putting a face on the name of GOD…

listen, we as CHRISTians bear HIS name.  and GOD sends us out into the world saying, “go out as i would live.  go out and show some people.  put a face on the name of GOD.” 

i encourage you this next week to remember that at the office.  or at the gym.  or at the coffee shop.  all those places.  remember that when the checker in the checkout line takes ten minutes longer than you think it should have taken.  or remember that when you miss your connecting flight somewhere in the middle of the country and you’re stuck there.  remember that when you’re on business trip alone in a hotel room with your thoughts and a cable tv channel.  remember you represent GOD’s name.  there’s no greater privilege than to represent HIS name. 

some people, some who are not yet believers, would say, “what you’re talking about right now, that’s why i’m not a CHRISTian.  i’ve met some CHRISTians who are supposed to represent GOD’s name and the way i see it they’re not doing a very good job of it.  i don’t want to be one of those kinds of people so i’m going to wait until maybe i’m more perfect, [which is never going to happen] to start to represent GOD’s name in life.”

let me share some things with you. 

first of all when it comes to living out the CHRISTian life you’ll find some people who just blend in with the world.  they’re just like everyone else around them.  there’s no difference.  obviously you’re not representing GOD’s name if you do that.

there are others, who escape from the world.  they get as far away from everything in the world as they can.  the monks are the best illustration of that.  they go way up into the hills and if there is any difference in their life nobody knows it because nobody can see them.

but there’s another kind of CHRISTian, another way to live the CHRISTian life. they take GOD’s name into the real world.  they take the challenge to live out the importance of GOD’s name in the real world.  yes, they struggle sometimes because they’re not perfect any more than anybody can be perfect.  but they’re struggling to grow. 

that’s the kind of life that GOD invites you to.  if you’re not yet a believer those people that you’ve met that are like that, that’s what HE’s inviting you to.  that’s what HE’s calling you to. 

just a thought from the front porch…

it’s not up to me…

what if your spouse called you and here was the total phone call: “pick up the kids at school, get the oil changed in the car, get us some money at the atm. amen.”  click.  that was the whole phone call.  that would not be very good relationally.  how would you feel at the end of that call? 

but that’s how we treat GOD a lot of times.  just take a moment to say HIS name – FATHER.  realize HIS importance and HIS greatness as you begin.  prayer is not just asking GOD for things.  it’s part of our relationship with GOD.  when you do that you realize GOD is greater. 

psalm 148.13 (niv), HIS name is greater than all others.

GOD has names like all mighty, all powerful, LORD and something happens when we take the time to recognize the greatness of HIS name. 

for me, the focus shifts and all of a sudden i’m not the center of the universe any more.  all of a sudden it’s not all on my shoulders any more.  i realize GOD’s greatness.  it’s not up to me to hold everything together. 

sometimes we fool ourselves into thinking that our plans are holding the universe together or our strategy or even our worry. some of you think that if you stopped worrying this universe would cease to exist as we know it.  you really feel that way. 

but the truth is GOD was running the universe just fine before i got here and HE’s going to run it just fine after i leave.  that’s the greatness of GOD.  and sometimes i need that to put life in perspective.  we all need something greater to give us the security that we need to make it in everyday life. 

just a thought from the front porch…

HE will meet my deepest needs…

we are looking at the LORD’s prayer and right after addressing GOD as FATHER JESUS says, first thing say honored be GOD’s name – right up there at the beginning.  before you even make all of your requests, recognize who GOD really is. 

now you might ask how does honoring GOD’s name make a difference in our everyday lives?  how does it bring peace in this stress filled life that we live?   

well GOD has hundreds of names in the bible.  and we are going to look at what happens when we recognize GOD’s name for what it really means.  what happens?  what does it mean?

honoring GOD’s name means i acknowledge that GOD is able to meet my deepest needs. 

now in studying the old testament you find that GOD has many different names and the amazing thing about GOD’s names is that for each of them there is a need in our lives.  we did a series on this  on the front porch. GOD’s names show us how HE can meet the deepest needs in our life. 

for instance, in the old testament, GOD has a name jehovah shalom which means “the LORD is peace.”  that name tells us what GOD wants to do in our lives.  that GOD wants to reduce my stress in life. 

JESUS talked about that in john 14.27 (ncv) when he said, MY peace i give you. I do not give it to you as the world does.  so don’t let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” 

now the difference between the world’s kind of peace and GOD’s peace is this.  the world’s peace is based on circumstances, on the circumstances that are good sometimes and bad others.  so some days you’re at peace and some days you’re in anxiety. 

but GOD’s peace is based on GOD’s character.  GOD’s peace is always there because his character never changes.  GOD’s name – jehovah shalom – reminds us that GOD wants to meet that need in our lives.

just a thought from the front porch… 

make this the first request in your prayer…

we are looking at the phrase of the LORD’s prayer from matthew  6.9 (niv), hallowed be YOUr name.

the name of GOD – HIS person and character and heart and intentions – is not seen for anywhere near its worth.  and we live in a world where HIS name gets blasphemed and profaned, spoken casually at best millions of times every day all around the globe.

i always wonder how GOD feels about that.  i know how i would feel or how you might feel if people used your name in that kind of way – tom blankety this or sue blankety that!  or, o my george!  so JESUS says, “make the first request in your prayer, hallowed be YOUr name.”

so many people don’t even know who they’re talking to.  they need to know who they’re talking to and have a greater honor in that because GOD’s name is valued above all others.

now names are important to us but they’re much more important to GOD.  when you look at GOD’s name it’s talking about the way they used to use names.  names used to be used to indicate who a person was. 

if somebody was named carpenter that meant they were the carpenter in the town.  if somebody was named smith, they were the smith in the town.  a guy named miller was the miller.  somebody named jackson was jack’s son.  the name indicated who you were.  and GOD’s name indicates who GOD is. 

names also represent character.  when we talk about valuing GOD’s name we’re talking about valuing who GOD is.  we’re saying, “GOD, let me value YOU, who YOU are above all others.”  that is how this prayer begins. 

just a thought from the front porch…