Good morning. Please turn in your Bibles to Romans chapter 11, verse 33 through 36. Romans 11, 33 through 36. And before we look to the word, Let's look to the God of the Word, shall we? Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we come before you now and we look at your blessed and holy Word. We know, Heavenly Father, that every single word in this volume is truth and speaks about our Lord Jesus Christ We bless you, Lord. We praise you for the power of your word. We thank you for the Holy Spirit that reveals your word to our hearts. We pray today, in the name of Jesus, that we might see wondrous things from your word, to the praise of your glory, that we might honor our Christ. We ask it in his name, amen. So if you look at Romans 11, verse 33 through 36 with me, please. Romans 11, 33 through 36. O 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. And before we even start, all God's people said what? Amen. Amen indeed. We look, as we look at the context of this passage, the Apostle Paul has just explained God's design and plan for Israel in chapters 9 through 11. And we see that in chapter 11 that God has not given up on Israel. He yet will save them. We see that in verse 26 and 27. Salvation has come to the Gentiles and God uses this to provoke Israel to jealousy. We see that in verse 11. A partial hardening has occurred to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. That is verse 25. We read in chapter 11, Romans 11, 28 through 32. As regards the gospel, they, that is Israel, are enemies for your sake, that is the Gentiles. But as regards election, that is, Israel, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. For just as you, the Gentiles, 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. And then, when Paul thinks about God's way of bringing about salvation to those he saves, both Jew and Gentiles, he stops. He pauses. He is overwhelmed. He spontaneously erupts into a glorious doxology. And I believe that Paul's outburst of praise is not only a result of what he said for the last three chapters, chapters nine through 11, but for the entire book of Romans, chapters one through 11, up to this point. God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all." Romans 11.32. We see early on in Romans how the Jews violated God's law and how the Gentiles violated their conscience. All are guilty, both Jew and Gentile. Romans 3.23 says, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 6.23 says, for the wages of sin is death. We all were at enmity with God. Romans 5.10, while we were weak at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly. Romans 5.6, Romans 5.8, but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. We were in rebellion towards God. We have offended his holiness by our sin. We refused to submit to God. Instead, we demanded our own prideful way. If it was up to us, we would have never gotten saved. Do you know that? Romans 10 through 12 says, none is righteous. No, not one. No one understands. No one seeks God. All have turned aside. Together they have become worthless. No one does good, not even one. Not even one. Mankind in their fallen state is dead. What does dead mean? Dead means dead. And in their fallen state, mankind is dead to the things of God, Ephesians 2, 1 and 2. And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience. If it depended on us without God's mercy, we would have no hope. And we would still be lost if it totally depended on us. Romans 9, 15 and 16 says, I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. So then, it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God who has mercy. It depends not on human will or exertion, but on God who has mercy. Now some have asked, why didn't God choose all to be saved? Given our waywardness, the more appropriate question is, why would God save any of us at all? Why would he save any of us at all? We are so wayward, we are so prone to go away from God and offend his holiness, and we wanna do our own thing. Romans 9, 18 says, so then, he has mercy on whomever he will. He has mercy on whomever he will. So Paul has spent 11 chapters explaining how all are consigned to disobedience so that God would have mercy and provide salvation. And it hits him. He's thinking about the salvation for 11 chapters. Well, of course, you know, he's thinking, now that we're thinking about 11 chapters, we're reading it, but it's dawning on him as he's contemplating these 11 chapters and all of these things about salvation. He spent 11 chapters explaining how all are consigned to disobedience so that God would have mercy and provide salvation. And it hits him. He stops. He stops explaining. He spontaneously breaks out with words of awe and wonder about the riches and the knowledge of God. Take a look at it in verses 33 through 35. 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 him a gift that he might be repaid? How unsearchable! How unsearchable are his judgments. How inscrutable his ways. I looked these words up in a dictionary. Unsearchable means beyond understanding. Inscrutable means impossible to understand or interpret. After Paul says that the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God are unsearchable and inscrutable in verse 33, he quotes two Old Testament scriptures in verse 34 and 35. Verse 34, for who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor, is from Isaiah 40, 13. The verses that follow Isaiah 40.13 show how ridiculous it is for puny man to think he could ever counsel God. Verse 14 asks, whom did God consult that God may have understanding? Verse 15 says that the nations are like a drop from a bucket and are accounted as dust on the scales. Verse 17 says all the nations are as nothing before him. They are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness. Romans 11.35 is a quote from Job 41.11, who has given a gift to him that he might repay. Remember that after questioning Job, after God questioned Job, what did Job do? You remember? He laid his hand. The scripture says he laid his hand on his mouth. He's questioning God. Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? After God's inquiry, Job says, I know that you can do all things and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. And so, the ways of the Lord are unsearchable and inscrutable. The way of the Lord in salvation is unfathomable. That is, it cannot be fully explored or understood. It is incomprehensible. The ways of the Lord in salvation are incomprehensible. How unsearchable are his judgments. How inscrutable his ways. Who has known the mind of the Lord? Many years ago, I was perplexed as I studied God's word and found that he chose me before the foundation of the world. Do you know that, brothers and sisters, that you were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the earth? Do you know that? I think that's a wonderful thing. And I look back on my conversion, I look back on my conversion experience and thought, Well, didn't I choose him? I spent months wrestling with this in my mind. In my study, I saw many, many, many verses that clearly taught the sovereign election of those who are saved. And yet the Bible teaches that man must choose and will be held accountable for rejecting Christ. I thought, this can't be true unless I can make sense of it. I've got to understand this. I've got to make sense of it or it just can't be true unless I make sense of it. So I tried, and tried, and studied, and studied, and wrestled in my mind, and wrestled, and wrestled, and then it dawned on me. It is true. I don't have to understand it. It is true. Christ chose me. Christ chose you. It is true. You don't have to understand it. I don't have to understand it. That's where my wrestling match came in. I was in just months and months and studying, this verse says this, this verse says that, and I'm trying to put it all together and bring it to human comprehension, human rationale. Ain't gonna happen. And I'm okay with that now. And I've got peace about it. Isaiah 55, eight and nine says, for my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than yours, and my thoughts than your thoughts. And I said, that's okay, Lord. You are the Lord and I am not. We heard that in the song today, didn't we? You are God and we are not. And, you know, I will never comprehend the deep counsels of God. I'll never come to a place where I totally, completely understand the deep counsels of God, and neither will you, brothers and sisters. Deuteronomy 29, 29 says the secret things belong to the Lord our God. God is just and always right in everything he does. And who am I to question God? Do I dare say to God, why have you made me like this? And so I just bowed and worshiped him. I settled it in my mind and I joined the psalmist when he said in Psalm 131, verse one and two, oh Lord, My heart is not lifted up. My eyes are not raised too high. I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. But I have calmed and quieted my soul like a weaned child with its mother. Like a weaned child is my soul within me. And I have peace about it now. and the Lord chose me before the foundation of the earth. I am one of the elect. God has called me to salvation, and he's granted me repentance unto life, and he opened up my eyes, and he took off the scales, and he showed his light to me, and he didn't have to do it, and I didn't deserve it, and you don't deserve it, and if you're a Christian, it's because God has shined his light on you, and without it, you would never believe. It's a work of regeneration. Born from above. Born of the Spirit. Born again. Born of God. It's a work of God in our hearts. And it's all to His praise and glory and honor. Amen? It's not to my honor. It's not to your honor. Salvation is not of man. Salvation is of the Lord. The Apostle Paul has explained the riches of God's grace upon the vessels of mercy for 11 chapters. He summarizes all that he said thus far when he says in verse 32, for God has consigned all to disobedience that he may have mercy on all. The glory of God's grace is so overwhelming to him at this point that he stops, he pauses, and breaks into a doxology. Verse 33, oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God, how unsearchable are his judgments. and how inscrutable his ways. And then in verse 36, he says, for from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. And as we go through the Book of Romans, the Apostle Paul explains how God imputes his own righteousness upon guilty, repentant sinners. He justifies them. He redeems them. God even goes so far as adopting them into the family of God. He made us his own. He is our loving Heavenly Father and nothing will ever separate us from his love. We read the book of Romans, and we learn these things. And then we get to the end of the eighth chapter, and we realize that this is a mountaintop. We understand that God justifies us. He redeems us. He adopts us. He calls us his own. He made us his own, and it goes on and on. We read this in the book of Romans, and then we get to the eighth chapter in the latter verses of the eighth chapter, and we look at this glorious word, and we go, this is a mountaintop. Look at this, chapter eight. If you look at chapter eight in the book of Romans, we've reached the mountaintop. Listen to this. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies, who is to condemn. Christ Jesus is the one who died. More than that, who is raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation? or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword, as it is written, for your sake we are being killed all the day long. We are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered. No, no, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor debt, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God and Christ Jesus our Lord. Nothing, nothing's gonna separate us from the love of God. And we look at this passage, and we look and we stand at this mountaintop, And we gaze with wonder at the love of God in the gospel of Jesus Christ. And we think that we've reached the peak. What could be higher than this? So we read on through chapter 11 and discover yet another glorious mountaintop. Another glorious mountaintop. Romans 11, 36, for from him and through him And to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen. The ultimate origin or the ultimate cause or the ultimate decisive reason for everything is God. Everything is dependent for its existence on God, both at its beginning and all the way along for its continued existence. Colossians 117, and he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. There is no explanation for what is or what happens that is deeper or more decisive than God. God is absolutely sovereign. God is absolutely sovereign. Ephesians 111, in him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will. All things, all things. are from Him, all things are from Him. 1 Corinthians 4, 7, what do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it? We have nothing to boast about. We have received everything we have, including our salvation. Galatians 6.14, but far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. First Corinthians 1.31, so that as it is written, let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord. The gift of salvation comes down from the Father. James 117, 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. All things are from him and through him. No one can go over, under, or around God for salvation, is that right? And no one can go over, under, or around God for salvation. They must go through God, that is, through the merits of Jesus Christ, and through the merits of Jesus Christ alone. Acts 4.12 says, for there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. First Timothy 2.5 says, for there is one God and there is one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. Jesus said, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. No one comes to the Father except through me. Do you know that you're saved? Are you relying on yourself, on your good works, on something else? Have you come through Christ? Jesus died on the cross for all those who placed their faith and trust in Him. And God poured out His infinite wrath upon Jesus instead of those who believe in him as his substitute. He died for the sins and then he rose. He rose from the dead. Do you believe that Jesus died for your sins, was buried and rose from the dead? Are you placing your complete and total absolute trust that when he did that, he did it for you? And I say this morning, if somebody's here and you have not come to Christ, come to Christ. Come to Christ. You have no merit of your own. You must go through him. You must go through the very one who is God himself. Jesus is God. And all things were made through Him. All things were made through Him. John 1 and verse 1 and 3. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. Nothing. All made through Him. through him all things were created by him through him and for him revelation 411 says worthy are you our Lord and God to receive glory and honor and power for you created all things and by your will they existed and were created. Colossians 116, 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. All things are created through Him and for Him. From Him, through Him, and to Him are all things. God is the source and the rightful end of everything that exists. God is the first cause, the effective cause, and the final cause of everything. God is the originator, the sustainer, and the goal of all creation. All things are to Him. All things point to Him. All things are to Him. If we look in the scripture, in Psalm 19, we see that, how creation shouts, and how the creation says all things are to Him. We look at Psalm 19, verse one through four. The heavens declare the glory of God. The sky above proclaim his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. Creation shouts, Take a look at the sun, and the moon, and the stars, and the trees, and the streams, and the grass, and the hills, and the mountains. Take a look at the heavens. The heavens declare the glory of God. Creation shouts, God, God, God. Look to Him. The heavens declare the glory of God. Ascribe glory to God. Ascribe glory to Him. For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. Not only do we ascribe glory to God for the wonders of creation, but for saving us and making us new creations. 2 Corinthians 5 17 says, therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old is passed away. Behold, the new has come. We are new creations. We are born again. Our sins are forgiven. We have a home in heaven. We have the gift of the Holy Spirit. We have the communion of the saints, fellowship with one another. And we have the joy of knowing the Lord in our daily lives. Brothers and sisters, are you still thrilled about your salvation? Are you still thrilled about your salvation? Has it gotten old for you? No, don't let that happen. Do you marvel at him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light? He has delivered you from the domain of darkness and transferred you to the kingdom of his beloved son. Do you not want to praise him? Do you not want to worship him? Do you not want to give him the glory that he is so worthy of? May we give glory to God, amen. May we give glory to God. So let's give glory to God. We see many people in the scripture give glory to God. And brothers and sisters, we have every reason to give glory to God, is that right? We have every reason. Give glory to God as David did. First Chronicles 29, 10 through 13. Therefore David blessed the Lord in the presence of all the assembly. And David said, blessed are you, O Lord, the God of Israel, our father, forever and ever. For yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord. You are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. And now we thank you. Our Lord, and praise your glorious name. Give glory to God. Give glory to God as Nebuchadnezzar did when he said, how great are his signs, how mighty his wonders. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. His dominion endures from generation to generation. That's in Daniel 4.3. Give glory to God as the Apostle Paul did, Ephesians 3, 20 through 21. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever, amen. First Timothy 1.17, to the king of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. First Timothy 6.15 and 16, he who is the blessed and only sovereign, the king of kings and lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light. whom no one has ever seen or can see, to Him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen. Give glory to God as the writer of Hebrews did in Hebrews 13, 20 and 21. Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good, that you may do his will according, working in us, that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. give glory to God as the Apostle Peter did when he wrote, in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to Him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. That's 1 Peter 4.11. 2 Peter 3.18 says, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. Give glory to God as Jude did. Jude 24 and 25, now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority before all time and now and forever, amen. Stop there. Give glory to God. We see it. The scriptures repeat, is it not? Give glory to God. All praise and glory to his name. He saved us. What a great God we have. Just to think that he's able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think. Just to think that he will keep us from stumbling. Just to think that we will stand before God blameless because of what Jesus did on that cross for us. Just to think that we will stand in the presence of his glory. How could it be that anyone would be able to be in the presence of the one who dwells in unapproachable light? Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, but when this perishable puts on the imperishable, and when this mortal puts on immortality, then we shall dwell in the very presence of the glory of the living God. dwelling in the presence of the glory of the living God. And we will be in the presence of His glory with great joy, with great joy. And I'm turning now to a passage in Luke, describes that we should have joy that we're on our way to heaven. You'll recall that I'm reading from Luke 10, verse 17 through 20, the 72 returned with joy saying, Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name. And he said to them, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions and over the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven. We are more than conquerors through Christ. We rejoice when we see God answer our prayers. Many things in our walk with the Lord bring us joy. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven. As great as it is that right here, right now, we are more than conquerors through Christ, as great as it is that God answers our prayers, as great as it is that the joy is a fruit of the Spirit, You want something to rejoice about? You want something to rejoice about? Well, Jesus will give you something to rejoice about. Your names are written in heaven. Your names are written in heaven. You know, all the wonderful things, we do have joy, do we not? I mean, you know, we pray and the Lord answers prayer. We have the sense of his presence, we have great fellowship with one another, and it's just so much joy. And I'm not saying don't rejoice. And I don't believe the Lord would tell us not to have joy. So I'm not saying that. But if you're gonna have joy, just think about this. Your names are written in heaven. What would be the alternative? Think about that. If God didn't save you, if God didn't save me, where would we be headed? Where? So rejoice. Your names are written in heaven. No more wrath. Jesus took our wrath. God poured his infinite wrath upon Christ when he died in our stead on the cross. Your names are written in heaven. Praise his name. That is something to rejoice about. You know, Luke 15.7 says, just so I tell you that there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous persons who need no repentance. Luke 15.10 says, just so I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents. First Peter 2.9 says, but you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. The King James Version says that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness. The NIV says that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness. Do you want to declare the praise of God? Do you want to show forth his praises that he's made us? into the image of his son. He's conforming us into his image and we're on our way to heaven. And he would save us and save a people so that we may proclaim the excellencies of him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light. We are saved so we can proclaim praise, glory to God. And he calls us to do that. And this is just the beginning in the here and now. This is just the beginning. God saved us to show forth his praises in heaven for all eternity. And I want to read us some passages that are taken from Revelation 4, 5, and 7. Selected passages. And we get a picture of heaven here. and what goes on in heaven and how we declare his praises, how we show forth his praises for the great salvation he has provided to us through Christ Jesus. Reading from Revelation chapter four, it says the 24 elders fall down before him. who is seated on the throne, and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created. And then when we jump over to Revelation chapter five, and they sang a new song, saying, worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals for you were slain and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation and you have made them a kingdom and priest to our God and they shall reign on the earth. Then I looked and And I heard around the throne, and the living creatures, and the elders, the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power, and wealth, and wisdom, and might, and honor, and glory, and blessing, And I heard every creature in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and in the sea, and all that is in them saying, to Him, to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing, and honor, and glory, and might forever and ever. And the four living creatures said, Amen, and the elders fell down and worshiped. What a scene that is. How glorious that is. And then we see another passage in Revelation chapter seven. After this I looked, and behold a great multitude that no one could number, and from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands and crying out with a loud voice, salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb. And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God saying, amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever, amen. And all God's people said. We're gonna be there. We're gonna be there. Our dear sister Joan. We can't help but think about her when we read these passages. We can't help it. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. All glory to God. Can we imagine unhindered, unhindered by this flesh, by this sin that still dwells within us, unhindered. Glory to God. joining the throngs and throngs of people that he has saved from generation to generation. We're gonna join the ranks too. It's guaranteed. God said it. We place our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, not in ourselves. It's a done deal. It is finished, he said. So brothers and sisters, we've got a lot to rejoice about. We've got every reason to express our joy. We've got every reason to give glory to God, for from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen. To Him be glory. Psalm 115. And verse 1 says, not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory for the sake of your steadfast love and faithfulness. 1 Corinthians 10.31 says, so whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Colossians 3.17 says, and whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, given thanks to God the Father through him. Romans 14.7 and 8 says, for none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. 1 Corinthians 6 19 and 20 says, For you are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. You're not your own. We are not our own. I don't want to be my own anymore. Haven't we seen enough of that? Haven't we seen enough of that when we were our own, when we were prideful, when we were doing our own thing, when we were rebels against the holy God, when we offended Him? We don't want any more of that. We're happy and glad and we rejoice that now we belong to Him. We belong to Him. By the way, by the way we think and speak and act sometimes, well, you would think it's all about us, wouldn't you? By the way we think, speak, and act sometimes, you would think it's all about us. Let's remember what the passage says. Of Him. Through Him. To Him. From Him. For Him. It's all about Him. It's not all about you. Did it occur to you? It's not all about you. It's not all about me. It's about you and me acknowledging him and giving him glory. We were bought with a price. We are no longer our own. 1 Peter 2.24, he himself bore our sins in his body on the cross that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds we have been healed. Oh, the wonder of our salvation. Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God. To him be glory forever and ever, amen. And just in closing, I'd like to just read a few verses for us to meditate upon. Psalm 34 and verse one. I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continuously be in my mouth. Psalm 146, verse two. I will praise the Lord as long as I live. I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. Hebrews 13, 15, through him, then let us continuously offer up a sacrifice of praise to God that is the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, all things are from you and to you and through you. All things are for you. and you have ransomed us, you have purchased us with the shed blood of Jesus Christ. We are not our own, we belong to you. And we would not have it any other way. We have tasted and have seen that the Lord is good. Praise your name. Father, we would ask that we would be mindful when we make it all about us. and we would be mindful that it's all about you. We would rejoice in you. We would give you all the glory and the praise that is due in your name. We thank you that you have spoken to us this morning through your word. In the name of Jesus, amen.