Majesty of God
God is sovereign, you are responsible, and I have been humbled with nothing to be arrogant about. The divine paradox is that God rejects rebellious people because they have rejected him. We love God because He first loved us.
In Romans 11:32-36 Paul summarizes his teaching on the current disposition of the Jews in God’s plan using words for mercy four times in three verses. Paul rarely repeats himself so this is remarkable.
Throughout the first 3 verses Paul uses the terms mercy and disobedience in a unique way to show how God utilizes the disobedience of one group as a means of showing mercy to the other.
The Lord, through a grave act of tough love, said to the Jews that they have rejected the Messiah even though the Lord warned He would turn to the Gentiles. The mercy shown to the Gentiles will now become His means of stimulating the zeal of the Jews to claim His promised grace.
Why would a holy God go to such great lengths to show such unmerited kindness to creatures who have not only rebelled, but are resistant to grace? It can’t be explained, only received with gratitude by the one in need.
In reflecting on this unsearchable mercy of God, it leads Paul to break out into a doxology in verses 33-36. Paul doubles down on his worship by alluding to two Old Testament passages.
The first is Isaiah 40:13. Isaiah marked the shift of emphasis from humanity’s sin to God’s inexplicable grace by celebrating His sovereignty and wisdom. Paul paraphrases that idea here.
The second passage is Job 41:11 in which the Lord challenges the suffering Job when He says, “Who has given to Me that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is Mine.” Job had lost everything and received poor counsel from those closest to him and still had not heard from the Lord. In this moment, the Lord breaks the silence as He confronted the man who was blameless, upright, God-fearing, and turning away from evil.
Job never got all the answers, he’s never presented with a logical list of reasons that his tragedy was ultimately part of God’s good plan for him. Instead, he encounters God Himself and this meets his need. Seeing God’s unsearchable mercy and gazing into His unfathomable ways ends Job’s desperate quest for answers. He simply worships.
Paul relates to Job because he’s done his best to reveal the plans of God and to explain His methods as the Holy Spirit supernaturally directed Him. We see his efforts to explain things that exceed the limitations of his human ability. As a result, he stands still and silent before the magnificence of God.
In verse 36, having exhausted all thought and having considered all rational explanations on the topic of God’s plan for the Jews, Paul’s journey ends with a beginning.
4 FOUNDATIONS FOR MY LIFE
1. From Him
God is the source of all things that exist.
2. Through Him
God sustains all things and gives everything purpose and movement.
3. To Him
God is the purpose for which all things exist.
4. All things
This means everything, including your present situation.
All things means COVID, your loss of wages, your questions, your family, your blessings, and your health. We may not have the answers but we know all about the all-knowing, all-powerful, loving, and merciful God that when things aren’t clear, we can trust Him.
In Romans 11:32-36 Paul summarizes his teaching on the current disposition of the Jews in God’s plan using words for mercy four times in three verses. Paul rarely repeats himself so this is remarkable.
Throughout the first 3 verses Paul uses the terms mercy and disobedience in a unique way to show how God utilizes the disobedience of one group as a means of showing mercy to the other.
The Lord, through a grave act of tough love, said to the Jews that they have rejected the Messiah even though the Lord warned He would turn to the Gentiles. The mercy shown to the Gentiles will now become His means of stimulating the zeal of the Jews to claim His promised grace.
Why would a holy God go to such great lengths to show such unmerited kindness to creatures who have not only rebelled, but are resistant to grace? It can’t be explained, only received with gratitude by the one in need.
In reflecting on this unsearchable mercy of God, it leads Paul to break out into a doxology in verses 33-36. Paul doubles down on his worship by alluding to two Old Testament passages.
The first is Isaiah 40:13. Isaiah marked the shift of emphasis from humanity’s sin to God’s inexplicable grace by celebrating His sovereignty and wisdom. Paul paraphrases that idea here.
The second passage is Job 41:11 in which the Lord challenges the suffering Job when He says, “Who has given to Me that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is Mine.” Job had lost everything and received poor counsel from those closest to him and still had not heard from the Lord. In this moment, the Lord breaks the silence as He confronted the man who was blameless, upright, God-fearing, and turning away from evil.
Job never got all the answers, he’s never presented with a logical list of reasons that his tragedy was ultimately part of God’s good plan for him. Instead, he encounters God Himself and this meets his need. Seeing God’s unsearchable mercy and gazing into His unfathomable ways ends Job’s desperate quest for answers. He simply worships.
Paul relates to Job because he’s done his best to reveal the plans of God and to explain His methods as the Holy Spirit supernaturally directed Him. We see his efforts to explain things that exceed the limitations of his human ability. As a result, he stands still and silent before the magnificence of God.
In verse 36, having exhausted all thought and having considered all rational explanations on the topic of God’s plan for the Jews, Paul’s journey ends with a beginning.
4 FOUNDATIONS FOR MY LIFE
1. From Him
God is the source of all things that exist.
2. Through Him
God sustains all things and gives everything purpose and movement.
3. To Him
God is the purpose for which all things exist.
4. All things
This means everything, including your present situation.
All things means COVID, your loss of wages, your questions, your family, your blessings, and your health. We may not have the answers but we know all about the all-knowing, all-powerful, loving, and merciful God that when things aren’t clear, we can trust Him.
Pastor Chris Williams
To learn more about Pastor Chris and his teaching, visit us on the web at fcfamily.org and make sure you subscribe to receive these biweekly encouragements in your inbox.
To learn more about Pastor Chris and his teaching, visit us on the web at fcfamily.org and make sure you subscribe to receive these biweekly encouragements in your inbox.
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Christ Honoring Disagreements: How to Disagree In An Age of VitriolWorry Got Me like…: Crushing Worry For 2,000 YearsThe Power of Mom: Who will look more like Jesus because of your investment in them?The Battle For Your Mind: You Are Who He Says You AreChristian Disagreement in the Covid EraMarriage Secret: One Pro Tip That Will Change EverythingThe Contented Christian: Being Content When My World Has Been Shut Down and Turned Upside DownThe Church Isn’t a Building, But It IS a Gathered People
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