Oh ... God! [Part 3]

Pastor, author, and Bible teacher, Alan Wright. We can understand all these things because they are from God and through God and to God. And so, let our hearts be wrapped in wonder.

Stand at the rim of the Grand Canyon. Look into the mystery and know that you can't fathom that, but you can worship them. That's Pastor Alan Wright. Welcome to another message of good news that will help you see your life in a whole new light. I'm Daniel Britt, excited for you to hear the teaching today in this series, The Loft, a study of Romans chapters 9 through 11. It's presented at Renola Church in North Carolina. If you're not able to stay with us throughout the entire program, I want to make sure you know how to get our special resource right now. It can be yours for your donation this month to Alan Wright Ministries.

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Here is Alan Wright. Israel on the whole didn't accept Jesus and thus are from a gospel perspective like enemies to Jesus and to the Christian message. It hasn't changed God's love for them.

Why? Because this is so important principle to understand about who our God is. God doesn't throw away people or things that don't work.

And he doesn't let his promises fall empty to the ground. But look again at verse 29, for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. He's talking about the call to Abraham and the gifts of revelation and favor that God showed Israel. The gifts of his presence through a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire. The gift of giving them the 10 commandments and the law revealing himself to Israel. The favor that he showed them through so many centuries, putting his mercy on display.

Those gifts and the calling are irrevocable. And so what he's saying here is that Israel, my chosen people disobeyed by not following the law, but they ultimately disobeyed by not receiving my son. So on the one hand, they're like enemies, but at the same time, there's something higher at work.

And that is that they are beloved. So Israel's disobedience doesn't have the final word. And in the mystery of God's design, what Paul is saying here is this all has a purpose. Look at verse 30 for just as you were at one time, disobedient to God, but have now received mercy because of their disobedience. So they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you, they may now receive mercy.

Now let's make sure we're clear about who we're talking about here. The pronouns look at this again for just as you Gentiles were at one time disobedient to God, but have now received mercy because of their Jews disobedience. So they, the Jews to have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you Gentiles, that they, the Jews also may now receive mercy. So when the Gentiles and all the nations were disobedient, God did something and he brought forth Abraham and he made a nation unto himself. And when he sent Jesus and the nation he'd made unto himself did not on the whole receive Jesus in their disobedience, God poured out the Holy Spirit upon the Gentiles. And what he's saying is that in watching the Gentiles and the mercy that shown them that there's going to be a time in which many more Jews are going to come and receive that same mercy. So in his infinite wisdom, God is using all kinds of disobedience to get more people saved.

Wow. That's just glorious. I like a God who knows how to take our disobedience and using it up for the good and the saving of many people. And that's what he says at verse 32. He says it plainly, God has consigned all to disobedience that he may have mercy on all. So the aim of God and all of this is to show forth his mercy.

That's don't miss the heart of God here. Look, look at verses 30 to 32 again, this time, just noticing the theme for just as you were one time disobedient to God, but now I've received mercy because of their disobedience. So they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you, they also may now receive mercy for God has consigned all to disobedience that he may have. Say it with me, mercy on all. Mercy is the heart of God. Love, kindness, and grace is the heart of God. So, and all of this, which is really kind of mind bending, like, okay, Israel disobedient, wait a minute.

He says, a lot of them want to be saved. Wait a minute. Let's say this. What about pre-election? What about election? What about this? What about our sin? What about the fact that he desires all to be saved?

What about the fact that he elected some? What about how can all this come together? How does this all work? And our minds are like, Oh, what does Paul do with this? Paul finally just comes to this.

And what does he say? Verse 33, he comes to this. And then he'd go, am I bogged down in confusion?

Am I bogged down in frustration? No, what he says is, Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God, how unsearchable are his judgments and inscrutable his ways. Paul has just by the unction of the Holy Spirit, pinned Holy scripture that will come as close as we could ever come to understanding the mystery of the plan of salvation for both Jew and Gentile. And yet we come to the very edge of our understanding and we finally go, we can't piece it all together.

And Paul is just mesmerized and wrapped in wonder by it and says, Oh, I spent a better part of the day. And those early verses of this text, you know, they're kind of hard to understand, aren't they? And like, how can I explain this? I mean, it's like my brain was freezing up on me. And I was, I read what everybody said, and I'm reading, what did the pre-millennials say in the Amillennius and one of the post-millennials have to say about it. And what, what is this?

What is, what does this interpreter say about it? And I was like, I finally got to end of it. And after six hours of studying and my brain just hurting and I hadn't had a single blessing out of it. And I said, Lord, I got to, I supposed to bring a blessing to the people.

I said, I hadn't found a, I hadn't found a nugget of nourishment yet. And that's when I realized for Paul, when he thought about these things that he ultimately the mind can't understand about God. It led him into worship. One of the sermons that impacted me today is a great sermon by Sam Storms, who said the most important word in Romans 11, 33 to 36, isn't riches or wisdom or knowledge or glory, or even God. It is perhaps the least likely word to attract your attention, yet it is rich and powerful and radically life-changing. It's the first word in verse 33.

Oh, it's a single Greek letter, Omega, just an interjection, an exclamation of wonder and joy. Oh, the depth. He's thinking about how bottomless, how unfathomable, how unreachable is the very depth of the riches. This is about, this is about wealth in God of wisdom and knowledge that an unscrewable, verse 33, unsearchable.

He's using superlatives. He's using words to talk about where our mind leaves off. And the more that he thinks about it, the more he just praises God. And so he gets to verse 34 and he quotes references from Isaiah and Job, for who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor, or who's been given the wisdom of the Lord, or who has been his counselor, or who's been given a gift to him that he might be repaid.

There's three questions. Who's known the mind of the Lord? And this is the same Paul that says we have a share in the mind of Christ. But here he's talking about where the things of God that we can't, they're just some things that are beyond us. These different times, God, why did he wait as long as he waited to bring Jesus in the world?

I don't know. He had good reason. It was the fullest of time.

I could give you some ideas of why it was fullest time, but I just had a good reason. I remember one time when Bennett was little and he wanted to see a certain movie and I didn't want him to see it because I knew it was in it. And I knew it wouldn't be good for his little mind.

I said, you can't see that movie. He's like, well, why? And I got ready to try to give him an answer. And I thought, well, if I give him the answer, then I'll be revealing the very content I don't want him thinking about. So I kind of stumbled and he looked at me and one of the sweetest parenting moments I remember, he just looked at me and he said, nevermind, you must have a good reason. Sometimes God just has a good reason.

I don't understand it yet. And what that does for us is it leads us when we're under the Holy Spirit, it leads us to wonder and worship. The things that the devil would like to take where our mind don't understand God and take us to doubt and confusion, the Holy Spirit takes us to worship.

Oh, the depths. And he asked another question, who's been his counselor? Who around here has been given any advice to God lately?

Yes. And a third question, or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid? Who here has added something to God's Godness so that God really owes us? This amazing design of God, this amazing plan of God, this amazing mercy of God. Oh, the depths of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God. Everything that Paul has been teaching in Romans leads to this moment right here at the end of chapter 11, before next week, we turn to chapter 12 and we start learning about how all of this gospel power infuses us and changes the way we live. How then shall we live based on all of this? But here he ends with just this doxology, was just this cry of praise to God. The oh, the oh, the depths of the riches of God. And I think what this means for us is of great practical importance. John Piper says that this is utterly practical because he says the reason that our society is so awash in things like lust is that our lives, quote, are intellectually and emotionally disconnected from infinite soul staggering grander. I agree.

That's Alan Wright. And we'll have more teaching in a moment from today's important series. Embark on a journey of transformation with our free yourself, be yourself resource bundle. Imagine a shame free life, no more self condemnation, no more inward angst. Wondering if you measure up as you soak in the message of healing grace. This empowering bundle includes Pastor Alan's landmark book, free yourself, be yourself, plus an accompanying resource guide and access to the exclusive companion video series. Act now support Alan Wright Ministries with your donation and step into the abundant life God has awaiting you as we send you this limited time resource bundle as our thanks this month. The gospel is shared when you give to Alan Wright Ministries. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support. When you give today, we will send you today's special offer. We are happy to send this to you as our thanks from Alan Wright Ministries. Call us at 877-544-4860. That's 877-544-4860. Or come to our website, PastorAlan.org.

Today's teaching now continues. Here once again is Alan Wright. And you just think like one issue like lust, but it could be any number of things, you know, that beset so much of society. But I like what Piper says here. So, so starkly, so plainly inside and outside the church, we're drowning in a sea of triviality, pettiness, banality, and silliness.

Television's trivial radio, trivial conversation, too often trivial. And he says, it's inevitable that the human heart, which was made to be staggered with terrifyingly joyous dread and peace by an infinitely untouchable embracing God. It is inevitable that such a heart drowning and the all pervasive blurry boredom of banal entertainment will reach for the best buzz that life can give us, which might be sex or something else. And I think it's all right. I think that it's so important that we come not just here in Romans 11 to the very edge of our understanding, to where we come to the end of it. And we just think about, oh, the depths of the riches of the understanding and the wisdom of God so that we become like a people who are wrapped with praise of the God who we do not fully understand. And that's the very thing that leads us into the praise. Tim Keller says, we do not need to understand everything to praise the God who does. And it is what we can't comprehend at times that moves us into awe. And I want my life and I want your life to be enamored with Christ. It is why I don't spend much time telling you what you ought to be.

I want to tell you who He is. I feel like I have the opportunity every week to come and in some way take you by the hand and bring you to the brim of the Grand Canyon and say, look at this. I was thinking how silly and unmindful it would be to even conceive of someone who stands on the brink of the Grand Canyon for the first time and looks at its vastness and feels like that they would rather pull out their phone and look at some social media triviality or whatever else is the Grand Canyon. It is this call to have our heart smitten with wonder and affection for the Son of God that changes us. Let the things that you don't understand about God call you into worship of God who is so much bigger than our capacity to understand.

And sometimes you just behold. In his beautiful sermon on this text, Sam Storms drew upon Greek mythology in Homer's Odyssey. Odysseus, also known as Ulysses, is a respected warrior returning home from the Trojan War. And in setting upon his voyage, Odysseus is warned repeatedly about the sirens, the mythological demon-like sirens that pretend to be beautiful women with beautiful voices that sing such sweet melodies to entice sailors.

But what they want to do is to entice them in order to kill them. So heeding advice, Odysseus has all of his men fill their ears with wax so that they won't hear the beguiling songs as they sail by. And Odysseus himself says he wants to hear the famous songs, but he wants to survive. So he orders his sailors to tie him firmly to the ship's mast and instructs them that no matter what, they are not to untie him from the mast. And so he sails by, and their songs are more alluring than he imagined they could be. One of the sirens even takes the form of Penelope, Odysseus's wife, and his heart wanted to say yes, but he was shackled by the ropes, and so he didn't succumb because he was strapped to the mast.

His soul said yes, but the ropes prevented his indulgence. But there's another mythological figure, Jason, who's famous for his pursuit of the golden fleece, who would also face the temptation of the sirens, but he used a different approach. He brought with him a man named Orpheus, who was known to be a musician of incomparable talent, who played the lyre and the flute. And the instruction was that when Orpheus would hear the sirens' voices, that he would draw out his lyre, and he would play music that was more beautiful and more wonderful and more attractive and more transcendent. So Jason didn't plug the men's ears with wax or strap himself to the mast. He just had Orpheus play.

And the man who was the man who was the man who would play. And so Jason and his men were captivated by a transcendent sound. And as Sam Storm says so well, pleasure in God, fascination with God, excitement about God is the power for purity. It is the power for all change in our lives. We are not changed by scoldings. We're not changed by shamings. We're not changed by shackles.

We are not changed simply because we are roped to the mast. The Christian life is something much higher than that. It's something much better than something much bigger than that. The Christian life is one big giant. Oh, the depth of the riches of understanding and wisdom in our God.

There is, there is a great reason behind this giant celebration in our hearts. It's verse 36 for from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever from him. He made it.

He fought it. He originated it. And through him, it's his power is his agency. And to him, because he is a one until we return all of the glory. It's from him. It's through him.

It's to him. Everything that Paul said, not just in chapter nine through 11, but in chapters one through 11, all of it, how, how God made this world so beautiful. And yet the people rebelled and disobeyed and yet God would not be stopped. God in his glory called a people into himself. He credited Abraham's faith as righteousness. And though he sent his only begotten son into the world to redeem the world and to his own people, he wasn't recognized.

He was maligned and mistreated. And he was nailed to a Roman cross and God poured out this Holy spirit upon all flesh and anyone who would trust in the simple saving work of Jesus and believe that he took our sin upon himself so that we might be merited with his righteousness. And suddenly the world realized it wasn't just this nation that God loved and wanted to be saved, but it was everybody.

And God still has a plan for Israel that many will be saved. And we can't understand all these things because they are from God and through God and to God. And so let our hearts let our hearts be wrapped in wonder, stand at the rim of the Grand Canyon, look into the mystery and know that you can't fathom it, but you can worship. He is our everything and all salvation is from him and through him and to him.

So say yes and worship him. I think that's what Paul's been talking about in this chapter. With our free yourself, be yourself resource bundle. Imagine a shame free life, no more self condemnation, no more inward angst, wondering if you measure up as you soak in the message of healing grace.

This empowering bundle includes Pastor Alan's landmark book, Free Yourself, Be Yourself, plus an accompanying resource guide and access to the exclusive companion video series. Act now support Alan Wright Ministries with your donation and step into the abundant life God has awaiting you as we send you this limited time resource bundle as our thanks this month. The gospel is shared when you give to Alan Wright Ministries. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support.

When you give today, we will send you today's special offer. We are happy to send this to you as our thanks from Alan Wright Ministries. Call us at 877-544-4860.

That's 877-544-4860. Or come to our website, pastorallen.org. Back here in the studio to share Pastor Alan's parting good news thought for the day, conclusion of the teaching, oh God, but also conclusion of the series, an unhurried study of Romans titled Beloved.

Pastor Alan. Well, I just love that imagery of the famous stories of sailors sailing by the sirens, you know, that would try to lure them in with their beautiful sound. And there's one or two ways you can do it. You can try to strap yourself against the mask so that no matter how much you hear the allure of the fleshly desires, you can't go. And I guess it's better to do that than it is to succumb to the sirens of life. But there is a better way and it is to have a more beautiful sound, a more beautiful song that's just filling your heart every day.

And it's why I just counsel people. And I would say to our listeners, don't build your sense of holiness and right living on your personal efforts to not succumb to the allures and lusts of the flesh. Build it more on becoming absolutely fascinated, enamored, and wrapped with wonder at the magnificence of who God is. We lose our appetite for the unhealthy when we really savor that which is healthy. So get the gospel in you every day, every evening, fill your heart with the wonder with the wonder of who God is and what He's done in Jesus.

And a lot of the things that so easily entangle us will begin to have less allure. Thanks for listening today. Visit us online at pastorallen.org or call 877-544-4860.

That's 877-544-4860. If you only caught part of today's teaching, not only can you listen again online, but also get a daily email devotional that matches today's teaching delivered right to your email inbox free. Find out more about these and other resources at pastorallen.org. That's pastorallen.org. Today's good news message is a listener supported production of Allen Wright Ministries.