EXODUS 20x7 - Third Commandment
Thomas S. Myers
The Third Commandment, BE CAREFUL WITH GOD'S NAME
Exodus 20:7
7 "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. (NIV)
It is interesting the name that parents will give their children. My wife Velva knew a girl that was born on Christmas day whose parents last name was Reith. So her parents gave their daughter the first name of Holly. That made her Holly Reith. My mother had a doctor with the last name Bushyhead, and he was bald. I thought that was bad until I came across Dr. Grief. I once read in the newspaper of a lady whose first name was Ima and she married a man with the last name of Pigg. That made her name Ima Pigg. And then Rosy married Harry Sidebottom, so her name became Rosy Sidebottom. When I worked for Sears I came across the name Douglas Fir Wood. My wife and I knew a guy in college whose name was Forrest Bush, and his mothers name is Rose Bush.
Those are funny names. But when you come to the name of God there is to be reverence. His name is not to be used flippantly.
Someone has said, that "speech is an indication of character." You can tell what a man is by what a man says. Socrates said, "Speak so that I may see you." You can see that it's what's on the inside that comes out. Our speech simply
reveals our character. In the country they say, "What's down in the well comes up in the bucket."
You show me how you use the name of God and I can tell you what your character is like. You either take the name of God in vain or you take it up in victory.
FIRST -- HOW DO WE ABUSE THE NAME OF GOD?
AT LEAST 2 WAYS
A. BY PROFANITY.
What does profanity show about an individual?
First, it shows an utter contempt for God. Anyone who will take the Holy name of God and mix it with the sewer of this world shows a total lack of respect for God. Sometimes after you rebuke an individual for profanity they will say, "Oh, I didn't mean anything by it." What are they really saying? They are saying, "God is meaningless to me." God means no more to them than a dead dog. That is what the word "VAIN" means for you who have the King James version of the Bible. When you use profanity it shows an utter contempt for God.
Second, it shows who shall receive the judgment of God. Why the judgment of God? Because the third commandment is just that, it is a command of God. Take a good look at it.
Exodus 20:7
7 "You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God
It is not a suggestion. To use God's name in cussing or cursing shows absolute rebellion against God's law. If you want to see just how rotten your character is, just listen to your speech. When someone swears it shows they do not care for the laws of God, and God will judge that individual. When a man sins by stealing, he may get what he steals. When a man commits murder, he may get revenge. But what does a man get when he curses? He receives the judgment of God.
Exodus 20:7
7 for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. (NIV)
The Bible clearly teaches us that we are to avoid profanity. Look at:
Ephesians 5:4
4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. (NIV)
Jesus said, we ought to pray,
Matthew 6:9
9 "hallowed be your name, (NIV)
A Christian lady wanted a parrot that could talk. She looked in several shops before finding one. The owner told her, however, that the parrot had been previously owned by a bartender and though he could say anything, he also on occasion used profanity. She told him she would buy him anyway and teach him to say good things. Everything went well for about a month. He learned to say "Praise the Lord" and a number of other Christian words and phrases. One day she forgot to feed him and when she came into the house she heard him cursing. She grabbed him up and said, "I told you not to talk that way. I'll teach you never to do it again." So she put him in the deep freeze and shut the door. A few minutes later she took him out and asked, "Have you learned your lesson?" The bird shivered and replied, "Yes, Ma'am." She asked, "Are you going to talk that way anymore?" The parrot replied, "No, Ma'am." About seven months went by and not a bit of bad language. Apparently the bird was cured of his rascally habits. Then one day she forgot to feed him, water him, or change his cage. When she returned home that day he was carrying on worse than ever. She grabbed him and put him back in the freezer but forgot him for some time. He was almost frozen to death when she thought of him. She had to lean him in his cage to thaw out. Finally he began to move and talk a
little and she asked him again, "Did you learn your lesson?" "YES, MA'AM!" he retorted. Then he sat there quietly for a few more minutes shivering and said, "Can I ask you a question?" She answered, "Yes." The parrot said, "I thought I knew all the bad words there were, but just what did that turkey in there say?" While we may laugh at that, using the name of God in humor is no laughing matter.
Exodus 20:7
7 for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. (NIV)
Using the name of God in the wrong way is the sin of a fool. It is like a fish biting a hook to get a worm, it brings judgment. Using the name of God in profanity shows an utter contempt for God, and it shows who shall receive the judgment of God.
Three, it shows a warped concept of God. When you ask God to damn someone it shows that you do not understand God. God does not damn anyone, men damn them selves. The Bible says:
John 3:17
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. (NIV)
We can abuse the name of God by profanity. And we can abuse the name of God by:
B. BY THE SIN OF HYPOCRISY.
3 WAYS
First by vain profession in the abuse of the name.
Ezekiel 33:30-32
30 "As for you, son of man, your countrymen are talking together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses, saying to each other, `Come and hear the message that has come from the LORD.' 31 My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to listen to your words, but they do not put them into practice. With their mouths they express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. 32 Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words
but do not put them into practice. (NIV)
When a man professes to be a Christian and is not, he uses the name of God in hypocrisy. You see a Christian is someone who has taken the name of Christ, but a counterfeit Christian has taken the name of Christ in vain.
A saloon keeper sold his old tavern to a local church. Enthusiastic church members tore out the bar, added some lights, gave the whole place a fresh coat of paint, and installed some pews. Somehow a parrot that belonged to the saloon keeper was left behind. On Sunday morning that colorful bird was watching from the rafters. When the minister appeared, he squawked, "New proprietor!" When the men who were to lead in worship marched in, the bird piped, "New floor show!" But when the bird looked out over the congregation, he screeched, "Same old crowd!" God doesn't want us to be conformed to the world. He wants us to be transformed by our commitment to Him. How about it? Different location but "same old crowd?" God forbid!
We can be hypocritical in our profession of Christ, but like the rest of the world. A pastor was visiting one of his church members, and the lady of the house began to point out her neighbor. She said, pointing out her living room window, "See that lady next door? Look at that dirty wash she has put out to dry. She never hands out a clean wash." The pastor felt somewhat uncomfortable and tried to change the subject and quickly drew the visit to a close. As he got up to leave he noticed it was not the
neighbor's wash which was dirty, rather it was the window through which they viewed the wash.
We Christians are like that when we look at others through our dirty mind. We can become hypocrites who bare the name of God. And God says we will receive judgment.
Second, vain prayers.
Matthew 6:7
7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. (NIV)
When you rattle off a prayer, without thinking about the God you are praying to. Listen, we don't say prayers, we pray prayers.
Third, vain praise.
When we sang, "My Jesus I love thee, I know Thou art mine, for Thee all the folly of sin I resign," do you mean it? To sing, "Jesus you mean more to me than anything," Do you mean that? If you don't mean that, then why do you sing it? You take the name of God in vain. We stand and sing, "I surrender all, all to Jesus, I surrender," then we go out and live for self and self alone. We sing, "Take my silver and my gold, not a mite would I withhold." And then hold it with all our might. Jesus was right when he said,
Mark 7:7
7 "They worship me in vain." (NIV)
When we sing we are to sing unto the Lord.
Romans 15:9
9 I will sing hymns to your name." (NIV)
We can abuse the name of God by at least 2 ways: profanity and hypocrisy.
SECOND -- THERE IS THE PROPER USE OF GOD'S NAME.
A. YOU CAN TAKE THE NAME IN VICTORY THROUGH SALVATION.
Romans 10:13
13 for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (NIV)
A client was sitting before an attorney and while they were talking, the client said, "Pardon me, there is something I've been wanting to ask you." The attorney said, "Go ahead and ask." The client then asked, "Why, sir, are you not a Christian?" the attorney said, "Isn't there something in the Bible that says, "No drunkard shall inherit heaven? You know what a problem I have with the bottle." The client said, "Sir, I didn't ask you about your drink, I asked you, why aren't you a Christian?" The attorney said, "I don't think I even know how to be a Christian." The client opened his little pocket Bible and explained about calling upon the name of Jesus. And then the attorney knelt and prayed and called upon the name of the Lord. Later, as the attorney was writing about that experience the wrote, "Put it down straight! Put it down right! The day Jesus Christ saved me, that day the power of drink was instantly broken in my life. That attorney was C.I. Scofield. The editor of the Scofield Bible.
Taking the name in victory.
B. TAKING THE NAME OF GOD IN VICTORY THROUGH SERVICE.
We serve God through the power of the name of Jesus.
Colossians 3:17
17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (NIV)
John 14:14
14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. (NIV)
There is power in the name of Jesus. Do you believe that? An atheist was vacating on a Pacific island that once was ruled by cannibals.. He noticed that one of the original natives was reading the Bible, so he criticized the native for being old fashioned. The native said, "If it wasn't for the power of God, instead of reading the Bible I would be eating you."
There is power in the name of Jesus.
C. TAKING THE NAME IN VICTORY WITH TEMPTATIONS.
The Bible says,
Proverbs 18:10
10 The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe. (NIV)
When temptations gather around you, breathe the holy name of Jesus in prayer. A little girl once said in response to a question about how to deal with temptation: "When Satan comes knocking at the door of my heart, I just ask Jesus to answer the door. When Jesus answers the door, Satan says, 'Oops, I must have the wrong house.'"
A college freshman went to wash his dirty clothes which were bundled into an old sweatshirt. He merely pushed it into a washing machine and when the machine stopped he pushed the bundle into a dryer and finally took the still-unopened bundle back to his room. He discovered that the clothes had gotten wet and then dry, but not clean. That's what God says our life is like when we do not have the right attitude about God. We may think we are keeping our life clean, but God says it is still filthy because our profanity and hypocrisy. God wants to do a thorough cleansing in your life with all your dirty laundry.