The Third Commandment (Q58-61)

Introduction

Connection: A good child wants to honour his father; a good child wants to please his father; a good child gets upset when his father is slandered by his friends or in public; a good child has a desire for the name and reputation of his father to be magnified in goodness and truth. In a similar way—Christians, as children of God, ought to seek the name and reputation of our God and Father to be magnified in divine goodness and truth. But it’s not just about using his name—it’s also about how we live as children bearing his name (thus the scope of this commandment is bringing glory to God in all of life).

Theme: The Third Commandment (Q58-61)

Need: We need to grow in our reverence for God, his Glory, his Name, his Presence, and his Beauty. We need to give him the glory in all of life. We need the Gospel to transform our affections from leaving fear of God’s punishment, to pursuing fear of God’s fatherly displeasure.

Purpose: To exhort the saints to holy reverence for the Lord their God in all areas of life; to rebuke any profaning of God’s name in all of life; to refute the idea that the wicked can escape God’s judgement; and to comfort the saints in the salvation that is in Jesus Christ.

PRAY - PRAY - PRAY - PRAY

Q58. Which is the third commandment? A58. The third commandment is, Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain (Ex. 20:7).

Exodus 20:7 ESV

“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.

Here the living God is publishing his moral law to his redeemed people as the standard for their obedience in gratitude for all that He has done for them. His gracious name has redeemed them from slavery to Egypt; now they are to reverence his gracious name in all of life. His gracious name has redeemed his church from slavery to sin; now we are to reverence His gracious name—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—Yahweh our God.

Q59. What is required in the third commandment? A59. The third commandment requireth the holy and reverent use of God’s names (Mt. 6:9; Deut. 23:58), titles (Ps. 68:4), attributes (Rev. 15:3, 4), ordinances, (Mal. 1: 11, 14), word (Ps. 136: 1, 2) and works (Job 36:24).

Matthew 6:9 ESV

Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.

Here Jesus teaches us that we are called to pray for, and live out a life that hallows, or sanctifies, or sets apart as holy the name of God our Father.

Psalm 68:4 ESV

Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts; his name is the Lord; exult before him!

Here the Psalmist teaches us to revere the Lord in all of his titles (God, name, ruler, Yahweh)

Revelation 15:3–4 ESV

And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations! Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.”

Here the Apostle teaches us that God is to be honoured in all of his attributes (Great, amazing, Almighty, Just, True, King, Lord, glorious, holy, worthy, and righteous).

Malachi 1:11 ESV

For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts.

Here the prophet teaches us that the name of the Lord will be and must be great among all the nations—every tribe and tongue! And this is fulfilled as the Gospel goes forth in the mission of the church. And it is fulfilled in holy worship through God’s commanded elements (offering to his holy name).

Job 36:24 ESV

“Remember to extol his work, of which men have sung.

Here we are taught to not just remember the nature of God but also the works of God (Creation, Providence, Revelation, and Redemption).

Q60. What is forbidden in the third commandment? A60. The third commandment forbiddeth all profaning and abusing of any thing whereby God makes himself known (Mal. 1:6, 7, 12; 2:2; 3:14).

Malachi 1:6–7 ESV

“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name. But you say, ‘How have we despised your name?’ By offering polluted food upon my altar. But you say, ‘How have we polluted you?’ By saying that the Lord’s table may be despised.

Malachi 3:14 ESV

You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God. What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the Lord of hosts?

Here we are taught that God is due honour and holy fear not just in his essence but also wherever he is made known: in his household, temple, and place of worship especially.

Q61. What is the reason annexed to the third commandment? A61. The reason annexed to the third commandment is, that however the breakers of this commandment may escape punishment from men, yet the Lord our God will not suffer them to escape his righteous judgment (1 Sam. 2:12, 17, 22, 29; 3:13; Deut. 28:58, 5

1 Samuel 2:12 ESV

Now the sons of Eli were worthless men. They did not know the Lord.

1 Samuel 2:17 ESV

Thus the sin of the young men was very great in the sight of the Lord, for the men treated the offering of the Lord with contempt.

1 Samuel 2:22 ESV

Now Eli was very old, and he kept hearing all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who were serving at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

1 Samuel 2:29 ESV

Why then do you scorn my sacrifices and my offerings that I commanded for my dwelling, and honor your sons above me by fattening yourselves on the choicest parts of every offering of my people Israel?’

1 Samuel 3:13 ESV

And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them.

The Lord here teaches us that He cannot be bribed or hid away from. No one who sins against Him can escape his wrath. There is no way that God the Just Judge of all the Earth who is all-present and all-glorious, there is no way that He will allow sinners to be let go without the debt being paid. But, there is one way for the debt to be paid and therefore for mercy to be secured: in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

English Standard Version Chapter 5

5 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Jesus Christ is our only Hope in Life and Death! Let’s recap:

Conclusion:

Q58. Which is the third commandment?

A58. The third commandment is, Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain (Ex. 20:7).

Q59. What is required in the third commandment?

A59. The third commandment requireth the holy and reverent use of God’s names (Mt. 6:9; Deut. 23:58), titles (Ps. 68:4), attributes (Rev. 15:3, 4), ordinances, (Mal. 1: 11, 14), word (Ps. 136: 1, 2) and works (Job 36:24).

Q60. What is forbidden in the third commandment?

A60. The third commandment forbiddeth all profaning and abusing of any thing whereby God makes himself known (Mal. 1:6, 7, 12; 2:2; 3:14).

Q61. What is the reason annexed to the third commandment?

A61. The reason annexed to the third commandment is, that however the breakers of this commandment may escape punishment from men, yet the Lord our God will not suffer them to escape his righteous judgment (1 Sam. 2:12, 17, 22, 29; 3:13; Deut. 28:58, 5

Amen, let’s pray.