We are looking for sermon transcribers/transcript reviewers.
Email [email protected] to serve.

Religious or non-religious, atheist or agnostic, almost everyone finds themselves praying at one point or another in their lives. People pray in fear and distress, as part of some religious duty, when they want something badly, or when they simply need answers to life's questions. But what is prayer? Prayer, at its essence, is talking to God. The God who with His spoken Word brought the universe into being. The God who holds the vastness of creation together in His power. This God actually listens to us and He listens as an attentive Father, as the Shepherd of His sheep, despite how unworthy we may feel in approaching Him or feeble we may think our prayers may sound. God has done what we could never do, and made access to His throne possible for us. We need to reduce our distractions and increase our interaction with God because true prayer is the means by which we align ourselves to God's will. It's the means that we draw nearer to a holy God, and so may we pray, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done".

A story is told of a man who was standing by the riverbank. He wants to get across the river and he has just learned how to pray. So he began to pray, “God gave me strength to cross the river.” And immediately his arms - “Poooom!” - became huge, with big bulging muscles. He swam across the river, and although he almost drowned, he got across rather safely. A second man then came along and likewise he prayed, “God, help me get across the river. Give me strength to cross the river and give me the tools to get across the river.” And - “Poooom!” - immediately, his arms became huge, with big bulging muscles. And right in front of him was a canoe. So he pedaled his way across the river. He almost drowned once, he almost capsized once, but he got across the river safely in the end. A third man came along, and he also prayed, “God, help me get across the river, but God give me the strength to do so, the tools to do so, and give me the intelligence to do so.” And - “Poooom!” - immediately he became a woman, who managed to find a map, found a bridge on the map, and crossed the river.

Well, we need to learn to pray, and we need to learn what to pray for, isn't it? And in the Lord's prayer we see what we ought to pray for. Here, in Scripture, we see how Jesus teaches his disciples to pray. He began first of all, as we saw last week, by helping us understand the person who we pray to. That's very important. Knowing who you pray to will lead to proper petitions that will follow after that. So he says you've got to recognize, first of all you're praying to your Father; you should say "Our Father in heaven”. And right after that, Jesus now gives us six specific requests, six petitions as it were. Number one, he says you should pray "Hallowed be Your name”, that's petition number one. Petition number two, “Your kingdom come.” Petition number three, “Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Number four, “Give us this day our daily bread". Number five, “forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors”. And number six, “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil”.

Today we're just going to focus on the first petition: “Hallowed be Your name”.

A boy came to church, he heard the pastor preach and pray, “Hallowed be Your name”. So he wanted to go home and repeat the same prayer. He knelt down behind, beside his bed and he began to pray, but he forgot what the pastor actually prayed and so he said, “Our Father in heaven, how did you know my name?”

So, what does it mean to pray “hallowed be Your name”? What is the meaning of this phrase? Well, first of all, it has nothing to do with “hello”; it has nothing to do with “hollow”; it has also nothing to do with Halloween, which is the, just something that people celebrated some days back. The word "hallowed" is very simple actually. The word “hallow” means simply to set apart; to be given a unique position that is different from what is ordinary. So to be hallowed means something that is set apart, given a unique position, obviously here for praise, for adoration, for honor, for worship, for glory. So, you should pray: God's name be set apart, given a unique position to be seen as supremely glorious, beautiful. That we will honor that name, we would praise that name, we will exalt that name.

You say, why the word “name”? Well, the word “name” is not just referring to a way we address God, but names in the bible are meant to display and to summarize as it were, to represent the totality of the person. So when we say “Your name”, we are not saying just the way we address God, but the totality of who He is; the summation of His attributes, His character. We are saying, “Lord, let all that You are be set apart for praise and for glory.” So the word “name”, if I may say it, is not just a title, but it refers to the total. It's meant to represent all who God is.

You see, this concept is a biblical concept. Back in the book of Exodus, we are told, “The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him” - that is, Moses - “there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord.” (Exodus 34:5) So God himself is going to give His name. And when you say name, you will probably say, “Hi, I'm John”; “Hi, I'm James”; “Hi, I'm Jason”, whatever. But here, God did not say “I am Yahweh” or “Elohim”; it's not just a short word or phrase, it's actually a rather long description. He's going to proclaim the name of the Lord. What is the name of the Lord? “The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation.” (Exodus 34:6-7)

God proclaimed his attributes. He's faithful; He's merciful; He's holy; He's righteous; He's just; He's love. All that! You say, “What is that?” That's His attributes, and He says, “That is my name.” So, when we say, “Hallowed be Your name”, we are saying, “Lord, let all that You are, the summation of Your attributes, let that all be set apart, let it all be praised.”

So if I may paraphrase this a little, when we pray “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name”, we are really praying, “Our Father in heaven, let all that You are be set apart for glory." Let everyone see how beautiful, supreme, unique You are. Let all that is in us, praise all that is in You. That's what it means, “Hallowed be Your name”.

So here is the key thought for the sermon. The key thought for the sermon is simply this: prayer is first - it's the number one petition, remember? - prayer is first and foremost asking God to glorify Himself. Let that settle in your heart and mind. Prayer is first and foremost asking God to glorify Himself. Because so often, we think prayer is asking God to glorify us; prayer is asking God to satisfy me. No; prayer, first and foremost, is asking God to glorify Himself. You see, God is God and He's not your genie, He's not someone in your Aladdin's lamp that you rub and say, “You must do my three bids.” No, prayer is asking God to glorify Himself.

Pastor, does it mean then that I cannot pray for my necessities of life? Does it mean that I should not pray for my job, my work, my school, my stuff that I need? No, not really; you can, but the reason is: why do you pray what you pray? Understand that prayer is first and foremost asking God to glorify Himself.

Let, let me give you three simple reflections based on this principle. Number one, I want to say something about our desire. Prayer is first and foremost asking God to glorify Himself. I say this: if you are a child of God, I believe that would be your desire. In other words, Jesus is not teaching his disciples to pray something that they are reluctant to. Jesus is not asking his disciples to pray something that they do not want to. I think Jesus is teaching his disciples to pray something we all want to. I think a true believer, a true child of God, a follower of Jesus Christ desires to pray “God, glorify Yourself.” That's what we want. We want God to be praised, we want God to be honoured, we want God to be exalted. We hate it when God's name is shamed, we hate it when people blaspheme God's name, we hate it when false teachers teach falsehood that would drag the name of God down, we hate that. But we love God's name to be praised. If you are a child of God today, I believe that is your desire. You say why? Very simple; because a child of God is someone, according to the Bible, who is born again, he is given a new life, God has given him a new heart. Previously, you, you hate God. Previously, you just want your own benefits. But now that God has given you a new heart, you fear God and you love God and you want nothing more than that God will be glorified.

Moreover, if you are a child of God, you are someone who has received the love of God in the Gospel. You understand what God has done for you to save you from your sins and to bring you back to Himself. You understand He has given His son to die on the cross for you while you were yet a sinner, and you saw that love on the cross, taught in the Bible and the Spirit has poured out God's heart, God's love in your heart. You see that love, you understand that grace and because of that grace, you say, “I love You Lord, and there's nothing more I want than that You will be glorified.”

I say to you, Jesus is teaching us what we really want, and that's what we want to pray: “Lord, hallowed be Your name.” And so I say, a true Christian, yes, sometimes we may slip into some selfishness in our prayer, but really a Christian wants nothing more than that God Himself will be glorified. So I give you this statement: "The child of God wants glory to God, not just goodies from God." I think that's very important to grasp. Many people, maybe you, your idea of  prayer or your idea of coming to church, or your idea of calling yourself a Christian, is so that if you are a good boy, God will give you goodies - health, promotion, finances, success, popularity - you want goodies. Basically, that's what many religions are all about. Why do they go to some place to pray? Why do they offer some animals and apples and oranges, why? Because they want some goodies from their deity.
But that's not Christianity. Christianity is understanding that God has already given us His Son and with His Son, He's going to give us freely all things, especially the glory that is to come. And so the child of God is satisfied in this love from the Father and he says, “God, my Father in heaven, there's nothing more I want than that Your name be set apart for glory.” The child of God wants glory to God.

Prayer is not a strategy to get things for myself, for myself. Prayer is asking God to glorify Himself. John MacArthur, he said, “How can a deceived person know he is deceived?” How can someone who attends church week after week after week, deceive himself that he's a Christian when he's actually not a Christian? "How can a deceived person know he's deceived?" Maybe you're someone like this. And I say this lovingly, so that you will come to real relationship with Christ. He says, “How can we spot someone who is deceived? Look for people who are seeking feelings, blessings, experiences, healings, angels... whatever. That are only interested in the by-products of the faith, not in Christ." In other words, their delight is not in God, or His Son, but in the goodies that they perceive that this deity would give.

The child of God wants glory to God, not just goodies from God. That's what every religion teaches you; but that's not the Gospel. The Gospel is a radical message of God's lavish love, that when so understood and received into a heart, causes a man to deny himself, take up the cross and say, “I will give my life for the advancement of God's glory.” He loses his life! He doesn't need the goodies; he wants to give it all up, so that God will be seen to be glorious. That's what this prayer is all about; it is asking God to glorify Himself, and that will be your desire.

So my friends, if you this morning cannot say, “I really love God”, you cannot say, “My chief goal and agenda in life is the glory of God”, perhaps you may be deceived. And I don't really blame you because there are many preachers, churches, that give a message that lures you in by goodies of the Christian life. And it's a very confused world out there.

But if you're someone deceived, or you're fearful that you may be deceived, you may not really be a Christian, what do you do? Hey, speak to someone. I suggest this to you, alright? Drop us an e-mail. Now, not that I'm going to speak to every single one, but drop us an e-mail. Because even in a short year I've been here in Punggol, we have been here in Punggol, I've, we've met with some of you. And you know it's such a tremendous privilege to meet up with you because some of you may not really know the Gospel, may not really believe Christ, follow Christ as yet. But it's during those encounters, those meet-ups that I think some of you have been helped to understand and really believe the Gospel.

I say, why won't you do that? If, if for week after week you are sitting there and you're not sure whether you are saved, speak to someone, and perhaps you may be led to a true grasp of the Gospel and be really saved. That's what we want to do for you. So drop us a e-mail, drop us a note, if you do not have that sincere desire deep in your soul, that says “I want to glorify God.” Alright? So Jesus teaches us, number one, to pray, and pray something that is really what our hearts desire and expresses, it's not a reluctance.

The second thing I want to say, about this “Hallowed be Your name” is: this is also a wonderful prayer for discernment. What should I pray for? Well, this is a great principle to follow, to check that what you pray for is in the will of God. I'm a sports guy, I love sports and I love soccer, tennis, badminton, whatever, basketball. I just love sports. And sometimes when I watch a game and the team I support is losing, I wish I can do something to help them win. And so one of the things I think of is to - at least in the younger days lah - I say, “maybe I should pray; pray for Liverpool". You know when I thought about that, I, almost in the split second later I say better don't pray. Because I don't see how in any way Liverpool winning Manchester United would bring glory to God. Except maybe you beat the devils, alright, the Red Devils. But apart from that I really don't see how that should glorify God and you know what? I don't pray. I stop. That's what I wish. But that's not maybe what I should pray. Because I'm just praying this for my own pleasure, and satisfaction. But that really is not bringing glory to God.

Elsewhere in the bible, we are told, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” (James 4:3) So when you understand prayer is first and foremost asking God to glorify Himself, it helps you filter out a lot of - I think - inappropriate prayers. Should I pray for my exams? Should you pray for a promotion? Well, the answer really is: it depends. Why do you pray for your exams? When I was going through my school, I got saved after junior college and so after going to university, I am a believer of Jesus Christ, I have a hard time praying for my schoolwork and exams. On one hand, I want to do well - that's, I hope, to glorify God, but a large part of wanting to do well is to look good. "Wah, you so smart ah." "Wah, you so capable." "Wah, you got so good grades." And with all those motives, I cannot with sincerity say, “God, bless my results.” I can't get across myself. Now there is a little portion of saying “I want to do well to bring glory to God.” There is. Maybe that is still legitimate. But what I am trying to say is this: what you pray for is very much predicated on why you pray what you pray for, if you understand prayer is first and foremost asking God to glorify Himself.

You say, “Pastor, then your prayer life very limited ah. Very little things you can pray for, isn't it? It's so difficult to pray.” I suggest to you, no. Actually, understanding prayer is asking God to glorify Himself is very liberating. It's, it actually helps your prayer to be very wide and very all-encompassing. You say, how is this comprehensive and all-encompassing? Let me suggest to you, when you understand prayer is about asking God to glorify Himself, it opens up so many things to pray for.

You say, what do you pray for? Well, let's look at the bible. Number one, I think we should pray for sustenance. Sustenance. You say, what is, what do you mean by praying for sustenance? I think, pray for your daily needs. You see, because you are praying for God's glory, it doesn't mean you don't pray for your needs. It's in the same prayer. “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.” And then just a few statements down, “give us this day our daily bread”. Praying for our needs is not in contradiction to praying for God's glory, if you understand you need these sustenance so that you can glorify God.

So, is it wrong to pray for your job? No. If you understand that it's ultimately for you to glorify Him. I think it is very wrong to pray for a pay raise, or a promotion simply because you want a Lamborghini. I think that's wrong. You see, the motivation is very different. So if you know that prayer is about glorifying God, hey, it's fine to pray for your needs. You should. Pray for your food, pray for your job, pray for strength and vigor to serve God. Nothing wrong to pray for health that you may serve God. That's fine - if, if it's for the glory of God. Ok? So, number one, you pray for sustenance.

Number two, what do you pray for? A second thing I thought we should pray for is sanctification. If you say, “God, glorify Yourself”, it makes sense that then I will pray, “God, make me more holy, so that my life would bring glory to Your name." Because an un-sanctified life, an un-sanctified Christian brings great shame to God's name. Don't you think? But if you're living a pure and righteous - now, not perfectly, but there is growth, there is a real change in your life, that brings glory to God. That's why Jesus said, you got to pray this: “forgive us our debts” - forgiveness. And you pray, “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” (Matthew 6: 12, 13) You are saying, “God, keep us from sin. Make me as holy a man as I can be. Clean out the closets of my life. Make me more like Jesus, so that through my life, You will be glorified.” "God, help me flee from sexual immorality so that I will glorify You in my body." That's what “Hallowed be Your name” entails. I don't want to bring shame to Your name. That's what Peter himself also says: “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable” - why? - so that the Gentiles, the unsaved, would "see your good deeds and glorify God". (1Pe 2:12)

So what should you pray for? Daily in your life, that's what I tell my son, “Shawn, pray that you will grow as a Christian. You will sin less, you will be more like Jesus.” I think that's a great prayer for your life. Don't you think?

So, if we are to glorify God, number one, we pray for sustenance; number two, we pray for sanctification. Number three, we also pray for our service towards God. We pray for fruit-bearing, for example. We pray for Matthew 5:16, that people would see our good works and give glory to our Father. We pray that we would serve God in every realm possible. It's probably very much linked to your life, but I just thought it's good to be reminded - in your deeds of mercy, charity, sharing the Gospel, discipling others, you are trying to glorify God. Ok?

Number four, I think this is what we all probably miss. And it is this: we pray that God will be glorified in our sufferings. Ok? I think this is where most of us will miss. We pray that God will be glorified in our sufferings. Why? The bible tells me: “and call upon me", God says, "in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.” (Psalm 50:15) So we're saying, “God, I'm in a predicament right now; I'm sick, I'm ill, I have this problem, I've lost my job.” Pray that when you are delivered, you will know Me, and you will glorify Me from the bottom of your heart. That's what you pray for. To know God in adversity, in trials.

For example, also in John 9, verse 3: “Jesus answered, 'It was not that this man sinned, or his parents'" - this is talking about the man who was born blind from his birth, he's blind; and people say, “Wow, why is he blind? Is it because he's a sinner? Is it because his parents did some bad thing and God is judging him?” No. God gave him blindness so that the works of God may be displayed in him; through his blindness God will be glorified. That's what I should pray for in my life, when I go through hardship. Instead of complaining and murmuring and grumbling, if my life is primarily about the glory of God, quit that grumbling, and say: “Let God be glorified in my life.”

And we see: "...you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith... may be found to be result in praise and glory and honour". (1 Pe 1:6,7) When you go through hardship, and you do not quit on Jesus - hey, you see that God has given you real faith, and that gives you cause for praise unto Him. So, I think we need to remember when we go through sufferings, we pray God be glorified. Not that the trial will be removed immediately all the time, but that through the trials God may achieve His purposes, chief, mainly His glory even through our pains.

Number five, is something that we might also miss. When we pray “God, glorify Your name”, I think it involves praying for the unity or the solidarity of the church of Jesus Christ. I think God is glorified when the church, the local church is loving one another, and serving one another, and living in the unity of peace. So, “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord,” Paul says, “urge you" - the church at Ephesus, you Ephesians - "to walk in a manner worthy of the calling”. (Ephesians 4:1) In what way will my life reflect worthiness to the great call of God? When we are "eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace". (Ephesians 4:3) I think disunity, factions, fights in the church is greatly dishonoring to God's name. The world will look at the church and “Wah, this church split right down the middle, over this little thing like the color of the carpet.” I don't think that glorifies God. But when a church is united in spite of our different racial backgrounds, in spite of our different educational backgrounds, in spite of all the differences we may have, we are very united in the Gospel - that brings glory to God. And I think that's what we need to pray for, regularly, that the church will be united in the love of God. So, number five, solidarity.

Number six, as someone has correctly mentioned, we pray for the salvation of those around us. Because when a man is saved, he glories God. When a man is not saved, he blasphemes God. Right? He regularly sins against God. So we pray that people will be saved and that's what Paul mentioned in Romans 1. He has received this apostleship, for what? "[T]o bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of His name". (Romans 1:5) You see that? When people come to faith in Jesus Christ, it is for the sake of His name. When people are saved, God is glorified. God's mercy and God's grace is beautifully displayed in a man's life. Romans or Ephesians 2:8,9 is a great verse: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

This week was Reformation 500 week, as we wrote about last Sunday. And the 5 solas of the reformation involves Sola Gratia. It's all grace, grace alone. Sola Gratia. So that it may be solely Deo Gloria. All Glory to God Alone. Salvation is all of grace so that glory is all of God's. Not because you were good that you were saved; not because you were more sensitive that you were saved; not because you were more receptive that you were saved. It's all God's grace that you were saved. So salvation brings glory to God. And that's what we need to pray for. We need to pray that many people here in Punggol will come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and God will be glorified right here.

So, I think these are the six things I sort of categorized in my mind, when you pray “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Let all that You are be set apart for glory." Lord, we pray that You will provide us the necessities so that I may serve You. Lord, I pray that You clean out my life, make me as holy a man as I can be for Your glory. Lord, help me to serve You with joy and fruitfulness. Help me through my sufferings and trials, so that through it all, You may receive the glory and praise. Unite this church, unite my brothers and sisters, those who are fighting, help them to see the supreme glory of God is at stake in our struggles. And God, use us to lead many to Jesus Christ.

So, you say this prayer is limiting? No. It is very comprehensive. It's very all-encompassing. I think it should be so because after all, the bible teaches us, “whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31) So, sure, pray for your exams, pray for your promotion, as long as it is for the glory of God.

David Platt says, “Everything you have, you've been given for this reason: the spread of God's global glory.” Think about that. Everything you have today, everything. Your car, your bath towel, your soya sauce, your spectacles - everything, for God's glory. “Whether you eat or drink or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God.” That's what this prayer is about.

And if you still think this prayer is very limiting, let me remind you: don't just pray the six things for yourself, pray this for your brothers and sisters in Christ. After all, the pray starts “Our Father in heaven”.

And if you think this is still not enough, remember this. This is a prayer that is not just about the here and now, but it's also looking forward to the future. Like as in Habakkuk. “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” (Habakkuk 2:14) Right now the whole earth is not about the glory of God. Not yet. But one day it will be. And when we pray “Hallowed be Your name”, we're asking not only for God to do what is needed now, we're asking God to usher in the beautiful future when Jesus returns.

So, if you're lost, let me just remind you, prayer is first and foremost asking God to glorify Himself. I say, number one, this is the desire of the regenerate heart. I say, number two, this is a great test for you in your prayer life. Should I pray this or not? Check it with “Hallowed be Your name”. And finally, let me say number three, this is, this is a statement that reminds us of our dependence. Really, you and I, left on our own, in our weakness, we cannot glorify God's name. That's what this prayer is saying. We need to ask God to glorify Himself, we can't do it. Sure, God is going to use us to glorify Him, but our efforts apart from His grace is absolutely pointless. And that's why we say, Lord, we depend on You. We admit, we recognize, we express our impotence and we rely on Your omnipotence. Hallowed be Your name. God, let all that You are be set apart for glory and you know, what's the joy? The joy is this: God is absolutely committed to glorifying Himself. This is a prayer that will be answered. Why? Because God is absolutely committed to glorifying Himself.

I'm reading Ezekiel in a bible reading. It's a difficult book, but one thing about Ezekiel is this: there are 70 times, 7-0 times, where God says in Ezekiel: “then they will know that I am the Lord”. Why is God doing so many things in the nation of Israel and in the surrounding nations? The reason, so that “they will know that I am the Lord”.

Just a case in point, that “Thus says the Lord God: It is not for your sake, O House of Israel” - we often think God moves only for us, but I think that's too limited a view. Sure, God does many things for the good of His people but even beyond that, it's His commitment to His own glory. So He says, “It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of My holy name" - the name that is to be set apart - "which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. And I will vindicate the holiness of My great name” (Ezekiel 36:22-23). God is absolutely committed to His glory. And so when you pray, “Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name”, I think you are on the right track. It is a prayer God delights in. And if you pray this, you're in good company because Jesus prayed this: “Father glorify Your name.” That's what Hallowed be Your name is, by the way, that's all. Father, glorify Your name. And you know what God says? “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again." (John 12:28) "That's what I'm for, that's what I'm all about - to glorify, to make My glories known, My attributes known, My character known, My personhood known to all my creation." That all of creation will be then supremely satisfied in their Creator.

Piper says, “If this" - verse, “Hallowed be Your name” - "grips you like it did me in 1968” - that's a long time ago, but he learnt about this teaching some fifty years ago - “if this grips you like it did me" - fifty years ago - "everything in your mind will change”. Because Christianity is no more centered around me, Christianity is centered around God. It's not about my comfort, my wants, my wishes, my whims and fancies; it's all about His glory. "The first thing that Jesus tells us to ask God to do - mark this! The first thing. The head of the list. Above all others. Most central. Most supreme. Most overarching. Most all-encompassing - the first thing He asks us, tells us to ask God to do is that God would cause His name to be hallowed. The first and all-pervasive, all-influencing, all-controlling concern in prayer, is to plead with God that God would make His name supremely valuable in the minds and hearts of people." I pray this will grip you like it does grip him, and it does grip me.

So, here is the Lord's prayer: “Our Father in heaven”. Principle number one, the Person of prayer. Principle number two, the priority of prayer. It's about God's glory, not mine. You want to know the other Ps? Join us next week and the weeks to follow. But may the Lord lead you to understand what true prayer and Christian life is all about. Let's bow for a word of prayer together.

It is a tremendous privilege to pray for God's glory and want it. You are not just praying this because you are bound by duty to do so. But because your heart truly delights in God, and you want His glory. You know what? That's a tremendous privilege. Thank God for giving you a new heart today.
But if perhaps today you don't have that desire, you can't say with sincerity you really love God and want His glory - I say to you, don't change your heart, because you can't. But admit your need for Jesus Christ to change your heart. And once again, that encouragement I want to give to you is that this day, if you believe that you are now deceived, hey, come speak to someone. Spend time with someone, really understand the Gospel, so that you, by the mercy and grace of God, may humbly come to Jesus, may humbly come to God and believe in Christ that He may give you, grant you a new heart. That's my prayer for all of you. That you will really be saved. Because when you are truly saved, it brings glory to God. Your life will change, you'll not need to be a hypocrite. You'll not need to live life as if you're putting on some external form and act on the outside; but it all flows from the fountain of the heart. It's all on the inside. And only God can make that change for you.

Maybe this morning you are a Christian already. This morning, the message then is a message to call you to a unwavering commitment to live for His glory. It's so easy for us, in the lures and lusts of this world, to be pulled aside to live for our wants, our comforts, our wishes. But this morning, Jesus reminds you: "This is how you pray, this is how you should live your life, that My name, God's name, will be set apart." And when you do so, one day, you will find all your joy, your satisfaction and indeed your glory in His glory. Trust God today. Die to yourself, and live unto Jesus.

Father, this morning we come to You, acknowledging how sin has twisted and thwarted the way we live. How self-centered we really are. But today, we see the Gospel, we see how You loved us, how You still love us and we pray more and more, we would say we want to be that living sacrifice on the altar to bring glory to You. So, use us, grow us, change us. And once again we pray for those here who do not know Jesus as yet. Bless them with salvation from on high. We pray all this not for our own sakes only, but we pray all this supremely for Your name's sake. So hear us and we ask this now in Jesus' name. Amen.

We are looking for sermon transcribers/transcript reviewers.
Email [email protected] to serve.