Worship Service #2 – Romans 11:33-36 “The Majesty of God” – Dr. Derek W.H. Thomas

Originally from Wales, Derek Thomas is the John E. Richards Professor of Systematic and Practical Theology at the Jackson campus of RTS. After pastoring for 17 years in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Dr. Thomas returned to the USA in 1996 where, in addition to his work at the seminary, he serves as the Minister of Teaching at First Presbyterian Church in Jackson. In addition to serving in the pastorate, Derek has served as editor of the Evangelical Presbyterian, a monthly denominational magazine. A graduate of RTS in 1978, he gained a Ph.D. from the University of Wales, Lampeter in Calvin’s preaching on the book of Job. He has written or edited 15 books and has contributed to commentary series by Banner of Truth and Evangelical Press. He also co-edited Give Praise to God: A Vision for Reforming Worship, (P & R) with Philip Ryken and Ligon Duncan. In 2004, Derek Thomas became Editorial Director for The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals and the editor of its ezine, Reformation 21 (http://www.reformation21.org/ ). His interests include the music of Richard Wagner, Anton Bruckner, and Gustav Mahler, and he has a passion for good coffee and blue cheese! He has been married to his wife, Rosemary, for almost 30 years. They have two adult children, Ellen and Owen, a dog called Jake and a cat (with feline attitude)-Maxamillian Beauregard!

Follow him on Twitter: http://twitter.com/DerekWHThomas
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Find many of his audios on Monergism: Link

33 Oh, the depth of the riches and s wisdom and knowledge of God! t How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
34 “For u who has known the mind of the Lord,or v who has been his counselor?”35 “Or w who has given a gift to himthat he might be repaid?”
36 For x from him and through him and to him are all things. y To him be glory forever. Amen.

What does God mean here “glory” of God? Will be looking at Calvin’s exegesis of this text. “It is a great thing to be subject to the majesty of God” – Calvin. To not be subject to the majesty of God was idolatry, says Calvin. Calvin go that notion that the essence of impiety is idolatry and got that from his understanding of the major prophets. A refusal to give God the glory due to His name is idolatry.

vs. 33 “Oh the depth of the riches” – Calvin recognized the propensity of the heart of men to rob God of His glory, to go unbridled, unchecked into the abyss of impiety. Soli Deo Gloria “to the glory of God alone.” Calvin’s commentary on Romans he states, “the book of Romans is about the gospel of the righteousness of God received by faith.”

1. What we have here is a vision of an incomprehensible God – Psalm 139:6 – “Oh, the depth of the wisdom and knowledge of God”. Be reminded the same man, the author, was brought into the 3rd heavens. What he saw, would be more than you’ve read on any blog, he could blog what none have blogged before. What he could twitter could shatter every “ipods”. Paul has traced out this godward side of plan and execution of the covenant of grace and provision of the mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ, as the only solution for guilty men and women. (Read in chs. 5, 6, 7, 8 the architectonic union of Christ and man). “There is no stopping this God!” Praise the Lord that we, Christians, know THIS God, the one who has become my heavenly Father. The endearing cry of a young jewish boy to his father, “Abba, Abba, Abba” should be our daily cry to our Father. Augustine speaking of the Trinity, “I see the depths, but I do not see the bottom.” There are depths of God which we cannot fathom. Do you have any idea of the amount of information which God has in “his pocket”?

2. There is a vision of a sovereign God – Isaiah 40; Job 15 – The best thing that Job’s friends ever did was not speak for 7 days. They only had one song which they sang to death. The Doctrine of Retribution. It takes 38 chapters for God to speak. Often the silence of God which hurts us the most. God says, “I will ask you and you will answer Me.” First question is, “where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?” Why did God make a hippopotomas? For His own glory! Pain is the same way.

3. There is a vision of the glory of God – vs. 36; remind yourself daily that you are saved by God’s grace. Our being should be employed for His glory… anything else is insane. What is sanctification? It is the response of a converted heart with gratitude.

When you are completed preaching, do people walk away saying, “We have a great God. We have an extraordinary God we have.” Do they walk away with a filling and a sense of the greatness of God? Is your desire to have the worship service filled with the majesty, the glory of God?

Before you die,
Don’t commit a public sin which will bring me down, my family down, my friends down. I just want to finish the race, it will be icey to finish will, but I just want to finish it. God can deal with “your” legacy.

Are you more concerned with your empire, your legacy than you are with the glory of God?

33 Oh, the depth of the riches and s wisdom and knowledge of God! t How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
34 “For u who has known the mind of the Lord,or v who has been his counselor?”35 “Or w who has given a gift to himthat he might be repaid?”
36 For x from him and through him and to him are all things. y To him be glory forever. Amen.