Daily Devotional For Sunday, October 13, 2024
It’s Sunday. It’s time to rise and shine for the glory of God in worship. I pray that you are not considering staying home and chilling out. Why? To reject being a worship service is to reject God. Why? The church is the Bride of Christ and to reject the church is to reject Christ’s bride, which is also to reject Him. Saying, “Well, I don’t need it” is like saying, “I don’t need to eat.” Some people who do not go to worship God at church say,”Well, there are too many hypocrites in church and that is why I do not go.” You would be right but that is also true everywhere you go. That means you do not go to work or the grocery store or the golf course or a restaurant. Right? Why? Because there are hypocrites there also.
No one but Jesus Christ ever batted a 1,000. So come on and join the other hypocrites who at least come to worship the only true God there is. We are commanded to attend worship by God. To say, “Well, I can worship God in my own way.” Yes you can. To say, “Well, I can worship God out in nature.” Yes you can, but neither one of these holds weight with God. Why? Because we are commanded by God to primarily worship Him in corporate worship with the church. Look at Hebrews 10:25, “Let’s keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps His word. Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching” (MSG).
We are working our way through Jesus’ sermon, The Sermon On The Mount, which can be found in Matthew chapters 5, 6, & 7. We have finished Matthew 5 and are currently in Matthew 6, specifically looking at what is traditionally called The Lord’s Prayer. As I told you yesterday, a more appropriate title would be The Disciple’s Prayer. Why? Jesus gave this prayer to His disciples as a model on how to pray, the order the topics of our prayer should have. Today, we come to the verse in The Disciples’ Prayer in Matthew 6:9 that goes like this, “Hallowed be Your name” (NASB),
“Hallowed” is not a word we often use or hear today except when possibly walking down the hallway in a very old university and the tour guide says something like this, “Well, in these hallowed halls there have been many students.” The Greek New Testament word that is used here for “hallowed” is [ἁγιάζω, hagiazo]. This word means “to set apart as holy or separate, to treat something as holy, reverent.” Names are important and often come with a history to them that makes a big difference.
New Testament scholar Leroy Lawson writes this:
“Names indicate relationship, in most cultures with the father: Larson, son of Lars; Johnson, son of John; or in the best style of Russian novels, Ivan Petrovich, son of Peter. Sometimes names signify occupation, as in Shoemaker, Carpenter, Weaver, or Baker. Sometimes they designate a region or district, like the Chesters or Hartbergs or Newkirks. They may also point to social class or caste. In Boston, for example, your family name may rank you on the social register. There is that old joke that in Boston the Cabots speak only to the Lodges, and the Lodges speak only to God. The Kennedys, being Johnny-come-latelys from Ireland, can’t get a word in edgewise. God’s name is to be honored as holy” (Source: Leroy Lawson, Matthew: Unlocking The Scripture For You, p, 90).
New Testament scholar R. Kent Hughes writes this:
“The meaning of “hallowed be your name” rests on two words—“hallowed” and “name.” We will consider “name” first. Today names don’t mean much more to us than convenient labels to identify people by. We commonly say, “A rose is a rose by any other name” or “a thorn is a thorn by any other name.” We rarely even think about what a name means when we name our children. Our biggest concern is that the name be euphonious or that it honors some relative. But for the Jew a name was anything but a convenient label because names were considered to indicate character. This especially applied to the name of God. The psalmist said, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name [the character] of the LORd our God” (20:7). God’s names revealed aspects of his being.
For instance, Jehovah Shalom—“The Lord Our Peace”—was a name that Gideon hallowed by raising an altar to God by that name. Jehovah Jireh—“the Lord will provide”—was the name by which Abraham came to know God on Mt. Moriah when God provided a ram in place of Isaac. Jehovah Tsidkenu—“the Lord our Righteousness”—is the name by which God revealed himself to Jeremiah during the Captivity. The list of God’s names in the Old Testament is quite long, including Jehovah-nissi, El Shaddai, El Elyon, Adonai, and all reflect his character. The book Names by Which We May Praise the Lord by GenEva Carlburg is full of names with which the author praised the Lord in prayer. What is the name that is prominent in the Lord’s Prayer? Very simply but profoundly it is “Father”—“Abba Father”—“Dearest Father” (Source: R. Kent Hughes, Preaching The Word Bible Commentary, “The Sermon On The Mount: The Message Of The Kingdom,” (pp. 162–163).
All forms, even abbreviations such as texting, OMG, or “Oh God,” or “My God,” or “Jesus Christ!” or “Christ!” or something similar is being blasphemous and you are taking God’s name in vain. Why? God’s names are holy, separate from our names because they reveal God’s character. Jesus is reaffirming God’s third commandment in The Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:7, “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain” (NASB).
Any use of any name for God that is not to honor HIm, worship Him, and call out to Him, is to take the Lord’s name in vain. Any and all forms of God’s names are different from any other names. “Hallowed” means to have reverence and respect for any and all forms of God’s name. So, Jesus reminds us that when we begin our prayers, they need to be first upward, not outward. In our liberal culture, to put God first is rare, awkward and even strange. We will not strive for holiness until we live out each and every day that God is holy and sees all, knows all and is present in all.
For example, when I am counseling someone with a particular sin, I could ask them, “If your wife was present when you felt tempted to do that, would you still do it?” That man would say, “No way.” If I ask him, “If your children were present when you are tempted to do that, would you still do that in their presence?” He will say, “NO. Absolutely not!” So, then I would say to him, “God is everywhere at all times. He is in the room with you or in the car with you or around you when you are on your digital devices. He is very every bit present with you then as you are present wherever you are at that time. Then why would you do that or say that when you know that God is always present?”
I like how New Testament scholar and author Martyn Lloyd-Jones puts it:
“I sometimes feel that there is no better way of living, and trying to live, the holy and sanctified life than just to be constantly reminding ourselves of that. When we wake up in the morning we should immediately remind ourselves and recollect that we are in the presence of God. It is not a bad thing to say to ourselves before we go any further: ‘Throughout the whole of this day, everything I do, and say, and attempt, and think, and imagine, is going to be done under the eye of God. He is going to be with me; he sees everything; he knows everything. There is nothing I can do or attempt but God is fully aware of it all. “Thou God seest me.” ’ It would revolutionize our lives if we always did that.” (Source: Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, 2nd ed., pp. 294-295).
What is Martyn Lloyd-Jones saying? He is saying that our holiness is not so much dependent on God working in us, but more we will only be as holy as God is holy as we are aware of His ever-present holy presence that is around us. As I wrap this up, “Our Father” refers to adoration. It all comes down to: do we adore God or do we simply admire God? There is a huge difference and for good reasons.
Since God’s names reveal His character, to take God’s name in vain is to trash God’s character, not just His name. It is precisely we know God’s character is why we can trust Him, love Him and especially adore Him. We cannot hallow God’s name publicly until we do it privately in our heart. This starts in our hearts, not just with our words. Keeping all forms of God’s name holy begins in our hearts, not our heads.
Questions To Consider
- When it comes to any form of God’s name, do you ever take God’s name in vain? Do you always consistently use any and all forms of God’s name reverently?
- All forms of God’s names reveal an aspect of His character. What does that tell you and why?
- Many scholars feel a better title for this prayer is The Disciples’ Prayer. What do you think about that and why? What are the implications of this title rather than The Lord’s Prayer as the title?
- Knowing we are always in God's holy presence, how does that impact your own life and why?
- To think all day long, “Thou God seest me” can revolutionize your life. How?
Scripture To Meditate On: Exodus 20:7, “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain” (NASB).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear holy Father, I want to be holy as You are holy. I want to live in the constant awareness that Your holy presence is around me. Please forgive me when I misuse, or take Your holy name in vain. I never want to be guilty of trashing Your character by misusing Your name or taking Your name in vain. I love You Jesus. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside!--Pastor Kelly