God Will Be Exalted

As we should be well aware, God's fall, Holy Days, are soon upon us.

Was it three Sabbaths, three weeks we'll be celebrating, coming together on the Sabbath for the Feast of Trumpets? It's upon us. Now, there are many things God's Holy Days teach us about God and about humanity's situation, many things we are taught from the Holy Days. From the Feast of Trumpets, David Tillman, Feast of Tabernacles, and the Eighth Day, the Fall Holy Days. One of the significant lessons that we can draw from these days is that God will be exalted. God will be exalted. What does to exalt God mean? Have we given that much thought?

Well, it's vital that we understand the answer to that question. What does to exalt God mean?

You see, to be in the first resurrection at Jesus Christ's return, we must be doing our best to exalt God each and every day. Each and every day. The title of this sermon is, God Will Be Exalted. God Will Be Exalted.

I'd like for us to begin. Let's be turning to Revelation chapter 19. Revelation 19, verses 5-8. We'll be reading there as we begin.

Revelation 19, 5-8.

Here we find events prophesied to occur at Christ's return, at Christ's return when He is exalted upon the earth. Revelation 19, verse 5. And it's a much longer narrative. There's more to be read, but we're going to look at these few verses here and some more. Verse 5, And then a voice came from the throne, saying, Praise our God, all you His servants, and those who fear Him, both small and great. And I heard, this is the Apostle John writing, and I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude.

It's the sound of many waters, and it's the sound of mighty thundering, saying, Alleluia, for the Lord God omnipotent reigns. Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His wife – I understand that to be the church – has made herself ready. And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

Then going down to verse 11, continuing, verse 11. Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And he who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God. And the armies in heaven clothed in fine linen, white and clean – seems to be the saints included – followed him on white horses. Verse 15. Now out of his mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it he should strike the nations.

And he himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of the Almighty God. And he has on his robe and on his thigh a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. Continuing verse 19. Again, we're reading verses that describe the events prophesied to occur at Christ's return when he is exalted upon the earth. Verse 19. And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies gathered together to make war against him who sat on the horse and against his army.

And then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshipped his image. These, too, were cast alive into the lake of fire, burning with brimstone, to be judged and perished, and perished forever. And the rest, those kings and armies, were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh. Continuing on, verse 1, chapter 20. Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.

He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. And he cast him into the bottomless pit and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while. In verse 4, and I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them.

And then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness, for their witness to Jesus, and for the word of God, who had not worshipped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished.

This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over the second death has no power. Excuse me, over such the second death has no power. But they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. When you read through these verses, you can find allusions to all four of the festival seasons, holy days of the fall holy day season. You find references to all the holy days, fall holy days there.

And what we learn is that Jesus Christ will be exalted upon the earth. Of course, God, the Father, along with him. They are one. Christ will vanquish the beast, all kings and armies, Satan and the demons will be bound. Christ will reign on earth in the kingdom of God, and the saints will reign under him as kingly priests for a thousand years.

God and Christ will be exalted. What does it mean to exalt God? What does it mean to exalt God? We see a pretty good example right here in these depictions, but there's more. There's some things we should be doing now. The word exalt bears several meanings. Exalt in Scripture can mean to raise in rank, to raise in power, to raise in status, to elevate.

And exalt can also mean to glorify, praise, or honor. It has two sets of meanings, but they often can blend together. Now, in one aspect, Jesus has already been exalted or elevated. The Father did it after he resurrected Jesus Christ from the grave. Let's notice Acts 2.32. Let's notice Acts 2.32-33.

Peter is speaking here. This is part of his sermon. I find myself turning to it often. Acts 2.32-33.

In speaking of Jesus, Peter says, verse 32, This Jesus, he is speaking of Jesus of Nazareth. For these people have only heard and recognized as a human being, as a man who was convicted and executed. This Jesus, God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. Peter is speaking of himself and the apostles. Therefore, being exalted to the right hand of God, being exalted, elevated to honor and authority, to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he poured out this which you now see and hear. That miracle of Pentecost. They're speaking in tongues, and people are hearing them. Verse 36. Therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, this Jesus of Nazareth, whom you crucified both Lord and Christ. Let's also read Acts 5. Acts 5.30-32. Acts 5.30-32.

And in this case, Peter and the other apostles are speaking. It's recorded here what they say. Acts 5.30. And they said, The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you murdered by hanging on a tree. Him God has exalted to his right hand to be prince and savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are his witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit, which God has given to those who obey him.

So again, God the Father has exalted Jesus. He has elevated him to his right hand on the throne. And we come to the Father through faith in Christ, our Savior and High Priest, who lives to make intercession for those who trust in him. That's a reference to Hebrews 7, verse 25. Christ lives to make intercession for those who trust in him. And let's also read over in Philippians 2, verses 9-11. Philippians 2, verses 9-11.

Here, Paul reveals a little bit more about the authority God has given to Christ, Jesus Christ. Philippians 2, verses 9-11. Paul states, Therefore God also is highly exalted. That means highly exalted. It's the Greek word huperouso. It means to exalt to the highest rank and power, to raise to supreme majesty. He has raised Jesus Christ to supreme majesty.

Highly exalted him and given him the name, the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of those in heaven and of those on earth and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Again, God the Father has exalted Jesus Christ to such a high authority that every creature, every created being is subject to him whether they know it or not, whether they believe it or not. Hence, all beings, angelic and human, should affirm that Jesus is Lord. That Greek word for Lord is kureos. Supreme and authority, master and sovereign God. And Jesus himself freely submits himself to God the Father, to God the Father, whom he loves and has always loved, and the Father loves him. They are one. Because the Father has exalted Christ to be our personal Savior, our Lord and Master, our high priest and soon-coming King, every human being should choose to exalt Christ. They should choose to willingly believe and obey him, yes, to the glory of our heavenly Father. Why, then, should we want to exalt God in Christ? He's up there as our high priest. We know he's coming back to be exalted on earth. We read that earlier in Revelation. Why should we want to exalt God in Christ? Because God only is God. God only is God. And only God can give us eternal life. Only God can deliver us from the second death. The second death. That's what Revelation talks about. There's no one, nothing else.

Who demands? That demands greater devotion than Almighty God.

And so it is true. We and all people ought to heed the words of God's Scripture, that it's called to exalt him, to worship him. Let's turn to Isaiah 45, verse 5 through 6. Let's turn to Isaiah 45 and 5 and 6.

We and all people ought to heed the words of God, especially it's noticed these words of God through the prophet Isaiah here in Isaiah 45, verse 5 through 6. And here is God's resounding declaration of his power and his authority. Isaiah 45, verse 5. God is speaking here.

I am the Lord, and there is no other. There is no God besides me. I will gird you though you have not known me, that you may know from the rising of the sun to its setting that there is none besides me. I am the Lord, and there is no other. It's going down verse 18. Going down verse 18. For thus says the Lord who created the heavens, who is God, who formed the earth and made it, who has established it, who did not create it in vain, who formed it to be inhabited. I am the Lord, and there is no other. If you're wanting God's resume, you're getting it. This is his qualifications. These are his qualifications. Let's look at verse 21.

Tell and bring forth your case. Yes, let them take counsel together. Who has declared this from ancient times? Who has told it from that time? Have not I, the Lord? And there is no other God besides me, a just God, and a Savior. There is none besides me. And look at the next verse, 22. God says, Look to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth. For I am God, and there is no other. Are we going to remember that phrase? I am God, there is no other.

When we start wavering, we start getting worried about things going on in our lives. Remember, I am God, God says, there is no other. And if we turn to John 17, let's turn now to New Testament, John 17, verse 1-3.

John 17, verse 1-3, Jesus Christ Himself, the Word of God in the flesh, carnate. John 17, verse 1-3, Jesus Himself confessed to God's sovereignty. John 17, verse 1, Jesus spoke these words, and He lifted up His eyes to heaven and said, yes, this is Christ's prayer to God. And He said, Father, the hour has come, glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.

Jesus was, is, the Word of God in the flesh. John 1-14 tells us that very clearly, John 1-14. And He was sent by the Father to bear mankind's punishment of death for their sins. Through faith in Christ's sacrifice, we can be forgiven for all our sins. We can receive the begettle of God's Holy Spirit, and we can receive eternal life. And Acts 4, verse 12, declares that salvation is only through Christ. Acts 4, verse 12 says, Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

Why should we want to exalt God in Christ? If we desire eternal life in the kingdom of God, then we must choose to believe that God only is God, and we must choose to submit ourselves to Him. And we must not place anyone or anything in higher importance to us than God. We must exalt God. We must exalt God.

Now, the question will quickly come up. The question I have. Well, how should we exalt God? What does Scripture tell us? How should we exalt God? What does Scripture say?

Well, according to Scripture, there's two broad ways in this narrow walk of life that we exalt God. Scripture tells us first that we exalt God when we praise and worship Him. When we praise and worship God, we are exalting Him. Let's read back in Psalm 34, Psalm 34, verse 1 through 3. So how should we exalt God? We exalt God, first of all, when we praise and worship Him. And we see that an example of that point here in Psalm 34, verse 1 through 5. This is a Psalm of David. And here, King David exhorts God's people individually and also collectively as a community of God and for us today as a church of God to praise and thank God. Psalm 34, verse 1, I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth. Notice that. His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord. Not in myself, but in the Lord. And the humble shall hear of it and be glad. And then we have this exhortation from verse 3. Oh, magnify, expound the Lord with me and let us exalt His name together. So it seems we should be doing it individually in our hearts, from our very core of our being, and then join in with the community, the body, and joining in and exalting Christ together. Let's also read Psalm 99, verse 5. Psalm 99, verse 5. Psalm 99, verse 5 here, the psalmist urges us, saying, verse 5, Exalt the Lord our God and worship at His footstool. He is holy. Get this idea of exalting as part of our worship. We worship when we worship, we're exalting God. Verse 9 carries a similar message, parallel message. Psalm 99, verse 9. Exalt the Lord our God and worship at His holy hill. That would be a reference to the temple or the tabernacle. For the Lord our God is holy. We've already read that He is the only God. Only He is God. When you think of what we're reading here in Psalm 99, there's many other references. It's very much a similar praise and devotion to God we read earlier from Revelation 19, verse 5. There we read, then a voice came from heaven, saying, Praise our God, all you, His servants, and those who fear Him, all those you who fear Him, both small and great. And then John wrote in verse 6 again, he said, There is a great multitude of voices saying, Alleluia, for the Lord God omnipotent reigns. And so we exalt God through praise and worship. That should never be a shallow, superficial thing. But we should praise and worship God with a praise and worship that is born of our sincere and genuine gratitude, that is born of our trust and confidence and faith in Him, that is born in our love for Him, His law, in all His righteous ways, which alone God teaches, which alone God can teach us. The second thing we do, Scripture says, in exalting God, we also exalt God when we willingly submit to God and serve Him.

We exalt God when we willingly submit to God and serve Him. When we choose, and it's a choice we make, something we have to be cognizant of and to do every day, when we choose to submit to God and His law, His way of life, we are choosing to make God and His word the supreme authority in our lives instead of society, instead of self, or anything. We must resist our selfish will and desires. We must resist the will and peer pressure, we call it, of society, of the people around us, especially if that peer pressure is going the opposite way of God and His law. We might even need to resist the law of man if obeying man's law means disobeying God. God's law, God, must reign supreme in our lives.

And so we must choose to keep God's commandments. You probably recall Matthew 19, Matthew 19, 16-17. If you want to turn there, you're welcome to. I'm just going to read a few verses from there.

There we see the time when a young man asked Jesus, Matthew 19, verse 16-19, a young man asked Jesus, what good things shall I do that I may have eternal life? That I may have eternal life? Matthew 19, 16. And Jesus replied, verse 17, if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.

And we don't have to worry, well, what was he talking about? Because if you read on from there, you see that he starts listing God's Ten Commandments. He wanted to be very clear.

He may have known, I'm sure he did know, that in time to come people would say we don't need to keep God's commandments, whereas Jesus himself said keep them. And if you're like me, I'm going to do what Jesus taught and what he said, because he's supreme. And I'm working hard to keep him supreme in my life, and I know you are too. Matthew 23, 12. We turn a little further in the Gospel there. Matthew 23, 12. Jesus warns all those who hear him, he warns that we must humble ourselves. We must humble ourselves. Matthew 23, verse 12. Jesus said, and whoever exalts himself will be humbled, meaning he will be put down. And he who humbles himself will be exalted. I hope I read that right. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. I repeated myself because I wanted to get it right. And so we must strive to submit to God like he says here, not exalt ourselves. And then again in 1 Peter 5, 1 Peter 5, 6 through 7, 1 Peter 5, verse 6 through 7 underscores, draws a line, emphasizes the same point Peter does. He underscores Christ's instruction here. 1 Peter 5, verse 6 through 7. Peter declares to the church, therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you, that he may God may exalt you, elevate you in due time, casting all your care upon him, for he cares for you. He cares for you.

So Scripture is clear. If we want God to exalt us, and we do, don't we? If we want God to exalt us through resurrection unto everlasting life, then we must humble ourselves in order to, one, praise and worship God from deep and sincere gratitude, and we must willingly submit to God, serve God, and keep his commandments and living his way of life. That's how we exalt God. That's all the details.

Well, you come across the details how, through your life, day in and day out, the challenges you face, the opportunities you face, I face. We know to do the right thing. The simple answer is, do the right thing. The hard answer is, what is the right thing? Sometimes it's hard to know, and that's where we get on our knees. If you're able to, or maybe you don't have a chance and you quickly ask, God, help me to do the right thing. I want to glorify your name, Father, and do what's right in order to exalt you.

Now, some might think it unnecessary to be reminded that we must not exalt ourselves above God.

Many of us have been hearing a similar message like what I'm presenting today for many, many years, and we might think, oh, I've heard this before. I hope you have. I hope you stick around, because you're probably going to hear it again, if not for me, from someone else. Some might think it unnecessary to be reminded that we must not exalt ourselves above God. But the fact is, we can make that terrible mistake. It's a tragic mistake. We can do it. We can repent. We can do it again. We probably will. You see, that is the way of our flesh. That is the way of the natural man, this flesh, what we are now. And we have an example to look at. Let's go back to Deuteronomy 8. You see, ancient Israel had been told, do not exalt yourself above God. God had warned them. But ancient Israel made the mistake of exalting themselves. And it remains an example, a lesson for us today. Because we, too, are human, we can make the same mistake. So let's turn to Deuteronomy 8. And we're going to read verses 6-19. Deuteronomy 8, verses 6-19. And we recall the lessons of Passover and leavened bread. We recall that God had delivered the children of Israel from cruel bondage in Egypt. It's a type of sin. It parallels our understanding. It parallels how, through Jesus Christ, we've been delivered from sin and death through his sacrifice. But God had delivered the children of Israel from bondage in Egypt. He had brought them to the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the land flowing with milk and honey. And God had exalted Israel above their enemies in Egypt and many others. And he would continue to do so if, a very important word, if they remained loyal to him.

And through Moses, God warned them. Before it happened, he warned them not to forget him by not keeping his law, not keeping his commandments. And he warned them not to exalt themselves rather than God. Let's read now Deuteronomy 8, verse 6.

Therefore you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God, to walk in his ways and to fear him, to revere and worship him. Verse 7, For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks, of water, of fountains and springs that flow out of valleys and hills. He reminds us of the blessings he's afforded for us in this country in the United States of America. He's brought you to a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees, of pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey, a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron and out of whose hills you can dig copper. And when you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which he has given you.

That you shall bless the Lord your God. And it's called, and remember to bless, remember to exalt your God who has given you this good land. And now the warning, the prophetic warning, verse 11. But beware that you do not forget the Lord your God. How might we forget God? Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments, his judgments, his statutes. It's God's way of life, which I command you today. Verse 12, lest, lest when you have eaten and are full and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them, and when your herds and your flocks multiply and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied, when your heart is lifted up and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, who brought you out of bondage. Today we talk about Christ delivering us from the bondage to sin and death. Do not forget the God, verse 15, who led you through the great, that great and terrible wilderness in which were fiery serpents, terrible trials and scorpions, a thirsty land where there was no water, who brought you water out of this flinty rock, who fed you in the wilderness with manna, where to be eating of the bread of life, who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and that he might test you, prove you, to do you good in the end. It's all for our good, just as it was for their good. So that then you may say in your heart, don't forget these things, and then you say in your heart, my power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth. Now did you happen to capture the way I emphasize the pronouns there? You say in your heart, my power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.

If you listen to things said in our society, not just today, but for many years, as the United States, as our culture, our people have forgotten about God, it seems people talk more about my wealth, my power, my money, my this, my that. It's because the people of this country, like the people of the world broadly speaking, who once knew God, who once worshiped God, thus they knew they are forgetting. They're not keeping God's law in ways. You see, they're exalting themselves and not God. That's what ancient Israel did.

Yes, this is a warning for us. Verse 18, a little bit more here, And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he swore to your fathers, as it is this day. God wasn't blessing them because they were good people. He's blessing them because their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, were faithful, and God keeps his word. He keeps his covenant. And to a good degree, we are this nation and others. Modern-day descendants of Israel are still receiving many of those blessings, but prophecy tells us, not covering that today, but prophecy is telling us that that will be cut off soon, perhaps sooner than we think. We don't know.

And then it shall be said, verse 19, if you by any means forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and serve them and worship them, God says, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish. You shall perish. That's what he warned ancient Israel.

And Scripture is clear that the children of Israel eventually did forget God. They forgot his commandments. They turned from God. They exalted themselves.

And they perished as a people, as a nation. The Assyrians conquered the kingdom of Israel. The Babylonians conquered Judah. God kept a remnant. And there will always be a remnant. And that's part of a message regarding the holy days we may hear about in the future as well. The point for us is that we must not follow their mistake. We must not follow their mistake by allowing wealth or comfortable living. I know it's been hot, not very comfortable, but even when it's 105 degrees, that's what my car said coming in today, 105 degrees Fahrenheit, for those of you not in the United States listening, that's hot.

But we can be pretty comfortable with air-conditioned cars or air-conditioned homes. And I hope you do have air conditioning. So we must not allow wealth, our wealth, comfortable living, our pride of place and status, selfishness, our selfishness, or anything to lead us to neglect God in His law, His way.

And whether we're young or we're old, whether we're relatively new in the church or many years in the church, each one of us must beware of exalting ourselves above God. Even in those subtle ways we might not even notice. I'll repeat that. We must beware of exalting ourselves over God, even in those subtle ways which we might not notice. For instance, here are things we might want to think about. These are things I have to think about, too. Things you might not notice. For instance, when we don't pray and read the Bible every day. If we don't pray and read the Bible every day, does that reflect how we're exalting God in our lives? That's a question we each have to answer. Or when we don't take our sins seriously and repent. We don't really try to repent. Does that show we're exalting God in our lives? Or when we don't apologize, when we don't forgive others? Or when we don't serve others as we can?

When we don't serve others as we can, is that demonstrating how we're exalting God in our lives? How about when we don't keep the Sabbath in a way that pleases God? When we don't keep the Sabbath in a way that pleases God?

Or when we don't praise God in both the good times and the bad times?

When we don't praise God in both the good times and the bad times? Special music today, Psalm 13, is about a man asking God, how long are you going to let me suffer? Where are you? Then you get to the end of the psalm. He talks about, God shall bless me. He's confident. And he praises God even though he's suffering and has doubts sometimes. He stirs himself up and he strengthens himself knowing that God will not forsake him because he worships and follows God. He exalts God. Go back and read Psalm 13.

So when we don't strive to exalt God in his way in our lives, and sometimes we're doing that subtly, we don't even know we're not doing it, could it be at those times that we are actually exalting ourselves? Are we actually elevating our will in ways above God? It's something we need to think about. You see, now in this lifetime, God has given us and he has called us to understand these things. We must be learning to exalt God now before we die, before Christ returns, whichever comes first.

We must be learning and doing it, exalting God. We need to be learning it and doing it so we can teach others how to exalt God now, and especially in the kingdom of God. Especially in the kingdom of God. That's our hope. That's what we look forward to.

Now, as prophecy tells us, God wants all people to know him. God wants all people to know his law and way. He wants all people to freely choose to humble themselves and exalt him in their lives. Because Christ just didn't die for us in this room or on the webcast, he died for every single human being who has ever lived or who ever will live.

God wants everyone to know him, to love him, and rightly exalt him. God makes his desire clearly known in Isaiah 25. Let's turn to Isaiah 25. Again, a prophecy of a time to come. A time to come in the kingdom of God.

Isaiah 25. And here, the prophet Isaiah, his declaration, his words, God's words through Isaiah, are for all people. Not just the descendants of Israel, but for all people, the words that all people will surely exalt God. We need to be doing it now, of course. Isaiah 25, verse 1, beginning here, we read, O Lord, you are my God. I will exalt you. I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, and your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth. Powerful message. A declaration taking a stand to exalt God. These need to be our words, too. Let's look a little farther down, verse 6. A prophecy of the time. It says, in this mountain, if you jot down Daniel 7, verse 14, jot down for your reference later, Daniel 7.14, this reference to a mountain, it's talking about the kingdom or dominion of God, prophetically speaking. Verse 6, and in this mountain, this kingdom dominion that's coming at Christ's return, we read about it already in Revelation. And in this mountain, the Lord of Hosts will make for all people a feast of choice pieces, a feast of wines on the leaves, of fat things full of marrow, that's a good thing, of well-refined wines on the leaves. And he will destroy on this mountain, his dominion, his kingdom, the surface of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces. Let's remind us of Revelation 21, verse 4. Continuing the rebuke of his people, he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken. And it will be said in that day, Behold, this is our God. We have waited for him, and he will save us. This is the Lord. We have waited for him, and we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

I want to hear those words when they're actually spoken in the future. They are certain all people will say these words all in due time. In that time, there will be a very different attitude, there will be a very different spirit, and we see now that will fill people's hearts in the time of the kingdom. God will remove spiritual blindness from all nations. All people will learn that God has delivered them from slavery to sin and death, and ultimately, every human being who has ever lived will be given a fair opportunity to know God in his way and to make their choice, the choice we have now to exalt God. We have to be doing it now each and every day.

Let's go now to Revelation 21. Revelation 21 and read here a truly amazing and exciting prophecy. Revelation 21.

Revelation 21. In that future time, the last of mankind has gladly decided to exalt God, and the last of mankind has been transformed into immortal spirit beings, thereby fully becoming God's divine children. In that future time, when the wicked are no more, than God the Father, Christ the Lamb, and the children of God, perhaps numbering in the billions, will be as one under a new heaven, on a new earth, and God's resplendent, glorious holy city. Revelation 21, verse 2. And then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Beautiful sight under a new heaven, on a new earth. Let's continue on verse 22. John, still describing the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven. John says, But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. Verse 24, And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light. And the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day, and there shall be no night there. And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.

And so scripture tells us here in other places that those who will not exalt God, those who will refuse to repent, and make God supreme in their lives, those who will not exalt God will have no place in the holy city, no place in New Jerusalem. They will perish. The lake of fire, the second death, they will perish, they will cease to exist forever. And those who do and will exalt God in Christ, what about them?

Their exaltation, their exaltation will arise from their love for God, proven through their sincere praise and worship, and their submission to Him with all their heart, with all their being, with all their strength. Deuteronomy 6.5. It's Deuteronomy 6.5. And they will be one with God forever.

They will be one with God forever.

And brethren, at that time, as it is in heaven, so shall it be on earth. At that time, fully, completely, totally, and in fact, God will be exalted.

God will be exalted on earth.

So the question for us, are we? Are you exalting God now? And will you exalt God forever?