“How Great Thou Art”

1. Read: Romans 11:33-36

2. About the Text:

1) In these verses, the apostle Paul praises God for His greatness in saving man through His mercy.

2) God’s greatness is certainly beyond anything that we can imagine.

3) However, we can certainly sing of God’s greatness as we seek to praise Him.

4) One of the great songs of the church that praises God is the song “How Great Thou Art.”

5) This song was written by Carl Gustav Boberg, a Swede, who was inspired by a thunderstorm to reflect upon the greatness of God.

6) It was originally written in 1885 in Swedish with nine verses but later translated into English.

7) Stuart K. Hine translated the poem into English and added two verses of his own in 1949.

8) This is what is in our hymnals today.

9) Let us now turn our thoughts and reflections upon the scriptures that inspired such a hymn.

3. Ref. to S, T, P, O, and A.

1. The universe.

1) Genesis 1:1

2) Read Psalm 19:1-6

3) “And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also” (Genesis 1:16).

4) A 1 with 80 zeros behind it watts of energy.

a. We know what a 100 watt light bulb is.

b. Imagine a 1 with 78 zeros number of light bulbs.

5) Psalm 33:6 “By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.”

2. The earth.

1) Genesis 1:1

2) “He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion” (Jeremiah 10:12).

3) Jeremiah 51:15 echoes this same thought. “He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heaven by his understanding.”

4) Jeremiah 32:17 “Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:”

a. The water cycle.

b. The mineral cycle.

3. Man, the pinnacle of His creation.

1) Psalm 8:3-8

2) Psalm 139:14 “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.”

1. God did not spare His own Son, but sent Him to die.

1) “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32).

2) “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (John 17:3).

2. Jesus bore the burden of sin on the cross.

1) “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3).

2) “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit” (1 Peter 3:18).

3. He bled and died to take away my sin.

1) “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

2) “Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God” (Rom.3:25).

1. Christ will come with shouts of acclamation.

1) “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thess.4:15-17).

2) “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen” (Rev.1:7).

2. He will take us home and fill us with eternal joy.

1) “But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy” (1 Peter 4:13).

2) “His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord” (Matthew 25:23).

3. We will bow in humble adoration and proclaim God’s greatness.

1) “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created” (Revelation 4:11).

2) “Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever” (Rev.5:12-13).

1. God is great! We proclaim God’s greatness because of . . .

1) His Wonderful Creation

2) The Gift of His Son

3) The Wonderful Promises of the Future

2. Invitation