Exalting God - #283

In this episode we continue our look at what it means to F.E.A.R. God. 

What does it actually look like to exalt God in everyday life? It's easy to talk about exalting God in big, theological terms. We can say God is supreme. We can say He deserves all glory. We can agree that He belongs on the throne of our hearts. But what does that actually look like on an ordinary Tuesday afternoon? The answer is wonderfully practical. 

Transcript

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Welcome to The Point of Purity Podcast—a weekly Bible study designed to help you pursue lasting purity, spiritual integrity, and genuine freedom through Jesus Christ. I'm Steve Etner, and I'm so glad you've joined me today. 

Last week we discovered that fearing God begins with focusing on Him. But once our eyes are fixed on God, what should our hearts do next? Scripture's answer is clear—we are to exalt Him. But what does that actually mean? After all, can we make God any greater than He already is?  

Today we're beginning a brand-new, multi-part study on what it means to exalt God, and I believe it will change the way you worship, pray, and walk with Him every day. So let's open our Bibles together and get started.

Fearing God begins with focusing on Him. But once your eyes are fixed on God, what happens next? The natural response is that your heart begins to exalt Him.

Let me ask you a question. What comes to your mind when you hear the phrase, "Exalt God"? Maybe you picture people lifting their hands in worship. Maybe you think about singing praise songs on Sunday morning. Or perhaps you imagine giving God glory through your words. Those are certainly expressions of exalting God, but they're not the whole picture.

Here's another question. Can you actually make God greater than He already is? Can you make the Almighty more powerful? Can you make the Creator of heaven and earth more glorious? Can you somehow increase His holiness, His majesty, or His authority? Of course not. 

God has always been infinitely glorious. He has always been perfectly holy. He has always been exalted above all creation. So, if we can't make Him greater, what does the Bible mean when it tells us to exalt Him? That's the question we're going to answer today.

You see, if focusing on God is where this journey begins, exalting Him is what naturally follows. The more clearly you see God for who He truly is, the more your heart can't help but respond. 

You begin to treasure Him more. You trust Him more. You love Him more. You willingly surrender more of your life to Him. That response—that movement of the heart—is what the Bible calls “exalting God”.

To exalt God means we intentionally place Him where He rightfully belongs: on the throne of our hearts. It means acknowledging that He is not merely an important part of our lives; He is the rightful King over every part of them. His authority extends into our thoughts, our priorities, our decisions, our relationships, our attitudes, and the way we live each day.

In many ways, exalting God is simply what the fear of the Lord looks like in everyday life. It's one thing to believe God is holy. It's another thing to live as though He is holy. It's one thing to believe God is sovereign. It's another thing to trust Him when life doesn't make sense. It's one thing to confess that Jesus is Lord. It's another thing to let Him actually rule over your life. 

The fear of the Lord is not merely acknowledging who God is. It is responding appropriately to who He is. And when God truly occupies the throne of your heart, everything begins to change. Your priorities change. Your decisions change. Even your desires begin to change. Instead of constantly asking, "What do I want?" you begin asking, "What will most honor God?" That is what it means to exalt Him.

Now let me draw your attention to Psalm 97:9. Listen carefully to what the psalmist says: "For you, O LORD, are supreme over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods." I want you to notice something about that verse. It doesn't say God will become exalted someday. It doesn't say God might be exalted if enough people worship Him. It simply declares the truth: God is already exalted. He is already supreme over all the earth. His authority is absolute. His power is unmatched. His glory is beyond measure. His throne is above every throne, and His name is above every name.

So that raises an important question. If God is already exalted, then what does it mean when the Bible tells us to exalt Him? After all, we can't make God any greater than He already is. We can't make Him more holy. We can't make Him more powerful. We can't add to His wisdom. We can't increase His glory. God isn't waiting for us to elevate Him. He has always been infinitely glorious. So what are we doing when we exalt Him?

We're recognizing His greatness...and responding to it. Exalting God is agreeing with the truth about who He is and then choosing to live as though that truth is real. It's looking at God and saying, "Lord, You truly are supreme. You truly are King. You truly are above everything and everyone else. Because that's true, I'm going to order my life around You."

That's what exalting God looks like. It isn't making God bigger. It's allowing your view of God to become bigger. It's allowing Him to occupy the place in your heart that He has always occupied in heaven. The more clearly you see God's greatness, the less impressive everything else becomes. Your problems don't disappear...but they shrink in comparison to His power. Your fears don't suddenly vanish...but they lose their ability to control you because your confidence is no longer in yourself—it's in Him. Your dreams and ambitions don't necessarily change overnight...but they begin taking their proper place beneath His greater purposes.

That's why seeing God rightly changes us. When we begin seeing Him as He truly is—supreme, sovereign, unmatched, infinitely wise and infinitely good—it humbles us. We realize we're not the center of the universe. We're not the ones ultimately in control. And you know what? That's actually incredibly freeing. Because the One who is in control is perfectly good, perfectly wise, perfectly loving, and perfectly trustworthy.

Exalting God means resting in that reality. It means joyfully acknowledging that His authority is not something to resist...it's something to rejoice in. Because when you finally see God for who He truly is, something remarkable begins to happen. Your perspective changes. Your priorities begin to change. Even your heart begins to change. You stop making life about yourself and start making life about Him. The fear of the Lord begins when God becomes bigger in your eyes than everything and everyone else. Including yourself. Not because God has become greater...but because you're finally seeing Him as He has always been.

Now, Psalm 97:9 quietly points us to another important truth. Listen again to what it says: "For You, O LORD, are supreme over all the earth; You are exalted far above all gods." Did you notice those last two words? "...all gods." That immediately raises another question. If God alone is to be exalted, what are these "other gods" that compete for His place?

When the psalmist wrote those words, many of the surrounding nations literally bowed before idols carved out of wood and stone. They worshiped false gods, believing those idols could provide security, prosperity, protection, or pleasure.

Most of us don't bow before carved statues anymore. But don't be too quick to think idolatry has disappeared. It hasn't. It's simply become much more subtle. An idol is anything that occupies the place in your heart that belongs to God alone. It's anything you love more...trust more...depend on more...or pursue more passionately than Him.

Sometimes that idol is success. We convince ourselves that if we could just reach the next goal, earn a little more money, or gain a little more recognition, we'd finally be satisfied. Sometimes it's approval. We become more concerned about what other people think than what God says. Sometimes it's comfort. We arrange our entire lives around avoiding inconvenience, difficulty, or sacrifice. Sometimes it's control. We desperately want everything to happen according to our plans and our timetable. And if we're honest...sometimes the god sitting on the throne is the one we see every morning in the mirror. King Me. You knew he was going to show up eventually, didn't you?

The battle has never really been between God and your circumstances. It's between God and King Me. Who will sit on the throne? Who will call the shots? Who will determine your priorities, your values, your choices, and your direction? That's why exalting God is far more than singing songs on Sunday morning. It's making the daily decision to remove everything else from the throne of your heart—including yourself—and placing God back where He has always belonged.

That isn't a one-time decision you make when you come to Christ. It's a daily decision. Sometimes it's a moment-by-moment decision. Every time you choose God's will over your own...you're exalting Him. Every time you trust His wisdom instead of insisting on your own...you're exalting Him. Every time you surrender your plans, your comfort, your reputation, or your control because you believe God knows best...you're exalting Him. That's what exalting God looks like in everyday life. It's choosing, again and again, to say, "Lord, You belong on the throne—not me."

The beautiful thing is that the more consistently you do that, the more your heart begins to change. You begin holding your plans a little more loosely. You begin trusting God a little more deeply. You begin loving Him a little more completely. And before long, you discover that putting God first isn't a burden. It's freedom.

At this point, it's probably helpful to slow down and ask a very practical question. What does it actually look like to exalt God in everyday life? It's easy to talk about exalting God in big, theological terms. We can say God is supreme. We can say He deserves all glory. We can agree that He belongs on the throne of our hearts. But what does that actually look like on an ordinary Tuesday afternoon? The answer is wonderfully practical. Exalting God isn't reserved for Sunday morning worship services. It isn't limited to singing praise songs, raising our hands, or listening to a sermon. Exalting God shows up in the ordinary moments of everyday life. It shows up in the way you respond when life doesn't go according to plan. It shows up in the choices you make when no one else is watching. It shows up in the way you treat your spouse...your children...your coworkers...and even the stranger standing in front of you at the grocery store. It shows up in the thoughts you allow to linger in your mind. It shows up in the priorities you choose, the words you speak, and the attitude you carry into each new day. In other words, exalting God isn't merely something you say. It's something you live.

The more I study Scripture, the more convinced I become that exalting God is woven into every part of the Christian life. Every act of obedience exalts Him. Every expression of gratitude exalts Him. Every decision to trust Him when life doesn't make sense exalts Him. Every act of genuine worship exalts Him. Every time you say, "Not my will, but Yours be done," you're exalting God. Every time you choose holiness over sin...Truth over compromise...Humility over pride...Faith over fear...You're declaring with your life that God alone deserves first place. That's what it means to exalt Him.

And that's exactly where we're headed over the next several weeks. We're going to discover that exalting God isn't just one spiritual activity. It's a lifestyle. We'll learn how to exalt Him through our worship. We'll discover what it means to exalt Him through genuine gratitude. We'll see how trusting Him—even when life hurts—is one of the greatest ways we can magnify His name. And we'll discover why simple, daily obedience may be one of the purest expressions of exalting God there is.

Because every one of those choices says the same thing: "Lord, You are greater than I am. You are wiser than I am. You are worthy of my complete trust, my wholehearted worship, and my joyful obedience." And that's exactly what the fear of the Lord looks like.

As we bring today's study to a close, let me leave you with one simple question to think about throughout this week. Who—or what—is receiving the highest place in your heart? It's one thing to say that God is first in our lives. It's another thing to actually live as though He is. You see, exalting God isn't something we do only with our lips. It's something we do with our lives.

This week, I'd like to challenge you to become more aware of your daily choices. When you're faced with a decision... When you're tempted...When you're frustrated...When life doesn't go according to plan...Pause for just a moment and ask yourself, "Am I exalting God right now...or am I exalting something else?" That one question has the power to reshape your thinking. Because the fear of the Lord isn't simply believing that God is great. It's choosing to live as though He truly is.

And that's exactly where we're headed next week. We're going to begin looking at the first and perhaps the most obvious expression of exalting God: Worship. But I think you may discover that biblical worship is much deeper...much richer...and much more life-changing than you've ever imagined. I hope you'll join me.

I'd like to recommend a resource that fits perfectly with everything we've been talking about. It's my interactive Bible study, Removing the "I" from L.I.F.E. – The Dethroning of King Me, available now on Amazon.

If today's study has challenged you to think about who or what occupies the throne of your heart, I believe this book will help you take the next step. The truth is, every one of us struggles with King Me. We naturally want life to revolve around our plans, our desires, our comfort, and our agenda. But the fear of the Lord begins when God takes His rightful place as King. Real freedom begins when King Me is dethroned and King Jesus is enthroned.

In Removing the "I" from L.I.F.E., we'll walk together through the heart issues that keep so many believers stuck. We'll answer questions like: Why do I keep repeating the same sinful patterns? Why is surrender so difficult? Why do I struggle to consistently put God first? And what does it really look like to live a life that revolves around His glory instead of my own?

More importantly, we'll open God's Word together and discover that lasting change doesn't happen by trying harder. It happens when we stop making life about ourselves and begin making life about the One who alone deserves the throne of our hearts.

So, if today's episode has challenged you to exalt God by putting Him back where He belongs, I'd encourage you to head over to Amazon today and search for Removing the "I" from L.I.F.E. – The Dethroning of King Me, or simply search for my name, Steve Etner. I truly believe this study will help you continue growing in your walk with Christ.

Before we go, could I ask you a personal favor? If this series on the fear of God has encouraged you, challenged you, or caused you to look at your relationship with Christ in a fresh way, I'd genuinely love to hear from you. What has God been teaching you? How is He using these studies to shape your heart? And perhaps most importantly, how are you choosing to live out what He's been showing you? Would you take just a minute and send me an email? You can reach me at steve@thepuritycoach.com. Again, that's steve@thepuritycoach.com. I read every email personally, and it's a real joy to hear how God is working in people's lives around the world. It would also be my privilege to pray for you.

And if you haven't already subscribed to The Point of Purity Podcast, I'd encourage you to do that today. That way you won't miss next week's episode as we continue our study on what it really means to fear God. Next week we'll begin looking at the first practical expression of exalting God: worship. I think you'll discover that worship is far more than something we do on Sunday morning—it's a lifestyle that flows from a heart that has truly put God first. Until then, this is Steve Etner reminding you that if you're going to glorify God in your everyday living... He must first be glorified in your every moment thinking.