We'll consider several passages
of Scripture this morning, but go ahead and turn with me to
the Old Testament book of Job chapter 8 to begin with. I'll
give you a moment to get there. We'll look at several verses
in the book of Job. Job chapter 8, please. Let me say by way of introduction
that the Bible, God's Holy Word, that's what the Bible is. This
is God's Word. It declares the sovereignty,
the might, the omnipotence, the power of God. In Genesis chapter
17 verse 1, when Abram was 90 years old and 9, 99 years old, The Lord appeared to Abram and
He said unto him, I am the Almighty God. Walk before Me and be thou
perfect. In Genesis chapter 35 verse 11,
we're told that the Lord appeared unto Jacob and He said, I am
God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply, a nation
and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come
out of thy loins. and the land which I gave Abraham
and Isaac, to thee I will give, and to thy seed after thee will
I give the land." You see, God Almighty has the right and He
has the power to give whatever He wills to whomever He wills. I hear folks all the time say,
when you tell them God had mercy on some and on others He hardened,
they go, that's not fair. Listen, God is Almighty. He has
the right to do what He will with His own. And the whole shooting
match, as Brother Montgomery used to say, belongs to Him.
All of it. The earth and all the fullness
that dwells therein, it's all His. It's all God's. The Almighty
One. The name Almighty is synonymous
with God. We shouldn't have to qualify
God as Almighty. The name God, it means Almighty. Synonymous. And the title of
the word Almighty is used 58 times in the Word of God, and
31 of those 58 times is used in the book of Job. God uses
both the name God and Almighty separately, yet both names refer
to the same One, the same God. Almighty means just that. Almighty. He's Almighty. It means to have
complete power. And even the English dictionary
defines The Almighty as a name or a title for God. Now, in Job
8, verse 3, Bildad, the Shuhite, one of Job's so-called friends,
speaking of the same sovereign God, said, Doth God pervert judgment,
or doth the Almighty pervert justice? And then in verse 5,
he said, if thou wouldest seek unto God and make thy supplication,
your petition, your prayer, to the Almighty. So in other words,
if you're going to seek God and make supplication to the Almighty,
you'd be seeking and praying to the same One. They're synonymous. They're one and the same. God,
Almighty. Almighty God. Look over at chapter
11 of Job. The question is asked by Zophar,
another one of Job's acquaintances or friends. He says, canst thou
by searching find out God? Canst thou find out the Almighty
unto perfection? I didn't give you the verse,
I'm sorry. Look at Job chapter 13, verse
3. Job himself said, surely I would
speak to the Almighty and I desire to reason with God. Two separate
names, same person. So we again see that to speak
and to reason with God is to reason with the Almighty. And
to communicate with the same One. In Job chapter 15, verse
25, Eliphaz, the third fair-weather
friend of John, speaks of the wicked saying in verse 25, he
says, for he, talking about the wicked man, stretcheth out his
hand against God and strengthened himself against the Almighty.
So we again see that God is Almighty and the Almighty is God. And
the Almighty One is God and God is Almighty. They're synonymous. We shouldn't have to qualify
that. But the God that is preached today in many religious circles
is anything but almighty. Man has made this God dependent
on them. You know it and I know it. If
we're honest with what we hear men preach, we would have to
say that so. But who? But who but an almighty
God could speak the heavens and the earth into existence? Who
but a sovereign God could have mercy and compassion on whom
He will and hardeneth whom He will? Who but an omnipotent,
mighty God can work all things after the counsel of His own
will? who but God Almighty could work
all things together for the good of His people. Oh, Lord God, behold, Thou hast
made the heaven and the earth by Thy great power and stretched
out arm, and there is nothing too hard for Thee. God says of
himself, behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there
anything too hard for me? Is there? Again, it was God who told Abraham
the same thing. He said, is anything too hard
for the Lord? Genesis 18, 14. And Job speaking
to God said, I know that thou canst do everything. There's
nothing that God can't do. And that no thought can be withholding
from me. Now, does such a one as God Almighty,
who knows our every thought, does He need our assistance to
accomplish His will? I think not. Even though there
is nothing that's too hard for the Lord, now I want you to hear
me, there are still some things that are not possible for the
Lord to do. Now, before you throw a hymn
book at me, let me qualify that. Let me repeat, with the Almighty
God, with whom all things are possible, some things are not
possible for Him to do. How can that be? Brother, are
you speaking out of both sides of your mouth? No, listen to
me. God cannot do anything that is
contrary to His nature. And there's a long list of things
that fall into that category. God cannot be wrong. God cannot
make a mistake. Because God's always right and
He doesn't do something because it's right. That's what a lot
of folks think. It's right because He does it. He's the author of
right. God cannot sin. God is perfectly
holy, just, and righteous. That's His nature. God cannot
change. He's immutable. He's unchangeable. He is the Lord who changes not. Malachi 3a. God cannot lie or
break a promise. He's not a man that He should
lie. He's not the son of man that He should repent or change
His mind. God cannot diminish or increase. He's the same yesterday, today,
and forever. God cannot deny Himself. Paul
told Timothy, if we believe not, yet He, God, abideth faithful. He cannot deny Himself. God cannot
be tempted with evil. I don't remember what movie it
was. I saw it when I was younger, one of Hollywood's interpretations
of the life of Christ. and had the Lord being tempted
by Satan in the wilderness. And I've heard men and women
portray Christ being tempted by Satan in the wilderness as
though He almost gave in to the temptation. That Christ was sitting there
like, well, I don't know, all the kingdoms of heaven or all
the kingdoms of the earth, that looks pretty good. Perish the
thought. God cannot be tempted with evil
because God cannot sin. Jesus Christ is God. Some might
say, well, how then does the Bible say that He was tempted
if He cannot be? How would that be tempted if
He was not tempted? Well, that word tempted means
to be tested. And Christ was tested to prove
that He was God who could not be tempted. Let me say that again. Christ was tested, tempted to
prove that He was God who could not be tempted. What do you keep
telling Satan? It is written. It is written. It's written. There was no temptation. He's the one that wrote it. James said, let no man say when
he's tempted, I'm tempted of God, for God cannot be tempted
with evil. And neither tempteth He any man.
James 1.13. And even to the casual student
of the Bible, these things are quite obvious. But there are
some things that are not possible for God to do because they are
contrary to His nature of being God. I want us to consider five
of those things together with the time that we have this morning.
And let me say without any reservation or hesitation that these things
that are not possible are an absolute comfort to this sinner's
heart. I'm telling you, they are a comfort
to me. And I hope they are to you. Turn
with me first to Hebrews chapter 10. I'm going to turn you to
at least five scriptures. Hebrews chapter 10. I want you
to look at verse 4. Hebrews 10 verse 4. The writer of Hebrews here says,
for it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats should
take away sin. So the first thing that's not
possible is that God cannot take man's sin by the blood of bulls
and goats. First and foremost, that wouldn't
be just. Let me give you four quick reasons
why it's not possible. Sin is a transgression of the
moral law. These sacrifices belong to the
ceremonial law. Christ was born and obeyed the
moral law. Secondly, the blood is not the
same blood. It's not the blood of a bull
or a goat that sinned against God and offended Him. It wasn't
a bull or a goat that Sin against God? Christ was bone of our bone
and flesh of our flesh and He could justly die in man's room
instead. Thirdly, sin deals with the mind
and the conscience to which an animal can't relate. Christ made
His soul an offering for sin. He was a man of sorrows, acquainted
with grief. Fourthly, it was man that sinned
against God and it would take a man to redeem man from the
death that he died. But now in Christ Jesus, ye who
were sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. How much more shall the blood
of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without
spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the
living God? For as much as you know that
you were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from
your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers,
but with the precious blood of Christ as a lamb without blemish
and without spot. It's the blood of Jesus Christ,
God's Son, that cleanseth us from all sin. It's not possible that the blood
of bulls and goats or lambs or turtle doves or anything should
take away sin. Not possible. The second thing
that's not possible is found a page or two over in Hebrews
chapter 11, verse 6. Look at it with me. But without faith it is impossible,
not possible, to please Him, God. For he that cometh to God
must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them
that diligently seek Him. Those without faith are those
who are without Christ. So then they that are in the
flesh cannot please God, Romans 8a. Paul wrote in Ephesians 2, verses
12 through 14, that at that time you were without Christ, being
aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from
the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in this
world. But now in Christ Jesus, ye who
sometimes were far off are made nigh how? By the blood of Christ. For He is our peace, who hath
made both one, and He's broken down the middle wall of partition
between us. Jesus Christ is our wisdom. Jesus Christ is our righteousness.
He's our sanctification. He's our redemption. He was made
to be. We must believe that God is.
Not only that there is a God, or that God exists. Everybody
believes that, pretty much. You've got a few ignorant who
claim to be atheists and say there's no God, but really they
do. They're without excuse before God just by looking at the stars
in the sky at night and seeing the marvelous creation that God
Almighty made. We must believe that God is who
He says He is. That's what He means. Do you
believe that God is who He says He is? It's a matter of life and death.
I tell you what, He's not this little puny, sissy God standing
on the portals of heaven wringing His hands together going, won't
somebody just love me? Won't somebody just let me save
them? That's not God Almighty. He's holy, eternal, unchangeable. He's love and mercy and truth.
He's the God of creation, providence and grace. He does what He wills
in the armies of the heaven and among the inhabitants of the
earth. And none can stay His hand or question Him and ask
Him, what are You doing? God, what are You doing? While
He's in the heavens, He's done whatsoever He's pleased. That's
what He's doing. Whatever He pleased. We must believe that He'll fulfill
every promise Every purpose towards sinners in Christ Jesus, there's
but one way to seek God, friends, and that's in Jesus Christ. True faith actually believes
and is confident that God will give us all that Christ purchased. You get it all. It's not like
an earthly inheritance where maybe a wealthy father has ten
kids and it's split between the ten. You know, you get your little
piece of the pie. No! In Christ you get it all. All that's God's, it's all Christ,
and in Christ you get it all. What shall we then say to these
things if God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared
not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, speaking of
all God's people, that's who He's writing to. He's writing
to believers. How shall He not with Him freely
give us all things? Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It's God that justifies it. Who
see the condemnment? It's Christ that died, yea, rather,
that's risen again, who's even at the right hand of God, who
also maketh intercession for us. The right hand of God is
the seat of power. Who shall separate us from the
love of Christ? And Paul lists about everything
that you can imagine there. And he concludes that no one
or nothing can. You can't be separated from the
love of Christ. God would be a failure if you
could be. You can't even jump out of His hand. No man can pluck
me out of His hand. It's God's hand. You try to pluck
something out of God's hand and see what happens. Now, do you
believe that? Well, you must, for without faith
it's not possible to please God. It's not possible. You cannot
be saved without pleasing God, and you cannot please God without
believing Him. Now, the third thing that's not
possible is found in Matthew 26, verse 39. Turn there with
me. Matthew chapter 26, verse 39. Not possible. Verse 39 tells us that
in the garden of Gethsemane, it says, and he, speaking of
the Lord Jesus, went a little further and fell on his face
And he prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup
pass from me nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou wilt. Now listen to me, dear sinner.
It's not possible that this cup should pass from our Lord, Savior,
and Substitute, and you and I be saved. Not possible. It's not possible. To understand
why it's necessary to know what that cup that our Lord is that
He's speaking of. What is that cup? Well, it wasn't
speaking of the hour at hand, that horrific time of distress
and horror where sin was put upon Him. It's not talking about
that. This is referring to our Lord's future sufferings and
death on the cross. This cup would be filled with
all the sin of all God's people throughout all time and the curse
of the law and the wrath of God would fall on the Lord Jesus
Christ alone in the bearing of all these sins. What a dreadful,
bitter cup. It was a cup of fury, a cup of
cursing, a cup of trembling. And when Christ prays that this
cup might pass from Him, His meaning is that He might be freed
from the present horrors of His mind. that He might be excused
the sufferings of death being delivered from the curse of the
law and the wrath of God. You see, dear sinner, Christ,
the God, God the Son, was really a man. He was made a man. He suffered and was tempted in
all points as we are, yet without sin. We talked about that in
the first hour. And this request is made without
sin. but it portrays the weaknesses
of those for whom He sacrificed for. The wrath of God was poured
out on the Lord Jesus and His prayer and request that this
cup might pass was something so horrific that no mortal, man
or woman, has ever or ever will experience. We can't enter into
this. There was nothing in view but
the wrath of God. The curse of the law. Everything
else was out of sight. It bore so heavy on him. There's no wonder that such a
request is made. If it be possible was his cry. But it was not possible. It wasn't
possible. By reason of God's decree and
by reason of God's purpose, If He's gonna put away the sin of
His people, it was not possible. And our Lord goes on to say,
nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou will. And that proves
that our Lord's request was not sinful or contrary to the will
of God in any way. He wasn't opposed to love for
His people, and it proves just the opposite. The Lord Jesus
was in agreement and in accordance to the will and purpose of God.
Nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will. We were talking
when the men met here between services. Boy, I tell you, that's
a prayer that will be answered. Lord, not what I will, but what
You will. That's what I want done. Whatever
You purpose to be done, that's what I want. We don't pray that
way very often, do we? We want what we want. We pray, and we have not, because
first of all, we don't ask, and we ask amiss when we do, to consume
our request upon our own lust. I wonder how many prayers have
gone up this morning for a new car, a new house, or something
of that effect. I wonder how many have gone up
and said, Lord, whatever. Whatever you do is good. Not my will, but your will be
done. It was not possible for this cup to pass from our Lord
and his chosen people be safe. This is our mediator, Christ. And He's engaged to do for us
what we cannot do. And He came down from heaven
for that purpose, taking the light and taking our sin. And He completely finished the
work of redemption for us. The fourth thing that's not possible
is found in Acts chapter 2. Look there with me. Acts 2, verse
22. These are verses you know well. Acts 2, verse 22. Peter's preaching on the day
of Pentecost. And in verse 22, he says, You
men of Israel, hear these words. Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved
of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which
God did by Him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know,
you saw Him." being delivered by the determinate
counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken and by wicked
hands have crucified and slain, whom God hath raised up, having
loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that he should
be holding of it." He's speaking of death. Child of God, it is
not possible for Christ who was crucified and slain to stay dead. It wasn't possible. People say, I don't believe He
was raised from the dead. It wasn't possible to keep Him
in the grave. And the answer to why it's found
in verse 27. because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither
wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption." Now there
you go, that's the reason why. He's holy without sin. The eternal suffering of one
like you and I would never atone or satisfy God's justice for
just one sin, much less all of them, The reason hell is eternal
is because when an unbelieving sinner is sent there, satisfaction
can never be made. God should not leave Christ's
soul in hell because he was holy. He was sinless, unblameable,
and unreprovable in God's sight. And God, being a just God, could
not and would not leave his soul in hell because divine justice
would not permit the Holy One, Jesus Christ, to see corruption. You know what that means? Why? If the wages of sin is death,
then it is. Sin equals death, and eternal
death is due to sin. Christ had no sin. Christ knew
no sin. Christ was made sin. And by being
the Holy One, all the payment for sin was exacted, demanded,
and obtained from Him. And God's wrath was exhausted,
used up, and the pains of death could not hold Him. Isn't that good news? He can't
hold you either if you're in Christ. That's the gospel of
substitution. This is the doctrine of Christ
and Him crucified. The believer dying in Christ
is raised with Him, and it's not possible for death, hell,
and the grave to be holding of the pains of death either. That's why when a believer leaves
this life, it's not the end, it's just a departure. Moving on up. I say that with all due respect. We are really made perfectly
holy and righteous in our Lord and Savior. God could not pardon
sin without full payment of sin. He would be unjust if He did. He will by no means clear the
guilty. You know what that means? It's
not possible for Him to clear the guilty. The soul that sins,
it shall die. Holy justice demands it. You
know what that means? It's not possible for the soul
that sinned to live apart from the Lord Jesus Christ. But the
holy justice of God also demands that the innocent shall go free. God's unbending justice cannot
allow God to take a man to heaven who's got hell in his heart,
but yet God's inflexible justice cannot send a man or a woman
to hell for whom Christ died. That's why I fly hot when I hear
such nonsense, that Christ died for men and women that are in
hell? Perish the thought! Not possible. Oh, so you believe one saved
always saved. Well, that's what it means when
God Almighty saves you. That's what it means if the Lord
Jesus Christ died for you. God made a way my debt to pay,
not works done by me. T'was Christ that died, was crucified,
and made this sinner free. Free from sin, free from judgment,
free from wrath, free from condemnation. Free! And lastly, it's not possible for a child of God to be lost.
Kind of an extension of the last thing, isn't it? You're in Acts. Look back at Matthew 24. Matthew
24, verse 24. This is our Lord speaking. And he says there in verse 24,
for there shall arise false Christ and false prophets. Let me add,
they're here, they're here. And they shall show great signs
and wonders in so much that if it were possible, they shall
deceive the very elect. Now if it were possible, means
that it's not possible. The elect of God will not be
deceived. It's not because they're converted
and they trust in Christ, persevering to the end, that they are the
elect. The reason they're converted,
believe and trust in Christ, and persevere to the end, is
because they are the elect. Conversion, faith, and perseverance
is not the cause or the condition of being elect. It's the fruit and effects of
election. Election is unto salvation. Election
has never been salvation. I don't know what makes people
think that. What do you say if you're elected to God? You say,
well, you will. You will be. But it's not the
cause. It's not the condition. It's the fact. It's the fruit
of being chosen of God. God will not permit His people
to go astray. The Lord said, I give unto them
eternal life and they shall never perish. Neither shall any man
pluck them out of My hand. My Father which gave them Me
is what? Greater than all. And no man
is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father
are one. If you've seen me, you've seen
the Father. We're in this together. If you're in me, you're in God.
And you and I and God, we're all one. We live in a day where salvation
is thought to be accomplished in many ways. Men make saviors
in Christ out of anything and everything. There are many man-made
Christ, did you know that? Look at verse 23. Then if any
man shall say unto you, lo, here is Christ, or there, believe
it not. For there shall arise false Christ
and false prophets and show great signs and wonders insomuch that
if it were possible, they should deceive the very elect. Behold,
I have told you before. Wherefore, if they shall say
unto you, behold, he's in the desert, go not forth. Behold, he's in the secret chambers.
Don't believe it. Believe it not. For as the lightning
cometh out of the east and shineth even unto the west, so shall
also the coming of the Son of Man be. for where so ever the
carcass is, there will be the eagles, there will the eagles
be gathered together. And immediately after the tribulation
of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall
not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the
powers of the heavens shall be shaken, and then shall appear
the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then shall all the
tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man
coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And He shall send His angels
with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together
His elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the
other." One day, very soon, these things will come to pass. And
when they do, the child of God will thank the Lord for all the
things that were not possible because of who and what our great
God and Savior is. I thank God that these things
are not possible for a God with whom all things are possible. I'm so thankful, I am so thankful,
that it's not possible for me to be saved apart from the shedding
of Christ's blood. It's not possible for the blood
of bulls and goats to put away my sin. I am so grateful that
the Lord gave me the faith to please Him, and without faith,
it's impossible to please Him. It's impossible to please Him
without faith, without believing who He is, who He says He is,
and believing what He's done. Having faith in Christ and what
He's done for me makes me pleasing to God and Him. I'm so appreciative. Now listen, not as I ought to
be, but still appreciative. I'm thankful. Not as I should
be. That it was not possible for the cup to pass from my Lord
who drank it dry in my room instead. Nothing for me to drink. Drink the very last drop. You
drink it dry, it's finished. I am so hopeful that in Christ,
that it was impossible for Christ to be holding of death. And since
I am in Him, I can't be holding of death either. O death, where is thy sting?
O grave, where is thy victory? And no matter what comes my way,
your way, or to any who are the elect of God, it's not possible
for me to be deceived, led astray from the God whom I am naturally
prone to wonder from. Not possible. Do you see why
this is called the Gospel? It's truly good news, isn't it?
What good news is found in all the things that are not possible
with God and all the things that are? Good news. Good news for
sinners. If you're a sinner, it's good
news. Oh, may God be pleased to make it so for you who are
yet without Christ, and may He do it for His glory, your good,
and for Christ's sake.