John Hagee - Receiving Your Miracle
There are 34 distinct miracles recorded in the Gospel and countless more that are recorded from genesis to revelation. Everyone wants a miracle but no one wants to be put in the crisis that requires a miracle. The only way you really need a miracle is that you have a problem. And the bigger the problem, the bigger the miracle you need. We like miracles, but not the problems that go with them. But sooner or later, it's going to happen to you. The phone is going to ring and your calm, tranquil, well-ordered life is instantly going to be in a raging storm. Sooner or later, you're going to face a crisis beyond your power to control.
My questions are three:
1. Do you know how to receive a miracle?
2. Do you know how to recognize a miracle?
3. Do you reject the reality of miracles?
Because sooner or later, you're going to need one. That was my answer to a man who came to me one day, and said, in a haughty way, "I don't believe in miracles"! I said, "It's not a problem with me. Sooner or later you're going to need one, and you're going believe in them then". And sure enough that happened. Matthew 21:22, read it. "And whatever things you ask in prayer believing, you will receive". Underline that word "Believing" because we're going run into it a lot today. A lot of people believe in the Bible. They believe in the miracles in the Bible. What they don't believe is that God will do it for them and do it now. That's what faith is, believing that God can do it for you and do it right now. That's what we're looking for in this message and in this series. Let's pray.
Father, thank you for the power of your word and for the people who are here and the millions across america and around the world that are listening to the living word of a living God. In Jesus' name, we pray and ask it. And all of God's children said, amen.
You may be seated. The God of the Bible is a miracle-working God. In the genesis of time, he breathed into a handful of dirt, and adam became a living soul. That was a miracle. He separated the day from the night. He flung the glittering stars against the velvet of the night to glisten like diamonds, as an eternal reminder to mankind that he is the infinite creator. He set the sun ablaze and placed it in the heavens, as his version of the eternal flame. The infinite power of God to create is far beyond our imagination to grasp.
The God of this Bible is a God of might and miracles. He's a God of grace and glory. He's a God of power and patience. He breathed life into the dead womb of sarah, who was 90 years of age, and gave reproductive power to her hundred-year-old husband named abraham. Moses parted the Red Sea and walked across on dry ground with almost two million people. God rained manna from heaven for 40 years and there was not one sick nor weak among them in all those 40 years.
Let's examine the healing ministry of Jesus. He healed the lame. He healed the deaf. He healed the blind. On one occasion, he healed with one touch. On another occasion, he touched twice. On a third occasion, he put spittle with mud in his hand, and put it in the eyes of a blind man he healed one on one. He healed in mass. He healed long distance. The centurion came, and said, "My son is a long way off". Jesus prayed and that boy was instantly healed in that same hour. Peter walked down the street and the sick were healed because they simply touched his shadow. That, my friend, is miracle-working power. "Greater things than this shall you do". Say that with me. "Greater things than this shall you do". That means the era of miracles is not over.
The Bible says, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever". What he did by the shores at the Sea of Galilee, he can do in San Antonio today. The Bible says, "These signs shall follow them that believe. In my name... They shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover". Listen to that. "Our father, which art in Heaven" is still Jehovah Rophe, the Lord that heals all disease. His son, Jesus Christ, is still the great physician. He is the Balm of Gilead. "Balm" in Israel was a healing force that healed physical bodies. He is the conqueror of death, hell and the grave. This is the word of the living God. It is a two-edged sword. This is the bread of life. This is living water. This word spoken under the anointing of the Holy Spirit is a divine proclamation that can move mountains and conquer diseases.
You are what this book says you are. You can do what this book says you can do. You can have what this book says you can have. You can know what this book says you can know. You can go where this book says you can go. Nothing is impossible unto you, if you go in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ! Give him praise in the house of God! This book says, "Whatsoever you ask in my name, I will do it". And if that was the only verse in the Bible, it would make christianity the greatest faith on the planet. "Ask and you shall receive".
Today I'm asking God that you receive a miracle that will turn your life around. I often wonder, with all of the garbage we're getting over the television called news, we have become so blasted with things obscene, ungodly, unholy. We have governmental leaders that do things that our forefathers would have hung them for, for treason. And that's true. Our government is corrupt. In my opinion, there is a shadow government trying to overthrow the existing government. And I'm praying every day for it to be exposed and for it to be destroyed. But have we lost the wonder of God? Do we see his might and majesty so often: we're blind to its presence? Have you ever watched the sunset or the sunrise, that ball of fire that's glowing on the horizon?
It's a staggering miracle that really you can't wrap your mind around. How much power does the sun have? I researched these facts just the other day. It has enough energy to melt a bridge of ice two miles wide and one mile thick, extending from earth to the moon in one second. It's 109 times the diameter of the earth. It's large enough that you can put one million 300 thousand earths inside the sun and they would rattle around. Why should you know this? Because on creation morning, a divine spark of glory escaped from the fingertip of Almighty God. It blazes in the heavens on a daily basis, as God's billboard to the nations of the earth. He's saying, this is my miracle-working power of the God that created heaven and earth that you can serve. He is awesome. He is full of wonder. He is the light of the world. His glorious grandeur staggers the minds of men.
Therefore, let us sing, "O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder, consider all the worlds your hands have made, then sings my soul, my savior, God to thee, how great thou art"! Give him praise in this house! Consider the scriptural foundation of miracles. Man is a twofold nature. He's both physical and spiritual. And both natures are equally addressed in the scripture. Your physical body is exposed to disease. And your soul has been corrupted by sin. The plan of redemption has made it possible for your sins to be forgiven and for your body to be healed. David writes in Psalm 103:2 and 3, "Bless the Lord, o my soul, and forget not all of his benefits...", now listen, what are they? "...Who forgives all of your iniquities...".
What is an iniquity? An iniquity is a sin that you know it's a sin when you're doing the sin, and you do it anyway. How many of you've ever done one of those? How many of you've done one of those today? Several hands. Not hard to do. Come back to earth. "...Who heals all of your diseases". He forgives your iniquities and he heals all of your diseases. Notice the connection that's made between the spiritual and the physical. Notice that all sin is forgiven and all diseases are healed. David said, "All," not "Some". People get the idea it's easy for God to heal a head cold and he can't touch cancer.
Let me tell you: cancer's not a challenge for God. When you have the faith for it, I mean you can move mountains here. God's just waiting for you to uncross your fingers and start believing. The first promise of healing to the Jewish people leaving Egypt is made in exodus 15:26, "I will put none of these diseases upon you, which I brought upon the Egyptians for I am the Lord your God that healeth all your diseases". God said early on, I control disease. Just how successful was God's medicare program for the children of Israel? David answers in Psalm 105:37, "He brought them forth with silver and gold. And there was not one feeble among them in all of their tribes". Two million people lived for 40 years without a head cold, because God gave them perfect health. Wouldn't you like to have health like that?
The point is Jesus Christ has carried our sins away. And he has carried our sicknesses away. He is our burden bearer. He is God's scapegoat at calvary. Because in ancient Israel, at the time of national repentance, the priest would kill one goat and place his fingers in the blood, place it on the head of the second goat. This is the scapegoat. And the scapegoat had all of the sins of Israel, sicknesses of Israel cast on that goat, cast off a cliff. And they threw a rock on it to guarantee it was dead. But when that goat died, the sins of Israel were over for that year, total forgiveness. When Jesus, on the cross, cried "It is finished," death died.
Death is no longer a real enemy: it's a shadow. "Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death". It has no power. Sickness has no power over you. You have a great physician, who has carried it away. He has borne it and he has delivered you! Give him praise in the house of God! It is still God's will for us to lay hands on the sick and for them to recover. James 5:14, "Is any sick among you? Let them call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over them, anointing them with oil. And the prayer of faith shall save the sick. And the Lord shall raise them up. And if he has committed any sin, they will be forgiven". They're connected there.
Notice also to whom this power is given. It is not given to Peter, James, and John, because this is toward the end of the century and most of them are dead. John is yet alive. He's at Ephesus. John lived to be 85 years of age. He's giving it to the elders of the church. Every church that existed had elders, as most churches in america have elders. And one of their responsibilities is to have enough of God in them that they can anoint with oil, and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise them up. Hebrews 13:8, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever". This is an echo of the voice of Jesus that said, "Lo I am with you always even to the ends of the earth".
His presence has never been withdrawn from us. His love has never been withdrawn from us. His grace has never been withdrawn from us. The power to heal, the power to save, the power to deliver, the power to set captives free has never diminished. He is the same, the same yesterday, today, and forever! Therefore, the God who healed yesterday is still healing today and will be until the millennial kingdom! The only thing that can happen when you meet God's conditions is a miracle, because physical laws and spiritual laws are very much alike. The God of the physical law is the God of the supernatural law. The principle is you be natural and let God be supernatural.
But here's the point. When you place ice in the freezer, you don't need to put it in the freezer, and say, "Oh, please turn to ice". "Please turn ice. Please, please". If you leave it in there long enough, it's going to come out ice because you've met the conditions to have ice. How does that work? So you ask God for a miracle. "Oh, please. I go to church on Sunday night. I tithe. I've taught the junior boys, for God's sake". If you don't know, that is a tough assignment. And they list everything they've done for God. And God's in heaven going... All you have to do is thank him for what's going to happen and it will happen!
Ten ways, in 60 seconds, to invite sickness into your life. Sickness comes into the body in your mind through resentment, through bitterness, through unforgiveness, through rebellion against spiritual authority, because of lying, because of tale bearing, because of accusing the brethren, because of a critical spirit, because of murmuring. Do you remember that God sent snakes into the camp of Israel because they were complaining? And everybody that didn't complain didn't get bit. But those who had been complaining, got fangs in the leg as a sharp reminder that they shouldn't complain. What do you think would happen if this floor was covered with Texas diamond back rattlesnakes, and everyone who'd been complaining this week was going to get bit? Would you get out of here alive? Think about that. God said, look. I've provided everything you need and you're complaining. Just stop it.
Eight conditions to receive your miracle
1. The confession of sin. Psalm 66:18, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear the voice of my prayer". Confess all known sin.
2. Recognize it's God's will to heal you. The Bible says, "Beloved, I wish above all else that your prosper and be in good health even as your soul prospers".
3. Believe that it's God's will to heal you. You expect the miracle. Again, faith is not believing that God can. Faith is believing that God's going to do it for you now. That's faith. The point: the first thing that God made available after salvation for the children of Israel, in exodus 15, was healing. And it's still available.
4. The healing power of God is activated by the word of God. Proverbs 3:8, "My son, forget not my law...", that's the word of God, "...For length of days and long life it shall bring you". "It shall be health to your navel and marrow to your bones". Your navel is the source of life in the baby. The marrow of your bone is where the red blood cells are reconstituted and your body is refreshed and reenergized. Proverbs 3:8 is saying the word of God is the source of life. And when you need to be reenergized, read this, because it will restore you and refresh you. Give the Lord praise in the house.
5. You cannot earn your healing: your healing was paid for at the cross. Don't crawl down the aisle of a cathedral and kiss the toe of Saint Peter trying to get healed. It's a waste of time.
6. You must act upon your faith. Jesus said to the man at the pool of bathesda, "Rise, take up your bed, and walk". Moses, put your foot in the Red Sea. Elijah, pour 12 barrels of water on the sacrifice at mount Carmel. And then the fire came. "Faith without works is dead". Say that with me. "Faith without works is dead".
7. Denounce the kingdom of darkness. Matthew 8:16, "And when evening was come, many who were demon-possessed, were brought to him, and he drove them out with a word". Jesus did not interview demons: he cast them out with a word. And if you're trying to have a conversation with the devil, stop it. You either don't have enough horsepower to get rid of it or you're playing games in a backyard. You don't belong there. If you really have God in you, demons will fear you.
8. Recognize that healing comes on the wings of the Holy Spirit. God, the Father, wills it. Jesus, the Son, paid for it at the cross. The Holy Spirit brings it. Romans 8:11, "If the Spirit of him (the Holy Spirit), who raised Jesus from the dead, is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead (the Holy Spirit), will also give you life (that's healing), and to your mortal bodies through his spirit who lives in you". That means on the resurrection morning. That means the Holy Spirit is crucial to the healing process. And if you're rejecting the Holy Spirit, you're short stopping God's ability to work miracles in your life. Many are not healed because they reject the Holy Spirit.
In an atmosphere of praise and worship, the Holy Spirit comes down and people are healed. Without anyone touching them, God's power moves like an ocean wave. It is supernatural and it is powerful. The book of acts, "And you shall receive power after the holy ghost has come upon you". God, bring that power to Cornerstone Church and let us bask in it with all of the glory that God has for us. Give the Lord a shout of praise in this house! Can we stand? How many of you in this room can say, pastor, I need a miracle, in your marriage, in your health, in your body, in your finances, in your relationships, deliverance from people who are trying to bring harm to you? If that describes you, slip your hand up and repeat this prayer with me.
Heavenly Father, I ask you to forgive me of all of my sin and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness. Today, I need a miracle. I need for the impossible to become possible. The miracle that I need this morning, Heavenly Father, is... Now you describe it, just totally what you need... I need a miracle in my marriage, in my health, in the job where I'm working, in my relationships with my wife, my husband, my children, deliverance from drugs, from alcohol. Whatever it may be, you lay it out with God very clearly. And now continue. And now Heavenly Father, in the presence of the Holy Spirit, I receive your miracle-working power. It's mine through the power of God's word. Through the death of Jesus, and my faith, I receive it now. Amen.