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WEEKLY
Volume 3 Number 34
18 January 2009
The Most High God
(Message
delivered by Rev Hien Nguyen at the Worship Service, 2:00 pm, Jan 18,
09)
Text: Gen 14:18-24
You and I surely do not want
to worship or serve a god who is not true or who is not able to help us
and save us from sins and from the condemnation of sins in Hell, not to
mention from our troubles, trials or dangers. We only want to worship
and serve the living and true God, the Most High God, sovereign, supreme
and almighty. Sadly, many reject God’s love, God’s Word, God’s truth and
His salvation in His Son, Jesus Christ, so God has given them up to
their own corrupt mind, believing a lie, “because they received not
the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God
shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That
they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in
unrighteousness” (2 Thess 2:10-12). Without God’s light and truth,
many are walking in darkness and do not know where they are going! Many
believe in evolution or human philosophies instead of God, His creation,
and His Word. They do not know that they believe a lie! Many others
believe in themselves and human resources while there is no truth in man
who is bound to sins, changes and death, “let God be true, but every
man a liar” (Rom 3:4). Many others are worshipping and serving an
idol, a man-made god, or a human religious leader while they fail to see
that there is only one true God, their Creator and Maker, and all other
gods are only idols, “For all the gods of the nations are idols: but
the LORD made the heavens” (Ps 96:5), and thus they also fail to see
that they are unwittingly worshipping and serving Satan, the father of
lies, “What say I then? that the idol is any thing, or that which is
offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing? But I say, that the
things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not
to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.”
(1 Cor 10:19-20).
We must always thank God and
praise Him for graciously delivering us from the power of darkness of
Satan, sins, deceits and unbiblical beliefs or doctrines and for
mercifully revealing His truth, His love and His salvation in Christ
Jesus to us. We have learnt the name El Shaddai, which means
“the Almighty God,” who is the Almighty Creator, who is able to keep
and fulfil His Word, His promises and His covenant, and who is able to
save us and keep us safe forever. There is nothing too hard for Him nor
impossible with Him. Praise the LORD our God! Today, we are learning His
name, El Elyon (Gen 14:18, 19, 20, 22) or Elohim Elyon (Ps
57:3; 78:56), which means, “the Most High God.” Then what does
this name mean to you and me and what are our proper attitudes?
The Meaning and Background
of the Name El Elyon
We have known El is a
short form of Elohim, which means the living and true God, the
Creator, the Fount and Source of all life and being.
Elyon
means high, highest, most
high. It has 53 occurrences, and KJV translates as “High” 18 times,
“most high” nine times, “high” nine times, “upper” eight times, “higher”
four times, “highest” twice, “above” once, “Highest” once, and
“uppermost” once. When referring to God and His Name, Elyon means
the Highest (Ps 18:13) or the Most High (Ps
9:2; 91:1). With other Divine Names, Elyon means the Most
High. El Elyon or Elohim Elyon means the Most High God (Gen
14:18; Ps 57:3) and Jehovah Elyon means the LORD most high
(Ps 7:18; 47:3). Then, God’s name El Elyon reminds us that He is
the Supreme Ruler, the Sovereign God, and the Possessor of heaven and
earth. He is over all, above all and He is in control over all. Praise
the LORD!
In the New Testament the
equivalent Greek term Hupsistos is translated as the Highest,
the Most High; e.g. “the Son of the Highest” (Luke 1:32),
“the Son of God most high” (Luke 8:28), “the Most
High” (Acts 7:48); “the most high God” (Acts
16:17; Heb 7:1).
El Elyon
is first mentioned in Genesis chapter 14. After God had helped Abram to
defeat the enemies and to deliver Lot and his household from their
hands, Melchizedek, the king of Salem and the priest of the most high
God came and blessed him, “Blessed be Abram of the most high God,
possessor of heaven and earth: And blessed be the most high God, which
hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand” (vv 19-20). And Abram
refused to take the goods from the ungodly king of Sodom, acknowledged
the supreme sovereignty of God, who gave him the victory and all the
blessings, saying, “I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most
high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, That I will not take from a
thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is
thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich” (v 22). Do
you and I also acknowledge our LORD God’s sovereignty and trust in Him
alone and not in men? What about our proper attitudes?
Our Proper Attitudes
Acknowledge and Humbly Worship
Our Most High God:
It is a serious sin before God when we fail to acknowledge and
humbly worship our Most High God. Lucifer proudly lifted himself up,
“I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most
High” (Isa 14:14) and he was cursed and cast down (v 15). How about
Nebuchadnezzar? Although Daniel told him that “the most High ruleth
in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth
up over it the basest of men” (Dan 4:17), several months later when
Nebuchadnezzar walked in the palace and said, “Is not this great
Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of
my power, and for the honour of my majesty?” (v 30). He quickly
forgot that it was the Most High God who had given him the kingdom and
he failed to worship the Most High God and give all glory to Him! While
he was still speaking, God spoke to him, “And they shall drive thee
from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they
shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over
thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men,
and giveth it to whomsoever he will” (vv 31-32). And God’s Word was
fulfilled right after that. Nebuchadnezzar was cast out and he ate grass
like oxen in the field and was wet with the dew until God’s judgement
was over and Nebuchadnezzar said, “I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine
eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed
the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever,
whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from
generation to generation:… Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol
and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways
judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase” (vv 34,
37). Truly, “God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the
humble” (James 4:6).
May God help you and me humble
ourselves before Him always and acknowledge that “A man can receive
nothing, except it be given him from heaven” (John 3:27) and say
like John the Baptist, “He must increase, but I must decrease”
(John 3: 30) and then worship our Most High God with fear and reverence,
“Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready
to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that
they do evil” (Eccl 5:1).
Trust in Our Most High God and
His Sovereignty:
Acknowledging our Most High God’s sovereignty, we shall put our trust in
Him alone, who is able to make all things work together for good to His
beloved and obedient children (Rom 8:28). During the outbursts of SARS,
many Christian memorised and cited Psalm 91 as they turned to the LORD
for protection. It is always good and comforting for you and me to cite
this Psalm, “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High
shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He
is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely
he shall deliver thee…He shall cover thee…Because thou hast made the
LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There
shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy
dwelling” (vv 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 10). Do you and I trust in our Most
High God and His sovereignty and run to Him for protection no matter
what may happen to us?
Cry unto Our Most High God:
People of this
world usually cry unto their “gods” for help in time of troubles, trials
or dangers. Sadly, their “gods” are not the living and true God nor the
Most High God! We must thank God always because He is our living and
true God, our Most High God, and our loving Father, and we can turn to
Him and cry unto Him for help in time of need, “Let us therefore come
boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find
grace to help in time of need” (Heb 4:16). When we cry unto our Most
High God, we must humbly acknowledge His sovereignty and our nothingness
and helplessness, “Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine
heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and
thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few” (Eccl 5:2), and
then cry for His mercy and help, “Be merciful unto me, O God, be
merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of
thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast. I
will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me”
(Ps 57:1-2). Are you and I still worried about or fearful of our
uncertain future as we do not know what may happen to us? Let us trust
in our Most High God and cry unto Him for help, guidance, protection,
and deliverance, “I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered
me from all my fears” (Ps 34:4).
Gratefully Offer Ourselves to
Our Most High God:
It is proper for you and me to acknowledge that all we have, our life,
good health and strength, good jobs, family, peace and joy, God’s
guidance and salvation, deliverance and victory and so forth come from
our Most High God, the Possessor of heaven and earth. Abram acknowledged
God’s blessings by giving his tithes (Gen 14:20). Let us not only give
our offerings or tithes but also offer our hearts and lives and bodies
unto the Lord as “a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God,
which is your reasonable service” (Rom 12:1). Truly, “But by the
grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me
was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not
I, but the grace of God which was with me” (1 Cor 15:10). Then, let
us praise our Most High God, “I will praise the LORD according to his
righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the LORD most high…
I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O
thou most High” (Ps 7:17; 9:2). If your father is a king, a
president, or a prime minister, will you worry about your jobs or your
lives? Is he not able to help you or take care of you? Then, we must
thank God for being the children of our Most High God (Luke 6:35), who
is in control over all, and if He is with us and for us, everything will
be fine, “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Rom 8:31).
Conclusion
Dear friends, our LORD God is
still the Most High God, Supreme and Sovereign although many nowadays
deny Him, reject Him, and believe a lie. Satan and his demons
acknowledge Jesus as the Son of the Most High God (Mark 5:7; Luke 8:28),
but
they are not saved due to their pride, rebellion, and disobedience. Let
us wisely acknowledge our Lord’s sovereignty then humbly worship Him,
serve Him, trust in Him, cry unto Him, give thanks and praise to Him,
submit to Him and His Word, and offer our lives unto Him as a living and
holy sacrifice always. Amen.
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