How Great is Our God - A Greater Understanding of His Majesty
A powerful reminder of God's incomprehensible greatness and our call to daily praise His holy name, emphasizing His uniqueness and sovereignty over all creation.
Text: Psalms 145:1-3, Deuteronomy 6:4-5, 1 John 5:20-21
Preacher: Ptr. Sael Anota
Monthly Theme: “Traversing Back to Basic”
Focus: Membership/Fellowship - “Because of Souls”
The Danger of Familiarity
The message opened with a striking illustration from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s observation about the stars:
“If the stars only came out once a year, the whole world would stay awake to see them. But because they come out every night, we forget how wonderful they are.”
This powerful analogy reveals a dangerous truth about our relationship with God. The danger when we are around something wonderful all the time is that we can forget how great it is! If we only felt God once a year, nothing could stop us from worshipping and singing. But because we know He will be here next Sunday, we can become complacent in our praise.
The Central Declaration: God is Great
“Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.” — Psalms 145:3
There is only one purpose for this message today: to remind us all that GOD IS GREAT and He is greatly to be praised!
He is THE God - Not Just A God
The sermon emphasized God’s absolute uniqueness with powerful declarations:
- He is not just a God; He is THE GOD!
- He is not just a King; He is THE KING!
- He is not just a Lord; He is THE LORD!
“Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” — 1 Timothy 1:17
He is not one of the many; He is the One and the Only! He is not one path of many paths; He’s not one of a thousand; and He’s not one of three. HE IS THE ALMIGHTY GOD; HE ALONE IS GOD!
The Divine Mystery: What God Doesn’t Know
In a profound moment of revelation, the message highlighted the only thing God doesn’t know:
“Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.” — Isaiah 44:8
This remains the central fact of scripture and the divine expression of His identity: “Hear O Israel (the world), the LORD our GOD is ONE LORD!”
God’s Sovereignty and Throne
This great God is sovereign. He sits on the throne of His righteousness and does not share that throne over the affairs of nations, kingdoms and churches.
“For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power.” — Colossians 2:9-10
The Name Above All Names
The sermon powerfully declared the supremacy of Jesus’ name:
There is no name like His name. Throughout history there have been great names — conquerors like Alexander the Great, scientists like Galileo, artists like Michelangelo, inventors like Da Vinci, and athletes like Manny Pacquiao. But line up all those names and a hundred thousand more just like them, and there will still be One name under heaven, given among men whereby we must be saved.
The Progression of Seeking His Name
- Moses sought for that name
- David wanted to praise that name
- Solomon studied for that name
- Isaiah tried to pronounce that name
But we now are blessed to know that name — even baptized in that name that is above all names. The Name of JESUS CHRIST; the ONLY Saving name!
“Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” — Philippians 2:9-11
God’s Unfathomable Greatness
Beyond Human Comprehension
The psalmist declares his intention to exalt and praise the name of God every day. How long will he proclaim the name of the Lord every day? He will do it forever. Why? Because God is great!
So great that this passage declares His greatness to be unsearchable. The word translated “unsearchable” means to be beyond comprehension or explanation.
- The NIV translates this phrase: “his greatness no one can fathom”
- Our God is great beyond what we can understand or fathom
- Our God is immeasurable; impossible to comprehend
Three Ways God’s Greatness is Unfathomable
The message indicated three specific ways in which God’s greatness surpasses human understanding, calling us to exalt our God all the more because of His incomprehensible nature.
The Enduring Nature of God’s Kingdom
The sermon concluded with a powerful contrast between temporary earthly greatness and eternal divine greatness:
A traveler recently visited Turkey and photographed all that remains of the Temple of Diana in Ephesus — only one lonely pile of rocks. We read in Acts that for two hours, the people in that city shouted over and over, “Great is Diana of the Ephesians! Great is Diana of the Ephesians!”
After 2000 years there’s nothing left except a little pile of stones.
But Jesus Said…
“Upon this rock, I will build my Church.” — Matthew 16:18
For 2000 years and counting, the devil has tried to stop it. Governments have tried to stop it. Hell tried its best… but Great is the Lord Jesus Christ. Great is the Lord Jesus Christ. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised.
Our Response: Daily Praise and Worship
The Psalmist’s Commitment
“I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever.” — Psalms 145:1-2
David’s commitment was not occasional or seasonal praise, but daily, eternal worship. This should be our response to understanding God’s greatness.
The Foundation of All Worship
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” — Deuteronomy 6:4-5
This is the foundation of all true worship and devotion — recognizing God’s oneness and responding with complete love and dedication.
Keeping Ourselves from Idols
“And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” — 1 John 5:20-21
In our journey back to basics, we must guard against anything that would diminish our understanding of God’s greatness. We must keep ourselves from idols — anything that would take the place of our worship and devotion to the one true God.
A Call to Remember
The central challenge of this message is simple yet profound: Don’t let familiarity breed contempt for the magnificent God we serve. Because we know He will be here next Sunday, we cannot afford to take His presence for granted today.
GOD IS GREAT and He is greatly to be praised! He has no rival, no equal, and His greatness is beyond our ability to fully comprehend. THERE IS NO ONE LIKE HIM.
Let us commit, like David, to bless His name every day, forever and ever. Let us never forget the wonder of who He is and what He has done. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised!
“Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.” — Psalms 145:3
This reminder of God’s incomprehensible greatness should drive us to daily worship, humble recognition of His sovereignty, and passionate proclamation of His holy name. How great is our God!