Romans 11:25 - 36 "We Receive Mercy, God Receives Glory"

1:03In Romans 1 through 3, Paul showed us that all people, Jews and Gentiles, are unrighteous before God. The Gentiles rejected God and exchanged the glory of God for idols of every kind and size and shape under the sun. The Jews broke God's law that he gave to them and trusted in their works to save themselves. In Romans 4 through 6, Then, Paul showed that we are justified by faith in Jesus alone, not by faith plus our works, not by works of any kind.

1:42He told us that through faith we have died to sin with Jesus Christ, and we have risen again with him, which is symbolized in Christian baptism, something that we're going to witness at the end of our service today. And then in Romans 7 and 8, Paul brings great encouragement to every one of us, noting that we all still struggle with sin. All of us who are believers in Jesus Christ, we all still struggle with sin until the day that we die. We are still in this body of death. Sin is still waging war on our new hearts and on the Spirit of God that is within us.

2:23But there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Amen? There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus because our hope does not rest on our performance. It rests on the finished work of Jesus Christ alone. What great news. That takes us into Romans 9 through 11. And in these chapters, Paul has been dealing with this very difficult question that was plaguing that first century church and that is still a difficult thing for us to understand and deal with today, and that is the relationship of the Jews and the Gentiles and the relationship of Jews. And Gentiles specifically in the church. Because so many Israelites, so many Jewish people had rejected Jesus and still reject Jesus today.

3:11So many Gentiles have received Jesus and still receive Jesus today. God's word had not failed, Paul said. His word had not failed because it's not the children of the flesh, it's not the physical descendants of Abraham who are the children of God, but rather it is the children of the promise. Those people that God chose to love in spite of their sin before the foundation of the world, from both the Jew and the Gentile. But God had not rejected his people, the Israelites. After all, Paul himself was Jewish. Almost all of the earliest disciples were Jewish. God had always preserved a remnant for himself who had not bowed the knee to false gods of any kind.

4:01But for the most part, in the first century, and for the most part, in the 2,000 years since then, many of the Israelites rejected Jesus Christ. And so those branches were broken off of God's olive tree. That's the analogy that Paul used last week in the previous section. And in God's wisdom, that opened the door for Gentiles to be saved, for those branches that were a part of this wild olive tree to be cut off of that wild olive tree. Wild olive tree and grafted in to God's tree in God's garden.

4:35That's where we left off last week. But where does that leave the Israelites? Where does that leave the physical descendants of Abraham to whom God made all of these great and precious promises? Well, here at the end of Romans chapter 11, God reveals to us what is going to happen to them. Now, remember, all of the Gentiles and all of the Israelites had sinned and fallen short of God's glory. None of them deserved his mercy and grace. But the character of God is gracious and merciful. God is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and kindness. He pours out his mercy on undeserving sinners of every tribe, tongue, and nation.

5:26And that means that nobody can boast, and that means that no one should despair. In the end, many people, both Jew and Gentile, millions upon millions, are going to receive God's mercy. They are not going to get what they deserve for their sin. And what is the proper response from a creature, from a person like you and me, who have received the mercy of God instead of what we deserve? Worship. Worship is the proper response from a people who have received mercy as we have received. And that's what Paul is going to explain and illustrate and apply in these first 11 chapters in various ways over and over again, coming to the crescendo in these last few verses here in Romans chapter 11. As one who received the mercy of God, Paul could not do anything besides respond in worship.

6:27And for those of us who have received God's mercy, or for those of us who will receive God's mercy this morning on this Sunday, that's all we can do is worship. Offer to God the praise, the glory, the honor that he is due. And so this morning, we're going to learn three truths from our passage today. We'll put these on the screen for you. We have received mercy, so we cannot boast. We have received mercy, so we shouldn't despair.

7:01We have received mercy, so we must glorify God forever. So let's look at our text here, starting in verse 25, and see that first point. We have received mercy, so we cannot boast. Verse 25, Romans 11. 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, as it is written.

7:43The 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. These are some of the hardest verses in the New Testament. In every Greek class you take, advanced Greek, these are the three verses that you are guaranteed to have the hardest time with. Really challenging to interpret, really challenging to apply. So we need to do some work to understand what Paul is saying here. Now remember the context. Context is always key in interpretation. Since verse 13, Paul is speaking to the Gentiles.

8:24So every time we see the word you or your, he is talking about the Gentiles. And every time we see the words they or their, he is talking about the Israelites. So Paul opens with this phrase in verse 25, lest you, lest you Gentiles, be wise in your own sight. Paul wants to encourage the Gentiles. He wants to encourage all non-Jewish people toward humility and away from pride. And specifically, Paul is cautioning the Gentiles against pride that would think that they are better. Than the Israelites because they received Jesus and were grafted into God's family by faith.

9:07Paul does not want them or us to become prideful over that when so many Israelites have rejected Jesus. But why did so many Israelites reject Jesus? That's the question that's been hanging over us for three chapters that Paul has been building an argument toward this entire time. Why did so many Israelites reject Jesus? Well, Paul here calls it a mystery. And when he uses that word mystery, he doesn't mean that it's something that's impossible to understand. He doesn't mean that it's a contradiction.

9:39When Paul uses the word mystery, he means something that was previously hidden that has now been revealed by God so that we can all understand it. A mystery is something that was previously hidden but now has been revealed. And so what is this mystery? Verse 25. He says, a partial hardening has come upon Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. Now, one thing that we've learned over and over in Romans is that every person is born with a hard heart toward God. We are not born innocent. We are not born loving God and then turn away from God at some point at an age of accountability or something like that. The Bible never uses those words.

10:24We are all born with hard hearts toward God and we all progressively harden our hearts. Towards God. That is the way. On top of that, God further hardens hearts at times that are already hard toward him. We saw that with Pharaoh in Romans 9. You go back and you read Exodus, you see that Pharaoh, this man who is born with a hard heart, repeatedly hardens his own heart against God, and God also hardens his heart. And so in Romans 9, Paul argued that God will have mercy on whomever he has mercy, and he will have compassion on whomever he has compassion, but he will also harden whomever he wills. And we saw in Romans 9, that is not unfair, that's not unjust, because God does not owe anyone anything. He does not owe sinners a new heart. He does not owe sinners a new spirit. He does not have to forgive us.

11:18And so now at this time, that is the time since Jesus' first coming, a partial hardening has come upon Israel. And it is partial because not all Israelites were hardened. As we just saw, Paul is an Israelite. He received Christ. All the first disciples were Jewish. They received Christ. People in every community that Paul preached the gospel in on his missionary journeys, Jewish people received Jesus Christ. There has always been a remnant in Israel. That's why it's called a partial hardening, because not all the Jewish people rejected Jesus. But the question is, what's the purpose? What is the purpose of this purpose? Partial hardening. Paul says that the hardening is going to continue until when? Until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. Remember, it was always God's plan to save people from every tribe and tongue and nation, not just Jewish people. But he told Abraham that he was going to make him a great nation and bless all of the nations on earth through him. That was always God's plan. But since most of the Jews rejected Jesus, the gospel was preached to the Gentiles. And millions upon millions of Gentiles have been responding in faith to the good news of Jesus for the last 2,000 years. That is going to continue until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. That is, until all of the non-Jewish people in the world that God has chosen to save come into his family through faith in Christ. And then what happens? Look at verse 26.

13:03And in this way, all Israel will be saved. Well, in what way? Well, through that partial hardening of Israel. If you remember back to the beginning of Romans 11, this is what Paul is arguing, that this partial hardening meant that the gospel was preached to the Gentiles. The Gentiles receive Jesus, and that provokes the Jews to jealousy. They want that same salvation. Remember, jealousy is only sinful if what you want is sinful or why you want it is sinful. It's not wrong to be jealous about salvation, to want forgiveness and eternal life. That's a good thing. Take a look on the screen at Romans 11, verse 11.

13:47Paul says, So I ask, did they stumble, did the Jews stumble in order that they might fall? By no means. Rather, through the Jews' trespass, salvation has come to the Gentiles so as to make Israel jealous. So that, friends, is the mystery. This partial hardening has come upon Israel until all of God's chosen people among the Gentiles come in to his kingdom through faith. That is going to provoke the Jews to jealousy. And so in the end, many, perhaps even most of the Jews alive on the earth at that time are going to turn to Jesus in saving faith.

14:31Paul is sure of this because of what the prophet Isaiah wrote in chapter 59 and chapter 27. That's what he quotes in verses 26 and 27. Take a look at this right here, verse 26. And in this way, all Israel will be saved. As Isaiah wrote, the deliverer will come from Zion. He will banish ungodliness from Jacob. That's a different way of saying Israel, the Jews. And this will be my covenant. With them when I take away their sins.

15:05In the end, Jesus the Messiah is going to come for all of his people, including his people among the Israelites. He is going to take away their sin and he's going to banish ungodliness from them once and for all, so that God's people, the church, including Jew and Gentile, will be a spotless bride presented to the bridegroom, Jesus Christ. And so now, backing up to verse 25, what does Paul want? What's he driving towards in this section?

15:38Well, he wants the Gentiles, people like nearly everyone, if not everyone in this room, he wants the Gentiles to be humble, like we talked about last week. He doesn't want us to be proud or arrogant. He doesn't want us to boast that we have received Christ when other people have not. By definition, mercy is not getting what you deserve. So if you receive mercy from anyone at any time, specifically and definitely when you receive mercy from God, boasting is excluded. It is out of bounds. It is not appropriate at all. Because you see, if we had worked to earn our salvation, then we would have something to boast about. That's Paul's whole argument in chapter 4 of Romans. If we had earned our salvation through our works, we'd have something to boast about.

16:30And friends, that is the draw of other religions. Every other religion besides Christianity is based on works. It is based on doing certain things and not doing certain things in order to earn God's favor or the favor of the gods. And the end result is a religious caste system. Every religion besides Christianity has this, a caste system where there are good and bad versions of that type of religious person. So think about this. You know this from conversations with people all throughout your life. There are good and bad Catholics.

17:15There are good and bad Muslims. There are good and bad Mormons. What do people mean when they say she's a good Catholic or she's not a good Catholic? She's a good Muslim or she's not a good Muslim. He's a good Mormon or he's not a good Mormon. What do they mean? Well, they mean that the first person, the good Catholic, Mormon, Muslim, you do the right things. You avoid the wrong things. The bad version of that Catholic, that Muslim, that Mormon, they do the wrong things or they don't avoid the wrong things. This is every other religion. And that's because in the end, all of those other religious systems are predicated on works. You are not saved by grace through faith, but by your own efforts. You are saved. By trying harder to do better.

18:04That leads, by definition, to pride, to arrogance, to boasting. Because now we can compare ourselves favorably with members of our own tribe. And we can say, Lord, like the Pharisee in Jesus' parable, I thank you that I am not like other people. I do these things, I don't do these things. But since we are saved by grace through faith, all of that is excluded. All boasting is excluded because it is God who has saved us by His mercy and His grace, not we who have saved ourselves by our works.

18:41Friends, when we come face to face with the holiness of God, we realize that we cannot save ourselves by what we do. And your boasting, whatever form it takes, is probably not external. You know, it's not like many of us are probably going around bragging to people around us about how holy and righteous we are. Though perhaps in our less careful moments, maybe around family and friends that we know well, maybe it takes place there. But probably, if we boast, if we are arrogant, if we are prideful, it's probably an internal thing. Right? It's something that's going on inside of us where we congratulate ourselves for our loyalty, our commitment, our obedience to Christ, the fact that we are not as sinful as people around us.

19:30But as they say, clothes only count in horseshoes. So, unless our performance is perfect, unless we are obeying God perfectly from the heart every day of our lives, then we have nothing to boast about because we are in need of the grace and mercy of God through Jesus Christ. We have received mercy, so we cannot boast. That brings us to the second truth: we have received mercy, so we shouldn't despair. Let's take a look at verse 28 of Romans 11.

20:14As regards the gospel, they, the Israelites, are enemies of God for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. For the gifts 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.

21:00Now, I want to zero in on verse 30 in this section. For just as you were at one time disobedient to God, but now have received mercy. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, I have no doubt that you agree with the first part of that verse. You know that you were at one time disobedient to God. You did not live for God. You lived for yourself. You did not love other people. You used other people to get what you wanted. You relate very well to Titus chapter 3. Take a look on the screen.

21:43Paul says, for we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. You've got no argument there. You know that at one time you were disobedient to God. No Christian that I've ever met has denied that. Where many Christians struggle is the second part of verse 30. Look at what he says. But now have received mercy. Brothers and sisters, so many Christians wrestle with the question, how can I be sure that I'm saved?

22:32How can I know that I have received mercy from God? How can I know that I have been forgiven and adopted into God's family? How can I know that I'm actually a part of God's people? And you need to understand, leaving that question unresolved leads to a whole host of issues. In addition to making you anxious about eternity and what's going to happen to you when you die, it leaves you without confidence in the Christian life.

23:05If you are not sure whether you're saved, if you are not sure whether you've received the mercy of God, well, you're going to struggle to pray. You're going to struggle to worship. You're going to struggle to share your faith and disciple other people, which makes sense. How could you pray with confidence if you weren't sure that God was pleased with you in Christ? How could you worship with confidence if you weren't sure that God would receive your worship in Christ? How could you evangelize someone and share the good news of Jesus? How could you disciple someone else and help them to follow Jesus if you're like, I'm not even sure where I stand with God? I'm not even sure if I've received mercy. So, friend, if that's you, if you find yourself in that place as a professing Christian or as a person who's not sure if you're a Christian, Or even as a person who knows you're not a Christian, then I want to remind you of what Paul has taught us all throughout the book of Romans. This is known as the Romans road. This is the bottom shelf of what Paul is teaching here. Take a look on the screen. Romans 3, 23. For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Romans 6, 23, the wages of sin is death. Romans 5, 8. But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. And Romans 10, 9, because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

24:47This is not my opinion. This is not the exclusive theology of New Life Baptist Church. This is not like Baptist theology or Texan theology. This is the Bible telling you you can know for sure that you will be saved if you confess your sins, turn from them, and receive Jesus by faith, confessing him as your Lord and Savior. That is the promise of the Bible. And if you've done that, you can have certainty that you have and will receive mercy from God. That's his promise. If you call on the name of the Lord, you will be saved. You belong to God. He has set his love on you before the foundation of the world, long before you were ever born, long before you had done anything good or bad, long before you ever started going to church, long before you ever started reading the Bible. Look what he says in Romans chapter 8. This is such an encouraging passage. For those whom he foreknew, he predestined to be conformed to the image of his son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined, he also called. And those whom he called, he also justified. And those whom he justified, he also glorified.

26:15If you have called on the name of the Lord, you will be saved. And if you've called on the name of the Lord, you have done that because God predestined you to be conformed to the image of his son. You called on the Lord because he called you. He called you to be his child so that he could pour out his mercy and grace upon you. And look at this wonderful confidence that we have here in Romans 11, verse 29. Take a look at verse 29.

26:46For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. That means he's never going to take that away. The idea that you can lose your salvation. Is unbiblical. And it is unbiblical because if you can lose your salvation, then it means that you must have gained your salvation somehow. It is based on what you do. But the good news of the Christian gospel, friends, is that our salvation is secure because it's not based on us, what we do or don't do. It's based on the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ. So, friend, if you have called on the name of the Lord, you are safe in Christ.

27:32You are safe in Christ. That is great news. Your past is forgiven. Your future is secure in Christ. Every person has been disobedient to God. Nobody deserves mercy from him. But as verse 32 says, for God has consigned all to disobedience, that is, both Jew and Gentile, that he might have mercy on all, that is, both Jew and Gentile. And that includes you. That includes you. God has had mercy on you. So, friend, do not despair. The only person that does not receive mercy from God is the person who does not cry out to God for mercy. That is the only one.

28:28So, where does that leave us? We receive mercy, which excludes boasting and despair. But the point of the Christian life is not don't boast and don't despair. That's not the point. What is the point of the Christian life? The point of the Christian life is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. That is the point. The point is worship. And that is where Paul ends this amazing section of Scripture in verses 33 through 36. This final truth is that we have received mercy, so we must glorify God forever. Look at verse 33.

29:15Paul writes, 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. Amen. Since our sins will be taken away and ungodliness will be banished forever, since we have been chosen and called. Though we were at one time disobedient to God, since we have received mercy, the undeserved favor from God, what must be our response?

30:13Worship. Worship. After writing all of these amazing truths for 11 chapters, this whole letter, Paul is writing and writing, spelling out just how hopeless our situation really was. After writing about the grace and the mercy of God, Paul cannot do anything but explode into a chorus of praise to God. He has to worship. That's the only thing he can do. So here in verse 33, he celebrates the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God.

30:50Paul is saying there's no bottom. There's no way to plumb the depths. You could do it for eternity and you would never reach the bottom of his riches. You would never reach the bottom of his wisdom or knowledge. You could not do it. He is infinite. And so he is infinite in every characteristic that he possesses, including riches and wisdom and knowledge. So to illustrate his point, he quotes the prophet Isaiah and Job's friend, Elihu. Isaiah asks, take a look at this question in verse 34. For who has known the mind of the Lord?

31:30Or who has been his counselor? No one. There has never been a point that God has not known what to do. And if in middle school or high school you read the Greek and the Roman myths, you probably remember that there are all kinds of times where the Greek and the Roman gods have no idea what to do. They're asking each other for advice. They're asking creatures for advice. They're making the wrong choice and making a mess out of the situation. They need counsel. They need help because they did not have the perfect mind of God.

32:09False gods need counselors, but the one true God does not. He doesn't need counsel and he doesn't take counsel from anyone. And so Job's friend Elihu asks, look at that next verse, verse 35. Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid? No one. No one has ever given a gift to God and put God into his or her debt. Look on the screen at Psalm 50. God says, If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are mine. Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats? Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving and perform your vows to the Most High and call upon me in the day of Trouble. I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.

33:05Or think about when Paul is preaching on Mars Hill in Athens, and he's preaching to these non-Christian people. Look at what he said. He said, God is not served by human hands as though he needed anything. For he himself gives to all men life and breath and everything. Friends, God does not need anything from us. He existed before creation and he is going to exist forever. He is not a creature like you and me. He is self-sufficient. He doesn't need air or water or food or shelter or clothing or anything. He is not dependent. We need all things from him, but he doesn't need anything from us.

33:51And so Paul ends in verse 36 with this great line of praise. For from him and through him and to him are all things. From him and through him and to him are all things. From him and through him. Everything is from God and through God in Christ. Look at what Paul testifies in Colossians chapter 1. He says this about Jesus. Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through him and for him.

34:46Now you say, well, Pastor Allen, all things? All things were created through him and for him? What about all the bad stuff? What about temptation and sin? No, not those things. Look at James chapter 1. Let no one say when he is tempted, I am being tempted by God, for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. Look at 1 John chapter 2. Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life is not from the Father, but is from the world.

35:32Not everything is from God and through God. Temptation and sin are not. Those are from the world, the flesh, and the devil. They are corruptions of good desires and good gifts that God has given to us. But, friends, all good things are from God and through God. Every good gift that you have ever received or ever will receive, all those good things come from. From God. Look at what James says. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

36:15And friends, because all good things come from God and through God, then it is to God that all created things must turn and worship, saying, To Him be glory forever. Friends, what can we do but worship God? Man could never invent a God like this. Every created God is not worthy of worship because all of them are imperfect. They are just bigger, stronger versions of ourselves. Flawed, unable to save in time of need, silent and mute and deaf, every God that we have ever created is insufficient. But this God, the one true God, is not. From him and through him and to him are all things. He deserves all of the honor and all of the glory and all of the praise.

37:17And so, as we wrap up this section of Romans, the question before you and I this morning is: how are you living your life? Are you living your life to glory? Glorify God, where your thoughts, your words, your actions every day are about Him, bringing Him praise and glory and honor. This is not a hard question to answer. It's not one that you really have to pine over for days and weeks. You can look at your life, you can look at the fruit of your life, and you can know whether God is at the center.

37:57Something is at the center of your life. Something is the sun in your life that everything else revolves around. It might be God. For every Christian here, it is God. But maybe for you, it's something else. It is that person, that boyfriend or girlfriend, that husband or wife. For some, it's your children and their success, however, you define that. For some, it's your career. For some, it's school. For some, it's success or money or pleasure. But everybody has a son. Everybody has something that everything in their life revolves around, that all decisions ultimately come back to.

38:46And so, if you are here today and you recognize that God is not at the center, that you are not living to glorify God, that your life does not explode in praise through your words and your thoughts. And your actions, then Romans has told you what you need to do. You need to repent. That means to change your mind and to change direction. That means to say, God, you are the creator. You are the sustainer. You have given me every good and perfect gift, especially salvation in Christ. But I have not lived for you. I've lived for someone or something else. And so today I am turning from that. That is no longer going to be the sun and center of my life. You are going to be the sun and the center of my life. My life is going to be lived for you. That is what repentance means. And faith means that you put your trust in the one who came and lived and died and rose again for you. You see, Jesus is the only one who was sinless. He is the only one who obeyed God every day of his life perfectly. He is the only one who is suitable to take your place and my place on the cross to be punished for our sins. And he is the only one in history who has defeated death, the consequence of sin. He rose from the grave on the third day so that you could have hope and peace and joy and forgiveness and eternal life with God forever and ever.

40:27So don't boast in what you've done. Your good works are not good enough, and they are never going to be good enough. Don't despair over what you've done or what you haven't done because Christ came for you while you were still a sinner. All of your sin was in the future when Jesus died for you. But instead, acknowledge that you will receive mercy if you call upon the Lord. And when you call upon the Lord, your life will be transformed and you can live to glorify God forever, which is what you were created to do. So don't put that off anymore. I don't know if you've been in church your whole life. I don't know if this is your first Sunday in church, but however long it's been, don't put that off another moment. Turn to Christ today.

41:20And if you are already living to glorify God, then what I want you to see is that Romans 1 through 11 sets us up to realize that we need to walk in a manner that is worthy of the Lord. If God has done all of this for us, if he has sent his Son to live and die and rise again for us, if all of this is true, then we must walk in a manner that glorifies God. And that is what Romans 12 through 16 is all about. That's what the last quarter of the book is all about. How do we walk in a manner that honors the Lord as Christians? So we're going to start that now. Next week. But you can't answer that question: how am I supposed to live my life? Until you've answered those first questions: what is wrong with me? What is wrong with the world? What is the solution here? And it's Jesus Christ. It all starts with what He's done. It all starts with worship of the one true God who sent His only begotten Son for you and me. So, friends, we have received mercy, so we must glorify God forever.

42:30Let's pray. God, we praise your riches and your wisdom and your knowledge and all of your perfect characteristics. Words seem to fail in moments like this. It's hard to know what to say to a God who has done so much for us. And I know that Paul must have been inspired by the Spirit to write these words of worship and praise at the end of Romans 11 because they're just impossible to find otherwise. So we don't search for our own words in this moment.

43:42We say, from you and through you and to you are all things. To you, O God, through Jesus Christ in the power of the Spirit, be glory forever. Oh God, help us to walk in a manner worthy of the gospel. We want our lives to shine before other Christians, that they might be encouraged to do the same. We want our lives to shine before non-Christians, that they might be drawn to the hope and the mercy and the grace that is in Christ Jesus. We want our lives to shine for you, Lord. And so we pray that they would, that you might draw the world to yourself. All of the Gentiles that you've called, all of the Jews that you've called, we pray for salvation. We pray for salvation in this room today, Lord.

44:42We pray for children who have been hearing the gospel from their parents for some time. We pray for those kids who have been hearing in K-4 and preschool and Tribe 56 and youth. We pray that they would put their hope and their faith in Jesus Christ. We pray for college students who are here that came because a friend invited them or they heard of our church somehow. We pray that you would move in their hearts this morning. Draw them to yourself, God.

45:14We pray for adults, even adults who have been in church their whole life, who have never put their hope, their trust, all of their confidence in Jesus Christ. We pray that today would be that day. We pray that you would save. God, we thank you that we have a great God and Savior. That when we pray, you hear. And so we pray now, hear our prayers. In the name of Jesus. Amen. Thank you for listening to the sermon audio from New Life Baptist Church in College Station, Texas. For more information or to support our ministry, visit us online at newlifecs.net.