Our Watchword (sermon 1013)

Taking a phrase that occurs three times in the book of the Psalms—"Let such as love thy salvation say continually, let God be magnified"—Spurgeon asks three simple questions. With regard to the character, who is speaking? With regard to the saying, what are they testifying, and in what spirit? Then, with regard to the wish, why are they so pleading and desiring? Why should godly people desire that the Lord should be magnified? It is a sermon both to encourage and to challenge, for Spurgeon is constantly showing us the depths of what is being sought, but also asking us repeatedly whether or not we can enter into the character, appreciate the saying, and endorse the wish. On one level, the sermon is not really telling us to do anything; on another, it transforms everything we do, for it revives our energies and directs our expectations. It is, then, aimed very much at the heart, concerning our motives and intents. As such, Spurgeon's hope is that we will be stirred not only to say, "Let God be magnified!" but also to live out that desire in every sphere.