"God is Great"
(Psalm 135:1-18)
What are some common uses of the word "great"?
Great Depression - Great Scott - Great Balls of Fire - Grrreeaat!
Who are some people who are considered "great"?
eg. athletes, speakers, preachers, writers, politicians, etc.
Why do we call these people "great"?
What would it take for us, within our sphere of influence, to be "great"?
Definitions of "great": "unusually or comparatively large in size or dimension," "unusual or considerable in degree, power, intensity," "wonderful, first-rate, very good," "remarkable; exceptionally outstanding," "important," "of noble character," "much in favor," "having unusual merit"
The problem, due to the structure of our language and the confines of humanity, is that descriptive words - like "great" - are defined as comparison to what we already know and understand. In other words, great is better than good, which is better than fair, which is better than neutral, which is better than poor, which is better than horrible. Can we really use these types of comparisons when describing God? The fact that we can't is not an implication on us - only an observation. Until we shed our humanity and enter His Kingdom, we'll never be able to accurately describe Him. It's important that we understand this restriction. It's important that we get it - that we're incapable of seeing Him for who He truly is in entirety.
From the reading and otherwise, how can the word "great" be defined in reference to God?
When we say "God is great," we are not defining God, we are defining the word "great." God is NOT encapsulated within the definition of the man-made word. God IS the very definition of the word itself. We see other examples of this in the Bible:
1. 1 John 4:8 (Love)
2. John 8:12 (Light)
3. John 14:6-7 (Way/Truth/Life)
4. John 1:1 (Word)
Even in what we read today, verse 3 says "Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good," and verse 5 says "I know that the Lord is great," and not as an addendum to that, but BECAUSE of that, it goes on to say "our Lord is greater than all gods."
Why can the following be considered "great": Moses, David, Mother Theresa, Martin Luther, Billy Graham, Dr. Joe ...
What is the source of the greatness? Better yet, what IS the greatness?
Group 1: What single words come to mind when I say the name "Adolf"?
(the group came up with "killer," "evil," etc.)
Group 2: What single words come to mind when I say the name "Emanuel"?
(the group came up with "savior," "love," etc.)
What if I then added the last names?
Adolf Wilhelm Hermann Kolbe: regarded as the founder of modern organic Chemistry.
Emanuel Kemp: a Texas death-row inmate convicted of murder.
Point: A lot is riding on a name. The name becomes a symbol of who a person is. However, it is not the name itself that we praise or condemn. It is the person behind the name. When verse 3 says "sing praise to Him name," and verse 13 says "Your name, o Lord, endures forever," what does this mean? What does this name - this symbol - represent? Is there anything short of perfection and greatness behind the name of God?
Both groups: What words come to mind when "God" is spoken?
Challenge: Take some time over the next week to think about Who we serve.
Who is it that we praise? What is behind
that Name?
Bible Verse Challenge:
Psalm 19:14 -
"May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in
Your sight, o Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer."
