Unending Praise - Romans 16:27

This doxology then will never end. It is never ceasing, glory and honor to the only wise God through Jesus Christ and it will be our joy.

Ladies and gentlemen. One day without the impediment of this corrupt/and our flawed minds in our selfish hearts to one day give him what Paul says he is due now and forever.

Give him unending praise unending glory unending submission unending preoccupation. What more can we say that today our Bible teacher, Stephen Devi concludes a short series. He began yesterday entitled the final doxology as the apostle Paul was bringing his letter to the Romans to a close. He ended with a doxology of his own. Today Stevens teaching from Romans 16 verse 27, in a lesson called unending praise before Stephen get started. I'll mention that we have printed transcripts available of these messages if it helps you to be able to read along as you listen to this broadcast you can do that for this or any of the lessons you hear on wisdom for the heart you'll find them@wisdomonline.org. Now here's Stephen with today's Bible lesson study through Romans. As I reflected a little bit a number to be a little, reflect a little bit here with you. Okay you'll allow me that contemporary church growth advisors are telling I get stuff in the mail every every week. Sometimes daily through satellite conferences and magazine articles that if pastors do not address the trends and topics of contemporary culture as the meat of their message. If they are not clever or state-of-the-art in the stuff that they use, if they are not nonconfrontational. If they do not discover what their community wants to hear and then give it to them like some sort of ecclesiastical pizza delivery service than the church will never grow. What has happened in the last six years on the church scene is breathtaking in horror really so much of the diluting of the gospel is happened in just the last few years and it is dangerous to depart from the text of Scripture and let some fad or some trend become your staple and let me tell you as well as I reflected on this.

Just as a personal aside here that that I am very blessed to be your pastor, teacher, in fact, I'm spoiled.

I'm spoiled you have with welcome reception done nothing more or less than listen to me. As we've gone to the next verse next word. Sometimes you've opened your arms and your heart and your ears. Some of you dozed off periodically and I have memories of that in my mind but I can tell you that I am so spoiled.

Many of my contemporaries are pacing their offices on the weekends, wondering what they're going to preach that will be interesting to the people, but I will confess to you that I was earlier as a younger pastor influenced by this rather corrupt and corrupting advice.

Colonial was about three years of age at the time I can remember that about 200 people on the banner and when I just finished the book of Mark had gone through the book of Nehemiah and the book of James, and I just finished the gospel of Mark which are observably exciting books they disorder preach themselves now. Hi, I having finished the gospel of Mark. I found myself little I can still remember where I was standing and I had the thought come to my mind, I want am I gonna do what I preach, that's going to be interesting.

What will bring these people back. I can remember, without hearing, audible boys are seeing a vision. It's as if the spirit of God so convicted me that I stopped and I can remember to this day that that piercing question that came to my hearts and minds in the spirit of God who are you and what are you to say what it is my word, that's interesting. Who do you think you are. Never forgot. I immediately recalled standing there, sort of.

In midstep what Paul reminded another young pastor when he said to him, all Scripture is profitable how much of it, all of it, all of it.

The burden of proof is on us. The burden is on our minds and our labor and are disciplined to dig into the word of God and you have discovered with me sometimes in the most remote passage in Romans some of those difficult phrases.

The truth of God has poured forth as it.so scriptorium and you have joined me in this quest for truth and we have discovered together that in the word of God.

There is indeed life and grace and strength, and hope what better way to reach this particular milestone in our journey together than by ending the last phrase of Romans right where Paul ended it praising and glorifying the chief Shepherd of the church the Lord Jesus Christ. This is one of those doxologies. If you are with us in our last session we began this final doxology, beginning with verse 25. There have actually been several doxologies that we've either taken time with her, skimmed over in our study. These are moments when Paul Aziz dictating is a letter to the number three man, the number three slave you remember tertius, where he probably just raised his eyes toward the heavens and he broke forth in Psalm doxology ghost statement maybe maybe he's saying it. We don't know when Paul finished declaring the promises of God do Israel, that they would not go unfulfilled. The he broke into his first doxology in chapter 11 verse 36 where he said for from him and through him and to him are all things to him be the glory forever as Paul wrapped up his teaching content on nearly at the end of chapter 15, he stopped and he lifted his heart and his voice and his thoughts to heaven and he wrote the God of peace be with you all. A man then as he finished sending his greetings to the saints in Rome, he can again help but stop and offer a doxology of praise to God as he wrote in chapter 16 verse 24 the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. And now now with with sort of an uninhibited praise and one final lengthy doxology, the great apostle seems to say. And now it is time for the last word.

And what greater word could there be than this extended praise to the glory of God.

You are with us as we began this doxology. Remember that the word doxology comes from the Greek word doc saw which originally meant opinion that etymology remains even to this day. It has that flavor.

This is our opinion of God. This is what we think of God. This is what Paul, in his opinion believes God to be with go back and begin in verse 25 now to him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which is been kept secret for long ages past, but now is manifested by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God. It has been made known to all the nations leading to obedience of faith. This is my opinion of God. We divided this portion into four stanzas, where Paul praised God for his might.

His message is mystery and his ministry.

Now in one final!

Paul ends with these magnificent lyrics notice verse 27 to the only wise God through Jesus Christ be the glory forever.

Paul's praises first to God, but why would you notice it is to the only God. The only wise God is it to say, my God is exclusively incomparable.

He is the only God. Every other God is a stomp or a rock or a figment of the imagination, but our God is revealed in the word of God is true.

He is the only wise God. Paul is not writing to his favorite God is not writing to the God of the month.

He is writing to the God who is worthy to receive the glory and praise.

The only true wise God. We live in an era that is becoming more and more like poles. The pluralism of Paul's day believed in the veracity of many gods.

It was said of Paul's day, that in Athens there were as many gods as there were men, so we live in that day as well. Where we hear more and more talk of many faiths.

People of other faiths.

Let me talk to you within these walls here it let me make it very clear that it might be increasingly politically incorrect to say it, but there are not many faiths is one thing all others are speculation myths man-made religions false hope.

Paul said in Ephesians.

There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, all others are false. There are many false Christ's Matthew 24 verse 24. There are false prophets.

Second Corinthians 1113 there are false visions limitations to their are false brother in Galatians chapter 2, there are false teachers. Second Peter two. We do not say there are many Christ's. There is one Christ. There are not many faiths. There's one and everything else is false hope. Isaiah wrote centuries earlier. The truth. This truth thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, and his redeemer the Lord of hosts, I am the first and I am the last and there is no God besides me and who was like me and others who would claim to be God, let him proclaim and declared another was let him show his face.

You let him recounted to me in order from the time that I establish this ancient nation do not tremble. Do not be afraid. Have I not long since announced it to you and declared it and you are my witnesses, he told her to that nation and he tells it to this new nation. You are my witnesses, is there any God besides me or is there any other rock. I know of none. And that is the message we take outside these walls. He is the one true living God, one Lord, one faith, one baptism postings is doxology to the exclusively incomparable God. Everything else is empty and fall short, to the only wise God, why would the reference here in this particular phrase point to his wisdom to the only wise God. There are many attributes that Paul could have chosen, why this one we don't know for sure.

Perhaps it's because it has been the wisdom of God revealed in this letter and not only designing but demonstrating the plan of redemption, which is outlined and illustrated end and expounded on this letter to the Roman it is the wisdom of God that is revealed here he is amazing indescribably wise. You say, but there are other religion with great wisdom, look to the east is more and more are the Orient, which is venerated for its wisdom say several things one of which is this all truth originates in the wisdom of God for he is true in all truth simply borrows from his truth, whether they acknowledge him as God wore not all truth originates that in the wisdom of God. He is the source of truth.

Jesus Christ said I am body truth. Some students have said to me in recent days, but the religions of the Orient preceded Christ. It's true that the religions of the Orient preceded the birth of Christ, but they did not precede the declaration of the gospel of Christ. The gospel was given to Moses. Paula said the gospel was preached to Abraham the coming Messiah was promised to the first man and woman to walk the planet.

There's cunning, one who will crush the serpent's head and the sacrifices and that system was described in atonement was explained to our first parent when Noah disembarked with his family and his three sons, all of the population of the world destroyed from those sons would come the nations of our world. They knew the gospel they knew the truth they know the timing one they knew of atonement, substitution, and the need of one who would come to rescue them in the one who would rain everywhere you go in every religion you might want to study you find within it. Kernels of truth. They may lead you ultimately to error.

But there are kernels of truth that is God's true you go to the remotest part of this earth and you find a tribe can't read or write and yet they are worshiping what false spirits where they come up with that they never saw one. No matter where you go.

The truth of God. Elements of the truth of the gospel are found a Chinese believer in our church walking down through the lobby and I happen to walk past her and she stopped and handed me a couple of sheets. He said maybe you'd like to have these I'm going to teach a class and she was showing her students of the wisdom of God found even in the Chinese characters that form Chinese words in bedded gospel truth. Going back centuries before the birth of Christ. The Chinese word for creation. For instance, is made up of four symbols. The symbol for dust plus the symbol for life plus the symbol for mouth plus the symbol for motion equals creation. Think of the kernels of truth dust from the ground in the hand or motion of God with breath from his mouth equals creation, the word for forbidden is made up of three symbols 3+ another 3+ command equals forbidden.

Think of the gospel delivered to Adam and Eve.

They were forbidden to eat the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because they disobeyed that command they were barred from the tree of life. There's the truth within that of Christ gospel one more.

The Chinese word for righteousness.

Righteousness is made up of only two symbols. The symbol for me or a person. And on top of me. The symbol for a land a lamb over me equals righteousness. This is the wisdom of God.

I thought of this letter, the wisdom of God revealed to the Romans, not internal form, but nearly complete form in chapter 1 we have the wisdom of God in the gospel chapter 2 the wisdom of God in judgment in chapter 3 the wisdom of God and justification in chapter 4 the wisdom of God and his promises. Chapter 5 the wisdom of God in his peace in chapter 6 we see the wisdom of God in his free gift in chapter 7 it's the wisdom of God in our union with Christ in chapter 8 the wisdom of God is seen in our security. Chapter 9 the wisdom of God is expressed in his mercy in chapter 10 the wisdom of God is expressed in our evangelism chapter 11 the wisdom of God is seen in Israel's future. In chapter 12 the wisdom of God is for our transformation in chapter 13 the wisdom of God is seen in government. In chapter 14 the wisdom of God is seen in his grace in chapter 15 the wisdom of God is seen in his church. In chapter 16 the wisdom of God is seen in his glory, as Paul summarizes the ladder and brings it all together. He says now to the only why is God. It is the glory of God that is now our preoccupation. This letter leads to that truth and to this great God, who is exclusively incomparable Paul goes on to say he is entirely accessible. He goes on depend these lyrics to the only wise God through Jesus Christ. It is only through Jesus Christ that God, the triune God can be known Christ to his equal with the father that is of the same divine essence took on human form. Philippians chapter 2 came to earth. John one tells us so that we can behold the glory of the father full of grace and truth. One day when you and I look upon the face of God. We will be looking at the face of Jesus who is the image of the invisible God. Colossians chapter 1. This is God in flesh and God the son and I'm so glad that he took on flesh because we can then one day hug God. We can fall at God's feet. We can talk face-to-face with God through Jesus Christ. It is only through Christ that God can be worshiped. It is only through Christ that God can be approached explained this member of the triune God then gives us access to the throne of God memo Jesus said I am the door and you can be saved unless you enter through May. John 10 verse nine. Perhaps you remember that time in the upper room when Jesus Christ was about to leave his disciples and he revealed the truth that he was gonna leave them and he was gonna go back to the father and he said to them, and you know the way where I am going Thomas and raises him so glad Thomas is part of this I was because he says everything we would've said Thomas is Lord we don't know where you're going and we all know the way what you mean.

We know the way we love the weight of the father and that's when Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life. Then Jesus added those words from now on you know him that is the father and you have seen him and this time it's Philip who raises his hand in class, which I'm grateful for and he says, Lord, in effect, this is confusing. If you would just give us a vision of the father. We will be satisfied. We can't quite figure this out how your and him and he is in you and in your the expression of Hammond and for 2000 years are probably gonna try to understand this and then again either so could usually start with us and give us a vision of the father and Jesus said he was seeing me has seen the father you want to know what God is like, look at the sun, Illinois God the father thinks like look at how God the son thing learn how he speaks.

Learn why he is moved. This is the declaration of the person of God through God the son, and because of Jesus Christ we have access to our father. One author talked about a time when he was visiting his middle sons preschool class at the request of the teacher so that he could observe the class and it just so happened he wrote that I was sitting and observing a group of boys, including my own son there, but five years old and they were sitting in a circle nearby talking. I could overhear them they would begin to brag about their fathers.

One child said my daddy is a doctor and he makes a lot of money and we have a swimming pool, which I'm sure was oppressive.

Another kid tried to top that he symbol. My daddy is a lawyer and he flies to Washington and he has talked to the resident of the United States and other boy chimed in my daddy owns a company and we have our own airplane hero did my son said something that could not be topped by any of them. He pointed in my direction, and he said my daddy is here. My daddy it's one thing to talk about the glory of God and the majesty of God and and I'm using words that I know only a sliver of anything about what we talked about it we talk about his majesty and his glory and his exalted throne, and all of that but through Jesus Christ. We can say our father is here. He's here we can see him but do you want fellowship with him and you fellowship with his son. Do you want to surrender to him. Then you surrender to his son.

Do you want to walk with you walk with his son. We do that instinctively, as we pray and we end our prayers in Jesus's name amen we are coming to God through Christ.

That is, we are coming to God in Christ, we are coming to God by way of Christ. I think perhaps this is the emphasis of the apostle Paul here in this phrase we are coming to God because we can, through Christ, through Jesus Christ, we can say our father is here.

He goes further to the only wise God through Jesus Christ be the glory forever.

Our God is exclusively incomparable. He is entirely accessible. Furthermore, he is exceedingly commendable. To him be the glory forever since he is the only true God, since he is sovereign in his wisdom since he has redeemed us through Jesus Christ.

We can do nothing less than consider him worthy of all glory to him be the dock so to him be our highest opinion, to him be the glory in your opinion, Paul, in your opinion, how long should we bring glory to God. He says, look at your text to this one. Through Jesus Christ be the glory for how long. Forever. This doxology then will never end.

It is unending praise. It is never ceasing, glory and honor to the only wise God through Jesus Christ and it will be our joy. Ladies and gentlemen. One day without the impediment of this corrupt flesh and our flawed minds and our selfish hearts to one day give him what Paul says he is due now and forever. Give him unending praise unending glory unending submission unending preoccupation, unending service, unending affection, unending gratitude.

What more can we say that to this one be all that glory. That kind of opinion forever. So now is when we were not out now is when we get it started and were only beginning last forever.

Is there more to say what is one more final word is the word amen amen. Might we not only be hearers of this letter, but doers to learn what he has said and we have only learned a little bit but say at the end it's the truth we agree, we will live. So let's not just be of the word today. Let's be doers of the word to learn to say with Paul. Amen the lessons you just heard today here on wisdom for the heart is entitled unending praise. It comes from a short two-part series called the final doxology today we'd like to offer a complimentary copy of this lesson to anyone who's never contacted us before it's our way of thanking you for introducing yourself to us. We have no way of knowing that your listening unless you tell us and to thank you for taking the time to call. We want to send you this lesson on seating. Call us today at 86 648 Bible we enjoy getting to know you.

Thanks for tuning in today were glad you did. Tomorrow Stephen begins a series on angels and I hope you'll be able to tune in for that here on wisdom for the heart