Romans 16
Paul so fittingly ends the letter to the Romans with
To the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.
He does so because he has just written this letter which is all about God’s wisdom
He is charged up about God’s wisdom
And what God’s wisdom can do for the Romans from different backgrounds
God’s wisdom can do the same for you and I
God’s wisdom gives us mercy, hope, and peace
God also gives us a piece of His mind
Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 2:16
"For who has known the mind of the Lord
that he may instruct him?"
But we have the mind of Christ.
God wants to give you wisdom as you seek the mind of Christ
And it starts with praise to the only wise God
Wise God
As we come to the last of the Impact Statements
and Paul’s last words as he closes this amazing letter..
Paul expresses praise…
To the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.
Praise to the only wise God.
Paul could have ended with a number of things
to say about God, but he chooses wise God.
In fact, he says “Only” wise God.
Paul had to be thinking of all the gods
who are worshiped for their words and philosophy.
Paul in light of all the things
he wrote in the letter to Rome
and the Word of God in scripture…
There is no comparison to the God he proclaims.
Through Jesus Christ the understanding of God
makes sense.
The unlocked mystery of who God is,
makes sense.
Man has sought the gods to find the source of wisdom.
There will always be mysteries…
But the answer to who is the true and wise God is clear.
All mysteries comes together through the One
who died and rose again from the dead
to give eternal life to all who believe.
Jesus Christ is the only God
who makes sense.
So much so, even a child can understand.
As Paul breaks out in overwhelming joy,
he wants others to see God for who He is.
To open the expanse of our minds
to one of the many attributes of God…
His wisdom.
To see Him more clearly
and admire Him more intensely
and trust Him more firmly
and therefore, obey Him
more consistently and joyfully.
What is wisdom?
"Wisdom," in the Bible…
"Is knowing the greatest goal in any situation,
and the best way to achieve that goal."
(Sermon by John Piper,
"The Great Work of the Only Wise God",
based on Romans 16:25-27).
Wisdom sees the big picture, in focus,
with each part in its proper relationship.
Wisdom is different than Knowledge.
You can have knowledge without wisdom.
But you cannot have wisdom without knowledge.
In order to discern
the best way to achieve a goal…
You have to be able to integrate,
to fuse together, all kinds of factors from
various sources of knowledge and experience,
The Psalmist says…
Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
his understanding has no limit.
Psalms 147:5
Jeremiah says…
“Great are your counsel or purposes”
Great [are You] in counsel and mighty in deeds
Whose eyes are open to all the ways of the sons of men,
to reward or repay each one according to his ways
and according to the fruit of his doings
Jeremiah 32:19 AMP
God is all knowing, He sees all…
And with wisdom brings it all together
for the greatest purpose.
Isaiah said when people see the coming of Jesus Christ,
they will call Him Wonderful Counselor…
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6
Daniel experienced God’s wisdom
and the way God in wisdom changed
the universe and powers of the earth.
Daniel received wisdom from God as a gift…
"Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his.
He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them.
He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.
He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness,
and light dwells with him.
I thank and praise you, O God of my fathers:
You have given me wisdom and power,
you have made known to me what we asked of you,
you have made known to us the dream of the king."
Daniel 2:20-23
Paul in Romans 11:32-36, describes how the wisdom of God
deals with the sin of all people….
For God has bound all men over to disobedience
so that he may have mercy on them all.
Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!
"Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?"
"Who has ever given to God,
that God should repay him?"
For from him and through him and to him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen.
Romans 11:32-36
The opposite of wisdom is stupidity.
Stupidity can be disobedience.
They say you can’t fix stupid.
When we give up on ourselves
or on others, God has mercy.
God’s wisdom goes so deep into our sin
and stupidity to fix us.
God is at work in you and I to give us wisdom.
To help us…
“To know the greatest goal in any situation,
and the best way to achieve that goal."
In order to discern the best way to achieve a goal,
to be able to integrate,
to fuse together all kinds of factors
from various sources of knowledge and experience.
This wisdom is not the wisdom of this world…
Do not deceive yourselves.
If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age,
he should become a "fool" so that he may become wise.
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight.
1 Corinthians 3:18-19
Paul so fittingly ends
the letter to the Romans with…
To the only wise God be glory forever
through Jesus Christ! Amen.
He does so because he has just written this letter
which is all about God’s wisdom.
He is charged up about God’s wisdom…
And what God’s wisdom can do for
the Romans from different backgrounds.
God’s wisdom can do the same for you and I.
God’s wisdom gives us mercy, hope, and peace.
God also gives us a piece of His mind.
Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 2:16…
"For who has known the mind of the Lord
that he may instruct him?"
But we have the mind of Christ.
God wants to give you wisdom
as you seek the mind of Christ.
And it starts with praise to the only wise God.
James 1:5-6; 17-18…
If any of you lacks wisdom,
he should ask God,
who gives generously to all without finding fault,
and it will be given to him.
But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure;
then peace-loving, considerate, submissive,
full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.
Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.
7 Impact Statements
1. Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel
2. and the proclamation of Jesus Christ,
3. according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past,
4. but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings
5. by the command of the eternal God,
6. so that all nations might believe and obey him—
7. to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.
Scripture Reading
Romans 16:25-27 NIV
25 Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, 26 but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey him— 27 to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.
