In this last service of the year 2020, let us turn in our Bibles to the New Testament, to Romans chapter 11, and read the entire chapter of Romans 11. I say, then hath God cast away his people? God forbid, for I also am an Israelite of the seed of Abraham of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Watch ye not what the scripture saith of Elias, how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying, Lord, they have killed thy prophets and dig down thine altars, and I am left alone, and they seek my life. But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself 7,000 men who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. Even so, then, at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then, is it no more of works, otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace, otherwise work is no more work. What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for, but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded. According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear unto this day. And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumbling block, and a recompense unto them. Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back always. I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid, but rather through their fall salvation has come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles, how much more their fullness! For I speak to you, Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office. If by any means I may provoke to emulation them which are my flesh, and might save some of them. For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be but life from the dead? For if the first fruit be holy, the lump is also holy. And if the root be holy, so are the branches. And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graft in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree, boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. Thou wilt say, then, the branches were broken off, that I might be graft in. Well, because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not high-minded, but fear. For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed, lest he also spare not thee. Behold, therefore, the goodness and severity of God on them which fell severity, but toward thee goodness. If thou continue in his goodness, otherwise thou shalt also be cut off. And they also, if they abide not in unbelief, shall be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree, which is wild by nature, and wert graft, contrary to nature, into a good olive tree, how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graft into their own olive tree? For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved. As it is written, there shall come out of Zion the deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob. For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes. But as touching the election, they are beloved for the Father's sakes. For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. For as ye in time past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their Even so have these also now not believed that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. For God has concluded them all in unbelief that he might have mercy upon all. Oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out. For who hath known the mind of the Lord? Or who hath been his counselor? or who hath first given to him and it shall be recompensed unto him again. For of him and through him and to him are all things to whom be glory forever. Amen. The text for this New Year's Eve sermon is Romans 11, the verses 33 to 36. Oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, or who hath been his counselor, or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again. For of him, and through him, and to him are all things to whom be glory forever. Amen. Dear congregation, what strange ways we have had to go this past year. And what are we supposed to do when the ways of God are strange and filled with trials and riddles and questions? Are we meant to try and understand those ways? Friends, we can't understand God's ways. These strange ways are meant, boys and girls, to lead us to trust in the Lord and to worship Him. That's how we listen to Paul this night as we hear him worshipping God for his strange ways. That's what you can write over the sermon, worshipping God for his strange ways. We'll see, first of all, the wonder expressed Secondly, the questions asked. And thirdly, the praise offered. Worshipping God for His strange ways. First of all, wonder expressed. Secondly, questions asked. And thirdly, the praise offered. Paul is dealing in this chapter, dear congregation, with the problem of the people of Israel rejecting the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. the Jews having turned away from Jesus in unbelief. A true Paul explains that this rejection is partial. Not all of Israel has rejected the Gospel. Not all Israel has turned away from the Gospel. He can say, I'm a Jew, and I was brought to faith, and I was brought to repentance. And even in the dark days of Elijah, whom he refers to, Many had turned away, but not all. Plus, through the rejection of the gospel by the people of Israel, the Gentiles may hear the gospel. Many Gentiles may be brought to the Lord Jesus in a saving way and believe the gospel and be saved. And God is still showing mercy. God is still bringing people to salvation. And God has a plan. God has a purpose in all that He does. And you know what He's dealing with, the subject of God's sovereignty. And as he's dealing with the subject of God's sovereignty, he weaves in these practical implications. What practical implications are there in light of the sovereignty of God? Let me give several. For one thing, it's meant to be encouraging. It's meant to be encouraging. Even when many reject the Gospel, there are more Christians than you realize. Paul is saying, there are far more believers than you know. We may feel discouraged at times, but even when there are those who reject the gospel, Paul is saying there are many more Christians than we can imagine. God will see to it. God will ensure that sinners will be brought to repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus, and it's meant to be encouraging. And secondly, God's sovereign grace is meant to be humbling. It's meant to be humbling. I mean, if you belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, do you have anything to be proud about? And it's what Paul deals with in the verses 17 to 20. If you've been saved by grace and others have not been, what reason do you have to be arrogant and proud? Be not high-minded, but fear, he says, verse 20. Why would you ever look down on others? The sovereignty of God is meant to be encouraging, and it's meant to be humbling, and thirdly, it's meant to be a warning. It's meant to be a warning. The rejection of the Savior by the people of Israel is a dreadful example in history. Israel had so many privileges, didn't they, boys and girls? God did so much for the people of Israel. He brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. He brought them through the Red Sea. He fed them. He kept them in the wilderness. He brought them into the Promised Land. He blessed them. He guided them. But if that people who had so many privileges was cut off because of unbelief, that means that the time can come that our children may be cut off. Our grandchildren may be cut off because of unbelief. It is meant to be encouraging, it's meant to be humbling, but also it's meant to give a warning. And fourthly, it brings us to our text, the sovereignty of God has this practical implication too, that it's meant to bring us to worship. It's meant to result in worshiping God's sovereignty. It's meant to bring us to doxology. The ways of God are meant to bring us to worship God. And that's how there is this wonder expressed. That's our first point. This wonder expressed, verse 33, Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out. Paul here is filled with wonder. The first word of our text is, Oh! It's as if he doesn't even have words to express his wonder, to describe his amazement. Maybe, boys and girls, we would use the word, Wow! Paul is full of amazement. Oh! His mind is enlarged. His heart is full. There are these emotions in Paul that are welling up inside of him. I don't know about you, but when I think of Paul and I think about his emotional life, I don't think of him so much as an emotional man. I don't think of him so much as a man whose feelings are easily touched. Maybe, especially before his conversion, his emotions were restrained. He seemed cold, bitter, and proud. But the exalted Christ has changed him, and the gospel has moved his affections, and it has touched his emotions, and it thrills him, and we see it here. Oh, the depth! both of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God. There are depths here to God's wisdom. There are riches here to God's wisdom. And remember how Paul speaks of the riches of his goodness, chapter 2, verse 4. He speaks in other places of the riches of God's grace, of the riches of God's patience. riches of his wisdom. There's a wealth of wisdom in God. All the depths and the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God. There's his knowledge. Paul stands still at his knowledge. God knows, boys and girls, all things. He knows everything about you. He knows everything about me. He knows everything about our world. He, after all, made everything and He knows everything. The big things and the small things in our world, there's His knowledge and there's His wisdom. Stand still at His wisdom, whereby God chooses the best means to the best end. He knows how to reach the best goal in the best way. Wisdom, let me put it this way, young people, is knowledge put into practice. You know there are people who get straight A's. They're brilliant people, but they don't know how to apply that knowledge to daily life. They're brilliant in school, hopeless in the workplace. But that's not so with God. He's a God of wisdom who created all things in his wisdom, planned all things in his wisdom, carries it out in his wisdom to its appointed end. My life in all its perfect plan was ordered ere my days began. It's wisdom. We can't understand that. We can't grasp that. Think about the trial that you have had in your life, or that you're going through in your life, or the loss of a loved one, or the way that you have to go with your children, the difficulties that you experience in these times, the stresses that you feel and you ask, why does God let this all happen? Paul is saying there are depths here to the wisdom of God. I mean, think of it, that He gave His Son to come into this world, but that Son was taken and with wicked hands was crucified. And people might say, if He's God's Son, why did God let it happen? But God had a purpose. You see, in this way, God's justice could be satisfied, and sin could be paid for, and mercy could be shown. We can't grasp it. There are depths here to God's wisdom. And Paul goes on to say, and we can't understand God's ways. We can't understand God's ways. Verse 33b, how unsearchable are His judgments in his ways past finding out? Who could have thought of God's plan of salvation? Who would have done it this way? What God thinks and what God decides is unsearchable. And what He does and where He goes is untraceable. You can't follow His tracks. You can't find out His footsteps. It reminds us of Psalm 77, which we just sang, where Asaph says, God plants His footsteps in the sea. Thy way was in the sea. Thy path in the deep waters. We can't understand God's ways. Think of the history of Joseph in the Old Testament. Who could have imagined that God would have led it that way and to that end? Or think of the story of Naomi. Could Naomi have dreamed what God was doing in her life and that from Ruth the Lord Jesus would be born? And when you sit here and you wonder why God guided you the way that He did and how you got to where you are You can trust Him even when you can't see His way so clearly. William Cooper, a man who suffered from depression, went deep ways. Several times he wanted to end his life. The Lord graciously spared him, but he put it this way, God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform. He plants His footsteps in the sea and rides upon the storm. deep in unsearchable minds of never-failing skill. He treasures up His bright designs and works His sovereign will. Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, but trust Him for His grace. Behind a frowning providence, He hides a smiling face. Oh, the depths I don't know if you've ever been on a boat, maybe, young people, boys and girls, in the middle of the lake, maybe, and you looked over the side of the boat, trying to see into the depths of the lake. You can't see the bottom, never mind touch the bottom. That's the idea here. There are depths here. You know, off the coast of Japan there is a depth in that part of the ocean so deep that if you put Mount Everest in it, it would be more than 5,000 feet below the surface. I read about a fleet of American ships during the Second World War filled with Marines who were on their way to Japan during the Second World War. The Admiral stopped his fleet of ships there. and he announced to the soldiers that they could swim, if they wanted to, in the deepest part of the ocean. And one of the Marines I read dove into the water and went down and down and down, trying to go as far down as he could. Maybe he went a hundred meters, I don't know. And then he began to wonder if he was ever going to be able to go up again. He realized he would have had to go down four or five miles in order to touch the bottom of the ocean. And he said, I couldn't even comprehend how deep this water was. That's what Paul is saying, all the depths. Isn't that what we need to remember? in frowning providences, in difficult times. There are depths to God's ways here. When we remember this, isn't that reason to worship? And should that not fill us with wonder? That's the first thing we see. There is the wonder expressed. Secondly, the questions he asks. Yes, Paul is full of wonder at the ways of God. And he's going to ask some questions. But they're not the kind of questions that we might ask in difficult trials. Like, why this way in my life? Why this suffering in my life? We can occupy ourselves with those questions. And we think that God owes us an answer. And He owes us an explanation. But He doesn't. He doesn't owe us an answer. He doesn't owe us an explanation. What different questions Paul asks here, verses 34 and 35. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, or who hath been his counselor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed to him again? The first question. Who has known the mind of the Lord? Paul, here in these verses 34 and 35, he refers us to two passages in the Old Testament. The first is from Isaiah 40, verse 13. Who hath known the mind of the Lord? Or who hath been his counselor? That's the first proof text that Paul gives here. But when we think of Isaiah 40, then we think of a dark time in the history of the people of Israel. They're going into exile. And the people of Israel might wonder, how can this possibly happen? And they might have been tempted to think, as they're on the verge of going into exile, something's going wrong here. We wouldn't have done it this way. But the Lord has a purpose for this. Who has known the mind of the Lord? Maybe you sometimes look at someone, a loved one, your spouse, and they've got a frown on their face. You're trying to read their mind. Sometimes you might be able to read their mind. Sometimes you might know exactly what they're thinking, but other times you're completely wrong. I might try to read the thoughts of others, Do you know the thoughts of God? Do you know what He is thinking? Who has known the mind of the Lord and who has been His counselor? Has the Lord asked you for advice? Has He sought your counsel and guidance in running the cosmos? Has He asked you for advice on how to change your providence and your situation? I know that's what people think they need to give. They need to give counsel to God. They want to advise God. Maybe that's what we do in our prayers sometimes. We try to dictate to the Lord what He should do for us. And then when we do that in our prayers, we do it ignorantly and self-righteously. Lord, please do this. Lord, please change that. If I ruled the world, I would do this. If I ruled the universe, I would do that. And sometimes people, when things don't go their way, and when a loved one is taken away, a child maybe, or a spouse, when things don't go their way in life, in their work, or in the church, they turn away from God. That's the wrong response. Friends, we don't know what is best for us. We don't understand that the Lord has a purpose with the trials and the sufferings in our life. He has a plan in all that happens in our world, and we need to trust Him who has known the mind of the Lord. We can't know all that He knows. And we don't have the insight and the wisdom He has. We have very limited understanding Our minds are puny and faulty and sinful. But He is infinite. Infinite in His understanding. Infinite in His wisdom. Infinite in His knowledge. Shall we then say, Lord, I would have done it differently? When He has all knowledge and all wisdom and every molecule in this world does His will. And we need to learn by the grace of God, by the Spirit's power to become small, very small before Him. And we need to learn to close our mouths when we're tempted to complain against Him. I know we would not have planned this maybe in your life, that in your life. There are times maybe when we think it's all going wrong and we want to get out of this mess in our lives. But the Lord can use that mess in your life and that stumbling in your life and that decision that you made maybe for all the wrong reasons. And those times even when we wouldn't bow before Him and when we were rebellious, God can use it for our good and His glory. His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. His ways are higher than our ways. were meant, yes, by the Spirit's grace in times like this to trust in Him. And it's what the Spirit works, often bringing us to an end in ourselves, an end to our plans, an end to our thoughts in which we ask, and who then can I trust? Even if I cannot trust anybody else, I can trust Him. That's the first question. Who has known God's mind? And then the other question in verse 35. Who has ever given to God's hand? Who has ever given to God's hand? Who has ever given to God so that God should repay you? Verse 35. Who hath first given to Him and it shall be recompensed unto him again." It's a quote from Job 35 verse 7. The difficulties Job had in his life, didn't he, boys and girls? Oh, what trials he had, losing his farm, his animals, his world was turned upside down, things were going in a way that no one else would want. He loses his animals, his servants, all his children, and then he loses his health, and his friends come to him, and Job admits he doesn't understand the way he has to go, and we can have that too. And then sometimes when we're struggling with the providence of God, then we don't ask the right questions. And that's what Job does. He asks wrong questions. And God comes and speaks out of the whirlwind, remember? And He puts all these questions to Job. Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? How was the earth made? Were you there when the sea was formed? Have you ever measured the depths of the sea? Have you measured the breadth of the land? And then Job 35 verse 7, Elihu asks, what givest thou to him? Or what receiveth he out of thine hand? Boys and girls, what did you ever give to God that he should thank you for? That he should pat you on the back for? He needs nothing from us. He doesn't depend on us. And all that we are and all that we have is His, has been given to us. Why would we think of God being our debtor? being obliged to pay us back. Oh, I know Paul thought of that at one time in his life. He thought he had earned enough. He could stand next to the Pharisee in the temple, and he thought that even his prayers were thank-worthy. The Spirit brought him down. And God owes him nothing. We can't negotiate with God. We bring nothing to the table. We walk on this earth that's made by Him. The breath that we breathe is His gift to us. He's the potter. We are the clay. No one can say, what doest thou? Who can say, God owes me? Who can say, I've given God so much. No, it's all His anyways. Even in difficult providences when you've lost a loved one or a child or maybe through miscarriage. A child through death. Difficult times. But who can say, Lord, that was my child whom I had a right to. He doesn't owe you or me anything, although I owe Him everything. All that I am, I owe to Thee. And God doesn't owe us an explanation. He doesn't owe us an answer. And these questions bring that out, and that should lead us to wonder and to amazement and to confession. As there is, first of all, the wonder He expressed, the questions asked. Thirdly, the confession made. The confession made. Verse 36, For of Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things. Why these trials? Why these difficulties? Why these dark providences? Why these burdens? Why this in my life that so troubles me? Is it because of bad luck? Is it fate? Is it maybe because of a freak chance or an accident? Is this difficult providence because maybe of the power of the devil? Paul traces it all back to God, for of Him and through Him and to Him are all things. For one thing, of Him are all things. He's the source of all things. All things come from God. All things are of God. Hudson Taylor, that missionary to China, he said, always go back to the first cause. That's what Paul wants us to see. God is the origin of all things. In creation, in providence, in salvation, He made the world out of nothing. One preacher said, there's nothing in all of creation that doesn't bear the stamp, made by God. He's the source of creation. He's the source of salvation too. Yes, salvation. He gave His Son to come into this world and to die for the sin of a guilty people like you and me. That's what the precious gospel text of John 3 verse 16 says too. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son to accomplish salvation. And when He applies that salvation in our lives too, when He gives the new birth, when He grants us faith and repentance, when He calls us, then that's of God. He gives faith. He gives repentance. He does the calling. He does the regenerating. He does the justifying. He does the sanctifying. He will do the glorifying. Shall we not trace it all back to Him tonight? the food and the drink that we could have, while others went hungry, went thirsty. The gift of His Son, shall we not trace it back to Him? The gift of His Word, shall we not trace it back to Him? The gift of the Holy Spirit. Even the providences in our lives of Him are all things. He's the source of all. Through Him are all things. He's not only the source of all things, but He's the means of all things. He's not only the originator of all things, He's the administrator of all things. It's not good luck or bad luck that brought this about. It's not because of freak chance. Hudson Taylor was right. Always go back to the first cause. I know there are secondary causes. When Job lost all that he lost, what happened? Who did it? In a certain sense, the forces of nature did it. A fire from heaven. A wind blew from the desert. It was a hurricane or a tornado. That was the secondary causes. Or there were the Sabaeans and the Chaldeans, those bandits. Secondary causes. doesn't point to the secondary causes, remember? Job, when he loses all things, he goes back to the ultimate cause, the first cause of all things. God did it. I know that that would make some people bitter, that makes some people angry, and they ask what kind of God would do something like this, and that's unbelief speaking. Faith says the Lord does all things well. No, I don't understand everything. I can't grasp it. But all things come not by chance. But, as Lord's Day 9 says, by His fatherly hand. And I trust that He will make whatever evils He sends upon me in this valley of tears turn out to my advantage. not only Job, but Joseph, whose life spiraled downward by these sad providences, thrown in a pit, sold to Egypt, falsely accused by Potiphar's wife, shut up in prison? I don't say that that was easy for Joseph. But Joseph learned to see the hand of God in that. That's why he could say to his brothers, Genesis 50 verse 20, Ye meant it for evil, God meant it for good. Because of Him are all things, and through Him are all things, and to Him are all things. He's not only the source, He's not only the means, He's the goal of all things. He's not only the originator and the administrator, He's also the culminator of all things. This may be the biggest test for us. Because we're so self-centered. We're so self-absorbed. And we think it's about us. We have to learn it's not about us. I heard about a young mother who died of cancer. A young mother who had all these young children. But here she was dying of cancer. She was on her bed, wrapped up in a blanket trying to keep her body warm And her father came to visit her one of the last times, and he was a minister. And this young mother said to her father, it's not really about me, is it? This cancer and dying isn't really about me. This cancer and dying is for Him. To Him be the glory. That's the purpose. That's why we need faith. That's why the Spirit is so desperately needed. So that we see our chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. It's what Johann Sebastian Bach recognized. Remember? Johann Sebastian Bach, one of the greatest composers and musicians. He was a Lutheran. And he gave his life to composing music to the glory of God. And boys and girls, you know what he would put at the bottom of his music that he composed. S-D-G. Soli Deo Gloria. That's Latin for to God be the glory. That's what Paul says. I know by nature we don't see this. We have sinned and fall far short of the glory of God. Also, in this past year, we've been far too self-absorbed, far too self-centered with our aches and our pains and the difficult providences and some of the government regulations. And we've complained and we've grumbled and we've dishonored the Lord. That's why we don't just need Paul. And we don't just need Johann Sebastian Bach. We need the one who glorified God in his whole life, in his living and in his dying, who could say, I have glorified thee on the earth. I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. John 17 verse 4. And even in his suffering on the cross, it was about God and of him through Him and to Him are all things. And then that becomes an echo in our lives by grace. And then we want that perspective. And we desire this, don't we, dear people of God? That we would trace everything back to Him and see all things coming through Him. and that we'd see all things going to Him. And we don't just want that one hour on Sunday. We don't just want it just one day, not just even the last day of the year. But of Him, through Him, and to Him are all things forever and ever. Amen. Let us give thanks and pray. O most good doing and gracious Lord, we bow in thy presence now, confessing that thou art far greater than we could ever imagine. And we are far smaller than we ever thought. So puny we are. in the face of Thy greatness. We have every reason to humble ourselves before Thee and to marvel at Thy depths and Thy wisdom and Thy knowledge and Thy ways which are past finding out. We must confess also this past year that has been the case, and how blessed, Lord, if Thy ways have led us to Jesus as the Savior with broken hearts and contrite spirits, seeing that what we have done by our deeds and by our sins of commission and omission so dishonored Thee that we need Christ, His blood and His righteousness to cover us completely and to give us that goal and purpose in life. To God be the glory, great things He has done, So loved He the world that He gave us His Son, and that He would be the center of our lives by grace. Work that in us by Thy Holy Spirit, Lord. Forgive us of our sins, our religious sins too, our sins in our business, our sins in our work, our sins in our homes. Help us now Bow next to David and to pray with the heart and the soul, God be merciful to me on thy grace. I rest my plea so we can go into a new year, hoping in thee, trusting in thy mercy, leaning on thy Son. Apply thy word to our hearts by thy Holy Spirit. and remember us in mercy for Jesus' sake. Bring us together under the sound of thy word tomorrow, too, if it be thy will. Take us not out of this life unprepared. Prepare us to meet thee and to live in anticipation of Jesus coming on the clouds of heaven to bring his people home, where they will worship and glorify thee without sin, and every tear shall be wiped away from their face, and it will be seen. All things are from Him and through Him and to Him. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.