"But..."

B. Genesis 19:24-26 MKJV Then Jehovah rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire, from Jehovah out of the heavens. And He overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that, which grew upon the ground. BUT HIS WIFE LOOKED BACK from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

C. Victory in the Christian life is dependent upon complete obedience to Christ. Partial obedience results in disaster.

D. We pray, "What do You want me to do, Lord? Where do You want me to go? I’ll do anything You say." But then when the Lord says, "I want you to get up and pray every morning, read your Bible daily, attend church faithfully, tell your neighbor about Me" we fail to obey Him. We say, "I know I should" BUT we don’t.

E. Luke 16:10 MKJV He who is faithful in the least is also faithful in much. And he who is unjust in the least is also unjust in much.

F. Elisabeth Elliot, at Urbana 76, told of her brother Thomas Howard. Their mother let him play with paper bags she’d saved if he put them away afterwards. One day she walked into the kitchen to find them strewn all over the floor. Tom was out at the piano with his father singing hymns. When confronted, he protested, "But Mom, I want to sing." His father stated, "It’s no good singing God’s praise if you’re disobedient."

G. Deuteronomy 10:12-13 MKJV And now, Israel, what does Jehovah your God ask of you, but to fear Jehovah your God, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, and to serve Jehovah your God with all your heart and with all your soul, to keep the commandments of Jehovah, and His statutes, which I command you today for your good?

H. The will of God never has been and never will be accomplished by those who are not totally obedient to Him. During the Civil War, it is said that there was a man who was sympathetic to both sides. He lived, you see, in a borderline state. Finally, he decided that he would effect a compromise. He put on a mixed uniform, wearing the Confederate gray coat, and the Union blue trousers. All went well, it seems, until he became engaged in a hard fought battle, when the Federals shot him in the coat, and the Confederates shot him in the seat of the pants! Now, there’s a moral to this highly improbably story. If you are going to serve in an army you must wear its uniform. If you are going to march in the parade, you must keep in step.

III. The BUT of Complete Grace.

A. Genesis 6:5-8 MKJV And Jehovah saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And Jehovah repented that He had made man on the earth, and He was angry to His heart. And Jehovah said, I will destroy man whom I have created, from the face of the earth, both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air. For I repent that I have made them. BUT NOAH FOUND GRACE IN THE EYES OF JEHOVAH.

B. John 3:16 MKJV For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish BUT have everlasting life.