God’s Got Trouble
Gtcotr/ss061304
Our text for today will be found in Luke, Chapter 5
Key Scripture: Luke 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
This was said by Jesus in answer to those who accused Him of spending too much time with sinners and not enough time with His followers.
Later Mark records Jesus’ response to the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who asked, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners‘?”
Mark 2:17 … Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
I. God’s Biggest Trouble
A. It’s not satan
B. It’s not lack of money
C. It’s not some galactic war in the heavenlies
D. It’s not even sinners -
E. God’s Biggest Trouble Is Getting His Children To Think Like Him
II. We Limit God
A. Can God Be Limited?
Psalms 78:41 Yes, again and again they tempted God, And limited the Holy One of Israel.
B. How Do We Limit God?
* When we limit Him to our own way of thinking
III. Luke 5 (NKJV)
1 ¶ So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret,
2 and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets.
3 Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.
4 When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch."
5 But Simon answered and said to Him, "Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net."
6 And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking.
7 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.
8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!"
9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken;
10 and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men."
11 So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him
A. “Depart from me!?”
1. Jesus knew they were sinners before He stopped by and blessed them
2. That’s the reason Jesus came by in the first place
* Jesus likes sinners
* In fact Jesus loves sinners
* If you want to know the truth, Jesus died for sinners!
* People don’t have to get cleaned up to impress Him
* It’s those who try to get cleaned up without Him that anger Him the most.
We don’t clean up so we can know Him … We clean up because we know Him
3. It is only through a relationship with Jesus that we have the power to be free from sin and its devilish dominion.
B. Peter knew that he knew, but went along with Jesus anyway
1. Peter found out that Jesus knew more about fishing than he did.
2. V.9 Peter and the boys were ‘astonished’
C. People, Good People, Smart People Commonly Limit God
1. Building Capacities become the measure of God’s will
* Isaiah 5:14 - Hell hath enlarged herself
2. Do we limit the catch to the size of our pan? Are we crazy?
3. How do we define the number we can rescue:
* from the capacity sticker printed on the side of the raft?
* or from the number of people dying in the water?
IV. Four Ways To Take The Limits Off God
A. The Account Of Feeding The Five Thousand
John 6:9 "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?"
1. The disciples were limited by the physical smallness of the boy’s lunch. They didn’t think much of it …
2. Jesus was thinking something else.
Number One Way - Let Jesus do the thinking from now on.
B. The Account Of Men Bringing Their Friend To Jesus
Mark 2:4 And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.
1. These heroes refused to be limited by the physical barriers blocking them from bringing their friend to Jesus.
2. No doubt it was God who inspired them to press through
Another Way - Don’t be intimidated by what He inspires you to do.
C. The Account Of Paul And Silas In Their Midnight Hour
Acts 16
25 ¶ But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.
26 Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed.
1. Prison bars may limit man, but not the God of Heaven.
2. The prisoners were listening!
3. All the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed!
C. - When you don’t have a clue what He’s gonna do - Just pray and praise Him and He’ll come through.
D. The Account Of A Blind Beggar
Luke 18
35 ¶ Then it happened, as He was coming near Jericho, that a certain blind man sat by the road begging.
36 And hearing a multitude passing by, he asked what it meant.
37 So they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by.
38 And he cried out, saying, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"
39 Then those who went before warned him that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"
40 So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be brought to Him. And when he had come near, He asked him,
41 saying, "What do you want Me to do for you?" He said, "Lord, that I may receive my sight."
42 Then Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has made you well."
43 And immediately he received his sight, and followed Him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.
1. Let’s Recap - How Do We Take The Limits Off God?
* Let Jesus Do The Thinking
* Don’t Be Intimidated By What He Inspires You To Do
* When you don’t have a clue what He’s gonna do - Just pray and praise Him and He’ll come through.
2. Number 4 - What did we learn from blind Bartimaeus?
Don’t let anybody shut you up!
