You know, while I was sitting
there, I thought there are local assemblies, but there's only
one church. And we're all members of the same church, the Church
of the Lord Jesus Christ. And what an honor it's been to
me to be with you. I esteem this church, this assembly. I esteem you all so highly and
very, very grateful and thankful. Would you turn with me to Titus
chapter one, book of Titus. I've entitled the message for
this morning, things God cannot do. Things God cannot do. Well, doesn't the Bible say with
God, all things are possible? Yes, it does. But there are things
that God cannot do. Verse one, the book of Titus.
Paul, a servant of God. And an apostle of Jesus Christ. according to the faith of God's
elect and the acknowledging of the truth, which is after godliness in hope of eternal life, which God that cannot lie promised
before the world began in hope of eternal life. I remember this about hope. If
you can see it, it's not hope. Hope that is seen is not hope. In hope of eternal life. I wish I could comment properly
about what eternal life is, but I know this, Jesus Christ is
called that eternal life. And it's a life that's eternal.
It never had a beginning and it'll never have an ending. It's
the life of God in the soul, wrought in the new birth. And
do you know, really, it's something I believe, but I can't see it.
Can you see your eternal life? I can't see it, but I believe
it. In hope of eternal life, and
here's why we have that hope, because of this, God cannot lie. Now, all of my hope of salvation,
the hope that I have that I can't see, but I believe I have it,
is predicated on this precious truth with regard to the character
of God. It has nothing to do with me.
It's because of who he is. He cannot lie. God promised this before the
world began, and he is incapable of breaking that promise because
he is incapable of lying. Now, I wish this wasn't the case,
but it's the case. Think how easy it is for us to
lie. You don't have to teach your kids to lie. It comes natural. I didn't do it. Just comes natural. And men don't become liars when
they lie. They lie because they're already
liars. The wicked are estranged from
the womb. They go about, as soon as they
be born, speaking lies. Well, how can they speak lies
when they can't even talk yet? Well, I guess when they're crying,
they're lying. I can't think of any other reason. It's natural
for a man to lie. It's not right. It's evil. It's horrible. But it's natural. God cannot lie. All of his promises must come
to pass. All of his threats must come
to pass because God cannot lie. Isn't that glorious? He cannot
lie. He lacks the ability to lie. And every word we have in this
book is a word that is absolute truth without error, because
God cannot lie. You know, I love the scripture,
all scriptures given by inspiration of God. Somebody says, well,
how can I believe that God can write a book? Do you really believe
that God has written this book and left it to us? Well, do you
believe God created the universe out of nothing? Sure you do. Sure you do. If you don't, there
was a time when you did because men just know that intuitively.
God created the universe. And if God can create the universe
from nothing, he can inspire a book and keep it preserved
for us right now. This is God's word, the absolute
truth of God. God cannot lie. And the reason God cannot lie
is because he cannot act contrary to who he is. He cannot act contrary to his
attributes. The attributes of God are his
character. God is holy. God is other. That means he's
not like me and you. He says, there's none like me. God is holy. He cannot not be holy. And to
speak of His holiness as His moral purity is to diminish His
holiness. He doesn't do something because
it's right. It's right because He does it. He has no law over
his head. He's God over all, blessed forever,
the glorious, holy God. Holy and reverend is his name,
and he can be nothing but that. God is sovereign. That means
that whatever happens is his will being done all the time. He is the first cause of everything. I hate it when preachers say,
well, that's his permissive will. He permitted that to happen.
When in the world is that supposed to mean? He's in absolute control
of everything. He's the first cause of everything. His will is always done. He doeth according to his will
in the armies of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth.
And there's none that can stay his hand or say unto him, what
doest thou? Give an account for what you're doing. God is absolutely
sovereign. He cannot not be sovereign. I
heard a preacher say this once. He said the one time God relinquished
his sovereignty, was when he let men do what they wanted and
nail his son to a tree. That's horrible. That was God's
will being done. I love the scripture in Acts
chapter four. For the truth against thy holy
child Jesus, whom thou hast 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. When those nails were nailed
in his hand and feet, God purpose for this to take place. Jesus
Christ gave him the strength to do it while they were doing
it. God is absolutely, immutably sovereign. God is love and he cannot not
love. This is who he is, God is love. Not here's love and God fits
the bill. No, God is love. He said, behold, I've loved you
with an everlasting love. That said to every believer.
Now don't miss this. An everlasting love, a love that
had no beginning. God said to Jeremiah, before
I formed thee in the belly, I knew. I've always had personality before
God. I've always been in Christ. There
was never a time when I began to be in Christ. God has always
loved his elect with an everlasting love. Didn't you love that passage
we just read in, was it Zephaniah? Yeah, where
I'll rejoice over you with singing. It's always been that way because
we've always been in Christ. If we're in Christ, he can't
stop loving that individual. You see, if he could stop loving,
that means he would change. And he would no longer be immutable. You see, if you can change, you
either change for the better or you change for the worse.
And that can't be. God said, I am the Lord, I change
not. Therefore ye sons of Jacob are
not consumed. Change and decay and all around
I see, O thou that changest not, abide with me. God cannot sin. He can't sin. That's why we believe
in what's called the, I guess this is the way you ought to
say it, the impeccability of Christ. He didn't have the potential
to sin. If he could sin, Is he God? Well, first, is he God?
Is Jesus Christ God? Yes, he is. Can God sin? No,
he cannot. Jesus Christ did not even have
the potential to sin because of who he is. He cannot sin. I've heard preachers say, well,
it doesn't matter whether he could or he couldn't, he didn't.
Well, no, he couldn't because of who he is, the glorious son
of God. He cannot not be absolutely immutably
just justice and judgment of the habitation of his throne.
Why does he say I'll by no means clear the guilty. And I love
that statement. Don't you under no circumstance whatsoever? Well,
I clear the guilty because he's absolutely just. God is independent. He can't be dependent. He's independent. He has no needs. He doesn't need
you to do something before he can act. He'll cause you to do
it. God is utterly and completely independent in this glorious
person. God is omniscient. He can't learn
anything. He can't be informed. He knows
all things. God is omnipresent. There's no
place you can be where he's not. He's all powerful. He cannot
not be all powerful. That's why it's an impossibility
for his will to not be done. God is faithful. He cannot not
be faithful. I love that passage of scripture.
If we believe not, he abideth faithful. He cannot deny himself. And if you're in Christ, if he
denied you, he'd be denying himself. That's how close the union is
between the believer and Christ. He cannot fail. He shall not fail nor be discouraged. He cannot fail. That's why we
have this blessed promise, thou shalt call his name Jesus, for
he shall save his people from their sins. He cannot fail. All of the gospel is predicated
on this glorious statement with regard to what God cannot do. He cannot lie. All of our hope
is found in this simple statement. He cannot lie. What he says must
come to pass. Now, let me give you a few things
that God cannot do. And this is our hope of salvation. Number one, God cannot accept
anything, but absolute perfection. He lacks the ability to accept
anything short of absolute perfection. Leviticus 22, 21 says it shall
be perfect to be accepted. absolute perfection. Habakkuk 1.13 says, Thou art
of pure eyes to behold evil, and canst not look upon iniquity. Turn with me for a moment to
Psalm 24. Psalm 24, 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. Now the Psalmist David asked
this question, who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Who's
gonna be accepted by Him? Or who shall stand in His holy
place? Listen to this description. He
that hath clean hands and a pure heart, who hath not lifted up
his soul into vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. Who's that? Everybody in Christ. That describes me because the
righteousness of Jesus Christ is my personal righteousness
before God. You see for him to accept you,
you're going to have to be perfect. You're going to, how good do
you got to be to be accepted by God? You got to be as good
as God. Jesus Christ is perfect. God so obviously he he's he's
not as good as God he is God he's not like God he is God and
this is the righteousness that every believer has I'm gonna
stand in that holy place perfect you've got to be perfect to be
accepted here's second thing God can't do he said in Exodus
34 verse seven, I will by no means clear the guilty. Now listen to that. Under no
circumstance, at no time will I ever clear a guilty sinner. Now, if he could clear the guilty,
it would make him an unjust judge. it would make him wrong. Now,
what about a judge, a human judge that could clear the guilty?
What would we call him? A corrupt judge, an unjust judge. You know, a judge, an unjust
corrupt judge, criminals don't need to be afraid of because
they can buy them. But not this judge, this absolute just judge. Shall not the judge of the earth
do right? If God would be able to clear
a man who is guilty, he would no longer be God. He said, I
will by no means clear the guilty. Now somebody says, but I know
I'm guilty. Well, the gospel is the declaration. The great mystery of how God
can be just and justify the ungodly. Now, if you know that God can't
clear the guilty, what a blessed thing it is to know the gospel
of Jesus Christ, how God can clear the guilty. And here's
my next statement. God cannot save a sinner at the
expense of his justice. God cannot save a sinner at the
expense of his justice. He cannot pardon sin without
the punishment of sin. And that is what was taking place
on the cross, the punishment of sin and the pardon of sin. Have I seen the glory of this? This is what was taking place
on Calvary's tree, both the punishment of sin and the pardon of sin. Would you turn with me for a
moment to 2 Corinthians 5. I bet you know what verse I'm
going to quote. 2 Corinthians 5, verse 21. For
he, God the Father hath made him
the Lord Jesus Christ. Now you'll notice to be is in
italics. It was supplied there by the
translators to make it more understandable, but as usual, the italics kind
of darken things. Let's read this without the italics.
For he hath made him sin. For us. Who knew no sin? Jesus Christ never sinned. We
know sin. We're used to it. It doesn't
bother us like it ought. We know sin. He knew no sin. Yet he was made sin. Now what's that mean? There's
no one that can, it's mysterious, it's just what it says. He was
made sin, whatever, he was made sin, my sin. My sin, the sin
I have committed, the sins I have not yet committed, but I will
commit. All my sin became his sin. He became guilty of the
commission of that sin of mine. Now somebody says, how can you
say that? Because the Bible says it. Turn with me to Psalm 40. Psalm 40 verse six. Sacrifice and offering thou didst
not desire. Mine ears hast thou opened. Burn
offerings 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.
Now we know without Hebrews 10 that that's speaking of the Lord
Jesus Christ, but it's quoted in Hebrews chapter 10 as being
the very words of the Lord Jesus Christ. Here, Christ is speaking. Look what he says in 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, Todd's iniquities that
were imputed to me. No, mine iniquities. That's what the Lord said. My
iniquities have taken hold upon me so that I am not able to look
up. They're more than the hairs of
my head. Therefore, my heart faileth me. That's the words of the Lord
Jesus Christ when he became the substitute for the sinner. Now, God punished the sin when
Christ was made sin, but you know what else he did? Sin's
forgiven. put away blotted out made not
to be and the righteousness that cried just as my sin truly became
his sin so that he said mine iniquities his righteousness
becomes my personal righteousness before God in the cross we have
punishment of sin, and we have the forgiveness of sin. Now,
could God have saved the sinner without the cross? Could he have? Do you remember when the Lord
was made sin? He was sweating drops of blood
at the thought of drinking the content of that cup, the cup
of our sins. And he said, Father, If it be
possible, let this cup pass from me. Now, I don't understand that,
nobody does, but here, he's the lamb slain from the foundation
of the world. Was it possible? No. That's why
I said, nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done. It was
not possible for sin to be put away. Did he not come and take
the sin? He took my sins and my sorrows.
He made them his very own. He bore the burden to Calvary
and suffered and died alone. My sin became his sin. There was no other way I could
be saved. All my salvation is there. If there was another way, The Lord would have answered
his prayer when he said, if it'd be possible, let this cup pass
from me. If there was another way, the
Lord would have answered his prayer, but there was no other
way. The gospel of the cross is how
he can both punish sin and pardon sin at the same time. God cannot send a man to hell.
for whom Christ died. I want you to think about that.
God cannot send a man to hell for whom Christ died. Now most
of what goes under the name of Christianity God loves everybody,
Christ died for everybody, paid for everybody's sins, but now
it's up to you to make what he did work for you. You got to
either accept him or reject him. That's foolishness. There's not
a drop of gospel in it. Somebody that preaches something
like that is clueless with regard to the gospel. Christ died for
the elect, and he accomplished their salvation. And God cannot
damn somebody that Jesus Christ shed his precious blood for. Now, I love when Paul says, who
is he that condemneth? That's a good question. Who can condemn him? Can God? Not if Christ died for me, because
here's how Paul answered that question. 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. Can God's law condemn me? What's
my answer? It's Christ that died. What about
when my conscience condemns me, and that's all the, listen, I
walk around with a black cloud over my head all the time. Somebody
says, you ought not be that way. Well, probably I shouldn't, but
I am. But what about my condemning conscience? How do I answer that?
It's Christ that died. That's the only, that's it. God cannot send somebody to hell
that Jesus Christ died for. If he did that, he'd be unjust. It would be contrary to his attributes.
If Jesus Christ died for me, and intended to save me, and
God ended up sending me to hell, you know what that would be?
I'd be in Christ failed in his intentions. That's all that would
mean. Oh, if Jesus Christ died for
me, I must be saved. He shall see the travail of his
soul, and be satisfied. And we're satisfied in what He's
satisfied with, aren't we? That's the only thing that gives
us any satisfaction. It's Christ that died. That's it. That's
the only thing that answers my conscience and gives me peace.
It's Christ that died. Yea, rather, that's risen again,
who's even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession
for us. God cannot send somebody to hell
that Christ died for. It's impossible. It's impossible. That's something God can't do. God cannot reject anyone who
believes the gospel. And here's what I want you to
do right now. Here's what I want to do. Somebody says, well, I don't
know if I'm going to be elect. I can't say positively I know
that I'm going to be elect. I can't say positively, I don't
know for sure that Christ died for my sins. I know he died for
somebody's sins, but I can't say for sure that he died for
my sins. I don't know, I'm not totally sure. I'm not even sure
if I've ever been born again. I'm not even sure if I have spiritual
eternal life. I'm not, I can't say with confidence,
I know that's the case with me. Forget that right now. Do you believe that Jesus Christ
is the Son of God? Do you? Do you believe that Jesus Christ
is the uncreated second person of the blessed Trinity? The one
who was with God and the one who was God. The same who was
in the beginning with God. Do you believe that Jesus Christ
is the Son of God? That's the question. I'm not
asking if you believe you're elect. I'm not asking you if
you believe Christ died for you. I'm not asking you if you believe
that you've been born again. I'm asking you, do you believe
that Jesus Christ is the Son of God? Do you? Guess what? You're elect. Jesus Christ died
for you. You've been born from above.
That's the only way you do something like that, to believe that Jesus
Christ is God the Son. I love the story of the, Ethiopian
eunuch. He heard Philip preach the gospel
to him and they come to the water. Evidently, Philip had said something
about being baptized. He said, see, here's water. What
hinders me from being baptized? Here it is. He said, if you believe
with all your heart, you may. And he said, Let me say first
what He didn't say. He didn't say, I know I'm saved. He didn't say, I believe I'm
one of the elect. He didn't say, I believe that Jesus Christ died
for my sins. He didn't say, I believe I've
been born again. He said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son
of God. Here's the issue. Do you know
who He is? That is the issue. If on the
cross, If you would ask him if he was elect, he might, I don't
know, he probably don't even know what that means. If you
would ask him, if you, I'll tell you one thing he did know, he's
the Lord. Lord! Remember, he knew he was God.
Don't you fear God seeing you're in the same condemnation, he
said to his buddy on the other cross. He knew who Jesus Christ,
he knew he couldn't fail. He said, remember me when you
come into your kingdom, when you come back as a mighty reigning
king, you're incapable of failure. Remember me, he knew who Jesus
Christ is. Do you know who he is? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
and thou shalt be saved. Is there any scenario in which
somebody that believes the gospel will not be saved? Like I said,
I'm not asking you about what you know about yourself, but
do you believe on Christ? Do you believe he's the only
hope that you have of acceptance before God? Do you plead only,
do you understand when he said, I am the way, the truth and the
life, no man comes to the Father but by me. Do you know the only
way you're gonna come to the Father is by being in him and
he brings you to the Father and that's the only way you come
and that excludes all of the ways. Do you believe that? That's saving faith. The Lord
said, all that the Father giveth me shall come to me, and him
that cometh to me I will in no wise, for no reason cast away. What's it mean to come to Christ?
It means to believe on him. It means to believe who he is.
Anything else? Nope. It's knowing who he is,
relying on him. Anyone who looks to The Philippian
jailer serves, what must I do to be saved? I know I can't save
myself. That issue's settled. What must
I do to be saved? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
and thou shalt be saved. God can't reject anyone who believes on
his son. Can't do it. God can't bring a man into heaven
with hell still in his heart. Now you think about that. God
can't bring, if he brings somebody like that into heaven, they'd
ruin heaven, they'd ruin it. If you even have the potential
to sin, you'd ruin heaven and he won't let you in. God's not
going to bring anybody into heaven that still has hell in his heart. But in the new birth, he gave
a new nature, a new heart that cannot sin. Now, turn to 1 John
chapter 30. Verse nine, whosoever is born
of God doth not commit sin. What's that mean? Exactly what
it says. That which God has fathered,
that which God has birthed, the new nature, the new man, doth
not commit sin. Look what he says next. For his seed, the seed of God,
that which, that seed of God given in the new birth that birthed
you into the kingdom of heaven. The seed of God remains in him
and he cannot sin. He lacks the ability to sin. That is the new nature that every
believer has, that the same nature that you're going to have in
heaven you have right now, the holy nature, the new nature.
That shows how strong the flesh is because we can't see it. You
know, I mean, we believe it, but we can't see it. But when
we put off this flesh, we're gonna be, we're going to experience
this thing of being holy and unblameable and unreprovable
in his sight. God's not gonna bring somebody
into heaven that still has hell in his heart. No, every believer
has this new man in Christ Jesus. And lastly, God cannot be worshiped
apart from spirit and truth. Turn to John chapter four. Verse 23, but the hour cometh
and now is when the 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. God cannot be worshiped
apart from spirit and truth. Now what is meant by spirit? The new nature. That which is born of the spirit.
the spiritual nature. Somebody says, I'm spiritual.
Well, if you're born again, you are. If you're not born again,
you're not spiritual, no matter what you say. People usually
love that. They like to use that term. It's ridiculous. Only those
who have been born of the spirit are spiritual. Ye which are spiritual
restore such a one in the spirit of meekness. I don't say to a
lost man, come worship with us. I say, come hear the gospel.
Well, I can't say come worship. You can't worship unless you're
born in the spirit. And this is absolutely necessary
in this thing of worship, the worship of God, spirit, and truth. No one has the spirit who doesn't
believe the truth. No one has the spirit who hadn't
heard the truth. No one has the spirit who have not embraced
the truth of the gospel. God is spirit, they that worship
him must worship him in spirit and truth. No man can worship
God apart from spirit and in truth. And your pastor read that
passage of scripture in Philippians chapter three, we are the circumcision. I love the way he said, beware
of the concision. They talk about circumcision, but they're the
mutilators is what they are. He comes up with a new word for
that. Beware of the concision. For we are the circumcision,
which worship God in the spirit. So only God can be worshiped.
This is that which he's given you, the spirit. Well, how do
I know if I'm worshiping God in the spirit? You rejoice in
Christ Jesus and nowhere else. You say with Paul, God forbid
that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. You rejoice only in Christ. Well, how do I know if I'm rejoicing
only in Christ? You have no confidence in the
flesh. None at all. No man can worship God apart
from worshiping him in spirit and in truth. Now, salvation
is believing his ability. There's no question about that.
Paul said, I know whom I have believed. I'm persuaded he's
able to keep that which I've committed to him. He's able.
I believe in his ability, but it's also believing in what he
can't do. He cannot lie. And all of our
salvation is dependent upon the truthfulness of Him who cannot
lie. Amen.