He Makes the Impossible Possible.

He Makes the Impossible Possible.
October 7th, 2014, Kichijouji Bible Study
Gotthold Beck

Luke
18:1 Jesus told his disciples a parable about their need to pray all the time and never give up.
18:2 He said, “In a city there was a judge who didn’t fear God or respect people.
18:3 In that city there was also a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’
18:4 For a while the judge refused. But later, he told himself, ‘I don’t fear God or respect people,
18:5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice. Otherwise, she will keep coming and wear me out.’”
18:6 Then the Lord added, “Listen to what the unrighteous judge says.
18:7 Won’t God grant his chosen people justice when they cry out to him day and night? Is he slow to help them?
18:8 I tell you, he will give them justice quickly. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

18:27 Jesus replied, “The things that are impossible for people are possible for God.”

The very last verse we just read gives us the reason to rejoice, doesn't it? “The things that are impossible for people are possible for God.” The impossible turns possible; I would like to make this the subject of today's sermon. Not all things that seem impossible to us are impossible in a real sense.


There may exist some situations that are absolutely impossible. However, all things are possible for the believers because they know the one for whom nothing is impossible. “The things that are impossible for people are possible for God.” This is the testimony and the confession that came out of the mouth of Jesus.

Jesus was not simply the one who proclaimed the truth, but he was the truth itself that took the form of man. Jesus could sincerely say, “I am the truth itself.” The Lord cannot lie. The entire Bible provides the proof that all things that are totally impossible for humans can easily be accomplished by the Lord.

The true living God appeared in front of us and revealed himself in Jesus. This Lord is not merely the one who knows all things, the one who loves us infinitely, but is also the one who can do all things. When we are connected with this Lord, we will come to understand from our own experience that the things that are impossible for humans are absolutely possible for God.

I actually wanted to read the whole chapter 18 of Luke with you today. This is a wonderful chapter, in which various stories are told that prove this very truth. Let us look at these stories and divide the discussion into seven sections.

Firstly, the Lord is the one who never fails to answer our desperate prayers. It is shown in the parable Jesus told in verses 1 to 8. What this parable tells us is that, as explained in the first verse, we need to pray all the time and we should never give up.

The central character of this parable is a widow who complained to a judge. “Grant me justice against my adversary.” She must have screamed from her heart. However, the judge did not listen to her and she was ignored for a long time.

I am not sure why he refused her. He might have thought it wouldn't make any money for him. However, she repeatedly came back with the same complaint and never seemed to give up. The judge finally gave in and decided to grant her justice because this widow kept bothering him.

This widow never gave up, but kept asking for justice. For this reason, Jesus admired her attitude. We pray because Jesus gave us the promise that he will listen to all our prayers. We should never stop praying until we experience the accomplishment of the Lord's promise. It is unimaginably important to maintain this attitude. This promise can be found in Matthew, 17:20;

Matthew
17:20 If you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.

It was because Paul had the same kind of faith that he wrote in his Epistle to the Philippians, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” This was his confession written in a prison in Rome. When we pray, it will move the hands of the one who controls the whole universe.

This turns the impossible possible. The Lord accomplishes great deeds and solves all kinds of difficulties. For this very reason, we should pray and should never stop praying no matter what happens.

You might have been praying for a long time, for a very difficult personal relationship or for something that seems impossible from the human perspective. Let us not lose hope. Let us rely on the Lord alone and look up to no one but the Lord. For many of the things that are impossible for people are simple and easy for the Lord.

Secondly, the Lord never refuses to save even the worst kind of sinners.

After this parable, in which the Lord urged us to pray, the Lord went on to the next parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector in verses 9 to 14. Although this Pharisee was a very religious man, he did not know the true living God in a real sense. He only cared about himself and he was proud of his righteous way of life and his good deeds. Even in his prayers, he was concerned about no one but himself.

For this reason, it was described in the Bible that he prayed to himself in his heart, not to the Lord.

Of course, he called the name of the Lord. However, he was not concerned about the glory of the name of the Lord at all. Contrarily, the tax collector stood at a distance and would not even look up to heaven. Instead, he continued to beat his chest and said, “O God, be merciful to me, the sinner that I am!” We need nothing else if we have an attitude like this.

The religious Pharisee exclaimed, “God, I thank you,” which does not sound respectful at all. On the other hand, the miserable man whispered, “God be merciful.” They were fundamentally different. After all, Jesus himself clearly declared that it was this sinful man who was justified, whose sins were all forgiven and who was accepted in God's family.

Very often, we can't help but wonder, “Does this man deserve to be saved?” or, “Could someone like this be possibly saved?” However, the strength of the Lord's salvation is enough to redeem all kinds of people. The blood of Jesus is powerful enough to forgive all kinds of sins.

1 John
1:7 the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

It is news of joy. We may think of a man like Saul, who used to be proud of being a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a fierce man. Then, he called himself the worst of sinful people. Eventually, he came to make this confession filled with joy;

1 Timothy
1:13 In the past I was a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent man. But I received mercy because I acted ignorantly in my unbelief,
1:14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed toward me, along with the faith and love that are in the Messiah Jesus.
1:15 This is a trustworthy saying that deserves complete acceptance: To this world Messiah came, sinful people to reclaim. I am the worst of them.

This was the confession of Paul.

This man, Saul, became one of the most enthusiastic witnesses of our Lord, which was an unimaginable miracle. This also proves that nothing is impossible for the Lord. When we think of our family, relatives and friends who are far removed from the Lord, again we should keep this in our minds; The things that are impossible for people are possible for the Lord.

The Lord saves even the worst of sinful people. Some people believe that little children cannot convert their hearts. But the reality tells us that even better things may happen to them.

A man called Samuel was presumably a little child when he encountered the Lord through a truly personal experience. Today, there are so many Christians who encountered the Lord in their youth. Some people experienced the conversion of their hearts at the ages of five, six or seven. And it was proved later that their conversion was true.

For all parents, this must be very encouraging. It should also stimulate all those who work with children. It will inspire children to love their parents and when they grow old enough to discuss with their parents, they will naturally come to love Jesus and be able to talk to Jesus.

Needless to say, it is important to note that no one is too old to be saved. It is also untrue that people may lose a chance to be saved when they get too senile. Here, the same truth applies; “The things that are impossible for people are possible for God.”

No one is too young to be saved. Likewise, nobody is too old to experience Jesus. When we see things from a human perspective, we easily become consumed with anxieties that come up one after another. Still, we should not forget these words of promise by Jesus; All things are possible for God and we will experience it.

Fourthly, the Lord releases us from worldly temptations. Verses 18 to 27 revolve around a rich man who unfortunately lost the battle against worldly temptations. He was a very religious man who had always obeyed all laws since his childhood. The fact that he sought to see Jesus indicated that his heart was filled with desperate hunger and thirst for truth.

In verse 23, it is written that he was very wealthy. The Bible does not condemn becoming rich or possessing wealth. However, when the wealth hinders salvation or obedience to Jesus, it represents their sins.

To clarify this fact to this man, Jesus commanded;

Luke
18:22 Sell everything you have and give the money to the destitute, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come back and follow me.

This price seemed too high for this rich man. He became very sad, as is written in verse 23. But I suppose that Jesus must have felt sadder than him.

Luke
18:24 How hard it is for rich people to get into the kingdom of God!
18:25 Indeed, it is easier for a camel to squeeze through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to get into the kingdom of God.

All those who cling to their wealth and worship their money as god will have the same experience as this rich man. That is to say, when this young man became disappointed and went away from Jesus, he lost the opportunity to obtain forgiveness for his sins, to gain peace with God and to know the one who would have given him the true fulfillment.

All things that are used to replace God are idols. The one who fully fulfills us, the one who demands our total love and worship; he is the only true living God whom we should serve. Idol worship is a sin, which makes us insist on desiring money and wealth. Paul wrote to his beloved disciple, Timothy;

1 Timothy
6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.

There is nothing wrong with having a lot of money. However, it is wrong to believe your wealth belongs to you alone. All things we possess are merely lent to us temporarily. We are only allowed to decide how they are used while we are in this world. Only the Lord has the true and final authority.

Because we belong to the Lord, all our properties belong to the Lord too. For this very reason, our daily prayers should be like this; “Lord, what should I do? Please let me know. I do not know what to do. Only you can tell me. I will only do what you want me to do.”

Actually, this is what was explained in Luke 14:33.

Luke
14:33 In the same way, none of you can be my disciple unless he gives up all his possessions.”

To “give up all our possessions” basically means to offer all possessions to the Lord, rather than just giving up something in the general sense. All things we have, our money, our houses, cars, family, wives and children should be offered to the Lord.

Actually, even our life does not belong to ourselves. We are not allowed to do whatever we want to do, or to pursue our pleasures. We are redeemed with a precious price. We belong to Jesus. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit and the dwelling of God.

Fifthly, the Lord will eventually compensate for all sacrifices made for him and these sacrifices will be rewarded.

Luke
18:28 Then Peter said, “See, we have left everything we have and followed you.”
18:29 Jesus told them, “I tell all of you with certainty, there is no one who has left his home, wife, brothers, parents, or children because of the kingdom of God
18:30 who will not receive many times as much in this world, as well as eternal life in the age to come.”

In all ages, there were many people who, for Jesus, abandoned their own lands, abandoned their family, left their well-paid jobs, even gave up marriage to dedicate their lives for serving the Lord. Those who don't know the Lord will tilt their heads and say, “Such people are missing something important and they have wasted so much.”

When Mary of Bethany poured the expensive perfume on Jesus' head, the disciples became irritated and said, “Why this waste?” Now, we know the perfume was never wasted meaninglessly. Likewise, it is absolutely right to conclude that the humiliation that Jesus went through was far greater wealth than all the riches of Egypt.

Those who sacrifice their lives for Jesus will never suffer a loss by it. Their sacrifice will be compensated and they will be richly rewarded. It can be seen in Matthew 19:29 as well.

Matthew
19:29 In fact, everyone who has left his homes, brothers, sisters, father, mother, children, or fields because of my name will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.

This is exactly what the rich reward refers to. It will be returned to us a hundredfold. Jesus will greatly reward us. It is absolutely meaningful to live for Jesus.

Furthermore, there are so many people who don't know Jesus yet and it will be absolutely worth all kinds of sacrifice if we can help them to hear the gospel. There has been nobody who was driven by the love of Jesus and regretted it later. Each one of us should serve as a missionary and support the work of Jesus.

We all were placed where we are now for the purpose of serving the Lord, at which we should exclaim “Accept the reconciliation of God. It is possible for anyone to be saved. Come to Jesus. The Lord will forgive you. The Lord will regenerate you. He will liberate you.” Let us all walk faithfully in accordance with the mission given to each one of us. We will be richly rewarded and will one day hear the words of Jesus like this;

Matthew
25:23 Well done, good and trustworthy servant! Since you have been trustworthy with a small amount, I will put you in charge of a large amount. Come and share your master’s joy!’

Sixthly, the Lord accomplishes everything he promised.

Luke
18:31 Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, “Pay attention! We’re going up to Jerusalem. Everything written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled,
18:32 because he will be handed over to the unbelievers, and will be mocked, insulted, and spit on.
18:33 After they have whipped him, they will kill him, but on the third day he will rise again.”
18:34 But they didn’t understand any of this. What he said was hidden from them, and they didn’t know what he meant.

From these verses, we can understand that all pain and death that Jesus was going to suffer were prophesied hundreds of years ago as well as his resurrection on the third day. What the Lord had to go through was the realization of the prophecy in the Old Testament. Were these prophecies about Jesus fulfilled?

Did all things occur exactly as prophesied about Jesus? Yes, they did. All things were fully realized precisely as prophesied. From this, we come to the conclusion that all promises will be realized at the time of the Lord.

These things are prophesied to happen in the future of this world; that is to say, the return of Jesus to pick up all his believers, the Rapture in which all true believers will be caught up without going through death, which is followed by the Second Coming of Jesus as that which will be recognized by all people, the establishment of the millennial kingdom of peace and finally, the judgment of all people by Jesus, the judge of the entire world.

Most of these are actually far beyond our imagination. Still, we can believe that all things will be accomplished simply because we know that “the things which are impossible for people are possible for God.” For the Virgin Mary, it was absolutely impossible for her to imagine becoming the mother of the promised savior. When it was prophesied to her through the angel, this was the only thing she could say;

Luke
1:34 Mary asked the angel, “How can this happen, since I have not had relations with a man?”

Nevertheless, she believed in the gospel of the holy angel. And Mary experienced the truth of his words, which was that, “The things that are impossible for people are possible for God.” We too should have this immovable conviction at the foundation of our daily lives.

The Lord has given the remarkable promise to us, to churches which represent his body, to the people of Israel as well as all nations around the world. Unlike humans, God does not lie. Unlike human children, God never regrets what he has done. Some people have raised questions like these; Will it be possible that God can't keep his word? Will God ever fail to accomplish his promise?

As an answer to these questions, Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear,” and then, “the things that are impossible for people are possible for God.”

Finally, as the seventh point, the Lord performs the miracle. It is recorded between the verses 35 and 43 that a blind beggar named Bartimaeus was healed. This man was completely sightless. However, it is recorded that when Jesus commanded his eyes to open, he could instantly see again.

Although it is beyond our comprehension, the things that are impossible for people are possible for God. Abraham and Sarah were promised to be given a son despite their extremely old age. The Lord has promised this and prophesied. The Lord is the one who performs the miracle.

Genesis
18:11 Abraham and Sarah were old―really old―and Sarah was beyond the age of childbearing.

18:14 Is anything impossible for the Lord? At the time set for it, I will return to you―about a year from now―and Sarah will have a son.”

Back then, Abraham was already 100 years old and Sarah was 90. From the human point of view, it is absolutely impossible for them to have a baby. Still, we can see the faith of Abraham and its foundation in the following verses. These are very remarkable verses.

Romans
4:17 Abraham acted in faith when he stood in the presence of God, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence things that don’t yet exist.
4:18 Hoping in spite of hopeless circumstances, he believed that he would become “the father of many nations,” just as he had been told: “This is how many descendants you will have.”
4:19 His faith did not weaken when he thought about his own body (which was already as good as dead now that he was about a hundred years old) or about Sarah’s inability to have children,
4:20 nor did he doubt God’s promise out of a lack of faith. Instead, his faith became stronger and he gave glory to God,
4:21 being absolutely convinced that God would do what he had promised.

The impossible was made possible. Abraham and Sarah were granted a son. Can there be anything impossible for the Lord? Is there any situation that is too difficult for the Lord to handle? Can you think of any problems that are impossible for the Lord to solve? Can there be a sinner who is too hard-hearted for the Lord to save?

Could there be someone who has become so degenerate that even the Lord has to give up reforming? Could there be something beyond the ability of the Lord? You might feel that your situation is so desperate that there is no chance to take back your life.

You might feel that everything is too late and your life might look totally hopeless from the human view. However, still the strength of this very verse we chose today overrides all other things. All things look totally different in the eyes of God as they are seen from the human perspective.

There is absolutely nothing impossible for the Lord almighty. The things that are impossible for people are possible for God. Our Lord is the one who can do all things. He always does what is best for us. It is a wonderful blessing for us to entrust everything to this Lord.