Lecture 5 Christian Living II - Review

Hallowed Be Thy Name by John Hamby Lesson 1 & 2 Matthew 6:1-15 1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. 2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: 4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. 5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. 7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. 8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. 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. 14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

A Study of the Lord’s Prayer Lesson # 1 Introduction : How to Approach God Almost all of our prayers begin by rushing into a series of petitions in which we pour out to God our problems, our needs, our irritations. This only reinforces the focus of our attention on what is troubling us and our inability to remedy it. It could be that is at least part of the problem of why we are more depressed and frustrated after we pray than before.

Alan Redpath sums up how many feel even when they have prayed, “When we have finished our praying we can scarcely bring ourselves to believe that our feeble words can have been heard, or that they can have made no difference in the things concerning which we have been praying. We’ve said our prayers but we have not prayed.”[ Victorious Praying: Studies in the Lord’s Prayer ( Grand Rapids: Fleming Revell, 1993) p. 12]

Jesus gave the Lord’s Prayer in response to the disciple’s request, “Lord, teach us to pray?” In fact Jesus gave this prayer twice, once recorded in Matthew (6:9-13) and once recorded in Luke (11:2-4). There was a time lapse of some 18 months between the two occasions. Matt 6:9-13 There is something tremendously important about the way Jesus answered the disciples question, “Lord, teach us to pray.” Jesus’ reply was, “Pray like this” or “When you pray,” say this.”

The point is that you only learn to pray by praying.

The Lord’s Prayer was given to show the disciples how to pray, after all that is what they asked, that is how they should go about praying, not just the words they should use. The Lord’s Prayer is a model prayer that is to be prayed through.

There is a difference between saying the Lord’s prayer and praying the Lord’s prayer. The Lord’s Prayer is more often mindlessly repeated than prayed. This particularly ironic because the context in Matthew is chapter 6, verses 7 and 8 which warn against the dangers of meaningless repetition.

In this command Jesus wants to understand two things.

First, he does not want us to repeat any prayer again and again. There is a difference between much talking and much praying.

Secondly, he wants us to know that God does not hear us based on the length of our prayers.

Before looking at the Lord’s Prayer one petition at a time we need to get an overview. The Lord’s Prayer contains seven petitions; the first three petitions are called the “Thy Petitions” because they begin with the word “thy” and they center on God. Hallowed be Thy name Thy kingdom come Thy will be done The final set of petitions is called the “Us Petitions,” Forgive us our debts Lead us not into temptation Deliver us from the evil one. i. BEGINNING RIGHT – HOW TO APPROACH GOD We begin our examination of the Lord’s Prayer by looking at the first six English words, “Our Father who art in Heaven.” That is not that we would merely say the words, but that we believe that he is our Father and we would relate to Him as a Father.

One of the problems that can arise in trying to do this is if we ascribe to God the Father the same weaknesses, failings and inconsistencies that we may have seen in our earthly fathers.

The word “father” does not arouse the same feeling of warm and happy memories in every mind. Some have had earthly fathers that were harsh and unloving. To a large degree we extent to God the Father, perhaps unconsciously, the same feeling we have or had toward our earthly father. For some learning to see God as their loving heavenly father is not such an easy thing.

The fact remains that Jesus is stating the importance of starting our prayers with the awareness that God is our Father. What Jesus is teaching here is pretty dramatic.

The word that Jesus used for Father was not a formal word. It was the common Aramic word with which a child would address his father – the word “Abba”. Of course everyone used the word, but no one under any circumstances used it in connection with God.

“Abba” meant something like “Daddy” but with a more reverent touch than we use it today. It meant something like, “Dearest Father.” The fact that God is our “dearest father” is to be foundational awareness in prayer.

Paul tells us in Galatians 4:6

Galatians 4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

Wrapped up in the expression “our father” is a new dimension in intimate communion with God, the same intimacy that exists between a child and their father is to exist between you and God. The beginning of effective prayer is the recognition that God possesses a father’s heart, a father’s love, a father’s strength and a father’s concern for the best interest of his children.

It is impossible to come to God as our Father except that we are born into his family through faith in Jesus Christ. It is for this very reason that Alan Redpath in his book on the Lord’s Prayer calls this prayer the “Family Prayer,”because it is based on a relationship with God through faith in Christ and can only be uttered by those who are in the family.

This father-child relationship helps us to understand the richness of our spiritual heritage. First, it provides us with a profound sense of being loved. Everett Fullam a missionary to a remote tribe in Nigeria relates the salvation experience of one of the local natives. When he revealed the awesomeness of this new experience with God by saying, “Behind this universe stands one God, not a great number of warring spirits, as we had always believed, but one God. And that God loves me!”

[as quoted in Kent Hughes. Abba Father: The Lord’s Pattern for Prayer (Wheaton, Crossway Books, 1986) pp. 22-23.]

I believe that we should all share in the wonder that this man felt that the God of the Universe loves us! It is through this sense of being loved that we can come to truly understand forgiveness and the wholeness that comes through from being loved and forgiven.

The Jewish society to which Jesus spoke thought of God as distant and unapproachable in His Holiness, to be taught that God was the Father was amazingly revolutionary. The problem that many face today is reversed they have so sentimentalized God that they have robbed him of his Holiness. They approach God with flippant familiarity.

“Jesus provides the remedy for both errors with His opening words, ‘Our Father, who art in heaven. ‘Father’ stresses God’s immanence: He is involved in life and is to be intimately approached as Abba. ‘Who art is heaven’ stress the God’s transcendance: He surpasses all that is human; He is sovereign and reigning. In a word, God is our Father and our King.” (Hughes p. 26) Conclusion The Lord’s Prayer is a model prayer that is to be prayed through. When a believer prays through the Lord’s Prayer, they will find that they have covered scope of what God wants them to pray. I want to invite you one the adventure of praying through the Lord’s prayer each day. There are seven results that can expect as a result of praying through the Lord’s Prayer. 1. You will magnify God each day when you pray, “ hallowed be your name.” 2. You will live out the principles of the prayer when you pray “thy kingdom come.” 3. You will receive God’s guidance for the day when you pray, “thy will be done.” 4. You will receive more answers to prayer. 5. You will feel cleansed when you pray, “forgive us our debts.” 6. You will felt victorious as you pray,“lead us not into temptation.” 7. You will sense God’s protection when you pray, “deliver us from the evil one.” [Elmer Towns. Praying the Lord’s Prayer for Spiritual BreakThrough. (Ventura,Calif: Regal Books, 1997)]

Matthew|Psalms 6|20:9|7-6|20:9|7 A Study of the Lord’s Prayer Lesson # 2 “Hallowed Be Thy Name” In our opening study we noted that the Lord’s Prayer is a pattern for all true prayer. We began our examination of the Lord’s Prayer by looking at the first six English words, “Our Father who art in Heaven.”

That is not that we would merely say the words, but that we believe that he is our Father and we would relate to Him as a Father. One can not really pray the Lord’s Prayer without first establishing a relationship through faith in Jesus Christ and being born into the family of God.

When we begin our prayer, “Our Father,” we begin to pray in based on an intimate relationship with God – that of a father and child. God is not an angry judge looking for an opportunity to condemn us, nor is aloof and distant, too busy to hear you. He is our Father and can be approached on an intimate basis.

Having the foundational awareness of God as our Father we move on to the first of the petitions, “hallowed be thy name.”

When you pray “hallowed be thy name,” you climb to a new level of respect for God and reverence for his person. You are ascending to the very heart of God to recognize who He is and what He has done for us.

What does it mean to “hallow” His name? The word “hallow” is the Greek word hagios which is the word for holy, “Hallow” means “to set apart as holy, to consider holy , to treat as holy.” The best modern word perhaps is reverence. When you pray “hallowed be your name” you are saying, “let your name be holy and reverence on earth as it already is in heaven. May your name be given the unique reverence that is due your character and nature as the Heavenly Father.”

When you begin your prayers “Hallowed be thy name,” you are not rushing into the presence of God to demand something, you come into his presence recognizing who God is and what He can do for you. The name of God is always an expression of His character. The Psalmist said 20:7;

I. WE HALLOW HIS NAME IN OUR REVERENCE When we understand that God’s names reveal who God desires to be in relation to us, then we realize that His names invite us to know Him. Romans 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

Psalm 19:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. We can reverence God and worship him by Praying Through the Names of God. Each of the names of God reveals some aspect of his character. Elohim – the mighty Creator (Gen 1:1) Adonai – master or Lord ( Gen 15 – Abraham) El Shaddai – Almighty (Gen 17 – Abraham) El-Elyon- Most High (Gen 14 – Abraham) El Roi - The Strong one that Sees (Gen 16 – Hagar) El Olam - Everlasting God (Gen 21:22-33) Jehovah – self-existent one (Exodus 3: 14-15 – Moses) Jehovah Jireh – the Lord our Provider (Gen 22) Jehovah M’kaddesh – the God who Sanctifies(Lev 20:1-8) Jehovah Nissi – the Lord our Banner (Exodus 17:8-16) Jehovah Rohi – the Lord my Shepherd (Psalm 23) Jehovah Rophe –the God who Heals (Exodus 15:22-26) Jehovah Shalom – the Lord of our Peace (Jud. 6:11-24) Jehovah Shammah – the Lord is Here (Ezekiel 48:30-35) Jehovah Tsidkenu – the Lord our Righteousness (Jer. 23:5-6)

When we pray we should acknowledge God’s names in reference to our needs.

The name of God is supremely and fully revealed in Jesus Christ.

Jesus said in his intercessory prayer for his disciples said, “I have manifested thy name.” (John 17:6). In other words, Jesus said, “I have revealed your character and hallowed your name in the life that I have lived.” II. WE HALLOW GOD’S NAME IN OUR RELATIONSHIP When Jesus taught us to pray “hallowed be thy name,” He was telling us to make the presence of God real in our hearts. When you pray “hallowed be thy name,” you are placing God on the throne of your heart. It is about putting God on the throne of our lives on earth, as He sits upon His throne in heaven.

His name is hallowed in our relationship when in praying “hallowed be thy name” we mean that first and foremost we desire our life to reveal to others to the name of Jesus and the character or God. When we are supremely concerned that every detail of our lives should be for His glory.

Whatever service you or I may undertake our first thought should be, “Is this for His glory?” This thought should be in my thoughts when I choose the books I will read or the movies I will watch. This phrase applies to the friends I make and how I treat them.

It will be the chief concern in all habits I form and all the ambitions that I cherish. This will be my supreme object in every pleasure I seek. This will be my attitude concerning every sorrow and trial I face. III. WE HALLOW HIS NAME BY OUR REFLECTION Paul once warned the church at Rome, “…. the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,…” (Romans 2:24).

It is a solemn thought to realize that failure on our part to hallow the name of the Lord has disastrous consequences, in causing the name of that name to be blasphemed by the world.

When we pray each day “Hallowed be thy name,’ we are saying, “Father your reputation is at stake in me today. May I live in such a way as to be a credit to your person. May others see your character through my behavior and honor your name because of what they see of you in me.” Conclusion Five Essentials About Honoring God’s Name 1. God has a Name 2. God’s name is Holy 3. God wants us to praise Him 4. I can praise God’s name in the Lord’s Prayer 5. God will not force anyone to praise His name. Elmer Towns. Praying Through the Lord’s Prayer (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1997) “Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Amen”