Rom 11-Beyond Understanding 3
| Beyond Understanding 3The All-Sufficient God! Romans 11:33-36
January 13, 2008 (NLT) 33Oh, what a wonderful God we have! How great are his riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his methods! 34For who can know what the Lord is thinking? Who knows enough to be his counselor? 35And who could ever give him so much that he would have to pay it back? 36For everything comes from him; everything exists by his power and is intended for his glory. To him be glory evermore. Amen. (NIV) 33Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! 34“Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” 35“Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?” 36For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. PRAYSong…Scripture Memory:For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. – Romans 11:36 (NIV) Intro:Three Rhetorical Questions (vv. 34-35):v. 34a (NLT) For who can know what the Lord is thinking? Ans: No one! Not even close!v. 34b (NLT) Who knows enough to be his counselor? Ans: No one! What a ludicrous idea!v. 35 (NLT) And who could ever give him so much that he would have to pay it back?Ans: No one! Not even close!“We cannot place God under obligation to ourselves by giving to Him.” Boice2 weeks ago: (v. 33) Beyond Understanding 1: 1. The Unbelievable Knowledge of God2. The Wonderful Wisdom of GodGod’s knowledge and wisdom are FAR beyond our ability to even BEGIN to comprehend! Last week: (vv. 33-34) Beyond Understanding 2: The Inscrutable GodBecause God’s knowledge and wisdom are so infinite, We can never know what He is thinking, nor can we give Him any insight in how life OUGHT to be. This morning: (vv. 35-36) Beyond Understanding 3: The All Sufficient GodNot only are God’s knowledge and wisdom limitless, so also are His resources for everything else.1. Obligating God – Living by Sacrifice2. Acknowledging God – Living by Grace1. Obligating God – Living by SacrificeSome subtle ways we tend to try to obligate God and why that is so impossible☞ Some subtle ways we try to obligate God:ü When we complain…Every time we are critical of our circumstances or complain about them, we are telling God indirectly, and sometimes quite directly, that we believe He has made a mistake and should correct it.§ “God has stuck me in a dead-end job…”§ “God had deprived me of…”Or more subtly: “I just can NOT understand why God put me in this position!Or, more indirectly we say, “I am just SO unlucky!” or It’s JUST NOT FAIR!” § “It’s not right that she should have all that going for her…”§ “It’s not right that I should have to struggle with…”§ “It’s not right that God hasn’t answered my prayers.” “It’s JUST NOT RIGHT…!”…as though somehow, God OWED us better!!! ü When we think of anything we have done as deserving of God’s blessings…Sometimes we feel like we DESERVE better because of our faithfulness, or because of some sacrificial giving or service……Earning Spiritual brownie points at Ursinus College…Australian businessman to Evangelist, R. A. Torrey:“Dear Dr. Torrey:I am in great perplexity. I have been praying for a long time for something that I am confident in according to God’s will, but I do not get it. I have been a member of the Presbyterian Church fo 30 years, and have tried to be a consistent one all that time. I have been superintendent in the Sunday School for 25 years, and an elder in the church for 20 years; and yet God does not answer my prayer and I cannot understand it. Can you explain it to me?”When we pray with this mindset, we are really praying in our OWN name… ü When we assume that because God created us, He owes us… ☞ Why Obligating God is So Impossible:vv. 35-36 – 35“Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?” 36For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.Everything already belongs to Him – All things are from Him.Everything is maintained by Him – All things are through Him.Everything is meant to be for God’s glory – All things are to Him.My mother and our neighbor’s prize roses…Scripture is very clear on this. God is the source of ALL good things…What is good in your life right now?Your house? Your job?Your family? Your health?Your abilities? Your friends?Even more fundamentally:Your ability to breathe?Your ability to enjoy anything?James 1:17 (NLT) – Whatever is good and perfect comes to us from God above, who created all heaven’s lights. What about things that I have worked hard for?Eccl. 5:19 (NIV) – When God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work—this is a gift of God.Deuteronomy 8:18 – But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth. Nebuchadnezzar in Dan. 4:30-31 – Nebuchadnezzar said: “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?” 31The words were still on his lips when a voice came from heaven, “This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you. He was saying that the great city of Babylon and its empire was from him (he built it), through him (by his mighty power) and for him (for the glory of [his] majesty)Living by sacrifice means living with a constant sense of what things COST you. It leads to pride, to self-pity, to an underlying sense that God somehow OWES us something… 2. Acknowledging God – Living by GraceThe alternative: Living by GRACEAn either/or: Either we live by grace OR by worksEither we trust God because of His grace, or we think we can do so because of our what we do (or don’t do)Either we serve Him because of His grace, or we serve Him in order to somehow attempt to obligate Him to us, to EARN His good pleasure or His blessings… Living by grace means:☞ Acknowledging God’s provision in all thingsGod owes us NOTHING! For the sake of His own good pleasure He has rescued us from our sin and has raised us from the status of mere servants to being sons and daughters of God, co-workers with Jesus Christ and heirs of all God is and has. | | This should, if we understand it, move us to ever increasing love and thankfulness (gratefulness) to God for His amazing goodness to us!We need to understand that “even the ability to dispute with God or, for that matter, to deny his existence comes from him.”Your natural abilities or talents – Where do they come from?Therefore WHO should they bring glory to?1 Cor. 4:7 (NCV) – Who says you are better than others? What do you have that was not given to you? And if it was given to you, why do you brag as if you did not receive it as a gift? What about salvation?Titus 3:5 (NCV) – he saved us because of his mercy. It was not because of good deeds we did to be right with him. He saved us through the washing that made us new people through the Holy Spirit. Did God save you because of some little germ of faith that He was able to find in you, but not in some other LESS deserving person?Living by grace means an ever growing understanding and appreciation of the good gifts that our gracious Father is showering upon us by His own good pleasure. Living by grace means:☞ Acknowledging our Stewardship in all thingsStewardship: a position in which we manage that which is not our own on behalf of someone else…William Walsham How: “We give Thee but thine own…”1 Chr. 29:10-14 (NIV)10David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly, saying, “Praise be to you, O Lord, God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. 11Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. 12Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. 13Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name. 14“But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand. Living by grace means an ever growing understanding that every good gift and every good thing in our lives, from our homes to our children, from our health to our possessions are on loan to us from God. They are not OURS. Living by grace means:☞ Living in humility Luke 17:7-10 (NLT)7“When a servant comes in from plowing or taking care of sheep, he doesn’t just sit down and eat. 8He must first prepare his master’s meal and serve him his supper before eating his own. 9And the servant is not even thanked, because he is merely doing what he is supposed to do. 10In the same way, when you obey me you should say, ‘We are not worthy of praise. We are servants who have simply done our duty.’ ”“We will never get anywhere unless we remember the primary relationships of Creator to creature and Master to servant.” (Boice) Living by grace means daily dying to self, not demanding that others think well of us, or that they understand us. Rather it means entrusting ourselves to one who knows all our deep dark secrets and STILL LOVES US! Living by grace means:☞ Giving all the glory to God in all thingsTozer: “Millions call themselves by his name, it is true, and pay some token respect to him, but a simple test will show how little his really honored among them. Let the average man be put ot the proof on the question of who is above, and his true position will be exposed. Let me be forced into making a choice between God and money, between God and men, between God and personal ambition, God and self, God and human love, and God will take second place every time. Those other things will be exalted above. However the man may protest, the proof is in the choices he makes day after day throughout life.”We might add: between gathering for prayer and eating; between gathering for worship and sleeping in; between fulfilling a commitment to the church and fulfilling a commitment for which I am paid…Soli Deo Gloria (To God, alone, be the glory) –One of our core values here at Hope:Worship which is Christ-centered / God-honoring) God exalting / Theologically Sound / Corporate and Private / Emphasis on the preached word / Balanced (w/ Praise, confession, petition & teaching)To him be the glory forever! “This should be the single desire of the Christian. … He may desire to see his family well brought up, but only that ‘To God may be the glory forever.’ He may wish for prosperity in his business, but only so far as it may help him to promote this—‘to whom be glory forever.’ He may desire to attain more gifts and more graces, but it should only be that ‘to him may be glory forever.’” (Charles Spurgeon)Living by grace means understanding and remembering that He is the creator – all things are from Him; That He is the sustainer – all things are through Him – He holds all things together; That He is the end of all things – all things are TO Him – In the end we will understand… Summary / Review:1. Obligating God – Living by Sacrifice2. Acknowledging God – Living by GraceAn either/or: Either we live by grace OR by worksEither we trust God because of His grace, or we think we can do so because of our what we do (or don’t do)Either we serve Him because of His grace, or we serve Him in order to somehow attempt to obligate Him to us, to EARN His good pleasure or His blessings…Living by sacrifice means living with a constant sense of what things COST you. It leads to pride, to self-pity, to an underlying sense that God somehow OWES us something…Living by grace means an ever growing understanding and appreciation of the good gifts that our gracious Father is showering upon us by His own good pleasure.Living by grace means an ever growing understanding that every good gift and every good thing in our lives, from our homes to our children, from our health to our possessions are on loan to us from God. They are not OURS.Living by grace means daily dying to self, not demanding that others think well of us, or that they understand us. Rather it means entrusting ourselves to one who knows all our deep dark secrets and STILL LOVES US!Living by grace means understanding and remembering that He is the creator – all things are from Him; That He is the sustainer – all things are through Him – He holds all things together; That He is the end of all things – all things are TO Him – In the end we will understand…v. 36 – For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. A Truth to Remember:
God does NEED anything from us, nor does He OWE us anything. He is entirely self-sufficient and gives good to us by His own good pleasure.
A Challenge to Consider:
Are you living by grace or by sacrifice? – Or we might say, are we living by our OWN sacrifices or by Christ’s sacrifice alone? Does this show itself in an ever growing sense of gratefulness for the good things God is pouring out in your life? One thing I heard this morning was… |
