Doxology

Romans: For the Gospel • Sermon • Submitted a year ago • Presented a year ago

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It was a day 24 years ago that I can’t remember just like yesterday. Nervous and fidgeting at the rented suit I was wearing I waited in anticipation for the doors open at the back of the church. Then the doors open and my breath was taken away. Wearing that white dress, my bride was being escorted by her father.

Here’s a picture from that day. [show picture of Kristy]

We’ve all experienced days where our breath was taken away. May have been a trip to the mountains, a sunset on the beach, the birth of our child, our wedding day, each of these days left us awestruck, and have indelibly seered our hearts to the point that we can bring them to memory.

[show pictures of mountains, beach, Noah, Ethan and Aiden being born]

Why do we feel this way? What in us makes us see these things and stop in wonder? The evolutionists will say it’s a biological imperative, but that answer is unsatisfactory. Wonder, awe, worship, these are not easily explained by natural selection. When we see these things, they invoke in us a praise that points back to creation. That points back to the garden. We are created with a sense inside of us that we were created for worship, created for awe.

Paul has been writing about God’s great work in bringing salvation to the nations. He has spoken about the fact that we’re all sinners; Jews, Greeks, slaves, free, we are all sinners separated from God because of sin. He has spoken about God’s sovereign plan by which the God of the universe put into motion in eternity past a rescue plan by which he would save men and women from every nation tongue and tribe and bring them into one people: Israel, God’s chosen people; chosen out from the world and brought into glorious relationship with Him.

And Paul’s response is found in vv. 33-36

Romans 11:33–36 ESV

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.

Paul’s response is a doxology, a song of worship to God. This is a spontaneous moment of praise. You can almost hear the voice of Paul rise as he remembers the glory of God in this passage.

Worship His Riches and Wisdom

First Paul is overcome with the purposes of God in salvation. Paul notes the depth of the Riches of God, and the Wisdom and knowledge of God.

God’s Riches (ploutou)

Romans 2:4 ESV

Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?

The riches of God include his kindness, patience and forebearance that he has for sinners that holds back his wrath against the presumptuous sin of man. God in his goodness holds back his judgement.

Romans 9:23 ESV

in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory—

The riches of his glory revealed in the judgment of sinners.

The riches that Jesus bestows indiscriminately on all who call upon him:

Romans 10:12 ESV

For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.

The riches of God is displayed supremely on the cross of Jesus Christ upon which Christ grants salvation that is a gift from God’s riches! The richness of God is the depth of both his kindness and his severity that Paul spoke of earlier. God is not just kind, he is the kindest. He is the supreme of all things.

God is kind both in his salvation of men, but also in his punishment of sin and sinners. Both are kind. Both are good.

The second is God’s wisdom and knowledge

Wisdom and Knowledge (Sophia kai gnosis)

Not only do we see the riches of his judgment, we also see the wisdom and knowledge of God displayed in his dealing with Israel and man. While our wisdom may question or reject God’s good, and perfect will, Paul notes that God’s will is wise.

It has been said that knowledge is knowing things and wisdom is knowing how to do things with what you know.

God's knowledge. God is omniscient. This means that God knows all things, at all times, in all ways perfectly. God is all knowing, and thus his knowledge is exhaustive and perfect.

God knows what we will do, when we will do it and how what we will do will effect all things.

Wisdom means God’s divine wisdom, infinite skill, knowledge, insight, and purity.

Paul is praising God for his wisdom in the way he is working through out all of salvation history for the saving of men and women from sin. it is the totality of God's saving grace that causes this worship.

“God’s wisdom, which is hidden in Christ, was displayed on the cross (though it appears to human beings to be follow,) and is unfolded in his saving purpose.” -John Stott

Worship His Goodness

God is good. All that he does is good. And for this he is to be praised. Paul sum s this up in vv. 34-35

Romans 11:34–35 ESV

“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?”

Romans 11:33–36 ESV

R. C. Sproul

God has not failed, his ways are unfathomable.

Isaiah 55:8–9 ESV

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 your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

God is by nature incomprehensible to us. He is bigger than we can understand. He is grater than language can communicate. We cannnot even truly imagine how great he is. The human language, though adequate to describe God cannot hold in the reality of God. He is too great.

Isaiah 40:13–14 ESV

Who has measured the Spirit of the Lord, or what man shows him his counsel? Whom did he consult, and who made him understand? Who taught him the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding?

Not only that we are incapable of communicating how glorious God is and how wonderful his wisdom is. We cannot categorize what he does or understand the fulness of his machinations. God is working out all of history for his purposes.

“Paul bows in awe at the depth of God’s knowledge and wisdom. Who can fathom his wondrous salvation of the lost human race … the miracle of justification … our sanctifying identification with him … the victory of the Christian life … the mystery of his dealings with Israel? Worshiping God for his knowledge and wisdom fills us with mystery and hope for the future.” -R. Kent Hughes

Worship by Submission

Paul ends in the only way that is worthy: Submission

Romans 11:36 ESV

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

We need God. God is rich, he is wise, he is good, and for him and through him and to him are all things. God is worthy of worship.

We worship God - doxology because we know God -theology. These two cannot be separated.

Ephesians 3:20–21 ESV

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that 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.

We cannot minimize theology because we only rightly worship what we truly know. The worship of God must be born out of a deep knowledge of God, in face true worship does not come from feelings but from knowing, but we must also realize that truly knowing God results in worshipping God.

As Bishop Handley Moule said at the end of the 19th century, we must ‘beware equally of an undevotional theology and of an untheological devotion’.

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