The Only Wise God

Sermon delivered on April 12th, 2015

By: Pastor Greg Hocson

Text: Romans 16:25-27

 

Introduction

Great theology leads to great doxology.  

A high view of God results in high and glorious praise.

Psalm 66:2 Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious.

What is Doxology?

The dictionary defines doxology as "an expression of praise to God, especially a short hymn sung as part of a Christian worship service."  

The word doxology comes from the Greek doxa, ("glory, splendor, grandeur") and logos, ("word" or "speaking" or "saying"). Doxology is praise saying. It is saying thanks by means of praising God. It is a saying about God's glory. That is to saying praise or it is offering God thanks. 

Doxology is also a short declaration of faith. It is a declaration of what one believes.

Most doxologies are short hymns of praise to God, just like the one I am familiar which goes like this ...

 

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow; 

Praise Him, all creatures here below; 

Praise Him above, ye Heavenly Host; 

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

 

Although the word doxology is not found in the Bible, doxologies appear throughout all the Scripture.

The Psalms and Revelation contain several passages that the church has transformed into doxologies. Jesus and His followers likely sang one of the Psalms as a hymn on the night of the Last Supper.

Matthew 26:30 And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.

The epistles in the New Testament are filled with doxologies ...

Ephesians 3:20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, 21: Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

 

Jude 1:24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, 25: To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

Now that we know what a doxology is, I pray that we will practice it in our own personal lives and experience.

Our text this morning is a doxology. In this doxology, Paul focuses on one attribute of God, namely, His wisdom.

Romans 16:25 Now to him that is of power (able) to stablish (strengthen) you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, 26: But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith: 27: To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.

Today, I want to speak with you about the unsearchable wisdom of God. My prayer is, as we contemplate on God's unsearchable wisdom, we would see how glorious our God is and that we would see Him more clearly, love Him more dearly, serve Him more faithfully, trust Him more fully, obey Him more consistently - and at the end of the day and our lives, this Doxology would be a reality in our lives.

27: To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.

 

I - There is only one God

There are three instances in the Bible where you will find this expression, "The only wise God."

Romans 16:27 To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.

 

1 Timothy 1:17 Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

 

Jude 1:24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, 25: To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

This expression simply means there is only one God, which is a clear teaching in the Scripture.

Exodus 20:1 And God spake all these words, saying, 2: I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3: Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 4: Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

 

1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 6: Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

 

1 Corinthians 8:5 For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) 6: But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things.

 

Ephesians 4:3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4: There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5: One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6: One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

 

II - This one God is wise

Romans 16:27 To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.

There is only one God and this one God is wise.

 

1. God alone is wise

God is wise in Himself, and all the shining wisdom of men or angels is but a reflection of that uncreated effulgence which streams from the throne of the Majesty in the heavens.

Daniel 2:19 Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. 20: Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are his:

The believing man responds to this, and to the angelic chant, ...

Revelation 7:9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; 10: And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. 11: And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, 12: Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.

 

2. God is "all-wise"

God is wise in all things. Men may be wise in some things, and not in others; but God is wise in everything.

 

3. God is infinitely wise

Psalm 147:5 Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.

There is no limit to His understanding.

Isaiah 40:28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

The Creator of all the earth never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding.

Paul in his letter to the Romans said this ...

Romans 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!

The wisdom of God is very deep! You cannot get to the bottom of it. It is unfathomable.

 

4. God is the source of wisdom

Proverbs 2:6 For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.

He is the source and fountain of wisdom. 

Daniel 2:21 And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: 22: He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him. 23: I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king's matter.

All the wisdom the angels have, all that Adam had, all that Solomon, the wisest of men, had, originated from God. Wisdom is the gift of God; and particularly, the highest and best of wisdom, spiritual wisdom, wisdom in the hidden part, the fear of God in the soul of man, is what God puts there.

James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

God gives to all men who ask in faith, generously and without reproach.

 

III - What is Wisdom?

Wisdom is not knowledge

It is not the same as knowledge. Wisdom is different from knowledge. Wisdom is not smartness. There are plenty of people who are smart but not wise. There are plenty of people who are knowledgeable and highly educated but are not wise.

Though wisdom is not knowledge it assumes knowledge. One cannot exercise wisdom without knowledge. Wisdom is based upon knowledge. Wisdom cannot exist without a knowledge of all the facts pertinent to any purpose or plan. 

The God who is all-wise is also the God who is all-knowing

Wisdom is the ability to choose the best possible end, and to choose the best possible means of achieving that end. It is the power to see and to choose, the best and highest goal, together with the best way to attaining it.

Such wisdom is shown to us in the great acts and works of God ...

 

1. In His work of creation  

Proverbs 3:19 The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens. 20: By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.

The LORD laid the earth's foundations and set the heavens in place, by wisdom and understanding.

Psalm 104:24 O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.

How great in number are the works of the LORD! In wisdom He made them all.

They are not only many in number but many in variety. His work is so manifold that it would take eternity to talked about them. Let's look at some of them.

Heavenly bodies, moon, stars, planets, galaxies; mountains, valleys, plains, dessert; lakes, river, ocean; snow, rain, hail, clouds; plants and trees, flowers, fruits; animals, insects; fish and sea creatures; sounds, colors, taste, emotions, etc.

Psalm 104:24 O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.

 

Jeremiah 10:11 Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens. 12: He (God) hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion.

God made the universe and everything in it. He exercised great wisdom when He made all. Creation is display of His wisdom.

But we see His wisdom in the crown of all His creation - man.

 

a. The Human Eye

The human eye is super complicated. The eye has 40,000,000 nerve endings, the focusing muscles move an estimated 100,000 times a day, and the retina contains 137,000,000 light sensitive cells?

The most complicated supercomputers in the world cannot do what our eyes can do in seconds. It was designed by God by His great wisdom.

Even Charles Darwin, the father of evolution said ...

"To suppose that the eye could have been formed by natural selection, seems I fully confess, absurd in the highest degree."

What he is saying is, it goes against common sense and logic, to think that the human eye is a result of random chance.

 

b. The Human Ear

The human ear is amazing. How does it work? The way it works is, it's 24,000 "hair cells" convert vibrations to electrical impulses. It is capable of hearing sounds of astonishing low level acoustic energy. Under favorable conditions a normal person may actually perceive sound waves with the power of only 10^-16 (1/10,000,000, 000,000,000) of a watt. This is so little energy that, if our ears were slightly more sensitive, we could actually hear the noise of the collision of molecules in the air.

We could also talk about human heart, brain, hand, fingers, feet, nose, toe, hair, finger nails, etc.

 

c. The Digestive System

To sustain our body, we need energy and building materials. We need food. We need to eat. We need at least three and half pounds of daily food intake. And how is this done? Food is chewed by 32 teeth (one of our most precious possessions) where it is mixed by saliva, a mild digestant secreted from five glands located in the mouth area. Down the esophagus, digestion continues in the stomach, an amazing organ which must dissolve food and yet not dissolve itself. The acid in it would eat the varnish off a kitchen table in seconds. If this delicate balance is lost, ulcers (the process of the stomach digesting itself) results. The food then moves into the small intestine, a 20-foot tube which absorbs vitamins, minerals, and food into the bloodstream, then through the 5-foot long large intestine which absorbs water and other liquids. This then, is the 35-40 foot long nourishing canal.

Job 12:9 Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this? 10: In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind. 11: Doth not the ear try words? and the mouth taste his meat? 12: With the ancient is wisdom; and in length of days understanding. 13: With him is wisdom and strength, he hath counsel and understanding.

Augustine "Men go abroad to wonder at the height of mountains, the huge waves of the sea, the long course of rivers, the vast compass of the ocean, the circular motion of the star, but they pass by themselves and they don't even notice."

 

2. In His work of providence

His work of providence is His running, ruling, governing, preserving and caring for this world.

He wisely governs, rules and overrules all things, for the mutual good of men, and His own glory.

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

 

Ecclesiastes 3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: 2: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; 3: A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 4: A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 5: A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 6: A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; 7: A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 8: A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. 9: What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth? 10: I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it. 11: He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

 

3. In His work of redemption

Romans 16:25 Now to him that is of power (able) to stablish strengthen) you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, 26: But now is made manifest revealed, disclosed), and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith: (to bring about the obedience of faith) 27: To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.

Remember the definition of wisdom?

Wisdom is the ability to choose the best possible end, and to choose the best possible means of achieving that end. It is the power to see and to choose, the best and highest goal, together with the best way to attaining it.

To glorify God is the greatest goal of our salvation, and God has chosen the perfect way to bring it about. No boasting in ourselves in the presence of God.

1 Corinthians 1:30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: 31: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

 

Ephesians 3:8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; : 9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: 10: To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,

 

1 Corinthians 2:1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. 2: For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 3: And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. 4: And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: 5: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. 6: Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought: 7: But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: 8: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

God came up with such a marvelous plan of salvation. God has worked it out through every stage of human history. God has made it all known through the gospel- such a God is truly the essence of wisdom!

The great dilemma

We have a dilemma on the account of what man is and what he had done and who God is and what He must do. 

Man is sinful. Man has offended God. Man deserves to be punished because of his sins.

God is holy, righteous and good. God is loving, merciful and gracious. God, because He is holy and righteous, must punish us because of our sins. But because He is merciful He wants to forgive and let us go. But if He does that, He would violate His justice.

In our legal system ...

Proverbs 17:15 He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the LORD.

To justify the wicked, that is to declare the guilty criminal as righteous when he is not, is an abomination to God. If an earthly judge were to do this it would be an abomination in God's sight. It would be a scandal. It would be a violation of justice.

How did God solve this dilemma? 

The answer is Substitution ...

1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, (the innocent for the guilty, the righteous for the condemned) that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

This is a divine exchange. What an exchange! Jesus Christ taking our place. Instead of you and me paying for our sins, dying for our sins, Christ did it. He was punished for me. He suffered and died for my sins. He suffered and died for us.

Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9: Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

Christ took upon Himself the guilt and paid the penalty of our sin

Galatians 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.

Christ redeemed us, bought us off from the curse of the law, having become what we were, on our behalf a "curse," that we might no longer be a "curse."

2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Christ was made a curse for us, was made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him, that is, that His righteousness might be put to our account.

God places our guilt upon the account of Jesus Christ and places Christ's righteousness upon our account.

My sins became His and His righteousness became mine.

The Son of God became the Son of Man so the sons of men may become the sons of God.

O, behold the wisdom of God in saving sinners!

Romans 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!

 

Applications

Do you want wisdom?

1. Go to God for wisdom

James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

 

1 Corinthians 1:30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: 31: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

If you have not yet bowed down to Christ the Lord, then do not hesitate. Run to Him who alone is able to deliver you from the wrath to come (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10). In Him alone is there good hope. Through His shed blood your sins will be cancelled and forgiven, so much so that God "will remember them no more."

 

2. Trust Him for His wisdom

God constantly encourages us to trust Him in the dark. "I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: and I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the Lord, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel."

Isaiah 40:28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. 29: He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. 30: Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 31: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

And may our whole life be a Doxology. May our lives be one consistent boasting in the Lord alone.

Romans 16:25 Now to him that is of power (able) to stablish (strengthen) you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, 26: But now is made manifest (revealed, disclosed), and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith: (to bring about the obedience of faith) 27: To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.