"honor" Series

“HONOR” Matthew 6:9b

FBCF – 2/21/21

Jon Daniels

INTRO – Scottish Historian Thomas Carlyle: “Show me the man you honor & I will know what kind of man you are.” To honor someone is to show them great respect, especially in a public setting. We say, “Your honor” to a judge, showing our respect to his/her place of authority in a courtroom. We throw a party in honor of someone’s accomplishments, respecting their achievement. When we meet someone who is worthy of great respect, we may say, “It is an honor to meet you.”

There are certain people whose names receive widespread honor:

- National/world leaders like George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill

- Humanitarians like Clara Barton, founder, American Red Cross or Bono

- Athletes like Hank Aaron, Bo Jackson, Michael Jordan, or Jackie Joyner Kersee

- Religious leaders like Mother Theresa & Billy Graham

But even these “greats” who have been honored are all imperfect. They’ve all failed in some way; disappointed someone along the way; & done something at some time in their life that was sinful & shameful. There’s no human being who is completely & perfectly worthy of honor 100% of the time.

But that’s not true of our God, our “Father who is in heaven.” He is always & forever completely worthy of all honor. Which is what brings us to the next portion of the Lord’s Prayer in this series, “Pray Like This.”

EXPLANATION – Matthew 6:9b

Sermon on the Mount – Matthew 5-7 – Jesus most significant & comprehensive teaching on what it means to know God & how to be rightly related to Him in our everyday life. Not a legalistic list of do’s & don’ts, but a message of what true righteousness is all about – a righteousness not built upon the faulty, shifting foundation of our external good works, but the true & vital righteousness that begins internally in our hearts. The religious folks of that day AND ours want to have a checklist of all the good things they can do to make sure that they are right w/ God. It’s a righteousness based on the Law & the keeping of all the rules regulations – a righteousness on the outside that attempts to hide what’s truly on the inside.

But Jesus’ taught that what is on the inside will show on the outside. Conduct follows character. That’s why He said several times, “You have heard it said…But I say to you…”

This sermon that Jesus gave was not a sermon for the unsaved world at large, but a sermon given to individual believers. Matthew 5:1-2 says that Jesus went up on the mountainside & sat down. His disciples came to Him & He began to teach them how to live a life that is dedicated & pleasing to God, a life free from hypocrisy, a life full of love, grace, discipline, discernment, & wisdom. Central to that life is a full understanding of prayer. His teaching on prayer is right here in the middle of this sermon, & it needs to be right in the middle of our lives.

- “Whatever applications the Sermon on the Mount may have to world problems, or to future events, it is certain that this sermon has definite applications for us today.” (Warren Wiersbe)

- And that definitely includes Jesus’ teaching on prayer here in chapter 6.

APPLICATION – Honoring God’s name helps you approach Him with the right mindset.

APPROACH HIM IN NEARNESS – First, let’s remember the nearness to God that Jesus tells us about, the intimacy of calling on Him as “Father.” Based on the intimate relationship that we have w/ our Heavenly Father through our faith in Christ alone for our salvation, we are invited to come boldly into the throne room of God. God is “Our Father.” When we pray like that, we join w/ every other Christ-follower & w/ Jesus Christ Himself in declaring that we are a child of God forever. The Holy Spirit confirms that in us as Paul said in Romans 8:15 – “So you have not received a spirit that makes your fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when He adopted you as His own children. Now we call Him, ‘Abba, Father!’” (NLT)

- God is not an angry judge looking for an opportunity to condemn us.

- He’s not too busy or too distracted to respond to us.

- He’s our Father who can be approached intimately, confidently, boldly, & freely.

- Ephesians 3:12 – “In [Christ] & through faith in [Christ], we may approach God w/ freedom & confidence” (NIV).

James 4:8 - "Draw near to God & He will draw near to you." Your Father wants you to approach Him in nearness.

APPROACH HIM IN HOLINESS – Let’s understand exactly what we are saying in this portion of the prayer. After approaching God as Father, then Jesus instructs us to hallow God’s name. “Hallowed” means make holy; set apart; sanctified; honored