Lord, I swear there's no pain I know there's no danger In that bright world to which I go Welcome to this podcast from Faith Bible Church in Reno, Nevada. Faith Bible Church is a Christ-centered, Bible-teaching ministry dedicated to bringing the good news of the gospel to the whole world. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. And now, for this week's message from Pastor Alan Battle. You hear a lot of talk today about creatives. We used to call them artists, but I guess it's a cool thing to turn an adjective into a noun. Anyway, creatives make things of beauty for the rest of us to enjoy. Things like music, dancing, singing, painting, architecture, sculpture, film, and poetry. Poetry, though. It's kind of fallen out of fashion in our world. Not many people read poetry anymore. It used to be an important aspect of a good education, though. People used to memorize poetry, and then they would recite it when they got together for social events. Poems were common in popular culture. like Robert Frost's poem, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening. Everybody heard that, about a guy on a horseback and he was enjoying the beauty of a lonely forest that was being gently blanketed by snow. And it ends with this familiar stanza. The woods are lovely, dark and deep, but I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep. But poetry is not really dead. You and I are exposed to poetry every day, and I dare say that you've also memorized a lot of it. The poetry that you and I know are song lyrics. They're simply poetry set to music. A few years ago, Bob Dylan was the first songwriter to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature. He received the prize for, quote, having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition. Many of his lyrics helped shape a generation. They fueled the rebellion of the 60s with lines like this from his song, The Times They Are a-Changin'. Come mothers and fathers throughout the land Don't criticize what you can't understand Your sons and your daughters are beyond your command Your old road is rapidly changin' Please get out of the new one if you can't lend a hand For the times they are a-changin' In the late 70s, Dylan was converted to Christianity. And he wrote some powerful lyrics that I wish would have had the widespread impact that his earlier lyrics did. Here's some tender lines from the song, I Believe in You. Don't let me change my heart. Keep me set apart from all the plans they do pursue. And I, I don't mind the pain. I don't mind the drive and rain. I know I will sustain because I believe in you." So what makes for great art? Talent is a big component, but careful attention to detail and practiced skill are also important. takes time to craft a beautiful and memorable lyric. And in the scripture, we have many poetic passages. And in them, we see a beautiful confluence of both divine and human personality. Creativity that God has and has given us. And they work together. In the Bible, the human author's style and personality shows through, yet every word is God-breathed. And today's passage, at the end of Romans 11, is one such poem. It's a beautifully crafted piece of work in praise of our God. So far in the book of Romans, Paul has given us a very structured, rational treatise on the gospel. Poetry is not what immediately comes to mind when you think of that. But once in a while, Paul's emotions break through. We see his love for the Christians in Rome in the introduction when he says that he thanks God for them and he constantly prays for them. And we see his love for his fellow Jews at the beginning of chapter 9 when he says he has great anguish over their lost state and how he wishes it was possible that he could die for them. And then we see his amazement over God's ability to save him from sin when he cries out in chapter 7, O wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. And we come to another such passage today. the end of Romans 11 verses 33 through 36. So let's stand for the reading of God's Word. Oh the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God how unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways for who has known the mind of the Lord or who has been his counselor Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen. This is the inspired, infallible word of God for you today. Please be seated. This sudden impassioned outburst is a poem that ends with, to him be the glory. This kind of poem has a name. It's called a doxology. You heard that word before, you've heard of the doxology that we sing. But there are many doxologies in the scripture. It's from the Greek word doxa, which is glory, and logia, which means saying. So a doxology is a poetic exclamation of glory. It's a verbal offering of praise. So why the sudden outburst here? Paul has just completed the first part of his treatise on the gospel. the doctrinal part from chapters 1 through 11. He's traced human history from the creation of the heavens and the earth, to the fall of mankind, to the plan of redemption through the promised Messiah, to the eventual restoration of the kingdom. And he's proclaimed both God's justice and his mercy. And he's made clear God's offer of salvation to all mankind. The good news that anyone who wants to be reconciled to God can put his faith in Jesus, the Son of God, who died on a cross to pay for the sins of the world. And that by forsaking our rebellion and confessing our sins, By calling upon the name of the Lord and believing that he rose from the dead, we can be saved from the wrath that is coming upon all of mankind who refuse to come under his lordship. This is nothing short of an explanation of God's plans and purposes for mankind. It's the big picture. Now what would you think of someone who reacted to the best news they could possibly get with cold indifference? You would think there was something seriously wrong with them, right? I mean, if you were a parent of a lost child who was presumed dead, and then suddenly found out that they were rescued, you wouldn't just shrug your shoulders and walk away. No, you'd be filled with joy and gratitude. And the gospel is the best news possible for lost mankind. The only proper response is great elation and thankfulness to the one who brought it about. And that's what Paul is doing here at the end of chapter 11 in this beautiful poem of praise. So let's go through it bit by bit to glean some of its beauty. Romans 11, 33. Oh, the depths of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God. He begins with an interjection, an emotional exclamation, oh! This is used the same way in Greek as we use it in English. It indicates an emotional response like, oh my! Or, oh no! There was a great preacher who led the first great awakening in colonial America named George Whitefield. He was a great orator who drew the largest crowds that were ever amassed on this continent at that time. And one of the greatest British actors of his day commented on Whitfield's speaking skill. He said, I would give a hundred guineas if I could say, oh, like Mr. Whitfield. So Paul begins with great emotion, but what is he so excited about? He's in awe of God. Specifically, how utterly incomprehensible God is. He realizes that you can never get to the bottom of God. He's too deep for us. And then he gives us three examples of the depths of God. the depths of his riches, and the depths of his wisdom, and the depths of his knowledge. So first, his riches. What are the riches of God as relates to us as people? Well, we have some clues from earlier in Romans. Back in chapter two, he talked about the riches of God's kindness and forbearance and patience. And then in Romans 9, he says that God showed his patience towards sinners in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory. And in this chapter, in verse 12, he mentions the riches that the Gentiles received because of the fall of the Jews. In each case, God's riches demonstrate his grace to us. They have nothing to do with earthly wealth. They're all about a relationship with him. Ephesians says that he saved us so that he might demonstrate the immeasurable riches of his grace. And Peter tells us he's given us everything we need for life and godliness. And then one of my favorite verses, Here's a verse worthy of memorizing, Philippians 4.19, So don't let prosperity preachers tell you that this means God wants you to be rich. Rich in worldly goods. Jesus had to walk everywhere he went And he depended on the generosity of others for his sustenance. And the Apostle Paul did the same thing. Their wealth was spiritual, and so was ours. We are storing up our wealth in heaven. And God has an unlimited store of resources to fill our lives with every good thing. And an unlimited reservoir of forgiveness as we pursue his will for us in this world. Those are great riches indeed. And then Paul mentions God's wisdom. It is through his wisdom that God created the world. Jeremiah 10, 12 says, it is he who made the earth by his power, who established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding, stretched out the heavens. And here, in Romans, Paul is certainly referring to the wisdom of God as relates to his plan of salvation, the plan of the cross. Hear what he told the Ephesians in Ephesians 3, starting in verse eight. To me, though I am the very least of all saints, this grace was given to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places, This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord. The manifold wisdom of God was demonstrated not only to men, but to angels, to the heavenly powers, to demons as well. The worldly wise say that the cross is foolishness, but God has turned the wisdom of the world on its head. Look at 1 Corinthians chapter 1 and verse 20. Where is the wise? Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has God not made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe." So the depths of God's wisdom is seen in his plan of the gospel. And the third deep aspect of the depth of God is his knowledge. The Bible says that God is omniscient. He knows everything. Psalm 147.5 says, Great is our Lord and abundant in strength. His understanding is infinite. He knows the number of hairs on your head and the number of the stars in the heavens. And He knows every thought of every person who's ever lived. says in Hebrews 4.13, So is knowledge And his wisdom and his riches are deep. How deep? How deep do they go? Well, look at the next verse. Romans 11.33, second half of the verse. How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable are his ways. Again, we have poetic language here. The two Greek words have similar sounds, and the ESV does a good job in translating them here, keeping similar sounding words. Unsearchable and inscrutable. Unsearchable means that no one can ever figure out God's judgments. And inscrutable literally means unable to track. No scout, no detective could ever trace God's ways. We've already seen in Romans that when men attempt to do that, they end up accusing God of unfairness. But God says, but God's ways, they don't make sense by human standards. God is always pulling off his purposes in the most surprising ways. He saves mankind through a worldwide flood. He delivers Israel through the plagues of Egypt. Then He preserves the Jews through their many exiles. And now, the most surprising of them all, He redeems both Jews and Gentiles through the cross of Christ. Go figure. It's hard to figure out what God's going to do. And it's amazing what He does. So now we're gonna see more of the artistic nature of this passage, and I've had it printed on the back of your bulletin. So take a look at that so you can clearly see it. Paul now takes the same three things he listed in verse 33, and he comments on them in reverse order. Knowledge, wisdom, and riches. Each of them elicits a question. So as we go through these questions, I thought it proper for us to do something different today. Paul's response to all of this amazing truth about God was to break out in worship. This doxology is that response. So I thought it'd be appropriate for us to imitate Paul and respond in worship to each of these deep things of God. So I've chosen a song for each one of them. So the question corresponding to God's knowledge is in verse 34, For who has known the mind of the Lord? We can't know the mind of God, but he knows our mind. He knows us intimately, and yet He loves us with a perfect and unchanging love. So let's respond to this truth by standing and singing, He Knows My Name. I have a name before my heart before even time began my life was in His hands He knows my name He knows my every thought he sees each tear he calls me he calls me he he knows my head he knows my head he sees me So the next question corresponding to the wisdom of God is in 34b, or who has been his counselor? And when God finally responded to Job's challenges, he says to Job, Now gird up your loins like a man, and I will ask you, and you instruct me. Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me if you have understanding. Now, of course, Job couldn't instruct God. God sits above the heavens and orders the universe according to his own wisdom, and he doesn't need anyone's counsel. So let's sing, You Are God Alone. You are not a God created by human hands. You are not a God dependent on any mortal man. You are not a God in need of anything we can give by your plan. That's just the way it is. by human hands. You are not a God dependent on any mortal man. You are not a God in need of anything we can give by your plan. That's just the way it is. You are God's Finally, he asks the question corresponding to God's riches in verse 35, or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid? You know, just as a little child can in no way add to the material wealth of a family, we can't add anything to the massive assets of God. He already owns everything. The psalmist says that he owns the cattle on a thousand hills. And in that culture, wealth was measured by livestock. And saying that God has the cattle on a thousand hills is like saying he has it all. And yet he freely He gives to us without any expectation of repayment. I like the way the New English Translation says it in James 1.17. It says, All generous giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or the slightest hint of change. So let's praise Him for His unending generosity Come thou fount of every blessing. Come thou fount of every blessing. Tune my heart to sing thy grace Streams of mercy never ceasing Call for songs of loudest praise Teach me some melodious sonnet Sung by flaming tongues above Praise His name, I'm fixed upon it, The name of God's redeeming love. Hither to Thy love has blessed me, Thou hast drawn me to this place And I know Thy hand will lead me Safely home by Thy good grace Jesus sought me when a stranger Wandering from the fold of God He to rescue So the Bible is clear that everything God does is for His glory. It all begins with Him and it all ends with Him. It all comes from Him and it all points to Him. The last verse of Romans 11, it says, for from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. And although we can't fathom the depths of God, we've been given plenty to ponder. And what we do know should prompt us to do what Paul did here, to burst out in genuine worship and thanksgiving and proclaim to him be the glory forever. Amen. So as we close the doctrinal part of the book of Romans and get ready to enter into the practical everyday living part, I have a question for you. Are these doctrinal truths just information? Are they simply rational, logical propositions? Or do they drive you to worship the one who has devised this amazing plan of salvation? There's a difference between knowing God and knowing about God. And believers can grow cold in their relationship with him. And if you've recognized that happening in your own life, then allow God to rekindle the flame of love. You can go to him in his word and discover who he is. Read it with the goal of rediscovering the depths of his person. And then if you've never stepped across that line from unbelief to faith, then won't you do that today? And experience the joy that comes from giving God the glory, the glory that He deserves. Let's pray. Oh Lord, you are so good. We praise you. We praise you and thank you for all the many blessings that you freely give us from your riches, Lord. We thank you for the wisdom of your plan of salvation. Lord, we thank you that you know us intimately and perfectly. So Father, we ask that you would take this truth, that you would fill our hearts with praise, that we might walk in this world knowing that you're with us, and that one day we will see you face to face. We praise you and thank you in Christ's name. Thank you for listening to the preaching of God's Word from Faith Bible Church in Reno, Nevada. We hope that it has been an encouragement to you and that the Word of God will fill your hearts and minds as you walk through this world. 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