LEAD THE WAY
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4. Doing The Stuff - 1

CONNECT

  • Connect through care, prayer and loving accountability for previous “I will …” statements

DISCOVER

WORDS AND WORKS

John 14:6-14 (NLT)

6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. 7 If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!”

8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”

9 Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me. 11 Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do.

12 “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. 13 You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. 14 Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!”

  • What stands out to you?

  • “If you can’t believe my words, at least believe my works.” What role do works (miracles) play in coming to faith in Jesus?

Hebrews 2:3-4 (CSB)

3 This salvation had its beginning when it was spoken of by the Lord, and it was confirmed to us by those who heard him. 4 At the same time, God also testified by signs and wonders, various miracles, and distributions of gifts from the Holy Spirit according to his will.

  • Show & Tell or Tell & Show

WHAT STUFF (Works)?

  • Healings, deliverances, prophetic leadings, nature miracles (calming the storm, feeding the 5,000), spiritual gifts, acts of kindness & compassion, etc

HOW DID JESUS DO THE STUFF?

The most common answer to the HOW is in the WHO. Because Jesus is the Son of God, the second Person of the Trinity, what do you expect? Jesus performed His miracles because of WHO He is—God.

But is there more to it than that? Surely, Jesus is fully God but He is also fully human. And there is no doubt that Jesus’ miracles reveal the glory of His identity as the Son of God. For example, consider these passages:

John 2:11 (NIV)

What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

Mark 4:39,41 (NIV)

39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. 41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

Matthew 14:32-33 (NIV)

32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

But does the WHO fully explain the HOW? Consider these passages:

John 5:16-20 (NIV)

16 So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him. 17 In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” 18 For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. 19 Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does.”

  • How did Jesus do the stuff?

Luke 4:14-21 (NIV)

14 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. 15 He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.

16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
    and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,

19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

Acts 10:36-38 (NLT)

36 This is the message of Good News for the people of Israel—that there is peace with God through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37 You know what happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee, after John began preaching his message of baptism. 38 And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

  • Why do we read of Jesus only doing miracles after His baptism?

  • How did Jesus do the stuff?

  • Through His partnership with His Father (communion & obedience)

  • Through His empowerment by the Spirit (filling)

WHY DID JESUS DO THE STUFF?

That’s HOW Jesus did the stuff. Now WHY did He do the stuff?

Matthew 9:35-36 (NLT)

35 Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

  • Why did Jesus do the stuff?

Matthew 12:28 (NIV)

If it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

  • Why did Jesus do the stuff?

John 20:30-31 (NIV)

30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

  • Why did Jesus do the stuff?

  1. To show His compassion for people

  2. To bring the Kingdom of God through word and deed

  3. To reveal His identity as the Messiah and the Son of God and to bring about faith and life in His name

  4. Other?

  • React to this quote from Robby Dawkins in IDENTITY THEFT: Exposing Satan’s Plan to Steal Your Purpose, Passion and Power, pp. 77-78

Jesus did not come to earth as a human being just to show us what He could do as the Son of God. According to the second chapter of Philippians, He set aside His “God powers” and came as a normal human being, empowered by the Holy Spirit. Jesus came to restore the lost dominion that was given away by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. In other words, He did not come to show us what HE could do, but rather to show us what WE can do as human beings operating in our restored identity.

HOW AND WHY CAN WE DO THE STUFF?

Obviously, we’re not divine like Jesus. But we are still called to do the stuff!

John 20:21-22 (NIV)

21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on [literally INTO] them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

  • How and why can we do what Jesus did?

Luke 9:1 (NIV)

When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases.

  • How and why can we do what Jesus did?

John 14:12 (NLT):

I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.

Acts 3:16 (NLT)

Through faith in the name of Jesus, this man was healed—and you know how crippled he was before. Faith in Jesus’ name has healed him before your very eyes.

  • How and why can we do what Jesus did?

Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)

18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

  • How and why can we do what Jesus did?

How and why can we do what Jesus did?

  1. By the commission of Jesus to carry on His mission (obedience)

  2. Through the empowerment of the Spirit (including His spiritual gifts)

  3. Through faith in Jesus

  4. Through the power and authority given to us by Jesus

  5. Through the presence of and our partnership with Jesus

  6. To bring glory to Jesus. 

  7. To express His Kingdom in word and deed.

  8. To lead people to faith in Jesus

  9. Other?

  • React to this quote from J.P. Moreland from WWJD: How Could Jesus Do Miracles? 

It never occurred to me that this belief that Jesus' miracles were done out of His deity—was false, nor did I see any problems for the life of discipleship brought about because of the belief. But false it was. And it was harmful in a subtle sort of way. I believed that most of what Jesus did in the Gospels—especially the supernatural works—were done out of His deity. Therefore, most of His actions (healings and so on) were simply irrelevant for me—a mere mortal. So I ended up with a Jesus whose teachings I followed and whose "ordinary" actions of loving the needy, praying, living a holy, sacrificial life and so forth I sought to imitate, but that was it.

I never really tried to heal someone in the authority of the Kingdom as He did, to cast out demons as He did, and to be a vehicle for the Spirit to use to speak prophetically to someone else. I really had to fiddle with John 14:12, which promises that Jesus' followers would do greater works than He because He was leaving. In truth, I didn't know what to do with it.

J.P. Moreland from How Did Jesus Train?

Jesus [however] lived and acted as a human being filled with the Holy Spirit in dependence on His Father’s leading. Throughout His incarnation, he voluntarily refrained from employing his divine nature (Philippians 2:5-11). He thereby becomes a real example for us to follow.

  • React to this quote from Randy Fisk in The Presence, Power and Heart of God, p. 26

Instead of one person, Jesus—speaking His powerful words and doing His awesome works—suddenly Jesus begins to act via the Holy Spirit through every believer. This initiates what has to be one of the devil’s worst nightmares: instead of one Jesus at work, there are now millions and millions of “Jesuses” walking around, doing what He did!

THE WIFF AWARD

  • Faith is spelled R-I-S-K

  • Faith is spelled T-R-Y

  • Obedience is always success

STORIES

  • Let’s share some stories of doing the stuff.

LIVE / LEAD

  • What did you discover in this training session?

  • What is your “I will …” statement flowing from this training?

PRAY

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  • Doing the Stuff - 1