LORD, YOU WANT ME TO DO WHAT?!!!!!!!!!!!
CBC 2/09
TEXT: Matt 19:26
But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
WITH GOD, NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE.
HAS GOD EVER TOLD YOU TO DO SOMETHING THAT JUST BOGGLED YOUR MIND?
MOST OF US WILL ANSWER NO TO THIS QUESTION, BUT MANY HAVE BEEN TOLD THINGS BY THE LORD THAT SEEMED IMPOSSIBLE.
TO US IT MAY BE A HUGE, EVEN IMPOSSIBLE TASK, BUT TO GOD IT IS JUST EVERYDAY BUSINESS.
A MAN WALKING ON THE BEACH ONE DAY FOUND A STRANGE LOOKING BOTTLE. HE OPENED IT UP AND A GENIE CAME OUT.
“ASK WHAT YOU WILL AND I WILL GRANT YOU ONE WISH“, THE GENIE SAID.
I WOULD LIKE A SUPER HIGHWAY FROM CALIFORNIA TO HAWAII JUST FOR MY OWN PRIVATE USE, HE REPLIED.**
“THAT WOULD BE VERY HARD TO DO, DO YOU HAVE AN ALTERNATIVE WISH.” THE GENIE ASKED.
YES SAID THE MAN, I WOULD LIKE TO BE ABLE TO READ MY WIFE’S MIND AND TOTALLY UNDERSTAND HER THOUGHTS.
THE GENIE THOUGHT FOR A MOMENT AND REPLIED:
“WHEN DO YOU WANT THAT BRIDGE BUILT?”
THE WORD OF GOD IS FILLED WITH IMPOSSIBLE TASKS THAT GOD HAS ASKED HIS SERVANTS TO DO. THEY ALL SEEMED GREAT AND EVEN SOMEWHAT IMPOSSIBLE TO MAN, BUT NOT TO GOD.
WHEN GOD ORDERS SOMETHING DONE, HE ALSO MAKES A WAY TO GET IT DONE.
HE ASKED NOAH TO BUILD A GIANT ARK
HE ASKED ABRAHAM AND SARAH TO PREPARE FOR A BABY
HE ASKED JOSHUA TO MARCH AROUND JERICHO AND BLOW TRUMPETS AND SHOUT UNTIL THE WALL FELL
HE ASKED NAAMAN THE LEPER TO WASH SEVEN TIMES IN JORDAN AND BE CLEANSED OF HIS LEPROSY
HE HAS ASKED EACH AND EVERY ONE TO BELIEVE UPON HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON FOR SALVATION.
I. CONSIDER THE TASK THAT NOAH HAD.
GOD SAID NOAH; I WANT YOU TO BUILD AN ARK.
THERE IS A FLOOD COMING AND I WILL GIVE YOU FULL INSTRUCTIONS ON WHAT TO DO. GOD >> GREAT ARCHITECT
INTERESTING: THE ARK SURVIVED, * THE TITANIC SANK.***
1. DO YOU KNOW WHAT NOAH’S FIRST RESPONSE WAS?
(YOU WON’T FIND IT RECORDED)
GOD, WHAT’S A FLOOD? YOU KNOW I’M 600 YEARS OLD!!
Gen 6:5
5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
V.6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
(A) HE TOLD NOAH TO PREPARE AN ARK FOR A GREAT FLOOD, THAT ALL MANKIND WOULD BE DESTROYED*****
(B) HE ASSURED HIM OF A COVENANT BETWEEN HIM AND NOAH’S FAMILY. HE PROMISED SAFETY*********
( C) HE REQUESTED THAT NOAH BRING TWO OF ALL LIVING FLESH ON BOARD THE ARK.*********(REMNANT)
2. GOD’S WORD DECLARED, NOAH DID AS HE WAS COMMANDED. (WASN’T EASY, BUT RESULTS WERE GUARANTEED)
II. HE ASKED ABRAHAM AND SARAH TO PREPARE A NURSERY.
Gen 18:9-11
9 And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.
10 And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.
11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.
12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?
13 And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?
14 Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.
(A) SHOCKING NEWS TO SAY THE LEAST.
1. ABRAHAM IS 100 YEARS OLD SARAH IS IN HER 90’S
2. WELL PAST CHILD BEARING YEARS, EVEN IN THOSE DAYS.
3. SARAH, WE NEED TO BUILD A NURSERY.
4. GOD IS GOING TO BLESS US WITH THE PROMISED SON.
(B) ABRAHAM WAS VERY AMUSED AND SARAH LAUGHED
1. GOD WAS SERIOUS, IT WAS NO PROBLEM FOR HIM.
2. HE WHO CREATED ALL THINGS COULD DO THIS WITH NO PROBLEMS.
(C) WHAT GOD PROMISES HE WILL PROVIDE.
HEBREWS 6:18>> IMPOSSIBLE FOR GOD TO LIE.
III. GOD TOLD JOSHUA HOW TO BRING DOWN THE WALLS OF JERICHO. JOSHUA CHAPTER 6
(A) HERE WAS THE BATTLE PLAN.
1. MARCH AROUND THE CITY ONCE EACH DAY FOR SIX DAYS
2. ON THE SEVENTH DAY BLOW THE TRUMPETS AND SHOUT
(B) ON THE FIRST DAY THROUGH THE SIXTH DAY THERE WAS NO SHOUT. (NOTHING TO SHOUT ABOUT YET)
(C) ON THE SEVENTH DAY THEY BLEW THE TRUMPETS AND SHOUTED AND THE WALLS FELL DOWN.
1. GOD HAD PROMISED JOSHUA HE WOULD GIVE HIM THE CITY AND ALL IT CONTAINED.
2. GOD HAD MADE HIS PLAN CLEAR. IT MUST BE FOLLOWED SPECIFICALLY.
3. MANY TODAY WANT TO ALTER THE PLAN OF SALVATION, DO THINGS THEIR WAY INSTEAD OF GOD’S WAY, PUT IN WORKS FOR OBEDIENCE, IT WILL NOT WORK.
(D) YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY THE PEOPLE SHOUTED?
VICTORY WAS THEIRS; THEY HAD FOLLOWED GOD’S COMMANDMENT.
1. MANY TODAY HAVE NO SHOUT OF VICTORY BECAUSE THEY HAVE NOT FOLLOWED THE WAY OF THE LORD.
IV. CONSIDER THE TASK OF NAAMAN THE LEPER
(A) A CAPTAIN OF THE SYRIAN HOST, YET A LEPER.
(B) SENT TO THE DOOR OF ELISHA TO ASK WHAT HE SHOULD DO.
(C) ELISHA SENDS HIS SERVANT TO TELL NAAMAN
TO GO TO THE RIVER JORDAN AND DIP SEVEN TIMES
(D) NAAMAN REBELS AT SUCH ADVICE***
(E) HIS SERVANT PERSUADES HIM TO DO THE SIMPLE COMMAND GOD HAD INSTRUCTED HIM TO DO.
1. WE TRY TO COMPLICATE GOD’S SIMPLE PLAN OF SALVATION. WE TRY TO HAVE AN INPUT IN IT.
2. NAAMAN FOLLOWED THE PROPHETS ORDERS AND CAME UP CLEAN.
Rom 10:9-10
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
CONCLUSION: WHAT SEEMS HARD AND EVEN IMPOSSIBLE TO US IS SIMPLY IN GOD’S SIMPLE PLANS. HE KNOWS BEST.
