed these miracles to restore people to God’s intent, and the Pharisees were unmoved by it. So, Jesus gives them a little sermon here that I find quite interesting.
He said, «An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign.» Look at verse 40: «As Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a great fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.» The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah—and indeed, a greater than Jonah is here.
Then, «The queen of the south will rise up"—the queen of Sheba will rise up in judgment against this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and indeed, a greater than Solomon is here. Here’s two unique parts of ministry, and I want to just give your attention here for a moment.
Every one of us has been summoned by God, assigned by God, to function in two realms of ministry: overt and covert. Power and wisdom—power brings the breakthrough; wisdom taps into the way of life that God intended for us. It’s that which enables us to sustain the breakthrough and positions us to truly learn how to reign in life. Money doesn’t run my life; I manage it. Relationships don’t govern me; I govern relationships. Reigning in life—wisdom gives us access to a lifestyle that testifies of His nature.
But it doesn’t just testify; it invites. It comes as it’s displayed—it invites others into that same experience. So, Jesus uses two interesting examples: Jonah preaches to Nineveh, and Nineveh repents. It’s the bold preaching of the Gospel that attracts the miracle hand of God to be released in any given environment. You can see this in Mark 16; you can see it in Acts chapter 4. It’s repeatedly throughout Scripture that when there was boldness, there was the hand of God working wonders.
So, here we have Jonah going to a people he didn’t even want to minister to; he preached to them, and they were moved to repent. One of the two greatest revivals in the Bible happened in the Old Testament—Nineveh! The second, in my opinion, is the greatest—Ephesus: extraordinary, extraordinary move of God in the city of Ephesus.
Here we have Jesus announcing a strange thing. He says, «The people who are in Nineveh, now dwelling in heaven, will stand in the day of judgment and point out to you what you missed because you had an opportunity, and they had a less opportunity than you, and they repented and turned because they were impacted by the power of the preaching of the Gospel.»
Then He says, «And there’s this lady that traveled halfway around the planet to get to this guy just to listen to wisdom.» She is the example of one moved by wisdom. Another term I’ll use is divine reasoning—thinking from God’s perspective. That really is what the gift of wisdom is.
So, here Jesus is saying, «She will stand and point to this generation that ignored the moment they were given. They were given an opportunity to see how God thinks, and yet they rejected it to hold on to their own opinions and convictions.» What He’s doing here is confronting them: you’ve missed your call for overt ministry to demonstrate power; you’ve missed your call for covert ministry—the subtle operating in wisdom. It’s that which is like leaven that gets worked into the dough and has an effect on everybody around you.
God’s called us to both. Every person in this room has access to these two things; probably everyone in this room has one that they prefer over the other. Start paying more attention to the other! We want to have power and wisdom; we want to walk on legs that are the same length. We don’t want to hobble through life because we have a strong point and a point we’ve ignored. God has called us to demonstrate this good news, this Gospel of the kingdom, through power and through wisdom.
This passage that is often used to describe an adulterous generation seeks for a sign is actually talking to a religious group of people that want the demonstrations of power for their sense of personal control and entertainment—completely unmoved with the condition of the people that are broken and hurting. I would say to everyone in this room: you’ve been called to the miraculous, but it’s not so your self-esteem could grow; it’s because of the people around us that are hurting. It’s not so we can be entertained by yet another miracle; it’s because there are people around us filled with broken situations, and they’re looking for someone who knows God, someone who believes God to step into their lives and say, «I will stand with you on this matter.
We’ve had a string of miracles; I’ll talk about it more later. Actually, I’ll just mention that a few weeks ago at the sand, we had a woman healed. Some of you have heard this story already: thirty-eight years of Lyme disease; the last ten years, mostly in bed. She was completely healed. They sent a video of her running around their swimming pool—just beside herself! The entire family was beside themselves with joy when I shared it here and we prayed for those with Lyme disease.
A friend of mine from Nashville stood in proxy for two young ladies with Lyme disease, actually the mother as well, bedridden and hardly able to function or move. They were all three healed! Healed of juvenile arthritis! Listen, it’s just what Jesus does! One of our students several years ago had a good testimony while on a ministry trip. He gave a word of knowledge about God healing kidney stones. This guy, who’s now become my friend, has had kidney stones every two months for twenty-seven years. If you’ve ever had them, I had them once; it was good to get it out of my system!
For twenty-seven years, he prayed for them; it’s interesting he was born with three kidneys but two were diseased. They took two and left him with one, and he had kidney stones every couple of months for twenty-seven years. Somebody called out a word of knowledge about kidney stones; his wife and kids made him stand up because that’s what wives and kids are for! Some of us are a little slow—we need someone with a cattle prod to help us.
He stood up and he was healed: no more kidney stones! He went back to the doctor because of another issue, hurt his back or something; they took x-rays and found he had two healthy kidneys! He said, „Wait a minute, look at the report here: I only have one!“ They looked at him and said, „These must be the wrong x-rays.“ So they did it again—the Lord created a second kidney! Come on! That’s good!
So listen, it has nothing to do with your intellect, your intelligence, or your ability to imagine what God can do. It just comes down to obedience—that’s a good thing! All the student prayed for was no more kidney stones; he didn’t know it would spill over into the creation of a new kidney! He’s actually getting the doctor’s report so we can celebrate that one!
Alright, put your hands in front of you. Lord, I pray for great breakthrough in the area of power and breakthrough in the area of wisdom. In Jesus' wonderful name, amen!
Now hold your places! I want to have the ministry team come up quickly. Ministry team, come quickly! We want to end with having people who still need prayer to come forward. So quickly—actually, they mean faster than you’re doing it! That’s a good one! Yeah, you’ll find that in not Webster’s, in Johnson’s dictionary—come quickly! We want to open it up for you to receive prayer. If you hold your places, look at how fast they’re running; it’s awesome! If you’d hold your places, please, for just a moment. Come up and tell us what to do, and I’ll get to the back door.