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Back to Sermons Index Back to Home Page 25th February 2007 AMOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN, HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME Pastor Linton Smith
In his recent book on Prayer Philip Yancey writes, “If I had to answer the question, ‘Why pray?’ in one sentence, it would be, ‘Because Jesus did’” [Prayer Does It Make Any Difference p42].
Jesus made a habit of private prayer, and this so impressed His disciples that one of them asked Him, “Lord, teach us to pray..”
Jesus then taught them what has become known as the Lord’s Prayer. We will be reflecting on this prayer today and on the next four Sundays. During that time our small groups will have the opportunity to explore the subject further, using the Study Booklet, Jesus’ Blueprint for Prayer.
As the title of the study booklet suggests, the Lord’s Prayer can be seen as a blueprint for prayer.. a model prayer. It shows us the way God wants us to pray.. the core issues He invites us to pray about. We can pray about other things.. but these are the are the core issues.. issues close to God’s heart.
We begin today with these words, Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your Name.
As I say these words and reflect on them they help me to focus on God.. Who He is.. what He is like.. and they also help me to see how richly blessed I am.
Let’s begin by looking at the way these words help us to focus on God.
They encourage us to approach God..
· WITH CONFIDENCE!
When I pray, ‘Our Father’ I am reminded that God loves me like a father. And because of that I approach Him with confidence.
Some may have a problem with this. Your human father may not have been a good father and you may find the very idea that God loves you like a father anything but a comfort.
How do we overcome this? We look at what the Bible says.. and form our picture of God from there. We see what an ideal father looks like.
In Deuteronomy 1:31 we read.. The LORD your God carried you, as a father carries his son..
What a picture that is.. lifted up.. carried by a loving father when we are too tired to walk..
In Psalm 103:13 we read.. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him..
God is compassionate. A challenge to all human fathers to be like Him..
And in Proverbs 3:12 we read.. The LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.
God disciplines us because He loves us.. and will do so in a compassionate manner. Another challenge to all fathers! The underlying message in each of these comparisons of God with a human father is that God loves us deeply. We can approach Him with confidence.
· WITH AWE!
When I say, ‘Our Father in heaven’ I am reminded that God is an awesome God.
In Deuteronomy 4:39 we read.. Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other.
He alone is God. There is no other.
Nehemiah received some very bad news. This is how he responded.
Nehemiah 1:4,5.. When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. Then I said: “O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God..”
Nehemiah reminds himself God is great and awesome. He prays with awe!
And in Psalm 115:2-4 we read.. Why do the nations say, “Where is their God?” Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him. But their idols are silver and gold made by the hands of men. Our God is in heaven. He does whatever pleases Him. He alone is God. There is none like Him. He is awesome.. We approach Him with awe.
· WITH REVERENCE!When I say, ‘Hallowed be Your Name’ I am reminded that God is holy.
The word ‘hallowed’ and the word ‘holy’ are different forms of the same word. God is holy. The Bible says this over and over again. The strongest statement is in..
Isaiah 6:3.. Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.
He is holy. He is in a class all by Himself.. way, way above and beyond us in everyway.. in power.. love.. purity..
That great song, Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty.. puts it like this.. Only Thou art holy; there is none
beside Thee,
How then do we approach Him? Like David did. He says..
Psalm 5:7.. But I, by your great mercy, will come into your house; in reverence will I bow down toward your holy temple. And we approach Him with honesty.. confessing our sin. John writes…
1 John 1:5,9.. God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
What a blessing.. we can approach.. and be forgiven! Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your Name. These words.. encourage us to approach God with confidence.. awe.. and reverence..
And they help us to focus on ourselves.
They remind us that..
· WE ARE VERY PRIVILEGED!When I say, “Father” I am reminded that I am .. by the grace of God.. by faith in Jesus Christ.. a child of God.
In this prayer we say, ‘Pater’.. equivalent to ‘father’ in our language.. but we also know we may call God ‘Abba’.. equivalent to ‘daddy’ in our language. Paul..
Romans 8:15.. You did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”
This is a special privilege indeed! John says all I want to say on this:
1 John 3:1.. How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!
· WE BELONG TO A VERY SPECIAL FAMILY!
When I say, ‘Our Father,’ I am reminded I am not alone.. that this privilege is not mine alone.. but I am part of a very special family.. of millions of people.. who by the grace of God and faith in the Lord Jesus come to God and say, ‘Abba.’
As we read the New Testament we discover that some Jewish believers in Jesus had difficulty in accepting non-Jewish believers. The Apostle Paul led the charge to have Gentile believers accepted on equal terms into the family..
He wrote to the Ephesians..
Ephesians 2:18,19.. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household..
Through Jesus.. we both.. Jew and Gentile.. have access to the Father.. consequently you.. Gentile believers.. are no longer foreigners.. but members of God’s household.. God’s family.
He spells it out very clearly in..
Ephesians 4:4-6.. There is one body and one Spirit— just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. One body.. one Spirit.. one Lord.. one God and Father of all.. We say this prayer.. and are reminded of this privilege..In the 1600s Thomas Manton wrote, “Christ teaches all.. kings or beggars.. to say ‘Our Father’.. We should never be ashamed to own him as a brother whom God will own as a son” [Day by Day with The English Puritans p60].As we pray it, then, we are prompted to ask, Am I on good terms with my brothers and sisters.. and if not.. we are prompted to do something about it.
· WE HAVE A GREAT PURPOSE!When I say, “Hallowed be Your Name,” I am saying, ‘Let not the name of God be taken lightly.. let not God be taken lightly.. but regarded as holy.. held in the highest esteem!
There is passion in this prayer.. or should be.. a passionate desire to see God given the respect that is due to Him.. the honor that is due to Him.. the glory that is due to Him..
Paul knew this passion. He has been writing about the plans and purposes of God.. and bursts out in praise..
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.
Paul was passionate. His love for God gave him an ardent desire to see God glorified.. and this guided his prayers for others.. This is how he prayed for the believers in Philippi..
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.. Your purpose as a child of God.. 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?
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your Name.
Take these words on our lips.. reflect on them.. and we will approach God with confidence.. awe.. and reverence.. and we will be reminded how blessed we are.. reminded that we are very privileged.. belong to a very special family.. and have a great purpose! |