Theology Proper

Living Limited Before an Unlimited God

April 3, 2020

14 For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. 15 As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; 16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more. (Psalm 103:14-16)

From the first day of Kindergarten, math was my absolute favorite academic subject.  It not only fascinated me, but it always seemed to make perfect sense.  When the teacher taught us that you can’t subtract a greater number from a smaller number, I believed her.  After all, if I have three chickens, and my neighbor needs four chickens for a dinner party, I can’t fulfill that order.  All I can do is sell him my three chickens.  Sound reasoning. That was, until my older cousin informed me that it was all a lie.  He told me that you CAN subtract a greater number from a smaller number—since there is something called “negative numbers.”  Negative numbers?  I almost totally gave up on math the day of that revelation.  Thankfully, when I advanced just a few more grade levels, I learned the logic behind this strange concept.  Math became enjoyable again--even when it didn’t seem to make as much sense as it did in my limited Kindergarten experience.

If you have either forgotten negative numbers or simply choose not to acknowledge their existence, you know the related concept of infinity.  Symbolized by that cool figure eight lying squished on its side, infinity has no limits--it has no end.  So, in geometry, we learned that a line has infinite length—it goes in both directions, without end.  Then, when fractions were taught, we learned that one-third is a finite number; but written as a decimal, we get 0.33333…with threes that repeat infinitely.  Finally, there’s the mind-blowing concept that infinity is not a real number and cannot be measured—it is a limitless idea.  Yet, as complicated as infinity may feel, it’s actually quite simple.  Why? Because when something has an end, we have to define what that end, or limit is.  But, on the other hand, when there are no limits, there are literally NO LIMITS!

Mathematics is incredible because it reflects the order and magnitude of our Creator.  The God of the universe is infinite—like the straight line, He has no beginning and no end.  As Genesis 1:1 puts it succinctly: “In the beginning, God….”  When our world began, God already existed.  That theological fact alone gives Him the full power and ability to bring everything else into being by the Word of His own power, out of nothing (Hebrews 11:3).  Since God is infinite, He alone created all that is finite.  Foundational to our understanding of ourselves as human beings is the recognition that God has always existed and will always exist.  There will never be a time where God is not.

When we consider the characteristic of infinity, we must return to the term “unlimited.”  When something finite is described as unlimited, it only appears to have no end.  The puppy that seems to have unlimited energy.  The ocean that appears unlimited from your position on the beach.  This novel coronavirus that seems unlimited in its impact on humanity.  But of course, even the most gregarious of puppies, the largest ocean on earth, and the most virulent of diseases have ends, or limits.  The triune God does not!  Everything about God is unlimited—His love for His people, His knowledge and wisdom, and His presence in the universe.  Best of all, His holiness is unlimited, which means He cannot sin or do anything against His holy nature.  In a sense, God only has self-imposed limits against sin and evil because He is without limits.  An unlimited God is confined by nothing external, and no one else in existence.

So, when we arrive at the truth that God alone is unlimited, it brings our own limits into sharp focus.  As the Psalmist writes, “for he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.”  Our days are like grass—we flourish for a little while, then we are gone.  In these days of a raging pandemic, always remember your limitations.  Even with all the social distancing in the world and personal cleanliness habits, you are not unlimited in your power to stave off sickness.  All humans, all scientists, all medical professionals, and all world governments are limited in knowledge, wisdom, and skill.  Thankfully, even a seemingly all-powerful virus has its limits.  But, praise be to God, our Father is the unlimited One of the universe!  Only when we rest in that truth can we “live limited” before an unlimited God!   

 

 

 

Large Group Sermons on Romans

The One Thing You Must Do When You're Suffering

In his masterful devotional study, John Snyder says, “Israel’s measure of God was the measure of their hope—big God equals big hope.”

The context in which he is commenting comes after reading Isaiah 40. The book of Isaiah is divided into two major sections. Chapters 1-39 are written to God’s rebellious people who crave worldly security. Because of their rebellion, God tells them that exile is soon to come. Chapters 40-66 are prophecies about the later hope they will have amidst exile. Even though they will be in exile and under the dominion of Babylon there will nevertheless be a return to the land (a second Exodus).

In other words, chapter 40 is a word of hope amidst the turmoil, trial, and temptation to doubt God. What would give them hope to persevere? What would give them hope that God would never forget them? What would give them hope of deliverance? Verse 9 says, “Go on up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, ‘Behold your God!’”

That is why Snyder says, “Israel’s measure of God was the measure of their hope—big God equals big hope.” Is this your hope as well? The one thing you must do when you’re suffering is to behold your God. The size of your hope is directly correlated to the “size” of your God.

What does it look like to “behold your God” amidst suffering?

  1. Study Him
    Suffering is the time to lean into your Bible reading. Suffering is the time to pick up a Systematic Theology or a doctrinal book. Why do we think that theology is only for seminarians and those who teach seminarians? Who came up with that suggestion? Suffering is the time to read authors who teach you the most about God. We need to study who God is and what God has done so that we can better interpret our suffering.

    Now, you can choose books that aren’t always helpful at the right time. It’s not always helpful to open up Herman Bavinck’s Reformed Dogmatics (all 4 volumes!) when you're in the depths of suffering. But, sometimes it is! Different books work better at different times. The point is this: Don’t be satisfied with the shallow stuff. Don’t be satisfied with the OK stuff. Immerse yourself in the resources that saints of old have immersed themselves in.

    Much of what passes for “devotional” literature isn’t devotional at all. It is theology that truly transforms our thinking. We need to study God and seek to learn new things about God so that we can think, live, and feel differently. One of the best things I have done is read about the attributes of God during a tough period of suffering. I remember reading a book on the Trinity in a season of suffering. A God who is untameable is of great comfort. A God who I know everything about brings no hope.

    If our hope correlates to our view of God then we must strive to expand our view of God. We need help from modern and past saints. We need to read from those who have beheld God. But, we must be sure that we are not piggy-backing off their beholding. We must behold God for ourselves. Suffering is the time to make God our own. We must not rely on someone else’s words or experiences but rather we must meet the Lover of our souls for ourselves. What if God brought you into this particular suffering for you to know Him intimately.

    Suggested Reading:

    1. Confessing the Faith by Chad Van Dixhoorn

    2. Knowing God by J.I. Packer

    3. Reformed Dogmatics (in One Volume) by Herman Bavinck

    4. The Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer

  2. Study Suffering
    This might sound strange but it is necessary. What is your doctrine of suffering? Are you suffering more because your doctrine of suffering isn’t accurate? For instance, are you angry because you don’t feel like you should be going through this? Are you depressed because you never thought you would have to hurt this way? Are you upset because you feel entitled to have inner peace all the time? We need to have a right theology of suffering. Our Lord was a man of sorrows (Is. 53). Jesus told us that we will suffer because He suffered (Mt. 10:22, Jn. 15:21). Paul told us that we will suffer (Ph. 1:29). Suffering is a temporary tool that God uses to rid us of our earthly treasures.
    Suggested Reading:

    1. Embodied Hope by Kelly Kapic

    2. Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy by Mark Vroegop

    3. Spiritual Depression by Martyn Lloyd-Jones

  3. Find Help From Others

    It is not enough to be alone and read books. The only suggestion here is to find a group of trusted people you can be vulnerable with. We are too trapped in our minds when we are only dealing with suffering by ourselves. We need other voices. We need others to speak truth to us. Who are the people who have suffered similarly and met God in their suffering? Who are the people that can show you your story in light of God’s Story? Who are the people that know when to speak and when to listen? We behold God in community. God requires us to have a personal relationship with Him but not a personal church. In other words, the church is not only you. You must be in the thick of God’s people. If God is a community in Himself (The Trinity) then you can be sure that you (made in the image of God) need community.

How Big Is Your God?

Have you ever gotten frustrated trying to explain a movie to someone who had no clue what you were talking about? What about that time when someone did that unbelievable thing at school and you tried with all your intellect to explain what happened and how it happened so that your audience could understand a glimpse of what you saw? Doesn’t it make it worse when the person across from you starts to get bored with your story?

There are many times when we just can’t find the words to express what we saw. How much more so with God? Have you ever felt the mental and emotional frustration when trying to express the infinite glory of God with finite words?

The Incomprehensibility of God

God is incomprehensible. Do you know what incomprehensibility means? It means that you’re not able to fully understand it. Just like the ocean, it drowns your intellect. When we talk about God being incomprehensible we mean that even though we can know true things about God we still don’t know all that there is about God. Just when you start to think you have a grasp of who God is, He is like the undertow at the beach that sweeps you out into the depths.

Our minds are like a glass of water. If you take that glass of water and put it at the bottom of the ocean we can make a true statement by saying that the glass is full of water. But, we cannot say that the glass contains the fullness of the ocean. In the same way, we can say that we know God and yet simultaneously admit that God is far beyond our greatest intellect. If we know everything about God then that is not God because God is infinite and we are finite. Anything less than an infinite God is useless and no God.

There should be a holy frustration at times with our words (even the words that God gives us). How can a four-letter word (“love”) truly encapsulate the loving affection of the King of Kings? How can a word like “wisdom” really grasp the fullness of what God is doing in this world? How can a word like “eternity” truly gives us a full picture of what it means for God to exist outside of time? There should be times when we are like a young child who gets frustrated because others don’t understand us. 

If we have a God who makes total sense to us then we have no clue who God really is. If we have a God who bores us then we have no clue who God really is. If we have a God who we think we don’t need to study and pursue more then we have no clue who God really is. Those who pursue God further never come away regretting it. 

In C.S. Lewis’ famous book The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, we see a see where one of the children is about to meet Aslan. “Aslan is a lion—the Lion, the great Lion.” “Ooh!” said Susan. “I’d thought he was a man. Is he—quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.” “Safe?” said Mr. Beaver…. “Who said anything about safe? ‘Course He isn’t safe. But He’s good. He’s the King I tell you.” I wonder, is your God safe like a house cat or is He the King like a Lion? Is He theologically tamed for you? Is He a doctrine that is dormant?

Two Books That Helped Me Fear God

When I was a new believer, I came across the attributes of God pretty early on. Thankfully, I had heard of these guys named J.I. Packer and A.W. Tozer. I decided to get their books Knowing God and The Attributes of God. I am pretty sure that more sentences in Knowing God are underlined than there are sentences that are not underlined. 

In arguably the most important book in the past fifty years, J.I. Packer begins his book Knowing God with someone else’s words. He only gives the introduction.

On January 7, 1855, the minister of New Park Street Chapel, Southwark, England, opened his morning sermon as follows: “It has been said by someone that ‘the proper study of mankind is man.’ I will not oppose the idea, but I believe it is equally true that the proper study of God’s elect is God; the proper study of a Christian is the Godhead. The highest science, the loftiest speculation, the mightiest philosophy, which can ever engage the attention of a child of God, is the name, the nature, the person, the work, the doings, and the existence of the great God whom he calls his Father.” Packer goes on to say, “These words, spoken over a century ago by Charles Spurgeon (who at that time was only 20 years old) were true then and they are true now.” 

Look, I was twenty years old when I was reading that. I felt like I was drowning in the words of Spurgeon.

I also remember reading Tozer’s The Attributes of God. Specifically, I remember his chapters on the Infinitude of God and the Immensity of God. I remember sitting outside just looking up in the night sky of Alabama thinking about how puny and small I was. That’s a pretty good spot for a boastful college football player to be in. I have underlined in that book the following:

“Infinite” means so much that nobody can grasp it, but reason nevertheless kneels and acknowledges that God is infinite. We mean by infinite that God knows no limit, no bounds and no end. What God is, He is without boundaries. All that God is, He is without bounds or limits.

The Wonder of the Gospel of God

Dear reader, do you understand the God of the Bible? Do you understand that He is far beyond your wildest imagination? Do you believe that angels long to look into the things of God? Do you marvel at the fact that the great business of heaven will be pursuing a greater and more intimate knowledge of God for eternity? How is this a God we can be bored of?

This is what makes the gospel so startling. This infinite, immense, incomprehensible God became flesh. The infinite became finite. The immense and transcendent One became a man located in time and space. The incomprehensible One adopted our language. Jesus Christ, the God-Man, died a cursed death on a tree. The very God who created wood, forests, and all different kinds of trees is the same God who died a splintery death upon the Cross. Are you not astounded by this?

There is a wild unknown in our oceans. Do you know that 80% of the ocean is left to be explored? Think about all the footage and studies that Marine Biologists have done and yet after all this time only 20% has been explored! Now, think about how much we’ve explored outer space. Even in our scientific research, we are drowning in the depths of our lack of knowledge. How much more so with God?

Aren’t we creatures who love adventure? Aren’t we a people who dare to dream big? How much bigger and adventurous does it get for us to draw near the Holy One? How foolish are we who think that studying theology irrelevant! We try to satisfy ourselves on the cheapest of sermons, podcasts, and books. We barely prioritize the worship of the infinite God. We are like those who come face to face with a buffet of the riches food at free cost and yet decide to go eat the scraps we can find in the dumpster.

What marvelous grace God has given us to keep pursuing us! What astounding mercy He has given us to make Himself known to us! We live in an age where celebrities often try to hide from the paparazzi and yet we pursue them as if we stumbled upon a unicorn. At the same time, we have the God of infinite majesty and beauty who pursues us and we are more enamored with Netflix and Social Media. How blind we are to His greatness!

When will we feast our eyes upon the Lion? When will we bow down to the King? May He grant us to truly fear Him and follow Him. That’s what the Holy Spirit empowers us to do. Do you sense Him calling you to pursue Him further? Follow the Spirit and immerse yourself in His Word. Don’t be satisfied until you feel overwhelmed with your lack of words to describe His greatness. 

Last year I heard Kevin DeYoung give a story about Sinclair Ferguson. After a sermon that Ferguson preached, DeYoung came up to him immediately after to talk about how much that word meant to him. He had told him how beautiful of a sermon it was when all of a sudden Dr. Ferguson gave an interesting response. He responded with, “Oh Kevin, that was only a dog’s breakfast.” Isn’t that what our best often feels like? It feels like it is something that is so small. This is more so a declaration of God’s greatness more so than a pity party of our weakness.