____________________________________________________ THE GOSPEL OBSERVER "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20). ____________________________________________________ April 18, 1993 ____________________________________________________ Seeing Jesus Through His Miracles by Tom Edwards We learn of a man by his actions and words--for this is what manifests his inner qualities, abilities, disposition, and yearnings. Not only is this true about man, but also about Jesus Christ Himself, as He testifies in John 10:25 that ``the works I do in My Father's name, these bear witness of Me.'' The following subtitles, which I have built upon, are virtually all from Merrill C Tenney's book, John the Gospel of Belief. As we consider just some of the wondrous signs that Jesus miraculously performed, we are also made more aware of how great a Lord He truly is and more of what it is that He is Master over. Let us consider this together: Master of Change and Quality The first miracle Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee was turning the water into wine at a wedding feast (John 2:1-11). From this, we can infer that Jesus is not only the Master of change, but also the Master of quality. The headwaiter, who had tasted the wine that Jesus made, indicated that it was better than what was earlier served. It was Jesus who also turned the storm into a calm (Mark 4:35-41) and made the weak and afflicted strong and healthy (Matt. 4:23,24; 11:3-5). But even more important than these changes is the making of a lost child of the devil into a redeemed child of God (1 Jn. 3:2; 2 Cor. 5:17) that will ultimately lead to an eternal dwelling with the Lord and a glorious transformation from mortality to immortality (1 Cor. 15:51-54). Yes, Jesus is a Master of Change and a Master of Quality. Master of Distance or Space Prior to the Lord's first miracle at Cana, He demonstrated a miraculous ability to see beyond the range of human vision. To Nathanael, Jesus said, ``Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you'' (Jn. 1:48). This caused Nathanael to react by saying, ``Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel'' (Jn. 1:49). Distance is not a hindrance to Jesus. In John 4:46-54, we have the account of Jesus healing the Nobleman's son, who was sick in Capernaum about 18 miles away. Christ is the Master of space and distance. As the Psalmist declares in Psalm 139:7-10, there is nowhere that man can go to hide from God--whether he ascends into heaven, descends into sheol, or makes his dwelling in the remotest part of the sea. The Bible tells us ''...there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do'' (Heb. 4:13). We live in a universe that has no end, dimensionally speaking, yet Christ is the Master over every square inch of it. Master of Time Not only is Jesus not limited by distance or space, He is also not hindered by time. In John 5:1-9, the account is given of the healing of a lame man who had suffered from that infirmity for thirty-eight years. To Jesus, however, it made no difference whether the man had been lame for thirty-eight years or thirty-eight minutes, for to Him ``one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day'' (2 Pet. 3:8). Jesus is the ''...Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end...'' (Rev. 21:6 ). He is from eternity and shall always be. As he related to some disbelieving Jews in John 8:48, ``Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.'' Through Micah, God tells us that Jesus' ``goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity'' (Micah 5:2). Though Methuselah lived to be 969 years old, he still could never be referred to as one who was from ``the days of eternity''; the only person whom this could be applied to is Jesus Christ the Son of God. Our lives seem to be continually based on time. We have just so many hours in each day to accomplish the things we must; but, as we've just seen, to God ``one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.'' The Lord is not subject to time; rather time is subject to Him. And He being the Master of it will one day bring time, as we know it, to an end--when it will then be replaced with one great eternity. If we, therefore, wore a watch in heaven what more need it say than "Now and Forever"? Master of Creation and Quantity The Bible speaks of Jesus as being the creator of the universe (Jn. 1:1-3; Heb. 1:3). To be able to be such, one has to have the ability to bring into existence that which wasn't there before, and to do this from nothing. Hebrews 11:3 corresponds to this: ''...that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.'' There are a couple recorded occasions in which Jesus proved that He had this kind of ability when He multiplied the few loaves of bread and the few fish to feed the great multitudes. There were at least 4,000 men present (not to mention the women and children) at one of these incidents (Matt. 15:32-39) and at least 5,000 men at another (Matt. 14:14-21). To be able to produce such a large quantity from such meager portions demonstrates the ability to bring into existence that which wasn't there before. Jesus is the Creator and the Master of Creation and of Quantity. Who can even begin to enumerate all the heavenly stars which Christ has made? Their quantity alone is unfathomable--and yet they are but a part of all that Jesus has created. Master of Natural Laws In John 6:16-21 the account is given of the Lord's walking on the water. Having made the natural laws, such as the law of gravity, Jesus also has the ability to preempt or override those laws with new laws that would do such, as we see in His ability to walk upon the Sea of Galilee. Without a doubt, He is the Master over all natural laws. The next time, therefore, you drop a favorite dish that smashes to a dozen pieces on the kitchen floor, be thankful--not so much that it broke, but that there is a law of gravity that keeps you from floating off the planet and which was established by God Himself. Master over Death In John 11:1-46 the amazing account is given of the resurrection of Lazarus, who had been dead in a burial tomb for four days. By having raised this man from death, Jesus showed to the world that He truly is ``the resurrection and the life'' (Jn. 11:25) and is, therefore, the Master over death. Though one day--unless the Lord comes first--we will each have to submit to this ``going the way of all the earth,'' there will also come the time after that when each person will be brought up from death in order to stand before the judgment of God (Jn. 5:28,29). The resurrection is just one example of what the power of God can do. Is Jesus Master Over You? As we have considered in this lesson, Jesus is the Master of Quality, of Distance or Space, of Time, of Creation and Quantity, of the Natural Laws, and of Death itself. But the important question we must each give serious consideration to is, ``Is the Lord the Master of my life?'' Though Christ is all powerful, He will never intrude against the will of another. We must be willing to humbly submit to Him and yield our lives by our faith and obedience. All the miracles Jesus performed while upon this planet are but a small example of the kind of power you can have on your side throughout eternity. This power is so great that in heaven there is no illness, no suffering, no adversities, and no death--but rather it is a realm of endless bliss in which your every need is always abundantly met. We can get a foretaste of heaven's glory by giving ourselves over to Jesus today. If we can help you in doing this, please contact us at the address shown on the back of this bulletin. We would be happy to study God's plan of salvation with you, which teaches that in order to become a child of God, one must believe (Mark 16:16), repent (Acts 2:38), confess faith in Christ (Rom. 10:9,10; Acts 8:36,37), and be baptized in water for the remission of sins (Rom. 6:3,4; Gal. 3:26,27; 1 Peter 3:21), so that one can thus be saved by the blood of Jesus Christ and make Him the Master of one's life. ________________________________________ Tri-State CHURCH OF CHRIST 1314 Montgomery Avenue, Ashland, Kentucky 41101 Sunday: 10:00 A.M. Bible class 10:50 A.M. Worship 6:30 P.M. Worship Wednesday: 7:30 P.M. Bible study evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (606) 325-9742 e-mail: tedwards@zoomnet.net Gospel Observer web site: http://www.zoomnet.net/~tedwards/go ________________________________________