David [00:00:01]:
Last week we began studying Psalm 34:3, which says this. O magnify the Lord with me. Let us exalt his name together. And so we learn several key principles that speak to our relationship with God daily in the Bible. To magnify God means to praise him, to exalt him, to show reverence for his greatness, his power and his character. It’s recognizing his infinite majesty, never ending.
David [00:00:53]:
In the Hebrew, it means to grow or become great. So we’re growing the way we see the Lord, we’re making him great. In the Greek, it means to make great or declared to be great. So we’re speaking it out, we’re declaring it. Magnification is achieved through five acts of worship, thanksgiving, obedience and testimony which reflect God’s glory to others. And that’s what we looked at last week. And so here are the key aspects of magnifying God. Number one, A heart of worship.
David [00:01:33]:
Magnifying God is an expression of a heart that acknowledges his supreme authority and divine attributes. The second thing was seeing God for who he truly is. So it’s about seeing his inherent greatness and glory as real and grand as it truly is to our limited human perspective and understanding. The third thing is we do this through expressions of praise. It involves proclaiming God’s name, His attributes and works through heartfelt songs and prayer, and spoken words of adoration. Four is action and testimony. Magnifying God is also demonstrated through a life of obedience. A life of obedience to his commands, His Word, his precepts, and by sharing personal experiences of his faithfulness and grace with others, we testify of him to others.
David [00:02:45]:
Next is reflecting God’s glory to others. It’s a key focus in this verse and other verses throughout Scripture. And it points to what Paul said. The APostle Paul in 2nd Corinthians 5, 18, 20, which explains that God has reconciled us to Himself through Christ Jesus and given us those who believe in him the mission to share this message of reconciliation, acting as his ambassadors to encourage others to be reconciled to our Father God. This involves a lifestyle of love and grace, both in sharing the gospel with non believers and fostering reconciliation among believers. And that’s what we looked at last week. And today we’re going to drill down deeper. We will continue our study by exploring the significance of exalting the name of the Lord.
David [00:03:49]:
Together, let us exalt the name of the Lord. David wrote Psalm 34 after God had delivered him from danger and saved his life in Gath. And you can read this in 1st Samuel, chapter 21. He had just experienced God’s personal rescue and could not keep it to himself. He was so excited and overjoyed at what God had done. His response was not only to praise God alone, but to let everyone else know and invite others to magnify the Lord with Him. Let us exalt his name together. Praise God.
David [00:04:32]:
He goes. Look at what God did. And this just wasn’t just for me. It was for all of us. What we will see here is praise is most powerful when it is shared. God has designed worship not just as a personal expression, but as a corporate declaration of his greatness. Let’s look at three truths from this verse about exalting his name together that will give us insight and understanding about how we should be doing this together daily. Number one the word exalt here in the Hebrew means to lift up, to raise up, to esteem highly.
David [00:05:22]:
When David said, let us exalt his name, he’s calling people and asking people to elevate God’s reputation above everything else in life, to honor his character, his works and his faithfulness. In Hebrew, the Word carries the idea of making great or setting high. Not because God can be made greater. He is greater. He is already infinite in glory beyond end, but because our acknowledgment of him grows larger in our hearts and before others as we magnify him and lift him up and see his greatness and declare it. Also, exalting him means aligning our perspective to see him as higher than our circumstances, our fears, our doubts, those challenges we’re facing. He is above all a good question to ask yourself is, am I exalting God above my emotions, my opinions, My challenges? Or am I exalting my problems? This is a good question. Every day a few.
David [00:06:40]:
That’s why I like to start every day with Lord, I surrender myself to you. I surrender everything in my life to you. Whatever I’m facing today, I surrender to you and I trust you in all things. He is more than enough for every situation. Nothing is too hard for Him. David is saying, don’t leave me praising alone. Join me in lifting God higher, for he is above all. Amen.
David [00:07:15]:
He is above all. Think about this. A magnifying glass doesn’t make something bigger, but it makes it look clearer and closer. Worship magnifies God to us and to others, so we see his greatness clearly and without question. Praise God. Psalm 99. 5 says this exalt the Lord our God and worship at his footstool, for he is holy and as we do this, we see his greatness. Philippians 4:4 in the New Testament declares, rejoice in the Lord always.
David [00:08:07]:
Again, I will say, rejoice. I don’t care what you’re going through, what you’re feeling, what’s happening. Find a reason to rejoice in the Lord. I love this. From the Message translation Philippians 4:4 says this. Celebrate God all day, every day. Come on, let’s just celebrate today. Celebrate the Lord.
David [00:08:29]:
Celebrate God. You have life today. Celebrate him. You’re alive, you’re breathing. Celebrate Him. It goes on to say this. I mean, revel in Him. Celebrate him every day, all day, and revel in Him.
David [00:08:45]:
Wow. Are you doing that? Do you find yourself doing that? I encourage you to do that. Find a reason every day to do that. The second point we want to look at here is this. Exalt His Name, the meaning of his name and celebrating his character. In Hebrew thought, a name is the essence of a person. It’s their identity, their nature, their reputation, God’s name. And we studied this just a few weeks ago when we were looking at Psalm 23.
David [00:09:30]:
We looked at the Lord and all that it means. God’s name embodies his essence, who he is, his character. And so we’re celebrating him in his fullness and his excellence in his essence as we lift him up and exalt him. God’s name represents his character, which is he’s merciful, he’s faithful, he’s powerful, he’s just, he’s holy, he’s good, he’s our Savior, he’s our source, he’s our supply, he’s our redeemer and our healer. Wow, wow, wow. Just that right there, man, that stirs me to say those things. Praise God. Thank you, Lord, for all of who you are.
David [00:10:24]:
Thank you for all you’ve done for us. Hallelujah. Praise God. To exalt his name is to proclaim, to declare, to celebrate and trust in who he is, what he has done, not what’s going on around you. I trust him. David had just been delivered from fear and death, and he wanted others to know the God who saves. Because he saved David, he could save them. So being specific in praise instead of just in general, it’s powerful.
David [00:11:13]:
It creates focus and intention in our praise and our worship. So when we call him deliverer, healer, redeemer, shepherd, source, supply, when we exalt his name, we remind ourselves and others who he is. Proverbs 18:10 says this. The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous run to it and are safe. We find safety and peace and confidence in the name of the Lord. Hallelujah. We declare it and we lean on him.
David [00:11:54]:
Exodus 34:6 the LORD and that word Lord there in the Hebrew means Jehovah, Jehovah God the self existent one, the Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long suffering and abounding in goodness and truth. That’s who he is. That’s who he is. Until when we call on him and call on his name. That’s who we’re calling on. Psalm 23:1. I mentioned this just a moment ago, but let’s look at it. I’m going to read it.
David [00:12:29]:
From the Amplified Classic says the Lord is my shepherd, to feed, to guide and to shield me I shall not lack. God is there for all of your life. He’s there to shepherd you. He’s there to feed you, to nourish you. He’s there to guide you and direct you. He’s there to shield you, to protect you, to surround you with his goodness. When you come to him and you’re one with him, you’re not going to lack because he’s there to meet every need for you. Which brings us to Philippians 4:19.
David [00:13:12]:
This is also from the Amplified Classic. And it says, and my God, or you could say, and my shepherd, will liberally supply and fill to the full your every need according to his riches and glory in Christ Jesus. Hallelujah. Think about this. His riches in glory. They’re infinite, they’re limitless. There’s no end to them. He is there for you.
David [00:13:43]:
Praise God as you trust in him and exalt His Name and lift his name up. Praise God. You come into that place of faith and confidence and trust in Him. He liberally supplies to you. He fills to the full till it overflows. Hallelujah. Overflowing love and abundance comes to you. Hallelujah.
David [00:14:12]:
Exalt his name. The third principle we want to talk about today is this. Let us exalt his name together. I want to talk to you about the power of togetherness, or what we call corporate word worship. David shifts from me. Magnify the Lord with me to let us he knows praise is contagious. He is inviting others to join in with him, for he has personally experienced God’s deliverance. But he doesn’t want to keep it private.
David [00:14:56]:
He wants to share it with all those around him. Well, so should we. We should share and celebrate all God has done for us with all those around us. You know what Conia And I were out walking last night here in our neighborhood. It was after dark, and we were walking up the sidewalk. It was up a hill. And we were. We were doing our exercise while we were walking, so.
David [00:15:23]:
And someone in a car is coming up the street, and they slow down and roll their window down. Excuse me. And I said, yes. And they said, hey, Jesus just wants you to know he loves you. Oh, Conia and I both just started rejoicing. Well, praise God. He loves you, too. And so what a blessing.
David [00:15:44]:
They didn’t have to do that, but what a blessing. We were celebrating together. I didn’t know them. I still don’t know them. They didn’t know me. But guess what? They encouraged us. And hopefully we encourage them for all that God has done for us. Together means this worship is not just personal, it’s communal.
David [00:16:07]:
Togetherness is community. It’s a place of connection. When God’s people gather to exalt him, their praise strengthens each other’s faith. Think about this. Our praise together strengthens our faith together. It multiplies joy in us and gives collective witness to his greatness. Hallelujah. We see it.
David [00:16:35]:
We hear it all around us. God’s worship as we come together reflects unity and purpose. And our purpose is we’re here to lift God. Lift him up, make him higher. Above all things, above all of our circumstances. We come to exalt the name of the Lord as one body to testify to the world of his goodness, his grace and his mercy. And our unity with brings glory to God. Think about this.
David [00:17:17]:
A single candle is bright, but a room full of candles changes the atmosphere. When believers exalt God together, darkness is pushed back. It can’t exist. It must flee. It must go. So don’t treat worship as optional. Prioritize gathering with God’s people because your voice matters. In the course of praise, someone else’s breakthrough may come through your worship.
David [00:17:54]:
Think about that as you’re worshiping God. Someone else may receive a breakthrough. I just saw this happen at a conference Conia and I were in, and we were helping to facilitate. And as each speaker spoke and as we did the things we were doing together in between each speaker and the things we were working on at the end, this person shared that they had a hard reset, that all the heaviness that had been on them for several months, boom, it lifted and it was gone. Because the encouraging words they heard, the testimonies they heard, the worship that they entered into together with everyone there in that room set them free. Your voice matters in the course of praise, you say, well, yeah, but I don’t sing. Doesn’t matter. Praise isn’t about singing.
David [00:19:01]:
Good praise is about glorifying God. Your voice matters. In the course of praise, someone else’s breakthrough will come through your worship. Praise God. You’re impacting people around you and you don’t even realize it. Hallelujah. Psalm 22:22 says, I will declare your name to my brethren in the midst of the assembly. I will praise you.
David [00:19:36]:
I want you to commit to do that when you go to church, when you go to a service, commit. Lord, I’m going to declare your name today to my brethren in the midst of the assembly that I’m entering into. I’m going to praise you. Malachi 3:16 says this. Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard them. So a book of remembrance was written before him for those who fear the Lord and who meditate on his name. Think about that. When we exalt him together, God notices and remembers.
David [00:20:19]:
They write it in a book for remembrance. A book of remembrance. Praise God. Praise God. Praise God. Our testimonies matter. Not only here in the earth, they matter in heaven. They will matter throughout eternity.
David [00:20:36]:
Hallelujah. Matthew 18:20 for where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there in the midst of them. If it’s just two or three people you’re with and you begin to testify and you begin to worship the Lord, you begin to exalt his name. He is right there. He’s right there with you. His presence is right there with you. He never leaves you. He never forsakes you.
David [00:21:08]:
Romans 15:6 that you may with one mind and one mouth, glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. With one mind and one mouth, glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Reminds me of the text there. When they dedicated the temple, Solomon had brought everyone together and they were dedicating the temple that he had built. And it said they were all with one heart, one accord, one mind, praising the Lord and the glory of the Lord filled the place to the point they couldn’t even stand. Wow. When we come with one mind, one mouth, glorifying God, God, our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, his presence fills the room. Acts 4:24 they raised their voice to God with one accord.
David [00:22:17]:
Praise God. What a powerful thing to come together and worship and exalt him. Hebrews 13:15 says this. Therefore, by him, let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God. That is the fruit of Our lips giving thanks to his name continually. This is something you do every day. I think I’ve shared this before, but a lot of times we’ll be doing something. I’ll just go, oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, Lord.
David [00:22:50]:
And Conia will go, was that. Were you praising God, or was that for me? And I let her know that one was for the Lord. Baby, I’ll give you your kudos here in a moment. But we come to praise him continually. Continually. Praise and exhortation of God’s name is meant to be done daily, continually. It is a shared expression. Believers.
David [00:23:23]:
A shared expression of believers. So what we see here is this Psalm 34. 3. Oh, magnify the Lord with me. Let us exalt his name together. It’s both an invitation to join together and a vision. The invitation is to come join me in lifting God high. But the vision is this.
David [00:23:52]:
God’s people united in one voice, magnifying his name above all. That’s what I want to see every week as we come together in service. I know that’s what is going on in heaven right now, too. And we can join with heaven in exalting the name of the Lord together. We shall exalt his name together. And when we do, we lift him above our circumstances. We proclaim his character. We strengthen one another’s faith.
David [00:24:33]:
Think of this. A choir, a solo can be powerful. I’ve heard some very powerful soloists. But when all the voices come together, the harmony fills the room. That’s what happens when the church exalts his name together. The harmony fills the room. And the presence of God fills the room. Don’t worship alone.
David [00:25:09]:
Find someone this week to agree with you and praise. Whether you’re at home, at church, at work. Invite others to magnify the Lord with you and exalt his name together. Praise God. What a privilege and honor we have to bring hope to others by simply magnifying the Lord together and exalting his name, testifying of his goodness, his love, his mercy, his grace, his redemption for all of us. Praise God. So magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt his name together. As we go into this week, let’s bow our heads in prayer today.
David [00:25:57]:
Father, we thank you. We come glorifying your name today. God, I pray that we all have eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to understand how to magnify you this week, how to exalt your name and lift you up. Wherever we are, whatever we’re doing, whoever we’re with, Lord, may we magnify the Lord and exalt your name together and bring glory to you, Father God, wherever we go, we thank you for it. Father. We give you praise and glory. We thank you that people’s lives will be transformed and changed as they hear the testimonies and the praise and worship of your people. Thank you Lord, for this privilege and opportunity to share your love with all those around us.
David [00:26:53]:
In Jesus name, Amen. Hallelujah. Pastor Conia is coming now with the closing word and a prayer. God bless you. Have a great weekend.https://youtu.be/clu5pkoseYg
