Honoring God's Name
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Intro: In the first two commandments we’ve seen Who God is and How we are to worship Him. Tonight we’re going to look at the third commandment and it focuses on His name.
In biblical (ancient) times, names were important. A name was not just a label or used to identify a person. It suggested that person’s personality. It is a reflection of who he is; it speaks of his character and reputation. Therefore God’s name reveals who He is and what He does. His name is His person. What we do to God’s name we do to Him.
Text: Exodus 20:7
7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
1. Taking God’s Name in Vain; 7a
1. Taking God’s Name in Vain; 7a
Vain- worthless, lack of respect, demean, misuse
[Context] All that God has done for Israel in calling them to Himself in a covenant, delivering them from bondage in Egypt, already forgiving them in there rebellious attitude/spirit, giving them a land to possess forever, and He give them a way to be in a relationship with Him. There is no reason but to exalt/praise His name, and never to use it in a way that makes Him seem worthless.
That mindset is the same for all mankind and especially the christian!
How does a person take God’s name in vain?
Profanity/Cursing- obscene language that comes from irreligious or irreverent behavior.
A persons name represents the character and personality of that person. God is holy, perfect, the Righteous Sovereign Lord and Majesty of the universe and everything in it. To curse the name of God is to make his name common and that He is not.
Adrian Rogers, in his book Ten Secrets for a Successful Family, says this: “When you use … profanity, it shows two things: an empty head and a wicked heart. You see, profanity reveals a feeble mind trying to express itself. But it also reveals a wicked heart truly expressing itself. ‘Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh,’ Jesus said in Matthew 12:34.… A profane mouth reveals a profane heart!” Or, as the excellent preacher Vance Havner once said, “What’s down in the well comes up in the bucket!”
Leadership Ministries Worldwide. (1996). Exodus, Part II (Chapters 19–40): Vol. II (p. 101). Leadership Ministries Worldwide.
12 And you shall not swear by My name falsely, nor shall you profane the name of your God: I am the Lord.
13 “Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have practiced deceit”; “The poison of asps is under their lips”;
14 “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.”
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16 Destruction and misery are in their ways;
17 And the way of peace they have not known.”
18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
Swear/Perjury- to swear is to take an oath and perjury is lying under oath. Calling upon God’s name to be a witness to a lie is taking His name in vain.
False swearing may take place before a neighbor, a business partner, a wife or husband, a judge or jury.
33 “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’
34 But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne;
35 nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.
36 Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black.
37 But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.
Irreverent Speech- slang speech showing lack of respect and reverence for His name
God is not to be addressed as the Man Upstairs, The Big Guy, nor is His name to be used coarsely in jokes.
58 “If you do not carefully observe all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, THE LORD YOUR GOD,
59 then the Lord will bring upon you and your descendants extraordinary plagues—great and prolonged plagues—and serious and prolonged sicknesses.
3 But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints;
4 neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.
Hypocrisy- play actor. When our walk of faith doesn’t match our profession of faith we dishonor the name of God. A hypocrite is a person who;
Professes the name of God but lives for self and the world
A person who uses God’s name to manipulate people (to get what he wants)
A person who uses God’s name to secure support for projects that are not necessarily God’s will (for example, politicians or religious leaders)
A person who uses God’s name to secure followers, to deceive people
Matthew 7:21 (NKJV)
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
Luke 6:46 (NKJV)
46 “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?
27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.
Vain Worship- worship from our lips but not our heart, simply going thru the motions
Rod Mattoon said, “The heart is the incense that perfumes our holy things. It is the jewel of God’s delight.”
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise.
8 ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me.
9 And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”
Doubting Prayers- prayers that are offered without believing faith. “I’ll pray but it won’t do any good.” You might as well pray to a deaf and dumb idol!
6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
11 For Your name’s sake, O Lord, Pardon my iniquity, for it is great.
19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
God instructs us to pray to give Him glory
13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.
16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.
2. The Shame of being Vain; 7b
2. The Shame of being Vain; 7b
God will not hold one “guiltless”. God will not excuse one of the consequences of the sin of dishonoring His name.
36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.
37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Close;
5 Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles!
6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.
7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind.
8 But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
9 With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God.
10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.
Faith controls the tongue. And faithful tongue honors God!