Who are You, O Man, to Answer Back to God?
Notes
Transcript
Our Scripture lesson this morning is taken from Romans 9:19-23. As you are turning to this passage, let me give you a brief preview on the next three weeks. I am concluding my series on Life's Most Import Question with this passage. However, I am taking three weeks to do so. As you will see as I read it, there are a series of very important questions in this passage and I want to do each of them justice. The first two questions have broader application than just to the issue of election, which Paul is addressing. I am going to preach these first to messages with this broader application in mind and then on the third week I will hone in on the doctrine of election.
Now that you have had time to find your place. Let us now hear God’s Word to us this morning:
You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory—
I can still hear the firm authority of my father’s voice as he said to me, “Young man, don’t talk back to your mother!”
There is a difference between asking an honest question and questioning God. Many people are afraid of asking God questions. They wrongly think it is impious. This is not the case at all. God is our loving heavenly Father and just like a good earthly parent, he loves our questions.
My mother has told me that as a preschooler I would bombard her with questions: “How come?”, “What is this?”, “Why?” She says that why my father came home from work she would say to him, “You take him, I am exhausted! I can’t answer another question!” Even though she was exhausted by all my questions, I could tell as she told me this story she was delighted by all my questions. This is the way God is.
In order that we may better understand the difference between a godly question and ungodly questioning, I want us to look at two Scriptural examples: first a negative example of ungodly questioning and then a positive example of a godly question.
The Ungodly Questioning of Zechariah
The Ungodly Questioning of Zechariah
We find this negative example in Luke 1:18-20:
And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.”
What made Zechariah’s question so offensive to Gabriel? Gabriel tells us, it was Zechariah’s unbelief! Zechariah in his unbelief was demanding more evidence, “How shall I know this?” God’s Word was not enough for Zechariah, he was “talking back” to God.
This is always the bottom line, people come to God’s Word with their own preconceptions and they allow these preconceptions to have authority over God’s Word. Zechariah, for example, was allowing his knowledge of the aging process and its effect on the reproductive system to inform him as to what was possible, even for God! Too often, we do the same type of thing. For example, what are the two most common objections to the doctrine of predestination, are they not human freedom and God’s love? When you listen to what people mean by human freedom or God’s love, it quickly becomes apparent they understand both in a worldly way, not in a biblical way. This should not be, in Roman’s 12, Paul teaches us that we must conform our minds to Scripture, not the other way around!
I recently read an interview of H.B. Charles Jr., the first black president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Pastor Conference, in this interview he said, “We must stand under God’s word, not over it.” Too often, we contend with the Lord because we are standing over God’s Word.
In that same chapter in Luke, Mary illustrates the humble attitude of standing under God’s Word.
The Godly Question of Mary
The Godly Question of Mary
Let me continue reading from Luke’s gospel beginning at verse 34:
And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.”
Mary was not asking for “proof” as Zechariah was, she was simply asking, “How can I, a virgin, give birth?”
We know that this was an acceptable question, because the angel was more than happy to answer her question.
There is something else here that is very important—Mary accepted God’s answer. This is no small point. Often we contend with God because we are not satisfied with the answer He gives us. Notice how general the angel’s answer is, I could sum it up like this: God is all-powerful; He can do anything.
Why must we be satisfied with a general answer? Because God is God and we are not!
God is God, and We are Not!
God is God, and We are Not!
There is a chasm between God and ourselves that cannot be spanned.
God is the Creator, we are the creature.
God is infinite, we are finite.
God is all knowing, we know only in part.
God is righteous, we are sinful.
God is all powerful, we are weak.
I am sure as a little boy, when I asked questions such as, “How do trees grow?” my mother did not give me a detailed explanation of photosynthesis. When we speak to little children, we have to summarize, simplify and give general answers. The gap between God and ourselves is infinitely greater than the gap between a small child and an adult, and I stress INFINITELY!
People wrongly assume that all our questions will be answered in heaven, but just a little thought shows us this cannot be true; God can do things in ways that no mere creature can understand, not even the glorified saints.
In the closing doxology of this section of Romans dealing with election, Paul 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.
While other people can see only unresolved questions in the doctrine of election, Paul sees the awesome beauty of the power and wisdom of God! I think Paul is trying to say to us that God Himself is the answer to all of our questions! Could it be that in heaven, when we behold the glory of God all questions will melt away? For is it is true, as Paul says, that “From him and through him and to him are all things,” He truly IS the answer to all of our questions!
Let us pray.