In this message I talked about the significance of the conjunction “but” in Scripture. It’s important to take notice because the word “but” cancels out the  statement that precedes it. For example in Ephesians 2:1-8 Paul writes:

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

The word “but” in this passage separates our former life from our new life in Christ.

Here is a helpful article that deals with this in greater detail:

But God

Also I talked about the fact that all acts of God in our life are supernatural events. Here is an article that goes into more detail on that subject:

All Christian Ministry Is Supernatural

Here is a quote that I thought about using from C.S.Lewis but ultimately decided that it didn’t flow with the message. However it does point to the truth that being spiritual does not change your life. Only the Gospel of Jesus Christ can transform.

                  “The sins of the flesh are bad, but they are the least bad of all sins. All the worst pleasures are purely spiritual: the pleasure of putting other people in the wrong, of bossing and patronising and spoiling sport, and back-biting; the pleasures of power, of hatred. For there are two things inside me, competing with the human self which I must try to become. They are the Animal self, and the Diabolical self. The Diabolical self is the worse of the two. That is why a cold, self-righteous prig who goes regularly to church may be far nearer to hell than a prostitute. But, of course, it is better to be neither.”

And finally, here is the link to Sunday’s message

The Gospel Transforms

About Chuck Mullis

I am the husband of Valerie and the father of Russell,Hannah and Luke. I am a self-employed contractor living in rural North Carolina as well as an ordained Southern Baptist Minister serving Central Baptist Church in Lenoir, NC.

One response »

  1. Great thought. Thanks you for posting this.

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