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Source: https://www.sermonindex.net/speakers/david-oliver/no-sacrifice-sufficient/
Would you read in Romans chapter 11, please, the book of Romans and chapter 11, verse 33. Oh, the depth of the riches, both of his wisdom and knowledge, of the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out.
For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor, or who has first given to him and it shall be recompensed unto him again. For of him, and through him, and to him are all things, to whom be glory forever and ever.
Amen. Don't put a wall between that and the next verse. I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Isaiah chapter 40. Our reading will start at verse 10.
Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him. Behold his reward with him, and his work before him. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd. He shall gather the lambs with his arm and carry them in his bosom.
He shall gently lead those that are with young. Now the tense changes. Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with a span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?
Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or, being his counselor, hath taught him? With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and showed unto him the way of understanding?
Behold, the nations are, tense change again, as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance. Behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing. And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof, for a burnt offering.
All nations before him are as nothing, and they are counted to him less than nothing and vanity. I want to speak this afternoon. I just closed the meeting with one truth that I trust God will impress on all our minds.
I'll put it in three words. No sacrifice sufficient. Not his sacrifice. Thank God his sacrifice is eternally sufficient. For you and for me, no sacrifice sufficient. I did a little of a poor job in just pointing out to you the difference in the tenses as we read through there.
Now don't get tense about the tenses, but you recognize that actually you're taken back, backwards to the past. I think probably you're looking at the past in terms of creation, and it does have a great relevance to this nation.
Now how much they grasp of this, I wouldn't want to dismiss it totally. But I do know this, that the Lord speaks about a kingdom prepared from the foundation of the world. And God's purpose in creation, he has a purpose for this nation of Israel, the past.
But we read before that about the future, and God does definitely have a future for this nation, and their God will come to them, their king and their shepherd. And then we have read about the present and God's dealings with nations and with islands even, whatever it may be, how small and minor that is as far as God's power to work.
I do see a connection between that and what you have in the book of Romans, chapter 9, chapter 10, and chapter 11. Because you will know that chapter 9 takes us back to the past and God's purpose for Israel.
And you will know that chapter 11 will take us to the future. And you will know that chapter 10 is telling us that what has been is now the characteristic of that people and the reason why God has turned away from them.
So, in some sense, you have the past, the present, the future in Romans. Here you have the future, the past, and the present. There's a reversal, a change in the order in which they are found. But there is that connection between these two passages, Isaiah, chapter 40, and what we have read in Isaiah.
Sorry, that's Romans, chapter 11. And, in fact, what is in Romans, chapter 11, what we read at the end, is quoted from the passage from which we have been reading here. Let me ask you, first of all, then, to think with me about God's capability.
We sang it last night, I think, about the one through the woods and forest glades I wander. And, see the, here, let me see how, see the brooks and, no, and see the, about the bird singing. Now I got it all backwards.
Okay, you know what it is, and I'll just bypass. And I, you know, sometimes would think that that verse, actually, it would be all right to omit that verse from the hymn, because the next verse is just stellar.
The best verse of a hymn I think I've ever sung. When I think that God is son not sparing. So I would leave out verse 2, except when I stop and think. I think it's good for us all to get a picture of the greatness of the God of creation.
I think it will help us to recognize, if I can just borrow, that he must increase and I must decrease. To get myself straight relative to God. Who am I? What am I? You think of the capability of God that God outlines here just so simply.
As he talks about who measured the waters in the hollow of his hand. Here is the God who stretches out to divide the waters. Day 1, day 2, day 3 of creation. Let there be light, day 1. And it is a scene in which there is a mass of water that covers all.
Day 2, he separates the waters that are above the firmament from the waters below the firmament. Day 3, he separates the waters from the dry land. And all of that mass of waters. Do you have any trouble getting enough to drink in your hand if you just put your hand out like that?
If I have to take a pill, I can get by with a little bit of water. I can get by with about that much water. If I can get enough in there, hold it carefully and splash it on the front of my face. I'll get enough in to take a swallow.
And you're God and my God. Measured out the waters. Just in the hollow of his hand. The dividing of those waters, stretching out his hand to just measure them here and there. He's the one who has, actually the word has the idea of controlling or of limiting or of regulating the heavens.
The span of his hand. Now, I'm sorry. I was born on this side of the border. I've got to get a good word in first. And then apologize for living on the other side of the border. Because all I know that the speed of light is 860 ,000.
Is that right? No, that's not right. I've got my numbers backwards. I think I need this at the moment. I wasn't going to say this. But you know when the men were all arguing about the glasses and all that stuff.
President Reagan at one of the presidential debates in which he was being faced with a much younger gentleman. And his age was really being brought up as an issue in the campaign. He neutralized the whole thing by saying when the subject of the age was brought up at the debate.
He said, I really would prefer not to mention anything that will highlight the relative inexperience of my opponent. At which point, there was no further issue of age. So, I keep my glasses on for reading here and looking there.
And my memory is going. But I don't want to make a big issue about the relative inexperience. Never mind. How did I get on to that? All right. So, 186 ,000 miles per second. And a light year is beyond my ability to understand.
And when you get all the millions of light years to God. About that big. The vastness of the capability of God who actually is able. One of the translations give it. He's able to calculate. Or he's able to just put it all in his hand.
That's the idea. All the dust of the earth. Now, that doesn't mean all the clay of the earth. Because I think it would be easier to get the clay into a container than it would be to just scrape up all the dust.
Because when the wind blows in San Luis, Rio, Colorado. It really kicks up quite a cloud on the streets. Hard to gather it all together. If you got it all together, it would be blowing out of your dustpan pretty quickly.
And God can just take all the dust and the dry places of the earth. He can just take it all in his hand and put in a bag. He can measure it. Just with a. Might be a big enough bag. But he can measure it all.
Just nothing to him. The dust of this earth calculates the whole thing. And when it comes to the mountains. He's got a scale that he can put the mountains on. I read yesterday a question. Oh, yeah. I think it was Tim Horton's.
I read the question before Mount Everest was discovered to be the highest mountain in the world. What was the highest mountain in the world? Oh, yeah, it was Mount Everest. And then just discover these massive things.
And God says, I have a little scale. I can put them on. And when it comes to the hills. He's got an exact measuring instrument to measure the whole thing. How big is your God? I dare say that not one of us has a big enough concept of God.
He is beyond our ability to grasp and the greatness of his capability. But Isaiah turns God revealing himself. Turns to not only God's capability, but God's counsels. And we're reminded if I just go to Romans chapter 11.
You remember that there's sort of that cadence about wisdom and knowledge and judgment and ways. And you find something of the same thing here when you're looking through Isaiah. The reminder of God's counsels, his wisdom.
God did not have any counselor. God did not need any counselor. There's a lot of us that don't take counsel, but we need it. But as far as God is concerned, God did not have any counselor and God did not need it.
But more than that, there was no one before him that could counsel him. And there is no one above his transcendence that could instruct him. The tremendous reality of a God who does not have to consult anyone to know exactly what is best.
Who is not somehow or other questioning at some moment. I wonder should it be this or should it be that? A God who has eternally foreknown all that should be done, never caught by surprise. Has a design and the design of that is absolutely perfect.
And he has full identification of where he is going, how he will get there and when he will arrive. And there is absolutely no one else required to give counsel to this God. When it comes to creation, God did not have to consult anyone.
That's why Proverbs chapter 8 speaks about wisdom involved as though wisdom were itself the creator. The absolute wisdom of the design of God when it comes to every aspect. I'm going to embarrass you again.
What was that about the beauty of the butterfly wing? Was that something like that yesterday in the prayer? Oh, you want to get a buttercup into this? So it's the beauty of the petals of the flowers and the beauty of the feathers of the birds and the beauty of the snowflake.
We had that one yesterday. I was listening to maybe a little bit. And the grandeur of the mountains and the beauty of the lakes and the waters and all by the design of wisdom. It all works. And then just stop at night.
Don't you do this? And you look at the stars. And I like this later on in Isaiah 40, but I love the way the way it's put. God, every night, this is the imagery that you use. Every night God says, OK, all of you stars come out here in your place on my playground.
And he's got them all in the right place. They don't all come at the same place every night, but he's got them all in the right place every night. And he knows them all by name. Every single one of them.
The greatness of that God. And all the vastness of the expanse of the universe itself. He did not need anyone to help him figure it out. He did not somehow need to consult Pascal to get some angle on trigonometry.
It's all designed by the infinite transcendent wisdom of God. And as far as the nations themselves are concerned, the consequence is this. God has his design not only in creation, but God has his design in the nations.
Now moving over to Romans chapter 9, 10 and 11. And here is the infinite wisdom of God that the apostle now goes into a sense of wonder and worship. As he is overwhelmed by the depths of the wisdom and knowledge of God.
And the ways of his judgments. That he can set aside Israel and bring in Gentiles that have no connection with Abraham. And no connection with blessings. And in that he can work to the jealousy of this nation of Israel.
Because he will bring fullness to the Gentiles and he will bring fullness to the Jews. How amazing the counsel of God. Not only in creation, but the counsels of God when it comes to the nations and God's dealings among men.
And you're reminded then you have in the past his capability and his counsels. And in the present his control as far as the nations are concerned. Because did you read about this? To him the nations are like the drop in a bucket of a bucket.
So you got a man carrying water along on his shoulders maybe. He's got a yoke. Has he got it? And he's got two pails of water there. Is that good enough? And he's going along very carefully. And he kind of stumbles a little bit over the stone and he doesn't stop to worry about it.
Just the drop fell out back there. It's nothing of tremendous consequence as far as the worker is concerned. I'm not saying that God has no interest in the nations, but as far as his vastness and control.
It's no problem to God as far as just this matter of the drop of a bucket. You have a transaction in which you have a merchant and he's got his scales. Now this would be a little bit of an older store than some of you young fellows know.
I mean you're just relatively inexperienced. But I've seen it. You went to the store and they used to have... Well, some of the supermarkets still have a scale and you put your apples in there and all that stuff.
Did you ever, before you put your apples on the scale, did you ever go over to it? Don't do this. I didn't mean to do that. And you blew the dust off because you didn't want the dust to affect how much you're going to have to pay for the apples?
You didn't bother with that, did you? There you are. As far as God is concerned, just like the dust and the balance, it doesn't really affect the weight of things at all. No problem as far as God is concerned relative to controlling it.
And in fact, I like the translation that Mr. Darby gives of the islands. He says, where does it say here about this? Behold, he taketh up the islands as a very little thing. He takes the islands up as an atom is the way that Mr. Darby translates that.
And the word take up there, since that word is used elsewhere in Isaiah, God speaks about taking up Israel out of Egypt and bringing them into the land. So it's for God to rearrange the islands. No problem to God.
Just it's like moving an atom as far as God is concerned. Just take that thought now into the picture that you have in Romans chapter 9. And you're reminded of the God who is the potter. Who is just framing this nation for this purpose and framing this nation for that purpose.
Just by the touch of his hand, he just makes the vessel just exactly suited for his divine purpose. The transcendent God, capability and control and counsels. Now, let me come to verse 16. And highlight now what Isaiah tells us.
As far as Lebanon is concerned. Now, do you know anything about Lebanon? Like, what would you have in your mind about Lebanon in the word of God? The cedars of Lebanon. I imagine there must have been a bit like the state of Washington.
Those massive, ancient, strong, tall cedars. And what chapter 40 of Isaiah is telling us is this. If you took all those cedars. And you cut them all down. And you used every one of them for a wood offering.
Upon which you would have the rest of your offering offered. If you were to bring all of that together. It would not be sufficient as a sacrifice for God. And if you brought all the animals that you could.
All the clean animals of Lebanon. And brought them all together. It would not be sufficient when it comes to the claims of God himself. God so far transcendent. That is what I see in the last verse now of Romans chapter 11.
For of him and to him and through him are all things. Have we got this grasp of God in all his greatness. In all the grandeur and wonder of his person. All things by right owe their origin to him. They are all of him.
All things by right operate through him. As a result of his control and of his working and wisdom. And all things are to him. He deserves that everything in the universe should serve his purpose. He deserves that every island of the sea should reverberate with his praise.
To bring honor and glory to him. Do you agree with that? Do you believe it? Is that how great your God is? Really? I beseech you therefore. Just if there were no other reason for it. I beseech you therefore.
Because it is only right that God should have everything. There is absolutely no rational way of moving around this and saying. He has made me as a creature. And therefore I deserve some for myself. And I should give something back to him.
I should give quite a bit back to him. I should give a massive sacrifice back to him. If I gave my all it would not be sufficient to express what he deserves. The claims of this one. And so when you put these two passages together.
You're looking in the book of Isaiah. At the reality that this people. Is a people that first of all. Have grasped. Are to grasp the greatness of the person. Of their God. And recognize no sacrifice is too great for him.
No sacrifice is sufficient for him. But more than that. God is intending to remind them in Isaiah chapter 40. That as far as God is concerned. This masterful God. This marvelous God. Do you understand that this is the God.
That has placed you in a place of unique privilege. And unique position before him. Among all the nations as far as God is concerned. God has singled out one nation. To be uniquely his people. And while all these other nations are worshiping their false gods.
You have the true God. The living God. And that God has a significant. And an eternal purpose. As far as you the nation are concerned. Come over to the book of Romans. If you think of his person. Of him and through him and to him are all things.
I beseech you therefore. But then he says brethren. Will you recognize. That there is a time when he speaks at the beginning of that section. About my brethren my kinsmen according to the flesh. And my brethren there are the Jews.
To whom is Paul speaking when he says brethren. In Romans chapter 12 and verse 1. There are some Jews and there are some Gentiles. There are brethren in Christ. They have come into something new. And something distinct.
And as far as the purpose of God is concerned. The great plan of God. God has brought them into something uniquely different. In his sovereign dealings among the nations. God has moved Israel out of its place of present privilege.
And God has brought in Jew and Gentile together. And that's where you and I live. And I hope we never forget. That we don't deserve to be in the place of privilege we are. We don't deserve to have been brought up.
Hearing the message of God in the gospel. You and I have been brought in by the sovereign mercy of God. I beseech you therefore brethren. By the mercies of God. That's as far as I can go from Isaiah. But I can go further than that in Romans.
Because I remind you now. That what we have before us is this. That ye present your bodies. Go back now to Romans chapter 8. And you're being reminded of the body of the believer. That body indwelt by the spirit of God.
That body no longer a body of death. In which there is absolutely no hope and futility. At the end of Romans chapter 7. It is now a body destined for glory. It is now a body controlled by the spirit of God.
It is now a body in which the believer has a power to live for the glory of God. A power to please God. What a tremendous provision has been given to you and to me. Our brother Ronald reminded us yesterday.
Of the wonder of being indwelt by the spirit of God. And with all of that. God has by the indwelling of the spirit of God. Given you everything that is required. That you might live for the glory of God.
That you might surpass the frustration of a body that's subject to death. And all that goes along with that. And willing to do and incapable of doing. There is a power within us. That is not of us. And in light of the fact that your body has been claimed by redemption.
It is only right that that body cannot be reserved for your purpose. But that body must be handed over. Not my hands. And not my feet. And not my mind. But my all. I have nothing more that I can give than myself.
If I give myself. The Macedonian believers had first given themselves to the Lord. And then there was the financial result of that. But the first thing is. Our brother has given it to us from Luke chapter 14 today.
There's nothing else but my all. That belongs rightly to him. All the mercies of God. And the body that he has given us. And the tremendous provision of the spirit of God. But let me bring something else into Romans chapter 12.
That was not seen in Isaiah chapter 40. When you look at an altar. And you think of willingly laying yourself on that altar as a living sacrifice. Is there anything else that comes to your mind? Are you not thankful today?
That there was a man who willingly went to an altar. He was bearing a cross. It would be all the shame that's connected. Associated with the curse of the tree we've been reminded of. It was all the shame of the spitting of men.
It was all the shame of a crown of thorns. It was all the shame of mock worship. And the hairs being plucked from his cheek. It was all of that. And it was all the full fury of the wrath of God. And Jesus knowing all things that should come upon him went forth.
Would you prefer that the Lord Jesus had given a partial sacrifice at Calvary? Or do you like to sing he gave us all his life blood flowed. To reconcile the world to God. Do you appreciate the total giving of Christ for a world?
Do you appreciate the total giving of Christ for the church? Wasn't it a great privilege to be part of that church? If he was going to have you to be his and to be with him in heaven. Could he have given anything less than all?
Nobody's questioning that. Is it? Are you? It required all the sacrifice of Christ. To meet my need. And to fulfill God's purpose and longing for me. Am I right? Did he pay that much for you? So what should be the result?
I beseech you therefore brethren. By the mercies of God. That ye present your bodies. All that you are. All that you have. That ye present your bodies. A living sacrifice. Holy. Acceptable unto God. It's the only reasonable worship that you can express.
It is not. Let me just make it clear. When a person lays themselves on the altar and gives all. Forsakes all for the Lord Jesus. Lays down all willingly in sacrifice for Christ. It is not a business transaction.
All right Lord. I will give all to thee. If it will mean at the end of my life a rich reward. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with keeping your eye on the reward. But I'm telling you that that's not what's in Romans 12 and 1.
It is not somehow or other okay Lord. I will submit myself. I'll give myself to you. As long as you promise to use me in Mexico. Or anywhere else. It is an act of blind worship. If I may put it that way.
It is simply being overwhelmed by the greatness of the God. Who has this intense interest in you. Who has equipped you so fully. And all that you owe to Him. All that would rightly be His. No offering.
No sacrifice sufficient. I slipped one time and I said what I didn't want to say. And I'll say it now. I'm not saying. I think there's a difference in emphasis. I'm not saying no sacrifice is too great.
I think there's a difference. See if I were to say to David Jr. And Dan reminded us that he forfeited his the finishing of his education. If I were to say to him today. Did you give up too much? I don't have to ask him.
I know his answer. No, he did not give up too much. If I were to ask Dan. Dan, five years out. You didn't tell the folks. But there was a big sacrifice of career and material things. Did you give up too much?
Five years of reflection. What about some others here today? Whatever you gave up. Did you give up too much? Whatever you gave up. Was it just really a struggle to think of giving up that much for Him?
Let me turn it around. It's not a matter of no sacrifice is too much. If I have a grasp of what I owe. Then simply all the cedars of Lebanon. And all the animals that could be put on the altar. And a total giving of myself will not be sufficient.
He deserves more than I will ever be able to give. And I'm looking at some of you that have a little experience in life. And you're saying, good David, I hope the young people get it. Let me just get my imaginary mirror up here today and say.
David, is there any sacrifice that you could make today at this age, at this stage of life? Is there anything today that you could sacrifice that would be sufficient to give Him what He owes? And I may not understand the vastness of eternity.
But I think when the vast ages of eternity have rolled. And if anybody kept count, the number would be far beyond their ability to calculate. They won't have any computers to do it, I don't think. But when all the ages have rolled.
And every moment of those ages from the moment I have been made like Him. Until that immeasurable distance of time. Will I ever have given sufficient worship to Him? He will deserve more than I will have ever been able to give Him eternally.
And when all of us have joined together. And our voices, unsinning and unstinning. Have sounded His praises through ages of the ages. He'll still deserve more. He deserves everything. Today, in His presence.
In the silence of your soul. In the presence of the wounded, living, glorified Christ. He deserves everything. And no sacrifice is sufficient. I don't want to ask for an emotional response. I want to ask for a rational response and a spiritual response.
That there will be business done in these moments, in this conference, in this meeting. That you will recognize today, I can never give Him sufficient. By God's grace, may I give Him all.