This message, titled, The Glory of God Alone, from Romans chapter 11, verses 34 through 36, was preached at Winchester Reformed Presbyterian Church in Winchester, Kansas. For more information, visit us at winchesterrp.com. Millions of people around the world have been tuning in this week to watch the Olympics. It's an event that many people look forward to watching, hoping to see their home country, bring home the gold in various events. Now, I'm not one who's very passionate about the Olympics, especially the summer games. But this week, something caught my eye. It wasn't America bringing home gold medals. It wasn't some big Cinderella story of an underdog finding a way to win the top prize against all odds. What caught my attention was a South African swimmer named Schoonmaker. Schoonmaker set a record in her event this week as she won first place. But what's interesting though isn't the record that she set or the fact that she won gold, but what she was wearing. She wore a white swim cap, and on the side were the words, Soli Deo Gloria. That's the Latin phrase which translates as glory to God alone. This young lady is at the grandest stage of them all in terms of sporting events. She's on worldwide television before millions of viewers and she is boldly proclaiming the glory of God. Now this isn't something that's completely new. We've all seen other athletes or musicians and actors stand up and When accepting an award, they say, I'd like to first thank God. Now, sometimes this is done only because it's somewhat expected, but other times it is done out of a gratitude and genuine thanks for what the Lord has done. A Schoonmaker is a good example of what this doctrine means to us. She didn't know when she put on that cap that she would be winning gold or setting a record. She could have gone out there and ended in last place. She could have gotten injured during the event. But no matter what the outcome was going to be, the words on that cap would have still been true. Glory to God alone. Today we will look at why we are to bring glory to God alone in two ways. That God is the beginning of all things, and God is the end of all things. So let's first consider that God is the beginning of all things. Paul begins this portion of doxology, this exclamation of praise in a very interesting way. Oh! That single word is so full of expression in itself. Paul has just concluded most recently in this letter an explanation of how the Lord has not abandoned His covenant people, and that there would be a remnant to come out of Israel and trust in Christ, that there would be a great restoration of the Jews who put their faith in Christ Jesus. And when thinking of these things, when thinking of the greatness of the salvation that is found in our Lord, thing that Paul can do is simply marvel. And so he exclaims, oh! We've all experienced something similar where something has amazed us so much that that expression of amazement, that expression comes from our mouths. When I was flying in a helicopter across Iraq and I could see the great Euphrates River and the lush green landscape on its banks. Something similar came from my lips as I took in the beauty of creation. Like a newborn baby, like when a newborn baby is first presented to her parents and they both exclaim with joy." Here Paul is standing on this great mountain of theology which is the salvation of the Lord. And he's overwhelmed by the sheer awesomeness that he sees. And so he can't help but exclaim, And I use the image of a mountain because Paul stands on this great truth of salvation as though he's looking out over a vast landscape within the valley of the mountain that he is on. He gazes in amazement at the beauty and the awesomeness of everything that he can see. And so he exclaims, oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable are His judgments. How inscrutable His ways. Oh, the depth, the fullness, the complexity, the immenseness, the magnitude, the size. Like a climber at the top of Mount Everest gazing around at what He has just gone through and being amazed at the heights which He has been brought to, even though He can't come close to seeing it all. So too is Paul, looking from this height and seeing the depths of who God is and what He has done, even though he could never even begin to see the fullness of it. But like most analogies, this one is imperfect. There's an end to the depth of what is observed from the top of Mount Everest. But when Paul looks out at the depths of God, he knows that there is no end. And so Paul just stands in amazement at the awesomeness of God. And so Paul begins to dive into the depths in this proclamation of praise. He speaks of the riches of God. God is the source of all things. He is the possessor of all things. He is the beginning of all things. It is from Him that we receive everything that we have. We get our life from Him. Our breath from Him, our very existence from Him. And so Paul asks in verse 35, who has given a gift to Him that He might be repaid? And the answer to this question is no one. God is in debt to no one because He possesses all riches. No one can give to God what is not already His. But the riches of God are more than just material things. Christ Jesus Himself is the riches of God. He is the greatest treasure of all. And Paul goes on to speak of the wisdom of God. Nothing happens outside of the wisdom of God. He is sovereign over everything. He's the one who guides and directs and preserves and protects all things. Even the wisdom that we have as men is given to us as a gift from the Lord. And so Paul asks in verse 34, who has been his counselor? And the answer is obvious. Because God is wisdom Himself. Because He possesses all wisdom and is sovereign over everything. No one can be His counselor. No one can impart wisdom to Him because He is already the Wise One. And we, as believers, have the wise one dwelling in us, the Spirit of God who makes wise the simple. Then Paul speaks of the knowledge of God. God is omniscient, meaning that He knows all things. There's not one single thing that we could ever discover that is not already known to God. He is the One who created all things. And so He knows all things. God knows the laws of nature because they are His laws. God knows the future because He is the One who has written it. God knows the very hairs on your head and has each one numbered because He is the One who put them there. And so Paul asks in v. 34, who has known the mind of the Lord? And like the other two questions, this answer is no different. No one has known the mind of the Lord. We can never even begin to comprehend the knowledge of God. He knows all things Intimately. And so Paul summarizes these things in a second exclamation of praise. How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways. He understands that the depth of God can never be explored completely. He understands that there are things that have been revealed to us, but the secret things belong to the Lord. We have the knowledge of God given us in His written Word. We have those things revealed to us in the Word of God. We have everything we need to know for faith in life given to us in the gift of the Scriptures. And so Paul looks on these things, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God, and he stands amazed at the awesomeness of God. Have you taken a step back and simply marveled at the awesomeness of God? Have you looked back on your life and seen how the Lord has blessed you with riches, both physical and spiritual, and has it brought you to exclaim, Oh, the riches! of God. Oh, the depth of the riches of God. Have you looked to the one who you are united to Christ Jesus himself and give him praise to God for possessing the greatest of all riches? Having been blessed with every spiritual blessing. Do you take the time to See how the sovereign hand of God has been at work in all things. How that job that you lost, or that move that you made, or that pain that you experienced is being used for good. Do you see the wisdom of God given through the Spirit working in you to do His will? Do you treasure the fact that the Lord of all creation knows all things and not a hair falls from your head without His knowing? Do you seek after the knowledge of God as revealed in the Scriptures, understanding that it contains everything you need for faith and life? If you take a step back and look at these things, You too will see the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God. And it should stir in your hearts a recognition of the awesomeness of God and bring an exclamation of praise to your lips. And none of the credit goes to you. It's the riches of God. It's the wisdom of God. It's the knowledge of God. God is the beginning of all things. When you see this, the right response is to proclaim glory to God alone. Let us now consider that God is not only the beginning of all things, but God is the end. of all things. Look with me in verse 36. For from Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen. It's interesting the words that Paul uses here in this verse. from Him, signifying that God is the source of all things. This is what drove the doxology in the previous verses. We know that God is the beginning, the source, because the Word makes this plain to us. Just look at the account of creation in Genesis and you can see this. God spoke and things came into being. By the power of His Word, all things were created. The sun, the moon, the earth, the land, the waters, the plants, the animals, man, all things in heaven and things on earth come from God. Oh, the depth of the riches of God. And Paul goes on to say that through Him, are all things. God is the sustainer of all things. He's not like a watchmaker who simply winds up a watch and lets it go. No, He actively sustains all things. The breath that you just took is because He caused it to happen according to His will. The job that you have is because God placed you there according to His will. The future plays out because God has written it and it works according to His will. Nothing is outside of His control. Nothing is outside of His knowledge. Nothing happens outside of His sovereign will. Oh, the depth of the wisdom and knowledge of God. And then Paul says, to Him are all things. God is the end of all things. Everything that was created has a purpose. And that purpose is to bring glory to God. of creation proclaims the glory of God. The heavens declare the glory of God and the skies above proclaim His handiwork. The trees proclaim the glory of God. The mountains declare the glory of God. The birds sing of the glory of God. This is the purpose of all things. God is the end of all things. One of the most interesting passages which describes this very thing is when Christ is entering into Jerusalem, and the crowds of people are shouting His praise, proclaiming, Hosanna! Hosanna in the highest. And the disciples tell Jesus quieten the crowds. And He tells them that if these people were to be quiet, then even the stones would cry out. God is the end of all things. All creation proclaims His glory And that includes us. God is our end. What is the chief end of man? Man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. In the beginning, God. In the end, God. Everything you do is to bring glory to Him. Everything, even those things that may seem incredibly mundane to us are to be done for the glory of God. First Corinthians 10 31. So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Eating and drinking are some of the most mundane things that we do. But Paul uses these two things to show the overarching scope encompassing everything that we do. Do all to the glory of God. And so Paul ends this great doxology with the proclamation to him Be glory forever. Amen. And this glory that is to God. It's not something that we generate in ourselves and bring to God, giving Him something that He does not already have. No, God is glorious in and of Himself. Glory is from God, and through God, and to God. We have no glory in ourselves to give Him. Creation has no glory in itself to give Him. We simply reflect His glory through our being, through our word and deed. Think of the moon. The moon has no light of its own. And yet when you go outside at night, you can see the moon shining in the sky. This is because the moon reflects the light of the sun. Now think of light as glory. The moon does not have glory of its own, but simply reflects the glory of the source. That's how it is with us. and all creation. We simply reflect the glory of God. When we do things that bring glory to Him, we are simply reflecting back upon Him His own glory. And this is why nothing else can rightly receive glory, because nothing else is the source of glory. To bring glory to another, whether it be those things around us or other people or even ourselves, is to rob God the glory due His name. But even worse than that, is to set up something else in the place of God. It's blasphemy. And it's idolatry. And this is why this doctrine is so important. The end of all things is God. The end of all things is to glorify Him. Glory to God alone. This doctrine isn't simply a theory. It isn't simply something that we talk about or something that we simply confess this doctrine is something that we live. It ought to be a great comfort to us as we go through this life. If you look at the worst thing that could ever happen in this life, the heinous act of crucifying the sinless Jesus, then you will see that God turns the worst thing that could ever happen into the greatest thing that could ever happen. And if God does that in regard to the murder of his son, will he not do the same for you? How do we go through the despair of losing a job and having no prospects for a new one? Because we know that God is glorified. How do we make it through the heartbreak of losing a dear loved one? Because we know that God is glorified. How do we know which college we ought to attend? Because we know that God is glorified. God works all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purposes. He works all things for our good and for His glory. Understanding that God is the beginning of all things and that He is the end of all things is a comfort to us. Your thoughts, your actions, your words, your affections, they must all be to the glory of God. Nothing else can lay claim to His glory. We can boast in nothing of ourselves because we have done nothing to receive glory. So let us do as Paul did here in Romans 11 and marvel at the depth of God. Salvation has been given to you by grace alone. You've done nothing to earn your salvation. If God had done 99% and you did 1, then you would have something to boast about. 1% of that glory would be yours. But that's not the case. Salvation is a gift of God and is given by His grace alone. Glory to God alone. You've been justified by faith alone. You are declared righteous by faith and you are clothed in the righteousness of Christ. Your best deeds apart from Christ are but filthy rags, worthless in the sight of God. You deserve no praise or acknowledgement in your justification because you did nothing to gain it. Faith is a gift given to you by God and it is by that faith alone that you are justified. Glory to God alone. Redemption is found in Christ alone. No other works of the law could purchase redemption. The blood of bulls and goats could never wash away sins. And there is salvation in no one else. For there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. You have been washed clean by the blood of the Lamb. Your debt of sin has been nailed to the cross. It's in Christ alone that you are redeemed. Glory to God alone. In Scripture alone is the rule of faith and life. The Word is a lamp to your feet and a light to your path. No other writing comes from the very lips of God. Nothing else makes you complete, equipped for every good work. You have everything you need for faith and life in Scripture alone. Glory to God alone. Brothers and sisters, never lose sight of the beginning and end of all things. Whether you eat or drink, whether you go to work or school, whether you live or die, whether there be plenty or want, whether there be harvest or famine, whether you win gold, or fail in your endeavors. Do all to the glory of God. Be a people who proclaims with a loud voice, glory to God alone. Let us pray.