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
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.
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,
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