Grow With Pastor Joe

When I say theology, the average Christian either doesn’t know what it means, or they don’t think it applies to them. All of life hinges upon theology. A.W. Tozer wrote, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” Theology itself is the is the study of the nature and character of God. Our theological beliefs dictate our life in all facets. Everything in our personal, family, and communal life is rooted in our theological viewpoints. All of life is touched by it. It influences and impacts everything. What we believe always determines how we behave. Some Christians do not seem to think that theology is for them, but oh how they are mistaken. Or, perhaps, many Christians today just simply don’t find theology all that practical. They think that it is good for learning, but they don’t see the connection to their everyday living. Even the highest theological truths that we can ponder are for our everyday, mundane, ordinary transformation. Truth transforms. Theology transforms our minds and hearts either for good or evil.

The average Christian may not think practically about theology or think that theology itself is practical, but we must return to the transformational truth that theology is practical and must stay that way. Your theology is only practical however when it leads to praise. If theological truth doesn’t fill, stir, and motivate your heart to praise God then you don’t have a practical theology. You may in fact have a dead religion. You may in fact be saved, however, you may have left your first love. Yes, we should love sound theology. However, if your sound theology doesn’t lead to live life filled with faith and love then you’ve missed the point. The most practical, useful, and impactful thing that you can do in your walk is to praise Him for His grace and glory. Worship without theology is idolatry and theology without worship is idolatry. Both options lead the individual into idolatry by either worshiping God falsely or worshipping another god altogether (How often we make ourselves a god to worship?). All of theology is an examining look at the grace and glory of Jesus Christ through a different lens. Theology only becomes practical when through looking at the grace and glory of Jesus Christ causes our hearts to rise up in humble praise. The theological puritan giant, John Owen wrote, “The ultimate end of true theology is the celebration of the praise of God and His glory and grace in the eternal salvation of sinners.” Practical theology is about living with the grace and glory of Christ as the foundation and focus of our life. It is His grace that has revealed our redemption through the gospel of Jesus Christ to the glory of the Godhead.

Here, at the end of Romans 11, Paul is giving glory to God for the diamonds, rubies, and jewels of grace found in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Here, Paul is living with practical theology in his life and lips. How do we make theology practical? We do this by turning doctrine into doxology (giving glory, adoration or praise). Doctrine must lead to doxology as it does for the Apostle. Ultimately, praise is the response of faith to the revelation of grace and reception of redemption in Jesus. The practical theology of this passage is that both revelation and redemption through the gospel is by His grace, for our good, and His glory. Rom. 11:33-36 says, “ 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! ³⁴ For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? ³⁵ Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? ³⁶ For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.” Last week we covered the depth of His wealth, wisdom, works, and ways that caused Paul’s and our own hearts to praise the Lord. Now, today, we will focus on the final verse. The praise that is lifted up to God is focused on three separate prepositions, “of, through, and to.” Paul gives God glory (and we do too) because Jesus is the source, sustainer, and subject of eternity. Col. 1:15-20 and Rev. 4:11 can help us further see these truths that the focus of eternity is Jesus. Everything from creation, salvation, and consummation of all things has Jesus as its source, sustainment, and subject. Our great need is to make sure that we would not merely theologically acknowledge this truth but apply it through the praise of God for His glory and grace in the gospel of Jesus Christ. As we look at Rom. 11:36 today we will see some things that we must consider, confess, and confirm in our lives today if we are going to make theology practical in our lives.

First, we must consider. This verse starts with one of the most important words in all of the Bible, “for.” This word is a transitional word that reminds us to pause and ponder the preceding (what came before) before proceeding (what comes next). We can’t continue the doxology without considering the doctrine that has been presented thus far. Romans 1-11 has been a towering theological treatise of the gospel expounding on our guilt, the power of the gospel (to save and sanctify), and the grace and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. To consider the grace and glory of Jeus, we must stretch our minds, surrender our hearts, and submit our wills to Him. We must engage and enlarge our minds and hearts together at the overwhelming eternal thought of the grace and glory of Christ. The gospel is the clearest revelation of the eternal character of God. All of God’s grace and glory are displayed in the gospel. If you want to know His nature, and character then look to the cross. The cross displays not only man’s guilt, but the eternal grace and glory of God. A day without considering the gospel is a day that is wasted and keeps us from enjoying the grace of God and expressing His glory. This means that we have to consider something and someone outside of ourselves. This means that we are going to have to consider something that we can’t measure (See Rom. 11:33-35). It would be easier to count the grains of sand or put a galaxy inside of a bottle than fully describe His grace and glory. We must consider the grace and glory of Jesus if we are going to consistently live by His grace and for His glory. Nothing is more powerful, preeminent, or practical than the grace and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. If we learn to make this our foundation and focus, then we can truly begin to live by faith alone in Christ alone to the glory of God alone. Think big thoughts about God. Think many thoughts about God. Consider Him. Consider His grace. Consider His glory. Consider the gospel. Consider your condition and the fact that one day you will stand before Him. If you belong to Him, consider the infinitely immense blessings of being in Christ. Practical theology begins with considering the transformation theological truth of the grace and glory of Jesus. In life, we give consideration to a lot of things, but how much do we simply consider the things of God? The Bible gives us several things that we should consider such as, the ant (Pr. 6:6), the poor (Pr. 29:7), God’s Word (Ps. 119:159), lilies of the field (Mt. 6:28), our sin (Mt. 7:3), Christ (Heb. 3:1), one another (Heb. 10:24). The Christian life is one of consideration. Practical theology to the praise of His glory and grace must consider the majesty of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Second, we must confess. What must we confess? We must confess that “of him, and through him, and to him, are all things.” As Christians and as the Church, we must confess that Jesus is the source of all things. Yes, this means creation, but this also means our salvation, sanctification, doctrine and practice. Everything in our life is first and foremost “of Him.” Jesus precedes all things, and all things proceed from Him. Eternal revelation and redemption have Jesus as its source. The self-revelation of God seen in the person and work of God through creation, conscience, and the inspired Word of God is God’s plan. All of this is His idea. He is the initiating cause of all things. If He didn’t create then there would be nothing. If He didn’t reveal Himself then we couldn’t and wouldn’t know Him. If He didn’t give grace, then we’d remain in our guilt and unbelief. God’s plan is to redeem us by His grace through the gospel for His glory. The fact that He is the source of revelation and redemption means that He gets the glory just as the Apostle ascribes to Him in this passage. This truth causes our hearts to rest knowing that everything in our life has God ruling over it. He is not caught off guard or surprised. All that is in your life and mind is brought to you by the grace of God for the glory of God. We must confess that Jesus is the sustainer of all things. All things in life, both physical and spiritual are “through Him.” It isn’t enough to say that He provides, we must say that He preserves. All that He does, He does completely. Philippians 1:6 and 2:13 says, “⁶ Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: and then ¹³ For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” Anything that isn’t done through Jesus is done through the strength of the flesh, self-reliance, and pride. When we think about our salvation, we must see that not only was grace the source or cause, but it is the continual sustaining sanctifying work of God. We are saved through Christ. We are sustained through Christ. We are strengthened through Christ. We are sanctified through Christ. We serve through Christ. We sing through Christ. We simply are through Christ alone. Anything you think you don’t need to do through Him you believe you can do through you. Yet, without Him we can do nothing and nothing good comes from the work of our flesh. Through Christ we have pardon from God. We have peace with and of God. We have the promises of God. We have the power to live. We must also confess that Jesus is the subject of all things. Everything in life and eternity is “to Him.” Your life is a letter to God. It is to Him and for Him. The grace and glory of Jesus Christ is the subject of all time and eternity. He is the only subject that shouldn’t bore us. He is the subject of our life, meaning we are not the star of the show, the captain of our soul, or the CEO of our life. Your life is not about you it is about Jesus. The Bible is not about you it is about Jesus. Your trials aren’t about you they are about Jesus. Your failures aren’t about you they are about Jesus. The church is not about you it’s about Jesus. The trajectory of world events is about Jesus. History is about Jesus. Science is about Jesus. Jesus is the subject. All things are truly of Him, through Him, and to Him. The glory of Jesus Christ is the goal of eternity. It must be your goal. My goal. The Church’s goal. There is no other goal or subject worth studying or striving for. We must confess Jesus as the source, sustainer, and subject of not just our life, but of all things to the praise of His glory and grace.

Third, we must confirm. We must confirm that Jesus deserves the glory forever and ever. It is one thing to know this theological truth in theory, but it is another thing to practice it. This is what true worship and praise is. As we confirm that He deserves the glory it reminds us that to do that we must confirm the truth of His grace and glory that He has revealed to us in the gospel of Christ. No one gives glory to God outside of Jesus Christ. This passage commands us to confirm that all of revelation and redemption is by His plan for His pleasure. We must confirm the truth of the gospel of grace so that our heart’s desire would be His glory. It is the glory of God that makes theology the preeminent science and it is His grace that makes it practical. It is because of the intrinsic glory of God that has been considered and confessed that we now confirm it all by ascribing Him glory. Practical theology is practical when we confirm it in our hearts through faith and humble praise. We need to confirm the declaration of the grace and glory of God in the gospel of Christ. Each day you and I must confirm the truths that we know because it is these truths of the gospel that sustain, strengthen, and sanctify us. We must confirm our dependence upon His grace and glory in the gospel of Christ. We are totally dependent upon Him and as we confirm that in our heart, we get smaller, and He gets bigger. We must confirm our desire for His grace and glory. Praise and practical theology are both decisive and declarative. His glory is our goal. When the glory of Jesus is the goal of the church then we will see Jesus grow His church for our good and His glory. Notice that this passage begins with “O” and ends with “Amen.” These two words are the bookends of practical theology and praise. “O” reminds us to be in awe of God’s grace and glory while bending our heart in adoration for who He is. “Amen” then affirms and applies the truth to our hearts and lives. We need more “Os” and “Amens!” Practical theology is only practical when we are in awe of God and affirm His glory and grace. Practical theology is the application of adoration and affirmation of the glory and grace of God in the transforming truth of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

How do you feel about theology? Doctrine? Hopefully you think more now than when we first began. Our love of theological truth should grow each passing day. It should grow as we read His Word, hear it preached, gather with one another around it, and go into the world proclaiming it. We know that our theology becomes practical to us not only by growing in love with truth, but by giving and living in truth and love. Theology and love can’t be separated. Theology and practicality can’t be divorced. They are bound together forever in Jesus. Do you believe that theology is practical? How are you practicing your theology? Our behavior expresses what we believe about God, His grace, glory, and the gospel. What does your life say you believe? Nothing in our life is more practical than praising God. Praising God is practical theology. Doctrine becomes doxology as we are overwhelmed by His grace and glory. May we, His Church make theology practical in our daily lives through a life that considers, confesses, and confirms the grace and glory of Jesus Christ.