Doing the Impossible

 

Why would you waste your life doing something merely great for God?

 Why would you waste your life doing something merely great for God, when you could do the impossible through God?

There is the impossible that could be done through us if we would simply make it a priority. We truly have no idea what God could do, or would do through us if we would be willing to have him do it through us.

 “And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto 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: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.” Matthew 14:22-29

 I wonder if I were to ask you to write a list of your favorite Bible stories what stories would be on your list.

 If I were to compose such a list, this story would be on that list because the events that take place in this story are absolutely amazing to me. It ranks right up there with David and Goliath, the walls of Jericho, and the feeding of the five thousand.

Jesus has just fed five thousand people, everyone is tired and Jesus tells the disciples to go over to the other side of the lake while he sends he crowd away. The Disciples obey and while they are “sailing sailing over the ocean blue”, and as the crowd leaves to go home Jesus goes up into a mountain area to pray.

 One of the great old preachers used to tell how he prayed more after a meeting then he did before a meeting, because as he put it, “the best time to meet with God is after the answered prayer.”

The disciples are in this boat out in the middle of the sea, when all of the sudden the wind starts to pick up… and the waves start to whitecap around them. Cold water begins to crash against the boat, and salty spray whips against their faces. The sky darkens to the point where they can no longer read their sun dial wrist watches, and they start to ask each other whose idea it was to sail on this trip anyway?

The Bible tells us that the wind was contrary, (Against, or attempting to stop)

They are out in the boat , and it is sometime between three o’ clock in the morning and six o’ clock in the morning and this is anything but a pleasure cruise, these guys are scared, and they are fighting for their lives.

I can just see them yelling to each other over the crashing waves, and the howling winds… “Where is Jesus when we need him?”

 Maybe it was Andrew yelling to Philip, but Philip doesn’t answer because he is squinting over Andrew’s shoulder. He is straining his eyes to focus on a shape that is moving towards them. There is someone out there alright. This person is just to the west and yes, it looks like a man!!!

The waves crash over the side and block the view, when they come down from the top of the wave the figure is gone.

“No, it must be my imagination”, Philip thinks as he rubs the salty spray of water from his eyes, “After all it is three in the morning. I must be really tired…wait…there it is again! It is a man!”

Can you see him grab the side of the boat and half stand pointing to the horizon, yelling till he is hoarse trying to get the attention of the other disciples!

They all strain to see what Philip is yelling about!!!

Sure enough it was a man, and he was walking, not swimming, not jet skiing, he is walking over the water like it was your floor there, and he is coming straight for them.

Then these spiritual disciples praise God with all their hearts!!!!

NO! They scream like they were auditioning for a King Kong movie! “It’s a ghost!” then they cry out in fear!

“And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.” ~ Matthew 14:26

Jesus tells them to not be afraid, that he is there with them.

 I have always wondered why he did not just appear in the boat with them, but if they got this scared having him walk to them, no telling what would have happened if they just would have appeared!

Then something remarkable happens

Get this picture in your mind, it is dark out, the wind is howling, and waves are crashing, this boat appears that it may sink, you have just seen a man walking on the water, and he is coming closer…

 Then Peter does something amazing!!!

 “And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.” ~Matthew 14:28

Peter, what are you thinking? I think Peter saw Jesus out there and thought, if I would ever have a chance of doing what he is doing it is going to have to be now!!!

You guys stay here in the boat if you want to, but I am going out there with Jesus!!!

“And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus” ~ Matthew 14:29

What happened was Peter got to do the impossible.

Peter would from this day out remember when God in the flesh let him do the impossible with Him.

His friends and family, all of the other disciples would forever hear of the time that Peter got to do the impossible. I imagine that whenever Peter would see a body of water he would be reminded of the time that he got to do the impossible.

Let me ask you a question.

Think about the answer very carefully

Picture the answer in your mind

Don’t speak, just think

When I ask you this question I want you just to think deep down in your heart the answer, and when you get it, I want you to hold on to that for just a minute.

Ready?

“What would you like to do with God?”

“When you hear people preaching about doing something with God and making an impact, what do you think of?”

What is it that you think God could never do with you, because you know what Kind of person you really are?

You see Peter did the impossible that night, and that proves to me that the impossible can be done.

Does God want you to be a strong witness at work?

Not just a Sunday Christian who checks the box of all the things they do for God, but a weekly Christian who never needs to think about checking boxes because you live, breathe, move and have your being wrapped up in God like the early church Christians?

Does God want you to step up and be the spiritual leader in your family that you are supposed to be?

What is it that you feel God wants you to do with Him, but it would be impossible to do?

 

You see Peter did the impossible that night, and that proves to me that the impossible can be done.

There are thing within my own heart that I feel would be impossible to do, but I know that nothing is impossible with God.

How did Peter get to do the impossible, how can I do the impossible with God?

The key is found in verse twenty eight.

 “And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.” ~Matthew 14:28

1.Ask

“ye have not, because ye ask not.”~ James 4:2

 When is the last time that you just asked God to do the impossible with you?

It would be impossible for me to do this Dan, or it would be impossible for me to do the thing that God burns on my heart Dan.

Did you even ask?

“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:” ~ Matthew 7:7

“And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.”~ Luke 11:9

This past Thursday evening I was at the hospital bedside of a man of God who had suffered from a stroke earlier that afternoon. I leaned over his bed and with his family watching began to ask God to give His servant a full restoration of what the stroke had taken away.

I did not bring up the “escape plan” that people throw out so often. “Now if you choose not to heal…” No way, I am asking the God of the universe to do what I know He can do! We know that He will do His will, so I am just going to ask for the can.

The right side of his body had been unresponsive and he began to move his right foot! His son called me on Friday to tell me that his dad was walking in place that afternoon! I am going to believe that God WILL do the Impossible!!!!

If God is going to do the impossible we are going to have to ask him to do so.

Peter, before you could walk on the waves you have to first ask.

If you knew the things that I was asking God for you would probably laugh, but these are things that are going to take place!

It will not just fall in your lap, you have to ask for the impossible.

In just about every encounter that Jesus had with a need He would always ask, "What do you want from me?" Jesus also said, "if you have seen me then you have seen the Father." He was the perfect expression of God and how He desires to be seen by men.

“What would you like to do with God?”

“When you hear people preaching about doing something with God and making an impact, what do you think of?”

What is it that you think God could never do with you, because you know what Kind of person you really are?

You see Peter did the impossible that night, and that proves to me that the impossible can be done.

2. Get your eyes off of the conditions

It would have been pretty easy for Joseph to be in that pit after being thrown there by his brothers and give up on his dreams, or the Jail at Potiphar's house, but the conditions around him did not stop him from seeing those dreams complete.

The waves were crashing into that boat, but Peter looked beyond those conditions, and focused on what really mattered. The Lord

As long as you focus on the reasons why you cannot do the impossible with God, it will remain impossible.

You have to take your eyes off of the conditions.

 

3.Give up your back up plan

Shadrach, meshack, and Abendego, stepped out of the boat and gave up the back up plan when they stood before the king at the time of the idol bowing ceremony. They were going through with doing what God told them.

See many Christians will never do the impossible because they still hold on to the boat, just in case it doesn’t go through

I will make a stand to those who I am not that close with, and who I know are Christians, just in case.

You can never truly trust God to do the impossible while you still have a rope tied around your waist.

Peter did not say, “Fellas, if I start to sink you jump in!” No he said, “Lord, let me come out to where you are!”

The Holy Spirit begins to speak to you about a weight in your life that you need to do without, so you pack it away in a box and put in under your bed, or under the sweaters in the closet, up on the shelf. You don’t throw it away just in case you can’t go through with it.

Dan, I know it is wrong, and God wants me to get rid of it, I want to be free from that stuff, but it is impossible.

Get rid of the backup plan. If God leads you to it, He will lead you through it.

Don’t even plan on God failing with you. Surrender that doubt to Him and trust Him.

When Cortez, the Spanish explorer, landed on the shores of Mexico; his soldiers saw the might and the intensity of the Aztec warriors and fear entered their hearts. Their will to invade this land began to diminish, so Cortez gathered his troops on the shore and burnt their boats on which they arrived. Now their would be no turning back; they were committed

4. Step out of the boat

You have to take the first step toward what God wants you to do for him.

 In order to walk on water you have to get out of the boat.

 What is it that you would love to have God do through you?

 I asked a question at the start of this blog post.

 

Why would you waste your life doing something merely great for God when you could do the impossible?

 I was feeling a bit nostalgic today and was going through some older pictures and videos and when I saw this video of my oldest son and I when he was very young, it just seemed very fitting for the post so I decided to share it.

In the end it really is that simple. A Father looking down at His son or daughter and extending a hand to ask, "What do you want me to do through you?"

 

 

Climbing with you,
~Dan