Psalm 78:19
The Bible question written in Psalm 78:19 would not be so absurd if God had not parted the Red Sea. Think of all the mighty miracles that God worked in the land of Egypt in the process of delivering the Israelites. We must answer as Christians with a loud Amen!
I. GOD CAN SAVE THE UNSAVABLE
God saved Saul of Tarsus. “Meanwhile,
Saul was still breathing out murderous threats
against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high
priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues
in Damascus, so that if he found any
there who belonged to the Way, whether men
or women, he might take them as prisoners to
Jerusalem. As he neared Damascus on his journey,
suddenly a light from heaven flashed around
him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say
to him, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?
Who are you, Lord? Saul asked. I am Jesus,
whom you are persecuting, he replied. Now get
up and go into the city, and you will be told what
you must do” (Acts 9:1-6).
I seriously doubt that the early church was
praying for Saul’s conversion. Is Saul of Tarsus a
candidate for salvation? I don’t think so. But God
has the ability to save the unsavable.
God saved the whole city of Nineveh. Do
you think that Jonah prayed for the salvation of
those in Nineveh? I think he thought they were
unsavable; however, Jonah discovered that God
is able to save the unsavable.
God saved homosexuals in Corinth. What do
you think about this? “Or do you not know that
wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God?
Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral
nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have
sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor
drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit
the kingdom of God. And that is what some
of you were. But you were washed, you were
sanctified, you were justified in the name of the
Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God”
(1 Cor. 6:9-11).
II. GOD CAN RESTORE THE UNRESTORABLE
God restored David, who was guilty of the
murder of Uriah and adultery with Uriah’s wife
Bathsheba. Surely David couldn’t be restored in
human terms (read Ps. 51).
Ellen G. White says, “Men have no power to justify the soul, to sanctify the heart. Moral dis ease cannot be healed save through the power of the great Physician. The highest gift of heaven, even the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, is alone able to redeem the lost. What gratitude, what love, should fill our hearts as we contemplate the love of God!” 1
God also restored Peter after his denial
(Matt. 26:69-75; compare John 21:15-22). It
had been settled when Peter went out and wept
bitterly. What our Lord forgives, He forgets.
III. GOD CAN DO THE UNTHINKABLE
Remember Elisha and the axe-head? “As
one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron
axe-head fell into the water. ‘Oh no, my lord!’ he
cried out. ‘It was borrowed!’ The man of God
asked, ‘where did it fall?’ When he showed him
the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it there,
and made the iron float” (2 Kings 6:5, 6).
These words came from the lips of a man
who was trying to do good with a borrowed axe.
The axe-head fell off and sunk to the bottom of
the Jordan River. What do you think this man
thought when Elisha put the stick into the water?
What happened next was unthinkable
God can raise the dead. Read Mark 5:35-
43 and you will discover that those associated
with this man and his daughter had accepted that
she was dead and there was no more need for
Jesus. However, that’s not what Jesus thought!
Jesus as the incarnate God in a human body had
no problem raising the dead. He did so because
God can do the unthinkable.
God can be everywhere at once. “Are not
two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one
of them will fall to the ground outside your
Father’s care” (Matt. 10:29). It is unthinkable
that anyone has the power and presence and
omniscience to know when a sparrow falls to
the ground anywhere on Planet Earth. However,
God does.
God can recall every idle word. “But I tell
you that everyone will have to give account on
the day of judgment for every empty word they
have spoken” (Matt. 12:36). We better watch
what we say because this is going to happen
because He said it would. How big is our God?
Can God remember every idle word that we say,
even the ones we say under our breath? Yes,
He can.
IV. GOD CAN SUPPLY THE UNSUPPLIABLE
“And now, brothers and sisters, we want
you to know about the grace that God has given
the Macedonian churches. In the midst of a very
severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme
poverty welled up in rich generosity. For
I testify that they gave as much as they were
able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on
their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the
privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s
people” (2 Cor. 8:1-4).
People who are involved in faith-promise
missions can learn from these verses. Paul uses
the words “deep poverty” to describe them. Yet,
he said they gave beyond their power. It is not
hard to figure out that if they were giving beyond
their power, God was supplying them with
money to give.
What can we learn from this? We learn that
when God supplies, we can promise money that
we don’t have to give to His work. Can God furnish
a table in the wilderness? Yes, He can.
CONCLUSION
Ellen G. White affirms: “There has never been a time when the people of God have had greater need to claim His promises than now. Let the hand of faith pass through the darkness, and grasp the arm of infinite power. While we speak of the necessity of separating from sin, remember that Christ came to our world to save sinners, and that He is able to also save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him. It is our privilege to believe that His blood is able to cleanse us from every spot and stain of sin. We must not limit the power of the Holy One of Israel. He wants us to come to Him just as we are, sinful and polluted. His blood is efficacious. I entreat you not to grieve His Spirit by continuing in sin. If you fall under temptation, do not become discouraged.” 2
May the Lord bless each one of us as we
believe His precious promises, accept His power
to save the unsavable, restore the unrestorable,
do the unthinkable, and help us to move forward
in faith!
1
Ellen G. White, The Signs of the Times, May 2, 1892.
2 Ellen G. White, Lift Him Up (1988), 341.
