Something God Can't Do

Were accustomed to thinking and saying things in the church like what you know God can do anything. I know what we mean when we say that when talking about the fact that God is omnipotent, that he is all-powerful, be technical for moment, there are some things God cannot do and this is one of the for the Lord of hosts has planned and who can frustrated and as for his outstretched hand. Who can turn it back hello and welcome to Destin for victory with pastor Paul Sheppard with those words from the prophet Isaiah remind us that God can never fail that he will always accomplish his purposes. No matter who tries to stop him, but some things are not in his nature, which means there are some things he cannot do what are those things find out next. As we continue our journey through the book of James. Remember you can always visit Pastor Paul.net to listen to the broadcast on demand. That's Pastor Paul.net and subscribe to our podcast.

It's modifying at Apple podcast or wherever you get yours now here's Pastor Paul with today's Destin for victory message something God can't do. James chapter 1 beginning with verse 13 he says when tempted no one should say God is tempting me for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone, but each one is tempted when by his own evil desire, he was dragged away and enticed.

Then after desire has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. Don't be deceived, my dear brothers every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the father of the heavenly lights does not change like shifting shadows.

He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created to talk about something God can't do were accustomed to thinking in and saying things in the church like what you know God can do anything or sometimes we say God can do anything but fail. I know what we mean when we say that when talking about the fact that God is omnipotent, that he is all-powerful, that he can do anything that is will ordain us to be technical for moment, there are some things God cannot do and this is one of them. James said when you're tempted. Don't say God is tempting me. He says because as one of the things God can do. God cannot cause you to be tempted and therefore if temptation comes were going to learn as we go through this passage that it comes from a very different source, but James the less nuclear God cannot be tempted with evil. Neither does he tempt any of us and I'll unpack that further as I move through this message. Now we already saw the James opened his letter by saying, count it all joy when you go through trials of various kinds. When you go through trials of various kind. He said, are responsible to be to counter joy and then we saw his rationale. He said because as you go through your trials. If you go through them like he said they will develop you perseverance and we looked at the Greek word that's translated perseverance and saw that it means cheerful endurance, count it all joy when you go through trials of many kinds, because God wants to teach you how to cheerfully plan through an indoor those trials because they are going to lead you to maturity there going to help you grow up if you go through your trials right they will take you from spiritually immature to spiritually mature or to use another analogy they will take you from a weakling to a person whose muscles are developed. God wants us to be spiritually mature and strong enough to go through whatever he wills for our lives, and therefore the trials are going to help us get there so we saw that we are to count it all joy when we go through trials with now I want you to notice that this part of James one introduces another issue not the issue of trials that he spoke of verses earlier. This introduces the issue of temptations temptations. So what I want to do is I began this discourse is make sure you have a distinguishing understanding between trials which you spoke of earlier and temptations trials.

On the one hand, and temptations. On the other. So let me begin by having you jot down to definitions, working definitions for these two words chapters down trials are challenges designed to help us succeed.

Trials are challenges designed to help us succeed. Trials are any and everything you go through that God wants to use whether God brought it or not he wants to use to build your spiritual muscles to teach you how to cheerfully indoor to cause you to grow up. Those are challenges that the Bible here calls trials challenges designed to help us succeed, and I'm going to make sure you understand that more as I talk but let me give you the definition for temptations temptations. On the other hand, all enticements designed to cause you to fail enticements designed to cause you to fail things that who are you out of the will of God if they can things that will cause you to make long-term bad decisions go into a sinful place in your life. So on the one hand you have trials. The goal of which God has to make you succeed. On the other hand, you have temptations. The goal of which is entice you and cause you to fail. Now that's parked there for little while because before we talk about how to get through the temptations. I will make sure you really have a great understanding of the difference between the two because were supposed to counter joy would go to trial were supposed to avoid and escape temptation. So you really got to know the difference.

Let's talk about trials a little more trials. Let me give you some analogies. Trials are like exams that you get in school. Trials are designed to prove that you know what you know that you have embraced what you have embraced that you are equipped and prepared to go to the next level because you got it on this level. That's what a test is you have been to school maybe still some students listen right now. I know sometimes your exams feel like the teachers trying to punish you what a good teacher is trying to help you succeed and be exam is not designed for you to fail.

Now you can file an exam, but that wasn't the purpose.

The purpose was to see if you are prepared and equipped to go to the next level you can't prove to the teacher and you can prove to yourself that you're ready to go to the next level. If you don't pass certain exams. Now if your equipment may help you have ever been. You walked in and you knew the test was that day you walked in, confident, cocky, you knew that you knew that you knew you were scattered at handle that task will be done before the deadline cause I noticed on how many have ever taken a test like that.

I know this stuff a few Oreo article dodging sale but I don't have standdown that you win every test you took in school you went in praying you when an old God in the name of Jesus Christ of help me out you were trying to graduate summa cum laude or magna cum laude was just trying to graduate.

Thank you Lord I get you made it through those of us we do certain things and the test didn't scare us at all because we had prepared. We had equipped ourselves we had studied and we knew that we were ready to go to the next grade because I've learned everything I'm supposed to learn at this great that's a good feeling. That's what the trials of life are supposed to do that designed God didn't send the trial remember I said in an earlier message trials can come from God or they can be of our own making. How many have ever created a trial for yourself, just ended upgrade. You made some dumb decisions. A mistake and you end up creating your own trial so they can come from Austin come from God, a trial can come from the enemy was trying to knock you off, but the fact of the matter is, God will use any trial we go through any challenge we go through and his purpose is for it to show that we are prepared and equipped, and we can handle whatever we need to handle and were ready to go to the next level is a good feeling when you're ready to go to the next level and you know it is a good feeling when you don't have to see that the test handed back to you grade it because you know you got a all right know I got a request is that I happen to get one or maybe too wrong and get a lower 800. That's only thing I'm witnessing.

Oh I noticed stuff that's a good feeling and you can live that way in life. If you track with the Lord God can bless you, so that every child you go through. You can count them joy because you know you're prepared and equipped. That's trials. It's like exams didn't come to punish you. They came to prove that you're ready to go to the next level still ahead. The second half of today's testing for Victor message with pastor Paul Sheppard, senior pastor, destiny Christian Fellowship in Fremont, California. We want to thank all of you who sustained Destin for Victor with your prayers and financial support, gifts that help pastor Paul share the gospel with a growing audience. So as God leads. Please prayerfully consider making a gift to Destin for victory today. You can give securely online@pastorpaul.net or call 855-339-5500.

Well, if you want God to take you to the next level of your Christian journey. Be faithful right where you are up next. The rest of today's testing for Victor message something God can't do. Once again, here's pastor Paul. I know some the youngest in my book. So here's what we were in elementary school, first day of school you would line up in the schoolyard court in the class and there was always the occasion when you would look at your in your new great.

I was in third grade. Last year, in fourth grade. Here I am standing here beginning of the school year and I'm in the fourth grade live and we often had the occasion of looking over in the far greater line and see in somebody who went through third grade with us so we all remember and went and we will say this is why Johnny will and so I was that he got love black back without way of saying Johnny should be over here with us, but Johnny was goofing off instead of studying. Johnny was not learning.

Johnny was not obeying the teachers.

Johnny wasn't doing what he needed to do and as a result, although he ought to be in fourth grade. He is still in third grade because good education system will not pass you on until you have passed the test of this level and unfortunately these days. We got some bad education systems and full-court trying to worry about their budgets and all that and then moving just doing this also and we have some children graduating school is graduating high school and they still can't read at a decent level but we pass them through shouldn't be that way because Tasso designed to prove that you're prepared to go to the next level. That's trials, that's exams, all of us go to that or give another illustration allow you all loving, and instead of just looking at the outside, you took of me letter and use. In why because you just that you can't prove the turkey is a ready to be devoured on till you check the inside so we all knew that the outside might look good, but that's no guarantee that the turkey is ready to eat. So what you did was gotta meet the monarch. You know I'm not a cook but I heard I heard that what you gotta do is stick it in the and they said if it's consistently 165° when you stick it in the bin is ready to go. Don't conserve it on up because it's cooked through and through.

I came to tell you that some of us get through a better job of dealing with Charles because some that are not ready yet not really on the outside to look good on the outside on the outside chance.

I pray the Lord only outside.your big Bible on the outside Christian jargon on the outside but when God states you sticks you when challenges you, you're not 165°. You're not prepared to bless the world because you are not cooked through and so I want to tell you, God wants us to go through trials right so that we are prepared for what comes next. That's the trials that he speak so now here's what I want you to know those kinds of trials can really promote you to the next level, which is why Saints of God. You want to be careful how you go through the challenges you face and you like to go wrong you going to take some makeup exams you've ever been to makeup exams that are not fun is not fun to be delayed. Annual growth is not fun to be stagnant in your development. God wants us to be fully developed followers of Christ. So no matter how the trial is for God's sake.

Both fluid right and pass the test because if you do. God wants to bless you. On the other side there is a wonderful illustration of that in the book of Genesis, the book of beginnings. Chapter 22, when God said to his servant Abraham I have given you this son of promise whose name was Isaac.

He had lived with Isaac and enjoyed Isaac and when Isaac was a teenager, Abraham, who now was 100 and some years old. He is 100+ the number of years that Isaac is because Isaac was born to him when he was 100 years old.

So at the time. Genesis 22 rolls around.

If Isaac is 15. Abraham is 150 and he says to Abraham in Genesis 22 I want not to tempt you to evil.

He said I want to test you. So he says the him I want you to get up, take your only son he meant by that. That by this time Ishmael and his mother had been dismissed from Abraham's family and so Isaac is the only son currently being raised in Abraham's house and he says I want you to take your only son Isaac take him up on Mount Moriah, and offer him as a sacrifice to me. What a trial. You've been through some tough trials in your life but gently and Abraham waited a very long time to have this son of promise. He's now been enjoying this boy and God likes the way to some gets real good and then he comes up with the exam and he says I want to take him in and offer him as a sacrifice now is what I need you to understand if you're not really familiar with Bible teaching and you're kinda new to the faith. I want to assure you, there was no place in the Bible where God ever endorsed anyone practicing human sacrifice. I need you to understand that very clearly that's not a biblical practice.

In fact the only time God actually endorsed and it was followed through with a human sacrifice. It wasn't a sacrifice on wood. As a result of killing and then burning a sacrifice.

It was a sacrifice of his son on the cross. That's why we celebrate as Christians, because when Jesus calls it was a sacrifice for my sin, so that here when I could be free for ever, all the sin debt that we owed God and I want you to know that Jesus is the only sacrifice that was ever needed. So this was a test of Abram's faith. He says Abraham I want to sacrifice your son Abraham to know what the guy was don't have them go through with it or not, but God gave them a test to see his obedience and he passed the test.

He goes up to Mount Moriah. He has a son with him now when you see diesel Sunday school picture you see this little boy walking with this old man that's not accurate. He was a teenager. In fact, the Bible tells us in Genesis 22 that Isaac carried the wood for the sacrifice Isaac is thinking this is a sacrifice of a large animal that's going to take place. So when I thought about a few little pieces of wood were talking about a big bundle of Lord enough for a sacrifice. And Isaac is caring.

That tells you that he's a teenager, he strong and he asked Abraham at one point he says I have the wood you have the knife but where is the sacrifice and Abraham said, my son, the Lord will provide Jehovah Jehovah God will provide the sacrifice for himself in that moment comes in Genesis 22 when Abraham has to show Isaac would goddess told him and Isaac lays out the word and their prepared seemingly for the sacrifice they just need the actual animal and instead, Abraham grabs his son insists on. You gotta trust me this is what God said he wanted done not submit to you that wasn't just a test of Abraham's faith that was a test of Isaac's faith to you know why because Isaac is grown more than teenager. If you want to be on the can I get no call now think it is something that is 156.

If you do not get no we all understand that you not like that your trip and you thing about Jonah's word got that's all it would've been but Isaac surrendered to his daddy just like Abraham, surrendered to his heavenly father is a beautiful picture of what happened on Calvary. That's exactly what God did with Jesus when Jesus and why has thou forsaken me God in heaven will send trust me on this son. I know what I'm doing and one that will raise you up, and that's what Abraham determined he said one of God makes me kill this boy I know is going to raise him up because he made me promise is about my descendents and so I know God is going to do it.

That's a sample of how you got to go to trial right when you got your child and try to figure everything out in advance. Don't ask God to make sense and you can see some of y'all are missing on your task as you keep asking questions commonly know when the teacher said and you got the test in front of you raising your hand. Talk about how understand and God bless them to be surrendered in his heart, so much so that Abraham lifted up his knife ready to kill the boy. When the Lord said, no, no, don't do that. That's not what I want. I just wanted to prove that you were surrendered.

Then God made a promise is because you've obeyed me. There's nothing I will do to bless you, I came to tell somebody listen to this message. That's what God is saying about you gotta pass your test. You gotta go forward right because God's got some great plans for you on the other side of this examination and you gotta get ready to go forward right. There are some things God can't do. There are some things God won't do it. Never force you to obey him to follow him or to do anything against your own will.

Instead he invite you to take part in his plan, both for you and for the world and part of that plan is that we share the gospel with as many people as we can. Friends like you do that every day through your prayers and financial support. And when you give a generous gift today would like to bless you right back with the gift of her own booklet from Pastor Paul based on his message junk removal for the soul. All of us have some habits from her old life that we need to set aside so we can embrace the newness of who we are in Christ and pastor Paul offer some practical biblical advice about doing just that in this booklet and it's our gift to you this month by request for your generous gift to Destin for victory today so call us at 855-339-5500 or visit pastor Paul.net to make a safe and secure donation online. You can also mail your gift to Destin for victory PO Box 1767, Fremont, CA 94538.

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I got a question for you, temptations don't come from God when they come from come from Satan. Satan he is the one who hates our souls the one who hates your relationship with God is the one who wants to God at every opportunity. That's tomorrow and pastor Paul Sheppard shares his message. Something God can't do until then. Remember he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion in Christ, you are destined for victory