Join us in this thought-provoking episode as we delve into the greatness of God, exploring His incomprehensible nature and the implications it holds for believers. Discover why prayer becomes a critical priority when we truly understand who God is and how it benefits our daily walk with Him. Dive into profound insights from Psalm 145 and related scriptures that juxtapose the divine with our human limitations.
If you understand what I’m saying about the greatness of God and who He is, though you don’t fathom all of its implications, but the major points hit you, one of the first applications in the heart of the believer is, well, then, therefore, praying to Him is not a waste of time. Praying to Him is not meaningless. Praying to Him may be the most, and it is, the most important thing I can do in life. All of a sudden, when you understand who God is, guess what? Prayer moves up the list and becomes a priority in the believer’s life.
SPEAKER 02 :
And it’s a blessing to have you with us for this midweek edition of Hope for Today. The world doesn’t mind talking about God as long as he stays safe, soft, and manageable. Culture wants a God it can edit. Religion wants a God it can package. Sinners want a God who never judges, never rules, and never gets in their way. The God of the Bible, however, the God of the Bible will not bow to human preference. He is who he is. Today, Bible teacher David Hawking continues our series on the attributes of God taken from various portions of Scripture from Genesis through Revelation. Stay tuned. We’re about to get into the Word of God for day two of a lesson called The Greatness of God. First, as we continue this series on the attributes of God, we’d like to let you know that it’s available on MP3 CD. The entire series, it’ll take about two months on radio, 16 messages altogether, and it’s complete for just $20 on MP3 CD. You can also order David’s original sermon notes for this series. These are the sermon notes and outlines he used to preach each of these messages. And the sermon notes are wonderful to help you follow along as you listen on radio. The complete set of sermon notes for the Attributes of God series, just $10. To order, call 875-BIBLE. That’s in the U.S. 888-75-BIBLE in Canada, and Bible is 24253. You can also purchase when you visit us online at DavidHawking.org. That’s David, H-O-C-K-I-N-G.org. We’ll turn to Psalm 145 now, and here’s David Hawking with day two of The Greatness of God.
SPEAKER 01 :
There are certain facts that we must always believe, even though we don’t understand them. It’s what faith is all about. But to try to let folks know that we know everything is the height of human arrogance and conceit. Oh, no. God’s knowledge is important, and God’s actions are important, and they’re both incomprehensible. Think about what Paul said in Romans 11.33. It says his ways are past finding out. And a lot of us think we know. In Isaiah, it says, his ways are not our ways. His thoughts are not our thoughts. Then why in the world are we trying to act like we know and we understand what God knows and does? Turn back to Psalm 145. It isn’t just what he knows, what he does. It’s who he is that is incomprehensible. And that’s what we read a moment ago in Psalm 145. Look again at these three verses. It says, I will extol or praise you, my God, O King. I will bless your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless you. I will praise your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord, and great is the Lord. Here it’s not the knowledge of the Lord. It’s not the works of the Lord. It’s the Lord himself. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable. Past finding out. No limitation. Impossible to understand. When you ask me what is the meaning of the greatness of our God, I say incomprehensible. Number two, when you ask me about the greatness of God, I immediately in my mind contrast it with man. So I give you a second word. He is incorruptible. That’s why he’s great. Everything else in life is corruptible. It’s falling apart, including all of us. Amen? Now, that could be depressing unless you have the joy of the Lord. Every last one of us, given enough time, will prove that we are falling apart. Now, you can go home with that and really be blessed by it. Amen? It happens to us emotionally. It happens to us physically. All of life demonstrates one thing. We don’t last. Everything they sell us doesn’t last either. Have you noticed that? And I’ve been thinking about this for a lot of years. I think they’re making stuff to look better and last at a shorter period of time than ever before. Because they want you to experience that thing breaking in order to get the latest that they’ve got coming out. Nobody is selling stuff anymore. Well, it’s crummy, but you’ll never see that break down. It doesn’t look good, but I’ll tell you, that is solid. All of us are finding that it’s the glitter and glamour of everything they sell us. But the truth of the matter, down in our hearts, we know that nothing lasts. The world is passing away in all that it contains. God’s so different. God, when you talk His greatness, He’s incorruptible. And there are two things that are behind that. One is because He’s holy. And the other is because he’s eternal. Because he is holy, he’s not like that which corrupts. Everything that corrupts is unholy. Now the holiness of God, let me tell you, there are two ways to describe the holiness of God. The word holy, used all the way through the Bible, means to be separate. There are two ways in which God is holy. One, he is separate from sin. That’s what a lot of us understand as the fundamental idea of holiness. Separate from sin. Aren’t you glad he’s not separate from sinners? Our Lord Jesus was a friend of sinners, but he was totally without sin. Now that’s a major idea of holiness, but the fundamental idea of holiness… That is, the root behind that one is that God is separate from everything He Himself made. He’s separate from the material and physical universe and all of its creation, including angels and man. What that means is we are not pantheists. God is not in this microphone. He’s not in the trees. He’s not Mother Nature. God is totally separate. New Age thinking of today, now permeating our schools and educational systems, permeating our business community with all kinds of seminars and learning tools, books everywhere, their number one thinking is that God is all and all is God. It’s pantheistic through and through. It’s discovering the God that you are. It’s seeing God in everything, the trees, the plants, the animals, therefore save the whales. Everything goes on like that. Kill the babies, save the whales is, of course, philosophical nonsense. But this generation is not thinking clear. God is not to be identified with that which he himself created. He is not chairs. He is not trees. He is not mountains. That is the result of his creative power. God exists beyond that, outside of that, and totally separate from it, though he invades it all with his omnipresence, that he’s everywhere at once. Turn to Psalm 30, and let’s just look at this for a moment. On the greatness of God, because his name is holy, therefore he is great. He is not like man. Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holy name. Turn to chapter 97, please, verse 12. Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous, and give thanks or praise at the remembrance of of his holy name. Turn to Psalm 99, really a psalm about holiness. The Lord reigns, let the people tremble. He dwells between the cherubim, let the earth be moved. The Lord is great in Zion, he’s high above all the peoples. Let them praise your great and awesome name, he is holy. Verse 5, exalt the Lord our God and worship at his footstool, he is holy. Verse 9, exalt in the Lord our God and worship at his holy hill for the Lord our God is holy. Turn to chapter 111, please. In verse 9, he has sent redemption to his people. He has commanded his covenant forever. And look at this line. Holy and awesome is his name. Greatness and holiness put together. Why is God so great? Because he’s incorruptible. He’s holy. He’s separate from what was made that will not last. He himself will last. He never is corrupted in any way, shape, or form. By sin, by circumstances, by physical factors that affect all of us like weather and health and bugs and viruses. God is not affected by it at all. He is the incorruptible God. as well as being incomprehensible. Turn, please, to Psalm 72. He’s not only holy, he’s eternal. Everything else does not last, has a beginning. God had no beginning. He’s always existed. And that’s how great he is. Everything that I’m used to started. God never started. Every time I think about anything, I think beginning and end and cause and effect. I’m sorry, I can’t help it. It’s what I’m all about and what you’re all about. Somehow we’ve been programmed that way. And yet God had no beginning and will have no end. He’s the incorruptible God. In Psalm 72, 17, it says, His name, His character, what He’s all about, shall endure forever. His name shall continue as long as the sun. And men shall be blessed in Him. All nations shall call Him blessed. Psalm 102, please. Talk about a contrast. Here God takes man and contrasts it with himself. Psalm 102, 11 and 12. The psalmist says, My days are like a shadow that lengthens, and I will wither away like grass. That’s man. We’re just a shadow. Whatever time of life we have, it’s just a lengthening of that, but we will wither away like grass. That’s all we are. But you, O Lord, shall endure forever, and the remembrance of your name to all generations. In the little community where we live, there are trees, like in most communities, but they’ve been planted with special design. There’s lovely trees there, but some of the trees have something wrong with them, and the leaves are dying and withering. was sitting out by the pool talking to the gentleman who’s lived there longer than we have, looking at this tree. And he’s looking at it. And he’s discussing with me the tragedy of this and how we can solve this. Because he says, you know, the trees last forever. You know, if he just hadn’t said that, I could have done like my wife said and kept quiet. But when you hear wrong doctrine, it’s hard to be quiet. I know we’re supposed to slip it in on them, you know, and build bridges of friendship, but I can’t stand it. I said, that’s an example of me of all of life. Nothing lasts. He looked at me and said, what are you so down about? My dear friends, God is eternal. He lasts. He has no beginning. He has no end. He’s always been there. He is what it’s all about. In Psalm 102, 11, we learn about man’s fragile nature and that we will not last. But look at the conclusion in verse 12. But you, O Lord, shall endure forever and the remembrance of your name to all generations. Look at Psalm 135, verse 13. Your name, O Lord, endures forever. Your fame, O Lord, throughout all generations. Why is God incorruptible? Because his name is holy and because his name is eternal. We’ve given you two things, the third and final point. When we talk about the greatness of God, we’re talking incomprehensible, incorruptible. But I love this. He’s incomparable. You want to know how great he is? He can’t be compared to anything. He’s incomparable. Where are you going to start? And I want to give you just two things that demonstrate the incomparable nature of God. One is his position, and two is his power. Just a couple of things that we can take at the beginning of this series and see about the greatness of God, that he’s incomparable in terms of his position as well as his power. In focusing on his position, would you turn to Ephesians chapter 1? Remember that our God who made everything is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. One God manifesting himself as three persons. The eternal Son of God is under discussion. And the greatness of our God applies to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In Ephesians 1, 19… It says that we might know Now watch this. far above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come. He put all things under his feet, gave him to be head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all and all. It’s as though we’re not getting the point. What he’s saying is in so many phrases, point after point after point, no one is higher than him. How is God great in the sense of being incomparable, affecting his position over all? No one is greater. He’s far above all principalities and power. Name some great leader, some mighty force. God is above it all. The Lord Jesus Christ, above it all. Look at Philippians chapter 2, please. In speaking again of our blessed Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, it says in verse 9, Therefore God has highly exalted him, his position, highly exalted him, given him the name which is above every name. That at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow. Of those in heaven, those on earth, those under the earth, that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Turn to Hebrews chapter 1. He is incomparable because of his position. Nobody should be mentioned in the same breath. They don’t deserve it. Hebrews 1, 1-4, God, who at various times and in different ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets… has in these last days spoken to us by his Son, whom he has appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds, who being the brightness of his glory, the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. Position? having become so much better than the angels, as he has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. He is above all names that are named. Not only his position, but also his power demonstrates that he’s incomparable. Turn back to Psalm 66, please. And look, please, at verses 1 to 4. The power of our God demonstrates that he’s incomparable. A description of his greatness must include that. No one is to be like him. Psalm 66, 1, make a joyful shout to God all the earth. Sing out the honor of his name. Make his praise glorious. Say to God, how awesome are your works. Through the greatness of your power, your enemies shall submit themselves to you. All the earth shall worship you and sing praises to you. They shall sing praises to your name. Why? Because of the greatness of your power. Chapter 68, please. Look at verse 32. Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth. Oh, sing praises to the Lord, to him who rides on the heaven of heavens, which were of old. Indeed, he sends out his voice, a mighty voice, ascribed strength to God. New International says, proclaim the power of God. His excellence is over Israel. His strength is in the clouds. Oh God, you are more awesome than your holy places. The God of Israel is he who gives strength and power to his people. Blessed be God. At the root of our problems is what? A misunderstanding or a misapplication of who God is and what God can do. Let me give you two illustrations of the incomparableness of God in terms of power. Just two things. One, prayer. God is able to answer prayer. God really does have the power and greatness not to be compared with anything else I might try. Therefore, praying to Him… It’s what I need to do more than anything else. All of a sudden, when you understand who God is, guess what? Prayer moves up the list and becomes a priority in the believer’s life. Prayer is always down on the list when the preaching, teaching, ministry of the church is focusing on the needs of people, believe it or not. Because often that’s where prayer requests come, the needs of people. But what in fact happens is that because of the concentration on man and not God, the motivation to prayer becomes a weak matter. It’s a difficult thing. Repetition becomes a problem. Just going through the motions, saying the same kind of words you’ve always said. We even teach children how to pray and new converts how to pray. And so there’s a routine. Christians get used to it, offer quickies when they have food, and they should. Before they go to bed at night or when they get up, it becomes a routine, a pattern. in some terrible sense, becomes empty because we forget who God is. It’s the greatness of God, His power, that says to me, then prayer is more important. I read in John 14, 13 and 14, Jesus said, Whatever you ask in my name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in my name, I will do it. And we can find an incredible list of reasons why that will not happen and reveal our arrogance, conceit, doubt, and discouragement, and that we don’t believe in who God is. That’s what he said, folks. Look in chapter 15, verse 16. Jesus said, you do not choose me. I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, that your fruit should remain, and whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give you. Chapter 16, verse 23. In that day you will ask me nothing. Most assuredly I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you. Until now you’ve asked nothing in my name. Ask and you will receive, that your joy may be full. Verse 26, in that day you will ask in my name. I do not say to you, I shall pray to the Father for you. For the Father himself loves you because you’ve loved me and have believed that I came forth from God. What he’s telling us is ask. I can do it. I can answer prayer. Talk about the power of God is incomparable. Who else can do this for you?
SPEAKER 02 :
And the answer to that question is no one but God. Amen. Well, you’re listening to Hope for Today with David Hawking. And David’s back shortly to put the finishing touches on today’s study. So stay right there. First, Matt’s here, and we have a couple of powerful home Bible study resources to share with you. Jim, I love 1 Corinthians 13. Oh, yeah. And isn’t it intriguing that the King James Version uses the word charity for love? There’s a lot there, Matt. You read through that, and I don’t know about you, but I get convicted. Big time. Big time. But what a roadmap for loving your spouse, kids, for loving your neighbor the way God wants us to love them. This is the kind of love that changes lives and hearts. Wow. And love, if we as believers will dive deep into this passage, just let it thoroughly saturate our hearts. Understand and put its truth into action. There you go. We’re going to be radically transformed. Imagine the impact it can have on our gospel testimony. Yeah, amen. Well, discover the wondrous story of love in 1 Corinthians 13 with David Hawking’s book, Love is the Greatest. It’s just $15. Your purchase will bless your life and be a blessing to hope for today. Amen. And you can order this or any of our resources by phone at 875-BIBLE. That’s in the U.S., 888-75-BIBLE. In Canada, Bible is 24253. And, of course, ordering online is convenient. The website, davidhawking.org. And just before David returns, you know, if you haven’t had the chance to support this ministry lately, we’d be grateful for your prayers. Start with that. And for any gift the Lord might lead you to send. You can call us at 800-75-BIBLE. Again, that’s in the U.S. Or 888-75-BIBLE in Canada. You can also give securely online at davidhocking.org. And if you prefer writing a note in the U.S., you can mail that to Hope for Today, Box 3927, Tustin, California, 92781. In Canada, Hope for Today, Box 15011, RPO7Oaks.com. Abbotsford, B.C., V2S, 8P1. And here’s David to lead us in a moment of prayer.
SPEAKER 01 :
Who is like God? Who has the power, folks, to save the human heart from sin, death, and hell? I read in John 1, 12, as many as receive him, to them he gave the power, the authority to become the children of God, even to them that believe in his name. You talk about incomparable. Peter said in Acts 4, 12, neither is there salvation in any other name for there’s none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved first peter 1 5 says that we are kept by the power of god is there anyone who can save us and keep us and bring us finally to our heavenly home but god almighty the bible says no he’s incomparable nothing else will do no other message will work it’s only him And he asked us to bend the knee and confess with the mouth, believe in our hearts that he indeed is who he claimed. God wants you to trust his greatness. God wants you to believe in him, not in your ability to believe it. Though we believe not, Paul says, yet he abideth faithfully, cannot deny himself. To the centurion whom God in his word honors, Jesus honored his faith. Yet he said, Lord, I believe. Help thou mine unbelief. The key issue isn’t my faith. The key issue is who God is. God’s asking me to trust what he tells us in his word about who he is. And he has the power to save you right on the spot. Call upon his mighty and powerful name. Ask and you will receive. God can do it because of who God is. Father, you know that there’s a hesitancy in our hearts because we focus on our circumstances or our problems, whatever the reason. But there’s a hesitancy in our heart to trust you. God, I pray you’d set us free. That can be an agonizing and painful way to live. God, you are great. There’s nothing too hard for you. Each of us has to walk out of here and run smack into life again. And it can be so routine, dull, overbearing, hard, difficult. And you will test us again as to whether we believe in the God described in the Bible who is great and awesome. When we don’t know what’s happening, God, help us to remember that you do. When we find ourselves weakening and see everything around us collapsing and things don’t last, help us to remember that you do. When we see everybody trying to exalt their own importance, God, help us to remember that you’re incomparable. There’s nobody like you. God, we thank you. Thank you, Lord, for what you’re going to do. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. Amen.
SPEAKER 02 :
Well, thank you, David. And before we go, we want to quickly tell you about a free resource called Does God Truly Love Me? You know, in our series on the attributes of God, we don’t want to forget that God loves you. He loves me. And this 10-page resource, again, Does God Truly Love Me?, will give you encouragement and remind you that the God we’re learning about in this series is not distant or cold. He loves you. This free download is available in multiple languages right from the homepage at DavidHawking.org. That’s DoesGodTrulyLoveMe at DavidHawking.org, right there on the homepage. Well, tomorrow, David begins day one of a message called The Sovereignty of God. In a world that looks out of control, we’re going back to the Bible to see who’s really on the throne and why understanding that matters now more than ever. Don’t miss it right here on Hope for Today.
