Romans 11
The Depth of God’s Riches
GOD HAS MERCY ON THEM ALL
This is why Paul ends Romans 11 with this doxology
Oh,
the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How
unsearchable his judgments,
and
his paths beyond tracing out!
The depths of God’s riches are not Gold, Silver and Bitcoin
It is His Wisdom and Knowledge
It is His handling of judgment that we cannot understand
“Who
has known the mind of the Lord?
Or
who has been his counselor?”
“Who
has ever given to God,
that
God should repay them?”
For from him and through him and for him are
all things.
To
him be the glory forever! Amen. Romans 11:33-36
We can’t tell God what to do
We can’t repay Him for His riches to us
Let’s just face it, everything is “From, Through, and For” Him with an emphasis on “All Things”
So, let’s give Him “Glory Forever”
Let us not cut people off from the Gospel
Let’s not cut people off from love
Let us focus on unity around Christ which we all must enter by faith
The Depth of God’s Riches
Paul ends Chapter 11
of Romans with a Doxology.
He says…
Oh, the depth of the riches of the
wisdom and knowledge of God!
How
unsearchable his judgments,
and
his paths beyond tracing out!
“Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or
who has been his counselor?”
“Who has ever given to God,
that
God should repay them?”
For from him and through him and for him are
all things.
To
him be the glory forever! Amen.
Romans 11:33-36
Why?
Why would Paul at this point say these words?
Certainly, they are great words.
Words of declaration and praise.
But why now?
Paul has been dealing with
a problem in the Book of Romans.
A problem we might overlook
if we did not live at that time.
The Book is speaking to two groups of people…
Jews and Gentiles
Paul has pointed out how bad the Gentiles are
and how bad the Jews are.
Both in their rejection of God
have fought with each other.
The battle…
The hatred is fostered by religious beliefs.
Jesus was rejected in the Jewish Synagogues.
The Jewish leaders condemned Christ
and had Him put to death.
Paul’s persecution was ignited by the Jews.
The Gentiles had their gods and
defiled the religious beliefs of the Jews.
The Romans served the Jews
in their fighting among themselves.
The blood shed over religious beliefs
and racial differences was great.
Not only do we see this in the Gospels
but in the Book of Acts and
the other New Testament Books.
Paul was addressing this great problem
in His letters to the Romans.
Paul brings correction and grace to both groups.
Now in Chapter 11, Paul is focusing on God’s heart
to unite all people to Himself.
Verse 22 says…
Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God
The problem must be dealt with in a stern way
but God does it with kindness.
Verse 25 says…
I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery
Have you ever hated someone or strongly disliked
a person or people for what they have done?
I have and it is a mystery why God would extend mercy to them.
Verse 28 says…
As far as the gospel is concerned,
they are enemies for your sake;
The Gospel is Good News to everyone.
No groups, no sinner is cut off from the Gospel.
Even though those who reject the Gospel are “Enemies”…
God’s Good News is for all people.
God so loved Abraham…
He made a promise to him
concerning his descendants.
God so loved the world…
He gave His only begotten Son.
We are “ALL” disobedient.
In our disobedience, we reject God and each other.
Now get a hold of verse 32 because it brings Paul
to this beautiful doxology in the end of Romans 11…
For God has bound everyone over to disobedience
so that he may have mercy on them all.
God holds every one of us as disobedient.
There in none righteous no not one
Romans 3:10
That should do it.
For every reason you dislike someone
God has a greater reason to dislike…
For all the persecution Jesus warns us about
and all the persecution we see in the New Testament.
For all those who do not seek God…
Paul says God sees it all and holds all accountable.
He does not ignore any of it, yet…
GOD HAS MERCY ON THEM ALL.
This is why Paul ends Romans 11 with this doxology…
Oh,
the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How
unsearchable his judgments,
and
his paths beyond tracing out!
The depths of God’s riches are not Gold, Silver and Bitcoin.
It is His Wisdom and Knowledge.
It is His handling of judgment
that we cannot understand.
“Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or
who has been his counselor?”
“Who has ever given to
God,
that
God should repay them?”
For from him and through him and for him are
all things.
To
him be the glory forever! Amen.
Romans 11:33-36
We can’t tell God what to do.
We can’t repay Him for His riches to us.
Let’s just face it…
Everything is “From, Through, and For Him
with an emphasis on “All Things”.
So, let’s give Him “Glory Forever”.
Let us not cut people off from the Gospel.
Let’s not cut people off from love.
Let us focus on unity around Christ
which we all must enter by faith.
As Paul say in Ephesians 4:13…
Until we all reach unity in the faith
and in the knowledge of the Son of God
and become mature, attaining to
the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Scripture Reading
Romans 11:22 ff NIV
22 Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. 23 And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!
25 I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, 26 and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written:
“The
deliverer will come from Zion;
he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.
27 And this is covenant with them
when I take away their sins.”
28 As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, 29 for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable. 30 Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God’s mercy to you. 32 For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.
Doxology
33 Oh, the
depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!
34 “Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?”
35 “Who has ever given to God,
that God should repay them?”
36 For from him and through him and for him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen.
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