Mid-week Lent #2 - “Hallowed be Thy Name”

 

Mid-week Lent #2
“Hallowed be Thy Name”
1 March 2023
Matthew 6:9; Mark 14:30-31

Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.”

ἁγιασθήτω τὸ ὄνομά σου·

“May your name be recognized as holy.”

“May your name be shown to be holy.”

(More freely, with a change to the active voice: “Show the holiness of your name.”)

Friends in Christ, I urge you all to lift up your hearts to God and pray with me as Christ our Lord has taught us and freely promised to hear us…

God, our Father in heave, look with mercy on us, Your needy children on earth and grant us grace that Your holy name be hallowed by us and all the world through the pure and true teaching of Your Word and the fervent love shown forth in our lives. Graciously turn from us all false doctrine and evil living whereby Your precious name is blasphemed and profaned. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.[1]

Lead us to honor your holy name with godly lives and faithful testimony to your Word. Restrain the scoffers and false teachers who find fault with your name. Overcome our doubts, and finally vindicate your holiness at the end of time by revealing yourself fully.

Heavenly Father, help that, Thy name may be holy.

God’s name is holy in His nature but in our use, it is not holy. God’s name was given us when we became Christians and were baptized, so that we are called children of God.

As godly children, we pray that the name of God, which is already holy in heaven, may also be and remain holy with us, upon earth and in all the world.

How does it become holy among us? When both our doctrine e and life are godly and Christian.

We profane God’s name when we preach, teach, speak in the name of God what is false and misleading. We pray just for that which God demands in the Second Commandment, that His name be not taken in vain, to swear, curse, lie, deceive etc. but he usefully employs to the praise and honor of God.

To hallow is the same as to praise, magnify and honor both in word and deed. God will not hear anything more dear to Him than that His honor and praise is exalted above anything else and His Word is taught in its purity and is esteemed precious and dear.

“Hallowed Be thy Name.” That is how the first petition reads.  What does that phrase really mean? What are we asking for when we pray that God’s name would be kept holy?  Concisely we pray that God’s name would be hallowed among us. This happens when we keep from profaning God’s Word.

1.     How is God’s Word Profaned?

A.    God’s Word is profaned when anyone teaches otherwise than what God’s Word teaches. There is but one plan of salvation, one doctrinal standard, one message for the ages. That message speaks of sin and grace; of law and gospel.

B.     That message says that we are all sinners for there is none that does good and does not sin. The wages of sin, the bible reminds us, is death, for all have sinned. Yet the gospel tells us that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself not counting our sins against us.  That is why we can clearly and plainly say that in Jesus Christ all sin is forgiven period!

C.     When we teach other than this clear message, we profane the Word of God. We need to place a clear message before the world today as our former Synodical President Al Barry put it “keep the message straight and get the message out” We do not want to add nor subtract from what is clearly stated in God’s holy Word. 

D.   The faith is to be taught – it has also to be caught.  We can profane the name of God when anyone lives otherwise than God’s Word clearly teaches.  Luther in his hymn reminds us “that man a godly life might live God did these Ten Commandments give” the Word of God gives us a clear directive. It teaches us what we are to do, what we are not to do, and how we are to live. We want that Word of God to direct us so that our lives may reflect what God’s Word truly teaches.

TRANSITION: The Word of God is profaned when we teach and act contrary to it. How is God’s name hallowed?

II.     God’s Name is Hallowed.

A.      God’s name is hallowed when the Word of God is taught in its truth and purity. God’s Word is true and pure in and of itself. That’s the beauty of God’s Word.  It needs nothing added to it. It speaks for itself. It is in and of itself clear, pure and bold. All the Lord asks of us is that we present it whole and undefiled. That’s what we pray for in this first petition.  

B.     God’s name is hallowed when we; that is you and I lead a holy life according to the Word of God.  “Savior, lead, I follow Thee” is how the phrase from the hymn reads. God’s Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light to our path. We hallow God’s name when the Word directs us in our daily living.

C. Jesus our Lord and Savior perfectly lived His life according to God’s Word.  He lived a holy and a perfect life. He followed in the ways of the Law of the Lord. Then, He went to the cross and offered up His life as a ransom for us all. He exchanges His perfect life for your and my life of sin. In His suffering, death and resurrection He gives us salvation and life. It is His life and death, which has saved us. It is His Holy Spirit, which fills us to be the men, the women, the body and girls of faith.

“Hallowed be Thy Name”. May we use God’s Word correctly.  May the faith among us be taught as well as caught. May we hallow God’s name by honoring His Word in our reading, our study, our teaching and in our living.

Words-1,060

Passive Sentences –13%
Readability -  85.5%
Reading Level –4.9

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[1] Lutheran Service Book, Divine Service Setting Five, © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis

Lent 1 -Facing Life with Jesus – Facing temptation

 

March 06, Luke 4:1-13 – Jesus is tempted in the wilderness

[1]

O Almighty and eternal God, we implore You to direct, sanctify, and govern our hearts and bodies in the ways of Your laws and the works of Your commandments that through Your mighty protection, both now and ever, we may be preserved in body and soul; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever.[2]

In this season of Lent, we are on a forty-day spiritual journey where we will walk with Jesus as we face the issues of life. Each of us need to face life as it is with Jesus for without Him we cannot stand, but with Him, we will be able take life as it comes to us. Today, as we face life with Jesus- we face temptation.

When the Devil was defeated in the wilderness, he did not give up. He waited for another opportunity. Jesus was never free from temptations. It is true with Christians as well. The closer you get to Christ the more you are going to be tempted. The Devil never quits unless you surrender or you die. This calls for you and me to be constantly on the watch, ever to be prepared. Let us consider several things we need to know about the Devil.

1. The first thing we learn about the Devil is that He is real. Listen again to verses 1-2 of our text for today: “And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit for forty days in the wilderness, tempted by the devil.” The Holy Spirit led Jesus for a specific purpose to be tempted by a specific person. That person was the devil. The problem with temptation, for certain people, is that they do not come to realize that temptation comes from a specific source. Temptation comes from a certain person and that person is the devil.

The devil is not someone made up in the minds and the imagination of people. He is a real person with real motives and real causes. He has a plan of attack. He has a certain procedure in which he operates.

Created good he opposed the Lord and fell. In the book of Revelation, we are told: ‘And there was a war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. And the dragon and his angels waged war, and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.” (Revelation 12:7-9) The devil is a real person. A fallen angel who opposes all that is good. He has lost his home in heaven and now prowls upon this earth.

Transition: Not only is the Devil a real person we also see from our text the source of temptation.

2. The source of temptation. Jesus was tempted by the Devil. Not only is the Devil a real person he is one who has come to seduce, entice and lure us away from the LORD as he tempts us. This is his strategy. He plan is to wage war on the Father through you. Having lost the war in heaven and having lost his place in heaven the Devil now lives upon this earth choosing to pick on God’s children.

Quite clearly, we can see that the Devil is nothing but a big bully. What do we say about such people? They prey upon the weak. They cannot defeat someone their own size so they lie in wait for one weaker and more vulnerable.

Transition: This is a picture of the Devil. He is real. He is a real person. His strategy is the dilution and the destruction of the Father’s children and all others that fall victim to his prey. But how does he operate? He attacks with half-truths.

3. He attacks with half-truths. On three different occasions the devil tempted Jesus by saying two little worlds if and you. “If you are the Son of God command this tome to be bread…”

To you I will give all this authority and their glory - it has been delivered to me and I give it to whom I will if you, then, will worship me, it shall be yours.

”If you are the Son of God throw yourself down from here…” What the devil has to say was true. Jesus was the Son of God. The devil put that truth into his temptations but he used the truth with a smattering of lies to make any of the truth, which he spoke, a half-truth. This is the tactic of the evil ho puts a little truth in every lie to make it sound like truth. And with that half-truth, he deceives and leads astray all who would listen to him.

The only way for us to confound and defeat the devil is to gird ourselves with God’s truth. Every time Jesus was tempted by the devil the only weapon that He used with the Scriptures – the Word of God. Without being armed the Scriptures, we are lost and we will not be able to stand up to the devil. To be forewarned is to be forearmed. Arm yourself with God’s Word. It is the only tool we have to fight off the temptations of the devil. This is what Jesus used to fight temptation. If that was the only weapon that Jesus used can we try any other?

Transition: Our own efforts cannot work against temptation. Only God’s Word will work in defeating Satan and his cunning ways.

 

4. The Devil never quits. He is persistent. On three different occasions, Jesus was tempted. Each time there was a different approach. The Devil came to Jesus repeatedly with one temptation after the other to wear Him down and draw Him out. The Devil came when Jesus was weak after having fasted for 40 days. So also, when we are weak and vulnerable that is the time we are most susceptible to be lead astray by the Devil’s lies. And after Jesus stood the testing this time, we are told that the Devil left Him but only until another opportune time. Repeatedly, Jesus was tempted. So likewise, the Devil will be persistent in his temptations seeking to entrap us and lead us astray in any way that he can,

Conclusion: We battle not against flesh and blood but against principalities and rulers in spiritual places. The devil is someone that we should take seriously. Jesus took him seriously by defeating him in the desert and at the cross. As we live our life facing temptation may we look to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith who has resisted the Devil and promised to give us His Word and his grace to face temptation. This is how you and I face life with Jesus. This is how we face temptation when it happens and when it comes. Look to Him to fight the Devil for us. In Jesus’ Holy Name. Amen

Words- 1,250
Passive Sentences – 7%
Readability –78.5%
Reading Level – 5.7

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[1] The Crucifixion  © WELS permission granted for personal and congregational use
[2] Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis

Psalm 130

Wyneken Chapel

Psalm 130

4.03.2019

Out of the Depths

(De Profundis)

God of might and compassion, You sent Your Word into the world as a watchman to announce the dawn of salvation. Do not leave us in the depths of our sins, but listen to Your Church pleading for the fullness of Your redeeming grace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. [1]

Our Psalm for today is Psalm 130. This Psalm is a cry for mercy. It is a request. In which we call out to God. Asking for His mercy and grace. Quite a fitting prayer.  In these verses we are taught, whatever condition you are in, though ever so deplorable, continue calling upon God. Consider the Penitent’s Prayer. As he prays out of the depths…

I.        David prayed from personal experience (vv.1-6) He is depressed, defiled, determined.

A.     David is depressed

1.      He finds himself to be in a desperate condition. “Out of the depths I have cried to Thee, O LORD”. (v.1) Sin causes us to find ourselves in such desperate circumstances. When we hit rock bottom where do we turn? When we find ourselves in the dumps and in the pits of sorrow to whom do we turn? David finds us an answer. We turn to the Lord.

2.      He offers a desperate cry. “Lord, hear my voice! Let Thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications”. (v.2) David cries out to the only one who could help him. Likewise, you cry out to the one who hears every prayer. Jesus heard the prayer of the thief who said “Lord, remember me”…”remember me when You come into Your kingdom”

B.     David is defiled.

1.      A sad fact:  “If Thou, LORD, shouldst mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?” (v.3) If the Lord were to mark our sin. If He were to treat us according to our sin. If He were to give us what we deserve. No one could stand. No one can measure up. To the scrutiny of the Lord’s judgment. Our sins rise up to condemn us.

2.      A sure forgiveness: “But there is forgiveness with Thee, that Thou mayest be feared.”(v.4) The clear message of the gospel. Which you need to hear, especially during this season of Lent is that in Jesus Christ all sin is forgiven period! There is forgiveness in Jesus Christ. At the cross, the Son of God paid for all sin. There is forgiveness in Jesus Christ. This is why we fear, love and trust in Him above all things.

C.     David is determined

1.      “I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait, and in His word do I hope.” (v.5) Because the Savior is in the business of saving people from their sins, we wait upon the Lord and hope in His sure and certain words and promises. God can be trusted.  We can trust Him to keep His Word.  We can be confident. That all of His promises are sure and certain. We wait upon the Lord and place our hope and confidence in His promises. We are standing on the promises, counting every single one.

2.      “My soul {waits} for the Lord more than the watchmen for the morning; {indeed, more than} the watchmen for the morning”. (v.6) The watchman, standing high atop the city gait. Keeping a watchful eye for the enemy. Waited for the dawn to break. The enemy could be easy to spot once daybreak came. Likewise. You wait upon the Lord to act as the watchman in the night.

Here we have a sure and certain hope. That God will act. He will bring to pass all that He has promised. All He asks is to wait upon Him and He will bring everything to pass.

II.     As David prayers. (vv.7-8) There is hope and there is help.

A.     There is hope in the Lord: “O Israel, hope in the LORD; for with the LORD there is loving kindness, and with Him is abundant redemption.”  (v. 7) David gives personal testimony. To the fact that the Lord can be trusted. In hopeful expectation, David has waited upon the Lord. Now he can be assured that the Lord will bring everything to pass. His loving-kindness is sure. His redemption is abundant. And plenteous. There is nothing lacking when it comes from the Lord.

B.     There is help in the Lord: “And He will redeem Israel from all his iniquities”. (v. 8) From all their sins. Israel has been redeemed. From all of your sins. The Lord has freed you. From the root of all of our troubles. The Lord has rescued us. As a result. The consequences of sin have been settled. Jesus took the world’s sin to Himself. And has dealt with your sin problem at the cross. The greatest of all hopes has been fulfilled in Christ. You are now free from the power of sin. You are now set apart. To be a new and redeemed people.

Through season of Lent. Keep your eyes on Jesus. In your cries for mercy. He hears you. In His mercy. He saved and redeemed you.

Words –895

Passive Sentences – 7%

Readability – 86.3%

Reading Level -3.3

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[1] For All the Saints A Prayer book For and By the Church; The American Lutheran Publicity Bureau © 1995 Delhi, NY Vol. II Year 1 The Season After Pentecost p. 741