For the past couple of weeks, we have taken a look at drawing closer to the Lord and remaining near Him. This week, being the final week of February always puts
In many of his sermons, there was always a phrase that my dad would utter during his closing. He would say, “great God from Mt. Zion.” Those were just words to me back then but, to him, those words meant a great deal. It is funny how that works; when we are little (or younger) things don’t really mean much to us because we lack understanding.
For example: when I was little, we learned to say grace before we would eat our breakfast or lunch at daycare. In one of those graces, we would say, “God is great, God is good” before going into the rest of the grace. Back then, we would just say the grace so that we could eat! Now, as a grown man who has gained some understanding, I feel like telling somebody that my God is great!
No doubt, somebody will ask us, the genuine believer, what makes your God so great? Have you ever noticed that when we testify of the greatness of the Lord that His greatness is always questioned? Today, I want to focus on the Lord’s greatness.
The Lord’s power
In our key verse for today’s sermon, we see David proclaim:
5 For I know that the Lord is great, And our Lord is above all gods.
Psalm 135:5 NKJV
Who can compare to our God? Who is equal or better than our God? In last week’s sermon, we took a look at some people we think are equal and can beat God but we soon realized that they are not comparable. We know that the Lord is above all gods because this is shown to us in scripture time after time. In Egypt, the Lord triumphed Pharaoh and the idol gods of Pharaoh. At Mount Carmel, the Lord triumphed over Baal, the idol god of Ahab and Jezebel.
God tells us that He is the beginning and the end (Rev. 22:13). The Lord does not have a maker nor does God have any siblings. The Lord does not have any equal partners. All authority belongs to God!
Authority over His creation
I was watching Brian Cox, a physicist, on YouTube the other day. Brian is a very intelligent man who has studied and come to an understanding of things that absolutely fascinate me. He was talking about the universe and explaining how the universe is flat. It’s truly a remarkable video that you should watch on YouTube when you have the time.
As I watched the video, the question of God came up. He spoke about how he spoke to some bishops that could not answer his questions. Space has always fascinated me. Not to say that Brian suggested this, but there are many people who believe that life is completely random. I feel that the belief of life being something random is honestly a lazy way of thinking that completely ignores the burning truth that comes from within us.
We know that we are not random but that we were created. God takes credit for creating life! In His power, God tells us that He laid the foundation for life.
4 “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?
Job 38:4 NKJV
Tell Me, if you have understanding.
God tells us that it was Him that set the laws for how this universe operates.
33 Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you set their dominion over the earth?
Job 38:33 NKJV
In all of the wisdom that we, mankind, have gained over time, we are still not scratching at the surface of understanding the magnitude of the Lord’s authority.
God’s caring of you and I
In this very idea of a grand universe that we cannot fully grasp and understand, we have a God that cares for us. I believe that this is equally hard for many people to understand. I still wonder why God would care for us when I take a look at the things that we do on a regular basis. God not only cares for mankind as a whole, but He cares for me individually.
3 You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways.
Psalm 139:3 NKJV
My God is great! Do you understand how close someone has to be to you for them to become acquainted with all of your ways? Frankly, there are people who have lived together for decades and are still not acquainted with each other’s ways. Mostly because we try to keep some things to ourselves, right? God gets and understands us!
Even with all that we have done, God gave Himself for us.
14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.
Titus 2:14 NKJV
Again, I say to you, my God is great! I would be completely vulnerable and helpless without the Lord. However, God has me shielded and protected.
5 You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me.
Psalm 139:5 NKJV
Who else is willing to do for me what the Lord has done? You see, I gave the Lord a try a long time ago and I found that He was the satisfaction my soul needed. It is because I tried the Lord that I can tell you today that God is great and that He is greater than all.
What makes the Lord great?
When we say that God is great, we are saying that He is above any other god – there is nobody that compares to Him. This is a statement
21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
2 Peter 1:21 NKJV
Peter declares to us that man is not capable of deriving what is taught to us of God in scripture. He says to us that the teachings of God were given to holy men who were moved by the Holy Spirit. The accuser would like for us to try to explain God without scripture and that, in turn, would be creating a god. (Notice, that would be doing what the accuser has already accused us of doing.)
Another offense that people find is the authority in which we speak of the Lord. The authority to speak of the Lord’s gospel was given to us, the genuine believer, through the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20). Note that this commission was given to us by Jesus, our Lord.
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
Matthew 28:19-20 NKJ
Paul said to Titus:
15 Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you.
Titus 2:15 NKJV
Authority has been given to us to speak of God’s gospel and of His greatness. People may choose to mock or ignore us, but we speak from a word that has been given to us by God. This truth is what we should always hold to and this truth is what we should teach and preach.