A God of Promise

Illustration:

A little girl named Liz was suffering from a rare and serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miracu- lously survived the same disease and had developed the an- tibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister.

He hesitated for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, “Yes, I’ll do it if it will save Liz.” As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheeks. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, “Will I start to die right away?” Being young, the boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood. Yet he willingly submitted to the procedure anyway.

INTRO:

sion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheeks. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, “Will I start to die right away?” Being young, the boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood. Yet he willingly submitted to the procedure anyway. In this lesson we will look at another sacrifice, the greatest in world history.2

My message was “How big is your but?”  I’ve found a big defeater in my life is following up statements about what I want or need to do with the words “But I.”

The climax of verses and serves to highlight the power of Yahweh to bring good out of evil, to reverse any situation; in essence, to bring resurrection out of death. What is impossible for us is possible with God ().

I need to work out… BUT I am so tired.

I want to get healthy… BUT I lack self-control.

I want to stop yelling at my kids… BUT I just feel so frustrated all the time.

I need to talk about this issue with my friend… BUT I don’t like confrontation.

When we follow up statements with “But I” the BUT seems very big.

That’s why I’m learning to follow every “but I” with a “But God” statement of truth.  If I catch myself saying “but I”… I need to see this as a trigger to redirect my discouraged heart with a “But God” truth.

When we follow up statements with “But God” the BUT becomes smaller and smaller.

As I promised in last night’s webcast, here are some BUT GOD verses we can use:

But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded.

If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, you would surely have sent me away empty-handed. ButGod has seen my hardship and the toil of my hands, and last night he rebuked you.

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

David stayed in the desert strongholds and in the hills of the Desert of Ziph. Day after day Saul searched for him, but God did not give David into his hands.

But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side, and there is no adversary or disaster.

They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them.

But God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself.

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.

To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you brought my life up from the pit, O LORD my God.

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.

No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.

But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.

You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.

But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you.

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; Godchose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.

for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained.The climax of verses and serves to highlight the power of Yahweh to bring good out of evil, to reverse any situation; in essence, to bring resurrection out of death. What is impossible for us is possible with God ().