My Personal Response to God
Romans 11:33- 12:2
33 Oh, 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 them?”
36 For from him and through him and for him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen.
12 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Transitions in Romans.
Romans is a book in three main sections
Section one: Chapters 1-8: The gospel of Jesus Christ. The section ends with an effusion of praise and life. Nothing in all of creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ!
Section two: Chapters 9-11. A view of salvation history that springs from questioning what God is doing. The Jews have rejected Jesus as Messiah! This section is focused on the mercy of God and ends in our present passage at 11:36! God is the ultimate being in the universe! Everything has Him as its source and His glory is their purpose and cause!
Section Three: Chapters 12-16 Having focused on the gospel and God’s work in salvation history, how are we called to live? What actions and attitudes can we reflect that will honor God as our source and bring Him glory? The first of these actions and attitudes are found in 12:1-2.
So we find ourselves at a transition point in the book and an extremely important transition at that! The end of the previous section is focused on the Greatness of God. Let’s celebrate His greatness then!!
- Celebrate the Greatness of God
- His riches
Oh the depth of the riches of God! V.33
The first aspect of God’s greatness that Paul celebrates is God’s riches. This is not about money, but rather about supply, need and life. Paul asks the question:
Who has ever given to God that God should repay them? v.35
I ask you to think about this:
What does God owe you relative to salvation?
What does God owe you relative to what has been provided for your life?
What does God owe you relative to what you need to know in life? You don’t know everything. There are questions that you may have, but you know enough to have life! God has given us His Word, it is a light for our feet and a lamp for our path!
Do this! This is the appropriate expression of faith in God!
I Thes 5:
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
19 Do not quench the Spirit.
The second aspect of God’s greatness celebrated by Paul is God’s knowledge.
- His knowledge
Oh the depth of the knowledge of God! V.33
How unsearchable are His judgements and paths! V.33
God knows the end from the beginning. He knows the cause and effect of every action. He knows what His mercy will accomplish.
God knows you
God knows your tears, your suffering and your pain.
God knows your hopes and dreams.
God knows that you do not know what you need.
God knows all that you need for a blessed life.
- His wisdom
Oh the depth of the wisdom of God! V.33
Who has known the mind of the Lord or been His counselor? V.34
God has a plan for your life. And it is a plan to give you life. Has He done enough to convince you of this?
Consider Jesus’ death on the Cross! Does it not reflect the wisdom of God? Does it not show both God’s mercy and God’s justice? Does it not allow God to be both the just and the justifier? Does it not prove our desperate need of Jesus’ provision of life? And does it not prove the incredible provision that Jesus is for us?! This should drive us then to the following responses!
Oh, 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 them?”
We celebrate the greatness of God because it leads us to trust in Him when we are challenged to do so.
Coming to verse 36 Paul makes a proclamation about all things:
36 For from him and through him and for him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen.
This verse is about the worthiness of God to be God. And the worthiness of God as God is a foundational truth that leads us to trust in Him!
- Consider the Worthiness of God
36 For from him and through him and for him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen.
- All things are from God
God is the source of all that we need for life.
Riches, wisdom and knowledge as a source.
We will find our purpose in Him. God is our Why!
We will find our pathway in Him. God is our How!
We will find our provision in Him. God is meets our needs!
Old Covenant: Provision, Protection and People (Purpose)
James 1:16-18
16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.
- All things are through God
God is the primary actor. He is sovereign in all of His creation.
This is really impactful as it relates to your life.
- He is at work in your life and
- you are at work in His world for Him.
- Our lives will reflect His glory as objects of mercy or as objects of wrath!
God is the most important thing to know in life. It is in the knowledge of God that we find the great treasure in a field, the great pearl of value. It is in the knowledge of God that the mysteries of our lives are sorted out. What is wrong with me?! God reveals this. What do I need to do? How can I be so discontent etc.
- All things are for God
Men struggle for purpose. What is the meaning of life? There must be more to life than this? And some people find in the very same actions of life meaning and purpose that others find despair. Work, marriage, family, friends etc. Vanity of vanity all can be vanity. Or we can understand this:
Ecclesiastes 12: Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body.
13 Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.
This is true on the smallest scale.
This is true on the largest scale!
And now the transition to the last part of the Book of Romans!
We have focused on the mercies of God, the greatness of God’s gracious gospel and the way that He has worked in the world to give life, WHAT SHOULD WE DO?
III. A Personal Response to the Greatness of God
- Present your bodies a living sacrifice to God
Live for God. When? Today.
Take up your cross and follow Jesus. Accept your discipline in life. Do this daily.
Animals are killed before setting them on the altar. If they were not killed then they would jump off the altar and go on their way.
We are living sacrifices. We must continually present ourselves to Christ as His loving servants. He calls us friends and His bride. Let us live up to those titles!
- Do not conform to the living patterns of the world
The world calls us to a way of life. It calls us to pleasure, it calls us to money and possessions. It calls us to success and pride. None of these things are bad per se. I would argue that God is the source of all of these things. But the world calls us to these things apart from the purposes of God. Money is for security. Money is for pride. Money is for power. Money is for pleasure. We should love and pursue money.
We have a connection with the world in what we desire and what we experience. We are not to live as the world does. The world and its desires are passing away.
The world does not know God.
- Be transformed by renewing your mind
We have a choice in terms of what voices to hear in life. All media and teaching have a philosophical point.
What we focus on and feed on will impact our behavior, faith and life.
We must have minds that are set on things above. We must walk after the Spirit.
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