Sermon
8/12/07 –
All Things Are Possible –
Genesis 15:6
Audio Sermon
All Things Are Possible
“And he believed in the Lord, and He
accounted it to him for righteousness” (Genesis 15:6)
A month ago or so, I rose into the air to a height of
34,000 feet and stood calmly with a group of people. A few days later, I was
with another group, and this time we were standing on the top of water that was
hundreds of feet deep. You may wonder: what kind of faith does this man have,
that he can soar up into the air and fly, and subsequently stand on the top of
deep water? Ordinary faith, I assure you, the kind that is available to us all.
It should be mentioned that additional factors were
involved. When I was standing and traveling at a high rate of speed at 34,000
feet, I was in the aisle of a pressurized airplane, and the water I was standing
on actually involved more than one event. In one instance, I was standing on the
deck of an ocean liner, traveling on top of the water along the coast of Alaska,
and in the other, I was on the top of a glacier, and yes, the “water” underneath
me was indeed hundreds of feet deep, but it was frozen into the substance we
call “ice.”
And that’s the way it is with our Lord. Because He is with
us and in us, we can seem to do unusual things, and even on occasion, impossible
things. From a human standpoint, they are indeed a surprise. In the natural
world, many can think, walk, talk, stand and run, though some cannot do all of
those things. And in the world of the Holy Spirit, given to us through Christ,
there are otherwise ordinary people who can pray and get answers, teach about
wonders they did not previously know, comfort those who are in need, pray and
the sick will be healed, and much more; and we should reasonably be astonished
by these God-given abilities. But it’s like that plane in the sky and the ship
on that ocean. We “fly” because we are really in a plane and we speak because we
are given words and actions that are beyond us, in and through the Spirit of
God. Our job is to – believe.
You wonder, WHY does God rescue and use people like you and
me? Most of us have run from Him at some point, choosing to live life in our OWN
strength, ignoring His call to trust in His Son. We did this as long as we
possibly could; even though He has so much to give. Why does He continue to help
members of the human race, even those who run from Him? Dr. Theodore Cuyler told
about a group of men who were trapped in a coal mine as the result of an
accident. He said, “Great crowds gathered to help clear
away the earth and rescue the men.” He continued, “An
old, grey-headed man came running up, and seizing a shovel, began to work with
the strength of ten men. Someone offered to relieve the older man. ‘Get out of
the way!’ he cried. ‘I have two boys down there!’” Dr. Cuyler continued,
“Nothing but love” could do that. We believe in the
One who loves us.
Almighty God loves you without limit. Scripture says, “When we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for
the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a
good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love
toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans
5:6-8). Without God, we are trapped deep within the dark coal mine of sin. God
has seen our need and with a strength that exceeds anything this world has seen
or will ever see again, He sent His “only begotten Son”
(John 3:16) who has rescued you and me. Why? – Because He loves us. He loves –
YOU. No matter how marred by sin you may be, He looks at you as His delightful
child, lost and in need of rescue, and THAT is why He had to die. He loves you
so much that He took your place so that you will RECEIVE His love, His
forgiveness, and LIFE forevermore. And He has “gifts” that will change your life
on this earth. Like father Abraham, you can BELIEVE in the Lord.
I confess to you that I have always felt too old. I did not
go to college like my father wanted when I was 18 because my grades in high
school were poor. Not only my father, but also two pastors were after me to go
to “their” college. I was not able to study effectively and succeed in school,
and so I enlisted in the Air Force, remaining there for four years. In the Air
Force I somehow gained the discipline needed for school and when God called me
to complete a four-year Bible curriculum in my 30’s, I felt I was too old. After
a lot of prayer, though, I did attend and graduated “summa cum laude” – because
He did it in and through me.
I teach Bible classes on Thursday mornings to a group of
mostly elderly people in a convalescent facility. I prayed with a man named
Terry there, who told me that, at age 65, his life is over. Please pray for him.
He wants to serve the Lord, but he feels too old.
Our Scripture today relates to the promise of God to an
ordinary man named Abraham who also felt he was too old. The difference between
this man and everybody else is that when the Lord spoke to Abraham’s heart, he
BELIEVED. God gave great assurances to him and his wife, Sarah, including the
surprising promise that this aging, childless man would become “the father of many nations” (Genesis 17:4). His wife
laughed “within herself” when she heard the news
because they “were (indeed)
old, well-advanced in age, and Sarah had passed the age of childbearing”
(Genesis 18:11-12). She denied she laughed “for she was
afraid,” but God, who knows our hearts, said, “No,
but you did laugh” (Genesis 18:15). When that child did come, they named
the boy, “Isaac,” which means, “Laughter.”
We may feel too old, or too young, or too weak, or too
incapacitated, or whatever, and we just don’t get it! Our power to live life for
God is not based within us at all – our ability to accept and perform the
promises and call of God is not about any “strength” of our own. In fact, God
delights in calling those who “can’t,” giving us lives we could not possibly
accomplish on our own. Paul the Apostle observed, “not
many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called,
but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the things
which are mighty” (1 Corinthians 1:26-27).
There are so many in the world who have felt they are too
old, like Abraham, Sarah, Terry and me. There are many who think they’re too
something else, and yet we find God using us anyway. Every time I sit down to
write a Bible study or a sermon or a prayer, God is with me, in my heart, in the
preparation and in the result of what is done. I occasionally break out in
laughter because I know it is the Lord who does these things.
Go ahead and give your life to the Lord. BELIEVE in Him. As
Jeremiah the prophet said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have
made the heavens and the earth by Your great Power and outstretched arm. There
is nothing too hard for You” (Jeremiah 32:17).
Lord, show me the way I should go and give me the faith to do
it. In Jesus Name. Amen.
