God needs no defenders.  He is the eternal Undefended. A.W. Tozer – The Knowledge of the Holy

Recently, my wife and I joined another couple for something to eat at a local Pizza Hut.  Beyond the good company, we were treated to a pair of delicious chicken supreme pizzas, and the bubbling personality of our 23-year-old waiter, with the famed prophet’s name, Ezekiel.

You can imagine how quickly we made reference to the Bible.  In turn, our man Ezekiel wasted little time sharing what seemed like his rehearsed perspectives. He told us he was open to the idea of a higher power and he was dedicated to treating others as he wanted to be treated.  He told us of his very faithful Christian mother and how he had experimented with Christianity years ago, but found it unworkable for him.  He hoped to explore Buddha and other man-centered approaches to life.  Although a little random,  he was engaging and qualified as an evangelist for any concept of god, as long as it made him feel good.

After he delivered our pizzas, we blessed the food and dug in.  Ezekiel soon came back for more. This time, he gave us an opportunity to share what we sensed he needed to hear. He allowed us to qualify several things he said, but the most significant one was his notion of believing in a higher power. He never had seriously considered the quality of the highest or most high power.  He easily understood the logic in the relative comparison of high, higher, and highest and the mediocrity inherent in settling for a higher power only.  Spiritual revelation came alive at our Pizza Hut table and prepared for us what we’d like to essentially share with you in today’s message.

We recall that Satan unsuccessfully wanted to be like God.  In other words, he wanted to be the highest power also.  So we look even beyond high, higher, and highest for the truth.  Technically, highest may include a duplicate or equal and still be considered highest.  The problem with that result—it excludes the Most High God.  There is only One Creator, Perfecter, All Knower, Absolute Power, Pure Truth, Full Wisdom and Ever Present.  The Almighty and Living God has no ties, duplicates, or wanna bee’s.

Our dining experience at Pizza Hut certainly went beyond pleasant fellowship, a bubbly waiter, man’s limiting religious ideas, and chicken supreme pizza.  Although all of that made for an engaging night, it was primarily for all of us to know or be reminded of the purpose of real life: To glorify God and have fellowship with Him forever as part of His holy family.

Looking forward to seeing Ezekiel again, our parting plea with him was for him to have a quiet and serious conversation with the Lord; for him to step back from all his thoughts about impractical religions and confusing philosophies.  If and when Ezekiel can confidently say, “I am a child of the Most High God,” all other idols-including the notion of a higher power-will be stricken from his personal menu.  At that point, touched by God, he’ll begin to serve others in the service of the Lord.

Psalm 91; Matt 25:21; Psalm 34:8; 1 Cor 10:31