September 18 2025

Thursday September 18

“But God…”

Ephesians 2:4-9

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Today we move on to Ephesians 2:4-9. When we looked at verse 1-3, we see ourselves as sinners. Paul points out what our sin nature is, what our sin condition is. What is the tragic consequence of sin in our hearts and lives. We are dead in trespasses and sin. Paul teaches us we're disobedient because of that and we are the sons and children of disobedience. We're depraved. We fulfill the lust of the flesh. We do what comes naturally. And then we also are doomed. We're children of wrath. The wrath of God already abides upon us outside of Jesus Christ. That's the condition that we're in. That's the work of sin in our life.

Then there is God's judgment on sin. God's decree on sin is death “Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin. And sin when it is finished, it always brings forth death” (James 1:15). “The wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23). God told Adam, “The day you eat of the fruit of the tree, you shall surely die”. That's the result of sin. It's death. That's what's happening in the world today. When sin runs rampant and when people aren't coming to Christ and being saved. Only the life that we can have in Christ and the life that gives us a new nature, the nature of God Himself, the Holy Spirit living within us, can change that. We don’t need reformation, we need transformation! (2 Corinthians 5:17).

I love the very two words of verse 4! “But God”. First, we see our sin condition (vv. 1-3), but thank God we immediately have a “But God”. Read verses 4-9 again: “But God who is rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved us even when we were dead in trespasses made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved and raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you've been saved through faith. That not of yourselves is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.” These are some of the greatest verses explaining our salvation in all of scripture.

“But God”. Did you know that over 46 times you read in the Scriptures that phrase, “But God”. Things are bad, sin abounds, evil is everywhere, “But God”. Joseph was sold into Egypt as a slave by his brothers. But he told them, “It was not you who sent me here, but God…” (Genesis 45:8).  In Genesis 50:20 he went on to tell them, "You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good." My friend, when you bring in God, everything changes. You see, sin seems to rule, “But God”.

I love the many “But God” verses you find in the Bible. After describing the future judgment of the wicked, the Psalmist declares: “But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, For He shall receive me” (Psalm 49:15). Psalm 73:26, "My flesh and my heart fail, but God is the strength of my life."  In 2 Chronicles 20, King Jehoshaphat was facing an army that you couldn't even number. He was fearful, but he called a fast, fell on his knees, and prayed. And in 2 Chronicles 20:15, the prophet told him, "The battle is not yours, but God's." 

I love the “But God” in these verses: “For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:7-8). Yes, “The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). 

Aren't you thankful for the “Buts” in the Bible? They make all the difference, especially when you focus on God. Paul first focuses on us as sinners in the first verses, but now he focuses on God. And with God, I tell you, we have hope. Tomorrow we're going to talk about how God is rich in His mercy. He's rich in His grace. He's full of love because He is love. But today, I trust that you will look to Jesus and know that He is your only hope of salvation if you're without Christ.

Today, I’m convinced that we are seeing God doing some great things across this country. The message of the Gospel is being preached from places we would never have imagined a few years ago. And the Gospel tells us, “But God”! God loves us. He cares for us. He's provided a way of salvation. And I tell you today, He will save you and anyone who comes to Him by faith and humility.

God bless!