IF YOU WANT IT, A MIRACLE WILL COME YOUR WAY

Luke 4, verse 16, says, “So he came to Nazareth where he had been brought up, and as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read.” Can you imagine being there? Imagine an ordinary synagogue, and this ordinary guy gets up and opens the scroll of the book of Isaiah, and begins to read. Continuing, “And he was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah, and when he had opened the book, he found the place where it is written, ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives in recovery of sight to the blind, and to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.’ Then he closed the book and gave it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, ‘Today, this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’”

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Now the inference in verse 18, where he says, "The spirit of the Lord is upon me," is that the poverty is so deep that there's no resource left in a person's life to get out of where they are. Sometimes depression can be so captivating; the lack of physical strength, inner thought, and ability to get up, there's no chance to get out of where you are. But He said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me” because I've come to bring a message to you that you can get out. A resource is available to you to escape the poverty of your present condition. You sent me to heal the brokenhearted, implying that the wounds in some people's hearts are so deep there is no escaping them. No counselor can do it. No amount of trying to pull up your bootstraps can make a difference. No amount of reading self-help books can do it.

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Many people know what this feels like. You know that there's no human way to get out of the place of wounding that is in your heart. Words spoken over your life bruised you and affected your entire being. Jesus said, "The spirit of the Lord is upon me, and I've been sent to heal you to proclaim liberty to the captives." When your captivation is so deep, the bars are so thick; the gates are so strong, there's no way out. You can't get out of the captivation, whether it's in your mind, body, or thought process.


I've been there. I get it when you loathe what you're becoming. The never-ending grinding of the teeth of the Devil may have pierced your life. The inference is that the oppression is so strong that only the supernatural power of God can touch it. That's the miracle I want to talk to you about. It takes God's power. Nothing in human reasoning, strength, or counseling can get you out of where you are. You can pacify yourself for a while, but there's no power to change. I want to talk about the miracle of change, the miracle of freedom, the miracle of vision, the miracle of purpose in life, a miracle that only God can give. Verse 20: “And he closed the book, gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began to say, ‘Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’”


God promises an anointed one will rise to bring you into freedom, fulfilled today in your hearing. Can you imagine being in that meeting? In a sense, you are because the voice of God through the Holy Spirit and His Word is still speaking today. The Word is just as valid today as it was when He spoke it. This scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. You can be free. A miracle is coming your way if you will receive it if you desire it. The irony is that sometimes people get so comfortable in their pain that it becomes a blanket for them, and don't want to throw it away. They want to embrace it because it's at least something to talk about and gives them a sense of identity. Removing the pain and adopting something else in your life can feel inconceivable. If you want it, though, a miracle is coming your way.

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In Acts 12, beginning in verse 5, Peter is in prison. He's one of the disciples of Jesus Christ. It says, "Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church." We are constantly praying for those of you who are imprisoned in your mind or body. We're standing up and believing God will set you free. “And when Herod was about to bring him out that night, Peter was sleeping bound with two chains between two soldiers, and the guards before the door were keeping the prison. Now behold an angel, the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison, and he struck Peter on the side and raised him saying, ‘Arise quickly!’ And his chains fell off his hands. Then the angel said to him, ‘Gird yourself and tie on your sandals.’ So he did, and he said to him, ‘Put on your garment and follow me.’ So he went out and followed him and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision when they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord. And they went out and went down the street, and immediately the angel departed from him.”


From this story, we learned that God will open doors to get you out of where you are and into where you should be. Peter is sleeping with two chains, between two soldiers, with guards at the prison door. It doesn’t get much worse; the same can be said for many people’s situations today. Remember, Jesus said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,” to open the doors to those bound, the prison doors. Suddenly a messenger of God is standing by Peter, telling him to get up. Suddenly, you hear my message. Just like Peter, God wants to give you a miracle. All you have to do is ask, “What do I have to do?” Get up. Start following God’s voice. The chains can fall off you too, and the door to your freedom can open. The prison door opened and let Peter out. And the city gate opened and let him in. That's what God does. When you begin to follow Him, He takes you out of where you're not supposed to be and brings you to where you should be. No prison gate can hold you back when Christ leads you into the miracle He has for your life.


Matthew 14 shows us a similar freedom. Peter was in a boat, in a storm—like many of you are—and the boat was in the middle of the sea. Beginning at verse 24 says, “But the boat was now in the middle of the sea. Tossed by waves for the wind was contrary.” We all know what that feels like. You're in a storm, and the waves and winds are against you. You're afraid that you're going to sink. Verse 25: “In the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went to them walking on the sea. When the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, ‘It's a ghost.’ And they cried out for fear. But immediately, Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘Be of good cheer, it is I. Do not be afraid.’ And Peter answered him and said, ‘Lord, if it's you, command me to come to you on the water.’ And he said, ‘Come.’ And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.”


Those prison doors open when you get up and begin listening to God. When you walk out of where you're not supposed to be and into where God wants you, suddenly, you will find yourself empowered to walk where you never could before. Peter could only walk on water at this point in his life, and, interestingly, Jesus didn't wait until the storm was over for the miracle. We often believe we'll talk to God when the storm is over. He says, "No, we'll talk in the storm, and we won't talk in the morning; we'll talk in the fourth watch of the night. In the darkest moment, in the most violent time when the waves are overflowing your boat, I'm going to come to you, and I'm going to call you at that time to walk where you never have before." God can call you out of the boat in the worst moment of your life. When you listen and step out, you begin to walk in places you never could before. Get out of where you are and start moving to where the voice of God is calling you.


Let’s look at Peter once more. Starting in verse 14, “Peter stood up with the 11, raised his voice, and said to them, ‘Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and heat my words for these are not drunk as you suppose since it's only the third hour of the day. But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel. This God will give you new power, new perspective, a new purpose for your life.’” Peter went from prison to a boat to standing before at least 5,000 people with an anointing of God giving him words. He can walk where he couldn't before and has the power to speak what he couldn’t before.


If anyone is in Christ, they become a new creation. The old things in our lives pass away; thank God, all things become new. Get up, get out, and get into where you're supposed to be. That's your part. God's part is to open your prison door. It’s to hold you up on the water. God's part is to give you a voice you never had before, a message, a reason, and a purpose in life. Luke 4:20–21 says, “Then he closed the book and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, ‘Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’” Meaning today, if you want it, it can be yours.


I have shared with you what Jesus Christ can do and His desire for your life. Remember when Jesus got up in the temple? He said, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,” for this reason. He didn’t go to the cross to prove a point. He didn't feel some judicial obligation to die for you. He came to get you because He loves you and wants you back. He said, "I've come to give you life and give it to you more abundantly. Not just eternal life, but a reason to live while you're here." Jesus gives us a new song to sing, new words to speak, and a new path to walk. This story has been my life, an amazing life. Sometimes I feel like I've been in a dream.


Psalm 126 says, "When the Lord turned our captivity, we were like them that dream." In other words, we're saying, “How did this happen to us?” Well, that's what God does. We make things so complicated. We bring everybody into church and talk about Hebrew and Greek meanings of words when all Jesus wants is to set us free, save us from our sins, and give us a new life. The older I get, the simpler it's becoming. God loves you. He's knocking on your door, and a miracle is coming if you want it.
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If you want to get up from where you are, if you want to get out from where you are, if you want to get into what God has for your life, you won't regret it. When you reach the other side of your storm, you will say, “Only God could have done this.” That's the miracle. That's the gospel in a nutshell. When we realize that we can't save ourselves, we can only be forgiven for our sins by receiving the Son of God. We realize that the Son of God came to forgive us and give us a reason to live. God provides us with a reason even on difficult days, like the times in which we live. He gives us a new song. He gives us a new heart. All things become new. And if you want it, a miracle can be yours.