can open up our Bibles, please, to the text that I'm gonna give you as we get to our main points. I forget, Ephesians 2 will be one of our texts this morning, but it is a textual message, so we'll be going from text to text, because there is a phrase, that we'll get to in just a second, that stood out to me as I was reading my Bible recently, and I thought, you know, that'd be a good topic for us to consider from the Word of God, and I enjoyed the study of it and the preparation for it, and I trust today the Spirit of God will use it to speak to your heart. On our holiday, I got to do some reading. I started a book that I bought for my holiday, actually two weeks ago, because I got it and I thought, I'll read this on holiday. But then it looked interesting, and so I picked it up and started reading it. And it's a very interesting book. The book is called My Grandfather's Son. It's about Clarence Thomas. Clarence Thomas is a black man that grew up in southern United States back in the days of segregation. He grew up in a shantytown. They had a shanty. They had one electric light in it. They didn't have running water. They would save their rainwater in a barrel off the roof. They would use that, I think, for cleaning and things, but then they would haul water. to the house from the creek, or from where they got it, boil it. I mean, that was their water. They had an outhouse. I mean, that was his life growing up there in that shantytown. But then, later they moved to a tenement after the shanty burned down. While he was at school one day, came home, it's burned down, they moved to a tenement. That building was no better. It didn't have running water either. The outhouse out back had a kitchen, I guess, down the center of it, so it might have had running water at one place in the building. and a very filthy place. He came home one day with his brother, and he talks a lot about his brother. They were great friends doing everything together, and his mom came down and said, pack your bags, and took them to their granddad's house. Their dad, they'd only met him one time. He came back. He made a promise to them. The only promise he ever made about sending him some toy or something is a promise he broke. That's it. I mean, that's their existence with their dad. They go to their granddad's house. Their granddad was a self-made businessman, not wealthy, but a very hard worker that had a four-bedroom house. They moved in with him. A very tough environment there just because his granddad was very strict and very demanding and very authoritarian. But he credits his granddad with what took place in his life. You think about this guy from a shantytown in the United States. Clarence Thomas became a Supreme Court Justice in the United States. He's on the most powerful court in the world, arguably. That's incredible. I mean, it's what people refer to as the American dream. You know what I mean? That somebody can go from way down here to a position of great privilege and power. And it was a very interesting read. And it wasn't a perfect relationship that he had with his granddad. But, I mean, his granddad did so much for him that he credits his granddad with the man he became. And in reading the biography, I can see that as well. I can see, you know, Clarence Thomas standing up and saying, you know, anytime he would speak, I imagine he would say, you know, I am what I am only because I had a granddad. and then start to talk about him. Because there's no way he could have gotten to the position he was in without that. And this morning, the phrase I want to look at is a phrase we'll find in every text that we look at. And the phrase is, but God. But God. It's there's things that are impossible. I mean we look at in our life, and there's no way but God and So it's the same idea isn't it that you know I am what I am by the grace of God It's only but God in my life that has made me what I am if I have anything. It's only because of that phrase and so Without God this morning. You're hopeless That's why we're talking during that song, I Feel Bad, for people that don't have that sunshine in their soul, they don't have that joy, they don't have that peace, they don't have that encouragement, help, sustenance, strength, solid rock foundation because they can't say but God. It's only those that are with God. And so the Bible even says in Matthew 19, 26, Jesus beheld them and said to them, with men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. You look at your life today and say, I can't do that. I can't exist. I can't, I can't, I can't, I can't. But with God, all things are possible. And that's what we'll look at this morning. Things that impossible without, but possible and probable and doable with God. And so let's pray and ask God's spirit to speak to our hearts this morning as we consider his word. Father, I thank you. And I praise you that we can say this morning if we're saved, you know, this was my life but God But God changed it, but God made it what it is But God did this and I I pray this morning as we exalt you father. That's the truth that we're considering I pray that you'd be glorified. I pray that you'd be lifted up in our eyes. Father, I pray that those that don't have God would understand this morning what they do not have because they can't say about their life but God. I pray, Holy Spirit, that you speak to each one of our hearts. I pray that you give me liberty as I preach. I pray, Lord, that you'd help me speak as, Savior, you would desire to speak yourself. And I pray that the truth of the word of God would deeply impact our hearts. It's in Christ's name we pray, amen. So that phrase, but God, okay, we'll get to that phrase in those texts, and really, we'll be in Psalms and Proverbs on the first point here, but we're gonna look at several verses under this one because there's so many. But the truth, the first truth is wrongs could go unrighted, but God. Wrongs could go unrighted, but God. I enjoy reading, I mentioned, and I enjoyed finishing that biography as I was on holiday. But I also needed more reading materials, so I downloaded a Louis L'Amour book. Louis L'Amour, I talked about him, I think, last week. But I haven't read much fiction in years. In fact, I got to the point when I went to college where I stopped reading fiction because I could waste so much time. I mean, I really enjoyed picking up a book. I mean, I read a ton when I was in high school. But Louis L'Amour is a prolific author that writes historic fiction. fiction written in a historical context, so he knows the environment. He even, I read a little bit of his bio on holiday, he was even in like 65 fights, boxing fights, and he won like 51 of them. So in his stories he talks about fighting, you know, he's using real terminology because he's been there, he's experienced it, so he's a very interesting author. But you know, you're reading one of those stories and you got bad guy, bad guy, bad guy, you know, villain, And you're like, you know, no justice, you know, you just want someone to haul off and slug that proud person, you know, and you want that cowboy to come in that's going to solve the problem. It's a thrill when you get to the point. Where frontier justice, as they call it in the United States, they didn't have marshals in some of those places. They solved a lot of things themselves with what's called frontier justice. I mean, they hopefully were right in what they did, but they administered judgment. And you get excited. You get to that point where you're like, yes, the bad guy's getting it. I talk to a lot of people, unbelievers, And they'll say to me, if there is a God, why are all these innocents having all these bad things happen to them, and why doesn't God do something about it? They say, see, there is no God, because God wouldn't allow that to take place, they think, in their ideas about who God is. Yeah, we do know that one of the things, and I'll often say to them, you know, who told you what to wear today? and they'll say nobody and I said if I try to tell you what to wear, how would you feel? They'd say angry. Why? Because your will is something you value more than anything else and it's something that's God's given. God has given mankind a will. Man can exercise his will against God. That is not God's fault, that's man's fault. All right? But what about those innocent people? What about us? What about us getting away with sin? Us being able to transgress and there's no punishment? What about that? Because if ungodliness goes unpunishment, ungodliness continues into eternity. Ungodliness has to be punished. So what does the Bible say in this phrase, but God? Well, the Bible says, Psalm 75, 7, but God is the judge. See, mankind could think, you know, I'm getting away with it, my life's going pretty well, you know, I've been pretty prosperous, and you know, I'm, yeah, I'll admit, I'm a sinner according to what the Bible says, and I sin, I do these things, but it doesn't matter. Yeah, it does matter because, but God is the judge. But God is the judge. Proverbs 21, 12 says, a righteous man wisely considereth the house of the wicked, but God overthroweth the wicked for their wickedness. See, a wise person looks at the wicked and sees their end, not what they're experiencing right now, because what they appear to be experiencing right now is blessing. It looks like everything's going well in their life and they're not troubled, as the Bible says, as other men are, but God's gonna judge them. Look to the end and see it, but God overthroweth the wicked for their wickedness. About the workers of iniquity, the Bible says in Psalm 64 7, But God shall shoot at them with an arrow. Suddenly shall they be wounded. See, everything seems like it's going fine, but then God arms himself. Now picture it, I'm a bull hunter in the States. You know, a deer, as we hunt them, could be going along, everything's fine, everything's fine. Nothing apparently out of the way, but it just takes one arrow, and it's over. And so ungodly man is walking along, and everything seems fine, and God's like, So his arrow's drawn, but God overthroweth the wicked, or God shall shoot at them with an arrow. Suddenly shall they be wounded. Psalm 68, 21, but God shall wound the head of his enemies and the hairy scalp of such one that goeth on still with his trespasses. So again, why would man walking along think, you know, there is no God, there is no God, there is no God, the judgment is not coming, judgment is not coming, I'm finding my sin, I'm finding my sin, I'll just continue. Why would they think that? Well, the word of God actually does tell us. Ecclesiastes 8, 11 says, because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the son of man is fully set in them to do evil. They're kinda like this, God hasn't shot me yet, lightning hasn't struck yet, and have you ever met somebody so ungodly that they say, you know, if I walked into a church, lightning would strike? They anticipate, you know, that wrath is there, but it's just not presently there. But God says it is. I was reading online, I looked at the death penalty information center, there's actually a website like that for the states. You know, it's a sad list of men deservedly facing execution for their crimes against mankind. And they're on what's called death row. What is death row? Death row is they have been condemned, sentence has been passed, but the date hasn't come yet. And as you read it, I'll talk about the sadness of it in just a second, but you see these dates, and you can read the dates, you can read who was executed and who will be executed. Now whether you've died for your crime or not, what's the difference? What's the difference? Unless you get a pardon, unless you get a commuted sentence, what's the difference? Because you're going to die for your crime. Does it really matter when? No. Not really, because you're under condemnation. The Bible says about somebody that is unsaved that they are under the condemnation of God now. God has already judged that there's therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit. But those that are unsaved, the Bible says, are condemned already. They're condemned already. You know, somebody could think today and we could be grieved today, kind of like John in the book of Revelation when he's weeping because nobody's able to open up the scroll of God's judgment saying, God, how well will the wrongs be righted? And yet God is going to open that scroll and the judgment of God is going to come. So wrongs could go unrighted, but God. As I think about that this morning, if we're under the judgment of God, if we're under the condemnation of God, doesn't our heart at that point cry out and say what that woman said at the Hylos of Louis as a revival was taking place, is there mercy for me? Is there mercy for me? Doesn't our heart cry out and say, but is there a way then that I could be forgiven? And so the second thing that we consider this morning is that no one can love and forgive a sinner like me, but God. No one could love and forgive a sinner like me, but God. You know, as I looked at that list on that website, and I saw name after name of person on death row, it was hard to look at, because you kind of feel like you're looking at people's faces. You're kind of understanding that it's not just a number. Prisoner 1, 0, whatever. That's what Hitler did to try to remove people's identity, give them numbers. But those people had names. Those people had faces. Those people on death row are individuals. They got families. They got siblings. They got people that care about them. They're individuals. But they're on death row. And there could be a lot of people that despise them. I'm shocked sometimes, and you kind of understand, but you kind of don't, as you see people at trials just venting hate for the person on trial. You can understand from a humanistic standpoint, but from a Christian standpoint of, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do, and love your enemies, it's hard to understand. There's a lot of people that so then would despise that person and say, but they deserve to die. They deserve to be killed. And yet they're a person who cares. God does. And see, that's the same this morning. We got all these unsaved people. And as Christians, we can sometimes say, but they deserve to go to hell. I mean, they're so hard against God. They're so, you know, grievously against him. And yet we know this morning that God cares about them, despite them. And so the Bible says in Romans five, verse seven and eight, For scarcely for a righteous man will one die, yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. See, on this side of hell, you don't have good people. All that righteousness, the Bible says, is filthy rags. There's nobody that we can look at with compassion and say, ah, but you don't deserve to be on this side. Everybody on this side has grievously sinned against God, not once like Eve did and was kicked out of the Garden of Eden, but time and again and again and again against God. And if we read in the word of God this morning, You know, scarcely for a righteous man would one die, yet for a good man, some would even dare to die. It would stand to follow, but God cannot die for that person, cannot love that person, cannot save that person, because they have transgressed so greatly against God. But aren't you glad this morning that you can look at this and say, you know what? That was me, but God commendeth. God showed his love toward me in that while I was yet a sinner, what? Christ died for me. If it wasn't for that but God this morning, you and I would be on death row on our way to hell. And so this morning, either that's us, we used to be, on death row, on our way to hell, or that's you this morning, on death row, on your way to hell. But what do you know this morning from that phrase, but God, you know that God loves you, despite that. And so the word of God gives great hope to us today, saying, you know, who could love and forgive me but God, but God. There's a, Another truth that we can learn this morning from this phrase, but God, that is my sinful life cannot change, but God. My sinful life cannot change, but God. There was a man on that list and you could look it up. His name's Thomas Whitaker. And he was slated to die by execution on the 20, I think the 22nd of February. But as you look at the list, beside his name, there's a phrase or a word that says commuted. And that's because Thomas Whitaker had a dad that loved a sinner. And I shared this, I think, maybe Thursday night, I shared this story last week or sometime recently. But he had a dad that loved him despite him. This man wanted his inheritance, and so he arranged with Hitman to kill his mom, his dad, and his brother. And so the Hitman came. All three were shot. His dad lived. And his dad, before even knowing anything about his son's involvement, had forgiven the person that committed the crime. His dad, they said, was a deeply religious man. But then he found out it's his son. And so in Texas, he went before the judge, and he asked the judge, he said, Judge, my wife and my son would not want him to die. Will you give him life in prison? And so the judge did that. He commuted the sentence if the governor would also sign off on it, which the governor did, I think, about a week, week and a half later. And his execution was stayed. And right now, Thomas Whitaker, instead of dying, has life. Thomas Whitaker, every day that he has, he has a chance that his life could change. He's a covetous man that was murderous, and yet today, by the grace of God, Thomas Whitaker could be forgiven by God and his life change. And so the word of God tells us in Ephesians chapter two, beginning at verse three, among whom we all had our conversation in time past, in the lust of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature the children of wrath. even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we are dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ. By grace ye are saved, and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. You know, if we had a testimony time today, and we wouldn't want to have this kind of testimony time to speak very freely about it, but talk about our ungodliness, what would we have? We'd have the list that we saw in Sunday school of ungodly, wickedness, rebellion against God, and it's what Paul said, among whom we all had our lifestyle in time past in the lust of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. And so Paul says, that was my life. My life was against God. My life was not for God. My heart was hard against God. But then, what's the next phrase? But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love were with, He loved us. What did He do? Quicken us together with Christ, raise us up together, made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Have you ever restored something? I'm not, it's not something that I'm gifted in. It's something my brother's gifted in. My brother, I've shared before, worked on a farm that in the barn, they would build automobiles that cost $250,000. They would custom-made vehicles. And so they would totally form the body of the vehicle there in the barn. They'd make a wood frame, hammer it around it, and I don't know what all they do to make custom vehicles, whatever somebody wanted. My brother was the engine specialist. They didn't custom build engines. They took old engines, like one he showed me that was a Jaguar V10 or V12 engine. And he would take that engine, my brother was the engine specialist, and transform it, not to like new condition, but better than new. It wasn't, I mean, it was way beyond what it was as a stock engine that came out. When he got done with it, it was beautiful. I mean, it looked like it should go on the outside of the car, not the inside of the car, because it was so nice. You know that's what God does? God doesn't restore vehicles. God restores people. God takes people that have a lifestyle that's against God. and by God's grace, transform them into something that is a shining testimony of the grace of God. And so you might look at your life this morning and say, how can my life change? Who can forgive me of my sin? Who can cleanse me? And I think of that phrase that was accusatorily said to Jesus, who can forgive sin but God only? We agree with that. Jesus agreed with that. God is able. So you might look at your life and think, you know, how can I get saved? I gotta change my life. Listen, just do what the prodigal son did. The prodigal son we talked about a couple weeks ago as well. He came back to his father and his father changed him. His father changed his raiment. His father changed his food. His father changed his environment. And so God can do the same for us this morning. Because God is a restorative God. Praise God for that phrase. But God, who is rich in mercy. We gotta give that any testimony time we have. If God's changed our life, we gotta say, but God, who is rich in mercy, praise God, are you clothed in the righteousness of Christ? Have you been saved? Are you cleansed? Then another thing we could say this morning that's hopeless, I cannot understand the hope that I have, but God. I can't understand it. It's like a different language. I just booked flights for our family to Germany. We're going to Germany in July. I took German when I was in university and I loved my class, I loved my teacher, Herr Adams. I can count eins, zwei, drei, vier, fünf, sechs, sieben, acht, neun, zehn, right? That's all I could do. I took two years of college German. I mean, I can say some basic phrases. How are you? I am good. Thank you. And I'll probably get those wrong. And maybe if I lived in Germany, some of it would come back. But I'm not bilingual. If anyone tries to speak to me in German, I'm just gonna kind of give them that dumb, simple look of, I have no idea what you're trying to say. Can you act it out, you know? Because I can't understand them. You know, there's some people come to church and it's like that. It's like they sit there and they hear it and it seems, I guess, well presented perhaps even, but they go away saying, but I don't get it. I don't understand it. And you know what? Every single one of us would be just like that if it wasn't for the phrase, but God. Every single one. And so the word of God says, 1 Corinthians 2 verse 9, but as it is written, I hath not seen nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by a spirit, for the spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so, the things of no, The things of God knoweth no man but the Spirit of God. What's that mean? It means if you're not spiritually bilingual, you can't get it. Those of us that got saved, an interpreter came to live in our heart. If in Germany, I have someone interpreting for me, that someone speaks German, the interpreter says, this is what they said, interprets it to me, I get it, I understand it, not a problem. But if you're here this morning and you don't have the Holy Spirit of God in your heart, He's not there, then it's like I could be up here preaching and by God's grace I could preach clearly the truth of the Word of God and you could still walk out of this place and go, but I don't get it. If you don't have the Holy Spirit. And so what is the thing this morning? The thing this morning is you need this Holy Spirit. You need Him. reading the other night, I mentioned all this stuff about reading. I'm reading the other night and you know, when I'm holding a book right here, my eyes are focused right here and then Katie comes into the room and I look up and she's like blurry. So I thought, right, I'm gonna see what that's about and so I Googled that and I found out that your eyes, as you get to a certain age, they don't refocus as quickly. And so then it went on to say, that's why so many people in their 40s get reading glasses. And I thought, I'm 41, I'm gonna be 42 this summer, all right? So that's what that's about. So when you see me up here with those things. But those things allow us to get it, to understand. You know what we need today to understand this book? You can't look at this book without the lens of the Holy Spirit and get it. So what do you have to do? You gotta put on Christ. And it could be this morning that you think, you know, I need to understand it before I accept it. And I'll just tell you, you can't understand it until you accept it. See, somebody thinks like, right, I'll get saved when I finally intellectually understand it, when I finally get it, instead of just obeying the simple truth of the gospel, which the Bible says, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, thou shalt be saved, which any child can understand. they think, I gotta understand the whole book, I gotta understand more, and if I don't understand it, I'm not gonna obey it. But God says this, right, when you get saved, you receive the Holy Spirit, and he is the glasses, he is the one that begins to make the word of God make sense. And so the word of God says, 1 Corinthians 2.14, the same text that we just read from. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually disturbed. And so if you say this morning, I can't understand that, I agree. I agree, you can't. So what? Just accept Christ and you'll get the glasses. Just obey the gospel, and then it will make sense, because then you have the Holy Spirit. And as believers, He is the Spirit of truth. He is the one that understands who Christ is. He is the one that reveals it. He is the teacher that took Christ's place. And so we can rejoice this morning about that phrase, but God. I couldn't understand the hope that I have, but God. Fifth, I cannot live in victory over sin, but God. I cannot live in victory over sin, but God. The tendency to sin does not vanish when somebody gets saved. Even though they're overhearing their sin and Christ saves them, yet that flesh is still present, there's still a tendency to sin, and so the word of God says in 1 Corinthians 10, 13. or I'm sorry, Hebrews 12.1, let us lay aside every weight in the sin which does so easily beset us. Whoever wrote Hebrews, we believe it was Paul, but whoever wrote Hebrews included himself in that statement, the sin which does so easily beset us. And so we know this morning as believers that the tendency to sin is universal even though we've been saved. So then can I live in victory? Can I live in obedience to God? Can I have a sanctified and a holy vessel like God commands me to in his word? Yes, I can, by God's grace, and that's the but God. So where's that? 1 Corinthians 10, 13. Says, there is no temptation taken you, but such as is common to man. Okay, we'll talk about these phrases in just a second. So there's temptation coming, it's common to man, That's a problem. But then it says, but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able, but will with the temptation also make a way to escape that you may be able to bear it. Alright, we talked this morning briefly in Sunday School about the fact that anybody that sins or transgresses the law, they have a reason. Another reason for a reason is the word excuse, isn't it? And so you can think even about life. Somebody takes a test, they get an answer wrong, and they can always say, this is why I missed it. This is why I missed it. But the problem is they missed it. You have a car accident, and you say, but it was because of, you know, again, a reason. You don't fulfill an obligation, but there's a reason. You know, always, and again, reasons are excuses. And so, when somebody sins, what's the tendency? I've got a reason. And yet, God takes away every reason we could possibly come up with. And so the Word of God tells us in that verse, 1 Corinthians 10, 13, sin is common. A lot of people say, but nobody's experienced this temptation. Nobody's had this level. Nobody's had this extreme. Nobody's dealt with this like I've dealt with this. No, false. Because the Word of God says, no temptation taking you, but such as is common to man. Temptation is limited. Okay, you can say, but it's an unlimited temptation. It's overboard, but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you're able. You know, this past week, there was a pool and it was all to us. That's one reason we go to this place. Nobody's there. And so, in the pool, it goes from three foot to four foot. I'm very careful about letting my kids not get out beyond where they're able to bear it, if they're not good swimmers, okay, the younger kids. Why? Because I'm dead, I'm protected. What does God do? God limits it. The temptation's not gonna go over our head. It's not gonna be more than we can bear this morning or ever. Escape is available. And so the Bible says, he'll not suffer you to be tempted above that you're able, but will with the temptation also make a way to escape. Trial comes, testing comes, God says there's a way. There's a way, there always is a way. because God is faithful. And then you can overcome it, that you may be able to bear it. That you don't have to give in, that you don't have to quit in despair and say, but I can't. No, I can live in victory because of, but God is faithful. And so people could, again, come up with their excuses. They could say, but you really don't understand my environment. You know, and as we think about, just practically think about some of these excuses, what about Joseph? Joseph's a prisoner in Egypt, and yet Joseph in Potiphar's house, having all the power and authority that he had, he had his running shoes on, he fled temptation. Daniel, as a teenager in Babylon, again, had his heart set, he purposed in his heart, he would not defile himself. Three Hebrew children facing the fiery furnace, again, obedient to God. And so, we understand that. And so we look at the Word of God and we say, but it's tough. I can't get victory, but what? But God. And so our hope again this morning is in Him. Are you living in victory over sin? You can, because of that phrase, but God. And then sixth, I'm not qualified to do the Lord's work, but God. I'm not qualified. I've been saved, praise God. I've been forgiven of my sin, praise God. God's done those things. God's given me victory over my sin, praise God, but I can't serve God but God. And so the word of God says about Moses, Exodus, 4 verse 10, and Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord, I'm not eloquent, neither heretofore nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant, but I am slow of speech and of a slow tongue. Anybody that's ever done anything for God can relate with Moses and finds comfort in Moses or Gideon, or I'll mention Jeremiah specifically in just a second, because these guys, as God directed them into ministry, what did they say? I can't do it. Moses, I'm not eloquent. I'm not a good speaker. Jeremiah says something similar, Jeremiah 1.6, then said, I, O Lord God, behold, I cannot speak for I'm a child. Okay. What's the problem? But you can speak because of who? God. And so the word of God says in 1 Corinthians 1.26, for you see your calling brethren how that not many wise men after the flesh not many mighty not many noble are called but listen here's our phrase but God had chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise and God had chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty and base things of the world and things which are despised hath God chosen yea and things which are not to bring to naught things that are that no flesh should glory in his presence It's to humble us, like we talked about in Sunday school. Pride is the opposite. And so, to humble us, God just chooses the weak things. Things that are not, to bring to naught things that are. And so that phrase, but God, but God. Now, Moses, Jeremiah, they both go, I can't. But now watch the but God in their lives. Moses, Exodus 4.11, he said, I'm not eloquent. And the Lord said unto him, who hath made man's mouth, or who makes the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? Have not I the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say. He said, I can't speak, and God just goes, who made your mouth? I can't speak, but I'm gonna show you what to say. And so what is it? It's us over here saying, but God, I can't. But God. but God, but what God you can do by a grace. Jeremiah, same way, Jeremiah one, verse seven, but the Lord said to me, say not I'm a child, for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee, thou shalt speak. Be not afraid of their faces, for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord. Then the Lord put forth his hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said unto me, behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. That whole, all those verses was God saying, but I, but I, but I will do that. And so this morning, if you're confident of yourself, get rid of that. That's probably, we talked about that in Sunday school. But if you lack confidence and you say, but how can I ever accomplish anything great for God? Just remember that phrase, but God had chosen the weak things, things that are not, to bring to naught things that are. And so I'm not qualified to do the Lord's work, but God. And then seven, just two more this morning. I would be proud of my accomplishments, but God. Okay, I would be proud of my accomplishments, but God. How did I succeed? We've already just talked about it. I'm over here going, I can't succeed. I can't succeed, but with God I can. So when I succeed, why am I not proud? Because it's only possible, why? Because of but God. because of what he's done. I mentioned Clarence Thomas and what his granddad did for him. His granddad took them into their house in this Christmas, the first Christmas, he took them out to the rural property that the family went back to the slavery days where they were given some of that land because of those days. And so that's family land. And he goes out there with them and says to the boys, boys, we're gonna build a farm. And by the springtime, they had the house built and I think the barn built as well. And I mean, his granddad worked him so hard. I mean, I mean, hands blistered. They couldn't wear gloves because their granddad thought that would make them soft. They didn't run heat in their truck in the wintertime delivering stuff because he didn't want them to get too warm and comfortable when they got to get out. And so they're they're trying to like thaw their hands. I mean, he really, really worked them. But that level of work ethic took him into the Supreme Court. And so he'll tell you, in the book, my grandfather's son points out, I am what I am because of granddad. Because of what granddad did. And there's a humility about him because there's an understanding it's only because of the discipline he was taught and only because of what his grandparents did that allowed him to be what he is. Hey, if I succeeded doing anything for God, how is it accomplished? My God, that's it. And so the word of God says in 1 Corinthians 3, 6, and here's our phrase, I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. Next verse, so then neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth, but God that giveth the increase. Abide in me and I in you, as a branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can ye except ye abide in me. And so if there is fruit in my life today, Why? Because that phrase, but God. And so where's pride? Where's boasting? How can I pat myself on the back today and say, well, you know, I've become a great Christian for God, you know, I'm doing great things for God, anything like that. How can I say that? Because it's only possible by God. It's only possible by God. And then lastly, this morning, I will stay in the grave, but God. I'll stay in the grave, but God. Have you ever noticed that death is final? There's no second chance. Stephen Raines and his family are on their way back from Africa. They're missionaries there to the United States because Stephen's dad is dying and he's been very ill for the last several months. But he's dying. Why is that so sad? Because that's final. They're going back to say goodbye. I recently have another friend that's a missionary in New Zealand. His dad passed away at the age of 98. Garth Piper is his name and his dad passed away. He said his dad and his mom had a great marriage. She died two years ago. So I mean they were married decades. But you know what's sad? He's talking about preaching at his dad's funeral and asking people to ask God to help him to be emotionally strong, to be able to preach that. And God did help him, and he gave great testimony to that. But he was just dependent upon God to help him with that. But death's final if it wasn't for that phrase, but God. And so the word of God says, Psalm 49, 15, but God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, for he shall receive me. See, I'm gonna die, but God. I'm gonna go in the grave, but God. And can I tell you this this morning? Whether you're saved or unsaved, your body would stay in the grave if it wasn't for the phrase, but God. Praise God, we're rejoicing like the psalmist in Psalm 49, 15 in verse eight, but God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave for he shall receive me, right? That's great. But can I say this this morning? That you can say the same thing, but God will damn my soul, taking me from the power of the grave and casting me into the lake of fire because that's biblical. There's two resurrections the Bible speaks about. There's a resurrection of life and the resurrection of damnation spoken about in John 5, 29. They shall come forth from the grave. They that have done good unto the resurrection of life. They that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation. And so I'd say 150% to anybody that believes that after death is a grave is completely false because of that phrase, but God. See, that'd be true, setting God aside, it would be annihilation, it'd be in the grave, that's it, but God, but God will raise up those to damnation, He'll raise up those to everlasting life. This morning, you can't do good works except for the grace of God and the salvation that the Lord gives by grace through faith in Him. All our righteousnesses, the Bible says, are His filthy rags. There's no good thing in anybody Who is good but one? God. It's only this morning, if you have Christ in you, that there's any good in you. It's Christ. And so, those that go to the resurrection of life, it's not that their own goodness, it's that they have the imputed righteousness of Christ in them. But those that'll be damned, just have their own ungodly works that will condemn them. And so this morning, I can, as a believer, I can rejoice and praise God. You know, I'd stay in the grave, but God. but God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave. As you look at these statements, I mean, these are incredible statements. I can't emphasize them enough to us this morning. Just like Clarence Thomas, Clarence Thomas could look and say, man, if it wasn't for my granddad, we have to look today and say, my life was in shambles, but God. See, I thought I was getting away with my sin. But God. And see, no one can love and forgive a sinner like me, but God. My sinful life cannot change, but God. I cannot understand what I have in Christ, but God. I cannot live in victory over sin, but God. I'm not qualified to do the Lord's work, but God. I would be proud of my accomplishments, but God. I will stay in the grave, but God. Where you at this morning? See, are you over in the excuse, perhaps this, I can get away with my sin? No, you can't, because of but God. Or you might be, no, I can't, God can't love and forgive me, and you're forgetting about the fact, but God loves sinners. Or you might say, my life can't change, my life's too wicked, but God, as we talked about. Do you understand the hope that you have because you're saved? Are you living in victory over sin? Are you struggling to obey God, saying, I'm not qualified? When God is able to use weak things, things that are not. All these truths this morning, praise God for that phrase. In our Bible, but God. Let's pray. Father, I thank you for the word of God this morning. Father, I am so thankful for each one of those truths, without which I couldn't even stand up here. Father, it's only because of that phrase, but God, that any one of us can be anything, do anything as a believer or as a servant of the Lord's. So I pray today, Lord, would you speak to hearts. There might be somebody here today that they're very troubled in their heart. They think, God, you can't forgive them. But they've forgotten about that phrase, but God. Or Father, they might just not understand, they may not get it, and feel like they're struggling to understand, and yet they don't realize that they need to just get saved, because then, by the grace of God, you'd illumine their heart and their mind, and give them the Holy Spirit to help them understand. Father, those of us that are born again today, I pray, Lord, help us not to give in to the flesh and live in defeat. but Father, in victory, Father, help us not to say we can't serve God, but trust you to help us to serve you. Father, we dare not be proud of anything that we have because it's only by the grace of God that we are what we are. And Father, we look forward to that day of resurrection, that day of redemption, and it's drawing nigh. And I pray if there's somebody here today that they're gonna rise to the resurrection of damnation, Father, I pray that they take the resurrection of life instead and accept God's gift of everlasting life today. But God is not going to allow their soul or their body to stay in the grave. They're going to rise to one of those places, either heaven or hell. So I pray today they choose heaven. Thank you for your love, Lord, and your goodness to us. It is in Christ's name we pray. Amen.