Good to see you all here fought out, fought the cold and the snow. But as we come to the start of the service, shall we pray? Lord, we want to thank you that you reveal yourself in all of creation, the wonder, the beauty, Lord, just how you show your majesty and your power in all of creation. And we wanna thank you for that. We wanna thank you for today. Thank you for all that you've been saying and all that you've been doing. And Lord, we come again this evening seeking you again. Lord, we think of families, Lord, health issues. Lord, we think of Maxine who's fallen. We think of Eileen, Lord, with her health issues and the battle she's facing at the minute. We just wanna pray. Would your spirit draw near to them both? Lord, would you make your presence known beside them and in them and over them? Would you be real to them at this moment? Well, we wanna thank you that your word is old yet ever new. There's always something for us, and so we ask that through the worship and through the word that you would speak to us this evening, and we would leave this place, not just having great fellowship and great worship, but knowing that we've been in your presence and you have spoken to us, amen. Good evening, it really is good to see you and I mean that because you've made an effort to get out here this evening and the weather conditions and so we really appreciate you being here. There's a rumour and I want to stop it immediately before we go any further, the Deacons have not challenged everybody to a snowball fight after the service and I trust that you will be able to get home safely. Now, there's no tea this evening. We thought with the weather, people would be keen just to get away quickly. Also, we were to start the new year with prayer meetings on Monday and Tuesday. Now, we don't know what the weather's going to be like, so we've decided to push those back to Thursday and Friday. from half past seven. So Thursday and Friday prayer meeting for the church for the new year. We would love to see the prayer room filled, people who want to see the Lord do great things in the new year. Wednesday Ladies Fellowship having their first meeting of the new year at half past seven. Catherine Campbell will be giving an epilogue and everyone is invited and do try and bring a friend along and there's a little card on the display board at the back, take that and hand it out to friends, try and get them to come along for a time of fellowship and a cup of tea. Again, we don't know what the weather's going to be like, so if there's any change in that, it'll be on the church website or Facebook page. Next Sunday, the pastor will be speaking at both of our services, that's 11 in the morning and six in the evening. Can I remind you that we are having special training for those working with young folk in the 17th of January from 10 to 3. That's a Saturday. There are other churches coming so we need to know how many are coming so we can provide tea. If you bring your lunch we'll give you a cup of tea. So it's open to all especially to those who are working with young people in the church. These are all the announcements and of course they're all made God willing. I'd just like to welcome you again to this evening's service. It was hard getting here, so it was. I know it was for us. But we're going to start this evening with the goodness of God. And this is one of my favorites because it does talk about how God is so good to us. And just at this time of year, whenever we're reflecting on the old year and the new year that's about to come, I'm sure we could all say of many things that God has done in our lives that are good. So we'll all stand to sing the goodness of God. Thank you. you We're going to stay standing and we're going to sing I Stand Amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene. Yes, Lord, it's true. Make space, make space. Sorry, excuse me. So this last one that we're going to sing, you may not sing, well we don't sing it very often actually because it's to the tune of Auld Lang Syne and we tend only to sing Auld Lang Syne once a year. So we're going to sing All Glory Be to Christ, which is something that as believers we can really sing with all our heart. All Glory Be to Christ, the one who has saved us, the one who has redeemed us and the one who has promised that one day we will be with him in heaven. So this is to the tune of Auld Lang Syne and So if you've never sung the song before, you definitely know the tune. We're also going to lift the offering at this time as well, but please don't panic if you haven't come prepared. Absolutely fine. Thank you. We'll just remain seated. Let's just give thanks for the offering before our pastor comes. Father God in heaven we come to you tonight and we just want to exalt your name. We thank you that we want to sing and we can sing all glory be to Christ the one who will rule and the one who will reign forevermore. Lord we just praise your name tonight Lord and we really want to just exalt you and lift you high We adore you and we thank you for everything that you have done for us and Lord we come and we bring this offering to you tonight Lord and we just consider over the past year the many many blessings the many times that you have just poured out your blessing on each and every one of us, Father. And we just pray that you will take this offering tonight, Lord, and you will bless it, you will multiply, Lord, and you will use it to spread the message of your name to those who do not know you. For it's in your name that we ask all these things, giving you praise, honor, and glory. Amen. Good evening. This evening will be a little bit different as such unlike this morning when we were in quite a heavy subject but we laid the foundations. Tonight we're gonna have a bit more of a subjective look in the sense of how does scripture apply to us or how does it affect us or what does it make us think. If you want a title for this evening, it's gonna be A Walking Miracle. walking miracle. So what I would like you to do is look at the person next to you and I want you to think you're a walking miracle. So, nope, I refuse. Excellent. Let's just pray and then we'll read from John chapter nine. Let's just pray. Lord, we wanna thank you that, Lord, all honor and glory are yours. This truth that you have inspired is flawless, it's perfect. Lord, as we read your word this evening, may it thrill our hearts and may you speak to each one of us. Amen. So we're gonna read from John chapter nine, John chapter nine verses one to seven. Again, I just love this passage, but we're not gonna really spend a lot of time unpacking it per se, because we're gonna have a quick skim through a lot of the gospel of John this evening. So John chapter nine, starting at verse one through to verse seven. And the Word of God says this, now as Jesus passed by, he saw a man who was blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, neither. This man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. I must work the works of him who sent me while it is day. The night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. When he had said this, When he had said these things, he span on the ground and made clay with his saliva. And he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. And he said to him, go wash in the pool of Siloam. which is translated sin. So he went and washed and came back seeing. Tonight, we're gonna have a quick look through what John does in a lot of the miracles, what John says about Christ in a lot of the miracles. Now, generally, we are creatures, we copy, we seek to mimic in many ways. I remember hearing an evangelist saying, aren't you glad that Christ healed people differently, or we could have the Church of the Holy Spittle? You know, if we copied, I mean, it's not a very, we would say it's not very hygienic to this day and age. But Christ healed a man born blind. Now, there's a whole theology thing in there, who sinned, him or his parents. We're not really gonna unpack it because what I wanna really look at is this man as a walking miracle. Could you just picture it, when he walked, I don't know if he walked away or he was led away to the pool, to Walsh, he was blind, he'd been blind from birth, he had been begging by the side, because blind people, sick people, they weren't part of the community, they couldn't hold down a job, they begged. And so you just picture him being led away to Walsh, a man born blind and yet he walks back saying, You just picture him, look at something and go, oh, that's what you look like. All right then. It'll be the first time he's ever seen them. He's heard their voice. He knows who they are because the sound of their voice, but he's never seen them. And so this man is a walking miracle. You almost hear the people cry, it's a miracle. He can see. Now today, We don't like the word miracle, or it's not a familiar word. When I was growing up, when something happened out of the ordinary, we would say, oh, it's a miracle. We would use that word. But in today's age, we think science can explain everything, up until we find the thing that science can't explain, and yet we still find it hard to say it's a miracle, because in our day and age today, we want to shut God out. We want to remove all the supernatural from our world, and so we can't bring ourselves these days to say miracle, because that will invoke someone from outside us doing a work Miracle is an extraordinary event often seen as a divine intervention defying natural laws or suspending natural laws to produce a certain outcome. That's what a miracle is. If you look up a dictionary, that's what they would describe a miracle as. Again, it says, a miracle is an extraordinary event, often seen as a divine intervention, defying natural laws or suspending natural laws to produce a certain event, like healing the sick or a miraculous escape from threat or disaster. So what we're actually gonna be looking at is, and I believe, as I was thinking and praying through for this evening, that each and every follower of Christ, believer, I wanna use the word follower because every Christian should be a follower of Christ. He invites us to follow him, to live out his life in front of other ones. So every follower of Christ is a walking miracle. I don't know if you've ever thought about that. When you look at yourself in the mirror, now don't go home and go, wow, I'm a walking miracle. That's not the point. The point is, because of what Christ has done in your life, and I stress it's what Christ has done in your life, you are a walking miracle. It's a supernatural act. God has broken in time and space your world and done something in your life which has produced you as a walking miracle. And all glory and honor does not go to you, it goes to God, and it goes to Christ. He is the one who's done the work. He is the one who's transformed your life, just like he's transformed this man's life. We're not even told his name, but we know We know his testimony, I was blind but now I see. It's great testimony to have, which I believe every Christian should be able to say, I was blind but now I see. God has given us back our sight. Where sin and the God of this age will blind us, He gives us back our sight. He takes off that darkness. He takes off that blindfold. He takes off that thing which obscures our sight and we should be able to see. Now, I don't want to get ahead of myself. What I do wanna look is go through a good bit of the gospel of John, picking out miracles and seeing what we can learn from it. Because I believe, John, as I do believe in all of the scriptures, God has put what we need in here, as I said, for faith and for life, and therefore everything that he has inspired to be in his word is there for us for a purpose that we may, hear, read, learn, and absorb the truth, live the truth, read the truth, that our lives may be changed to reveal Him. So we're going to have a quick fly-through part of the Gospel of John under the auspice of a walking miracle. Okay, so the first thing I want us to think about is if you really wanted to, you could turn to John chapter two, verses one to 11. John chapter two, verses one to 11. All you Bible scholars will already know that that is where Christ turns the water into wine. That's the wedding at Cana. And it's fascinating here why this isn't a healing, it is indeed a miracle. It shouldn't surprise us, because we see water being turned into wine every year, don't we? It normally takes a bit longer. You know, rain has to come, grapes has to come, somebody has to pick them. It normally takes a bit of longer process, but it's not unusual, but it's still a miracle the way Christ did it. The servants fill up these big jars full of water, and when they go to pour it out, it's turned into wine, the best wine. Okay, wine, I mean, it's the best wine, as we're told in this passage. But it's fascinating when you read this. There's some key points I want us to bring out. That this passage, this miracle, John 2, verses 1 to 11, is not about water being turned into wine. It's not even about a wedding at Cana. It's about God's glory. Christ has said, and I find it fascinating when he says in verse 11, he said, sorry, John writes, this is the beginning of the signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee and manifested or revealed his glory. I want you to think about this for a moment, if you will, and I've pondered on this. For 30 years, Christ has lived among them. He's worked as a carpenter, he's learned the skill, he's made chairs and tables, he's interacted with people, and when he starts his ministry, and he's at this wedding, time of celebration, bit of a calamity, they run out of wine, and his mother goes, just do what he says. But he cries to her and he says, woman, my time has not yet come. And I believe it was because he knew that the minute he acted here, his glory would be seen, his glory would be on show, the glory of the one and only God on show. And from that point on, things would not be the same. And John writes in verse 11, this is when he manifested or he revealed his glory. It's almost like he was saying, guys, God is here. He revealed his glory. And one of the great things that speaks to me when I think about this miracle is this, that when people look at me or when I'm talking to them about what God has done in my life, not what I have done, it's not about me, or it's not about us personally, But as I live in cooperation with Christ and I follow Christ and I live out His word and His teaching, what Christ does in me should reveal the glory of God. People should see God in us. His glory should be on show. And that's the wonderful thing here. This passage, let's move beyond the wine, and let's move beyond the wedding, and let's move beyond how Christ speaks to his mom, and how big the jars were. I've heard sermons and all of those things, but let's look at the fact that John says it was from this point on that he reveals his glory. So as a walking miracle, And I mean that in the most reverent sense, that God took me, someone who was far away from him, separated from him, I lived my life the way I wanted to live my life, and he forgave me of all the things I've done wrong, and he transformed me, and he gave me the spirit of adoption, by which I cry, Abba, fuf, fuf, fuf. when his glory should be seen in me and in you as a walking miracle. Because it's all about God. It's all about his glory. It's all about how he reveals the power of God, the transformative power of God. Not just a one-off deal, a daily transforming, daily transforming. I don't want to burst anybody's bubble, But you're not gonna be perfect until you see Christ, okay? So let's put that out there, okay? I know some people think they're almost close to perfect, but as Paul says, God's gonna continue his work until the day of Christ Jesus, when we see Christ face to face. Then that work will be finished. Up until then, we're not quite that perfect. We still need God to reveal his glory in us and work in us. And this is the great thing about this first miracle, this first supernatural intervention, it's about the revelation of God, who God is. Your life as a walking miracle is all about who God is and what God has done in you and for you. The second miracle we want to look at, very quick, is all about the authority. We get to John chapter four. John chapter four, verses 46 to 53. John chapter four, verses 46 to 53. And again, he came to Cana in Galilee. Okay, we're back in the same area again. And we're told that this royal official or this nobleman, depends on the translation, comes up to Christ and said that his son was sick at Capernaum, his son was dying. The son was sick and he had come and asked Christ, because he heard that Christ turned water into wine. He knew Christ could do miracles, and so he had come to ask Christ to heal his son. The interesting thing about this is that Christ doesn't go with him. Again, Christ doesn't go. He sends him, he says, your son will get well. Your son will not die. In fact, he goes on to say this, He says in verse 48, he says, Christ said to him, unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe. Our world is no different to the first century world. We chase after the miraculous and the signs and the wonders. Everybody wants a bit of the miraculous. And yet, Christ says, you won't believe until you, unless you have these signs. But he doesn't go with a man. He just says, go, your son won't die. And it says that as he goes home, as he's on his way home, a servant comes and he says, your son is well. And he goes, when did he get well? And the passage says he had figured out that it was at the exact same time that Christ had told him his son would not die. See, here's the deal with this passage. Here is what I want to bring out, and it's always an element of authority. Christ's miracles were not so much about, look at me, I'm God, but to demonstrate the sovereignty, the authority that he had over the natural world. And he still has that, and he still operates in that way. That's why I pray what I pray, and I look for God to do great and big things, because I serve a great and big God. And I'm not going to tell him what he can't do, because he is God. I'm open for God to do whatever he wants to do, and to display his authority in whichever way he wants. And this is a great passage that as people look at me and as they look at us, do they not only see God's glory, but do they see God's authority? That we submit ourselves to a higher authority. I often, there's many times in the New Testament I wish I could have been. And one of them is when Peter is before the Sanhedrin. It's just after Pentecost, they've been preaching, there's been a lot of people saved, and they turn around and they go, we're not gonna do anything to you. We're gonna let you go, but don't preach in the name of Christ anymore. And they went, no chance. We're gonna go out and we're gonna preach. That's my loose translation, okay? They feared God more than they feared man. And I think many times we have to understand that we serve a God who sits enthroned above the circle of the earth. He has the authority to do whatever he wants. He's sovereign. He is king. And whatever he says will happen, it will happen. Just think. He made you a promise, just like He made me a promise. And He said, if you come to Christ, you will be saved. And each one of us who have followed Christ, we can look back and go, from that point on, I became a walking miracle because Christ's authority was revealed in the power of the blood to cleanse me from all the wrong things I have done. So we've got His glories on show. We've got His authority that is on show. And then we want to jump to chapter 5. John chapter 5 verses 1 through to 10. John chapter 5 verses 1 through to 10. And this is the man who got healed at the pool. You remember he's crippled? He's in there and Christ walks in. And I've been to many healing conferences and this is the one passage they won't really speak on because as far as we know, all that's recorded is Christ heals one person and walks out and leaves everybody else there. We don't know how many, if he healed anybody else. It's not recorded for us, but we do know he healed one person there. And he goes in and he's speaking to this man. And he's saying, you know, why aren't you healed? Why can't you get into the pool? And he says, because I have no one there to help me. And as soon as I'm just about to get into the waters, somebody else gets in before me and they're healed and I'm still here and I've been here for years and I can't get healed. I love this because here we see that God interacts with us in our situations, wherever we are, whatever we're wrestling with, struggling with, rejoicing with, walking through, Christ is there with us and he's there with this man. He's there with this man. He's there with this man in his pain, in his disappointment, in his frustration. Dreschen because he's been there for years. He's with this man in his abandonment because he's got no one to help him. And Christ is there. But notice what Christ says. Pick up your mat, go home. He heals the man. He heals the man, and it's a great thing is, one of the things is, he heals him on a Sabbath, on a Sunday, and that causes all manner of issues. And the great thing is here, you've got him, you've got him not only interacting with us, but he wants to help us at our deepest point of our need, the deepest point of our need. So you got God's glory, you got God's authority, and now he's interacting with someone on a personal level. John 5, verses eight and nine says, the healing at the pool, get up, pick up your mat, and walk. Pick up your mat and walk, and the religious leaders didn't like it, because it was a Sunday. It was a Sabbath, well, it was a Saturday, it was a Sabbath. And you shouldn't be doing that type of thing. But here is the great truth, that only Christ, only as, if I could be, take it in a very subjective fashion, I don't believe that this is what this passage is saying, but if we follow Christ, if we stand on his truth, this infallible truth as we looked at this morning, as we follow his teachings, he can help us walk right. he can help us walk. Where the world tries to cripple us and keep us down and keep us away from Christ and keep us in the darkness, it is Christ who heals and sets us free to walk as he would have us walk. The next, then we get on to John chapter nine. Again, this man, another healing, we've just read it. Chapter nine, verses one to seven, the man born blind. Jesus helps us through the truth and removes this darkness from our eyes. This man born blind. Here is why it's a walking miracle. All these things, and we're gonna go back a bit more, but here's why. The man's testimony. I don't know who this man is. All I know is I once was blind, but now I see. He wasn't a scholar. He hadn't studied the law. He couldn't go toe-to-toe with the Pharisees or the scribes. In fact, he was being quizzed. He was being interrogated because he got healed. I mean, imagine that. You just get healed and someone goes, oh, I think you were just conning us the whole time. I mean, that's just wrong. And yet this man, he's not a scholar, he's not an intellectual, he's not been trained in the law or in the scriptures, and yet knowing who Christ is, his interaction with Christ, he says, all I know is this, no one has ever opened the eyes of a man born blind. I don't know who he is or what he's like. I don't know if this man's a sinner or not. All I know is I once was blind, but now I see. And those words are important because the minute he could see, he was welcomed back in the community. He could be an active member of the community. He could be an active member of the family again. He could contribute to the community. And this is a great passage here that God not only has his glory on show and his authority authority on show but he interacts with each and every one of us on an intimate level to bring us into community. Every follower of Christ is a walking miracle and we should be revealing Christ to all who would want to see I want us to go to John chapter six. Just go back again. For all you scholars, you'll know that this is the feeding of the 5,000. John chapter six, verses one to 13. We have the feeding of the 5,000. Very well-known passage. But again, I want us to think about this as well. As I was thinking through this, again, It says in verse four, now the Passover, a feast of the Jews was near. The Passover was near. And it never dawned on me before, this time when they remember the provision of deliverance, when they remember the provision of God to act and defeat all these Egyptian so-called gods, when God delivered his people out of slavery, you then have Christ giving bread. giving bread. Of course, he doesn't do it here, I don't think, but he links it with God giving the manna in the wilderness. And he is the bread of life. He himself, he has come down from heaven to feed them. We looked at all this when we seen the I Ams. And so here's the wonderful thing we have in this passage. that He feeds us. We need to feed on Him, eat, not literally as it were, but absorb His truth, spend time in His truth, spend time with Him, listen to Him, talk with Him, let Him engage us in our everyday life. Talk about everything. I remember somebody said, It said to me, you shouldn't pray for a parking spot, because I just don't think Christ is interested. I said, well, I think Christ is interested in my sanctification, so I need a parking spot. You know what I mean? I think we have to be real. God cares about us personally. He knows about our day. He knows about our needs. And he interacts with us on a real personal level, and we need to feed on him. He is the bread of life. He is the bread of life. And so as a walking miracle, his glory is on show. His authority is on show. He interacts with us on a daily, personal level, and he wants to feed with us. He wants us to feed on his truth every day, that we may see right, that we may walk right, that we may live right. The last one I want us to think about very quickly is, again, it's a very well-known one, It's John chapter 11, John chapter 11. Lazarus, Lazarus, what a great guy is Lazarus. I bet you he had some stories to tell people, some truth. John chapter 11, starting at verse 25, and then we'll go down to verse 40 to 44. Verse 25, Christ said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. He said, he who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live. And then verse 40, Jesus said to her, did I not say to you, if you would believe, you would see the glory of God? We're back to the glory of God. Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying, and Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, Father, I thank you that you have heard me, and I know that you always hear me, but because of the people who are standing by, I said this, that they may believe that you have sent me. Now when he had said these things, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. and he who had died came out. What a wonderful passage. Could you picture that testimony? I wonder what Lazarus would say if we had him up for a testimony night. Have you ever thought about these things? But again, we've got down this very specific thing. It is for the glory of God. And it struck me as I was going through the miracles and I was not really trying to look at them from a very, from a very sort of academic fashion or. or theological fashion, but just reading them and taking them in, it fascinated me about how each and every one of the miracles is about the glory of God, the authority of God, the presence of Christ God with us in our everyday life, and how Christ was always there to reveal, reveal the glory of God. I wonder if Lazarus would have said, you know what? I was there, I was minding my own business and all I could hear was, Lazarus! Come forth! He said, I know that voice. I'm gonna go and find out. He said, I walked out and everybody was looking at me. Could you picture his testimony? But you would say, it's a miracle. It's a walking miracle. But here is the deal. We would have no life in us if it was not for Christ. Christ is our life. Is it not Christ who said, I am the resurrection and the life? He is the life giver. He is the one who breathes life into those who are separated from Him. He is the one who breathes into us the spirit of adoption. He is the one who reveals the glory of God. He is the one who sits enthroned above the circle of the earth. He is the one who walks with us through the power of the Holy Spirit on a daily basis. That's why I believe each and every follower of Christ, each and every follower of Christ is a walking miracle. Because you didn't save yourself. And you don't make yourself better. Christ saved us. And Christ works in us on a daily basis to make us more like Him. So, as we've looked at John, a quick scout through part of the Gospel of John, and I've stopped here at chapter 11, because from chapter 12 on, we begin to see heading towards the Passover, heading towards the last week of his life. And here's the wonderful message. As they aim, as they walk towards the cross, which is our only plea, as we said this morning, It's not His broken body, although I thank Him for His broken body, it's His shed blood that saves. As they walk towards the cross, I wonder if people were remembering the man born blind, the man at the pole. I wonder if they were thinking about the bread. I wonder what they were thinking about these miracles, Lazarus, that only in Christ can we have life? Only in Christ can God's glory be seen. And as Christ interacts with us, I pray that as we walk around, as we do our shopping, and as we walk around and go to school or whatever, go to work, that when people look at us, they see the glory of God in us. They see the authority of God. We bow to his authority. We see that he is the truth by which we see. He is the truth by which we stand and we walk. He is our life. Because of him, we are walking miracles. Not because of us, because of him. So as you have looked at one another, And you've said, or you've thought, or you may have said through gritted teeth, I don't know, you are a walking miracle. As a follower of Christ, you are a walking miracle. And your name could be here. If John knew about you, your name could be here. Because God has revealed and wants to reveal his glory in you and through you that others may see him. Amen. We're gonna finish by singing our final hymn, which is one that I forgot. How Great Thou Art. Very fitting when we think about God being, us being a walking miracle because of God, how great He is to do His work in us. through us. So let us stand and sing our final hymn, How Great Thou Art. ♪ I'm always thinking of you ♪ Lord, we want to thank you that we can sing with all honesty, truthfulness, and boldness, how great thou art. Lord, when we think of what our lives could have been like and yet you stepped in and transformed our lives, you made us a walking miracle, you've saved us, you've given us life, you've opened our eyes, you've called us into a relationship with you. One day, when we see you face to face, we will say, how great thou art. Lord, salvation has nothing to do with us and everything to do with you. You were the one who called us by name and gave us life. Lord, we just thank you for this day and we ask that if anything is not being from you, take it away. Leave that wonderful truth that comes only from you. And may we be overwhelmed with thankfulness and joy that you have done such a work in us for your glory. Take us to our home safely and bring us back again to worship your most beautiful name. Amen. you