Hallowing God’s Name

Matthew 6:1-15

Jim Davis

Over Thanksgiving we visited our daughter and her family. My grandson, Dakota, had a paintball gun that wasn’t working. It hadn’t been working for sometime. He had told me about it not working in our phone conversations. Dakota and his dad had tried to fix it, but nothing seemed to work. So while I was visiting Dakota he decided to take it completely apart piece by piece. I walked into his bedroom and I saw all these pieces that used to be a paintball gun. I thought, “We will never get all these pieces back together.” I ask him if he had a book with instructions on how to reassemble the pieces. He said, “No.” I ask him could he put it all back together. Of course, he said he could. He did but it still didn’t work. I tore it back apart and tried to figure out the correct way to put it back together. I worked on it until I was frustrated, but I laid it aside and decided I would try the next day. 

The next day I put it together about a half dozen times. Each time I put it together I simply learned another way it wouldn’t work. As I almost had it all together for fifth time it suddenly it dawned upon me how it actually worked. So I tore it apart and proceeded to put it together the way I had finally envisioned it going back together and I finally succeeded in making it work properly.

Now I know that paintball gun inside and out. Learning through experience left an indelible impression. The strange thing is that the knowledge of how it went together suddenly came to me as I was actually putting it together incorrectly for the fifth time. It was a practical knowledge I gained through experience. 

As a rule knowledge is useless until it becomes practical. This is especially true of spiritual knowledge. Many religious people have lost sight of the practical application of God’s word. The result has been a failure to experience God salvaging their lives. 

A Misuse of Knowledge

God had committed unto the Jews the oracles of God, but by the time Jesus came they were blinded to the practical teaching of God’s word. 

Romans 3:1-2
3:1 What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? 2 Much in every way! First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God. 

Romans 15:4
4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 

God had committed Scripture to the Jews. They could look back through the Scriptures and learn from the experiences of others who sought God. Yet, they overlooked the practical application of the Word of God as they sought to use the word to make them religious. The difference in being religious and being Godly is focus. Religion focuses on us, while godliness focuses on God. When Jesus came he dealt with the failures of religion. 

Matthew 6:1-8
6:1 "Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 

2 "So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 

5 "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 

The Pharisees became so busy with doing religious things that Jesus could not get their attention long enough to use them as servants to accomplish what God wanted. Somewhere in the process of seeking to be righteous they simply became religious. They derived their sense of worth from their religious practices. 

Today many are looking for their spiritual gifts so they can use them to make themselves acceptable to God. When I do discover this gift I am looking for I may begin to believe my use of this gift is what makes me acceptable to God. When my gift becomes my identity I lose sight of my real purpose. This was the kind of self-righteousness the Pharisees sought. This approach simply makes us religious as we fail to see the totality of our lives as a gift from God. You are God’s gift to this earth. It is not about what you have to offer. It is about what God offers this world through you. 

Our identity is not wrapped up in our giftedness or our jobs; our true identity is found in God. I grew up on a farm with four other kids. We divided our chores among us. We would gather the wood from the woodpile in the winter. Clean house, wash dishes, wash clothes, iron clothes, make the beds, etc. We did the farm chores such as herding the cows in to the milk barn, feeding the cattle, milking the cows. In the spring we plowed the fields, planted crops to be harvested in the fall. It wasn’t the chores we did that defined who we were. The chores didn’t define our purpose in life. The chores didn’t define our importance to each other. Our purpose was to be a family as we sought to look out for the welfare of each other through the chores we did.

I have seen parents so busy making a living they forget the purpose of the home. A business can get so preoccupied with making a profit it forgets it is there to make a quality product. Employees get so preoccupied with a paycheck they forget the purpose of their work. We get so lost staying on the run seeking to do things for God that we have no real sense of purpose. 

Psalms 46:10
0 "Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth." 

There are times that we need to just be still and let God exalt himself in our lives as we simply serve him.

“Our Father . . . Hallowed Be Your Name”

We may become so pre-occupied with getting what we believe we need from God as we go to him in prayer that we lose sight of God. Prayer may become a means of getting the attention we think we deserve for our righteous acts. It was in this context that Jesus gave the example prayer.

Matthew 6:9-15
9 "This, then, is how you should pray: 

"'Our Father in heaven, 
hallowed be your name, 
10 your kingdom come, 
your will be done 
on earth as it is in heaven. 
11 Give us today our daily bread. 
12 Forgive us our debts, 
as we also have forgiven our debtors. 
13 And lead us not into temptation, 
but deliver us from the evil one.' 

14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

The example prayer is given in the context of how the Pharisees shouldn’t live. Their lives had become distorted as they focused on getting others to praise their personal works of righteousness. Jesus teaches his disciples that prayer begins by acknowledging and hallowing God’s name. 

Hallowing God’s name is about accepting a worldview that puts God in charge of our lives. The Old Testament as well as the New Testament is built upon a monotheistic worldview of life. 

Isaiah 51:12-16
12 "I, even I, am he who comforts you.
Who are you that you fear mortal men,
the sons of men, who are but grass, 
13 that you forget the LORD your Maker,
who stretched out the heavens 
and laid the foundations of the earth,
that you live in constant terror every day 
because of the wrath of the oppressor,
who is bent on destruction?
For where is the wrath of the oppressor? 
14 The cowering prisoners will soon be set free;
they will not die in their dungeon,
nor will they lack bread. 
15 For I am the LORD your God,
who churns up the sea so that its waves roar — 
the LORD Almighty is his name. 
16 I have put my words in your mouth 
and covered you with the shadow of my hand — 
I who set the heavens in place,
who laid the foundations of the earth,
and who say to Zion, 'You are my people.'" 

Isaiah was hallowing God’s name by placing God in the very center of Israel’s life. It is not difficult to honor God’s name when things are going great. When we have been greatly blessed. However, Isaiah is placing God in the center of Israel’s life as she was being punished for her sins. She is being imprisoned and oppressed as Isaiah reminds her that it is God who stretches out the heavens and who has shaken the very foundations of Israel’s world as punishment for her sin. It is the kind of language where God defines their worldview. 

Worshipping God today has taken a much different direction than in Isaiah’s day. It may be a song service designed to get the adrenaline released. It makes people feel good for a little while. We may enjoy such an uplifting service, but we can only wonder is it worship. Where is the focus of worship? Is it focused on lifting us up or exalting and hallowing God’s name? 

In our rush to preach the gospel we are keen on meeting and fulfilling human needs, but are we hallowing God’s name? Is there a place for God in our worldview? In the midst of meeting Israel’s needs Isaiah points the people to God. He wanted Israel to know she could come to God in her time of suffering. Despite the fact she was suffering the consequences of her sinful choices. Are we accepting God’s sovereign will for our personal lives? 

Have you ever been to a concert of some great musical artist where the hair on the back of your neck stands up at their stage entrance? When they perform you may clap your hands in applause for their performance. It is no trouble to praise what we esteem and enjoy. It is always interesting how often these artistic musicians give God the glory when they receive an award. Yet sometimes we find it easier to raise and clap our hands excitedly before a popular band than before the very Author of music and Creator of life.

Hallowing God’s name is the mainspring of all Christian fellowship. When David was gathering the material for the temple to be built for God, God was at the center of it all. 

1 Chronicles 29:6-19
6 Then the leaders of families, the officers of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and the officials in charge of the king's work gave willingly. 7 They gave toward the work on the temple of God five thousand talents and ten thousand darics of gold, ten thousand talents of silver, eighteen thousand talents of bronze and a hundred thousand talents of iron. 8 Any who had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the temple of the LORD in the custody of Jehiel the Gershonite. 9 The people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the LORD. David the king also rejoiced greatly. 

10 David praised the LORD in the presence of the whole assembly, saying, 

"Praise be to you, O LORD, 
God of our father Israel, 
from everlasting to everlasting. 
11 Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power 
and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, 
for everything in heaven and earth is yours. 
Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom; 
you are exalted as head over all. 
12 Wealth and honor come from you; 
you are the ruler of all things. 
In your hands are strength and power 
to exalt and give strength to all. 
13 Now, our God, we give you thanks, 
and praise your glorious name. 

14 "But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand. 15 We are aliens and strangers in your sight, as were all our forefathers. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope. 16 O LORD our God, as for all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name, it comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you. 17 I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things have I given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you. 18 O LORD, God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel, keep this desire in the hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to you. 19 And give my son Solomon the wholehearted devotion to keep your commands, requirements and decrees and to do everything to build the palatial structure for which I have provided." 

God is at the very center of what is going on here because they recognize a worldview that places God in the very center of their world. It was in God they lived, breathed and had their very being. The temple was built to honor the God who was at the very center of their lives. The Chronicler says, “Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.” Recognizing God as the center of their lives motivated them to build the temple. They were building the temples because God was in the very center of their lives. 

Hallowing God’s name is to tell each other and the world that God is with us, not just in church, but in all that we do. Throughout Scripture, we are commanded to praise God. “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord” (Psalm 150:6). There is no way we can sing God’s praises without hallowing his name. The psalmist writes “Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious! Say to God, ‘How awesome are your deeds!’” (Psalm 66:2–3). 

Hallowing God’s Name Reveals Our Sinfulness

Can you imagine men seeking the praises due God. Listen to a classic text from the words of Christ.

Luke 18:9-14
9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 10 "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men — robbers, evildoers, adulterers — or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' 

13 "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' 

14 "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."  

The tax collector stepped into God’s presence hiding his face from God. He was so full of doubt and fear as he approached a holy God. When God revealed himself to Isaiah angels were proclaiming God’s presence saying “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” Isaiah cried, “Woe to me!” I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the king, the Lord Almighty” (Isaiah 6:3-5). Later Isaiah declares Israel’s righteousness is like filthy rags. 

Isaiah 64:6
6 All of us have become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags ;
we all shrivel up like a leaf,
and like the wind our sins sweep us away. 

Paul makes this declaration about all of us. 

Romans 3:9-20
9 What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. 10 As it is written: 

"There is no one righteous, not even one; 
  11 there is no one who understands, 
no one who seeks God. 
12 All have turned away, 
they have together become worthless; 
there is no one who does good, 
not even one."   
13 "Their throats are open graves; 
their tongues practice deceit." 
"The poison of vipers is on their lips."   
14 "Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness."   
15 "Their feet are swift to shed blood; 
16 ruin and misery mark their ways, 
17 and the way of peace they do not know."   
18 "There is no fear of God before their eyes."   

19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. 

Hallowing God’s name has to do with recognizing who God is and surrendering our doubt, fear and failures to hallow his name. The very act of surrendering our failures to God is the means of hallowing his name. Have you ever held a shirt up to the light to see if it was dirty? Or have you ever held up a pair of pants to the sunlight to see whether it was deep blue or black. The light exposes the dirty spots or the true colors of a piece of clothing. Likewise, God’s light exposes our lives. The closer we get to the light the more our sins will be exposed. We come to the light to have our sins exposed. 

John 3:19-21
19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."  

Nicodemus came to Jesus in the darkness proclaiming he believed Jesus to be from God, for no one could do the miracles he was doing unless God was with him. Jesus made no comment about Nicodemus believing who he was. He simply told him except you are born again you will never see the kingdom of heaven. To born again we must continually seek the truth that is forever bring us closer to the light as it exposes our sin and corrects our course. John tells us that if we walk in the light we cannot sin. 

The Pharisees were seeking to come to God through a religious system that blinded them to their sin. You can’t follow God’s light without having your sinfulness exposed. If our sinful ways are not becoming more clear to us as we proceed toward the light we are on the wrong course. The sad part about all this is that if you don’t understand God’s grace you may think you need to retreat into the darkness to cover your sin.

The amazing thing about God’s grace is that it was never extended to us to blind us to our sinfulness. Grace was given to us to assure us of our salvation as the light exposes our sin—as we draw closer to the Light of the world. When the light of Christ fell upon Saul on the road to Damascus he cried out what a wretched man am I, who shall save me? It was then that he thanked God that he was saved through Jesus Christ.

Conclusion:

Nothing is more enslaving than a proud heart. Have you ever noticed how ignorance and pride go hand-in-hand? How often do we seek to hide our ignorance through pride? A proud heart will make a god out of our ignorance. The Pharisees refused to come to the light to expose their ignorance.

Sin is simply about recognizing we are going the wrong way. Confessing our sin is about seeking to correct our course. Our world is crumbling around us because of our refusal to see God’s.
Bible Study Questions

1.	In what ways do we make God’s word impractical?
2.	Why were the Scriptures given to us (Romans 15:4)?
3.	How did the Pharisees become religious and ungodly in Matthew 6:1-8?
4.	What is the draw back of doing righteous things to make us righteous?
5.	How does our identity get wrapped in our jobs? What happens when we allow this to happen?
6.	What is the context of the example prayer in Matthew 6:9-15?
7.	What does it mean to hallow God’s name? 
8.	What defines our worship service today?
9.	How did God fit into what the Israelites were doing in 1 Chronicles 29:6-19?
10.	 How did God fit into the Pharisees prayers in Luke 18:9-14?
11.	 What do you discover as you draw near to the light of God’s truth?