My Sunday morning message for December 3rd, presented at Eagle's Rest Ministries, meeting in Key West, Fl. Join us each Sunday Morning in the auditorium of the Poinciana School on Kennedy dr. at 10:30 am, for a time of prayer, praise, worship and the Word.
Today’s message is titled "WHY GOD LIMITED HIMSELF".
There is nothing we could do that would prevent God from being a ruthless, destructive, cosmic monster… if He chose to be so. If He took sadistic glee in tormenting His creation at will, with whips and chains and ever burning hell-fire for all eternity, we could not prevent Him. (The truth is that Hell was created for Satan and his angels. It was never intended for any person, unless those people reject God and choose to follow the path of Satan through sin and self gratification).
So even though God could do and be whatever He wants, and no one could stop Him, He has chosen to operate within the laws and rules He Himself set up for Himself. In His infinite wisdom He has chosen to be a God of compassion and mercy and love… As God, He chose to work out a plan of salvation in which He is reproducing Himself after His own nature, through the men and women He created. In doing so, He has willed Himself to always and forever, limit Himself to certain laws, principles, attitudes, and behaviors which He has decided, and as part of that plan, we are to put on, the very mind of Christ with the values and principles He Himself has chosen to live by.” (does that make sense?)............ 1 Corinthians 2:14 “The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. 15 The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, 16 for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to instruct him?”
God’s Spirit not only places limits on Himself, but we who have the Spirit, understand that there are limits placed on us, which we cannot ignore...We have free will and free choice, but the Christian life is one of embracing boundaries and limitations which will then allow His power and authority to be manifested in our lives.
So, for our own benefit let us examine a few of the many restrictions God has imposed upon Himself…. While the Bible teaches us in Matthew 19:26, that “with God, all things are possible”, and in Luke 1:37 where it says “with God nothing is impossible”, Scripture also teaches that God can and will do nothing that is inconsistent with His holy character or divine nature. God limits Himself for reasons of His own justice and in order to maintain His own integrity. The only limits that can be placed on God are those He places on Himself.
Let’s take a look at some things that God CANNOT do, and we can all be thankful that He has chosen to limit Himself... The first limitation I want us to look at is..... God cannot die, or cease to exist (this is the symbol for infinity) Psalm 102:25-27 “ You laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you will remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away, but you are the same, and your years have no end”. Isaiah 40:28 “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; His understanding is unsearchable”. God himself declares that He is eternal. God has always existed in eternity past, in eternity present, and eternity future. This is declared by the Apostle John and by Jesus—God the Son: John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”. John reminds us that Jesus (who is “the Word”) already existed at the beginning of what we know as creation. If God sent you a picture, you would be looking at Jesus—Jesus existed in eternity past, He exists in eternity present and eternity future. Prophecy is not just us seeing the future, it is Jesus describing the future He has already been to.... When John wrote Revelation, He saw where Jesus already is.... Revelation 1:18 “I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hell. Revelation 22:13 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end” The next limit God placed on Himself, comes out of a children’s church session, as the teacher was sharing with the children about the power and magnificence of God. As he was telling them about how God created the earth and the animals, and that God can be everywhere at the same time, and he was explaining all the wonderful and amazing miracles that God performs. Then in the lesson, he confidently told the class: “God can do anything! Nothing is impossible with God!” As soon as he said those words, a young 6 year old boy slowly put his hand up to speak and the boy said, “There’s something that God cannot do – “What’s that”, said the teacher, “God can’t lie” was the boy’s answer.... GOD CANNOT LIE... What an awesome lesson from that young boy, because it is such a true statement about the God who can do all things, and yet, used His infinite power to place limits on Himself.... We could not say that God is truth, if there were any falseness in Him. We could not know the power of the truth that sets us free, if there were even a speck of untruth in Him. Paul describes the truth as a girdle which holds the other parts of armor in place. Numbers 23:19 “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good”? If God could lie, then our hope, our faith and our trust would be in vain in the Lord. How many can Praise Him that His word is true, and He will do what He said.....Thank God, He cannot lie!
GOD CANNOT SIN – It is not in God’s nature to sin, to lie or to perform any kind of wickedness. God is holy, pure and sinless. God is not corrupt nor can He be tempted to become corrupt or to sin. His actions thoughts, and motives, are always good and righteous and just.
1 Samuel 2:2 – “No one is holy like the Lord, For there is none besides Him, Nor is there any rock (dependability and reliability) like our God.” Someone has argued that if sin exists, and God made everything, then He created sin... It’s the concept of Ying and Yang. Where there is good, there is evil and where there is evil, there is good. This teaching is that good and evil are inter connected. And in the end, God and Satan will reconcile with one another. (somebody didn’t read the bible) But the mistake is that Satan is not equal to God, He is a created being, who rebelled. The cause of that rebellion, was his pride, and pride is the author of all sin, since pride drives us away from dependance upon the Father God, and puts ourselves in place of God. Pride is the lie that causes mankind to look to himself, for the answers that he is never able to find. I’ve heard it said, “Man is never more like the devil than when he is full of self-will.” The Greatest sin, is not murder, lying, stealing, drunkenness, or perversion... it is the rejection of God’s sacrifice for sin, through Jesus Christ. The pride of thinking we can be good enough in our own efforts. Let me add here, that angels have a free will, but not choice. Mankind has a free will and we have choice. When angels rebel, they are cast out of heaven, and cannot have a second chance. Mankind can choose to rebel against God and repent, and through grace we will be restored and forgiven.
Isaiah 14:12-14 “How are you fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!…For you have said in your heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne…I will sit also upon the mount of God…I will ascend above the heights…I will be like the most High”
Self-will displaces God’s will, and the devil emerges. It was pride that caused Lucifer’s fall and subsequent condemnation. He uses it very effectively still today, to bring multitudes under his control. The next limit God put on Himself...... GOD CANNOT CONTRADICT HIMSELF – God cannot and will not do things that are not in harmony with His nature or which are contrary to His word. Once God says it, then He holds Himself accountable to His own word. God cannot change His mind when it comes to issues that are consistent with His very nature and His Godship. Numbers 23:19 – “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?
Be careful how you pick and choose scripture to make you feel good, or to justify your actions... You may end up like the guy who randomly picked a scripture out of his scripture box, to find out what God had to say to him for the day... One morning he pulled out Matthew 27:5 “And Judas went out and hanged himself”....do thou likewise..... In Genesis 22, after Abraham obeyed God and was willing to offer his son Isaac on the altar, where God stopped him and provided a ram caught in the thicket.... Here’s what God said to him...
Genesis 22:15 The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said, “I swear by my own name, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.” If God said it to you, He will not change His mind, as your mind and heart are seeking after and set on Him... God’s word is as Himself He cannot change it.....The Bible does not contradict itself neither can God behave in any way that is contradictory to His nature.
(Malachi 3:6 – “For I am the Lord, I do not change”....
(Hebrews 13:8 – Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.)
GOD CANNOT BE ANYTHING BUT THE ONE TRUE GOD – False gods might try to imitate or counterfeit the power and nature of the one true God. However, God himself will not imitate anybody. God does not need to become like anyone or anything. God is God and there is only ONE God. Therefore God, for example, cannot become Buddha or Allah, or Vishu, or Krishna, or your higher power or a god from any other religion. Isaiah 43:10 – “You are My witnesses,” says the Lord, “And My servant whom I have chosen, That you may know and believe Me, And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, Nor shall there be after Me”. There cannot be many Gods, If God is the one true God....All other God’s are Satan, in his many disguises and counterfeit attempts at God....
When the Philistines, who worshiped, Dagon, placed the ark, which they had captured, beside the statue of Dagon, look what happened....
1 Samuel 5:5 “After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 2 Then they carried the ark into Dagon’s temple and set it before Dagon.
Verse 3 When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord! They took Dagon and put him back in his place.
Verse 4 But the following morning when they rose, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord! His head and hands had been broken off and were lying on the threshold; only his body remained. His head was broken off, representing his authority. His hands were broken off, representing his power....
The blessing and the curse cannot abide in the same place. If you’re not being blessed then the curse is present and must be broken. Unforgiveness will put you under the curse.... a judgmental spirit will put you under a curse.... Keeping back the tithe from God will bring you under a curse (Malachi tells us that when we tithe, we rebuke the devourer) If you’re not being blessed, there’s a curse operating.....
Next, we see, GOD CANNOT TEMPT ANYONE WITH EVIL–
James 1:13 – Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone”.
No one can blame God for causing them to sin. The choices we make, determine blessing or cursing. No one needs to ask, “Why did God do this to me?.... God is just, and He has given us the path to blessing if we choose to follow it, or the path to cursing, if we choose to follow it. No one will be able to say that God sent them to Hell. They ignored and resisted all His attempts to save them and push past them all....
GOD CANNOT HATE YOU – God is love. God hates sin, but He loves the sinner. God loves us even when we are at our very worst. While we were sinners, He gave the greatest gift He could possibly give, He gave Himself to die in human form. The price to remove judgment from us, was for the Judge to take our place. He passed sentence on Himself, so we could go free.
Romans 5:8 – But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
GOD CANNOT SHOW FAVORITISM – God does not have favorites. He loves us all the same. God does not judge anybody unjustly or unfairly.
In Acts 10, When God led Peter to the Roman Centurion, Cornelius’ house, and they all received the message of salvation and then were filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter declares in.... Acts 10:34-35 –”In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him. What He’s done for one, He’ll do for all!!!
If I hear that God provided finances for someone, then that’s for everyone who believes. If I hear that God provided healing for someone, I want some of that.....Miracles, signs and wonders, deliverance, promotion, and on we could go....Whatever He will do for one, He will not do for all.....
GOD CANNOT BE DECEIVED – He cannot be fooled because He is all knowing, all seeing, in all places at all times. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the end.
Hebrews 4:13 – “There is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account”. He is pure light and all lies and deception are exposed in His presence. When we walk in the light, we are free of deception. But we can choose to be deceived and hear what we want to hear, and see what we want to see.
There are folks that don’t want to be free because they don’t want to give up what they have become dependent upon.
The Jewish people were free from Egypt, but still longed for what they had in Egypt, even though it meant they were slaves in Egypt. How many folks could be free, but they are not willing to give up what they are In bondage to.... I know of a fella who was healed, but lost his healing because he didn’t want to give up his disability check.....
Then there are those who have allowed themselves to be willing slaves of the devil, because they don’t want to change their life style. They thought they were in charge of their stuff, but in reality their stuff is in charge of them.... They could be delivered, but they are comfortable with their bondage. It might be eating, shopping, alcohol, chemicals, laziness, uncleanness, pornography, or many things which they know in their spirit needs to change, but they choose to hold on to it, and never go forward in their walk with God.
Paul makes a startling statement in 1 Corinthians 5:5 “I have decided to turn such a person over to Satan for the destruction of his body, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord”.
In other words, let them have a good taste of what they’re playing with, and they’ll turn to the truth... You play around with the destroyer, and the destroyer will win.... So pray that they will wake up and their soul will be saved. Someone said that “If everyone knew what those who have died know, then everyone would be following Jesus as Lord and Master.”
I am so glad for this one......GOD CANNOT STOP LOVING YOU. He cannot love us any more than He already loves us and He cannot love us any less than He already loves us.
Jeremiah 31:3 “The Lord appeared of old unto me, saying, “I have loved you with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn you” Aren’t you thankful that God put limits on Himself, to never stop loving you. Let us be grateful and praise God for Who He is and What He is… a God of loving care, compassion, and forgiveness. He has set us the example and opened the way before us to follow in His steps. We never give up on anyone, because He never will!! Don’t be surprised if they get worse before they get better, because Satan will intensify his hold on them just before the break through comes!! But He will never quit on anyone, as long as their heart is beating and they are alive, He’s reaching out, and drawing them to Himself.
Christianity is all about Christ. When we make it about other stuff, we open ourselves to deception and a lying spirit. It’s not about rules and regulations, it’s about Jesus.... It’s not about our works, it’s about Jesus. It’s not about chasing the blessings, it’s about the blesser, Jesus.... GOD CANNOT ALLOW A PERSON WHO IS NOT A CHRISTIAN TO ENTER HEAVEN – This lie of the enemy that somehow everyone is going to heaven when they die, has found it’s way into the church, and ministers who are called to preach the gospel, are insinuating such things as they conduct funeral services. Lulling the ignorant into a false sense of peace and security. I heard a pastor say that he attended a service where the minister indicated that the man who had died was safe in the arms of Jesus, and in a better place.... When he checked, the man had murdered his wife, then shot himself.... A person who is not born again / saved / and a practicing Christian cannot enter into Heaven, or God is not the God of the bible.
Death is not anyone’s passport to heaven. That’s like saying that if I live in a garage, that makes me a car! To become a Christian, a person must believe and receive Jesus Christ as his/her Lord & Savior. The only way to Heaven is through Jesus Christ. I am serving Christ today, because when my mom, lost her daughter, the pastor shared this truth, and she prayed and received Christ at her daughter’s funeral, then later on, led me to Christ as my savior....
John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
John 14:6 – Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me”
Knowing the nature of God is very important. God will not ignore us if we call to Him and have a genuine desire to know Him and have a relationship with Him.
Isaiah 55:11 “So shall my word be that goes forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it”.
There are MANY things that God will do in your personal life which are consistent with His word and with His nature. It is impossible for God to promise anything and not do it..... What Has He Promised You...Believe it, know that He remembers when the whole world forgets!!
If this message has ministered unto you and you wish to contact us privately, with a praise report, prayer request, or give to this ministry, our address is Eagle's Rest Ministries, P.O box 2820, Key West, Florida 33040.. Keep us in your prayers that we may be an instrument in the Master's hands, and Jesus may be exalted continually in our lives and ministry. Thank you in advance and God richly bless you.. We look forward to hearing from you.
