Hallowed Be Your Name

What is this About?

2023 Spring Branch

Matthew 6:9

Hallowed Be Your Name

If we were to examine the 10 commandments, found in Exodus 20, we will see that the first of the commandments deal directly with our relationship with God. God is to be known as He is. You shall not have any other gods, or make idols, make images of what god you want and worship them… no… there is one God and you are to know Him personally and intimately, and worship only Him.

You are to understand that God’s image is on you and you are to give God what belongs to God alone: All of you (Matt. 22:21). And as you bear His Name, represent His Name and use His Name… you shall not take the Name of the Lord in vain. You are guilty if you do.

God’s name is holy (set apart and distinct), and precious. Using God’s name as an expression, is sin. Using His Name as a curse word is sin. His Name is to be honored, adored, lifted high and worshiped… and is not to be treated as common, as an expression, or as a curse word.

And when it comes to our lives, our behavior/actions… we could also misuse God’s Name or Christ Name by the way we live our lives… and be guilty of using Christ’s Name in vain. “You mean we could be guilty even if we don’t use His name as a curse word or expression?” Yes, we could, and we do.

As Christians, we bear the Name of Jesus Christ – Christ… ians… We claim Him, claim to know Him, and claim that He is inside of us. We use His Name as we enter into the church, as we operate as the church, and we claim to represent Him as His reflectors and ambassadors in this world.

“Well, what’s the problem?” God’s Name reflects His character, not our sinful selves. Taking the name of God in vain misrepresents God’s character to others. As Christians, we carry the name of our Savior and the way we live and relate to others is a direct reflection on the Name of Christ.

Now… do we see the problem? It’s not just a curse word that makes us guilty. It’s not just the expression… We are guilty if we are not treating our God’s Name as “hallowed.”

Hallowed: What’s that mean? It is an old English word translated to mean “make holy.” Now God’s name is already holy, but to pray and to live for the cause of “making God’s Name holy,” is to revere, honor, glorify and obey Him and to never speak, think or act before him without the greatest respect and reverence.

*How can we hallow God’s Name?

We will first hallow His name when we acknowledge that He exists. “He who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). It begins with acknowledgment; it begins by believing and declaring, “There is a God.” This is the beginning of wisdom.

Listen: We hallow God’s name by having a true knowledge about Him. False ideas about God are not right or reverent. The person who brings into his concept of God ideas that are not true makes a false god and therefore takes the Lord’s Name in vain.

We must discover and believe the truth of God if we will hallow His name and not misuse His name. We must know truth about His character and his will, because we cannot hallow or revere a God whose character and will we do not know, or care about.

That is a great sin committed on Sunday mornings: Gathering together to worship a god we do not know, but a god that reflects ourselves but not the God of the Bible.

Challenge: Do we know the God of the Bible? What do we know about Him? What can we open our mouths and say about our God? How long would the description last? We are to make disciples for Jesus, by immersing others in the Name of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

We do not make disciples by immersing people into us, but God. So, what do we know, what can we teach about God that others may come to know and make much of Him?

Listen: This is the Christian prayer and focus. Not hallowed be our name, but God, hallowed be Your Name. We want to focus on hallowing God’s Name in every way. We want to draw God into every thought, every daily word, and every daily action. We are to set the Lord always before us and others.

What did King David say: Psalm 16:8 – “I have set the Lord continually before me.” There was always this constant awareness of His presence, to honor, glorify and revere Him in all that David did. But we understand that even King David lost sight of hallowing God’s Name and did not set the Lord before Him when he committed actions of adultery and murder with Bathsheba and Uriah.

That is what happens when we do not set the Lord before us and draw Him in to every thought… we sin and misrepresent Him to others. David misrepresented God to his sons and we see the aftermath of that sin and the sons did as they pleased with no holy fear or reverence towards God.

Listen: What we display before our family makes a difference. Hallowing God’s Name before our family will make the difference. Your Christianity will be theirs, but will it be Biblical and real?

And lastly: God’s name is most hallowed when we behave in conformity to His will.

We can acknowledge Him and have some great truths, great knowledge about Him… but for Christians to live in disobedience to God is to take His name in vain… Why and how? Because we are claiming that He is Lord, but we do not follow Him, or imitate Him. *Claiming the Name without obeying/imitating the Name is misrepresenting (using) the Name.

There are many non-Christians doing this every day. They claim the Name and live like demons (James 2:19). And Jesus said that, “Not everyone who says to Me Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven (Matt. 7:21).

This is our purpose and our pleasure. Our prayer and focus is to do the will of the Father and to hallow God’s Name. Our prayer is that God is hallowed everywhere in this world, in every heart. Christians eat and drink, and do everything else to glorify God (1 Cor. 10:31).

This is hallowing God’s Name. Living to please Christ is hallowing God’s Name. Loving our neighbor’s as ourselves is hallowing God’s Name.

This is our great concern: That God be honored and worshipped… That we live lives that is worthy of our calling.

Hallowing God’s Name changes ours lives:

1.So personally: I want to protect my mind and my heart so that God/Christ be set apart and I have an internal reverence for Him. With this, I will strive for moral purity, separation from evil and devotion to God’s purposes. So that… my life will hallow His name.

2.Outside of ourselves: We are concerned with the reputation of God’s Name as the church. Everything we do must honor and glorify God without casting shadows upon the character of Christ. We are going to obey the law; we are going to conduct ourselves in ways that do not bring a disgrace, shame or a disrespect on the Lord’s Name.

We are going dress appropriately, speak and act reflections of His Name… We are going to protect and preserve Christ’s message, pursue Christ’s purposes… and be the salt and light that is needed in this world… to reflect and preserve Christ’s image in this world.

3.And we are going to work with hearts, work in businesses, in schools and everywhere we find ourselves to make sure God’s Name is honored there.

There is a heart where Christ is not honored. There is a place where God’s Name is not esteemed. There is a place where there is no respect for Him.

But there is a Christian today who will pray. There is a Christian today who will go. There is a Christian today who will speak and be the hands and feet of Christ. There is a Christian who will seek to model the Lord.

Will there be a Christian who will be concerned about our God’s Name being lifted high this week?

If so…

We will find ourselves active and being productive for the cause of Christ.