The Riches of God's Wisdom
Romans 11:33-36 · Jim Pool · Jun 3, 2007
Romans (2005-07), No. 85
Holly Hills Bible Church
https://www.hollyhillsbiblechurch.org/teaching/messages/4926028343684

Transcribed from the recording by SermonAudio, so expect the occasional misheard word.

Okay, so we're going to finish up chapter 11 of Romans this morning. Verses 33 through 36, some wonderful verses. Not a big chunk, as we've really been having to cover some bigger chunks the past several weeks. This is a smaller chunk, a smaller section, so we'll have some time for interaction. We won't be real pressed to try to get through a lot of material. in a short period of time, so please feel free to interject or ask questions or whatever you may want to do. So we are concluding this section of 9 through 11, where Paul has taken this section and he's explained God's program and history for the salvation of the Jews and Gentiles and how all that fits together. And so there's been lots of wonderful truths that we've discussed.

All of Israel is not Israel. God chooses to have mercy on who he has mercy. God chooses to harden who he hardens. We've looked at all these different examples of Pharaoh and Esau and Jacob and different characters that God has used as examples like that for us and then how recently in chapter 11 how the Gentiles have been grafted in in God's program for history to save some of the Gentiles until the fullness of the Gentiles has come.

We looked at that last week and what that entails and so now we come to this The last four verses of this section, kind of the doxology, would you say, of these few chapters here, and so that's where we're at, 33 through 36. And so it says, O the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God, how unfathomable are His judgments Unsearchable are his judgments and unfathomable his ways. For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became his counselor? Or who has first given to him that it might be paid back to him again? For from Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen."

These are wonderful four verses of the magnitude of God, of the character of God, of the attributes of God, of the greatness of God. I mean, you could go on and on describing these four verses. And as I think about it, it's appropriate because there's been, 9 through 11, there's been some tough stuff that Paul's talked about in regards to God's character. God's going to have mercy on who he wants to have mercy, and God's going to harden who he wants to harden.

So that raises some questions, I think, in the minds of the reader. So it comes, and it finishes up here, who has known the mind of God? It puts God back up on this grand pedestal where God belongs, in light of these difficult things that Paul has been talking about. Who has been his counselor? It might not make sense to some of the readers that God is grafted in the Gentiles the way that He is, or that God's time period is going to be until the fullness of the Gentiles comes. There might be some questions in the minds of the readers about God. Here we come to who has been God's counselor, who has been His advisor. Nobody has. Nobody knows the mind of God.

So it just again puts God back up on the pedestal of greatness of where He really belongs. And so, as we read through this and go through these verses this morning, we'll look at it in the context that it is, relating to how it fits with 9 through 11, but also But certainly have it apply to our own lives about the greatness of God's character here.

And as the past couple of weeks we've come closer to putting our house up for sale and looking at this piece of property back in Virginia and different things. And it brings with it its own anxieties and We painted the interior of our house and so the boys are starting to feel a little bit of the, and so they're starting to get a little bit extra fussy and all those kinds of things. So our family is feeling that and so I've been looking at this. And as we're walking through that on a regular basis, I said to Rachel, I said, you know what, let me tell you the verses that I've been going over in the life of our class.

Oh, the depths of the riches of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God. And that just brings everything right back home to where it needs to be. We all are going through situations and circumstances in our own lives. We can see those situations and circumstances in light of these verses that we're going to be going through this morning. So we have here, verse 33, starts with the word, O, here. And what we have is it's used in exclamations expressing very strong emotions. So you can hear Paul coming to this climax of this section of scripture here of 9 through 11.

Oh, the depths of the riches, both of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God. And then in the middle of verse 33, we have the word how. And again, a similar idea there of this great expression of His emotions. So, oh, the depths of the riches and how unfathomable and unsearchable is His greatness. So, if we can get the heart and the feel and the mind of what Paul is saying here.

So, oh, the depth of the riches. Now, depth is used metaphorically of the riches of God's wisdom. and of his knowledge. Let's look over in Job. We're going to go to Job quite a bit this morning as we look at the characteristics and the attributes that we see here of God. So, Job in chapter 11 and verse 7. Someone will just read out when you find it. Job 11, 7.

Can't thou by searching find out God? Hence, thou find out the Almighty unto perfection. Great, thanks. And the NAS reads, Who can discover the depths of God? Who can discover the limits of the Almighty? So here we have in Romans 11, 33, the depths of the riches of God. And Job is saying, who can discover the depths of God? So the depths of God are unknowable.

He is so vast. He is so grand. It's like the abyss of the sea. There's places of the ocean that you can't go to. And that is what's being described here of the depths of God. As I thought this through, you come up with with a lack of words to describe this. And we're going to have that problem for the next 45 minutes. So, lack of words to really describe what these verses are describing about the characteristics of God. 1 Corinthians chapter 2 and verse 10. 1 Corinthians chapter 2 and verse 10. Just read out whoever finds it.

For God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit, for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. Okay, so the depths of God are, they're so, they're unknowable. Okay, we're going to get into that as we continue on. And we can't know fully the depths of God, but who can? The Spirit. This is the Spirit of God. He searches and He knows the depths of God.

We're going to develop that and unpack that a little bit more as we go on here. So we have all the depths of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God. So the riches possessed by God and exercised towards mankind through salvation shown in his wisdom and knowledge is what is being talked about here. The depth of his riches. So in the context of chapters 9, 10, 11, I think Richard is being talked about God's plan of salvation for the Jews and the Gentiles throughout history. He's just abounded these riches of his wisdom and knowledge in his plan of salvation. So Richard is also used in Ephesians chapter 1 verse 7. Let's look at that. Ephesians 1, verse 7, it says, In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.

According to the riches of His grace, the depth of His riches. His riches are so deep that we can't fully comprehend them. And the riches of what? Of His grace. because salvation is by grace through faith. And he's laid out his plan of salvation through history in chapters 9, 10, and 11. Over in verse 18, I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of his calling were the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.

So there we see again the idea there of riches of glory. Chapter 2, verse 7, in order that in the ages to come he might show the surpassing riches of his grace and kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. Now that's talking about how he's going to be in the future when we're with the Lord in eternity. year after year and decade after decade and century after century he's going to be bestowing to us and showing us the greatness of his riches of his grace throughout eternity. That's an incredible thought that is.

In chapter 3 and verse 8, to me the very least of all saints this grace was given to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ. Same thing that we're seeing in chapter 11 and verse 33. The unfathomable riches of Christ, the depth of his riches and of his wisdom and knowledge. The next verse goes, they're unfathomable and unsearchable.

Any thoughts there? These are things that we probably have known. I mean, we know these things about God. But boy, I hate for us to just skip over them. Oh, I know that, and it's nothing new, and it's not technical, and it's not like cool new stuff. But boy, what a danger it is on our part if we just kind of slip past these things and don't really give them thought. Go ahead. Just the word unfathomable. When you think about that word, you know, throw a line overboard and measure the fathom. Here you can throw the line overboard, but there's no bond. That's right. You can't put a gun on a bond. That's right.

The riches of His grace, they're unending. They come, and they come, and they come, and it comes, and it comes. It absolutely has no ending to it. It can never run out. That's a hard concept for us to understand, because in our world, everything runs out. Right? Everything. Our cars run out of gas. We run out of gas at the end of the day. You know, everything. Our pencils run out of lead. Your pens run out of ink. I mean, everything runs out. So here's the riches of God unfathomable. It does not and cannot run out. Incredible.

Any other thoughts? Last night we I always watch Billy Graham on television on Friday evenings and of course look back over his ministry but he said there are many things in the scripture that he didn't understand but the things that he didn't understand he accepted by faith which bears here we really can't We can't comprehend what eternity is, the length of it. And though we have difficulty of comprehending or understanding it, we accept it by faith.

Yes, that's right. Were you going to say something, Roger? Actually, you're going to cover the wisdom, contrasting wisdom and knowledge. Yeah. You know, I'm glad that I speak up. I don't look ahead. I think I did that last week. I spoke up. I didn't look at it. I know it's safe. Save it for. Yeah. We're going to say something about. No, I think I'm going to tie into Rogers. OK. OK. Yeah. Yeah.

Was it Bill Graham that just had the library opened up? I heard on the radio that as he was asked by someone or by a reporter, and you guys might have heard the same thing this past week, what did he think? What did he think of the library? What did he think of it all? He says, well, it was too much about Billy Graham. I thought that was a really interesting comment. Maybe you heard the same thing. To me, that's a man that has the right perspective. That it's all about the Lord and it's all about God and not about him and his library acronym or anything like that. OK, OK, that's actually, I think it's, you know, that there's Kenham broke off from his answers in Genesis. I don't know why is that?

We're going to go see it because we're going back to Pennsylvania. Where is it exactly? It's actually close to Cincinnati. Actually it's in Kentucky, but it's on the river. But you know, a lot of press dinosaurs were. We're playing with that. They were created to create the dinosaurs. What a novel concept.

Wisdom and knowledge, as these guys gave us a little bit of a... we're going that direction. So, okay, the depth of the riches boasts of the wisdom and knowledge of God. So, wisdom with reference to God and bringing the plan of salvation, I think that's what's being referred to here. I mean, the wisdom of God is grand. We could look at the wisdom of God in so many different aspects. But I think in the context of 9 through 11, it's the wisdom of God in relation to his plan of salvation and history. So the wisdom of God and then bringing in salvation.

So then the knowledge of God, it's God's knowledge of us, not our knowledge of God, which is really the focus here. The wisdom and the knowledge of God. wisdom of bringing in the plan of salvation and his knowledge about us. So when we see these two words used here together, gnosis, which is the Greek word for knowledge, and sophia, is the Greek word for wisdom, used together, the former seems to be knowledge regarded by itself, and the latter wisdom as exhibited in action. So there's the idea there of his wisdom in reference to bringing in the plan, but his knowledge in regards to kind of putting it into action.

And as we look at 9-11, we see that. We see the plan of salvation described through history, but then we also see how it is that God put that plan in action, how he chose who he chose, how he hardened who he hardened, how there's this time where the Jews have been hardened for a period of time until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, how he has put all of those different things into action.

So, let's look at 1 Corinthians 12 and verse 8 and we'll see it used there again as well. 1 Corinthians 12 this combination here of wisdom and knowledge. 1 Corinthians 12, just read out when you find it. 41 is given by the Spirit, the word of wisdom, to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit. Verse 9 goes, another faith by the same spirit and other gifts of healing, but our focus there is wisdom and knowledge. Let me just start up there, that their hearts may be encouraged in verse two, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in the true knowledge of God's mystery, that is Christ himself, in whom we are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

There again, the idea there of wisdom and knowledge. If you guys want to speak some more to that, Roger, Bob, expound a little bit on that point there. I think it's neat that God, you know, knowledge is, you know, there's facts of how this whole thing works. God obviously created all the facts and knows all that, but wisdom is another step up in my mind. Wisdom is doing what's right, and God possesses both. You know, I feel like they pursue knowledge and I'm going to be the smartest and computer only as far as any field.

But that's not what knowledge by itself. That wisdom is can be dangerous. Yeah. Yeah. That's a good point. Kind of neat that that that that word pair is very significant. Yes. Jim, I was going to reflect on the concept of the more you know, the more you realize you don't know.

Let's turn to 1 Corinthians 2.14 a second.

1 Corinthians 2.14, okay. It kind of reflects on God's wisdom and knowledge I mean, we as believers, I think, are in awe of that, and you've really, I think, introduced that concept today very well. I mean, think about the natural man. Yes, yes.

I mean, and this reminds us that the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God, for their foolishness. I mean, and here we are in awe, and realizing how little we know. Yet the world's view is even more distant and more unfathomable, if you will. It's a humbling scenario.

Good point. Any other thoughts? Following up on what Bob was saying, if you go back to chapter 1 of verse 13 there, doing you are in Christ Jesus, and referring to Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom of God. And then the fullness of that wisdom, the knowledge that we have of His righteousness, His salvation, and His redemption. This is not something we do, it has become. That's right, by his doing. What 1st of Romans 1 is that?

1st Corinthians 1. 1st Corinthians 1.30. So there's the idea there of knowledge, but not only knowledge as Roger was bringing out, but by his doing there is the wisdom which comes from God. It doesn't come from us, nothing. Yeah, that's right. Yeah, that's great. OK. Your thoughts. So. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You're right. It's not right. Right. Yeah. Right, right. That's a good question. I think that's what Roger was speaking to.

It's not just knowledge for knowledge sake. It's more than facts. Because a natural man pursues knowledge. And they can gain lots of knowledge. And they do gain lots of knowledge. And they cause pride. You know, God has wisdom, which is another dimension beyond that.

And it's, you know, it's righteous... I'm not... the righteous is a prophet. It's true application of knowledge, true application of... So, you're saying that wisdom would be the true application of knowledge, and so... Just like God truly describes what man is like. He tells it like it is. in need of a savior. That's wisdom. That's a very wise thing to say.

Man doesn't accept that, but God is very wise in knowing his sense. Yes. If we think of applied knowledge in terms of God's wisdom, we think of the cross, don't we? Because all of the facts of the Bible can be interpreted only in context and be relatively meaningless, right? But the wisdom is all Calvary. That's right. That's right. That's right. Yes.

Well, as Bob pointed out in that verse, 1 Corinthians 2.14, all of that is foolishness to the natural man. So, if you don't have God's wisdom, which has come in through us through Christ, then we would also think of it as foolishness, all that. That's the only way you can look at it with wisdom.

Applied knowledge. And I must admit, Jim, before I got saved, and I got saved as an adult, I really pulled verses out of context and used those to criticize Christianity. The wisdom. My wisdom, which was small. That's good. Good thoughts. Thanks for asking the question, Roy. I get to stimulate a little bit more.

So, how unsearchable are his judgments and unfathomable are his ways. Just the latter part of verse 33 there. And so, unsearchable. I mentioned earlier, we start out this section with the word how. Again, another exclamatory particle. We start out with who and now we come to how. And so, unsearchable, unfathomable.

It's interesting that the translators used this word here, and I don't think they necessarily did a really good job. Because unsearchable and unfathomable are really the same words, and I think they probably should have used a different word on the second word there. Does that make sense? They use unsearchable or as judgments. And unfathomable are his ways. They should have chosen something else for unfathomable.

Because unsearchable and unfathomable are really the same. And as I looked at it in the Greek, that's really the way it comes across. And we'll get to it in a minute, but they use something else to describe the idea there of unfathomable. And all the Greek helps and things that I read really point out the same thing.

So unfathomable are his judgments. His judgments may be in question by some, and we mentioned that earlier. Boy, God doesn't seem to be making sense here. What we've read here in 9 through 11 doesn't make a darn bit of sense, and so some might be questioning the decisions of God, or the judgments of God. So boom, Paul comes in with this great big overarching statement about how unsearchable and unfathomable are his judgments. But truly, his judgments and his decisions are unsearchable and fathomable and correct.

But in whose eyes? When you think about the world's eyes. It's the natural man. That's right. And they'll say, it makes no sense. Look at what happened with Katrina and look at all the people that lost their lives and then the earthquakes. So what is that about? His purpose is not to make us have a nice life here. His purpose is to bring us to himself.

And so that's the unfathomable, unsearchable judgment that the world, there's no way they can understand that. And as our previous discussion said, the person who is without wisdom, without the person of Christ, without wisdom, they can't comprehend. The natural man cannot understand the things of God. And the unbeliever uses that all the time, about what kind of a God is there. That's because they're focused on themselves and not on God. And they don't understand the purpose.

It's not His purpose to give us a cushy life. There's a friend of ours that is the new director of FEMA since Katrina. We know him well. I grew up with his kids and things of that nature. And I don't envy that guy's job one bit. Because there's an increasing number of natural disasters. There was the tornadoes in Kansas that just destroyed the town. And boy, what a job to have from a Christian and to be in it from a Christian perspective. My parents hang out with him and his wife a lot. I don't see them too much anymore. But I was just thinking about that. How does he walk through that with his faith in a practical way in his office in D.C.?

How does he go through that with people not understanding that he has a perspective of God's in control. I often think about him. The decision he has to make, from a believer's standpoint, looking at what's going on in the world, I think about that often, about here everyone's clamoring, we want peace in the Middle East. And if he's truly a believer, he knows there'll never be peace in the Middle East until the Lord comes. That's a tension that I'm glad I don't have to live with and walk through on a daily basis.

The King James says, in his way of past finding out, Henry Morris has a comment in here, about God is not accessible for scientific research. And he quotes from Job, hence thou by searching find out God, hence thou find out the Almighty and His perfection.

Yeah, that's right. Jim, I have a thought here, too, that here on earth, the legal court is like judgments and judgments. He is searching evidence to make that judgment. Lawyers are searching precedents and all the legal ease that has been in the history of time, and trying to come up with some way to get the client off of eviction.

When God judgments, His decision, Yes, that's right. I think that a mind of faith And as Christ is working in our life, and as we're walking by faith, and we can rest in the decisions of the Lord, that brings rest. That's kind of where I came back to my first comment of how this scripture applies to our family's life. Here's these great comments of God.

And if we can believe that, boom. There's no more trying to figure out. There's no more anxiety. There's no more worry. This is the decision of the Lord. That's it. I believe it. I'm going to rest in it. And there's that abiding, trusting in the Lord.

So the judgments are not referring, as you brought out there, are not referring to God's judicial decisions, but His decisions of how He brought salvation to the world. I'm keeping the context of Romans 9-11 here. His judgments are unsearchable. I think it's talking about His judgments of how to bring about salvation to the world, the salvation plan.

Did you read Job 5? Is that the one you read? OK, I think we're going to get the 11 later on, but let's go to Joe five. Quite a bit until this morning. Joe five, eight, nine. OK, so. Job 5, 8, and 9, but as for me, I would seek God and I would place my cause before Him who does great and unsearchable things, wonders without number. There again, just bringing it across the idea of God who does unsearchable and great things. Go over to chapter 9 in Job 9, and let's go verses 5 down through verse 10. 9, 5 through 10, it is God who removes the mountains, they know not how, when he overturns them in his anger, who shakes the earth out of its place, and its pillars tremble, who commands the sun not to shine, and sets a seal upon the stars, who alone stretches out the heavens and tramples down the waves of the sea, who makes the bear, Orion, and the Pleiades, I'm not an astronomer, in the chambers of the south, who does great things, unfathomable and wondrous works without number. There's what we're looking at in verse 10 there, that he does great things, he does unfathomable things, wondrous works without number.

And Ephesians chapter 3 in verse 8 there would be a repeat, the unfathomable riches of his grace, we've already looked. So when we look at Fact 11, unsearchable are his judgments and unfathomable are his ways. The ways here actually means hadas is the Greek word and it comes across as a road. So his ways or his roads, they can't be tracked out, can't be traced. And it was kind of what Wayne was bringing out. They're incomprehensible, they're inscrutable, they're beyond knowing.

So it's showing God's providential control of salvation which is beyond human understanding. I think it's the emphasis of this and the placement of it at the end of chapter 11. Because the plan of salvation has been laid out in 9 through 11 of the Jews and the Gentiles in God's program, but it's beyond understanding.

Let's look at this, Isaiah 55, 8 and 9. Isaiah 55, 8 and 9 says that, For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways. And so what we're seeing is his judgments are unsearchable and his ways cannot be tracked out. And he's saying here in verse 9, My ways are higher than your ways. We can't know the roads of God. We can't know the ways of God. They're untrackable. They're beyond finding out. Yeah, it's interesting. Go over to Jeremiah 29, verse 11. Jeremiah 29 verse 11 says, For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope.

So, I have found it interesting as I was thinking all this through, that His ways cannot be tracked out, yet He shows us His way for our lives. And I found that to be really interesting. Here are these grand statements about the depths of His riches, of the wisdom and the knowledge. They're unsearchable, they're unknowable, they're untrackable, they're incomprehensible, yet He lays out plans for our lives. And to me, that was just an incredible thought. that God is so grand that His ways are beyond knowing, yet He makes His ways known for our lives. Does that make sense? To me, that just blows me away. Here's a God who, we can't know Him. We can't know His ways because they're so deep. But yeah, a God like that makes His plans for our lives known.

That was humbling, it was encouraging, it was exciting for me. So Proverbs 3, 5 and 6, you guys probably know it. Proverbs 3, 5, and 6. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not lean on your own understandings. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your path straight. So there we're talking about ways. Or a road. Or a path. And so, we can't know His. His ways can't be tracked out. But He's going to do what? He's going to make our path straight.

As we're dependent upon Him. As we're trusting Him. As we're welcomed by faith. Now, it says in Jeremiah that I have a plan for you, not for calamity, but to prosper. What does that mean? It means for us to spiritually prosper. And for us to have a spiritual hope. Not for us to have necessarily physical prosperity or an ease in our life here on the earth.

Not that God might not do that. God can do that. And if He does, so be it. That's His decision to make. But for us in the church age now, what's being talked about is one of spiritual abundance, spiritual life and spiritual fulfillment and spiritual prosperity, not necessarily earthly or material prosperity. So, Ephesians 3, 18, we've been in Ephesians before. Go back there again. Ephesians 3.

Ephesians 3.18. So this is Paul's second prayer in the book of Ephesians. Let me start in verse 17.

So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith and that you being rooted and grounded in love may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and the length and the height and the depth and the note of the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge and you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

So it's interesting Now there, it talks about that we would be able to know the depth. That's what I found to be very interesting. Because, oh, the depths of His love, of the riches of His wisdom and knowledge, see, that they're beyond knowing. And here it says that we would be able to know them. And I thought that was just a really great thing about God, that He's communicating those things to us. It goes on to say in 20, that now unto him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power of the Holy Spirit.

Amen. It doesn't allow us to get cocky here, right? Yes, that's right. To me, like I said, it put me right in my spot of one of faith. That's impressive. polemics that Miles wrote, and he's got this, you know, three series of books. One of the Brethren writers wrote an article, and the title of it is called, Shut Up the Faith. And I think, what a great title, because that's what God does in our lives. He just, He kind of shuts us up, you know, to faith. And I, as I looked in this, and that's what it did, that's what it did to me. You read that 320, boom, you know, what do you do? What are you left with? Just sit down, be quiet, and trust the Lord. What better place to be than that? So, verse 34 and 35, we have these three rhetorical questions.

Who has known the mind of the Lord? Who became his counselor? Or who has first given to him that it might be paid back to him again? So obviously, the answer is no one. Who is known in the mind of the Lord? Nobody is known in the mind of the Lord. Who became his counselor? Nobody has ever been the counselor of God. Who has first given to him in order that it might be paid back to him? Nobody. Possibly these questions are answered in verse 33 in reverse order. Has no one the mind of the Lord? No one.

His ways cannot be tracked out. They're incomprehensible and they are inscrutable. So Paul, in a sense, has answered this rhetorical question in the previous verse. Secondly, who became his counselor? No one. His judgments and his decisions are unfathomable. So who sat down and counseled God and told him what to do? Nobody. His decisions, they're inscrutable, incomprehensible. Who first gave to him that it might be paid back to him again? No one.

His riches are deep and endless. All things come from God. We're going to see that in verse 36. So I think it's interesting how Paul tracked that out and answered these questions in the previous verse there. know the mind of the Lord. His ways are so far beyond being known that no one has ever nor will ever know the mind of the Lord. Look at Isaiah chapter 40. This is where this comes from in Isaiah 40. Verse 13. Someone just read it out when you find it. Isaiah 40, 13 or 14.

Who has directed the spirit of the Lord, or as his counselor has taught him? With whom did he take counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of justice? Who taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding? Good, great.

So we see this quote here coming out of Isaiah. So let me ask this question. Who does know all these things? We've alluded to it earlier. Christ. Yeah, Roy. Christ knows all of these things. Let's look back at 1 Corinthians 2. We've been kind of hitting it already a bit this morning. 1 Corinthians 2. Christ knows the mind of God. We've read it. Who searches the Spirit of God? The Holy Spirit does. So, verse 11.

Who among men knows the thoughts of man except the spirit of man which is in him? Even so, the thoughts of God no one knows except the spirit of God. And now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God. Which things we also speak, not as the words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. The natural man does not accept things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness to him and he cannot understand them because they are spiritually appraised. Yet he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no man.

Look at verse 16. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct him, but we have the mind of Christ? Why? Christ is in us, the hope of glory. Christ is in us and we're in Christ, therefore we have the mind of Christ. Who knows the mind of God? Christ does. And we've been getting at it all morning. So, the thought that God is so... He's so deep. He's so rich. He's unknowable. These unfathomable characteristics. Christ knows them. We're in Christ's presence in us. Therefore, that's how we can know God. And that's how we can know what it is that God has for us, and wants for our lives, and is doing in our lives.

To me, that was a shut-up-the-fake type deal. So, who became his counselor? The idea that a counselor or advisor I won't take the time to look at it, but Job 36.22 obviously speaks to the fact that it says, who has taught God? No one. God didn't have any teacher or counselor or advisor.

So then in verse 35, who was first given to him that it might be paid back to him again? Let's look at this one in Job chapter 41. Yeah, Job 41.11. Someone just read it out when you find it.

Who hath prevented me that I should repay him? Whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine. Yeah, the NAS reads, who has given to me that I should pay him back? Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine. So, you know, nobody has given anything to God, putting God under the obligation that God has to pay back. What grand principle of scripture does that go against? Grace. Grace is freely giving to God. That's the way God functions. That's the way He operates. On the principle of grace, giving freely based on His grace, not because of debt or obligation. We know that very well. No one gave to God, forcing God to give back. Who can give anything to the One who owns it all and created it all? No one can.

Matthew 20 verse 15. Let's look at that. Matthew 20 verse 15. And Jesus speaking here, he says, is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is it your eye envious because I am generous? So the idea there, God can do with what he wants, with what he owns. And what does he own? Everything. He owns the whole thing.

1 Corinthians 4, 7. 1 Corinthians 4, 7, it says, For who regards you as superior? And what do you have that you did not receive? But if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it? What do you have that you did not receive? What do we have that we did not receive from the Lord?

I say no more. That's what the word says. So, final verse. For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen. What a great verse to end up this whole section of chapter 9 through 11. From, through, and to Him. He is the originator, the sustainer, and the one who all things are pointing to. The originator and the sustainer, each one of those is enough on its own. He originates things, but not only does he originate things, but he also sustains things. Not only does he sustain things, but all of that is for him. It's all pointed to him. He is the purpose that he originated everything, and he is the purpose that he is sustaining everything.

What a complete package. That is, we see that very similar things in 1 Corinthians 8, 6. Let me read that. 1 Corinthians 8, 6. Yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things, and we exist for Him, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him." Okay, there's coming up the same idea there of verse 36. And Colossians, I'll just finish with this verse here, Colossians 1, 15 through 18.

Colossians 1 15 13 And he is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things have been created by him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church, He's the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything. And the verse ends, to Him be the glory forever. Amen. God is the source and the cause of all things.

I'm just putting my mind in the mind of the reader, you know, that has read 9 through 11, some of these tough stuff, and now they read this. And whether they're saved or unsaved. You know, even from our perspective of believers, it was tough stuff for us to wrestle through the past two months. Some of these concepts of God, and we finish with this.

Boom. Like, wow. And the perspective on the unbeliever, it's different, but still, it's the wow of God. who and how. So that kind of thing. Next week we'll get into the new section, chapter 12. We'll get the first couple of verses going on that. So let's pray.

Lord, thank you for this morning. Thanks for our time. Thanks for the greatness of your word and how grand it is and how grand you are because you are the living word. So just thank you for that and thanks for your Spirit who brings these things to our remembrance, so I pray that'll be the case this week as we might get overwhelmed by circumstances or situations or Emotions or trials or sufferings? I pray that at that point that you'll bring these scriptures to our remembrance and therefore we can believe in them and rest and abide and trust in you so Thanks, and be good fairness. He brings us more verses from Galatians in your name we pray amen