Miracle on SermonAudio

Luke 8:49-56. While Jesus is still speaking to the woman healed of her twelve-year issue of blood, word comes from Jairus's house: "Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the Teacher anymore." The messenger is not cruel, only reasonable; everyone assumes death is a boundary past which a healer is useless. Jesus answers before Jairus can speak: "Do not fear, only believe, and she will be made well." That is not a command to manufacture enough faith to power a miracle, a works-righteousness of the emotions that crushes grieving people; it is a command to keep walking beside Him to the house. Faith here is not a feeling but a direction. At the house Jesus clears the room, keeping only Peter, James, John, and the parents, refusing to build a following on spectacle. The mourners' derisive laughter is not an embarrassment to the account but its evidence: Luke, the careful physician, insists everyone knew the child was dead, and records that her spirit returned, which presupposes it had departed. So when Jesus calls her sleeping, He is not correcting a misdiagnosis; He is reaching for Scripture's own idiom for death, from "slept with his fathers" through Daniel 12:2 and Lazarus, and announcing what He means to do about it, because sleepers wake. Where Elijah and Elisha stretched themselves out and prayed, Jesus simply says, "Child, arise," the voice of Genesis 1, and then asks that she be fed, because resurrection restores an ordinary, hungry body. Two guardrails: sleep is a word about the body, not the soul, so soul sleep fails; and sleep does not make death small, it makes it temporary. Jairus asked Jesus to beat death to his house; he received far more.

This is one of the great stories of the Bible - about God! The faith of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego is in the God Who is able to save - whether He chooses to so in this situation or not. The actual miracle of sparing their lives from the furnace is a mere bonus. The truth about God is that He is able and willing to save His people.

Matthew 11:28 "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." King James Version

What are spiritual gifts, and how are they different from natural talents? In 1 Corinthians 12:8–11, Paul reveals the variety of gifts the Holy Spirit gives to Christ's church—abilities empowered by God to serve others and advance His kingdom. In this sermon, Pastor Robb Brunansky continues examining the gifts of the Spirit, focusing on faith, healings, and the workings of miracles. He considers what the gift of faith means, whether the gifts of healing and miracles continue today, and how Christians should understand God's miraculous work. While the apostolic sign gifts served a unique purpose in authenticating God's messengers and their message, Christians still worship a sovereign, miracle-working God who hears prayer, accomplishes His purposes, and works powerfully through His people.

This sermon examines the miracle of Jesus raising the widow's son in Nain to reveal His compassionate nature and divine authority. The preacher emphasizes that Christ sees human sorrow intimately and possesses the power to overcome death through His word, not merely as a prophet but as the Son of God. While the crowd recognized a great prophet, the text calls believers to see Jesus as the Savior who conquers eternal death. The message encourages the congregation to rest in Christ's empathy during trials and to fix their faith on His resurrection power rather than temporary signs. Ultimately, the sermon urges listeners to acknowledge Jesus' true identity and find hope in the promise of their own future resurrection.

Pastor Brian's sermon contrasts the Christian call to self-sacrifice with the natural human tendency toward self-promotion, using Jesus' prediction of his crucifixion and the disciples' request for positions of honor as primary examples. It highlights how Jesus demonstrated true greatness by submitting to betrayal, scourging, and death to serve humanity, thereby reversing worldly values where the last become first. The message challenges believers to abandon the desire for status and control, which stems from the old nature, and instead adopt a humble, servant's heart that seeks the needs of others, particularly the marginalized. By examining the healing of two blind beggars, the text illustrates that Jesus actively engaged with those society rejected, showing compassion rather than indifference. Ultimately, Pastor Brian asserts that embracing this upside-down kingdom ethic leads not to misery but to profound spiritual joy and alignment with God's character.