HONOR
Momentum – Message #1
Matthew 6:9-13
INTRODUCTION:
Good morning! How’s everyone doing today? It’s so good to be with you this morning. I am convinced that GOD HAS GREAT THINGS in store for our you, your family, and for our CHURCH! And, so — I’m glad you’re here!
Well, if you have your Bible, turn with me to the first book of the New Testament book of Matthew. This morning we are beginning a BRAND NEW SERIES of messages we’re calling MOMENTUM. In this series we’ll spend the next 5 weeks walking through one of the most significant passages in all of the Bible. It’s found in Matthew 6 — in Jesus’ famous SERMON ON THE MOUNT.
Here — in the midst of teaching His followers about how to live their lives for God’s Glory, He took time to instruct them on how to pray. But more than just a framework for praying…He offered them (and us) key principles for aligning our hearts and lives with the heart of God. If we can learn to embrace these very important principles in our own lives — then we will quickly discover an increased MOMENTUM for building our faith and living for Jesus!
Now, I have to admit, Momentum is a somewhat strange sounding word — but it has a fascinating definition. It has been defined as: The tendency of something in motion to stay in motion…and move forward. And. as your pastor…I can tell you — it’s my hope that you will experience a growing momentum in your own life — and that as you serve Christ…that you will move forward (beyond where you are today) in your own pursuit of Godliness!
MESSAGE:
With that in mind, look with me at Matthew 6 and verse 9. These words that we’ll read today have often been referred to as “THE LORD’S PRAYER”. But I submit to you that today that its probably better to think of it as:
“THE BELIEVER’S PRAYER!”
This morning — out of respect for God’s Word…would you stand with me again and let’s read (and pray this prayer) together. It’s found in Matthew 6 and verse 9…but I’d like for us all to use the same version — so you can read it along with me from the PowerPoint today. And Jesus said… Pray then like this:
9 …“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
Matthew 6:9-13 (ESV)
AMEN! You may be seated.
As we begin this series, I want you to recognize the content of this prayer with me. Hidden within the lines of this POWERFUL PRAYER are five distinct principles for life — principles that we’ve boiled down to five memorable words. And, when applied to our everyday lives, they really serve as catalysts for change to help move us toward an abundant life as Jesus promised in John 10:10 (when He said, “I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full.”).
It was not Jesus’ plan to come and give us just enough of His power and His provision and His presence to get by and squeak out some meager existence in life. But rather, He came to GIVE US LIFE TO THE FULL! (John 10:10)
Life to the max!
So what does a life that is lived to the fullest look like? What does a life that is empowered by God’s Spirit and resourced by God’s generosity really look like. Well, that’s the big question that we will seek to answer over the next 5 weeks. According to this prayer we just prayed — as Jesus declared — it begins with…
1. HONOR (living our lives in Honor of God — and we’ll be looking at this more this morning.)
‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name…” Matt. 6:9 (NIV)
But then it moves on to…
2. Renewal (Allowing God to Change us From the Inside Out…putting away selfishness — and embracing God’s ways over our own).
“Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Matt. 6:10 (NIV)
And then it moves on to — what we’re calling…
3. Release (This has to do with the issue of trust — trusting God to be our provider.)
“Give us today our daily bread.” Matt. 6:11 (NIV)
And from here, Jesus leads us to the principle of…
4. Forgiveness (Accepting God’s Grace and forgiveness in our own lives and then extending it to others.)
“And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” Matt. 6:12 (NIV)
And finally, he teaches us the principle of…
5. Pursuit (Which is aligning ourselves with God’s Plan — and rejecting the evil temptations of this world.)
“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” Matt. 6:13 (NIV)
The only way to truly flee temptation and to turn away from the evil one — is to PURSUE Godliness.
And if we can build our lives on these principles that Jesus teaches us — in this prayer, then I guarantee you that your life will change for the better. And you will experience a growing momentum in your own life — and that as you serve Christ…that you will move forward (beyond where you are today) in your own pursuit of Godliness!
Regardless of whether you view yourself as YOUNG or OLD or somewhere in between…God wants to take you further in your spiritual journey with Him. (Can you say AMEN!)
TRANSITION
Well, with that — look with me again at verse 9. The starting place for growing in God always begins with HONOR!
Say that with me: HONOR!
Honor is somewhat a forgotten principle within our world.
When I was growing up…children were taught to honor their parents. Adolescents were taught to honor adults…we were taught to honor our leaders and those in authority…we were taught to honor our service men and women…and everyone honored the elderly. But those days seem to have past — and been replaced by SELF-CENTEREDNESS…and ARROGANCE!
But as Jesus was teaching His disciples about living a GODWARD life…He said, when you pray…
9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Hallowed Be Your Name — It’s a powerful and challenging prayer. It’s a prayer that says, when it comes to your name, O God…“Make it holy and cause us to keep it holy.”
The meaning of “hallowed be your name” rests on two words—“hallowed” and “name.”
Let me take just a moment and explain the importance of these two words to you. And I think I’ll begin with the latter.
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 sound good to the ear — or roll off the tongue well. Or maybe our highest priority is that the name point back to another relative or loved one. I know I’ve told this story more times than I should…but when Lori and I were blessed by our first son…we really struggled to name him. In fact, for three days he laid in the infant crib next to our bed identified simply as “BABY BOY HILL”. (True Story)
And the reason for that is because we understood that this whole naming thing was a very big deal. He would be stuck with whatever name we chose — for LIFE. We ultimately settled on Jonathan (Precious gift from God). And even so…our understanding of NAMES today pales in comparison to the perspective of Israel in ancient days.
For the Jewish person, a name was anything but a convenient label — because names were considered an indicator of character. This especially applied to the name of God.
By the way — do know where we get our English word for GOD from? It is derived from the Anglo–Saxon word for good. It too points to God’s nature. For He is GOD — the Good One, the essence of goodness, the cause of goodness in others and throughout our world.
Somebody once explained God this way: “All conceptions of God which are incompatible with a movement of pure charity are false. All other conceptions of Him, in varying degrees, are true.”
Did you know that the name of the LORD is a major recurring theme in scripture. There are more than 90 references to it in the Psalms alone.
To this point, the psalmist declared in Psalm 20:7,
“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name [the character] of the Lord our God” (20:7).
You see, God’s names reveal certain aspects of his being. In the Old Testament we often find God (or others) referring to God by His character. For instance
- In the book of Judges we discover God as — Jehovah Shalom—“The Lord Our Peace”. This was a name that the Judge and mighty warrior Gideon recognized and honored when he constructed an altar for worship — so he could remember God by the PEACE that He gave.
- And in Genesis, we discover God as — Jehovah Jireh—“the Lord will provide”. This name of God was noted when Abraham experienced God’s goodness through his provision of a ram on Mt. Moriah as he was preparing to sacrifice his son Isaac to the Lord.
- Or in Jeremiah, when the prophet identified God as — Jehovah Tsidkenu—“the Lord our Righteousness”.
Listen, the list of God’s names in the Old Testament is quite long, including Jehovah–nissi, El Shaddai, Adonai, and others…but the thing I want you to remember today — is not all these names, but the fact that these names reference God’s divine GOOD character.
As I mentioned a few moments ago, the meaning of the phrase “hallowed be your name” rests on two words—“hallowed” and “name.” We’ve talked about his NAME…now let’s talk about the other word.
So, what does it mean to hallow God’s name?
Well — HALLOW really means “to set apart as holy,” “to consider holy,” “to treat as holy.” The best alternative term in our day and age would be the word — HONOR!
The great reformer Martin Luther once asked: “How do we truly honor God’s name?” And his answer: “When our life and doctrine are truly Christian.”
His point was that — we HONOR GOD best when we UNDERSTAND WHO HE IS…and LIVE OUR LIVES IN SUBMISSION TO HIM.
We cannot truly pray “Hallowed be your name” without really dedicating and submitting ourselves to him.
Before making His way to the cross — where He would lay down His life for you and me…Jesus demonstrated what this thing of SUBMISSION and surrender really looks like as he would pray in John 12:28, “Father, glorify your name!”
Again, Jesus knew that for God’s name to be HONORED — or GLORIFIED in His own life…it would mean that He would ULTIMATELY SURRENDER everything through death.
So what does ULTIMATE SURRENDER and the HONOR OF GOD’S GOOD NAME look like in our lives? How do we, as God’s children, hallow his name in our own lives?
Well, there are at least four ways that I want to mention this morning. First of all:
1. WE HONOR HIS NAME WITH OUR WORDS.
By this, I am suggesting that we must be extremely careful not to profane His name with our mouths.
We do this by avoiding swearing or taking his name in vain. If we’re going to speak His name — let’s only do so with with great reverence.
And this shouldn’t come as a surprise — because it’s one of the BIG 10 isn’t it? Do you remember the LAWS FOR LIFE that God gave to His people when Moses was leading them through the wilderness?
He said, in Exodus 20,
- Have no other God’s before me.
- Do not take the name of the Lord in vain.
- Keep the Sabbath Day Holy.
- Honor your Father and Mother.
- Do not kill.
- Do not commit adultery.
- Do not steal.
- Do not lie.
- Do not covet your neighbor’s wife.
- Do not covet your neighbor’s possessions.
And again here — as Jesus is teaching us how to pray — and how to live…He says, Keep God’s name Holy. Honor it! When it rolls off your tongue — it should be in reverence to Him!
This is perhaps the least difficult — but most easily broken commandment today. If we really want to Honor God’ name…then we will save it for Him alone! And never use it flippantly…or carelessly.
First, we honor his name with our words. Secondly,
2. WE HONOR HIS NAME WITH OUR WORSHIP.
And this can be done when you’re all alone — or with others. As a pastor, one of my greatest joys is watching you worship God together. Hearing you sing, seeing you lift your hands in adoration to God greatness.
Did you know we are commanded in scripture to give God our worship. Again and again God calls us to celebrate His presence and His goodness.
And it doesn’t take a band and singers to allow you to worship. You can do it at home, in your car, with your family, and with other believers. The point is — just do it! Don’t allow others to worship for you.
Don’t sit back and watch others enter in to God’s presence — challenge yourself to be more exuberant and expressive. Sing with others. Sing your own songs. Offer words and thoughts of praise to God freely and frequently!
I might ask you, “Is God’s name truly being lifted up by you?”
We hallow his name when we worship Him. Are you a worshipper? If not — begin today!
First, we honor God’s name with our words. Secondly, with our worship. And thirdly,
3. WE HONOR HIS NAME WITH OUR THOUGHTS!
Paul said, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
Philippians 4:8 (NIV)
Do you know why? Because — all good things come from God. And if we think on these things…they inevitably direct our thoughts back to God.
So, what about you? Are your thoughts God-honoring?
Do the things you dwell on lifting up God’s name — or do the things you think on…tear Him down?
Do the things you think — and believe about Him — magnify Him or diminish Him in your sight.
I often like to picture a BIG MAGNIFYING GLASS when I think about God. Because all it does is take whatever I put it in BIGGER.
Are your thoughts about God increasing your belief in HIS GREAT POWER — or do you dwell on doubts and questions that seek to undermine God’s GREATNESS?
We cannot honor his name if we do not understand who He is.
The deeper our understanding, the more depth there will be to our reverence. It is all the work of the Holy Spirit, of course, but we must yield to that work.
If you want to grow in this area of your life — then I would challenge you to study God’s Word more carefully, and pray more diligently that God would give you understanding!
So, if we want to honor God’s name — we do so by being intentional and considerate with our words, our worship, our thoughts, and fourthly,
4. WE HONOR HIS NAME WITH OUR ACTIONS
We do this by living a life that reflects His Character.
For us to honor God’s name means that we must give Him the supreme place within us. It means that we place Him above all else and live accordingly. If we truly believe that God is good, then the way we honor Him is to live in devotion to Him.
The things we do, the way we treat others, the way we handle our resources, the way we manage our business and work, the way we speak to those around us…and the way we love others will declare our DEVOTION TO GOD!
The psalmist prayed in Psalm 19:14,
“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”
Psalm 19:14 (NIV)
Even the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts must be acceptable to God — the One who is the standard of all goodness.
When we surrender our will to Him…then we will live accordingly.
“Hallowed be Your name.” You are the Creator and Sustainer of life.
Jesus says, if you’re going to live your life the way God intended for you to live it…
If you’re going to grow in your faith and excel in your spiritual journey…
If you’re going to maintain the MOMENTUM that you experienced when you first believed…
Then — it begins with HONORING GOD.
Let’s Pray!
Heavenly Father, thank you for your Word which instills within us the wisdom and direction we need to live well! Teach us to guard our lips and use our words in intentional ways to lift you up and bless you above all things. Help us to become even more expressive with our worship — learning to point to you, lifting our hands in praise, dancing in joy, and walking in faith as we honor You. And even more than these actions, may we be committed to using our minds to dwell upon you and your Word often and always. Help us to recognize that as we think — so will go our lives. So empower us to honor you with every thought. And then, as an overflow of our thoughts — help us to live pleasing lives of faith before you. And throughout it all, may your be blessed, exalted, and honored. In your mighty name we pray…amen!
And now, just one more thing: If you’re here this morning, and you’ve listened to everything we’ve said toady — from the worship and testimonies to the message, and through it all, you sense God stirring your heart to trust in Him. To seek Him. To know Him, would you respond by lifting your hand today— to let me know that your want to know Jesus. (Saying, “I want to be saved today?”)
If that’s you, would you be brave enough to slip your hand up and acknowledge that today? As you do, a ministry team member is going to bring you a card (so that you have a tangible way to respond), to God’s prompting in your life today.
Yes, we are so proud of you! In light of your desire to surrender your life to Jesus, would you pray with me? Maybe you’d say something like this:
Heavenly Father, I admit that I am a sinner and I’ve chosen my way over yours too often. But all that changes today. Because, I believe in Your Son, Jesus. I believe that He came from Heaven to earth to pay for my sin. I believe He died on the cross, shed His blood, was put in a grave — and rose again. So, today — I put my faith in Jesus. Forgive me of my sin. Save me and give me new life in you forever. I pray this in Jesus name, Amen.
If you prayed today and made a decision to follow Jesus — would you let us know? We are so proud of you.This is the greatest decision you’ll ever make.