I want to ask you this question if you could do something impossible what would it be maybe it would be some exploit for God something that God's laid on your heart maybe if you could do something impossible it would be in the realm of a relationship what would it be that you'd like God to do that's impossible well I have wonderful news for you tonight God wants to do the impossible for you his child people that don't have God or his power do great things all the time God doesn't call you to do great things
God calls you to do impossible things listen to these few quotes I love them dearly A.W Tozer God is looking for those with whom he can do the impossible I love this next sentence what a pity that we plan only the things that we can do by ourselves George Mueller faith does not operate in the realm of the possible there is no glory for God in that which is humanly possible faith begins where man's power ends the great missionary Amy Carmichael to India when you're facing the impossible you can count on the God of the
impossible I love this quote from Warren Weirsby our faith is not really tested until God asks us to bear what seems unbearable to do what seems unreasonable and to expect what seems impossible D.L Moody if God is your partner make your plans big and impossible we say brother Gibbs those are the words of men listen to these verses Jeremiah 22:17 oh Lord God behold thou hast made the heaven and the earth and by thy great power stretched out thine arm there is nothing nothing too hard for thee Jeremiah 32:27 behold I am the Lord the
God of all flesh is there anything he asks that's too hard for me Matthew 19:26 but Jesus beheld them and said unto them with men this is impossible but with God all things are possible have you ever noticed we stopped talking about the impossible and yet we serve the God of the impossible all of us at some point in our life have had our backs to the wall and we think God I don't know what to do I don't know where to go I don't know which way to turn what shall I do we've had
our backs to the wall and everything looked rather impossible it looks impossible for us to be able to get through this without a great deal of pain or hurt looks impossible for us to get through this without some real financial problems developing it looks impossible for us to be healed after what the doctor said so there are all kinds of situations we come into the first thing I want you to notice here is this and that is that Jesus is aware of those circumstances in which we feel it is a seemingly impossible situation you notice
I didn't say an impossible situation but seemingly impossible it appears to be impossible it looks like it's impossible for example when you and I hit one of those difficult situations in life are we our backs to the wall or we think something looks impossible what do we say we say oh Lord what am I going to do wrong question now remember this is really important because you're going to get one of these Lord what what am I what in the world am I going to do how many of us have asked that oh God what
in the world am I going to do that's not the right question the right question is Lord what are you going to do nothing is impossible when the supernatural invasion of God by the Lord Jesus Christ comes into our life and he enters our circumstance to deal with them if I and I alone have to deal with him I'm going to have a problem but if he begins to deal with them he if I allow him if I acknowledge him if I call upon him into my circumstance he is going because of his compassion love
to deal with that circumstance no matter what it is and oftentimes we wonder why things don't happen right we wonder why why we can't figure it out God doesn't want us figuring out he wants us to rely upon him to trust in him and as he says to call upon him not only is he aware of our circumstance but listen he always listen he always has a plan for our seemingly impossible circumstances that is Jesus is never caught off guard that is he always knows what he's going to do and he knows how he's going
to do it and he knows how where when and he knows exactly the resources that are necessary no matter what you're facing in life he knows exactly what to do so I'm going to stop my calculation I'm going to start trusting and see what you do you'll be amazed at what God can turn around in your life so we want to seek God for the impossible believe God for miracles dream that God would do more in our lives than we ever imagined for his glory and our good so let's lay the foundation for this by
looking at two different stories about Jesus and what's interesting is that Jesus was amazed at two different times for two different reasons story one Jesus is in his own hometown and people were being critical of him for saying who he was they said who does this man say he is people wondered they didn't like it in Mark 6 verse 5 through 6 it says he could not do many mighty miracles there except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them he was amazed at their lack of faith as to who he said
he was story number two this is a roman centurion but this centurion had a sick servant he goes to Jesus and asks Jesus to heal his servant that centurion believed that Jesus could heal the servant with just a single word Luke 7 verse 9 when Jesus heard this from the roman centurion he was amazed and turning to the crowd following him he said I tell you I have not found such great faith even in Israel two different times Jesus was amazed lack of faith great faith so question and only you can answer this if Jesus
looked at your faith level would he be amazed at how big how audacious and bold your faith is or would he be amazed how small it is and how lacking it is think about this last year what great faith steps did you take in any area this past year did you attempt something so bold maybe a bit risky that you could not have pulled off without God how about your prayer life what did you pray for what if God answered every one of your prayers what would be different in the world here's what's sad for
many many Christians nothing would be different because they didn't pray didn't take any action they weren't bold and God says I can do all things and you don't even try would God be amazed at your great faith are amazed at your lack of faith nothing is impossible with God because he has no failures we don't read in the bible where God tried really really hard but it didn't work out nothing is impossible with God because he always understands listen right now the problem that is absolutely tormenting your head God already knows what the answer is
he knows who the answer is he knows where the answer is he knows how to fix it he knows how to change things the problem is we measure God's ability by our ability because we can't do it because we don't know it because we've never experienced it we somehow we lump God in with us and we think God is up there going I hear you absolutely it's not going to work you know what we do we measure by our understanding when we face a problem in marriage or health or finances or children or whatever is
going on in life often what we want to know is how how could this possibly work out John 6 8 9 Andrew Simon Peter's brother he spoke up saying there is a boy here with five barley loaves and two small fish but how far will they go among so many that that's the problem he's trying to work it out the one to the multiply by get out the calculator no I don't get it Jesus how can it possibly work out I don't understand it faith doesn't mean you have to understand how how exactly is God
going to supply it you're not required to understand you're required to believe God helps us in areas of life that are impossible because he knows later on you're going to face more impossible situations and he wants you to be able to look back that's why when when the 5000 men plus women and children when they were all fed miraculously the bible says there were leftovers 12 baskets how many disciples 12 each of them carried a basket full why because for the rest of their life if they came up against another impossible situation they would remember
the time that God did a miracle so big there were leftovers I want you to look in Matthew chapter 14 God says you want me to do the impossible he gives us a lesson here it's the story of Peter walking on the water we're going to start at verse 22 and straightway Jesus constrained the disciples to get into a ship and to go before him onto the other side while he sent the multitudes away and when he had sent the multitudes away he went up into a mountain apart to pray but the ship now the
disciples in verse 24 was now in the midst of the sea tossed with waves for the wind was contrary the disciples are in a ship Jesus has put them in it and they are in a hellacious storm a fierce storm a storm that has these disciples including the mariners terrorized now look at what happens and in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them walking on the sea and when the disciples saw him verse 26 walking on the sea they were troubled saying it's a spirit and they cried out for fear but straightway
Jesus speaking of them saying be of good cheer it is I be not afraid now somebody is going to ask God for the impossible oh they've seen the impossible that's how he fed the five thousand but now they're going to ask for the impossible verse 28 and Peter answered him and said Lord if it be thou bid me come unto thee on the water here's the first key you gotta ask you gotta ask for the impossible you see what Peter did Lord bid me come unto thee on the water now all the disciples were in
that boat all of them but only one asked but because one man asked God did the impossible when's the last time you asked specifically uh in James where it says ask and you shall receive it's the word for asking with specificity when's the last time you asked for the impossible what are you asking for what impossible thing do you want to see God do and my God says ask in faith believing and ye shall receive do you understand it's not you who's going to do the impossible it's God through you who's gonna do the impossible
if you think it's you who's gonna pull it off then you've got a vanity problem do you understand how powerful your ask is or has the devil bankrupted your faith got you believing that your ask isn't going to make a lick of difference ask in faith believing and ye shall receive you should have a list of impossible things you're asking for but you gotta ask you want God to do the impossible number one you gotta ask number two you gotta get your eyes off of the storm now catch this if I'd have been in the
boat I think I'd have said Jesus I want to go water walking but could you stop this storm could you get the circumstances better please God's not going to fix the circumstances that's what man does okay brother how here's what we want to do now how do we fix this mess God says once you leave the mess in my hands you got to get your eyes off of the storm the storm in your life is no reason to not ask God for the impossible you know what the devil says yeah he may do the impossible
for her or him but you and you got your eyes paralyzed by the circumstances get your eyes off of the storm the storm does not control the power of God God's power controls the storm it's never the right time to do the impossible never well let's wait a year it'll still be impossible and circumstances don't govern the power of your God listen you can trust him read Hebrews 11 not one of them had a safety net not one of them we say man I want God to use me not one person in scripture had a
safety net what they had was God you got to get rid of a plan b I believe in you Jesus I believe you're the God of the impossible but just in case you don't come through I want you a little closer because if somehow I start sinking I want to grab the boat the boat is my plan b get rid of your plan b you got to step out look at what it says there verse 29 and he said come and when Peter was come down out of the ship he walked on the water to
go to Jesus you realize God could have levitated him right up and over but he didn't Peter had to step out what would it take for you to step out you'll never reach your potential playing safe God wants you to try something so that it isn't possible at all unless God comes through and that's scary and most of us want to hug security Peter's a great example he was in a boat when Jesus was walking on the water in a storm that threatened the seasoned fishermen and he called to Peter and Peter got out and
for a little bit walked on the water and then people think because peter failed now he sank so he failed but there were 11 other bigger failures who never got out of the boat there are people who think that failing means you're missing God I've discovered that failing is often the first step to discovering God never let the fear of failure stop you from taking a step of faith what happens if we go out and start a business I don't know it's called faith wise counsel prayer but it's still risky which is why most people
want to guarantee now some of you are playing it safe and you know it the writer of Hebrews says Hebrews 11 verse 1 faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen it gives us assurance about things we cannot see yet and the problem for many of us is we want to guarantee but the reality is God doesn't operate that way sorry you can have faith or you can have control but you can't have both sometimes you have to just say I think God is calling me to do this you've prayed about
it you've got wise counsel you're not violating scripture and you say I think God wants us to do this nothing wrong with that and you say well what if I fail well what if you do get back up you know though the righteous man falls seven times the Lord will uphold him don't be so afraid to fail you don't live some of you have to let go of control so you can take a step of faith God isn't going to show you steps three four and five until you take step one you gotta take the
first step and some of you have to take some faith risks to step towards my destiny I have to step away from my security my paycheck my guaranteed whatever I'm gonna have to take a risk and that's what separates the men from the boys it's not that they're any better they just took the risk you may wonder what's going to happen but if you knew it wouldn't be called faith who knows what you're capable of to try and fail is not as bad as never to try at all right I want you to do something
you haven't done before if you want something you never had you got to do something you've never done and if you do you're not comfortable because you've never done it before you don't have any security to hold on to there are people in this room sitting on something you'd like to do but you're afraid to do it I know it I know it there's something and it's been in you for a couple of years maybe starting your own business maybe develop changing a career you might have to step back for a season to go forward
it's okay and it takes faith in order to bring those changes about it's not foolish it isn't without counsel it isn't without prayer but at the end of the day you're the one that has to take the risk cut the safety line and step on the water and nothing's going to happen until you get out of that boat and some of you will go to the grave wondering I wonder if I'd done that I wonder if I'd just quit that I wonder if I'd have started that and you'll never know until you do you will
never know and so don't complain about where you are if you're not willing to take some step of faith to change it and what I want you to remember is this don't ever underestimate what God can do in your life when you surrender all you are and all you have to him I am fully persuaded that one of the primary reasons that so many people are discouraged with their life sort of looking at life and thinking well am I important I'll never be able to accomplish anything never be able to amount to anything that was
just sort of discouraged about their life most people probably when they look at their lives they don't see a lot going on could it be it's because you have never turned it over to the one who created you yielded to the one who wants to work in you and reveal to you and show you what he can do what he will do with your life if you'll give yourself to him most people are selfish they have their life in their own grip this is the way I want to live this is where I'm going to
live this is what I'm going to do this is what I'm going to have this is where I'm going and so their life is their own plan and what they don't realize is this that God has the best plan possible for your life but the only way he can make that plan work is for you to open your hands surrender your life to him and give yourself to him absolutely and totally now that is a matter of pure trust do you believe that God has the best plan absolutely are you willing to allow him to
demonstrate to you the best plan most people aren't and so what they've done they have locked themselves into their own puny plan when God has the best but you must open yourself to him to see what could God do with me God specializes in things that seem impossible he knows a thousand ways to make a way for you but when we let go and let God have his way his wonderful way in our life it takes simple childlike faith to place your trust in him and watch what he does in your life
