There Is Nothing Too Hard For The Lord
Genesis 18:1-14
Genesis 18:14 poses an important question... "Is there anything too hard for the Lord?" I would submit to you that the answer is no! God is Omniscient, which means that He is all knowing. God is Omnipresent, which means that He is everywhere at all times. God is Omnipotent, which means that He is all powerful.
S.M Lockridge does as good a job as I have ever heard in describing how powerful God really is. Genesis 1:1 says ”In the beginning God..." So where did God come from?“ "He came from nowhere… cuz there wasn’t anywhere for Him to come from. And comin’ from nowhere He stood on nothin’. And the reason He had to stand on nothin’ there was nowhere for Him to stand. And standin’ on nothin’ he reached out to where there was nowhere to reach and he caught somethin’ when there was nothin’ to catch and hung somethin’ on nothin’ and told it to stay there…Standin’ on nothin’ he took the hammer of His own will and He struck the anvil of His omnipotence and sparks flew and He caught them on the tips of His fingers and flung them out into space and bedecked the heavens with stars. And nobody said a word. The reason nobody said anything there wasn’t anybody there to say anything. So God Himself said, ‘That’s good.’ - S. M. Lockridge
Think about that for a moment, if God can create something from nothing, He can do anything. If God can create the entire universe in 6 days, there is no problem that you have that He can't handle. When we comprehend the awesome power of God, this will encourage us when we pray. When we come to the realization that our Father owns it all and can do whatever He chooses, then we can go confidently and boldly before the throne and make our requests known to Him! Centuries ago, God promised Abraham and Sarah they would have a son through whose offspring the world would be blessed. In Genesis 12:2 God said to Abraham "I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
This was a great promise, but there was a major problem that Abraham and Sarah would quickly point out. As the old saying goes, neither one of them were "spring chickens". Furthermore it was apparent to them by this time that Sarah was barren. But God made it clear that Sarah would give birth to the child of promise, and upon hearing this Sarah laughed. After hearing this, God spoke to Abraham and asked him "Is there anything too hard for the Lord?"
I think that is a question that each of us must ask ourselves from time to time. The answer is obviously no, but there are times when we act like our problems are just too big for God!
Old Uncle Oscar took his first airplane ride. Knowing that he had been somewhat apprehensive about it, his friends were eager to hear how it went. At the first opportunity, they asked him if he enjoyed the flight. "Well," commented Uncle Oscar, "it wasn't as bad as I thought it might be. But I'll tell you this. I never did put all my weight down!"
That's how many Christians take the promises we have received from God. They believe that God has the power to save them from their sins, deliver them from Hell and grant them eternal life. But they don't trust Him to get them through the daily struggles of life. They've never "put all their weight down." (Source: Can God? Sermon by Dr. Alan Carr http://www.sermonnotebook.org/old%20testament/Psalm%2078_12-20.htm)
Living that way reveals a lack of faith. This is why so many believers live lives that are consumed with doubt, fear and uncertainty! God does not want His children to live this way. He wants to be active in our lives. He wants us to trust in Him and turn to Him for all of our needs.... great or small! I hope that through this message you will be informed and encouraged by the fact that there is nothing that your Heavenly Father cannot do! We all would profess that we believe this, but sometimes we need to be reminded.
- Let's take some time today and consider the fact that... "There Is Nothing Too Hard For The Lord"
Genesis 12, 15, 17 and 18 cover God's promise to make Abraham the Father of a great nation. The problem that they faced is revealed in - Genesis 18:11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. - At this time Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90. Humanly speaking, it was impossible for Sarah to bear a child. Abraham and Sarah both responded to God's promise the same way... They laughed! (Genesis 17:17 & 18:12) In response to their laughter, God Himself asked the question ‘Is anything too hard for the Lord’.
Through His Word, God has answered this question for us. And I won't leave you in suspense until the end of the message... the answer is no, there is nothing too hard for the Lord!
- Let's take a few moments and consider the fact that:
I. THERE IS NO PROMISE TOO HARD FOR THE LORD TO ACCOMPLISH
There are literally thousands of promises that God has given us in His Word. There is no way to cover them all in one sermon. You couldn't cover them all in a series of sermons...In fact, I don't think it would be possible to cover all the promises of God in a lifetime. But I do know this... not one promise that He has made will go unfulfilled! There is no promise that the Lord has given us that is too hard for Him to accomplish!
- Though we can't examine all of God's promises, I would like to consider a few of them. Notice:
a) The Promise Of God’s Presence - “I will never leave thee” (Hebrews 13:5)
The Lord said He would "never leave or forsake us". There may be times when we feel that He is a million miles away. It is in those times that we must remember His promises. We can rest assured that He is ever with us!
- We also have:
b) The Promise Of God’s Protection - ”I am thy shield” (Genesis 15:1)
No matter what we encounter in this life...No matter what our enemy throws our way, God is our shield and our protector. We can trust Him to care for us daily!
- As Christians we can also claim:
c) The Promise Of God’s Power - ”I will strengthen thee” (Isaiah 41:10)
There are many things in this life that we cannot handle on our own. But our God can empower and enable us to accomplish the impossible. Elijah couldn't make fire rain down from Heaven, but he had access to the One who could make it happen. We serve the same God and He is as powerful today as He was back then!
- There is also:
d) The Promise Of God's Provision - "My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19)
Whatever your need, God can and will provide. Always remember that you are a child of the Most High God and He owns it all! David said in - Psalms 37:25 I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. - God has promised to provide for His children and nothing is too hard for God!
- Consider also:
e) The Promise Of God's Perfect Plan - ”All things work together for good to them that love God” (Romans 8:28)
No matter what you may face in this life, God has a plan. There is a purpose for every storm and every struggle. And He has promised that everything we endure will work together for our good. Keep in mind, our idea of good and God's are not always the same, but He knows what is best. Whatever you may be facing in your life at this moment, God has a plan and a purpose for it and He has promised that it will work together for your good! I could go on and on, but I will sum it up by saying that "there is no promise too hard for the Lord to accomplish".
- As we move a little further, I would like to also see that:
II. THERE IS NO PRAYER TOO HARD FOR THE LORD TO ANSWER
Humanly speaking, Abraham and Sarah conceiving a child in their old age was an impossible task. Isaac being born was a biological impossibility. But it was nothing for the all powerful God! God had promised Abraham that He would make him the Father of a great nation. But time went on and Abraham and Sarah did not have a child. They faced a time of uncertainty and even frustration. Though they were faithful servants of God they endured a season of difficulty and doubt. But through it all, God had a plan. In His time, and in His way God would answer their prayer.
There may be problems in your life that you have dealt with for a long time. You may have been walking through a valley for many days. You may be in the midst of a storm and it seems that there is no end in sight. You have prayed and prayed but the answer you are looking for has not arrived. It may seem that God is a million miles away. You may think that He is not there or that He just doesn't care about you. Let me remind you that God does not work in our time, but He is always on time!
It is in these tough times that we are tempted to take matters into our own hands. Abraham and Sarah made that mistake. They became impatient and decided to do things their way. They decided that Abraham would conceive a child with Sarah's handmaid Hagar. This was not what God had in mind. Their impatience and taking matters into their own hands brought its own set of consequences. I encourage you to learn from their mistake don't be tempted to get ahead of God and do things your way.
Remember that no prayer is too hard for God to answer. Just look to the many answered prayers that are recorded in His Word.
Moses prayed to God and God parted the Red Sea and the people of Israel were delivered and their enemies were killed!I wonder of Moses looked at those whining Israelites and said "SEE! No prayer is too hard for the Lord!"
I draw your attention to Elijah and the showdown on Mt. Carmel: Listen to his prayer - 1 Kings 18:36 And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. 37 Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again. - - Look at how God responded to this prayer - v38 Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God.
Those false prophets had cried and begged their God for hours and he never showed up. But they learned in the end that there is no prayer that is too hard for the Lord to answer!
Ol' Daniel was thrown into a den of lions because he prayed to God. The next day the King went to that den of lions and said “Daniel, was your God, able to rescue you from the lions?” Daniel said "My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me"! - Nebuchadnezzar learned that no prayer is too hard for the Lord to answer!
A man named Jairus came to Jesus and informed Him that his precious little 12 year old daughter was dead. Jesus went to where she was and raised her from the dead! Again I say, there is no prayer that is too hard for the Lord to answer!
One day Jesus passed by a blind man. That man cried out and Jesus let me receive my sight. Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight... and immediately he received his sight, There is no cure for blindness, but there is no prayer that is too hard for the Lord!
Herod seized Peter and put him in prison. He intended to behead him after Easter. But the church gathered together and prayed for Peter and the Lord delivered him from that jail cell. When Peter arrived at the prayer meeting that night, he had to testify about how great God is. I can hear him say, "Herod is powerful, but there is no prayer too hard for my God to answer!"
Paul and Silas were arrested and whipped with many stripes. They were put in a cell with their feet in the stocks and a guard watching their every move. But at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God.Acts 16:25 says that "suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed" -- If you could talk to Paul and Silas today they would tell you, there is no prayer to hard for the Lord to answer!
I could share story after story from the Bible where God showed up and answered hard prayers! I can also testify on a personal level that there have been times in my own life where I have gone to the Lord with requests that seemed to be impossible. In those times I am reminded of what Jesus said in - Mark 10:27 ...With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible. I have gone boldly before the throne and made my requests known and in His time and in His way, God has worked miracles in my life. And I am here to tell you that THERE IS NO PRAYER TO HARD FOR THE LORD TO ANSWER!!
The Devil knows that there is power in prayer. This is why praying is such a struggle sometimes. Our great Adversary will do all that he can to prevent God's people from praying!
Samuel Chadwick said: “Satan dreads nothing but prayer. His one concern is to keep the saints from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, he mocks our wisdom, but he trembles when we pray.”
It is so encouraging to be reminded that nothing is too hard for the Lord!
- There Is No Promise That Is To Hard For Him To Accomplish. There Is No Prayer That Is Too Hard For Him To Answer and finally we will see that:
III. THERE IS NO PROBLEM TO HARD FOR THE LORD TO SOLVE
Genesis 15:2 And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? 3 And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. 4 And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. 5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. 6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
One of the most important elements of prayer is faith. Abraham and Sarah were facing some incredible odds, but they had faith in the Lord. Listen to what verse 6 says about Abraham.... "And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness."
Perhaps you are facing some incredible odds of your own. You have problems and circumstances that seem to be impossible to overcome. Maybe you have tried to solve your issues on your own and you have only made things worse. Let me encourage you to turn to the Lord today. Trust in Him. Remember that there is nothing too hard for Him!
Just take a moment and survey the scriptures and remember all that the Lord has already done:
He fed 5,000 people with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish.
- He walked up to the tomb of a man that had been dead for 4 days, He simply cried Lazarus come forth and that man walked out of his own grave.
- At the sound of His voice blind received their sight, the deaf were made to hear, lame men began to walk, lepers were cleansed, men possessed with demons were delivered.
- One night in the midst of a great storm His disciples thought they were going to die, Jesus walked to the front of the ship and simply said "Peace be still", and the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
These are just a few of the amazing miracles that our Lord has performed. And what He did back then, He can still do today! We serve a miracle-working God, and nothing is too hard for Him.
Well, what about that promise that God made Abraham and Sarah? You know, the one that seemed so impossible that it caused them to laugh when they heard it. - Genesis 21:1 And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken. 2 For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. 3 And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac.
This shows us that The Promise Was Not Too Hard For The Lord To Accomplish, The Prayer Was Not Too Hard For The Lord To Answer and The Problem Was Not Too Hard For The Lord To Solve.
A little boy was playing in his sandbox. He had with him his box of cars and trucks, his plastic pail, and a shiny, red plastic shovel. In the process of creating roads and tunnels in the soft sand, he discovered a large rock in the middle of the sandbox. The lad dug around the rock, managing to dislodge it from the dirt. With no little bit of struggle, he pushed and nudged the rock across the sandbox by using his feet. (He was a very small boy and the rock was very huge).When the boy got the rock to the edge of the sandbox, however, he found that he couldn't roll it up and over the wall. Determined, the little boy shoved, pushed, and pried, but every time he thought he had made some progress, the rock tipped and then fell back into the sandbox. The little boy grunted, struggled, pushed and shoved. But his only reward was to have the rock roll back, smashing his chubby fingers. Finally he burst into tears of frustration. All this time the boy's father watched from his living room window as the drama unfolded. At the moment the tears fell, a large shadow fell across the boy and the sandbox. It was the boy's father.Gently but firmly he said, "Son, why didn't you use all the strength that you had available? Defeated, the boy sobbed back, "But I did, Daddy, I did! I used all the strength that I had!" "No, son," corrected the father kindly. "You didn't use all the strength you had. You didn't ask me to help you." With that the father reached down, picked up the rock, and removed it from the sandbox.
I know many of you are facing very tough situations as we speak. Let me take a moment and remind you just who your Father is. No matter what you are enduring right now.... "Nothing is too hard for the Lord." Give it to Him today! Remember what Peter said in 1 Peter 5:7 "Cast all your care upon him; for he cares for you."
If you don't know Him, I would like the opportunity to introduce you to Him.
May we all leave here today resting in the promise that "There Is Nothing Too Hard For The Lord"
