Is Anything Too Difficult for God?
With Bishop Ronald K. Powell
Theme: God’s unlimited power and ability to accomplish all things, no matter how impossible they may seem to human eyes.
Text:
* Genesis 18:14a
* Jeremiah 32:17
* Luke 1:37
* Matthew 19:26
* Philippians 4:13
I. Introduction
* The question that challenges our human limitations.
* Our tendency to doubt when faced with overwhelming circumstances.
* The unchanging nature of God’s power.
II. The Question Posed (Genesis 18:14a)
* Context: Abraham and Sarah’s old age, the promise of a son.
* Sarah’s laughter and God’s direct, rhetorical question.
* The absurdity of the situation from a human perspective, the simplicity from God’s.
III. God’s Creative and Redemptive Power (Jeremiah 32:17)
* Context: Jeremiah’s prayer during the siege of Jerusalem.
* God as the Creator of heaven and earth, using His great power and outstretched arm.
* The implication: If He created all things, what could be too hard for Him?
* His redemptive power: Saving His people from impossible situations.
IV. The Ultimate Example: The Virgin Birth (Luke 1:37)
* Context: Gabriel’s announcement to Mary.
* Mary’s question and Gabriel’s definitive answer.
* The biological impossibility, the divine reality.
* If God can orchestrate the incarnation, He can do anything.
V. God’s Power in Our Personal Lives (Matthew 19:26 & Philippians 4:13)
* Matthew 19:26: Jesus’ teaching on salvation and the rich young ruler.
* “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
* Applies to spiritual transformation, breaking habits, overcoming sin.
* Philippians 4:13: Paul’s declaration of strength in Christ.
* Not about our strength, but Christ’s enabling power.
* Empowerment for challenges, weaknesses, and seemingly insurmountable obstacles.
VI. Conclusion
* Reiterate the central truth: Nothing is too difficult for God.
* Challenge: Where are we limiting God in our lives?
* Call to faith: Trusting in His limitless power.
* Prayer for increased faith and surrender to His will.
Sermon: Is Anything Too Difficult for God?
Scripture: Genesis 18:14a, Jeremiah 32:17, Luke 1:37, Matthew 19:26, Philippians 4:13
Introduction
Good morning, beloved. Have you ever faced a situation so overwhelming, so utterly impossible from every human perspective, that you found yourself asking, “How can this possibly happen?” Perhaps it was a financial crisis that seemed to have no end, a health diagnosis that brought fear to your heart, a broken relationship that felt irreparable, or a dream that appeared forever out of reach. In those moments, our human limitations scream at us, and doubt often creeps in, whispering, “This is too hard. This cannot be done.”
But today, we turn our gaze away from our limitations and toward the limitless power of God. We are going to wrestle with a profound question, a question God Himself once posed, a question that cuts to the very core of our faith: “Is anything too difficult for the Lord?”I. The Question Posed (Genesis 18:14a)
Our journey begins in the ancient story of Abraham and Sarah. God had promised Abraham a son, an heir through whom a great nation would come. But years, even decades, had passed. Abraham was 100 years old, and Sarah, at 90, was well past childbearing age. From a human standpoint, the promise was not just improbable; it was biologically impossible.
In Genesis chapter 18, three mysterious visitors appear to Abraham, one of whom is the Lord Himself. They reiterate the promise: in about a year, Sarah will have a son. Sarah, who is listening from inside the tent, laughs to herself. It’s not a laugh of joy or anticipation, but a laugh of disbelief, perhaps even a bit of cynicism. And then, the Lord speaks directly to her unspoken thought, posing the pivotal question: “Is anything too difficult for the Lord?” (Genesis 18:14a).
Think about the absurdity of the situation from Sarah’s perspective. Her body was old, her reproductive years long gone. Yet, from God’s perspective, it was a simple matter of His will and power. The question itself is rhetorical, demanding a resounding “No!” Nothing is too difficult for the Lord. He who created life itself is not bound by the limitations of that life.
II. God’s Creative and Redemptive Power (Jeremiah 32:17)
Let’s fast forward to the prophet Jeremiah, living in a time of national crisis. Jerusalem is under siege, the people are facing exile, and despair is rampant. Yet, in the midst of this dire situation, Jeremiah offers a powerful prayer, acknowledging God’s sovereignty and might. He declares in Jeremiah 32:17:
“Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.”
Jeremiah grounds his faith in God’s creative power. If God, by His sheer might and outstretched arm, could bring the vast expanse of the heavens and the earth into existence from nothing, what problem, what obstacle, what impossible circumstance could possibly be too challenging for Him?
And it’s not just about creation; it’s also about redemption. This same God, who brought the cosmos into being, is the God who supernaturally delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt with an “outstretched arm.” He can deliver us too, from whatever enslaves us, whatever seems to hold us captive. His power is not diminished by our present predicament.
III. The Ultimate Example: The Virgin Birth (Luke 1:37)
Perhaps the most astonishing demonstration of God’s ability to do the impossible comes to us in the New Testament, with the announcement of the birth of Jesus. The angel Gabriel appears to Mary, a young virgin, and tells her she will conceive a son by the Holy Spirit. Mary, understandably perplexed, asks, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
And Gabriel, echoing the truth we are exploring today, gives this profound answer in Luke 1:37: “For nothing will be impossible with God.”
This was not a question of an elderly woman conceiving; this was a question of a virgin conceiving without human intervention. Biologically, utterly impossible. Divinely, a sacred reality. If God could orchestrate the incarnation – the very Son of God taking on human flesh within a virgin’s womb – then what, I ask you, could possibly be beyond His capabilities? If He can bridge the gap between heaven and earth in such a miraculous way, He can certainly bridge the gap between your impossible situation and His triumphant solution.
IV. God’s Power in Our Personal Lives (Matthew 19:26 & Philippians 4:13)
So, what does this mean for us, today, in our everyday lives? It means everything.
Consider Jesus’ words in Matthew 19:26. The disciples were astonished when Jesus spoke about the difficulty of a rich man entering the Kingdom of God, even comparing it to a camel passing through the eye of a needle. They exclaimed, “Who then can be saved?” And Jesus looked at them and said: “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
This verse isn’t just about salvation, though it certainly applies there. It speaks to the spiritual transformation that is impossible by human effort. We cannot save ourselves, we cannot truly change our own hearts, we cannot break the powerful grip of certain sins on our own. But with God, spiritual freedom, genuine transformation, and a life lived in righteousness are not just possible, but promised.
And then we have the powerful declaration of the Apostle Paul in Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
This is not a blanket promise that we can accomplish any earthly ambition we desire. Rather, it is a profound truth about the enabling power of Christ in our lives, empowering us to face trials, endure suffering, live in contentment, and fulfill God’s will, no matter how daunting it may seem. When we feel weak, when we feel inadequate, when the task before us seems far beyond our abilities, we remember that it is not our strength, but Christ’s. He empowers us to face the impossible challenges that God places before us.
Conclusion
So, let us return to our foundational question: “Is anything too difficult for the Lord?”
From the miraculous birth of Isaac to the cosmic creation of the universe, from the virgin birth of our Savior to the possibility of our own spiritual transformation, the resounding answer from scripture, from history, and from the very nature of God is an emphatic: NO!
There is nothing too difficult for God. Nothing. Our limitations are not His limitations. Our impossibilities are not His impossibilities. Our “can’t be done” is met with His “all things are possible.”
Where are you limiting God in your life today? What situation have you deemed “too far gone,” “too broken,” “too complicated” for Him? What dream have you buried because it seemed utterly out of reach?
Today, I urge you to release those limitations. Surrender your impossibilities to the God for whom nothing is too difficult. Trust in His great power, His outstretched arm, and His unfailing love. Step out in faith, believing that what is impossible with man is profoundly possible with God. May your faith be strengthened, and may you witness the impossible become possible, for the glory of our amazing God.
Let us pray.

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