Oh the Riches and Majesty of Our Awesome God Romans 11:33-36, Isaiah 40 and Job 35:1-7

I'm rich Pierce and this is let the scriptures speak This is the last few weeks it being it's been a while since I've recorded and you know that Those of you have been following the program

The last few weeks have been rather hectic a lot of book work and things to take care of and I just really felt

I Needed to get to this episode Putting it off any longer just wasn't gonna work so Some things

I wanted to take care of and I don't know if the cameras lined up exactly the way it was before I had

Actually had this thing mounted on glass And it worked great for a long time and then one day

James, you know Texted me and says hey your camera just fell off the glass so I've got a whole different setup here now that isn't depending on suction cups and I don't know why

I'm telling you all these things. But hey That's the way podcasting works, right so After the last episode

I realized after uploading it I had said that Constantine made

Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire and It's just one of those things to where I knew better But you know, it's one of those you think about it afterwards and go.

I Wasn't quite right about that. And I knew I wasn't quite right, but I wasn't quite right So just to clarify and set the record straight.

Yes. I knew that Theo Theodosius Theodosius is the pronunciation

I guess Theodosius was actually the one that did that but the root of the thing started with Constantine Constantine had his own issues along the way.

That's the discussion for another time So I just wanted to clear that up so that people don't think that I was a raving lunatic for saying that I'm a raving lunatic anyway, so that's all fine.

But let's Let's continue on here I'm looking around checking my tech because everything got

Redone to put the new camera mount in and I'm trying to make sure I've done it, right? So let's move on All right clicker respond to me

It's not wanting to respond. How about now? There it goes. Okay, so On the last episode we left off at the end of Romans 11, but did you notice something?

did you notice that there were some Old Testament quotes in there that we didn't look up and in this episode

I want to slow things down a little bit and I want to Recover that ground and go chase those down because it's very important that we do that Here's the quote

That we didn't chase down for who has known the mind of the Lord who became his counselor or Who has first given to him that it might be repaid to him now

This is what we didn't chase down. I just simply read over these things but think about some things here

And today we'll go look at those here number one is Paul simply offering these as a platitude

Are these simply Some buzzwords some random samplings in order to prop up the case

He's trying to make or is there a bigger picture here revealing things like the attributes of God The demonstration of the deity of Christ, but before we do that, let's read into your hearing

We have back up and read into your hearing some context starting At verse 25.

So let's let's do that For I do not want you brothers to be uninformed of this mystery so that you will not be wise in your own estimation that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the

Gentiles has come in and So all Israel will be saved just as it as it is written

The Deliverer will come from Zion. He will remove all ungodliness He will remove ungodliness from Jacob And this is my covenant with them when

I take away their sins. Now this quote came from Isaiah 59 as well as Isaiah 27 and we chased those down in the last episode and looked at those

Coming forward though I need to kind of scooch back here just a little bit because my clicker the

Dongle isn't responding to my clicker see Okay, anyway, let's move along so from the standpoint verse 28 from the standpoint of the gospel

They are enemies for your sake But from the standpoint of God's choice They are beloved for the sake of the father's for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable

For just as you were once disobedient speaking to these Gentiles in Rome Just as you were once disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience

So these also back up I got ahead of myself So these also now have been disobedient that because of the mercy shown to you

They might may also now be shown mercy Real quick description here.

We went through this in the last episode Paul is describing for us. He's telling us this is what

God has been doing This is what God is doing and this is what

God will do He's he's explaining the case for us for God has shut up all in disobedience

So that he may show mercy to all Paul uses a word picture here like a prison he's he's imprisoned all in disobedience in Order that or so that he may show mercy to all

So he was doing this with them over here and you were over here and now he's flipped the script

And now he's doing this for you and that with them now

Here's our focal passage here For today's study verse 33

I want you to think about what's being said here because Paul gives a marvelous summation in the in the chapter

But you need to recognize what's going on here. This is not a benediction. This is nothing ordinary being said here

He is deeply moved by these thoughts And he says oh the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God How unsearchable are his judgments and unfathomable his ways

Paul is at a loss for words as to how to describe How marvelous these concepts are to him?

He's at a loss for words to explain what God is doing and why? God is so wise in doing things the way he's done them and And then he says for who has known the mind of the

Lord or who became his counselor And he's citing from Isaiah chapter 40 here now

Before I read this into your hearing. I want you to consider something here Think on verse 33 for a moment.

Oh the depth of The riches and wisdom and knowledge of God how unsearchable are his judgments and unfathomable his ways and His proof of that is for who has known the mind of the

Lord or became his counselor think on that statement all by itself Well big deal

Paul Why are you being so why so much drama? Yeah, everybody knows

I mean who thinks that man knows the mind of God No one really thinks that we're

Counseling God, right So why so much drama?

What I want to do is I want to read this into your hearing chapter 40 of Isaiah in order for you to experience the full impact the full force of the

Apostolic message as I do I want you to take note of what is said about the one that is to come because you see

Isaiah 40 is a messianic passage okay, Isaiah 40 is a messianic prophecy and So as we do so can have have the

Lord Jesus in view in your mind as we're reading it consider the attributes of God that are attributed to him and How they demonstrate the deity of Christ as the

Messiah is to come and Also, keep in mind what is said in first and first in Colossians chapter 1 regarding Jesus Colossians 1 15

Talks about him as the creator of Everything and we're going to see a hint of that as we come back and read verse 36

Remember something and I'll read it for you right now For from him and through him and to him are all things

To him be the glory forever. Amen This is this is what is said about Jesus in Colossians chapter 1

So before we continue on let's go ahead and turn to Isaiah chapter 40 verse 1

Now if you're familiar with Handel's Messiah You'll be familiar with this phrase this first verse if you're not

I'd strongly encourage you this Christmas season to either get a hold of or attend one of these events that are

Bound to come up near you Where Handel's Messiah is being performed.

So keep in mind the book of Isaiah is primarily prophesied Has Isaiah has prophesied?

Israel being defeated and brought under Babylonian captivity, but here we're at a portion of the book of Isaiah Where some hope comes along?

Good news is being prophesied. So let's read comfort. Oh Comfort my people says your

God Speak to the heart of Jerusalem and call out to her that her warfare has been fulfilled

That her iniquity has been removed that she has received from the hand of Yahweh double for her all her sins

So the first phase of this I'm having to move back is this clicker is not

Responding to me very well and maybe moving back a little help here All right, what happens when you change everything, all right,

I'm gonna do this on the fly here a little bit and I'm sorry.

I apologize for this, but I'm having to do this as a one -man show here and That's that's not working well, you know what we'll do let the software do it here and go over here and That's better my apologies for that okay moving along so Israel is now at this place where Yahweh says that she's received double for all of her sins

And so now see if this isn't familiar to me to you

All right. I gotta go back over here. The tech is not working well for me today But let's see if we can't get past all of that a voice is calling

Who's the voice? Who's the voice? Prepare the way for Yahweh in the wilderness.

Are you hearing it yet? Who's the voice? This is referenced in Matthew chapter 3

Mark chapter 1 Luke chapter 3 and John chapter 1. It's all over the

Gospels all four Gospels mention it This is a prophecy Forthtelling the coming of John the

Baptist the forerunner of the Messiah the one heralding The Messiah John the

Baptist is like the one who Proceeds the king and he gets everyone's attention

His job is to get everyone's attention so that the one who comes behind him has their undivided attention

He is the one heralding the way Make smooth in the desert a highway for our

God let every valley be lifted up and every mountain and hill be made low and Let the rough plain the rough ground become a plain and the rugged terrain a broad valley

John's job is to make smooth the way for the Messiah Then the glory of Yahweh will be revealed so as this next one comes

The glory of Yahweh will be revealed in him and all flesh will see it together

For the mouth of Yahweh has spoken a voice says call out

Then he answered what shall I call out? slow down consider this next transition all flesh is like grass and All its loving -kindness is like the flower of the field

Carry that picture with you. I've made the note here Okay, all flesh is light is grass its loving -kindness is like the flower of the field

What happens next the grass wither and the flower fades?

When when the breath of Yahweh blows upon it? We're gonna repeat it in a different way

Surely the people are grass You're following the people are grass and the grass withers the flower fades

But what endures folks? What is it that endures? But the

Word of our God stands forever the grass is as the people the flower is at this is as the things that the people love and The breath of Yahweh blows upon it

The flower the grass withers by the breath of Yahweh the flower fades by the breath of Yahweh But what remains is the

Word of God because it stands forever now Consider this thought there's a parallel in the

New Testament What did you are you thinking with me on the what that parallel is? 2nd

Timothy 3 16 says that all scripture is God breathed

So the the Word of God Word of God that stands forever right there

Parallels in the text with the breath of Yahweh. It's what it's what remains

Okay, all scripture is God breathed and profitable for teaching for reproof for correction for training and righteousness

So that the man of God may be equipped having been thoroughly equipped for every good work so the

Word of God which stands forever and survives all this

Okay The Word of God remains so who are these people that wither well, they're not people of faith

Consider that as we move forward, okay The Herald comes along.

So again, I made the connection here. The breath of God is the Word of God Okay Consider that think deeply on it

Get yourself up on a high mountain. Oh Zion We're all can hear you

Bearer of good news raise up your voice powerfully. Oh Jerusalem Bearer of good news raise it up.

Do not fear say to the cities of Judah Who's in focus here?

Who's being heralded John the Baptist is being prophesied he's the one in the wilderness and the one who is to pronounce the coming of the one being prophesied about here is to get up on the high mountain and he is to say to the cities of Judah Behold your

God Behold your God Behold Lord Yahweh will come with strength with his arm ruling for him

Behold his reward is with him and his recompense before him like a shepherd

Who does Jesus say he is? He's the Good Shepherd Like a shepherd, he will shepherd his flock in his arm

He will gather the lambs and carry them in his bosom He will gently lead the nursing ewe's

Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand? Think on that for a second the hollow of his hand

Yahweh is so great that he measures the waters in the hollow of his hand all right and encompass the heavens by the span

The span of his hand this distance between here and here is the analogy. That's the imagery

The waters They're all measured in the hollow of his hand he's so great.

He is so wonderful He is so magnificent. The heavens are measured by the span of his hand.

He is so wonderful and calculated the dust of the earth by the measure

That measure he's calculated the dust of the earth He knows all of these things the grandeur

He's weighed the mountains in a balance and the hills in a pair of scales who's done all these things

Yahweh has now as we shift gears and we consider the question of who is in view here

Now we're going to focus on the portion that Paul has quoted for us because again all of this is

Is is carried with this next verse that Paul focuses on and he asks the question

Who has encompassed the spirit of Yahweh? who has who can who can measure the spirit of Yahweh or who as His counselor has informed him.

This is what Paul is quoting who's done this with whom did he take counsel and Who gave him understanding you following it?

seeing it and who taught him in the path of justice and who taught him knowledge and Made him know the way of understanding

You see Yahweh stands alone in all these things. He is the unique one

He is the one of a kind there is no one like him No one else like him and he has come and lived among us following this

He has come and lived among us Behold the nations are like a drop from a bucket and are counted as a speck of dust on the scales picture

Yahweh Weighing it Weighing the nation. They're like a drop from a bucket

Nothing. They're like a speck of dust on the scales. They don't even register for him

Behold he lifts up the coastlines like fine dust Is this impacting you is this is this affecting you because it affected the

Apostle deeply Even Lebanon is not enough to burn the great forest of Lebanon isn't enough for the cauldron

It's not even enough all of the forest of Lebanon isn't enough nor is its beasts enough for a burnt offering

All the beasts in Lebanon all the trees in Lebanon aren't enough to offer the burnt offering to Yahweh All the nations are as nothing before him think on that All the great nations that we look at in history and we marvel at and we honor so dearly

There is nothing before him They are counted by him as non -existent and utterly formless

Utterly formless if following this To whom then will you like in God is the is the impact hitting you yet?

To whom will you liken Yahweh or What likeness will you compare with him?

Oh, we're gonna get into the images now. We're gonna get into The the the idolatry, how will you compare

God? What face will you put on your idol? Will it be an Eastern European?

Will it be Mary some Eastern European looking woman? What face will you put on your idol and now he talks about the rich man and the rich man's idol for as as for the graven images a craftsman gets it casts it a goldsmith plates it with gold and a silversmith fashions chains of silver

You get the picture here. This is an ornate beautiful image

He who is too impoverished now, we'll talk about the poor man. So the rich man's got his idol now

We're gonna talk about the poor man. He who is too impoverished to make such a contribution

He can't afford the gold. He can't afford that kind of a craftsman So he goes out and he chooses a tree that does not rot

He finds a solid wood for himself and he seeks out for himself a wise

Craftsman so he goes into town and he finds a woodworker

To prepare a graven image that will not be shaken He's putting that image together do you not know have you not heard

Has it not been declared to you from the beginning have you not understood from the foundations of the earth

This theme is going to get repeated by the way in verse 28 further on so take note here in verse 21

Do you not know have you not heard? the Prophet is

Holding his audience accountable for this information You know this you've heard this.

Yes, you have It's been declared to you from the beginning You've understood it from the foundations of the earth

It is he who inhabits the circle of the earth and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers it is he who stretches out the heavens like a curtain and Spreads them out like a tent

To inhabit it is he who reduces rulers to nothing who makes the judges of the earth utterly formless

Stop and think on that a second This is messianic there is a Creation reference here.

It is Yahweh who's done all these things The inhabitants of the earth are like grasshoppers to him.

He stretches out the heavens like a curtain He spreads them out like a tent to live in All this imagery is to show us how incredibly puny we are as in the in the created order when compared to him

Who makes the judges of the earth utterly formless He rules over them scarcely have they been planted scarcely

Tech is giving me grief again scarcely. Have they been sown so Hastily these judges have been put in place

Hastily Like seeds that just been thrown down. Have they been sown quickly scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth but he merely blows on them and they wither the breath of God and the storm

Carries them away like stubble when we consider the prophets view of God here.

It is magnificent It is tremendous it is beyond our comprehension this is why

Paul searches for words to to describe the majesty of the

God that he's talking about The majesty of what's going on here. This is why he he ends chapter 11 with this grand doxology

All of this is in full force in his reference to verse 13 To whom then will you liken me that I Would be his equal see

Isaiah is not done with this idolatry thing not by a long shot To whom then will you liken me that I would be his equal says the

Holy One The statues the images the whatever face you want to put on the thing

It's just an idol it's a dumb idol, but this is the prophets admonition

Lift up your eyes on high and see who has created these stars Look into the heavens look far beyond your imagination

Things that we send satellites into orbit we send spaceships to go look and look and look into the grand depths of creation is search of a creator the

Prophet tells us to look up look lift up our eyes and Look at those stars and consider the

Creator the one who leads forth their host by number the one who leads

He guides their path He has them numbered. He calls them all by name

Because of the greatness of his vigor his power and the strength of his power

Not one of them is missing consider that thought Consider that thought we we talk about as reformed men

We talked about how not one maverick molecule is outside of the court There is no such thing as a maverick molecule outside of the sovereign act in the hand of God Isaiah says that very thing here

You look at the the vastness of the stars you consider all of that He has them numbered.

He has them named and not one of them Has he lost?

Not one of them is missing Why do you say Oh Jacob and assert?

Oh Israel my way is hidden from Yahweh. Oh Yahweh's pretty big

He doesn't know I did this he doesn't know about me I can hide from him

Why do you say these things? He won't notice this and he won't notice that and the justice do me

Passes by my god. Why do you say this? I Won't have to face justice.

I won't have to face a judgment seat. God will look the other way God doesn't even know

Why do we say these things and we tell ourselves these lies Do you not know here's verse 28 he's repeating this theme do you not know have you not heard the everlasting

God Yahweh the creator of the ends of the earth

Does not become weary or tired He didn't lay down last night when you were out doing what you shouldn't have been doing his understanding is

Unsearchable we're going to see a hint of this in verse 36 in Romans 11 How unsearchable are his ways?

Actually, I think that's in verse 33. Yes verse 33. I have it here Oh the depth of the riches and wisdom of knowledge of God How unsearchable are his judgments and Unfathomable his ways.

So if you think I'm stretching it or he only quoted verse 13 rich Well in verse 33, he's talking about what we find here in Isaiah 40 verse 28

There's the parallel he gives power to the weary and To him who lacks vigor he is he increases might

Though youths grow weary and tired and choice young men stumble badly

Yet those who hope in Yahweh will gain new power. He strengthens his people

He lifts them up. He guides them. He gives them strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles

They will run and not get tired. They will walk and not become weary Think on this a second the majesty the power the amazing

God who came and lived among us all of this is poured into that one statement in verse 34 for who has known the mind of the

Lord or became his counselor All of this is poured into it, but Paul doesn't stop there because the next portion here

The next portion is Job chapter 35 If you will turn with me to Job chapter 35 verse 1 if you need to look it up pause this real quick I'm gonna go there right away.

It is a much shorter section But consider the idea here. Remember a lie who a lie who is the young one?

He is the one who sits there and listens to the old guy is going back and forth muttering and yammering and He finally speaks up And he answered and said do you think this is according to justice

Do you say my righteousness is more than God's? For you say what

Use will it be to you? What profit will I have more than if I had sinned?

I? Will respond to you and your fields and your friends with you.

I Will respond to you and your friends with you So a lie who has had enough and he's going to rebuke the older men all of them and he's going to set the record straight

Look at the heavens and see and perceive the clouds. They are higher than you

Alive who reminds him of the very thing that Isaiah will say later if you have sinned what do you accomplish against him?

He reminds all of them but specifically Job where he stands before the

Holy God and the contrast the juxtaposition between the two and If your transgressions are many, what do you what do you?

Do to him if your transgressions are many. What do you do to him if you are righteous?

What do you give to him? This is what Paul is quoting This is what he's putting into our hearing or what does he receive from your hand?

What does he receive from your hand? verse 35 or who has first given to him that it might be repaid to him so right there

Right. I'm still trying to get my hands on this not gonna work. All right, give up on it rich So as we go back to Romans chapter 11 and consider the full context of this benediction that Paul gives to Romans 11, let's go back and we're gonna start with verse 33 and Consider now fully

Paul's marvelous summation. Oh the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God He's just as finished explaining what

God is doing among mankind and his submission Summation is to marvel at it.

We in our generation have a tendency to sit back and go why would

God do it this way or why would God do it that way or we want to sit there and navel gaze and think well, you know

Philosophy says that we should be thinking this way and created order and all this and you know

That's not where Paul's at It's not where Isaiah was at they sit back.

They see what God is doing They tell us what God is doing and they marvel at it with words

That cannot even begin to describe it. Oh The depths of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God Paul can't even explain that He can only marvel at it

How unsearchable are his judgments? The depth and the wisdom of God is so great

We can't even put a search engine on it the world's greatest search engine can't come close to it

How unsearchable are his judgments and Unfathomable his ways

If you could search it, you wouldn't understand it It can't even be

Plumbed the depth of it can't even be plumbed. It is unfathomable and he then quotes for us for who has known the mind of the

Lord or Who has became his counselor he pours all of Isaiah 40 into this one

Statement all of its there or who has first given to him. He brings a lie who here to rebuke us

Who is first given to him that it might be repaid to him? Get your mind right and view

God the way he intends to be viewed and not as just some big man in heaven his grandeur is

Tremendous and we need to have that in our minds as we consider the nature of God and all of that is being poured into the information

We know about the Lord Jesus Christ For from him and through him and To him are all things to him

To him Think about Isaiah 40 verse 25.

I want to repeat this to you to him. Will you liken me that I would be his equal? Says the

Holy One to whom will you liken me that I would be his equal for from him and through him and to him are all

Things everything is to him be the glory forever

Amen, this is the great crescendo. The crescendo is that piece of music where the entire piece?

Peaks out the grand drama of all of it is This is the pinnacle and for Paul.

This is the pinnacle of the point. He is making we have peaked here For from him through him to him is everything to him be glory forever

Amen and he comes to this grand crescendo. He comes to this doxology

Through and after explaining to us in all of Romans 11 this is what

God is doing with the warnings with the Information with the knowledge with all of this.

This is the peak he pinnacles right here and I think it does kind of Proceed a little bit as we start to wrap up today.

It proceeds a little bit further in To chapter 12 and chapter 12.

I'm gonna try to get to it very soon and not have such a big long gap in between But chapter 12, here we go therefore and the reason

I believe that this is part of what came before so the chapter and verse divisions are

Not necessarily precise I think they should have gone down a little bit more but this is the summation therefore this is we know all this glory to God in the highest all of that is right there and Then Paul says therefore with all this information in our thinking therefore

I exhort you brothers By the mercies of God to present your bodies as a sacrifice

Living holy and pleasing to God Which is your spiritual service of worship?

He's already shown us that God is worthy of our worship. He's already shown us our true standing in contrast that juxtaposition between the great

God and the little tiny man and Yet God has had mercy on us.

God has chosen to act in our lives Sovereignly, so our role in this is to present our bodies as a sacrifice living holy and pleasing to that great

God Yahweh This is our spiritual act This is our spiritual service of worship and That we are not to be conformed to this world

But instead were to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. What is it that renews our mind?

The Word of God is what we renew our mind with we push out that worldly thinking we push out the worldly wisdom and what comes in and Renews our mind and transforms us the

Word of God So that you may approve what the will of God is

That which is good and pleasing and perfect so next time when we gather or get together here, we'll pick up with verse 3 and Begin to go through chapter 12 and break it down in the same way.

We've done this portion and I hope that this has been edifying to you.

I hope these programs have been edifying to you and Pray for me as my time schedule and all the other things that are going on I need

God's grace and mercy as I do this as well as all the things in Producing the dividing line with James and all the things that are going on there as well

But until next time I thank you and praise God praise

Yahweh He is worthy and The Prophet and the Apostle have made that crystal clear to us

It is not for us to sit in judgment over the great God of the universe

But to submit to him and make our bodies a living sacrifice and part of that is that renewing of the mind being transformed by the renewing of our mind and pushing out all those fleshly thoughts and Renewed by the