“Our Mysterious and Unsearchable God”
by Pastor Edwin Lehmann on June 2, 2023 in Romans 11:33-36
Sermon for Trinity Sunday June 4, 2023
Text: Romans 11:33-36 Historic Series 23:2389
Theme: “Our Mysterious and Unsearchable God.”
Some 500 years before Jesus’ birth, King Hieron of Syracuse asked his famous poet-philosopher, Simonides of Ceos, “What is god?” “Give me a days-time and I shall tell you,” Simonides replied. A day passed, then two. Two days became four, four became eight, eight became sixteen, but Simonides discovered no satisfying answer. Finally, the king demanded an answer. Simonides said, “The longer I deliberate, the more obscure the matter is to me. How unfathomable is he! The more I think on him, the more incompetent I find myself to cope with the question and answer it.” (Wikipedia and unknown source quoting Cicero)
What is God? He is too vast for human understanding. It is said in Job (11:7f): “Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Probe the limits of the Almighty? They are higher than the heavens. What can you do? They are deeper than the depths of the grave. What can you know? Their measure is longer than the earth, wider than the sea.”
You cannot know God by human reason for He is the immortal, invisible, incomprehensible, infinite One. His divine truths are too lofty for human minds to reach and explore. There is that which may be understood from nature as Paul wrote (Ro.1:18f), “What may be known about God is plain…because God made it plain. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made.” Yet, He is so far above the power of the human mind to grasp or the tongue to express that to explain Him, as well as all the articles of our faith, we must have a knowledge higher than any to which the understanding of man can attain.
So it is that in our attempts to comprehend God, we must not speculate and judge according to human wisdom, but in light of God’s Word alone. There He graciously reveals what we are able to know about Him in the present age so that we bow in humility and faith before Our Mysterious and Unsearchable God. His mystery and unsearchable essence I. face us, and II. we face it.
I. It faces us in the divine majesty of three distinct persons which are one true being. These three persons are not distinct from each other as individual brothers or sisters are, for they are one and the same eternal, undivided, and indivisible essence. One true God who is independent of and over all creatures: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. He faces us first in His created works and their incomprehensible nature.
Beneath and all around us stands the world that we inhabit. Pilots and astronauts fly above it, measuring its size. Sailors plumb the depths of its oceans. Explorers penetrate its darkest jungles and climb its dizzying heights. Plants and animals that provide food to quiet our hunger are studied and catalogued. Microscopes and telescopes reveal wonder upon wonders that cannot be seen with the naked eye. Worlds within worlds are discovered and charted. Scientific fact is added to scientific fact. Book upon book is written about the magnificence of the world we inhabit. Much is known of the created works of God. Yet, how little we really do know about things. Our knowledge often meets with limitations and dead ends.
Who can tell us with certainty all that is in the sea, air, and interior of the earth or the heights of space? Who can perfectly explain the course of the winds or expound upon the ever-changing tides and currents of the oceans? Where do they come from? Why does a magnet’s needle turn north? Engineers and highly educated people may explain what these things are. But can they tell us how all these things come about?
Who can tell how a simple blade of grass grows? How the hummingbird with a brain no larger than a tiny grain of wheat, leaves its nesting place in the far North to fly over land and seas to far-away South America to spend the winter and return the following spring to its same nesting place? Which of you knows what you really are, how your body works, where your soul dwells? And what about the invisible angels? What exactly are they? Where are they in this room and as you leave here?
All and more is enough to baffle the wits of the wisest man. If he is honest enough to admit it, so much is unsearchable mystery that we can only wonder and stammer with Paul: “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments, and His paths beyond tracing out.” It faces us in His created works.
And what about His governing decisions and His preserving ways in life? How baffling can that be? How do things continue? Why do they happen the way they do in the world, the Church, and our own lives? Why do so many things turn out contrary to our best ideas and against our prayers and expectations?
Why such a slaughter in the Ukraine? Why the loss of property and the destruction of people’s entire lives of hard work in the aftermath of tornadoes, floods, and hurricanes? Why the senseless shootings in our schools and public places? Why the disease that invades your body? Why, why, why do things happen if all things lie in the governing hands and merciful will of God who proclaims love towards us?
Sometimes such happenings are clear and discernible. But so often God’s ways and designs for our lives are unsearchable, hidden in mystery. “How unsearchable His judgments and His paths beyond tracing out!”
We don’t understand their beginnings and cannot see their ends before they take place. We lay our plans with utmost care and wisdom, only to see a trifling thing turn the whole course of our plans around and bring to naught our fondest hopes and dreams. Why don’t things work out the way we want them to? Yet, God’s Word assures all is for our good (Ro.8:28) as He mysteriously and unsearchably turns the tide and circumstance of life to the favor of those who believe in Him. It is simply baffling! This mystery and unsearchableness of God faces you in every step you take.
But above all, as Paul meant it, The Unsearchable Mystery of God faces you in the greatness of the Triune God to save the sinner – Jew and Gentile alike, who come to Him in faith.
One God, a divine Father who loves His dear and holy Son above all things, yet so readily sacrifices Him on a cross to pay for the sins of mortal beings who often question His ways and frequently go against His commands.
One God, a divine Son, ever the very essence of the Father, just as changeless, eternal, and sinless as the Father is, dies in total shame on a cross so that we might be forgiven and go free!
One God, a divine Holy Spirit, of the same essence of the Father and the Son, who knows all things, even the deep things of God (1Co.2:10) yet puts up with the silliness of our human ideas and the deadness of our hearts to give us birth from above so that we can see the Kingdom of God (Jn.3:3f). And so, He guides us into all truth (Jn.16:13) which He reveals to us in His Word.
This immortal, invisible, incomprehensible, invisible, and eternal three-in-one, all merciful God, faces you in mysterious and unsearchable ways.
II. And you must face Him, overwhelmed by His greatness, bowed in humility to the dust, accepting unquestionably what He says, putting away all presumptions, doubts, and unbelief for, “which of us has known the mind of the Lord? Who has been His advisor? Who has ever given to God first so that He should repay us?” Who would presume to tell Him what to do and how to do it rightly for from Him and through Him and to Him are all things? We must face it, overwhelmed by His unsearchable greatness.
We must face it, confessing the Unity in the Trinity and the Trinity in Unity, even when we cannot comprehend any of it with purely human reason. We must confess it against all who pervert and deny it in our day. And we will boldly face it, supported by His unerring Word that reveals Him to our understanding through faith.
Most of all we will face all this unsearchable mystery with joy and great relief, uplifted in spirit, knowing that He is God and there is none that is like Him. Apart from Him there is no Savior (Is.43:10f). Therein lies our comfort and hope.
Let God be God in His infinite being, infinite goodness, infinite mercy and grace that sent Christ Jesus to save us and the Holy Spirit to guide us – not to fully comprehend by human reason, but to completely understand through faith in Christ. He is the cause of our salvation. This is His one goal for our lives, to save us in time for eternity. This is the supreme objective of the Holy Trinity. And this, by faith we fully and joyfully face this Trinity Sunday in all its divine mystery and unsearchableness.
A farmer once came to Martin Luther saying that he could not understand the creed when it spoke of God Almighty as three persons, yet as one divine being. “Neither can I, nor all the doctors of theology that are with me,” Luther replied. “But only believe it, dear friend, in all simplicity. And take that God Almighty for your Lord. He will take care of you and all you have, and, in faith, He will bring you safely through all your troubles to Himself above.”
“From Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen!”
The Festival of the Holy Trinity June 4, 2023
Welcome in the name of our Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We are happy to have you worshipping with us today and pray that His grace, love, and communion richly dwell in our hearts and lives.
This Sunday is a transitional Sunday, marking the end of the first half of the year and the beginning of the second half. The first half of the year includes the high festivals: Christmas, Easter, Ascension, and Pentecost. This festival half highlights all that God has done for us and our salvation through Christ. Trinity Sunday brings that emphasis to a close as the months of summer shift the emphasis to the life of the Church as it lives its life of faith in the Savior.
The Festival of the Holy Trinity was introduced in the Middle Ages and fully embraced by the time of the Reformation. We need a festival such as this when all our churches unite in confessing the Holy Trinity, for in our day the multitude of the anti-trinitarians has greatly increased. We need to fortify our faith and convictions against such false ideas.
So it is that we join with all true Christians today to confess: “I believe in the one true, Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”
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I Believe in God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
The Preparation
Opening Thoughts on the Service
The Entrance Hymn: “Come, Thou, Almighty King” #921
Order of Worship: Service: Setting One with Holy Communion: pages 154-160
Prayer of the Day
The Ministry of the Word
(The Lessons for the Day are taken from the Historic Pericope Series of the Christian Church.)
The Responses following each lesson are on page 160
Isaiah 6:1-8 God calls Isaiah to be His prophet. In a vision Isaiah sees the LORD seated on His throne in the Temple. The vision portrays the LORD’s splendor and majesty as the eternal God who created all things. The threefold “Holy, holy, Holy” son of the seraphim around the throne witness to the triune nature of God.
Romans 11:33-36 Paul’s song of praise confesses the wondrous mystery of the Triune God. The depths of His wisdom and ways are profound, beyond man’s abilities to comprehend. But they work for our blessing and to His great glory.
The Response: “Isaiah, Mighty Seer in Days of Old” (#943) duet
John 3:1-15 Jesus instructs Nicodemus, Israel’s teacher, on God’s work of regeneration within those who are baptized and who believe. In the regeneration of all who are born into this world, dead in sin, the Trinity is at work – the Father giving, the Son redeeming, and the Holy Spirit sanctifying.
The Sermon Hymn: “Holy God, We Praise Your Name” #953
The Sermon: “Our Mysterious and Unsearchable God” Romans 11:33-36
Our Response to the Word
The Confession of Faith: The Athanasian Creed page 284
The Offering
The Lord Blesses Us
The Order of Holy Communion pages 165-169
(We invite our communicant members to the Lord’s Table, believing that in the bread and the wine, they receive the Savior’s true body and blood for forgiveness of sins. Since Holy Communion implies a oneness of faith, our practice is that of close communion. We therefore ask visitors to speak with the Pastor before communing.)
The Distribution
The Distribution Hymn: “God Loved the World So That He Gave” #570
Thanksgiving & Blessing Beginning the middle of page 170
Closing Hymn: “From All That Dwell Below the Skies” #605
Silent Prayer
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The Organist: Jane Rips The Preacher: Pastor Edwin Lehmann
Point to Ponder: “All similarities, comparisons, images, or illustrations by which men have tried to represent the doctrine of three persons in one Godhead fail to illustrate, much less do they explain Him. The Trinity has been compared to fire, which is said to possess the three attributes of flame, light, and heat. But this division is an artificial one and the comparison is faulty because Father, son, and Holy Ghost are not so many attributes of God, but are, each of them, God Himself…. Not much is gained by employing such analogies in an attempt to render intelligible what must forever remain a mystery of revelation. Let us admit that this article of our faith, like all the rest, is entirely beyond our human powers of comprehension.” — Theodore Graebner
The Festival of the Holy Trinity” – Historic Series
Old Testament Lesson: Isaiah 6:1-8 – The Lord Calls Isaiah as Prophet
1In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each one had six wings. With two they covered their faces. With two they covered their feet. With two they flew. 3 One called to another and said: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Armies! The whole earth is full of his glory!
4 The foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of the one who called, and the temple was filled with smoke.
5 Then I said, “I am doomed! I am ruined, because I am a man with unclean lips, and I dwell among a people with unclean lips, and because my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Armies!”
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, carrying a glowing coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. 7 He touched my mouth with the coal and said, “Look, this has touched your lips, so your guilt is taken away, and your sin is forgiven.” 8 Then I heard the Lord’s voice, saying, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am. Send me!”
Epistle Lesson: Romans 11:33-36 – Paul’s Doxology to the Triune God
33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how untraceable his ways! 34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his adviser?” 35 “Or who has first given to God that he will be repaid?” 36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.
Gospel Lesson: John 3:1-15 – Jesus Teaches Nicodemus God’s Working
1There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these miraculous signs you are doing unless God is with him.”
3 Jesus replied, “Amen, Amen, I tell you: Unless someone is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?”
5 Jesus answered, “Amen, Amen, I tell you: Unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God! 6 Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh. Whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be surprised when I tell you that you must be born from above. 8 The wind blows where it pleases. You hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
9 “How can these things be?” asked Nicodemus. 10 “You are the teacher of Israel,” Jesus answered, “and you do not know these things? 11 Amen, Amen, I tell you: We speak what we know, and we testify about what we have seen. But you people do not accept our testimony. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven, except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man, who is in heaven.
14 “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version® (EHV®) © 2019
Calendar & Announcements for Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church
A member congregation of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod
4717 S Farm Rd 135 (Golden Avenue), Springfield, MO 65810
Church phone: 417.887.0886 www.zionluthchurch.com
Pastor’s cell phone: 417.693.3244 email: revelehmann@gmail.com
You can also find us on Facebook
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Divine Worship Service with Holy Communion online -Facebook 10:15 am Fellowship & Bible Study
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4 pm Confirmation Class | 11 am Midweek Bible Class
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9:00 am
Divine Worship Service online – Facebook 10:15 am Fellowship & Bible Study
First Sunday after Trinity (Pentecost 2) |
A Brief Bible Study on God’s Word for Today
On this Sunday we celebrate the reveled description of the Triune God who works on our behalf. Isaiah trembled at God’s holiness. But to Nicodemus, Jesus explains the greatest revelation of the Three-in-One God. The Father’s love plowed through the offense of sin and sent the Son to die in our behalf. The Holy Spirit opens our hearts to believe and gives us a new life as His gift.
The Old Testament Lesson: Isaiah 6:1-8 (the answers are found on the back side)
- What did Isaiah have the unique privilege of seeing?
- What was his initial reaction (What would be yours)?
- What amazing thing happened to Isaiah?
Those We Remember In Our Prayers: Greg Miller; William & Laurie Moon; Pauline Jaeger; Kirsten Jaster (Laurie Moon’s sister); Greg Pierson (the Long’s son-in-law); Libya, Jodi Milam’s granddaughter; Lucille Huston; Barbara Long; Lois Wiese; Barbara Breidel; Elisha & Isaac Covey, Isaac has come home with special care; John Covey fell and broke his arm in two places and wrist. We keep the family in our prayers.
Updating the Member Directory Please see Dee or Pastor if there are any changes to your address or phone numbers.
Door-Offering Today is the last Sunday of the freewill door offering to help support the ministry of our WELS Lutheran Military Support Group. They seek to aid the spiritual growth of those presently serving in the military and to help veterans in their return to civilian life. For more information, see Jim Wiese.
Upcoming Services and Events
Tuesday, June 14, 6 pm – Elders, Trustees, and Monthly Church Council Meetings
June 25-27 – ELS/WELS Family Campout 2023 at Heit’s Point near Lincoln, MO
The Week in Review
Last Sunday Worship: ; Bible Class ; No Midweek Bible Class last week
Offerings: $1,235.00
Next Sunday’s Lessons:
The First Sunday after Trinity: Deuteronomy 6:4-13; 1 John 4:16-21; Luke 16:19-31 (Historic Pericope Series)
Answer to Today’s Old Testament Lesson Brief Study:
- He was given a view of heaven. Magnificent angels were singing the holiness of the Almighty God in whose presence he had been brought. The ultimate authority and superiority of God was evident as the high ranks of angels stood before God with great reverence covering their faces and feet. They sang “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God almighty”—like the hymn that has become a favorite in Christian worship too.
- Isaiah was petrified in the presence of a holy God. God’s pure holiness only made his sinfulness stand out even more (like dirt on a pure white shirt). The sense of unworthiness was mixed with the fear of condemnation.
- God purified him with touching of a coal to his lips. He removed the guilt of sin because they were atoned for by the Christ whom Isaiah would soon describe in amazing prophetic accuracy.
This week I am praying for……
