Some Things Are Impossible

“But without faith, it is impossible to please Him: for He that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him”.  Hebrews 11:6   “For with God nothing shall be impossible”.  Luke 1:37   “And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.”  Mark 10:27

There are some things in life that are impossible for me to do.  I can’t lift something that weighs 100 pounds.  I might could maneuver it onto a hand truck and move it that way, but I cannot lift it.  I can’t see my back without using two mirrors.  I can’t rebuild an automobile engine.  I can’t make someone who is deeply depressed to snap out of it.  I can’t fit my size 8 foot into a size 5 shoe, at least not without a great deal of pain.  I can’t replumb a house.  I can’t jump off of a two-story building and not get hurt.  These are just a few of the things that I can’t do.  There are things that folks say they cannot do, but with proper training and an incentive to try, it is possible that these supposed impossible tasks could be done.  And, of course, folks have been able to do things in a moment of crisis that they never would have attempted.  We have all heard stories of how one person lifted a car off of a person.  However, was he or she able to do that on his or her own, or was there some supernatural help from heaven?

To please God, a person must have faith in Him.  They must believe that He exists, that He is who He says He is, the perfect and holy Lord of all creation, and that He can do whatever He desires, to whomever He desires, whenever He desires and be perfectly justified in doing so.  To be in a right relationship with the Maker of heaven and earth, the Creator and sustainer of life, one must not only acknowledge His power, sovereignty, the giver of all life, and here’s the key:  men and women must do this on a personal level, laying aside all the pride and sin which separates man from his Creator.  It is not enough to believe that there is a God.  Even the demons of hell believe that God exists (James 2:19).  To have real faith in God requires that one turn his or her life over to God and give Him one’s whole heart.  A part-time faith is no faith at all.  God requires our utmost loyalty and commitment.

God promises us a reward when we diligently seek Him.  This is not a “prosperity gospel”.  When scripture speaks of rewards for committing our lives to the Lord, these rewards are things that money can’t buy.  Could God reward us financially?  Sure, if that’s His plan, and He knows we won’t blow it on frivolous stuff, but rather use it to help others and spread the gospel.  God’s rewards of peace, joy, and contentment are treasures that the secular world can only dream about.  We have all seen people who spend their lives striving for wealth, fame, and power, but none of those things can satisfy.  If they could, then those who strive for them would eventually settle down and enjoy what they have accumulated, but have you ever heard of a wealthy person who has limits to his pursuits?  “O. K., I finally have enough stuff”.  Most of us have way too much stuff.  We spend 50 years accumulating and the remainder of our lives trying to get rid of most of it.

In Luke 1:26-37, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to inform Mary that she would have the Son of God who would be King and Savior.  Mary was a virgin, that is, she had never had sexual relations with any man.  Some folks don’t believe that, but I do.  She wanted to know how this could be possible since she was a virgin, and the angel told her that “with God nothing shall be impossible”.  If God can create the entire world in six days and make man, He certainly can make it possible for a virgin to have a Baby.  I don’t know why some folks can’t take that on faith.  To not believe that Jesus was born of a virgin is not to have faith in God’s ability, and thus, definitely doesn’t please God.

One other example of how God can make the impossible possible, in Mark 10:17-27, a man came to Jesus to find out how to receive eternal life.  Jesus told him that he must obey the commandments (this, of course, was prior to Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection).  The man replied that he had kept them.  Jesus said that there was one more thing:  he must sell his possessions, give the money to the poor, take up his cross, and follow Him.  He couldn’t do that.  Jesus said to His disciples, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God”.  The disciples freaked out.  They asked, “Who can be saved?”  Remember, they were of the belief that the righteous were blessed, and the wicked suffered, thus surely this man was a candidate for heaven because his riches must have come from his assumed righteous lifestyle.  So, if he couldn’t make it to heaven, who could?  Jesus said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible”.

A rich man doesn’t go to heaven or hell because he is rich, and neither does a man because he is poor.  Entrance into heaven is only possible by faith in Jesus Christ.  Nothing short of absolute belief and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ can please God.  Any other way is impossible.