YOUR WAY TO THE MIRACULOUS

Table of Contents

1. The Expired Credit Card of Law and Mixture
2. God's Original Plan for Humanity
3. Created in God's Image and Likeness
4. The Garden of Eden and God's Desire to Dwell with Humanity
5. The Fall of Man and the Corruption of Humanity
6. God's Redemption Plan Revealed
7. Humanity's Repeated Failure Throughout History
8. Jesus: The Man Who Could Fulfill God's Plan
9. The Restoration of Eden Through Christ
10. The Greatest Source of Miraculous Power
11. God's Love Revealed Through Scripture
12. Faith Energized by Love
13. Closing Prayer and Invitation

The Expired Credit Card of Law and Mixture

Pastor Leonard begins with an illustration from everyday life. He explains that he had been receiving notifications because one of his credit cards was set to expire on May 31st. Just as an expired credit card is rejected when someone attempts to use it, he compares this to believers who try to operate under the law or under a mixture of law and grace. According to the message, many Christians continue attempting to access God's blessings through an expired system. The old covenant law has expired as the means by which believers relate to God. Christians now live under a new covenant established through Jesus Christ. Understanding this new covenant is essential because the power for the miraculous is found within it.

He introduces the central theme of the sermon: "The power for the miraculous, for what you're longing for, lies in this message."

God's Original Plan for Humanity

Pastor Leonard returns to the beginning of Scripture to reveal God's original intention for humanity.|
He reads Genesis 1 and emphasizes that God created every living thing according to its kind.

Genesis 1:24-28- And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Pastor Leonard highlights the phrase "after his kind" and notes that through Jesus Christ, God also produced offspring after His own kind. He states that believers are now God's family and share in His life through Christ. God's original intention was not merely to create human beings but to create a family that reflected His image and likeness.

Created in God's Image and Likeness

Pastor Leonard explains that many people wonder what it means to be created in God's image and likeness. He points to Paul's explanation in Ephesians.

Ephesians 4:24- And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

According to the sermon, God's image consists of true righteousness and true holiness. Adam and Eve were created righteous and holy, reflecting God's own nature. Humanity's original condition was one of perfection. They were not created sinful or separated from God. Rather, they were created to live in fellowship with Him and exercise authority over creation.
God blessed humanity and commissioned them to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and govern it.

The Garden of Eden and God's Desire to Dwell with Humanity

Pastor Leonard then examines Genesis 2 and notes something he had never fully noticed before.

Genesis 2:1-3- Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

He observes that after creation was completed and after God's rest, the Garden of Eden was planted.

Genesis 2:8-9- And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 2:15-18- And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

Pastor Leonard explains that God's purpose for creating humanity was so that He could dwell with mankind face to face. He teaches that because God is omnipresent, He would need to manifest Himself in a form humanity could interact with directly. According to the sermon, the One who walked with Adam in the Garden was Jesus.

God desired to live alongside humanity forever in perfect fellowship. Adam and Eve were intended to expand the Garden of Eden across the entire earth. The whole world was meant to become a place where humanity would live with God face to face.

The Fall of Man and the Corruption of Humanity

Pastor Leonard discusses the serpent's deception and humanity's fall.

Genesis 3:1-5- Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

He explains that one of the created spiritual beings rebelled against God's plan for humanity and desired the authority that God had given mankind. Pastor Leonard emphasizes that God gave humanity free will because genuine love requires freedom. God did not want robotic obedience but a true family that could freely love Him. When Adam sinned, sin entered the world and death entered through sin. Humanity's nature became corrupted and bent toward evil. According to the sermon, God's plan was not destroyed but temporarily interrupted.

Pastor Leonard stresses that Jesus was never God's backup plan. God already knew redemption would be necessary.

Ephesians 1:4- According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.

God had already planned redemption before creation itself.

God's Redemption Plan Revealed

After Adam and Eve sinned, Pastor Leonard explains that humanity's relationship with God changed dramatically. He reads the account of Adam and Eve hiding from God.

Genesis 3:8-11- And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?

According to Pastor Leonard, God was saddened by what had happened. Humanity, which had once enjoyed open fellowship with God, now hid in fear and shame. However, even in the midst of humanity's failure, God immediately began unveiling His plan of redemption. He points to what he calls the first prophetic declaration concerning Jesus Christ.

Genesis 3:15- And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

Pastor Leonard explains that this verse points forward to Jesus defeating Satan. Although humanity had fallen, God had already begun revealing His plan to restore mankind. He teaches that from this point forward mankind possessed a corrupted nature that continually bent toward sin and evil. What began with disobedience would continue to grow worse throughout human history. He notes that shortly after the fall, Cain murdered Abel, demonstrating how quickly sin expanded beyond the original act of disobedience.|
Humanity's corruption continued to increase, moving farther and farther away from God's original intention.

Humanity's Repeated Failure Throughout History

Pastor Leonard traces a broad overview of biblical history to show that humanity repeatedly failed to accomplish God's purposes through its own strength. He references the Tower of Babel, where mankind attempted to elevate itself to God's position. He then discusses the corruption that spread throughout the earth and explains that God continued searching for individuals through whom His plan could move forward.

Noah was chosen and received the same command given to Adam to multiply and replenish the earth. Yet Noah's descendants also failed. Then God called Abraham. Through Abraham came Isaac. Through Isaac came Jacob. Through Jacob came the nation of Israel.

Pastor Leonard explains that God continued working through human history to bring about His plan of redemption. Eventually Joseph was sent to Egypt, which led to the formation of Israel as a nation. Moses later appeared, and God delivered Israel from Egyptian bondage.

Pastor Leonard highlights a verse that he says many believers overlook.

Jude 1:5- I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.

He teaches that Jesus Himself was involved in leading Israel out of Egypt. However, because Israel had been surrounded by pagan influences and false gods for generations, they no longer understood holiness and righteousness.

Therefore God gave them the Law. According to Pastor Leonard, the Law was given because the people needed instruction concerning right and wrong. Yet even with the Law, they could not achieve God's standard. They failed under the Law. Joshua followed Moses.

Pastor Leonard notes that he was once told there is no recorded sin specifically attributed to Joshua in Scripture.

Yet Joshua still failed to fully complete God's instructions because he did not drive out all of Israel's enemies. As a result, those remaining nations became a continual source of temptation and idolatry. After Joshua came David and Solomon.

For a season things improved, but eventually the nation again turned away from God. The pattern remained unchanged. Humanity continually failed because humanity possessed a corrupted nature. No amount of human effort could permanently solve the problem.

Jesus: The Man Who Could Fulfill God's Plan

At this point in the sermon, Pastor Leonard turns the focus completely to Jesus.

He repeatedly emphasizes:

"Jesus. Jesus." According to the message, God needed a man who was more than a man. He needed someone who could:

• Resist temptation completely.
• Obey perfectly.
• Qualify for kingship.
• Reverse the curse of death.
• Die and rise again.

No ordinary human being could accomplish this. Therefore God Himself became a man.

Pastor Leonard explains that Jesus fulfilled God's plan as a human being on behalf of all humanity. God would accomplish for humanity what humanity could never accomplish for itself. Jesus would succeed where Adam failed. Jesus would succeed where Noah failed. Jesus would succeed where Abraham's descendants failed. Jesus would succeed where Israel failed. Jesus would succeed where every person had failed. By becoming a man, living a sinless life, dying, and rising again, Jesus restored the possibility of humanity being reunited with God.

Pastor Leonard teaches that only through resurrection power could people be made like Jesus and restored to God's original purpose.

The Restoration of Eden Through Christ

Pastor Leonard explains that through Jesus, God began restoring what was lost in Eden. He teaches that God's greatest gift to humanity was His Son. This gift was not earned through works or human effort. Instead, it was given entirely because of God's love. He explains that through faith in Jesus:

2 Corinthians 5:17- Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

The corrupted nature is removed. Believers become new creations. Believers are declared righteous and holy through faith. The kingdom of God becomes accessible again.

Pastor Leonard teaches that through Christ believers now experience aspects of what Adam originally enjoyed:

• Eternal life
• Healing
• Wholeness
• Prosperity
• Fellowship with God

He also points toward the future restoration of creation. One day the earth itself will be fully redeemed. The future kingdom will surpass anything humanity has ever seen. The most beautiful locations on earth today are only faint shadows of what God ultimately has planned. In the meantime, believers experience resurrection life because Jesus lives within them.

The Greatest Source of Miraculous Power

Having established the biblical storyline from Genesis through Christ, Pastor Leonard arrives at the central point of the sermon. The greatest source of miraculous power is not effort.

It is not striving.
It is not works.
It is not religious performance.
The greatest source of power is God's love.

According to Pastor Leonard, miracles flow from understanding how much God loves us. When believers know they are loved, faith becomes activated. The supernatural becomes more accessible because confidence in God's goodness increases. The power for healing, provision, restoration, and breakthrough is connected to understanding God's love. The miraculous is rooted in relationship rather than performance. The focus shifts away from "What must I do?" and toward "How much does God love me?" This understanding becomes the foundation for everything that follows.

God's Love Revealed Through Scripture

Pastor Leonard now begins examining several New Testament passages that reveal the depth of God's love and why understanding that love is essential for experiencing the miraculous.

He starts with one of the most well-known verses in the Bible.

John 3:16- For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Pastor Leonard emphasizes that God's motivation for redemption was love. God loved humanity so deeply that He willingly gave His Son. According to the sermon, only by becoming a man could God rescue humanity. Jesus became what humanity needed to restore what had been lost.

He then points to Jesus' prayer in  John 17:23- I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

Pastor Leonard pauses on this verse and emphasizes its significance. According to Jesus, the Father loves believers with the same love that He has for Jesus Himself. Pastor Leonard states that he believes this completely and without hesitation. He explains that many Christians struggle to believe this truth, yet Jesus plainly declares it. The Father's love toward believers is not lesser. It is the very same love He has for His Son.

Next, Pastor Leonard turns to Romans 5:5.

Romans 5:5- And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

He explains that the Holy Spirit was given to continually reveal God's love to believers. Using an illustration, he compares the Holy Spirit to a cheerleader. Just as cheerleaders continually encourage and cheer on a team, the Holy Spirit continually reminds believers:

"God loves you."
"God loves you."
"God loves you."

Pastor Leonard humorously illustrates this by saying it is as if the Holy Spirit continually cheers:

"Give me an L."
"Give me an O."
"Give me a V."
"Give me an E."

"What's that spell?" "Love."
"Who loves you?" "God loves you."
According to the sermon, one of the Holy Spirit's primary ministries is constantly revealing God's love to believers. Pastor Leonard then moves to another powerful passage.

Romans 5:8- But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

He emphasizes that God did not wait for humanity to become worthy. God did not wait until people cleaned up their lives. God did not wait until people became obedient. God loved humanity while humanity was still in sin. This demonstrates that God's love is not earned. It is given freely. The message stresses repeatedly that God's love precedes human performance.

Pastor Leonard then references one of his and Pastor Lori's favorite passages.

Ephesians 3:15-20- Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Now unto him that can do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.

Pastor Leonard explains that believers are meant to become rooted and grounded in God's love. He highlights the dimensions of Christ's love:

• Breadth
• Length
• Depth
• Height
The more believers grow in understanding these dimensions, the more God's life and power become evident within them. According to the sermon, God's love causes everything He has planted within believers to spring forth and become active.

Pastor Leonard then turns to another key verse.
1 John 4:10- Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

This verse deeply impacted him. He emphasizes the startling truth contained in the passage. The verse does not define love as humanity loving God. It defines love as God loving humanity. According to Pastor Leonard, this realization transformed his understanding of God. He explains that as he began focusing on God's love for him, he experienced God's presence, power, and anointing in ways he had not previously experienced.

Faith Energized by Love

Pastor Leonard concludes the teaching by connecting God's love directly to faith. He reads Galatians 5:6.

Galatians 5:6- For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.

According to the sermon, external religious practices do not produce spiritual power. What matters is faith. And that faith becomes energized by love.|
Pastor Leonard explains that as believers grow in understanding God's love, the faith already placed within them begins to operate more effectively. He then references Romans 12:3.

Romans 12:3- For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

According to the sermon, every believer has already received faith from God. The issue is not whether faith exists. The issue is whether that faith is being energized.

Pastor Leonard teaches that the fuel which energizes faith is an understanding of God's love.
The more believers understand God's love:

• The more faith becomes active.
• The more confidence they have in God.
• The more they expect God's goodness.
• The more they become open to receiving miracles.

He summarizes the message by stating that the greatest source of power in a believer's life comes from recognizing how much God loves them. As believers become increasingly aware of God's love, faith rises within them. And as faith rises, they become more receptive to the miraculous and supernatural working of God.
Pastor Leonard recommends the book The Two Greatest Forces in the Life of a Believer, explaining that it focuses on God's love and righteousness and can help believers understand these truths more deeply.

He concludes by declaring: God is love. The more God's love is realized, the more faith for miracles becomes energized from within.

Closing Prayer and Invitation

Pastor Leonard closes in prayer by thanking God for taking redemption into His own hands. He praises God for sending Jesus to become a man, live a sinless life, die, and rise again. He thanks God that through faith in Christ believers are raised to newness of life and are made truly holy and truly righteous. He emphasizes that salvation is a gift accomplished entirely by God because of His love. He prays for those listening who may not yet have received that gift. He asks that they would open their hearts, understand God's love, receive that love, and allow it to transform their lives.
The prayer concludes in Jesus' name.

Thank you for reading this teaching, "YOUR WAY TO THE MIRACULOUS." Pastor Leonard Rola's message reminds believers that God's original plan for humanity has been restored through Jesus Christ and that the greatest source of miraculous power is not found in human effort, religious striving, or law-keeping, but in understanding and receiving the love of God. As believers become rooted and grounded in that love, faith is energized, and God's supernatural life becomes increasingly evident. We hope this article has blessed you. Share this teaching with others so they too can discover the power of God's love and the miraculous life available through Jesus Christ.