Is it Possible?

I want to focus our attention this afternoon on a simple but quite profound promise God makes to us in His word: “The things that are impossible with people are possible with God.” Luke 18:27. And I want to link this promise of the Almighty God with the fears many Christians live with at various times in their lives – fears that roil, that agitate, that disturb their joy in the Lord.

What are the names of some of those fears? Well, how about the fear that they can never measure up to God's expectations of them; Or the fear that they aren’t really rescued from eternal separation from God; Or the fear that they can’t be fruitful for His kingdom; Or that they are of little value to the King; Or that they’ll never be free from the grasp of sin which seems too powerful to overcome; Or the fear that they will never become what God wants them to become.

That’s a LOT of fear so many Christians fall prey to.

But of each of these fears, God tells us the Christian throughout His word – there is no need to give ANY of those fears a place in our hearts. Why not? Because, for starters, it’s not who WE are or what WE do that gets us to ‘measure up’ to God's expectations, or rescues us from eternal separation from Himself, or that makes us fruitful for the Kingdom.

It’s all about who HE is – and what HE does that lifts us up to His standard.

I’ll say it again for emphasis – it is not a matter of who we are or what we do. It is all a matter of who HE is and what HE does for us – and in us.

This is a critical point for me and for you to receive into our souls. As St Paul tells us: “For all the promises of God in [Christ] are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God.” (2 Corinthians 1:20a)

Listen – if YOU are in Christ because of your repentance and faith in Christ’s substitutionary atonement for your sins, if you’ve been baptized according to His commandment, and are striving to live in obedience to all His commandments – then be assured by God's sacred and inviolable word: You ARE in Christ, and all the promises of God to you are counted by God as “Yes, and Amen.”

Which brings us to today’s message, the theme of which addresses some of the fears that often trouble our spirits. And the fundamental question from which all of those fears spring is this: “Is it possible to fail in any part of our walk with Christ, if we do not WANT to fail?”

I know that is a rather broad question, and I will try to unpack the answers to those fears today and next week. But for now, let me answer that question with one quick statement –

No. It is NOT possible for ANY Christian to fail in any part of their walk with Christ if they don’t want to fail. Why? Because it is the supernatural God who holds our hand. It is the supernatural Creator of worlds and galaxies who holds us in His arms and guides us in paths of righteousness for His Name’s sake – not for our sakes.

To get us started in our investigation of God's answers to our fears, listen first to these few texts that remind us of God's utter sovereignty, power, and rule over not only Creation itself, but also over our individual lives and circumstances.

For example, Jeremiah cries out: “Ah Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You.” (Jeremiah 32:17)

And this conversation between Jesus and His disciples: (Matthew 19:24-26) “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.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, “Then who can be saved?” 26 And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

If we had time, we could turn to scores of other examples of God's omnipotence over all nature and our specific circumstances. For example, you might remember how Sarah laughed when the Lord told her she and Abraham would soon have their own child (Genesis 18:14); She laughed, but nine months later she was cradling her son. Or the time Gabriel told the Virgin Mary of her impending pregnancy by the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:37). At the time, Mary did not understand how such a thing could happen, but we know it did.

God is a God of unmeasurable power. Nothing is impossible for Him. And such texts as I just read ought to offer great encouragement to us when we begin to wonder if it’s impossible to have the kind of life that God created us to have. Is it really impossible to fail in a relationship with Christ? Is it really impossible to be trapped so tightly in sin that we can never be extricated from it? Is it really impossible to ever measure up to God's standards?

Well, as I just said, ‘No, it’s NOT possible for the Christian who WANTS to succeed in his or her walk with Christ to walk with Him. How can I say such a thing?  Because God's word says it. THAT’S why His word is a refuge for us. A hiding place. A sure cleft in the Rock where He covers us there with His hand. Listen to St John say it: “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.” (1 John 4:18)

So, let’s look at some fears with which many Christians struggle. These are not in any particular order, and you might notice some of the fears and the answers to those fears overlap. But that should not surprise us because life itself is complicated with overlapping fears and challenges.

First: it is IMPOSSIBLE for anyone to fail in his or her relationship with Christ if that person doesn’t WANT to fail. It’s absurd to think God in unable to keep us in His hands if we want to stay in His hands. It is unthinkable that God should turn us away because of our inability to – let’s say, walk a holy lifestyle.

Our walk with Jesus is not about OUR strength of character. It’s about God's strength of character. And it is His character, bound up in mercy and patience toward the sinner, that holds us on that narrow road that leads to glory. Listen to the Psalmist tell us of our God's patience and compassion for the penitent sinner:

“The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness. He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.
As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. Just as a father has compassion on his children,
So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him. For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust.”  (Psalm 103:8-14)

I hope you picked up on that last verse: “He Himself knows our frame;
He is mindful that we are but dust.”

THAT’S why God gave us His Son – to place on the Savior the punishment OUR sins deserve. That means WE don’t have to let guilt destroy our joy in the Lord or our confidence in our relationship with the Father who not only FORGIVES our confessed sins but actually wipes them from the ledger. He treats every confessed sin as if they never occurred.

Think that thought through with me. Whatever you’ve done in your past, whatever evil you’ve committed and for which you’ve repented – God views them all as if you never committed them.

So please, please – don’t let guilt over confessed sins pull you from God's nail-pierced hands. Satan will lie to us with words such as, “You’ve sinned one time too often. Don’t fool yourself any longer to think a holy God will forgive you this time.”

No one should permit those lies to take root in their minds. Run to the refuge of God's promises, such as, “If we confess our sins, God is faithful and righteous to forgive our sins and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness.” (See 1 John 1:9)

It’s helpful to remember the conversation the Lord had with the apostle Peter, who asked, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.” (Matthew 18:21-22)

In other words, the Lord tells us to forgive others an infinite number of times when they ask forgiveness. And do we think the Lord requires of us something that He Himself is unwilling to do?

Yes, it is IMPOSSIBLE for anyone to FAIL in his or her relationship with Christ if the person does not want to fail. For good reason, Paul wrote to the Christians at Philippi: “He who began a good work in you WILL COMPLETE it until the day of Christ.” (Philippians 1:6)

Yet, for many Christians, their difficulty with that promise is that so many of them have experienced failed relationships in their past. So they extrapolate those bad experiences to their relationship with God. Indeed, there may be in this sanctuary today those who’ve experienced a failed marriage or marriages. Perhaps some have failed relationships with their children, or with their parents, or friends.  And for years, those failures have held them captive and convinced them that even their relationship with God is at risk.

But when our horizontal relationships between people fail, they fail because of sin. But God has no sin. And that is why our relationship with Him is absolutely nothing like human relationships. NOTHING like it. When we offend God by our sins and we repent, He always and IMMEDIATELY forgives those sins – to the point – as I said a few moments ago – to the point of counting those sins as if they were never committed.

How glorious is that? How freeing is that? When we come to Him in repentance, He immediately reconciles us to Himself. Immediately. Even before the last syllable of repentance has crossed our lips.

Let me reiterate the point once more – anyone who WANTS a successful relationship with the Creator cannot fail to have a successful relationship with Him because the sovereign, omnipotent God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ will not permit such a relationship to fail in the life of a person who wants to walk closely with the Savior.

But let’s move on now to another fear that troubles so many Christians. For the person who has strayed from God, even the one who has stayed away from Him for years or even decades -- It is IMPOSSIBLE to remain lost if he or she wants to be found by God. The story of the prodigal son makes that wondrous point for anyone with eyes to see and a heart open to hear God's voice of comfort and welcome home.

Remember how the Lord Jesus pleaded with His listeners – as He continues to plead with me and you: “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”  (Matthew 11:28)

And hear God speak through the prophet Hosea. The context is His appeal to Israel, but His appeal applies to every person on this planet as well: (Hosea 14:1-2a) “Come back, come back O Israel, to the Lord your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity. Take words with you and return to the Lord. Say to Him, “Take away all iniquity and receive us graciously.”

Oh, my brothers and sisters – tell those you know the wonderful news of God's mercy. Tell it to those who’ve wandered away but want to return: “Come back. Come back to your God. Take words of repentance with you and return to the Lord.”

I spoke of this next illustration during our series through the 23rd psalm, and it bears repeating in today’s sermon as well: “Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

If you were here for that message last week, you’ll remember the Hebrew word for ‘follow’ means to ‘ardently pursue.”  In other words, David tells us through the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit: “Surely goodness and mercy will passionately pursue us all the days of our life.”

We really need to get that. Our families and friends need to get that. The Shepherd, in His most benevolent mercy, pursues us all the days of our lives. Shepherd Jesus single-mindedly runs after us. And THAT is why it is  not possible to be lost if we don’t want to be lost. God Himself is chasing after us.

Well, time is nearly gone for today, so I’ll continue next week looking at some other fears that unnecessarily smother the joy of so many Christians.

I close with this word of God through the apostle Paul: 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  . . . 37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:35, 37-39)

And all God's people say: Amen.

SEE PAGE EIGHT BELOW FOR CONTINUATION

See what fears I talked about last week. See the list of fears at top of this sermon and this list

1.   It is impossible for anyone to fail in a relationship with Christ – if they do not want to fail.

2.   It is impossible for anyone to be lost to eternity if they do not want to be lost.

3.   It is impossible to walk in spiritual darkness, to be confused about your own place in this life, if you don’t want to walk in darkness.

4.   It is impossible for anyone to remain trapped in sin if they do not want to be trapped in sin.

5.   It is impossible for anyone who wants to be fruitful for Christ to not be fruitful for Christ.

6.   It is impossible for anyone who wants to grow deeper in love with Christ to not grow deeper in love with Christ.

It is impossible to fail or fall away from Christ if we don’t want to it is impossible to have a little value to be unfruitful for the king if we don’t want to be a little. Paragraph. It is impossible to be trapped in sin if we do not want to be trapped.

It is impossible to be judged for our sin to pay the penalty for our sin if we don’t want to be judged for our sin.

TALK ABOUT WIDOW’S MITE, MARY WHO ANOINTED HIS FEET, GIDEON – GO IN THIS YOUR STRENGTH. (SEE? It’s all about God).

Listen to Peter’s counsel: (2 Peter 1:5-8) “Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

This text alone (and there are many others) is our RECIPE for fruitfulness for Christ. Moral excellence in what we do in public AND in private. Self-control, for example, with our tongues. Kindness toward each other – even those we don’t particularly like. When we do those things, the Almighty supernatural God ENSURES and PROMISES we will be fruitful.

I do not know where Christians get the idea that doing ‘good deeds’ is not as important to our salvation as is ‘faith.’ That idea is totally unsupportable by Scripture. Indeed, I will say that idea stands in direct opposition to what Scripture teaches us.

Look for a moment at James 2:14-20 “What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?

Now listen to Paul as he wrote to the Church through Titus (3:8,14), “This is a trustworthy statement; and concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds. These things are good and profitable for men . . . . “Our people must also learn to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs, so that they will not be unfruitful.”

It is NOT POSSIBLE for anyone, regardless of age, health, wealth, religious background – or any other factor – it is impossible for a Christian who WANTS to be fruitful for Christ to not be fruitful if he or she simply follows the recipes God gives us. It is as simple – as they say – it is as simple as making a proverbial pie. Just follow the recipe and all will be well.

Impossibility number one: It is impossible for a ANYONE who genuinely WANTS a good relationship with God to fail in that relationship, because Almighty God will not permit it to fail.

Impossibility number two: It is impossible for ANYONE who genuinely DOES NOT want to be lost to Him – it is impossible for anyone to remain lost, because Almighty God will not permit it to happen.

And impossibility number three: It is impossible for ANYONE who genuinely WANTS to be fruitful in their work for Christ – it is impossible for that person to be unfruitful. Our Almighty God will not permit such a thing to happen.

Hear this one more time from the mouth of Jesus as recorded by St Luke (18:27): “The things that are impossible with people are possible with God.”

My brothers and sisters – be encouraged. God is working IN you, For you, and THROUGH you. How do we know that? Because He says so.