God Is Great!

Scriptural Text: Psalms 145:3

Only God Is Great

In 1717 when France’s Louis XIV died, his body lay in a golden coffin. He had called himself the “Sun King,” and his court was the most magnificent in Europe. To dramatize his greatness, he had given orders that during his funeral the cathedral would be only dimly lighted with only a special candle set above the coffin. As thousands waited in hushed silence, Bishop Massilon began to speak. Then slowly reaching down, he snuffed out the candle, saying, “Only God is great!”

Those who have a small imagination of God cannot genuinely worship Him.

Whenever we insist on wishful thinking over against God’s facts we ultimately get “out of the frying pan and into the fire.”

How Big A God Do You Have?

When Henry Norris Russell, Princeton astronomer, had concluded a lecture on the Milky Way, a woman came to him and asked: “If our world is so little, and the universe is so great, can we believe that God pays any attention to us?”

Dr. Russell replied, “That depends, madam, entirely on how big a God you believe in.” —Selected

Do You Not Know? Have You Not Heard? God Is Great! (Je 10:6, See also 1 Ch 16:25; 1 Ch 29:11; Ne 1:5; Is 12:6)

God’s nature, deeds and attributes are incomparable, for which he deserves all praise.

Jeremiah 10:6 (ESV) — 6 There is none like you, O Lord; you are great, and your name is great in might.

1 Chronicles 16:25 (ESV) — 25 For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and he is to be feared above all gods.

1 Chronicles 29:11 (ESV) — 11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all.

Nehemiah 1:5 (ESV) — 5 And I said, “O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments,

God’s greatness makes him unique

There is no-one like him Ps 150:2 See also 2Sa 7:22; Ps 71:19; 86:10; 145:3

Psalm 150:2 (ESV) 2Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness!

2 Samuel 7:22 (ESV) 22Therefore you are great, O Lord God. For there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

He is greater than other gods Ex 18:11 See also Dt 4:7; 10:17; 2Ch 2:5; Ps 135:5; 1Co 8:4-6

God is greater than human power and pride Job 33:12 See also 2Ch 32:7-8; Isa 40:6-7; 1Jn 3:20

1 John 3:20 (ESV) 20for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.

God the Father is worthy of honour and praise (Ps 145:3, See also 2 Sa 22:4; 1 Ch 16:25; Ps 48:1; Re 4:11)

Psalm 145:3 (ESV) — 3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.

2 Samuel 22:4 (ESV) — 4 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.

1 Chronicles 16:25 (ESV) — 25 For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and he is to be feared above all gods.

Psalm 48:1 (ESV) — 1 Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our God! His holy mountain,

Revelation 4:11 (ESV) — 11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”

Only God truly merits honour and praise but he graciously considers those who humbly serve him with wholehearted devotion to be worthy disciples.

Jesus Christ is worthy of honour and praise (Re 5:12, See also Mt 3:17; Mt 17:5; Php 2:9–11; Heb 2:9; Heb 3:3; 2 Pe 1:17; Re 5:9)

Revelation 5:12 (ESV) — 12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”

Hebrews 2:9 (ESV) 9But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

Philippians 2:9–11 (ESV) 9Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,

10so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

God considers no person (other than Jesus Christ) to be worthy by nature (Re 5:4, See also Ps 14:3; Ps 143:2; Ec 7:20; Ro 3:10–12; Ro 3:23)

Revelation 5:4 (ESV) — 4 and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.

Psalm 14:3 (ESV) — 3 They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.

Ecclesiastes 7:20 (ESV) — 20 Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.

Romans 3:10–12 (ESV) — 10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands; no one seeks for God. 12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”

Romans 3:23 (ESV) — 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Worthiness, like righteousness, is credited to a person by God (2 Th 1:11, See also Lk 20:35; Ro 2:29; 2 Co 10:18)

2 Thessalonians 1:11 (ESV) — 11 To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power,

Luke 20:35 (ESV) — 35 but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage,

Examples of people who are considered worthy by God

Those who put God first and deny themselves (Mt 10:37–38, See also 1 Sa 2:30; Lk 9:62; Ro 12:1–2)

Matthew 10:37–38 (ESV) — 37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

Those who suffer persecution for the sake of Jesus Christ

Ac 5:41

Acts 5:41 (ESV) — 41 Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.

See also Mt 5:10–12; 2 Th 1:5; 1 Pe 2:19–20

Those whose lives show Christlike godliness

Col 1:10

Colossians 1:10 (ESV) — 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;

See also 1 Sa 16:7; Eph 4:1–2; 1 Th 2:12; 1 Ti 3:8–9; 1 Ti 3:11; Tt 2:2; Re 3:4

Those who stand firm for the gospel

Php 1:27; 1 Th 2:4; 2 Ti 2:15

Philippians 1:27 (ESV) — 27 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,

1 Thessalonians 2:4 (ESV) — 4 but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts.

2 Timothy 2:15 (ESV) — 15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth