Transcription downloaded from https://sermons.stcolumbas.freechurch.org/sermons/854/part-4/.

Disclaimer: this is an automatically generated machine transcription - there may be small errors or mistranscriptions.
Please refer to the original audio if you are in any doubt.


[0:00] 20 and verse 7 Exodus chapter 20 and verse 7 In our ongoing study of the 10 commandments, which is going to take us up to the summer Which means we're going to be looking at The third commandment this morning and the fourth commandment this evening and because of that I'm going to do something slightly different or Yeah, I suppose it's slightly different This morning we'll look at the commandment and this evening we'll have a shorter service and look at the fourth commandment and then For any who want to come downstairs of tea and coffee, but we will just spend some time Maybe in groups discussing these two commandments. They're great commandments There's maybe lots of discussion that will come from them. Maybe particularly this evening's one and so I thought it'd be good to have the opportunity just to Ask your questions. There's plenty of Empty space on the notes that you have with your bulletin sheet to write down your questions if you think of any and you know sometimes when

[1:06] Preachers preaching you end up with questions and then by the end of the service you forget them or by the end of the day So it's an opportunity for you to write down your questions and we will discuss them this evening and It's good to be able to informally discuss God's word together. I hope allow it to Seep into our minds and hearts a little bit better and question and answers always good for that To help us to reinforce and affirm the truth that we learned So we're going to do that this evening a shorter service this evening then there'll be a time of fellowship after the evening service but this morning we're looking at the third commandment which is on page 78 of your pew Bible and it's verse 7 you shall not misuse The name of the Lord your God shall not take his name in vain is maybe what we're more used to with that Particular command for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name A more literal translation you have in your sermon notes with the bulletin do not lift up the name of the Lord in an

[2:13] Empty way, okay could be translated that lifting up his name in an empty way that is taking his name on our lips And in our lives so I'd like to just unpack that command this morning for a little while and I hope Challenges as to its ongoing and continued relevance in our lives beyond just not swearing Okay, which obviously is part of that Commandment what's in a name for us? You know here. We're told do not misuse the name of the Lord your God Well, we know ourselves don't we that names have significance the obvious significance for us names and faces matter to us They're very important in fact probably in our society because it's a very visual one faces mean more in a sense than names so it's not just when we sign something that we you know We attribute to it or our own stamp of approval as it were but very often to prove that Society will need to have an image of us as well It's not just a signature which can be forged

[3:15] But they want our face as well passport picture or something like that But very much names for us are associated with ourselves and with our person in the same way in Hebrew much more so You know in the Hebrew Culture and name was much more than just What you called somebody Which obviously was but it was much more than that It was connected much more with that identity with their person with their character even more so than us We would maybe use faces more, you know if I look around say oh, there's a few new faces in church today You know, you know, I don't just mean there's just faces It's sitting somewhere floating there in church, but there their whole lives and bodies are there as well We mean more than just a face We mean the whole character their whole person They're there in church and so the Hebrew would use the same of the name, you know The name signified the whole person and so it was very important and so but his names are still important to us very important

[4:20] Our names your name I'm sure is important to you and the the older you get the more your name is associated with you as a Character and when people hear the name they associate the name with the person and the identity so it's very significant and we associate people with names don't we when we if we really like someone we we tend to like that name more and When maybe there's not quite the same affinity we don't have such an attraction to that name When did you last hear for example any child named Adolf?

[4:54] We don't we haven't done it because we associate so much with that name And it's seen negative and negative implications to that name And so we don't call generally we wouldn't think of calling our child by that name And so names are important to us. They're significant to us our identity and God is reminding us in this command That his name also is significant and important to him It's an expression far more than just a kind of Bar more than just a name it's associating us with his nature and with his character and his identity and The name that he uses here is one of many that he uses in the Bible But nonetheless is significant and important the Yahweh name that uses here Jehovah or the Lord is Is an important name that he revealed to his people as you know We've said often here revealed that the burning bush when he was revealing himself as the God who could be known

[5:58] As the God who could be in relationship with his people who is going to be their Savior their redeemer taking them from slavery a God who gave himself and revealed himself The that name which is the I am name. I am who I am taking a literal translation of Yahweh Reflecting a little bit about his character his independence his His trustworthiness his just as being the fact that he is simply being As the God who reveals himself in his word and we know that the names of God reveal him as creator As savior as leader as healer as comforter as judge The God who is known the God who can be known and the God who's revealed in his word And so Jesus a God here is saying you shall not use misuse then the name of the Lord your God Speaking about his character speaking about his being and we can immediately move that forward to the New Testament and we can apply that truth

[7:10] From our understanding of who Christ is because we read that passage in John chapter 8 Where Jesus clearly takes on himself That name that I am name that Yahweh name before Abraham was I am Not bad grammar, but a clear Taking to himself this Yahweh this Old Testament name of God Which is of course by the Pharisees wanted to stone him there and then for blasphemy And we know that Christ takes on the name of God and Reveals himself as God in the flesh and adds to the names of God primarily in which name I think primarily in the name father which we pray together our father Who is in heaven?

[8:04] the name that he linked with that close personal name of Abba Abba father in Mark 14 36 That recognition of his closeness to us in Christ and his salvation You know the Savior who has promised from Isaiah the Emanuel God with us God close to us God among us God in us Through his saving work. So in God's name that is Protected here. We have the protection broadening out to Jesus as well and to Jesus as God so God's name reveals more about himself than merely a title it is an an Expression of his attributes of his person of his character Now do we care about our names?

[9:03] Yes, we do You sure are what's in a name is not that significant but I think most people to a greater or lesser degree care about their names and their Maybe more importantly their identity. I think identity is a massive issue for people today I mean we always has been we always care about our identity Which is intimately connected with our name?

[9:29] They were read about anyone or heard about anyone in the news or newspaper who has been a victim of identity fraud That's a horrible thing Person becomes entirely powerless when someone takes their pin number their name their passport their birth certificate or whatever else they take and they use their identity increasingly a problem in our Kind of electronic age and the way that we deal with with money as well as a very damaging Experience for people and can lead to great despair When their identity is stolen Their name is stolen and the laws of the land They Recognize the value of our names in business and personal in copyright. We recognize that don't we?

[10:21] But people are protected people take the name of a product and they trademark it Is associated with quality so she with good will You can't just take any old blood and guts and stomach and insides and and throw it together in a big bowl And stick it in the oven and call it storm away black pudding You can't do that You're not allowed to take that name of that product or any other product that happens to be and Take it for yourself because it's protected and in the same way libel Our name being misrepresented our name being stereotype false accusations being made against our name You know newspapers quite often find it easy to do that to misquote to misrepresent to not use someone's name in the right way You know someone says of me, you know in order to gain fear I don't know why they would but say oh, I'm a good friend of Derek Lamont's they've never seen me before a misuse of of

[11:27] My very important name Our Derek Lamont said it was okay for me to do this to take this to use this if that wasn't the case Misusing and misrepresenting any these are very trivial examples, but they can be become very serious examples as well of Misrepresentation do we care? Yes, I think we do care Does God care? Yes, he does care about his name this command makes clear do not misuse My name do not misuse the name of the Lord your God. God cares misusing the name the word that we have there is is you know One were more used to do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain and it simply has reference to emptiness worthlessness cheapness valuelessness Unreal is something that's not real, you know We're treating it cheaply and he says don't do that with my name because it represents my character and my person

[12:31] It's reminding us how real God is. He's not just a philosophical ideological Concept, but he is real. It's a real person with a real name and he commands us to recognize that in this Important moral 10 words that he gives us So how do we treat how can we treat his words in an empty or in a vain way or how can we treat his name rather?

[13:03] An empty or vain way. There's various ways in which we can do that and some of them are more maybe more obvious than others and This is by no means exhaustive but by empty words By taking his name on our lips in an empty or a vain way as Christians or as people Maybe with it for example the taking of vows. I Think it's still legitimate to take vows We'll speak about that in a minute later what Jesus says about like your yes be yes and your no be no But there seems still to be a legitimate use of vows. We use them in their society. We use them in the courtroom I'm not sure actually anymore if the Bible is still used To be sworn on in Scotland the lawyers here would know that or not But you know it used to be certainly and the God's name was invoked in court to tell the truth We use it in baptism. We use it in marriage. We use vows. We take in God's name

[14:04] And there may be other instances where we use it also and we're not to do that in an empty way Where we don't recognize the character of God behind The name that we are invoking and so we recognize the importance of And the seriousness and the solemnity of vow taking not being empty with our words Of course, it also does involve the most obvious, you know, if maybe you were asked to express What's the most obvious expression or?

[14:37] Or in Outworking of this commandment do not misuse the name of the Lord your God. I think most people would say oh, don't swear Don't blaspheme And I think that is a legitimate out working of it that We're not to take God's name lightly on our lips by using him as an expletive I hope we know that and appreciate that and there may be opportunities to share our faith sometimes Through recognizing that maybe bringing up in how other people are speaking but here's a very interesting fact 1995 entry of the concise Oxford English dictionary under Jesus The definition is a colloquial interjection an exclamation of surprise dismay etc and then in brackets

[15:39] The name of the founder of a Christian religion circa ad 30 Do you see our nation the primary the basic the fundamental Description of Jesus is as an exclusive as an expletive as a swear word and only in brackets Almost as an addition. Oh by the way is also the founder of the Christian religion That says something about our nation that says something about our understanding of God and maybe the emptiness with which we take his words It may also say something about our God consciousness. I'm not sure you may want to discuss that later Why is it that we take Jesus name God's name was the last time you heard for for Muhammad's sake?

[16:23] We don't hit it It's it may be to do with our Christian heritage or Christian culture, but nonetheless we recognize and see that swearing is an abuse a taking in vain of God's name, but I think we can take his name in vain in our words by Taking his name or doing things in God's name where well, there's maybe a bit jubilee about that Well, we're taking God to be on our side where You know We have no right maybe to do so someone apparently during the American Civil War We speak in Abram Lincoln and a woman said to him said isn't it great that?

[17:03] God is on our side or do you think God is on our side and and he replies in ma'am. I'm more concerned that we should be on God's side And I think that's an important emphasis to that sometimes are too quick to claim God on our side whether it's politically or Theologically or Nationally when we have no right to do so maybe on areas that are not black and white and not clear and there can be an arrogance of taking God's name in the wrong way also maybe sometimes when we're justifying Personal actions we say well God told me to do this You know God spoke to me and now I'm not saying God doesn't speak through his word doesn't speak through Providence and through circumstance and speak through the spirit in our conscience But sometimes we can take that to justify Our behavior in a way that doesn't allow us to claim God's divine authority We can be manipulating him it can be proud It can be wanting his stamp of approval and things that maybe are bit dubious and that no one then can gain sale where God told me

[18:11] No one can gain say it if God told us and yet the significance and the importance of always acting in Light of how God reveals himself is much more significant for us empty words even empty words And this may be stretching a little bit, but by our silence By having no words at all in other words Rather than giving God God the glory which I'm going to look at just at the end We take the glory for ourselves our gifts our abilities our wealth Our talent our time. It's all mine. It's all to do with me And we fail to give God the glory in our lives through our worship through our consciousness and through all that we are so empty words that may be some part of the answer of the command being expressed, but it also includes Surely more than just mere empty words, but also empty worship empty worship

[19:16] Do not misuse the name of the Lord you God. When do we take up the name of God most often? Well probably in our worship together in our corporate worship together or even maybe in our private worship but in Matthew chapter 15 verse 8 Jesus says Quoting from Isaiah these people honor me with their lips But their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain Same word same concept. They worship me in an empty way Their teachings are about rules taught by men. So there's a real emptiness a Vanity and worship because they are taking God's name in vain with their lips Now that is something that we need to look at ourselves that in terms of the application of this commandment Maybe in our public worship and maybe in our private worship in a family or individually Where we take his name on our lips. Oh Lord God But he's far from our hearts, you know Jesus speaks about that saying the many people on that last day will say Lord

[20:21] Lord didn't we do great miracles in your name. I says depart from me. I never knew you You see that importance of more than lip service that he says. Did we know did you know me?

[20:33] Did you trust me in your heart so that it's an expression of cheap worship? No heart heartless worship, you know and whatever else our worship must be it must be a heart worship And it must be worship to God Not about us. I think so much of our worship. We think I don't know why we think this but it's about us Don't we we think all I'm coming to worship today. I wonder what I'll get from the worship I enjoyed the worst didn't enjoy the worship didn't get much out of the worship today. I didn't receive it wasn't for me But maybe we've kind of turned it all around So we come to God's house and we've come to worship him It's not about us Primarily. What a blow to us. What a blow to our ego worship not about me What a blow to us, isn't it that our worship our adoration our confession our praise It's about God. It's about giving to God the glory and

[21:35] As a result knowing his blessing Can be I think public worship particularly is very easy to be external Because we're with other people, you know, what are they doing? What's that? Well, that singing was dreadful I'm minister's a disaster. Do you see what they were wearing? It's easy to be outward and ritualistic in our worship Public worship more than anything, but he asked us not just to worship with our lips But with our hearts and you know your heart. I know mine and that is what we take before God But also I think it worshiped not just in this kind of formal way, but I think with our life itself in Romans 2 23 24 God says You who brag about the law. Do you dishonour God by breaking the law as it is written?

[22:28] God's name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you God's name is Blaspheme because of your lifestyle you who say you're Christian you say you're on God's side And so there's a very real sense in which God's name is being blasphemed because of the way we we can live it can trigger a in others a Mockery of the God that we believe we say we believe in you're a Christian you you believe in Christ But look at your life your God's a waste of time blaspheme blaspheme blaspheme Because you've brought ridicule to his name by not living how you profess to believe and not Pudding your money where your mouth is as it were not living for God So our lifestyle Can cause the name of God to be blasphemed just as our lips can be

[23:31] Praising God but our hearts far from him which is dishonouring to his name, you know, not just to that Label but to all that that label represents in Christ and God empty worship But also an empty it leads in many ways a reflection then of an empty relationship, you know in the Exodus Shall not misuse the name Lord your God for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name There's a sense of guilt if there's an emptiness in a relationship with God This is about being empty before God. You know where God is nothing to us God is unreal to us. There's no honor in his name or in his character. We're running on empty spiritually We have no concern for him And if that's the case then spiritually, it's as you are empty No submission no love no adoration no forgiveness no relationship no hope and it needs to be addressed because he says

[24:41] You're guilty before me if there is no recognition of who I am and of what I've come to do for you even though I am God His name should trigger us To run to him for repentance and for forgiveness and for hope and for life and for joy That's the gospel and that's what the commands encourage us to do if we're not Christians They expose in us an emptiness and say what I need this year I need the Lord and I'm thankful that this expression of his character in the 10 words Shows me how far short I feel her short how far short I am As opposed to just looking at other people. I'm okay compared with them. I'm as good as the next person I'm better than the people that go to church, but rather it says to us. This is God This is his character and I recognize before him. I'm empty

[25:43] So it speaks about empty vanity emptiness But the flip side of that with all the commands although many of them are expressed negatively The flip side of the command all always is Therefore who God is and how we respond to him and we respond to him in the fullness of his character And in the fullness of truth as opposed to the emptiness of our own vain thinking And it's very interesting That we're not to treat him in an empty then meaningless way Rather we are to glorify him Now the word it particularly the word from the Old Testament from the Hebrew the word for glory Stems from the whole concept of being weighty being heavy Having substance, you know, we still use it in that context. We would say someone is or that's a substantial argument we would say it's a weighty argument or

[26:49] We would say that that person carries weight In their character in their authority, you know that that meaning of the word That's exactly what the Old Testament word for glory means it means or it comes from this idea of his essential being his weightiness his worthiness his all-encompassing nature which covers the Land and the seas and it speaks about his glory and you know the first Catechism captures that for his man's to defend is to glorify God and enjoy him forever So the opposite of treating God in a vain way or in an empty way and his name is to glorify him that is to recognize his name Recognize his name as it's revealed in the Bible as the redemptive God the God of Calvary the God of the cross The God who has done everything in order to redeem us and to see that and to recognize his salvation

[27:56] And to follow his knees for forgiveness and hope and to invite him into our heart That is how we glorify him To see him in his infinity to see him in his reality as it's given to us stop comparing him Stop making idols of him. He says stop excusing him stop mocking him Stop shrinking him as we do and glorify him and give him the reverence That is due to his name fullness as we recognize his glory Glory of his being all places and always yet personal and intimate Think of the size of the universe holds in his hand. She's not God who's small and impotent and Like a puppy dog, but a great powerful being far greater than we could ever imagine Fulness that comes from recognizing his glory But also if we maybe jump into the New Testament and expand that with the fullness of his just his holiness

[29:03] That we prayed together, you know, our father who's in heaven hallowed Be your name. It's not a word we use very much, but it simply means really we recognize the holiness of his name not in a mystical way not in a Superstitious way not in the name as a label but in the character reveal behind it that we recognize he is Consecrated that he has set apart the spiritual and in our thinking we treat him that way not an ordinary slapstick way But in a holy way and that we live live with him as our Lord and recognize him And recognize him recognize him as our Lord in a holy way so that for example in our worship That we worship him in a way that Is worthy that we come to his house for example saying public worship and say this is God. I am coming to worship I Prepare my heart for that worship

[30:05] That it's reverent worship You know, maybe some churches verge on the side of being too flippant and worship. Maybe we Verge of the side of just being dull in worship an unresponsive an un Spontaneous and joyless and flawless But it's reverent joy Recognizing who he is and what he's done for us These These in faith and in humility we come to give him glory On his day we'll look at that this evening a little bit more But in our worship we hallow his name By not just being flippant or careless or Godless or this a pageant or Whatever it may be that causes his name not to be hallowed But also in our life Jesus takes in in Matthew 6. He takes this command

[31:10] In Matthew 6 I don't think I've actually taken the reference what verse it is, but when he's Applying this verse in this in the sermon on the mount. He talks about the importance of Our yes being yes and our no being no You know do not swear but let your yes be yes and your no be no and I can't Find the actual verse in which it is but he's speaking about The importance there of in our life Hallying his name By reflecting his character to be trustworthy and honest that at every point we don't need to say oh well You know because I'm a Christian and you better trust me or in God's name we say things as if we need always God's character to back up our lives or our claims because ultimately there may be not that trustworthy because our life isn't that consistent But he's saying let your yes be yes and your no be no don't swear by heaven or by earth Just just be honest and be consistent and be like Christ who is in you trustworthy stable reflecting Christ

[32:18] Let people know you as someone who can say yes, and you'll stick with that word. No You'll stick with that word because you're straight. You're honest. You're reflecting Christ in your life and your life therefore Reflects that so that whole idea isn't it just of of our lives being testimony to what we believe And of course that yes Being yes can just broaden into our whole lives As being ambassadors for Christ we recognize don't we that we are ambassadors for Christ Romans 8 verse 17 It speaks about us being children of God if we're children and we're heirs heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ If we need we share in his sufferings in order that we might share in his glory He's talking about glory again the glory of God's name the hallowedness of God's name Is something as Christians?

[33:15] We share We share it is ours also Where is ambassadors and we share the glory of his character his name and what his name means In our lives, that's a great thought second Thessalonians 2 verse 14 says the same kind of thing It says he that called you through this gospel that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ The weight the substance the essence of God we share by our lives. That's a great thing And it's Very similar to what we're looking at on Wednesday night on last Sunday morning about the fruit of the spirit The fruit of the spirit in our lives Is the glory that we share It's the glory of God that we reflect Why because the fruit of the spirit is the character of God That's to be in our lives So If you're a member of a football club

[34:17] Remember of a clan or a family Even to a church Whatever it happens to be You've got a weight of responsibility When that name is made known when that association is made known that you represent them to a greater or lesser degree Important or maybe less important it may be in life But as will you take the name of christian on?

[34:43] You represent that name You represent that person You represent the savior an ambassador of his That is a great privilege And also a great responsibility And he empowers us through his spirit Announces through his spirit enables us through a spirit to live In a way that's honoring to him and enables us to fulfill this command You can't fulfill it and I can't fulfill it on my own We're empty spiritually Running on empty without Jesus christ as our lord and savior Commands point us to christ and almost reflect back into the commands And breathes life into them So that in his strength and by his spirit we can do The lord's will so may it be that we don't Lift up the name of our lord whether in worship or our life there are words That we would not lift up his name in an empty way

[35:46] Let's recognize the copyright On the lord god and his name through his word trademark The security the belonging the goodwill that goes with that name as it's revealed to us May we seek by his grace and favor to fulfill This command and glorify his name. Let's bow our heads in prayer Heavenly father we ask and pray that you would help us to glorify your name forgive us When we treat your name in a vain or an empty way When we ignore you and we turn our backs on you where we reject you where we Give ideas about you or have ideas about you which Can't be grounded in scripture and in truth. It may be just suit our own particular way of thinking

[36:46] Forgive us when our worship is thoughtless and empty. Give us when our lives don't reflect what we profess to believe Forgive us for all these things But lord also help us by your grace and favor and we thank you And praise your name today for jesus christ for his forgiveness And also for his life that he breathes into his life That enables us to glorify you to praise you To honor your name to hollow your name May we do that in our day-to-day living 24 seven help us To be able to glorify your name as those made in your image living in your shadow Basking in your light Help us so to do God bless us as we come together this evening also to look at your character revealed through the fourth commandment and may we enjoy being able to

[37:50]  Ask our questions and discuss together these issues Informally and may we learn a great deal With the help of your spirit in that way bless as we pray and bless our worship in jesus name Amen