Alone With God 10/26/2022

Hallowed Be Your Name

Matthew 6:9–13 KJV 1900

9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

How do you respond when you hear someone use the Lord’s name in vain? Do you think, as a rule, it’s better just to ignore the remark or to admonish the person?

The names of God and Jesus are often used flippantly or irreverently in the course of conversations.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones offers this insightful perspective on how we use God’s name:

What unworthy ideas and notions this world has of God! If you test your ideas of God by the teaching of the Scriptures you will see at a glance what I mean. We lack even a due sense of the greatness and the might and the majesty of God. Listen to men arguing about God, and notice how glibly they use the term … It is indeed almost alarming to observe the way in which we all tend to use the name of God. We obviously do not realize that we are talking about the ever blessed, eternal, and absolute, almighty God. There is a sense in which we should take our shoes off our feet whenever we use the name.

While we may cringe when someone uses God’s name in vain, I think we would all do well to examine our own heart attitude.

Indifference and lack of respect due His name from those who love Him should not be.

Unfortunately, when believers have a low view of God, everything focuses on meeting what we feel are our needs within the body of Christ.

Instead, we need to understand that we, the church exists to bring glory to God.

With that in mind, we can understand why prayer is first and foremost, a recognition of God’s majestic glory, rather than merely a channel to get what we want.

Prayer is not to be a casual routine that simply gives passing homage to God. It’s to be a profound experience that should open up to us a profound realization, reverence, awe, honor, and adoration of God.

Holy Is His Name

We’re going to look now at this word “hallow.”

Matthew 6:9 NKJV

9 In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.

What current English words can be used as synonyms for hallowed? What do they tell us about our relationship to God?

The word “hallow” is actually an archaic English word used to translate a form of the Greek word hagiazo, which means “to make holy.” Words from the same Greek root are translated “holy.” “saint,” “sanctify,” and “sanctification.”

What is probably the most central truth, or most important attribute, concerning God?

Isaiah 6:3 NKJV

3 And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!”

God commands His people to be holy.

1 Peter 1:16 NKJV

16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

But only God Himself is actually holy.

To pray, “hallowed be Thy name” is to attribute to God the holiness that already is, and has always been, supremely and uniquely His.

To hallow God’s name is to revere, honor, glorify, and obey Him as the one and only completely perfect God.

When we do, we remind ourselves of the important difference between us and Him.

We agree with John Calvin, who says that “God should have His own honor, of which He is so worthy, and that we should never think or speak of Him without the greatest veneration.”

Failure to Honor God

What happens when we fail to give God the reverence and honor He deserves? What could be the consequences when one of God’s people doesn’t treat Him the respect due His name?

Let’s take a look at one example.

Numbers 20:1–12 NKJV

1 Then the children of Israel, the whole congregation, came into the Wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh; and Miriam died there and was buried there. 2 Now there was no water for the congregation; so they gathered together against Moses and Aaron. 3 And the people contended with Moses and spoke, saying: “If only we had died when our brethren died before the Lord! 4 Why have you brought up the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness, that we and our animals should die here? 5 And why have you made us come up out of Egypt, to bring us to this evil place? It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates; nor is there any water to drink.” 6 So Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and they fell on their faces. And the glory of the Lord appeared to them. 7 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 8 “Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals.” 9 So Moses took the rod from before the Lord as He commanded him. 10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock; and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?” 11 Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank. 12 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”

Moses dishonored God in front of the Israelites because he struck the rock, in direct disobedience to God.

Moses’ actions drew the attention of the people to himself, maybe to make them think he had something to do with the miracle.

But by stealing the glory from God and failing to honor Him, both Moses and Aaron were not allowed to enter the Promised Land.

The catalog of others who dishonored God is numerous. The following is only a small sampling:

Saul did not submit himself to God, but in impatience and self-styled disobedience he failed to follow all of God’s instructions (1 Sam. 15:11). So God removed him from the throne.

Uzzah failed to recognize the majesty of God’s holiness by daring to defy God’s instructions (Num. 4:15, 19–20). God struck him down for his irreverence (2 Sam. 6:7).

Uzziah became proud, acted in a corrupt manner, was unfaithful to the Lord, and in an affront to God’s holiness, entered the temple to burn incense. God struck him with leprosy (2 Chron. 26:16–23).

Ananias and Sapphira lied to the Holy Spirit. By sinning against the holiness of God in such a way, they lost their lives within hours of their deceit (Acts 5:1–11).

The Corinthians ate of the bread and drank from the cup in an unholy manner during the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 11:27–30). As a result, many became sick and some even died.

How to Hallow God’s Name?

Hallowing God’s name, like every other manifestation of righteousness, begins in the heart.

The Apostle Peter tells us to “sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts” (1 Peter 3:15).

When we sanctify Christ in our hearts we will also sanctify Him in our lives.

Let’s look at some practical ways you can do just that and also make sure God is hallowed in your prayer life.

Acknowledge God Exists

Hebrews 11:6 NKJV

6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

For us, I believe that’s a given.

Know the Truth about God

Many people claim they believe in God, but they don’t hallow His name because they don’t have true knowledge of who He is.

Some people think that taking God’s name in vain is swearing or cursing only, but that is not the case. You can take the name of the Lord in vain every time you think a thought about God that’s not true, or when you doubt Him, disbelieve Him, and question Him.

The early church father Origen said in his rebuttal to the Greek philosopher Celsus that the man who brings into his concept of God ideas that have no place there takes the name of the Lord God in vain.

Be Aware of His Presence

If we are to be faithful believers, we must live every day of our lives in a continual state of God consciousness.

I am sure He is on the thoughts of many right after a Sunday morning worship service, but what about later that day and throughout the week?

Those are the times you must consciously draw Him into every daily thought, word, and activity if you would truly hallow God’s name. That was David’s focus:

Psalm 16:8 NKJV

8 I have set the Lord always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.

Live in Obedience

Our Father’s name is most hallowed when we behave in conformity to His will.

For Christians to live in disobedience to God is the ultimate in taking His name in vain, claiming as Lord someone we’re not even willing to follow. Jesus warned,

Matthew 7:21 NKJV

21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.

When we disobey God we diminish our capacity to revere His name and be used to manifest His holiness.

We will however be successful in hallowing His name when we do as Paul says:

1 Corinthians 10:31 NKJV

31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

We also honor His name when we attract others to Him because of our commitment.

We are to “let [our] light shine before men in such a way that they may see [our] good works, and glorify [our] Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 5:16).

When you have the right thoughts about God and live righteously, you will hallow His name.

Psalm 34:3 sums up the teaching of this phrase with this exhortation: “O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.”

The next time you pray, I hope you see yourself entering the very throne room of God, a holy place, where He is to be honored.

Don’t be afraid when you enter that time of solitude with the God of heaven—just be sure you approach that time with the respect due His most holy name.

Prayer Focus

How has your zeal for the dignity of God’s name and your progress in the pursuit of your own sanctification been lately? Spend some time in prayer reviewing your attitudes. Ask God to forgive your indifference and increase your desire to know Him.