GOD OF THE IMPOSSIBLE

Good morning!

Welcome to NCF, we are so, glad you are here with us today.

I am Steven the lead pastor here.

Hey, if this is your first time here in the last year, will you please fill out the connection card on the back page of your bulletin for us? After service if you will turn that card in at the Connection table in the back, we will give you a really, cool gift.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Well, it is a New Year. 2018!!!!

Each year, I try to give you one word to focus on that I believe God is speaking to us.

Last year our word was “prepare” – And man, we have been doing that. We have been in the process of preparing our building, and God has had us to prepare spiritually as well, with our 1st Wednesday of each month, when we gather and practice the gifts of the Spirit.

Think about this – We had no children’s pastor, and honestly no clue to how to build a ministry towards the children of our city.

We prepared them a space and God gave us a children’s minister.

We were in need of a Worship pastor – We prepared spiritually and financially and God sent to us our worship pastor.

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And what happened? Well you will have to show up on the 1st Wednesday of each month if you really want to know. LOL

We are still preparing to reach our city and we still have a lot of work to do both to the building and with in ourselves but, we are far closer today than we were just a year ago.

This year, the word God gave me for this church is the word “HOPE”.

As I have pondered on that word for the last month and why God has given us that word, I have come to a couple conclusions.

1. Hope creates the atmosphere that Keeps people. (A church that is full of hope is a church that is full of joyful anticipation and that attracts people. A church without Hope- repels people)

2. Hope creates the internal atmosphere that allows us to Praise Him during trials that seem impossible to overcome.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- During the month of January, we are going to discuss having HOPE IN THE GOD OF IMPOSSIBLE.

In Week 4 – Hope Works, Week 3 – Hope Never Let’s Go, Week 2 – Hero or Hoarder, and today – Hope in the God of Impossible.

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Now HOPE means – Joyful Expectation.

We all want to live in joyful expectation-

But how are we to have Hope when we are facing impossible circumstances.

How can I have hope while my body seems to be fighting against itself?

How can I have hope when my marriage is falling apart?

How can I have hope when it feels like my world is coming undone?

How can I have hope when I am facing an impossible circumstance?

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Today I want to share with you the God of Impossible.

But to do that we have to look at an impossible situation.

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In

You have a famine in the land.

The city is surrounded by an overwhelming Syrian army.

Those locked in the city have run out of food.

Those who try to escape the city will die at the hands of Syria.

They are so desperate that only the rich can afford a rotten donkey’s head and bird poop.

The poor of the city are in such a desperate state, we read about the saddest tragedy imaginable.

2 Kings 6:26–30 NLT

One day as the king of Israel was walking along the wall of the city, a woman called to him, “Please help me, my lord the king!” He answered, “If the Lord doesn’t help you, what can I do? I have neither food from the threshing floor nor wine from the press to give you.” But then the king asked, “What is the matter?” She replied, “This woman said to me: ‘Come on, let’s eat your son today, then we will eat my son tomorrow.’ So we cooked my son and ate him. Then the next day I said to her, ‘Kill your son so we can eat him,’ but she has hidden her son.” When the king heard this, he tore his clothes in despair. And as the king walked along the wall, the people could see that he was wearing burlap under his robe next to his skin.

This is desperation.

These people have found themselves in an impossible situation.

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Now let’s pick up the Story.

2 Kings 7:3–4 NLT

Now there were four men with leprosy sitting at the entrance of the city gates. “Why should we sit here waiting to die?” they asked each other. “We will starve if we stay here, but with the famine in the city, we will starve if we go back there. So we might as well go out and surrender to the Aramean army. If they let us live, so much the better. But if they kill us, we would have died anyway.”

WHEN IT RAINS IT POURS.

Leprosy – (Have picture of the disease.) When the nerves in our hands, feet, and eyes die off. It leads to other diseases, blindness, and even extremities falling off or being severely damaged.

· So here we have lepers in a famine, and the city is surrounded by an army waiting to kill them.

· It seems like problems never come is 1’s but always in 3’s

1 kid gets sick and then 3 or 4 of your other kids get sick.

You lose your job and then, your car breaks down.

You have had financial problems and your thin, and then your furnace goes out, and then your pipes freeze up and bust.

It’s like you have 1 problem and that problem has cousins.

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1. HOPELESSNESS LOVES COMPANY.

2 Kings 7:3 NLT

Now there were four men with leprosy sitting at the entrance of the city gates. “Why should we sit here waiting to die?” they asked each other.

2 kING 7:3

Have you ever noticed that hopeless people always seem to have hopeless friends?

It is like Misery attracts misery.

When we are angry – we find other angry people

When we are mad at the world- we find others who think the world is against them.

WHEN YOU ARE GOING THROUGH AN IMPOSSIBLE SITUATION, THE TENDENCY IS TO HUDDLE WITH OTHERS WHO ARE DEPRESSED OR MAD AT THE WORLD.

If you angry you find other angry people

Depressed you find other depressed people.

The human experience is, when you are going through what you think is an impossible situation you get around others who think they are going through an impossible situation.

And you cry wow is me.

Even if your life is great but you start hanging around miserable people, before long you will start to feel your life is miserable as well.

When you are going through the ringer -

It is important to surround yourself with people who have lives and mindsets that you want to have not what you already have.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. SUICIDE MISSION

2 Kings 7:5 NLT

So at twilight they set out for the camp of the Arameans. But when they came to the edge of the camp, no one was there!

So, our Lepers are going on a suicide mission.

2 Kings 7:6–8 NLT

For the Lord had caused the Aramean army to hear the clatter of speeding chariots and the galloping of horses and the sounds of a great army approaching. “The king of Israel has hired the Hittites and Egyptians to attack us!” they cried to one another. So they panicked and ran into the night, abandoning their tents, horses, donkeys, and everything else, as they fled for their lives. When the men with leprosy arrived at the edge of the camp, they went into one tent after another, eating and drinking wine; and they carried off silver and gold and clothing and hid it.

HELLO – CAN YOU HEAR US – IS ANYONE HERE – HEY WE ARE HERE TO GIVE UP- HELLO?

The lepers were ready to give up, throw in the towel on life.

But then, the impossible situation became an improbable victory.

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What the Lepers and we OFTEN forget is……

God is always working in the background of your circumstances.

Maybe you feel like giving up, throwing in the towel:

· Give up on marriage

· Give up on family

· Church

· God

· Life.

Have Hope!

THE GOD OF THE IMPOSSIBLE IS WORKING IN THE BACKGROUND.

What you see as impossible God sees as an opportunity for His glory.

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------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. YOU HAVE V IN YOUR DNA

2 Kings 7:8 NLT

When the men with leprosy arrived at the edge of the camp, they went into one tent after another, eating and drinking wine; and they carried off silver and gold and clothing and hid it.

· In a matter of 3 verse these lepers go from a Suicide mission to a Victory Feast.

· If God was looking after these men who never cried out to God, how much more is he looking out for you?

You have victory in your spiritual DNA

If you are connected to God through Jesus, you have victory in your spiritual DNA

You were made to have victory, not to be a victim.

But you don’t understand –

How can I praise God when………? – You have V in your DNA

I am always sick and hurting – V in DNA

Financially broke and ruined – V in DNA

My family is broken – V in DNA

My children do not even believe in a God much less Jesus. V in DNA

I just want to give up!!!!! – V in your DNA

1 John 4:4 NLT

But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.

Philippians 4:10–13 NLT

How I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me, but you didn’t have the chance to help me. Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

You are a child of the star breathing God,

The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, live in you.

Just when you think it is impossible, the God of impossible changes everything.

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We are all going to face hard times in our lives.

We are all going to come to challenges in our lives that seem impossible.

And that is why our HOPE needs to be in the God of the Impossible.

You can have HOPE because God has given you Victory in your spiritual DNA.

You can Praise God in the middle of your storm because God is always working in the back ground of your circumstances.

HAVE HOPE

OUR GOD IS THE GOD OF THE IMPOSSIBLE!