Sermon Series: Getting To Know God 

God of the Impossible 

Luke 18:18-27 

PSBC 8/5/01 AM

In a nutshell: God is in the business of doing the impossible. He wants us to rely on His power, not ours, to start taking some bigger steps and do some impossible things for His Kingdom.

I. Introduction

A. New Series

This morning, we are beginning a new series of sermons that I've been looking forward to preaching for more than 18 months. I've scheduled it several times in the calendar, but I was never given the "green light" by God to preach this series, until now.

I'm calling the series, Getting to Know God. And it's a series that will focus on 11 of the parables and word pictures that Jesus used in His teaching, while he walked this earth. The parables and word pictures that Jesus taught are designed to reveal God to us, and how He fits into every nook and cranny of our lives

I don't know if you ever have done a study of Jesus' parables and word pictures, but a characteristic of every one, is that there is only a single concept taught about God in each one. And once you grasp that single concept, the meaning of the parable or word picture starts broadening out to touch a lot of different areas in your life.

Illustration: It's very similar to a ball of yarn or string. Once you find the beginning and grab hold of that, then you can unravel the whole ball. But you'll get all tangled up and messed up if you don't find that beginning point, and start there.

So, in each message, I'm going to try to send you home with a single concept about God that you need to know if you are going to have a complete relationship with Him. And through the course of the message, I hope to show you different ways that this central truth can make a difference in many areas of your life.

So, this morning, we're going to start with a word picture that Jesus drew for His disciples, that is found in Luke 18. And I want to start at the 18th verse of that chapter.

II. The Rich Young Ruler

A. Introduction

As you're turning in your Bibles, let me set the stage for what we are going to be looking at this morning. Jesus has just finished a children's sermon. Basically, He gathered a group of young children around Him, who had been brought to Him by their parents, and He spoke with them and took the time to bless each one. His disciples took exception at the boldness of the parents for bothering Jesus, and tried to run the kids and their parents off. And this led to Jesus rebuking His disciples for their callous behavior, and misplaced priorities.

Then, as always, Jesus takes the circumstances at hand and turns the situation into a teachable moment-He does this by telling the crowd who has gathered, that "unless you receive the Kingdom of God like one of these little children, you have no hope of ever getting into it."

Now, while the disciples are stinging from this rebuke, this statement of Jesus, peeks the interest of a man in the crowd. The story is recorded in both the gospel of Matthew and the gospel of Luke.

Matthew calls him a "young man", and Luke calls him a "ruler". And both Matthew and Luke identify him as being rich. So, down through the years, church teachers have referred to him as "The Rich Young Ruler".

When he overhears what Jesus says, he has his interest piqued concerning the Kingdom of God. Basically, he wants to know how he can be sure he will get into this Kingdom of God. In other words, he wants to make sure that he has eternal life with God, after this earthly life is over. And that's where we are going to pick up the story...

B. What Must I Do?

Luke 18:18 18 A certain ruler asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

Look at Jesus' response...

Luke 18:19 19 "Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good- except God alone.

Now, you need to understand something very important here… One of the characteristics of God is that He is the ultimate and final determination of what is good. In other words, He IS good. David wrote in

Psalm 86:5 5 You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you.

What Jesus was doing in His reply, was to get this young man's complete attention. In effect He was saying, "Knowing that only God is good; you are now calling me God. You are recognizing my deity. So, if I am God, then My answer to your question, "What must I do to receive eternal life?" is going to demand that you treat it as God's answer, not a man's answer. Right?"

Then Jesus goes on...

Luke 18:20 20 You know the commandments: `Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.'"

Now, as Jesus is speaking these words-I can just imagine this young man getting more and more excited and self-satisfied. He was probably bursting his buttons. After all, he was a sincere, religious man, and devoted Jew. And as he hears Jesus tick off Commandment numbers 5 thru 9, he's thinking to himself, "I've done all these things! I'm on my way to heaven!" So, when Jesus is through, the young man can't contain himself any longer, and he blurts out...

Luke 18:21 21 "All these I have kept since I was a boy," he said.

Now, before we go on, It's important to note what isn't said. Jesus doesn't refute this young man. Because it was probably true… this rich young ruler had really kept all these things. He had done all the good things and had avoided the bad things in his life. But doing all that "stuff" still hadn't produced real spiritual fulfillment or a hope for eternal life in this young man.

But there was a problem. Look at verse 22…

Luke 18:22 22 "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

Illustration: And at this statement, all the air goes out of the young man's balloon. He's like a hot air balloon pilot who is hit by a bolt of lightening while his balloon is in the air. He comes crashing down to earth...

Luke 18:23 23 When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth.

You see friends, -Jesus can see through all the junk and false fronts that we try to put up. -He can see past our actions and look at our motives. -He can go beyond what we do, and He sees who we are. …And in this case He saw that this young man was no better than the Pharisees he had just spoken to, just two chapters earlier, when He said...

Luke 16:13-14 13 "No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." 14 The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus.

Friends, what Jesus saw was that even though this young ruler had kept commandments 5 thru 9, he had neglected number 1... "You shall have no other gods before me."

Ron Ritchie, a pastor who also publishes his messages on the Internet, said in one of those messages...

"This rich young ruler would have loved to hear Jesus say that he could lay up treasure in heaven while keeping his treasures on earth, but he did not realize that the treasures on earth had become his god. Satan had caught him in his net of greed, false security, and power, so that when he was challenged, he found he could not part with them. Thus he would face the final judgment at Christ's second coming."

And folks, here Jesus starts the word picture about God that I hope will help you get to know Him better this morning. Look at what Jesus says, next...

Luke 18:24 24 Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!

Now, don't misconstrue what Jesus is saying. He's not saying that it's wrong to be rich. What He is saying is that for some people, and especially this rich young ruler, riches can become their idol. And that is exactly what had happened in this case.

This rich young ruler, in essence, did what many people try to do today-he mixed a smattering of what he thinks God teaches, with a big dose of what he wanted. He had developed his own hybrid religion-we would say today that he had discovered His own truth. And he wanted that belief system, of his own making, to get him eternal life with God.

But, instead, Jesus-whom this man acknowledged was equal to God-just cut the foundation of his belief right out from underneath him.

C. Difficult Statement

Then Jesus makes a statement that has been the subject of all kinds of unique and interesting interpretations down through the years. And it finishes the word picture...

Luke 18:25 25 Indeed, 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."

Friends, I'd be less than honest with you if I didn't say that Bible teachers have struggled with this statement for many years. What did Jesus mean by a camel, and what did Jesus mean by the eye of a needle? Many theories have developed over the years. Here's just two of the more common ones…

1. Change "Camel" to "Rope"

One theory comes from a scholar many years ago, who took the Greek word for camel (kamelon) and changed it to kamilon, which changes the meaning from camel to a thick rope. Basically he thought that there was a mistake in copying the word, somewhere early on in church history.

So when the word camel is changed to thick rope, the verse changes to "It is easier to string a thick rope through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter heaven."

And obviously, this changes the meaning of Jesus' words. Depending on the size of the rope and the size of the needle, it could be possible to string a rope-even a thick rope-through the eye of a big needle.

And the interpretation that follows says that it's very difficult for rich people to become Christians, because rich people have more of the world's goods to give up. In other words, it's harder, but it's not impossible.

2. Part of a Gate

A second theory plays around with the phrase, "eye of a needle" and leaves the word camel alone. Maybe you have heard this theory used in sermons before. I heard it when I was just a young boy from a Sunday School teacher in my home church.

This theory says that Jesus wasn't talking about a literal needle, but that the needle's eye actually refers to a small doorway or gate in one of Jerusalem's walls. This door, called the eye of the needle, was too small for a camel to walk through, unless the camel got rid of its packs and bundles and gear, and got on its knees and crawled through that small opening.

According to this theory of interpretation, Jesus is saying that for rich people to become Christians, they have to take the worldly weight of wealth of their backs, get on their knees, and humbly repent to enter the Kingdom of God. Again, this leaves us with an interpretation that says this is difficult to do, but not impossible. With some effort, entering the Kingdom of God is something that can be done by a person.

3. Both miss the point

But folks, both of these interpretations miss the obvious. As soon as Jesus finishes this word picture, look at what the people listening to all this said...

Luke 18:26 26 Those who heard this asked, "Who then can be saved?"

In other words, what Jesus has just said is impossible. You see, we can't please God by selling our possessions. We can't earn salvation by following a list of do's and don'ts. We cannot, at any time, take any credit, whatsoever, for getting right with a holy God. It is not up to our efforts-it is totally up to God's grace.

Friends, to understand what Jesus is saying, you have to take His words here at face value. Jesus took the smallest object he could think of-"the eye of a needle"-and the largest animal found in the middle east-"the camel"-to drive home the point that no one-not even people who seem to have it all together-can obtain eternal life without God doing the work. -You can't get there by trying to follow the law perfectly, -or by giving a tithe of your income faithfully, -or by saying the right things during the right rituals. -or even by attending church. No. Please understand what Jesus is saying. It is impossible to earn God's love or salvation or eternal life by doing it on your own. You can never be good enough to be good enough!

D. The Basic meaning

And that's where we grasp this theological ball of yarn. The key to this word picture and understanding the basic idea about God that Jesus is teaching, is found in what Jesus says, next.

Luke 18:27 27 Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God."

This confrontation with the rich young ruler was an incredible teaching opportunity for Jesus and an incredible learning opportunity for us. Because what is taught here is something that is utterly impossible for human beings, and only possible with God. God gives eternal life outside of human's efforts. It is all what He has done, and nothing that we can do.

I think Oswald Chambers, the great devotional writer of a century ago, put this impossible task best when he wrote… In new birth God does three impossible things: the first is to make a man's past as though it had never been; the second, to make a man all over again; and the third, to make a man as certain of God as God is of himself. No human being can do anything like that. No human being can -get rid of their past, -become a brand new person, -and enter into a walking, talking, close and intimate relationship with the God of the universe. …The only way that happens is through the miracle of salvation through Jesus Christ alone!

III. Conclusion

So, how does the central truth of "What is impossible with men is possible with God." Fit into our lives this morning? It's simply this, God wants us to remember the power of His salvation, and bolstered by what we have experienced, attempt more of the impossible for Him.

Let me give you three areas where I see us putting this knowledge about God's power into practice in our lives...

A. Budget

First of all, we can apply it to our church finances. We have just finished the best, or at least one of the best Julys in our church history. In January, we projected that we needed to receive $24,333 in our offerings to meet our budget goal for July. Through your generosity, and sacrificial giving, we exceeded that amount by close to $1600. I praise God for your faithfulness. But if you'll remember our "State of the Church" report two months ago, we said that even with a step up in our giving, we will still fall close to $40,000 short of our projected budget needs for this year. Folks, what we're saying is that this budget shortfall is an impossible situation for the people of our church to make up. But here's one of the points of application-this is not an impossible situation for God. That's because "What is impossible with men is possible with God."

Since we are doing what God has directed us to do as a church, we don't need to worry or be afraid of not having enough money to pay our bills. If we do, we are sinning. Because if fear keeps us from doing what God wants us to do, then that fear is sin.

So, rather than worrying, we need to be praying everyday that God will do the impossible, and supply all the money we need to continue ministry as He has directed us to do it. Because "What is impossible with men is possible with God."

B. Expansion of facilities

Here's a second point of applying this central truth that "What is impossible with men is possible with God." As of September, we are needing a 5th children's room for our Sunday School program. That means we will be moving one of our adult enrichment hour classes from the Family Center to the Worship Center. At that point, we will have max-ed out our current room usage for the Sunday School hour. Where do we go from here?

Well, God has blessed us with 3 acres to our north that we own free and clear. And we could start building more education space, there. But that takes money that we don't have right now. But our predicament is that we have about enough classroom space for one more year, based on our current growth.

Also, we have grown in our worship service attendance, in July, by nearly 20% since last year at this time-and that's at a time when everyone in Palm Springs is supposed to be gone. We may have to go to three services at the height of the season this coming year. But the problem is, we're going to be using the worship center for a class. Where do we hold the third service? It seems like an impossible situation, doesn't it? But… "What is impossible with men is possible with God." We need to be praying that God will give us His wisdom and His solutions for our space and building needs.

C. Impossible People

I hope you're getting the idea that these are exciting problems to have. Don't get discouraged. Just keep in mind that the solution to unraveling this giant ball of string lies at the beginning… "What is impossible with men is possible with God."

Let met give you one more point of application. People. Impossible people.

Just about everyone of you knows at least one person whom you think will never come to have a relationship with Jesus Christ, because they are so far away from that relationship right now. So, you see no hope for them. Friends, that's great! Because, "What is impossible with men is possible with God." You need to pray for them, and let us help you pray for them, by writing their first name on a card and posting it on the map-board in the Worship Center foyer. But when you pray, ask God to use you however He wants to. Ask Him to use you as a link in a chain of events that brings that impossible person to a relationship with Jesus Christ.

D. Don't take little steps

Friends, we need to become bolder that we've ever been in our lives. I'm convinced that God wants us to start taking some bigger steps for Him. In his best selling little book, The Prayer of Jabez, Bruce Wilkinson says this…(front of WIG) "When you take little steps you don't need God. It's when you thrust yourself in the mainstream of God's plans for this world-which are beyond our ability to accomplish-and plead with Him, Lord, use me-give me more ministry for You!-that you release miracles. At that moment, heaven sends you angels, resources, strength and the people you need."

Don't try to unravel this theological ball of yarn, without getting a hold of the beginning… "What is impossible with men is possible with God."

Amen!