A L O N E W I T H G O D B Y J O H N M A C A R T H U R

“Hallowed Be Your Name”

CHAPTER 4

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introduction
• Throughout the centuries, no names have endured more abuse than those belonging to our
Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. Whether used in an epithet or curse, in casual
or formal conversation, in secular or theological discussions, their names are more often
treated with disrespect than with respect or exaltation.

 Martyn Lloyd-Jones
“What unworthy ideas and notions this world has of God! If you test your ideas of God
by the teaching of the Scriptures you will see at a glance what I mean. We lack even a due
sense of the greatness and the might and the majesty of God. Listen to men arguing about
God, and notice how glibly they use the term.… It is indeed almost alarming to observe
the way in which we all tend to use the name of God. We obviously do not realize that we
are talking about the ever blessed, eternal, and absolute, almighty God. There is a sense in
which we should take our shoes off our feet whenever we use the name.” 2
introduction
 Reminder:
While we may cringe and actually voice displeasure when we hear someone taking God’s
name in vain, we would do well to examine our own heart attitude. Indifference and
lack of respect due His name from those who love Him may be just as heinous a sin.

 Problem
When believers have a low view of God, everything focuses on meeting felt needs within
the body of Christ. When the church adopts such a perspective, it often offers people
nothing more than spiritual placebos. It centers on psychology, self-esteem, entertainment,
and a myriad of other diversions to attempt to meet perceived and felt needs.

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introduction
 Point:
It is essential, however, that the church and each individual believer in it understand they exist to
bring glory to God.

When you know and glorify God, the needs of your life will be met: “The fear of the LORD is
the beginning of wisdom” (Prov. 9:10). But many believers don’t revere God; their very actions
prove their irreverence. Instead of trembling at God’s Word, they twist His truths or supplant them
with worldly philosophies.

• We Christians actually need to be confronted by our real need—an understanding of God’s

holiness and our own sinfulness—so they can be usable to Him for His glory.

When we have a right relationship to God, every aspect of our lives will settle into its divinely
ordained place. That does not mean we are to ignore people’s problems—we are to be just as
concerned about them as God is. But there must be a balance, and it begins with a high view of
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God. We must take God seriously and respect Him completely.
introduction
• With that in mind, you can understand why prayer is ever and always, first and
foremost, a recognition of God’s majestic glory and our submission to it. All our
petitions, all our needs, and all our problems are subject to Him. God is to have priority
in every aspect of our lives, and certainly in our times of deepest communion with Him.
Prayer is not to be a casual routine that gives passing homage to God; it is to be a
profound experience that should open up great dimensions of reverence, awe,
appreciation, honor, and adoration.

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The Significance of God’s Name
• How appropriate then that the first petition in our Lord’s pattern for prayer focuses on God:
“hallowed be Your name”

• Arthur W. Pink
“How clearly then is the fundamental duty of prayer set forth. Self and all its needs must be
given a secondary place, and the Lord freely accorded the preeminence in our thoughts and
supplications. This petition must take the precedence, for the glory of God’s great name is
the ultimate end of all things.”

• Even though He is our loving Father, who desires to meet our needs through His heavenly
resources, our first petition is not to be for our benefit, but His. Thus “hallowed be Your
name” is a warning against self-seeking prayer because it completely encompasses God’s
nature and man’s response to it. Jesus wasn’t reciting some nice words about God. Instead,
He opened a whole dimension of respect, reverence, glory, and worship for God. 6
The Significance of God’s Name
• The most familiar Hebrew name for God is Yahweh, and it first appears in Exodus 3:14,
where God said, “I AM WHO I AM.” The other familiar name for God is Adonai, which
means the “Lord God.” Because they considered God’s name sacred, the Jews would not
actually pronounce Yahweh. Eventually Old Testament Jews took the consonants from
Yahweh and the vowels from Adonai to form Jehovah. While taking such great pains to
honor the sacredness of God’s name, they thought little of dishonoring His person or
disobeying His Word, thus making a mockery of their effort.

• By focusing our thoughts on God’s name, our Lord is teaching us that God’s name
signifies much more than His titles; it represents all that He is—His character, plan, and
will. Certainly the Jews should have understood that, because in Old Testament times,
names stood for more than just titles.
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A Character Reference
• When Moses went up on Mount Sinai to receive the commandments for the second time,
he “called upon the name of the LORD. Then the LORD passed by in front of him and
proclaimed, ‘The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and
abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who
forgives iniquity, transgression and sin’” (Ex. 34:5–7). The name of God is the composite
of all the characteristics listed in verses 6–7.

 Point:
Our love and trust of God are not based on His names or titles, but on that reality behind
those names: His character. David said, “Those who know Your name will put their trust
in You, for You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You” (Ps. 9:10). God’s name
is esteemed in His faithfulness.
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A Character Reference
• When Christ came into the world, people—especially the disciples—had the opportunity to see
God’s character in person. In His High Priestly Prayer, Jesus said to the Father, “I have manifested
Your name to the men whom You gave Me” (John 17:6). He didn’t need to tell them about God’s
name, but He did need to reveal God’s character to them. John 1:14 tells how that was accomplished:
“The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten
from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Christ manifested God to the disciples through His own
righteous life. That’s why he told Philip, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).

 Application:
To apply the concept of hallowing God’s name to your prayers, here is a sample you could use: “Our
Father, who loves us and cares for us, and who has in heaven supplies to meet our every need; may
Your person, Your identity, Your character, Your nature, Your attributes, Your reputation, Your very
being itself be hallowed.” To hallow God’s name is not some glib phrase inserted into a prayer ritual;
it is your opportunity to glorify Him by acknowledging the greatness and wonder of His character. 9
It’s All in a Name
• Each of the many Old Testament names and titles of God shows a different facet of His character and its
expression in His will. He is called, for example, Elohim, “the Creator God”; El Elyon, “possessor of heaven and
earth”; JehovahJireh, “the Lord will provide”; JehovahNissi, “the Lord our banner”; JehovahRapha, “the Lord
that healeth”; JehovahShalom, “the Lord our peace”; JehovahRaah, “the Lord our Shepherd”;
JehovahTsidkenu, “the Lord our righteousness”; JehovahSabaoth, “the Lord of hosts”; JehovahShama, “the
Lord is present and near”; and JehovahMaqodeshkim, which means “the Lord sanctifieth thee.” All those names
speak of God’s attributes. Thus they tell us not only who He is but also what He is like.

• Jesus Himself provides the clearest teaching about what God’s name means: His very name, Jesus Christ, is
God’s greatest name, and it encompasses His role as Lord, Savior, and King. As Jesus Christ, God drew to
Himself many other names, including: the Bread of Life (John 6:35), the Living Water (John 4:10), the Way, the
Truth, and the Life (John 14:6), the Resurrection (John 11:25), the Good Shepherd (John 10:11), the Branch (Isa.
4:2), the Bright Morning Star (Rev. 22:16), the Lamb of God (John 1:29), and many more. One Old Testament
passage in particular lists several names for Him, each one a designation of His nature: “Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace” (Isa. 9:6). Jesus’ life was the perfect manifestation of God’s
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name.
Holy Is His Name
• Having looked at the significance of God’s name, we need to turn our attention to the meaning of
the word hallow. It is actually an archaic English word used to translate a form of the Greek word
hagiazø , which means “to make holy.” Words from the same Greek root are translated holy, saint,
sanctify, and sanctification.

• God commands His people to be holy (1 Peter 1:16), but only God Himself is actually holy. To
pray “hallowed be Your name” is to attribute to God the holiness that already is, and has always
been, supremely and uniquely His. To hallow God’s name is to revere, honor, glorify, and obey
Him as the one and only completely perfect God. When we do, we remind ourselves of the
important difference between us and Him. God lives in a different sphere than we do. He is holy
and undefiled, but we are sinners. Only through His gracious provision of Jesus Christ and His
payment for the penalty of our sin are we even able to approach Him. We agree with John Calvin,
who said that God should have His own honor, of which He is so worthy, and that we should
never think or speak of Him without the greatest veneration. 11
Failure to Honor God
• In spite of all the shallow trends that plague much of current Christianity, there is still
nothing more disturbing than a failure to recognize the most central truth about God: He
is holy. It is the only one of His attributes repeated three times in the heavenly realm (Isa.
6:3). Failure to give God the reverence and honor He so richly deserves can result in
devastating consequences.

 Example: Numbers 20:1-12

Moses dishonored God before the Israelites because he struck the rock, in direct
disobedience to God. Moses’ actions drew the attention of the people to himself, perhaps
to make them think he had something to do with the miracle. But by stealing the glory
from God and failing to honor Him, both Moses and Aaron were not allowed to enter
the Promised Land.
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Failure to Honor God
 The catalog of others who dishonored God is numerous. The following is only a small sampling:

• Saul did not submit himself to God, but in impatience and self-styled disobedience, he failed to
follow all of God’s instructions (1 Sam. 15:11), so God removed him from the throne.

• Uzzah failed to recognize the majesty of God’s holiness by daring to defy God’s instructions (Num.
4:15, 19–20). God struck him down for his irreverence (2 Sam. 6:7).

• Uzziah became proud, acted in a corrupt manner, was unfaithful to the Lord, and in an affront to
God’s holiness, entered the temple to burn incense. God struck him with leprosy (2 Chron. 26:16–23).

• Ananias and Sapphira lied to the Holy Spirit. By sinning against the holiness of God in such a way,
they lost their lives within hours of their deceit (Acts 5:1–11).

• The Corinthians ate of the bread and drank from the cup in an unholy manner during the Lord’s
Supper (1 Cor. 11:27–30). As a result, many became sick, and some even died.
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The Fear of the Lord Is Not an Option
• The psalmist asked, “Who may dwell on Your holy hill?” (Ps. 15:1). The answer is simply, “He
who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, and speaks truth in his heart” (v.2). There is
no greater need today than for believers once again to ascend the platform of fearing God.

 A. W. Tozer said it well:

“No religion has been greater than its idea of God.” That gem has a corollary: No church is
greater than its reverent awe of holy God. He is holy and demands recognition as such.
Although most believers know that intellectually, I’m afraid very few realize what that
means practically.

• Clearly the fear of God is not optional: “Live in the fear of the LORD always” (Prov. 23:17);
“fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt. 10:28); “in all things obey
… fearing the Lord” (Col. 3:22). Central to the book of Proverbs is the Hebrew word yare,
which refers to fear and honor. Solomon used it eighteen times. 14
 The Fear of the Lord Is Not an Option
 God has always called His people to have such a perspective of the awesomeness of His holiness:

• The fear of God pressed Manoah to expect instant death because he had seen God (Judg. 13:22).

• Upon seeing the magnitude of God’s holiness, Job repented and retracted all that he had foolishly said (Job 42:5–6).

• Standing in the presence of God’s holiness, Isaiah pronounced a curse on himself, “Woe is me, for I am ruined!” (Isa. 6:5).

• Habakkuk trembled at the voice of holy God (Hab. 3:16).

• The restored remnant feared the Lord when they heard His holy word spoken by the prophet Haggai (Hag. 1:12).

• During our Lord’s earthly ministry, the disciples often came face-to-face with His power and holiness. On one occasion when
they were crossing the Sea of Galilee, a storm appeared. Although they were afraid of the storm, they feared greatly (literally
“feared a great fear”) when Jesus calmed the storm (Mark 4:41). They became much more fearful of the presence and power of
God than they were of the deadly storm. Stained by the sin of unbelief, Peter implored his sinless Lord to depart from him (Luke
5:8). John, James, and Peter fell on their faces and were exceedingly afraid when they heard the voice of God (Matt. 17:6).

• People in an unbelieving community begged Christ to leave their region because they feared His holy power (Mark 5:17).

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The Fear of the Lord Is Not an Option
• God’s presence produced the “anxiety of holiness.” As stated at the beginning of this
chapter, that is an attitude largely missing in our method-oriented, pragmatic day. And it is
especially missing in our prayers. To revive it, we must pursue holiness in the fear of
God. That has always been God’s desire for His people: “I am the LORD your God.
Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy” (Lev. 11:44). Peter echoed
that plea: “But like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your
behavior; because it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy’” (1 Peter 1:15–16; cf.
Lev. 19:2). Today the challenge for Christ’s church is this: “Let us cleanse ourselves from
all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Cor. 7:1).

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 HOW TO HALLOW GOD’S NAME
• Note:
Hallowing God’s name, like every other manifestation of righteousness, begins in the
heart. The apostle Peter said to “sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts” (1 Peter 3:15).
When we sanctify Christ in our hearts, we will also sanctify Him in our lives. Let’s
look at some practical ways you can do just that and also make sure God is hallowed in
your prayer life.

1. Acknowledge God Exists

2. Know the Truth about God

3. Be Aware of His Presence

4. Live in Obedience
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1. Acknowledge God Exists
• Hebrews 11:6 says, “He who comes to God must believe that He is.” To the honest and open
mind, God is self-evident. Philosopher Immanuel Kant had many strange ideas about God,
but he was absolutely right when he said, “The moral law within us and the starry heavens
above us” drive us to God. But that is not enough—you can believe God exists and still
not hallow His name.

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2. Know the Truth about God
• Many people claim they believe in God, but they don’t hallow His name because they don’t have true
knowledge of who He is. Discovering and believing truth about God demonstrates reverence for
Him; willing ignorance or believing wrong doctrine demonstrates irreverence.

• Some people think that taking God’s name in vain is swearing or cursing only, but that is not the
case. You can take the name of the Lord in vain every time you think a thought about God that’s not
true, or when you doubt Him, disbelieve Him, and question Him. The early church father Origen said
in his rebuttal to the Greek philosopher Celsus that the man who brings into his concept of God ideas
that have no place there takes the name of the Lord God in vain.

• Some claim that God is harsh and vindictive, accusing Him of being unloving, of indiscriminately
banishing people to an eternal hell—a national ally of Israel who slaughters other nations. Job fell
into that same accusatory sin when he said, “You have become cruel to me” (Job 30:21). We cannot
revere a God whose character and will we do not know or care about. Even when we know and
revere Him, that is still not enough. 19
3. Be Aware of His Presence
• As the author stated in the first chapter, if we are to be faithful believers, we must live
every day of our lives in a continual state of God consciousness. Spasmodic reflection
does not hallow God’s name. I am sure He is on the thoughts of many right after a Sunday
morning worship service, but what about later that day and throughout the week? Those
are the times you must consciously draw Him into every daily thought, word, and activity
if you would truly hallow God’s name. That was David’s focus: “I have set the LORD
continually before me” (Ps. 16:8). But that is still not enough to truly hallow God’s name.

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4. Live in Obedience
• Our Father’s name is most hallowed when we behave in conformity to His will. For
Christians to live in disobedience to God is the ultimate in taking His name in vain,
claiming as Lord someone we’re not even willing to follow. Jesus warned, “Not everyone
who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will
of My Father who is in heaven will enter” (Matt. 7:21).

• When we disobey God, we diminish our capacity to revere His name and be a vehicle for
manifesting His holiness. We will succeed in hallowing God’s name, however, when we
eat, drink, and do everything else to His glory (1 Cor. 10:31). We also honor His name
when we attract others to Him because of our commitment. We are to “let [our] light shine
before men in such a way that they may see [our] good works, and glorify [our] Father
who is in heaven” (Matt. 5:16).
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Conclusion
• When you have the right thoughts about God and live righteously, you will hallow His
name. Psalm 34:3 sums up the teaching of this phrase with this exhortation: “O magnify
the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together.”

Challenge
• The next time you pray, I hope you see yourself entering the very throne room of God, a holy
place, where He is to be honored. Don’t be afraid when you enter that time of solitude with the
God of heaven—just be sure you approach that time with the respect due His most holy name.

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 Questions for Group Discussions
1. In your own words, what does it mean to hallow God’s Name?

2. What are some things that profane the name of God? What in your
own lifestyle and society can profane the name of God?

3. How do you respond when you hear someone use the Lord’s name in
vain? Do you think, as a rule, it is better just to ignore the remark or to
admonish the person?

4. What response should a knowledge of God’s holiness evoke in us?

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