How Can I Make God’s Name More Hallowed? Series

NOT AS IT SHOULD BE: God’s name is not hallowed in this world as it should be.

- Matthew 6:9.

- “Hallowed” is not a word that we use a lot, so it’s probably worth taking a second to define it.

- The definition of the Greek word for “hallowed” is “to separate from profane things and dedicate to God.” So we are talking about God’s name being lifted up, glorified, honored, praised, exalted.

- So as we pray the Lord’s Prayer, one thing we are praying for is that God’s name would be lifted up, glorified, honored, praised, and exalted. That it would be “hallowed.”

- Why do we need to pray that?

- God’s name is perfectly hallowed in heaven, but it’s not on earth. For instance, we read scenes in Revelation of the perfect praise that God receives from those who are in heaven.

- But that's not true on earth. It’s easy to understand when you think about it. Think of all the times God’s name is used as a cuss word. Think of all the times that the Bible is rejected as not being true. Think of all the times that people live for self and don’t care about what God thinks. Think of all the times that the power, money, and success of this world are elevated as being the most important things.

- We will talk more in a couple weeks about “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” which speaks along a similar line, but the idea is simply that there are more things going on in this world that are against God than there are that lift up the name of God. Sin is happening all the time.

- So we are praying for this because it’s not happening right now in the way that it should.

IF YOU WANT TO LIVE A WORTHWHILE LIFE, WHAT SHOULD YOU LIVE FOR? There is something beautiful and noble about living for something bigger than yourself.

- If you want to live a worthwhile life, what should I live for?

- There are lots of options today and lots of opinions about the best path forward.

- Today many act as though living for yourself is a perfectly acceptable way to live life. In reality, it’s a shallow way to live life.

- Our lives are too small to make the focus of all that we do.

- Living for something bigger than yourself is a wonderful thought.

- Think of WW2. People living for a greater cause. It’s invigorating to give yourself to something bigger than yourself.

- This allows us to live for things that are eternal.

- God deserves for His name to be hallowed because He is good and loving.

- I don’t want something that is beneficial to me but is ultimately untrue to be what I live for, even if I personally benefit in the short-term.

- I want the One who is good and loving to be in the place that He deserves.

- So the idea here is that we would live to glorify the name of God.

- There are a lot of similar expressions that in practice would mean basically the same thing: following Jesus, living for God, being a disciple.

- It’s worth pausing to think about this for a moment. Do I care whether my life brings glory to God’s name? Most would say no, at least in practice. They might have a vague and undefined wish that God would get something out of their lives. But I am talking about our actual goals and the way we live in practice.

- Are we making sacrifices to honor God?

- Am I spending my money in a way that honors God?

- Am I using my spiritual gifts to lift up God’s name?

- Do I pray regularly to know and follow God’s direction?

- Do I deeply hope that my life honors God’s name?

- To live in this way is to live for something bigger, more beautiful, and more noble than ourselves.

- God is doing something great. The Kingdom of God is going to outlast this world. What Jesus accomplished in His death and resurrection is transforming lives. We have been invited to be a part of all that God is doing. It’s an incredible invitation.

- Does God have an ego problem?

- Not at all - that's not why God wants us to live for His name.

- It would be unloving of Him to tell us to live for things that are ultimately not worthwhile.

- For instance, telling us to live for money is not humble (“I don’t want to tell them to live for Me so I’ll tell them to live for money.”) but is actually unloving. He would be pointing us toward something that cannot ultimately satisfy our souls.