Theology Turns To Doxology
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Scripture: Rom 11:33-36
ROM 235 - Theology Turns to Doxology - Rom 11:33-36
As we come to the end of the 1st major section of Romans
we've certainly learned some deep things about God - haven’t we ?
A mean - MAN! - have we learned some things about God
It's been 34 messages so far studying
the Incredible Truths God in Romans
It's really impossible to review all that we've studied so far
but let me just mention a few high points;
The revealing of the righteousness of God
Man's rejection of God's righteousness
Man trying to establish his own righteousness
There is NO ONE righteous in themselves
God's provision for righteousness BY FAITH ALONE
Our miraculous New Life "In Christ"
Our constant struggle with the sin nature
Our Victorious Power in the Holy Spirit
The coming glory of the saints
The Guarantee that God has made us More Than Conquerors
Nothing can ever separate us from God's love
God's Sovereignty - - can't be grasped, but can be trusted
God's promises to Israel - that WILL come to pass
Exactly HOW each of us can be saved
& how we Gentiles are "Grafted in" to God's Promises
We've been led from Reason to Reason
from Doctrine to Doctrine
from Link to Link . . .
in the incredible chain of our Salvation & our Righteousness in Christ
It's been absolute Incredible Theology - & that's really GOOD
We've spent 34 msg's studying
some of the Deepest Theology found in the Bible
& that's GREAT - HOWEVER -
can we just stop there ?? - is that it ??
Have we simply acquired
some great theology - for our "Religion"
God help us if we stop there
We're about to go into the PRACTICAL section of Romans
to see how God calls us TO LIVE as Christians
But If we just gather all this Great Theology
& then JUST go on to "TRY HARD" to LOOK & ACT right
I promise you - - - it WILL NEVER WORK
In fact - THAT is the definition of RELIGION
Learn about God
then work real hard to LOOK & ACT right
But something's MISSING there - isn’t it ?
Religion has proved for thousands of years
that in & of itself (by itself) - it cannot NOT truly Transform a life
There must be something else
that has to bring all that Theology HOME
There must be something else that ultimately
turns that Information - into Transformation
& that bridge - that something else is -
we MUST turn our GOOD THEOLOGY
into REAL DOXOLOGY
Because No life is truly Transformed
until all that THEOLOGY - turns into real DOXOLOGY
Now that's a big statement
So - I better back it up with some definitions
Theology = The study of God
Doxology = A declaration of Praise to God
There's nothing wrong with Studying the Great Truths of God
& I really encourage you to do so
& I promise you
if you will UNBIASEDLY study the great truths of the Bible
I promise you - God Will Reveal Himself to you !
So STUDY - - STUDY hard - & continue to study
But know this;
These are not mere guidelines for "better living"
These are not mere principles of "abstract truth"
The study of God - is the study of - the Expressions & the Will
of a Living Loving Personal Saving God
& grasping the miracle of THAT - is what ultimately turns
THEOLOGY (study of God) into
DOXOLOGY (giving Praise to God)
For 11 CH's Paul has poured out
some of the greatest THEOLOGY in the N.T.
But now - before he moves on ONE INCH - he pauses
& he says - Wait a minute - - - YES - - - ALL of that is True
But what is the only appropriate response at this point ?
Not a response of more THEOLOGY (more study)
But a response of pure DOXOLOGY (expressing Praise to God)
That's where the Study of God leads Paul - &
That's where the Study of God must ultimately lead us
Otherwise - we follow that long line of Religion
Where we acquire KNOWLEDGE about God
but are NEVER Supernaturally TRANSFORMED by Him
So - in our text today
Paul turns the THEOLOGY of 11 Ch's
into Awestruck DOXOLOGY
which is simply Declaring PRAISE to God - for WHO He is
So - as we read these HUGE Summary Vs's
Keep in mind ALL the Deep Theology
we've studied for the past 34 messages
& Watch for How WE should Summarize all these Great Truths
Rom 11:33-36 - ESV
33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable (unknowable) his ways!34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?”35 “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?”36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
Paul's just spent 11 Ch's explaining things about God
that really can’t be completely grasped by our human minds
He's shown that God's RICHES, WISDOM, & KNOWLEDGE
Are deeper, & wider, than our human minds can comprehend
His Judgments (Decisions) are really
UNSEARCHABLE (in the end) by our human minds
There's no one who can really know the full mind of God
No one could ever be His counselor
& we haven’t given Him ANYTHING
& He doesn't owe us ANYTHING
& IN THE END;
ALL THINGS come From Him
ALL THINGS come Through Him
ALL THINGS are going back To Him
& so the final response is - To Him be ALL Glory, Forever - AMEN ?
Let's break it down
Rom 11:33 - ESV33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable (unknowable) his ways!
The depth of the riches - wisdom - knowledge of God
is really beyond our ability to fully comprehend
But we CAN know GOD (tho not fully in this "state")
But we can know His Character
& we can know His Love for Us - He's proven that
But we must also know His judgments are Ultimately Unsearchable
& His ways Cannot be truly (completely) known
Isa 55:8-9 - God says - ESV8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.9 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 actually - by His nature - incomprehensible to us we can't think His thoughts – or fully know His ways
But - does that mean we can’t know God ?
Absolutely not
God has made a way for us to know Him - THRU Jesus Christ
John 1:18 says - NKJ
18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared (revealed) Him.
We can know God - thru a personal relationship w/ Jesus Christ & that is a miraculous & supernatural thing
But if we demand
to fully understand - God's ways & His judgments
We will never be satisfied
& will probably never really commit our lives to Him
Because we don’t have the capacity
to Know the Mind of the Lord
Rom 11:34 - ESV
34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?”
This is a quote from Isa 40:12-14 - NLT
12 Who else has held the oceans in his hand? Who has measured off the heavens with his fingers? Who else knows the weight of the earth or has weighed the mountains and hills on a scale?13 Who is able to advise the Spirit of the Lord? Who knows enough to give him advice or teach him?14 Has the Lord ever needed anyone’s advice? Does he need instruction about what is good? Did someone teach him what is right or show him the path of justice?
Who in the world - do we think we are, guys ?
Have you ever heard someone say;
"I know what God says - BUT Here's what I think"
You know - it's one thing to have an opinion
but when we think we can compare our counsel to God's
We are WAAAY out of our league
Guys - Let's not give God "counsel"
or compare what WE think - to what HE has commanded
Because - Really - we don’t have anything to offer God
in Rom 11:35 - Paul quotes from Job 41 - ESV
35 “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?”
God is no man’s debtor - He owes us nothing – No matter how GOOD we think we are
He owes us nothing - including salvation
it is ALL - a Free Gift from Him - BY His GRACE
RELIGION - is trying to earn something from God
WORSHIP - is the correct response - to the Gift God has given us
Which is why is very concerning to me
when a see Christians who don’t understand WORSHIP
Guys - WORSHIP - is actually, the Big Thing
The GOAL of THEOLOGY (study of God)
is actually DOXOLOGY (worship of God)
I know people - Who STUDY their Bible during Worship
or Read the Bulletin during WORSHIP
or don’t come to church until AFTER WORSHIP
Guy . . . it's not right
If all that we've learned about God
doesn’t cause us to WORSHIP Him
Then all that our knowledge has given us - is RELIGION
& religion, by itself, CANNOT actually Transform a life
Worshiping GOD - in everything that we do
is what TRULY Transforms our lives
Religion alone - turn us into - PHARISEES
& so we come to the last vs of Rom Ch 11
& guess what - it's a Vs of Pure WORSHIP
Rom 11:36 - ESV
36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
Paul closes the incredible THEOLOGY of these 11 Ch’s - With pure DOXOLOGY
in the end - the Study of God should bring
a Declaration of PRAISE & WONDER & THANKSGIVING
That is what a Doxology is
& this is one of the greatest doxologies in scripture
“For from Him . . . are all things”
God created the universe ex nihilo - out of nothing
There was a time when there was nothing but God
In the beginning - God created the Heavens & the Earth
God said - Let there be light - & there was light
All things are FROM Him
and - “through Him . . . are all things”
John 1:3 (speaking of Christ) - ESV
3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Guys - the Bible says Jesus Christ - was the AGENT of all Creation
All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Col 1:16-17 (again, speaking of Christ) - ESV
Col 1:16-17 (again, speaking of Christ) - ESV
16 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.17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
all things were created through him and for him.And he is before all things,
and in him all things hold together.
In Christ - all things "Consist" - nothing works or exists except ‘through Him’
Lastly v.36 says ; ”to Him . . .are all things”
Everything in the work of creation is to Him
& the day’s coming when we’ll see all things put “to him”
There will be a day when every living thing will acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord of the universe
Phil 2:9-11 - ESV
9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
“For from Him . . . are all things”“And through Him . . . are all things”“And to Him . . . are all things”
Finally, in v.36 – Paul reveals what should be our ultimate DOXOLOGY;“to Him be glory forever. Amen.”
because of what we know about God - our highest desire should be - to bring glory to God
Let's end with one of my favorite DOXOLOGIES in the Bible
Psa 150:1-6 - ESV
1 Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens!2 Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness!3 Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp!4 Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe!5 Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals!6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!
What is the appropriate response to learning God’s THEOLOGY?
What is Paul’s response - to the incredible truths packed into the first 11 Ch’s of Romans?
Paul’s response – should be our response
Let's make sure we are turn our THEOLOGY - into - DOXOLOGY
Let’s Pray
Mat 26:26 - ESV
26 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.”
Mat 26:27-29 - ESV
27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you,28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
29 I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”