Sermon Central
-
Our Most High God Series
Contributed by Andrew Dixon on Jun 23, 2020 (message contributor)
Summary: The global outbreak of this pandemic has caused panic in the lives of people. But as believers we do have a place of great safety. This series on Psalm 91 will be a great immunity booster.
Our Most High God
Psalm 91 - Study 1 - Our Most High God
There are so many believers who are discouraged that the recent epidemic has hindered us from coming together to worship the Lord, as is our practice. In the Old Testament we read about Noah and his family who were confined to stay within the ark for almost a year. I believe that Noah and his family would have continued to worship God in those lonely moments of isolation from the rest of the world. It is good we make the best use of this time that God has given us to worship the Lord together as families. Let us set aside all that is unnecessary, and consider these days of isolation, as a blessing wherein we can spend more time with God, in prayer and reading of His word.
The title given for Psalm 91, which we are about to study in depth in one of the translations is ‘The God who protects us’.
We read in Psalm 91:1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. (NKJV)
The Psalmist address God in this psalm as the Most High God. Psalm 91 is a familiar one to most of us probably from when we were children ourselves. The title Most High God implies that there is no one else who is above Him, and the He alone has the paramount place.
God does not live in a building
In the New Testament the title of Most High God appears in Acts 7:48"However, the Most High doesn't live in a house built by humans, (GW)
We might have read this verses many times earlier. The word of God establishes the fact that the Most High God does not dwell in a house built by humans. To those who are upset or heartbroken that they will not be able to go to church, something that they have done all their lives, the Lord reminds us that God does not live in a building. It is the gathering of the children of God together that makes the church, and God is present in their midst. We cannot build a temple for God to come and reside.
Where then does God live?
We read in 1 Corinthians 3:16,Don't you know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? (GW)
Each one of us are the temple of God, and the Spirit of God lives within us. We need to repeat and reassure ourselves that we are indeed the temple of the living God, within whom the Lord is pleased to dwell. Nothing can happen in our lives without God’s consent, and everything is under His control, because He is the Most High God. Instead of being filled with fear and dread we will must learn to acknowledge that as He is in control, and that He will help us tide over this in due time.
The characteristics of the Most High God
There is no one or nothing that is above God, for every power and authority is subject to Him. Since God lives inside us and we are under His protection, there is no need for us to murmur or pine or weep. We who have been caught in the treadmill of busyness, are suddenly unable to cope with this complete halt to our hectic schedules. As we spend time in quietness with the Lord in prayer, reading the word and worshiping God alone and together with our families, we will receive amazing revelations from God, such as we have never obtained earlier. This present crisis shouldn’t be to our detriment, but solely for our benefit.
The Most High blesses us
We read in Genesis 14:19-20, He blessed Abram, and said, "Blessed is Abram by God Most High, maker of heaven and earth. Blessed is God Most High, who has handed your enemies over to you." Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything. (GW)
When Melchizedek, the King of Salem, the priest of the Most High God met Abram this is how he greeted and blessed him. The Most High God Himself, who is the maker of heaven and earth blessed Abram.
The first thing that the Most High God does for us is that He blesses us. That is His will and pleasure for He loves to bless His people. The blessings of God are exceptional for the following reasons:
We read in Numbers 23:20 I have received a command to bless. He has blessed, and I can't change it.(GW)
King Balak was afraid of the strength of the Israelites, and not wanting to deal with them in the physical realm, he invited Balaam the prophet to pronounce a curse on the people of Israel. Balaam when asked to curse replied that he was unable to curse the Israelites, as he had received a concise command from the Lord to bless the Israelites.
