God Can And Will

“GOD CAN and Will!”

INTRODUCTION:

There’s a moment in the history of Israel where they felt they had no hope. They believed in God, but they didn’t believe God could fix their situation. Have you ever been there? Have you been in those moments? You believe in GOD, YOU BELIEVE IN THE BIBLE, YOU BELIEVE IN Jesus, but your life is a mess. You think, I’m a shipwreck. I’ve absolutely destroyed any potential of ever living the life of my dreams. At times like this, you might be best described as nothing but dead bones. You’re just waiting to be put six feet under. Your flesh and your muscle hasn’t decayed, but your soul decayed a long time ago. And it may be God is asking you a question like he asked the prophet Ezekiel generations ago.(from Erwin McManus- Wide Awake)

Ezekiel 37:1-10

1GOD grabbed me. GOD’s Spirit took me up and sat me down in the middle of an open plain strewn with bones. 2He led me around and among them—a lot of bones! There were bones all over the plain—dry bones, bleached by the sun.

3He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

I said, “Master GOD, only you know that.”

4He said to me, “Prophesy over these bones: ‘Dry bones, listen to the Message of GOD!’”

5GOD, the Master, told the dry bones, “Watch this: I’m bringing the breath of life to you and you’ll come to life. 6I’ll attach sinews to you, put meat on your bones, cover you with skin, and breathe life into you. You’ll come alive and you’ll realize that I am GOD!”

7I prophesied just as I’d been commanded. As I prophesied, there was a sound and, oh, rustling! The bones moved and came together, bone to bone. 8I kept watching. Sinews formed, then muscles on the bones, then skin stretched over them. But they had no breath in them.

9He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath. Prophesy, son of man. Tell the breath, ‘GOD, the Master, says, Come from the four winds. Come, breath. Breathe on these slain bodies. Breathe life!’”

10So I prophesied, just as he commanded me. The breath entered them and they came alive! They stood up on their feet, a huge army.

God Can!

1. We’ve become a society that is fascinated by the astonishing and the unbelievable

a. Amazing athletic feats and tremendous displays of strength

b. In movies and television, we expect to see dazzling special effects and breath-

taking stunts.

c. We turn to talk shows to see and hear about bizarre acts performed by demented people

2. We observe such things and exclaim: “Wow! Did you see that?” Man! How in

the world did they ever do that?” Oh! That’s just incredible!” “I can’t believe

anybody would try something like that!”

B. Yet, if we’d just take some time to look at the biblical records, we’ll find that there is

not one actual or simulate event in our technically advanced society that can even

begin to stand beside the might works of God:

1. Gen. 1 – speaks the world into existence

2. Ex. 14 – parts the Red Sea

3. Josh. 10 – Holds the sun and moon still in their orbits

C. There are other scriptures that remind us of the power and strength of God

--That show us the possibilities that exist when it comes to God and what He can do

1. Jer. 32:17 – “Oh, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.”

2. Lk. 18:27 – [Jesus says,] “What is impossible with men is possible with God.”

3. Eph. 3:20 – Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work with us…

D. One of the most important scriptural teachings that we can depend on, that we can lean on, is that when things seem impossible and we can’t, God can!

I. GOD CAN PERFORM EXTRA-ORDINARY MIRACLES FOR THOSE WHO WILL TRUST HIM

--Acts 19:11-12 – God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.

A. First thing to point out: it is God who performs the miracles

1. The miracles didn’t happen because of Paul but because of God

2. Lots of times I’ve heard radio or TV preachers say something like, “If you’ll just send in your money,

I’ll send you this pillowcase or prayer cloth or handkerchief and if you’ll just sleep on it or just carry it around with you, you’ll receive a miracle.”

a. That kind of thing makes me cringe when I hear it because God doesn’t sell His miracles