Lessons on Faith from the Model Prayer
Transforming Faith
…hallowed be your name…
October 12, 2003
Intro:
A. [Sort of Dead to Sin]
In a classic Leadership cartoon by Mary Chambers, two couples are seated in a living room engaged in Bible study. One of the women is speaking. "Well," she says, "I haven’t actually died to sin, but I did feel kind of faint once."
B. [Thinking about the Unthinkable, Citation: "Blessed Are the Pure in Heart," Preaching Today, Tape No. 83.
David Seamands tells the story of the alchemist who sold villagers a special powder that he claimed would turn water into gold provided that when they mixed it, they never thought of red monkeys. Well, of course, no one ever got the gold, because you can’t tell yourself to stop thinking about red monkeys or you’ll just keep thinking about red monkeys. It doesn’t work to say, "Well, I’m just not going to think about those things. I’m going to put all of that out of my mind." So often I see Christian brothers and sisters trying to do that.
1. Question: Can you just will yourself into thinking a certain way?
2. Question: Can you will yourself into being a good person?
3. Question: Can you will yourself into being like Christ?
C. [Striving for Sanctity, Citation: From an editorial in the New Oxford Review (July-Aug. 1988). Christianity Today, Vol. 32, no. 16.]
We must strive for sanctity, for holiness, to the point that we show up at Heaven’s gates "squeezed out like a lemon." This image is vivid and challenging--at once heroic, romantic, and intimidating. Indeed, it is in striking, almost shocking contrast to the consumerist, hedonist, and materialist deliriums of our decadent society.
1. I want to say that that is not my impression of holiness.
2. I believe there all kinds of misconceptions about holiness.
3. I don’t believe that you can just will yourself and squeeze yourself into being holy.
4. [Living the Spirit-Formed Life, Dr. Jack Hayford, Regal Publishing, 2001, p. 203]
I agree with Jack Hayford when he writes the following…
“As often as “holy” is used as a worship expression, it is too seldom understood. We tend to think of holiness as an external characteristic, such as a meditative expression, an organ like tone of speech or a certain style of garment. This restrictive view causes many of us to feel intimidated or disqualified, because we feel we haven’t the necessary external traits of holiness to earn God’s pleasure.
“Others consider holiness to be a stern, forbidding trait of God’s nature, a sort of attitudinal barrier on God’s part-an obstacle created by His flaunting His perfection in the face of our weaknesses and sins. This, too, is incorrect.”
D. Today as we continue our series of sermons on faith, I would like us to consider the second phrase of the model prayer…
1. “…hallowed be Your name…”
2. Last week we looked at, “Our Father in heaven…”
3. This week we will think about, “…hallowed be Your name…” and see if we can learn what holiness really is.
4. And then we will see what we can learn about what holiness has to do with faith.
I. hallowed = holy
A. By now you have probably determined that hallowed actually means holy.
1. In this model prayer, Christ is actually saying, “Holy is Your name.”
2. In this model prayer, Christ is teaching us the importance of remembering God’s holiness when we pray.
B. Now I realize that Halloween is coming up and we might be inclined to think that hallowed as something to do with “Halloween.”
1. It does and it doesn’t.
2. It does in the sense that the two both have the word “hallow” in them.
3. Both of them refer to holiness.
4. However the difference is that “Halloween” is a pagan holiday that celebrates the fictitious holiness of worshippers of Satan.
5. No I know that there are a lot of people who get really offended by referring to a children’s holiday like that, but I’m simply stating a fact.
6. “Halloween” is the evening before the satanic holiday. (All Hallow’s Evening; All Hallow’s Even’; All Hallow’s E’en’; All Hallow Een; Halloween)
7. There are many evil things that are celebrated on that evening and the next day.
8. I know that many innocently observe this holiday in the “trick-or-treat” fashion and don’t intend anything Satanic about it and we don’t condemn that.
9. But we do provide an alternative here at the church on October 31, which we call a “Hallelujah Party.”
a. It is open to everyone.
b. The kids are encouraged to dress up in non-ghoulish costumes.
c. There are games and activities and prizes.
d. And the children receive more candy than they would get going door-to-door.
e. Sue V. is in charge of it and she will have more information upcoming.
10. I don’t want to spend a whole lot of time on this, but I do want to make you aware of it.
11. And tell you that “hallowed is your name” and “Halloween” are not really the same thing.
12.And I want to tell you that “hallowed” and “holy” are the same thing.
II. holy = wholly
A. Now I know that there are many different definitions of the word “holy,” but God gave me this one this week and I believe it’s the best one!
1. Holy means wholly.
2. God is whole; God is complete; God lacks nothing.
3. When Jesus encourages us to pray about the hallowedness of God’s name, He is inviting us to meditate on the wholeness of God.
4. Yes, God is sinless, God is perfect, and I believe all of that can be summed up in His wholeness.
B. When we understand that God is holy, we understand that God is whole.
1. God is complete.
2. God is perfect.
3. God is sinless.
4. God is all-powerful.
5. God is all-knowing.
6. God is present everywhere all the time.
7. God is sufficient.
8. God is righteousness
9. God is peace.
10. God is EVERYTHING!
11. He is complete.
12. He is WHOLE!
III. hallowed be Your name = a call to worship
A. Therefore when we understand that God’s holiness is God’s wholeness, we understand that Jesus is inviting us to worship God.
1. Jesus is inviting us to worship our Father who is in heaven.
2. In Revelation 4:8, John describes worship around the throne of God, “Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.’”
3. When Jesus says, “…hallowed be your name…” He is inviting us to worship the wholeness of God.
4. Jesus is calling us to worship the complete fullness of our heavenly Father.
5. Jesus is calling us to worship the sufficiency of our Father which art in heaven.
6. That means that there is nothing lacking in God.
7. It is not God + something or someone else.
8. God is EVERYTHING we need.
9. Christ is inviting us to worship our Shepherd.
10. The Lord is our shepherd, we shall not want.
11. Christ is inviting us to worship the wholeness of God!
B. [Pastor sing, “Holy, Holy, Holy!” by Reginald Heber and John B. Dykes]
1. Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee. Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty! God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!
2. Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore Thee, Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea. Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee, Which wert, and art, and evermore shalt be.
3. Holy, holy, holy! Tho’ the darkness hide Thee, Tho’ the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see. Only Thou art holy—there is none beside Thee, Perfect in pow’r in love, in purity.
4. Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! All Thy works shall praise Thy name in earth, and sky, and sea. Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty! God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!
C. Do you see that “…hallowed be Your name…” is a call to worship the wholeness of God?
IV. believing “hallowed be your name” = transformation
A. Now think through this with me…
1. Hallowed means holy.
2. Holy means wholly.
3. “…hallowed be Your name…” is a call to worship.
4. Now remember 1 Corinthians 6:19 (NIV), Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;
5. Since the Holy Spirit of God lives in our body, then the wholeness of God dwells in us.
6. Since God’s Spirit dwells in us, then the wholeness of God dwells in us.
7. If you are saved, God’s Spirit lives in you, and God’s wholeness lives in you!
B. Therefore believing “hallowed be Your name” = transformation.
1. If you believe that God is holy wholly, and if you believe that God’s Spirit dwells in you, then you must believe that God has the power to change your life!
2. If you believe “hallowed be Your name” then you believe that God’s Spirit in you can change you!
3. If you believe “hallowed be Your name” then you believe that God can transform you into a totally new creation.
4. 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV), Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
5. If you believe “hallowed be Your name” you believe it in your own body.
6. If you believe “hallowed be Your name” then you believe that in your own body.
7. You believe that God’s name is whole in your body.
8. God’s wholeness is in you.
9. That’s why the Bible can say in 1 Peter 1:15-16 (NIV), But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."
10. If you believe “hallowed be Your name” then you believe that because God’s Spirit is in you, and He can transform your life into what He wants you to be.
V. holiness = wholeness
A. So what is holiness? It is letting God’s wholeness take control of your life.
1. You are holy because God’s Spirit lives in you.
2. You are holy because God’s Spirit lives in you.
3. You are holy because God’s wholeness dwells in you.
4. You are holy because God’s wholeness dwells in you.
B. Deficient Vocabulary, Citation: Myron S. Augsburger in The Christ-Shaped Conscience. Christianity Today, Vol. 37, no. 3.
The words holiness and sanctification are not prominent in much of Protestant theology. We have tended to speak of justification without a commensurate emphasis on sanctification. ... Holiness means that one belongs wholly to God. This is also the meaning of sanctification, being set apart as God’s own possession. When this begins internally, with the heart, the transformation becomes something that affects the total person.
C. Now some folks are more holy than others because they have learned more about giving themselves wholly to God.
1. How do you love the unlovable?
2. How do you love your enemies?
3. How do you love those who mistreat you?
4. YOU can’t!! But Jesus CAN and His Spirit lives in you!
5. It is simply a matter of learning to allow His Spirit to live and love in and through you.
6. It is simply of learning to live and talk like God’s wholeness truly abides in you!
7. When we sin, it is because we have not allowed God’s Spirit to respond through us.
8. Holiness then is simply learning to let go of self and allowing God’s Spirit to live, love, and speak through us.
9. Holiness is allowing God’s wholeness to be enough in us.
10. Holiness is allowing God’s wholeness to be enough in us.
Conclusion:
A. [How God’s Children Change, Citation: Craig Barnes, author and pastor of National Presbyterian Church, Washington, D.C.; from sermon "The Blessed Trinity" (5-30-99)]
When I was a child, my minister father brought home a 12-year-old boy named Roger, whose parents had died from a drug overdose. There was no one to care for Roger, so my folks decided they’d just raise him as if he were one of their own sons.
At first it was quite difficult for Roger to adjust to his new home—an environment free of heroine-addicted adults! Every day, several times a day, I heard my parents saying to Roger:
"No, no. That’s not how we behave in this family."
"No, no. You don’t have to scream or fight or hurt other people to get what you want."
"No, no, Roger, we expect you to show respect in this family." And in time Roger began to change.
Now, did Roger have to make all those changes in order to become a part of the family? No. He was made a part of the family simply by the grace of my father. But did he then have to do a lot of hard work because he was in the family? You bet he did. It was tough for him to change, and he had to work at it. But he was motivated by gratitude for the incredible love he had received.
Do you have a lot of hard work to do now that the Spirit has adopted you into God’s family? Certainly. But not in order to become a son or a daughter of the heavenly Father. No, you make those changes because you are a son or daughter. And every time you start to revert back to the old addictions to sin, the Holy Spirit will say to you, "No, no. That’s not how we act in this family."
B. Holiness is not forcing or willing yourself to be a good person in order to be accepted into God’s family because are Father in heaven has already accepted us into His family.
1. Now that we are in the family and our Father’s Spirit actually lives in us, we all His wholeness to transform us from the inside out.
2. Holiness is allowing God’s wholeness to be enough in us.
3. If we believe “…hallowed be Your name…” we know that God IS transforming us!
4. We have the faith that says God IS changing my life!
5. My life IS getting better!
6. I have no reason to whine and complain and talk negatively, my life is getting better and better and better and better because God’s wholeness dwells in me!
7. My life doesn’t have any choice, it HAS to get better and better because His Spirit lives in me!
8. Since our Father is in heaven and we respond to the call to worship His hallowedness, our lives ARE being transformed!
9. Therefore we have faith that KNOWS God’s transformational power.
10.When we understand “hallowed be Your name” we have transforming faith!
