Full Transcript for Matthew 6:9-15 | Making the Familiar Fresh

prayer is important, I think we should listen to what he has to say when he tells us how to pray. 00:04:17.132 --> 00:04:20.466 Now, a couple of comments to make before we actually look at verse nine. 00:04:20.466 --> 00:04:27.798 Just a few observations to make some about what is here, some about what is not here. 00:04:27.798 --> 00:04:36.399 First is just to note that this whole section of the Lord's Prayer is structured very similar to other passages of Scripture and Ten Commandments. 00:04:36.399 --> 00:04:44.298 The second, first and second commandment have a very similar structure, where the first half is mostly about our relationship with God. 00:04:44.298 --> 00:04:47.865 The second half is mostly about our relationship with our peers. 00:04:47.865 --> 00:04:49.432 You see that in the Ten Commandments. 00:04:49.432 --> 00:04:53.399 You see that here where verses nine and ten are mostly about how we connect with God. 00:04:53.399 --> 00:04:56.899 The second half is mostly about our relationships with others. 00:04:56.899 --> 00:05:01.233 You see that in when people ask him what the greatest commandment he says, love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind is strength. 00:05:01.233 --> 00:05:02.466 Love your neighbor as yourself. 00:05:02.466 --> 00:05:05.699 There's two aspects to our spiritual lives our relationship with God. 00:05:05.699 --> 00:05:06.665 Our relationship with others. 00:05:06.665 --> 00:05:07.499 Both are important. 00:05:07.499 --> 00:05:11.899 You see that here in the whole structure of the Sermon on the Mount. 00:05:11.899 --> 00:05:13.499 So he begins with that also. 00:05:13.499 --> 00:05:18.865 Secondly, notice when it says to pray, he says, pray like this in verse nine. 00:05:19.132 --> 00:05:21.598 Pray then like this. 00:05:21.598 --> 00:05:30.065 That word likes really important here because he's not saying pray these words exactly like it's some kind of magic incantation and formula. 00:05:30.065 --> 00:05:35.031 You must repeat these exact words over and over again, and then somehow God will respond to that. 00:05:35.031 --> 00:05:39.732 That would be pray this, pray like this, pray in this way. 00:05:39.732 --> 00:05:41.899 Pray about these things. 00:05:41.899 --> 00:05:45.999 See, this has given us more categories than a script. 00:05:46.199 --> 00:05:50.132 And so we use these to pray about these kinds of things. 00:05:50.798 --> 00:05:58.266 We don't have to come to the Lord's Prayer and get every word exactly right, and make sure we've exactly repeated it a certain number of times, and then maybe he'll move through that. 00:05:58.266 --> 00:06:06.065 No, this gives us a template categories in ways we approach him when we come to prayer. 00:06:06.065 --> 00:06:12.798 Also notice, just as a reminder of last week, Jesus before he's teaching us how to pray last week. 00:06:12.798 --> 00:06:15.466 First, he taught us how Not to pray. 00:06:15.466 --> 00:06:20.098 Remember last week we looked at don't pray like the hypocrites and the Gentiles. 00:06:20.098 --> 00:06:20.432 Don't. 00:06:20.432 --> 00:06:22.665 Don't be like them when you pray. 00:06:22.665 --> 00:06:24.699 The hypocrites just want to pause. 00:06:24.699 --> 00:06:25.865 That's why they pray. 00:06:25.865 --> 00:06:27.298 They're not praying to connect with God. 00:06:27.298 --> 00:06:30.331 They're there praying to get applause from people. 00:06:30.331 --> 00:06:31.399 It says, don't be like that. 00:06:31.399 --> 00:06:34.899 In fact, the very first verse in chapter six is to be mindful of that. 00:06:34.899 --> 00:06:42.732 Be aware of your tendencies to spread your your own righteousness before others so that they may pay attention to you for your own praise. 00:06:42.732 --> 00:06:46.132 That's that's not how we approach prayer, not like the hypocrites. 00:06:46.132 --> 00:06:50.665 He also said, not like the Gentiles who just heap up empty phrases, repeat word after word. 00:06:50.665 --> 00:06:54.399 Hopefully, if we say enough words, even if they have no meaning, we'll get his attention. 00:06:54.399 --> 00:06:55.232 We'll annoy him to death. 00:06:55.232 --> 00:06:56.598 He'll have to give us attention. 00:06:56.598 --> 00:06:59.266 He'll have to do what we say. That's not. 00:06:59.266 --> 00:07:01.065 That's not how we approach prayer. 00:07:02.232 --> 00:07:05.598 So first he tells us that's how not to pray. 00:07:05.598 --> 00:07:15.865 And then the fourth point to make just here, before we enter into the actual prayer, notice how the prayer does not start. 00:07:16.499 --> 00:07:21.598 I think most of us, when we pray. 00:07:21.598 --> 00:07:25.199 Probably a lot of times we feel like I should pray more. 00:07:25.199 --> 00:07:35.132 And when we do finally get to prayer, it's because we have an emergency and something has come up and I better pray about this and it's coming with mainly a request God, fix this for me. 00:07:35.132 --> 00:07:36.098 God, give me this. 00:07:36.098 --> 00:07:37.798 Kevin Ham used to say, give me, give me. 00:07:37.798 --> 00:07:38.531 My name is Jimmy. 00:07:38.531 --> 00:07:41.531 That's how we're coming to prayer. 00:07:41.899 --> 00:07:44.899 That's not how this starts. 00:07:45.432 --> 00:07:50.399 It starts with, well, we'll look at how it starts, but it doesn't start with requests. 00:07:50.399 --> 00:07:52.432 It doesn't start with just give me, give me. 00:07:52.432 --> 00:07:56.098 And by the way, it's okay to ask God for things he will tell us to. 00:07:56.098 --> 00:07:57.499 We'll look at that. 00:07:57.499 --> 00:08:01.632 James says you probably have not because you've not asked properly. 00:08:01.632 --> 00:08:06.865 It's okay to ask, but where do we start? 00:08:06.865 --> 00:08:09.065 Let's look at how this starts. 00:08:09.065 --> 00:08:10.831 Look at verse nine. 00:08:10.831 --> 00:08:11.999 Verse nine says, pray. 00:08:11.999 --> 00:08:12.665 Then like this. 00:08:12.665 --> 00:08:15.031 Our father in heaven,

hallowed be your name. 00:08:15.031 --> 00:08:23.199 The first point, the way he starts and the way our prayer should start is we begin with worship. 00:08:23.632 --> 00:08:26.632 We begin with worship. 00:08:26.865 --> 00:08:32.932 We begin by focusing on how great God is rather than how big our problems are. 00:08:32.932 --> 00:08:33.798 And they may be big. 00:08:33.798 --> 00:08:38.099 By the way, I'm not trying to minimize whatever challenges you're facing now. 00:08:38.099 --> 00:08:44.331 Sometimes we do make something very small, a lot bigger than it should be, but many people are facing really big things. 00:08:44.331 --> 00:08:53.932 I'm not minimizing that, but start with how great God is, because no matter how big of a thing you're facing, God is infinitely greater. 00:08:55.631 --> 00:09:13.331 And I think many people are walking around full of anxiety because they're overwhelmed by an accumulation of many little things and are very focused on those things that are right in front of us, rather than lifting our eyes up to how great God is and how much bigger he is than all of those things. 00:09:13.798 --> 00:09:22.466 I remember often John Piper talking about no one goes to the Grand Canyon to to build their self-esteem. 00:09:23.631 --> 00:09:27.198 You don't go to the Grand Canyon so that you feel great. 00:09:27.198 --> 00:09:31.099 When you go to the Grand Canyon, you feel very small. 00:09:31.099 --> 00:09:34.331 You feel overwhelmed by the grandness of it all. 00:09:34.331 --> 00:09:42.666 It's too much to take in, and yet at the same time, you feel a tremendous sense of awe and wonder and uplifting ness that happens. 00:09:44.932 --> 00:09:50.999 Make sure you start your prayers with focusing on the greatness, the grandeur, how great God is. 00:09:50.999 --> 00:09:53.831 That will help calibrate all the rest of life. 00:09:53.831 --> 00:10:00.631 That will bring a peace and perspective and calmness to all the rest of life. 00:10:01.466 --> 00:10:03.399 And that's how the Lord's Prayer begins. 00:10:03.399 --> 00:10:05.298 Begins with worship. 00:10:05.298 --> 00:10:06.499 Now it begins with worship. 00:10:06.499 --> 00:10:07.331 But look at number two. 00:10:07.331 --> 00:10:08.499 Look at what number two says. 00:10:08.499 --> 00:10:12.499 It begins with worship, but it continues in community. 00:10:13.131 --> 00:10:16.298 We begin with worshiping God, but then it continues in community. 00:10:16.298 --> 00:10:18.865 In fact, the very first word here is our. 00:10:21.099 --> 00:10:22.865 Our father. 00:10:22.865 --> 00:10:27.831 In fact, the sentence before that or the phrase before that, it says pray then like this. 00:10:27.831 --> 00:10:30.265 That's actually a second person plural command. 00:10:30.265 --> 00:10:39.265 It's more like all you all pray this way, our father and all throughout its plural pronouns. 00:10:40.032 --> 00:10:43.099 So give us this day our daily bread. 00:10:43.131 --> 00:10:45.198 Forgive us. 00:10:45.198 --> 00:10:47.432 It's not my father. 00:10:47.432 --> 00:10:48.798 Forgive me. 00:10:48.798 --> 00:10:50.131 Give me again. 00:10:50.131 --> 00:10:51.298 There's a place to pray that. 00:10:51.298 --> 00:10:53.798 But this prayer is rooted in community. 00:10:53.798 --> 00:10:54.899 It's rooted in fellowship. 00:10:54.899 --> 00:10:58.066 It's something we're expected to do together. 00:10:58.066 --> 00:11:07.631 And it's a reminder that our spiritual life, at the core of it, at the very root of how we grow as we do it in relationship, we do it connecting with one another in community. 00:11:07.631 --> 00:11:09.599 I can't grow on my own. 00:11:09.599 --> 00:11:13.465 My spiritual life isn't just all about me. 00:11:14.032 --> 00:11:21.899 Sadly, I think many times we come to church with that mindset, well, what will I get out of it today? 00:11:21.899 --> 00:11:24.399 What have you done for me lately? 00:11:24.399 --> 00:11:29.331 How are you going to feed me today, by the way, I've been there too. 00:11:29.331 --> 00:11:32.099 I think we all go through those seasons. 00:11:32.099 --> 00:11:34.264 That's not where we want to stay. 00:11:34.264 --> 00:11:36.899 Instead, we want our eyes to be outward. 00:11:36.899 --> 00:11:43.664 The healthiest place you can be is where you're focusing on the needs of others, not just only focused on yourself. 00:11:45.731 --> 00:11:50.532 The power here in this prayer is reminding ourselves we are a part of a community. 00:11:50.532 --> 00:11:53.032 The church is a body. 00:11:53.032 --> 00:11:54.631 A foot is not a body. 00:11:54.631 --> 00:11:57.865 It takes a collection of body parts to be a body. 00:11:57.865 --> 00:11:59.698 Even the word church means a gathering. 00:11:59.698 --> 00:12:05.798 It's the same word that was used when somebody from the king would come to a city, and they wanted to make an announcement to the whole town. 00:12:05.798 --> 00:12:11.899 They would say, gather together, come be a church, come together, and then I'll make the announcement. 00:12:14.831 --> 00:12:17.798 I heard a story recently of a church just just down Dixie highway. 00:12:17.798 --> 00:12:27.432 That dissolved church had run out of members, and so the church building was up for sale. 00:12:27.432 --> 00:12:30.399 All the possessions inside were being sold off. 00:12:30.399 --> 00:12:34.432 One church came, bought up the chairs, another came, bought the sound equipment. 00:12:34.432 --> 00:12:35.965 They were glad to have it. 00:12:35.965 --> 00:12:40.599 And so at the end of it all, the church is just an empty building, just an empty shell. 00:12:40.599 --> 00:12:49.298 Now the church didn't lose its status as a church because all the stuff was taken out. 00:12:49.365 --> 00:12:53.465 The church stopped being a church because all the people left. 00:12:53.465 --> 00:12:55.365 The church isn't a building, it's the people. 00:12:55.365 --> 00:12:56.698 It's the relationships. 00:12:56.698 -->

00:12:59.831 It's God had work in us when we come together. 00:12:59.831 --> 00:13:04.899 That's why when we come and pray, we come and look to serve one another, to love one another. 00:13:04.899 --> 00:13:06.231 And it's through that that we grow. 00:13:06.231 --> 00:13:13.698 In fact, I bet most of your Christian growth has happened because of someone else in your life sharpening you and loving you. 00:13:15.565 --> 00:13:17.764 In fact, I want to give you an activity today. 00:13:17.764 --> 00:13:24.999 I'm going to give you one at the end of the service too, but right here in the middle, I want to give you an activity today to do it lunch to focus on this. 00:13:24.999 --> 00:13:27.599 Try to get our eyes off ourselves. 00:13:27.599 --> 00:13:28.565 This is going to be easy. 00:13:28.565 --> 00:13:31.465 For some, it's going to be almost impossible for others. 00:13:31.465 --> 00:13:32.999 Don't elbow anyone next to you. 00:13:32.999 --> 00:13:37.764 While I'm explaining this, I want you to today at lunch to focus on. 00:13:37.764 --> 00:13:42.865 Instead of just talking about yourself, focus on asking questions of others. 00:13:43.698 --> 00:13:48.231 Many times when we get together with a group of people, we can't wait to start talking about ourselves. 00:13:48.231 --> 00:13:50.631 We want to tell everybody else about all that's going on in our lives. 00:13:50.631 --> 00:13:52.432 And that's not wrong. That's not bad. 00:13:53.599 --> 00:13:57.899 I want you to day, though, to be focused on others, and here's how you do this. 00:13:57.899 --> 00:14:02.298 I want you to, instead of just talking about yourself, to ask questions of others. 00:14:02.298 --> 00:14:07.698 Now of course, if someone asks you a question, you need to talk about yourself because you've been asked a question. 00:14:07.698 --> 00:14:13.499 But when you're done with your answer, ask someone else a question. 00:14:13.698 --> 00:14:17.631 This isn't very complicated, but it's incredibly hard. 00:14:17.631 --> 00:14:23.965 And why we're going to do it today at lunch is you can call each other out on this if somebody is talking. 00:14:23.965 --> 00:14:25.065 Hey, John, how was your day? 00:14:25.065 --> 00:14:26.164 You know, it was great. 00:14:26.164 --> 00:14:27.298 Don't jump in and go. 00:14:27.298 --> 00:14:30.298 Well, let me tell you about my day. 00:14:30.899 --> 00:14:33.032 If you do that, someone's going to call you out and go. 00:14:33.032 --> 00:14:33.499 Wait a second. 00:14:33.499 --> 00:14:36.499 The pastor said, wait your turn. 00:14:36.764 --> 00:14:38.865 If you're going to speak up, ask a question. 00:14:40.899 --> 00:14:42.164 Focus on that. 00:14:42.164 --> 00:14:43.231 Correct one another. 00:14:43.231 --> 00:14:44.432 Encourage one another. 00:14:44.432 --> 00:14:51.298 Develop that habit of instead of just going to listen to me, we're going to ask a question of one another. 00:14:51.298 --> 00:14:52.032 John, how was your day? 00:14:52.032 --> 00:14:53.465 It was great this happened that. 00:14:53.465 --> 00:14:56.399 Now tell me about your day. 00:14:56.399 --> 00:14:58.599 It's a very simple thing. 00:14:58.599 --> 00:15:05.298 Again, simple, not always easy, but we are in community. 00:15:05.298 --> 00:15:08.298 This prayer is given in community. 00:15:09.499 --> 00:15:10.664 It's given in community. 00:15:10.664 --> 00:15:12.631 And then number three, look at how this prayer continues. 00:15:12.631 --> 00:15:15.764 Our the next word is father. 00:15:17.399 --> 00:15:22.499 We pray in community and we pray rooted in relationship. 00:15:24.865 --> 00:15:27.865 Our father. 00:15:28.698 --> 00:15:31.631 We are connected to God as our father. 00:15:31.631 --> 00:15:33.831 We come to him as a child. 00:15:33.831 --> 00:15:36.865 We come to him in relationship. 00:15:37.565 --> 00:15:46.065 I can come to him confident that my father wants to hear from me, that my father wants to spend time with me. 00:15:48.164 --> 00:16:03.099 You know, Jesus says in Ephesians chapter one that Paul writes there that we have been adopted into his family, and you're not adopted because of how great you are and because you paid enough money to be adopted, or you performed well enough that someone would pick you. 00:16:03.099 --> 00:16:12.231 No, no, no, he chose you before the foundation of the world because he loves you, not because of anything you've done. 00:16:12.664 --> 00:16:20.831 Just like you didn't choose to be born in America, to the family you were born to in the era that you were born in, you could have been born in the middle of a civil war in Ghana right now. 00:16:20.831 --> 00:16:22.631 You could have been born in any era. 00:16:22.631 --> 00:16:24.999 Who knows when or why. 00:16:24.999 --> 00:16:32.198 You had no say in that he chose you. 00:16:32.198 --> 00:16:39.298 He's your father, and we can come to him in the joy and confidence of that. 00:16:39.399 --> 00:16:41.465 Now here's the interesting thing about that word, father. 00:16:41.465 --> 00:16:44.465 It has some layers to it. 00:16:46.097 --> 00:16:54.065 Some look at that word and they say, that is, some have said even we should translate that not as father, but more as like daddy. 00:16:54.131 --> 00:16:55.697 Maybe you've heard someone do that. 00:16:55.697 --> 00:17:00.697 They pray, hey, daddy, make it, I think, too familiar because no major Bible translation. 00:17:00.697 --> 00:17:07.298 I haven't seen any Bible translation that translates that word is any way other than father. 00:17:07.298 --> 00:17:14.664 And that's because when we think of that word father, we need to come to it also with some reverence. 00:17:14.897 --> 00:17:15.132 Right? 00:17:15.132 --> 00:17:19.531 We have relationship with God as Father, but also we come not too familiar. 00:17:19.531 --> 00:17:21.265 We come with some reverence. 00:17:21.265 --> 00:17:22.897 He is in heaven. 00:17:22.897 --> 00:17:25.998 Yes, he's my father, but also he is

eternal. 00:17:25.998 --> 00:17:28.397 He is creator. He is sustainer. 00:17:30.597 --> 00:17:33.597 All powerful, almighty, all knowing. 00:17:34.565 --> 00:17:39.597 And so we come to him with the joy of relationship, but we also come with reverence. 00:17:39.597 --> 00:17:42.597 You do this as well. 00:17:42.897 --> 00:17:44.265 With people on earth. 00:17:44.265 --> 00:17:47.198 I don't come to my father, my dad on earth. 00:17:47.198 --> 00:17:52.265 I don't come to him and say, hey dude, what's up bro? 00:17:52.265 --> 00:17:52.998 Champ? 00:17:52.998 --> 00:17:55.198 How's it going, buddy? 00:17:55.198 --> 00:17:56.698 No no no no. 00:17:56.698 --> 00:18:02.298 But I also don't come and say major majors, may I have a word, please? 00:18:02.298 --> 00:18:03.865 You know, he retired from the National Guard. 00:18:03.865 --> 00:18:04.565 His major majors. 00:18:04.565 --> 00:18:05.664 That's one title he has. 00:18:05.664 --> 00:18:07.198 I don't come to him. 00:18:07.198 --> 00:18:09.531 Please, major majors, may I speak a word with you? 00:18:09.531 --> 00:18:13.798 I don't call him on the phone and say, may I please speak with the attorney, Mr. 00:18:13.798 --> 00:18:15.332 John Majors? 00:18:15.332 --> 00:18:21.065 Know those are true of who he is, but it's not what defines our relationship. 00:18:22.498 --> 00:18:23.332 So there's a balance. 00:18:23.332 --> 00:18:25.964 We come with reverence. 00:18:25.964 --> 00:18:31.698 We come with the joy of relationship, and we come with confidence, knowing he wants us to come to him. 00:18:32.964 --> 00:18:46.897 Here's part of the challenge of that word, father, I know that many have not had good fathers on earth, and that word can be very challenging even to utter for many. 00:18:47.698 --> 00:18:49.597 Here's what our world wants to do then. 00:18:49.597 --> 00:18:54.065 Because of that, our world wants to just change that word, you know? 00:18:54.065 --> 00:18:57.798 But let's call him Mother God, our mother. 00:18:57.798 --> 00:18:58.664 You'll hear churches. 00:18:58.664 --> 00:19:01.265 I've seen pastors do this. 00:19:01.265 --> 00:19:04.265 Pray to God our mother. 00:19:05.565 --> 00:19:09.798 Look, just because something in Scripture is hard doesn't mean we change it to make ourselves feel better. 00:19:09.798 --> 00:19:18.265 Now, maybe we misunderstand it in places people have missed, taught scripture, but don't don't change God's name just to make me feel better. 00:19:18.265 --> 00:19:20.597 I don't change his title just to make me feel better. 00:19:20.597 --> 00:19:28.065 I come to know him in truth so that I can impress him for who he is, rather than the image I want to make him in. 00:19:28.065 --> 00:19:47.765 And so if you have had a father who has not honored God on this earth, or maybe has abused you or distorted his name, come to know the true father, come to know him in truth, you will find the perfect Heavenly Father that you can depend on and trusts. 00:19:49.298 --> 00:19:51.897 In fact, this leads us to number four. 00:19:51.897 --> 00:19:56.164 We're rooted in relationship and this prayer. 00:19:56.164 --> 00:20:01.198 The reason why I'm spending so long just on verse nine, this prayer is anchored in truth. 00:20:04.765 --> 00:20:10.164 He says, those who want to come to me in John chapter four must pray in spirit and truth. 00:20:10.897 --> 00:20:14.464 We pray a true God who truly exists. 00:20:14.464 --> 00:20:19.298 He's not some vague power or entity that might exist out there. 00:20:19.298 --> 00:20:21.164 No, he's a real God. 00:20:21.164 --> 00:20:22.897 He came to earth in human flesh. 00:20:22.897 --> 00:20:25.664 We can know him personally. 00:20:25.664 --> 00:20:31.464 There is truth to who he is, and our prayers are being anchored in that. 00:20:31.765 --> 00:20:40.231 In fact, the first word after this, our father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 00:20:40.231 --> 00:20:44.031 Part of how we're to pray is that his name would be hallowed. 00:20:44.031 --> 00:20:45.664 You don't use that word every day. 00:20:45.664 --> 00:20:47.664 You probably use it. 00:20:47.664 --> 00:20:52.198 Just a week ago, around Halloween, you hear that word hallowed. 00:20:52.198 --> 00:20:53.231 In Halloween. 00:20:53.231 --> 00:20:57.432 It just means to make something holy, to honor something, to sanctify it. 00:20:57.432 --> 00:21:04.765 Halloween is All Saints Eve, November 1st, and the Catholic Church is All Saints Day. 00:21:04.765 --> 00:21:06.998 Holy people, holy saints. 00:21:06.998 --> 00:21:10.632 So Halloween is the day before Hallows Eve. 00:21:10.632 --> 00:21:13.265 All Hallows Eve means Eve. 00:21:13.265 --> 00:21:17.565 So you can hear that word talking about holiness. 00:21:18.164 --> 00:21:24.432 And so when you want something to be hallowed, you want it to be made holy, honored as holy. 00:21:25.731 --> 00:21:28.265 And we should want that for God's name. 00:21:28.265 --> 00:21:30.365 We want his name to be honored as holy. 00:21:30.365 --> 00:21:32.664 In fact, your name really refers to. 00:21:32.664 --> 00:21:37.664 It's not just a series of letters that are applied to you as a label. 00:21:37.664 --> 00:21:43.597 Name really refers to your reputation, your character, your whole person. 00:21:44.198 --> 00:21:46.464 People care a lot about their names. 00:21:46.464 --> 00:21:54.365 Maybe you've been in a coffee shop when someone's name is misspelled on their coffee cup, on their coffee order, and they they lose it, they go crazy. 00:21:54.365 --> 00:21:57.365 How dare you misspell my name? 00:21:57.397 --> 00:21:59.698 You know we care a lot about our names. 00:21:59.698 --> 00:22:01.132 You? I talked about the Oscars. 00:22:01.132 --> 00:22:07.932 Where Will Smith got up and slapped Chris Rock, and then he said, keep my wife's name out of your mouth. 00:22:08.964 --> 00:22:12.531 And he didn't mean you mispronounced her name. 00:22:12.531 --> 00:22:15.530 He meant you disrespected her.

00:22:15.530 --> 00:22:16.597 Whether he was right or not. 00:22:16.597 --> 00:22:18.597 He clearly was off the rails and crazy. 00:22:18.597 --> 00:22:20.530 But that's what he was feeling deeply. 00:22:20.530 --> 00:22:22.565 You have disrespected my wife. 00:22:22.565 --> 00:22:25.565 Her name represents who she is. 00:22:26.198 --> 00:22:29.198 Hallowed be your name. 00:22:29.730 --> 00:22:31.198 God cares about his name. 00:22:31.198 --> 00:22:34.798 And by the way, just as a side note, that's why we care about names here at Valley View. 00:22:34.798 --> 00:22:39.131 We care a lot about your name, Lauren. 00:22:39.131 --> 00:22:41.498 In the children's ministry. 00:22:41.498 --> 00:22:44.198 She works really hard to learn your kids names. 00:22:44.198 --> 00:22:47.397 Eddie Lee for 40 years modeled that well. 00:22:47.597 --> 00:22:50.065 Lauren had big shoes to fill, and she does. 00:22:50.065 --> 00:22:51.798 She works hard to know your kid's name. 00:22:51.798 --> 00:22:54.664 She's not going to get everyone right, but she works at it. 00:22:54.664 --> 00:23:00.397 I try hard to learn your names because I know names mean a lot to all of us. 00:23:00.397 --> 00:23:02.964 When someone takes the time to learn your name, you know they care. 00:23:04.365 --> 00:23:05.198 Our elders. 00:23:05.198 --> 00:23:06.365 We did it this morning. 00:23:06.365 --> 00:23:08.030 We often do it. We pray through. 00:23:08.030 --> 00:23:09.698 I keep a list of many of your names. 00:23:09.698 --> 00:23:15.664 We pray over your names because your name represents who you are. 00:23:15.931 --> 00:23:17.464 We say someone has a good name. 00:23:17.464 --> 00:23:20.798 We mean have a good reputation, a good character. 00:23:21.765 --> 00:23:22.998 Now here's the confusing part. 00:23:22.998 --> 00:23:25.530 Why would we pray? 00:23:25.530 --> 00:23:27.698 Hallowed be your name. 00:23:27.698 --> 00:23:30.698 Why would we pray that about God? 00:23:30.765 --> 00:23:31.998 Why would we pray? 00:23:31.998 --> 00:23:34.597 Let your name be made holy. 00:23:34.597 --> 00:23:37.597 May your name be revered and honored. 00:23:39.464 --> 00:23:42.664 That can be a little confusing because God is God. 00:23:42.664 --> 00:23:43.730 His name is holy. 00:23:43.730 --> 00:23:45.498 It is set apart. It is sanctified. 00:23:45.498 --> 00:23:49.131 There's nothing I can do to make him more holy. 00:23:49.265 --> 00:23:50.198 Right? 00:23:50.198 --> 00:23:50.964 You read that and go. 00:23:50.964 --> 00:23:53.730 How can we pray your name be holy? 00:23:53.730 --> 00:23:56.530 How can we in any way in our prayers, make him more holy? 00:23:58.597 --> 00:24:01.798 Well, the problem is not that he isn't holy enough. 00:24:01.798 --> 00:24:05.365 The problem is, is that we don't recognize it. 00:24:06.131 --> 00:24:11.330 The problem is that there are many in this world who have no reverence for God. 00:24:11.330 --> 00:24:18.065 The problem is, is that his name has not spread with holiness and sanctified, set apart in this and reverence all throughout the world. 00:24:18.065 --> 00:24:23.330 And so our prayer is that everyone in this world would come to honor and Revere his name. 00:24:23.330 --> 00:24:37.998 That is what we're praying when we pray that let your name, let people all over this world that their greatest joy in life would be to be overwhelmed with the holiness of your character and reputation and who you are. 00:24:39.198 --> 00:24:44.998 In fact, think of the people you know who are distant from God and struggling. 00:24:47.464 --> 00:24:57.865 If they just knew him, if they knew his name, if they walked in the joy of his Holiness this week, think of how it would radically change their lives. 00:25:00.631 --> 00:25:06.631 This leads to us taking a step here, because when we pray, hallowed be your name. 00:25:06.631 --> 00:25:09.097 When we pray, let your name be full of glory. 00:25:09.097 --> 00:25:10.565 Let your name be sanctified. 00:25:10.565 --> 00:25:16.097 What we're praying God, would you help us to be a part of that? 00:25:16.298 --> 00:25:19.964 We looked at Matthew 516, Matthew 516. 00:25:20.698 --> 00:25:29.365 It gives us that challenge live in a way that they may see your good works and give glory to your father who is in heaven. 00:25:29.365 --> 00:25:46.265 If we want to be a part of seeing God's name sanctified, hallowed, we need to live in a way that our lives add to the reputation of his name, that they don't take away from who he is. 00:25:47.830 --> 00:25:51.897 And here's the beautiful thing we get to be a part of his mission to spread his name throughout the world. 00:25:51.897 --> 00:25:53.230 We get to be a part of that. 00:25:53.230 --> 00:25:54.830 He calls us to be a part of that. 00:25:54.830 --> 00:25:58.431 And of course, we're going to pray more directly to that as we work through the prayer. 00:25:58.431 --> 00:26:09.198 But the way we start and the reason we start here today is because when we pray, we start with worship, and we start with how great God is, rather than just starting with whatever challenges we're facing, which are important. 00:26:09.198 --> 00:26:10.565 But we start with his greatness. 00:26:10.565 --> 00:26:15.631 And when you do that, it will center your life in amazingly powerful ways. 00:26:17.365 --> 00:26:19.698 In fact, here's what I want to ask you to do this week. 00:26:19.698 --> 00:26:20.765 Here's your second action. 00:26:20.765 --> 00:26:24.597 The first was ask questions today at lunch. 00:26:24.597 --> 00:26:26.998 Call each other out if you're not doing it. 00:26:26.998 --> 00:26:28.998 Look, the pastor told me to, okay? 00:26:28.998 --> 00:26:30.698 You can use that as an excuse. 00:26:30.698 --> 00:26:31.865 That's the first action. 00:26:31.865 --> 00:26:35.431 The second is you should have got a note card when you came in. 00:26:35.431 --> 00:26:36.397 Take out that note card. 00:26:36.397 --> 00:26:38.964 Now it's blank. 00:26:38.964

--> 00:26:42.897 I want you to write down this first verse, and I want you to write it down in a real specific way. 00:26:42.897 --> 00:26:45.397 Go ahead and put that on the screen. 00:26:45.397 --> 00:26:49.397 I just want you to write down each word that we've talked about today. 00:26:49.397 --> 00:26:53.097 Our father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 00:26:53.097 --> 00:26:56.097 Now you can write the words off to the side if you want or not. 00:26:56.097 --> 00:27:00.798 Those might help guide you as you pray, but I want you to write those down. 00:27:00.798 --> 00:27:16.097 And by the way, if you have the church notes, those words I've just bolded in here, so you can see them there as well, you can copy them off your notes if you can't see those, or if you'd rather have something that's close by, you write down each of those phrase, and I want you to write them down with your own hand. 00:27:16.097 --> 00:27:21.198 Because a lot of times when we write things down again, we're trying to make the familiar fresh. 00:27:21.265 --> 00:27:23.230 A lot of times we might just repeat it, not think about it. 00:27:23.230 --> 00:27:25.030 I want you to write it down. 00:27:25.030 --> 00:27:32.298 Write down each phrase, and then each morning this week, between now and next Sunday each morning, I want you to pray through each of those phrases. 00:27:32.298 --> 00:27:34.164 It's only going to take you a minute. 00:27:34.164 --> 00:27:43.431 It's only going to take you a couple of minutes to pray through each of those and just simply pray, our God, thank you for the church. 00:27:43.431 --> 00:27:48.663 Thank you for the community of believers we have together and pray for someone, specifically our father. 00:27:48.663 --> 00:27:49.963 Thank you that you are my father. 00:27:49.963 --> 00:27:52.030 Here's how I relate to you as father. 00:27:52.030 --> 00:27:56.030 Thank you for the joy of loving me in heaven. 00:27:56.030 --> 00:28:03.830 God, help me to walk in reverence and all for who you are today, hallowed be God. 00:28:03.830 --> 00:28:05.230 Help me to honor your name. 00:28:05.230 --> 00:28:07.897 Help me to live in a way that honors your name. 00:28:07.897 --> 00:28:10.897 Help me to be aware of how holy you are. 00:28:12.030 --> 00:28:14.830 Would you drive out things that are unholy in my life? 00:28:14.830 --> 00:28:17.830 And then lastly, your name? 00:28:19.064 --> 00:28:23.564 Would you spread your name throughout the world? 00:28:23.631 --> 00:28:33.597 God, would you use our church to spread your name, your glory, your reputation throughout all of Valley Station and all of the south end of Louisville? 00:28:33.597 --> 00:28:35.631 You see how you can pray that. 00:28:35.631 --> 00:28:40.064 You see how that can guide your prayers every day this week and we're starting with worship. 00:28:41.763 --> 00:28:44.163 Let's do that and let's just see how God moves. 00:28:44.163 --> 00:28:53.564 I believe God has some powerful things in store for our church in the coming year, and I think it's all going to come, and it's going to be connected to our commitment to prayer. 00:28:53.564 --> 00:28:56.698 So let's start that practice this week. 00:28:57.030 --> 00:28:59.963 God, I thank you for this morning. 00:28:59.963 --> 00:29:03.763 And I thank you that when the disciples asked, how do we pray? 00:29:03.763 --> 00:29:06.097 You didn't say, I don't know. 00:29:06.097 --> 00:29:12.263 Whatever you didn't say, just sit quietly, see if I show up. 00:29:12.263 --> 00:29:12.564 No. 00:29:12.564 --> 00:29:15.064 You said, here's how you pray. 00:29:15.064 --> 00:29:18.064 Thank you for giving us these words. 00:29:19.830 --> 00:29:33.830 And my prayer would be for each person here today, this week, as they're reciting this prayer each morning, this week, as they're dwelling on your holiness and on your goodness and their reverence for you is increasing, I pray they would experience the depth of your presence. 00:29:35.897 --> 00:29:39.498 Would you help us to connect with you in fresh, new ways? 00:29:39.498 --> 00:29:42.064 Would you help make the familiar fresh this week? 00:29:42.064 --> 00:29:45.064 We love you, Jesus. 00:29:45.798 --> 00:29:46.498 Amen.