Kingsport Sovereign Grace Church,
located at 905 Yadkin Street in Kingsport, Tennessee, would
like to invite you to listen to a message of sovereign grace
by their pastor, Gabe Stoniker. And now, Pastor Gabe Stoniker. I would like to invite you to
turn with me this morning in your Bible to Romans chapter
11. Romans 11, and I want us to look
at the last four verses in this chapter. Let's read these together.
Romans 11 beginning in verse 33. Oh, the depth of the riches,
both of the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable are
his judgments and his ways past finding out for who hath known
the mind of the Lord or who hath been his counselor or who hath
first given to him and it shall be recompensed unto him again
for of him and through him and to him are all things to whom
be glory forever. Amen. Now, I would like for us
to spend our time in this message glorying in the Lord. That's
a wonderful thing to do, isn't it? That's a good way to spend
our time, just glorying in the Lord, just being in awe of our
Lord. The Apostle Paul closed verse
36 by saying, to whom be glory forever. Amen. To whom be glory. The Apostle was always saying
that. Always. To whom be glory and
the reason is I believe pretty obvious. I believe I clearly
see why he would continually say that. If you would like to
turn with me over to second Corinthians chapter 12, it says in second
Corinthians 12 verse one, it is not expedient for me doubtless
to glory. I will come to visions and revelations
of the Lord. I knew a man in Christ above
fourteen years ago. And the Apostle Paul is talking
about himself. This is so holy to him. This
is so glorious. He can't even admit that it was
his own self. He said, I knew a man. I knew
a man in Christ above fourteen years ago. Whether in the body,
I cannot tell, or whether out of the body, I cannot tell. He said this was so real. I don't know if my physical body
experienced this, or if I had an out of body experience. I don't know if it was my soul
only, or physical body and soul. He said it was that real. This
truly happened. He said, I cannot tell whether
in the body or out of the body. He said, God knoweth. God knows
such and one talking about himself. He said he was caught up to the
third heaven. The apostle Paul was caught up
to the third heaven. And he said, I knew such a man,
whether in the body or out of the body, I cannot tell God knoweth. How that he was caught up into
paradise. He said, it was paradise. I saw
it and it was paradise. And he said, I heard unspeakable
words. Unspeakable words. Paul was taught
the gospel. Taught the gospel directly from
God Himself. That's what made him an apostle.
That was one of the requirements to be an apostle. You had to
hear the gospel from the mouth of the Lord Jesus Christ himself.
You had to be an eyewitness of his resurrection, and Paul was.
Paul saw him. He saw the very one who died
and was buried and rose again. And he said in verse four, he
was caught up into paradise and heard unspeakable words, which
it is not lawful. And that means possible. It is
not possible for a man's mouth to utter. Our mouths are not
capable of saying the things that I heard. Not yet. not in
this flesh, not on this earth. And then he said in verse five,
of such and one will I glory, yet of myself, I will not glory,
but in my infirmities. After he saw God as he is, I
mean, as he is, this is what he said. I cannot glory in myself
any longer. I just can't do it. You know,
man starts out glorying in himself. We grow up glorying in ourselves. He said, as soon as I saw God
almighty, as he is in all of his holiness, I realized I can't
glory in myself anymore. All the glory must go to Him. All of it. Job had the same experience. If you want to turn with me back
to Job chapter 38, he had the exact same experience. Job and
his friends, they're sitting around talking and they They're
boasting in themselves. They're trying to tell each other
what they know. They're spouting off at the mouth.
That's what they're doing. And Job 38 verse one says, then
the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said, who is
this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Who
do you think you are? That's what God Almighty said
to him. That's what the Lord said. Who
do you think you are? And just what is it that you
think you know? About God. About God. Verse 3, the Lord said, Gird
up now thy loins like a man, for I will demand of thee and
answer thou me. You answer me. He said, Where
was thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou
hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof,
if thou knowest? Or who hath stretched the line
upon it? Whereupon are the foundations
thereof fastened? Or who laid the cornerstone thereof? He said, you think you know the
mind and the will of God, Job? You think you understand God? And men and women believe they
do. They believe they understand God. They think they know God.
He told Job, he said, let's just start with creation. What do
you know about creation? Where were you when I laid the
foundation of the earth? I stretched a line on it. Where
were you? All of these deep things in verse
16, he said, has thou entered into the springs of the sea or
has thou walked in the search of the depth? Have the gates
of death been opened unto thee or has thou seen the doors of
the shadow of death? He's asking him all of the mysteries
of these things. Do you know them? Do you know
the mystery of death? Verse 33, He said, Knowest thou
the ordinances of heaven? Canst thou set the dominion thereof
in the earth? Do you have the ability to control
what happens in the earth? He said, Canst thou lift up thy
voice to the clouds that abundance of waters may cover thee? Canst
thou send lightnings that they may go and say unto thee, here
we are. What he's telling him is, Job,
every single time it rains on you, I'm the one who commanded
that rain to fall. And every time you see a lightning
bolt strike, I'm the one who sent it. Let's remember that
the next time the rain falls down on us. Let's remember those
are showers of blessings directly from the throne of God almighty. The next time we see a lightning
bolt flash, that is the direct finger of God almighty. That's
the command of God almighty strike. And the lightning bolts say,
here we are, directly from God Almighty. Throughout chapter
39 here, the Lord kept asking Job question after question after
question, showing Job his absolute ignorance of God. And that's
the same thing God does for every soul when He first speaks to
him. He reveals to him, I don't know
anything about God. I thought I did. Job thought
he did. But God exposed his ignorance.
And then in chapter 40, verse 1 says, Moreover the LORD answered
Job, and said, Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty
instruct him? You're going to instruct me?
He that reproveth God, let him answer it. Job, what do you have
to say for yourself? Verse 3, Then Job answered the
LORD, and said, Behold, I am vile. I'm vile. What shall I answer thee? I will
lay mine hand upon my mouth. I think it's time I cover my
mouth. Once have I spoken, but I will
not answer. Yea, twice, but I will proceed
no further." Well, then the Lord continued with Job. That's what
Job said, but the Lord wasn't finished with him. And he continued
with Job in verse six, then answered the Lord unto Job out of the
whirlwind and said, gird up thy loins now like a man. I will
demand of thee and declare thou unto me. Will thou also disannul
my judgment? I've given my judgment, Joe.
I've given my law. I've said this is what I demand.
Are you going to disannul my judgment? Will thou condemn me
that thou mayest be righteous? Hast thou an arm like God or
canst thou thunder with a voice like him? Men and women believe that they're
little gods. They do. They believe they have
the power that God has. They believe they have the power
to save themselves. And God is saying, Joe, are you
a God like I am? PROVE IT TO ME IF YOU ARE. IN
VERSE 10 HE SAID, DECK THYSELF NOW WITH MAJESTY AND EXCELLENCY,
AND ARRAY THYSELF WITH GLORY AND BEAUTY. CAST ABROAD THY RAGE
OF THY WRATH, AND BEHOLD EVERY ONE THAT IS PROUD AND ABASE HIM. PROVE IT. IF YOU BELIEVE YOURSELF
TO BE A GOD, IF YOU BELIEVE YOU HAVE A WILL LIKE GOD, MAN BELIEVES
HE HAS A FREE WILL, The only person who has a free will is
God Almighty. Man has a will, but it's bound,
bound to sin. And God Almighty is telling Job,
you prove it. You array yourself with glory
and majesty. And you look down on the proud,
proud, sinful flesh of the earth and you abase it. Prove it to
me, put it down. Verse 12, he said, look on everyone
that is proud and bring him low and tread down the wicked in
their place. That's what God Almighty is going
to do. He will tread down the wicked and he will bring down
the proud. He knows how to abase. He told
Job in verse 13, HIDE THEM IN THE DUST TOGETHER AND BIND THEIR
FACES IN SECRET, THEN WILL I ALSO CONFESS UNTO THEE THAT THINE
OWN RIGHT HAND CAN SAVE THEE. YOU PROVE IT! And the Lord said,
I'll confess that you have the power to save yourself. You have
the ability to save yourself. Well, the Lord kept on going
with Job. He was not finished with him.
Still, all through chapter 41, he continued asking Job these
questions, proving to Job his ignorance. And then in chapter
42, verse 1, then Job answered the Lord and said, I know that
thou canst do everything and that no thought can be withholding
from thee. Who is he that hideth counsel
without knowledge? Therefore have I uttered that
I understood not." He said, Lord, I uttered things I didn't even
know what I was talking about. I'm so ignorant. That's what
Job is telling the Lord. He said, these are things too
wonderful for me, which I knew not. Here I beseech thee and
I will speak. I will demand of thee and declare
thou unto me. I'll say, Lord, you speak to
me. I'm not going to say anything to you. I'll ask you, you declare
unto me, you declare the truth unto me. He said, I have heard
of thee by the hearing of the ear. But now mine eye seeth thee. I see you as you are. Verse 6,
he said, Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes. I repent in dust and ashes. That's what will happen to a
sinner when he finally sees God. Finally, men and women naturally,
they naturally want the glory in salvation. They want the glory
for something they've done, some part they've taken in salvation,
some decision that they've made. But when they finally see God
as he is, they say, I think I'm going to stop. That's what they
say. I think I'll stop. All the glory
goes to you. All the glory goes to you. Not unto us, O Lord. Not unto us. Not unto me. I abhor myself. I hate myself. After seeing you, this is all
I can think of my own flesh. Oh, I hate it. I abhor it. The same thing Job saw, the same
thing God revealed to Job, that's the very same thing God revealed
to the Apostle Paul when he was known as Saul of Tarsus, a religious,
self-righteous, proud, arrogant fool. That describes me. outside of Christ's revelation
to me, outside of the glory of God Almighty, that describes
me. Does that describe you? A religious,
self-righteous, proud, arrogant fool? Oh, what mercy it is for
God to reveal something to men and women like us. Now, this
is what he had to say. This is what Paul had to say
after he saw God for who he is. If you're turning with me, go
back over to our text in Romans 11. This right here is the same
thing every sinner will say after he sees God for who he is. Verse
33 says, Oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom KNOWLEDGE
OF GOD. HOW UNSEARCHABLE ARE HIS JUDGMENTS
AND HIS WAYS PAST FINDING OUT. HOW UNSEARCHABLE. Back in Job
11 verse 7 says, CANST THOU BY SEARCHING FIND OUT GOD? Can you by searching find out
God? Canst thou find out the Almighty
unto perfection? The answer is no. No. That same verse goes on to say,
it is high as heaven. What canst thou do? Deeper than
hell, what canst thou know? THERE IS NO POSSIBLE WAY A MAN
OR A WOMAN CAN FIND OUT GOD. NO POSSIBLE WAY. UNLESS HE REVEALS
HIMSELF. UNLESS HE REVEALS HIMSELF. VERSE 33 SAYS, O THE DEPTH OF
THE RICHES. HE DIDN'T JUST SAY O THE RICHES.
He said, Oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and
knowledge of God. How unsearchable are his judgments
and his ways past finding out now over in Deuteronomy 29. There's one verse of scripture
in Deuteronomy 29. It's the last verse, verse 29. It says the secret things belong
unto the Lord our God." All the secret things. Man wants to try
to figure out secret things. But the truth is the secret things
belong unto the Lord our God. But those things which are revealed
belong unto us and to our children forever, that we may do all the
words of this law." Now, that's wonderful. All of the secret
things, they belong to God and that's where we leave them. If
He has not revealed it, it's His. It's His. There's no point in searching
it. We will never find it out. Those
belong to Him. But the things that God has revealed,
They belong to us and they belong to our children. Now, what has
He revealed to us? What has God revealed to us? Well, here in Romans 11, verse
33 says, O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge
of God, how unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past
finding out, FOR WHO HATH KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, OR WHO
HATH BEEN HIS COUNSELOR, OR WHO HATH FIRST GIVEN TO HIM, AND
IT SHALL BE RECOMPENSED UNTO HIM AGAIN." Verse 36, He said,
FOR OF HIM. OF HIM. Now, no one, we've clearly
seen that no one has been His counselor. No one can know His
mind, not in and of themselves. No one can know Him. That's what
He Himself said. No one can know Him, who He is
and what He has done outside of Him revealing it. What has
He revealed? Right here in verse 36. For of
Him and through Him, And to Him are all things. All things. That's what He has
revealed. That's what He has revealed to
His people. Of Him. What that means is from
Him. By Him. It means He is the Maker. He is the doer, He is the author,
He is the creator of all things. All things. He owns and He controls
all things. And it's because everything is
of Him. Everything. Not just the good
things. all things, all things. Look with me, if you would, at
Colossians chapter one, Colossians one verse 16, it says for by
him were all things created that are in heaven and that are in
earth, visible and invisible. Whether they be thrones or dominions
or principalities or powers, all things were created by him
and for him. And he is before all things and
by him, all things consist. Somebody will say, well, surely
not all things. He does not mean all things. Surely he doesn't mean that.
What about the bad things? What about the wicked things?
What about the evil things? Well, our Lord said in Isaiah
45 verse five, I am the Lord and there is none else. There
is no God beside me. I girded thee though thou has
not known me. THAT THEY MAY KNOW FROM THE RISING
OF THE SUN AND FROM THE WEST THAT THERE IS NONE BESIDE ME.
I AM THE LORD AND THERE IS NONE ELSE. HE SAID, I FORM THE LIGHT
AND CREATE DARKNESS. I MAKE PEACE AND CREATE EVIL. I THE LORD DO ALL THESE THINGS. I, the Lord, do all these things. He said, I control everything. I control everything. Job chapter
one, verse six, it says, there was a day when the sons of God
came to present themselves before the Lord and Satan also came
among them. Now, why would he do that? WHY
WOULD HE PRESENT HIMSELF BEFORE THE LORD? THE REASON IS BECAUSE
HE IS THE CREATION OF GOD ALMIGHTY. AND HE HAD TO PRESENT HIMSELF
BEFORE HIS GOD. EVERYTHING IS UNDER THE CONTROL
OF GOD ALMIGHTY. EVERYTHING. BY HIM, OF HIM ARE
ALL THINGS. AND THROUGH HIM are all things. Everything that pertains to salvation
comes to a sinner through Him. Everything. Our Lord created
the adversary in all of these evil things that happen. Man
fell. Somebody would say, why would man fall? Why would God
allow man to fall? It's so God could redeem him.
Man died so God could give him life. Man was under the clutches
of the adversary so God could set him free. Everything is through
Him. Everything. Everything we are,
everything we do is through Him. The Scripture says, In Him we
live and move and have our being. It's by Him It's through him
and he said it's to him. It's all to him. What does that
mean? All things are to him. Well,
he ended that verse by saying to whom be glory forever. Amen. And that's what it means. Of Him are all things, through
Him are all things, and to Him are all things. He is owed. He is worthy of all the glory
in all things. It's all to the praise of His
glory. Till next week, may the Lord
bless His word to our hearts. You have been listening to a
message by Gabe Stoniker, pastor of Kingsport Sovereign Grace
Church in Kingsport, Tennessee. If you would like a copy of this
message or to hear other messages of Sovereign Grace, you can write
to our physical mailing address at 905 Yadkin Street, Kingsport,
Tennessee 37660 or log on to our website at ksgctn.org. If you would like to come and
worship with us, our service times are Sunday morning Bible
study at 10 o'clock a.m., worship at 10.45 a.m., and 6 o'clock
p.m., Wednesday evening at 7.30 p.m. Please tune in next week
for another message of God's free and sovereign grace.