" THE PRIMARY TOPIC OF PRAYER IS TO BE THE SAME AS THE PURPOSE OF LIFE: GOD’S GLORY ."

122. Q. What is the first petition?
A. Hallowed be Thy Name. That is: Grant us first of all that we may rightly know Thee,[1] and sanctify, glorify, and praise Thee in all Thy works, in which shine forth Thy almighty power, wisdom, goodness, righteousness, mercy, and truth.[2] Grant us also that we may so direct our whole life-- our thoughts, words, and actions-- that Thy Name is not blasphemed because of us but always honoured and praised.[3]
[1] Jer. 9:23, 24; 31: 33, 34; Matt. 16:17; John 17:3. [2] Ex. 34:5-8; Ps. 145; Jer. 32:16-20; Luke 1:46-55, 68-75; Rom. 11: 33-36. [3] Ps. 115:1; Matt. 5:16.

Scripture Reading:
Matthew 5:1-16

Singing:  (Psalms and Hymns are from the "Book of Praise" Anglo Genevan Psalter)
Psalm 68:1,2
Psalm 96:1,4
Psalm 115:1,5
Psalm 148:1,2,3,4
Psalm 135:1,2 &  Hymn 47:2

Beloved Congregation of the Lord Jesus Christ!

What are we to speak to God about in our prayers? In Lord’s Day 45 we answered the question like this: "all the things we need for body and soul" (A 118). "All the things we need," and our thoughts go to the needs of the day: wisdom to be good parents, strength to do our daily work, wherewithal in loneliness.

Jesus teaches us to pray. He tells us to address God as "Father", assures us that the almighty Creator of heaven and earth is approachable, is interested, cares for us. On the strength of that instruction, it seems natural that we indeed give priority in prayer to those very basic and real needs of daily living: wisdom to be good parents, strength to do our daily work, wherewithal in loneliness, etc.

So we’re somewhat disappointed at the petition Jesus instructs us to pray first. What we are to pray first? "Hallowed be Your Name," says Jesus. This petition, it seems to us, is so far removed from the nuts and bolts of real life! Yet back in Lord’s Day 45 we’d confessed that God wants us to ask of him "all the things we need for body and soul." Is there here not a contradiction?

No, brothers and sisters, there is not a contradiction. What do I need for body and soul? The answer to that question depends on how you answer a more fundamental question, and that’s this: why do you exist? If you exist for your own sake, if you exist so that you enjoy life, your needs are quite different than if you exist for God. If you exist for self, your needs are self-centered; if you exist for God, your needs are God-centered.

Why do you exist? Why did God create the world, why did God create you, me? The Bible is empathic: the Lord made us for the praise of His glory. Indeed, the Holy Spirit has so renewed us that we say in Lord’s Day 1 that He "makes me heartily willing and ready from now on to live for Him" again.

Well, congregation, in the first petition Jesus teaches us to speak to God first of all from out of the purpose of our existence. What we need for body and soul is first of all grace and strength to glorify God, to hallow His name. Hence Jesus’ instruction: when you pray, the primary topic you speak about with God needs to be His praise. That’s the first petition: "Hallowed be Your name."

I summarize the sermon with this theme:

"Hallowed be Your name," Jesus taught His disciples to pray. What are we to understand by the term ‘name’? Our thoughts, congregation, are not to go to one of the names of God (be it ‘God’ or ‘Father’ or ‘Yahweh’), but to His reputation, Who He is.

How can we know what God is like? How can we get to know His real name, His real reputation? In Article 2 of the Belgic Confession we echo God’s revelation on the point like this: "We know Him by two means: First, by the creation, preservation, and government of the universe." This creation, the Article continues, "is before our eyes as a most beautiful book, wherein all creatures, great and small, are as so many letters leading us to perceive clearly the invisible things of God, namely, His eternal power and deity, as the apostle Paul says in Rom 1:20."

That’s to say: God in heaven reveals to us on earth what He is like by His works, the things He does. What works? There is first His work of creation. Nothing existed except for Himself. He spoke, and this world came to be. Creation was a majestic display of His almighty power! The angels who were there when God fashioned the world burst forth into songs of praise for this God of such awesome power – says God in Job 38:7.

We were not there when God made the world. But ever since He made the world in the beginning, God continues to work. For, says Article 2 of the Belgic Confession, God preserves and governs the world He once made. And that’s something we see, day by day. The sun rose this morning –how come?- because the Lord God kept the world turning through the night. We ate breakfast this morning –how come?- because the Lord in His goodness gave us food to eat. The birds are singing and building nests outside –how come?- because the Lord has filled their stomachs and worked in them the urge to reproduce. Ps 104:

The psalmist continues to list the works of God as he saw them day by day, and sums up these works in vs 24 like this: "O Lord, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all." God hasn’t changed; His works abound around us today too, and they all point up for our benefit what God is like; they demonstrate His almighty power, His wisdom, His goodness, and so many other wonderful characteristics of the God whom Jesus tells us to address as "Father".

The works of God, though, are not limited to His preserving work of the creation He once made. The church confesses in Article 2 of the Belgic Confession that "we know Him by two means," and the second is this: "He makes Himself more clearly and fully known to us by His holy and divine Word." And this Word tells us not only of God creating and upholding this world, but also that we ruined it through our fall into sin, and God set to work to redeem it. He gave His only Son, sent Christ to earth (Christmas), poured out His just judgment on Him (Good Friday), took Him into heaven and exalted Him to His right hand to be Lord of all (Ascension Day). Just before He went to the cross Jesus says that during the time He did His work on earth He "manifested [God’s] name" (Jn 17:6), and that’s to say: through His preaching and His miracles and His way of life He demonstrated to people what God was really like, showed them His righteousness, His mercy, His truth. When Jesus triumphed over the devil and paid for sin, the angels in heaven and the elders in heaven burst out in praise for God; His works of redemption prompted adoration (cf Rev 11:15ff; 12:12).

Again, we did not see God’s work of redemption in Bethlehem, nor His work on Calvary, nor Christ’s exaltation to God’s right hand; we did not yet exist when those things happened 2000 years ago. But the Christ who triumphed continues His work today. How come we are in church today? That, brothers and sisters, is because the exalted Christ gathers a church, takes us from our various homes and brings us here. How come there is faith in our hearts? That’s God’s work in Jesus Christ. How come the atmosphere in our homes is different from the atmosphere of the homes of unbelievers? Brothers and sisters, it’s because God is at work, and through His works He shows us what He is like. In our Lord’s Day we mention six characteristics; in God’s works "shine forth [God’s] almighty power, wisdom, goodness, righteousness, mercy, and truth." In Article 1 of the Belgic Confession the church mentions 14 characteristics. The number is not important; one can use so many different words to describe what God is like. The point is this: through His works God displays Who He is, reveals His reputation, His name. And those works continue today, both around us and in us.

But the thing is: are we in fact seeing these works as God’s works? Do we actually read the book of nature –and that’s to say: of God’s acts in the creation around us- so that we come to know God’s reputation better? Think about it, brothers and sisters: when you opened the curtains this morning and saw the light of day outside, did you recognize that God had been at work overnight – and now you see evidence of His mighty power in keeping the world turning and His goodness in waking you up? As you heard the birds singing and saw the flowers blooming, did you see these birds and flowers as evidence that God was at work? More, did you recognize in the new daylight and the songs of the birds and the colors of the flowers something of what God is like, something of His almighty power, His wisdom, and His goodness? That you are in church today, that there is faith in your heart, that your home has a Christian atmosphere: we take it for granted – but do you recognize that you are in church and there is faith in your heart and your home has its atmosphere because the ascended Savior is at work today? This, brothers and sisters, is the hard reality of this broken life: we get so used to the way things go on this earth that we don’t pause to recognize God’s revelation of Himself in the things He does in our lives! And because we don’t see Him in the birds and flowers, in the atmosphere of the home and the safety of travel on the road, we don’t praise Him the way we ought to either. Yet it was for His praise that He created us, and it is for His praise that He continues to do His works in our lives and in nature around us. We do not sufficiently see it, and therefore Jesus instructs us to ask God –in the words of Lord’s Day 47- to "grant us first of all that we may rightly know You, and [so] sanctify, glorify and praise You in all Your works" which you continue to do before our eyes day by day. Make us to know You, to appreciate Who You are, what kind of a God –Your almighty power, Your wisdom, Your goodness, Your righteousness, Your mercy, Your truth- so that in turn we praise you the more. That, says Jesus, is first of all to be the topic of our talking with God.

Here I draw to your attention the phrase ‘hallowed be’ in this petition. The term ‘hallow’ means ‘to make holy’, and ‘to make holy’ means ‘to set apart’. When you set something apart from sin, you make it pure, and so in that context ‘holy’ comes to mean something similar to ‘pure’. But God’s name, God’s reputation has nothing of sin in it, and so to ‘make it holy’ does not mean to ‘make it pure’, but means instead ‘to set apart’, to ‘make unique.’ The point is this: there are many people around us who have well known reputations. David Beckham has a huge reputation in the world of sport, Nicole Kidman is a big name in Hollywood (at least she’s well known in Australia), George Bush has an international reputation in the world of politics. Well-known names all, with well-known reputations – for better or for worse. What are we asking now for God? This: set your name apart from all other big names of this world! Your mighty power, Your wisdom, Your goodness, Your righteousness, Your mercy, Your truth and whatever other characteristic one might mention are so vastly superior to whatever power or mercy or beauty Beckham might have or Kidman might have or Bush might have that you can’t be praised the way they are; Father, set Your name apart, make it increasingly unique, cause one and all to recognize, and to extol You far above whatever praise anybody else would ever receive. That, beloved, is the first petition: because You are so great, grant me grace to praise You far and far above whatever praise I would give to a George Bush or a David Beckham or a Jana Pittman or any other name that might be mentioned. Open my eyes that I delight in Your work far, far more than I could ever delight in the works of any man, however great.

In fact, in the Greek of the Bible a form of the verb ‘hallow’ is used that conveys a sense of urgency. Jesus wants His disciples –and therefore us- to ask God to cause His name to be hallowed not in the far distant future (for example, when Christ comes back on the clouds of heaven), but to urge God to make sure that His name is hallowed now. God’s reputation is so wonderful that there’s a holy impatience in this petition! On this earth today God’s glorious name is ignored, or it’s degraded, or it’s blasphemed. But that name, God’s reputation, is too great, too wonderful, too holy for that! So Jesus instructs God’s people to urge God to do something to cause His name to be praised on earth, and do it now. Let God arise and defend His name today, let God arise and demonstrate to all the world in September of 2003 how mighty He is, how wise, how good, how righteous, how merciful, how true, how holy, how jealous and whatever characteristic one could mention. Let God arise and cause one and all to see Who He is, so that in turn one and all bow their knees before this glorious God whose name is above every name, and praise Him. And of course: it’s first of all we, who may call Him Father, who want to praise this wonderful God. Father, open our eyes to see your works in our lives, and praise You because of them! For, we confess, we exist for God’s glory.

I come to our second point:

Lord’s Day 47 is divided into two parts. The first section focused on us, that we mighty rightly know God so that we might sanctify, glorify and praise Him. Praising God, after all, is the reason for our existence to begin with.

As it is, though, there are many, many more people on this earth than the Christians. We for our part have need for grace to praise God, but what about the unbelievers? Is God’s name not so great and wonderful that they ought also to praise Him? That is the focus of the second part of the answer of our Lord’s Day.

Those unbelievers. They deny that God exists, put their head in the sand and ignore Him. The Lord will execute His judgment upon them for that transgression. After all –I quote again from Article 2 of the Belgic Confession- the world around us is "as a most beautiful book, wherein all creatures, great and small, are as so many letters leading us to perceive clearly the invisible qualities of God, namely, His eternal power and deity, as the apostle Paul says in Rom 1:20." His eternal power and deity are so visible out there, the confession continues, that "these things are sufficient to convict men and leave them without excuse." All men out there ought to see God’s works in giving rain and causing the sun to shine, in feeding the birds and gathering His church, etc. That people refuse to see it is their own problem, and they will be judged for that refusal.

Here, though, is displayed again the goodness of God. These unbelievers refuse to see God’s works in the world around them, and so praise Him; that birds build nests in springtime, they say, is simply Evolution, the way of Nature. So the Lord God sets before these unbelievers other evidence of His work. That other evidence is His children. Unbelievers should see that these children of God are different, have something about them that’s not of this earth. People by nature are selfish, harbor resentment, get bitter in trouble, etc. Paul puts it this way: "the works of the flesh … are adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions," etc (Gal 5:19f). But God the Holy Spirit works in Christians so that they are different, are changed. Says Paul: "the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Gal 5:22f). This work of the Spirit in the heart of the sinner changes the sinner, and the unbelieving world cannot but notice the change. Our community is very well aware that Free Reformed people –Dutchies, as they call us- are different. They may not recognize where the difference comes from, but they do recognize the fact that we’re different. And that is to say that they see something of God-at-work! And that bit of recognition already brings praise to God.

For that reason, brothers and sisters, it is imperative that we act in a fashion consistent with the change God the Spirit worked in our hearts. Where we develop a name for ourselves as Christians, or even Free Reformed Christians (Dutchies, so called), and then in a particular instance act in a distinctly unchristian fashion, the unbelieving neighbor who sees it will respond with: those Dutchies are hypocrites! If that’s religion, you can have it! That’s called serving God? Forget that God!

You are aware of David’s sin with Bathsheba, how this man of God committed adultery with his neighbor’s wife. When he found out she was pregnant, he turned around and killed her husband, then married the widow. In the course of the months, Nathan the prophet confronted David with his sin, and David repented. Then we read these words from Nathan to David: "The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die" (2 Sam 12:13f). You see the point, beloved? The neighbor is the silent bystander, and he sees what David, the child of God, did. Then the neighbor, that unbeliever, that enemy of God, responded by blaspheming God’s name – what kind of a God is that, that He lets His people steal somebody else’s wife and then kill the husband too!

Our Lord Jesus Christ underlines the importance of our public conduct on exactly this point. Says Jesus in the passage we read from Mt 5: "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." Jesus gives this instruction to people who had just heard the Beatitudes. "Blessed are the poor in spirit," Jesus had said, "for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." The "poor in spirit" are the spiritual beggars, those who acknowledge their bankruptcy before God and depend on His mercy. Such people are blessed, are happy, because –Jesus promises- "theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

"Blessed are those who mourn," Jesus had continued, "for they shall be comforted." These people mourn not because of the death of a loved one, but mourn instead because they sorrow over their sins. Their sins bother them, and so they can be happy, blessed, because they are comforted in the gospel of Jesus’ sacrifice.

"Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth." The meek are those who do not stand up for their rights, but turn the other cheek. These are they who follow the example of the Lord Jesus; when He was reviled, He did not revile in return. It may appear that the meek become the downtrodden, get the worst of life, but Jesus promises a bright future; "they shall inherit the earth."

The list continues, and we understand: Jesus is describing here people who have no hope in themselves, but who cast themselves completely on the Lord God for all their needs. These people know: God almighty works, is busy in the bits and pieces of this life, and He will certainly protect His children and supply their needs. So I can concentrate on being merciful to others as God is merciful to me, can concentrate on showing peace as God in Christ has given me peace. Then yes, people may well revile and persecute and speak evil of you because of that attitude (vs 11), but, says Jesus in vs 12, don’t let that bother you for your reward is great in heaven. You, Jesus continues in vs 13, are to be that kind of person, and then you are "the salt of the earth." Or, different analogy, vs 14, you are to be that kind of person, and then "you are the light of the world." Well now, let others see your light, let others see that you take God for real in your life and so mourn your sins, take God for real and so let God defend you, take God for real and so show mercy to the unworthy. That kind of conduct is different, is not normal for sinful humans, and so the people around you will notice that you are different, have been changed, and they will puzzle, and may conclude that maybe God is real after all. In any case, when unbelievers speak positively of you, they indirectly give praise to God for they see His work in your life. That’s the second part of Lord’s Day 47: "Grant us also that we may so direct our whole life –our thoughts, our words, and actions- that Your Name is not blasphemed because of us but always honored and praised."

What shall we pray for first of all? Food and drink, a car, good marks, a promotion? We do not exist for ourselves, and so our talk with God may not revolve around me. We exist for God, and so all our lives need to be directed to seeing God’s greatness and praising Him for it. We’re by nature blind to God’s works, and even as renewed people we remain so shortsighted. So we pray for grace to see God’s works clearly in the bits and pieces of our daily lives, so that we in turn praise Him the more. And we pray also that our own conduct may prompt those around us to see something of God’s greatness too – to the greater praise of the God of glory before whom the angels constantly sing their songs of praise. Amen.