God, Who Will Save His People

Well, we have almost made it to the crescendo here at the end of this section of Romans Romans chapters nine through eleven, dealing with God's faithfulness to his people, God saving his people. We started in Romans chapter nine with Paul's great anguish over the condition of his people. He assured us, however, that it is not as though the word of God has failed. God's word has not failed. God's word does not fail. God's word will not fail. He goes on to explain very clearly how God has not promised salvation to every ethnic descendant of ab After that we get to Romans chapter ten, and in Romans chapter ten we see the picture of how one comes to saving faith, the mechanism, if you will, that God has put in place for those who come to faith through the hearing of God's word, responding to the Gospel and repentance and faith. We then come to chapter eleven, and in chapter eleven we see this wonderful picture of the olive tree and branches that are broken off and grafted on. And there is a picture of this great mystery unfolding. And here as we get toward the end of chapter eleven, today, in verses twenty five to thirty two, the paragraph right before that great doxology, the great praise that ends this letter, we finally come to the place where we understand what initiates that great praise. Up to this point we really haven't seen it. Up to this point, remember, the question is is God going to be faithful to the descendants of Abraham? Is God going to be faithful to ethnic Israel? And up to this point, in chapter nine and chapter ten, and in the first half or two thirds of chapter eleven, there has not been much to celebrate as it relates to answering that question. But here in this paragraph we see what leads Paul to this moment of doxology. Here at the end of this section, beginning of verse twenty five, we read, lest you be wise in your own sight, I want you to understand this mystery, brothers. And again we have seen time and time again that in the New Testament, specifically in Paul's writing, and specifically here in Romans, when he talks about mystery, he is not saying that there is something that remains hidden. The idea of mystery here is that which God has hidden but is now revealing, has now revealed. He has unraveled it for us. We've seen the conclusion to this mystery, or we are being shown what the conclusion to this mystery is. Brothers, A partial hardening has come upon Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. We've already seen a couple of weeks ago that that partial hardening, that it doesn't mean that they've been hardened partially, but that a portion of them have been hardened completely. You're either hardened or you're not hardened. Amen. It's kind of like being pregnant. Either pregnant or you're not pregnant. There is no partial pregnancy. All the pregnant ladies in the house, amen, all right. And so this partial hardening means that there is a portion of Israel that has been hardened, has come upon Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written, the Deliverer will come from Zion. He will banish ungodliness from Jacob. And this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins. As regards to the Gospel, they are enemies of God for your sake. But as regards election. They are beloved for the sake of their forefathers, for the gift and the calling. Of God are irrevocable. For just as you were at one time disobedient to God, but now have 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 mercy on all amen. Some of the most contended verses in the Book of Romans here in this section, and we will talk about some of that contention as we move our way through and look at this picture of the God who will save his people. That's the message here that the God we serve is the God who will save his people. Because, as we said when we started in Romans chapter nine, this is of great consequence to you and to me, because we are God's people. And if somehow we believe that God is in the business of forsaking his people, then that leads you and me to a place where we have absolutely no security whatsoever. But we serve a God who is a God who is faithful. We serve the God who will save his people. Is incumbent upon us then to determine and to define what we mean by His people. And that's happened for us earlier and comes to a conclusion here. The first thing we see this is this, we see the faithfulness of God in serving in saving his people. Secondly, we see the sovereignty of God in saving his people. And thirdly we'll see the providence of God in saving his people. Let us first look at the faithfulness of God Verses twenty five and twenty six. Lest you be wise in your own sight, I want you to understand this mystery. Brothers, A partial hardening has come. Upon Israel until the fullness of the gentiles has come in, and in. This way all Israel will be saved. That is a powerful statement, Paul says, in this way, in what way? Look at what he says earlier. Why don't understand this mystery? What's the mystery that a partial hardening has come upon Israel? There he introduces the subject Israel, So he's talking about the Israel among whom a partial hardening has come until the fullness of the gentiles has come in. Now we see that that partial hardening is also a temporary hardening until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in and in that way, and that this part disheardening is partial, and that this hardening is temporary, and that this hardening has a purpose, and that purpose is to bring in the fullness of the gentiles. In this way, all Israel will be saved. Now, there's some questions that we have to ask first, what does all mean? Amen? Because there are some out there, and they're usually those who don't like the doctrines of grace, and you hear them. There's one guy on the radio in particularly who's not a big fan of the doctrines of Grace, not a big fan of the sovereignty of God and salvation or the doctrines of what. We would call Calvinism. And his phrase that he likes to point to is all means all, and that's all all means. All means all, and that's all all means. So does that mean that when he says all Israel will be saved, that every ethnic Jew throughout the history of the world will be saved. If all means all and that's all means, then that's. The way we'd have to take it, that every ethnic Jew throughout the history of the world is going to be saved by virtue of being an ethnic Jew. Well, several problems. Number one, the thesis statement of the Book of Romans would be violated by that reading. What is the thesis statement. The thesis statement is I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, for it is the power of God under salvation for all those who believe, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. So the thesis statement of the Book of Romans, the whole message of the Book of Romans, the Book of Romans is about the doctrine of justification. That's a violation of the thesis statement of the Book of Romans if we believe that ultimately God is going to save every ethnic Jew simply because he's an ethnic descendant of Abraham. Secondly, that's a violation of the plan of salvation laid out earlier in this very chapter. What do you get in chapter ten? Go back with me in chapter ten. But the righteousness verse six, based on faith says to not say in your heart, who will descend in the heaven, that is to bring Christ down, or who will descend into the abyss, that is to bring Christ up from the dead. But what does it say. The Word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart. That is the word of faith that we proclaim. Because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and disjustified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, everyone who believes in Him will not be put to shame, for there is no distinction between Jew and Greek. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek. For there is no desas distinction between Jew and Greek. Right here in the context of what it means to be saved, for the same Lord as Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How then, can they call on him whom they have not believed, And how can they believe in him whom they not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? So the idea that all here means that every ethnic Jew, every person who is descended physically from Abraham is going to be saved. Flies in the face of the thesis statement of the Book of Romans, and it flies in the face of this picture of justification that we have in chapter ten. This also flies in the face of the angst that Paul expresses over his kinsmen. Why is Paul worried about the Jews earlier in this section if what he's going to say in chapter eleven is every one of them is fine? For example, Chapter nine, verses two and three. I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart, for I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen. According to the flesh, what's that about? If every ethnic Jew is going to be saved by beating ethnic Jew Verse thirteen of chapter nine, As it is written, Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated. Newsflash Esau ethnic Jew direct descendant of Abraham. It's his great grandson. Chapter nine, verse twenty seven and twenty eight, and Isaiah cries out concerning Israel. Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved, for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay. That obliterates the idea that all here means every ethnic Jew. And then in chapter ten, verses one through three, brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them who's them ethnic Israel, is that they may be saved for our better than witness, that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge, for being ignorant of the righteousness of God and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. So I think it's very safe to say that all here does not mean every ethnic Jew will be saved. Secondly, does it mean that a remnant will be saved? Can it mean that a remnant will be saved? Well, here's the problem with that reading. If the idea is that a remnant will be saved, then what's the mystery that Paul is introducing in this section of chapter eleven, because we've already had that so too, I don't think that's eleven five. Well, yeah, in eleven, verse five. Sorry, I was thinking about another verse. Look in chapter eleven and verse five, or go back up to the beginning, I asked, Then, has God rejected his people by no means. For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected his people, whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel. Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life. But what is God's reply to him? I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to bail. So too, at the present time, there is a remnant chosen by grace. What's the mystery? Then? In our paragraph beginning of verse twenty five, if the statement all Israel will be saved simply means that a remnant is going to be saved, like he already said in verse five, he's not talking about a remnant here. What is he talking about. I'm glad you asked a significant number of ethnic Jews at the end of the age. That's what he's talking about, a significant number of ethnic Jews at the end of the age, when God wraps up all of history. Before God wraps up all of his. Paul says, there's going to be an end gathering of a significant number of ethnic Jews, not just a riminant, not just spiritual Israel. That leads us to the second question, what does Israel mean? All Israel? By the way that word all is used like that throughout the New Testament. Let me give you just one example. When we see Jesus going to be baptized in the Jordan, all Israel was said to be coming to be baptized by John and the Jordan. Now you read that there, and it's obvious what is meant by that statement, not that every inhabitant of Israel was coming to the Jordan to be baptized by John. John didn't live long enough to do that. Amen. But what it. Means is the same way we say, man, everybody showed up. Everybody was there. It was amazing. I went over to Reliant Center, and at the Reliance Center we were at the rodeo and I looked around and all of Houston was at the rodeo. Do you mean that every inhabitant of Houston was stuffed inside Reliance Stadium? No, you do not. But no person who heard you say that would accuse you of meaning that amen. So what's Israel mean? First? It could mean spiritual Israel, and this is the interpretation for example, of Augustine and Calvin, among others. But there's a problem here. The idea here that basically when he says all Israel will be saved, what he means is true Israel, like we read about earlier, is going to be saved. For example, look at the testimony of Romans chapter eight. This position would argue that in Romans eight alone we see that the Church now enjoys the spiritual promises made to Israel, for example, the gift of the spirit in chapter eight, verse nine, adoption as sons and daughters of God chapter eight, verses fourteen to seventeen, future glory chapter eight, verse seventeen and verse thirty election, and the promise of never being severed from God's love eight thirty five to thirty nine. So it is. Clear that the Church is part of true Israel, spiritual Israel, if you will. And then the testimony of the rest of Paul's writings. Tom Schreiner points out, for example, that elsewhere Paul emphasizes that believers are true Jews and the true circumcision Romans chapter two, verses twenty eight twenty nine, and Philippians Chapter three and verse three, Sons and Daughters of Abraham, Romans chapter four, verses one through seventeen, and Galatians Chapter three, verses six through nine, and verses twenty six through twenty nine, and the Israel of God. Galatians chapter six and verse sixteen refers to the Church as the Israel of God. Thus, it is not at all impossible that in Romans eleven twenty six, Israel refers to the Church composed of both Jews and Gentiles. There's a small problem. If you go back to the beginning of chapter nine, to the beginning of chapter ten, and to the beginning of chapter eleven, it is obvious that Paul is speaking about ethnic Israel, not spiritual Israel. Go with me back to the beginning of chapter nine. I'm speaking the truth in Christ. I am not lying. My conscience bears me this in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart, for I could wish that I myself were a curse and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsman. According to the flesh in the beginning of chapter ten. Who's he talking to brothers my heart's desire and prayer to God for them? Who's that? You go to the last paragraph of the last chapter, he's talking about ethnic Israel. Then you get to chapter eleven. And at the beginning of chapter. Eleven, I asked, then, has God rejected his people by no means? For I myself am an Israelite? Well, what do you mean by that? Paul, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. So the context of chapters nine through eleven, and the context of chapter eleven itself, eliminates the idea that here he is speaking us about spiritual Israel, though the Church is spiritual Israel. So what does it mean? It means that there's going to be a great end gathering of ethnic Israel at the end of the age. Next question, what does be saved mean? All Israel will be saved. We know what all means, we know what Israel means. But what does be saved mean? Several possibilities. One, it could mean to be accepted into the number of the elect based on ethnicity. We've already seen that that doesn't fly in light of what we've read in the Book of Romans, though there are some who argue that way, that basically there are two ways of salvation, that there is one way of salvation for the jew and one way of salvation for the gentile, and that God is going to save the Jews apart from faith in Jesus Christ, because of their ethnicity or because of their keeping a separate covenant. Again, two ways of salvation, one way for Israel, one way for the Church. And that God is going to save ethnic Israel by a methodology that is different than the methodology by which and through which He saved everybody else. Again, that flies in the face of what we see in the rest of the Bible or accepted into the number of the elect based on faith in Jesus Christ. That's the answer. That's the answer. Look at the next look at his quote verse twenty six. And this way is what we saved. As it is written, the Deliverer will come from Zion. He will banish ungodliness from Jacob. And this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins. Not when they keep the law. When I take away their sins, God is going to save them the same way he saved you. And me by taking away our sins through what faith in Jesus Christ. There is no other way. That's the only way of salvation. That's Paul's whole point here in the Book of Romans to outline for us what justification is to the Jew and also to the Greek. How many times have we seen that to the Jew and also to the Greek. To the Jew and also to the Greek. To the Jew and also to the Greek. Oh but here chapter eleven, there's something for the Jew and something else for the Greek. That dog won't hunt. So what do we see that at the end of the age there is going to be an in gathering of ethnic Jews who come to faith in Jesus Christ. That's what we see. This also points to the sovereignty of God and saving his people, to the sovereignty of God and saving his people, And again we confuse sovereignty and providence. Sovereignty of God is the authority by which God exercises his will in the world. The sovereignty of God is the authority by which God exercises his will. The providence of God is the methodology or the means by which God exercises his sovereignty. So when we talk about the sovereignty of God, we're talking about the authority of God. God is sovereign. God has all authority. God does not share authority. God doesn't share authority with man. All authority is God's authority. So we see the sovereignty of God and saving his people. First of all, Israel did not impose disheartening on themselves. Amen, Israel did not impose disheartening upon themselves. Look at verses twenty sixty twenty seven again. And in this way, all Israel will be saved. As it is written, the Deliverer will come from Zion, and I will banish ungodliness from Jacob. And this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins. Notice this, let's look at it again. And this way all Israel will be saved. They will be saved. That's passive active. As it is written, the Deliverer will come from Zion. He will banish ungodliness from Jacob. Jacob is not going to be seeking after the Deliverer. The deliverers is going to show up. They're not going to be seeking godliness. The deliver is going to banish ungodliness. And this will be my covenant with them, not their covenant with me when I take away their sins. Sovereignty of Almighty God and salvation. That is Paul's point throughout this entire letter, And in fact, if you go back to chapter nine, let's just look at chapter nine for a moment, the beginning. Of verse six. Again, this idea of the sovereignty of God and saving his people is not new, first of all, in this book, but it's not new in this section. First, you know, let's go back even further. Why not go to chapter three, beginning of verse nine. What then, are we Jews any better off? No, not at all, For we have already charged that all both Jews and Greeks are under sin. As it is written, no one is righteous, no not one. No one understands, no one seeks for God. All have turned aside. Together. They have become worthless. No one does good, not even one. Their throat is an open grave. They use their tongues to deceive. The venom of asps is under their lips their mouth. Their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood, and their paths are ruin and misery. And the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes, So what has to happen? Go forward to chapter eight, beginning of verse twenty six. Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know what to pray for as we ought. But the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit. Because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom he foreknew, he also predested and to be conformed to the image of his son in order that he might be the first born among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called. Those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. The sovereignty of God and salvation. Now back in chapter nine, specifically as it relates to Israel beginning of verse six, But it is not as though the word of God has failed, for not all who are descendants of Israel belonged to Israel. And not all are children of Abraham, because they are his offspring. But through Isaac shall your offspring be named. This means that it is not the children of the flesh or the children of God, but the children of Promise are counted as offspring. For this is what the Promise said about this time next year, our return, and Sarah will have a son, and not only so, but also Rebecca. When Rebecca had conceived children by one man, our forefather, Isaac, though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad, in order that the purpose of election might continue, not because of works, but because of him who calls. She was told the older will serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob, have I loved Esau? Have I hated? God is sovereign in salvation. God is sovereign in salvation. By the way, the other way we see the sovereignty of God in Salvation. Number one, Paul goes back to two passages in Isaiah and a portion of a passage in Jeremiah in order to make his point about what God is going to do. What's significant about that hundreds of years before Paul wrote this, God said, here's what I'm going to do with Israel. Now, thousands of years after Paul wrote this, we're looking at it saying, this is what God is going to do with Israel. And when it comes to pass, it will not come to pass because God was lucky. It'll come to pass because God is sovereign. That's why he was able to declare it Isaiah and Jeremiah, and that's why he's been able to declare it in Romans because of his sovereignty. Like we've always said, God is not running for God. Finally we see the providence of God and saving his people. The providence of God and saving his people. Let's go back over that definition again again. I love wayn Grudem's definition of providence is very helpful. God is continually involved with all created things in such a way that he won keeps them existing and maintaining their properties with which he created them. Aren't you glad by the way that you woke up this morning with the same properties you went to bed with last night? Amen? And you didn't have to do anything to set up your properties to make sure that your properties. Aren't you glad your head was still on your shoulders, just like it was last night when you went to bed. Secondly cooperates with created things in every action, directing their distinctive properties to cause them to act as they do, directing their distinctive properties to cause them to act as they do. You act the way you do because of God's directing of your distinctive properties. Your distinctive properties make you a human being and not a dog, so you act like a human being and not like a dog. God uses you as a human being and not as a dog. Aren't you glad about that? Amen? And Thirdly directs them to fulfill his purpose. That's the providence of God. And as we've said before, providence is not the Reformed Christian word for luck. If you can't say amen, you ought to say out okay. Providence is not the Reformed Christian word for luck, because even on your worst day, you're experiencing God's providence. It bears repeating again the illustration of you know, we're riding down the highway and all of a sudden, you know, I almost fell asleep while I was driving, and I woke up just in time to swerve and not hit that other car. Boy. That was providential, Yes it was, But had you fallen asleep and wrecked. That would have been providential. Providence doesn't mean that things turn out the way you like them to turn out. Providence means the way they turn out is a result of God making sure that your properties stay where they are, cooperating with your properties, and using your properties to bring about and fulfill His purpose. So how do we see that in God saving as people look at this Verses twenty eight to thirty two, as regards the Gospel, they are enemies of God for your sake. Now here's where we get a little confusing. Okay, but it's only confusing if you're confused about all. When he says all Israel will be saved, who's all a large number of ethnic Jews at the end of the age. That's what all refers to. It does not refer to every ethnic Jew. But when we get down here, he goes as regards to the Gospel, they who are they? Ethnic Jews? In the meantime? Now, does that mean every ethnic Jew? No, it can't mean every ethnic ethnic Jew because it would have had to have meant Paul as well, do you follow so? And remember there's a remnant. He's already talked about the fact that there's a remnant. Okay, as regards to the Gospel, they the majority of ethnic Jews are enemies of God for your sake, But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. There's the providence of God that right now, at this moment in Salvation history, Israel has turned away from their God for the most part, and a very small minority of Jews have come to faith in Jesus Christ. And that, in. God's providence, is what God has used to bring you, gentiles. Amen, into the kingdom. But as regards election, they're still beloved for the sake of their forefathers. Which is why at the end of the age, a. Large enough number of them are going to come to faith in Christ that it can be said all is reals saved. But it doesn't end there, for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. Hey, mal of that word, By the way, that's just good. I need that word because there are days when I look in the mirror and say, the only thing I deserve today is for God to revoke every promise He's ever made to me. But praise God that it doesn't depend on me, but upon God. For just as you were at one time disobedient to God, but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, so they too have now become disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you, they also may now receive mercy. Watch this, because we get all mixed up on this. Salvation history looks Jewish for most of the history of the world. In Genesis chapter three and verse fifteen, we get this promise that God is going to send a redeemer seed of the woman. By Genesis chapter twelve, we have Abraham who becomes the first jew and the rest of Salvation history follows this Jewish line all the way up to we get to the New Testament, when this Jewish line produces a Jewish Messiah. So Salvation history is Jewish, and we Gentiles, for the most part, are outside of redemptive history. Turn with me, if you will, to the right and look at the Book of Ephesians Ephesians chapter two, the guinning in verse eleven. Pray God gives us grace to see this truth. Therefore, remember that again we just got this picture of salvation and Ephesians two one through ten. Now look at verse eleven. Therefore, remember that at one time you gentiles and the flesh call the uncircumcision by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands. Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers to the covenants and promises, having no hope and without God in the world. That's the majority of Salvation history for the gentiles. It's Jewish, it's Jewish. There's the Jewish patriarchs. Then there's this Jewish Covenant, there are these Jewish priests, there's this Jewish conquest. Then there's this Jewish kingdom, and there's this Jewish king and then there's these Jewish prophets, and it's Israel, Israel, Israel, with a smattering of gentiles here and there. And then all of a sudden, during Paul's lifetime, by the way, everything changes. And from here on, what does so history look like? Gentile? Gentile? Gentile? Do you see that so here in the providence of God, God uses this Jewish period in Salvation history to bring about this time where we gentiles get to come into Salvation history and it begins to look like us. But Paul says, do not get too confident in yourself for at least two reasons. Number one, you didn't call yourself into Salvation history. Number two, if you get too cocky and arrogant toward the Jews, that means you actually believe that God has forsaken them for you. And if you believe that God has forsaken them for you, who's next. But in the providence of God, at the end of the end, Paul says, things are going to come full circle and at the end of the age. We don't know when, we don't know for how long. But when the fullness of the gentiles has come in, when God has done what he intended to do in this era of Salvation history, there'll be a great end gathering descendants of Abraham, and then there will be the close of the age. By the way, the result of that news is the praise and doxology in the next several verses. Now, let me tell you what this doesn't mean. This doesn't mean that being ethnic Jew gives you any special privileges. We've already seen that in the Book of Romans. It doesn't This doesn't mean that the modern geopolitical nation of Israel is any more favored than any other geopolitical nation. This doesn't mean that everything that the nation of Israel does is right or ought to be applauded by us. Doesn't mean that at all. In fact, here's the irony. He says all Israel will be saying. He's not talking about a geopolitical entity. Remember when he says this, there is no Israel. Essentially, when he says this, they're all Romans. So he's not talking about a geopolitical entity. Here's the other thing that's interesting. The largest Jewish nation in the world is the United States of America. It's more Jews here than in Israel. Of course, there's more Irish people here than in Ireland, and more Swedes here than in Sweden. But that's beside the point. Okay, the largest Jewish nation in the world is the United States of America. Everybody says all Israel will be saying, so let's all put our eyes over there in the Middle East. No, this could be fulfilled by a great outpouring here in the United States of America. That geopolitical entity over there doesn't have to have anything to do with it, because God has moved the majority of his people over here, where the Gospel moves a lot more freely than it does over there coincidence, My God doesn't believe in those therefore, nor do I. So this does not mean that we all have to become Zionists. This does not mean that we all have to applaud everything Israel does, turn a blind eye to things that Israel does that we don't like. This does not mean that. God will get after you if you say, Israel the geopolitical nation of today is wrong, when Israel the geopolitical nation of today is wrong, What this means is before the end of the age, God's going to pour out his spirit and it's going to be an end gathering of people who are descending of Abraham, and it's going to be to the praise of His glory, not to the praise of any geopolitical entity on planet Earth. And the result of that is God be praised. Let's read it. Pastor Stephen is going to preach on it next week, but we just need to read it because this is where Paul goes after all of his angst and anxiety over what he's seeing. And note he never saw this in his lifetime, and you may never see this in your lifetime. So Paul is not praising God for what he has seen. He's praising God in anticipation of what God has promised. 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 glory forever. Amen.