If you'll turn in your Bibles to Luke chapter 11, we'll read one through four, although we're going to mainly focus on verse two here, and really just the second part of verse two. Luke 11, one through four, hear now the word of God. Now it came to pass, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, that one of his disciples said to him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. So he said to them, when you pray, say, 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 sins, for we also forgive everyone who's indebted to us. Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Thus far, the reading of God's word. Let's pray. Truly, Father, even as the Apostle Paul wrote, we do not know how to pray as we should, and yet here we have this wonderful instruction. But we do pray that these would not just be words on our lips, but we would be able to pray this prayer with a deep and rich understanding of every portion of it. that we might know the richness of it, and therefore know the richness that comes from you. And we pray these things in the name of Christ. Amen. Well, one of the most repeated phrases that you're going to see in your Bibles, if you open up your Bibles, is grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We see the Apostle Paul using that at the beginning of many of his epistles. Often when I'm receiving some religious or denominational correspondence or communication, this apostolic salutation or something like it will be utilized in the greeting prior to the business of the letter. So, Pastor Paul, and then you'll see this passage. Well, you know, I think People often bemoan the repetition of the Lord's Prayer. People are cautious about weekly communion because they fear the repetition will render the words or the activity somewhat thoughtless, that you can just say it without even thinking about it. And that's certainly a possibility. But I'm going to tell you, I have found in all honesty and all vulnerability that neither the reciting of the Lord's Prayer nor weekly communion have fallen into that category for me. That just has not hit me in terms of some repetitious thing. But I will say this. It's with a sense of shame that I confess that the above apostolic salutation that I just shared with you It's something I gloss over when I get it in a letter as if I'm opening a package and I'm throwing away the wrapping paper to get to the business of whatever's in the package. Well, so having offered that it is not a problem for me to have the Lord's Prayer and communion on a regular basis, I'm gonna amend that statement. And it's funny that I would amend it. It's my own notes, I could have already But I wanted you to kind of go with me on this. During the Lord's Prayer, our communion, I have to say I have an overall sense of blessing and thoughtfulness of God's love, his wisdom, his grace. While we're doing it, I'm feeling this is a good thing that is happening, and God is doing something. there are almost always specifics in those activities that just don't wrap my heart the way they should. For example, when in communion during the words of institution, I'm told, do this in remembrance of me. I have to say, I sometimes have to dig pretty deeply to target just what it is I'm remembering. What is it I'm called to remember? I sometimes I'll see people holding the elements and they seem so deep in thought. And a part of me is like, what are they thinking about right now? What is going on in terms of remembering what Christ has done for me? Similarly, though, I find the reciting of the Lord's prayer to be an overall and general blessing. There are certain phrases that just seem to get lost on me while I'm praying it. In that case, I'm praying it kind of inconsiderately. I'm not really considering the words that I'm saying. Now, last time we spoke of how much more the phrase our Father in heaven means than many of us initially thought. Boy, that's a powerful, short statement, our Father in heaven. This morning, We're going to examine the first petition, right? The Lord's Prayer has got an invocation. It's got six petitions, six requests. Today, we're going to look at the very first petition in the Lord's Prayer. This is the first thing that Jesus tells us to ask for. It's number one on the list. We are praying that the name of God would be hallowed. That's not a normal word we have in our vocabulary. The word consecrate, sanctify, holy, they all come from the same root word. Basically, we're praying that the name of God would be holy. It's my prayer that our thinking and our hearts would be expanded as we engage in a little bit of an investigation of just what it is we're asking for in this petition. What are we asking God to do? 11 to A. He said to them, when you pray, say, our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Well, first, I think we need to be clear on what the phrase the name of the Lord or the name of God even means. I ran into an old friend at Home Depot a while back. And he was excited about this new church he was going to. And I'm like, you like it? He said, yeah, yeah, we call on the name of the Lord. And I wasn't sure what he meant, so I pressed him a little bit. They were literally calling on the name of the Lord. To the best of my understanding, after we talked, if I were to attend that church, I would hear, the congregation all calling out the name of God. And you've got to appreciate taking it literally. I remember when I was a kid, there was a show called Get Smart. And there was a character in Get Smart, Jaime. He was a robot. And he had not learned literary genre, so he took everything literally. So if they said, hey, Jaime, kill the light, he'd take his gun out and shoot the light. OK, we've got to be careful not to read our Bibles completely that way. We should understand things that are literal when they're literal. Or we have to understand that the word name, this phrase, means more than just a name. I have to say, I'm not sure what it would have been like. I never visited the church. Because God refers to himself by many names. Which names are they yelling out? I mean, remember last week when Moses asked God his name, he said, I am. We also see El or Elohim as a name of God. It's referring to what's the word used of God in creation, of his majesty, of his authority. Adonai expresses his lordship, Jehovah, or Yahweh. It's more like a proper name. So if you're in your Bibles, and you come upon the word LORD, and it's all in caps, it's usually Jehovah or Yahweh. It's a personal, proper name. Abba. We see that, right? It's like calling him Daddy. It's a very intimate name, and so on. And I would say, as we grow as Christians, the names of God should become more and more meaningful to us because they tell us of Him. It's not just a handle. It might be an interesting short series to just go over the names of God in a series and go, what do all these names mean? What do they tell us of God? But according to one Reformed instructional guide, the name of God is, and I quote, to be taken generally and comprehensively for anything whereby God makes himself known. For example, along with his names, he gives titles, the God of Abraham or the King of Kings. He also gives his attributes, such as the Lord is holy. God makes his name known through the scriptures, through the sacraments. All to say that the name of God is not just a handle. It's much more. Concerning the name of God, the great 19th century president of the time when Princeton was more of a Christian college said this. Talking about the name, he said, it often means a personal or individual designation. That is, Jehovah. Frequently, the name of God is equivalent to God himself. to call on the name of the Lord and to call on God are synonymous forms of expression. The name of God, therefore, includes everything by which he makes himself known. All right, so we're getting a bigger picture now of what is meant by the name of God. We are to acknowledge this. We are to reverently appreciate and use these things with an eye toward him who is created and maintains and reveals these things to us. God's name can be any form or type of reference to him whatsoever. And that can be either positive or negative. Sometimes it helps to grasp things by pointing out the opposite of what that thing would be. How do I know when this is not happening? What would be the opposite of seeking to hallow the name of God? To, as it were, not consecrate, but deconsecrate His name. Or as we read in the Ten Commandments, the third commandment, that we should not take His name in vain. There are many things taking place where God's name is used in a vain and empty way. We're praying against that. Perhaps the most obvious example of using the name of God in a vain, empty, and deconsecrated way is when we attach profanity to it, which is so common today. Or as an interjection or an exclamation, we just yell out the name of God, one could easily conclude that a tactic of the enemy of the souls of men and women would be to seek to place God's name among that which is mundane. or even that which is profane. It's a subtle, I think, yet effective way to seek to chip away at the throne of God, to bring it down. Though I think we should be wary of our own minds, placing God's name alongside that which is profane or some meaningless exclamatory. I don't think that's the primary intention of the Third Commandment. As far as I could tell, there are not a lot of references in the Bible of God's name being associated to cuss words. What we do see in the Bible in terms of taking God's name in vain are people using God's name for their own personal gain, power, and prestige. People are using the religious place to somehow one up on other people, whether it's economically, or whether it's in pride, whether it's socially, In the 23rd chapter of Matthew, Jesus viciously incriminates the clergy of Israel for their shallow efforts at burning others while seeking the best seats in the synagogue. So they're using God's name to get the seat of honor. Look at me. But I would say perhaps the most popular and in my opinion here today, the most egregious violation of the third commandment and the opposite of what we are praying for in the first petition is found in televangelism. Now, don't get me wrong. I haven't looked at every last televangelist. I'm guessing there may be some good ones, but The airwaves that I've been exposed to are littered with men and women who have highly feathered nests through the use of God's name. I remember one evangelist I was listening to who has amassed in the ministry almost a billion dollars, and he was explaining his need for purchasing three private jets. He says that the use, talking about using the name of God in vain, the use of private jets are part of a covenant with God and a sign of divine blessing. I watch this guy sometimes, and I just can't figure out who watches this and then pulls out a checkbook. I find it vexing. He also explained why he can't go on commercial airlines. He can't go on commercial airlines because these airlines are long tubes with a bunch of demons. My wife and I just were in Seattle and we came home on one of those tubes. I didn't see a demon. But let's just say he's right. Shouldn't that be where the pastor should be? Anyway, I don't want to spend a lot of time talking about these types of evangelists who, I think, in my opinion, have abandoned and have adulterated the word of God. And they breed on the weak and the sick for financial gain. For 25 years, I volunteered at a retirement home. And these mostly widows would bring mail that they had received from these people, asking them for money. Right, so you have these women on fixed incomes, and that's who they're targeting. Talk about the hottest places in hell. All right, so I'm saying that, and I'm looking at everybody right now feeling pretty good about the fact that you're not a televangelist. Congratulations. So what category do we fall into? when it comes to the opposite of hallowing God's name. So let's not talk about all of them, right? It's the time for us to examine ourselves and go, if God answers this prayer, what's it going to look like to me? What am I doing to deconsecrate the name of God? Where does that adjustment have to take place in me? Again, Charles Hodge states, talking about the opposite of hallowing God's name, all irreverence toward God, careless, unnecessary reference to him or his attributes, all indecorous conduct in worship, every indication of the want of that fear, reverence, and awe due a being infinite in all his perfections on whom we are absolutely dependent and to whom we are accountable for our character and conduct. I mean, it's a pretty tall order. So before we move on to a more specific definition of what it means, the positive side of hallowing God's name, I will share with you my struggle. And then maybe that'll help trigger some things in your own mind and heart about where you fall short and where you need to repent. The Apostle Paul wrote this in Colossians 4, 5, and 6. Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one. All right, so we have speech in grace and seasoned with salt. So you want it to be gracious, but it's got to be true. I have personally found my greatest difficulties in keeping the name of God hallowed is when I start off seeking to bless another person with the wisdom of God's word. And in my efforts, if they are not warmly received, at least in my opinion, if they don't have a proper response to my effort to bless them, my flesh wants to turn the word of God into a cudgel, where I'm just going to beat you. I may not win you, but I'm going to beat you. And there are so many conversations I would like to have back where that happened to me, where God later on in my life said, you know when you do that, you're using my name in vain. Instead of seeking to win the soul, I'm seeking to win the argument. I think that, or even using the name of God as a curiosity, using the Bible and systematic theology as some type of religious erector set. where I'm just going, I'm putting all the pieces together. Isn't it fun? Well, don't get me wrong. I think we should enjoy it. But the idea that it's just there for your amusement to put together, like Legos or something, that is not what the word of God is about. It's transformative. God's word is an extension of his own nature. Many of you know that Diane Keaton, an actress, just passed away. There's an old movie she was in called Annie Hall. This is the first of our two movie references today. And there's a scene in that movie where The main character, Alvy, who's played by Woody Allen, is standing in line at a movie theater. And he's right in front of this super obnoxious literary know-it-all who's talking about Fellini. And he's just talking really loud. And he's just like, listen to me. I know everything. And he's trying to impress his date. And finally, an argument between Alvy and this fellow begins about what some famous author, Marshall McLuhan, meant in the writing of one of his books. You ever have people review a book, and they found all this stuff. This is what he actually meant. And they go, there's all of this kind of deconstructing of the literary masterpiece. And they disagree. And the man begins to tell Alvey very ostentatiously that he is a teacher on this very subject in the university, therefore unquestionable. In the movie, at this point, Alvey break, you know what it means to break the fourth wall in the theater? It's when people are acting, and then they look at the camera, and they start talking to the camera. So Alvey breaks the fourth wall, and he steps out of line, and he finds Marshall McLuhan, the author that they're arguing about, standing behind a poster in the lobby of the movie theater. And McLuhan proceeds to tell this know-it-all guy, you don't know anything about my work. I'm shocked that they would allow you to teach on my work or teach anything at all. You know nothing. And then Woody Allen, Albie, he looks at the camera and he goes, wouldn't it be wonderful if life was just that way? Well, I bring that up not just because it's a funny line in a scene from a movie, it's because When I am opening my mouth on behalf of the things of God, on behalf of his name, what would I think or how would I feel if Jesus became physically present in the discussion? Like, I think that way. I'm like, okay, if Jesus were in this room right now, what would he think of me? Would he look at me and go, you are so arrogant? I'm embarrassed that you are even a teacher in my church. I mean, these are the things that help us evaluate, what do I sound like? Is what I'm saying right now honoring the name, or is it detracting from the name of God? Well, that's kind of the approaching it from the negative. Let's go to the positive. What are we asking for in the first petition? In other words, if God were to answer in the affirmative, what would that answer look like? Well, I think the answer to that prayer, we see kind of a foretaste of that in Paul's letter to the Philippians, Philippians 2, 9 through 11. Therefore, God also has highly exalted him and given him the name, which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow of those in heaven and of those on the earth and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. So when we're praying that God would hallow his name, we got to feel this, right? Everybody, everybody is proclaiming. that he is the Lord. Everybody is proclaiming, everybody understands. So this is kind of a bigger, broader explanation of what it means to hallow the name of God as this general deference, this general reverence that we should recognize that he deserves. Sometimes in books or movies, we might see a group of warriors who had great respect for the departed king, And when his name is mentioned, we see them bow their heads in reverence. His very name demands respect. To use it lightly, to use it casually, or in a manner not befitting the august nature of it is simply unacceptable. Do not use that name, his name, that way. My wife's favorite movie, this is our last movie reference for the morning, and one of my favorite movies is The Wizard of Oz. and at the risk of sounding corny, but at the same time making a point. I'm not just bringing it up because I like talking about movies. There is a scene where Glinda, the good witch, mentions for the first time in Munchkinland the Wizard of Oz. Some of you probably remember this scene. And all the Munchkins in Munchkinland fall silent, and they bow, and they strike a posture of genuflection. So in a broad, general sense, this is the petition that God's name would be revered. The very name of God I should bow. You'll hear me in the sermons go, hear now the word of God, thus far the reading of God's word. That was the word of God. In some churches, and sometimes we've done it here, people stand for the word of God, right? Because you're setting this apart Because what you need to know is, when I was reading the Word of God, that is the Word of God. And when I stop reading, I'm just telling you what I think it means. And that is not the canon Word of God. I am fallible. God's Word is infallible. And when we're reading the Word of God, we have to have such a disposition of reverence for it, because the Word of God is synonymous with God himself. But bowing at the name of God means very little if we do not bow in every aspect of our life to his Lordship. As we read in the Catechism, hallowing the name of God means he is glorified in every thought, word, and deed. As one pastor said, all of Christ for all of life. There are no categories in our life where God's name is not allowed entrance. God's answer to this prayer involves the prayer, losing sight of self and seeking the glory and the preeminence of Christ in all things. As John the Baptist said, he must increase, but I must decrease. He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. So as I'm praying this, I'm going, I need to become less in my own estimation. I'm already less. I just don't get how less I am. Open my eyes, Lord, to see the depth of my sin, that I might rejoice in the height of your grace. But at the risk of approaching this selfishly, we also must grasp that the increased holiness of the name of God is preferred over all things and is of great benefit to us. when God's name is hallowed, when God answers the very first petition. It gives glory to his name, but not at our expense. It gives glory to his name and includes our own edification. It is good. You think John the Baptist bemoaned the idea of saying, I must decrease? Do you think he was thinking, I really would rather increase? I don't know. Maybe there were times when his flesh battled with that, but I think he knew pretty well. Calvin put it this way, it is of unspeakable advantage to us that God reigns and that he receives the honor which is due him. Finally, we should not view this petition as some tribal dedication as if we're merely praying that his name be hallowed in the church. This prayer, as we're going to see in the next petition, should extend to all the earth. We're not just asking in this prayer that church members would hallow the name of God. We're praying that all the world would hallow the name of God. Again, as Calvin said, that the word of God, the glory of God may shine in all the world and be duly acknowledged by all men, all women, As we read, and as we read this morning in the Psalms, oh magnify Jehovah with me and let us exalt his name together. Friends, in this petition we are praying, as the catechisms stated, as we recited, that the soul-robbing practices of atheism, ignorance, idolatry, profaneness, and all other things dishonorable to his name be exposed for what they are. But it's amazing how easy people believe lies. Let it be our prayer that God hallow His name. And may He grant us the wisdom to discern those things, not only in our culture, but in our own natures, which would seek to detract from that which should be held in the highest place in our hearts. And that is the name of God. Let us pray. Father in heaven, we do pray that you would help us In a world, or at least for us in a culture, where often, Father, you're viewed as a contemporary and approached very casually, that we might recognize the august nature of your name, which reveals to us who you are. So we do pray, Father, that you would hallow your name. We do pray that we would be instruments in that taking place. To your own glory and to the benefit of those who call upon your name, we pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.