March 22, 2020 Sermon - God of the Impossible Situations

GOD OF THE IMPOSSIBLE SITUATIONS MARK 6:33-44 (OFF-LECTIONARY) MARCH 22, 2020 FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT, YEAR A CROSSROADS / PERRYVILLE UNITED METHODIST CHURCHES, MO FACEBOOK LIVE SERVICE # 1

INTRO. What is your impossible situation? How do you deal with it? In this event, Jesus just couldn’t get away from all the people that needed him. He wanted to be alone to rest and pray, but a crowd of 5,000 men, plus women and children, met him there. And then, naturally enough, they got hungry. There sure wasn’t any McDonald’s around! It sounds like an impossible situation. Ann Landers and Abigail Van Buren, who were sisters, wrote advice columns for decades. They dished out advice to people who often found themselves in situations that seemed impossible, and people usually listened to them and tried to act on what they had to say. The United States armed forces in World War 2 had a slogan: “The difficult we do immediately, the impossible takes a little longer.” That sounds good, but it’s not true! There’s not always a solution to a problem. Jesus and the disciples found themselves in an impossible situation: how to feed all those thousands of people with five loaves and two fish? What Jesus did here is exactly the same thing he does in your impossible situation. When we add God into the equation of our impossible situation, what happens? Let’s see.

I. JESUS MET THE IMPOSSIBLE SITUATION WITH COMPASSION (34). Jesus, throughout the Gospels, revealed a God of compassion, who knows when a sparrow dies and when we lose just one hair on our heads. He cares about the lilies of the field and he’s especially concerned about those who are believers in Jesus Christ. There is nothing in my life or yours, as Christians, that escapes the attention of God who cares for us. He knows about that person we cannot see at this time. He knows about the uncertainties we face with jobs and supplies and dealing with the kids being out of school. God knows, and he cares. One time, St. Francis of Assisi and his followers arrived at a small town where they decided to preach the Gospel. They made their way to the local church and discovered that it had been named for St. Francis. Nothing angered Francis more than having a church named after him, so he climbed up on the roof and began to rip the tiles off and throw them down onto the street. When he was finished and they were walking away, one of his followers said to St. Francis, “I thought we were going to preach the Gospel.” St. Francis answered, “We did.” St. Francis preached with his actions, and so did Jesus. He came into our world, allowing us to see a God who really cares, who really reaches out to us. With God, we can deal with death, with pain, with the coronavirus, with any impossible situations, as long as we know that he cares for us and has compassion. Jesus met the impossible situation with: compassion

II. JESUS MET THE IMPOSSIBLE SITUATION WITH TEACHING (34). Teaching is priceless. Alexander the Great said, “My father gave me life; my teacher taught me how to live.” Psalm 119:9-10; 16 tells us, “How can young people keep their ways pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.” Where does the Word of God become real in your life? In those impossible situations. God doesn’t just leave us in the darkness, he teaches us in our impossible situations. Jesus says in John 16:33; 12, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” In other words, we will learn from him as we go through those bad times. In the midst of your impossible situation, ask, “God, what are you trying to teach me?” One person who haad not been a follower of Jesus Christ for very long became discouraged and went to their pastor. “Why isn’t God doing anything in my life?” they asked. The wise pastor replied, “Sometimes God has to whisper to get our attention.” But it is at those whispering moments that God will teach us! Pray that God’s Word becomes real in your impossible situation. The Bible can teach us and give us understanding in good times and bad times. It is our place to listen to what God is teaching us and allow him to speak to our impossible situations. Jesus met the impossible situation with: compassion and teaching

III. JESUS MET THE IMPOSSIBLE SITUATION WITH ENOUGH (42). There were only five loaves and two fishes, but in the hands of Christ, it was sufficient. God has, at every point, been sufficient in our lives. Steve Brown, a Christian speaker, reminisced about his early years as he was getting started. “I remember one time, when I was in broadcasting, I had 25 cents and I didn’t know whether to put gas in the car to get me to work or to buy a loaf of bread. But, you know, we never lacked for bread or for gas. I’ve driven with the gas gauge on empty for 100 miles. I’ve seen a loaf of bread last for two weeks. I asked God for help and discovered that he was sufficient.” On a personal level, Carol and I have seen that God was enough many times in our marriage. When we moved to Kentucky so I could attend Asbury Seminary, it literally took every dollar we had. We had to borrow the first month’s rent - $325 - from my parents. But God was enough. Are you lost and without God? His grace is sufficient for you. Do you feel unwanted? His love is all you need. Are you afraid, especially in these days of the coronavirus and all of the shortages and uncertainties? His courage is enough for you. Are you facing medical issues, sickness or death? His promise will take care of you. Jesus met an impossible situation with sufficiency. Whatever your impossible situation, he will be enough! He may not change your impossible situation or take it away, but he will be sufficient in it. Jesus met the impossible situation with: compassion, teaching and enough

IV. JESUS MET THE IMPOSSIBLE SITUATION WITH ABUNDANCE (43). The abundance of God is taught throughout the Bible. In Ephesians 3:20-21, the Apostle Paul lifts his voice in praise to God: “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” Our Father God meets our impossible situations with abundance! When that happens, there’s a joy that overflows that’s not even related to our circumstances. It’s the abundance that God gives. Don’t be like the young man I read about that was ready to get married. “A young woman brings home her fiancee‚ to meet her parents. After dinner, her mother tells her father to find out more about the young man. The father invites the fiancee into his study. ‘So what are your plans?’ the father asks the young man. ‘I am a Bible scholar,’ he replies. ‘A Bible scholar. Hmm,’ the father says. ‘Admirable, but what will you do to provide a nice house for my daughter to live in as she’s accustomed to?’ ‘I will study,’ the young man replies, ‘and God will provide for us.’ ‘And how will you buy her a beautiful engagement ring such as she deserves?’ asks the father. ‘I will concentrate on my studies,’ the young man replies, ‘and God will provide for us.’ ‘And children?’ asks the father. ‘How will you support children?’ ‘Don't worry, sir, God will provide,’ replies the fiancee. The conversation proceeds like this, and each time the father questions, the young idealist insists that God will provide. Later the mother asks, ‘How did it go, honey?’ The father answers, ‘He has no job and no plans, but the good news is he thinks I’m God’ (PROVISION category, Illustrations Unlimited program). In your impossible situation, remember that there is one true God and that he is with you. That makes all the difference in the world!

Jesus met the impossible situation with: compassion, teaching, enough and abundance

CON. When Jesus fed that great crowd, do you think anybody said, “No, I’ll pass. I’m not hungry. I didn’t bring any food, so I can’t take any.” No way! Starving people want to eat. It’s like what’s going on with the coronavirus situation. Arrangements have been made so that, when a vaccine is produced, the insurance companies will not charge a co-pay and patients will not have to pay a penny to get the shot. Do you think anyone will walk away because they have not contributed to the cure, they have not done a bit of the scientific research, and not one cent of their money is in the game? Of course not. We would all roll up our sleeves and say, “Stick the needle in.” Yet so many have God offer to meet their impossible situations with compassion, with teaching, with simply enough, and with abundance, and they turn him down. Will you let him reach you in your impossible situation or will you let him pass you by?