Don't take the Lord's name in vain

Father, you are holy and your name is holy. And as we are here gathered this morning,

Lord, would you give us a deeper awareness, a deeper sense of your holiness and how your name

is set apart. Lord, would you be glorified in this time where we hear your word. And as your word

is read and goes forth, Father, would you allow your word to be planted as a seed

to bear much fruit. In Jesus' name, amen.

One of my most vivid memories of being in kindergarten was when some of my friends and I

got into a fight. And it wasn't like we weren't fighting like that, but we were fighting with

our words. And this looked like saying to one another, my dad can beat up your dad. And then

the other kid would go, no, my dad is stronger than your dad. He can take your dad down.

And we go back and forth for quite a while. And what was happening there is that for the

first time in our lives, we realized that we are not the most important person in the world.

There are other very, very important people in this world. And because we grew up in the

house, you know, growing up and we're nurtured and we're loved by our parents. And we finally

arrived to the conclusion when we get to school that these people as well got loved by the,

received love from their parents and so forth. And so in feeling this threat that we're not

the most important person in the world, we try to call the strong arm, the strong man to take

down what is threatening us, what is causing this fear in our life. And so in preparing this sermon,

I was wondering, is this how we are treating God? Is that how we relate to God? Is he the strong arm

that's going to come and defeat what threatens our preference, our image of the good life?

So if you can turn to your Bibles, we'll look at Deuteronomy chapter 5. And we're going to look

Deuteronomy 5 · chapter mention

just through the beginning of the Ten Commandments and going all the way down

to the Third Commandment. So starting in verse 6 in chapter 5.

It says,

I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image or any likeness

of anything that is in heaven above or that is on the earth beneath or that is in the water under the

earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God,

visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate

me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

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. So here we are in a series where we're looking at the Ten Commandments.

We've gone through the First Commandment, which talks about the importance of God in our lives.

It talks about now that we're in this relationship with God. God has saved these people from Egypt.

He saved them from slavery to himself. He saved them from slavery to freedom.

And now, in order to preserve that freedom of what it really means to be human,

it means to have this relationship with God. God is the most important in our life.

We direct our lives through this compass, which is the reality that God is the God of all creation,

and he's the God who loves us and who has saved us. And so that's the First Commandment.

Second Commandment, now we need to have a right perception of God. We don't create our own image

of God. We don't create God in our likeness. God has created us in his likeness. And so we want

to preserve his essence. God is a God who is transcendent and cannot be contained. And now

we're at the Third Commandment today, which talks about God's name, taking God's name in vain.

And I think what we're going to look at is that if we're going to take God's name in vain,

his identity is what is not necessarily at stake, but that's what we're looking at here when we're

thinking of God's name. So in the context of a relationship, we see here that Israel has a new

relationship with God. God is their God. They are his people. And so they're taking on a new name.

The God of Israel is saving them, and he's sharing his identity with them.

Just yesterday, I went to a wedding. My cousin got married, and it was very exciting. Great ceremony

and everything. We had a wonderful time. And what happened there is they came together. They

decided to come together in a covenant that will last until their death. And that means that their

old relationships, like their families, their immediate families with their parents,

those are not the sources of their identity anymore. They're coming together to form a new identity.

Okay, so this is very similar to the image here of Israel and God, is that they're coming together

to form a new identity. And in the structure of relationship, God is the king. God is the creator of

all things, and he created humanity in his image. So they are the ones who are going to reflect God's character.

Another example of that is just a few years ago, I moved to Montreal to do my undergraduate studies in music.

And the students, we loved to just, you know, explore the city a bit. It was a very lively city.

And part of being a Montrealer is that you love the Montreal Canadiens. And I found myself loving the Montreal Canadiens and just kind of being part of the crowd and everything, right?

And a lot of my friends, because it's an international school, we had a lot of American friends who came, and they've never watched hockey in their lives.

But all of a sudden, they start coming out to the place where people watch hockey games. And we enjoyed the hockey games together.

And they started liking hockey and started liking the Montreal Canadiens, because that's what it's like to be a Montrealer. You like the Canadians.

And so in that sense as well, we kind of enter into this tribe or this family, any type of group of people to share an identity with.

And now Israel, they're coming together under God and sharing His identity and becoming more like Him.

So this commandment is talking about not taking the Lord's name in vain.

So I'll just read it again in verse 11.

You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.

And what it's talking about here in vain?

It's talking about just emptiness or futility.

We're reducing God's name to something that it's not.

Or even so, we're talking about God in a way that doesn't reflect His reputation.

And so not taking it in vain is not really about how we understand in vain, how we understand futility, or how we understand a bad reputation.

It's starting at God's reputation.

We're starting with God's holiness and God's intentions, God's will in life.

So a good example that we see in the Bible is found in Leviticus.

I'm not going to read it.

It's very short.

It's talking about making oaths.

When people come together in the courts and they want to find out what's true.

Did this person actually kill so-and-so?

And somebody would, if they want this person to be found guilty, they might use the Lord's name in vain and saying,

I swear to the Lord, I'm telling the truth, and then say, this person is guilty.

Okay, so that's taking the Lord's name in vain.

But there's also other examples.

And just to see maybe a positive example of taking the Lord in an oath is found in Joshua.

So I'm going to turn to Joshua just for a second.

If you have your Bibles, you can turn there as well.

It's in Joshua chapter 2.

Joshua 2 · chapter mention

And we'll look in verse 8.

So here the Israelites are coming to the land.

They're coming to Jericho.

And they're about to take possession of Jericho.

And so they enter into this house where there is Rahab, the prostitute.

And Rahab is asking them to have mercy on her and her family.

So here we are, verse 8.

Before the men lay down, she came up to them on the roof and said to them,

I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us,

and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you.

For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt,

and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan,

to Sihon and Og, whom you have devoted to destruction.

And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted,

and there was no spirit left in any man because of you.

For the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.

Now then, and here it is,

please swear to me by the Lord that, as I have dealt kindly with you,

you also will deal kindly with my father's house,

and give me a sure sign that you will save alive my father and mother, my brothers and sisters.

So just here we have a picture of Rahab.

In the culture, she doesn't have much standing.

She is a prostitute, and therefore she has no way to protect herself.

And so she's calling on the Lord of the Israelites,

the God who cleared the waters from Egypt.

Egypt was the most powerful nation at the time,

and so she's calling on them because she knows that the Lord is powerful.

She mentioned how she knows the testimonies of the Lord

and how he devoted to destruction of the other kings.

And so her people and herself, they were afraid, they were frightened,

because God is a powerful God.

So here's the first point, if we can have that on the slide.

By faith, I enter a relationship with God and humbly share in his identity.

So, so far, we've seen that when we see God's testimonies,

when we see that God is a powerful God,

he is a God who is safe,

and so we come to him in relationship by faith

and humbly share his identity.

This is the next step.

When we come by faith, we come to share his identity.

So some of you are guests here,

and so you don't know really who I am.

My name is Jonathan.

My last name is Kamiri.

Growing up, I got to understand

that there are certain expectations in the family

that are kind of passed down

that Kamiri men should look in such a way.

It wasn't necessarily taught,

but it's something that I can observe.

So Kamiri men are men who are skillful workers.

They work with their hands.

They provide for their families.

They respect the elderly, and so on and so forth.

They take care of their families,

and so this is what I got to see modeled in my family.

And so it was expected that I would somehow look like a Kamiri

when I would grow up,

and I would share in those matters

and share in those values.

And so we see so far in the picture of Jericho

and of the Exodus that God is a merciful God

who rescues a people who are in slavery.

He's gracious to them.

He's abounding in steadfast love.

And so his people are to extend that to the world.

And so when the Israelites went to Rahab's house,

and she asked that she would be protected,

they protected her,

and they preserved her life and her family.

And so the big picture here

is that for Christians,

as we are in covenant with Jesus,

we are ambassadors for his name.

Our allegiance is to Christ.

So let's go back to this commandment,

and let's just look at something

that I find fairly interesting.

So in verse 6,

I am the Lord your God

who brought you out of the land of Egypt,

out of the houses of slavery.

These Ten Commandments are addressing the people of God.

They're addressing Israel.

When we think of not taking the Lord's name in vain,

we can often think,

well, maybe it's like swearing,

saying OMG or saying a bad word,

and we think of other people,

unless you're someone who uses bad words.

That's between you and God.

But we might think it's out there.

It's something that happens out there,

but it doesn't really happen here.

But the commandment is talking to the people of God.

And there's a way that the people of God

might use his name in vain.

So,

why is God talking to his people

and asking them to not take his name in vain?

Let's look at our second point for today, Andrew.

In my pride,

I enter a relationship with God

to have my wishes and desires granted.

Now, this is a bit...

What's the right word?

I'm sarcastic.

So, this is really the hidden parts of our hearts.

If you're like me,

if you're wicked like me,

your prayers usually resemble,

God, do this for me.

God, do that for me.

And we always start like that.

And I always catch myself,

like, what am I doing?

God is a holy God.

God is a God who is more than just my genie.

He's not a genie.

God loves to have our requests

and have us ask him for things.

But he's much more than that.

And so,

in our pride,

in my pride,

I enter a relationship with God

to have my wishes and desires granted.

Now,

I might offend some of you here.

I apologize

if Psalm 20, verse 4,

Psalms 20:4

is your life verse.

Because it's likely taken out of context.

It goes like this.

May he give you the desire of your heart

and make all your plans succeed.

So,

does this mean that,

you know,

I want to have this mansion

or I want to have this beautiful car

or a trophy wife or whatnot?

Does this mean that

if I pray to God for those things,

he will give them to us

because we desire them?

Well, actually,

this verse is in the context of a holy war.

And it comes after,

may the Lord receive your sacrifices.

And so,

it's talking about

the messianic victory

over sin and death.

And so,

we have to be careful

when we look at verses like these

that we don't come to God

as one who will

be our servant,

one who will be our genie,

who will do everything

that we ask him to do.

And so,

I think the big picture here

is that the problem

of using God's name

in vain

is to associate him

with purposes and powers

that are inconsistent

with his identity

and his will.

So,

why does God not hold him guiltless

who uses his name in vain?

This is what the commandment says.

And it might make us feel uncomfortable.

Like,

aren't we

like the people of God?

And aren't we,

you know,

really

cherished and loved?

And yes,

those are true.

And there's also this word here.

So,

let's look again.

Verse 11.

He 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.

So,

why does the Lord

not hold him guiltless

who uses his name in vain?

Well,

there's something special

about God's name.

There's something

very special about it.

When my parents

named me Jonathan,

or they were going

to name me Jonathan,

my oldest brother

said,

by no means,

don't call him Jonathan.

And they were like,

why not?

And he was like,

because he reminds me

of this weasel kid

at school

who just bothers me

so much.

Can't stand him.

Don't call him Jonathan.

And so,

for him,

the name Jonathan

was so associated

with the reputation

of this kid

from school.

And so,

even so,

when I think of

the name of,

say,

George,

you think of George,

you think of the way

he laughs

and the way he preaches

and he goes to Starbucks.

You have all these images

that come to mind.

And so,

when we're thinking

of God's name,

we're thinking

of his reputation,

his fame.

When Moses

went to the burning bush

in the cave,

he received God's revelation

of his name.

God said,

I am that I am.

Now,

that might not mean anything

unless you're a philosopher,

but what that means is

that I am that I am

means that he is self-sufficient.

God is self-existent.

And that is who God is

in his essence,

his identity.

He does not need anyone.

He does not need to be fed

or does not need to be clothed

to stay warm.

God is self-existent,

self-sufficient.

And when Israel

would think of Yahweh,

the name of God

given in the covenant,

they would think of

the Passover

and of the Exodus

and how God

brought the ten plagues

and how he

made a covenant

with them at Sinai.

And now,

when we think of Jesus

in our culture,

we think of a bad word.

If you're going to hear

Jesus on the bus,

you think,

oh, someone's angry

or something bad

happened somewhere.

And so,

we think of Jesus

and we associate it badly.

But the reality is that

when we think of

the real name of Jesus

is in Hebrew,

Yeshua,

which means

God is our Savior,

God is salvation.

salvation.

So,

as Christians,

we're entrusted

with that message,

that name,

that God is salvation,

that there's hope

in Jesus.

And so,

we are expected

to resemble Jesus

and we're expected

to reflect his morals

because we're the ones

who represent him

on earth

in all the spheres

of our lives.

Whether we're at school

or at work

or at home,

everywhere,

we're supposed to carry

that name of Jesus.

When we come into

that relationship,

he seals us

with the Holy Spirit,

writes his name on us

and so now we are his.

And we have this mission

that we're supposed

to create that reputation

for him.

So,

so far we've talked

about a lot of things

that the commandment covers

but we haven't really

talked about the elephant

in the room.

We talked a little bit

about it but

you might be wondering

when is he going

to talk about swearing

and saying bad words.

There has to be

something connected,

something related

with the third commandment.

Well,

let me talk just a bit

about when people say

oh God

or oh my God

or Jesus

in associating

with something bad.

I'll just talk

briefly about that.

It's kind of similar

to when we say

thank goodness.

It's kind of like

that we're not

affiliated with Jesus

or God

but we're thankful

to something

that's greater than us

because we have

in us

a sense

a real deep sense

that there is

a God

who is greater than us

and so we just say

thank goodness

even if there's no one

at the end

of our thankfulness

to receive that thankfulness

and so when we say

things like

OMG

or we slur

God's name

in such a way

we show

that we subconsciously

believe

in God's existence

to blame him

for bad things

yet

we suppress

his existence

when good things happen

it's very rare

that we'll hear

someone say

or use

God's name badly

when something bad happens

but when something

good happens

sorry I might have

said that wrong

okay

it's very rare

that we'll hear

somebody say

God's name badly

and then also say

and thank God

when things happen well

okay

so

it's either

you believe

that God exists

and you stop

blaming him

for the bad things

or you believe

that he does exist

and you start

thanking him

for the good things

here's the third point

it's easy

to blame God

when bad things happen

and uncomfortable

to thank God

when good things happen

the Bible tells us

that worship

is marked

by thanksgiving

when we thank God

and so here's the question

is thankfulness

to God

part of your life

see when we look

at a commandment

like this

it's talking about

not taking the Lord's name

in vain

there's also a positive

implication

so that's kind of like

a negative implication

but if we kind of

flip it around

are you using God's name

to bless

are you using God's name

to encourage

because there's still

power in the name

right

so are we able

to speak God's name

in a way

that builds up

people

that provides hope

in the midst

of despair

now just in a bit

of an aside here

because we're talking

about speech

and using God's name

we should talk about

speech in general

just for a moment

I think

that we

should consider

repenting

for pessimism

and unfounded

optimism

I think those are

two things

that are marking

us a lot

that when we

carry God's name

that if we're

overly pessimistic

and optimistic

in a way

that's unfounded

in reality

it's not bearing

witness

we need to be

realistic

yet hopeful

I think that's

where the

tension is

it's not being

pessimistic

or optimistic

or both

it's being realistic

about the events

of life

and being hopeful

at the same time

so what does

realistic

yet hopeful

look like

where do we

start

the fourth

slide please

the name

of Jesus

is above

every name

in heaven

and on earth

he subdued

the old

creation

to make

all things

new

this is where

the rubber

hits the road

God has

revealed himself

and he's

revealed himself

in Jesus

his son

that he sent

for us

and when

Jesus lived

the perfect

life

he fulfilled

all the

commandments

and Jesus

was crucified

on the cross

and when

the cross

came

and Jesus

was crucified

on the cross

he split

time

in two

there was

the old

order of

things

where things

were going

towards curse

and sin

and destruction

and decay

and the cross

came

and he broke

that flow

of history

and brought

in a new

creation

so that when

we think

of Jesus

we think

that Jesus

is the name

above all

names

he's the

name

that

God has

given him

the name

that is

exalted

above every

name

so that

every knee

should bow

at the end

and confess

that he is

the Lord

to the glory

of God

the Father

and that is

the end

of history

that's what

it's going

to look

like

and so

for us

as Christians

as we

bear the

name

of Jesus

we bear

the significance

of the Messiah

which means

new creation

which means

hope

and so

this is

why

I am

pleading

with you

we are

the witnesses

of Christ

we bear

his name

in our

workplace

in our

homes

in school

and so

to be a

Christian

is to

live out

in humility

before God

is to be

a people

is to be

the people

of salvation

the people

of forgiveness

the people

of love

of mercy

of new

creation

as ambassadors

for Christ

this is the

name

that we are

articulating

to people

in the way

that we act

we are

articulating

it

or explaining

it

to people

what it

means

to be

a Christian

as Christians

we are

those of

Christ

that's what

Christians

mean

so

this is

the call

to be

a Christian

and so

as Christians

do we

properly

carry

the name

of Christ

to his

glory

let's

pray

father

you've

given

your son

the name

that is

above all

names

and

lord

you call

us

to

relationship

with you

you call

us

to

love you

into a

covenant

where you

bestow

to us

that name

of Jesus

that we

are Christians

now

and lord

help us

each day

to reflect

the image

of Christ

to bear

his reputation

to create

this reputation

in those

who don't

know

Jesus

so that

they will

know

the name

of Jesus

as savior

as

merciful

as loving

as gracious

lord

would you

pour out

your holy

spirit

upon us

and press

in our

hearts

the goodness

that we

taste and

see in

Jesus

help us

this day

help us

this week

in Jesus

name

amen