The Ten Commandments - Revere His Name

Welcome to the roots where it's all about Jesus. We

love God, we love people, we reach the lost, and

we make disciples. Today is Mother's Day. What it's fantastic.

We got to celebrate that a lot of reasons to celebrate.

The last couple of weeks my wife and I actually

a couple of weeks ago, got to celebrate ten years

of marriage, which was really exciting that it was really nice.

We got to go away just the two of us

for a couple of days Cannon Beach, which is fantastic,

kind of go see the sites, go on some hikes,

and on the day of our anniversary, we got up

early and got to go on a hike basically up

like a nearby mountain, which was pretty cool. You got

to drive most of the way to the parking lot,

which is really cool, and it's only about a mile

or so to the summit, but to get to the

summit was like over a thousand foot of elevation gain,

so it's just switch back after switchback, switchback. There's a

lot of heavy breathing, is what it was. But it

was a good time. We finally got to the summit,

which you actually almost can almost walk right past it

and then just start walking down the other side of

the mountain, because you're walking and you look up and

there's just a steep, rocky slope that you have to

scramble up, and so we did kind of hands and

knees is crawling up and we finally got to the

top and it's actually a peak where you get to

stand at the top and there's just nothing else and

we're kind of like holding onto each other because with

the wind or a wrong step in the wrong direction,

is literally all downhill from there. And so on our

way back down it was really beautiful. We got it.

You can see the ocean and the coastline from where

we were really really incredible on the way down. Now

getting to go downhill on the switchbacks, which is so

much easier, right, we're kind of just hopping and jumping

and you're able to breathe and it's perfectly fine. But

I noted to hear that it was kind of funny

because on the way down, as we're going down these switchbacks,

like we're not even thinking about where we're walking, we're

not even thinking about how we're stepping, And I was say,

how different is this from when we were at the peak.

Like if we were on this switchback and that was

a one thousand foot drop, I'm gonna be walking very

differently than just kind of like skipping along downhill on

these switchbacks. So really, a question that I have for

us today is which way do you treat God's name?

Which way do you treat God's name? Do you treat

it trivially like you're standing on the edge of a

curb with no fear, or like you're we're looking the

cliff side at the ocean, Because today that is exactly

the heart of what our text is getting out. If

you would actually please open your bibles. If you do

not have a Bible, we actually have a good amount.

Gabe's in the back right there. He will run you

one right now and you can keep it. Just wave

your hand at him. I think you, Gabe. But we're

going to open to Exodus chapter twenty verse seven. Exodus

chapter twenty verse seven, We're going to read this pray

and ask the Lord that he would begin to work

on our hearts. Says, 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.

This has been God's word, Lord Jesus, we lift up

your great and mighty name. We are here gathered in

your name, and so I ask Lord that you would

tune our hearts, refine our hearts, to pay attention to

your name. We asked that you would give us clarity,

you would give us conviction, that you would help our

eyes that are blind to see, in our ears that

are deaf to hear. You would help us be focused.

And then you would help us learn to love you

as we ought. In Jesus name, we pray Amen. Exodus

twenty verse seven says you shall not take the name

of the Lord your God in vain. The Lord will

not hold him gill Us who takes his name in vain.

So this is the third Commandment. Last week we started

a brand new series which I'm like, I'm really geeked about.

I'm very excited about going through the Ten Commandments. A

couple months ago, we actually went through the entire book

of Exodus, and being that we did it at a

pretty rapid pace, when we got to the Ten Commandments,

we kind of did them all as one message, and

so we wanted to be able to go back. So

we can actually cover the great riches and fruitfulness and

helpfulness that is found in these ten commandments and really

be able to break them down for us. And so

that's what we decided to do. The title of this

series is called Law Defining Love. Law Defining Love. We

live in a day and age where people think that

what we love should be what defines what is right.

Let me say that again. We live in a day

and age where where people think that what we love

should define what we think is right. God's word tells

us that if we go about it in this backwards

way or backwards order, we're bound to end up in disaster.

Let me give you an example. If I love my

neighbor's wife, that doesn't mean I have the right to

take her in the name of love. If I would

prefer to have my neighbor's stuff over him having his stuff,

I don't have that right in the name of love.

If I love to blow off my parents, do I

have that right to keep and protect my peace? Do

I have the right to love something more than God

because I love it more? God's words is that those

things are not love. God's word calls the things adultery, theft, conveteousness, dishonoring,

and idolatry. What the world calls love, God calls sin,

and we see that as clearly defined in his word.

So therefore we need God to tell us what true

love looks like. And as Jesus himself tells us, all

of God's commands are pointing us to exactly whom and

how we are to love. Look at this in Matthew

twenty two, and he said to him, you shall love

the Lord your God with all your heart and with

all your soul, with all your mind. This is the

great and first commandment. And a second is like it,

you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two

commandments depend all the law and the prophets. So what

that means is, as we're looking through the ten commandments,

the first four we're going to see have to do

with how we relate in love God with everything, and

the rest of the six have to do with how

do we love our neighbor as ourself. God's law reveals

exactly when we're getting it right and when we're getting

it wrong. It's the standard to help us see things clearly. Now.

A couple of weeks ago, I was playing disc golf

with some of the bros here in the church. It's

always a good time. And we had been playing for

a little while and after a while I asked for

us to check the score to see how we were doing,

and at that point I had been I was informed

that I had shot eight over, which, just to be clear,

is not good. It's very bad when you want zero

or better. So I was eight over and I kind

of freaked out. I kind of started being like, there's

no way. That's totally wrong. There's absolutely no way. So

I basically called him a liar, and through all of

my accusations and questioning him, I knew I had been

doing so much better than that. So he pulls out

the scorecard to double check. He's like, well, could have

couldn't have got Maybe I got it wrong, and so

I was like, let's double check. We got a double

check as we walked through it one by one together.

He was definitely right and I definitely was wrong. That

scorecard called me out. It showed me the truth of

just how much I've been missing it. And God's law

does exactly the same thing. Most of us think that

we're going through life doing pretty all right. I think

I'm doing okay, I don't think I'm doing that bad.

But then God's scorecard of his law comes out and

shows us that we are way more off than we think,

which is why the first use of the law is

to reveal and convict us of sin, so that it

points us to our need for a savior. Who's Jesus Christ,

the one who kept the law perfectly on our behalf

and died the death that we deserve to die, and

then rose again on the third day, so that for

all who believe in his name will be saved from

their sin and given eternal life. So this is the

first use of the law. It reveals sin and points

us to our need for a savior. But the second

use of the law is that of guidance and instruction

once we are saved. We actually see this pattern in

the Book of Exodus that God saves his people out

of slavery, out of bondage, says I'm going to make

you my own people in special possession, and then he

gives them instruction in how they are to live that out.

It's God's design and direction for what loving him and

others looks like. Again, we don't get to decide what

love looks like. God does, so if you have an

issue with that, you to take it up with him.

So last week we looked at the first two commandments,

which are you shall have no other gods, but that

you are to only worship the one True God. And

the second was that you shall not make any idols

to bow down and worship them. So to summarize, you're

to worship God alone, and you're to worship how He defines.

Now we get to today's text, today's commandment, which is

still building on how we are to love God properly.

God has told us to worship him only. God has

told us to worship as he has defined. And now

He's going to show us that we are to worship

him reverently and truly from the heart. So look at

this verse again. Exodus twenty verse seven says 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. Called today's sermon simply revere his name.

I did have an alternative title that I was working with,

which is you kiss your mother with that mouth. I

just thought it might be fitting. But we'll stick with

the first one. This text goes so much deeper than

just watching our mouths. The main point for today that

we're going to be exploring and looking at is that

God wants hearts that hallow his name. What God is

looking for is God wants hearts that hallow his name.

Jesus makes it clear that from out of the heart

the mouth speaks. That means is that if I are

our mouths have no regard for how we treat God's name,

it's because we have hearts that have no regard for

his name. Out I'm gonna say this multiple times. Working

through that one commandment this week was just ouch, oh, oh,

my gosh, oh, over and over and over again, weighty stuff.

If our mouths have no regard for how we treat

God's name, it's because we have hearts that have no

regard for his name, just like we have regard for

When someone misuses maybe our mother's name, maybe our spouse's name,

maybe someone smears the name of our family, usually makes

us feel some kind of way. Because of that. We God,

whose name is infinitely more valuable, whose name is above

every name, shouldn't it be held in the highest regard

shouldn't it be held in the highest reverence. We won't

tolerate you talking about my mama, and then we have

no problem with how people or even ourselves use God's

name in our own mouth. If we were to love

God as we ought, then there's no way we can

allow ourselves to use his name in vain, but instead

we are to hallow his name. Clearly from this text,

God takes his name very seriously, and he calls us

to do the same. If you remember in our series

going through Exodus, God when he revealed himself to Moses

doesn't just reveal himself in some kind of distant way,

but he actually reveals his name to Moses. That is

the name Yahweh, which means I am what I am,

or I am who I am, or I will be

what I will be. God can't even describe himself using

anything else except for himself. That's how unique he is.

And actually, interestingly enough, in your own Bible, whenever you

see the capitalized title Lord, that word is usually there

in place of the name Yahweh. And the reason for

this being is that actually the tradition is is that

the Israelites so much desiring to not break the Third

Commandment put this failsafe in place just to make sure

that no one was misusing God's name, and basically our

modern editors kept with this tradition. It's very interesting, but

it's rooted in desiring to keep the Third Commandment. When

God reveals himself as I Am to Moses, the Lord

isn't just saying that it's his nickname or this is

what you can call me. But God is revealing his

name and his very being to Moses, which is revealed

also later to Moses when God's glory passes him by.

Look at this in Exodus thirty four, the Lord descended

in the cloud and stood with him there and proclaimed

the name of the Lord. The Lord passed before him

and proclaimed the Lord, the Lord, a god merciful and gracious,

slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,

keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin,

but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting

the iniquity of the fathers on the children and on

the children's children to the third and fourth generation. And

Moses did what He quickly bowed his head toward the

earth and worshiped. God's name doesn't just tell us what

he is, but who he is. And this is very

different from how our names are now. Most of us

have our names because we were given them to us

by our parents, usually maybe because they like the way

that they sounded, or they liked the actor or whatever

it was that they named you after. But the meanings

of these names don't always exactly fit who we are.

For example, one of the meanings of my name can

mean dark skinned warrior, not the most accurate description of me.

But God's name and his character are one. They perfectly

tell you who he is. So to misuse God's name

isn't just a treat it's his name like it's nothing.

It's to treat God like he's nothing. I'm gonna say

that again. To misuse God's name isn't just to treat

his name like it's nothing. It's to treat God like

he's nothing. And now, very quickly we should begin to

see you. Okay, I'm starting to understand why we should

have reverence and respect for the name of our Lord,

why we should why the Lord takes his name so serious.

We live in a society that has almost completely lost

the concept of honor and respect and reverence. There's very

little that is held in honor and then actually shown

that honor or held in honor in a way that

people just go, oh, hey, we don't do that here,

or hey that that topics off limits, or hey we

don't say that like you, you don't. Most people are

just like, what new barrier can I break? What new

level of depravity can I bring us down to? What

taboo can I break? Unfortunately, unfortunately, because we live in

this society, we have been, we have been and can

be tempted to be conformed to this way. Also, when

is the last time that you treated something as sacred?

Jesus tells us that when we are to pray, He

tells us that we're going to start by recognizing God

for who he truly is. Look at this, Matthew nine,

pray then like this our Father in heaven, hallowed be

your name or a different translation of that last verses,

or let your name be kept holy, or let your

name be treated with reverence. As I said, like, as

you start to unpack this commandment, as you start to

unpack what God is saying here, it's heavy weighty stuff

worthy of our reflection. Worthy of our consideration, and how

we've been flippant in our lives. Some of you won't

let people walk on your floors without taking off their shoes.

Some of you won't let someone say something bad about

your mom, or your wife or your kids. But do

you have that kind of reverence for the name of

the Lord. God's name is above every other name, So

how do we hold it in such low regard when

we talk about him, when we bring him up or

stand in his presence. God demands clearly that we give

the reverence to his name, and he shows this by

telling us of the judgment that comes with the one

whom he assuses his name. And you can't read this

and just be like, I'm sure it will be fine.

I'm sure he doesn't think this is a big deal.

Look at this verse. 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.

Just in case you thought that he might, he tells

you he's not going to hold you guiltless to misuse

his name. God demands that we treat his name as

most sacred and with all seriousness. We see clearly that

God has high regard for how we are to take

his name. He's serious enough that he has a warning

attached to it. But this taking of his name goes

much deeper than you might think. They are more than

one way than you can take his name in vain. Yes,

it definitely has to do with speaking his name out loud,

But let me give you an example of another way

that people take people's names. When a woman is at

the altar and says I do. Historically mainly in our

culture by and large, when she says I do, and

they become man and wife, she takes the last name

of her husband and so becomes his wife. So if

that lady were to go and act in an unfaithful way,

then there's a sense in which she's showing that that

name that she's taken on for herself means nothing to her.

It didn't mean anything to her. She has taken his

name in vain. And I want to explore these things further,

the different ways that we take God's name in vains,

because yes, we're to watch our mouths, but we also

need to watch our lives and we need to watch

our hearts. So let's look three main ways. I They're

not gonna be on the screen, but I will say

them so you can hopefully write them down. So how

we take the name in vain, that is with vain oaths,

vain talk, and vain worship. So start with the first one,

vain oaths. One of the main ways that we take

the Lord's name in vain is by swearing falsely. It's

one of the things that are being talked about here.

People who will make a promise using God's name for

their lie. Clearly, it should be obvious that that's a

huge violation to invac and invoke the name of God,

who is truth, for your lie. And even in Jesus's day,

people had become so frivolous with just making promises in

God's name that he clarifies and tells them to simply

let their yes be there, yes, and their no be

there No. Stop using the Lord's name in vain. You

just keep making all these promises, and it's over silly things.

You hear people today say all the time. I swear

to God over the most trivial things, like how good

the new restaurant is, or how crazy that video was

that you can't find. But you're like it was crazy

that I saw it had happened, And it almost seems

like Jesus outright for bids making oaths in God's name,

And then I normally have been inclined to that. But

even in my study this week, there was some helpful

clarification that Jesus was in fact bringing them back to

the heart of the law, that to swear an oath

in God's name should be done in a serious manner,

as God's law had permitted, not for things like I

swear the fish was this big. The next way we

misuse God's name is in our vein talk. I think

for most of us, this is the one that we

can be careless about. We don't even think about it.

It's just stuff coming out of our mouth. We say OMG,

we say Jesus Christ as curse words when we stub

our toes or see something crazy. And a few years

ago I was at a disc golf tournament, and apparently

we just have to talk a lot about disc golf today.

I don't know why all the illustrations worked out that way,

but I was at a a kind of a doubles

disc golf tournament where you get paired with random people

I got paired with this guy. We get sent off

in our group, and every time he'd shank or miss

a shot really terribly, he would drop the Lord's name

in vain. He'd drop it. Now, he didn't know I

was a Christian, but about halfway through he did find

out that I was a believer. And after that where

he threw his shot and it went the opposite direction

that he wanted it too, and he started it off

and he said, jeezeez, I thought him. He literally caught himself.

He literally caught himself. He'd been doing the entire time,

and he found out I was a Christian. And immediately

he's like, I shouldn't use the Lord's name in vain,

at least in front of this guy. But how many

of us as Christians are all too comfortable using our

Lord's name in vain? Now, I don't want to judge.

I'm pretty sure that guy wasn't a believer, but even

he changed when he realized that there was someone who

held that name in high regard and didn't want to

be disrespectful. But we, as people who bear God's name,

might have no problem with letting up loose on our lips.

These things ought not be We should repent of being

so careless with the thing that we claim to care

most about. And it goes further. We misuse God's name.

This is a fun one. We misuse God's name when

we speak on God's behalf of things he did not

actually say. Uh oh, there's a reason Scripture says this

in James three to one. Not many of you should

become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who

teach will be judged with greater strictness. Why, because you're

telling people what God said, and if you're lying, you're

bearing false witness about the Lord. So when you say

you're speaking on God's behalf, you better be sure it's

what God actually said. Practical application, Read your Bible. Don't

say anything if we're not sure that He didn't say

it first. Because God will not let others tack on

his name to give more weight to their own thoughts

or decisions or consequence. Yeah, he won't let them tack

on His name to their own thoughts or ideas without consequence.

So it either needs to be in truth or don't

say it, or to say this is my own idea

that I came up with myself. Who knows if it's

good or bad, and then go judge it by God's word,

and we'll see when we misspeak on God's behalf. God

told me this. God told me that. But it goes

directly against his word, that is, to take his name

in vain. When you use God's name as a cop

out for something you want or don't want to do,

and you haven't even taken it to him in prayer,

you're taking his name in vain. When we pray in

his name but don't actually believe He's good for his

word or can or will do anything about our prayer.

We take his name in vain, and Scripture tells us

that God will call to account every idle word. Finally,

one of the biggest and most offensive ways that we

take God's name in vain is through vain worship. Do

you lead worship, sing worship songs, pray, give offerings, all

with God's name on your tongue, but your heart far

from him. It's just a name, just a song or singing,

just a prayer you're reciting. It's your heart in it

says we're gonna look at God put his own priests

on blast for doing this very thing in Malachi, look

at this. A son honors his father, and a servant

his master. If then I am a father, where is

my honor? And if I'm 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? When you offer blind

animals and sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you

offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil?

Present that to your governor? Will he accept you or

show you favor? Says the Lord of Hosts. And now

entreat the favor of the or of God, that he

may be gracious to us with such a gift from

your hand. And will he show favorite to any of you?

Says the Lord of Hosts. Oh, that there were one

among you who would shut the doors, that you might

not kindle fire on my altar in vain. I have

no pleasure in you, says the Lord of Hosts. And

I will not accept an offering from your hand. 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. But you profane in it

when you say that the Lord's table is polluted, and

its fruit, that is, its food may be despised. But

you say what a weariness this is, and you snort

at it, says the Lord of Hosts. You bring what

has been taken by violence, or is lame or sick,

and this you bring is your offering. Shall I accept

that from your hand, says the Lord. Cursed be the

cheat who has a male in his flock and vows

it and yet sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished.

For I am a great king, says the Lord Hosts.

And my name will be feared among the nations. And now, o, priests,

this command is for you. If you will not listen,

if you will not take it to your heart to

give honor to my name, says the Lord of host

then I will send the curse upon you, and I

will curse your blessings. Indeed I will I have already

cursed them, because you do not lay it to heart.

So God calls out these priests for thinking that they

could get away with offering God these corrupted, polluted offerings.

But God is showing that he will not let them

get away without at all. He's not gonna let them

get away with not fearing His name and being called

his priests. So I think some fair questions for us

to ask ourselves is are we careless with the worship

that we give God? Do we give God our leftovers

or our best? Are our hearts in the worship that

we render unto Him? If not, then we'd fall right

in this rebuke that Jesus gives in Matthew fifteen, he says,

you hypocrites, Well, did Isaiah prophesy of you when he

said this? People honors me with their lips, but their

heart is far from me in vain? Do they worship

me teaching as doctrines the commandments of men? We take

God's name in vain when we live as those called

by his name, but don't walk in his ways. Paul

kind of gives us a really great example of this

Romans too. He's calling out some of the Jewish people

who feel self righteous and confident because they're the people

of God, are they not. They're called by his name,

and they have his word. Look at what Paul says.

He says, but if you call yourself a Jew and

rely on the law, and boast in the law, and

know his will and approve what is excellent because you

were instructed from the law. And if you are sure

that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a

light to those who are in darkness, an instructor of

the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law

the embodiment of knowledge and truth. You, then, who teach others?

Do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing?

Do you steal? You who say that one must not

commit adultery? Do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols?

Do you rob temples? Listen to this, You who boast

in the law, dishonor God by breaking the law. For

it is written the name of God is blasphemed among

the gentiles because of you. Not only are they taking

God's name in vain, but they are causing others to

not take God's name seriously because of the way that

they are living their lives. That's insane, which I think

is fair for us to ask, would others not take

God's name seriously because of the way you live your

life as a Christian called by his name? This is

weighty stuff, and it's meant to be. Is the word

for vain actually means emptiness. When we treat the things

of God and God himself like they're nothing, we're taking

his name in vain? Are we joking around in service?

Are we daydreaming about our week in service? Are we

falling asleep in service? Do we check the score during service?

Is God not worthy of your full attention? Like, not

in the rude way, but like, why are you here

if that's what you're gonna do. We're here to worship,

We're here to lift his name up. We're here to

glorify him. That's why we are gathered in his name.

And would we make a joke of it? I was

not kidding when I was saying working through this was

really messing with me. This week. God tells us not

to take his name in vain. Let me see many

of these ways in which we can do so. But

this command in the negative points us to how we

are to obey this command in the positive. Also, okay,

don't do that. So what am I supposed to do.

If the command and the negative is not to take

his name in vain or with emptiness, or be frivolous

and careless, then the command and the positive is to

be reverent and fearful of his name, which I actually

it was really important as I was studying this in

this week, thinking about how much God is saying, don't

take my name in vain, but all throughout the Old Testament,

how much is their great praise for the one who

fears the name of the Lord at the beginning of wisdom?

Is this the fear of the Lord? Oh, I take

him seriously. There's no way you're gonna catch his name

in my mouth in a wrong way. There's no way

I'm gonna wear his name in a way that dishonors

and disrespects him. I fear him. I consider him a

weighty matter. I don't treat him like he's empty and

like he's nothing. Now, with all this hiking talk, I

do have to admit that I have a terrible fear

of heights. Not really one of those people who can

walk up to the edge of a thousand foot drop

and look down. But I also do have an extreme

case of fearing missing out awesome things, and so my resolution,

the way I usually resolve this is I get down

on my belly and I crawl to the edge so

I can peek over, because I figure the closer I

am to the ground, the safer I am. And I

believe it's the same exact way with our regard for

God's name that we don't approach it careless. We come

on our hands and knees before his name. The first

commandment tells us to worship God alone, the second tells

us not to bow to idols, and the third is

basically saying no, because you bow to his name, you

bow to him. You don't bow to idols. You bow

at the name of the Lord. So there's three ways

we're gonna move quickly through these that we are to

respond to God's name. First, we should believe in his name.

The only way for the guilty to be saved is

by calling on the name of the Lord. How amazing

is that the same thing that you profaned, the same

thing that you dishonoured, the same thing that used in

vain that made you guilty, you call on that name.

It's the same thing that will save you. Look at

this Romans ten to nine, because if you confess with

your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your

heart that God raised him from the dead, you will

be saved. Amen. Don't call don't call out his name

as a curse, but call on his name as the cure.

That's how we need to think of this second. We

need to bow at his name. We're to live our

lives in worship and reverence before Him. We need to

do this at our church service. Take things seriously, take

one another seriously. It is a joyous thing to get together.

And I just want to make it clear you can

be joyous and still honor God. That's the hard part.

The part of our corruptness is that there's so many

things that we find enjoyable that are bad and wicked,

and so we contrast the two between being holy and

having a good time. But if you haven't read your

Old Testament, they were partying a lot, but in a

way that honored and glorified God. With their festivals. They

gathered to give glory to God's name as his people.

So do we do the same when we show up

on a Sunday? Do we understand that the reason we're

gonna get into some of this a bit next week

as well as we talk about the Sabbath. But when

we gather in his name, the point is him, The

point is worshiping him. So also, how could you, like,

how could you miss out on that? And also when

you do show up, how can you make light of it?

Supposed to do this in our own homes these We

also don't want to be those people who can go

to church and look nice and go home and dishonor

the Lord by dropping his name as a curse, by

not representing him well to our spouses and our families.

The one that also hurts me is kind of like,

how much do I let other people who come into

my house profane the Lord's name. I'm working through that

one because I probably shouldn't. He's my Lord. We should

do this everywhere we go, worshiping, bowing at his name,

not worshiping him in vain until the last day, because

look at this. Philippians too nineth through eleven says therefore

God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the

name that is above every name, every name, so that

at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow in

heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every

tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory

of God the Father. And the need of the bandippes

that that is the result of all mankind. Think about that,

the result of all mankind is that we're all on

our knees, giving glory, praise, reverence to God's name, that

even his enemies will have but no choice to bow

at his name, to surrender. And how great a privilege

do we, as His people who love him, who are

called by his name, have the daily opportunity to get

on our knees, to call on his name, to give

him glory, to give him praise, to treat him with

reverence and respect. And finally we're to obey his name.

Class in three seventeen says And hopefully this summarizes it

enough for you, guys. And whatever you do in word

or deed, So I think that about sums up everything.

And whatever you do in word or deed, do everything

in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to

God the Father through him. So let's think about that

for a second. The first half is saying, you, as

His people, do everything in his name. That should give

us some careful consideration that how we live matters, how

we represent Christ in his name matters. And second, as

we are doing that, there shouldn't just be a life

full of good deeds and holiness that glorifies him. But

we are to give thanks to God the Father through

him that we should be praising his name, not profaning it.

We are to believe in his name, live a life

of worship unto that name, and obey in Jesus' name.

To do otherwise is to take our Lord's name in vain.

And if we do so carelessly, God has made it

clear that he will not hold you guiltless. So if

he is your lord, this should be sobering. This should

really remind us that we cannot tolerate, specifically and within

our own selves, to disregard his name, to use it

in vain, to use it as a curse word, because

that tells us so much more about our hearts than

we probably would like. But if this convicts us, as

it should in many areas, should call us to repent,

and we should actually call on Him as a savior,

as the thing that we need, because God makes it

clear that he does not just want lip service. God

wants all of us. God's people should be known for believing,

having reverence, and being obedient to the name of Christ.

So I pray that we as a church, hearing the

sobering word, that it would cause us to drop to

our knees in repentance, asking for forgiveness, that we as

His people, have just been so careless with His name,

and that God would grant us that forgiveness and give

us hearts that hallow His name. And everybody said Amen.