Jesus said, “37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment.” (Matthew 22:37-38). 

When it come down to love, the way that we great one another is vitally important.  There are all kinds of greeting methods – the handshake, the first bump, and my choice the good old fashioned hug. Bottom line is that the greeting needs to be sincere, and with genuine care and interest for the other person. 
It is my desire in this lesson to emphasize the importance of developing our method and practice of greeting one another…understanding it is much more than hello!  

In the title of the lesson notice that this is not a question—where not asking how Big is God?
We know God is Big – what we want to accomplish is the impossible. We will consider a few scriptures that simply help us to understand God’s greatness, but also that we as finite creations of God—will never be able to comprehend God’s size.

People often draw from a list of “big words” when talking that in some cases impart God’s greatness. Commonly words like, awesome, great, powerful, mighty, high, are use. Three words we’ll discuss are the three “Omini’s”, Omniscient, Omnipotent and Omnipresent.  

Let me offer one example of how words are insufficient in describing how big God is…

WHEN ONE CONSIDERS ALL THE THINGS THAT ARE IN EXISTENCE, THE CREATED THINGS, THEY ALL POINT TO THE GLORY OF THE CREATOR.

What should we do with this knowledge? What should our reaction be? When we see tremendous design in everything made—do we assume it was all by accident? I say emphatically, unequivocally, indisputably, no!
When all the facts seen in creation point to an intelligent and powerful designer.
When we comprehend these things, we must proclaim as the psalmist did and say, “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well” (Psa. 139:14).

Yes, our reaction needs to be praise toward our awesome God. Isaiah wrote, “I am the Lord, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images” (Isa. 42:8).

God—from the beginning has been speaking to the world through His creation.
Are you listening?

In the 29th Psalm, David wrote, “1 Give[a] unto the Lord, O you mighty ones, give unto the Lord glory and strength. 2 [b]Give unto the Lord the glory [c]due to His name; Worship the Lord in the [d]beauty of holiness.”
And in verse 9, “The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth, and strips the forests bare; and in His temple everyone says, “Glory!” (Psa. 29:1-2, 9)
“Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen” (1 Tim. 1:17).

Give unto the Lord glory and strength for good reason too when you consider all the the Lord our God has done…

Often we are accused of teaching and believing things we don’t teach or believe. This is yet another example of something we don’t believe. We don’t believe in a plurality of gods. 

We do teach and believe, as the Bible clearly states, in the Godhead, or the individuality of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Three separate persons of God who all are One God. 

That is what the scripture teaches. In this lesson we will examine the terms related, and the scripture that explains what exactly the Godhead is.

Listen in as we examine the scripture

“…but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits” (Daniel 11:32).

People who know their God are people who are: Strong and Take a Stand.

God always required His People to be Strong (Joshua 1:6-9; Ephesians 6:10-14)

Stand for Truth
Stand Against the Wiles of the Devil
1 John 4:17, “Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.”

Let’s examine in this lesson the character and activity of people who know God…

Once again we find ourselves addressing a claim that is false, made by other churches. The accusation is that the members of the church of Christ believe that Social Activities are Sinful.

Yes, Jesus did say, “for as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark” (Matt. 24:38).

But the real sin was not their social activities, rather it was their refusal to listen to God, through the preaching of Noah.  Genesis 6:5 states, “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” 

That is why they perished!! How is your heart? Is it filled with the righteousness of God? John wrote in the New Testament, “Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son” (2 John 1:9).

All who transgress the law of will be judged, it’s that simple. But let’s study this together and reach a conclusion by the scripture.

The question is not are social activities sinful? Rather, is the Lord’s church to be involved in social activities?  

I know what it is like to invite friends, family and brethren to a supper and have no one show up.

The one’s that want to be gracious will make excuses for why they can’t come.
The one’s who could care less—just don’t come.

But—there are the one’s who really care—and they do come and we enjoy one another’s company.

Jesus tells us a parable of a Great Supper from which we can glean many spiritual lessons. In this message I would like to share just 5 observations from this teaching of our Lord.

Let’s begin studying the account of the Great Supper together –  (Luke 14:15-24)

QUESTION: WHY DID JESUS LEAVE THE COMFORT OF HEAVEN? Why leave a place where sin, sorrow, pain, death and such does not exist and come to this place where it does exist? Why leave the Glory of the Father—to be with all the hate, murder, perversion, the anti-God world? Why come here—and walk among man—knowing that man would hate Him—reject Him, and put Him to death on a cross? What possible reason could Jesus of had for such an apparently bad choice?
TO SERVE YOU! You, are the reason God’s Son came to earth.
Because He loves you—He came to serve you—to show you how much He loves you by dying for you. Did I deserve this, did you deserve this? Not a chance! And that is what makes it such a powerful and amazing message.
Our lesson today has to do with the command to “Serve One Another”…

WISDOM FROM DAVID TO HIS SON SOLOMON

“9 “As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever. 10 Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be strong, and do it””  (1 Chronicles 28:9-10).

KNOW GOD – SERVE GOD – KNOW THE LORD SEARCHES ALL HEARTS – SEEK HIM

IF YOU FORESAKE HIM — HE WILL CAST YOU OFF FOREVER!