Introduction

Romans is littered with magnificent passages. But today’s passage is one of the best (read). One of the most transformational moments of my life happened as a freshman in college when I opened The Knowledge of the Holy by A. W. Tozer and read the first paragraph. “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. The history of mankind will probably show that no people has ever risen above its religion, and man’s spiritual history will positively demonstrate that no religion has ever been greater than its idea of God. Worship is pure or base as the worshiper entertains high or low thoughts of God. For this reason the gravest question before the Church is always God Himself, and the most portentous fact about any man is not what he at a given time may say or do, but what he in the deep heart conceives God to be like.”

That blew me away. “The most important thing” about me is not what I look like, how talented I am, or how successful I am. It’s not even how spiritual I appear, or what I “may say or do,” but what I “in the deep heart conceive God to be like.” Wow!

The reason is simple. Your view of God shapes your spiritual passion, your worship, your service, your view of self, and all your relationships. Therefore, John Murray says, “The fear of God is the soul of godliness.”

So, what comes into your mind when you think about God? What do you in your deep heart conceive God to be like? What does the fruit of your life say? Where do you turn when life gets hard? How do you respond to your sin? Your answers to these questions are the most important thing about you.

Yes, this kind of reflection is deeply convicting, but Christians resonate with Tozer’s view. We love God, and we want to love him more. And Tozer’s proposition is full of hope for the weary Christian. Afterall, the burdens of life and my prospects for godliness can seem overwhelming. How can I possibly manage all this? Tozer simplifies your game plan. If you get your view of God right, most of the other things will take care of themselves.

So, this morning, I want to expand your view of God so that love him more passionately and so that you will better fulfill the ultimate purpose of your salvation. The central challenge of this passage is, worship the Lord with all your strength. Paul drives us to this conclusion by, first, meditating on the simple reality that…

I.  God is great (v. 33).

This passage is what we often call a doxology. Doxa means glory, and a doxology is a hymn that gives glory to God. This doxology explodes from Paul’s lips in response to God’s wise and merciful plan in Romans 9–11.

Yes, we’ve covered some hard concepts the last couple months. A few passages have been hard to preach and probably hard to follow. But one thing has been very clear. Our God is awesome. Paul wants to make sure we don’t miss the forest for the trees. So, v. 33 first calls us to…

Praise God for his character (v. 33a). I must mention that there is some debate about how riches, wisdom, and knowledge relate to each other. The NASB takes riches as modifying wisdom and knowledge. But I prefer the alternate reading in the footnote. The alternate is “Oh, the depths of the riches and the wisdom and knowledge of God.” It better reflects the grammar. And we’ll see that God’s riches is its own important theme in the context. So, Paul is amazed as he ponders the depths, or the wonders, of God’s riches, his wisdom, and his knowledge.

So, with Paul let’s first ponder the “depth of the riches…of God.” What does he mean by this? In the context of Romans 9–11 he is especially pondering God’s mercy to sinners like us. Paul has been adamant that every part of our salvation, even down to our choice, is all the mercy of God to desperate sinners (9:15–16).

Also notice God’s mercy in 9:22–24. Verse 23 is amazing. God chose me, a Gentile “vessel of mercy,” to “make known the riches (that’s our word) of His glory.” I’m not a trophy to my own spirituality and worth because I only deserved wrath. I am a trophy of grace. Finally, notice the verses directly preceding our text (11:30–32). Christian, you were once desperate and lost, “disobedient to God.” But now you have received mercy.

So, Paul invites you to ponder God’s mercy with him and to be overwhelmed. “Oh, the depths of the riches” which God has mercifully poured out on us. Are you overwhelmed by the mercy of God? God’s mercy is so simple that a small child can understand it. But it is also so deep that you can spend a lifetime plumbing the depths of God’s mercy in complex passages like Romans 9–11. So, study the mercy of God.

Then rest in the mercy of God. Pride and guilt make it so hard for many Christians to truly rest in God’s forgiveness. We want to cover our own shame and earn God’s forgiveness. But by faith we must learn to rest. Then be sure to worship God for his merciful riches. Every time God forgives, give thanks for his mercy, and worship him for his mercy. Don’t ever outgrow your amazement at the mercy of God.

Then Paul proceeds to wonder at “the wisdom and knowledge of God.” He does so because Paul just spent 3 chapters pondering God’s eternal plan to save both Gentiles and Jews. As Paul considers the scope, the detail, and the perfection of God’s plan, he’s overwhelmed by his wisdom and knowledge.

God doesn’t miss a single detail. He knows them all. But God’s head is not merely a jumbled mess of random facts. All of it is perfectly organized into a wise purpose. It blows our minds to consider God’s knowledge. I love David’s response, “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is too high, I cannot attain it…How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand” (Ps 139:6, 17–18a). God’s wisdom and knowledge overwhelm our comprehension.

But they also comfort your soul. I’ve been working my way through John Piper’s book Providence. He spends 750 pages showing from Scripture how God’s providence governs every detail of our lives. It has been so encouraging and comforting to see that nothing is left to chance. God has planned every detail of my life based on perfect wisdom.

So, worship God for the depths of his wisdom and knowledge. Praise God for his glorious character. Then Paul builds off this by calling us to…

Praise God for his purposes (v. 33b). These statements look back at what Romans 9–11 have said about God’s plan of redemption, and they celebrate both the wisdom and mercy of God’s amazing plan.

I want to be clear that unsearchable and unfathomable do not mean unknowable as if God’s plan appears to us as gobbledygook. It makes no sense, and we have no idea what God is doing. No, Romans 9–11 have explained in very understandable terms what God is doing.

But while God’s plan is understandable, our frail minds will never fully comprehend the details because we simply don’t have the capacity to take it all in. We often wish God would tell us more. We say, “I’d trust you if I understood what you are doing.” But God knows that we can’t. It’s too complex for us to fully comprehend. That’s okay. Since God comprehends it, I don’t have to. Trust the Lord.

Then praise God for his infinite capacity. He’s able to account for infinite load of factors, weigh them accurately, and organize them perfectly. I can’t do that. But he can. So, don’t demand that God explain infinity. Just worship him for his infinite purposes.

Again, Piper’s book Providence has just been so good for my soul because he shows from the Bible that God’s purpose includes every birth and death, every trial and blessing, every good king and bad king. Nothing is left unplanned. It’s remarkable that he can account for it all and that it’s all organized into perfection.

But in the context of Romans 9–11, God’s ways are not “unfathomable” simply because they are wise. It’s also because the mercy God has baked into his plan is beyond anything we sinners would ever extend. “Seek the Lordwhile He may be found; call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the Lord, and He will have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. ‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor 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’” (Isa 55:6–9). Notice that God’s thoughts and ways are superior specifically because of his forgiveness. God’s recipe of mercy and wisdom are truly unsearchable.

So Christian, consider the fact that in eternity past God purposed to make you a vessel of mercy. He loved you long before you existed. He planned every detail of your life as part of his marvelous plan for all creation. Stretch your mind to comprehend as much of that as Scripture allows. Then see the God behind it all. His mercy and wisdom are unfathomable. Think high thoughts of him. Love him. Trust him. And most importantly, worship him.

So, v. 33 calls us to stand in awe of the greatness of God. There’s no greater truth you can ponder. There’s no greater joy you can know than the glory of God. And there is nothing more practical to life than to see your life here below based on big thoughts about God. See the greatness of God. As you see God’s greatness, you will be in a much better place to rightly see yourself. Verses 34–35 say that in comparison to God…

II.  You are small (vv. 34–35). First…

You cannot instruct God (v. 34). This verse alludes to Isaiah 40:13. Isaiah asks, “Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, or as His counselor has informed Him?With whom did He consult and who gave Him understanding?And who taught Him in the path of justice and taught Him knowledge and informed Him of the way of understanding” (Isa 40:13–14). Isaiah exalts God, and he puts us in our place.

Do you ever think you can instruct God? I’m sure you do. You think, God got this one wrong, but I’ve figured it out. “If God would just remove this challenge or shower me with this grace, everything would be much better.”

Some people arrogantly think they are worthy to sit in judgment of Scripture and biblical theology. They think they can fix God or fix his view of love and sexuality. They they think they are wise enough to correct the Bible because, “Those ancient writers surely missed something that I can see.”

But God says, “Who do you think you are?” “Who has known…” God’s mind is infinite, and it is informed with eternal, perfect knowledge. In comparison, you are very small, and you haven’t been around very long. It’s just silly that we would ever feel qualified to sit in judgment of God.

For example, I remember getting so frustrated when I was a kid that my parents didn’t spend more freely. To me, it looked so obvious that we should just buy a new a car or go to Pizza Hut more often. I had no idea how small my financial acumen was. That confidence looks absurd now that I have more perspective, and I’m sure it looked absurd to my parents at the time.

So, imagine how silly we look to an infinite God when we start making demands, correcting him, or fixing him. Be humbled by the infinite wisdom and knowledge of God.

Then stand in awe of the wisdom and knowledge of God. His understanding is infinite, and God doesn’t need any counsel. No one, including you, has ever taught God anything or given him a new perspective.

Then trust his infinite understanding. It’s okay that you don’t understand God’s ways, and it’s okay that you don’t know the future. God is good, and he is wise. You can trust him. Then v. 35 reminds you that…

You cannot make demands of God (v. 35). This verse references Job 41:11. You know the story. Job thought he was so great and that he deserved better from God. He thought he had a right to God’s blessing. But God replied, “Who has given to Me that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is Mine” (Job 41:11).

That fits so well with the emphasis on God’s mercy in Romans 9–11. Paul has argued definitively that my relationship to God is pure grace. I’m a sinner, and I would never have come to God on my own. It’s not amazing that God would send me to hell; it’s amazing that he would save me. But he loved me before I ever loved him, and he chose me when I rebelled against him.

So, v. 35 asks, “Who has first…” You have no room to boast, and you can’t make any demands on God. You are a debtor to mercy. So Christian, consider your sin, the judgment you deserve, and God’s incredible mercy. Be humbled. Worship the Lord, give thanks to the Lord. And love him with all your heart.

Maybe someone needs to come to grips with this mercy for the first time. You’ve always wanted to believe that you are worthy of God’s love or that you can do enough to earn access to heaven. But God says he will never be in your debt. The only thing that God will ever owe sinners is punishment.

But God is merciful. He sent Jesus to pay the penalty for your sin on the cross. Therefore, you don’t have to earn God’s favor; you can simply receive it by faith. 10:9 promises you, “If you confess…” 10:13 also promises, “Whoever…”

So, call on the Lord today. Admit that you have sinned against God and that you need salvation. Confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that he provided salvation on the cross. Ask, and God promises to save. Please do so today.

In sum, we saw in v. 33 that God is great. We saw in vv. 34–35 that you are small. Therefore, v. 36 gives the central challenge.

III.  Give glory to God (v. 36).

Have you ever wondered how we can give glory to God if he already possesses all glory? That’s a good and practical question. Paul answers the question in v. 36 by distinguishing God’s intrinsic glory (the glory he has in himself) from the ascribed glory (i.e., worship) that we give to God. It’s a helpful distinction. First, Paul praises God for his intrinsic glory.

God is the source of all things. Each of these prepositional phrases demand our meditation. First, all things are “from Him.” That means that God is the source, the Creator of everything that exists. Paul is especially thinking of the mercy he considered in v. 35, but v. 36 clearly goes beyond that.

Everything that exists comes ultimately from God. He spoke the angelic realm and the physical universe into existence. He created the natural laws that govern creation and move it along.

He even created man’s capacities and the tools that we need to make our own creations. Therefore, our greatest technologies are not ultimately a credit to us but to God because we’d never be able to do that if God didn’t create our minds or give us resources. As an example of our limits, consider the fact that no human has ever created a new color that is not based in the colors God created. We think we are so creative, but our capacities have a hard cap.

But not God. He designed everything from nothing and spoke all of it into existence. It’s truly amazing. Praise God that all things are from him.

Second, all things are “through him.” That means that he sustains his creation, and all of it moves forward solely by his hand. Hebrews 1:3 says Jesus, “upholds all things by the word of His power.” That’s incredible. You can’t make a pen stand by your word. We like to think that we have so much control. But our word is weak.

But Jesus, he upholds all the laws of nature and moves forward his eternal purpose simply by his authoritative word. That’s amazing power and capacity.

Third, all things are “to Him.” This speaks of purpose. Why does the world exist? Why are you here? Why has God planned history the way that he has? The answer is that all of it is for his glory. The highest goal and the greatest good in all the universe are the display of the majesty of God. It is all a reflection of his glory. It is all “to Him.”

That means that God is very big, and we are very small. I’m not an end to myself. I’m merely a display of God’s glory. And Romans 9 said that this is true of every other person on the planet including those condemned to wrath. We all exist for God.

So, in a few short words, Paul summarizes the entire Christian worldview. The world is from God, through God, and to God. See the glory of God all around you even in the most mundane places. This week, I had a run in with a beehive. I learned that God created psychological warfare long before people did. They flew at my face and buzzed in my ears, and it freaked me out. God made them incredible as he did everything else. See that! See all the world including your life as a testimony to the intrinsic glory of God. As a result, recognize that…

God deserves all glory. Again, this is what we call “ascribed glory.” I can’t make God more glorious, but I can praise God’s glory, and I can help others see that glory for themselves.

How can I do that? First, reflect his glory by becoming like him. Show the world the glory of God by taking on his holiness, righteousness, justice, love, mercy, and grace. Second, give thanks for his blessings and tell of us works. Help people see the world through the lens of this verse. Help them to see that all things are “of Him,” “through Him,” and “to Him.”

Third, worship the Lord. There is no more beautiful sound in all the world than the church singing in unity to the glory of God. Guys, don’t’ just stand there. Sing! You may not have a great voice, and you may not know every song, but give glory to God. “It is good to give thanks to the Lord.” “Ascribe to Lord all glory and blessing.” That’s what you were made for. It’s what God wants from you above all else. It’s the greatest gift you can give anyone.

Conclusion

God is awesome. “Oh, the depths of the riches and of the wisdom and knowledge of God. So, God calls you to worship the Lord with all your strength. There is no higher purpose to which you can give your strength. There’s no greater satisfaction than doing what you were made to do. And there is no greater love you can show than to point others to the ultimate reality.