## A Question of Difficulty

## Jeremiah 32:27

On occasion I have counseled with folks whose marriages are in trouble. By the time they have come to talk with me it seems that they are without hope. Often the sentiment expressed is this, "Nothing can save my marriage...he will never change or she will never change." It is somewhere along this time that I remind them of the limitless power of God. Note Jeremiah 32:27:

"Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?"

Listen to what God says in this passage. He is asking this question of Israel, but it is certainly one that we must consider as well. This is a question that nags even at the hearts of Christians. We often respond with "Well, no...but..." We struggle with it, so let's consider it in three ways.

I. The Answer to the Question

A. Theologically.

1. Nothing is too difficult for God.

2. But skeptics have often asked, "Could God make a rock so heavy that even he couldn't lift it?"

3. Either way you answer that question you feel you deny his omnipotence.

4. But the Bible is not embarrassed to admit that there are some things the Lord cannot do.

B. Practically.

1. Hebrews 6:18 says: "That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:"

2. James 1:13 tells us "...for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:

3. 2 Timothy 2:13 states that "He cannot deny himself."

4. These passages do not take away God’s omnipotence; they teach that He is only limited by His own perfection.

5. Because He is perfect, He cannot lie, be tempted by evil, or deny Himself.

6. No good thing is too difficult for our Lord, and no evil thing is too strong to overpower Him.

7. That's omnipotence.

C. Consider some impossible situations.

1. God appeared to Sarah when she was ninety years old and told her she was going to have a baby.

a. The thought was so ridiculous to her that she laughed.

b. Then God rebuked her with the same question he asked Jeremiah: "Is any thing too hard for the LORD?..." Gen. 18:14a

c. Sure enough, a year later she gave birth to a son, whom she named Isaac, which in Hebrew means "laughter".

d. Every time Sarah called his name, she reminded herself of the day she laughed in God's face at the thought of an impossible situation.

2. A few years later the Lord told Sarah's husband, Abraham, to offer Isaac on the altar of sacrifice.

a. Abraham obeyed without question. cf Gen. 22:1-12

b. God even had to stop him at the last instant before he plunged his knife into Isaac's throat.

c. When the Lord saw Abraham's willingness to obey, it was enough.

d. Do you know why Abraham was so ready to sacrifice his son?

e. Hebrews 11:19 tells us: That Abraham believed "that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead..."

f. At that point in history no one had ever come back from the dead, but Abraham knew that not even a resurrection was too difficult for the Lord, and he was willing to obey the divine command to prove it.

3. When Joshua led the army of Israel to victory over the Amorites, darkness approached before his job was completed. cf Josh. 10:12-13

a. So he asked the Lord to make the sun stand still so he could finish the job.

b. Was it a foolish prayer request?

c. That depends...Do you believe that halting the rotation of the earth is too difficult for God?

d. And is it too hard a job for him to overrule all the side effects of this miracle?

4. Consider Jesus.

a. He enters Bethany where his friend Lazarus has been dead four days.

b. The first thing he hears from both of the grieving sisters is, "Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died." cf. John 11:21

c. Does Jesus apologize for being absent when Lazarus was sick?

d. No! He raises him from the dead, graveclothes and all.

e. Nothing is too difficult for Jesus Christ.

D. Have you settled in your heart the question of God's ability? Is there anything you can think of that is too difficult for him?

II. The Application of the Question.

A. Sometimes our doubt centers around our own sinfulness of heart.

1. Sometimes a person might think that they are too wicked for God to forgive.

2. However, many times such a claim is a camouflage hiding an unwill- ingness to repent.

3. But some people do have serious problems accepting divine forgive- ness.

4. Even Isaac Watts wrote in his hymn: Alas! and did my Savior bleed? And did my Sovereign die? Would He devote that sacred head For such a worm as I?

5. If you are having trouble believing that God could forgive you...take your eyes off your sins and put them on Christ.

6. The wonder of his love is that he knew perfectly well how depraved you and I would be, yet he died for us anyway.

7. And that proves that nothing is beyond the reach of God's strength.

B. We do not see our prayers answered.

1. Surely we yearn for non-Christian family members and friends to trust Christ.

2. We witness to them, share the gospel with them, pray for them, and love them, but they remain unmoved.

3. Sometimes we may feel that God is at the mercy of their unbelief, that He wants to save them but is hindered by their stubbornness.

4. Remember, He saved you...He can get through to nonbelievers who seem unreachable.

5. He will not force us to believe against our will, but He can make us willing.

6. He opens our eyes to the truth, and immediately we fall in love with Christ...Nothing is too difficult for God!

C. Temptation is another area in which you may doubt your Lord's might.

1. We may easily yield to various enticements because even as a Christian we feel helpless against them.

2. The result is that we become an easy target for the fiery missiles of our enemy, the devil

3. Don't confuse the Lord's power with our own.

4. We know we are no match for temptation, but do not assume our heavenly Father is as well.

5. God is able to liberate us from drug addiction, alcoholism, smoking, lust, profanity, temper tantrums, pride, and jealousy isn’t he?

6. "Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?" cf Jer. 32:27

D. Consider every area.

1. There are many areas which we could apply the question God asks in our text.

2. Maybe you've given up hope of seeing your broken marriage restored.

3. Is it too hard a task for the Lord to straighten out your wayward children?

4. Can he heal you of a terminal disease?

5. Will he answer your prayers?

6. Can he find you the right job?

7. Yes, he can do all these things...He is the Lord, and nothing is too difficult for him.

III. The Admonitions from the Question

This question admonishes us in at least two ways.

A. First, it urges us to seize our seemingly hopeless situations as wonderful opportunities to trust our Lord.

1. Surely God is worthy of our trust in our everyday problems, just as He is in that once-in-a-lifetime crisis.

2. Nothing is too difficult for Him.

B. Second, Jeremiah 32:27 encourages us to act on our faith.

1. It's easy to believe in the doctrine of God's omnipotence.

2. But when an impossible situation confronts us, can we cease worrying and trust our Lord to see us through?

-What is your impossible situation? -What is the most difficult thing in life you need God to accomplish for you? -"Is it too difficult for you to trust in an almighty God?" -The real weakness lies not in our Father but in our faith.