The Death & Resurrection of Miracles
by James Wilson
January 6, 2021 · Centerpointe Apostolic Church (Murfreesboro, TN)
Kind: sermon
Scripture: Matthew 6:25-33, 1 Samuel 21:10-12

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/james-wilson--the-death-resurrection-of-miracles
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
Free to copy and share with attribution.

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Well, praise the Lord, everybody. Are you excited to be in the house of the Lord on the first Sunday of 2021? Amen. I am just so excited about being in the house of the Lord. Amen. You know, some people didn't make it here this Sunday. Some people, I didn't make it to 2021. But God was so gracious to let us see the coming of another year. And I don't know about you, but I'm excited about what God is going to do in 2021. Amen.

I can't make you any promises that 2021 will be any better than 20. Now, that's not what some of you want to hear. You're like, man, I did not want to hear that this Sunday morning. But this is what I can promise you: I can't promise you that Jesus is still going to be on the throne in 2021. And as long as Jesus is on the throne, there's still going to be miracles. The church is going to be triumphant. There's still going to be signs and wonders. Come on, you're still going to make it. I've never seen the righteous forsaken, nor their seed begging for bread. Come on, as long as Jesus is on the throne, we're gonna be all right. We're gonna be all right.

And so I come in today with expectation in my spirit about what God is going to do before we leave this service today. Why don't you stand out? I'll get into the word of the Lord today. But before I do, I do want to, actually, before I kind of make some remarks, why don't you turn your Bibles to Matthew chapter 6, verses 25 through 33, is what we'll be reading. And I apologize to the media team. I was kind of torn about what I was going to preach, but I feel, uh, the help of the Lord leading me in this, uh, the spirit of the Lord leading me in this direction. Matthew chapter 6, verses 25 through 33.

But as you're turning there, I want to say what a high honor it is to be with you all today. Honor your pastor, Brother Allen, Brother Stevens, the entire ministry team of Center Point Apostolic Church. Can you give your leadership a hand? Amen. Such incredible people. And had the opportunity to spend just a little bit of time with you guys about this time last year. I guess it was maybe February, March of last year. And, uh, what is interesting is, this was the last location I was at before everything just kind of shut down. So, uh, hopefully we won't have a redo, Brother Alan. And I'll get back to the hotel. And I don't know, Sister Regina, I remember being at the hotel. I think they were my ride back, and I said, "Sister Regina, I think I need to go. I think the whole nation's about to shut down." And so, but it is such a high honor to be back with you all, and, uh, just so excited about what God is going to do today.

Matthew chapter 6, verse 25, is where we will begin our reading. The Bible says, "Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor yet for your body, what you shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body then raiment? Behold the fowls of the air, for they so not, neither do they reap nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?"

I want to skip down to verse number 31. "Therefore take no thoughts, saying, what shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or wherewithal shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knoweth that you have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you."

We'll flip over to First Samuel chapter 21, and we'll start reading at verse 10. Give you a second to turn there. Give them a second to get that up. First Samuel chapter 21, starting at verse number 10. We find that David has been in the presence of Saul, after Saul's jealousies of David's victories. David arises and flees away from the presence of Saul. And this is where we pick up the story. The Bible says, "And David arose and fled that day for fear Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath." Verse 11: "And the servants of Acres said unto him, is not this David the king of the land? Did they not sing one to another of him and dances, saying, Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?"

Verse number 12, and this is where I would like for us to fasten our attention for the next few moments of our service together. The Bible says, when David heard this, that "David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath." David laid up these words in his heart.

With the help of the Lord, I want to preach on this title today: The Death and Resurrection of Miracles. The death and resurrection of miracles. Why don't you put your Bibles down and let's pray together?

God, we come before you today, and we thank you for your presence that is already here. God, you are everywhere all at once, Lord, so we know that you're already here. But God, we pray that you would manifest your glory, that you would manifest your power to us. God, that you would show us your glory in this place, in the name of Jesus. God, I pray from front to back, side to side, let our understanding be open to the Scriptures today. God, let us not hear enticing words of man's wisdom and knowledge. But God, let there be a move in a demonstration of the Holy Ghost on this first Sunday of 2021. We want you, God. We don't want to just come in and go through the motions. But God, somebody needs the Holy Ghost today. Somebody needs to be healed today. Somebody needs to be delivered today. And God, we've come desperate to see it happen, Lord. So pour out your power. Come on, would you lift up your voice and pray in the Holy Ghost right now? Pour out your glory in this room. Oh God, pour out your anointing in this place. So God, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Come on, Center Point, for a few more seconds, would you lift up your voice right now to the Lord and begin to magnify him? Oh Lord, we love you. Oh Lord, speak to us in this room today. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we give you praise and glory. One more time, why don't you clap your hands unto the Lord? Amen. You may be seated in the house of the Lord.

It seemed as if this was another normal day in the life of David. But today was not another normal day in the life of David. Today was the day that David's life would change forever. He'd be vaulted, there I say, enshrined into Jewish folklore by the working of a bonafide miracle, his slaying of that Philistine giant Goliath. And so as David marches on to the battlefield to face Goliath, his response to what he hears is not what others thought it should be. David, as he marches on to the battlefield to face Goliath, comes with power and might and anointing. Because you see, David was not the underdog, although others might say that David, because of his stature and because of his age, was the underdog. Can I tell you that I disagree with this? Because no child of God, at any time, under any circumstances, is the underdog. However, this does not negate that, through the lenses of human logic and reasoning, it would seem as if David was in over his head.

And so when David arrives in the Valley of Elah and he hears the defying challenge of Goliath, David's response to what he hears is not what others expected. You see, David did what our Scripture text told us to do. And David took no thought for his life, because David understood this: my response to what I hear will determine what I will have. And while the men of Israel responded by scattering and hiding themselves at the sound of Goliath's bellowing voice, a boldness lays hold of youthful David, and he responds by advancing to the battlefield to face Goliath. Can I tell you, there was no fear or trepidation in him. There was no deliberation or hesitation in David. Because although David was a youth, he was no novice. He had slain a brawny bear in the verdant pastures where he had attended to his father's sheep, and silenced a mighty lying's roar with the sharpness of his sling. And David newhall, although my back is against the wall and this giant stands before me, I serve a God that is able to deliver me. Therefore I'm not going to stand back in fear. I'm not going to stand back with trepidation. But I'm going to march forward with boldness. I'm going to march forward with some intensity in my steps, and believe that my God is going to show up, show out, and do a miracle in my life.

On the first Sunday of 2021, I've come to preach to someone that your response to what you hear will determine what you have. I said, your response to what you hear is going to determine what you have. You may have heard the enemy say that there is no hope for you. You may have heard the devil say that you'll never get out of where you are right now. But I've come to preach to someone in the Holy Ghost and tell you today, just because you hear a bad report, just because you hear doubt, just because you hear fear, doesn't mean that things have to turn out that way. But if somebody will stand up in the midst of what the doctor says and say, "I still believe we serve a miracle worker." If someone will stand up in the midst of what the world is saying about your lost family and say, "They're not too far gone. They, they haven't done too much that God can reach them." Can I tell you, that's when God will begin to show up and do miracles in your life?

Oh, if you believe that, I wonder if you clap your hands in this place. Come on, I know 20, 20 was hard for some of you in this place. But I've come to tell you, it's not time to give up on God. It's not time to throw in the towel. But right now, you're standing in the midst of an opportunity for God to do a miracle in your life. But the choice is yours. Are you going to stay where you are? Are you going to stay in the doubt that you've been living in? Or are you going to rise to the occasion and say, "I don't care how high the odds are stacked against me. I serve a God that is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all we could ever ask for." The God, therefore I'm not staying where I'm at. But I've let my faith arise to believe for miracle, signs and wonders in this year. Oh, somebody lift up your voice and praise God right now.

I said, God is not done with your family. I know what it looks like on the outside. I know what the enemy's been whispering in your ear, huh. But the devil is a liar. God's not done with you out. I don't care what the devil says. I decided that I'm going to believe the report of the law.

Oh, I've come to build somebody's faith this morning, because some of you, the enemy's been talking in your ear, telling you all types of things that are going wrong in your life. And can I tell you, some of those things might be right. But here's the trick of the enemy. The enemy will speak to us and tell us things that we think must be true, because the devil said them to us, or the world says this about us. But can I tell you something? The Bible makes it very clear that the devil is a liar. He's the father of lies, and the truth is not in him.

So I've come to preach to the spirit world. Excuse me for a second while I preach to the spirit world, and let you know, spirit world, that there's nothing you can do to stop what God is getting ready to do. I know in 2020 you've tried to discourage and we're out the saints of the living God. But we still have a promise that in the last days, saith God, I will pour out my Spirit. Come on, church, God is not done with us. We're getting ready to see the greatest days of revival we've ever seen. We're getting ready to see more miracle, signs and wonders that we've ever seen. But you got to respond in faith. You can't cower in doubt, but you got to join your faith with God and say, "I'm believing for you to do a miracle in my life." Oh, somebody clap your hands if you believe that. Oh, somebody lift up your voice in this room if you believe that.

Huh, I know how high the odds seem stacked against you. But no child of God, at any time, is an underdog. And if we will allow for our faith to rise in this place, God will begin to do what only he can do. Is there anybody that still believes that we serve a God that's able to do miracles? I don't know about you, but I believe that we still serve a God that's able to do miracles. I'm just gonna go with what I feel right now.

You see, the Bible lets us know this, because this is what I feel sometimes. And I'm guilty of this myself. I'm not telling you something that I don't do. I think it's human nature for us to do this. But it's real easy for us to say, "God, I believe that you're able to do miracles." But the moment someone close to us, or the moment we ourselves, get afflicted with a sickness or a disease, "Oh God, I now, now I believe you can do it for someone else, but not for me." Because it's real easy to say you have faith. It's another thing to demonstrate that faith. The Bible lets us know that faith without works is dead. So if we say that we believe that God can do miracles, yet we have not enough faith to exercise that faith and belief for God to do it when we lay hands on somebody, I would argue with us that we don't have as much faith as we think we do.

But here's a, here's the encouraging thing for you today. The Bible says that all we need is faith the size of a grain of mustard seed, and we can speak to a mountain and say to that mountain, "Be removed and cast into the sea," and that mountain will have to move. Can I tell you, it's not the amount of your faith. It's the, it's your ability to exercise your faith that will determine whether or not you get what you need from God in this place. Can I tell somebody, you don't have to have a whole lot of faith. You just got to make up your mind to take a little chance and use your faith. You just gotta make up your mind, "I'm gonna lay hands on the sick today, and I'm believing that they're gonna recover. I'm gonna lay hands on somebody today, and believing God that they're gonna get the baptism of the Holy Ghost." Come on, somebody, you've come too late to tell me that our God cannot do miracles. I've seen him do it with my own two eyes. I've seen him do it with my own two years. God is still in the miracle working business.

We were in a service like this about this time last year. I was preaching, Brother Allen, and the Lord spoke to me. Can you believe that God interrupted my beautiful, nice sermon, Brother Alan? I can't believe it. I was like, "Lord, I'm like, I'm right at the point, you know, the point. This is the point, God, that I hit, and then everyone goes crazy. And you have the audacity." Can you believe that God spoke to me and said, "I want you to stop right here. I'm getting ready to heal people in this room." I said, "Okay." I said, "Right now?" He said, "Yes, right now." "Okay." And so I told him, I said, "God just spoke to me and told me he's getting ready to heal somebody in this place."

Now, before you think that I'm some super spiritual guy that, that, you know, wakes up and I'm floating, because I've been on a 21 day fast and, and everything is just great, can I tell you, I'm human. And this, as a matter of fact, was the first time I'd had anything like this quite happen in my ministry, where God spoke to me like this in such a clear way, that there was miracles getting ready to be poured out. But you know what? I was just crazy enough to believe that he could do. And so I said, "God, okay, let's do this thing." I said, "God just spoke to me and told me that he wanted to heal and do miracles in this room. I want you right now to lift up your hands, and we're going to pray together." And I said, "I want you to lay your hand on wherever the infirmity is on your body, and when we pray in the name of Jesus, God is going to touch you, and he's going to heal your body."

Now, as soon as those words came out of my mouth, Brother Alan, I was like, "Oh no, no, no, no, what have I done?" Y'all got to loosen up a little bit, all right? Y'all making me real nervous right now. What have I just done? But can I tell you something? When God, when God has given you a word, God will honor that word. And when you exercise your faith according to his word, something will happen.

The Bible says it this way. The Bible says that you don't have what you ask for because you ask amiss. But when you ask in the will of God — and can I tell you, it is the will of God that you be healed. It is the will of God that people be delivered. It is the will of God that people be filled with the baptism of the Holy Ghost. It is the will of God that you leave out of here with victory over your depression. It is the will of God that you leave out of here with victory over fear. So when we pray and we ask according to the will of God, in faith, something happens.

And so we prayed. You know what? After we got done praying, I was just kind of like, well, praise God, we moved on with the service. Because to be honest with you, I was a little bit scared, Brother Allen, to ask whether anybody had been healed. Well, as we were in altar call that night, powerful move of God, people were getting the Holy Ghost everywhere we were in the altars, there was a young man that came up to me, said, "Brother Wilson, this girl over here in the corner wants you. She wants your attention." I said, "Okay." So I went over to where she was, Brother Allen, and I saw that she had a cast on her leg. She said, "Brother Wilson," she said, "I got to tell you something." She said, "As you were praying," she said, uh, uh, "You can see my leg. I broke it, uh, yesterday, or it was yesterday or the day before, I broke it." She said, "It's broken in three places." She said, "I can, I can barely walk on it." She said, "It's just hard to walk on." She said, "But when you started praying," she said, "when you said in the name of Jesus," she said, "I had my hand on my leg." And she said, "When you said in the name of Jesus," she said, "something shot down my leg." She said, "And I can walk on." And she said, "There's zero pain." She said, "As soon as I get this cast off, I'm gonna walk. I believe God has healed my body today."

Can I tell you right now, that's the type of God that we serve. But you gotta put some legs to your faith. You gotta say, "I don't care what the doctor says. I'm going to believe what God says about me."

In that same service, the bishop of that church had some knees that were really messed up. The cartilage had completely eroded from his knees over just life, just the course of life. There was no cartilage in his knees. As a matter of fact, the bone was rubbing against the bone. As you can imagine, he was in a lot of pain and discomfort. But that day, as we began to pray, he laid his hand on his knees and prayed in the name of Jesus. And when he prayed, something happened in his leg. Something happened in his knee joints. And he believed that God healed him. That next day, he got up, and he was walking around just fine. He said, "I need to go to the doctor." He said, "I believe God has healed my body. I need to go get some x-rays. I believe God has done a supernatural work in my body."

He goes to the doctor. The doctor brings up the x-ray from before, and clearly there was cartilage that was not there. All the cartilage was gone. The bone was rubbing against the bone. Nothing there. The doctor takes him by the knees and begins wiggling his knees, trying to make him feel pain. Says, "Doc, I don't feel any pain. I'm telling you, I've been completely healed by the power of God. We prayed yesterday in the name of Jesus, and God has healed my leg." And the doctor says, "Are you sure this, this is impossible." "Dog, I'm telling you, God has completely healed my leg." The doctor said, "Okay, let's just take an x-ray to take a look at things." And so when the doctor took an x-ray of his knees, they had the x-ray from before, where there was no cartilage, bone rubbing against bone. But when they looked at the other x-ray, there was cartilage where there was no cartilage. God had supernaturally put something back where there was nothing. And they had the tangible, visible proof that Jesus Christ is still a healer.

I've come to tell somebody, that's the type of God that we serve today. He's still able to heal your body. He's still able to deliver your soul up. But you've got to put your faith up in the action today, and believe that he still cared.

Come on, I wonder if you would clap your hands and give the Lord praise. Somebody lift up your hands right now. I want you to begin to pray in the Holy Ghost. If you need something in your body right now, huh, I want you to begin to pray in the Holy Ghost. Come on, if you need healing in your body, I want you right now to begin to pray for healing to fall right where you are. By the authority of the word of God, and the power that is in the name of Jesus Christ, let the healing virtue of your Spirit flow in this room right now. I command cancer to be healed. I command right now for ligaments to be put back together. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, let your healing virtue flow in this room right now, in the name of Jesus. Come on, lift up your voice for a few more seconds right now.

Come on, somebody, I'm not talking about a fairy tale. I'm not talking about something that happened in the Bible. I'm talking about things I've seen with my own eyes. And if God can do it for somebody in California somewhere, he can do it for you today in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Come on, church, God's still in the business of doing miracles.

I'm way off my notes, but I just feel to do this in the Holy Ghost, to just share stories and faith. I was about 16 years old. There was a lady in our church, her name, by her name was Shirley Price. Sister Shirley Price was a wonderful lady, a matriarch of our church, a lady that just loved God and loved truth. And Sister Shirley Price, just an incredible woman of God. But during this time, she was suffering from cancer. And I can remember it so vividly, Brother Wesley. Sister Shirley Price would come to church with an oxygen tank on her back. And every time that church service would get going and the music would start playing, you could find Sister Shirley Price at the front, with an oxygen tank on her back, with cancer all throughout her body, giving God praise, worshiping and magnifying the name of the Lord. Yet some of us, when we come into church, we have problems moving our left pinky toe, perfect health in our body, yet we come into the house of the Lord and we cannot lift up our hands. Yet we got a woman with cancer all in her body that can praise the Lord.

I don't know about you in this place, but I still believe that God is worthy of praise. And when I come into the house of the Lord, I'm not going to let somebody else praise for me, because I know what God has done in my life. And I'm going to let the redeemed of the Lord say so. Come on, somebody, I said, it's time for the redeemed of the Lord to say so. God has done something in my body. God has saved my soul. God has delivered me. Therefore I'm not going to be quiet, but I'm going to magnify the name of Jesus. I'm going to lift up the name of Jesus.

So Sister Shirley Price would be there at the front, worshiping and praising God, with cancer all in her body. I mean, she would let us have it. She was a staple on Sunday morning. You knew you could find Sister Shirley at the front, worshiping and praising and lifting up the name of Jesus. But on this particular day, I was about 16, 17 years of age, and I can remember it vividly. She came to the front, just as she had done so many times, began to worship and begin to magnify the Lord. And all of a sudden, in the very front of the church, almost in the middle of the church, she collapsed. And she literally died right there in the front of the church. And I can remember, Brother Allen, the, the gloom and the doom that just sent into that search. Can you imagine that, someone dying in the middle of a church service, in the middle of the, of the hospital, someone dies in the front of our church? I remember the entire church came to service, came to screeching hope. We started panicking. So a lady that was so beloved in our church, and, and for about 15 or so minutes, there was no breath in her body. There was no pulse. There was nothing. She was dead. We had already called the ambulance. They were coming. We had already called everything. I mean, the church service was essentially over, as this lady was dead.

But I remember, in the middle of that church service, something getting a hold of my pastor's wife, because she understood that how you respond to a situation is what determines how that situation will ultimately turn out. And something in her spirit changed. And she realized who she was in Christ. She realized the ability that we have as Christians. And the, and she went over there to where Sister Shirley Price was. And I will never forget it as long as I live. She got down on both of her knees. She put both of her hands on Sister Shirley Price, and she prayed in the name of Jesus, and commanded for life to come back into that body. And all of a sudden, Sister Shirley Price jerked up, and stood to her feet, and began worshiping and praising God. And she's still living cancer-free today.

Can I tell somebody, you've come too late to tell me that God cannot do miracles. I've already seen him do it with my own two eyes. You've come too late to tell me that cancer can't be healed. I've already seen him do it. But you gotta respond in faith today. You gotta respond and believe today, and say, "God, I'm believing for you to do it for me."

Come on, somebody, lift up your voice and pray right now with the Holy Ghost. Come on, somebody, lift up your voice right now, huh, he. Come on, somebody needs healing in their body. And can I tell you, all you have to do is throw up your hands and begin to pray. Come on, Brother Wesley mentioned it earlier: these signs shall follow them that believer. They'll lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover her. Come on, somebody, if you're a believer in this place, can I tell you that signs are following you?

Come on, I feel something breaking in the Holy Ghost right now. Come on, I feel something breaking up in the Spirit right now. Come on, God is moving right now. Come on, right now, faith is arising in this place. Come on, right now, somebody is getting the faith that they need to believe again. Come on, right now, somebody's getting the hope they need to believe again. Come on, I'll come to preach to you that God's not done with you. God's not done with your family. God's not done with your home. But he's waiting for you to step out, take a step of faith, and believe him to do it.