Now, in our lesson this morning,
we have a warning. You know, John and I have talked
about this in the past, that it's good to go through Scripture
verse by verse because we deal with things in the passage of
Scripture. If we're just choosing text, we may pass over. And this
may not be one of the texts I'd necessarily choose. It can be
kind of difficult. But there's a solemn warning
for us here. It's in God's word. So very obviously, it's good
for us to hear, to read and study. And the warning is this, for
the believer not to become proud of grace. Now, the Jews throughout
their history, and especially at this time, Paul's writing,
were very proud of their race. And that pride made them reject
the gospel, made them reject the Messiah. And as we've been
reading, they're under judicial blindness till this day because
of it, because they rejected Christ and the gospel. But, you
know, the very same thing can happen to you and me if we become
proud of grace. If we become proud of grace,
without a doubt, we're fallen from grace because nothing can
be more contrary to grace. Nothing can be more contrary
to faith in Christ than pride. And if we find ourselves in that
situation, we'll see this warning in our lesson this morning, we
will be cut off because of it. Now, the Jews, Paul's going to
tell us this as we go through this this morning, are under
judicial blindness right now, but that may not always be the
case. Matter of fact, I don't think it will always be the case.
The Lord, because he's merciful, is not done with that nation
just yet. And we need to be careful not to become prejudiced against
those Jews like the Jews were prejudiced against us throughout
their history, against the Gentiles. Because God's able to save. He
is. He's able to save people from
that nation as well as He is the Gentiles, you and me. So
that's, when I was in college, I took a speech class. My last quarter in college, I
took a speech class. When I was in high school, I
told a teacher, I'll take an F before I read a paper I've
written out loud. I will not do it. I don't care. I'll make
it up with everything. I will not do it. This was a
huge fear of mine. And my last class I ever took
in college was speech class. And I thought, you know, someday
you might have to speak for business or something. You better do this.
Best class I ever took. And the first day, the teacher
told us, when you give a speech, tell people what you're going
to tell them. Then tell them what you have to tell them, and
then tell them what you already told them. Well, I told you the whole
lesson. That's it this morning. But we'll read God's words, see
what God has to say about it, not my summary of it. But we
begin in verse 8 here, Romans 11, where Paul writes, According
as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes
that they should not see and ears that they should not hear
unto this day. And David said, Let their table be made a snare
and a trap and a stumbling block and a recompense unto them. Let
their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down
their back always. Now this is a quote, if you'll
turn over to Psalm 69. This is a quote from Psalm 69.
It's a Messianic Psalm. And it tells us, here's why this
has come upon the Jews. Because of their rejection of
the Messiah. In Psalm 69, this is the Messiah speaking here
in this Psalm in verse 20. He says, Reproach hath broken
my heart. and I am full of heaviness. And I looked for some to take
pity, but there was none, and for comforters, but I found none.
They gave me also gall for my meat, and in my thirst they gave
me vinegar to drink. So because of that, he says in
verse 22, let their table become a snare before them. And that
which should have been for their welfare, let it become a trap.
Let their eyes be darkened that they see not, and make their
loins continually to shake. Pour out thine indignation upon
them, and let thy wrathful anger take hold of them. Let their
habitation be desolate, and let none dwell in their tents. For
they persecute him whom thou hast smitten, and they talk to
the grief of those whom thou hast wounded." See, this is their
rejection of the Messiah, and because of it, they're under
judicial blindness. And all their religion has become
a snare to them. They had the Law and the Prophets.
They had the Temple. They had the Passover. They crucified
the Lord of Glory during their Passover celebration. They crucified
the Lord of Glory and then went home and slew that Passover lamb.
And that religion became a trap to them. That picture of Christ
that was given to them became a trap to them. They couldn't
see Christ himself. Oh, they loved the picture. The
picture became their refuge, but they refused Christ. Christ
himself, the person, the Savior, didn't become their refuge. What
was for their welfare? didn't point them to Christ because
their eyes were blinded. They're so trapped in their religion,
they cannot see Christ. And the same is true. Human nature
never changes. I don't care what denomination
you want to fall under. People are the same. They're
so trapped in their religion, their religious traditions and
their ceremonies and their customs. They cannot see Christ. They
have the spirit of slumber. You know, when you're asleep,
you don't know what's going on around you. You're asleep. You
don't hear it. You don't see it. You may be
in danger and you don't recognize it because you're asleep. You
don't know what's going on around you. Saul, King Saul, was asleep
in a cave one night. And lo and behold, David had
been hiding in that same cave. He came out and could have killed
that king, but he didn't. Saul never knew he was in danger.
And to prove he was there, David cut off a piece of his robe.
Saul never knew he was in danger because he's asleep. And when
you're sleepy, you can't concentrate. You can't learn anything. You're
just sleepy headed. Well, that's what these people
are falling under a spiritual sleepy headedness. They don't
know the danger they're in and they don't care because they
don't see it and they can't learn to have that spirit of sleepiness.
They can't learn. They can't see Christ. And Israel,
after the during this time, the Roman rule became a political
nation, they stayed that way for today, just a political nation.
And they're bowed down. They're bowed down under the
weight of God's judgment. They're bowed down under the
weight of the world. They're not just bowed down under their
religion that no man can bear. They're bowed down under the
political weight and hatred of the world because of God's judgment
that's on them. So verse 11, Paul goes on, he
says, Now I say then, all this being true, have they stumbled
that they should fall? God forbid, but rather through
their salvation or through their fall, salvation is coming to
the Gentiles. for to provoke them to jealousy.
Now, the Jews stumbled and fallen away from God forever. They're
in blindness now, but is this forever? Well, Paul says, God
forbid. That statement is contrary to
the character of God and is contrary to the word of God, that they've
fallen away forever. God still has a people from every
kindred, tongue, people and nation under heaven, including the Jews. He still has a people from that
nation. And yes, they rejected Christ, but God overruled their
rejection of the gospel to send the gospel out to the whole world.
Look back at Acts 13. I'll show you that in Acts 13,
their rejection of the gospel. God just overruled that to send
the gospel to Gentiles like you and me. In Acts 13, verse 44. And the next Sabbath day came
almost the whole city together to hear the word of God. Wouldn't
that be great if the whole city would come together, not just
to be seen at a worship service or not just go about the motions,
but to hear the word of God. The whole city came out to hear
it. But when the Jews saw the multitude, they were filled with
envy, and they spake against those things which were spoken
by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming. Then Paul and Barnabas waxed
bold. and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first
have been spoken to you. But seeing you have put it from
you, and you judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life,
lo, we turn to the Gentiles. For so hath the Lord commanded
us, saying, I have sent thee to be a light of the Gentiles,
that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth. And
when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad. And they glorified
the word of the Lord, and as many as were ordained to eternal
life, And the word of the Lord was published throughout all
the region. The word of the Lord was published
throughout all that region, and as many were ordained to eternal
life as the Gentiles believed, because God overruled that. Jews
would reject the gospel, and the gospel would go out to the
whole world. And God did that to provoke the Jews to jealousy.
Now, some, like these Pharisees here, were provoked to jealousy,
and they spoke against the gospel that was preached. They contradicted
it, and they blasphemed it. But God's going to use this to
provoke some to jealousy that they'll emulate the faith of
the Gentiles. And because they see God's grace
in the Gentiles and they'll emulate that faith. That's why he did
it. Now, verse 12, back in our text,
Paul says, now, if the fall of them be the riches of the world
and the diminishing of them, the riches of the Gentiles, how
much more their fullness and the fall of the Jews. has brought
riches, the riches of Christ, the riches of the gospel to us,
to the Gentiles. It's been spread to the whole
world. Now, you think just a handful of Jews, just those 12 Jewish
men, except for Paul, were completely unlearned, just fishermen. They
turned this world upside down. I mean, everywhere they went,
they just turned it upside down. They published the gospel to
the whole world, just that little handful. Well, think how much
greater the world would be blessed if many Jews were saved and they
had this evangelical spirit to go out and preach the gospel.
They believed the gospel. How much more would the world
be blessed if many of them went into the whole world to preach
the gospel? Well, much. Now, Paul goes on in verse 13.
He says, For I speak to you Gentiles, insomuch as I am the apostle
of the Gentiles, and I magnify mine office, if by any means
I may provoke the emulation them which are my flesh, and might
save some of them. For if the casting away of them
be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them
be, but life from the dead? Now Paul magnified his office,
the apostle to the Gentiles. He is thankful for the opportunity
to preach the gospel to God's sheep, the Gentiles. Just amazed
at God's grace that he'd send the gospel to the Gentiles and
just humbled that the Lord used him to do it. But yet Paul always
had a soft spot in his heart for the Jews, his kinsmen, according
to the flesh. And he always did pray that the
Lord would be gracious, that he'd cause those Jews to see
the grace of God to the Gentiles. Maybe they'd be jealous and say,
boy, I'd like some of that. And maybe they'd copy the faith
of the Gentiles. Maybe they'd be like those Gentiles
and come and fall at the feet of Christ and beg God to save
them. And the Lord save them if they would. That was always
Paul's prayer. And if the Lord would be merciful to the Jews
that way, it'd be life from the dead, wouldn't it? What a dead
nation. It'd be life from the dead. But
you know what? Salvation always is. It's life
from the dead. But it would be special for us
to see the Lord save such an open rebel, such a nation, someone
who you know has been judicially blinded, If the Lord saved a
person like that, oh, that'd be grace. That'd be life from
the dead. And in God's church, among God's
people, there'd be rejoicing. I'll show you that in Luke 15.
Here's the prodigal son. Luke 15, maybe these Jews would
be like the prodigal. This would have been Paul's prayer. Paul hoped someday they'd realize,
oh, I'm not worthy to be called a son. Maybe they'd come home.
In verse 20 here in Luke 15, and that prodigal son arose and
came to his father. But he was yet a great way off,
his father's son, had compassion. He ran and fell on his neck and
kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I've sinned
against heaven and in thy sight and am no more worthy to be called
thy son. And the father said to his servants,
Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him. Put a ring on
his hand, and shoes on his feet. Bring hither the fatted calf,
and kill it. And let's eat, and be merry. For this my son was
dead, and he's alive again. He was lost, and he's found. And they began to be merry."
That's life from the dead. And the church will rejoice.
But now don't be like that other son. Don't be like that older
son who's gone pouting. Now don't be like that now. Don't
be prejudiced against those Jews. This is life from the dead. You
rejoice and be happy and thankful in the mercy of God. Now, verse
16, back here in Romans 11. Paul says, for if the first fruit
be holy, the lump is also holy. And if the root be holy, so are
the branches. Now, you know, in the Old Testament,
the first fruits of the harvest were given to God. They are sanctified
to God. And if the first fruits were
good, the whole harvest is going to be good. If the root of the
tree is good, that tree has life. Now, in the wintertime, that
tree looks dead. The branches look dead. They're dry and don't
have any leaves or fruit on them. But if the root has life in it,
that tree is going to blossom again. Those branches are going
to blossom again if there's life in that root. Well, the root
of the Jewish tree is Abraham. He had life in him. God gave
it to him. Those first fruits are the apostles. The first fruits
of the New Testament church were Jews, the apostles. And those
who believe with them. And I know that tree looks dead
now. I mean, it looks dead, but the
root was good. Abraham was a believer. Christ
said Abraham saw my day and was glad. Abraham was a friend of
God. The roots good. The first fruits
were good. The apostles were believers.
They bore much fruit. That tree just might not be dead
yet. Just don't go cutting it down yet now. Just let God the
husband deal with it. It may not be dead yet, and it
may yet bear fruit. The Old Testament scriptures,
you have to remember, they gave pictures and types and hints
that God one day was going to be gracious to the Gentiles.
Well, this scripture is giving us a hint, isn't it? that one
day God's going to be merciful to the Jews again. Just don't
cut them off yet now. He might be gracious to them
yet one day. Verse 17, he goes on, he says, Now some of the
branches be broken off, and thou being a wild olive tree were
grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and
fatness of the olive tree. See, some of those Jewish branches
were broken off because of unbelief, weren't they? Some of them weren't.
And some Gentiles have been grafted into the tree. And we partake
of the life of the root of that tree, the fatness and sap of
that tree. We've been grafted in and we
partake of it. It comes into us. Well, the branches
of the wild olive tree are Gentiles, wild, just buck wild, strangers
to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God
in this world, completely undeserving of grace. Yet God grafted us
in. He took us out of that wild olive
tree and grafted us into Christ. And we're grafted in because
of sovereign grace, both Jews and Gentiles. Remember back here
in Romans 1, what Paul said in verse 16? He said, for I'm not
ashamed of the gospel of Christ. It's the power of God and the
salvation to everyone that believe it. To the Jew first and also
to the Greek. Those Greek are those wild olive
branches. They've been grafted into and given life by the power
of God. Now verse 18, you've been grafted
in to the tree, but here's the warning, boast not against the
branches, but if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but
the root thee. Now don't become proud of grace. Nothing is more contrary to grace
than pride. I thought this week, I prayed
that the Lord would give us a humble heart. That He'd give me a heart,
a true attitude that knows how unworthy I am. How unworthy we
all are. That we'd have an attitude that
would not boast against any unbeliever, whether they're Jew or Gentile.
We don't boast against an unbeliever. I want a heart that truly believes,
there go I, except for the grace of God. I don't want that just
to be a mantra that we repeat because some preacher said it.
You know, that sounds good. That sounds real gracious. Do
I really believe that? Do I really believe that? There's the heart of it. There
go I, except for the grace of God. Do I really believe that?
I hope so. I hope that's in my heart. And we need to remember
now, don't boast against those Jews. The first believers were
Jews. And those Jews never benefited
one blessed thing from the Gentiles like you and me. Not one thing
did they ever benefit from us. But we benefited a whole lot
from those Jews. The prophets were Jews. The apostles
were Jews. The men that wrote scripture
were Jews. The fathers of faith were Jews.
Those scribes that recorded the scriptures and wrote them down
and so we'd have copies of them were Jews. Christ our Savior
was a Jew. We've benefited a great deal
from the Jews, but they've not, to this point in history, have
not benefited one blessed thing from you and me. Those wild olive
branches, we don't add anything to that root. Now, we gain a
lot from the root, we don't give one blessed thing to that root.
So don't you go boasting against it now. And don't copy the attitude
that the Jews had against the Gentiles. Yes, God's blinded
them right now. But those Jews, how they hated
the Gentiles, looked down their noses on them. Well, let's not
look down on those stupid blind Jews. Don't do that. Pity them. Pray
for them. Because let me ask you this.
Where did God find you? What condition were you and I
in when God found us? Stupid, blind, and dead. Don't look down our noses on
those who we were just like them. And the only reason we're not
still like them is God's grace. Who makes you to differ? It's
God's grace now. God's grace doesn't make a man
proud and haughty. And so he looks down his nose
at people. Grace makes a man thankful and
humble before God. Because what do you have God
didn't give you? Oh, you've got faith in Christ,
but who gave it to you? You love Christ. You love to
meet together as people and worship and read the word and sing his
praises. But who gave that to you? God did. Don't get proud
of that now. It's a gift. It's just a gift,
a gift of grace. Well, verse 19, Paul says, thou
will say then the branches were broken off that I might be grafted
in. Well, that's true because of unbelief, they were broken
off and thou standest by faith, but be not high minded, but fear.
For if God spare not the natural branches, take heed lest he also
spare not thee. You just remember pride goes
before destruction and a haughty spirit before fall. Yes, those
Jews were broken off that the Gentiles might be grafted in.
They were broken off because of unbelief. They were not entitled
to God's favor like they thought they were. They thought just
because of their race they were entitled to God's favor. They
deserved God's grace. And God didn't spare them. Well,
he's not going to spare us if we have the same attitude. The
same attitude of unbelief. There's an article in the Bulletin
today by Todd Nyberg. Do you read it? What happened
to those seven churches that that letter was written to in
Revelations? They're gone. At one time, they
were the greatest churches that stood in those countries, and
now they're gone. What happened? It may have happened
subtly. It may have happened slowly over
time. But eventually, there's no gospel. Unbelief, and God
turned His back on them. Spurgeon. I mean, he just was
a... What a preacher! He had a huge
following. The whole country had some influence
of Spurgeon. He filled that place. I looked
on their website once. The man that pastors there now
claims, he preaches the same thing. I've heard people contradict
that. I don't know. But what happened? Men came in, didn't preach that
same gospel. They tolerated some things and it slipped away. God took it away from them. Calvin
turned Switzerland upside down. There's no gospel there at all
now. What happened? Unbelief. Luther, do you think
what he did to Germany? Where's that now? It's gone. Same thing happened right here.
If we don't guard this gospel, we don't guard this pulpit, that's
so. Look at verse 22. Behold, therefore, the goodness
and severity of God on them which fail severity, but toward thee
goodness, if thou continue in his goodness, otherwise thou
shall be cut off. Here's an illustration of being
hedged about with warnings on both sides. On one side, God's
judgment, the severity of his judgment. On the other side,
God's goodness. You just consider the righteous
judgment of the Lord, how severe his judgment is on unbelievers.
On the other side, you consider the goodness of God. How good
God has been to us. Oh, we don't deserve it, but
He's been so good. And a true believer will continue
in that goodness. But if we don't continue in it,
don't continue in faith, don't continue in the gospel, we'll
be pruned off too, just like those Jews were pruned off. Now,
verse 23, And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief,
shall be grafted in. For God is able to craft them
in again. For if that were cut out of the olive tree which is
wild by nature, and were crafted in, contrary to nature, into
a good olive tree, how much more shall these, which be the natural
branches, be crafted into their own olive tree? Now I know the
Jews are unbelief now, but God is able to give them faith the
same way he gave us faith. We didn't obtain faith because
we somehow had any power of our own or any better than the Jews
by nature. No, we were given faith as a
gift of God and God could give that gift to the Jew or the Gentile. It's his gift, the free gift
of grace. And this is another one of those
things I don't want just to be a mantra with me. I want the
heart to believe this. Now, if God saved me, he saved
anybody. Absolutely anybody. Those Jews,
God saved them, there would be no hardship on him. He wouldn't
even break a sweat. If God can save me, he certainly
can save them. If God can graft a wild olive
branch in, think how it'd be easy to graft a natural one back
in, wouldn't it? And the Lord's had mercy on the
Gentiles. He'd let the gospel went out
from the Jews and went to the Gentiles. And the Jews today
are no worse off than our ancestors were through 4,000 years ago.
No worse off whatsoever. They're dead. But so were we
when God found us. They're a dead nation. Just look
at them. They're a valley of dry bones.
Can those dry bones live? Lord, you know, they can if you
will. Those dry bones can live if you
will, if you're pleased. And look, verse 25, it just looks
like the Lord's going to be pleased. For I would not, brethren, that
ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise
in your own conceits. That blindness, in part, is happened
to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. Now
don't be wise in your own conceits. I told you before, my mother
used to tell me when I was growing up, don't get too big for your
britches. Well, I saw this week, Big Russ said that to Tim Russert
when he was growing up too. So we're in good company. Tim
Russert, me and Tim Russert, Mom and Big Russ. Don't get too
big for your britches. And that's what Paul's saying
here. Now, don't you just get full of yourself now, because
I'm going to show you a mystery. Part of God's purpose for Israel
to be blinded temporarily is until all the fullness of the
Gentiles are brought in and they're saved. And it would appear at
that time the Lord's going to turn back to Israel, have mercy
on the people of Israel and save many of them. Look at verse 26. So all Israel shall be saved.
As it's written, there shall come out of Zion the deliverer
and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob. Now we know all spiritual
Israel shall be saved, don't we? And that's not who Paul's
talking about right here. He's talking about that nation
Israel. That's the context of what he's talking about here.
Those Jews, it appears at one point before the end of this
world, and Spurgeon strongly believed this, the Lord's not
going to return until you see a revival in Israel. At some point, the
Lord's going to turn back to them. He's going to send the
gospel back to them. And this has been the history
of the Jews now. They'll go through periods where
they believe in all is well, the Lord blesses them and they
prosper, and then they fall away into unbelief and idolatry. The
Lord turns his back on them, allows them to be carried away
into bondage, and the Lord will be silent for centuries. Then
suddenly the Lord sends a prophet. And the people are delivered.
He calls Israel back to himself. And I'm telling you, it could
happen again. This could just be that period where the Lord's
being silent, but he's going to send a prophet again one day.
Just look through history, you know, in our recent history,
Hitler has not been the first person who tried to exterminate
the Jews and oppress the Jews and get rid of them and abuse
them. That's happened many, many, many times. And not one of those
men have prospered. Every single one of them ended
up laying in ruins. I can't explain this, but you
just look at them. The Lord, in some measure, is
still protecting that little nation. I mean, you can't blast
them out of there. You'd think they're defenseless.
You cannot blast them out of there. Because the Lord's just
not done with them yet now. Just don't light them off. I
know this. If there's going to be a revival
in Israel, here's why. Covenant mercies. Look at verse
27. For this is my covenant unto
them, where I shall take away their sins. As concerning the
gospel, right now, they're enemies for your sakes, but as touching
the election, they're beloved for the Father's sakes. You just
remember, God made a covenant with Abraham. And that covenant
was, I know, primarily to spiritual Israel, but the natural seed
of Abraham is not going to be completely cut out of that covenant.
Right now, they're enemies of the gospel, so the gospel will
go to the Gentiles. But they're still a remnant,
according to the election of grace in that nation. They're
still beloved for Abraham's sake. They're still protected for Abraham's
sake, for the sake of the covenant, the promise that God made with
Abraham. God promised Abraham, your seed,
your descendants are going to live in that land. Right there
they live. That's God's promise to Abraham. Look at verse 29. For the gifts
and calling of God are without repentance. Aren't you thankful
that the gift of God, he gave you faith. Aren't you glad you
can't mess it up and God say, well, that's it. I'm done with
you. He'll take it back. No, it's gifts and calling are without
repentance. And that promise way back there,
he made to Abraham. He's not going to repent of that
promise. The Lord, the way God dealt with that nation, Israel
in the past, is the way he's going to continue to deal with
them in the future. And I don't understand that.
I don't know how God's going to do it. I don't know why he's
going to do it, but it sure looks like that's what he's going to
do. But let's not try to figure it out, because look at verse
30. For as we in time past have not believed God, yet have now
obtained mercy through their unbelief, even so have these
also now not believed that through your mercy They may obtain mercy. In time past, we were dead and
in unbelief, but we obtained mercy from God. We were sent
the gospel because the Jews rejected it. They rejected Christ. Well,
maybe, Paul's saying, through your mercy, through your kindness,
through your prayers, the Jews will obtain mercy. Remember,
I said up to this point in history, the Jews haven't benefited anything
from the Gentiles. Maybe in the future they will.
Maybe we're going to send a missionary to Israel. Maybe we will. And
Lord's going to bless that. And they're going to believe,
they're going to hear that gospel and they'll lay hold on eternal
life. They'll lay hold through faith
on the Lord Jesus Christ. Could be. Because we all have
the same need. See verse 32. For God has concluded
them all in unbelief that he might have mercy on all. We all
have unbelief. Remember how this whole letter
started. That whether you're Jew or Gentile,
we conclude they're both all under sin. We're both all totally
depraved. And God's going to have mercy
in all His elect. The exact same way. Through the
preaching of the gospel. Through faith in Christ. That's
how, whether you're Jew or Gentile, that's how He's going to save
His people. Now, 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? 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 for ever." I'm
telling you, don't try to figure this out now. God's way too high
for us to understand. Never can do it. A pea brain
like ours will never understand infinite wisdom. God will do
what He will, with whom He will, when He will, including this
nation Israel. And whatever He does will be
right and good because He did it. And God doesn't have to tell
us why He's doing what He's doing or when He's going to do what
He's going to do. And if He told us, we wouldn't understand. He's
too high for us. Ours isn't to understand. It's
to believe. Just believe Him. Because which
of us can understand the mind of God? Which of us is smart
enough to be God's advisor? You know, we might be smart enough
being President Bush's advisor. Holly's got a friend, John Snyder.
Known Johnson, he's in middle school. From the time he's in
middle school, he's going to be president. He's at Yale University right
now. One day, he very well may be president. And I've told him
from the time he was a little fella, when you're president,
I want to be on your cabinet. I want to be an advisor. So just
so I can sleep in the Lincoln bedroom. That's my goal. Sleep
in the Lincoln bedroom. Well, that kid's awful smart.
I don't even know if I'm smart enough to be his advisor, but
I can tell you this right now. None of us are smart enough to
be an advisor to God Almighty. Wisdom's His name. His name is
Counselor. He doesn't need advice from us.
God asked Job, He said, where were you when I created the earth?
Where were you when I provided for the earth? Where were you
when I put the animals in the earth? Where were you, Job, when
I put the whale in the ocean, taught him to swim? Job, can
you go play with that whale like a bird? I do. Joe, who do you
think you are? You're not going to tell God
anything. Only God has the wisdom to do that. Which of us gave
God something first and made Him a debtor to us? None. Everything we have, He gave us.
And again, let's not let this be a mantra, but pray God give
us a heart that really believes this. For of Him and through
Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen.