God Most High

Good afternoon. Happy Sabbath to all of you on this beautiful autumn day. In Psalm 97, a statement is made addressing God. For you, Lord, are most high above all the earth. You are exalted far above all gods. The Hebrew name El Elyon means God Most High. It's used to refer to God throughout the Old Testament. It's clear that when we read that God is the Most High, it means that there are no gods.

There are no beings who occupy a position higher than God. Someone else could be high, but God is the Most High. I've always found that name God Most High to be an interestingly descriptive way to refer to the supreme God of the universe. I've taught comparative religion at Ambassador Bible College since 2018. One of the topics that we cover near the beginning of the course is some similarities between most of the religions of the world. One of these similarities is a belief in a supreme being. Many religions believe in some sort of higher power, some type of being who is over all, even those religions who worship many, many gods. In this sermonette, I'd like to explain to you how most of the world's religions view that Most High God, and then I want to show you how the God of the Bible is so very different from the Most High God as it's understood by most people throughout history. I'd like to read to you a passage from Lewis Hopfie's book, Religions of the World. Wilhelm Schmitt studied the linguistics of New Guinea and then all of Oceania. He noted that all of the cultures he had studied held a common belief in a distant High God. Although the predominant form of religion was animism or polytheism, there was always the belief that originally there had been one great God above all the others.

This God may have been the creator of the world or the parent of those many lesser deities. Usually the High God is understood to have the qualities of eternity, omniscience, beneficence, morality, and omnipotence. After initially establishing the world, this High God went away and now has little contact with the world. Usually the local deities receive the majority of attention and worship, although the distant High God has a small part in mythology.

In Erdmann's handbook to the world's religions, Newel Booth wrote this. He wrote, "...the traditional religion of most of the peoples of southern and central Africa includes belief in a being who is in some sense the creator and the ultimate power of the universe, standing behind a variety of lesser spirits. There has been little or no direct worship of this being. He's too great, too powerful, too different from people to need or want worship or sacrifice. It's unnecessary and perhaps unwise to call yourself to his attention. Certain groups, however, do appeal to him in emergencies like drought or epidemics which threaten the whole community." And in that same book, a different part of it, Harold Turner wrote this.

"...Sometimes the single supreme God is concerned that people live moral lives and deals with them through the lesser gods. At other times he's believed to have been angry with mankind and to have withdrawn from the world, or else he is so high and mysterious that we cannot possibly reach him.

So this High God or Sky God may have no temples, priests, organized worship or sacrifices, and so he's easily missed by outsiders." Now you can see from these explanations from various cultures all around the world that there are at least three attributes that come out to describe this Most High God as people see him, the supreme power of the universe. First is that the Most High God is withdrawn. You know, while the Most High God has all the power, he really has very little contact with the world we live in.

The second is that that Most High God is remote. The Most High God basically delegates most of his work to these lesser gods, these other deities, and those are the ones that people develop relationships with and worship. Most people don't worship that Most High God, but instead worship those lesser gods that are seen as more specific, more relevant to the problems they're facing.

And the third thing that seems to come out is that the Most High God isn't really interested in you. He's not interested in you. Since he doesn't really want to interact with you, it's unwise to attract his attention. It's more likely to cause harm for you than it is to cause good. He's far too busy for you to bother him with your petty day-to- day life.

So let's now see how the real God of the Bible does not fit those descriptions. The first point for today's sermonet is that God is very involved in our world. Right? He's very involved in our world. Yes, God's not visible, but the Bible shows us that God is very involved in our world. He makes things happen. As Daniel explained, God changes the times and the seasons. He removes kings and raises up kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans that there's no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Even Job knew that to a large extent God directs the affairs of our world.

He makes nations great and destroys them. He enlarges nations and guides them. But it's not just nations, not just those big things like kings that God directs in our world. God explained to Job how he hunts prey for the lion, and he provides food for the raven. Jesus said that not even a sparrow falls to the ground apart from the Father's will. So that most high God that we see in the Bible is not withdrawn from our world. In fact, he's very involved in the world, and he's working out all of mankind's history according to his plan.

The second point is that God is not remote. He wants to be worshipped. He wants to be worshipped. It's true that God is mighty. God is powerful. And it's understandable how you might be a little intimidated in wanting to worship someone that mighty, someone that powerful. Mankind is felt through time that it's a lot easier. It's a lot easier to worship or to pray to beings who have a little less power, a little less authority.

Like pray to a pantheon of lesser gods, or to saints, or to the Virgin Mary. You know, if we entreat these lesser beings, then, you know, they could carry our request up to God if it really needs to go to that level. But the God of the Bible doesn't want us to worship or to pray to anyone except him.

For the sake of time, we're not going to turn to these passages, but in Exodus 34.14, God said, You shall worship no other God for the Lord whose name is jealous. He's a jealous God.

And when Jesus Christ gave us the model prayer in Matthew 6, he said that when we pray to go to our room, to shut the door, and to pray to your Father. In verse 8, he said that your Father knows the things that you have need of before you ask Him.

And then to begin that prayer, directed to our Father in heaven. So that God of the Bible, He wants us to pray to Him directly. And He's jealous. He's offended when people pray to other gods, or to saints, or to the spirits of their dead ancestors. Why should you be intimidated to pray to that great God of the universe when He already knows those things that you have need of before you ask Him? He's just waiting for you to ask.

But the most important point for us today is the third point. And this is the one that we'll look at the most in the sermon at today, is that the third point is that God wants a relationship with you. God wants a relationship with you. You're that God of the Bible, He is not too busy for you. You're not bothering Him. When you talk to Him about the details of your life, no matter how small and insignificant they may ultimately seem. Let's turn to Psalm 139. We're gonna look at the first four verses. Psalm 139 verse 1. This Psalm of David shows us that God is not too busy to make time for us.

Psalm 139 verse 1. O Lord, You've searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up. You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. He knows every word on your tongue. Our God knows about your every action. He understands those things in your minds. Things that many times we don't understand ourselves what's going on in our minds.

We don't have to worry about whether it's wise to bring something to God's attention because He already knows about it. He's probably waiting for us to ask Him for the wisdom to deal with it ourselves. Why else would He take that time to understand our thoughts? Why would He want to know what's going on? It's because He wants that relationship with us. Let's turn to 1 John chapter 3.

The epistle of John, the first one, in the third chapter. And we can read more about this relationship that God wants to have with us. 1 John chapter 3, and we'll begin here in verse 1, where it says, Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us that we should be called children of God. Therefore the world does not know us because it didn't know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God. And it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed we shall be like Him. For we shall see Him as He is. Not only did God create us, but He loves us so much that He calls us His children.

And this verse points out that He's in a process of making us to be like Him. Other religions that say they're based on the Bible, they don't believe that God would call us His children. Islam teaches in Surah 19 that it is not fitting for the most merciful to have a son. There is none in the heavens and the earth that will come to the most merciful as a servant.

So in Islam the hope for believers is only to come to God as a servant. But our God, our God wants us to become much more than His servants. He wants us to be His children. That's a very different relationship. I'd like also to turn to Hosea chapter 2 verse 16.

Book of Hosea chapter 2. And in verse 16, I'd like to read even more about the ultimate type of relationship that we are going to have with our Creator. Hosea chapter 2 verse 16. And it shall be, in that day, says the Lord, that you will call me my husband, and no longer call me my master. And in verse 19, God says, I will betrothed you to me forever. Yes, I will betrothed you to me in righteousness, in justice, in loving kindness, and mercy.

I will betrothed you to me in faithfulness, and you shall know the Lord.

God has this even more intimate relationship planned for us than simply being His children. We are to become the bride of Jesus Christ. As Isaiah wrote, For your Maker is your husband. The Lord of hosts is His name, and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel. He is called the God of the whole earth. So this most high God, the most high God, the one who is called the God of the whole earth, He wants a marriage-type relationship with you and with me. That's not what a withdrawn and a distant high God would do. We have a God who is interested in us in a way that other religions totally miss. We have a God who cares about you so much. Let's not treat Him like a God who is a far-off. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.