Sunday's Message (The 10 Commandments Through the Eyes of Jesus: Do Not Take God's Name in Vain)

Jesus reframes the ten commandments from a list of external rules into matters of the heart. He taught that true righteousness is not merely about avoiding bad actions, but about harboring pure thoughts and actively demonstrating love for God and humanity. During the months of July, August and September, we're considering the Ten Commandments Through the Eyes of Jesus, focusing on the following topics: 

• July 5 - The Ultimate Summary
• July 12 - No Other Gods
• July 19- No Idols
• July 26 - Do Not Take God's Name in Vain
• August 9 - Keep the Sabbath Holy
• August 16 - Honor Your Father and Mother
• August 23 - Do Not Murder 
• August 30 - Do Not Commit Adultery
• September 6 - Do Not Steal
• September 13 - Do Not Bear False Witness
• September 20 - Do Not Covet

On Sunday, we discussed the third commandment: Do not misuse my name. I am the Lord your God, and I will punish anyone who misuses my name. [Exodus 20:7, CEV]  Below is the text and a recording of the sermon. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).  You can hear a podcast of the service at the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel or the Sligo Presbyterian Spotify Page.

Well, this morning, we’ve reached the fourth message in the series we started right after Independence Day entitled The 10 Commandments Through the Eyes of Jesus. And since we’re looking at these divine rules from a Christian perspective, we started by talking about how Jesus fulfilled and radicalized and summarized the law. And then we focused on commandment number one, you know, that we should have no other gods and considered how we can do that by avoiding distractions and focusing our attention and loving our Father. And last week, we moved on to commandment number two, the one about not having idols. And as y’all might remember, and after considering the kind of graven images that sort of trip us up now-a-days, we looked at how we might avoid idolatry by recognizing our vulnerability and prioritizing our values and actualizing our faith. Now that’s what we’ve already covered. And this morning we’re moving on to the Third Commandment:

Do not misuse my name. I am the Lord your God, and I will punish anyone who misuses my name. [Exodus 20:7, CEV] 

And I’ll tell you, given that, I think the song we listened to just a minute ago is really appropriate, because this particular commandment played a pretty big role in my childhood. Below was the song we played.

I mean, when I was a kid, this business about having one God and avoiding idols and keeping the Sabbath, well, that stuff was above and beyond me. And for a ten-year-old, murder and adultery weren’t really applicable and stealing and lying and wanting stuff that wasn’t mine, they were obviously wrong. And I’ll tell you, so long as my dad had a belt and knew how to use it, honoring your father and your mother was a no-brainer. But taking the Lord’s name in vain, well, as I developing the kind of vocabulary that would enable me to fit in with the other guys on the playground, let’s just say, although I never remember mom saying anything about not making idols or remembering the Sabbath, I do recall her impressing on me the importance of not taking the Lord’s name in vain. And frankly, so did my dad. And as I mentioned, while she used her words, dad had other ways to get his point across. Let’s just say for me, the third commandment was all about what I shouldn’t say. 

And I’ll tell you, in its Old Testament context, that was probably spot on. I mean, misusing the Lord’s name involved not making false oaths and not trying to control God and not claiming that God endorsed certain values and behaviors he did not. And so, as it stood in Exodus, the Third Commandment was basically about what we shouldn’t say, which frankly, shouldn’t be a big surprise. I mean, give me a break, eight of the ten involve “you shall not,” right?

But remember, we’re not looking at the Ten Commandments through the eyes of Moses, rather we’re looking at them through the eyes of Jesus. And as we’ve already talked about, through his teachings, he radicalizes God’s commands by moving them from the outside to the inside and by broadening their focus to include both the “shall” and the “shall not.” 

And I’ll tell you, that’s how we’re going to approach the Third Commandment this morning. In other words, instead of just thinking about how we can avoid using anything in vain, we’re going to look at what Jesus said to his disciples and consider three positive ways we can make good and proper use of God’s name. 

For example, based on what Jesus taught, we can make good use of God’s name by being honest. Now, in my opinion, that’s the first thing we can do. And when I say honest, I’m talking both in what we say and do. And I think that’s what Jesus was getting at when he said this during his Sermon on the Mount:

You know our ancestors were told, “Don’t use the Lord’s name to make a promise unless you are going to keep it.” But I tell you not to swear by anything when you make a promise! Heaven is God’s throne, so don’t swear by heaven. The earth is God’s footstool, so don’t swear by the earth. Jerusalem is the city of the great king, so don’t swear by it. Don’t swear by your own head. You cannot make one hair white or black. When you make a promise, say only “Yes” or “No.” Anything else comes from the devil. [Matthew 5:33-37, CEV]

Now that’s what Jesus said, and just think about how radical it actually was. I mean, while, in the Old Testament, it was just plain wrong to use the Lord’s name to make a promise that you didn’t intend to keep, for Jesus, just avoiding the bad, well, that just wasn’t good enough, not for his followers, not for us. As a matter of fact, as it relates to promises, we shouldn’t be swearing at all. Just saying “yes” or “no” was right and appropriate. And if we say “yes,” we should do it. And if we say “no,” we shouldn’t. In other words, although talking about “our mother’s grave” or a “stack of Bibles” may impress the heck out of others, they don’t mean a hill of beans in the sight of God. “Yes” or “no” is enough. You see, for him, it’s not about the words we use, but the honesty we show. 

And so, to avoid misusing God’s name, man, we’ve got to be honest. For example, our words should reflect honesty. Man, they should be direct and frank and plain. Of course, that’s exactly what Jesus said. And I’ll tell you, if we tell the truth on a regular basis, just to be believed, we might never again need to say “I swear to God” or “Cross my heart and hope to die.” But honesty is more than just words, it also involves our character, doesn’t it? I mean, let’s get real, I think we all know people whom we trust just about as far as we can throw them, those whose entire lives are based on pulling the wool over somebody’s eyes and who lie whenever their lips are moving. You see, by choosing to be honest, our character can be so dependable that a simple, unadorned statement is fully trusted by others who aren’t worried about exaggerations and white lies and of course, fine-print designed to hide the truth. You see, our character can reflect honesty. And so can our relationships. Now, I don’t know about y’all, but personally, I’m closest to people who don’t feel the need to tell me how great I am or how blessed they are to know me. And frankly, I’d much rather hear uncomfortable truth from an honest person than compliments from a liar. And I’ll tell you, if that’s what I want to feel myself, that’s exactly what I can convey to others. You see, based on what Jesus said, if we’re really interested in making good use of God’s name, first, we can do it by being honest. 

And second, we can also choose to be focused. In other words, as followers of Jesus Christ, instead of dropping his name like we’re trying to get a reservation at a fancy restaurant, we can take the time and make the effort to stay focused on what matters most to God. And I’ll tell you, I don’t think there’s a better example of what I’m talking about than this passage from Matthew. Now as Jesus was teaching his disciples, he said this:

Not everyone who calls me their Lord will get into the kingdom of heaven. Only the ones who obey my Father in heaven will get in. On the day of judgment many will call me their Lord. They will say, “We preached in your name, and in your name we forced out demons and worked many miracles.” But I will tell them, “I will have nothing to do with you! Get out of my sight, you evil people!” [Matthew 7:21-23, CEV]

Now, that’s what Jesus said, and I don’t know about y’all, but as I read this I feel like slapping my head and saying, “I should have had a V8.” I mean, duh. Good night nurse, we just said that given enough time, we can all spot a person who’s words and character and relationships lack honesty, regardless of the words they use or names they drop. My gosh, “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me,” right? Well, think about it: if even the most trusting and the most naive and the most gullible people around can eventually recognize that a Nigerian prince didn’t leave them ten million dollars, do we really believe that we’re can turn God’s head by using his name or impress him with our words or our promises? In the musical, My Fair Lady, Eliza Dolittle eventually says to her verbose boyfriend Freddy, “… Words, words, words; I'm so sick of words.” Instead, she tells him that, if he loves her, he needs to show her. Well, I believe Jesus said the same thing to his disciples then and now: Don’t say “Lord, Lord” and then tell God about your faith and dedication. Instead, show him, by doing what he’s called us to do. 

But to do that, to get beyond the names dropped and promises made, man, I think we’re going to need to be focused. For example, we really need to be focused in our understanding, you know, so we can know exactly what God wants us to do and how God wants us to live. And along with that, we also need to be focused in making our assumptions, and not just assume that if we think it’s right, God must agree. And my goodness, we really need to be focused in our expectations, and I’m talking about what we think we’ve earned and believe that we’ll receive. In other words, instead of just slapping God’s name on our understanding and assumptions and expectations, maybe we should open our Bibles and do some reading. And maybe we should open our hearts and do some praying. And maybe we should do what may be the most challenging thing of all and open our minds so that we can take in what we hear even if it may be different from what we’ve understood and assumed and expected. You see, to truly honor the name of God, we need to be ready to do what he’s called us to do. And to get there, man, I think it takes focus. And that’s the second thing we can do.

And third, in my opinion, we can make good use of God’s name by being open, and I’m talking about open in how we approach God. And I’ll tell you, for me, that’s where the rubber hits the road. I mean, we can be honest and we can be focused ’til the cows come home, but if we’re not open to the one who’s name we use, we’re going nowhere. And I’ll tell you, I think that’s why, in his lesson on prayer, Jesus said, 

You should pray like this:

Our Father in heaven,
help us to honor
    your name.
Come and set up
    your kingdom,
so that everyone on earth
    will obey you,
as you are obeyed
    in heaven.
Give us our food for today.
Forgive us for doing wrong,
    as we forgive others.
Keep us from being tempted
    and protect us from evil. [Matthew 6:9-13, CEV]

You see, the very first petition in the Lord’s Prayer involves asking God to help us honor or to make holy his name. And I’ll tell you why I think this starting place is so important. You see, when we ask for God’s help so we can honor his name, well, I think this request acknowledges that, when you get right down to it, we’re limited and we know it, and so is our willingness to be honest and our ability to understand. That’s what we are. But God, God is holy. God is perfect in his freedom and his love. And because of that, God is able and willing to help his limited children do something we’re just not able to do on our own. I mean, he can help us honor his name by giving us the insight and the strength to do exactly what he called and created us to do. And what’s that? Just listen to what Jesus said to his disciples right at the end of Matthew’s gospel: Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world. [Matthew 28:19-20, CEV] Now that’s the command and the promise. That’s what we’re called to do, and God can help us do it.

And I’ll tell you, I think this same source of strength and support is also available to us. For example, we can seek God’s help to manage our speech so that what we say shows genuine respect for God. I mean, instead of using God’s name to express anger or to make promises or to rubber stamp decisions, we can use it in a way that reflects both humility and awe. And we can seek his help to align our behavior, enabling us to practice what we preach and to follow his example by acting with justice, compassion, and honesty and to live as befits the family name we claim, and I’m talking about the name “Christian.” And we can seek his help to deepen our reverence for him. I mean, just imagine the difference we might make if we used his name to offer him praise and to submit to his will and to pray for restoration. You see, I believe we can truly honor the name of God when we decide to open ourselves to his spirit and to his love. And for me, that’s the third thing we can do. 

And to do all that, well it’s not exactly child’s play, because, obeying the Third Commandment is so much more than not misusing God’s name. Of course, that’s not to suggest that mom was wrong when she told me there were certain words I probably shouldn’t use. Still, as adults, not only is this command bigger than what we shouldn’t say, it also speaks to what we can be and do. You see, according to Jesus Christ, keeping this commandment involves us being honest nd being focused and being open. And in this way, not only can we avoid taking it in vain, I think we’ll be making good use of God’s name. 

Of course, that’s not the only thing we can use properly. In a couple of weeks, and I’m talking about, on the Sunday after the picnic, we’ll be looking at the Fourth Commandment:

Remember that the Sabbath Day belongs to me. You have six days when you can do your work, but the seventh day of each week belongs to me, your God. No one is to work on that day—not you, your children, your slaves, your animals, or the foreigners who live in your towns. In six days I made the sky, the earth, the oceans, and everything in them, but on the seventh day I rested. That's why I made the Sabbath a special day that belongs to me. [Exodus 20:8-11, CEV]