The Impossible Power of God
Jeremiah 32:17
May 18, 2014
Morning Service
Ohio State Symbols
Gemstone: Flint
Song: Beautiful Ohio, Hang on Sloopy
Flower: Scarlet Carnation
Bird: Cardinal
Nickname: Buckeye State
Tree: Buckeye
Animal: White Tailed Deer
Beverage: Tomato Juice
Motto: With God, all things are possible
Have you ever noticed that God makes a habit of doing the impossible? Sarah gave birth to Isaac in her eighties. The Red Sea split to make a path for the Israelites. The walls of Jericho fell with a shout. Mary gave birth to Jesus when she was still a virgin. We have a God who laughs at the impossible.
The moment that we realize that God is beyond the impossible it changes our lives. We no longer see things through our own petty limitations. We no longer see God in ways that limit His power and ability. Notice what Jeremiah says: Nothing is too hard for you. Those words are literal because there is nothing that is too hard for God to accomplish. God takes what we believe to be impossible and does it. After all He is God. There is nothing that He cannot do.
"Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you (Jeremiah 32:17 NIV)
Our God defies the boundaries of the impossible. Our God has all power and is willing to use it on behalf of His people. Our God moves in our lives and works to draw us close to Him. Our God does not have impossible in His vocabulary. Our God does what we think is impossible on a daily basis.
Jeremiah makes a personal claim that nothing is too hard for God. The implications of this are massive. This means that there nothing beyond God’s ability. There is no obstacle that He cannot overcome. There is no problem He cannot solve. There is no issue too great for God to handle. There is no way for us to fathom the infinite power and ability of God.
Jeremiah uses the Hebrew term pala here to describe the nature and ability of God. Pala means to be marvelous, to be surpassing, to be separate by distinguished action or to be extraordinary. The moment that these descriptions are applied to God, it gives us a better picture of His divine nature.
Jeremiah literally defines the ability of God here in dramatic fashion. He says that absolutely nothing is beyond God’s ability or power. There is nothing that God cannot accomplish through His own power. The very thought of this reality should cause our mind to spin. God is divine and we are merely human. He is beyond our scope of comprehension. God will always be above our ability fully understand. Honestly, would we want it any other way?
There is no limit to His power. There is no end to His strength. There is no boundary to His reach. There is no equal to His person or being. God is above all things, all persons, all powers and all authorities.
Three Key Reasons
1. God is omnipotent (All Powerful)
There are many ways to describe the abilities of God. He is Almighty, all powerful or omnipotent. These all speak to the limitless nature of God’s ability. Jeremiah says that God created all things. If God made everything out of nothing; is there anything He cannot do. The scope of God’s power is above the human mind. There is nothing beyond God’s ability to do. Christians seem to forget this fact and often ask God for nothing.
Think for a moment about all of the impossible things that God has done to prove that all things are possible in Him.
* God spoke and light came into being
* God parted the waters of the Red Sea
* God made the sun stand still for Israel to win a crucial battle
* God protected Daniel in the lion’s den
* God sent Jesus in flesh and blood
* God raised Jesus from the dead
2. God is Omniscient (All Knowing)
The word pala also means to be difficult to understand. Jeremiah makes it clear that there is nothing that is too difficult for God to understand. There is nothing that confuses God and nothing that God does not know or understand. The One who created all things, also has the ability to understand all things. This means that God understands our problems, our difficulties and our hardships.
God knows our struggles and our pains. God knows all of our faults and failures. The reality is that He loves us in spite of all those things. In fact, God loves us so much that He desires to bring His ability to bear on His understanding and help us through our hardships.
God knows our needs before they ever leave our lips. God knows our heart when we try to do the right thing and it goes wrong. He knows our sin before we confess. All of this should make us want to approach Him more.
3. God is omnipresent (Always Near)
God is always present with His people. God is everywhere in the universe at the same time and at all times. This means that there is never a time when we will be out of the presence of God. There will never be a point when God leaves us. God is with us everywhere we go at all times.
The problem is that there are plenty of things that we face that seem to be impossible. There are things that happen in life that limit our ability to see the work of God clearly. We see the impossibilities of personal setbacks on a daily basis. The weight of our problems seems to overwhelm us to the point that we think of giving up.
Trials come our way just as they did for the disciples on the Sea of Galilee with a sudden storm. Illness strikes when we least expect it. Problems come to those we love with little that we can do about them. Hardships come in financial setbacks with unexpected burdens. The reality is that life can be far more difficult than we anticipate. In the midst of all of these issues we seem to forget that nothing is impossible for God.
We are given the comfort of knowing that whatever problems we face, God has the ability to overcome it. We are given the knowledge that whatever challenges come our way, God knows about them and understands our situation. We are given the assurance that wherever we are in life, God will always be with us.
During the ministry of Jesus, He proved that He could indeed accomplish the impossible. Jesus had power over death because He raised the dead. Every funeral that Jesus encountered ended in the person being alive. Jesus had power over nature. Jesus had the ability to calm storms and turn water into wine. Jesus had authority over demons. Jesus gave the command and the demons had to obey. Jesus had the power over sickness. Jesus healed those with a variety of illnesses. The blind received sight, the deaf could hear, the crippled could walk and lepers were cleansed.
Jesus does what we think is impossible. There is no problem that He cannot solve. There is no hurt that He cannot heal. There is no sickness that He cannot cure. There is no pain that He cannot reach.
Today, look carefully at your life and think of the impossible things you are facing. Jesus wants to step into those situations. The only thing keeping Christ from working in our lives is us. We make the choice to either go to Jesus or go it on our own. Jesus wants to bring His power into your life. All He is waiting for is your call. Now is the time to take your impossibilities to the One who knows nothing but possibility. Now is the time to go before the One who brought all things into being and seek His assistance.
