6/28/2026 Sunday Morning Worship: "Things God Can't Do"

Devotional

Day 1: Laughter in the Tent, Promise in the Dust

Sarah’s stifled laugh echoed doubt, yet God’s vow cut through decades of barrenness. His question hung like desert heat: “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” What seems impossible—dreams deferred, prayers unanswered, hopes withered—meets the God who names sons before they’re conceived. His power isn’t limited by human timelines or biological clocks. The same God who counted Sarah’s laugh still counts stars for Abraham’s descendants. Trust grows when we stop measuring His capability by our calendars. [34:38]

“Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.”
(Genesis 18:14, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you stopped daring to hope because time seems to have run out? How might God’s question to Sarah reframe your “impossible” situation?

Day 2: Unshakable Promises from the Father of Lights

God’s vows aren’t crossed fingers behind His back. Unlike human pledges broken by circumstance or whim, His Word stands like Polaris—fixed, guiding, eternal. When He promised eternal life before time began, it wasn’t a hopeful guess but a granite reality. His light never flickers; His covenants never expire. Every sunrise shouts His faithfulness, every Scripture breathes His reliability. To doubt His promise is to accuse the sun of forgetfulness. [42:36]

“In hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began.”
(Titus 1:2, ESV)

Reflection: What promise feels fragile in your hands today? How does God’s nature as the “Father of lights” with no shadow of turning steady your grip?

Day 3: The Judge of All the Earth Does Right

Sodom’s smoke still whispers: God’s justice burns away compromise. Abraham’s bold question—“Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?”—was really an answer. The One who numbers hairs also numbers righteous souls in wicked cities. His mercy delays judgment for intercession; His holiness demands fire where evil festers. Our cries of “That’s unfair!” meet His higher math—counting Christ’s blood as payment, our repentance as ledger entries. [50:41]

“Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?”
(Genesis 18:25, ESV)

Reflection: When have you struggled to reconcile God’s mercy and justice? How does Christ’s cross answer Abraham’s question anew?

Day 4: Sins Washed, Covered, Purged

God’s forgiveness isn’t a hesitant pardon but an eternal erasure. He doesn’t merely overlook stains—He blots, buries, burns them. The Judge who can’t ignore sin becomes the Lamb who removes it. To resurrect old guilt is to distrust His divine amnesia. Our shame shouts “Unclean!”; His blood shouts “Forgiven!” louder. His justice demanded payment; His mercy provided it. [54:26]

“I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”
(Hebrews 8:12, ESV)

Reflection: Which forgiven failure still chains you? How would living as someone whose sins God chooses to forget change your tomorrow?

Day 5: No Other Name Under Heaven

The cross isn’t one rescue raft among many—it’s the only bridge over wrath’s canyon. Christ didn’t come to make salvation possible but certain…for those who obey. Baptismal waters don’t dilute His exclusivity; they confirm it. To claim “good people” bypass the cross insults His wounds. Every other path ends at the cliff; His narrow road alone leads home. [56:07]

“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
(Acts 4:12, ESV)

Reflection: How does Christ’s exclusivity deepen your gratitude rather than narrow your compassion? Who needs to hear this hard truth wrapped in love today?

Sermon Summary

God’s power stands at the front of the whole matter. Genesis 18 sets Abraham and Sarah past the age of childbearing, Sarah laughing in the tent, and God asking, “Is there anything too hard for the Lord?” God not only promised a child, God promised a son, and that fulfilled word shows that the Lord’s power and the Lord’s prophecy can be trusted.

Psalm 121 and Ephesians 3:20 put hope right where it belongs, in the God who made heaven and earth and who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that is asked or thought. The resurrection of Jesus, the afflictions of the gospel, and the keeping of the faithful all stand rooted in the power of God. Yet God’s “cannot” does not weaken that power. God cannot do anything opposed to his divine nature, and that is good news, friends.

First John declares that God is light and in him is no darkness at all. God cannot contradict his own holiness, purity, justice, and righteousness. God cannot lie, not merely because he chooses truth, but because Hebrews says it is impossible for God to lie. God cannot break covenant, alter what has gone out of his lips, or renege on his divine contracts. Titus 1:2 therefore gives the obedient child of God confidence in eternal life, not guesswork, not wondering, not hoping in a shaky way, but standing on the promises because “the book said it.”

James teaches that God cannot be tempted with evil, neither does he tempt any man. Temptation comes when a man is drawn away by his own lust and enticed. God cannot ignore sin, cannot have fellowship with sin, and cannot let sin go unchecked. Abraham’s plea over Sodom asked the weighty question, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” Of course he will, because everything God does is right.

God also cannot eternally penalize forgiven sins. Redemption, remission, blotting out, washing, covering, and purging all mean that forgiven sins cannot be held over the faithful. The blood of Christ cleanses those walking in the light, and God remembers those sins no more.

God cannot save anyone outside of Jesus Christ. Christ came into the world to save sinners, and salvation comes by obeying the things that are written: hearing the gospel, believing Jesus is the Son of God, repenting, confessing Christ, being baptized for the remission of sins, and remaining faithful unto death. If God could save outside of Jesus, the cross would make no sense. The call is plain: obey the gospel while there is still right now.

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Key Takeaways

1. God’s cannot is holy assurance God’s inability to lie, sin, or contradict himself is not a crack in omnipotence. It is the very reason his people can rest their weight on his word without wondering whether heaven will shift beneath them. Divine limitation here is not weakness, but perfection refusing to become false, dark, or unjust. [39:10]
2. God’s promises are not guesses Titus 1:2 makes eternal life stand on the character of the God who cannot lie. Confidence before God is not arrogance when it is built on obedience to what God has actually promised. A soul that has obeyed the gospel does not have to live in spiritual fog, because the promise rests in the mouth of God, not the mood of man. [43:25]
3. Sin cannot fellowship with light James places temptation where it belongs, not in God, but in lust that draws a person away and entices. God’s pure eyes cannot behold evil as if evil were harmless, and his holiness cannot make peace with rebellion. The comfort of grace should never be confused with the idea that God ignores sin. [48:10]
4. Forgiven sins cannot condemn again Forgiveness is not God pretending sin did not matter. Forgiveness is sin remitted, blotted out, washed, covered, and purged through the blood of Christ. A forgiven Christian can dishonor mercy by carrying what God has removed, as though personal shame had more authority than divine pardon. [53:05]
5. Salvation stays inside Christ God sent his Son for the express purpose of saving sinners, and that means salvation cannot be detached from Jesus and still be biblical. Good intentions, decent character, and human sympathy cannot replace the blood, the gospel, or obedience to what is written. If God saved outside of Christ, Calvary would be emptied of its necessity.

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Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[32:21] - Visitors And Bible Answers
[33:07] - Christ’s Love And Salvation
[33:31] - Things God Cannot Do
[35:31] - Hope In God’s Power
[38:28] - God Cannot Contradict His Nature
[40:09] - God Cannot Lie
[47:46] - God Cannot Be Tempted
[50:15] - Shall Not The Judge Do Right
[53:05] - Forgiven Sins Cannot Condemn
[55:15] - God Saves Only In Christ
[61:20] - The Things Written For Salvation
[64:23] - Obey The Gospel Today

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Genesis 18:14
“Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.” [35:31]

Titus 1:2
“in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began” [40:09]

James 1:13
“Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am being tempted by God,' for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.” [47:46]

Observation questions

In Genesis 18:14, what exactly did the Lord promise Sarah, and what detail makes that promise especially striking? [35:31]
According to Titus 1:2, what is hope of eternal life tied to about God’s character? [40:09]
In James 1:13, what two things are clearly denied about God and evil? [47:46]
What words were used to describe what happens to sins that have been forgiven—such as remitted, blotted out, washed, covered, and purged? [53:05]

Interpretation questions

If God cannot lie, how does that shape the meaning of Christian hope in Titus 1:2? Does “hope” here sound more like uncertainty, or more like confidence resting on God’s character? [43:25]
Genesis 18:14 connects God’s power with God’s specific promise. What does that show about the relationship between what God is able to do and what God has said he will do? [35:31]
James 1:13 says temptation does not come from God. Why is that important for honest repentance? How does that truth keep a person from shifting blame away from personal lust and sin? [48:10]
If forgiven sins are remembered no more, what does that suggest about the way a Christian should think about guilt, assurance, and the cleansing power of Christ’s blood? [53:05]

Application questions

Where is it hardest right now to believe that nothing is too hard for the Lord? Is there a burden, relationship, sin struggle, or fear that has started to seem bigger than God’s power? [35:31]
God cannot lie. When doubt rises, what promises of God does the heart most need to come back to? What helps a person stand on what God has said instead of on changing feelings? [43:25]
Since God tempts no one, where is there a temptation to excuse sin by blaming stress, other people, upbringing, or circumstances? What would it look like to name the real lust or desire underneath the temptation? [47:46]
God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. Are there any places of compromise that have started to feel acceptable simply because they have been around a long time? What would walking in the light look like there? [38:28]
Forgiven sins cannot condemn again. Is there a sin already confessed and cleansed that still gets carried around as if grace were not enough? What makes it difficult to rest in God’s pardon? [53:05]
Salvation stays inside Christ. How clearly could each person in the group explain the response God calls for—hearing the gospel, believing in Christ, repenting, confessing him, being baptized for the remission of sins, and remaining faithful? Which part of that response most needs fresh seriousness right now? [01:01:20]
There is a “right now” urgency to obeying God. Is there any step of obedience being delayed at the moment? What would it look like to stop postponing and respond while there is still time? [01:04:23]

Sermon Clips

52s

“God cannot eternally penalize forgiven sins. If your sins are forgiven, God cannot hold them against you. Ephesians one seven, in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sin according to the riches of his grace. God will not hold your forgiven sins against you and this is a issue for many Christians who God has forgiven but they can't forgive themselves. But God has forgiven you. And so the unforgiveness of yourself holds you back from being what God will have you be because he's forgiven you.”

72s

“Friends, the things God cannot do are certainly not weaknesses of God. They're not weaknesses. But what they are are assurances that that prove and confirm his perfect and divine nature. And again, those things are good for us. Those things are good for us. God cannot lie. He cannot sin or tempt us with sin, and he certainly cannot save anyone outside of the blood of his son Jesus. If that were the case, why send Jesus? Why why leave perfection in heaven and come down to a sin stained world and go through what our Lord went through to be nailed to a cross, beaten, spit upon, mocked, ridiculed, to shed his blood. Why do all of that? Is God if God is just gonna save people outside of Jesus? And it makes no sense. And it's not biblical.”

51s

“God can't do anything that is opposed to his divine nature. God can't do it. If there are things that are opposed to his divine nature, God cannot do them. Notice first John chapter one verse five. John said, this then is the message which we have heard of him and declare unto you that God is light and in him is no darkness at all. There is no darkness in God. He is completely and absolutely pure. He is completely and absolutely just and righteous and holy and all of those attributes that apply to God in his divine nature, he cannot contradict those things.”

53s

“Before the foundation of the world was ever laid, God's word was settled in heaven, already established. Before God ever created man, his word was settled and this is why you can trust the word of God. This is why you can have confidence in the promises that it provides. In second Peter one three and four, Peter said, according as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of him who had called us to glory and virtue, whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature having escaped the corruption that is in this world through lust. You and I can stand on the promises of God because he cannot lie.”

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6/28/2026 Sunday Morning Worship: "Things God Can't Do" - Eric Garner