Posted January 2, 1999
"MIRACLES COME IN CANS"
Philippians 4:13
If you have your Bibles turn with me to Phil. 4:13 as we talk today about "Miracles Come In Cans" How many of you know that miracles are exciting --- let me see your hands? There was a man who was told by his doctor that he only had 6 months to live and the man asked his doctor, "Is there a miracle cure? Is there anything I can do?" The doctor said, "Yes, first you give all your earthly possessions to the poor. Then you move to a shack way out in the woods. Then you marry a woman that has 9 small children." And the man looked at the doctor and said, "Will this give me more time?" The doctor said, "No. But it will make your last six months on earth the longest you've ever lived in your life."
Many of you here today desperately need a miracle. I want you to understand that our God is the God of miracles and the Book that I hold in my hand is the Book of Miracles. If you take the miracles out of this Book, it is no longer a book. Jesus Christ had a ministry of miracles. He was born miraculously. He lived miraculously. He healed the blind, the lame and the leper. He touched the untouchable and He forgave the unforgivable.
I challenge you in Jesus name, not to let fear and doubt and skepticism keep you from the miracle that God has for you. Listen to what I am about to say. When you want something you've never had, you have to try something you've never tried. Many of you need a miracle, you've never had one. TODAY, I WANT YOU TO TRY WHAT YOU HAVE NEVER TRIED, belief in God. Have faith in God. Nothing is impossible with Christ. Learn to live without limitations, in the power of God and once you learn that, you'll never be the same. Read with me if you will, this verse, that many of you know by heart, "I can do all things thru Christ which strengtheneth me".
What is a miracle? Webster defines a miracle "as the extraordinary event demonstrating the power of God. That is not a politically correct definition, but that is the Gospel truth. A miracle is the demonstration of the power of God. And I assure you that the world is looking for a demonstration of the power of God. An ounce of demonstration is worth a pound of theology.
Now comes the question on miracles for today, because whole dominations teach that the time of miracles is over. The Bible says that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. That simply means, that what He did by the sea of Galilee He can do in Garrett and DeKalb County. He can do it in Auburn, He can do it in Fort Wayne and He can do it in Indianapolis.
The question is this; "If God intended for miracles to stop and if miracles were suppose to stop with the Apostles, as some teach, why does James, who was the last Apostle, teach in James 5:14-15, "Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up..."
That's a miracle. If the last Apostle was suppose to see the last miracle, why did he teach the church to continue to pray for miracles? Why did Jesus, in His ministry say to His disciples, after He performed a miracle, "greater things than these shall you do" if miracles were suppose to end.
I had a man say to me, "Preacher, I don't believe in miracles". I said, "You will when you need one." He said, "Where do you find them." I said, "Miracles come in cans." He looked at me and said, "What do you mean?" The Bible says, "I CAN do all things thru Christ."
When you go to the supermarket every product known to man can be found in a CAN. Big cans, little cans, peaches, oranges, everything you can eat. Hair spray and deodorant are found in cans.
One lady who was late for church one Sunday morning, dressing in a hurry got her cans mixed up. She put hair spray under her arms and deodorant in her hair. She couldn't get her hair up or her arms down.
Wouldn't it be wonderful to walk into a supermarket and buy 3 cans of miracles. I am going to give you more than that absolutely free. You can do all things thru Christ. You can have a better marriage thru Christ. The scars, the pain, the agony of the past can be healed. You can say, "I can do ALL things". I can be set free from alcohol. I can be set free from cigarettes. I can be set free from drugs. I can recover from bankruptcy. I can be healed of the dreaded disease thru Christ. I can be delivered from anger and from resentment, and from rejection.
I can smile again. I can laugh again. I can climb this impossible mountain. I can walk thru the valley of the shadow of death and thru this agonizing moment to experience the grace of God. I CAN do all things, because the Lord Almighty is with me and He is in me -- And greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world.
You need to develope the I CAN mentality in your family. God, our Father has told every one of His children, "Nothing is impossible for you." I want you to learn to live without limitations. And when you live in that dimension, then you become a different person, at home and on your job.
I ask you a question. What would you attempt to do with your life, if you knew you couldn't fail. When you begin to answer that, God has already said, "Nothing is impossible to those that believe." God is saying, "Live without limitations."
Remember, when you want something that you've never had, you have to do something you've never done. Have faith in God. He can save you, He can heal you. He can deliver you. He can give you joy unspeakable and full of glory. He can give you peace that passeth understanding.
Here are 3 things that destroy the miracle mentality. Public enemy #1 to every miracle is FEAR. David said, "I will fear no evil for thou art with me." Jesus said, "Fear not, I am the first and the last, I am He that was dead, behold I am alive forever more." Paul said, "God has not given us a spirit of fear."
If anything is in your life that is fearful, it did not come from God. Why are you afraid? The angels of God are in front of you and they are behind you, God Almighty is within you. Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. If God be for us, who can be against us. With all of that fire power, why are you afraid?
We fear the past. Why? Read my lips. Your past is over. Isn't that profound? Your past is over. There is not one page in the Bible that says God inter-structures your future around your past. In fact, Scriptures tell us that God, Himself cannot remember your past when it's bathed in the blood of Jesus Christ.
If God has forgotten and forgiven your past, YOU DO IT!
The 2nd thing we fear is criticism. Listen to this. Jesus never wasted a minute of His time responding to His critics. Critics are like white vinegar. Cheap and sour. White vinegar comes from grapes, as does precious juice. The quality of the grape determines weather it is going to be vinegar or precious juice. Bitter as gual, or precious to the taste. Critics in the church, in your family, in the media, are disappointed and frustrated people who didn't have the substance to make it and so they attack people who are making it. That's a critic.
A third thing that stops miracles is intellectual idolatry. Better known as doubt. The Bible says, "Have faith in God." Repeat that, "Have faith in God". The Bible says, "Without faith it is impossible to please God. Faith is starting out before you know how it's going to turn out.
Faith does not demand miracles, faith creates miracles. John the Revelator said, "These are those that God will throw personally into the lake of fire. The doubters and the unbelieving. God has a special heartburn for people who doubt Him. In I-Samuel 15:23 the Bible says, "Stubbornest is as idolatry." The question is, who is a stubborn person? The answer is, "A stubborn person is one who will not change his mind, even when he has been exposed to the truth, such as the Word of God."
Why? Because your thoughts, opinions rate more with you than the Word of God. Therefore, your thoughts and your opinions are your gods. The Bible says in Proverbs 3:5, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart & lean not on your own understanding" Listen to the back half of the verse, "And this will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones."
Do you want abundance, "give and it shall be given unto you". The day is going to come when all that you have is what you have given to God. Giving is the only proof that you have conqueror greed. There is no prosperity without tithing. Give, and it shall be given unto you.
A man said to his wife, "I have nothing but praise for our new minister." She said, "I noticed when the offering plate came by."
Do you want to be healed? James 5:14 says, "Is there any sick among you let them call for the elders of the church, let them anoint them with oil, let them pray the prayer of faith and the Lord shall raise them up."
Miracles are the only thing that can happen when you meet God's conditions. Listen to this. When you put water into an ice cube tray and put it in a freezer. The water is not in there saying, "Oh, dear God turn me to ice." It is the only thing that can happen if you put water into a area where the temperature is less than 32 degrees and leave it, it will become ice. There are spiritual laws and there are physical laws. And if you keep physical laws, certain things will happen. And if you keep spiritual laws, it is not a wonder that a miracle happens, it is the only thing that can happen.
Here are the Bible conditions for miracles. #1. The confession of all know sin. #2. The Bible says, "Beloved, I wish above all things that you prosper and be in good health, even as your soul prospers. God wants you to have good health. Ex. 15:25 the God of the children of Israel said, "If you will obey me I will put none of these diseases upon you which I have brought upon the Egyptians. God says, One, I control diseases and 2, I am the God that heals.
A miracle is on its way if you will but reach out and touch the hem of His garment, NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE TO THOSE THAT BELIEVE. The healing power of God is activated by the Word of God. Proverbs 3:8, is a very powerful verse of Scripture, it says, "Son, forget not my word for length of days and long life shall it add unto you, it shall be health to thy navel (listen to that word) and morel to thy bones."
The navel is the point of connection between the fetus and the body of the mother. It is the source of life. And the morel is the point in the bones where your red blood cells are reconstructed and your physical health is restored. This verse of Scripture says, "the Word of God is the very beginning of life, and the morel, it is the source of restoration of life."
The 3rd principle is, you cannot earn your healing. Your healing was paid for at Calvary.
The 4th principle is, you must act on your faith. Jesus said to the man at the pool of Bethesda, "Pick up your bed and walk." Do something. He said to another man, "Stretch out your withered hand." Do something.
Moses, put your foot in the Red Sea. Do something. Elijah, put 12 barrels of water on the sacrifice. Do Something. Start exercising your faith. Because the more you exercise it the more it will grow.
The lastly is to denounce the kingdom of darkness. Deliverance and healing go together like spring and sunshine. We have power over the prince of darkness, over all evil spirits and I'm going to tell you something, America is quickly becoming an occult nation. Your children are watching occult movies and they are being taught in our local schools and schools across the nation occult material.
"Pumsy the dragon" is the occult being taught with a cute puppet and the new age worship. Meditate, think on the rainbow, chant, mud-mind, clear-mind, sparkle mind. They are taught not to tell parents, so if you have never heard of it, that's the reason why. Check into it. It is here in Garrett.
The good news is, "I can thru Christ cast the evil out of my life."
When you want something you've never had, you have to try something you've never tried. Try Jesus He never fails.
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