Matthew 17:20 - And Jesus said unto them, Because of your
unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard
seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it
shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
There are two different thoughts to answer this question.
First, someone would say God never asks us to do that which He hasn’t
already given us all the talents, abilities and knowledge to do. I believe this
is wrong because if it were so, we would depend upon ourselves, and not upon
God. We serve God by faith, not by sight. We use the things God has given us,
(talents and so forth) but only with respect to faith.
Secondly, God constantly asks us to do that which we do not have the ability,
strength, or knowledge to do. We do these things by God’s power, not by our
own power.
Notice the Great Commission. Matthew 28 - Christ said, "All power is
given unto me in heaven in earth, go ye therefore…"
There are some things we cannot do because of a lack of faith, or simply
believing that God can do it.
This passage (Matthew 17:20) is an excellent example of obedience to the
scriptures, which we obey by faith.
Heb. 11:6 - "…without faith it is impossible to please God…"
God commands lost people to believe, which is a thing they cannot do.
Acts 17:30 - God now commands every person to repent. Even though they have
no ability to repent, they are still commanded to repent. And we still have
the obligation thrust upon us to tell them to do that which they cannot do.
They must repent and believe in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
I John 3:23 - It is the command of God that all believe on the name of His
Son, Jesus Christ. This is impossible for the lost person to do, yet God
always gives the grace, mercy and faith so the lost person can do the
impossible. This believing is not done by the power of the mind, the body, or
the soul. It is accomplished by the power of God – period.
Romans 1:16 - We preach the gospel message, and this is the power of God
revealed. God takes a sinful human being and allows them to preach a spiritual
message to spiritually dead people, whom He makes live. Remember the valley of
dry bones?
God commands strict obedience, regardless of our ability, power or knowledge
to obey.
Luke 6:10 - Jesus told the man with the withered hand to stretch forth his
hand. This is physically impossible to do, yet God gave the power to do the
impossible.
Mark 9:23 - All things are possible if we will only believe. This is the
same situation as described in Matthew 17:20, but a slightly different
viewpoint is presented.
Examples:
Matthew 6:33 - God tells us to seek His kingdom before we seek security
in this earth. Will He provide for us when we seek His kingdom instead of
security in this world? Yes. People don’t have to work on Sunday, even if
they can’t see how they can provide for their families. Obedience to God
will set other situations in motion that will allow a whole different set of
circumstances to develop. This is where the "rubber meets the
road," so to speak. The person who says they trust God, yet will not
give Him their everyday lives is simply not trusting God. How can they trust
God with their eternal souls, yet refuse to trust Him with this everyday
living and the necessities of life?
(Mat 19:26) But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is
impossible; but with God all things are possible.
This passage is speaking concerning the rich young ruler, who refused to stop
trusting in earthly wealth and trust Jesus for his sustenance.
It is impossible for men (us) to save anybody.
But God can save anybody.
(Luke 1:37) For with God nothing shall be impossible.
It was not impossible for God to create a child in the womb of a barren
woman.
When men today practice in vitro fertilization, they are "playing
God."
(Luke 17:1) Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that
offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come!
It is impossible for us not to give offence. We will be offensive.
(Heb 6:4) For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and
have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
It is impossible to be lost once a person is saved.
(Heb 6:18) 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:
It is impossible for God to lie.
(Heb 11:6) But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that
cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that
diligently seek him.
The only way we can please God is by faith.
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