Transcript: Discovering God's Miraculous Signs and Wonders in the Bible

When When we speak of the wonders of God or the wondrous works of God, we must know that they are endless and inexhaustible. The whole creation of the universe, and specifically this earth in which our loving creator God fashioned as a home for his most wonderful and supreme masterpiece of all of his creations and creatures, is called mankind. I don't know about you, but when I reflect on my youth and the days of understanding that there was a God who created the wondrous universe and all that is in it, I couldn't help but marvel at the beauty of his creation. and how powerful God must be when looking up into the night sky with all the patterns of twinkling stars, some of which had distinct patterns in the vast universe, yet visible to the naked eye, or hearing the roaring thunder, or hearing the powerful pounding waves, or seeing the astounding bolts of lightning as they shoot down from the heavens and refresh the earth's atmosphere, or viewing the beauty of our mighty God's creation as I would be on my horse riding in the back pasture in Montana. But still, for truly knowing and growing in God, in deep and intimate revelation, in a deep and intimate way, didn't start happening until years later as I began to grow in understanding of God and his ways as I studied and meditated upon the word of God and prayed that my precious Lord and God would open up my spiritual eyes and ears to know and hear him as I pursued the scripture that says in Jeremiah chapter 29 beginning in verse 11 For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you says the Lord thoughts and plans for the welfare and peace and not for evil to give you hope in your final outcome verse 12 then you will call upon me and you will come to me and pray and I will hear and heed you verse 13 then you will seek me inquire for and require me as a vital necessity and find me when you search for me with all of your heart how many of you know that every one of us has a plan and purpose for our lives as we are born into this world. But that also means each one of us has the responsibility, a personal responsibility, to search for God and grow in understanding and obedience and love for him before he would begin to reveal his plan for us. because otherwise we would be doomed for failure if it were not for the love and grace of God to redeem each and every person who answers the call to come to him. Did you know that God put eternity in each and every soul as they were conceived in the womb of their mother? Ecclesiastes chapter 3 verse 11 declares he has made everything beautiful in its time and also has planted eternity in men's hearts and minds, a divinely implanted sense of purpose, working through the ages which nothing under the sun but God alone can satisfy, so yet that men cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. God has placed within the heart of every person a sense of something eternal, a light of eternity, and the desire to know the spiritual eternal significance of what we do and the purpose for our existence. This quest is a deep-seated desire, a compulsive drive, because man is made in the image and likeness of God and is given the ability to appreciate the beauty of his creation on a multifaceted level, to know the complexion and makeup of how the world is made up on an academic level, and is to discern life's purpose and destiny on a spiritual and theological level through the pages of the Bible. You see, man has an inborn inquisitiveness and capacity to learn how everything in his experience can be integrated to make understanding more comprehensible and intelligent. King David in Psalms chapter 40 verse 5 could not contain himself when he declared the wonderful works and thoughts of God towards us as his wonderful masterpiece he said in verse 5 many oh Lord my God are the wonderful works which you have done and your thoughts towards us no one can compare with you if I should declare and speak of them They are too many to be numbered. And the psalmist who wrote in Psalms chapter 136, beginning in verse 3, declared, Oh, give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his mercy and his loving kindness endure forever. To him who alone has done great wonders, for his mercy and loving kindness endure forever. To him who by wisdom and understanding made the heavens, for his mercy and loving kindness endure forever. Verse 6. To him who stretched out the earth upon the waters, for his mercy and loving kindness endure forever. To him who made great lights, for his mercy and loving kindness endure forever. Verse 8, the sun to rule over the day, for his mercy and loving kindness endures forever. Verse 9, the moon and stars to rule by night, for his mercy and loving kindness endures forever. And in Exodus chapter 15, in verse 11, we see Moses and the Israelites who sang these verses to God in worship singing, Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, glorious in holiness, awesome in splendor, doing wonders? And Job, in chapter 5, verse 8 and 9, declares, As for me, I would seek God and inquire of and require him. And to God I would commit my cause. Verse 9, who does great things and unsearchable, marvelous things without number. Hallelujah. Praise God. Let that sink in, Selah. The wondrous works of God are many, and his thoughts towards us are good, according to King David in Scripture, in Psalms chapter 40, verse 5, which I repeat tells us many oh Lord my God are the wonderful works which you have done your thoughts towards us no one can compare with you if I should declare and speak of them ah they are too many to be numbered when we recall some of the wondrous works of God and thoughts of God towards us we must first think about the wonderful mercy of God himself when he gave life itself to each one of us born into this world God had a particular and outstanding plan for each one of us when he said, and I repeat in Jeremiah 29, verse 11, I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace, and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome. Dear listener, our almighty creator is no respecter of persons in knowing the plan for each and every one of us. Because in the following verse, in verse 12, the word declares he gives the mandate or charge for each and every life, which tells us the first and primary purpose of life. and that is that when you call upon me and you come to me and pray I will hear you and heed you verse 13 then you will seek me inquire for and require me as a vital necessity and find me when you search for me with all of your heart when God designs mercy he puts it into the hearts of his people to pray for mercy in which he designed and he purposed when such a spirit of prayer is poured out it is a sure sign of the coming of God's mercy in his perfect timing we often do not know our own thoughts nor our own minds but God is never at any time uncertain within himself we are sometimes ready to fear that God's purposes and designs concerning us are all against us but he knows differently concerning his own people that there are thoughts of good and not of evil even that which seems evil is designed for good his thoughts are all working towards us And the expected end which he will give comes in due time, and that again is on his own dime. We just learn to be patient and wait for him, just as is stated in Isaiah 30, verse 18, which tells us, Yet the Lord still waits for you to come to him, so he can show you his love. He will conquer you to bless you, just as he said he would. For the Lord is faithful to his promises. Blessed are all those who wait for him to help them. The scripture is one of my favorites, and it shows the extraordinary and awe-inspiring love and patience of our great God. He is a God of justice, and he will do what is right at the right time for each and every true believer since he has promised to bless his people. He will also, after punishing them for their lack of trust and faith, extend his remarkable and astonishing grace in showing compassion to them. So those who long for him will experience his supernatural blessings when their waiting time has come to an end. Verse 19 declares, O people who dwell in Zion and Jerusalem, you will weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. When he hears it, he will answer you. You see, after the many tears that will come, comfort comes in caring. And God will answer their prayers and they will be extremely joyful. Have you, dear believer, ever experienced the love, mercy, and kindness of your loving Father after a time of correction? You knew he was correcting you to bring you back on the path of righteousness, the tried and true path, or we also might say the straight and narrow or narrow way as Jesus taught in Matthew chapter 7 verses 13 and 14 when he said, Enter by the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go by in it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. It is a marvelous wonder of God, who stooped so low to hover over his chosen faithful people, to guard and protect and teach his people after their hardships, their sufferings, and distress, to show his divine love and reveal himself to them again. God calls his people to repent and rest in him for their salvation. He had promised that their quiet trust in him would prove to be their great strength. As their teacher, God would guide them in his moral and ethical behavior and his will. In Isaiah chapter 26, beginning in verse 7, the word tells us, The way of the consistently righteous, those living in moral and spiritual rectitude in every area and relationship of their lives, is level and straight. You, O Lord, who are upright and direct aright and make level the path of the uncompromisingly just and righteous. Yes, in your path of your judgments, O Lord, we wait expectantly for you. Our heartfelt desire is for your name, for the remembrance of you. My soul yearns for you, O Lord, in the night. Yes, my spirit within me seeks you earnestly. For only when your judgments are in the earth will the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness, uprightness, and right standing with God. Dear listener, just think about it. Creator God, the God of all wonders, stoops or condescends very low to guard, to love, and to protect his people. And most of all, he puts his Holy Spirit within each and every one of his own to lead, to guide, and direct them. As their spiritual eyes would see him and their ears will hear his voice correcting their deviations from his path saying, no, don't go that way, go this way. Just think and marvel at the fact that the Almighty God lavishes upon us the divine life with purpose and meaning with an end which the scripture tells us is called eternal life. Eternal life is a priceless treasure and it is a gift of God. this is an absolute wonder of God in the life of a true and genuine Christian who is seeking to know their loving creator in an intimate way not just a superficial way of knowing him by going to church or singing in the choir and a feeling of doing your duty which makes you feel like you have pleased God in these ways and that he must be happy and content with that much of your life? Where is the depth of understanding in that he wants all of your heart, not just a part of it? Mine too. Eternal life is a gift and treasure from God that comes through the blood sacrifice of his dear and precious son, Jesus Christ. And this is not to be taken lightly. eternal life is not to be confused with mere endless existence this is the greatest of all of the wondrous works of God in the purpose of creating mankind Jesus said I have come that they might have life and might have it abundantly in John gospel in John 10 This life is all about Christ in you, Christ in me, the hope of glory, dear ones. It is likened to a birth from above and is dependent upon receiving Jesus Christ as our Savior. Jesus in his generous kindness and mercy and grace gives his Holy Spirit to dwell within his own blood-bought, blood-washed redeemed ones who call him Savior, Master Redeemer and the one that my soul loves you see, he who has the Son has life, he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. 1 John 5, verse 12 Eternal life must not be confused with our natural physical life. Without Christ, this form of life is subject to death and is brought about by humankind. Our lives before Christ were sinful, distorted, and perverse, and all of this was unbeknownst to us. We thought we were just fine, thank you. We avoided God, and even those who would talk about him like they really knew him. And for some, they truly hated God, and they are known as God-haters. But spiritual life has a beginning but no end. The difference is one possessing mere natural physical life without Christ will be eternally separated from God in the lake of fire, whereas the one possessing eternal life in Christ will be united and in fellowship with God for all eternity, which begins in this life right now while on earth. Therefore, separation from God is eternal death but union with God is eternal life The newness of life which the believer is gifted with comes from Christ and him alone It is the very essence and substance of salvation It is the gift of God in Jesus Christ our Lord Romans chapter 6 verse 23 declares But now, since you have been set free from sin and have become the slaves of God you have your present reward in holiness and its end is eternal life for the wages which sin pays is death but the bountiful free gift of God is eternal life through and in union with Jesus Christ our Lord The life in which is in faithful and true Christians on this earth is inseparably connected with the wondrous eternal life beyond and with the endless life of the future with joyful Christians in heaven. Matthew chapter 19 beginning in verse 16 declares And behold there came a man up to him saying Teacher, what excellent and perfectly and essentially good deed must I do to possess eternal life? And he, Jesus, said to him Why do you ask me about the perfectly and essentially good? There's only one who is perfectly and essentially good God and if you would enter into the life you must continually keep the commandments he said to him what sort of commandments or which ones and Jesus answered you shall not kill you shall not commit adultery you shall not steal you shall not bear false witness verse 19 honor your father and mother you shall love your neighbor as yourself verse 29 And also in Matthew chapter 25 beginning in verse 44. And they also answered, Lord when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick in prison and did not help you verse 45 he will reply I tell you the truth whatever you did not for the least of one of these you did not do for me verse 46 and they will go away to eternal punishment but the righteous to eternal life You see, this life in Jesus Christ is the most wondrous of all the spiritual wonders over all of God's physical creations, which include the magnificent and complex creation of the human body and every one of the seven wonders of the world, just to mention a few. how wonderful is life in Jesus Christ our Savior and the lover of our souls what jealous care we must have dear listener in guarding it every moment of the day as we talk about the wonders of God that are many and magnificent we see another one of these absolute God-given abilities given to mankind, which is our life with five awesome senses. And one is life with the capacity of knowing and meaning. And two is life with its ability and responsiveness to loving or having ambitions and hopefulness of achieving. and three is life with its impressive sense of duty and responsibility and affections and hopes which soar by faith towards God in heaven. Dear one, this is a treasure that makes the weakest individual the possessor of boundless wealth in Jesus Christ. as we have considered these wondrous works of God in creation in revelation that he so graciously provides and the most wondrous work of all called the salvation of sinful man which are just a few of his countless astounding and mind-boggling works our hearts should be filled with praise for our God and Savior who alone has the power to begin and maintain these wondrous works. God's purpose regarding his wondrous works can never be frustrated or disappointed by men or devils. We must agree and have faith with the word of God in Ecclesiastes 3.14, which declares, I know that whatever God does, it endures forever. Nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. And God does it so that men will reverently fear him, revere and worship him, knowing that he is. As we have considered the wondrous works of God, the depravity of the sinfulness of man becomes painfully apparent in contrast to God's holy and righteous way to gain the promised end which is called eternal life. Sinful men have always tried to corrupt and pervert the wondrous work of God. Men have always tried to rob and to pervert the glory of God and the honor that is due him and him alone and to defile his holy name and to defile the wondrous works of creation and his divine revelation and his salvation which lead to eternal life which is the most glorious of God's magnificent wonders the heart of sinful man has always been set upon evil in an attempt to dethrone God and to reject his sovereignty and his authority We must conclude with the writer of Ecclesiastes chapter 7 verse 29. Behold, this is the only reason for it that I have found. God made man upright, but they, men and women, have sought out many devices for evil. Dear listener, if God has been pleased to reveal truth of his wondrous works to your mind and your heart, respond every day with a life filled with thankfulness, with service to God, and with divine adoration and worship to him. If God has opened your eyes to the truth of creation, if he has blessed you with comprehension of his revelation, if he has graced you with the gift of salvation, and if he has placed within you his deep love and drive to be faithful to the end, lift up your voice in praise and adoration to the Most High God who loved you with the love that went to the cross to have you love him with all of your heart, your soul, your mind, your whole being. Hear and obey the admonishment of the author of these wondrous works in Ecclesiastes 12, verse 13, which states, Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. let us always be grateful in acknowledging God the God of mercies hallelujah be grateful and thankful for the divine works of God's mercy and will inspire us to be workers of good just as our example Jesus Christ who did the work of his father who sent him to the earth let us example him in everything that we do and lastly Let the grateful review of the wondrous works of God towards us produce in us not only the works of thankfulness, but thoughts of his mercy, his love and kindness in what he has done for us and the plans that he has for each of us and every life of all those who have come to him and are faithful to the very end. Hallelujah. Praise be to our wonderful and faithful creator who loves us with an everlasting love. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.