1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:01,760 Going to be in Romans chapter 11. 2 00:00:01,760 --> 00:00:04,560 We're going to be ending Romans chapter 11. 3 00:00:04,560 --> 00:00:09,040 And really the book of Romans is split into two different sections. 4 00:00:09,680 --> 00:00:15,040 The first 11 chapters is all about God's redemptive plan to us. 5 00:00:15,919 --> 00:00:18,640 So the way that you can think about is the Gospel to us. 6 00:00:19,440 --> 00:00:21,560 And then what we're going to do is we're going to pick up Romans 7 00:00:21,560 --> 00:00:26,120 chapter 12 and Romans chapter 12 on is all about the Gospel through 8 00:00:26,120 --> 00:00:30,200 us, how we're supposed to live our lives in accordance to what we 9 00:00:30,200 --> 00:00:30,520 believe. 10 00:00:31,080 --> 00:00:35,760 And so we've seen in the first 11 chapters the truth of who God 11 00:00:35,760 --> 00:00:40,680 is, the truth of what God has done for us in the plan of redemption. 12 00:00:41,080 --> 00:00:44,440 It started all the way back in Romans chapter one about the gospel. 13 00:00:44,520 --> 00:00:48,400 You remember in Romans chapter one, verse 16, Paul says, for I'm 14 00:00:48,400 --> 00:00:50,120 not ashamed of the Gospel. 15 00:00:50,680 --> 00:00:53,400 He says it is the gospel of the. 16 00:00:53,400 --> 00:00:56,840 The truth of Jesus Christ that changes everything for us. 17 00:00:56,840 --> 00:01:01,020 And so at the core of all of our theology is the Gospel. 18 00:01:01,660 --> 00:01:03,740 Now, by way of review, what is the Gospel? 19 00:01:03,740 --> 00:01:06,620 The Gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ. 20 00:01:07,180 --> 00:01:11,300 It is the good news that he came to this earth, lived a perfect 21 00:01:11,300 --> 00:01:16,580 life, fulfilled the law, died on the cross for our sins, conquered 22 00:01:16,580 --> 00:01:18,940 death through the resurrection, and gives us an opportunity 23 00:01:18,940 --> 00:01:21,660 to know him in a relationship through faith. 24 00:01:21,900 --> 00:01:25,360 And the only way that we can have that is through his mercy and 25 00:01:25,360 --> 00:01:26,000 his grace. 26 00:01:26,160 --> 00:01:29,120 And so in Romans chapter one, he tells us it's all about the Gospel, 27 00:01:29,360 --> 00:01:31,800 the plan of God for our salvation. 28 00:01:31,800 --> 00:01:34,840 Then he goes on in Romans chapter three to tell us that we've 29 00:01:34,840 --> 00:01:36,840 all sinned to come short of the glory of God. 30 00:01:36,840 --> 00:01:40,320 The reality is, is that all of us fall short. 31 00:01:40,320 --> 00:01:42,200 All of us need a Savior. 32 00:01:42,200 --> 00:01:44,400 All of us are marred by sin. 33 00:01:44,400 --> 00:01:48,640 And sin is missing the mark, it's missing the holiness of God. 34 00:01:48,640 --> 00:01:51,400 And by the way, the Bible tells us, for all have sinned and 35 00:01:51,400 --> 00:01:52,600 come short of the glory of God. 36 00:01:52,600 --> 00:01:53,920 We all have missed the mark. 37 00:01:54,570 --> 00:01:57,370 No matter how good we think we are, we all have missed the mark. 38 00:01:57,370 --> 00:02:01,090 And that sounds kind of bad, but again, this is the good news 39 00:02:01,090 --> 00:02:01,890 of Jesus Christ. 40 00:02:01,890 --> 00:02:06,130 And so the Gospel tells us later on in Romans 5, verse 8, that 41 00:02:06,130 --> 00:02:09,530 God demonstrated or commended his love toward us in that while 42 00:02:09,530 --> 00:02:12,090 we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 43 00:02:12,490 --> 00:02:14,770 So the Bible tells us that even though we were sinners, even 44 00:02:14,770 --> 00:02:18,010 though we didn't deserve God's love, he proved his love. 45 00:02:18,010 --> 00:02:20,990 As we mentioned this morning in the Book of John, he proved his 46 00:02:20,990 --> 00:02:22,950 love through a sacrifice. 47 00:02:22,950 --> 00:02:26,110 And the sacrifice of the Holy One, the sacrifice of the perfect 48 00:02:26,110 --> 00:02:26,470 Lamb. 49 00:02:26,470 --> 00:02:27,230 Jesus Christ. 50 00:02:27,470 --> 00:02:30,470 But then we see In Romans chapter 6, it says, for all have 51 00:02:30,470 --> 00:02:31,990 sinned and come short of the glory of God. 52 00:02:31,990 --> 00:02:36,309 But verse 23, the second part of it says, but the gift of God, 53 00:02:36,309 --> 00:02:40,910 the grace of God, is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 54 00:02:41,950 --> 00:02:45,190 Over and over again we're told what we are to believe about Jesus. 55 00:02:45,190 --> 00:02:46,030 And it is this. 56 00:02:46,410 --> 00:02:48,810 Not that he's just an add on to our life. 57 00:02:49,050 --> 00:02:50,330 Not that he can help us. 58 00:02:50,330 --> 00:02:53,330 Not that he can come alongside of us and pick us up and help us 59 00:02:53,330 --> 00:02:55,050 in our physical and material needs. 60 00:02:55,050 --> 00:02:58,890 No, the Bible says that we are dead in our sins, that we are destined 61 00:02:58,970 --> 00:03:00,410 for hell and separation. 62 00:03:00,650 --> 00:03:04,690 But the beauty of the message is that Jesus comes and changes that. 63 00:03:04,690 --> 00:03:06,010 We looked at that last week. 64 00:03:06,090 --> 00:03:10,890 But God, who is rich in mercy, it's God stepping on the scene and 65 00:03:10,890 --> 00:03:13,050 creating a plan of redemption. 66 00:03:13,910 --> 00:03:17,070 And then we go further Into Romans chapter 8 and we see that 67 00:03:17,070 --> 00:03:21,150 if we believe in the Lord, if we have salvation in him, there is 68 00:03:21,150 --> 00:03:24,310 no more condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. 69 00:03:24,550 --> 00:03:27,550 And we have that beautiful passage in Romans chapter 8 that 70 00:03:27,550 --> 00:03:32,230 tells us all about the security and the strength that we 71 00:03:32,230 --> 00:03:33,910 have in a relationship with God. 72 00:03:33,910 --> 00:03:37,350 That nobody can separate us from the love of God, that we are 73 00:03:37,350 --> 00:03:40,190 more than conquerors as we are in Christ Jesus. 74 00:03:40,190 --> 00:03:42,710 And then we saw in Romans 9 that 10 and 11. 75 00:03:43,030 --> 00:03:46,790 God's perfect redemptive plan, not just for the Gentiles, but also 76 00:03:47,030 --> 00:03:49,670 for his people, his nation of Israel. 77 00:03:49,830 --> 00:03:52,950 That we saw is in for the most part, rebellion at the time. 78 00:03:52,950 --> 00:03:55,550 And he says, no, but there is redemption that is to come. 79 00:03:55,550 --> 00:04:00,830 And so looking at all of Romans 1:11, Paul concludes this 80 00:04:00,830 --> 00:04:03,670 section with a worshipful response. 81 00:04:03,670 --> 00:04:06,390 And so the way that we could title the sermon this morning is 82 00:04:06,390 --> 00:04:07,450 a worshipful response. 83 00:04:07,600 --> 00:04:10,560 Response to the power and the plan of God. 84 00:04:11,120 --> 00:04:15,440 When we sit under the power and the plan of God, there's only 85 00:04:15,520 --> 00:04:17,200 one proper reaction. 86 00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:20,800 There's only one proper way in which we should respond, and that 87 00:04:20,800 --> 00:04:24,480 is with worship, giving God the glory for everything. 88 00:04:24,880 --> 00:04:28,280 And that's what verses 33 through 36 talk about here in Romans 89 00:04:28,280 --> 00:04:28,840 chapter 11. 90 00:04:28,840 --> 00:04:32,800 Paul is giving this beautiful doxology of worship to the glory 91 00:04:32,800 --> 00:04:33,520 of God. 92 00:04:34,150 --> 00:04:37,830 And folks, when we stand under the mighty power of God, when we 93 00:04:37,830 --> 00:04:41,190 look at the redemptive plan that he has laid out for us, the 94 00:04:41,190 --> 00:04:44,070 only proper way to respond is just to give him glory. 95 00:04:44,310 --> 00:04:48,030 Because we realize as we study the book of Romans and as we study 96 00:04:48,030 --> 00:04:51,750 the rest of Scripture, that it's not about us, it's not about 97 00:04:51,750 --> 00:04:52,510 how good we are. 98 00:04:52,510 --> 00:04:55,790 It's not about how much we can obtain through our works. 99 00:04:55,790 --> 00:04:58,310 It's about the work that God has done for us. 100 00:04:58,630 --> 00:05:02,260 Sometimes we'll hear that salvation is not by work and by the 101 00:05:02,260 --> 00:05:02,380 way. 102 00:05:02,380 --> 00:05:05,220 For us, it's not about our works, but it is about a work. 103 00:05:05,220 --> 00:05:08,460 And it's about the work of Jesus Christ, the work of Jesus Christ 104 00:05:08,460 --> 00:05:11,980 on the cross, the work of his resurrection, the work of his grace 105 00:05:11,980 --> 00:05:12,860 that's coming to us. 106 00:05:12,860 --> 00:05:16,780 And we get to accept that and believe in that and receive that 107 00:05:16,780 --> 00:05:20,100 gift and have the opportunity to walk in identity in Him. 108 00:05:20,100 --> 00:05:23,140 And as Romans 8 says, to cry out Abba, Father. 109 00:05:23,380 --> 00:05:26,820 That we can cry out personally to a God who loves us and cares about 110 00:05:26,820 --> 00:05:27,140 us. 111 00:05:27,540 --> 00:05:29,620 So here, Romans, chapter 11, verse 33. 112 00:05:29,860 --> 00:05:32,740 This is Paul's response to all of that. 113 00:05:32,900 --> 00:05:34,940 This is Paul's response to the gospel. 114 00:05:34,940 --> 00:05:38,420 This is Paul's response to God's redemptive plan for Israel. 115 00:05:38,500 --> 00:05:42,740 This is Paul's response to all the things that he has been discussing 116 00:05:42,740 --> 00:05:43,060 here. 117 00:05:43,219 --> 00:05:44,580 He says, verse 33. 118 00:05:44,740 --> 00:05:50,700 Oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge 119 00:05:50,700 --> 00:05:51,380 of God. 120 00:05:51,860 --> 00:05:53,140 His response is this. 121 00:05:53,460 --> 00:05:58,380 How deep are the riches that we find in knowing God and applying 122 00:05:58,380 --> 00:05:59,300 his truths? 123 00:05:59,700 --> 00:06:01,300 Think about that just for a moment. 124 00:06:01,460 --> 00:06:04,740 We, we talk about riches in this world and we talk about wealth 125 00:06:04,740 --> 00:06:08,180 and we talk about material things, but he's not talking about 126 00:06:08,180 --> 00:06:09,300 the material things here. 127 00:06:09,700 --> 00:06:12,580 He's not talking about having a deep bank account. 128 00:06:12,740 --> 00:06:16,500 He's talking here about the depth of the spiritual riches that 129 00:06:16,500 --> 00:06:18,540 we have in a relationship with God. 130 00:06:18,540 --> 00:06:21,190 He says, oh, the depth of the riches. 131 00:06:21,510 --> 00:06:25,510 That word riches there just means the storehouse, the, the blessings, 132 00:06:25,750 --> 00:06:28,870 the things that we have in our life, particularly in the sense of 133 00:06:28,870 --> 00:06:29,670 our salvation. 134 00:06:30,230 --> 00:06:31,310 And that word depth. 135 00:06:31,310 --> 00:06:34,750 I, I looked that word up, that depth, and it says in the Greek. 136 00:06:34,750 --> 00:06:38,350 It's talking about the depth of the ocean, the, the deepest part 137 00:06:38,350 --> 00:06:40,870 of the ocean that, that we can't even explore. 138 00:06:40,870 --> 00:06:44,030 Back at that time, they had no understanding of how deep the oceans 139 00:06:44,030 --> 00:06:44,190 were. 140 00:06:44,190 --> 00:06:47,410 They just knew that it kept going on and on and on. 141 00:06:47,410 --> 00:06:49,050 And that's what the Bible's talking about here. 142 00:06:49,050 --> 00:06:52,490 It's saying if we truly understand what God has done for 143 00:06:52,490 --> 00:06:57,090 us, when we truly understand who he is in his character, who he 144 00:06:57,090 --> 00:07:01,290 is in his eternality, who he is in his holiness, and the fact 145 00:07:01,290 --> 00:07:05,610 that he would create a plan for us, his creation, who rebelled 146 00:07:05,610 --> 00:07:08,850 against him, who turned our backs against him and live in sin, 147 00:07:08,930 --> 00:07:12,210 that he would create a plan for us to come back into the fold, 148 00:07:12,290 --> 00:07:14,450 for us to be part of the family of God. 149 00:07:14,770 --> 00:07:16,730 It is an Amazing, mind blowing thing. 150 00:07:16,730 --> 00:07:20,450 And he says the depth of the riches of the wisdom and the knowledge 151 00:07:20,450 --> 00:07:24,690 of God, the wisdom of God is the application of the knowledge. 152 00:07:24,770 --> 00:07:28,410 So he says what an amazing blessing it is to know God and to 153 00:07:28,410 --> 00:07:32,930 be used by God to know what he tells us about the truth of who he 154 00:07:32,930 --> 00:07:33,250 is. 155 00:07:33,330 --> 00:07:35,170 And also by the way that we live that. 156 00:07:35,250 --> 00:07:36,570 That's what Romans is all about. 157 00:07:36,570 --> 00:07:39,810 Romans is all about believing the right things so we can live the 158 00:07:39,810 --> 00:07:40,290 right things. 159 00:07:40,700 --> 00:07:41,780 And that's what he's saying here. 160 00:07:41,780 --> 00:07:45,540 He says it is the most beautiful thing, it is the most mind 161 00:07:45,540 --> 00:07:49,100 blowing thing to know that God would do this, that he would create 162 00:07:49,100 --> 00:07:52,700 a plan for us, that he would care about his creation. 163 00:07:54,060 --> 00:07:57,820 If you think about the contrast, the, the, the craziness, 164 00:07:57,900 --> 00:08:01,300 if you will, that in Romans chapter one, we're reminded that 165 00:08:01,300 --> 00:08:05,580 we as humans, in our flesh and in our rebellion, worship the creation 166 00:08:05,900 --> 00:08:07,260 instead of the Creator. 167 00:08:08,160 --> 00:08:11,080 The Bible tells us that we can have a lot of beautiful things in 168 00:08:11,080 --> 00:08:14,480 our life, a lot of good things that we can see and experience and 169 00:08:14,640 --> 00:08:15,360 taste of. 170 00:08:15,520 --> 00:08:19,080 But really all of those things must point us back to the thankfulness 171 00:08:19,080 --> 00:08:22,400 of the Creator, the One who gave us the wisdom and knowledge. 172 00:08:22,560 --> 00:08:27,400 He says, how unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding 173 00:08:27,400 --> 00:08:28,160 out, meaning this. 174 00:08:28,320 --> 00:08:31,200 We can't understand why God would do this. 175 00:08:31,520 --> 00:08:34,160 We can't even understand how God would do this. 176 00:08:34,540 --> 00:08:38,220 But we must trust in faith that his ways are beyond our ways. 177 00:08:38,220 --> 00:08:42,180 We know that stated throughout Scripture that his ways are beyond 178 00:08:42,180 --> 00:08:42,940 our ways. 179 00:08:42,940 --> 00:08:44,740 His thoughts are beyond our thoughts. 180 00:08:44,740 --> 00:08:46,060 And I'm thankful for that. 181 00:08:46,700 --> 00:08:50,260 I'm thankful that the plan of God is not something that man could 182 00:08:50,260 --> 00:08:53,900 create or even conceive in our own minds, in our own hearts. 183 00:08:54,060 --> 00:08:58,020 If I had the reins and if I was the one making the decisions 184 00:08:58,020 --> 00:09:00,460 in this world about redemption, I certainly wouldn't 185 00:09:00,460 --> 00:09:01,580 have drawn it up this way. 186 00:09:01,950 --> 00:09:04,510 I certainly wouldn't have drawn it up in a way in which I would 187 00:09:04,510 --> 00:09:07,790 sacrifice my only begotten son for people who turned their backs 188 00:09:07,790 --> 00:09:08,350 against me. 189 00:09:08,350 --> 00:09:11,110 In our human nature, we would say, you know what, it's their fault. 190 00:09:11,110 --> 00:09:13,150 They've got to figure out a way to get to me. 191 00:09:13,150 --> 00:09:16,950 But no, what God did is I'm going to give them an opportunity 192 00:09:16,950 --> 00:09:21,390 to know me in a personal way by sending my only begotten Son to 193 00:09:21,390 --> 00:09:21,710 them. 194 00:09:22,190 --> 00:09:24,510 And he says that's mind blowing. 195 00:09:24,590 --> 00:09:25,950 We can't comprehend that. 196 00:09:25,950 --> 00:09:28,590 He says his ways are beyond our ways. 197 00:09:28,590 --> 00:09:29,710 They're unsearchable. 198 00:09:30,100 --> 00:09:33,300 His judgments, the way that he deals with things are beyond us. 199 00:09:33,300 --> 00:09:36,740 And he speaks of the mind of God, verse 34. 200 00:09:36,900 --> 00:09:39,580 He says, for who have known the mind of the Lord? 201 00:09:39,580 --> 00:09:41,620 Well, the answer to that question is none of us. 202 00:09:41,940 --> 00:09:45,820 Now, to some degree, we can get taste or, or pictures of what 203 00:09:45,820 --> 00:09:49,820 God wants for us, but none of us can search the depths of the mind 204 00:09:49,820 --> 00:09:50,420 of God. 205 00:09:50,580 --> 00:09:53,860 And here, what Paul does is he actually quotes two Old Testament 206 00:09:53,860 --> 00:09:54,300 passages. 207 00:09:54,300 --> 00:09:57,700 He quotes Isaiah, chapter 40 and Job, chapter 40. 208 00:09:58,440 --> 00:10:03,880 And really the emphasis in these verses is God and his grand 209 00:10:03,880 --> 00:10:07,160 wisdom in his grand power and the way that he acts. 210 00:10:07,320 --> 00:10:08,880 Nobody can understand that. 211 00:10:08,880 --> 00:10:11,440 And he actually goes a little bit further and he says, and, and 212 00:10:11,440 --> 00:10:13,560 who hath been his counselor? 213 00:10:13,879 --> 00:10:16,280 Meaning who could give advice to God? 214 00:10:17,480 --> 00:10:19,560 Who could tell God what to do? 215 00:10:19,560 --> 00:10:21,240 Who could give God a better plan? 216 00:10:21,240 --> 00:10:22,120 He says, nobody. 217 00:10:22,680 --> 00:10:25,160 We all need a counselor to some degree in our life. 218 00:10:25,950 --> 00:10:28,950 I was just talking to our Bible study here on Sunday mornings 219 00:10:28,950 --> 00:10:31,950 about the importance of the mentor mentee relationship. 220 00:10:32,430 --> 00:10:35,150 As humans, we need people to counsel us. 221 00:10:35,470 --> 00:10:37,070 There's different levels of counseling. 222 00:10:37,470 --> 00:10:40,390 There's different levels of wisdom that we can apply to our lives. 223 00:10:40,390 --> 00:10:43,190 Ultimately, we need the counsel of God because no matter 224 00:10:43,190 --> 00:10:45,710 who you're getting counseling from, by the way, it must be seen 225 00:10:45,710 --> 00:10:46,910 through the lens of the gospel. 226 00:10:46,990 --> 00:10:48,910 It must be seen through the lens of scripture. 227 00:10:48,990 --> 00:10:51,270 But the Bible says that, yes, we do need counselors. 228 00:10:51,270 --> 00:10:52,830 But you know who doesn't need a counselor? 229 00:10:53,570 --> 00:10:54,130 Our Lord. 230 00:10:54,370 --> 00:10:56,250 He doesn't need anybody to tell him what to do. 231 00:10:56,250 --> 00:10:57,970 He knows every decision. 232 00:10:58,050 --> 00:11:00,850 He knows the right decision to make in every scenario. 233 00:11:01,010 --> 00:11:02,770 And so he says, who could counsel the Lord? 234 00:11:02,770 --> 00:11:03,890 It's a rhetorical question. 235 00:11:04,130 --> 00:11:05,810 Nobody can counsel the Lord. 236 00:11:06,130 --> 00:11:07,370 Nobody could give him advice. 237 00:11:07,370 --> 00:11:10,330 And so we look at our world today, and we look at our world even 238 00:11:10,330 --> 00:11:13,010 back at this time, and there were people that would say, you know 239 00:11:13,010 --> 00:11:13,650 what, God? 240 00:11:13,650 --> 00:11:14,730 You're doing the wrong thing. 241 00:11:14,730 --> 00:11:17,290 God, your decision in this manner doesn't line up. 242 00:11:17,290 --> 00:11:18,810 I think I have a better plan. 243 00:11:18,810 --> 00:11:21,400 I. I think I have a better way to salvation. 244 00:11:21,480 --> 00:11:22,920 I think I can work my way. 245 00:11:22,920 --> 00:11:24,520 I think I can plan my way. 246 00:11:24,520 --> 00:11:27,600 I think I can write an additional book to this book to give 247 00:11:27,600 --> 00:11:28,760 it more understanding. 248 00:11:28,840 --> 00:11:31,720 Folks, the Bible tells us that we cannot tell God what to do. 249 00:11:31,960 --> 00:11:33,480 We don't have a better idea. 250 00:11:33,560 --> 00:11:36,840 We don't have any idea when it comes to the understanding of the 251 00:11:36,840 --> 00:11:38,520 grandeur of the power and the. 252 00:11:38,600 --> 00:11:40,040 And the wisdom of God. 253 00:11:40,040 --> 00:11:43,480 And so we see in different instances in Scripture people trying 254 00:11:43,480 --> 00:11:45,080 to tell God that they have a better way. 255 00:11:45,640 --> 00:11:46,520 Think about Abraham. 256 00:11:46,600 --> 00:11:49,760 Abraham was promised a son named Isaac, but yet Abraham said, 257 00:11:49,760 --> 00:11:51,800 lord, I trust you, but I think I might have a better way. 258 00:11:52,840 --> 00:11:56,000 Think about every instance in which individuals went in rebellion 259 00:11:56,000 --> 00:11:56,400 to God. 260 00:11:56,400 --> 00:11:58,840 They maybe even to some degree, trusted God. 261 00:11:58,840 --> 00:11:59,960 But then they thought, you know what? 262 00:11:59,960 --> 00:12:00,880 I'm going to do it my way. 263 00:12:00,880 --> 00:12:01,439 I'm going to. 264 00:12:01,439 --> 00:12:04,800 I'm going to try to get God's plan in my life through my own device, 265 00:12:04,800 --> 00:12:07,480 my own wisdom, my own path. 266 00:12:07,480 --> 00:12:10,800 And so what we see here this morning is a challenge for all of 267 00:12:10,800 --> 00:12:15,750 us as believers to trust in the Lord's plan, to know that his 268 00:12:15,750 --> 00:12:17,230 ways are beyond our ways. 269 00:12:17,230 --> 00:12:18,710 And we cannot counsel him. 270 00:12:18,710 --> 00:12:20,110 We cannot advise him. 271 00:12:20,110 --> 00:12:22,430 We cannot tell him what to do and how to do it. 272 00:12:22,430 --> 00:12:26,750 All we do is trust that he is the One who is righteous, holy and 273 00:12:26,750 --> 00:12:27,150 just. 274 00:12:27,229 --> 00:12:30,670 And we believe and we worship him for what he does in our life, 275 00:12:30,670 --> 00:12:32,190 whether it makes sense or not. 276 00:12:33,070 --> 00:12:35,790 There are certainly times in Paul's life that I'm sure he looked 277 00:12:35,790 --> 00:12:37,830 at the Lord and didn't understand all the things that the 278 00:12:37,830 --> 00:12:38,430 Lord was doing. 279 00:12:39,650 --> 00:12:41,890 We even know in second Corinthians, he asked God to take 280 00:12:41,890 --> 00:12:44,970 away that pain that he was feeling, whether it be physical or 281 00:12:44,970 --> 00:12:45,850 spiritual, in his life. 282 00:12:45,850 --> 00:12:46,690 And God said no. 283 00:12:47,010 --> 00:12:48,330 And God taught him a lesson. 284 00:12:48,330 --> 00:12:48,850 He said this. 285 00:12:48,850 --> 00:12:49,690 What did he say? 286 00:12:49,690 --> 00:12:53,290 He said that it's when you are weak, Paul, that I am made strong. 287 00:12:53,290 --> 00:12:54,530 And what is Paul's response? 288 00:12:54,530 --> 00:12:58,010 He says, well, then I'll glory in my infirmities because this shows 289 00:12:58,010 --> 00:12:59,810 the power of God when I am humbled. 290 00:13:00,210 --> 00:13:03,410 And folks, there's going to be times in our life when we are humbled 291 00:13:03,410 --> 00:13:06,170 in many different ways that we can be humbled, whether it be in 292 00:13:06,170 --> 00:13:08,450 the physical or the emotional or the spiritual. 293 00:13:08,530 --> 00:13:12,010 But when God humbles us, the proper response is not to harden 294 00:13:12,010 --> 00:13:15,010 our heart against him and question him and think that we have 295 00:13:15,010 --> 00:13:15,570 a better way. 296 00:13:15,570 --> 00:13:18,650 The proper response is to worship him and trust him for what 297 00:13:18,650 --> 00:13:19,890 he is doing in our life. 298 00:13:19,890 --> 00:13:21,890 And that is what Paul is getting across here. 299 00:13:21,890 --> 00:13:24,930 He says, you might not understand why God is doing it this 300 00:13:24,930 --> 00:13:25,250 way. 301 00:13:25,250 --> 00:13:28,410 You might not understand why he's giving an opportunity for Israel 302 00:13:28,410 --> 00:13:29,010 to repent. 303 00:13:29,090 --> 00:13:31,810 You might not understand that he's doing this all through mercy 304 00:13:31,810 --> 00:13:32,250 and grace. 305 00:13:32,250 --> 00:13:32,530 But. 306 00:13:32,680 --> 00:13:34,600 But either way, you can't counsel Him. 307 00:13:34,840 --> 00:13:36,600 And by the way, that's what he's talking about here. 308 00:13:36,600 --> 00:13:40,200 Because if we just go back up to verse 32, where we left off last 309 00:13:40,200 --> 00:13:44,280 week, he says, for God hath concluded them all, everybody, Jew 310 00:13:44,280 --> 00:13:47,720 or Gentile alike in unbelief, meaning all of us before we come 311 00:13:47,720 --> 00:13:49,320 to Christ are in the same standing. 312 00:13:49,320 --> 00:13:50,920 We are in unbelief. 313 00:13:51,080 --> 00:13:53,720 I don't care whether you're from this country or this country. 314 00:13:53,720 --> 00:13:56,200 You have this much money or this much money. 315 00:13:56,200 --> 00:13:57,600 You work here or you work there. 316 00:13:57,600 --> 00:14:02,050 He says, anybody outside of belief is, as we see here, going 317 00:14:02,050 --> 00:14:04,010 to be faced with separation from God. 318 00:14:04,010 --> 00:14:06,730 But then he says, the reason for this at the end of verse 32, 319 00:14:06,730 --> 00:14:09,330 is this, that he might have mercy upon all. 320 00:14:09,330 --> 00:14:13,810 Meaning, the method of salvation is through mercy. 321 00:14:13,810 --> 00:14:15,330 God gives us mercy. 322 00:14:15,410 --> 00:14:16,930 He extends that to us. 323 00:14:17,490 --> 00:14:20,250 And so this is Paul's response to the mercy of God. 324 00:14:20,250 --> 00:14:22,050 He says, I don't understand his mercy. 325 00:14:22,450 --> 00:14:24,970 I wouldn't give mercy to somebody else. 326 00:14:24,970 --> 00:14:28,370 I wouldn't even give mercy to me, because I know how bad I really 327 00:14:28,370 --> 00:14:28,570 am. 328 00:14:28,570 --> 00:14:32,490 But God, who is rich in mercy, extends that gift to us. 329 00:14:32,490 --> 00:14:35,490 And so Paul says, I have a reason to worship. 330 00:14:35,650 --> 00:14:37,650 I'm glad I don't have to counsel the Lord. 331 00:14:38,210 --> 00:14:38,570 I'm. 332 00:14:38,570 --> 00:14:40,050 I'm glad that it's not my plan. 333 00:14:40,370 --> 00:14:42,890 He says, I'm relinquishing that control and giving it over to 334 00:14:42,890 --> 00:14:43,210 the Lord. 335 00:14:43,210 --> 00:14:43,970 Verse 35. 336 00:14:44,050 --> 00:14:47,330 Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed 337 00:14:47,410 --> 00:14:48,290 unto him again. 338 00:14:48,290 --> 00:14:49,090 What is he saying here? 339 00:14:49,090 --> 00:14:51,500 He says, who can make the Lord his debtor? 340 00:14:51,820 --> 00:14:54,820 Meaning there's nothing that we can do that gets God in a trap 341 00:14:54,820 --> 00:14:56,620 that says, well, I gotta do this for this person. 342 00:14:57,100 --> 00:14:58,020 You ever think about that? 343 00:14:58,020 --> 00:14:59,580 You ever try to make a deal with God? 344 00:14:59,660 --> 00:15:02,140 Well, God, if I do this, you must do this. 345 00:15:02,620 --> 00:15:04,820 There's actually a movement out there called the Word of Faith 346 00:15:04,820 --> 00:15:07,860 movement that basically says, if I have enough faith, God must 347 00:15:07,860 --> 00:15:08,460 do this. 348 00:15:09,180 --> 00:15:11,420 Folks, we can never dictate anything to the Lord. 349 00:15:12,220 --> 00:15:14,060 It's the Lord who dictates things to us. 350 00:15:14,620 --> 00:15:15,980 Now, does God love us? 351 00:15:16,640 --> 00:15:16,960 Yes. 352 00:15:17,040 --> 00:15:18,200 Does God give us grace? 353 00:15:18,200 --> 00:15:18,640 Yes. 354 00:15:18,640 --> 00:15:20,400 Does he shower us with blessings? 355 00:15:20,400 --> 00:15:20,680 Yes. 356 00:15:20,680 --> 00:15:24,400 He gives us more, infinitely more than we deserve. 357 00:15:25,280 --> 00:15:27,920 But what the Bible says is, I can't make God my debtor. 358 00:15:28,480 --> 00:15:29,680 I don't do things for God. 359 00:15:29,680 --> 00:15:31,640 It's not a transactional relationship. 360 00:15:31,640 --> 00:15:33,640 Well, God, if I do this for you, you're going to do this for 361 00:15:33,640 --> 00:15:33,880 me. 362 00:15:33,880 --> 00:15:34,440 You're gonna. 363 00:15:34,440 --> 00:15:34,960 You know, that's. 364 00:15:34,960 --> 00:15:36,720 Sometimes we have that in our human sense. 365 00:15:36,880 --> 00:15:40,920 Like, hey, you know, I helped you move a couple years ago with 366 00:15:40,920 --> 00:15:41,400 my truck. 367 00:15:41,400 --> 00:15:42,240 I'm moving now. 368 00:15:42,240 --> 00:15:43,120 Can you come help me? 369 00:15:43,430 --> 00:15:45,470 You know, some of us as men, we know that's one of the biggest 370 00:15:45,470 --> 00:15:47,510 commitments is going and help a friend move. 371 00:15:47,510 --> 00:15:47,990 Okay? 372 00:15:48,870 --> 00:15:51,110 So that's sometimes how we work in our human relationships. 373 00:15:51,110 --> 00:15:52,310 It's a transactional thing. 374 00:15:52,310 --> 00:15:53,270 Well, I did this for you. 375 00:15:53,270 --> 00:15:54,510 So can you do this for me, folks? 376 00:15:54,510 --> 00:15:57,590 There's nothing that we did for the Lord that earned our salvation. 377 00:15:57,910 --> 00:15:59,030 It was all Him. 378 00:15:59,510 --> 00:16:00,630 It was all Him. 379 00:16:00,870 --> 00:16:02,710 And we just trust in that. 380 00:16:03,110 --> 00:16:05,110 And that brings us to a place of humility. 381 00:16:05,510 --> 00:16:07,070 Now, it doesn't bring us to a place of. 382 00:16:07,070 --> 00:16:08,030 Of hopelessness. 383 00:16:08,030 --> 00:16:10,430 Because sometimes people think, well, when you preach that 384 00:16:10,430 --> 00:16:13,390 we're sinners, Pastor, and that we need completely Lord, does 385 00:16:13,390 --> 00:16:14,390 that mean that we're hopeless? 386 00:16:14,390 --> 00:16:14,710 That. 387 00:16:15,060 --> 00:16:16,980 Well, the truth is, is that we're hopeless without Him. 388 00:16:17,620 --> 00:16:19,780 But when we have him in our life, we're full of hope. 389 00:16:19,780 --> 00:16:21,460 But our identity is not in ourselves. 390 00:16:21,460 --> 00:16:23,700 Our identity is what he has made us to be. 391 00:16:24,020 --> 00:16:27,060 The change that you see in your life is not because you pulled 392 00:16:27,060 --> 00:16:29,420 yourself up by your bootstraps and said, I just want to be a better 393 00:16:29,420 --> 00:16:29,780 person. 394 00:16:30,180 --> 00:16:33,540 No, the change that God brings about through salvation is his change. 395 00:16:33,700 --> 00:16:34,940 He cleans our hearts. 396 00:16:34,940 --> 00:16:37,540 It's the washing of regeneration and the renewal of the 397 00:16:37,540 --> 00:16:37,980 Holy Ghost. 398 00:16:37,980 --> 00:16:42,750 As Titus, chapter 3, verse 5 says, you're different today in Christ 399 00:16:42,990 --> 00:16:44,430 because He changed you. 400 00:16:44,430 --> 00:16:47,710 He took your heart of stone and made it a heart of flesh, folks. 401 00:16:47,710 --> 00:16:48,790 He transforms us. 402 00:16:48,790 --> 00:16:51,470 We're going to talk about In Romans chapter 12, just in another 403 00:16:51,470 --> 00:16:55,390 verse, he says, be transformed by the renewing of your mind. 404 00:16:55,950 --> 00:16:58,430 He says that there's a change that happens with this. 405 00:16:58,430 --> 00:17:00,750 And so that's what Paul is celebrating here. 406 00:17:00,750 --> 00:17:04,190 And to really understand Romans 12 and on, you have to understand 407 00:17:04,510 --> 00:17:06,030 what Paul is talking about here. 408 00:17:06,260 --> 00:17:10,020 He's sitting before God and realizing that he falls so short, 409 00:17:10,180 --> 00:17:12,500 and God's glory just reigns over him. 410 00:17:12,500 --> 00:17:14,540 And he's giving him all the praise and glory. 411 00:17:14,540 --> 00:17:16,740 He says, no one can owe the Lord anything. 412 00:17:17,940 --> 00:17:22,980 You can try all you want, but we can never make God a debtor to 413 00:17:22,980 --> 00:17:23,300 us. 414 00:17:24,260 --> 00:17:25,180 You've heard it said this. 415 00:17:25,180 --> 00:17:27,020 I. I think sometimes people will say it this way. 416 00:17:27,020 --> 00:17:28,020 And, And I've said this. 417 00:17:28,020 --> 00:17:29,380 You can't outgive God. 418 00:17:29,860 --> 00:17:30,620 You know that, right? 419 00:17:30,620 --> 00:17:33,160 And I'm just talking about the material money, even. 420 00:17:33,230 --> 00:17:34,630 Even though that is a principle as well. 421 00:17:34,630 --> 00:17:35,910 But you can't outgive God. 422 00:17:35,910 --> 00:17:36,190 Why? 423 00:17:36,270 --> 00:17:39,830 Because anything that we do for him falls so short to what he 424 00:17:39,830 --> 00:17:40,590 has done for us. 425 00:17:40,670 --> 00:17:42,510 When it comes to the gift of the cross. 426 00:17:43,630 --> 00:17:44,150 You know what? 427 00:17:44,150 --> 00:17:44,430 I'm. 428 00:17:44,430 --> 00:17:45,590 I'm committed to the Lord. 429 00:17:45,590 --> 00:17:47,310 And I think that many of you are as well. 430 00:17:47,390 --> 00:17:48,510 And you might say, you know what? 431 00:17:48,510 --> 00:17:50,470 I want to serve God at every capacity in my life. 432 00:17:50,470 --> 00:17:51,630 I want to read my Bible. 433 00:17:51,630 --> 00:17:52,750 I want to go to church. 434 00:17:52,830 --> 00:17:54,270 I want to serve in ministry. 435 00:17:54,270 --> 00:17:57,150 I want to raise my children in the word of God, I want to live a 436 00:17:57,150 --> 00:17:58,110 pure and holy life. 437 00:17:58,110 --> 00:17:59,630 Those are all good endeavors. 438 00:17:59,930 --> 00:18:02,450 But folks, that's not a way that we repay God for what he has 439 00:18:02,450 --> 00:18:02,690 done. 440 00:18:02,690 --> 00:18:05,610 We can never repay for what God has done for us in our life. 441 00:18:05,930 --> 00:18:09,930 Only what we do in our life is done out of gratitude and thankfulness 442 00:18:09,930 --> 00:18:12,930 for the love that he has given us, for the sacrifice that he has 443 00:18:12,930 --> 00:18:13,450 given us. 444 00:18:14,010 --> 00:18:16,570 So we don't do these things to earn God's Browning points. 445 00:18:16,650 --> 00:18:19,370 We don't do these things to get more pins on our lapel. 446 00:18:19,450 --> 00:18:21,690 We don't do these things so that we can get a sticker that says, 447 00:18:21,690 --> 00:18:22,250 well done. 448 00:18:22,490 --> 00:18:25,210 We do this because God has done everything for us. 449 00:18:25,490 --> 00:18:29,050 And it's as the Bible says In Romans chapter 12, it's our reasonable 450 00:18:29,050 --> 00:18:32,490 service, that we as a servant of God would just pour our lives 451 00:18:32,490 --> 00:18:35,650 back to him because he saved us from destruction. 452 00:18:35,650 --> 00:18:37,330 He saved us from death. 453 00:18:37,410 --> 00:18:40,890 And so Romans chapter 11 concludes with this idea. 454 00:18:40,890 --> 00:18:44,810 And verse 36, I believe is one of the most beautiful worshipful 455 00:18:44,810 --> 00:18:48,770 verses in all of the Bible because it gives us the full picture 456 00:18:48,930 --> 00:18:50,770 of our need for God. 457 00:18:51,340 --> 00:18:52,860 And folks, that's why we worship God. 458 00:18:52,860 --> 00:18:54,700 That's why we sing songs before church. 459 00:18:54,860 --> 00:18:56,540 That's why we have Bible studies. 460 00:18:56,620 --> 00:18:58,220 That's why we have fellowship. 461 00:18:58,220 --> 00:19:01,020 That's why we talk about having a Sunday morning, Sunday night 462 00:19:01,020 --> 00:19:01,740 worship service. 463 00:19:01,980 --> 00:19:05,740 Because we as Christians are called to be vessels of worship. 464 00:19:06,140 --> 00:19:07,219 We're to worship God. 465 00:19:07,219 --> 00:19:08,220 What does worship mean? 466 00:19:08,620 --> 00:19:12,740 Oftentimes we think of worship in a narrow sense to reducing it 467 00:19:12,740 --> 00:19:15,220 down just to singing, even though singing is one of the many 468 00:19:15,220 --> 00:19:16,300 ways that we can worship. 469 00:19:16,630 --> 00:19:21,190 But worth worship just really means he is worthy of everything. 470 00:19:21,430 --> 00:19:22,990 He's worthy of honor. 471 00:19:22,990 --> 00:19:26,150 He's worthy of our lives, he's worthy of praise. 472 00:19:26,150 --> 00:19:30,470 He's worthy of everything it's worth ship is really what worthy 473 00:19:30,630 --> 00:19:31,590 worship is He. 474 00:19:31,590 --> 00:19:34,110 He's talking about that he is worthy of worship. 475 00:19:34,110 --> 00:19:35,950 He's the only one that's worthy of our worship. 476 00:19:35,950 --> 00:19:40,110 And by the way, when we think about worship in our lives, we think, 477 00:19:40,110 --> 00:19:42,310 okay, yeah, I worship God, but I don't worship anything else. 478 00:19:43,470 --> 00:19:44,550 Think about this for a moment. 479 00:19:44,550 --> 00:19:46,190 I'm thinking about this for a moment here. 480 00:19:46,270 --> 00:19:48,710 Think about all the things in our life that we might not recognize 481 00:19:48,710 --> 00:19:50,350 that we worship, but we are worshiping. 482 00:19:51,150 --> 00:19:52,750 What do we spend our time on? 483 00:19:53,550 --> 00:19:54,750 Where do we show our love? 484 00:19:56,510 --> 00:19:59,070 What do we think about when we're bored? 485 00:19:59,070 --> 00:20:01,630 What do we think about when we have nothing else to think about? 486 00:20:01,630 --> 00:20:03,710 Where do we turn when the struggles come? 487 00:20:03,790 --> 00:20:05,310 That's all part of Worship. 488 00:20:06,750 --> 00:20:09,830 There's things in my life that I love, and sometimes, if I'm honest, 489 00:20:09,830 --> 00:20:10,750 I love too much. 490 00:20:11,670 --> 00:20:14,310 There's things of this earth, sometimes that I'm gripping onto 491 00:20:14,310 --> 00:20:15,110 too tightly. 492 00:20:15,110 --> 00:20:17,190 And that equates worship. 493 00:20:17,590 --> 00:20:20,230 And what the Bible says is that worship is really this. 494 00:20:20,310 --> 00:20:23,150 Turning it all over the Lord and being thankful for what he has 495 00:20:23,150 --> 00:20:26,230 given us, but ultimately giving him the glory in every element 496 00:20:26,230 --> 00:20:26,790 of our life. 497 00:20:26,790 --> 00:20:28,470 So it's not just about Sunday morning. 498 00:20:28,870 --> 00:20:32,230 This is a worship service, but this is when we come together corporately 499 00:20:32,230 --> 00:20:34,150 and worship together as a family of God. 500 00:20:34,550 --> 00:20:36,670 Get to worship with my brothers, I get to worship with my 501 00:20:36,670 --> 00:20:37,110 sisters. 502 00:20:37,560 --> 00:20:40,040 But the Bible calls us to live a life of worship. 503 00:20:40,200 --> 00:20:42,400 The Bible says in First Corinthians, whether, therefore, 504 00:20:42,400 --> 00:20:46,040 you eat or drink or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God. 505 00:20:46,040 --> 00:20:46,680 Meaning this. 506 00:20:46,920 --> 00:20:49,240 Everything that we do in our life should be an act of worship. 507 00:20:49,880 --> 00:20:53,400 Everything that we do, everywhere that we go, our lives 508 00:20:53,560 --> 00:20:55,080 should be lives of worship. 509 00:20:55,960 --> 00:20:59,400 And so he says Here in verse 36, this beautiful statement about 510 00:20:59,960 --> 00:21:03,480 why we worship him, how we worship him. 511 00:21:04,210 --> 00:21:11,490 He says in verse 36, for of him and through him, and to him are 512 00:21:11,490 --> 00:21:11,970 all things. 513 00:21:11,970 --> 00:21:14,050 I want you to think about this for a moment here. 514 00:21:14,210 --> 00:21:16,610 He breaks it down really into three categories. 515 00:21:16,770 --> 00:21:19,490 I love when Paul just gives us the outline right there. 516 00:21:19,970 --> 00:21:21,090 He says three things here. 517 00:21:21,090 --> 00:21:26,050 He says everything of the Gospel, everything of the redemptive 518 00:21:26,050 --> 00:21:29,810 plan, everything that is good, everything that deserves praise. 519 00:21:29,810 --> 00:21:34,690 It says in verse 36, for of him, meaning first and foremost, 520 00:21:34,690 --> 00:21:36,130 it comes from Him. 521 00:21:36,370 --> 00:21:39,010 He is the author of our faith. 522 00:21:39,010 --> 00:21:41,330 He is the Creator of this world. 523 00:21:41,490 --> 00:21:43,770 He is the One who breathed life into us. 524 00:21:43,770 --> 00:21:45,330 He's the one who offers it. 525 00:21:45,330 --> 00:21:48,450 So it's of him, it's from him, it's coming to us. 526 00:21:49,170 --> 00:21:52,210 He is the cause of everything in our life. 527 00:21:53,090 --> 00:21:56,450 He is the great creator of the universe. 528 00:21:56,450 --> 00:21:59,040 And so he says, here it is, all of Him. 529 00:22:00,320 --> 00:22:01,720 I think about that here in. 530 00:22:01,720 --> 00:22:03,160 In my life today. 531 00:22:03,160 --> 00:22:05,240 And I struggle with this because sometimes in my life I'm 532 00:22:05,240 --> 00:22:07,680 tempted to think that I've created things for myself. 533 00:22:07,840 --> 00:22:10,240 I. I'm tempted to think that I've earned something good. 534 00:22:10,400 --> 00:22:12,680 The Bible says that every good gift comes down from God. 535 00:22:12,680 --> 00:22:13,600 That's James 1:17. 536 00:22:14,320 --> 00:22:18,440 He says, the plan of the Gospel, the plan of redemption, the 537 00:22:18,440 --> 00:22:21,360 plan of salvation, comes of Him. 538 00:22:22,080 --> 00:22:23,520 Nobody else came up with it. 539 00:22:23,870 --> 00:22:25,070 I could not come up with it. 540 00:22:25,550 --> 00:22:27,310 I could not devise such a plan. 541 00:22:27,710 --> 00:22:29,230 Everything is of Him. 542 00:22:29,230 --> 00:22:34,030 And then he says it is of him and through him, meaning he didn't 543 00:22:34,030 --> 00:22:35,470 just come up with the plan. 544 00:22:36,110 --> 00:22:37,990 But he enacted that plan for us. 545 00:22:37,990 --> 00:22:38,230 So. 546 00:22:38,230 --> 00:22:41,790 So he's not just the author, but he's also the doer. 547 00:22:42,590 --> 00:22:44,190 He's the one who causes it. 548 00:22:44,670 --> 00:22:46,350 He's the one that brings it to pass. 549 00:22:47,070 --> 00:22:49,210 He's the one that is not a God who. 550 00:22:49,280 --> 00:22:52,360 Who is standing way far away from us, as many people that are 551 00:22:52,360 --> 00:22:53,160 deists believe. 552 00:22:53,160 --> 00:22:53,680 There's a. 553 00:22:53,680 --> 00:22:55,920 There's a movement called Deism that believes that there's 554 00:22:55,920 --> 00:22:57,280 a God, but he's separate from us. 555 00:22:57,360 --> 00:22:59,520 He doesn't want a personal relationship with us. 556 00:22:59,600 --> 00:23:01,920 No, the Bible says that he came to this earth. 557 00:23:01,920 --> 00:23:05,720 He personally worked through those things that we all work through 558 00:23:05,720 --> 00:23:06,720 when it comes to temptation. 559 00:23:06,720 --> 00:23:09,280 But the Bible says he did that without sin. 560 00:23:09,520 --> 00:23:12,320 He was tempted in all points, like we are, yet without sin. 561 00:23:12,720 --> 00:23:15,960 So the Bible says that he came so that we can have a high priest 562 00:23:15,960 --> 00:23:18,640 who has been touched by the feeling of our infirmities, meaning 563 00:23:18,640 --> 00:23:21,860 he is the One who went through the same struggles that we went through. 564 00:23:21,860 --> 00:23:25,940 But the only distinction is, is that he did it in perfection so 565 00:23:25,940 --> 00:23:27,580 that he could pay the price for us. 566 00:23:28,540 --> 00:23:29,580 So it's of Him. 567 00:23:29,580 --> 00:23:32,860 He is the author, but he's also the doer. 568 00:23:33,260 --> 00:23:34,700 It says through Him. 569 00:23:35,180 --> 00:23:37,900 The plan of salvation is through him and him alone. 570 00:23:38,380 --> 00:23:41,980 Then it says, and to him, he's the end. 571 00:23:41,980 --> 00:23:43,540 He's the means of all of this. 572 00:23:43,540 --> 00:23:45,820 He is the One who brings it to pass. 573 00:23:45,980 --> 00:23:47,500 He is the One that creates it. 574 00:23:47,500 --> 00:23:47,690 He is the One. 575 00:23:47,920 --> 00:23:49,400 He is the One who does it. 576 00:23:49,400 --> 00:23:51,560 And he is the One who receives all the power. 577 00:23:51,560 --> 00:23:57,920 So we read verse 36, and he says, for of him and through him, 578 00:23:58,240 --> 00:24:01,440 and to him are all things to whom be glory forever. 579 00:24:02,240 --> 00:24:06,320 Now, I read verse 36 a lot this week and throughout this study. 580 00:24:06,640 --> 00:24:09,240 And you know what I see missing in that equation in verse 581 00:24:09,240 --> 00:24:09,760 36? 582 00:24:10,400 --> 00:24:11,360 I don't see me. 583 00:24:12,320 --> 00:24:13,280 I don't see us. 584 00:24:13,890 --> 00:24:14,730 You would say, what does that mean? 585 00:24:14,730 --> 00:24:15,770 Does that mean that God doesn't love us? 586 00:24:15,770 --> 00:24:15,930 No. 587 00:24:15,930 --> 00:24:17,490 This is talking about worship and glory. 588 00:24:18,930 --> 00:24:21,970 So a part of this worship equation is nothing with us. 589 00:24:22,370 --> 00:24:24,850 We don't deserve any percentage of the worship. 590 00:24:24,850 --> 00:24:27,810 It's not about God getting 99% and we get 1%. 591 00:24:28,210 --> 00:24:29,330 It's all about him. 592 00:24:29,810 --> 00:24:32,530 Salvation is not 99% God, 1% us. 593 00:24:32,530 --> 00:24:37,330 It's all him, the act of salvation, the glory of salvation. 594 00:24:37,330 --> 00:24:40,690 He says here, for of him and through him, and to him are all things. 595 00:24:41,070 --> 00:24:41,910 So what does he say here? 596 00:24:41,910 --> 00:24:42,550 He says this. 597 00:24:42,550 --> 00:24:43,710 It's all about Him. 598 00:24:44,030 --> 00:24:45,710 Our worship is all about Him. 599 00:24:45,790 --> 00:24:47,390 Our praise is all about Him. 600 00:24:47,470 --> 00:24:49,630 What we do within the church is all about Him. 601 00:24:49,710 --> 00:24:51,390 Our lifestyle is all about Him. 602 00:24:51,550 --> 00:24:53,470 Our sacrifice is all about Him. 603 00:24:53,550 --> 00:24:56,110 It's never about us, folks. 604 00:24:56,110 --> 00:24:57,550 We live in a society. 605 00:24:57,630 --> 00:25:02,590 We are humans and we do live with that overwhelming pressure to 606 00:25:02,670 --> 00:25:05,670 recenter it back to us and think about what it means for me. 607 00:25:05,670 --> 00:25:07,600 And I think that there is importance to that. 608 00:25:07,600 --> 00:25:10,400 We, we do need to know the application of the word of God in 609 00:25:10,400 --> 00:25:10,840 our lives. 610 00:25:11,000 --> 00:25:13,720 We do need to know that God's gift of grace is to us. 611 00:25:14,280 --> 00:25:15,560 So that is a good thing. 612 00:25:15,560 --> 00:25:19,480 But where it does turn to be a bad thing is when we turn the focus 613 00:25:19,800 --> 00:25:23,280 of what we are doing in our worship and our church to somebody 614 00:25:23,280 --> 00:25:24,520 else other than the Lord. 615 00:25:24,680 --> 00:25:27,560 Whether it be a pastor, whether it be an individual, whether 616 00:25:27,560 --> 00:25:28,440 it be a movement. 617 00:25:28,440 --> 00:25:33,000 Folks, anytime we put worship, we attribute any type of praise to 618 00:25:33,000 --> 00:25:35,000 anyone else outside of our Lord. 619 00:25:35,000 --> 00:25:37,130 We are in idolatrous worship and. 620 00:25:37,280 --> 00:25:39,920 And therefore we are not following what God calls us to do. 621 00:25:40,400 --> 00:25:43,240 Folks, I know you're not tempted to worship me, but don't 622 00:25:43,240 --> 00:25:44,120 ever worship a man. 623 00:25:44,120 --> 00:25:46,600 Don't ever worship a person from behind a pulpit. 624 00:25:46,600 --> 00:25:48,480 Don't ever worship a way of thinking. 625 00:25:48,560 --> 00:25:49,600 Worship the Lord. 626 00:25:49,840 --> 00:25:52,760 If anyone is not pointing you to Jesus, don't look to them because 627 00:25:52,760 --> 00:25:54,240 they're not pointing you to the right thing. 628 00:25:54,400 --> 00:25:57,280 Jesus is the final authority on faith and practice. 629 00:25:57,360 --> 00:25:59,680 Jesus is the final authority on our salvation. 630 00:25:59,680 --> 00:26:02,880 I want you to go to a passage of scripture in the book of Hebrews. 631 00:26:03,170 --> 00:26:04,330 Hebrews chapter 12. 632 00:26:04,330 --> 00:26:08,210 Hebrews chapter 12 tells us more about how Jesus is the author 633 00:26:08,290 --> 00:26:10,290 and finisher of our faith. 634 00:26:12,050 --> 00:26:13,090 I'm going to tell you something. 635 00:26:13,090 --> 00:26:14,130 I love you to death. 636 00:26:14,770 --> 00:26:18,250 You say you don't know me well, just because you're here. 637 00:26:18,250 --> 00:26:19,009 I love you, okay? 638 00:26:19,009 --> 00:26:21,570 God's called me to love you and I love Middletown Baptist Church. 639 00:26:23,010 --> 00:26:25,490 But I didn't sacrifice my life for you. 640 00:26:25,570 --> 00:26:27,810 I. I didn't pay the price for your sins. 641 00:26:28,860 --> 00:26:30,700 I didn't offer forgiveness to you. 642 00:26:30,940 --> 00:26:32,220 I can't offer you that. 643 00:26:32,300 --> 00:26:35,700 All I can do is lead you to what the Bible says is the living 644 00:26:35,700 --> 00:26:36,060 water. 645 00:26:36,700 --> 00:26:39,980 But in Hebrews, chapter 12, verse number two, it says, looking 646 00:26:40,140 --> 00:26:46,460 unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, the Creator 647 00:26:46,460 --> 00:26:48,620 and the sustainer of our faith. 648 00:26:48,620 --> 00:26:53,260 And then it tells us why he's the author and finisher of our faith. 649 00:26:53,580 --> 00:26:57,020 Who for the joy that was set before him. 650 00:26:58,300 --> 00:27:00,300 Folks, wrap your minds around that for a second. 651 00:27:01,420 --> 00:27:07,020 Jesus did what he did for you with joy, though he understood obviously 652 00:27:07,020 --> 00:27:11,940 in his humanity the pain and suffering that he would face in the 653 00:27:11,940 --> 00:27:13,100 sacrifice on the cross. 654 00:27:13,100 --> 00:27:17,460 It says that he who for the Joy that was set before him endured 655 00:27:17,460 --> 00:27:18,060 the cross. 656 00:27:19,100 --> 00:27:21,020 He did it willingly for you. 657 00:27:21,690 --> 00:27:25,890 He did it willingly for submission to the Father, says, despising 658 00:27:25,890 --> 00:27:28,730 the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. 659 00:27:29,530 --> 00:27:32,370 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against 660 00:27:32,370 --> 00:27:35,530 Himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds, meaning, 661 00:27:35,530 --> 00:27:40,250 if you're tempted to faint, if you're tempted not to keep going 662 00:27:40,250 --> 00:27:43,450 forward in your faith, if you're tempted to doubt, if you're 663 00:27:43,450 --> 00:27:46,210 tempted to think that God doesn't love you, go back to the 664 00:27:46,210 --> 00:27:47,370 proof of his love. 665 00:27:47,930 --> 00:27:50,330 And the proof of his love is the sacrifice on the cross. 666 00:27:50,330 --> 00:27:54,370 And so what Paul is telling us In Romans, chapter 11, what the writer 667 00:27:54,370 --> 00:27:57,770 of Hebrews is telling us in Romans or in Hebrews, chapter 12, 668 00:27:57,850 --> 00:28:02,290 is the simple fact that we as Christians must go back to the Source 669 00:28:02,290 --> 00:28:04,250 to know what he has done for us. 670 00:28:04,250 --> 00:28:07,690 If we want to be worshipful believers, if we want to be believers 671 00:28:07,690 --> 00:28:12,130 that are acting right, living right, believing right, serving with 672 00:28:12,130 --> 00:28:14,650 faithfulness, we must go back to the Source. 673 00:28:15,220 --> 00:28:19,700 Because if we go to anything else for our satisfaction, for our 674 00:28:19,700 --> 00:28:24,020 sufficiency, for our strength, we will eventually run dry, because 675 00:28:24,020 --> 00:28:25,380 those wells run dry. 676 00:28:25,780 --> 00:28:28,660 But there is one well that does not run dry, and that is the 677 00:28:28,660 --> 00:28:32,020 depth of the unsearchable riches of God. 678 00:28:32,740 --> 00:28:33,780 Go back to that. 679 00:28:33,940 --> 00:28:37,500 Go back to what he has done for you, go back to what he continues 680 00:28:37,500 --> 00:28:38,340 to do for you. 681 00:28:38,340 --> 00:28:42,860 And go back to what he is going to do for you forever in eternity 682 00:28:42,860 --> 00:28:44,340 by giving you everlasting life. 683 00:28:44,970 --> 00:28:48,490 That's what he says at the end of verse 36, to whom be glory forever. 684 00:28:49,930 --> 00:28:54,890 That's the person that we give glory to forever, Our Lord, the One 685 00:28:54,970 --> 00:28:59,210 who, as it says there in verse 36, that gave us salvation of him 686 00:28:59,450 --> 00:29:02,050 through him, and then ultimately the worship to Him. 687 00:29:02,050 --> 00:29:03,290 That is all things. 688 00:29:03,610 --> 00:29:04,530 So what is he saying here? 689 00:29:04,530 --> 00:29:05,530 He says this at the end. 690 00:29:05,530 --> 00:29:06,370 God wins. 691 00:29:06,370 --> 00:29:09,450 No matter what your plans are, no matter what the world's plans 692 00:29:09,450 --> 00:29:10,810 are, God wins. 693 00:29:11,400 --> 00:29:15,560 We sing that song, Victory in Jesus, and we sing it loud. 694 00:29:15,560 --> 00:29:16,960 And I think we should, and I love. 695 00:29:16,960 --> 00:29:18,120 It's one of my favorite songs. 696 00:29:18,520 --> 00:29:20,440 But think about what we're saying in that song. 697 00:29:20,440 --> 00:29:22,800 We're saying that, yes, we have victory, but it's not in what 698 00:29:22,800 --> 00:29:24,760 we do, it's in what he has done for us. 699 00:29:25,880 --> 00:29:26,920 You have victory today. 700 00:29:26,920 --> 00:29:28,520 We don't have to live discouraged. 701 00:29:29,080 --> 00:29:30,920 There's gonna be times where we do live discouraged. 702 00:29:31,800 --> 00:29:34,960 I know that there's a lot of factors in this world that can bring 703 00:29:34,960 --> 00:29:36,280 us levels of discouragement. 704 00:29:36,690 --> 00:29:39,490 There's a lot of factors in this world that can bring us to levels 705 00:29:39,490 --> 00:29:40,770 of doubt in our life. 706 00:29:41,970 --> 00:29:44,090 But when we get to those places, what do we do? 707 00:29:44,090 --> 00:29:46,770 We don't look at the circumstances around us and say, 708 00:29:46,770 --> 00:29:49,410 well, this circumstance doesn't make sense to me. 709 00:29:49,730 --> 00:29:51,050 It's not good for me. 710 00:29:51,050 --> 00:29:53,410 Therefore God must not be who he says he is. 711 00:29:54,450 --> 00:29:56,810 Well, we go back to Romans 11. 712 00:29:56,810 --> 00:29:58,450 He says, no, it's all glory to God. 713 00:29:58,930 --> 00:30:03,170 If I must go through certain things for his glory, so be it. 714 00:30:04,480 --> 00:30:05,840 I know that's not what we want to hear. 715 00:30:06,000 --> 00:30:08,320 I know we want to hear that if God loves us, everything's going 716 00:30:08,320 --> 00:30:09,120 to go smoothly. 717 00:30:09,360 --> 00:30:12,560 And that's what maybe you've been told before. 718 00:30:13,120 --> 00:30:14,480 But let's just go to scripture. 719 00:30:15,200 --> 00:30:18,560 Let's go to every single person in scripture that is given 720 00:30:18,560 --> 00:30:22,000 as an example for being a godly believer. 721 00:30:22,160 --> 00:30:23,440 Think about what they went through. 722 00:30:24,320 --> 00:30:29,930 Think about Paul, think about Peter, think about even in the Old 723 00:30:29,930 --> 00:30:33,650 Testament, Job, Joseph, all these people that we would say, wow, 724 00:30:33,650 --> 00:30:36,810 these are great examples of, of saints of the past. 725 00:30:37,210 --> 00:30:40,690 We would say, okay, look, they all went through struggles and trials. 726 00:30:40,690 --> 00:30:42,250 It didn't mean that God forgot about them. 727 00:30:42,490 --> 00:30:44,130 It didn't mean that God stopped loving them. 728 00:30:44,130 --> 00:30:46,730 It meant that they were going through those things to see the power 729 00:30:46,730 --> 00:30:48,250 of God resting upon them. 730 00:30:48,410 --> 00:30:51,530 And ultimately we live in a world that's short sighted. 731 00:30:52,250 --> 00:30:54,850 We live in a world of smartphones, we live in a world of 732 00:30:54,850 --> 00:30:58,580 microwaves, we live in a world of, of instant access, same day delivery. 733 00:30:58,580 --> 00:31:00,620 And folks, that's the way we see our faith. 734 00:31:00,940 --> 00:31:04,500 Sometimes we see our Christian walk as what has God done for me 735 00:31:04,500 --> 00:31:04,860 today? 736 00:31:06,700 --> 00:31:10,220 Why hasn't God spared me from this specific thing today? 737 00:31:10,460 --> 00:31:13,860 Because maybe, number one, God is working through you in a time 738 00:31:13,860 --> 00:31:15,620 frame that is not your time frame. 739 00:31:15,620 --> 00:31:18,140 And maybe he's teaching us a lesson for the future. 740 00:31:18,300 --> 00:31:21,860 Maybe he's preparing us for something tomorrow or two years from 741 00:31:21,860 --> 00:31:23,500 now or, or ten years from now. 742 00:31:23,820 --> 00:31:26,900 But maybe God's allowing you to go through a trial to teach us 743 00:31:26,900 --> 00:31:29,340 a lesson about relying on Him. 744 00:31:29,820 --> 00:31:32,620 Maybe it's a lesson that we should teach someone else. 745 00:31:32,700 --> 00:31:36,980 The Bible doesn't give us all the clarity on why sometimes we go 746 00:31:36,980 --> 00:31:40,060 through trials other than it brings us to a place of relying on 747 00:31:40,060 --> 00:31:40,300 Him. 748 00:31:40,300 --> 00:31:41,940 And so Romans chapter 11. 749 00:31:41,940 --> 00:31:45,540 Paul just says, I can't help it anymore, I've got to worship all 750 00:31:45,540 --> 00:31:46,940 glory to God. 751 00:31:47,020 --> 00:31:49,380 And the declaration here is that God wins. 752 00:31:49,380 --> 00:31:52,680 No matter if the people on this earth are going to obey or not, 753 00:31:52,680 --> 00:31:53,880 God still wins. 754 00:31:54,040 --> 00:31:57,840 I mentioned this last week, I believe, and it is a tough statement 755 00:31:57,840 --> 00:31:58,520 to think about. 756 00:31:58,680 --> 00:32:01,480 And, and I'm also very cautious when I say this because 757 00:32:01,480 --> 00:32:04,920 I don't want you to think that God doesn't want you on board because 758 00:32:04,920 --> 00:32:07,400 God wants all of us to be part of his work. 759 00:32:07,480 --> 00:32:09,000 But let me just tell you this with grace. 760 00:32:09,000 --> 00:32:11,320 And I'm going to speak from my heart here. 761 00:32:11,400 --> 00:32:14,280 And I'm also, I thinking, speaking from the truth of scripture, 762 00:32:14,680 --> 00:32:16,600 God does not need me. 763 00:32:17,170 --> 00:32:20,410 God does not need you to ultimately do his defining work of 764 00:32:20,410 --> 00:32:21,010 redemption. 765 00:32:21,890 --> 00:32:25,330 If I said, today, I'm done, I'm not serving you anymore, I don't 766 00:32:25,330 --> 00:32:26,090 hinder God. 767 00:32:26,090 --> 00:32:28,290 Now, can I help God's message get out? 768 00:32:28,290 --> 00:32:28,930 Certainly. 769 00:32:29,490 --> 00:32:33,090 But if I could hinder God, that meant that God is not all powerful. 770 00:32:33,650 --> 00:32:35,010 God is all powerful. 771 00:32:35,490 --> 00:32:38,890 And my dad used to tell me all the time, son, don't think that you're 772 00:32:38,890 --> 00:32:39,730 irreplaceable. 773 00:32:40,610 --> 00:32:42,770 And I would be like, well, again, I struggle with that because 774 00:32:42,770 --> 00:32:43,290 I'm an only child. 775 00:32:43,290 --> 00:32:45,400 And I thought like, you know, world needs me. 776 00:32:45,480 --> 00:32:46,480 You know, I'm a pretty. 777 00:32:46,480 --> 00:32:47,560 I'm a blessing to this world. 778 00:32:47,560 --> 00:32:50,920 I thought that for a while, and I still struggle with that. 779 00:32:51,000 --> 00:32:52,280 But the idea would be this. 780 00:32:53,640 --> 00:32:57,200 We get to a sense of pride and entitlement when we think the Christian 781 00:32:57,200 --> 00:33:00,760 life is all about me and the end is all about me. 782 00:33:01,480 --> 00:33:03,840 Though I get blessings in this relationship. 783 00:33:03,840 --> 00:33:06,840 What does he say here at the end of Romans chapter 11, verse 36, 784 00:33:08,040 --> 00:33:10,280 to whom be the glory forever now? 785 00:33:10,630 --> 00:33:11,830 The whom there is not me. 786 00:33:12,630 --> 00:33:13,990 The whom there is not you. 787 00:33:14,310 --> 00:33:16,230 The whom there is, our Lord and Savior. 788 00:33:16,950 --> 00:33:18,230 That's who gets the glory. 789 00:33:19,510 --> 00:33:21,910 Now, let me tell you, if you're a believer in Jesus Christ, 790 00:33:21,910 --> 00:33:25,190 you might go through trials, but the greatest blessing in anyone's 791 00:33:25,190 --> 00:33:27,190 life is to walk in fellowship with the Lord. 792 00:33:27,990 --> 00:33:29,110 Think about Stephen. 793 00:33:29,190 --> 00:33:31,190 Some of you guys know the story of Stephen, the. 794 00:33:31,190 --> 00:33:31,910 The martyr. 795 00:33:32,470 --> 00:33:33,430 He was stoned. 796 00:33:34,390 --> 00:33:36,390 He was being stoned for preaching the gospel. 797 00:33:36,390 --> 00:33:39,250 But you know, in that last moment, the Lord came and spoke to 798 00:33:39,250 --> 00:33:42,210 him and consoled him and gave him hope and clarity. 799 00:33:42,850 --> 00:33:43,850 Even in the midst of. 800 00:33:43,850 --> 00:33:46,530 We would consider to be the worst moment of someone's life being 801 00:33:46,530 --> 00:33:47,570 killed for their fate. 802 00:33:47,730 --> 00:33:50,610 God was giving him abundant blessings that we could never understand 803 00:33:50,610 --> 00:33:51,650 in that moment of grace. 804 00:33:51,650 --> 00:33:53,810 He was just saying, look, it's all worth it. 805 00:33:54,210 --> 00:33:56,090 Paul even mentions this in the book of Romans. 806 00:33:56,090 --> 00:34:01,050 He says, one day, when we understand the blessing, when we 807 00:34:01,050 --> 00:34:04,570 understand the culmination of everything, we're going to think 808 00:34:04,570 --> 00:34:05,730 that this world was nothing. 809 00:34:05,770 --> 00:34:09,360 But all the struggles that we went through are nothing in comparison 810 00:34:09,360 --> 00:34:13,360 to the Glory that we will have when we are with our Savior, reunited 811 00:34:13,360 --> 00:34:13,840 with Him. 812 00:34:14,400 --> 00:34:17,120 And so to whom be the glory forever? 813 00:34:17,120 --> 00:34:17,680 Amen. 814 00:34:17,680 --> 00:34:22,400 The fact is that Paul is stating here, I can't understand 815 00:34:22,560 --> 00:34:23,760 God completely. 816 00:34:24,400 --> 00:34:26,560 I don't know why he's doing what he's doing. 817 00:34:28,320 --> 00:34:29,680 I can't figure him out. 818 00:34:30,000 --> 00:34:31,280 I don't know if you've ever been there. 819 00:34:31,529 --> 00:34:34,009 I just, I don't understand why God would do that. 820 00:34:34,569 --> 00:34:38,889 Paul says, I can't figure him out, but that makes me glorify God 821 00:34:38,889 --> 00:34:41,689 all the more because why he's beyond me. 822 00:34:41,689 --> 00:34:44,689 And that's proof that it's something bigger, something infinite 823 00:34:44,689 --> 00:34:45,689 that I cannot understand. 824 00:34:46,649 --> 00:34:51,609 Someone said to me recently, explain to me how the Trinity works. 825 00:34:52,809 --> 00:34:55,329 I said, well, I'll explain to you what the Bible says about the 826 00:34:55,329 --> 00:34:55,849 Trinity. 827 00:34:56,249 --> 00:34:58,849 And I think the rest of it's taking it by faith because I can't 828 00:34:58,849 --> 00:35:00,089 explain to you how that works. 829 00:35:00,760 --> 00:35:03,240 And that's, by the way, that's comforting for me. 830 00:35:03,560 --> 00:35:06,680 It's comforting for me to know that God is beyond me. 831 00:35:07,080 --> 00:35:10,440 He's outside of the realm that we live in today. 832 00:35:10,440 --> 00:35:11,480 He's beyond us. 833 00:35:11,720 --> 00:35:15,360 There's certain face out there, I call them face or religions 834 00:35:15,360 --> 00:35:19,760 or cults that are very clearly, if you inspect them, man 835 00:35:19,760 --> 00:35:20,120 made. 836 00:35:21,880 --> 00:35:24,800 Think about some of these religions that say, hey men, you 837 00:35:24,800 --> 00:35:27,920 can have as many wives as you want and you can continue on and 838 00:35:27,920 --> 00:35:28,660 that's your you. 839 00:35:28,660 --> 00:35:31,940 We can very clearly see that there was a man behind this, creating 840 00:35:31,940 --> 00:35:34,420 a paradise that he would want for the future. 841 00:35:35,300 --> 00:35:36,060 It's very clear. 842 00:35:36,060 --> 00:35:38,700 There's certain elements, there's certain face that we can 843 00:35:38,700 --> 00:35:40,260 say that's clearly man made. 844 00:35:40,260 --> 00:35:42,940 But when we look at what God has done, it doesn't make sense to 845 00:35:42,940 --> 00:35:43,220 us. 846 00:35:43,300 --> 00:35:45,180 All the more reason why we glorify him. 847 00:35:45,180 --> 00:35:48,780 Because it's an outside causer coming into this world and starting 848 00:35:48,780 --> 00:35:49,140 everything. 849 00:35:49,140 --> 00:35:51,780 And that's what the picture here that Paul is painting. 850 00:35:51,780 --> 00:35:55,500 He says, when we understand just some, just a little bit of the 851 00:35:55,500 --> 00:35:59,300 greatness of God, we can none of us, none of us can fully understand 852 00:35:59,300 --> 00:35:59,660 God. 853 00:35:59,660 --> 00:36:01,860 Some of us can understand God more every single day. 854 00:36:02,500 --> 00:36:06,980 But I'm going to tell you, you can study God 24:7, 365 for your 855 00:36:06,980 --> 00:36:10,300 whole life and you will never mind the depths of the greatness 856 00:36:10,300 --> 00:36:13,500 of God doesn't mean that we stop mining it. 857 00:36:13,500 --> 00:36:15,220 It just means that we just want more and more. 858 00:36:15,220 --> 00:36:18,060 But what he says is even when we understand just a glimmer of the 859 00:36:18,060 --> 00:36:20,980 greatness of God which one day we will see completely. 860 00:36:21,220 --> 00:36:24,900 But even now, as we just see a Little, little more soul of the greatness 861 00:36:24,900 --> 00:36:25,420 of God. 862 00:36:25,420 --> 00:36:28,460 We worship him more passionately each and every day. 863 00:36:29,740 --> 00:36:32,460 So the question would be for us, the action item for us would 864 00:36:32,460 --> 00:36:35,900 be, what is our response to the work of God? 865 00:36:36,620 --> 00:36:39,659 What is our response to the plan of God? 866 00:36:39,660 --> 00:36:43,420 Whether we agree with it or not, what is our response to the 867 00:36:43,420 --> 00:36:44,540 power of God? 868 00:36:45,340 --> 00:36:47,860 Well, some people in this world's response to the plan of God 869 00:36:47,860 --> 00:36:49,340 is saying, well, why would he do it that way? 870 00:36:50,010 --> 00:36:51,290 I think I have a better plan. 871 00:36:51,930 --> 00:36:53,410 Or yeah, sure, I agree with it. 872 00:36:53,410 --> 00:36:56,210 But the way that I act in my life does not line up with what I 873 00:36:56,210 --> 00:36:56,570 say. 874 00:36:56,730 --> 00:36:59,450 You ever heard someone say, I believe I trust God in every way. 875 00:36:59,450 --> 00:37:00,410 He's got me. 876 00:37:00,650 --> 00:37:03,450 I believe in him, I, I know he's got me. 877 00:37:03,450 --> 00:37:05,970 And then the first trial comes and they go, what am I going to do? 878 00:37:05,970 --> 00:37:08,170 And they start crying and saying, lord's forgotten about me. 879 00:37:08,330 --> 00:37:15,050 Folks, if someone says that they trust God, the, the statement 880 00:37:15,290 --> 00:37:18,730 of our verbal language of saying that we trust God is not enough. 881 00:37:19,070 --> 00:37:22,670 The Bible says that we prove our faith by the way that we live. 882 00:37:23,550 --> 00:37:25,750 So we've got a lot of people in the world today that say they 883 00:37:25,750 --> 00:37:26,230 trust God. 884 00:37:26,230 --> 00:37:29,070 But when the rubber meets the road, who are they truly trusting? 885 00:37:29,070 --> 00:37:32,110 Well, usually they're trusting in the things that don't give sufficiency. 886 00:37:32,350 --> 00:37:33,870 And so what does he say here? 887 00:37:33,870 --> 00:37:34,550 He says this. 888 00:37:34,550 --> 00:37:39,150 When we stand under the power and the plan and the presence of 889 00:37:39,150 --> 00:37:41,110 God, what's our response? 890 00:37:41,110 --> 00:37:43,790 Our response should ultimately be worship. 891 00:37:45,000 --> 00:37:45,880 But what is our response? 892 00:37:45,880 --> 00:37:48,360 Sometimes it's worry, right? 893 00:37:48,440 --> 00:37:51,400 When I think about all the things that God is doing and allowing 894 00:37:51,400 --> 00:37:52,520 for my life, I worry. 895 00:37:54,600 --> 00:37:55,880 Sometimes it's weariness. 896 00:37:56,680 --> 00:37:57,400 Think about that. 897 00:37:57,400 --> 00:37:59,400 Think about just like all the things that God's doing. 898 00:37:59,400 --> 00:38:00,440 Sometimes we just get tired. 899 00:38:01,320 --> 00:38:04,000 And the Bible does remind us, don't get weary and well doing. 900 00:38:04,000 --> 00:38:05,160 Galatians, chapter 6. 901 00:38:05,160 --> 00:38:07,960 For in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. 902 00:38:09,560 --> 00:38:14,430 So sometimes we are in worry, sometimes we're in what we would 903 00:38:14,430 --> 00:38:16,070 consider just weariness. 904 00:38:17,270 --> 00:38:20,390 Some people to the response of the plan of God is rebellion. 905 00:38:20,870 --> 00:38:22,950 No God, you can't tell me what to do. 906 00:38:24,390 --> 00:38:28,150 You can't tell me that this is wrong, want to do my own thing. 907 00:38:29,670 --> 00:38:31,190 So sometimes it's rebellion. 908 00:38:31,190 --> 00:38:36,230 Whatever the case might be, any response to God in his power, 909 00:38:36,990 --> 00:38:40,670 in his plan that is in worship is a wrong response. 910 00:38:41,630 --> 00:38:43,950 Though sometimes we can worship with questions. 911 00:38:44,910 --> 00:38:46,070 Let me be clear this morning. 912 00:38:46,070 --> 00:38:49,750 I'm not saying that all of us have to just understand everything 913 00:38:49,750 --> 00:38:52,830 about God and never have any questions because then we would be 914 00:38:52,830 --> 00:38:54,350 contradicting what the word of God says. 915 00:38:54,350 --> 00:38:57,510 Because many times we see great saints of the faith coming 916 00:38:57,510 --> 00:38:59,830 to places in their life where they're asking God questions. 917 00:38:59,830 --> 00:39:01,550 And maybe you've heard me say this before. 918 00:39:01,630 --> 00:39:06,220 I think it's completely fine and actually biblical to ask God 919 00:39:06,220 --> 00:39:06,820 questions. 920 00:39:06,820 --> 00:39:09,940 But it is not fine and biblical to question God. 921 00:39:10,100 --> 00:39:11,700 And I hope that you understand the difference. 922 00:39:11,860 --> 00:39:12,980 When I mean, there. 923 00:39:13,540 --> 00:39:15,940 Sometimes we can ask God questions with the understanding 924 00:39:15,940 --> 00:39:18,340 of knowing that you are the great God of the universe. 925 00:39:18,420 --> 00:39:20,180 You don't have to tell me what you're doing. 926 00:39:20,180 --> 00:39:22,340 But, Lord, I really would like to know what's going on. 927 00:39:22,340 --> 00:39:23,860 Can you give me some clarity? 928 00:39:24,260 --> 00:39:25,500 Why are you doing what you're doing? 929 00:39:25,500 --> 00:39:27,140 And sometimes God gives us an answer. 930 00:39:27,140 --> 00:39:29,420 And in many cases, God doesn't give us an answer. 931 00:39:29,420 --> 00:39:30,180 You remember Job? 932 00:39:30,540 --> 00:39:32,660 Job was coming to God saying, lord, why? 933 00:39:32,660 --> 00:39:33,420 What's going on? 934 00:39:33,420 --> 00:39:36,740 And God's response is like, where were you at when I was creating 935 00:39:36,740 --> 00:39:37,100 the world? 936 00:39:37,580 --> 00:39:41,900 And Job's like, well, okay, understood, Lord, sometimes God doesn't 937 00:39:41,900 --> 00:39:42,940 give us an answer. 938 00:39:43,500 --> 00:39:46,499 Now, I truly do believe by faith that one day we will have all 939 00:39:46,499 --> 00:39:48,220 the answers when we're with him in heaven. 940 00:39:48,700 --> 00:39:51,100 But until then, we trust in his character. 941 00:39:51,500 --> 00:39:53,660 So what's the biblical way to question God? 942 00:39:53,980 --> 00:39:56,460 Well, we don't question him in his character because that would 943 00:39:56,460 --> 00:39:56,900 be sin. 944 00:39:56,900 --> 00:40:00,120 If I looked at Lord, the Lord and said, lord, why'd you do this 945 00:40:00,120 --> 00:40:00,520 to me? 946 00:40:00,520 --> 00:40:01,520 I think that's a sin. 947 00:40:01,520 --> 00:40:02,280 I think you're wrong. 948 00:40:02,280 --> 00:40:03,440 I don't think you're truthful. 949 00:40:03,600 --> 00:40:05,960 That's the moment where we've turned our hearts away from faith 950 00:40:05,960 --> 00:40:09,200 and we've turned to the selfish focus of questioning God 951 00:40:09,200 --> 00:40:11,840 and actually saying that we have a better morality than God. 952 00:40:12,320 --> 00:40:14,240 So that's not the biblical way to question God. 953 00:40:15,039 --> 00:40:16,720 I don't think we should ever question God. 954 00:40:17,040 --> 00:40:18,040 So what should we do? 955 00:40:18,040 --> 00:40:22,080 Well, the right way is to ask God questions with the proper worshipful 956 00:40:22,080 --> 00:40:25,440 response of saying, lord, I know that you are beyond me. 957 00:40:25,650 --> 00:40:27,210 Lord, I know that you're all powerful. 958 00:40:27,210 --> 00:40:29,090 I know that you're perfectly holy. 959 00:40:29,170 --> 00:40:32,170 I know that your plan is sufficient. 960 00:40:32,170 --> 00:40:35,410 But, Lord, please, please, in this moment, I'm begging you, please 961 00:40:35,410 --> 00:40:36,850 give me some clarity on this. 962 00:40:37,250 --> 00:40:39,570 That's the proper way to ask God questions. 963 00:40:39,970 --> 00:40:41,290 And so that's worship. 964 00:40:41,290 --> 00:40:43,250 I'm not saying that you have to understand everything. 965 00:40:43,570 --> 00:40:46,610 I'm not saying that you even have to get to a place in your life 966 00:40:46,610 --> 00:40:49,370 where you even celebrate certain things that have happened 967 00:40:49,370 --> 00:40:49,850 in your life. 968 00:40:49,850 --> 00:40:51,010 But what I will say is this. 969 00:40:51,270 --> 00:40:54,070 There is a proper biblical response to the plan and the power 970 00:40:54,070 --> 00:40:55,750 of God, and that is worship. 971 00:40:55,750 --> 00:40:56,710 How do we worship? 972 00:40:56,790 --> 00:40:58,390 We submit everything to him. 973 00:40:59,670 --> 00:41:01,910 We worship him by the way that we live our lives. 974 00:41:02,710 --> 00:41:05,750 When we come back next week, Romans chapter 12 is going to tell 975 00:41:05,750 --> 00:41:08,310 us right away what we are to do. 976 00:41:08,310 --> 00:41:11,910 We are to give our bodies a living sacrifice. 977 00:41:12,150 --> 00:41:14,070 God doesn't just want your Sundays. 978 00:41:15,110 --> 00:41:16,710 He doesn't just want your Wednesdays. 979 00:41:17,140 --> 00:41:18,660 God wants all of you. 980 00:41:19,300 --> 00:41:21,060 He doesn't just want your thoughts. 981 00:41:21,220 --> 00:41:24,860 As there was a thinking back at even in the time of Paul, that 982 00:41:24,860 --> 00:41:27,060 as long as you believe the right things, it really didn't matter 983 00:41:27,060 --> 00:41:28,660 what you did physically with your bodies. 984 00:41:28,980 --> 00:41:32,060 You know, do whatever you want to do with your body, but just make 985 00:41:32,060 --> 00:41:32,980 sure that you think right. 986 00:41:33,460 --> 00:41:35,860 Well, Jesus condemned that way of thinking. 987 00:41:36,100 --> 00:41:38,820 He says, because what you think about leads to sin. 988 00:41:38,900 --> 00:41:41,460 Actually, even what you think about can be sin. 989 00:41:42,100 --> 00:41:46,410 And, and so what the Bible tells us in Romans chapter 12, which 990 00:41:46,410 --> 00:41:49,610 we're going to get to next week, is that the proper response 991 00:41:49,610 --> 00:41:55,250 to the grandeur of God, the infinite nature of God, is to present 992 00:41:55,730 --> 00:41:58,930 our bodies, our everything, a living sacrifice. 993 00:42:00,610 --> 00:42:03,410 So if we look at Romans chapter one, verse 11, or, excuse 994 00:42:03,410 --> 00:42:09,260 me, chapters one through 11, we will see God, the gospel to us, 995 00:42:11,180 --> 00:42:14,340 and then we see this beautiful transition, and then we'll get to 996 00:42:14,340 --> 00:42:17,020 Romans chapter 12 and we'll see the gospel through us. 997 00:42:17,260 --> 00:42:21,540 Meaning how do we live in light of what God has done for us 998 00:42:21,540 --> 00:42:22,380 and what we believe? 999 00:42:22,860 --> 00:42:24,460 How do we become Christians? 1000 00:42:24,620 --> 00:42:31,180 And we move from the belief of doctrine to practical theology? 1001 00:42:31,260 --> 00:42:32,980 Because theology is. 1002 00:42:32,980 --> 00:42:33,780 Yes, it, it. 1003 00:42:33,780 --> 00:42:35,020 Sometimes you hear the word theology. 1004 00:42:35,020 --> 00:42:36,140 It's the study of God. 1005 00:42:36,440 --> 00:42:37,560 I would take a step further. 1006 00:42:37,560 --> 00:42:38,760 It's about knowing God. 1007 00:42:39,000 --> 00:42:41,240 But a lot of times people think theology is just like this 1008 00:42:41,240 --> 00:42:44,280 book study that we do and just know the attributes of God. 1009 00:42:44,440 --> 00:42:45,720 And then we stop there. 1010 00:42:45,800 --> 00:42:49,760 But real, complete theology is what we believe about God and what 1011 00:42:49,760 --> 00:42:50,760 we do about it. 1012 00:42:51,320 --> 00:42:55,280 So practical theology, Romans chapter 12 on, is all about applying 1013 00:42:55,280 --> 00:42:55,840 these truths. 1014 00:42:55,840 --> 00:42:58,800 Because all of us in this room might agree, well, I believe that 1015 00:42:58,800 --> 00:42:59,720 Jesus is God. 1016 00:42:59,720 --> 00:43:01,680 I believe he died on the cross for my sins. 1017 00:43:01,680 --> 00:43:03,860 But I believe that I'm a sinner. 1018 00:43:03,860 --> 00:43:06,540 And I believe that he can save me and restore me. 1019 00:43:06,540 --> 00:43:07,740 But then now what? 1020 00:43:09,100 --> 00:43:09,460 What. 1021 00:43:09,460 --> 00:43:11,980 What happens when so and so says something about me? 1022 00:43:12,860 --> 00:43:13,180 What. 1023 00:43:13,180 --> 00:43:14,100 What happens now? 1024 00:43:14,100 --> 00:43:15,900 How do I serve in the church? 1025 00:43:16,060 --> 00:43:17,660 How do I deal with the government? 1026 00:43:17,900 --> 00:43:20,580 How do I deal with another Christian who says that I'm in the 1027 00:43:20,580 --> 00:43:20,940 wrong? 1028 00:43:21,900 --> 00:43:25,060 Good thing that you ask those questions, because Romans talks all 1029 00:43:25,060 --> 00:43:26,540 about those specific things. 1030 00:43:27,100 --> 00:43:30,640 And so to live a life of a Christian who, who is walking in 1031 00:43:30,640 --> 00:43:34,040 the truth of God means that we apply those truths to those areas 1032 00:43:34,040 --> 00:43:35,600 that are difficult in our lives. 1033 00:43:36,400 --> 00:43:39,200 Because sometimes it's not hard to sit in church and hear a 1034 00:43:39,200 --> 00:43:42,480 pastor preaching about the goodness of God, say amen, sing a 1035 00:43:42,480 --> 00:43:43,520 song and leave. 1036 00:43:43,600 --> 00:43:46,640 Where the struggle comes is when someone in the church does something 1037 00:43:46,640 --> 00:43:49,960 against me or someone in my family is turned away from God, or 1038 00:43:49,960 --> 00:43:52,400 the government's instilling certain things in my life that I 1039 00:43:52,400 --> 00:43:54,800 don't agree with and I don't know how to act as a Christian. 1040 00:43:54,880 --> 00:43:58,640 Well, that's what Romans 12, 13, 14 and on talk about. 1041 00:43:59,480 --> 00:44:03,920 And so we have to understand what comes before that so that we 1042 00:44:03,920 --> 00:44:06,400 can get to a place of being, a living sacrifice. 1043 00:44:06,400 --> 00:44:08,120 So what does Paul do here? 1044 00:44:08,120 --> 00:44:12,760 Well, verses 33 through 36 of Romans 11 give us that transition. 1045 00:44:12,920 --> 00:44:16,360 And we start with Romans 12. 1046 00:44:16,360 --> 00:44:18,600 And he says, I beseech you, therefore. 1047 00:44:19,160 --> 00:44:22,120 Now some of you know that if you see the word therefore in scripture, 1048 00:44:22,120 --> 00:44:24,040 you need to go back to see what he's referencing. 1049 00:44:24,530 --> 00:44:25,490 What is he referencing? 1050 00:44:25,490 --> 00:44:28,530 Well, some might argue he's referencing Romans 1 through 11, 1051 00:44:28,690 --> 00:44:32,210 which I would say he is for the most part, but on a more micro 1052 00:44:32,210 --> 00:44:36,930 scale, he's referencing verses 33 through 36 saying this, the Gospel 1053 00:44:36,930 --> 00:44:40,770 is coming to all, and it's through him and it's by him and it's, 1054 00:44:40,770 --> 00:44:42,530 it's, it's from him and all these things. 1055 00:44:42,530 --> 00:44:47,050 And he says because of that, therefore give your bodies a living 1056 00:44:47,050 --> 00:44:47,730 sacrifice. 1057 00:44:47,890 --> 00:44:50,370 Because of the fact we need to worship God with everything. 1058 00:44:50,860 --> 00:44:51,500 So what is he doing? 1059 00:44:51,500 --> 00:44:53,660 He's giving us a reason for worship. 1060 00:44:54,060 --> 00:44:56,380 He's giving us a framework for worship. 1061 00:44:56,700 --> 00:45:00,620 And folks, if you've struggled in church or in your personal life 1062 00:45:00,620 --> 00:45:03,860 with reasons to worship, go back to the well that never runs 1063 00:45:03,860 --> 00:45:04,220 dry. 1064 00:45:04,860 --> 00:45:06,380 First, start with your salvation. 1065 00:45:06,380 --> 00:45:09,100 If you have not trusted in Jesus Christ, there is no reason 1066 00:45:09,100 --> 00:45:09,820 to worship. 1067 00:45:10,860 --> 00:45:11,980 Think about this world today. 1068 00:45:12,060 --> 00:45:13,500 We live in a very bleak world. 1069 00:45:15,100 --> 00:45:16,060 There's not a lot of hope. 1070 00:45:16,950 --> 00:45:19,350 And if you don't have Jesus Christ for your eternal hope, I would 1071 00:45:19,350 --> 00:45:22,630 tell you there is no reason to have hope because this world is a 1072 00:45:22,630 --> 00:45:23,750 dog eat dog world. 1073 00:45:23,750 --> 00:45:28,630 There is sickness, there is pain, there is death, there is rebellion, 1074 00:45:28,630 --> 00:45:29,790 there is betrayal. 1075 00:45:29,790 --> 00:45:30,950 There's all these things. 1076 00:45:31,030 --> 00:45:34,150 And so outside of Jesus Christ, there is hopelessness. 1077 00:45:35,110 --> 00:45:38,110 So you can't worship God if you don't understand the hope that 1078 00:45:38,110 --> 00:45:38,950 you find in Him. 1079 00:45:38,950 --> 00:45:42,990 And so the first step of worship is to believe in him and 1080 00:45:42,990 --> 00:45:46,860 what he has done for you and have that transition, that change 1081 00:45:47,420 --> 00:45:49,260 that Transformation in your heart. 1082 00:45:49,420 --> 00:45:52,900 As the Bible's gonna say next week that we see that we are new 1083 00:45:52,900 --> 00:45:55,900 creations in him transformed into his image. 1084 00:45:56,620 --> 00:46:00,580 So the first step of worship is number one, trusting in what God 1085 00:46:00,580 --> 00:46:03,180 has said in his word is the gospel of Jesus Christ. 1086 00:46:03,180 --> 00:46:06,500 But then secondarily, if you've already trusted in that, it's 1087 00:46:06,500 --> 00:46:09,660 going back to the gospel and realizing that the only hope that 1088 00:46:09,660 --> 00:46:12,670 we have in anything that we do is, is through going back to what 1089 00:46:12,670 --> 00:46:13,990 Jesus Christ has done for us. 1090 00:46:14,070 --> 00:46:15,190 Have you ever gotten tired? 1091 00:46:15,190 --> 00:46:16,190 Have you ever gotten worried? 1092 00:46:16,190 --> 00:46:17,830 Have you ever been tempted to rebel? 1093 00:46:17,830 --> 00:46:20,150 Have you ever tempted, been tempted to quit? 1094 00:46:20,230 --> 00:46:23,750 Go back to what Jesus says as the author and finisher of our faith. 1095 00:46:23,830 --> 00:46:25,350 He is the author and finisher. 1096 00:46:25,350 --> 00:46:28,910 So don't go to Pastor Josh and say, pastor Josh, make me not be 1097 00:46:28,910 --> 00:46:29,750 mad all the time. 1098 00:46:30,230 --> 00:46:31,430 I can't do that for you. 1099 00:46:31,430 --> 00:46:32,550 I can't change your heart. 1100 00:46:33,830 --> 00:46:37,320 Well, Pastor Josh, make me more happy, folks. 1101 00:46:37,320 --> 00:46:40,040 If I try to make you happy, I'm gonna make these people not happy. 1102 00:46:40,040 --> 00:46:40,720 If I make these. 1103 00:46:40,720 --> 00:46:44,040 I, the, the humanity in me wants to make everybody happy and 1104 00:46:44,040 --> 00:46:46,080 want to make your life perfect, but I can't make you happy. 1105 00:46:47,120 --> 00:46:49,360 Give me, I need to find a purpose, Pastor Josh. 1106 00:46:49,360 --> 00:46:50,240 Give me a purpose. 1107 00:46:50,720 --> 00:46:52,640 I can't ultimately give you your purpose. 1108 00:46:53,520 --> 00:46:54,280 So what do we do? 1109 00:46:54,280 --> 00:46:57,440 We go to the author and finisher of our faith, Jesus Christ, 1110 00:46:57,840 --> 00:47:00,240 who endured the cross with joy for you. 1111 00:47:01,040 --> 00:47:06,100 So if you want purpose, if you want satisfaction, if you want joy, 1112 00:47:06,340 --> 00:47:09,860 if you want salvation, it's coming to Jesus, folks. 1113 00:47:09,860 --> 00:47:13,540 If you're broken right now, maybe it's a marriage, maybe it's 1114 00:47:13,620 --> 00:47:15,700 a child, an adult child. 1115 00:47:15,700 --> 00:47:18,739 I don't know, maybe it's a grandchild, maybe it's a co worker, 1116 00:47:20,020 --> 00:47:24,260 maybe it's your own life and you're, you're leaning towards that 1117 00:47:24,580 --> 00:47:27,140 feeling of just don't know what to do. 1118 00:47:28,350 --> 00:47:29,830 I'm beyond my grip. 1119 00:47:29,830 --> 00:47:31,550 I, I can't hold on anymore. 1120 00:47:32,190 --> 00:47:33,750 I don't see a change happening. 1121 00:47:33,750 --> 00:47:34,830 I don't think this can work. 1122 00:47:34,990 --> 00:47:37,070 I don't think God has anything for this. 1123 00:47:37,150 --> 00:47:40,510 What I'm going to tell you is the answer to all of that is going 1124 00:47:40,510 --> 00:47:41,710 back to Jesus Christ. 1125 00:47:42,190 --> 00:47:46,550 Worshiping him, recognizing his worthiness, recognizing that 1126 00:47:46,550 --> 00:47:49,150 all things are of him, through him and to him. 1127 00:47:50,510 --> 00:47:52,110 The challenge might be here today. 1128 00:47:52,350 --> 00:47:56,760 Can I say that about my life is the testimony of my life, that 1129 00:47:56,760 --> 00:48:00,840 all things in my life are of him, through him and to him. 1130 00:48:02,520 --> 00:48:07,480 Everything that I have, God has given me, everything that I have, 1131 00:48:07,640 --> 00:48:10,680 everything that I do is through Him, Everything in Service 1132 00:48:11,800 --> 00:48:17,120 in my marriage, in my workplace, in my parenting, in my 1133 00:48:17,120 --> 00:48:17,720 patience. 1134 00:48:18,120 --> 00:48:20,120 It's all through him and not through myself. 1135 00:48:20,120 --> 00:48:22,770 And then ultimately, I are all things to him. 1136 00:48:23,650 --> 00:48:25,250 Have I given my life to Him? 1137 00:48:25,250 --> 00:48:26,730 Have I given my family to Him? 1138 00:48:26,730 --> 00:48:28,450 Have I given my finances to Him? 1139 00:48:28,450 --> 00:48:30,210 Have I given my service to Him? 1140 00:48:30,210 --> 00:48:31,610 Have I given my work to Him? 1141 00:48:31,610 --> 00:48:33,170 Have I given my future to Him? 1142 00:48:33,730 --> 00:48:35,970 These are all questions that must be asked. 1143 00:48:35,970 --> 00:48:38,930 And Paul is saying, this is why we do what we do. 1144 00:48:38,930 --> 00:48:40,290 This is why we worship. 1145 00:48:40,370 --> 00:48:40,690 Why? 1146 00:48:40,690 --> 00:48:42,610 Because he is worthy of our worship. 1147 00:48:43,250 --> 00:48:47,620 And so here this morning, maybe you've been living your life 1148 00:48:47,620 --> 00:48:49,060 in such a way that you say, you know what? 1149 00:48:49,060 --> 00:48:50,620 I just don't see a reason to worship. 1150 00:48:52,380 --> 00:48:57,660 The gracious side with me would say, well, appeal back to the 1151 00:48:57,660 --> 00:48:58,700 goodness of God. 1152 00:48:58,860 --> 00:49:04,100 The prophet side of me would say, wake up, open your eyes and 1153 00:49:04,100 --> 00:49:05,580 see all the goodness around you. 1154 00:49:06,220 --> 00:49:09,020 Because the truth is, is that God is working around you. 1155 00:49:09,500 --> 00:49:12,320 If you're a believer in Jesus Christ, God is working through you. 1156 00:49:12,790 --> 00:49:16,310 And it's to be available and ready and willing to see God's plan 1157 00:49:16,310 --> 00:49:17,510 and purpose in our life. 1158 00:49:19,350 --> 00:49:26,030 So what happens when my plan and God's plan are running and my 1159 00:49:26,030 --> 00:49:28,589 plan deviates from what God's plan is for me? 1160 00:49:28,589 --> 00:49:31,510 What do I do well for many people? 1161 00:49:31,670 --> 00:49:33,190 Well, God, I'm going to go my way. 1162 00:49:34,390 --> 00:49:37,710 And I hope that your plan will just follow me and find me back sometime. 1163 00:49:37,710 --> 00:49:39,050 Okay, Just bless me, Lord. 1164 00:49:40,080 --> 00:49:45,600 Truth is, when our plans are running in tandem together, we're 1165 00:49:45,600 --> 00:49:46,800 walking in the will of God. 1166 00:49:47,440 --> 00:49:52,160 But let's say this happens all the time, that my wants and my plans 1167 00:49:52,240 --> 00:49:54,560 are this way and God's plans are this way. 1168 00:49:54,560 --> 00:49:57,600 The biblical response is to say, I die to my plans. 1169 00:49:58,480 --> 00:50:02,560 I yield to your plans, and I give you the glory for it, through 1170 00:50:02,560 --> 00:50:02,880 it. 1171 00:50:03,440 --> 00:50:06,320 And at the end, I will praise you for whatever happens. 1172 00:50:07,000 --> 00:50:08,200 That's the proper response. 1173 00:50:08,680 --> 00:50:11,120 And so if you're struggling with submitting yourself to the will 1174 00:50:11,120 --> 00:50:14,800 of God today, know that that's the only will that brings satisfaction. 1175 00:50:14,800 --> 00:50:16,920 That's the only will that brings security. 1176 00:50:17,960 --> 00:50:20,560 And so here this morning, I want you to respond to the preaching 1177 00:50:20,560 --> 00:50:21,480 of the word of God. 1178 00:50:22,200 --> 00:50:25,920 What's your response to the plan and the power of God? 1179 00:50:25,920 --> 00:50:28,520 Is it worship or is it something else? 1180 00:50:29,080 --> 00:50:30,240 When asked if you're able to. 1181 00:50:30,240 --> 00:50:32,720 To stand here this morning, every head bowed, every eye closed, 1182 00:50:32,720 --> 00:50:33,800 the music's gonna play. 1183 00:50:34,460 --> 00:50:37,020 My challenge for you is to respond to what we've talked about 1184 00:50:37,020 --> 00:50:40,260 here this morning, not what I've said so much as what is the 1185 00:50:40,260 --> 00:50:46,260 word of God said Romans 11 tells us that God has a plan for 1186 00:50:46,260 --> 00:50:48,380 his people, that God has a purpose for his people. 1187 00:50:50,460 --> 00:50:52,860 How are you responding to that plan and purpose? 1188 00:50:52,860 --> 00:50:58,380 Is it with worry, weariness, rebellion? 1189 00:50:58,860 --> 00:51:00,110 Or is it with worship? 1190 00:51:02,500 --> 00:51:04,540 Maybe you haven't been living a life of worship. 1191 00:51:04,540 --> 00:51:08,100 Maybe it's very superficial, maybe very shallow faith. 1192 00:51:08,260 --> 00:51:12,180 Maybe it's today that you say, lord, give me more of an understanding 1193 00:51:12,180 --> 00:51:15,740 of the depths of your wisdom and knowledge so that I can have 1194 00:51:15,740 --> 00:51:17,060 depth in my worship. 1195 00:51:18,660 --> 00:51:19,980 Folks, none of us are perfect. 1196 00:51:19,980 --> 00:51:21,740 None of us have reached the pinnacle. 1197 00:51:21,740 --> 00:51:24,660 But all of us are called to take that next step of faith. 1198 00:51:24,980 --> 00:51:26,660 What's your next step of faith? 1199 00:51:26,660 --> 00:51:31,100 Is it today just the first step, trusting in Jesus as your Savior? 1200 00:51:33,340 --> 00:51:34,900 Or maybe it's the second step. 1201 00:51:34,900 --> 00:51:36,860 Maybe it's about growing in our faith. 1202 00:51:36,860 --> 00:51:38,940 Maybe it's just about taking the next step of service. 1203 00:51:38,940 --> 00:51:41,940 Maybe it's the taking the next step of restoration with a fellow 1204 00:51:41,940 --> 00:51:43,020 brother and sister in Christ. 1205 00:51:43,100 --> 00:51:46,020 Maybe it's just giving yourself over to the Lord so that 1206 00:51:46,020 --> 00:51:50,780 your marriage can be renewed in him, that your work can be renewed 1207 00:51:50,780 --> 00:51:51,180 in him. 1208 00:51:51,180 --> 00:51:53,420 Whatever it might be, I challenge you here this morning. 1209 00:51:53,670 --> 00:51:56,510 I challenge myself this morning to take that next step of 1210 00:51:56,510 --> 00:51:57,870 faith as we worship. 1211 00:51:57,870 --> 00:52:00,310 You know, the Bible says there's one mark of our worship. 1212 00:52:00,390 --> 00:52:04,270 It's not how loud we sing as much as it is our obedience and our 1213 00:52:04,270 --> 00:52:04,950 heart for him. 1214 00:52:05,030 --> 00:52:06,110 What's God's command? 1215 00:52:06,110 --> 00:52:08,630 For us to love him with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. 1216 00:52:09,030 --> 00:52:10,110 Will that make me sing? 1217 00:52:10,110 --> 00:52:10,470 Sure. 1218 00:52:10,950 --> 00:52:13,590 But we all know that we can sing without a heart of worship. 1219 00:52:14,070 --> 00:52:15,150 And so it's deeper. 1220 00:52:15,150 --> 00:52:17,190 What is your heart of worship this morning? 1221 00:52:17,830 --> 00:52:18,790 Where's the heart? 1222 00:52:20,160 --> 00:52:21,720 The heart is tied to what we love. 1223 00:52:21,720 --> 00:52:23,440 And what we love is what we obey. 1224 00:52:23,440 --> 00:52:24,800 Are we obeying him today? 1225 00:52:24,960 --> 00:52:27,760 Jesus says, if you love me, you will keep my commandments. 1226 00:52:29,120 --> 00:52:30,720 So the challenge would be here this morning. 1227 00:52:30,960 --> 00:52:32,480 How are we worshiping him? 1228 00:52:32,800 --> 00:52:34,800 Lord, I pray that you'd be in this time of invitation, working 1229 00:52:34,800 --> 00:52:39,160 hearts and lives pray that you bring us to a place of worship and 1230 00:52:39,160 --> 00:52:42,240 humility when we stand before your power and your plan. 1231 00:52:42,720 --> 00:52:46,000 We thank you, we give you all the honor and glory in Jesus name, 1232 00:52:46,000 --> 00:52:46,360 Amen. 1233 00:52:46,360 --> 00:52:48,520 As the music plays follows the Lord leads this morning some have 1234 00:52:48,520 --> 00:52:49,040 already come.