GOD OF THE IMPOSSIBLE

GOD OF THE IMPOSSIBLE

“A ruler questioned Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.
“You know the commandments, ‘DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, DO NOT MURDER, DO NOT STEAL, DO NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS, HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER.” And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.” When Jesus heard this, He said to him,
“One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
But when he had heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. And Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God! “For 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.”
They who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” But He said, “The things that are impossible with people are possible with God.” ( Luke 18:18-27 )

Every good thing comes from God.

When Jesus said that no one was good but God, he wasn't saying that He was not good, but if you read it in the Greek, it says that good means; benefits,goods, or things.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” ( James 1:17 )

In this statement we see that Jesus knew where the young man's heart was at. This is why Jesus went right to the heart of the matter by saying this to the man.

Salvation isn't obtained through rule keeping.

Jesus told this man that even though he had worked hard all his life to live by the commandments, that it still was not enough.

It is a hard lesson for us to learn, that keeping a bunch of rules can do nothing to save us, that salvation is impossible for us to get on his own.

Where your treasure is;

Jesus told the young man that he was also going to have to exchange his earthly treasure, ( his riches ) and come and follow Him, and see that the greatest treasure in life is having a relationship with the son of God.

The young man went away in sorrow because he just could not imagine that knowing and following Jesus was worth giving up his stuff for.

"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. ( Matthew 6:24 )

Jesus wasn't saying that money is evil, nor was He saying that rich people can't be saved. He was saying that it is going to be hard for them to see the value and worth of having a relationship with the Lord. In this sense wealth becomes a stumbling block for them. Jesus said that it is very hard for those wealthy people to be saved, it is as difficult as it is getting a camel to enter through one of the needles (entrance ways into a city).

he is a God of the impossible.

But Jesus concludes by saying that God is a God of the impossible. When something seems impossible with men, God is a God of the impossible.

The Christian life isn't about rule keeping, it is about having a relationship with God and cooperating with him as He changes our lives from the inside out.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” ( Ephesians 2:8-10 )
This is a picture of God working in our lives;
“by grace,” “not of yourselves,' a gift of God,” “His workmanship.”

But now, O LORD, You are our Father, We are the clay, and You our potter; And all of us are the work of Your hand. ( Ephesians 2:8-10, Isaiah 64:8 )

Peter shows that we can't do it on our own.

Peter spent three years with Jesus and we all know that Peter had some serious character flaws. We see Jesus dealing with Peter over 3 years. He knew that one day Peter would become a great tool in the hand of God to bring salvation to the world. Peter got rebuked by God the Father at the transfiguration, and Jesus had to pull him out of the water when he tried to walk on the water, and Jesus healed the ear of the guard that Peter had cut off. Jesus rebuked Peter when he tried to stop him from dying for the sins of the world. Jesus also restored him as an apostle after the resurrection from his denial of knowing him three times.

Peter learned that it was impossible for him to be all he should be, but what is impossible for a man, is possible with God.

At the beginning of our Christian life as young converts we have a hard time understanding these things. Yes we have been converted, we have the joy of the Lord in our hearts, we begins to run the race of faith, and fight the battles of life; we are sure he can conquer, for we are earnest and honest. We seem to fail more than get it right.

"I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin." ( Romans 7:21-25 )

“For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” ( Philippians 2:13 )
“Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, Equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. ( Hebrews 13:21 )

Living out the Christian life is proof that God works impossibilities; our religious life is to be a series of impossibilities made possible and actual by God’s almighty power.

All the possibilities of a powerful and victorious Christian life have their origin in a new understanding of Christ’s power to work all God’s will in us.

Have we learned to live in a close relationship with almighty God?
Have we come to know omnipotent (all powerful) God is working in us?

“The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” All around you there is a world of sin and sorrow, and the Devil is there. But remember, Christ is on the throne, Christ is stronger, Christ has conquered, and Christ will conquer. That He is working and will continue to work in our lives as we see the value of a relationship with the all powerful God.

Prayer
Father God those things which are impossible with us are possible with you. You are the all powerful God, You are able to do greater things than we could even imagine in our minds. Father help us to value our relationship with you above everything else.
In the name of Jesus, amen!