"Do Not Take God's Name in Vain, Part 4"

(Exodus 20:7)

Introduction: We have seen so far that the third commandment calls us not to
misuse or misrepresent the name of God or anything by which He makes Himself
known to us. We saw that this has a particular reference to the Word of God,
that we do not misinterpret it, or misapply it. If there is anyone problem
which plagues our nation today, and more importantly, our churches, it is the
violation of this commandment. Many of those who make a. profession of true
godliness don't even take the time to learn who this God is that they worship,
and as a result much of what they believe about Him and His Word is false.
They misrepresent Him to themselves, and to others. False doctrine abounds.
And even if they are well meaning in what they say, if what they say is wrong,
they break this commandment, and displease God. Furthermore, there are many
more people in our country who claim that God doesn't even exist. This is
also taking God's name in vain, for if a misrepresentation of Him does so, how
much more when His whole revelation is denied. God has made Himself known in
His creation. It is plain for all to see. But by the wickedness of their
hearts and minds, they suppress the truth and will not have God in their
thinking. But what is even worse are those who purposely go out of their way
to misrepresent, slander, and blaspheme God. It is for them that the lowest
depths of hell are reserved, i f they do not receive the knowledge of the truth
so as to be saved.
But as for you who profess the holy name of Christ, you are to turn away
from these sins. You are to put off the old and to put on the new. You who
have comH to Christ, have clothed yourselves with Christ. Now you are called
to "PUT ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, AND MAKE NO PROVISION FOR THE FLESH WITH
REGARD TO ITS LUSTS" (Rom. 13;14). This means that every sin that you become
aware of, which still cUngs to you, you are to put off, and you are to put on
its opposite holy behavior. You are to become like Christ, who only did those
things which pleased the Father. And so tonight we will turn our attention to
what the third commandment shows us to be our positive duty. And what i t
shows us is that,

We, as Christians, are to honor God by treating as holy everything

by which God makes Himself known to us.
Tl1is is the flip-side of the coin. You can even guess, i f you can
remember what has been said in the previous sermons, what is required of
you to honor His name.

1. First, You Must Treat As Holy, and Use Very Reverently, Everything by
Which God Is P.leased to Reveal Himself.
A. This Means, Most Obviously, that You Must Sanctify His Name, His
Titles and His Attributes.
1. Our Lord Jesus, when He taught His disciples to pray, said,
"PRAY, THEN, IN THIS WAY: OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN,
HALLOWED BE THY NAME" (Matt. 5:9). The first thing that we as
Christians must always seek after is the hallowing, or
reverencing of God's holy name.
2. This means that we must fear H.lm with a holy fear. It is not an
unholy terror, but i t is a real fear, a fear lest we lise His
holy name in an unworthy way, or for an unworthy purpose. Moses
wrote that we should "FEAR THIS HONORED AND AWESOME NAME, THE
LORD YOUR GOD" (Deu. 28:58).
3. And so fearing H.lm , we are to turn from anything which 1Tdgbt
dishonor Him and to honor Him by worshiping Him and ascribing to
Him glory. The psalmist writes, "ASCRIBE TO THE LORD THE GLORY
DUE TO HIS NAME; WORSHIP THE LORD IN HOLY ARRAY" (Ps. 29:2).
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4. We are to honor Him by singing praises to Him, "SING TO GOD,

SING PRAISES TO HIS NAME; CAST UP A HIGHWAY FOR HIM WHO RIDES
THROUGH THE DESERTS, WHOSE NAME IS THE LORD, AND EXULT BEFORE
HIM" (Ps. 68:4).
5. We are to extol Him for His great works. John tells us, in
Revelation 15, that those who had overcome the beast "SANG THE
SONG OF MOSES THE BOND·-SERVANT OF GOD AND THE SONG OF THE LAMB,
SAYING, 'GREAT AND MARVELOUS ARE THY WORKS, 0 LORD GOD, THE
ALMIGHTY; RIGHTEOUS AND TRUE ARE THY WAYS, THOU KING OF THE
NATIONS. WHO WILL NOT FEAR, 0 LORD, AND GLORIFY THY NAME? FOR
THOU ALONE ART HOLY; FOR AU, THE NATIONS WILL COME AND WORSHIP
BEFORE THEE; FOR THY RIGHTEOUS ACTS HAVE BEEN REVEALED" (vv.
3-4) •
6. Honoring Him means to speak highly of Him, and to extol Him for
His marve.lous works.

B. To Reverence God's Name Also Means You Must Treat His Ordinances,
His Word and Sacraments as Holy.
1. God took all His ordinances very seriously .in the Old Covenant.
a. With regard to sacrifices, He said, "'BUT CURSED BF: THE
SWINDLER ffllO HAS A MALE IN HIS FLOCK, AND VOWS IT, BUT
SACRIFICES A BLEMISHED ANIMAL TO THE LORD, FOR I AM A GREAT
KING, ' SAYS THE LORD OF HOSTS, 'AND MY NAME IS FEARED AMONG
THE NATIONS" (Mal. 1:14). He called for the best, and the
best needed to be brought.
b. So.a1so today, the Lord takes His ordinances very seriously.
If.#tv-ant to honor the Lord, then you must do what He
commands.
c. Solomon wrote, "GUARD YOU STEPS AS YOU GO TO THE HOUSE OF
GOD, AND DRAW NEAR TO LISTEN RATHER THAN TO OFFER THE
SACRIFICE OF FOOLS; FOR THEY DO NOT KNOW THEY ARE DOING
EVIL" (Ecc. 5:1).
d. The Lord has shown you what He requires, and so be sure to
carry out His commandments and you will be honoring Him.

2. You must also treat His Word with great caye, both .in your
understanding of it, and your teaching of it, for the psalmist
teLls us, "THOU HAST MAGNIFIED THY WORD ACCORDING TO ALL THY
NAME" (Ps. 138:2). This we have already seen, so I won1t labor
this point.
3. And you must be especially careful when you approach the
sacraments, for Paul has warned us, "FOR WHOEVER EATS THE BREAD
OR DRINKS THE CUP OF THE LORD IN AN UNWORTHY MANNER, SHALL BE
GUILTY OF THE BODY AND BLOOD OF THE LORD • • • • FOR HE WHO EATS
AND DRINKS, EATS AND DRINKS JUDGMENT TO HIMSELF, IF HE DOES NOT
JUDGE THE BODY RIGHTLY. FOR THIS REASON MANY AMONG YOU ARE WEAK
AND SICK, AND A NUMBER SLEEP" (1 Cor. 11:27, 29-30). Therefore,
Paul writes, "LET A MAN EXAMINE HIMSELF, AND SO LET HIM EAT OF
THE BREAD AND DRINK OF THE CUP" (v. 28). You must treat God's
holy ordinances with great care.

C. And to Treat His Name as Holy Means that You Must Sanctify Him In
Your taking of Oaths and Vows.
1. When you swear, you must do so truthfully, and be prepared to do
w.hat you say. The Lord said through Jeremiah the prophet, "AND
YOU WILL SWEAR, 'AS THE LORD LIVES, ' IN TRUTH, IN JUSTICE, AND
IN RIGHTEOUSNESS" (Jer. 4: 1).
2. And when you vow something to God, you must be prepared to pay
it. Solomon wrote. "DO NOT BE HASTY IN WORD OR IMPULSIllE IN
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THOUGHT TO BRING UP A MATTER IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD. FOR GOD IS

IN HEAVEN AND YOU ARE ON THE EARTH; THEREFORE LET YOUR WORDS BE
FEW. • • • WHEN YOU MAKE A VOW TO GOD, DO NOT BE LATE IN PAYING
IT, FOR HE TAKES NO DELIGHT IN FOOLS. PAY WHAT YOU VOW! 11' IS
BETTER THAT YOU SHOULD NOT VOW THAN THAT YOU SHOULD VOW AND NOT
PAY. DO NOT LET YOUR SPEECH CAUSE YOU TO SIN AND DO NOT SAY IN
THE PRESENCE OF THE MESSENGER OF GOD THAT IT WAS A MISTAKE. WHY
SHOULD GOD BE ANGRY ON ACCOUNT OF YOUR VOICE AND DESTROY THE
WORK OF YOUR HANDS?" (Ecc. 5: 2, 4-6).
3. So first we see, that to honor God means to honor all that by
which He reveals Himself and treat i t as 1101y.

II. Second.ly. To Honor God's Name, You Must Treat God Reverently in Your
Thoughts, Meditations, Words, and in Whatever You Write.
A. There Is Nothing Which Is Hidden from the Lord, Not Even Your

Thoughts.

1. Remember. the Lord is going to call all that we have done into
judgment some day. Thinking is an act just like anything else
that we do.
a. This is why Jesus said that the commandments apply not only
to our outvlard actions, but also to our hearts. You can sin
in the things that you think.
b. And of course, you must never think that what you think .is
hidden from God. He sees more clearly than you what is in
your mind. He has been aware of all of your thoughts from
all eternity.

2. For this reason, you must also glorify God in your thoughts.
The prophet Malachi wrote, IITHEN THOSE WHO FEARED THE LORD SPOKE
TO ONE ANOTHER, AND THE LORD GAVE ATTENTION AND HEARD IT, AND A
BOOK OF REMEMBRANCE WAS WRITTEN BEFORE HIM FOR THOSE WHO FEAR
THE LORD AND THAT THOUGHT UPON HIS NAME II (Mal. 3: 16) • When you
think favorably of the Lord and reVf!renCe Him in your thoughts,
He knows it, and records i t in His book to reward you for i t on
that great day.

B. For this Same Reason, Therefore, Your Meditations Upon the Lord
Must Also Be Holy.
1. Meditation is something which is largely lost in our day.
a. Most people probably think that i t is someth.ing that
followers of the Maharishi do, or other cu1tic groups.
b. But meditation is really a Christian duty. You are to
meditate on the things of the Lord.
c. Meditation is giving careful thought and attention to a
particular truth revealed by God.
(i) You concentrate on i t until you understand it.
(ii) Then once you understa.nd it, you measure your life by .it
to see whether or not you are living according to it.
(iii) I f you are, then you have reason to humble yourself and
to praise God, for you know that apart from His help,
you could not have done it.
(iv) But i f you are not living according to that truth, then
you have even greater reason to humble yourself to seek
the Lord for the grace to do with your whole heart {,,;hat
He commands.

2. When the psa.lmist meditated on God's creation, he was overawed

by God's attenUon to man. "WHEN I CONSIDER THY HEAVENS, THE
WORK OF THY FINGERS, THE MOON AND THE STARS, WHICH THOU HAST
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ORDAINED; WHAT IS MAN, THAT THOU DOES TAKE THOUGHT OF HIM? AND
THE SON OF MAN, THAT THOU DOES CARE FOR HIM" (Ps. 8:3-4).
Thinking about God's care humMed him before Almighty God.
3. He also med_itated on God's Law, so that he might know how best
to serve and honor Him. He says, "I WILL MEDITATE ON THY
PRECEPTS, AND REGARD THY WAYS. I SHALL DELIGHT IN THY STATUTES;
I SHALL NOT FORGET THY WORD" (Ps. 119: 15-16) •
4. There is great profit for your soul when YOll glorify God's name
by meditating on His revelation in a reverent way. There is a
godly humiliation which takes place, and a godly pa.th of
righteousness which is illumined before you.

C. But Not Only Must You Treat Him as Holy in Your Thoughts, You Must
Also Be Careful to Treat Him a.s Holy in Your Ordinary Conversations •
.1 • The psalmist calls upon the people of God to speak of His works.
He writes, "MAKE KNOWN HIS DEEDS AMONG THE PEOPLES. SING TO HIM,
SING PRAISES TO HIM; SPEAK OF ALL HIS WONDERS" (Ps. 105:1-2).
2. And to do this to His honor, Paul writes, "AND WHATEVER YOU DO
IN WORD OR DEED, DO ALI, IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS, GIVING
THANKS THROUGH HIM TO GOD THE FATHER" (Col. 3:11). When you
speak, do so as a servant of Christ, and in an attitude of
thank.fulness for what He has done for you.

D. And of Course, I f You Shou.ld Write About Him, Whether It Be in a

Class Paper, or a. Letter to Friend, You Must Write About God in a
True and Holy Way as f.lell.
1. Writing is just another fonn of verbal communication. It too
must accurately represent God.
2. In Psalm 102:18, we read, "THIS WILL BE WRITTEN FOR THE GENERATION
TO COME; THAT A PEOPLE YET TO BE CREATED MAY PRAISE THE LORD."

III. And Lastly, You Must Not Forget that the Way in Which You Live Also
Makes a Very Loud Statement about the God Whom You Serve. And So You
Must Be Careful to Adorn Your Life With a Godly Profession of Faith
and a Life to Match, I f You Are To Honor God's Name.
A. First, You Must Glorify Him by Being Ready and Willing to Tell

Otbers About Him.

1. I f you fear man and do not speak of Him, then you will dishonor
the Lord's name. But i f you profess Him openly you will give
Him honor. Jesus said, "EVERYONE WHO CONFESSES ME BEFORE MEN,
THE SON OF MAN SHALL CONFESS HIM ALSO BEFORE THE ANGELS OF GOD;
BUT HE WHO DENIES MI!: BEFORE MEN SHAIJL BE DENIED BEFORE THE
ANGELS OF GOD" (Luke 12:8-9).
2. And so Peter exhorts us to, "SANCTIFY CHRIST AS LORD IN YOUR
HEARTS, ALWAYS BEING READY TO MAKE A DEFENSE TO EVERYONE WHO
ASKS YOU TO GIVE AN ACCOUNT FOR THE HOPE THAT IS IN YOU, YET
WITH GENTLENESS AND REVERENCE" (1 Peter 3:15).

B. But I f That Profession Is Go.ing to Glorify the Lord, You Must A.lso
Have a Life Which Adorns that Profession.
1. Paul writes, "ONLY CONDUCT YOURSELVES IN A M4NNER WORTHY OF THE
GOSPEL OF CHRIST; SO THAT WHETHER I COME AND SEE YOU OR REMAIN
ABSENT, I MAY HEAR OF YOU THAT YOU ARE STANDING FIRM IN ONE
SPIRIT, WITH ONE MIND STRIVING TOGETHER FOR THE FAITH OF THE
GOSPEL" (Phil. 1:21).
2. Please remember that the way that you live can be one of the
greatest testimonies to the reality of the God whom you serve.
Jesus said, "BY THIS ALL MEN WILL KNOW THAT YOU ARE MY
DISCIPLES, IF YOU HAVE LOVE FOR ONE ANOTHER" (John 13:35).
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3. And so you must live in a way that beautif:ies the Gospel, rather
than depreciates it. As Paul writes, "WHETHER, THEN, YOU EAT OR
DRINK OR WHATEVER YOU DO, DO ALL TO THE GLORY OF GOD" (1 Cor.
10:3]). Let the glory of God's name be that which maUl/ates an
that you do. In this way. you will adorn the Gospel.
4. But realize too that there is a blessing which Gad promises to
you i f you w.ill. He says through Jeremiah the prophet, "AND I
WILL Gil'E THEM ONE HEART AND ONE WAY, THAT THEY MAY FEAR ME
ALWAYS, FOR THEIR OWN GOOD, AND FOR THE GOOD OF THEIR CHILDREN
AFTER THEM" (32:39). I f you are seeking to honor the Lord,
then He has given you this heart and this fear. And i f He has,
you can also be sure that He will give you the other blessings
which He has promised, namely, your good, and the good of your
househo.ld. Can you think of a better blessing than this?
5, But realize as well, that your honoring of His name will also
bring blessing to others. Peter wrote, "KEEP YOUR BEHAVIOR
EXCELLENT AMONG THE GENTILES, SO THAT IN THE THING IN WHICH THEY
SLANDER YOU AS EVILDOERS, THEY MAY ON ACCOUNT OF YOUR GOOD
DEEDS, AS THEY OBSERVE THEM, GLORIFY GOD IN THE DAY OF
VISITATION" (J Peter 2: 12). If you reverence the name of God in
all of your life, you will be the means to the conversion of
others unto Christ. To take part in the salvation of a soul is
a great honor which the Lord bestows on His faithful ones.
6. With sllch great and precious promises laid out before you, what
will you do? Will you give Him the honor which He so rich.ly
deserves? Will you serve Him and bring blessing to yourself and
to your household? Will you be the means to lead others to
Christ? Or will you refuse and bring down a curse instead?
7. May the Lord you the wisdom and the grace to glorify and
to honor His name, now and forever. Amen.