Bible Study: The Prayer Jesus Taught His Disciples Week # 4

Matthew 6:5-15

Beginning Prayer:

 

Lord, what an awesome thing to be reminded of Your holy name and the power that comes with it. It is a pleasure to be a child of Yours. We honor Your name, Lord. We praise Your name, Lord. There is no other name in heaven and earth like Your name. Your name is precious to us. Your name is almighty. Your name is great. There have been so many powerful names passed through this earth, but none can be compared to Your Holy name.  Thank You for the opportunity to be able to honor Your great Name. Hallelujah to Your Name; Glory be to Your Great Name; Thank You for allowing us to use your Name Jesus. Jehovah is a Your Father's Name and we honor it so much. Hallowed be Thy Name.  AMEN.

 

Subject:   "The Lord's Prayer"   (Hallowed be Thy name)

 

Talking to the Father about the Father:

 

TEXT: "In this manner, therefore, pray: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed by your name'" (Matthew 6:9).

IDEA: "Hallowed be your name" is not a request that God be made holy, but that we will be able to reflect His holiness in the way we pray and the way we live.

PURPOSE: To help listeners pray this petition with meaning.

When a police officer knocks on the door and shouts, "Open in the name of the law!" what's going on? What is the "name of the law"?

When in the Lord's Prayer we ask, "Hallowed by your name," what are we praying for?

 

I. Is this a request that somehow God's name will be made holy?

In the Old Testament God's "name" stands for His person and is honored by His people. His name is often described as holy:

Psalm 30:4 – "Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holy name."

Psalm 97:12 – "Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holy name."

Psalm 111:9 – "He has sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant forever; holy and awesome is his name." Holiness is a prime characteristic of God.

 

II. Looking at the Old Testament, what do you think we're asking for when we say "Hallowed by your name"?

Look at two passages that refer to God's name.

Isaiah 29:23 – "When he sees his children, the work of My hands, in his midst, they will hallow My name, and hallow the Holy One of Jacob, and fear the God of Israel."

"What do you think "keep my name holy" means?

What is the concern of the prophets like Ezekiel in 20:8-9 and 36:20:23?

Ezekiel 20:8-9—"But they rebelled against me and would not obey me; they did not all cast away the abominations which were before their eyes, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt. Then I said, 'I will pour out my fury on them and fulfill my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.' But I acted for my name's sake, that it should not be profaned before the Gentiles among whom they were, in whose sight I had made myself known to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt."

Ezekiel 36:20-23– "When they came to the nations, wherever they went, they profaned my holy name—when they said to them, 'These are the people of the Lord, and yet they have gone out of his land." But I had concern for my holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations wherever they went. Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord God: I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for my holy name's sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. And I will sanctify my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord,' says the Lord God, 'when I am hallowed in you before their eyes.' "What should we be asking for when we pray, "hallowed be Your name"?

This prayer commonly known as the Lord's prayer contains the phrase, "Hallowed be Your name," but what does hallowed mean? The American Heritage Dictionary defines hallowed as, "sanctified; consecrated; highly venerated; sacrosanct," like the hallowed halls of a great university. To hallow is "to make or set apart as holy. To respect or honor greatly; revere." In simpler terms, we often use hallowed to refer to someone whom we should treat with awe and respect because they deserve it. 

Why does the Lord's prayer contain the phrase, "Hallowed be Your name"? The phrase follows the opening of the prayer, which directly addresses God, so we know that the phrase means that God's name should be hallowed. When we review the dictionary definition of hallowed, we can understand why God should be hallowed, but why should His name be hallowed? 

To understand why God's name should be hallowed, we first need to understand that the Jews (God's chosen people) had different naming customs than we do today. To a Jew, a person's name was more than just a way to identify them physically; their name also reflected their nature. Jews named their children in a way that expressed the child's mission in life. Because of this custom, the Jewish people had about 16 different names for God in the Hebrew Old Testament. Each name reflected a different aspect of God's character, so God's names were considered by the Jews to be just as holy as God Himself. In fact, God's names were and are so holy to the Jews, that they never write His full name for fear of bringing disrespect to it and to God. 

In the Lord's Prayer, the phrase, "Hallowed be Your name" is appropriate, because not only is God holy, but His name is holy too. We should never treat God's name with disrespect as some do when they curse and use God's name in vain. We should give the same respect and honor to God's name that we give to God because He and His name are one in the same. 

 

Week # 4

 

Weekly Pattern:      Praise

 

Prayers from the Bible:

 

Questions:

1)        What do it means to hollow God's name?

2)        What do hallowed means?

3)        Does the Bible speak of His Name as being holy?

4)        Is holiness a prime characteristic of God?

5)        According to OT what are we asking when we say those words?

6)        What should we be asking for when we pray this phrase?

7)        According to the Bible do God deserve to be hollow? Explain.

8)        Why does the Lord's Prayer contain this phrase?

9)        Is God's Name Holy as He is?

10)      What do the word consecrated means?

11)      What do the word sacred means?

12)      Name other scriptures which speak of God Holy Name.

13)      How do we become holy as God is Holy?

 

Weekly Song:  (Matthew 26:30)

 

Weekly Praise:        Thank You Jesus

 

Let's Hallow His name by rehearsing Who He is:

 

Weekly Reading Assignment: (Acts 7-8)

 

Ending Prayer: