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HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME MATTHEW 6:9
When I was training to be a pastor I had to find work during the vacations. On one occasion I dug foundation trenches for a nursing home. I knew why I was digging.. and kept at it. On another occasion I shovelled dirt from one place to another in a big hole in the middle of the city. I had no idea what the builders were building and found it very hard to apply myself. I need to know why I'm doing something if I am going to do it enthusiastically. And on the larger scene.. to live with purpose and enthusiasm.. I need to know what life is all about. I suspect most of us are like that. Last Sunday we began to think about the prayer Jesus taught His disciples to pray. We looked at the opening words, ‘Our Father in heaven’ and reminded ourselves that we are His children, deeply loved and significant. When we address God as ‘Our Father’ and delight in the fact that we are His children, deeply loved and significant, it is as natural as breathing to pray, ‘Hallowed be your name.’When we say, ‘Hallowed be your name,’ we are saying, ‘May the name of God never be taken lightly, may God never be taken lightly, but regarded as holy and held in the highest esteem! May your holy name be honoured!And right here we find the answer to our question, What is life all about? When we pray, ‘Hallowed be your name,’ we remind ourselves of life's purpose! Our purpose in life is to..
About 360 years ago a group of people drew up The Shorter Catechism. It begins with these words, What is the chief end of man? Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him for ever. This truth is taught in many places in the Bible. In Isaiah 43:6,7 God says.. Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth - everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory.. His people.. created for His glory! In Jeremiah 13:11 God says.. As a belt is bound around a man’s waist, so I bound the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah to me.. to be my people for my renown and praise and honor. That was God's purpose for the people of Israel and Judah – He wanted them to bring praise and honour to His name. It was also the purpose behind all that Jesus did. In John 17:4 He said to God the Father.. I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. He looked back on His life.. on all He had done... and could say.. I brought you glory on earth by doing all you wanted me to do. That was His purpose! And the Apostle Peter wrote to people just like us.. and said.. 1 Peter 4:11.. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen. So that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ!This is the purpose of life. And it gives meaning to the whole of life.. to everything we do. Not just the things we think of as spiritual.. not just Sunday activities but also Monday to Saturday activities.. mowing the lawn.. washing the dishes as well as leading a Bible study! In everything bring praise and glory to God! If there is something that cannot be done to the glory of God, don’t do it! I spoke about this many years ago in a country church.. a farmer afterwards.. thanked me sincerely.. ‘That gives meaning to all I do!’ That day he switched on to life’s purpose!
Now… let’s be more specific. In what ways does our Father in heaven want us to bring praise and honour to Him? He wants us to..
Quite commonly we take this prayer, ‘Hallowed be your name’ to mean we should never use His name lightly.. never use it as a swear word. That is correct. But there is more to it than that. The Apostle Peter wrote.. to people just like us.. 1 Peter 2:9.. You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Declare the praises of our Father in heaven! In the Psalms we often find people doing this.. giving honour and praise to God with their lips.. praising Him for the wonderful things He has done.. and praising Him just because He Himself is wonderful. Reflect on Psalms such as Psalm 104,105!! God wants us to do the same. The Apostle Paul put it like this.. Romans 15:5,6.. May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. With one heart and mouth.. glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! That is one reason we meet together as we do.. jointly.. with one voice.. to praise God.. to give honour to Him. We have a good example to follow. In the last book of the Bible we glimpse the way God is praised in heaven: Revelation 4:11.. “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” Let’s switch on to life’s purpose. Let’s call God ‘Our Father’.. and really mean it.. and live to bring honour to Him with our lips!
Our Father in heaven wants us to do that.. and He wants us to..
Words are cheap. We need to back up our words with our actions. In Matthew 5:13-16 Jesus says.. You are the salt of the earth.. You are the light of the world.. let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. We are to be the salt of the earth and light of the world and to let our light shine. Why? So that people may see our good deeds and praise our Father in heaven. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians.. 1 Corinthians 6:19,20.. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. And again.. 1 Corinthians 10:31.. Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Whatever you do! And to the Philippians he wrote.. Philippians 1:9-11.. And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. He prays for these believers to grow in love.. knowledge.. insight.. righteousness.. with one end in view – to the glory and praise of God. That is our great purpose as believers – to bring praise and glory to God. When we pray ‘Hallowed be your name,” we remind ourselves of that.
Keep this prayer in mind and it will guide us in the way we pray. We will ask.. If God were to grant this.. would it be for His glory?
And it will guide us in the choices we make. It will guide us in the way we relate to people.. It will guide us in the way we express our sexuality.. It will guide us in the way we live in marriage.. It will guide us in the way we live in the family.. It will guide us in the way we go about our work.. It will guide us in the way we conduct business.. It will guide us in the way we play sport.. It will guide us the way we spend our leisure time.. It will guide us in the way we spend our money.. It will guide us in the way we use our skills and talents.. It will give to everything we do.. a great sense of purpose! On planet earth.. during these short 70 or so years.. our purpose as children of God.. your purpose.. my purpose.. is to glorify God.. When we pray this prayer.. we are reminded of that.. and challenged to examine our lives.. Am I.. Are we.. living for the glory of God?
Words without actions are cheap.. And actions without fire in the heart are empty. So it is not surprising that our Father in heaven wants us to..
Jesus once said of the people of His day.. Matthew 15:8.. These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. God wants us to bring praise and honour to Him from our hearts. He wants us to be on fire deep within.. We have examples of this inner fire in the New Testament. The Apostle Paul ponders what God has done.. what He plans to do.. and how great and marvellous He is.. and then these words explode from deep within him: Romans 11:33-36.. Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?” For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. In his letter to Timothy he reflects on the kindness of God to him.. and again bursts out in praise to God.. 1 Timothy 1:17.. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen. The Letter to the Hebrews comes to a climax with these words.. Hebrews 13:20,21.. May the God of peace.. equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. And the Apostle Peter writes.. 2 Peter 3:18.. Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! These people were passionate.. They wanted God to be glorified. They wanted Him to be praised. They wanted Him to be honoured! Why? Because they were overcome by His love.. by what Jesus had done for them.. and because the Holy Spirit of God was at work in their hearts. Jesus said that when the Holy Spirit came He would glorify Him, and that is just what He does. When He is at work in us, He makes us passionate about glorifying Jesus.. about glorifying God.
God wants that kind of fire to burn in our hearts.. A fire that prays with all its might, Hallowed be your name.. May your holy name be honoured! When we find that fire.. we find purpose for living.. we switch on to life's purpose.
How can we find that fire? Believe in Jesus and become a child of God.. You have.. and the fire has burned low? Then believe again.. call out to Him.. be honest with Him.. ask Him to fill you afresh with His love.
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