Lewende Woord Hoofgemeente / Living Word Main

The God of the Impossible

A. Mary’s story

1. An angel gives Mary a word
· Luk 1:26-31 (ESV) 26…the angel Gabriel was sent from God… 27to a
virgin... And the virgin’s name was Mary. 28And he came to her and
said… “31…behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall call his name Jesus.

2. Mary must have faith that God has the power to accomplish this.

· Luk 1:34-35 (ESV) 34And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be,
since I am a virgin?” 35And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit
will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow
you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy — the Son of
God.”

3. God, by His power, has already brought forth a supernatural
conception.
· Luk 1:36-37 (ESV) 36And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old
age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her
who was called barren. 37For nothing will be impossible with God.”

B. The Sarah connection

1. Elizabeth is described with wording alluding to Sarah.
· Luk 1:36 (ESV)And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age
has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who
was called barren.
· Gen 21:2 (ESV)And she conceived and bore to Abraham a son in
old age, at the set time according as the Lord spoke to him.

2. “For nothing will be impossible with God.” This is literally: Every
word from God will not be powerless.

a. This is an allusion to God’s promise to Sarah.
· Gen 18:13 -14 (ESV) 13The LORD said to Abraham, “Why did
Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am
old?’ 14Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time
I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall \
have a son.”

b. Literal renderings
· Gen 18:14 (Heb) Can a word from the LORD be too wonderful?
· Gen 18:14 (Grk) Is a word from God (ever) powerless?
· Luk 1:37 (Grk) Every word from God will not be powerless.

c. The use of “word” as “thing” is an Hebraism.

d. The Hebrew word davar (דָּבָר), meaning “word, thing or matter” is
translated into Greek as rhema (ῥῆμα), “word”.

3. Faith releases God’s promise to Sarah
· Heb 11:11 (ESV) By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive,
even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful
who had promised.

a. In Hebrew, “promise” is a davar (‘word’)

b. The change from “a word” to “every word” comes from Jeremiah.

c. In the midst of coming national destruction, God commands
Jeremiah to buy land as a sign of future restoration.
· Jer 32:16-17 (ESV) 16“After I had given the deed of purchase to
Baruch the son of Neriah, I prayed to the LORD, saying: 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.

“Nothing is too hard for you” is literally “Not too wonderful from you
is any/every word”.

4. Mary responded to the angel’s message with faith!
· Luk 1:38 (ESV) And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord;
let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from
her.

a. Mary’s response had been in contrast to Sarah and Zechariah’s
· Gen 18:13 (ESV) The LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah
laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’
· Luk 1:20 (ESV) And behold, you will be silent and unable to
speak until the day that these things take place, because you did
not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.

b. When we declare God’s words in faith we release the impossible
to come to pass.
· Luk 1:45 (ESV) And blessed is she who believed that there would
be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.

5. Because nothing is impossible with God, all things are possible,
· Mat 19:26 (ESV) But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this
is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
· Mar 10:27 (ESV) Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is
impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”
· Luk 18:27 (ESV) But he said, “What is impossible with man is
possible with God.”

6. All things are possible when we have faith.
· Mar 9:23 (ESV) And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are
possible for one who believes.”