The Im-Possible

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It was good to return to the pulpit after being out sick last week. I am grateful for how faithful our team of elders is, as evidenced by Dave Quilla’s faithful sermon last Sunday. I informed Dave that he’d need to preach late Saturday night and early Sunday. He keeps a folder of ‘ready’ sermons and delivers them when necessary. Faithful men that you can rely on are hard to come by in this world, and Dave is one of those. I’m grateful.

But it was good to be back. I was concerned that my voice might not hold up, but I got stronger as the sermon progressed. Nothing is impossible with God:).

Not Getting Frustrated with God

One point I didn’t have time to cover in the sermon is something that I find very important when thinking about God doing the impossible. Often, people get frustrated or disillusioned with God because they believe He hasn’t come through for them on issues not clearly addressed in His Word. Let me explain.

When God spoke to Abraham and Sarah about the birth of Isaac, it was authoritative and a major part of redemptive history. It’s a unique moment. One danger is that people believe that because God spoke to them about this miracle child, God will ALWAYS do this to any of us who ask. However, when the barrenness continues, or troubles in childbirth happen, people get disillusioned with God. But the reality is that they misread their Bibles.

This could be true about various things: because God promised to bless Abraham with unusual wealth, people believe this is ALWAYS true for ALL people who ask. Rather than understanding the unique moment in redemptive history, they misread their Bibles.

So, maybe you find yourself a bit frustrated with God like He has come through for you. One thing I would encourage you to do is consider if you’re misreading your Bible. When was the context of the promise you’re claiming? Who was that spoken to? Why was it said?

We must guard ourselves against the lie that if ‘we just manifest something’ or ‘if we believe it hard enough,’ things will come to pass. There is no place in Scripture where this is true. If we ask anything in accordance with God’s will, He will fulfill it. If it is not, He won’t.

Protection

To keep us from this danger, we should notice in the Bible the things God desires and promises that span the ages and believe God will do the impossible for those things.

For instance, the salvation of rebels. We can see in God’s word that He saves the most hardened sinners. I read this morning about the conversion of Saul of Tarsus. Talk about an angry, violent man. Romans 10:14-17 reveals that God brings faith when the Word of Christ is preached. That’s a promise we can believe God to do the impossible.

What about a conflict with a Christian friend? Jesus reveals His heart about Christian unity and love in John 17:20-26, giving us a way to be reconciled (Matthew 5:23-24). Therefore, we can believe God to do the impossible.

I mentioned financial troubles on Sunday. We know from Philippians 4:19 that God will supply all our needs, like milk and bread, in Christ Jesus. But a new Mercedes? Not so much.

Personal Testimony

Two points from the sermon were encouraging and convicting to me.

First, I was deeply encouraged by the fact that God made a way for me to be His friend. I sometimes don’t think of God in these terms. I think of Him as my King, Master, and Lord. But friend?? Not too often. As I meditated on that truth this past week, I found myself having random conversations with God, like my friend. It was refreshing to my soul, and it encouraged me to pray more.

Second, I was convicted of not praying big enough prayers. I pray often for revival in our church and community and for adults to be converted to Christ. But there are times when I’m more like, ‘yeah, right, God, I’m not sure you could do that,’ than I am leaning in with faith. Can you relate to that? That’s the tension I live with pretty often.

Looking Ahead

This coming Sunday, we will look at the infamous story of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 18:16-chapter 19. Forewarning: it is Family Sunday, where we’ll have kids ages 5 and up in our service with us. This happened because I was out sick last week. I will email our parents later this week to give them a heads-up. In that sermon, we will see God’s judgment on our sins and Christ as our advocate.

From the Cheap Seats

What a week we had two weeks ago when Nick Saban retired, and Bill Belichick stepped away from the Patriots. We could add Pete Carroll to the mix, but I don’t see him in the same zip code. These guys are ‘giants’ in the coaching world.
Josh Hader to the Astros…I don’t love it.
For those of you who were curious…I wasn’t sick because the Cowboys got murdered by the Packers. I half expected it. At this point in my Cowboys fandom, I never expect them to play well in big games. My personal opinion is that there is too much hype around this organization because their own loves it. Until they can stop producing drama, they’ll never win big.

To watch or listen to the sermon described in this post, please click here.