Sermon Tone Analysis

The Names of God

Still in the sermon series.

Thank you Pastor Dexter for your sermon last week on The Lord is Our Banner - Yahweh Nissi.

Today, I’ll talk about a name of God that not a lot of people know about:

El Elyon - God Most High

Images of Brett Cavanaugh

Images of Brett Cavanaugh

This past week America and the world saw the spectacle ..

The nominee to the empty seat in the supreme court, Judge Brett Kavanaugh faced allegations of sexual assault from Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and they both testified before the senate judiciary committee on national TV.

Dr. Ford accused Judge Kavanaugh of sexual assault and stood before the senate committee and gave a credible testimony.

Although there are questions around the timing of her making her accusation public, which is over 35 years after it happened, which made a lot of people think that it is a political stunt by radical leftist groups to prevent or delay the confirmation of Kavanaugh to the supreme court.

Whatever reasons around that may be, I think that if her claims are true, then she truly was a victim and needed to be heard and the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh should be reconsidered or even pulled.

Now, Brett Kavanaugh (picture) gave an emotional and convincing defense, categorically denying all the allegations against him.

Now, it was his word against her.

If what he said is true, and all the accusations of sexual misconduct against him are false, then his nomination to the highest court of the land should push through and he should be confirmed.

However, if he was innocent, his life, reputation and his family may have been damaged beyond repair just because of the media frenzy and the assumption of his guilt.

Something was really concerning about what we saw on National TV and the internet.

We have seen people oppose each other and engage in political debates on national television before where we heard views that are diametrically opposed to each other.

You have seen people on TV that you disagree with.

But what we witnessed this week is that either Dr. Ford or Judge Cavanaugh is not telling the truth.

To put it in stronger terms, one of them was blatantly lying right before the eyes of the nation and the world.

We have seen people oppose each other and engage in political debates on national television

Let me tell you one thing..

We may not know the truth now or ever, but the Lord Jesus said from :

“In my many years as a clinician, I have observed that no one gets away with anything.”

- Jordan Peterson

The main issue around these hearings is the nomination to a seat in the supreme court.

Let me tell you the truth about the supreme court - it is not.

There is one truly Supreme - El Elyon, the most High God.

The Final word belongs to the El Elyon - The Most High God.

Someday the truth will be revealed because:

The Final ruling belongs to El Elyon - The Most High God.

Are you facing the court of public opinion turning against you?

Are you facing

Or people scheming hard to bring you down?

Or maybe you are already a victim of a false accusation and you suffered a degree of loss because of it?

Or do you feel someone has decided your fate and gave you a final word?

It can be a doctor’s report about your health or a public official making a judgement against you.

Remember this:

Unless the ruling comes from El Elyon - The Most High God, you have not heard the final word.

I love the King James version: El Elyon

A secret place, it is a special place that is hidden to most people but belongs to those who have put their trust in the Lord.

There is a secret place that you can run to in times of trouble.

El Elyon, the Most High God is your refuge.

Refuge, when we hear the word refuge nowadays, we think of a place of escape, an asylum, a place to hide.

There are groups of people from other countries who come to America to escape political or religious persecution and we call them refugees.

But when the Bible talks of El Elyon as our refuge, we are not lowly refugees running away from the challenges of the world.

The Most High God, El Elyon plants you on solid ground where you are and He provides a hedge of protection - He builds a fortress around you.

Psalm 91:2

Turn to your neighbors and say “I am untouchable”.

Here the psalmist turns his focus from a refuge being a place to the refuge and fortress being a person: I will say to Yahweh, You are My refuge and My fortress, You are My Elohim, in whom I trust.

Don’t focus on your situation, focus on the Most High God.

Don’t focus on your situation, focus on the Most High God.

As you have learned in this entire sermon series, there is a name of God for your every situation.

This is to help us to not focus on the situation but the God of your situation.

Don’t magnify your sickness.

Declare God, You are my Yahweh Rapha, my Healer.

Don’t worry about your financial need.

Declare, God You are my Yahweh Jireh, my provider.

Don’t get bogged down by contentious relationships.

Declare God, You are my Yahweh Shalom, my peace.

Don’t be afraid of your next big challenge.

Declare God, You are my Yahweh Nissi, My banner Who fights the battles for me.

We stand under the banner of the finished work of Jesus Christ in Calvary.

I have the final victory!

Our true refuge and fortress is a Person, And His Name is El Elyon - The Most High God.

Someone may say, well I am going through tough times and these are consequences of my bad choices.

I have brought all this misfortune upon myself.

Where is El Elyon in this case?

If God Most High alone can give the final rule.

He also has the power to overrule.

He can overrule the present judgements brought upon you by your mistakes.

What is our first recourse when events in our life don’t go our way?

Case in point, maybe in the most common scenario.

Our first reaction when things don’t go our way is.

Saving your skin.

It’s not putting lotion from harmful effect of the sun..

We think of our reputation first.

If there is a problem at work that you may have caused, do you objectively think of solving the problem?

Or do you first try to come up with reasons to explain why it is not your fault?

Worse, do you look for others to pass the blame?

If you lead a team of people, and one of them commits a mistake.

If your supervisor asks you about it.

Do you save yourself first and throw your team under the bus?

One thing I learned about servant leadership at work is not only to take ownership of your team’s success but also to take responsibility for its failures.

Why does one have that natural tendency to save his own skin first?

Self preservation?

Yes, But I would submit to you today that it is because of the fear of man.

We think our boss, the company CEO, that human judge, that officer is so high and we forget that there is Someone Who is the Highest of ALL.

The Most High God, El Elyon sees through our situation, He is the One we are ultimately accountable to.

We fail to loo

When we come up with our own solutions we always suffer the consequences.

Some of you are going through difficulties now.

I said earlier and I quoted someone saying: “No one gets away with anything”.

It is an encouragement to us who see all the injustice from people around us.

But this truth is something we can apply inward.

Before we come up with our own human devices and solutions, remember that we ourselves will not get away with anything.

We are ultimately accountable to El Elyon, The Most High God.

But El Elyon, has the power to overrule your present judgement.

I love watching movies with court scenes.