testimony was validated by the mira cle (Acts 4:13-16). The greatest Messenger of all who received the authentication of God was Jesus Christ Himself. In Acts 2:22 and following, we read Peter’s inspired sermon. As a result of the Saviour’s first miracle at Cana of Galilee, changing the water into wine, His glory was made manifest. The disciples began following Him (John 2:11). Shortly a fte rw a rd s many of the people decisively trust ed Christ when they saw the mira cles He performed. Nicodemus in John 3 informed the Saviour that it was his assured conviction that Je sus Christ was a divine teacher who came down from God. He testified, “For no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.” Observing the wonderful mul tiplication of the loaves and fishes in Galilee, the people confessed that Christ was the Messiah (John 6:14). In his eulogy of John the Baptist, Jesus Himself declared that His mighty works and miracles bore di rect witness that the Father had sent Him into the world. In the Upper Room with the chosen disciples, our Lord sought to confirm their faith by very bold assertions (John 14:11). So, the Father authenticated His own divine person and purpose. P art E ight H ow wonderful it is that we can recognize that in the Bible there are the teachings of the promises of God, showing us His miraculous hand in the affairs of man! We can see the compassion of our Lord Je sus Christ as He performed miracles on human beings who needed both spiritual and physical salvation. God restores us from human frailties. You see, physical as well as spirit ual death, entered the human race as a result of Adam's sin. The body begins to die. Since the healing min istry of our Lord Jesus was full- 20
orbed, it’s hardly necessary to go beyond His miracle activity to find suitable examples of restoration from physical infirmities. The Saviour healed the only son of an officer who served in the court of Herod Anti- pas. The distressed man traveled the distance from Capernum to Cana to plead with Christ to come and restore his little son (John 4:46-47). The Son of God asked the man whether he actually had to see before he would believe (v. 48). Seeing the evident faith Christ told him to go home to his healed son (w. 49-50). The next day he received the com forting assurance that at 7:00 p.m. the previous evening the fever had broken. The hour coincided exactly with the assurance of Christ. He himself believed and his whole house (v. 53). Leprosy is discussed fre quently in the Word of God. I t’s a type of sin in the Bible, and is not to be confused with present-day dis eases. In Galilee (Matt. 8:1-2), a leper came to Jesus, doing personal homage to Him. The polluted man declared that Jesus could make him clean if He only would. The com passionate Saviour reached forth His spotless hand and touched this defiled individual with the simple affirma tion, “I will.” It was a cleansing touch, leaving the leper’s ulcerated flesh as fresh as that of a child’s (v. 3). Yes, the miracles of God reach out into the weaknesses of hu man disability. The Lord healed bodily defects, especially those affecting the senses, as well as chronic conditions hinder ing the normal functioning of the body. Typical of these was the para lyzed man who was lowered through a hole in the roof by four friends to see Christ (Mark 2:1-4). The Son of God read the suffering man’s mind. The sin problem was very paramount and may even have been the cause of the physical condition. Consequently, He dealt with the in valid’s sin before He commanded him
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