All THINGS ARE POSSIBLE
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23 And Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.
24 “Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
25 When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, “Then who can be saved?”
26 And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Background
This follows the story of the Rich Young Ruler
He went away grieved, because Jesus asked him to do something the rich young ruler felt was impossible. His goods were his God.
It was also contrary to all the young man believed. The culture of the day believed prosperity and riches were a sign of Gods abundant blessing on you. It was the evidence of Gods favor on your life. If you are rich you are blessed if you are poor you are not.
You can do whatever you want with the blessings God has given you.
Build Tesla, a spaceship. own Facebook.
But like Apple founder Steve Jobs - all the money in the world couldn’t save his life from pancreatic cancer. He died at the age of 56. All the money in the world cannot buy a relationship with Jesus or get you into heaven.
Riches have been the downfall of many people. They will commit suicide over losing it. They will go into great depression over it. Maybe that is why they called the 30’s the years of the great depression.
Riches become your master and you are a slave to it. You cant get out from under its grip. Why is the government ok with massive inflation? It forces people into a corner and reliant on the government.
Once you rely on the government for your daily life you are its slave.
If you ask a rich man when is it ever going to be enough. The answer will be never. They want to make one more dollar.
Paul figured this out very quickly. He was well educated and a very forceful leader. He never would of lived a life of poverty, he had what it takes to be wealthy. BUT He said I am content in all things whether he was prospering or when he had nothing.
11 Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.
12 I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.
13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
The NIV says I have learned the “secret in any and every situation.”
Some days he had food and there were days he when he did not. Some days he had nice clothes and other days rags. Some days he was safe on land and others he was at the mercy of the seas treading water.
Paul learned the key to “the impossibilities”
One of the main points of the rich young ruler story and the teaching moment Jesus created out off it has nothing to do with money, It has to do with Gods Omnipotence and Man’s Frailness.
It has to do with Salvation and the understanding that, without God you will live a life full of i Can’ts and impossibilities rather than I can and all things are possible
Illustration: Sams Story
There was a key word in his testimony and that was the word “WE”
Together with Christ and the body of Christ - nothing is impossible.
It comes from a motivation of LOVE
LOVE can do all things. Faith is the conduit. ( Faith in Jesus)
When we think about the Almighty God who Created the Universe, created the earth and everything in it, created life,
Who at the wave of Moses’ hands parted the Red Sea and produced dry land,
Who raised an army from a valley of dry bones,
Who destroy Satan’s greatest weapon, death, with His resurrected Son.
If He can do those things, and He did, imagine what He can do with you. A child of God that trusts Him completely.
With God all things are possible! He can change our "I can’t" into "I can".
Question: How many of you would say you have some impossibilities to deal with ?
Lets go to the Old Testament for a few minutes
10 As Pharaoh drew near, the sons of Israel looked, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they became very frightened; so the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord.
11 Then they said to Moses, “Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you dealt with us in this way, bringing us out of Egypt?
12 “Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”
13 But Moses said to the people, “Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever.
14 “The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent.”
15 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward.
16 “As for you, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, and the sons of Israel shall go through the midst of the sea on dry land.
17 “As for Me, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen.
18 “Then the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord, when I am honored through Pharaoh, through his chariots and his horsemen.”
19 The angel of God, who had been going before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them.
20 So it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel; and there was the cloud along with the darkness, yet it gave light at night. Thus the one did not come near the other all night.
21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord swept the sea back by a strong east wind all night and turned the sea into dry land, so the waters were divided.
22 The sons of Israel went through the midst of the sea on the dry land, and the waters were like a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
Israel saw the salvation of the Lord
So what does it take to move from - It can’t happen , or I can’t do it to the point where we say - I can see it in action right now.
1. First it requires Dealing with Fear. vs13
Verse 13 said - do not fear. “I’m going to turn what cannot happen into what can happen - and this isn’t Hollywood or special effects.”
The Greek phobos (noun) and phobeomai(verb) indicate fear, terror, fright, or reverence; and deilos has the idea of dread.
When we are aware of God's power and of his love, we are released from those lesser terrors that might move us to compromise or to disobey the Lord.
Remember what Paul said, "I can do all things through Christ Jesus who gives me the strength."
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.
It means
The other side of fear is confidence.- If we truly abide in the Father's love, we will be without fear. That "perfect love drives out fear" should be taken as a Christian truism as well as an allusion to the fear of God in judgment. Love and fear are incompatible. They cannot coexist.
When Sam was talking with his father , what came back into his life, Jesus, others and confidence.
Relying on God will help you through. Relying on yourself usually gets you back where you started unless you get alot of help
Another way to deal with fear is to focus on the bigger picture, when you do that your own circumstance will look smaller and you will be tempted to move out of your comfort zone.
Moses knew that there was a promise at the end of the journey. Of course there are hazards in the journey but God has a destination in mind for you.
2. Secondly it requires you to Stand Still.
The immediate response to danger is to run
Courage is very rarely manifested when one is running away. On Tuesday we were talking about the 101st airborne and the battle of the bulge . Even though the airborne were drastically outnumbered and surrounded. When the army finally got to them, those troops basically said we didn’t need saving , we had them right where we wanted them. All around us.
Courage is hanging in their when the chips are down. Is digging in and not moving, It is standing on that rock (in Moses case) and saying It is all you God or we die right here.
We are at s place in History in the USA where courage needs to come to the forefront. Christians need to stand there ground and watch God do His thing. AMEN
That doesn’t mean doing nothing, It means flying Gods flag and saying not on my watch
I believe God loves to take down Goliaths. David didn’t stand still in this case but he stood on the confidence that the God of Israel has no problem with uncircumcised Philistines who taunt the army of God.
Sometimes you have to get comfortable being surrounded.
Q. So what is your goliath?
8 You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.
He is about to show up.
Can i give you another scripture?
1CO 15:58 Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
Don’t be in such a rush. The work of the Lord has hindered because people walk away from God or they leave before the miracle has arrived.
Standing requires patience.
Are you a patient individual ?
When things are looking a little dim stay standing.
Victory is just be around the corner.
Don’t move until you have specific guidance from the Lord.
Don’t be tossed to and fro by every little thing.
One thing a Christian should be known for is tenacity to get what we set out for. To stand firm in the midst of trouble and an anchor for people who are being tossed about.
3. Thirdly it requires you to Open Your Eyes .
Open your eyes and see the glory of the Lord
27 For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’
God wants to do the impossible just open your eyes.
When you are on the street praying for people how do you pray ?
With your eyes open.
Gods wants to show off to you, let him
If you think Hollywood likes to put on a show try seeing one of Gods shows
If you think Hollywood likes to put on a show try seeing one of Gods shows
Illustration: Hollywood uses fake Marvel heroes, we have real ones.
Conclusion
It is time we get back and believe for the impossible.
I believe in a no nonsense enthusiastic approach to Christianity.
God can take anyone and transform him into “sold out” disciples of Christ.
Are you willing to put your Life into Jesus hands?
Are you willing to give God your impossible so he can turn it into a possible.
COME FORWARD