Thankfulness for Christ the Key to the Miraculous

Introduction

Author Marianne Williamson made the following statement in one of her books:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. You’re playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Who are you? I think as Christians we do not realise who we really are and what we really have in Christ. We don’t realise what Jesus Christ our Lord did for us on the cross of Calvary and we live life struggling when we were made to be conquerors, we live like paupers when in reality we are royalty. Who are you? Do you realise who you are?

1 John 4:17 NIV this is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the Day of Judgment: In this world we are like Jesus

1 John 4:17 MSG This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we’re free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s. 

I believe if we realised who we were and what Jesus did for us on the cross of Calvary, we would live different lives, and we would be different people. The devil has hoodwinked us into thinking we are worthless, powerless and inadequate when the exact opposite is true. Most Christians believe that God can do anything, but many of them don’t believe He has done very much. We live in a constant state of trying to get God to do something. We beg God, send revival, heal us please Lord, prosper us please Lord. There is nothing wrong to say please but the problem is we constantly run from meeting to meeting, trying to get something from God. But we have already got it. We are like a dog chasing his tail; spending most of Christian lives chasing something we already have. We always ask the Lord to do something—to bless, heal, deliver, or prosper us—when in truth; we are seeking what we have already been given. We believe God can do anything, but not that He has (past tense) done very much. The truth is, everything has already been accomplished in Christ and given to us a born-again believers. It’s already done and it is already ours! As Christians we aren’t seeking victory but rather we should enforce the victory already won through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We aren’t trying to win a battle. We’re coming from a battle that has already been won! Jesus has conquered, and we’re enforcing His conquest.

Romans 8:37 NKJV 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

As believers, we aren’t trying to get something from God; we’re fighting to receive the full manifestation of what’s already ours in Christ. We aren’t trying to get healed; we’re fighting because we’ve already been healed, and the devil is trying to steal it. We aren’t begging God to prosper us financially; we’re fighting the good fight of faith to see the prosperity that’s already been given to us manifest. We aren’t asking God to bless us, because He’s already commanded His blessing upon us. We have to realise who we are in Christ, who Christ is in us, and start thanking Him for what He has already done, instead of trying to get him to do something. When we believe we’ve already got it, when we talk like we’ve already got it, and act like we’ve already got it—we take what the Lord has already provided. The Word declares, “God has already healed, blessed, delivered, and prospered us.” The question is do we know what Jesus has already done for us? This is what happens when we start walking in thankfulness to what Jesus has already done for us.

 

1. Text

 

Acts 3:1-16 NKJV Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. 2 And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to [a]ask alms from those who entered the temple; 3 who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms. 4 And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, “Look at us.” 5 So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. 6 Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” 7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. 8 So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God. 9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God. 10 Then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

 

1. Text Verse

 

Acts 3:6 NKJV Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”

What I do have, in the Name of Jesus, rise up and walk. What did Peter have? He had the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. When we have His name it is better than silver and gold and it can solve problems that look unsolvable. Do you realise who you have on the inside of you? Jesus is in us, He is our love, joy peace, strength, victory, healing, prosperity and everything else we need and we have His Name, His Name is my Name and as He is so am I in this world.

 

 

1. It’s not what you have it is who you have

 

1 John 4:4 New King James Version (NKJV)4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world

Greater is He that is in us, that He that is in the world. We have the greater one living on the inside of us. He has already overcome sickness, poverty, depression, oppression, and everything that is in this world. We don’t realise who is in us.

There is a song in church we love to sing, I am not going to mention the song, but in the song we sing, how desperate and hungry we are for God. Don’t get me wrong. I like the tune and the overall message, but we should actually rather sing, “I’m in love with you” instead of “I’m desperate for you.” Desperate comes from the Latin word meaning “despair. The synonyms for despair are hopelessness, desperation, despondency, depression, discouragement, and dejection. Despair and hopelessness stress the utter absence of hope and often imply a sense of powerlessness or resignation. Desperation implies absence of grounds for hope, but adds the idea of fighting back, often blindly or recklessly” (New American Heritage Dictionary). When you sing, “Lord, I’m desperate for You,” what do you mean? Are you saying, “Lord, I’m in love with You and want You more than anything else?” If so, that’s fine. But according to the dictionary, you’re really saying, “I’m in despair because of this extremely unbearable situation. There are no grounds for hope, but I’m anxiously, recklessly, and violently fighting back anyway.” If that’s what you mean by being “desperate for the Lord,” it’s absolutely wrong. The only reason for a Christian to be desperate is if that person doesn’t understand what God has already done. When we sing, “I’m hungry for God,” what do you mean? If you’re expressing desire, that’s fine: “God, I love You and want You more than anything else!” However, a closer look at the dictionary definition of hunger reveals “hurt, pain, agony, depression, and despair that accompanies not having your needs met” (New American Heritage Dictionary). Many people sing, “God, I’m desperate and hungry for You” and mean “I’m so miserable. Life is terrible, but I’m looking for You. You’re my answer, and I believe that out there—somewhere—you’re going to do something to meet my needs.” That’s the complete opposite of the revelation of God’s Word! The Lord has already blessed us, healed us, delivered us, and prospered us! He loves us and nothing will ever change that. The only reason to be hopeless, helpless, and in despair is if we don’t know who we are and what we have in Christ. We need a full revelation of what Jesus has done for us! That doesn’t mean we won’t ever have problems. But in the midst of them, we can say, “Father, You’ve already supplied this before I was ever born. YOU’VE ALREADY GOT IT! I know it’s there, so I’m drawing near to You. Thank You for revealing it to me!” Christians should never be hopeless or full of despair. You might say but what is wrong with that Pastor? As the church we constantly sing songs about hungry and desperate we are for God and how we want Him to move. “O God, we need a move. Touch us. Please, Lord, do something new!”

If I would ask you today, “How many of you are hungry for God? Are you desperate for Him?” Most people would cheer and sing loudly but do we know what the Bible says:

John 6:35: ‘and Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

We say we hunger and thirst but when we have Jesus we will never be hungry desperate again. Now don’t misunderstand what I’m saying. If we use the term “getting hungry for God” in the sense that you have a deep yearning for Him it is ok, but when we beg God to do something He has already done, it is religion.  It is like Bob Nichols, says, “As long as you can live without more of God, you will” and “As long as you can live without more healing, you will.” You could plug a number of different things in there like peace, joy, prosperity, etc. But the point is, we must hunger for—strongly desire and focus on—the things of God in order to experience them. The Lord doesn’t come to those who just passively seek Him. We must pursue Him wholeheartedly.

Jeremiah 29:11, 13 NKJV “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end…And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart”

This type of hunger is godly. But if by “hunger” we mean, “O Lord, I’m just so empty. I have no joy, no peace, no hope. God, where are You? I’m desperate for You.” That’s not right and that’s not faith. Yet that is what’s being proclaimed and modelled in the Body of Christ today as being a “normal” experience. It’s like a person who’s sitting in front of a twelve-course meal. Everything they could ever want is there, but they keep crying “I’m so hungry!” They just want pity or somebody to stick the food in their mouth for them. If we are hungry, we just have to eat! We have to draw from the Well God has already given us.  There’s a well of living water on the inside of every born-again believer. It’s not the Lord’s fault if we’re hungry and thirsty. It’s not time to ask Him to come and touch us. It’s time for us to start taking, eating, and drinking of what He’s already given!

This is not saying Christian will never have problems or discouragement or that everything will always be perfect and we should just deny reality. We do sometimes experience a hunger for God in the sense that we feel empty and God seems like a million miles away. But when we experience that, it’s wrong to approach Him saying, “O Lord, I just don’t feel Your love. Please love me. Do something to show me You care!” You might as well have said, “God, You haven’t done anything,” because you’re blaming Him for your feelings of emptiness and hunger. We have to have the revelation that God loves us infinitely more than I can ever comprehend or need and realise He can’t love me more or give me any more love than what He already has given me. When we know this it keeps us out of depression and discouragement.  Feelings like that tempt us all. We have all had issues and terrible things happen to us, and I have also had thoughts like, Man, just get in your car and drive. Don’t ever come back! I can’t stand it anymore. Just walk away! Although we have these thoughts, we don’t give in to them, because we   have this revelation that God loves us and has already provided everything I need. So instead of giving in to hunger, discouragement, and despair, we need to remind ourselves of God’s Word. Don’t ever say, “Lord, that’s the way it is. Now You must do something brand new to touch me. I’m looking for something else from You.” That would be an insult against what He’s already done. Instead, I pray, “Father, this is absolutely wrong. John 6:35 says that I should never hunger or thirst again. I know that on the inside of me there is so much love, joy, and peace—all the fruit of the Spirit. (Gal. 5:22, 23.) Everything I need is already there. So, Father, I know that You have done Your part. It’s not Your fault if I’m tempted with depression, discouragement, giving up, and quitting. It’s my fault. I’m not focused on You. I’ve let my eyes be taken off of You and put on the problems of this world.” I’ll just separate myself and spend a day or so fasting, praying, and seeking God. What I’m doing is mining what the Lord has already placed within me. Instead of asking Him to give me something new, I draw out the life that He’s already given. That will beat depression even if we are tempted with depression.

Philippians 4:4 rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

God has given us such joy inside that we can choose to rejoice at all times.

Psalm 34:1 NKJV I will bless the Lord at all times;His praise shall continually be in my mouth

This isn’t telling you to just “fake it ‘til you make it.” It is saying drawing out what’s inside of you already. When we can draw from the joy that God has already placed within my born-again spirit, we can live consistently victorious lives. We have to start focusing on the Lord and His Word and draw out His abundant life from within us. Many people want these same results, but they think the way to achieve them is to passively ask God to do something and then sit back and wait. If things don’t change, and victory—healing, prosperity, blessings, deliverance—doesn’t instantly come, they get upset with the Lord, asking, “God, why aren’t You doing anything?” That’s not it at all. The Lord has already done everything. However, if you’re not seeing it manifest, it’s not God who hasn’t given—but you who haven’t received! It is time we learn how to receive what God has already done for us.

 

1. check your receiver

 

Everything that God has done for us through the Cross has already been deposited into our spirits.

Ephesians 1:3 3 blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.

If God has already blessed us why do we keep on asking Him to bless us? We might say it is semantics, but the reason people keep on asking God and praying and seeking God’s blessing is because they believe they aren’t already blessed. If I give you my Bible and you continually ask me, can I have your Bible please? How would you respond to someone asking you for something that you have already given them? Personally I wouldn’t know how to answer. There would probably be an awkward silence. Doesn’t that sounds like how God often responds to us, when we ask Him for what He has already given us?

We ask God, Lord please heal me and God scratches His head and says: But wait a minute, doesn’t my word say: 1 Peter 2:24 By His stripes you were healed, it is already done. I have already placed the same power that raised Jesus from the dead in you, if God could be confused He would say to you, I already gave this to them, why are they still asking me for it? That is no way to approach God. We pray other stupid little prayers to, like God would you please come and be with us in the church service today, Oh Lord meet with us.

The word plainly says: I will never leave you, nor forsake you. Or where two or three are gathered in my name there I am in the midst of them. (Hebrews 13:5 and Matthew 18:20)

God is always with us but we still pray, Lord come with us, go with us. How is God going to answer prayers like that? We are letting our senses dominate us, since we cannot see God or feel God, we think He is not there, but His worth. We have to begin to receive.

The right way to pray would be: Father, Your Word says that you will never leave us or forsake us. And when to or three people are gathered together in your name, there is a special presence of Holy Spirit. Father thank you that you are here, we believe it and want it manifests. We don’t just want you to be here in the Spirit realm, we desire to submit to you to the point where you can manifest yourself in healings, deliverance, joy peace, salvation and Holy Spirit baptism. We want you to be free to manifest yourself and do what you want to do. Thank you for being here. When we pray that way, we pray in agreement with God’s Word, we are saying, God we believe your promises, but we want them manifest, we desire You to come from the spiritual world into physical manifestation. When we pray for God to be with us is incorrect. It means we don’t believe God is with us until we can feel or see Him. Then when someone says, I feel the Holy Spirit is here, then we say; God is here now. It wasn’t that He just showed up, He was here the whole time, we just began to receive. Wherever we go there are television signals, it doesn’t matter if we are at home, in the car at work or sitting under a tree, there are television signals everywhere. Just because we can’t feel them with our physical senses doesn’t mean they are not present. All we have to do to see it is to put on the TV set. When we first see the signal on the screen is not when the station started to broadcast, the signals were there before we turned the TV on. When we turned on, we just started receiving, but it is not when they started to broadcast. If I can’t get a specific channel, the problem is not the transmitter, but the receiver; I have to make sure I am tuned in. God is the one with the transmitter, He is the giver of all the earthly blessings (Ephesians 1:3) and He has already transmitted them to us. If we aren’t receiving them, the problem isn’t the transmitter; we need to fix our receiver. To fix our receiver, we have to become thankful for what Jesus has done, and receive what He has done. Instead of trying to become the transmitter and make it happen, we have to receive what heaven is transmitted. Heaven is transmitting the finished work of Jesus on the cross. Jesus understood the power of thankfulness and demonstrated it to us.

 

1. Thankfulness is the receiver

 

Philippians 4:6-7 NKJV “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ. 

Thanksgiving is a principle that prepares us to exercise great faith. When we start to realise what God has already done through the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross it strengthens our faith and prepares us for the miracles of God. All of Paul’s prayers on behalf of believers began with thanks.

Romans 1:8 8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.

Ephesians 1:15,16 Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers

Philippians 1:3 3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Colossians; 1 Thessalonians 1:2).

Paul always thanked God first before he interceded for the people whom he was writing to. There is no doubt that Jesus’ faith was directly related to his thanksgiving. When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, He said:

John 11: 41 so they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

Not Father please help Lazarus is dead, but Father thank you that you always hear me…Jesus thankfulness was the key to the miraculous. We read about the miraculous feeding of the five thousand in John 6. Jesus did not pray before the miracle. He simply gave thanks to the Father. His thanksgiving led to an immediate miracle that provided food enough to feed the multitude.

Matthew 14:16-21 NIV 16 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”17 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.18 “Bring them here to me,” he said. 19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Praise and thanksgiving are vital keys to the miraculous. Today we can tune into our receiver into heavens transmitter. When we give thanks for what Jesus has done on the cross of Calvary, and live from the finished work we can receive heavens signal and receive a manifestation of the presence, blessing, healing and power of God in a real and tangible way. Sometimes all we need is a point of contact to release our faith. When electricity flows through the power cables in a house, the electricity is always there, but when we flick the switch, when we touch the point of contact, where the switch and the power comes together we release the power and there is light. What are you in need of today, connect to the reservoir of God’s power, He has already healed you, blessed you, delivered you and done everything He is going to do, you have to flick the switch. Through thanksgiving release your faith in the finished work of Jesus and receive from Him this morning. As we are going to partake of the Table of the Lord this morning, it is going to be our point of contact, where we release through thanksgiving our faith in the finished work of Jesus. It is finished Jesus said, just adjust your receiver and receive this morning: Remember thankfulness in the finished work of Jesus release the miraculous.  Are you ready to receive the power of God?

 

1. Closing

The Holy Communion, known also as the Lord’s Supper, represents the greatest expression of God’s love for His people. Two items are used in the Holy Communion—the bread which represents Jesus’ body that was scourged and broken before and during His crucifixion, and the cup which represents His shed blood. When Jesus walked on earth, He was vibrant, and His body was full of life and health. He was never sick. But before Jesus went to the cross, He was badly scourged by the Roman soldiers, and His body was torn as He hung on the cross.

At the cross, God also took all our sicknesses and diseases and put them on Jesus’ originally perfect and healthy body, so that we can walk in divine health. That is why the Bible says by His stripes, we are healed (Isaiah 53:5, 1 Peter 2:24).

In Luke 22:20, Jesus tells us that the cup is the “new covenant in My blood”, and the apostle Paul tells us that the blood of Jesus brings forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:14, Ephesians 1:7).WHY DO BELIEVERS PARTAKE OF THE HOLY COMMUNION?

Besides being born again in Christ, a healthy body and mind are the greatest blessings anyone can have. And the Holy Communion is God’s ordained channel of healing and wholeness. On the night that He was betrayed, Jesus ate His last supper with His disciples. And knowing what He would accomplish through His sacrifice, He instituted the Holy Communion (Luke 22:19–20, 1 Corinthians 11:24–25).

His loving instruction is that we are to remember Him as we partake of the Holy Communion. Jesus wanted us conscious of how His body was broken for our wholeness, and His blood was shed for the forgiveness of our sins. And whenever we partake in this consciousness, we “proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26).

Today, when we partake of the bread, we are declaring that Jesus’ health and divine life flows in our mortal bodies. And when we partake of the cup, we are declaring that we are forgiven and have been made righteous. Jesus’ blood gives us right standing before God, and we can go boldly into God’s presence (Hebrews 4:16). When we pray, we can be sure that God hears us!

HOW DO I PARTAKE OF THE HOLY COMMUNION?

Before you partake, remember that the Holy Communion is not a ritual to be observed, but a blessing to be received.

Because it is not a ritual, there is no prescribed bread or special drink required. In the Last Supper, Jesus used whatever He had at the table—bread commonly eaten at supper, and whatever they were drinking.

TO PARTAKE, FIRST, HOLD THE BREAD IN YOUR HAND AND SAY:

Thank You, Father, for the gift of Your Son. By the stripes that fell on His back, my body is healed from the crown of my head to the very soles of my feet. Every cell, every organ, every function of my body is healed, restored, and renewed. In Jesus’ name, I believe and I receive. [Eat the bread.]

NEXT, TAKE THE CUP IN YOUR HAND AND SAY:

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your precious blood. Your sin-free, disease-free, poverty-free life is in Your blood. And Your shed blood has removed every sin from my life. Through Your blood, I am forgiven of all my sins—past, present and future—and made completely righteous. Today, I celebrate and partake of the inheritance of the righteous, which is preservation, healing, wholeness and provision. Thank You Lord Jesus, for loving me. Amen. [Drink the wine.]

I want to end with this song by God of Miracles and I want you to receive your miracle this morning. Remember thankfulness for the finished work of Jesus is the key to the miraculous.

Deuteronomium 26:8 So the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm, with great terror and with signs and wonders. 

Receive your miracle this morning.