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]

The Sligo Presbyterian Church Celebration Service - Sunday, July 19, 2026

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’ll consider 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 second commandment: Do not make idols that look like anything in the sky or on earth or in the ocean under the earth. Don’t bow down and worship idols.  [Exodus 20:4-5a, CEV] Below is a video of the service, a presentation of the sermon, and the bulletin & program for the service. 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.

Sunday's Message (The 10 Commandments Through the Eyes of Jesus: No Idols)

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’ll consider 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 second commandment: Do not make idols that look like anything in the sky or on earth or in the ocean under the earth. Don’t bow down and worship idols.  [Exodus 20:4-5a, 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 has been one heck of a week, hasn’t it? I mean, thanks to all those wildfires in Canada and Minnesota, the air quality in the area has been terrible. In fact, someone told me that at the levels we’ve experienced the last few days, it’s like we actually smoked around twenty cigarettes. And I think we’d all agree, that ain’t good. And although that applies to us all, it’s particularly hard on people who have breathing issues, you know, like my wife Debbie. Let’s just say, this hasn’t been a great week for her. But you know, I didn’t realize how rough it actually was until I saw this note Friday morning. She wrote, “Please do not open any windows in the morning.” Now, this was a pretty big deal. You see, since we only have air conditioning in our bedroom, the rest of the house gets pretty hot. And so, every morning, before taking Coco out for her walk, I generally open up some of the windows, you know, to cool things off a little bit. But given all the crud that’s been in the air, Debbie recognized that letting more of it in was not a good thing. And because of that, she made the decision to deal with heat rather than smoke; therefore, until things get better the windows need to stay down.

And I’ll tell you, I mentioned all that because I think what she did on Friday is very similar to what Jesus would have us do as we apply the Second Commandment. Of course, if you’ve been around here the last couple of weeks, you already know that we’re moving through a series entitled The 10 Commandments Through the Eyes of Jesus. And during the first message, we looked at Jesus’s relationship with the whole Old Testament law and talked about how he fulfilled it and radicalized it and summarized it. And then last week, we looked at commandment number one, that we shouldn’t worship any other gods and discussed how we can do that by avoiding distractions and focusing our attention and loving our Father. Now that’s what we’ve already done. And this morning, we’re going to move on to commandment number two:

Do not make idols that look like anything in the sky or on earth or in the ocean under the earth. Don’t bow down and worship idols. I am the Lord your God, and I demand all your love. If you reject me, I will punish your families for three or four generations. But if you love me and obey my laws, I will be kind to your families for thousands of generations. [Exodus 20:4-6, CEV]

Of course, in Old Testament times, this business about idols was a really big deal, particularly for the Jews. You see, since ancient people believed that they could communicate with their gods through idols, graven images had the potential of distracting God’s people from the one who is far greater than something made of bronze or silver or gold. And for that reason, folks needed to avoid using anything to represent the creator and lord of the universe. As a matter of fact, using idols was the same as rejecting God; therefore, the consequences were described in the most extreme way. Now that’s the second commandment.

And I’ll tell you, I believe that’s probably the reason why, of all the commandments, this one is kind of challenging for modern Christians to apply. I mean, even though some of the great reformers of the church believed that pictures of Jesus might be considered idols, let’s get real, none of us have worshiped anything carved out of wood, much less rejected God because of that statue. In fact, if the Ten Commandments were like this checklist, I think most of us would draw a line through the second in a heartbeat, right?

And I’ll tell you, that would be fine, if Jesus had sort of left it alone, but of course, he didn’t. You see, I think he believed idols were far more broad and more personal and even more dangerous than anything carved in stone. And that’s what we’re going to talk about this morning, namely how we can resist idolatry as defined by Jesus. And you know, it’s really interesting, how we can do it is very similar to what Debbie decided to do when she wrote her note. As a matter of fact, whether it’s lousy air quality or personal idolatry, based on what Jesus taught, I think resistance comes down to three words: recognizing and prioritizing and actualizing. Let me explain.

First, if we’re serious about resisting idolatry, I believe we need to recognize, to recognize our vulnerability. In other words, in my opinion, we need to face life with our eyes wide open and to accept that we’re surrounded by all kinds of stuff that can distract us from God, and I’m talking about things on the outside but more importantly on the inside. And I believe that’s what Jesus was getting at when he said this to his disciples:

Don’t store up treasures on earth! Moths and rust can destroy them, and thieves can break in and steal them. Instead, store up your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy them, and thieves cannot break in and steal them. Your heart will always be where your treasure is.

You cannot be the slave of two masters! You will like one more than the other or be more loyal to one than the other. You cannot serve both God and money. [Matthew 6:19-21, 24, CEV]

Now that’s what Jesus said. In other words, for him, the most insidious idols aren’t the ones found in temples; instead they’re the ones found within our own hearts. You see, things that result in greed or misplaced devotion, man, that can be a heck of a lot more distracting and dangerous and destructive than anything made from bronze or gold. And I’ll tell you, what makes it even worse, at least for us, is availability. I mean, just think about it. If I'm going to set up a physical idol in a physical shrine, I’m probably going to have to buy one from a sculptor, right? You see, the supply is limited. But the idols about which Jesus was talking were different. Man, we can produce them all by ourselves; therefore, the number of idols available to us is only limited by our own imagination. And because they’re hidden inside, we might not even know they’re there. And I’ll tell you, that really makes us vulnerable.

And you know, this is why I think identifying them is so important. You see, in my opinion, we need to identify those idols found within our own hearts. For example, we need to identify those assumptions that we’ve been told to accept, and I’m talking about opinions and prejudices that we’re supposed to have but that are virtually impossible to find in scripture. And we need to identify those beliefs that we’ve been told to adopt, ideas that certainly enable us to fit in with others but that may also move us away from living right. And we need to identify those desires that we’ve been told to have, but that actually distract us from what God created us to be. You know, according to ancient people, when you name the demon, it loses its mystery and power. I think the same thing can happen to those inner idols we carry around. But to get there, we need to recognize our vulnerability. And for me, that’s the first way we can resist idolatry.

And second, again based on what Jesus said, I think we also need to prioritize, to prioritize our values. In other words, after exposing all our inner idols to the light, we can use the word and will of God to decide what’s most important for us. And you know, I think Jesus told an amazing story about a man who did a miserable job of doing this very thing and sadly, paid the consequences. Just listen:

A man in a crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to give me my share of what our father left us when he died.”

Jesus answered, “Who gave me the right to settle arguments between you and your brother?”

Then he said to the crowd, “Don’t be greedy! Owning a lot of things won’t make your life safe.”

So Jesus told them this story:

A rich man’s farm produced a big crop, and he said to himself, “What can I do? I don’t have a place large enough to store everything.”

Later, he said, “Now I know what I’ll do. I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones, where I can store all my grain and other goods. Then I’ll say to myself, ‘You have stored up enough good things to last for years to come. Live it up! Eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.’”

But God said to him, “You fool! Tonight you will die. Then who will get what you have stored up?”

“This is what happens to people who store up everything for themselves, but are poor in the sight of God.” [Luke 12:13-21, CEV]

Now that’s what Jesus said, and based on that, I think I’m safe in saying the values of that rich man were really screwed up, weren’t they? For example, while he assumed that life was all about his bigger barns, Jesus made it clear that genuine worth wasn’t determined by wealth or property. And while that rich man assumed he had all kinds of control and he could use it to live the good life, Jesus reminded us that our time on earth isn’t guaranteed. And while the guy in the story seemed to assume that all his wealth made him a winner, in reality, he was actually a loser, because his obsession with himself made him poor in the sight of God. You see, although those inner idols he worshiped re enforced what he wanted to believe, in the sight of God, his values desperately needed to be prioritized.

And I’ll tell you, I think that’s something we can do when we decide to value God above everything else. You know, Jesus made a remarkable statement that I doubt we’ll ever see in a Mothers Day card. He said, “If you love your father or mother or even your sons and daughters more than me, you are not fit to be my disciples.” [Matthew 10:37, CEV] Now, personally, I don’t believe this made Jesus anti-family. Instead I think he was talking about our priorities, you know, whether we’re willing to look to God for direction and for guidance and for hope, and to do it before we turn to our families or our friends or our communities. And I think it also means that we may need to be intentional in putting a higher priority on things like truth and humility and faithfulness rather than wealth or status or power. But to do this, man, we really need to prioritize our values; for me, the second way we can resist idolatry.

And third, if we want to talk about taking a stand against graven images, I think we really need to actualize, to actualize our faith. In other words, our faith has got to be more than beliefs and words and promises. Man, it’s got to be concrete and practical and real. Now, that’s what I mean by actualizing our faith. And I’ll tell you, I think Jesus said the same kind of thing in his encounter with a rich young man. Just listen:

As Jesus was walking down a road, a man ran up to him. He knelt down, and asked, “Good teacher, what can I do to have eternal life?”

Jesus replied, “Why do you call me good? Only God is good. You know the commandments. ‘Do not murder. Be faithful in marriage. Do not steal. Do not tell lies about others. Do not cheat. Respect your father and mother.’”

The man answered, “Teacher, I have obeyed all these commandments since I was a young man.”

Jesus looked closely at the man. He liked him and said, “There’s one thing you still need to do. Go sell everything you own. Give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven. Then come with me.”

When the man heard Jesus say this, he went away gloomy and sad because he was very rich. [Matthew 19:16-22, CEV]

Now that’s what happened. A young man wanted to know about eternal life. And I think it’s interesting, when Jesus rattled off the list of commandments he should obey, you know, the ones the rich young man said he was already doing, Jesus didn’t mention anything about not worshiping idols, that is, until he told him to sell his possessions. And according to Mark, the man walked away gloomy and sad because he just couldn’t give up the stuff he owned. You see, in spite of his words, his wealth and the security it offered, well, they really had become idols for him. And as such, it prevented him from actualizing, from applying, from living his faith.

But that doesn’t have to be the case with us. As a matter of fact, maybe the most effective way to tear down the idols that stand within our hearts is to live the faith we profess. In other words, those idols come down when we decide to turn away from self, and I’m talking about putting aside personal control and self-interest, and accepting that, as Jesus said, “If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. You must take up your cross every day and follow me. If you want to save your life, you will destroy it. But if you give up your life for me, you will save it.” [Luke 9:23b-24, CEV] Man, that’s tearing them down. But more than that, those idols get tossed out the minute we decide to obey the command of Jesus Christ himself and to “love others as much as you love yourself.” [Matthew 22:39b, CEV] You know, in my opinion, the most important and challenging question we face isn’t “how can I give my life to Jesus?” Rather, I think it’s this: “how can I show his love to others?” You see, when we answer the second one, we’re actualizing our faith, the third way we can resist idolatry.

And like I said a little while ago, I think Debbie was doing the same kind of thing on Thursday evening after I’d gone to bed. You see, as a person with all kinds of allergies, when faced with air quality that had reached a hazardous level, my dear wife recognized the problem and prioritized breathing over comfort and decided to take action. She wrote a note. And as a result, I didn’t open the windows Friday morning.

And as we deal with those inner idols we face every day, and I’m talking about those assumptions and those beliefs and those desires, we’ve been told to accept and to adopt and to have, we can also recognize, recognize our vulnerability. And we can prioritize, prioritize our values. And we can actualize, actualize our faith. Now, according to Jesus, that’s how I think we can obey the second commandment and resist idolatry. Which means, next week, we’ll consider commandment number three:

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

The Program and Bulletin for the SPC Worship Service - Sunday, July 19, 2026

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’ll consider 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'll discuss the Second Commandment: 

Do not make idols that look like anything in the sky or on earth or in the ocean under the earth. Don't bow down and worship idols. I am the Lord your God, and I demand all your love. If you reject me, I will punish your families for three or four generations. But if you love me and obey my laws, I will be kind to your families for thousands of generations. [Exodus 20:4-6, CEV]

Below is the bulletin and program for the service. 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.