Hallowed Be Thy Name

Thank you, brothers and sisters, for just again the incredible privilege of being here. During the time of praise and worship, I just was overwhelmed with how precious you are to God. I feel like the Lord just gave me a tiny glimpse of how very precious this church is to Him, and you're very, very precious to me, very special to me, brothers and sisters. Sorry, I didn't plan on that, but you're very precious to God. I asked the Lord about this morning, Lord, what would you say to us as you send us? And the Lord reminded me, our first night together, I wanted to say thank you for the privilege of serving with Brother Edgar as well, my mentor. I love him so much, and I'm so grateful that you brought us both together. I really feel, and this was confirmed over breakfast sharing with some brothers, we're in a day where I don't even feel, I feel something's missing now when I go by myself. I feel we're in a day when the Lord's wanting us to go out in twos, you know, together. And that's been happening more and more here lately, so I'm so thankful for that. But our first night together, at least with me here, the Lord gave me a very simple word to begin with, and that was a prayer, if you remember, Father, glorify thy name, glorify thy name. Well, he's sending us out also with a very simple prayer, and these prayers, though they're simple, they're not shallow. They're the word of God, and they're prayers that are deeper than the deepest ocean. The first one is, Father, glorify thy name. And now I hear the spirit of the Lord saying, pray, hallowed be thy name. So the message this morning is, hallowed be thy name. Here is a prayer that the Lord wants to send us with, hallowed be thy name. Now, let's read it together in Luke chapter 11. Luke chapter 11. I thought for years that that part of the prayer that Jesus taught us to pray, hallowed be thy name, was simply a declaration. Lord, holy is your name. But I've learned recently it's not just a declaration, brothers and sisters, it's a petition. We're actually asking the Lord to hallow his name, and we're going to dig into that a little bit more here. Luke chapter 11, verse one, and it came to pass that as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. And he said unto them, when you pray, say our father. Which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, hallowed be thy name. It's not just a declaration, it is a petition, it is a request that God would see to it that his name is hallowed on earth, even as it is in heaven. Hallowed literally means sanctified, set apart as holy to honor as holy. Jesus is asking us here and teaching us to ask God to do something. God act, move for the sake of your great name and for your testimony, cause your name to be hallowed, cause your name to be hallowed and exalted in my life. In our marriage, in your church, in our family, among your people, in this nation, among the heathen in the world, let your name be known as great and holy and and greater than all other names among the Muslims, Hindus, blasphemers, atheists, let it be known that Jesus Christ is Lord. That's the petition. Let it be known that you are God is God and there is no other. And I want to tell you, brothers and sisters, God's going to answer that prayer. But do you know how he answers that prayer? Turn with me to Ezekiel, please. Chapter 36, Ezekiel, chapter 36. How will God answer this prayer? Hallowed be your name. Ezekiel, chapter 36. And we're looking just. Let's look at two verses, let's look at let's start back at verse 21, look at a few verses here, verse 21, the Lord says, but I had pity for my holy name. Which the house of Israel has profaned among the heathen, whether they went. So God's people were actually doing the opposite. They were profaning the name of the Lord. And if you recall, in the book of Romans, Paul says, you who say do not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who preach this, do you do it? Because when you don't do it, when you preach one thing and live another, my name is actually blasphemed among the heathen because of you. So my name is profaned when the world looks at you and they don't see holiness. They don't see purity. They don't see Christ. And that's what was happening here. Israel was actually profaning the name of the Lord. And verse 22, he says, therefore, say unto the house of Israel, thus saith the Lord God, I do not this for your sake, so house of Israel, but for my holy namesake, which you have profaned among the heathen, whether you went. And here's the promise. Verse 23. And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which you have profaned in the midst of them. And the heathen shall know that I am the Lord, saith the Lord God, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. God, hallowed be your name. And the Lord says, I will hallow my name. I will set it apart as holy. I will glorify my name. But how will he do it? Where will he do it? I will hallow my name when I hallow my name in you, through you, as we are sent from this place, we are called to shine with the very light and presence of Christ wherever we go. And that shining part of that shining is the holiness of Christ, the holiness and purity of God. Listen, when you have when you have a believer, a real Christian who is filled with the Holy Spirit, here's one absolute evidence and characteristic of that real Christian in a dark world. They are shining with purity, purity of heart, holiness. And that sticks out, brothers and sisters, that shines. Maybe you're here and you have that testimony where you just on your workplace before you even ever opened your mouth. Others recognize there's something different about her. There's something different about him. What is it? This this purity, this holiness of of God in us, holiness is Christ in us. That's where God wills to answer his prayer, to hallow his name in and through us. Now we come back to first Peter, if you will, please turn to first Peter in chapter one. First, we have the petition, the prayer hallowed be your name. Now we see his commandment. First Peter, chapter one. Wherefore, gird up the loin, verse 13, wherefore, gird up the loins of your mind, be sober and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lust in your ignorance, but as he which hath called you is holy. So be ye holy in all manner of conversation, because it is written, be ye holy, for I am holy. And if you call on the father who, without respect of persons, judges according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear. Be ye holy, God says, for I am holy. That's a command from the Lord. We're asking, Lord, hallow your name. The Lord says, I will do it. And here's your command. Be ye holy. The scripture says without holiness, no one will see the Lord pursue holiness, for without it, no one will see the Lord. God's people are to be set apart as holy. And the spirit of God spoke to me to give you something very practical this morning to leave with as we are sent into a very dark world. We will be tested. We will be tempted and we will be tried and we need some practical application, if you will. And if we will depend on the spirit of God, he will give us all the power to to obey these commands to these practical application that he's calling us to be sent with. Here's what the Lord gave me. I was driving down a dirt road. I said, Lord, I was praying just concerning my own life. I said, Lord, I'm just smitten that right now with this command that I hear from you. Be ye holy, for I am holy, God says. So I'm crying out, Lord, make me holy. And how do I walk in absolute holiness, purity? And the Lord gave me something very simple and very practical. And I want to give it to you. It's an acrostic. H.O.L.Y. OK, holy H. Be hungry, hunger and thirst for righteousness. Be being hungry. Oh, you must be obedient. Obey the spirit. Obey the word of God in all things. Very practical. Obey. H. Hunger. Obey. L. Looking unto Jesus. Behold your God. There's no other way to walk in holiness, but to be looking unto Jesus. And why be yielded to the spirit? Yield, yield to the Holy Spirit. Be sensitive to him. Obey the slightest nudge of the Holy Spirit. These are practical commands that the Lord's calling us to obey and lead this camp with. Amen. Now, let's look at them. First one is what? Be hungry. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness. And if there is no such hunger in you, listen to me clearly. If there is no such hunger in you for righteousness, for holiness, that is a pretty clear sign. You've never been born again by the spirit, because anyone who is born again by the spirit of God, he is called the Holy Spirit. And when he comes to live in us, he makes men and women holy. And he creates in us this this hunger, number one, for the word of God. Never was a sinner ever been born again who didn't hunger for the word, just like it never was a baby. They didn't cry for milk. You hunger for the word of God. But there's also this hunger in you. I want to be like Jesus. I want to be holy. I want to be pure in heart. I'm hungry for righteousness. I'm hungry, hungry for holiness. Do you have that cry in your heart? And I believe the closer you get to holy God. The more you hunger to be like him, the more you hunger for righteousness, for a pure heart, hallowed be thy name. It's the petition of all the other prayers in the in the model prayer. In other words, before we pray, give us this day our daily bread. We're first saying, Lord, first, make me holy. Let your name be hallowed through me. And who has that hunger and thirst for it? You know, all of us, when our bodies get hungry and our bellies are empty, we're saying, I want to eat. I want food. Lord, give me my daily bread. If I don't eat, I'll die. But where are the brothers and sisters, the believers that say above that, above my flesh and even the needs of my body? Lord, give me righteousness or I die. Make me pure in heart. Make me holy like you are holy. Lest I die. That's the kind of hunger. And if you don't have it to that intensity, ask God for it. Be honest with him. Say, Lord, here's where I am. Now, I don't really have that intense of a hunger. Give me that hunger because you've given me a promise. Blessed are they which hunger and thirst for righteousness. They shall be filled. That's his promise. Give me that hunger. Make me pure in heart. Before I pray anything else, hallow your name, make your name holy through me and hunger where your hunger for righteousness begets a hatred for sin. When you with the closer you get to God, the closer you draw in fellowship and communion with holy God, the more you will have this hatred for sin. I remember when I was just a new believer and God was doing something so fresh in my heart. Some of what you were sharing, sister, in this this this transformation in this man, you know, you're you're you're you're not the same. You're you're transformed. And I remember somebody invited me to go to the movie theater and I went with them to this movie. And it wasn't even what we would consider a bad movie, maybe. But I remember sitting in that seat and all of a sudden becoming sick inside and and like this was putrid. And I thought I've never had that before. It wasn't from me. It was the Holy Spirit of God in me that was giving me this hunger for righteousness and holiness. And that began a hatred for sin. I don't want it. I don't want to sin. I don't want to be defiled. I don't want to be a part of this. That's a work of God. Hunger for God and hunger for righteousness begets a hatred for sin. Be being hungry for God H. Now, what is so obey? Be obeying the word of God. Be obedient. Notice, if you will, in first Peter again here, chapter one, verse 14, before he says, Be holy as I am holy. He says, as obedient children, obedient children, not fashioning yourself according to the former lust in your ignorance, but as he which has called you as holy. So be holy in all things. A holy people is an obedient people. A holy church is made up of obedient children of God who take very serious the commands of their father, God. They don't just talk the talk. They walk the walk. They don't just utter empty words of how much I love you, Jesus. There's only one way to show Jesus how much you love him. What did he say in John 14? If you love me, keep my commandments. That's the measure of our love for God. Don't just tell me how much you love me. I want to see how much you love. There's only one way to show him. If you love me, you will obey me. If you don't obey God, you don't love him. If you don't obey the commandments of Jesus, you don't love him to the degree that you obey him is to the degree that you love him. If you love me, obey me. If you love me, keep my commandments. And we will obey the Lord, not out of some cold religious duty. Oh, I've got to do this. I've got to obey because God has commanded me today to obey. You'll end up a religious dead Pharisee. It's not that brothers and sisters, it's going back to beholding him, beholding his grace, beholding how much he has loved me, how much he has set me free. I was that little calf elk that he pulled out of that hole. I would have died in there. Now, I'm going to follow him wherever he goes. I want to do what he says. I want to obey his commands because I love him. I remember David Ravenhill. He came to Barnesville when I was there. David Ravenhill was Leonard Ravenhill's son. And David shared how when he was a teenager, he said, you know, 15, 16 years old, he would be tempted to do something mischievous or something wrong with some other friends. And he said, then the thought would come to me. If I do this and my dad finds out, it will absolutely break his heart. I can't do it. Not because, oh, I might get whipped when I get home. If he finds out that I've done this, it will absolutely break his heart and I cannot do that. Who among us loves the Lord Jesus, loves Father God so much that when you're tempted, you can remember if I do this, it will absolutely grieve his heart. I cannot do it. I cannot do it. I obey him because I love him. That's that's the obedience, not out of legalism. But I don't want to grieve his heart. I don't want to grieve his spirit. Why do you call me, Lord, Lord, and not do the things that I say? Why do you offer me lip service? And not do what I've told you to do. Remember the words of Mary, the mother of Jesus, at that wedding of Cana, when she said these simple words, whatever he says to you, do it. And I say that to you, my brother, my sister, whatever is spoken to you at this camp, do it. Whatever the Lord says to you, do it. Just obey, just obey, trust and obey H hunger and thirst for righteousness. Oh, be obedient, children. And now I'll be looking unto Jesus. Behold him, fix your eyes upon him because there is no other way to walk in holiness. Listen to me. There is a law called the law of sin and death, and it's all it always pulls down, just like the law of gravity. It will never change. It is always pulling on you, pulling, pulling down. And you can no more rise above this law of sin and death in your own strength than the apostle Peter could get out of the boat and walk on water in his own strength. The law of gravity was pulling him down. He was going to sink. There was only one way that man walked on water. First of all, he heard the word of the Lord, the command come. Is that you, Lord? It's me. Come, come, Peter. He had the command of the Lord, the word of the Lord. Faith comes by hearing, hearing by the word of the Lord. I hear you, Lord. I believe you. He gets out of the boat and he walks on water. He has risen above this law that would pull him down. How can he walk on water? Because there's a greater law called the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus. And as long as my eyes are on him, he will not let me sink. As long as I'm beholding him in all of his glory and I'm obeying his word, I'm coming to the sound of his voice. He will not let me sink. When did Peter sink? When he took his eyes off of Jesus and he saw the wind and the waves, he immediately sank and he would have sank to his death. Had he not cried out just before he went under, Lord, save me, the Lord immediately saves him. How do we walk in righteousness? How do you stay pure and clean in a dirty world? It's not too hard in here, but when you leave here and you're bombarded on every side, how do you stay clean in a dirty world? There's only one way looking unto Jesus, looking unto Jesus, keep your eyes fixed upon him. Unless you're looking at him, you'll sink just as Peter sunk when he took his eyes off of Christ. There was once a young man, this is a true story, who was so defeated by sin, though he wanted to obey God, he seemed to always be disobeying God. He was hungry for holiness, but he was so unholy, so he thought if he would fast more, if he would pray more, if he would read his Bible more, then he would become holy and righteous. So one day he saddled his horse and without food or water, he rode as far as he could into the mountains on his quest for holiness. Day after day, he fasted and prayed, he read and read and read the Bible again. And yet what he found was that still, even in the mountains, his own sinful thoughts followed him there. His own wretched, deceitful heart followed him there, and even in the mountains, he was miserable. Until one day in the middle of those mountains, turn to First Thessalonians, chapter four, one day in the middle of those mountains with his Bible open to First Thessalonians, chapter four, he was reading along, praying, God, please show me, please change me. Please change my heart. And in First Thessalonians, chapter four, he reads verse three. For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that you should abstain from fornication, that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel and sanctification and honor, not in the lust of concubines, even as the Gentiles, which know not God. He was agreeing with all of this as he read. But he's saying how Lord, verse six, that no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any manner because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testify for God has not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. And the young man said, Lord, I believe I'm hungry for this. But how? Why can't I change? Why can't I change? He goes to chapter five and he begins to read in verse 15. See that none render evil for evil unto any man, but every but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves and to all men rejoice evermore. Well, I'm not doing that, he said. Pray without ceasing. I haven't been able to do that, Lord, and everything. Give thanks in everything. Give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. I'm sorry, Lord, I've not been doing that either. Quench not the spirit, despise not prophesies, prove all things, hold fast that which is good, abstain from all appearance of evil and the very God of peace sanctify you wholly. And I pray, God, your whole spirit, soul and body be preserved blameless into the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He hungered it. He hungered for it. Oh, he said, I want this to be true in my life, but it wasn't true. Lord, how, how, how? And he comes to verse twenty four. Faithful is he that calleth you who also will do it. And he stopped and he read it again. Faithful is he that calleth you who also will do it. And he read it a third time. Faithful is he that calleth you who also will do it. And a butterfly. I'm not being sensational. I'm not trying to be mystical. This is what happened. A butterfly landed on the page next to faithful is he that calleth you who also will do it. And the young boy, young man looked at that butterfly as the wings were going back and forth. Back and forth, and he was mesmerized by the beauty of this butterfly. And the Lord spoke to the young man and said, who made the butterfly beautiful? And he said, you did, Lord. And he said, I will make you holy. I will make you holy. That's a true story, brothers and sisters, because that is my story. That young man was me. Faithful is he that calleth you. And when I saw that butterfly and the perfection and the beauty and the colors, and I guess they were migrating because when that little butterfly flew off, I looked up and there were butterflies all around me. It was God and his mercy just giving me that that sign of his love. I'm with you. I will do it. I will do it. Who made the butterfly beautiful? God did. Who will make you holy? God will. How, how looking unto him, how do we do that? Let's go to Second Corinthians, chapter three. We're getting practical now. Second Corinthians, chapter three, be looking, be beholding. Second Corinthians, chapter three, verse 18, but we all with open face beholding as in a glass, the glory of the Lord. Are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the spirit of the Lord. Hallelujah. That word changed is is is a Greek word that's that's I think it's metamorphosis or something like that's the same word where we get our word metamorphosis, which makes you think of a butterfly. God takes a little ugly worm, a little ugly caterpillar, and he transforms that ugly caterpillar into this beautiful, spectacular butterfly through metamorphosis. Same word. Faithful is he that calleth you who will also do it. How, Lord, by beholding the glory of the Lord, looking unto Jesus, there's no other way. And as you're beholding him and worshiping him and spending more and more time with him, alone with him in his presence, you're changing. That's what happens. The more you spend time with someone, you know, they say husbands and wives start to act like each other. They're always with the more you spend time with Jesus, the more you're going to smell like him. That sweet aroma, the more you smell, the more time, you know, the more time you spend in a feedlot or working cattle, the more you think like cattle. I know that the more time you spend in the presence of Jesus, the more you smell like him, the more you look like you're changing. You're being transformed by beholding his glory. By looking at him, you're being transformed. Hallelujah. What is ill? Look, what is what is H be hungry? What is O be obedient? What is L looking unto Jesus? And now why be yielding to the Holy Spirit, be yielding to the Holy Spirit? Romans chapter six. Romans chapter six, Romans chapter six, verse 12, let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body that you should obey it in the lust thereof, neither yield. There's our word. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin, but yield yourselves unto God as those that are alive from the dead. And as you and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God, for sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under the law, but under grace. What then shall we sin because we're not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. No, you not that to whom you yield yourselves servants to obey his servants, you are to whom you obey, whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness. You are either yielding to sin and self, which always leads to death, or you will yield to the spirit of God in obedience, which leads to life and holiness. I think of a well-broke horse. He's able to do what he could never do on his own once he learns to yield to the pressure of the rider, a well-broke horse, just the slightest pressure on the side of his neck. And he turns this way, just the slightest pressure of a rain on the on the side of this neck, his neck on this side. He turns this way, the slightest pressure with the bit wool and he stops a little bit more and he backs up a well-broke horses yielded to the master. It doesn't take much to get his attention. It doesn't get to take much pressure to make him move. And that horse can do far more than he ever dreamed he could do when he is yielded to the master. But an unbroke horse, a stiff necked horse, a stubborn horse that won't respond to pressure, that won't respond to the bit is a dangerous and useless animal. And many times we as Christians can become dangerous and we're certainly useless when we refuse to yield to the Holy Spirit, obeying him the pressure. But what is that? What does that look like in practicality when we leave this place? Some will be tempted to lust with your eyes. Some of us will be tempted to lust with our eyes and the Holy Spirit will put that nudge. Look away, look away. And those who yield to the master immediately look away. Some of us will be tempted to get angry because we got hurt in some way. And the Lord says, look to me, look to me who was despised and rejected among me. And a man of Saul is acquainted with grief. Give me give me that. And he'll take that anger away and he'll fill you with his love. When the Lord says, go say you're sorry, do you stiffen your neck? It wasn't my fault. Or do you say, yes, Lord, I yield. And you say you're sorry, go write that letter. No, yes, yes, Lord, yes, Holy Spirit. Go visit that person. Do you yield or do you resist? But I want to tell you something, brothers and sisters, God wants to take us far beyond being like a horse with a bit and bridle. There's a verse that gripped my heart this morning as I was preparing this message. He reminded me in the Psalms, I think it's Psalm 32, verse eight. He will guide you with his eye. He will not with bit and bridle. In fact, after that, he says, don't be like the horse. He wants to take you beyond the bit and bridle. He wants us to have such an intimate relationship with him that he can guide us with his eye. You know, a mom or a dad who's really got submissive children. I don't know if I ever had them, but let's let's let's pretend a child who is so obedient that dad looks at him. Oh, I know what that means. And he goes, mom looks at us. I know what that means. Never said a word. Can we be so close to Jesus that he can guide us with his eye so yielded to the master, so surrendered to him? That's the relationship that he that he wants with us. That's exactly what he wants to us. God can and will hallow his name among his people if we are willing. Your people shall be willing in the day of your power. The scripture says God will show forth his power when he has willing sacrifices, living sacrifices who are willing to hunger and thirst for him, to obey his word, his every command, to look at him, behold him, never take your eyes off of him, to yield to his spirit, the slightest nudge in obedience to him. God will keep you pure in a dirty world. How dirty was Corinth, was Corinth so filthy, full of prostitution. In fact, in that day, they said to to to live in sexual immorality was to act like a Corinthian. That was the title. And yet God had a man in Corinth that was pure and white as snow, kept him clean in a dirty world. And God has the power to keep you and me clean in a dirty, defiled world. I'll leave you with this. Pastor Stephen Offord shared this story many years ago, and I've never forgotten it. Stephen Offord preached all over the world. He was from Britain. He preached all over the world. He pastored in New York City, I think, or somewhere in New York for about 14 years. One time he got back from a preaching engagement and he was standing on the street. He caught a cab. Got in, started conversation with the cab driver, and he noticed his accent was was something he recognized and he said, tell me, driver, are you from Jamaica? He said, yes, I am. How did you know? He said, I've preached in Jamaica many, many times. He said, your accent gave you away. And Stephen Offord says, what are you doing here in New York City driving this cab? He said, I'm trying to make as much money as I can so I can get out of this city as fast as I can and go back to Jamaica. He said, why? Because it's a filthy, dirty, stinking city. And said, matter of fact, how can you preach in this city? What results do you expect in such a city? Nobody, you know, everybody hates God here. Everybody's living in sin. And Stephen Offord paused for a minute and he said, do you know where Mandeville is in Jamaica? He said, I sure do. He said, I preached one time in Mandeville. And he said, just outside the conference center was this black bog, a stinky, you could smell it, black, stinking mud. And he said, I know all about it because he said one day after the meetings, they they let us go horseback riding. And he said, I was on this horse and I rode up to this black bog. And he said the horse got in it. I tried to ride him across. He went in it, sunk, began to lunge. And he threw me right over his head into that black, stinking bog. He said I had to take about three showers to get the smell off of me. He said, but I want to tell you something. In the middle of that black, stinking bog was the purest, most beautiful white lilies I've ever seen in my life. And he leaned over the seat and he said, driver, you can be a pure white lily in New York City. And the driver pulled off the side of the road. And he put down the parking meter and he says, tell me how. And Stephen Offord began to unfold the gospel of Jesus Christ with this man. That man gave his heart to Christ. About two weeks later, he was baptized. He became a faithful member of that church to the very day that he went back to his homeland in Jamaica. You can be a pure white lily in the midst of a black, stinking bog. A pure white, clean vessel in the midst of Brisbane, in the midst of Melbourne, in the midst of Australia, in Oklahoma, wherever we go, no matter how dark it is, we can shine with the light of Christ if we are willing, if we are willing. Amen.