Receiving a miracle through faith

Acts 14:7-10

“And there they preached the gospel. And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked: The same heard Paul speak: who steadfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed, Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked.”

I want to share with you today three keys to receiving a miracle through faith from the story in our text for today.  We see in it a man who has been a cripple from his mother’s womb got up instantly whole and walked away not

because of the great Apostle Paul but because he the cripple man had faith to be healed. 

I can hear someone protesting that I have not related accurately what happened. But you read the text again and you will see what I am pointing out to you. Let me point out the three things the man did that gave him the miracle.

Firstly, he was at a place where the gospel was being preached and he heard the gospel. What did he hear? The Gospel! And what is the gospel? It is the power of God unto salvation or the power of God that brings salvation. The word salvation means deliverance, wholeness, soundness of mind,etc. This is what the man heard Paul preach.

The second thing that we see is that the man had faith to be healed because he heard the gospel. Listen, if what you hear does not produce faith in your heart, you have not heard the gospel. I don’t know what you heard but it surely was not the gospel because in the gospel is revealed the righteousness of God from faith to faith. 

Let me say it again, if what you hear does not produce faith, you DID NOT HEAR THE GOSPEL and you need to find another place where you will hear the gospel preached to you.