I would like you to zero in on the phrase in verse two, which God that cannot lie. God that cannot lie. I've entitled this message, Things That God Cannot Do. Perhaps someone is uncomfortable with that title because could that be limiting God? Talking about what he cannot do? After all, the Bible says with God, all things are possible. Is there anything that he cannot do? Well, I know he cannot lie. And the thought of limiting God, I don't want to limit God or I've heard people say before, I don't want to put God in a box. I don't imagine me or you are able to put him into a box. He is who he is. He said, I am that I am. And I feel quite confident that he's not worried about any of us putting him into a box. Now, Paul is basing his hope of eternal life. on something that God cannot do. He cannot lie. God promised this before the world began and he is incapable of breaking this promise because he is incapable of lying. God cannot lie. Lying comes so natural to us. It ought not be. I'm not excusing that in any way, but lying comes natural to us. A man doesn't become a liar when he lies. He lies because he's a liar. He's born a liar. That's his way. But God cannot lie. All of his promises must come to pass because he can't lie. All of his threats must come to pass because he cannot lie. The living God cannot lie. He cannot act contrary or do contrary to what he has said in his word. I love the scripture in 2 Timothy 3.16, all scripture. It covers Genesis 1.1 through Revelation 22.21. All scripture is given by inspiration of God. God breathed. said exactly as God would have it said. And everything in this book must come to pass because God cannot lie. Now the reason God cannot lie is because he cannot act contrary to who he is. He can't. He's God. He cannot act contrary to his attributes. Now when we speak of the attributes of God, we're talking about his character. His attributes. God is holy, other, separate. That means he's not like me and you. He's altogether other. He said, who shall you liken unto me? He is other. To speak of his holiness as his moral purity is to diminish his holiness. He does not do things because they're the right moral things to do. What is right is right because he does it. That's all it takes. He doesn't have a law over his head. He's the law giver and he is holy He cannot not be holy. Holy and reverend is his name. He can't lie because of his attributes. He cannot change. God is sovereign. That means his will is always done. Now let that sink in. Whatever takes place. is His will being done. Aren't you glad it's that way? What if it wasn't? What if there are things that took place outside of the control of His sovereign will? Well, I would be afraid to walk out the door, but His will is always whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did He in earth and sea and all deep places. He cannot not be sovereign, like he cannot lie. He cannot not be sovereign. I heard a preacher say this, a local preacher. He said, God is sovereign, and the only time he wasn't sovereign, the only time he relinquished his sovereignty, is when he let men do what they wanted to his son. He relinquished his sovereignty. Oh? Listen to this scripture. For the truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou has anointed both Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and the people of Israel were gathered together to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done. He cannot not be absolutely sovereign. He cannot not love because he is love. He loves his elect with an everlasting love, and he cannot stop loving them. And if he could, he would change. And if he changed, he would no longer be immutable. But God is immutable. He cannot change. Malachi 3, 6 says, I am the Lord. I change not. Aren't you thankful? He can't change. Change and decay and all around I see. O thou that changest not. Abide with me. God cannot sin. That's why we believe in what is called the impeccability of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ couldn't sin. If he could sin, I've heard preachers say, well, he could have sinned, he didn't, but he could have. If he could have, he's not immutable. If he could have, he's not immutable. Jesus Christ could not sin. The sinlessness, the inability of God to sin. I love that scripture in James where it says that God cannot be tempted with evil. He's never tempted to do evil or be evil, neither tempteth he any man. He cannot not be absolutely, immutably just. Justice and judgment are the habitation of His throne. That's why He says, I will by no means clear the guilty. Under no circumstance will God ever clear someone who is guilty. God is independent. He cannot not be independent. Like he cannot not lie. He cannot not be independent. He has no needs outside of himself. Let me tell you why that's good news. That is why he cannot need me or you to do something before he can do something for us. He is utterly and completely independent. God is omniscient. Therefore, he can't learn. He's never heard anything new. He's never been surprised. He knows all. He's never learned anything. He's omniscient. God is omnipresent. He cannot not be omnipresent. He is everywhere. He's not bound by space or time. He's omnipresent. You can't go anywhere where He's not. I love thinking about this. He doesn't dwell in the universe. The universe is in the palm of His hand. God is omnipresent. He's all-powerful. He cannot be anything but that. That's why it's an impossibility for his will not to be done. He has omnipotence behind his will. If he wills it, he's got the power to make it come to pass. And he does make it come to pass. And that's why we are so happy that we can quote that scripture. And we know that all things work together for good. To them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. He's faithful. He cannot not be faithful. Don't you love that scripture? If we believe not, he abideth faithful. He cannot, there's something he can't do. He cannot deny himself. God is faithful. He cannot fail. He's incapable of failure. He can't intend to do something and it not be done. That's why we can glory in that promise, Matthew 121, thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. All of the gospel is predicated upon this glorious statement. God cannot lie. If he could, there's no hope for me or you. But God cannot lie. Now, like I said, I want to try to preach a message on things that God cannot do. And I want to give you six or seven things that are very important for us to understand the gospel and understanding this thing of what God cannot do. Number one. He cannot. He lacks the ability to accept anything but perfection. Amen. That's who he is. Leviticus 22, 21 says, it shall be perfect to be accepted. God cannot accept anything short of absolute perfection. Habakkuk 1.13 says, thou art of pure eyes to behold evil and canst not look upon iniquity. Turn with me to Psalm 24. Psalm 24, this has been called the Ascension Psalm. But let's begin in verse one. The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and they that dwell therein. For he hath founded it upon the seas and established it upon the floods. Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Who shall stand in his holy place? Now remember, God can't accept anything short of perfection. Well, listen to this answer. He that hath clean hands. That's the only person who can stand in this holy place. He that hath clean hands and a pure heart. who have not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. Now, who can stand in the holy hill of the Lord? Only one person. It's described like this, clean hands, a pure heart. You've never done anything wrong on the outside or the inside. Who's never lifted up his soul to vanity and never sworn deceitfully. Somebody says, well, how, how can that be? How could that describe any human being? It describes the Lord Jesus Christ. This is who this is speaking of and it describes everybody in him. Everybody that he represented, everybody that he lived for, everybody that he died for, everybody that he was raised for, everybody that he's presently interceding for. This describes me. I am somebody because of the Lord Jesus Christ, I've got clean hands. I've got a pure heart. I've never lifted up my soul to vanity. And I've never sworn deceitfully. If my Lord didn't, I didn't either. That is the hope of the gospel. And God cannot accept anything short of absolute perfection. How good do you have to be for God to accept you? You gotta be as good as God. And every believer is in the Lord Jesus Christ. Exodus chapter 34 verse 7, God gives us something that he cannot and will not do. He says, I will by no means clear the guilty. Now listen to what's being said. God says this, I will by no means, under no circumstances, under no There will be no reason why I will clear anyone who is guilty. God cannot clear the guilty. Somebody says, well, how's he going to forgive sin then? How's he going to have mercy then if he will not clear the guilty? Well, understand this. If you understand the gospel, you understand this, but God cannot clear the guilty. That would deny all of his attributes. That would make him an unjust judge if he would clear the guilty. What would you think of a judge in Fayette County, Kentucky who cleared guilty people? You know what you'd call him? An unjust judge. You would call him a corrupt judge. We would want him out of office if he would clear guilty people. As a matter of fact, a criminal is not afraid of an unjust judge. He can be bought. I'll tell you who a criminal is afraid of, an absolutely just judge who will by no means clear the guilty. And that is what the God, our Father is. He said, I will by no means clear the guilty. If God was able to clear a man who is guilty, he would no longer be God. Now here is where we have the great mystery of the gospel. How God has made a way to be just, absolutely just and not clear the guilty. He's made a way to be just and yet justify the ungodly through what Christ Jesus did on Calvary's tree. It's called the gospel of Jesus Christ. God has made a way to make those who are guilty not guilty. When I'm brought into heaven to be judged, The judgment is not simply going to be forgiven, shown mercy. The judgment is going to be not guilty. That is what Christ accomplished on the behalf of everybody he died for. He made the way for God to be just and justify people like me who in and of myself, I'm nothing but sin, but he's made me to be not guilty. You see, he will by no means clear the guilty. Now listen to this, God cannot save a sinner at the expense of his justice. Think about that. God cannot save a sinner at the expense of his justice. He cannot pardon sin without the punishment of sin. And that's what was taking place on the cross. God was punishing sin. God was pardoning sin. Turn with me to 2 Corinthians 5, verse 21. There's not a verse of scripture more glorious than this or more important for us to understand the gospel than this verse of scripture. 2 Corinthians 5, verse 21. For he, God the Father, hath made him, the Lord Jesus Christ, to be sin. Now notice that to be is in italics. It was placed there by the translators, but it's not in the original. Literally, for he hath made him sin. for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. Now, let's talk about the Lord Jesus Christ. He never committed a sin. I've already said He was incapable of committing a sin. He's God the Son. He's the second person of the Trinity. He's God, the God-man. Jesus Christ is God. He can't sin. He never committed a sin. But yet this passage of scripture says, that one who knew no sin. Oh, you and I know sin intimately. We're used to it. We were born that way. He knew no sin. He'd never experienced sin in any level, to any degree. He knew no sin. Yet God the Father made him sin. How's that work? I know this. God the Father lifted my sin off of me. And his son bore it in his own body on the tree. That's how he was made sin. God can do this. God's got the authority to do this. I remember one time hearing a preacher say, I've told you this before, but he was caught in some kind of scandal. And he said he was being interviewed and he was talking about that scandal he was caught in. He said, well, I put that sin under the blood. And I thought, oh, you have the authority to do that. You don't have the authority to do that. Only God can put your sin under the blood. He took my sin. God the Father. And He took it from me and placed it upon His Son. That's how Christ was made sin. And just as truly as Christ was made sin when God was punishing Him. Don't think for a second that He was punishing the innocent. He was punishing the guilty. He took my sin in His own body on the tree. God made Him sin. that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Now turn with me for a moment to Psalm 40. Psalm 40. Verse six, sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire, mine ears hast thou opened, burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required? Then said I, lo, I come, in the volume of the book it's written of me. I delight to do thy will, O God, yea, thy law is within my heart. Who's speaking? Jesus Christ. This is quoted in Hebrews chapter 10 as the very words of Jesus Christ. Now, look in verse 11. This is still Christ speaking. Someone says, well, it's not Christ speaking here. Yeah, it is. If it was him speaking there, it's him speaking here, too. Verse 11, withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O Lord. Let thy loving kindness and thy truth continually preserve me, for innumerable evils have compassed me about mine iniquities. He didn't say Todd's iniquities that were imputed to me. He said, mine iniquities have taken hold upon me so that I'm not able to look up. They're more than the hairs of my head. Therefore, my heart faileth me. Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me. O Lord, make haste to help me. Now, my sin. became his sin. No, he never committed a sin. But do you think about when he was in Gethsemane's garden and he saw that cup that he was called upon to drink and he said, Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. What was in the cup? The sins of his people that he knew he would be drinking into his own body on the tree and being that great substitute for sinners. He hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. God cannot save a sinner at the expense of his justice. Now, could God have saved a sinner without the cross? I want you to try to answer that question in your own mind. What do you think? Could God have saved a sinner without the cross? Well, when Christ said, If it be possible, let this cup pass from me. And I don't understand all that. I mean, he was the lamb slain from the foundation of the world, and yet when he was going to actually bear the sins of his people, he sweat great drops of blood, and he was sore amazed and very sore. He said, if it be possible, let this cup pass for me. But it was not possible because he's the lamb slain from the foundation of the world. This is his eternal work. He had to come in time and do this. And if it was possible, when the Lord asked his father, if it'd be possible, let this cup pass from me. If it was possible, you can be sure the father would let it pass from him. But it was not possible. This is how God punishes sin and pardons sin at the same time. This glorious work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. Now listen to this. God cannot, remember we're talking about what God cannot do. He cannot lie. Well, God cannot send a man to hell for whom Christ died. Think of the glory of that statement. God cannot Send a man to hell for whom Christ died. Now, most of what goes on under the name of Christianity says he can't. God loves everybody. Christ died for everybody. God wants to save everybody. He's made salvation available. He died for your sins, but it's up to you as to whether or not you're going to be saved. It's whether or not you accept him or reject him. Forgiveness is offered to you. He died for your sins. It's offered to you, but it's up to you as to whether or not you are going to be saved. That is what is called blasphemy. Nothing less. You see, if Christ died for you, your sin has been judged and punished and put away. And the very justice of God demands your salvation. The very law of God demands your salvation. Who is he that condemns? Can God condemn? No. He justified me. What about the law? What's my answer to the law? It's Christ that died. What about my answer to the accuser of the brethren? It's Christ that died. What will satisfy my conscience? It's Christ that died. I need no other argument. I need no other plea. It is enough that Jesus died and that he died for me. He shall see the travail of his soul and be satisfied. This is the will of him that sent me, that of all which he hath given me, I should lose nothing. If God sent somebody to hell that Christ died for, God would be unjust. Amen? God would be unjust. And Christ would have been a failure. If he intended to save me and failed to save me, and I end up in hell anyway, Christ would be a failure. but it's not possible for someone to go to hell that Jesus Christ died for. God cannot reject anyone who believes the gospel. Now, right now, Just forget about, I don't mean forget totally, but you're not to be thinking right now, well, did Christ die for me? You're not to be thinking, am I one of God's elect? I mean, leave that for another time, but right now I want to ask you this question. Do you believe the gospel? That's the issue. Do you believe the gospel? The Philippian jailer said, sirs, what must I do to be saved? I know I can't save myself. What must I do to be saved? And listen to the answer. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Believe on the Lord. Do you believe He's Lord? Do you believe He's the Lord of creation, that He created the universe? Do you believe He's the Lord of providence, that He controls everything? Do you believe He's the Lord of salvation? Your salvation's in His hands. People say, won't you accept Him as your personal Savior? That's not the issue. Will He accept you? He's the Lord. Jesus, Savior, God's Christ, God's prophet, God's priest, God's King, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. The Lord said, all that the Father giveth me shall come to me. Him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out. What's it mean to come to him? It means to believe on him. If you believe on him, you're coming to him. That's what it means. He that cometh to me shall never hunger. He that believeth on me shall never thirst. The same thing. You believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Now you can be too good to be saved, but you can't be too bad to be saved. You can't be too sinful to be saved. The Ethiopian eunuch asked this question, what hinders me from being baptized? Now did Philip say, well, let's see, have you straightened your life up? Have you changed things? Have you started doing things you ought to do and quit doing things you ought not to do? Are you sincere about this? What did he say? One thing, believe. If you believe with all your heart, you may. And he said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God? Do you believe he's God the Son, the second person of the Trinity, the one who cannot fail? Do you believe? God will not turn you away. Anyone who believes his son is received by him. I love to think of, one of my favorite things to think about is the night of the Passover. You know in that great group of people, that there were some people in that house with the blood over the door, that that very day, and I'm not in any way excusing this or saying, but that very day, there were some people who committed sins that would make your ears tingle. Now, don't think there's things you wouldn't commit. You could do it too, and I could do it, but I guarantee you there were some people who just did horrible, wicked things, maybe the hour before they walked into the house. Now, here's my question. Were they safe in the house with the blood over the door? God said, when I see the blood. What was he looking for? He didn't say when I see anything about you. When I see the blood, I will pass over. There's no scenario whatsoever that anybody in one of the houses with the blood over the door, God would judge. They were safe and secure in him. Now, a couple more. God, listen to this. God cannot bring a man into heaven with hell still in his heart. If you would even have the potential of sin, he would let you in. God cannot bring somebody into that holy place, heaven, with hell still in his heart. But in the new birth, he gave a new nature, a new nature that according to the scripture cannot sin. Let me show you this in the word of God. Turn to first John chapter three, verse nine. I'm reading from the King James. If you are not reading from a King James Bible, it might say something different, but this is what it is actually saying. Whosoever, 1 John 3, verse 9, whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin. What's that mean? Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin. That is what it means. That's talking about that new nature, that holy nature birthed by God. Look what he goes on to say in verse nine, for his seed, the seed of God. That seed, the new birth, birth by the Spirit of God, his seed remaineth in him and he cannot sin. He lacks the ability to sin because he is born of God. That is the holy nature that will enter heaven. The one you were given in the new birth. Now listen to me, listen to this. The holy nature you have right now is the same one you'll have in glory. You won't have flesh anymore. You won't have this sinful nature anymore. You will not have sin anymore. But that new nature that cannot sin is the nature that you will have in heaven. We will enter heaven in perfect conformity to Jesus Christ utterly conformed to His image. And last, God cannot be worshipped. Now listen very carefully. This is just as important, as important as everything else I've said. God cannot be worshipped apart from spirit and truth. Turn to John chapter four. Verse 23, but the hour cometh and now is when the true worshipers. You know, there are a lot of false worshipers and there are also true worshipers. When true worshipers shall worship the father in spirit and in truth. For the father seeketh such to worship him. God is spirit and they that worship him must. Worship Him in spirit and in truth. Now, in spirit. In the day you eat thereof, Genesis 2, 17, God speaking to Adam. In the day you eat thereof, you shall surely. Excuse me. In the day you eat thereof, you shall surely. Now, he didn't die physically. He didn't die on that day physically. But on that day, he did die spiritually. That's what Paul is talking about when he says man is dead in trespasses and sins. Oh, he's physically alive. He's got a soul. But he has no spiritual life. He doesn't have the capacity to worship. No spiritual life. But when God Gives a man the new birth, he now has the Spirit. And it is only the Spirit that worships God. No natural man can worship God. You can't worship God in your flesh. It's only the spiritual nature that he gives in the new birth that worships. And where there is this spiritual worship, there's something else, the truth. Where there's not the truth, you don't have spiritual worship. Whatever you claim it is, it's not spiritual worship. Wherever there's spiritual worship, there's the truth of the gospel. They that worship Him must worship him in spirit, that spiritual nature, that nature that does not sin and truth, the truth of God's character, the truth of the gospel, how he's made the way to be just and justify the ungodly. Now, salvation is believing in his ability to do. Remember, I talked about this being what God cannot do. Salvation is believing in His ability to do. Paul said in 2 Timothy 1.12, I know whom I believe and I'm persuaded He is able to keep that which I've committed to Him against that day. I believe in His ability to save me. But my salvation is also founded in what He cannot do. He cannot lie. He cannot send somebody to hell that Jesus Christ died for. And all my hope is founded, yes, in his ability, and yes, in what he cannot do. What a glorious God we have. Let's pray. Lord, we ask in Christ's name, that you would take your word, not the words of a man, but that you would take your word and bless it to each heart here according to your will for the glory of your name. and reveal Christ to each heart here. And Lord, enable us to truly glory in what you can do and what you cannot do because of your glorious attributes. We ask that you bless this message for your glory. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.