The Mystery (Romans 11:25-36)

Romans chapter eleven, starting at verse twenty-five.

I don't want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you will not be conceited.

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.

As it is written, the deliverer will come from Zion.

He will turn godlessness away from Jacob, and this will be my covenant with them, when I take away their sins.

Regarding the gospel, they are enemies for your advantage.

But regarding election, they are loved because of the patriarchs.

Since God's gracious gifts and calling are irrevocable, as you once disobeyed God, but now have received mercy through their obedience, so they too have now disobeyed, resulting in mercy to you, so that they also may now receive mercy.

For God has imprisoned all in disobedience, so that he may have mercy on all.

O the depth of the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God, how unsearchable his judgments and untraceable his ways, for who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor, and who has ever given to God that he should be repaid?

For from him and through him and to him are all things.

To him be the glory forever.

Amen.

Let's pray.

Lord, I thank you so much for the Book of Romans and that all that we're able to glean from it.

Thank you for this passage here this morning.

And Lord, we don't want to just read this for head knowledge or understand this for head knowledge, Lord, but we pray that you would change our hearts through your word here this morning.

Lord, do the work inside of each one of us that you desire to do.

We pray these things in Jesus' name.

Amen.

So this passage, if you were with us last week, you can probably already notice this.

This is really a part two of last week's sermon.

As Paul is explaining this mystery of God's chosen people, Israel.

And how those Israelites that did not place their faith in God were branches that were broken off of the olive tree that we were talking about last week, which is Israel.

And how God has made a way through Jesus that Gentiles can be grafted into this olive tree that is Israel.

And we touched on this last week, but we'll talk about it more today, how God has partially hardened Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles comes to be.

And we'll be able to dig into that a little bit deeper today.

But here's what I hope that we leave here with today.

I hope that we leave here feeling small in comparison to the vastness of God.

Feeling humbled.

Feeling that we are the least of all saints, as Paul says in Ephesians.

As we close out these last three chapters, remember chapter 9 through, chapters 9 through 11 are really one flow of thought that Paul is writing about.

And it's really the theme of those three chapters is really God's sovereignty.

I hope that we've gained the sense of awe toward God.

And today, especially, that we attain that sense of awe toward God.

Recognizing that his ways are so much higher than our ways.

And that we literally can't think of a single follower of Jesus that we would place ourselves above.

That we wouldn't consider ourselves better than anybody that's sitting next to us.

You know, I pray that we leave here with those same words on our lips that Paul said in Ephesians, where he said, I am the least of all saints.

Because if the apostle Paul, who wrote about half of our New Testament books, if he has that attitude, I think we're supposed to have that attitude as well.

So let's start with verse 25.

He says, I don't want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you will not be conceited.

A partial hardening has come upon Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.

This is all a mystery.

Everything that Paul's been talking about from chapters 9 through 11 is a mystery.

And a mystery is something that's not supposed to be fully understood.

If we could wrap our head around it and tie it in a neat little bow, it wouldn't be a mystery anymore, would it?

Paul isn't saying I want to explain so this concept is no longer a mystery.

He's saying I want you to know it's a mystery so that you can be okay with it.

You know, you've heard me say it many times, and you're gonna hear me say it many more times from up here at the pulpit.

I don't want to worship a God that I fully understand.

Because that would make me equal with him.

And I have zero interest in worshiping something that I feel like I'm equal with.

You know, the concept of God's sovereignty that we've been looking at here in chapters 9 through 11, it's supposed to be a mystery.

It's supposed to lead us to what Paul says at the end of this chapter.

Who has known the mind of the Lord?

Who can wrap their head around this mystery?

You know, when we think of his plan for salvation for the Jews and for the Gentiles, and how he uses both of those groups to lead each other to salvation, you know, when we think about the Gentiles being grafted in, as we talked so much about last week, and how that leads to more Jews coming to salvation through being jealous of the Gentiles, and how God hardens some of the hearts of the Jews until the fullness of the Gentiles, we should scratch our head and think, you know, I really can't wrap my head around this.

I really don't understand.

And that is what should lead us to worship him even more.

Who has known the mind of the Lord?

It's that mystery that makes him worthy to be worshipped.

That his thoughts are not our thoughts, that his ways are not our ways, because they are so much higher than ours.

Look at verse 25 again.

Paul says, I don't want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you will not be conceited.

A partial hardening has come upon Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.

So this partial hardening, you know, some of your translations that you're holding might say blindness has come upon Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.

That is, until the full number of Gentiles have come to Christ.

The full number that ever will come to Christ have come to Christ.

Until then, God has partially hardened for a time, so it's not permanent, he's partially hardened the hearts of the Jews.

So, you know, I think as we go through this, the natural question then becomes, you know, when is the fullness of the Gentiles going to take place?

What is this that Paul is talking about, this fullness of the Gentiles?

And this is again one of those times where I'm just going to give you my opinion of what I think this means.

And we can't get into a lot of in-times events here this morning, but if you do want to know where we stand as a church regarding end times events, I would encourage you to go back to our podcast, you can find it on our website, and listen to Mark chapter 13.

Mark 13 · chapter mention

That's all about end times and events and where we stand as a church regarding those things.

So if you need to catch up or you're not exactly sure what we're talking about with some of the terms we're using, that's a great place to go and kind of see where we are with that.

Now, I personally believe that midway through the seven-year tribulation, so that's at the three and a half year mark, when the abomination of desolation takes place, and that's where the Antichrist comes into the temple, claims to be God, I think this is when the hardness and the blindness will be lifted from the Jewish nation.

Again, just my opinion.

Where they will realize that this is what Daniel prophesied about all those years ago.

Realize that Jesus really was the Messiah, and that they miss him, and that there's going to be a huge revival in Judea, huge revival in Israel.

And that is why I think that they have to flee to the wilderness in the second half of the tribulation, so that God can supernaturally protect them until the end of the tribulation.

Because who would Satan and the Antichrist love to destroy more than God's chosen people that have then given themselves over to the true Messiah, who is Jesus Christ?

So my opinion is that all of this happens after the personal hardening is lifted midway through the tribulation.

That is what I think when the Gentiles will come into their fullness.

And you're definitely allowed to disagree with that.

You know, that's just my opinion in that.

Um, but anyway, that's kind of where I see that fullness happening.

But regardless of my opinion, of when, a partial hardening has come upon Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, as Paul just wrote there in verse 25.

Look at verse 26 with me.

And in this way, all Israel will be saved, as it is written, the deliverer will come from Zion.

He will turn godlessness away from Jacob.

You know, when this says all Israel, it's not referring to everybody that's Jewish.

We've talked about this a couple times since chapter 9.

It's referring to all of Israel whose faith has been turned to God, which we're going to see in the second half of verse 26.

But that verse that Paul wrote is in chapter 9, verse 6, and it comes into play again, where he said, Not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.

But verse 26 here is actually quoting Isaiah 59, 20.

And I want to read that to you.

It says, The Redeemer will come to Zion and to those in Jacob who turn from transgression.

This is the Lord's declaration.

So again, not all Israel, but to all who turn from transgression.

That's who God considers to be truly Israel.

And note, Paul's trying, um Paul's portraying these things as future events that have not happened yet at the time that he's writing this book.

The fullness of the Gentiles and the saving of Israel, when the partial hardness is lifted, is off in the future.

Something Paul's talking about in the future.

Look at verse 27.

And this is quoting from Jeremiah 31, 31.

Paul says, And this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.

God's covenant or God's agreement with them is that this deliverer from Zion will turn godlessness away from Israel and forgive them of their sins.

And as has been the theme in chapter 11, that still stands.

God is not taking that away from Israel.

Verse 28.

Regarding the gospel, they are enemies for your advantage.

But regarding election, they are loved because of the patriarchs, since God's gracious gifts and calling are irrevocable.

You know, their rejection of the gospel works in the Gentiles' favor.

That's what he's saying here.

Because it allows all of the Gentiles, so many of us here, to be grafted in to that tree that we talked about last week.

But Paul continues on this path that their rejection of the gospel does not remove their election as God's chosen people.

They have been loved all the way back to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because, as Paul says, God's gracious gifts and calling are irrevocable.

He has not taken them back and he never will.

He doesn't change his mind or regret showing grace to those that he's shown grace to.

Even if the branch is broken off, as we saw last week, God's willing to graft that branch back into that tree.

Paul continues on and he's speaking to the Gentiles here in verse 30.

He says, As you once disobeyed God, but now have received mercy through their disobedience, so they too have now disobeyed, resulting in mercy to you, so that they also may now receive mercy.

Everybody needs God's mercy.

Regardless of who you are.

You need God's mercy.

I need God's mercy.

And if God showing mercy to one people group leads to another people group coming to salvation, great.

I really think that's what Paul's trying to communicate here.

And how all of that works out is a perfect example of what the mystery is that we're trying to wrap our heads around.

And even Paul's trying to wrap his head around.

How all of this works together between the Jews and the Gentiles and the grafting and the breaking and the re-grafting in and the fullness of the Gentiles, and all of those things, it's a mystery.

Verse 32.

For God has imprisoned all in disobedience, so that he may have mercy on all.

And I think it's important we don't get caught up in that word imprisoned.

At first glance, it's like, wait, what does that mean?

The idea here is that everyone outside of the saving work of Jesus has been rounded up into this one pen, think of it, you know, maybe like that, because of their disobedience.

Now, God didn't force them into a prison of disobedience.

That's how we shouldn't read this passage.

And it's just like he doesn't take somebody that's faithfully following him and harden their heart.

What Paul is communicating is they're all the same, Jew and Gentile.

If you're in disobedience, you're all in the same prison of unbelief and disobedience.

And all are in the same need of God's mercy.

Every single one of us.

And he's offering his mercy to everyone that will accept it.

Now, if your head is spinning a bit at this point, that's okay.

It's a mystery.

You know, I think our heads are supposed to spin a little bit at the end of verse 32 here.

You know, I have this picture in my head of Paul getting to the end of verse 32 after writing chapters 9, 10, and 11, just being like, oh.

Wow, that was a lot to put down and a lot of thoughts to actually put into words.

And I think that because when I was done studying verse 32, I did that.

I was like, whoo, wow.

That is a lot to take in and try and wrap your head around.

Not just wrap your head around, but then try to communicate it as clearly as possible.

But after studying Romans 9 through 11, I think we so badly need verses 33 and through 36.

And I want to read you just that whole chunk one more time.

Now, you've got this mystery, you've got your head swirling a little bit, verse 33.

Oh, the depth of the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God, how unsearchable his judgments and untraceable his ways.

For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor, and who has ever given to God that he should be repaid?

For from him and through him and to him are all things.

To him be the glory forever.

Amen.

So let's look at that first part of that.

Oh, the depth of the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God.

You know, a depth applies to all those words.

Depth applies to riches, to wisdom, and to knowledge.

Paul mentions something similar when he wrote Colossians 2 2 regarding the Colossians and the Laodiceans.

He said, I want their hearts to be encouraged and joined together in love, so that they may have all the riches of complete understanding, and have the knowledge of God's mystery, Christ.

In him are all are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

God's riches are unsearchable.

And all of God's riches are found in Jesus Christ.

Ephesians chapter 3, verses 7 through 9 says this, and I'll read it to you.

Ephesians 3:7–9

And again, this is Paul writing.

I was made a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace that was given to me by the working of his power.

This grace was given to me, the least of all the saints, to proclaim to the Gentiles the incalculable riches of Christ, and to shed light for all about the administration of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things.

There's mystery again right there.

But I want to focus on that part that God's riches are incalculable.

So I have a question for you.

How many blades of grass are in a Tascadero?

If you're anything like me, you're thinking, I wouldn't even know where to start.

Like, how on earth?

That's incalculable.

When we think about God's riches and the riches of his gift to us, specifically in Jesus Christ, we should have that same reaction.

Just like, where do I even start?

Like, I don't even know how to start to calculate the riches of God and specifically in Jesus Christ.

Paul goes on, and for most of the rest of the chapter here, these are ideas that Paul has gleaned from the book of Job and Isaiah, and Paul just starts throwing in all of these cross-references, and I'll try and help out a little bit with that.

But he says, How unsearchable his judgments and untraceable his ways.

You know, we see that whole theme throughout the book of Job.

It's in the Old Testament, kind of towards the middle of your Bible.

Like, and I'll read you a couple of those themes.

Job 5.9.

He does great and unsearchable things, wonders without number.

And then Job 11, 7.

Can you fathom the depths of God or discover the limits of the Almighty?

They are higher than the heavens.

What can you do?

They are deeper than Sheol.

What can you know?

Their measure is longer than the earth and wider than the sea.

And then Job 15, 8.

Do you listen in on the counsel of God or have a monopoly on his wisdom?

Then look at verse 34 with me here in Romans 11.

For who has known the mind of the Lord?

You know, if we think we have it all figured out, or listen to anybody that thinks that they have it all figured out, stop it.

No one knows the mind of the Lord or the depth in which he sees and understands things.

We need to be okay with saying, I don't know.

It's a mystery.

I cannot wrap my head around whatever it might be about God.

And if we ever think that we can do a better job than God can, or think for a moment that God is unjust, or doesn't have the right to do various things, something's wrong.

And I promise the issue is with us every single time.

Those things should really start to raise flags in our own relationship with the Lord.

If the thought ever crosses your mind of how dare he, should be some red flags.

And I promise every time we will be the ones that are wrong.

For who has known the mind of the Lord?

Look at the second half of verse 34.

Or who has been his counselor?

This really is the same idea.

When we think that God needs help, or has maybe this has crossed your mind before.

You know, well, I think I might need to be God's PR person, you know.

Maybe I'll handle his public relations for him because the way people are thinking about him is not so great.

You know, let me just soften this up so that less people are offended, or less people think that he's unfair, or less people think that he is unjust.

He doesn't need that from us.

He's good.

He's God.

And he doesn't need us being PR for him.

I want to read you Isaiah 40, because it has to do with this.

Verses 13 through 14.

He says, Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord?

Or who gave him counsel?

Who did he consult?

Who gave him understanding and taught him the paths of justice?

Who taught him knowledge and showed him the way of understanding?

The answer to that?

Not us.

Right?

That was not us that did any of those things.

Verse 35.

And who has ever given to God that he should be repaid?

Again, from Job 41, 11, when God says, Who confronted me that I should repay him?

Everything under heaven.

Belongs to me.

God can never be indebted to us.

Because He made everything that we already have.

You know, I think in our pride, we want Him to be indebted to us.

Like He owes us a favor because we did something that was pretty great for Him.

Or we want to feel like in some way that we've earned our salvation.

You know, in some way that maybe sets us apart from everybody else, elevates us in the minds of others, or at least within ourselves.

But everything under heaven belongs to Him.

If He created it all, how could He be in debt to us?

You know, it's like if I made you, picture this, I made each one of you a homemade cake, which I didn't, so don't get excited.

And then I gave it to you here this morning.

And then you came back to my house tomorrow and you gave it back to me half-eaten.

And you were so proud.

And you acted like you made it yourself, and like you just gave me something of great worth.

And I acted.

Oh, and acted like I should give you something in return.

You know, hoping that my reaction is like, wow, I really owe you one for that half-eaten cake that you returned that I baked for you yesterday.

That's what I think it looks like to God when we think he owes us something.

Whether we think he owes us, maybe it's possessions, or like he owes us our salvation, or maybe it's we think he owes us an explanation for something that's happened to us.

And we feel like we deserve, and we start to demand an explanation from God.

But this verse is telling us he doesn't owe us a thing.

Now look at our last verse here, verse 36.

For from him and through him and to him are all things.

To him be the glory forever.

Amen.

You know, when we think of all of this, I think praise should be our the natural result that comes from within us.

Paul goes deep into God's sovereignty and plan for salvation in these last three chapters.

And when he comes to the end, he breaks out in a hymn of praise.

And I think we should as well.

You know, this whole hymn makes me think of how the book of Job ends.

And I'll end with this.

I want to read you some passages from the end of Job specifically.

So Job is this guy, he was a man, the scripture tells us, of complete integrity, who feared God and turned away from evil.

And then God allows this great calamity to come into his life.

He pretty much loses everything.

And he's in a ton of physical pain at this point.

And he has these friends that come to give him counsel and to give him advice as he's laying in the dirt, in the ashes, covered in boils.

And Job starts to take on this attitude as we read along of, you know, what benefit do I receive for doing good?

And there's 30 some odd chapters of this back and forth between Job and his friends.

And then God finally shows up in the whirlwind and sets everybody straight.

And I want to read you portions of what God says to Job to help us to continue on the same vein of recognizing the magnitude of God, recognizing that who could ever be his counselor.

And this goes on for about four chapters, this response from God.

So I'm going to read you just some excerpts from that.

So Job 38, verses 1 through 6.

Job 38:1–6

And as I read these, if you want to close your Bibles, if you just want to listen, whatever, the whole point of this is just to recognize the magnitude of God.

To really just stand in awe.

And I'll just read these to you.

Just consider these verses as I read them.

Job 38, 1 through 6.

Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind.

He said, Who is this who obscures my counsel with ignorant words?

Get ready to answer me like a man.

When I question you, you will inform me.

And so this is God's words to Job.

Where were you when I established the earth?

Tell me if you have understanding.

Who fixed its dimensions?

Certainly, you know.

I love it when God gets sarcastic.

Unless it's with me.

Like when he's doing it to other people, yeah.

He goes on.

Who stretched a measuring line across it?

What supports its foundations?

Or who laid its cornerstone?

And then later in the chapter, verse 35, God says, Can you send out lightning bolts and they go?

Do they report to you?

Here we are.

And then in chapter 39, God asks, Do you give strength to the horse?

Do you adorn his neck with a mane?

And then in chapter 40, verses 1 through 9, we see this exchange between God and Job.

The Lord answered Job, Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him?

Let him who argues with God give an answer.

Then Job answered the Lord, I am so insignificant.

How can I answer you?

I place my hand over my mouth.

I have spoken once, and I will not reply.

Twice, but now I can add nothing.

Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind, get ready to answer me like a man.

When I question you, you will inform me.

Would you really change challenge my justice?

Would you declare me guilty to justify yourself?

Think about that.

Do you have an arm like God's?

Can you thunder with a voice like his?

And this goes on for another two chapters solid.

And then in chapter 42 it says, Then Job replied to the Lord, and I really hope that this is our attitude that we leave here with today as well.

Here's Job's response.

I know that you can do anything, and no plan of yours can be thwarted.

You asked, Who is this who conceals my counsel with ignorance?

Surely I spoke about things I did not understand, things too wondrous for me to know.

You said, Listen now, and I will speak.

When I question you, you will inform me.

I had heard reports about you, Job says, but now my eyes have seen you.

Therefore I reject my words, and I am sorry for them.

I am dust and ashes.

This is the God that we worship.

And it's when we start to understand his magnitude and his power and his wisdom and his justice and his knowledge and his riches.

I think that's when we start to truly understand what worship is.

God's big and we are not.

And I'm not talking only about musical worship.

I'm talking about everything that we do being an act of worship in humility toward the greatness of God.

I want to end with that hymn one more time that Paul wrote at the end of chapter 11.

Oh, the depth of the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God, how unsearchable his judgments, and untraceable his ways.

For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor, and who has ever given to God that he should be repaid?

For from him and through him and to him are all things.

To him be the glory forever.

Amen.

Let's pray.

Lord, as we barely scratch the surface of your magnitude, of your power, of your riches, of your love and your mercy and your grace, the salvation that you've so freely offered us and given to us through Jesus Christ.

We are truly humbled.

Lord, I pray as we recognize your magnitude, that it takes our eyes off of each other and just helps us to realize how in trouble we are left to ourselves.

How strong our flesh is when we are left to ourselves.

So, Lord, we recognize that we are in such need.

That we are so dependent upon you for everything.

And that anything that's good in our lives, it's come from you.

Lord, it's been a gift.

So help us, Lord, to be humbled, to be in awe before you in every aspect of our life.

Lord, help us to really realize who we truly are without you.

And that we truly are the least of all saints.

That we can't think of ourselves better than anybody that's sitting around us or next to us.

So, Lord, bring that humility to us, we pray.

Lord, and I pray as a reaction that we wouldn't leave here beat up in any way, but just encourage that you're the God that we serve.

That the Holy Spirit is living inside of us.

That's counseling us.

That God is inside of us.

Lord, I thank you so much for that gift that you've given us, for that gift of Jesus who died on that cross for us, so that we could be forgiven, so that we could boldly come into your presence, because before that we could not do that.

But we thank you for that gift and that relationship that you offer us to become your sons and your daughters.

And Lord, if there's anybody sitting in this room that has not committed their life to Jesus Christ, Lord, I pray that today would be the day that they confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in their heart that God raised him from the dead.

And if that is you, that's simply all that you need to do.

To completely give your life to him, to accept this free gift of salvation that he offers, the cleansing of our sin and this relationship to be born into the family of God.

Let us worship you now in song, in all humility.

We pray in Jesus' name.

Amen.