Occasionally, when one preaches, the substance of the sermon addresses the immediate experience of the preacher himself. In truth, the preacher should always be preaching to himself and striving to live within the fullness of the truths he is expounding every time he preaches. But sometimes, the two coincide in a far more acute way.
It was this way for me this past Lord’s Day.
By God’s grace and in His providence, I was filling the pulpit for a local Church where I’ve had a long-standing relationship with the congregation, and deep personal fellowship and friendship with the pastor. He was going to be away for 2 weeks and asked if I might cover both of those for him. I decided upon a two part series on Jesus’ letter to the Church in Philadelphia found in Rev. 3:7-13.
As you well know, this letter is written to a Church which was enduring much trial due to natural disasters, governmental overreach and mismanagement and direct persecution from the local Jewish community. The context paints a small church, with few resources and no real power to change their circumstances. Bereft of natural opportunity and ability, nevertheless Jesus says He has set before them “an open door which no one Is able to shut.”
What is that all about?
It is most typical to identify that “open door” as an opportunity for Gospel witness despite their straightened circumstances. And while that concept is certainly true, I’m not convinced by the context and the Old Testament allusion Jesus employs here that that is His main point. Rather, (and I will not exegete the passage here, you can hear the entire sermon at https://www.youtube.com/live/JqtaYBmlCm0?feature=shared) it appears the open door is more in reference to the saints unfettered access to the throne of God that Christ has opened for them, and for us, especially by the vehicle of – prayer.
What I wanted to press on my hearers was the wonder of this open door into the presence of God in prayer. And not pressing prayer in terms of set times and lengths – though that can be a useful tool, but more: A habitual frame of heart and mind which brings all things before the throne, informed by the Word and trusting His holiness, love and wisdom to answer as He deems best.
This requires no special words. No special posture. No special time of day or length. An air of the heart consistently turned to Him, believing He hears, knows, loves, sympathizes, and lovingly answers with infallible wisdom. In fact, it may not ever require words at all.
Let me explain.
Just before I preached the 1st sermon on this portion, I contracted a nasty cold. I struggled with congestion and a very sore throat the first week. In the meantime, the cold worsened and developed into a severe sinus infection with much pain and little ability to talk at all comfortably. The intervening week was miserable. Poor and very interrupted sleep. Difficulty breathing. Constant coughing. Not comfortable.
But it was during this time, waking up multiple times each night, that I experienced the joy and wonder of simply having my heart and mind turned toward the Lord, and opportunities to lift up the names and circumstances of any number of loved ones and situations before Him. Due this mostly being in the dead of night, and both with speech quite painful and considering my dear wife’s need for rest – these times of prayer were mostly silent. Like Hannah in1 Sam. 1, I was speaking in my heart, only my lips moved, but my voice was not heard. But my God did!
This! This was the reality and the joy of those physically distressing moments – that my God was attending, and His ear open to my silent but urgent pleas. At times, in exhaustion, even my lips failed to move. But every thought, ever care and concern that I inwardly brought before His throne, I know was heard. For you see in Christ, He has set before His saints, an open door which no one is able to shut. Which no circumstance is able to shut. A place of refuge which can be retreated to in the most straightened of times and places.
It was common to hear in my days growing up, that when schools stopped having public prayer – that prayer had been removed from the schools. Nonsense. There is no law, no circumstance, no prohibition by man, devil or demon which can shut the door to our Father’s throne. Jesus Himself has set it before us. O may we take continual advantage of it – knowing full well, that clothed in His righteousness and adopted into the Family, that we ever and always have access to our Father, God and Kind.
First, in an hour long drive to a recent wedding with some friends, the issue of worship music entered our discussion. It was both pleasant and insightful. And, it brought back the memory of something my fellow elders and I tried to think through more carefully a few years ago, as a way of getting the congregation to think about music in a Biblically informed way – and as a guide for our worship leaders.
The substance of our “Elder’s Perspective on Worship Music” will be found below, as a way to generate more thoughtful discussion.
Second, was an extended period of listening to a contemporary Christian worship channel on the radio in my recent visit to Texas. What struck me after listening for quite a while, was not that the music was poor. Sadly, it actually was in some cases and not in others. The tunes were, ho-hum. Not memorable. Not the kind of thing I would find myself reflecting on outside of a context where it was being played or I was invited to sing along. And most (not all) were not at all suited for group singing. They were more suited to solo voices performing. They would not lend themselves to a congregational application any more than say Sandi Patti’s Via Dolorosa. There is a place for that for sure. But no one would think of using it for a congregation to sing together.
But what stood out the most, were the lyrics. Not the words themselves considered in and of themselves. They we basically coherent and “Biblical” enough. It was that they seemed to be a mere collection of Christianese buzz-words and phrases, strung together rather haphazardly. Not memorable stanzas forming a cohesive whole. Like there was a list of words and phrases like: Blood, Wash, Holy, Delight, See, Desire, Hunger, Long, Jesus, God, I want to, please make me, make my heart, etc., and you just take them and paste them together in whatever order, and put them to a tune. There was no meat on the bones in terms of forming strong Biblical constructs for the heart and mind to really hang one’s hat on.
Third, is a discussion my wife and I just had this morning. Sky, having grown up for years in a super-liberal Methodist Church that would have none of the “bloody religion” stuff – nevertheless still finds the hymns of that Church resonating with and feeding her soul even today. And she opined that an entire generation will be bereft of the benefit such music continues to bring to her.
So, as I said above, in an effort to get our entire Church on the same page a number of years ago regarding music, we elders at ECF penned the following. And I pray it is useful to you in considering such matters for yourself, and for the Churches where you worship with your fellow saints.
“Worship is the activity of glorifying God in His presence with our voices and hearts.” In this definition we note that worship is an act of glorifying God. Yet all aspects of our lives are supposed to glorify God, so this definition specifies that worship is something we do especially when we come into God’s presence, when we are conscious of adoration of Him in our hearts, and when we praise Him with our voices and speak about Him so others may hear. Paul encourages the Christians in Colossae, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” ‘ ” (Col. 3:16)
“In fact, the primary reason that God called us into the assembly of the Church is that as a corporate assembly we might worship Him. As Edmund Clowney wisely says: “God had demanded of Pharaoh, “Let my people go, so that they may worship me in the desert” (Ex. 7.16b)….God brings them out that he might bring them in, into his assembly, to the great company of those who stand before his face….God’s assembly at Sinai is therefore the immediate goal of the exodus. God brings his people into His presence that they might hear his voice and worship him.” ‘ “(From Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology – page 1003).
Fewer topics within the life of the Church generate more discussion, and often division, than Worship styles. This is true in our generation, as well as previous ones. It is a perennial hot spot.
Some Biblical Parameters & Non-Negotiables
Col. 3.16 – 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
Eph. 5.18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Passages like this one help us form a picture of the things Worship must incorporate in order to be Biblical. We’ve isolated 11 principles in these two passages which serve as the framework for our view of Biblical Worship here at ECF.
a. “Let the Word” – Biblical Worship must be: Word or Scripture Based. Rooted in God’s revelation of Himself. Apart from that, we would worship in supposition, but not truth.
b. “of Christ” – Biblical Worship must be: Christ centered. Jesus said in John 5.22 -23 “The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.” Here we see, God is not rightly honored, where Jesus is not rightly honored. Worship of God which omits a focus upon Jesus Christ and His saving work at Calvary fails to be genuine worship in God’s eyes.
c. “wisdom” – Biblical Worship must: Create and reinforce a Biblical world view.
d. “teaching” – Biblical Worship must be: Instructive in doctrine & life.
e. “admonishing” – Biblical worship ought to be: Challenging, encouraging us to a more Christ glorifying life.
f. “psalms, hymns, spiritual songs” – Biblical Worship must be: Broad in style and use (including prayer). Some music expresses right feelings of adoration, joy and thanksgiving. Other music admonishes. Some hymns or songs are prayerful. Still others are theologically instructive. Biblical Worship should embrace all of these – and possibly more.
g. “filled with the spirit” – Biblical Worship must be aimed at: Engaging the whole man under the influence of the Spirit. Moving the emotions with Biblical truth and beauty.
i. “making melody” – Biblical Worship must be: Joyful.
j. “giving thanks” – Biblical Worship must be: Appreciative.
k. “submitting” – Biblical Worship must be: Humble.
l. “reverence” – Biblical Worship must be: Reverent, befitting our God and our right relationships to Him. Making much of His glory.
I. The Chief goals we are after: We’ve identified five areas of special importance.
1. CONSISTENCY: We do not want to develop or foster different styles or traditions in different services, but one broad approach, the same in all services.
2. BREADTH: We would like to utilize a broad range of styles from all the ages of the Church.
a. New – Music of high quality both musically & doctrinally.
b. Traditional – (Trinity Hymnal et al) Maintaining the best of this genre.
c. Earlier Church – Pre 17th-20th century music.
d. Original – Music growing out of this assembly and its expressions.
There is nothing inherently right in being locked into any one or more of these genres. We are seeking to develop a much richer and broader worship environment both to expand the means we each use to glorify God, and to engage those in as many age groups and backgrounds as is reasonable.
3. EXPRESSIONS: There are no Biblically ordained instruments versus non-Biblically ordained instruments. We will endeavor to harness all instruments in service to the right worship of God.
a. More musicians of varying kinds (Strings, Vocals, Percussion, Bass, Wind, Brass, Electronic, etc.)
b. More styles.
4. FLEXIBILITY: There is no Biblically ordained worship format. The number of songs, where they are placed, and how they may be interwoven with prayer, Scripture reading, Preaching and other elements is a matter of taste and function. We do not believe we need to be bound to any particular format as long as the necessary elements are present.
a. We would like to see more and varying opportunity for participant response (Readings, Prayers, Recitations, Poems, Solos, Duets, etc).
b. More variation in when, where and how music is integrated. i.e. Not just front loading the music but sometimes more at the end, interspersing, etc.
5. ACCESSIBILITY: Music especially must be something which resonates with the worshipers. Though not all music will do so equally.
a. We DO exist within a culture. While we are never free to allow the culture to define us, we also have a responsibility to reach the culture where God has providentially placed us. it. We have a delicate and important balance to maintain here – guarding against compromise with the culture, while at the same time not erecting needless roadblocks to communication and interaction with the culture. In Japan, we would need to speak Japanese. In our culture, we need to be able to speak the language, without sacrificing one iota of the message. We are charged to reach the people around us, not 18th or 19th century Englishmen.
b. Worship is NOT only for us. 2 Chron. 6.32 “Likewise, when a foreigner, who is not of your people Israel, comes from a far country for the sake of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm, when he comes and prays toward this house, 33 hear from heaven your dwelling place and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to you, in order that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your people Israel, and that they may know that this house that I have built is called by your name.
The phrase “The Great Exchange” is often attributed to Martin Luther. Whether or not the phrase originated with him, the concept is simply the Biblical teaching that salvation hinges upon the placing of our guilt for sin on Christ at the cross, and the imputation of His righteousness to Believers through faith. In R. C. Sproul’s “How Can I Be Right With God” he summarizes the Scripture teaching as: “We are blessed because our sin is not counted to us but imputed to Christ, and His righteousness is imputed to us by God’s forensic decree.” Sproul, R. C. 2017. How Can I Be Right with God?. First edition. Vol. 26. The Crucial Questions Series. Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust: A Division of Ligonier Ministries.
Now that has been the core of Biblical theology on the subject from the very beginning. Praise God for it!
But in our day, in 21st century America, the Great Exchange above has been supplanted by many for a different, and not-so-great-exchange. It is the exchange of lives consumed with spreading the Gospel of the saving grace of Jesus Christ and being transformed into His image by the power of the Spirit, to being consumed with preserving Western Culture and American Constitutionalism.
And it’s a raw deal.
The idea of praying “Your kingdom come” has been reshaped from seeking the fullness of Christ’s Kingship in our lives and His return to rule and reign on earth, to Christ helping us preserve the American way of life, and that, in material prosperity. We are no longer preoccupied with prosecuting the battle against the remnants of indwelling sin in ourselves and defending the faith once for all delivered to the saints, but battling the sin we perceive in others trying to encroach on an idealized and romantic notion of Americanism. It is Leave-it-to-Beaverism; as though the corruption of humankind hidden beneath the veneer of imagined external Pollyanna days was less deadly than the corruption we are increasingly seeing lived out in the culture. The dread disease was always there and just as fatal – it was just kept out of sight. Some.
When growing in Christ’s image no longer takes precedence, then other’s sins and other causes do.
The prayer closet has been exchanged for the voting booth.
Don’t get me wrong, Christians have civic responsibilities. We should carry them out as conscientiously as we can. But there is no policy, even legislated from the most godly body that can actually deal with sin, only certain of its manifestations. Is that good? Sure. But does it change anyone? Does it bring them into right standing with God? Does it produce actual righteousness? No. Only the Gospel can do that. It is not an ultimate answer. That doesn’t mean we ignore it, only that we do not see it as an end. We want to, we are commanded to – do good to our neighbors. But good that does not address the soul is only wallpapering a gaping hole in the wall.
Man’s problem is a sin problem, not a policy problem. Not a political system problem. Not a cultural problem. And we cannot win a spiritual war with earthly weapons or tactics “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Eph. 6:12) To which Paul by The Spirit adds His “therefore”. Therefore what? Sue? Vote? Become activists? Campaign? Hold rallies? Finance pacs? Decry conspiracies? March? No – take up the whole armor of God.
Now hear me – I’m not saying we can’t do all those other things. I’m not saying they are not useful to some degree. If my basement is flooding, I need to be about the business of bailing. Such bailing is needed to stave off further damage. But if I do not attack the broken pipe, if I do not stem the source of the flood – no matter how heroically I bail – in the end, the flood will overtake me and all will be lost. When Jesus was asleep in the boat in Mark 4, the Disciples tried to rouse Him to help. Help them what? Help manage the boat in the storm. And if that is what He did, how tragic the result would have been. They needed supernatural aid to their very real, existential peril. They needed Him to stand up and rebuke the wind and the waves, even though they weren’t aware He could even do that.
The Church, the nation, doesn’t need a revival of Americanism and/or patriotism, it needs a revival of souls through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Until the people of God are more interested in God’s plans and purposes than our own, for His cosmic and eternal causes and not for our temporary and temporal ones, we will be distracted by an exchange that damns men’s souls while attempting to recover human institutions.
Have you ever had someone burst into the room where you are and just start talking – without even saying hi, or asking if you are busy or without any kind of acknowledgment? I have. And its jarring. For me, a bit annoying. I’m not implying that God is that way in terms of being annoyed, but I wonder if we do not even extend the common courtesy we ought to extend to one another – to Him in prayer? Do we just dive in without any thought of relationship so that prayer never advances to true communion and not the equivalent of just dropping off our laundry list or visiting the “Complaint Desk”? Are we just hitting the cosmic panic button? Or are we conscious of coming into the presence of “Our Father who is in Heaven”?
Jesus’ pattern here helps us begin in a new starting place in prayer. In a place of both familiarity and intimacy.
Father, I want to stop for a moment and re-frame my own heart and mind before we get into the thick of things, by remembering that you are truly “our” Father; Jesus’ and mine and Father of all my brothers and sisters in The Faith. Father. Not just Lord or God or sovereign, but – Father.
Father, ruling and reigning over all as you are in Heaven, before anything else, help me remember that above everything else in all the world, what the world needs most, what I need most, what everyone I am about to discuss with you needs most – is for you to be seen, and known, and appreciated and relished for who and what you are.
And Father, by your Spirit I need my soul to be governed and supremely influenced by your indwelling Spirit above every external force, and to be consciously longing for Jesus’ manifest reign.
And so Father, knowing your love, mercy, grace, compassion, holiness and wisdom are perfect and infinite in every way – with that firmly in mind – grant me, grant US today, the wise supply for every need. For my every concern. And above all, satisfy my longing soul with a fresh portion of The Bread of Life. Make Him the sweetest most satisfying delight to me, and to my brothers and sisters. Open Him afresh to me by your Spirit. Make me to thirst only for Him. To hunger only for a greater and greater revelation of His glory and perfections. Fill me with Jesus. Remind my afresh how it is that your “divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence.” (2 Pet. 1:3)
Lift my eyes up. Let me see Him, know Him, wonder at Him. Overwhelm me with contemplations of His glory. For then, and only then will all that I am about to seek you for will be seen in their right perspective. Give me, give us, this day, this day’s – daily Bread. I cast the whole of my needs, desires, wants and concerns upon you, because I know by your sending Christ, that you care for me beyond comprehension. (1 Pet. 5:7)
And now, Father, now with my heart and mind re-tuned, at least in part – let me pour out my heart to you in the full confidence of your love, understanding and power. Father…
Conclave is the new feature film thriller based upon the 2016 Robert Harris novel of the same name.
The plot is simple: The Roman Catholic Pope (perfectly played by Bruno Novelli who is only listed in the credits as: “Dead Pope”) dies of a heart attack. Hence the process, personalities and intrigues surrounding electing a new Pope comprise the film.
In the main, I found the film very visually appealing, the script well written and the execution well-acted. I enjoyed it a lot. Until.
To set the scene, Ralph Fiennes (Cardinal Lawrence) is the Dean of the Cardinals who will have to pilot the college through its electoral process. He is a deeply sensitive man, who tries to live by wisdom and decorum, and who is also suffering a non-defined crisis of faith. Something to do with prayer. He is a traditionalist who nevertheless has hopes for a more progressive Church.
The main players vying to be the new Pope number 4.
Cardinal Bellini (Stanley Tucci) is very progressive and is wanting wider tolerance if not downright acceptance of other religions; greater roles for women in the Church and softening regarding LGBTQ+ stances.
Cardinal Tremblay (Jonathan Lithgow) has little or no articulated polices, but proves to be a power monger buying off other cardinals for votes (the sin of Simony) and submarining the candidacy of another Cardinal by resurrecting a 30 year old sexual indiscretion.
Cardinal Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto) is the hard core traditionalist – who wants war against the Muslims, a return to the Latin mass and (in the eyes of Lawrence and Bellini) wants to push the Church back into the Middle ages. A decidedly crude and unlikeable character.
Cardinal Adeyemi (Lucien Msamati) the candidate from Africa (yes, there are discriminatory undertones from several Cardinals) whose campaign is derailed by Trembly’s exposure of his sexual dalliance. He has a notably anti-gay stance.
And so the infighting and politicking begin. Fun! Lot’s of spicy stuff while Lawrence tries to juggle it all.
Side note: Isabella Rossellini (Sister Agnes) is always worth watching on the screen.
But! There is a sudden new wrinkle. Just as this is all to begin, a new, previously unknown Cardinal arrives: Cardinal Benitez (Carlos Diehz). He is originally from Mexico but is currently serving in Kabul Afghanistan. He has served in other war torn and difficult posts. His appointment was kept secret by the recently deceased Pontiff for safety reasons.
When all is said and done, after a suicide bomber attack interrupts numerous rounds of balloting, the elimination of Trembly and Adeyemi – and a tirade by Tedesco regarding going to war with the Muslims – the lone voice of peace and wisdom brings all to a halt. Benitez emerges as the calm, cool, angel of sanity, compromise and as one might imagine, unifying the majority, is elected Pope.
All is well.
Until Lawrence discovers that Benitez is in fact a biological woman – intersexed, who at one point (with the blessing and funding of the dead Pope) had previously been on his/her way to have a laparoscopic hysterectomy but decided to remain as God made her.
The movie ends with Lawrence opening the window to his apartment, and now at last the light is shining in. We have the new enlightened era.
In short, we have a finely crafted piece of LGBTQ+ propaganda. A polemic. Period. Perhaps the original author’s premise was simply a giant “what if?” But in execution, it is an argument – for. The sanest, most reasonable, best possible candidate to be the spiritual leader of the Roman Catholic Church is one who is sexually confused and deceptive to the highest degree.
Now beyond that – if that element were not even present, we would also have this which would remain true.
What we have in the entire portrayal, is a “Church” which has no regard for the authority of Scripture, but instead finds its only moorings in beautiful, wonderfully and meticulously artful tradition. Nothing more. Utterly devoid of anything having to do with Gospel of Jesus Christ. Empty form and fashion – however attractive and august in performance.
We are considering the nature of what is termed “The Lord’s Prayer” from the sermon on the mount in Matthew 6.
If you haven’t noticed it yet, the way Jesus teaches us to pray, takes the focus of the soul away from ourselves, and places it back upon our God. This is by design. For when we consider ourselves first and foremost, and do not lift our eyes up to our God and Redeemer and King first, so much of our prayer can devolve into a mere self-pity session.
It is not that we are in any way hindered from bringing our needs to Him. Indeed, this is one of the royal gifts Christ has bestowed upon us. He has opened the door so that we may bring all to the Father, in faith, knowing His love, power, mercy, grace, compassion and tenderness toward us. But this God-first-focus draws our hearts and minds up above ourselves. It refreshes our souls and foments faith within because faith must always have an object. And when that object is the God of the universe, our trials and tribulations, as real, critical and even bearing the marks of emergency, are placed against the backdrop of His glory, and robbed of their power to overwhelm us.
I’ve quoted it before, but especially as we come to this 3rd petition, “your will be done as it is in heaven” – hear Thomas Aquinas: “It is clear that he does not pray, who, far from uplifting himself to God, requires that God shall lower Himself to him, and who resorts to prayer not to stir up the man in us to will what God wills, but only to persuade God to will what the man in us wills.”
While at first blush praying that His will be done before we even make our desires known may seem counter-intuitive. It isn’t. Why? Because here, we begin to frame our personal desires in the most faith-filled way possible.
Here is the dynamic. I am bringing my pleas and petitions before Him, while at the same time recognizing that even my personal concerns are not isolated from His eternal plans and purposes. It makes me pause to consider how in salvation, He has intertwined the whole of my life with His cosmic redemptive work. So my aches, my sorrows, my confusions and my deepest felt needs, are not just about me. In prayer, I get to bring those things to Him, and ask Him to consider His answers to me in light of what He is doing in me personally, in those around me my life touches, in His Church of which I am a part, and in His fathomless plans.
So here is my need, now you know better than I what is wisest and best and of most use in the hallowing of your name and the advancing of your Kingdom in your answer to it. So Father, I bring it to you for the best possible disposal. Yes, I may prefer X be handled a certain way – but more – I know you love me more than I can love myself, I know you cannot sin against me, I know your wisdom is perfect and that you have only my absolute and eternal best at heart – so while I want X – YOUR will be done in this earth, in this circumstance, in this situation, the way it is done in heaven.
And how might we imagine His will is done in Heaven? With no opposition. With no hesitation. With the agency of the angelic hosts. With perfect wisdom. In all holiness. In all perfection and in harmony with what He has purposed for me – the greatest blessing of all – to wake in Christ’s likeness.
Here is the prayer of faith beloved – trusting Him to always answer better than I can ask. And with the absolute conviction, that He will!
One of the more interesting passages in the life and ministry of Elisha the prophet, is the account of the floating ax head in 2 Kings 6:1-7.
It reads: “Some of the prophets said to Elisha, “Look, the place where we meet with you is too cramped for us. Let’s go to the Jordan. Each of us will get a log from there, and we will build a meeting place for ourselves there.” He said, “Go.” One of them said, “Please come along with your servants.” He replied, “All right, I’ll come.” So he went with them. When they arrived at the Jordan, they started cutting down trees. As one of them was felling a log, the ax head dropped into the water. He shouted, “Oh no, my master! It was borrowed!” The prophet asked, “Where did it drop in?” When he showed him the spot, Elisha cut off a branch, threw it in at that spot, and made the ax head float. He said, “Lift it out.” So he reached out his hand and grabbed it.”
At first blush, it seems to have little to commend itself to the modern reader, but I think there is a wonderful reaffirmation of Gospel truth in it.
All of the graces we had in Adam, were granted to us – “borrowed” from God, and were not ours inherently. This is so because we did not create ourselves nor do we sustain ourselves.
1 Corinthians 4:7 “For who sees anything different in you? vWhat do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?”
It was a weighty thing we lost in the Fall: Holiness.
Holiness is not light and not lightly recovered. Even as the word “glory” has the thought of weightiness in it – so the glory we were made to bear as God’s image bearers sunk into the dark and muddy waters.
All we had was from Him. And what little we have left is still from Him. But our righteousness, the image of His glory – this we lost. The holiness and uprightness we were created in is gone. The very image of God in us was marred beyond recognition. We were no longer able to glorify – to reveal Him as were created to do. Lost so as to be irrecoverable by human means. It would take a miracle of grace alone to do the impossible in saving us. The very transcendence of nature and its laws. That which could only be done by God Himself.
Oh, what a glorious salvation belongs to those who believe.
And in the words of John Newton, this truly is “Amazing Grace.”
So we’ve begun this look at prayer as a means to bring our own hearts and minds into tune with God’s great plans and purposes. Jesus teaches us to begin with a plea for the Father’s name to be rightly revered, respected and “hallowed.” For in the final analysis, nothing can be of greater importance than for God to be seen and related to rightly for who and what He is. It is the ultimate blessing for us as creatures. It is the end of all of Christ’s work. It overthrows everything of the Fall. And in the moment, it shores up the heart of the fainting saint. When you are facing big things – you need to see your truly big God.
This, Jesus asks us to consider in our prayers of first importance. We do not need to linger long there; though at times, we may begin turning our thoughts this way in prayer, and may find it an umbrella to all else we pray. But spend a few moments before Him considering this, and the rest will flow.
Secondly, He asks to pray that the Father’s Kingdom might come – might be fully manifested. Once again we see the hinge to vs. 33 – “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
And here, is a most vital matter for our hearts to consider before His throne – and that in 3 ways above all others.
1 – Heavenly Father – let your kingdom come IN me. Rule me. Own me. Possess me fully. Fill me with your Spirit so that Christ dwells in my heart through faith. Bring my emotions, my perceptions, my attitudes, my plans and purposes, my desires and aspirations, my responses to all peoples and circumstances under the hand of your absolute Lordship. Let Christ reign unopposed in my heart and mind. Take command over every last vestige atom of sin within me. Let every word that comes from my mouth and the very strains of my thought-life be wholly acceptable to you; for you are my rock and my redeemer. Your Kingdom come – in me.
2 – Heavenly Father, let your kingdom come THROUGH me. Make me a sower of the Gospel in all the world around me. Advance your kingdom in granting opportunities to call the lost to faith in Christ, and to bless and strengthen my brothers and sisters in Christ. Help me to be of use in the building of your Church. Use me as your agent where your infinite wisdom deems best. I care nothing for the theater of my service, only that I serve you when and where and how your Providence deems most useful to that end. Give your Gospel great success; subdue the hearts of your enemies through it. Advance and expand your Church and its influence with great power. Your kingdom come.
3 – Heavenly Father, send Jesus to rule and reign manifestly on this earth. We pray for His return. We cry that You might put down all sin and rebellion in all the cosmos. That indeed, every knee bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord to your praise and glory. Establish your Kingdom in His return. Send Him Father. Let Him break the nations with a rod of iron. Let Him judge all mankind in truth and righteousness. Let Him overthrow every human government and be established as your true, anointed king. Heavenly Father, your kingdom come.
Beloved, spend a few moments to be reminded of the great glory of our God and king – in calming the heart and mind before Him in the hallowing of His name – and then seek Him to finish the work He has begun. Seek to enter into it yourself. Seek to have all sin and its tendencies to be brought under His tender yoke within you, until the day when in His appearing, all sin is at last done away with.
Start here. Train the mind to go to these places first. It need not take long. But it will transform your inner man to rest and glory in Him – when all the world around you seems chaos and frightening.
Our Father, ruling and reigning in majesty above, may your name be restored in all the universe, and may your will be done on this earth even as it is in Heaven – immediately, unopposed and to the fullest degree. Amen.
So that we do not get too esoteric about it all, let me try to boil down what I am after in prayer – and as it relates to the first petition Jesus taught to consider in prayer.
And by way of introduction to this portion, I am reminded of Jesus’ summarizing words in 6:33 – “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” There is in this a look into an extraordinary exchange which cannot be ours until we digest this first petition well. The idea is this: if we will make seeking the hallowing of God’s name, the advancement of His Kingdom and the doing of His will as our chief priority in prayer – He promises to make sure our personal needs are met in the process. It isn’t that we ignore our needs in prayer – we’ll get to that more in due course. It is rather that He brings us into His own cosmic plans and purposes and promises that in taking those on – He’ll take ours on.
So let me break this down into 4 things.
1 – Seek first that the Father’s name be restored to its rightful place – IN YOU.
Nothing so breaks the yoke of doubt and fear in your own circumstances, as having your heart and mind filled with the wonder, glory and awe of the greatness and goodness of God. This one who spoke the cosmos into existence, and who can in no wise sin against you, because in Him is no darkness at all.
Don’t know how to pray aright in confusing and monumental circumstances? Pray this: “Father, let my soul be over-awed once again by who and what you are as over and against all that troubles my heart and mind. Be who you are to me in all your fullness, afresh.”
2 – Seek that the Father’s name and reputation come into full view in the hearts and minds of the lost.
You can pray no great thing for your unsaved loved ones than that they too come to see Him for who and what He is. How do you pray for that erring child, that unsaved spouse, that perishing friend caught in destructive sin? “Father, let them see you. Let them come to know you as I know you. Let them be overwhelmed by your love, your grace, your mercy, and your holiness, so that they fall to their knees before you. Hallowed be your name, to them.”
3 – Seek that the Father’s name and reputation be restored to all sentient beings in the universe.
Nothing can be set to rights in this fallen world until all come to see Him and know Him and reverence Him for who and what He is – especially as revealed in Christ. “Father, the World is awash in confusion, degradation, sin, bondage and destruction. We need more than revival as a religious movement in our Church, our government or nation – we need true, cosmos shattering revival in the revealing of your glory to all – so that “at the name of jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on the earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to your glory.”
4 – Seek that the Father’s name and reputation be restored and reveled in, by your brother or sister in Christ as they face their trials, tribulations and even death. Nothing will do them in better stead.
“Father, I do not know how to pray in specificity and wisdom for this my brother and sister in their trial today – but this I know, they need to see you for who and what you are. They need their hearts lifted up out of their circumstances. They need to see you high and lifted up – ruling over all – and reminded that “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” Let them glory in you anew. Let your sacred name be truly hallowed to them today.”
Beginning prayer in this way beloved, you tune your E string to Him. And everything else will be brought into its right relationship to it as you continue. Don’t know how to pray and what to pray for? Start here. And watch what happens.
Going all the way back to the 60’s (yeah, I go back even before that) – I heard discussions about how to make the Gospel relevant to people. Might I kindly but firmly say, that such thinking is completely upside down and misses the point of the Gospel entirely. In our preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the goal is to bring people back into a life of relevance to God! We were created FOR Him. He does not exist for us. In the Fall, we stepped away from our created purposes to follow our own plans and desires. And through the Gospel, we are reconciled back to God, so that we might once again take up His plans and purposes in the world. This is why the first petition Jesus taught us is of the highest importance.
In Luke 2 we’re told the account of Jesus when He was 12 years old, staying behind the returning caravan, in Jerusalem, after the Passover. His parents searched for Him for 3 days. When they finally find Him in the Temple interacting with the teachers there – His annoyed and no doubt worried parents – chasten Him for His action. His reply is noteworthy: “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
He’s 12. But what is He about? His Father’s business. He is already living with an eye well past His immediate place and time. His heart and mind are set on the Father, on His plans, His purposes, His will.
So it is when He teaches us to pray, He seeks to help us come into that same heart/head space ourselves. To be drawn out of ourselves for a moment, to consider matters of cosmic importance. To consider God as God – and what that means. And as counterintuitive, as mind-boggling as it sounds – to pray for God in some way. This is truly astounding. What are we to pray for first? That the Father’s name would be hallowed. That the core issue in setting the cosmos right again – is seeing that the Father is honored, loved, respected, revered and “holified” once again – in all the universe.
Now this phrase, “hallowed be your name” can be thought of in many aspects, but let us consider only 4.
Jesus is forever desirous that His Father been seen and loved as He sees and loves Him because first and foremost – it is right. It is setting the cosmos to rights. And, because in it, we will find ultimate blessing ourselves.
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
1 – Let your glory and wonder be restored and made real TO me, IN me, and THROUGH me.
All blessing comes from The Father. He is the source of all good. Good, without any defect. “The blessing of the Lord makes rich, and He adds no sorrow with it.” (Prov. 10:22) But when He is in any way suspect in our eyes; when we imagine that in some way, any way, His love toward us is defective and He does not have our best interest at heart or has not used His best wisdom in ordering His providences in our lives – we besmirch Him. So we need a fresh sense of His perfections and goodness toward us in all things.
When Peter is writhing to his exiled and suffering brethren, by The Spirit he writes: “Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy.” (1 Pet. 3:13-15a) The way he tells them to endure suffering, must contain a heart and mind that is anchored in the fact that Christ is both Lord over their circumstances, and, that He is holy. That He cannot sin against them in His appointments. That He cannot do them wrong in any way. And we must begin there too beloved.
With all our needs, all our sorrows, all our cares, concerns, doubts, fears and worries – Father, help MY heart and mind, to hallow you aright. Be that holy, perfect, glorious, magnificent, all-loving, gracious, kind and compassionate sovereign TO ME! Be hallowed to ME right now. In this place in these circumstances. At this moment – open my eyes to the wonder of you afresh. And this, so that I might live in that reality, and might then proclaim that reality to the world.
A number of years ago, there was a TV commercial for Ritz Crackers. Andy Griffith was the spokesman, and the tag line was: “What are you hungry for when you don’t know what you’re hungry for?” Their answer? “Something on a crisp Ritz Cracker.”
Christians, what do you pray for when you don’t know what to pray for? That the Father’s name would be hallowed – and first and foremost to yourself. So that you may walk in love and confidence and trusting in a God who is so great, so glorious, so wondrous, so loving and true – that every dark shadow is blasted away by the refulgence of His bright glory.
Nothing, nothing will so strengthen, so cheer and refresh the soul as a fresh vision of His glory will. And so it is He teaches us to pray in this way before anything else. For all else will flow from this marvelous place.
As Spurgeon once wrote: “Depend upon it, there are countless holy influences which flow from the habitual maintenance of great thoughts of God, as there are incalculable mischiefs which flow from our small thoughts of him. The root of false theology is belittling God; and the essence of true divinity is greatening God, magnifying him, and enlarging our conceptions of his majesty and his glory to the utmost degree.” Spurgeon, C. H. 1891. “A Harp of Ten Strings.” In The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, 37:446. London: Passmore & Alabaster.
Humor me as I take yet one more day to tease this out just a bit more. Trust me, it will be worth it. But for today, if you will take just five minutes to get alone with the Lord, and plead for the hallowing of His name afresh TO you, IN you and THROUGH you, you will find a new wellspring of freshness and joy welling up.
Our Father in heaven – Oh please, let your glorious wonder wash over our souls afresh today. May we bow in a true and renewed sense of your holy wonder even this very hour.
ResponsiveReiding 