El Elyon Series

Names of God 4: El Elyon Dan 4:2,3, 13-17, 33-34 WBC 18/9/05am

A true story - a woman entered a Haagen-Dazs store on the Kansas City Plaza for an ice-cream cone. After making her selection, she turned and found herself face to face with Paul Newman. He was in town filming the movie Mr. and Mrs. Bridge. Newman’s blue eyes caused her knees to buckle. She managed to pay for her cone, then left the shop, heart pounding. When she gained her composure, she realized she didn’t have her cone. She started back to the store to get it and met Newman at the door. "Are you looking for your ice-cream cone?" he asked. She nodded, unable to speak. "You put it in your purse with your change."

Contributed by: Scott Weber on www.sermoncentral.com

I pray that you may have a sense of speechlessness and awe in God’s presence this morning. One greater that Paul Newman is here!

So much greater!

Nebuchadnezzar knew about God. He searched Daniel out to interpret his dream because he had heard about the one true God. But at the end of his experience he knew something of the one true God for himself- because He had experienced him as El Elyon

EL ELYON

God is revealed in scripture as El ELyon.

- Melchizedek blesses Abram in the name of El Elyon Gen 14;18

- Abram responds in oath to El ELyon

PS 18:13 The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of El Elyon h resounded.

- The psalmist cries out to El Elyon to be rescued 57:1, 78:35

- Is 14:13 The King of Babylon (and it’s a picture of Satan in his rebellion) tries to raise his throne above the stars of God and make himself like El Elyon

El Elyon. 28 times in the OT. 19 of those in the psalms

- El meaning God (hear last sun pm sermon)

- Elyon meaning highest… most high

The title conveys truth about God… and His nature

- that, in a cosmos of many powers: political and spiritual. Many ’gods’ as were followed in the nations around Israel and are worshipped today

o HE is the most high. The most high God. There is no other but Him

- It conveys his power. His transcendence

o That He is above all

R.C. Sproul tells us

transcendence means literally, "to climb across." It is defined as "exceeding the usual limits." When we speak of the transcendence of God we are talking about that sense in which God is above and beyond us. He is higher than the world. He has absolute power over the world. The world has no power over Him. Transcendence describes God in His consuming majesty, His exalted loftiness. He is an infinite cut above everything else. [The Holiness of God p. 55]

Contributed by: Bruce Goettsche on www.sermoncentral.com

This word conveys God’s omnipotence.

- His ability to do absolutely anything

o "Is anything too difficult for God?’

- He is all powerful. Utterly and completely in control. Totally

- The creator of all things. Sovereign over all things. Lord of all things.

o The One before whom every knee must bow- willingly or in awesome angst.

o The Power and dynamo of the universe. The one who speaks and things come into being

" Illustr: Angels and Demons. A priest proves matter can come from energy… and this proves the source of the energy and matter: God.

Our view of God is too constrained by our culture… and our experience… and our feeble minds

- in here (Bible) there is no sense of duality. There is no sense of God and Satan being the Yin and Yang of the universe. Fighting it out for position

o Just think about it! Who made who? And every time Satan appears in here he is subordinate to God: is overruled by Him, or by His disciples in Jesus’ name… has to ask permission to do anyting. Is chained and restrained

- In here there is no sense of anything else being in charge. Chance. Fate. Us. Time. Eternity. Events.

o The whole of Is 40 onwards shouts His singular omnipotence

"God controls all that happens in His world, every meal, every pleasure, every possession, every bit of sun, every night’s sleep, every moment of health and safety, everything that sustains and enriches life, is a divine gift. And how abundant these gifts are!"

-J.I-Packer, Knowing God, p. 147

There is one God and His name is El Elyon.

As a Christian, there comes a time when you have to settle in your mind who is Lord

- "(John Ortberg. "If You Want To Walk On Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat" p. 191) As soon as children are old enough to speak, one of the first questions parents ask is, "How big are you?" Children seem to always give the same answer, "I’m soooo big!" They generally raise their hands to get additional stature, as if to say, "I’m huge. I’m enormous. There’s no telling how big I may be." This is not a scientific answer. You can’t use it in every context. For example, if your spouse were to ask, "How big do my hips look to you?" you might not want to throw your hands high over your head and exclaim, "Your hips are soooo big." You teach your children to say this because you want them to realize they are growing. We know that the way they think of themselves matters. You don’t want them to think of themselves as small, weak, and lacking adequate strength to handle the challenges of life." But now I have a more important question: How big is your God? How big is Christ in your life? cited on www.sermoncentral.com