All things are Possible
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All Things are Possible
All Things are Possible
Darlene Zsche All Things are Possible
Was such a popular song when I started ministry
Lyrics:
Almighty God My Redeemer
My hiding place my safe refuge
No other name like Jesus
Now power can stand against You
My feet are planted on this rock
And I will not be shaken
My hope it comes from You alone
My Lord and my salvation
Your praise is always on my lips
Your Word is living in my heart
And I will praise You with a new song
My soul will bless You Lord
For You fill my life
You fill my life with greater joy
Yes, You do
Yes I delight myself in You
And I will praise You with a new song
My soul will bless You Lord
My feet are planted on this rock
And I will not be shaken
My hope it comes from You alone
Comes from You - spoken
My Lord and my salvation
All things are possible
All things are possible
People think all we need in this life is a positive outlook or a positive attitude.
Quotes like:
“When life hands you lemons make lemonade” - Norman Vincent Peale Power of Positive Thinking 1952
“A positive attitude is a belief that things are going to turn out well, and that you can overcome any kind of trouble or difficulty” - Norman Vincent Peale
This morning I want to remind you of the fact that it is not the positive attitude that does the work it is God!
And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
“For nothing will be impossible with God.”
These verses show that there is far more than the power of positive thinking, it is the power of God that makes what seems impossible possible!
My son, do not reject the discipline of the Lord
Or loathe His reproof,
For whom the Lord loves He reproves,
Even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.
How blessed is the man who finds wisdom
And the man who gains understanding.
For her profit is better than the profit of silver
And her gain better than fine gold.
She is more precious than jewels;
And nothing you desire compares with her.
Long life is in her right hand;
In her left hand are riches and honor.
Her ways are pleasant ways
And all her paths are peace.
She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her,
And happy are all who hold her fast.
The Lord by wisdom founded the earth,
By understanding He established the heavens.
By His knowledge the deeps were broken up
And the skies drip with dew.
1. Creation of the Universe is through Jesus
1. Creation of the Universe is through Jesus
The fact that with God all things are possible is a proven fact that God created the universe out of nothing.
The Lord by wisdom founded the earth,
By understanding He established the heavens.
By His knowledge the deeps were broken up
And the skies drip with dew.
The writer of Proverbs sees wisdom as a person. Through the New Testament we see that that person is Jesus.
but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
Until there is a relationship with Jesus this concept is something that will not make sense to us.
The entire universe was created through Jesus.
All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
He loves you! When you have a relationship with Him you find God’s wisdom and God’s power!
When you find Jesus you find the source of all wisdom and this is the way of blessing that is talked about in
How blessed is the man who finds wisdom
And the man who gains understanding.
It is also the way to understanding.
How blessed is the man who finds wisdom
And the man who gains understanding.
2. With God, nothing is impossible
2. With God, nothing is impossible
And someone came to Him and said, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?”
And He said to him, “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
Then he said to Him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not commit murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness;
Honor your father and mother; and You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept; what am I still lacking?”
Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.
And Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.
“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.”
When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, “Then who can be saved?”
And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Then Peter said to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?”
And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
“And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life.
“But many who are first will be last; and the last, first.
There are times in our lives where we face situations that seem impossible. It may be a relationship that seems to have broken down, a health issue, finances or something else where change seems impossible.
As you know this year our family went through that. There were times where we pleaded to God crying out for Him to change what seemed impossible to possible. The wait seemed unbearable at times. There are times where we questioned our own faithfulness to waiting for the answers. It was a life altering battle. One where we would never want to repeat but through it we learned to lean on Him more than ever in our lives. We also learned that He really is in control and the power that is behind prayer is deeper than a positive thought!
This morning I want to remind you that with God there is always HOPE! No matter how bad things look, nothing is impossible with God. His power makes all things possible.
The context of the words “With God all things are possible” in v. 26 is the account of the rich young ruler to whom Jesus calls “Come follow me” v. 21. But it is too much for him to give up and the young man goes away “sad” v. 22. Jesus points out how hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven v. 23-24.
Yet all is not lost because with God “all things are possible” v. 26
Jesus says that, humanly speaking, it is impossible for anyone to enter the kingdom of God. Worldly riches are of no help they are more of a hindrance. Jesus says, it is easier for a camel to go through an eye of a needle than for the rich to enter the kingdom of God v. 24.
We know through this illustration that it is totally impossible for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. But what is impossible in human terms is impossible with God v. 26.
The disciples asked “Then who has any chance at all?” Jesus looked hard at them and said “No chance at all if you think you can pull it off yourself. Every chance in the world if you trust God to do it” v. 25-26 MSG
You see we are not able to accomplish things without God. We are nothing without God therefore as soon as we recognize His Lordship and authority what HOPE, PEACE, POWER and WISDOM we unlock in our lives!
In this world the rich, the powerful and the famous are the ones who people look up to as best options or “first”. The poor are low, looked down on, ignored and seen as “last”. But in the kingdom of heaven the reverse is the case. Jesus says “But many who are first will be last and many who are last will be first” v. 30.
This is God’s powerful upside down kingdom. Jesus asks the rich young ruler to give to the poor because he wants him to place his trust in Jesus and because the poor of such a high priority in His kingdom. They should be for us too, they are the voiceless and the vulnerable.
For everyone there is a cost to following Jesus. There is what may seem to be a cost of giving things up that we know to be wrong but it is nothing compared to the cost Jesus paid to give us eternal life. And it is nothing compared to the cost of not following Jesus. The rich young ruler missed out on so much.
This morning we are reminded of these things so that we too don’t miss out on this precious opportunity to know Him in all of His fullness.
Jesus promises for everything that you give up you will receive even more in eternity with Jesus.
3. In your life nothing is impossible with God
3. In your life nothing is impossible with God
In this point I am referring to Job. 8:1-10-22 in this text we see a lot of suffering. Sometimes when we see suffering it is tempting to come up with explanations. In the instance of Job, his friends do this. Sometimes this results in half truths and falsehoods.
job replies in
“In truth I know that this is so;
But how can a man be in the right before God?
He points out what his friend said was true but not all. He rejects the explanation as to why he is suffering. Job’s words come from the heart.
“For though I were right, I could not answer;
I would have to implore the mercy of my judge.
Job admits he is struggling and does doubt and even his angry at what has happened to him. Yet in the midst of all this he says “God’s wisdom is so deep, God’s power so immense… He moves mountains before they know what has happened, flips them on their heads on a whim… We will never comprehend all the great things He does; his miracles-surprises cannot be counted” Job. 9:4-5, 10 MSG
‘You have granted me life and lovingkindness;
And Your care has preserved my spirit.
There is honesty, struggle and faith seen here. Job does not try to pretend that everything is alright or try to explain it, yet through it all he clings to what he knows of God.
God was able to do in Job’s life what was impossible by human effort. God restored Job’s fortunes and blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the first. Job 42:12
Conclusion:
Whatever you are struggling with or facing at the moment, however difficult life looks, however impossible the situation seems, it is important to remember His love for you and trust that with God all things are possible.