Lifestyle

“Prayer Lessons from Jesus", Part Two
Matthew 6:9-13

I want to begin, this morning, by asking you to answer a very big, very broad question: “In general, would you say that the quality of our culture is getting better or getting worse?” How many would say, “Better?” How many would say, “Worse?” I guess what I would probably say is that it all depends on what factors you take into consideration.

One of the factors that I considered as I pondered that question a few days ago was stories that made the national news this past week. Stories like these…

--In Los Angeles, 4 teenage boys were arrested in a series of brutal attacks on homeless people in the downtown area known as Skid Row. These homeless folk did nothing to provoke the attacks, were completely defenseless against the attacks and possessed absolutely nothing of value to steal. So, what would motivate 4 teenage boys to assault them? In each case, 3 of the boys participated in the actual physical assault while the fourth boy made a video recording the attack to post on the Internet for the amusement of their friends. “Hey, go to our website. You can watch us beat up homeless people. It’s hilarious.”

--Meanwhile, in Florida, we have the astonishing case of Harrel Braddy. Harrel became incensed when his new girlfriend asked him to leave. So he choked her until she was unconscious and stuffed her into the trunk of his car. Then he grabbed her 5-year-old daughter, drove to a section along Interstate 75 in the Everglades that is known as “Alligator Alley” and threw the 5-year-old into the water to be eaten alive. And she was. He was convicted of first-degree murder.

--And in Philadelphia, we have the case of Anthony Bianchi who is on trial this week for his involvement in a growing trend within the tourism industry: traveling to foreign countries for the purpose of having sex with children. The practice has grown so much recently, that new laws have recently been enacted to make it possible for us to prosecute Americans who sexually assault children in foreign countries.

Now, these are all horrendous stories of human depravity but what I find especially distressing in these stories is that the common thread that binds them together is a complete disregard for things once generally considered sacred. And it saddens and distresses me to see a growing body of evidence suggesting that, in fact, our culture has largely lost touch with the very concept of the sacred. It’s an idea that many consider to be an anachronism—an idea that may have had meaning long ago, but no more. Kind of like what I saw on my daughter’s face this week as Stirling and I told her about growing up watching black and white TV. She looked at us like we were cavemen. And you can see that same look on the faces of many, today when you introduce the idea of something being sacred.

Last week, we began a summertime journey through “The Lord’s Prayer,” by considering the opening words of the prayer, “Our Father in heaven.” We talked at length about the practical, real life, day to day implications of being able to relate to and know God as our “Father.” And while those implications are astonishing and profound, the idea of calling God our “Father,” is at least something that we can grasp; something that kind of makes sense to us.

But the next phrase in The Lord’s Prayer, “hallowed be your name,” is much harder for people in our culture to grasp…and that includes us…because we have largely lost…as a culture…any sense of connection to the concept of the “sacred.” And the concept of the “sacred” is key to understanding this word, “hallowed.”

But before we dig any deeper into the meaning of the word, “hallowed,” I want to take just a few moments to consider what Jesus meant when he spoke about God’s “name.” “Hallowed be your name.” In our culture, when we speak of someone’s name we’re simply referring to the word or words by which that person is known. That’s “Tom,” that’s “Bill,” that’s “Joan.” It’s just the way we refer to them. But in the Hebrew culture a persons’ name was much more than that—their name was synonymous with their very being—it spoke of their character and their nature. A persons name encapsulated all that they were. Consequently, when you spoke about a persons’ name you were, in fact, speaking about that person.

So, the point here is that when Jesus tells us to pray, “hallowed be your name,” He’s not making a statement about the nature of the word, “God,” and the way that we should act when we see the word, “God” rather, He’s making a statement about the nature of God Himself and the way that we should act when we’re in the presence of God. And the statement that He is making about the God and us when we’re in the presence of God is expressed in that archaic sounding word, “hallowed.”

So, what exactly does, “hallowed,” mean? “Hallowed” is a word that speaks of something or someone that is worthy of honor, respect or reverence.

For instance, when our staff was in New York City in April we took time to visit the site of the World Trade Center where over 3,000 people lost their lives to a terrorist attack on 9/11. That place has become hallowed ground in America. If a developer were to propose building an amusement park on that site, he would immediately be chastised for being disrespectful. Why? Because the lives lost there, the tremendous pain their grieving family members now live with each day and the assault to our nations sanctity and security that took place there have turned that place into hallowed ground. It’s a place we treat with reverence and respect.

So, to hallow God’s name is to give God the honor, the respect and the reverence that He deserves. And why is it that God deserves to be treated with honor and respect and reverence? Well, the key to answering that question lies in understanding that the word “hallowed” is very closely related to the word “holy.” And the essence of holiness is to be separate and distinct. So, to say that God is hallowed is to say that God is distinct.

Which leads us to this question: “Distinct from what?” And the answer is, distinct from us. So, to hallow God’s name is to be fully, consciously and soberly aware of the fact that God is separate and distinct from us.

--We are sinful. God is not.
--We are weak. God is not.
--We are finite. God is not.
--We are constantly changing. God is not.
--We are needy. God is not.

He loves us. He created us. And He cares for us. But He is very much different than us. And we honor and revere Him because of those differences.

“O Father, holy is your name. O, Father, Mighty and Holy God, You are high and lifted up. There is no one else like You in all the world. You and You alone deserve all my praise. You and You alone deserve all my worship. You and You alone deserve all my loyalty and service.

O, Father, I add my voice to the voices of the heavenly ones singing, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come. 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. Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise! To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power for ever and ever.’ And all the people said, Amen!”

I think it’s interesting to note that in The Lord’s Prayer, the model prayer that Jesus offers to teach us how to pray, his very first concern is to see that God gets the respect that He deserves. Note that he’s not praying that God would somehow become holy as a result of our prayers. He doesn’t say, “Our Father in heaven, may You be holy.” No. God is holy. That’s an established, immutable fact. The desire of Jesus’ heart is for us to recognize and acknowledge God’s holiness; for us to give God the respect and the honor that He deserves because He is holy; and for us, His children, to live our lives in such a way that the reputation of our Holy God is magnified and exalted.

Do you suppose it would make a difference in the way we lived and in the way we prayed if we became as concerned with and focused on the holiness of God, as was Jesus? I certainly think it would.

“Father, I’m coming to you today with some real burdens and some significant needs, but before I get to them I want to bless You because You are holy. And I want to pause and just rest here for a few moments in the beauty of Your holiness. I need some time to soak it in. What a privilege it is just to rest in You. I never cease to be amazed that You have given me…me…the privilege of coming into Your presence. Me…welcome in the presence of Holy God. Father, it’s a treasure far too wonderful for words. May I never take it for granted.”

--How often have we rushed into God’s presence in prayer without ever pausing to think about to whom it is we’re speaking?

--How many times have our prayers turned into little more than just a laundry list of our personal wants and needs without any acknowledgement of the holiness of the God into whose presence we have just come?

Before we even begin to speak we need take whatever time is necessary to become fully aware of the character and nature of the God to whom we are speaking and according to the model that Jesus has given us, that begins by remembering that He is holy.

Would you allow me, for a few moments, to speak to you from a pastor’s heart even though I’ll probably be stepping on a few toes? Can we just have a family heart-to-heart here to address something that’s been weighing on my mind?

When I came back from the Pastor’s Prayer Conference at the Brooklyn Tabernacle in April, I told you that one of the prayers I was praying was this—“Father, help me to see Your church the way You see Your church. If there’s something going on here that we need to change…something that’s not pleasing to You, show me what it is and show me how and when to address it.”

Well, I sensed weeks ago that God had begun to answer the first part of that prayer by showing me something that needs to change but I’ve been patiently waiting for Him to show me how and when to address it. And as I was preparing this message on the holiness of God and the mandate upon us to magnify and testify to His holiness in the way that we live our lives, I sensed that He had answered the second part of my prayer.

--A few moments ago, I said that we ought not rush thoughtlessly and unprepared into God’s presence in prayer and begin to blurt out a laundry list of our needs and desires because that kind of praying does not hallow God’s name. It doesn’t demonstrate the respect and honor that a holy God deserves. It is a precious privilege to come into God’s presence in prayer and every time we do so we need to take the time necessary to thoughtfully, respectfully and reverently meet with our Holy God. Amen? Amen.

--I want to suggest to you, this morning, that the same thing is true when we come into God’s presence in worship. Worshipping God is one of the most precious privileges that we have as God’s children.

And what is worship in its’ essence? Worship is a declaration of God’s worth. When we worship together we are declaring to one another and to God what we believe about His worth. Now, folks, please forgive me for being blunt, but I believe that God is worth whatever it takes to be here not for part of the worship service but for the whole worship service.

Folks, anybody can be late for worship occasionally. Car batteries die. Children throw up as you’re walking out the door. Pants rip as you’re bending over to pick up the newspaper. Life happens and our Father understands. But there’s something that we also need to understand…and that is that every Sunday we come together to worship a holy God who deserves the best our time and not just what’s left of our time.

We have just one opportunity each week to come together as a church family to offer Him our hearts united in worship. We need to maximize every one of those worship minutes by arriving on time and spiritually prepared. Why? Because God is holy…He deserves our best…and Jesus told us to hallow His name.

For the most part, our culture does not understand the concept of something being holy. But it’s imperative that we do, because the God who is our Father is also holy. And we must never…ever…forget that.