Be Careful Who You Call

Realizing Revival by following the Rules

(Sermon #3 in a 10 part Series)

Exodus 20:7

October 2, 1998

Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

On Feb 7, 1996, three teenagers breezed through an intersection and directly into the path of an 8-ton truck. These three young men were killed in this accident. During the investigation it was discovered that there was a stop sign lying on the roadside near the accident scene. Three other young people had thought it would be fun to go along the rural roads of Hillsborough County and steal road signs the previous night. These three young folks were convicted of manslaughter and each of them faces 27 years in prison for the death of the three teenagers. The judge is quoted as saying "I don't believe for one minute that you pulled up these signs with the intent of causing the death of anyone, but pulling up the sings caused ramifications that none of you may have ever expected."

We have been looking at the Ten Commandments in a series designed to help us realize revival in our lives by living by the rules. As we look at the ten commandments, their relevancy is often called into question in our society. It seems that the story I just read to you is a very good example of exactly why God's rules for living apply to us in 1998 just as much as they applied to the children of Israel when God delivered them to Moses. We live today in a society where the 'stop signs' of morality and decency have been removed. There are no limits, and the boundaries are becoming increasingly fluid.

By pulling up the 'stop signs' of morality, we are in danger of exposing our selves to much more dangerous ramifications that we can imagine. What is happening to our society is not going to get better, but on the contrary it will steadily get worse until we make changes in our lifestyles and replant the absolute values that God teaches us through His word.

We have more crime, more divorce, more drug abuse, more alcoholism, more suicide, more children born outside of marriage, more people in prisons, more homes invaded, more cars hijacked, more tourists shot, more children dead because of guns in the school, more gang violence…all because we in our society have removed the stop signs that protect us from such tragedies.

The Ten Commandments are God's stop signs. Contrary to popular belief, they are not given to us to constrain us, to bind us in, but rather to protect us and to direct us. The Bible is truly not a collection of "Thou Shalt Nots", it is instead a collection of "Thou Shalt's" These commandments keep us on the right track, and headed toward a greater goal of doing God's Will.

(NOTE: The preceding introduction was borrowed nearly verbatim from Pastor Tom Dooley's sermon on this passage. You may find this sermon in its entirety at http://www.zoomnet.net/~dooley/time3.txt No attempt is made to claim this work as my own.)

We have looked so far at three commandments. The first was to have no other God's in place of the one true God. The second was an exhortation against idolatry, and now we come to the third which encourages us to hold the name of God in a honorable place, and to always speak or use it in reverence.

We must fear God. Not fear him as we might have an irrational (or perhaps entirely rational fear) of snakes, or bugs, or heights, or flying. We need not be frightened of God as we are of monsters under the bed when we are children. We do need, however, to have a very certain respect for the name of God. A certain reverence that is so highly held that nothing else comes close in our estimations. The name of God should be an important name to us. One in which we hold in the highest regard.

The third command says not to take the name of God in vain, but what does that mean? Let's consider how we might violate this command.

We Misuse God's Name

First, we misuse god's name. We don't give that name the reverence that is due it. Notice in King David's writings just how much he respected the name of God. In Psalm 83:18 David says "That men may know That You, whose name alone is the LORD, are the Most High over all the earth."

Now, all my life I was taught to respect those that are my seniors. All of my life I have been taught to 'put a handle' on someone name when I speak with them. I have been taught to say Yes Sir, and No Sir, please and thank you. I have been taught to give respect to those who deserve it. When I first arrived here, Rev. Watson did his best to convince me to call him Louis. No matter how I tried, I just could not bring myself to call him anything other than Rev. Watson. He had earned that title of respect because of his tireless dedication to the Lord's service.

How much more should we give the Lord the respect that is due His name? He is the great creator, the ruler of the Universe. He deserves our respect.

Instead of respect however, we misuse His name. We treat the very name of god with a lightness that we should not. We punctuate our speech with God's name, relegating it to just another expression to add 'flavor' or 'color' to our words. We must give God the respect that He deserves.

We Use God's Name in Profane Ways

Second, we use God's name in profane ways. We truly desecrate God's Holy name when we couple Him with profanity. It is a sad commentary on our society when we can not even turn on the television, or pick up the newspaper without hearing the Lord's name taken in vain. We hear people, even Christian people saying phrases like "Oh my God", or "Oh Jesus". We hear God's name tacked to the beginning of curse words, we see God's name used in Movies. Does anyone remember the series of movies that George Burns starred in? Oh God parts 1, and following? Many Christians found these movies funny, when in reality we should have found them disturbing. If that wasn't a way to cheapen and scoff at the Lord, nothing is. We use profanity many times to cover up an inability within ourselves to express our thoughts in words. We must respect the name of God and not profane it. Consider what happened in Lev.10:1&2

And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not.

And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.

That word strange in the KJV also translates to the word profane. I'm amazed that the way we take the Lord's name in vain that God doesn't reach out and fry us just as he did Nadab and Abihu.

Our tongue is one of the greatest indicators of our relationship with God, and when profanity is spewing forth, when we gossip, when we tear others down, when our words are bitter, it's telling that something is wrong in our heart. We must not take the Lord's name in vain through profanity.

We Take His Name in Vain Through Misrepresentation

Third, we take His name in vain through misrepresentation. We use His name like a calling card, dropping it here and there when it is appropriate. In our courts we swear to tell the whole truth, so help us God then proceed to lie like a rug. We piously use the name of God when our actions prove our beliefs to be different than our words. We sneer, or mock God by our actions. Sometimes we joke about God and his word. We pray to God when things are tough, but rely on ourselves the rest of the time. All of these things misrepresent our relationship with God, and through that misrepresentation, we are taking the name of the Lord in vain and violating the third commandment.

Mark 13:6 tells us

For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

Many will misrepresent themselves claiming to be of God, and many will believe them. When we are claiming that our actions are of God when they are really born out of our own sinful hearts, we are misrepresenting God. And by that misrepresentation, we are degrading His holy name.

One of these days, you and I are going to come face to face with a holy and righteous God, and then we shall realize the gravity of our predicament. We will be held accountable for misusing God's name. God gave us these commandments to keep us on track. The first of the commandments deal with our relationship to God, and if we are determined to profane His name, that relationship will be strained at the very least. If our relationship with God is not right, our relationships to each other will also not be right.

The Alternatives

We don’t have to go down this road though. We have some alternatives. We can take steps so that we don't take the Lord's name in vain.

We can honor His name. We bring honor to the name of God by living our lives in such a manner that we are beyond reproach. We honor God's name by obeying His commands, and studying His word.

We can praise His name. We need to spend a little bit of time thanking God instead of asking. Thanking Him for what He has already done for us. If we are praising the name of God, we won't be taking it vainly.

Finally, we can share His name. If we truly love God we should share his name with others. Share with others how he can be the comforter, the redeemer, the creator, the rock. Share His love with others, and always present the name of God in a positive light.

Are we proud of the name we are called by? It's God's name, may we use it wisely.

Sources not referenced: Pastor Zeke Moore at http://www.christianteacher.com