El Elyon: Embracing the Majesty of God Most High

Summary

29,032 feet marks the highest point on earth—Mount Everest—a place of awe, danger, and glory. Yet, even this mighty mountain melts like wax before the Lord. This is the starting point for understanding El Elyon, “God Most High,” whose supremacy and majesty far surpass anything in creation. Throughout Scripture, God reveals Himself with names that are not mere labels, but windows into His character and our relationship with Him. El Elyon is a declaration that there is no power, authority, or influence that can rival our God. He is enthroned above all, and everything else finds its proper place beneath Him.

But it’s not enough to simply confess that God is Most High; our lives must reflect that reality. What we truly believe about God is revealed in how we live, not just in what we say. Too often, we try to tame God, to bring Him down to a level we can manage or understand, shaping Him into a caricature that fits our comfort zones. This diminishes His glory and leads us astray in both our thinking and our living. Instead, we are called to lay our assumptions on the table, to let Scripture correct our view, and to approach God with humility and reverence.

Psalm 97 paints a vivid picture of God’s transcendence and imminence. He is surrounded by clouds and thick darkness—majestic, mysterious, and holy—yet He is also righteous and just, intimately involved in the world and in our lives. God is not a distant, detached deity; He is present, sustaining creation and ruling over every detail. His power is unmatched, His authority supreme, and His promises sure. Even the greatest fears, anxieties, and idols we face are nothing before El Elyon.

This understanding should transform how we approach God in worship, prayer, and daily life. We are invited into His presence not by our own merit, but by His grace. The proper response is not pride or casualness, but humility, contrition, and trembling at His word. As we study the names of God, the goal is not just knowledge, but deeper trust, truer worship, and a life shaped by awe of the One whose name is above all names.

Key Takeaways

- The supremacy of El Elyon demands that we examine whether our lives truly reflect His place as God Most High. It is easy to confess His greatness, but our actions—how we prioritize, worship, and trust—reveal what we actually believe about Him. True reverence is shown not in words, but in a life oriented around His unrivaled authority. [07:33]

- Our tendency to “tame” God—to reduce Him to something manageable or familiar—robs us of the awe and fear that are due to Him. When we shape God according to our assumptions or experiences, we lose sight of His holiness and majesty. The call is to let Scripture, not our comfort, define who God is, and to approach Him with humility and wonder. [12:38]

- God’s transcendence does not mean He is distant; His greatness is matched by His nearness. He is both above all creation and intimately involved in every detail of our lives. Recognizing both His transcendence and His imminence leads us to worship Him not just for His power, but for His personal care and sustaining presence. [23:03]

- The way we approach God in worship and prayer reveals our understanding of His character. Rushed, casual, or prideful approaches betray a diminished view of God. Instead, we are called to come before Him with prepared hearts, humility, and a trembling reverence, recognizing that we stand before the throne of the Most High by grace alone. [36:28]

- God is not impressed by our efforts, achievements, or offerings; what He seeks is a humble and contrite heart that trembles at His word. Our worthiness to enter His presence is not based on what we bring, but on His mercy and grace. This truth should continually humble us and deepen our awe as we relate to El Elyon, the God Most High. [39:11]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[02:19] - The Glory and Danger of Everest
[04:55] - El Elyon: God Most High Revealed
[07:33] - Confession vs. Living: Do We Reflect God’s Supremacy?
[09:37] - What We Think About God Shapes Everything
[11:17] - The Human Tendency to Tame God
[12:38] - C.S. Lewis, Aslan, and Our Assumptions
[16:06] - Head Knowledge vs. Heart Transformation
[18:03] - How We Diminish God: Fear, Priorities, and Pride
[20:18] - Psalm 97: A Guide to Worshiping El Elyon
[23:03] - God’s Transcendence and Immanence
[24:32] - The Majesty and Mystery of God’s Presence
[29:17] - God’s Preeminence in Power and Authority
[32:10] - God’s Assurances and Our Response
[36:28] - Examining Our Approach to Worship
[39:11] - What God Seeks: Humility and Trembling
[41:49] - The Goal: Deeper Awe and Truer Worship

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide: El Elyon – God Most High

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### Bible Reading

- Psalm 97 (focus on verses 1-12)
- Genesis 14:17-24 (Melchizedek blesses Abram in the name of God Most High)
- Isaiah 66:1-2 (“Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool…”)

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### Observation Questions

1. In Psalm 97, what images does the psalmist use to describe God’s presence and authority? (clouds, thick darkness, fire, mountains melting, etc.)
2. According to Genesis 14, who is Melchizedek and how does he describe God when blessing Abram?
3. In Isaiah 66:1-2, what does God say about the things people might try to offer Him, and what kind of person does He look for?
4. The sermon mentions that even Mount Everest “melts like wax before the Lord.” What does this say about God’s power compared to the greatest things in creation? [02:19]

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### Interpretation Questions

1. The sermon says, “It’s one thing to confess that God is Most High; it’s another thing to live like it.” What does it mean for someone’s life to actually reflect that God is Most High? [07:33]
2. Why do people have a tendency to “tame” God or make Him more manageable? What are some dangers of doing this, according to the sermon? [11:17]
3. How does Psalm 97 show both God’s transcendence (His greatness and otherness) and His immanence (His nearness and involvement)? Why is it important to hold both together? [23:03]
4. According to Isaiah 66:2, why is humility and a contrite heart so important in approaching God? How does this contrast with bringing God our “achievements” or “offerings”? [39:11]

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### Application Questions

1. The sermon challenges us to examine if our lives truly reflect God’s supremacy. In what areas of your life (priorities, time, resources, relationships) do your actions show that something else might be “higher” than God? What is one step you could take to reorient your life around God’s authority? [07:33]
2. Are there ways you have tried to “tame” God—by making Him fit your comfort zone or assumptions? What would it look like to let Scripture, rather than your preferences, shape your view of God? [12:38]
3. The psalmist describes God as both awesome and near. When you pray or worship, do you tend to focus more on God’s greatness or His nearness? How could you grow in holding both together in your relationship with Him? [23:03]
4. Think about your approach to worship and prayer. Do you come before God rushed, casual, or distracted? What practical changes could you make to prepare your heart with humility and reverence before coming to God? [36:28]
5. The sermon says God is not impressed by our efforts or offerings, but seeks a humble and contrite heart. Is there an area where you’ve been trying to “earn” God’s favor or prove your worth? How can you shift your focus to coming before Him by grace alone? [39:11]
6. The preacher shared a personal story about being hurried and unprepared for worship. Can you relate to this? What are some habits or routines you could build into your week to help you approach God with more intentionality and awe? [36:28]
7. When you think of God, what comes to your mind first? How does this shape your daily choices, your fears, and your hopes? Is there a specific truth about God Most High you want to remember and act on this week? [09:37]

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Closing Thought:
As you reflect on El Elyon, the God Most High, consider how your understanding of His supremacy and nearness can transform your worship, your prayers, and your daily life. Let’s encourage each other to approach God with humility, awe, and trust—letting Him be as great and as close as He truly is.

Devotional

Day 1: God Most High: No One Compares to El Elyon
The name El Elyon, God Most High, declares that there is no power, authority, or ruler in all creation that can contend with our God. He alone is supreme, enthroned above all, and worthy of all honor and praise. Recognizing God as El Elyon reorders our understanding of the world and ourselves, reminding us that every victory, every deliverance, and every blessing is a testament to His might and not our own. When we confess that God is Most High, we are invited to live in awe, humility, and reverence, knowing that He alone is worthy. [04:55]

Genesis 14:18-20 (ESV)
And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

Reflection: In what area of your life do you need to acknowledge God’s supreme authority and give Him the glory instead of taking credit yourself?


Day 2: Living What We Confess: Aligning Actions with Belief
It is one thing to confess with our mouths that God is Most High, but it is another to live as if that is true. Our actions reveal our true convictions, and if our lives do not reflect the reality of God’s supremacy, we must examine our hearts and assumptions about Him. What we think about God shapes our worship, our priorities, and our daily choices. Good theology is not just about knowledge—it is about transformation that leads us to trust, obey, and honor God in every aspect of life. [09:37]

James 2:17 (ESV)
So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

Reflection: What is one specific way your actions today can better reflect your belief that God is truly Most High in your life?


Day 3: The Majesty and Nearness of God: Transcendence and Immanence
God is both transcendent—far above and beyond our comprehension—and immanent—intimately involved in every detail of our lives. The psalmist describes God’s presence as surrounded by clouds and thick darkness, a poetic image of His majesty and mystery, yet also assures us that God is righteous, just, and good. He is not a distant, uninvolved deity, but the One who upholds creation and cares for us personally. This dual reality calls us to both awe and trust, knowing that the God who rules the universe is also present with us. [24:32]

Psalm 97:1-2 (ESV)
The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad! Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.

Reflection: How does knowing that God is both infinitely great and intimately near change the way you approach Him in prayer today?


Day 4: Examining Our Approach: Reverence and Humility Before God
Our approach to God matters deeply. He is not impressed by our achievements or outward performances, but looks for hearts that are humble, contrite, and tremble at His word. When we come before God Most High, we are invited to lay aside pride, hurry, and casualness, and instead enter His presence with reverence and awe. Every time we pray, we are welcomed into the throne room of the Almighty—not by our own merit, but by His grace. This truth should shape our worship, our prayers, and our daily walk with Him. [39:11]

Isaiah 66:1-2 (ESV)
Thus says the Lord: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest? All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.”

Reflection: Before you pray or worship today, pause and prepare your heart—what would it look like to approach God with true humility and reverence?


Day 5: Elevating Our Awe: Continually Growing in Wonder of God
To know God as He truly is means to continually examine our assumptions and elevate our awe of Him. We are called not to tame or minimize God, but to let the truth of His greatness, holiness, and love shape our lives. As we seek to know Him more, our goal is not just head knowledge, but deeper trust, truer worship, and a life marked by reverence. God Most High, El Elyon, is worthy of our everything—let us pursue Him with hearts that long to see and honor Him as He truly is. [43:13]

Psalm 97:9 (ESV)
For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods.

Reflection: What is one practical way you can cultivate a greater sense of awe and reverence for God in your daily routine this week?

Quotes

When God reveals himself as El Elyon, the God Most High, within that name is a fundamental declaration that there is no one else like our God. There is no power, there is no authority, there is no ruler, no nation, no voice, no influence in all the world that surpasses that of our God. [00:03:54] (00:00:22 seconds) Edit Clip

Good theology is always lived out. If your theology doesn't move you, you don't have good theology. You've not worked your theology out to practice. But good theology, what we think about God, will affect how we worship, how we live, how we set our priorities. It'll affect the expectations that we have in life. What we think about God is going to change and shape everything about who we are. [00:10:05] (00:00:24 seconds) Edit Clip

He is intricately involved not just in the events that are taking place, but the fact that you are breathing oxygen that is still oxygen when it goes into your lungs is a testament to God's withholding power, that he is keeping things going. The sun rose this morning not just because of gravity and planetary motions. The sun rose this morning because God saw to it. [00:23:03] (00:00:23 seconds) Edit Clip

Clouds and thick darkness surround him, but righteousness and justice right there. He's not a tame lion, but he's good. He's not a tame God, but he is good. He is righteous, and he is just in all that he is. [00:27:58] (00:00:17 seconds) Edit Clip

When God shows up, when God acts, nothing stands in the way. Raise up armies against him and God will smite them. Build up strongholds and God will tear them down. As glorious as Everest is, it melts before our God. That's how great and high up our God is. That nothing stands in his way. [00:29:11] (00:00:26 seconds) Edit Clip

This God, as great and high up as he may be, could be seen as one that we should be terrified of, of destruction. But his word tells us that when we bank our lives on him, he is not our fear, but he is our very hope. That our fear of him is not that he will smite us dead in this moment, but our fear of him is one of deep and profound reverence. [00:33:07] (00:00:27 seconds) Edit Clip

The fact that we say in Jesus' name when we pray is not just the tack on at the end to close the prayer. It should be a continual reminder for us that every time we go into that throne room, we do not...come in our own merits. We come in Jesus' authority. We come in His name. We are there because He has welcomed us. That's humbling. [00:37:38] (00:00:28 seconds) Edit Clip

But this is the one to whom I will look. He who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word. See, God's not looking at all these things that we bring to the equation. God's looking at this one thing. He's looking for us to come before Him with a humble heart, contrite in spirit. Contrite is being broken. That we come before Him knowing full well, God, I don't belong here, but I come in your mercy. I come by your grace. It's not my good. It's not my merits. It's not my understanding. It is you who have welcomed me here. That changes the way we come before Him. [00:38:54] (00:00:51 seconds) Edit Clip