Third Sermon

1. How important do you think this commandment is? Relatively?

2. How important is a name to a person? To you?

- Parents spend a lot of time choosing a name. Not just the way it sounds. But also its meaning.

3. What does your name mean?

4. What is God's name?

- Read . Thats why Jesus got into trouble "Before Abraham was, I am". ().

- "I Am"(The LORD elsewhere) is written in Hebrew as YHWH, so that it cannot be pronounced. Pronounced Yahweh or Jehovah (Yaheweh).

- Based on this verse, it has been traditional for many Jews to avoid ever saying the name “Yahweh,” saying instead “Adonay” (“lord, master”) or “ha-Shem” (“the Name”).

5. Why does God care about His name so much?

- It reveals His identity, His authority, His character. It reveals who He is: Just by "I Am" we know that He is - Self-existent, He had no beginning, He depends on nobody. He defines Himself. He is indescribable. No one like me.

Optional: Buddhists think "nothingness" is ultimate. to Say Jesus is Lord or Jesus is the son of God is inferior. But what about "I Am".

6. See . What does it mean that God had not yet revealed His name to Abraham?

- for God to give His name is to reveal Himself to people (esp in a saving way)

- When God saves, He reveals Himself more. Abraham etc did not experience salvation the way Israel in Moses' time experienced it.

7. See , .

In the OT, Israel was uniquely given this high privilege to know God's name and

thus His character.

- Jehovah Jireh or Jehovah Shalom are not for variety's sake

. He made known Himself as a Provider, as Our Peace etc.

- For God's people to know God's name is a high privilege, and that's also why God cares about His name so much.

In sum: Whereas the second commandment prohibits visual representations of God, the third focuses on verbal representations. As a sign of their respect for God, the people were to exercise the greatest caution when talking about him or invoking his name. They were to say nothing which might detract from a true appreciation of his nature and character. - NBC

8. Examples of profaning God's name:

Curse/joke - "We didn't mean it" but thats precisely the point. "take the name of the Lord in vain" is to treat it as nothing. To empty it of its significance.

When we just sing the words of Christian songs (to God) but don't mean them.

Swear/make oaths.(

) - we'll deal more on that later in "Thou shall not lie".

Invoking God's name to sanction/justify certain actions. "God told me to do this etc".

9. What does the name of Jesus mean?

Read .

10. When Jesus taught us to pray, what is the first petition?

- "Hallowed by Your name" i.e for God's name to be treated as holy. Indirectly praying that ew would treat God's name as holy and not misuse it.

11. Read .

- Because Jesus humbles Himself and was killed, He saved us from our sins

- And because of that God exalted Jesus will a name that is above every name. A name that one day people won't misuse. But at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow.

- Since it is His name (character) that has caused us to be saved, and since one day all of us will bow to His name, let us joyfully honour His name now and not misuse it.