Message 4 in This Series -
His "name" is God's nature, being, essence, character and reputation. "Vain:" Misuse; careless; use lightly; irreverent; to no good purpose; thoughtlessly. "You are not to use lightly the name of Adonai your God, because Adonai will not leave unpunished someone who uses His name lightly." —Exodus 20:7 (Complete Jewish Bible) "No using the name of God, your God, in curses or silly banter; God won't put up with the irreverent use of His name." —Exodus 20:7 (The Message) "You shall not use or repeat the name of the Lord your God in vain [that is, lightly or frivolously, in false affirmations or profanely]; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain." —Exodus 20:7 (Amplified Bible) I. Vain uses of the Lord's name: A. Irreverence 1. Express mild surprise. "Oh, my God."
2. Fill in gaps in a sentence. "oh God." B. Profanity 1. Swear using God's name; use "God" or "Jesus" as an expletive. "When a nation starts being vulgar and filthy in its language, it just lowers the overall moral level of that society." —Jerry Vines 2. Problems with profanity: a) You disrespect and insult God b) You lay aside your character c) You inflict pain on your family and friends 3. The "No Cussing" challenge "I won't cuss, swear, use bad language or tell dirty jokes. Clean language is the sign of intelligence and always demands respect. I will use my language to uplift, encourage and motivate. I will Leave People Better Than I Found Them." C. Point emphasis "I swear to God..." Invoking God's name on a promise and going back on it. "You shall not swear by my name falsely, and so profane the name of your God." —Leviticus 19:12 E. Promise making Invoking God's name as a guarantor of honesty. "You also have heard that our ancestors were told, 'You must not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you make to the Lord.' But I say, do not make any vows! Do not say, 'By heaven!' because heaven is God's throne. And do not say, 'By the earth!' because the earth is His footstool. And do not say, 'By Jerusalem!' for Jerusalem is the city of the great King. Do not even say, 'By my head!' for you can't turn one hair white or black. Just say a simple "Yes, I will' or 'No, I won't.' Anything beyond this isfrom the evil one. —Matthew 5:33-37 (NLT) II. Victorious understanding of the Lord's name: 1.Salvation in the name of Jesus "And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." —Acts 4:12 "For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
—Romans 10:13 2. Strength in the name of Jesus "If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it." —John 14:14 3. Safety in the name of the Lord "The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe." —Proverbs 18:10
"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." —Philippians 2:10-11 |
