Elevation with Steven Furtick - This Is What A Miracle Feels Like

Episode Date: August 25, 2024

Sometimes, a miracle feels like you’re free, but you’re still running. Pastor Steven Furtick teaches us to look for signs that God is at work when our feelings haven’t caught up to our reality in “This Is What A Miracle Feels Like.” Scripture References:Acts 12, verses 5-17Mark 4, verses 37-38Isaiah 53, verses 4-5Luke 23, verse 26See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick. I'm the pastor of Elevation Church, and this is our podcast. I wanted to thank you for joining us today. Hope this inspires you. Hope it builds your faith. Hope it gives you perspective to see God is moving in your life.

Enjoy the message. Came today to praise you. We live to praise you. We breathe to praise you. We exist to glorify you and enjoy you forever. And your presence is the fullness of joy at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. We praise you, Lord. Thank you for the privilege today to breathe in your grace, to breathe out your praise.

And now, Lord, I ask that you would do something so spectacular as you speak through your word that we would have no other option than to say it was God. For it could not have been a motivational speech or an inspirational song that touch me like that. It was God. And that will be our testimony when we leave. We thank you in advance. In Jesus' name, amen. Put your hands together and say it had to be God. It had to be God. So thankful that you're here today. Welcome. God bless each and every one of you, whether you're physically with us or whether you're part of our eFAM. Hey, I want to make sure that those of you who are within reach, within range of our elevation nights coming up.

How many of you that are here, by the way, at Valentine today, traveled in from over 50 miles away for the primary purpose. I'm not done qualifying. There's more stipulations. For the primary purpose of coming to church today. Wave at me. Celebrate you. Wow, that's quite a few.

Good to have you. Good. How many of you, you only traveled five or ten miles, but your kids fought all the way and it made it feel like you were driving all the way to the other side of the country? However you got here, look at your neighbor, say, however you made it, I'm glad that you did. And you will be glad because God's got something for you. Put it in the comments.

God's got something for you. I want you to remain standing. Go to elevation nights.com. If you've always wanted to come to elevation, but you haven't had the opportunity, we are going to bring. Would it be unbiblical to say it's like Sunday morning on steroids? Spiritual steroids?

Holy Spirit steroids. It's really fun. I'm going to be preaching Holly Sherriss that the worship team does 47 songs. It's amazing. And I can't find my show. Sheet. Okay, here's the sheet with the list. We're going to be in Seattle, Washington, Vancouver, BC, Sacramento, CA, Los Angeles, Anaheim. I've never been to Boise, Idaho, but I won't be able to say that after this fall. We're coming to Boise, Idaho, Salt Lake City, Utah,

and Denver, Colorado. That's September 24th through October 3rd. Go to Elevationknights.com for more information. I can tell when you are excited for me to quit doing announcements and preach because y'all start clapping to speed me along. That's good. We'll work together. Happy 16th anniversary to our elevation uptown location. 16 years is a big deal.

Thank God for faithful people. Remember when we used to drive over there and we would go from Matthews to Butler to Providence to McGlow in theater and Officer Van Alman would break the speed limit but it's all right because he's a cop and we would get there just as they were finishing the last song to preach. And also, I hope you join an e-group today, all right? If you hadn't joined one yet, there's many opportunities for you to do that. And I think that's all the announcements. Are you ready for the word? Put your hands together. I have a text today from Acts Chapter 12.

And be mindful not only of what God wants to do in your life. but maybe somebody around you today because I think that's important. I don't think it's a good habit for us to just come to church to tune in to the station W-I-FM what's in it for me. You never know the person sitting around you. That's why don't leave till we're finished because it might be at that moment somebody today gives their life to Christ. And don't close off the stream before it's over because God has a lot of the time.

a word for you today, and I want you to see it through until the very end. Acts chapter 12, verse 5 through 17. So quite a bit of scripture. But the Lord told me you haven't been reading your Bible enough this week, and we need to catch up to him. Acts chapter 12, verse 5. So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound to. with two chains. Now I'm going to do y'all a favor and skip my dad joke with the Atlanta rapper reference there. Bound with two chains and sentries stood guard at the entrance. And suddenly, pay attention, suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter

on the side and woke him up. Quick, get up, he said. And the chains fell off Peter's wrists. Then the angel said to him, put on your clothes and sandals. Why? Where are we going? I'm telling you all that. Just get dressed. Sometimes, by the way, you have to get dressed before you know the destination. Is that not a whole word right there? That is a whole turkey right there. The angel said to him, put on your clothes and sandals, and Peter did so.

Wrap your cloak around you and follow me, the angel told him. Peter followed him out of the prison. But he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening. He thought he was seeing a vision. They passed the first and second guards and came to the Iron Gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him. Then Peter came to himself and said, now I know, without a doubt, look kind of sketchy for a second.

But now I know, without a doubt, that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod's clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen. When this had dawned on him, he went to the e-group of Mary, the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. And Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door. When she recognized Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed. She ran back without opening the door and exclaimed, Hey, y'all, Peter is at the door. You're out of your mind, they told her. We got to pray.

Lord, save Peter. But he's here. Can't be. Lord, help Peter. And I love the insistence here. of Rhoda and Peter. Because the Bible says, when they said, you're crazy, look at verse 15. She kept insisting that it was so. And they said it must be his angel. But Peter, talk about insistent, persistence. Peter kept on knocking. And when they opened the door and saw him,

they were astonished. Now, I read you all that, so I could read you this. Verse 17. Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. He described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. I believe there's somebody here today and you're going to be describing how the Lord brought you out. Not many days from now. Matter of fact, grab the hand to the person on the person.

either side of you, we're going to connect physically, and we're just going to believe that whatever is on the other side for your neighbor, they're going to see it, they're going to walk into it, and for the neighbor on either side of you, tell them, I don't know what you need God to bring you out of, but he can do it for you. If you need him to bring you out of an addiction, he can do it for you. If you need him to bring you out of depression, he can do it for you. Somebody in here needs God to bring them out of debt. God can do that for you. you. God can bring you out of your own bad decision. Ask Jonah. He can spit you up where you were supposed to be in the first place. Ask Jonah. God can bring you out. And we're going

to pray to that in right now. So, Father, whatever it is that my brother or my sister needs on either side of me for you to bring them out of. We read about Peter. And Peter wasn't perfect, not by a long shot. He denied you. He cursed. He cut off a man's ear with a sword. He didn't do everything right, but you brought him out. And I believe you can do that for the person on my right and the person on my left. I believe you can do that for every single person watching online today. I believe you can do it because I've seen you do it. So now, God, I declare that we will have testimonies from this service today of how the Lord brought me out.

Right there where you're still standing, just squeeze your neighbor's hand real quick. Just one good squeeze. And now look at them and tell them my title. Tell them, this is what a miracle feels like. This. Give me my camera so I can look at them. Say this is what a miracle feels like. High five, three people say it's a miracle.

You may be seated. Go ahead and bring me my screen, please. This is what a miracle feels like. We're going to break this all the way down today, so don't pay attention while they bring out the screen. I want to show you some stuff today. I want to show you some things that struck me from this text that are very significant for our lives.

Just out of nowhere yesterday, me and Graham were coming back from doing leg day. Walked in the kitchen, looks at me and says, feel like I can trust you as a man to be faithful to mom. Out of nowhere in the kitchen after leg day. I felt proud about that. I feel like I can trust you as a man to be faithful to mom. Any man that can walk by a bag of chocolate-covered pretzels and not eat one is a man who can be trusted. And they start eating chocolate-covered pretzels.

In 16, he can eat chocolate-covered pretzels and still have an eight-pack, and I hate him for it. But in the moment I realized, boy, I've come a long way that my son sees me. No, you don't understand. I've come a long way when food. I saw a lady emailed the church and said, you talk so much about food in your sermons. Every sermon you have a food reference. That's because we tend to preach our way through the devil that we're always having to fight against.

And if you knew how many food issues exist, not just in my life, but life of my parents and just generational things like that. That's kind of a big deal. For Graham to look at me and say, to admire my discipline as he eats chocolate-covered pretzels. Once a year, I have a little commemorative thing where I eat so much food just to show my family what would be possible. I start early and I end late just to show them that if I ever took the bumpers off at the bowling

alley, what kind of gutter we would be in as it concerns my nutrition. And it's a thing to behold. I mean, I could sell tickets to this, all the food I eat in that day. And I do it once, twice, three or four times a year. As often as they need to be reminded, you know, my father was a wandering army and, you know, like, whatever. I have an Old Testament joke. But the thing about it in the moment was it took me back to when I made a decision to be disciplined with eating. and it took me back to all of the people who gave me advice when I was trying to choose a diet

to go on. I was busy trying to show Holly how much I appreciated her cooking. We were newlyweds. I was showing her that by gaining 40 pounds of fat. And I just wanted her to see how effective her meals were. One day I walked by a mirror and it just freaked me out. And I didn't feel like I was getting fatter, but apparently I was because what I saw I didn't recognize. And it's just kind of like, like, all of a sudden, you know, that's how that happens.

And so I came to her and I said, I think I'm going to go on Atkins diet. I've watched my parents do it. It looks fun. You can eat hot dogs with no buns and bacon and lose weight. And I think I'm going to try that one. I don't want to do a portion control. And so I went around to different people and I said, I'm going to do Atkins and I can eat a lot but not have to worry about how much I eat. I can just eat certain things.

And this woman said to me, I know she meant well, very health conscious woman. She goes, no, no, you don't need to eliminate carbohydrates from your diet. You just need to eat all the food groups and you can eat anything. But the key is, just eat until you feel full and then stop. Which may be good advice if full is a feeling that you're familiar with. But this feeling, I didn't tell her, I just listened politely. Oh, yeah, that sounds great. I'm so happy for you about that feeling full thing. But apparently, my full feeler didn't get installed in the factory.

Because even if I eat until I feel full, it'll be five minutes and I won't feel full. And I can feel full on salty, but still want sweet. So there's like five different types of full that I need to feel. And so since I realized I can't trust this feeling called full, because I've been waiting to feel full and that put these 40 pounds on me, because the whole time I've been eating these 40 pounds, I've been trying to feel full, and I haven't felt full, and I realize feelings can be deceiving and they can be delayed. And so I wonder today, just as an illustration, as we look at this text and consider this

lesson. Is it possible that just like sometimes you're full, or maybe not you, but people like me, we're full and we don't feel full? Is it possible sometimes that as difficult as it is for me to feel full, it's also difficult to feel faith? And I mentioned that because if you don't know what faith feels like, sometimes you will be acting as if you don't have it when in fact you do. and that it is possible for you to have faith and not feel faith, just as it is possible for me to be full and not feel full. I'm already preaching better than you're responding, but I don't mind. Because the fact of the matter is, even in a sermon when you're hearing the Word of God preached, you may not necessarily feel good while you're hearing the message, but it might make you better after you go home.

The feeling can be delayed. I said last week that feelings come, but they don't come first. You heard it? Wow. That was revolutionary for me to know that feelings have their place in my life, but not first place. That emotions are welcome to come, and so when I feel amazing grace, I sing amazing grace. But when I don't feel amazing grace, check this out. I've still got amazing grace.

Because feelings come, but they don't come first. The word comes first. Somebody say the word comes first. And what God speaks over me is the first word, the last word, the alpha, the omega, and the Omnacron in the middle of the Greek alphabet, because feelings come, but they don't come first. A very important lesson today. Now, the reason I selected this story for our lesson today is because we, we are a very important lesson today. is because we are seeing a miracle, but it probably doesn't feel like a miracle to the people experiencing it.

And it is my theory that most of the Bible stories that we love to read, we would have hated to live. Think about this. Our Bible Club is reading Daniel right now. I like hearing about the lions that he slept with. I don't want one for a pillow. I love singing about Shadrach Meshach Abednego, but I don't want to be neither of the three. I don't want to be in that story. I want to read that story.

Kind of like Peter. I don't want to be in a prison for preaching the gospel. I hope I never have to do that. Go to a prison for preaching the gospel. I don't really want anything to confine me. It's not a physical prison, you know. So I'm reading about this and I'm like, why do I like this story so much? Because we love dramatic, deliverance stories in church.

Red Sea, anyone? The Fall of Goliath, anyone. Jericho Walls anyone. Traffic anyone. No, Red Sea. Not traffic. And my task a lot of times in bringing the scripture is to kind of bring it down to a level where we can see that although we are not Peter in a prison and although we are not the

church that was persecuted by Herod, who was going around and kind of taking all the Christians and throwing them in jail to try to keep the people under his jurisdiction happy because political purposes that have had their origin and human agendas that are used under God's sovereign rule are nothing new to the God of the Bible. And so we see in Acts chapter 12 how Herod is going around and persecuting the Christians. I wanted to slow down and show you some things that struck me this week from this message. Look at your neighbor and say, this is what a miracle. Feels like.

Now when I say feels like, let me point something out to you is that the book that I just quoted to you from is called the Book of Acts. It's called the Book of Acts because it is the Acts, the actions, the Acts of the Apostles Jesus left to take the gospel into all the world. And they did that. Against all odds, they did that. They did that starting on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came and God gave the utterance so that everyone heard the gospel in their own language.

They preached repentance. They did that. They healed the lame. They did that. They actually have already suffered a lot of persecution. They did all of that. And much of it is included in the book of Acts. Notice that I did not tell you, though, when I started today, to turn in your Bible to

the 12th chapter of the book of feelings. I told you to turn to the 12th chapter of the book of feelings might be a different book. The book of what they felt as they did it. I feel God so strong on this message, because you keep thinking that the feeling not being there means there's something wrong with you. Maybe, maybe not. feelings come, but they don't come first. You keep thinking, I wouldn't struggle with this if I really believe that.

Maybe, maybe not. Because feelings come, but they don't come first. And the amazing thing about a miracle is that you can be in one and not feel one while you're in it. Just like I can be full technically, because let's be honest, nobody really needs the whole bag, but I have a whole bag brain. So when I feel full, that's a, that's a brain thing, not a body thing. And so something can actually be happening in your body that's not happening in your brain. By extension, something can actually be happening in your life, in reality,

that has not yet happened in your emotions. And sometimes it takes a little while for us to catch up with what God was already doing. So that while we are going through the experience, we really can't understand the experience. And the temptation in these moments is to think, if I can't describe it while I'm going through it, then God must not be in it. So then we say things like this makes no sense, and God get me out of this. But it is often not until we get out of this that we can even understand why God put us in this and be able to tell the testimony, yeah, there were lions, they didn't bite me.

Yeah, there was fire. It didn't singe me. I don't smell like it, do I? But I slept there. So in Acts Chapter 12, Peter gets out of prison, and we read about that, and it's a really humorous story. I mean, it's one of those great stories to show people. People who say the Bible's boring, send them over to Acts Chapter 12 and show them the comedy of the fact that, the church is praying for Peter and he comes to the door and the girl says, hey, the thing

you're praying for it just showed up and they say, no way, it must be his angel. No, it's a miracle. No, it can't be. The people who are praying for it to happen can't even believe it could possibly be true. This message is for everybody who doesn't feel like a good parent right now. You might be a real good parent. And the proof of your good parenting might be your prison. The proof that Peter was making a difference was the fact that the political agenda had to suppress him. So the proof sometimes that you're doing what you're supposed to do is that a resistance comes to contain you from continuing to do it. Don't assume that just because it's tense in your home right now, that that necessarily means you're doing it wrong.

You may need to adjust your strategy. You may need to do it a little differently going forward. You may need to take a cue that something needs to change, but please understand that Peter is not in prison for something he did disobedient. He's in prison for fulfilling his very purpose. And the church is praying for God to bring him out. I mean, if this was called the Book of Feelings, what would Acts chapter 12 be? It would be a church that was praying.

but not really believing that what they were praying was possible. I slipped this in for everybody who has ever come into a worship service and we sang something like, I trust in God, and you lifted your hands and felt like a hypocrite. Because you were not trusting God in that moment you put your hands up. But the act of worship was obedience, even if the feeling of worship did not prompt it. act of kindness is obedience, even if you can't stand the person. The act, oh, I'm preaching good today. I'm preaching so good. The church is going quiet. And Peter is in prison precisely because he is in the center of his purpose. And I would

suggest to you that sometimes the prison proves your progress. Sometimes the difficulty proves, the challenge proves, the struggle proves that you are growing stronger and making a different. for God. If you go to a Panthers game this year, nobody will come up and tackle you unless you got the ball. But when you got the ball, they hit you over what you carry. When you've got the ball, they hit you over what you have the potential to do. When you got the ball, they hit you because if they let you get too open, you might make

something happen and you might make the playoffs. And you might put six on the board. High five somebody and say, I know what I got. So this is what a miracle feels like? It shows up at the door and you can't even open the door because you're so afraid. Sometimes it's at the door and you are so disappointed. I mean, let's get the church credit. They were praying.

It's a miracle. They were still praying under the persecution. they were under. It's a miracle they were still praying. One of their main leaders has just been beheaded just days ago. His name was James. When you read the Gospels, you read about Peter and James and John, that James. They took him out, cut his head off, and Peter was next. And on the night that they were deciding his fate, the church was praying. And Peter got out. But notice something here because I never noticed it before.

I preached this passage about every two or three years. It's something that I really love. Maybe it's a lot of things that I need God to bring me out of too. And so it gives me hope and energy for that. But I've already struck me before where it said Peter kept knocking and I always thought that was cool and they opened the door and saw them and they were astonished. I never noticed what Peter did next. And this is what I want us to think about for a moment today.

How Peter is standing there and he's on the run and nobody knows he's gone because God snuck him out of his cell. Sometimes God doesn't do it in a dramatic way. Sometimes he sneaks you out. Sometimes he sneaks you out so good you don't even know you're gone yet. You wake up one day and say, oh, I don't even want to call him back. Oh, I don't even want to go over. Oh, I don't even want to taste it.

I don't even like the taste. I taste nasty. That tastes nasty. And he's sneaking out. And he gets to the place where he knew some people might be praying, which you would think that he was going there for safety. The only problem with that, and all of you who are listening on a podcast, I am circling words on the screen, and I wish you could see it because my handwriting is amazing and my artistic

ability is unparallelow. I'm doing some calligraphy up here. But it said he motioned with his hand for them to be quiet. described how the Lord had brought him out of prison, tell James and the other brothers and sisters about this. This is a different James, not the one this did. Tell James and the other brothers and sisters about this, he said, and then he left for another place. And we don't know where he goes. But before he left for another place, because he's got a hurry now, he snuck out of prison, doesn't have much time. This is what a miracle feels like. You're out, but you're still running.

You're out of that thing, but you're headed to another place. Did you see that? He left for another place. But along the way he goes just to show the praying church at John Mark's mother's house that he was still here. But the Bible says he also, before he left to go to another place, which I'm sure God had a lot more for Peter to do. He went on to do amazing things. He went on to be one of the most significant figures in the New Testament church. But before he left, he told him, be quiet.

They're freaking out. Peter. He's like, shut up. They're trying to. What do you mean? They let you go. No, not they. He did. They didn't let me go. He let me out. Now, shut up. And then the Bible says, because he's a wanted man, right? So what is he doing standing here at their door out in the open? He's not going inside. He has this whole conversation at the door. He never even goes in. But the Bible says not only did he show them that God had kept him, but he watched this, describe. How? The Lord had brought him out of prison. Now, that's different. Because when they saw him, they could have assumed that he was released by Herod. But he had to clarify, it wasn't Herod that let me out. Because sometimes people don't change. But the God who never changes can take you in the same situation and nothing change about the situation, but everything changed for you.

And he began to describe, oh, I love it. He began to describe how the Lord had brought him out of prison. Touch your neighbor, say, you wouldn't believe me if I told you. If I told you how God brought me out, if I told you how I kept my mind, if I told you how he kept me saying, if I told you how I paid this bill while that bill was talking to that bill and my bills had baby bills and the baby bills all ganged up and started eating me like monsters, like piranhas. If I told you how he did it, you wouldn't believe me. You wouldn't believe how God brought me out. But he stops to tell them how he described

how the Lord had brought him out of prison. So let's run it back. Let's have a conversation. Peter is standing at the door with us today, and God brought him out of a prison. And you need God to bring you out of a prison. It may be the prison of your own pride. It may be the prison of the pain that you feel because just like the church was, we are all dealing with a loss that we experienced while reaching toward a future that we hope for. You know how hard it is to pray for Peter when you just lost James? You know how hard it is to believe that my life is going to be better and I'm going to be happy again one day? When you thought that six months ago. You know how hard it is to trust somebody that's new?

When the people that you knew you could trust proved that you were wrong, thus is the situation. And yet, now we've got a church that was praying, not really even believing that it was possible, but still praying. And Peter, did you notice, who goes the whole journey, not even knowing that what was happening was really happening? And they're standing here at the door because this is what a miracle feels like. This. I don't know if that's exciting, but it's true. It's the difference between the baby pictures that they put on Instagram and the 3 a.m.

feedings of what being a mom feels like. See, the first one is what being a mom is filtered like. The second one is what being a mom feels like. And when you are in a miracle, you may feel like the church praying in John Mark's mother's home. God, do it even though I'm not sure you can. God, we're praying even though we're still in pain. We're praying through these tears. We're believing, but kind of not.

And so Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly. praying. It was praying. Peter said, I've got to tell you how the Lord brought me out. You won't believe it. The night before Herod was coming to bring me to trial and I didn't know the outcome, y'all, you're not going to believe this. Keep your voices down. But I need to tell you what I was doing in the prison cell. You're not going to believe it. Because if you would have told me I was going to be thrown in prison, this is Peter speaking, okay? This is as if like Peter was describing how the Lord brought him out. I would have thought that I would have had an ulcer. I would have thought that I would have been pacing all around the cell. I would have thought that I would

have been freaking out. But it was the most amazing thing that while I was waiting to see if I was going to live or die, I was sleeping. I'm sorry, Peter, speak up. Did you say you were singing? Like Paul and Silas? No, that's Acts 16. This is Acts 12. That hasn't happened yet. Paul's all boisterous about it. He's singing in prison. Peter said, I don't know how. I can't explain it, but somehow while I was waiting, not even knowing the outcome, I was sleeping. Peter, say it one more time. What were you doing while you were waiting to see if you were going to have your head cut off? I can't explain it.

I know it makes no sense. I was sleeping. Because sometimes this is what a miracle looks like. Sometimes you do it with a lower thread count. Sometimes they don't even fluff your pillow or put a mint on it. Definitely not one of those cruise shift washcloths that they roll up to look like a duck. None of that. No comfort, no certainty.

But I slept. Tell somebody I know you won't believe me, but I was sleeping. I couldn't explain it. But God gave me, watch this, a supernatural peace. How many have that testimony? And I know if I try to explain it to you, it won't make sense

because I should have been just freaking out. I should have been going crazy. I should have been shaking the bars. This isn't right. I at least should have been praying. But, oh, wait a minute. Wait a minute. Peter, you were sleeping?

That makes total sense. Because we were. So, so, so that's amazing. right? Because we were praying, but we didn't have any proof that it was working. But now you're standing at the door to tell us that you were able to do this because we were willing to do this. Now I feel like preaching. God said it's working. God said it's working while you sleep. Or just like the human body recovers during rest. God said, I am building your case right now. while you rest.

I got somebody praying for you that you hadn't even talked to in 24 months. I got somebody praying for you that you don't even like. I got somebody praying for you. I'm here because I'm just starting. I bet

it was around the same time. I bet the moment they started praying, Peter passed out. I bet he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. God said he brought to the church this morning and when you go home tonight you're going to have a same problem same prison but a different sleep thus god's gonna close your eyes and make you lie down in green pastures

because this to pillow your head in a prison makes no sense it's a miracle peter did you fall asleep because you knew god was gonna bring you out no i fell asleep because there was nothing i could do about it and it had to be god So when you've done all you can do, sleep on it like a baby freshly fed with the milk of the Word of God. I'm going to sleep on this thing. Because when He brings you out, you're going to need your rest for what's next. I feel like I'm doing therapy for somebody today.

Somebody in here is too cheap to hire a professional therapist, so you get me. I was sleeping. Tell somebody I was sleeping. Look, I don't even really know. It was like God knocked me out for the surgery. It was like I came to a point. I can't even tell you exactly when it happened, but I was sleeping. He described how the Lord brought him out.

And I was sleeping between two guards. You ever had to sleep between two things? I don't know what tomorrow holds. And I can't change what yesterday did. But somehow I was sleeping. Somehow I was sleeping. God told me about one of my kids a couple years ago. I was so worried.

He said, I got them. Stay out of it. Well, that was hard for me to hear, but I already did all I could do. If I could do something else, I do something else. I got them. Stay out of it. And when he said that to me and I slept on it, I woke up to find he really, really good at doing stuff while I sleep. Now, Santa Claus has nothing on God.

You ought to see what he can bring while you're sleeping. I feel like preaching, but I got two more points. Say preach on, pastor. Preach on pastor. Preach till everybody falls asleep and wakes back up and preach it again. Tell your neighbor, don't sleep right now. It's very rude. Now, he said I was sleeping, and I like to imagine it okay, not for dramatic purpose.

purpose is not because I'm trying to be some great storyteller. But I'd just like to imagine he's standing at the door. He's been there banging on the door. It's me. Don't you believe God can do it? No, we don't. We're really confused. I'm confused, too. Here we are. This is what miracle feels. Like, I was sleeping. And right about when I hit my rim cycle, verse seven, suddenly, so the first one, if you want to take notes, I was sleeping, Peter said. Then Peter said, God, God, God let me sleep, he gave me peace, he supernaturally rocked me to bed with the revelation that he was with me. And suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared, this is great. And a light shone in the cell, and he, Peter, on the side, and woke him up. So Peter said, let me tell you

what had happened. I was sleeping. Then I was struck. I was struck. I was struck. Y'all kind of slow today. Let me come down there and show you what a miracle feels like. Because we all have our ideas, right? Okay, you're reading this and you're thinking, okay, here comes the angel. This is great for Peter.

Peter's our guy. Angel shows up, verse seven. We're all worried in verse six. He's probably going to die like James died. There's no hope for Peter. Oh, this is horrible. Suddenly, great Bible word. Suddenly an angel showed up.

Here comes the light and here comes the angel and all of a sudden you know like the picture the angel like Protecting me and covering me with his wings But apparently this angel had wings that he used for whacking You feel if I use you for this? Because sometimes a miracle feels like can you all see on the camera what I'm doing? Can you see this online? Has has life done one of? These to you lately?

What kind of angel is this, JJ? Run around striking people, the same one that put him to sleep. Because God knows when it's time for you to get up. And sometimes you praise him because you were sleeping. But you've got to learn to praise him when he strikes you too. Not all discomfort is a curse. What kind of angel has this been in your life lately? I'm not going to hit women.

I've got to draw the line somewhere. Wouldn't they clip me on YouTube if I ran around hidden? They're probably going to clip it anyway and put it on there. But that's all right. I've been clipped before. I've been struck before. Sometimes God used a critic. I did it, but real soft.

Sometimes God used something that felt like this. But touch your neighbors say, that's your wake-up call. there's a sleepy time angel that God will send, and then there's a wake-up angel that God will send. Some of the things that have been happening in your life lately, that's not the enemy. That's an angel. Some of it is an angel. I used to think raising teenagers, oh God, they're possessed by the devil. Nope. I read a book by Peterson who wrote the message Bible. He's in heaven now. He said that adolescence is the gift to the middle-aged men to keep us from stagnating. Because when we are forced to confront what we never grew through in our children, it keeps

us from lying down and dying in the state that we're in. So I realized my teenagers weren't the devil. They were my angel. Saying, wake up, mate. Tap your neighbor real soft. I don't want to start a fight on the third row. But say, wake up. Ask them, are you my angel?

And I think this would be very good for us to learn. The next time something happens, we don't like how it feels. The next time something happens because we were all so comforted that the angel put me to sleep. But Peter says, I was sleeping when I needed to sleep, and I was struck when I needed to get up. And the same God that puts me to sleep, just do it for me. High five, three people and say, get up right now. This is your angel saying. This is your angel saying.

This is your angel saying. This is your angel saying. That person that gets up on your nerves when they walk in the office Monday, I want you to see them with wings. Here comes my angel trying to keep me fresh. Because how else would you love your enemies if you didn't have any? So all they're doing is giving me an opportunity to be obedient. Here it comes. Here it comes.

Jump your neighbor a little bit. Say this is what a miracle feels like. And I thought it was God punishing me. No, he's not punishing me. He's pushing me because he's got this. This is what it feels like. Sleeping. I was sleeping and I was struck.

But that's my second favorite point. Here comes my favorite point. Say I was sleeping. And I was struck. And I was struck. by something that was meant to help me, not to kill me. I was struck by something that was meant to move me forward. I was struck by something that was sent to notify me that God is active in this situation.

So thank you, Lord, for the wing that covered me and let me sleep under the heat of my trial. But thank you for the same wing that smacked me and got me up out of that pit and told me you're better than this. Thank you, Jesus. So, I was sleeping. Tell your neighbor, I was sleeping. I can't stay long. I got to go. I can't stay here at this door forever. I got to go. But I need you to know how the Lord brought me out. I was sleeping. And just when I got comfortable, oh, thank you, Lord. You're letting me get a good night's sleep before I die. I was struck because God was like, I'm not done with you yet. Some of you laid down to die.

But you're going to another place, another dimension. You hadn't even matured yet. You hadn't even matured yet. You hadn't even done your best work yet. You had even made your greatest contribution or deposit yet. Because the Bible says that Peter was sleeping and that Peter was struck. So tell him I was sleeping. Put it in the comments. I was sleeping. I was struck. And then the angel said to him, put on your clothes and sandals. So I guess Peter would say, I was stripped. I'm not going to preach that one. I had to get out of my pajamas. Because what I was dressed for wasn't appropriate for what God was bringing me into. I was wearing my prison PJs. So I get dressed, and I did it.

And the Lord said, wrap your cloak around you and follow me. Everybody say, follow me. Put it in the comments. Follow me. The angel told him, did not give him a GPS coordinate, gave him an instruction. gave him a path. And my favorite thing about Peter in this passage, because he slowed down to share how the Lord brought him out. I mean, if you go back through the things in your life that God has brought you out of, you can learn a lot for where he's bringing you through right now.

So Peter said, before I go to the next place, before I go to the next week, before I go through another birthday, before I go into another season of my life, before I go into another school year, whatever the case may be, before I go into it. Before I go into another E-group and leave because they were weird, they are the 13th weird group you've been in. They're the weird ones every time. Let's evaluate this for a minute. He said, follow me. It is, isn't it? Follow me, the angel told him. And Peter said, I followed him. He followed him.

He followed him. I'm circling the word in verse 9. Followed. He followed him out of the first. prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening. He didn't know what God was doing until he was all the way out. So I was sleeping. I was struck. I got up. Chains fell off. And then I started following the angel, but honestly, I didn't know what was going on. So I was sleeping. I was struck. I was struck.

And then I was stumbling. I was stumbling. To be honest with you, I'm only here at the door right now because I stumbled to something that I didn't know was even there. I mean, I was still so sleepy. You have to understand. The angel woke me up quick. Hit me hard, knocked the breath out of me. I wasn't expecting that to be the wake-up call.

I was just settled in. I was just starting to draw. It was a good dream. And he woke me up and said, get dressed and we got it going before I could even say where we were out. And it was dark. And I followed him, but I didn't know where I was going. I was stumbling. I told my oldest son recently, anything you've ever seen me do well as a dad, I did it by accident.

Because I was stumbling to figure out how to be your dad. Dad, every double-dipped chocolate-covered pretzel bag you ever saw me walk past and not eat one, I wanted one. Oh, I wanted one. Anything I brought into subjection in my life, I stumbled to surrender it. Y'all don't hear me. I stumbled to this stage this morning. I didn't get up on the stage today thinking I'm God's gift to the world to share a message. I stumbled up the steps today saying God if somebody needs to be brought out if somebody needs a miracle if you can use anything Lord you can use me so I will make my way to the stage if it's stumbling I'm coming if it's stumbling I'm stepping if it's stumbling I'm going higher I was stumbling I followed the angel I didn't even know it was real.

This is what a miracle feels like. You're doing the good stuff and you don't know it. You are sewing in tears so you can reap in joy. You are stumbling. Stumbling. Can we point out the fact that the miracle happened and the light broke through? Everybody say light. But the light came through and Peter had to walk.

So everybody say legs. God said it's going to be his light and your legs. But sometimes after leg day, you'd be walking past some pretzels covered in chocolate and really want them and really wobble. And Peter said, I stumbled, but I went straight. To verse 11, put it on the screen, please. He said, finally, when the angel left, because that would be the scary part. The angel left. And Peter, what?

came to himself. And he realized everything that had just happened. It really happened. God brought me out. God brought me out. I don't need to have survivors' guilt. God brought me out. I don't have to live in constant rehearsal of how they victimized me.

God brought me out. I'm going to heal from this now and move into a new season of healing others because God brought me out. I was sleeping. I was struck. I was stumbling, but I'm still here. Just one moment. I like to think that Peter in this moment not only came to himself and realized what God had done for him. And those moments are precious when you realize what God did for you.

And you never really feel that God is doing it for you. And you don't even know if it's real until you get through it. You say, oh, I was sleeping. I was sleeping. He was unlocking my shackles while I was sleeping. It was already loose when he struck me. And I stumbled to this place, and I don't know what God has for me in this next season of my life, but I stumbled here by the grace of God, and I followed and I stumbled.

Let me open my eyes. I don't trip off the stage trying to do an illustration. It's what it feels like to be on a miracle. I'm not really sure. Is this the end? But I'm standing here on shaky legs. I'm stumbling. And I like to think and imagine that in that moment, what helped Peter come to himself and realize

that I slept and I was struck and I stumbled. I like to think that he came to himself because he remembered someone else who slept and was struck and stumbled. I like to think that in this moment, Peter thought of Mark Chapter 4. Put it on the screen, please, around about verse 37. And Peter said, let me tell you, I remembered somebody else who slept. See, a furious squall that's a storm came over the boat we were in. And we were looking for Jesus, and the waves brought over the boat, and we were crying for Jesus, and we were worried as this is the end.

And it was nearly swamped, and it was almost over. And I didn't know. And when we went looking for Jesus, in verse 38 when we went in, Jesus was in the stern, sleeping, sleeping on a cushion. And we woke him up and said, don't you care? No, I care. but I'm in control. So I'm sleeping

to show you what to do when you're not in control. Help me preach this, Holy Spirit. I like to think in that moment as he's standing there thinking, I was sleeping and I was struck that maybe he remembered Isaiah 53,

which he knew since he was a boy, where the prophet Isaiah prophesied of Jesus and said, verse 4, Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. Yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. But after the striking, he was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him.

And with his stripes, we are healed. I know somebody else who was struck. They struck him on the mouth, but he was still a great high priest. They struck him like a sheep, but he stood strong like a shepherd. He was sleeping in the storm. He was struck, and he carried across. And I watched him, Peter is thinking. I watched him carry across the vertical beam alone that he carried weight a hundred pounds.

And with the weight of a hundred pounds on his back, like the weight of the responsibility that you feel on your back, like the weight of your past on your back, like the weight of There are expectations that you don't know how to meet on your back, like the weight of a prison sentence that you're waiting to hear the outcome of on your back. He was walking down the street in Luke 23, and Peter says, I remember it because I should have been by his side at that moment, but I stumbled. And I watched him carry the heavy cross, and I didn't help him. But put Luke 23 on the screen, please. Because the Bible records that as the soldiers led Jesus away, they see Simon of Cyrene, who was an African man standing nearby. And he was on his way from the country and they put the cross off of Jesus and onto him.

Because as Jesus carried the cross, he walked straight, but he still stumbled. And the word of the Lord today for somebody is, you can walk straight even as you stumble. You can walk straight even though you stumble. And the message today is not for those who never stumble. It is not for those who were never stricken. It is not for those who always slept in peace. Do you not realize all three of these things Peter did wrong earlier in his life? He slept in the Garden of Gethsemini while Jesus prayed.

He struck the servant's ear and cut it off in the garden because he wanted to do it his way. He stumbled and denied he never knew Jesus, ever knew Jesus. I'm stumbling now on a straight path because I'm not stumbling by myself anymore. I know someone else. And this is what a miracle feels like to be standing at a door that you don't even know where it leads. Is that you today? Come on, you know good and well you don't know what your 20s are going to be like,

but you're standing at a door. God, the last 10 minutes I just gave you was a gospel message that says, greater is he that is in you than he that's in the world. And notice what Peter didn't do it any time. He slept, he was struck, and he stumbled, but he didn't stop. He stood there and knocked at that door. I just see a picture of somebody today who persistently, like Peter, needed to know that I know the situation didn't fix yet, but you are going to sleep on the stuff that you can't

control and trust God because when he strikes, it is for salvation. It's for salvation. Listen to that. He was stricken by God. I didn't think God struck. No, he strikes, but he strikes for salvation. The enemy strikes to devastate. God strikes to save.

Now I know angels' wings can cover me and correct me. Now I know angel wings can whack, and I know that he can lead me even when I'm not really sure where are we going. So for everybody today who's stumbling somewhere, I want you to know that you're stumbling with someone. And it's not Simon of Cyrene that carries your cross when it gets too heavy. is Jesus of Nazareth himself. Stand to your feet because I'm closing, but join hands with your neighbor one more time.

And I want you to squeeze their hand one more time and say this is what a miracle feels like. See it like Peter saw it. I slept. I was struck. I stumbled. And so did my Savior. So I'm sleeping because he's in the stern of my ship. I'm sleeping because he's the captain of my soul.

I'm sleeping because he's the anchor through the waves. I'm sleeping. And I'm struck not because he hates me, but because he loves me too much to leave me in these chains. I see you getting up today. I know someone else who got up. I said I know someone else who got up. I know someone else who was struck but didn't stay.

I'm stumbling. Be patient with me because this is what a miracle feels. I'm not sure. Okay, another day. Okay, okay, another month. Okay, I'm sober for another hour. Okay, this is what? Squeeze their hand again. This is what a miracle feels like. I'm trying to get you to squeeze their hands so they can remember. I'm still here. I'm still strong. I've still got blood in my veins. I've Still got days in my future. I still got smiles. Oh, how great the love of the father. Oh, how great the gift of the sun. Oh, how great the power of Jesus.

Sleeping Savior. Striking Savior. Stumbling Savior. Oh, how great. Oh, how great. Now, will you lift your hands to your Savior? who carried his cross and yours too. Oh, how great the love of the father.

Oh, how great. This is an anointed word. This is a chain-breaking word if you'll let it. Let's stand there for a minute and start testifying. I was lost. Let me tell you how. Thank you for joining us. Special thanks to those of you who give generously to this.

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