The Struggle with Identity Theft

Introduction:

Identity Theft – How many of you have been a victim of identity theft or had someone duplicate your Facebook profile and claim to be you? How many have received a friend request and wondered if it was actually from the person who it claimed to be? How many have answered a caller-id from a number claiming to be local, just to be some robo-dialer from India?

The way you use a person's name says a great deal about what you think of them, and the way that we use God's name is one of the clearest reflections of His reputation in our culture.

This week I asked 3 digital assistants (Siri, Ok Google & Alexa) to define Jesus, and to define God. Each came up with the noun for Jesus, and each came up with a definition for God, even if it was brackets by “in theism”, “in polytheism”, or “in Christian thought”.

Then I looked up Jesus in my Concise Oxford English Dictionary. Two definitions are given: the noun/person and the “exclamation expressing irritation, dismay, or surprise”.

However, anybody who watches home makeover shows would come away with only the 2nd definition of God based upon “OMG” or “Oh My G-d”.

Hang out at a truckstop and you’ll hear the name Jesus Christ, but it won’t have much of a connection to the person of the Godhead who took on flesh and died for the sins of the world.

Just drop by the Elementary School playground or the High School lunchroom; it will astonish you. You are surrounded by the misuse of God's name. It is natural to people who don't know God, but not for us. If you have gotten into the pattern of saying "Oh my God," or "good God," or "Oh God" every time you are surprised, ask for God's help to overcome that habit, and ask a good friend to hold you accountable as you make the change.

Swearing is a significant issue, but it hardly seems to qualify as one of the ten greatest struggles of our lives. But the third commandment is about much more than swearing. In fact, as we will soon see, it speaks directly to one of the world's greatest struggles today.

Transition: The 3rd commandment is about much more than swearing. Last week we saw that idolatry is worshiping what should be used or using what should be worshiped. This commandment focuses on misusing the name of the one who should be worshiped.

Misuse of God’s Name

Product Endorsement (1 Samuel 13)

1. Our advertising and marketing culture places great value on endorsements. Celebrities are paid large amounts of money for the use of their names, and we have become familiar with commercials that associate well-known personalities with products. Advertisers use celebrities because big names cause people to sit up and take notice.

How many of us have ever asked our siblings to do something and been told, “You’re not the boss of me!” But when we say, “Mom said it’s time to come in” suddenly a new fear sets in. Or if that doesn’t work, we pull out “Wait until Dad gets home!”

2. No name in the universe is bigger than the name of almighty God, so it is not surprising that throughout the history of this world, people have rushed to attach God's name to their particular cause and to claim His endorsement for what they do.

3. The name of God has been attached to some of the most horrific acts of violence in our time. We live in a world where some people will fly planes into tall buildings claiming that they do it in the name of God. Others will volunteer to strap explosives to their bodies or carry improvised explosive devices into a crowded street with the aim of destroying themselves and as many other people as possible, again claiming that they do this in the name of God.

4. It's easy to point the finger at Muslim extremists today, but you only have to read Christian history to realize that the problem comes closer to home. Western history is littered with acts of violence that were done in the name of God such as the Crusades or bombings of businesses that perform abortion.

5. One of the greatest tragedies of Jewish history was the transition from Saul to David. And it all happened because Saul began to read his own press releases and tried to have his own way and claim it was God’s will. In 1 Samuel 13 Saul offered a Bar-B-Q and called it a burnt offering, but God had never given him permission to perform the priest’s role.

6. No name has ever been misused more than the name of God, and the result is that millions of people struggle over the very mention of His name. That's the relevance of the third commandment.

It is reported that during the time of the Civil War Abraham Lincoln was asked in a debate with Stephen Douglas for the Illinois senatorial seat, “Lincoln, Do you think God is on our side?” Lincoln wisely replied, “Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.”

Conflicting Claims (John 18:38)

John 18:38 ESV:2016

38 Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him.

1. What does it mean that Jesus is “King of the Jews”? To the Sanhedrin they used this claim to ask Pilate to crucify Jesus for treason. In John 18’s account Jesus acknowledges that He is a king but that His kingdom is not of this earth. By v.38 Pilate is so confused he questions “What is Truth?” He washes his hands of the whole thing and tells the Priests “you do whatever you want.”

2. Today there is no shortage of opinions about God. One major religion says that god is so exalted that He could never limit Himself to a human form. Another religion claims god is deep inside of all of us so we just need to listen to our inner voice. Another world religion claims that god is the totality of all things, and we only find him by transcending the created order. To some God will set all things right and ultimately punish evil. To others god is all about love and tolerance and there is no hell.

Years ago I saw a cartoon of a close play at 2nd base. The balloon above the runner’s head read “Lord, help me be safe!” The balloon above the Second Baseman’s head read “Lord, help me get this guy out!”

3. With all these conflicting claims, we may be tempted to echo the words of Pilate, “what is truth?”

Hypocritical or Empty Claims (Jeremiah 14:14)

Jeremiah 14:14 ESV:2016

And the Lord said to me: “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, worthless divination, and the deceit of their own minds.

1. Clerics of any denomination who prey upon children and claim to be priests or pastors sent by God.

2. Personalities on television or holding large crusades claiming to be sent by God while breaking marriage covenants or misusing the donations of trusting followers to spoil themselves in luxury.

3. How many sermons have you heard that promise God’s will is to satisfy all your selfish desires by providing the health and prosperity that you believe you are selfishly entitled to receive. They do not challenge listeners to align with the will of God, they brainwash followers into believing that God exists to accomplish their will.

Presumptuous Claims (2 Peter 1:20)

2 Peter 1:20 ESV:2016

knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation.

1. “The Lord told me” or “I just feel led to” comes across with a sense of arrogance, because that is exactly what it is.

The young man who walks across the room and tells a beautiful young woman whom he has never met, “God told me you’re going to become my wife.”

Woman of God, if that ever happens to you, I implore you to hand that man a Bible and ask “Where does He say that?”

2. I’ve seen this happen by both a church boss who is trying to control the new preacher and I’ve seen it by young preachers who are attempting to control an unsuspecting church.

3. 2 Peter 1:20 makes it clear that any pronouncement that claims the same authority of Scripture will be confirmed by the Word of God and the people of God!

4. I DO believe that the Holy Spirit prompts specific, individual behaviors! But His unique promptings of you have no authority over my obedience and my promptings have no authority beyond the sphere of leadership that He has entrusted to me.

Transition: For anyone to claim extra-biblical authority and leverage the name of God over another is a form of spiritual blackmail. And God says, “I will have none of it!”

God Takes It Personally (Matthew 7:21-23)

Matthew 7:21–23 ESV:2016

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

“In Jesus Name, Amen” (Mt 7:22)

1. For something to be done in Jesus’ name requires that it is done according to His will/authority and is consistent with His character.

2. Franchising and branding are huge issues globally because trademark infringement is a multi-billion dollar activity.

I remember my experience at McDonald’s restaurant in Moscow,Russia where my Big Mac tasted exactly like one I would get in Emporia.

I was reading that consistency is so important to the McDonalds name that they have proprietary filters that they place on the water lines of each restaurant and use a trademarked syrup recipe so that a Coca-cola at McDonald’s will always taste like a McDonald’s Coke and will be different from all other restaurants.

3. An enormous issue exists in our country today because of rogue Law Enforcement officers. While 95%+ of police are good, noble public servants, a few have acted outside of their training and their authority to create a crisis of trust.

4. Just as every McDonald’s takes steps to guarantee that a Big Mac tastes like a Big Mac, and every Sheriff takes steps to ensure that his deputies reflect the values of the office, God says, “Everyone who uses my name better is it correctly, because I will not ignore those who misuse My name!”

A Lasting Guilt

1. Today’s text promises that those who misuse the name of Yahweh will “not be left guiltless” (Ex.20:7)

2. Hebrews 6:4 promises that those who are truly saved cannot abandon salvation and then be saved again, because that subverts the whole purpose of the crucifixion and “disgraces the Son of God”.

3. Mark 3:28-29 teaches that blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is an “eternal sin”. Without taking the time to get too deep into this (it is a sermon in itself), Jesus is teaching that attributing to demonic forces the things that only God can do is an act of unbelief and unbelief is damnable.

Transition: So we agree that it is a horrible thing to steal one’s identity; We agree that there are many misuses of God’s Name; and We agree that it is a personal offense against the Triune God to misuse His name. But where does that leave us?

Right Use of His Name

Call upon His Name (Joel 2:32; Acts 2:21; Rom 10:13)

1. The Bible does not teach that anyone who misuses the name of God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit will inevitably go to hell. But it does teach that unless you make the right use of God's name you will not go to heaven. The right way of using God's name is to call upon Him in faith. Both the Old and the New Testaments make it clear that those who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved (Joel 2:32; Acts 2:21; Romans 10:13).

More than Words

2. The way for you to be forgiven is to embrace the One who forgives in repentance and faith. The only sin that is unforgivable would be your continuing refusal to come and receive what God offers you in Jesus. In that case, your guilt would remain. Why would you choose such a wretched position when the invitation is open for you to call upon Him today?

Conclusion:

Today God implores you, turn away from sin in repentance and turn to Him in faith.

Throughout this world, where God's name is blasphemed every day, God is gathering communities of believers who love and worship the name of Jesus. As you grasp His love for you more deeply, you will grow in your love for Him. That will shape the way that you speak about Him, and people will begin to see that He is so much more than a name to you.