If you please open your Bibles to John 8. Just be talking about two verses. John 8, 48-50. Just for context, remember that these Jews that are talking to Jesus are devout Jews. They've come for the Feast of Tabernacles. It's one of the three mandatory feasts all Jewish males had to attend in a year. Uh, in the midst of this feast, uh, there's a lighting ceremony where they light torches. It's not in the scriptures, but we know from extra biblical sources, this is what is happening. And it explains what Jesus is saying. There's also a water ceremony, carrying water from a pool up to the temple and pouring the water out on the altar. Again, a reminder of being led by the Holy ghost, being led by the spirit of God, by the fire in the wilderness and God providing water from the rock in the wilderness. So they're remembering their time as a people in the wilderness. Jesus has told them that He is the light of the world. This is earlier in John 8. And He's also said that if anyone should thirst, they should come to Him and drink. He's applying that particular feast to Himself and saying this feast actually points to Me. So the Jews oppose Him. They oppose Jesus and His teaching and He patiently instructs and corrects them. He continues to talk to them. He teaches, rebukes, corrects, and trains in righteousness for those who would hear and believe. In short, He preaches the gospel to them. He calls them to Himself. He commands them to come to Him and believe. He tells them that this truth that He proclaims is the only thing that can set them free. Of course, this is true for us. And he warns them that rejecting him actually proves that they're still children of the devil, their father, the devil. So it's on the heels of this statement that our text this morning falls, where they respond to him that he's a Samaritan. Would you please stand for the reading of God's holy word, John 8, beginning in verse 48. The Jews answered him, are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon? Jesus answered, I do not have a demon, but I honor my father and you dishonor me. Yet I do not seek my own glory. There is one who seeks it and he is the judge. Amen. Please be seated. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. Let us pray. Our Father in heaven, we pray that this text would be meaningful to your people. That your Holy Spirit would apply it to our hearts. That the words that I speak on your behalf would be true and right and powerful for the purpose to which you have ordained it. Lord, please bless this time of our worship in the preaching of your word. In Jesus' name, amen. These men obviously blaspheme the name of Jesus. They blaspheme Jesus. They blaspheme the name of God. But we'll see that this actually is a very helpful message for us as well. Let's look at first the first point. At the specific blaspheming of Jesus that we see in these two verses, the Jews answered in verse 48 and said, are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan? And have a demon. Later, in verse 52, they say it again. Now we know that you have a demon. Can you imagine? Can you imagine these words? Well, what does it mean to be a Samaritan? Of course, to us, it doesn't mean much. It's not like being a Texan or being a Tennessean. To be a Samaritan was the absolute worst insult that a Jew could say to another Jew, that you were a Samaritan. The Samaritans lived in the former Northern Kingdom of Israel. So in the Old Testament, we see a division between the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom. The Northern Kingdom of Israel were basically 10 tribes, all the tribes except for Judah and Benjamin, which were the Southern Kingdom. The Southern Kingdom lived with the capital of Jerusalem. The Northern Kingdom very quickly went into apostasy and had evil kings from their very beginning. In the Southern Kingdom, we see them with a mixture of evil and good kings, which really reflects their love for God. The Northern Kingdom seemed to have left God almost immediately. So, in 722, God sent the Assyrians to the Northern Kingdom and destroyed it, destroyed Samaria, and exiled all the people. Of course, some were left, but exiled all the people that he could. All the important people, anyway. They were exiled all over the kingdom of Assyria, and the king of Assyria sent people to inhabit the land so that he could reap the harvest of that particular land. He could reap the wealth from there. The people he sent, we learn from scripture, are from Kuthah, from Ava, from Hamath, and from Sepharavim. These are regions far from Palestine, far from the land of Israel. So these foreigners came into the northern kingdom and intermarried with the people that were left there, the Jews who were left there, with the Israelite population that was still in and around Samaria, and their offspring over time became known as Samaritans. Samaritans had a mixture of Judaism mixed with the religions that they brought from all these other places. So because the Israelite inhabitants of Samaria had intermarried with other foreigners by this time, by the time of Christ, it was seen as a great insult to God. Also when Judah returned, Judah was also exiled about 150 years later. They were exiled and they returned 70 years later to Jerusalem. When they returned, the Samaritans opposed them. Opposed the building of their temple as well in Jerusalem. The Samaritans had their own temple built on Mount Gerizim, and we know from extra-biblical sources that Sanballat, the leader of the Samaritans, established his son-in-law Manassas as the high priest on this other temple. We also know this, that when a Jew was disgraced or was under-disciplined or excommunicated from the Jewish people, they would often flee north to Samaria. to the Samaritans where they would find protection. So fast forward hundreds of years, 500 years later, 400 years later, the Jews regarded the Samaritans as the worst human beings that have ever existed. They had no dealings with them at all. They were an apostate people. But also, this is just a side note, we see Jesus going to Samaritans already in John chapter 4. He went to a city in Samaria. and preached the gospel to a woman at a well. But the Jews, for their part, had no dealings with Samaritans. So with all that as context, you see that to call Jesus a Samaritan is more than just an insult. It's not like calling someone whatever, a New Yorker or something. Sorry, you New Yorkers in the back. Or for a New Yorker to call someone a Tennessean. Okay, so now we're going both ways. It's not like that, though. To call someone a Samaritan was to call that person a heretic. To call that person someone who rejects God's Word. The Samaritans, by the way, only took the first five books of the Bible. All the rest of the long prophets and the Psalms, they rejected it as inspired. So it's a rejection of God's Word, of His authority, of His place of worship. Ultimately, these Jews told their Messiah, Jesus, standing before them, that He was a heretical, idolatrous foreigner. That's what it meant to be called a Samaritan. But it's obviously much worse than that. They tell our Lord that He has a demon. That should rest on your soul. They told God that he has a demon. The horror of this accusation, of course, needs very little comment. They're speaking to their creator. They're speaking to their incarnate God who's come to save them. And they tell them he has a demon. Many people believe that this is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, which will not be forgiven. Although there's much debate about that point. But regardless, to call God as in league with demons, with Satan, is a great sin. A great blasphemy against the name of God. And Jesus answered them with such grace, I do not have a demon, but I honor My Father and you dishonor Me." Again, these words should terrify you. Jesus is saying, I honor My Father and you dishonor Me. They don't understand who Jesus is, of course. We, the readers of this Gospel, understand who He is. We're told from the very beginning of the Gospel. In the beginning was the Word. That's Jesus. And the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. He's a Creator. No one has ever seen God. Verse 18. The only God who is at the Father's side has made Him known. He's shown us the Father. So we, the reader, know this information that these people in their blindness do not understand. Their hearts are so full of hatred and malice that they overflow into insults. of their Messiah, of Jesus, the Son of God. Horrible blasphemy. It's not difficult to understand. They're clearly opposed to Jesus, to His mission, to His teaching, to His identity, to His office, to His person, to God. And rather than answering Jesus' questions, He's been asking them questions. Why are you opposed to me? I honor God, I speak the truth, why are you opposed to me? Rather than answer his questions, they start calling names and blaspheme the Lord. In short, they're breaking the third commandment among many other commandments, but the third commandment, you shall not take the name of the Lord our God in vain. While we're right to condemn them for this terrible blasphemy, these horrible insults to the Almighty God, we might consider our own souls. We might behold the man upon a cross, my sin upon his shoulders, and hear our own mocking voices calling out among the scoffers. Well, in what ways? Well, I hope to show that. First, I want to talk about blaspheming the name of Jesus and how this relates to the third commandment. You may not know this connection or see this connection immediately. They're not actually saying the name of Jesus in a disrespectful way. In a way that is a curse or something. So how are they actually breaking the commandment? Well, the third commandment in Deuteronomy 511 says you shall not take the name of the Lord of Yahweh in Hebrew Yahweh your God in vain. for Yahweh will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain." What does this have to do with blasphemy? William Plumer says it's more than just the Old Southern theologian. It's more than just saying God's name in a disrespectful way. Of course, that does break the commandment. But it's much, much more than that. Blaspheming the name of God applies to, according to Plumer in our confession, Anything relating to the true God. This commandment reply applies to anything relating to the true God, his being, his nature, his will, his works, his worship, anything to their service rendered to him or to the doctrine concerning him. Our Shorter Catechism says it this way, that it refers to all the ways in which God makes Himself known. This is His name. So it seems to me that understanding what is meant in this blasphemy, how this could be a breaking of the third commandment, is to understand more clearly what the name of the Lord your God, the name of Yahweh your God, means. Because if you understand what that means, then you can keep from breaking this commandment by the power of the Spirit. So we're going to talk about that. The name of Yahweh your God. What does this exactly mean? These Jews clearly took God's name in vain, and so do we. But first, let's talk about how. How did they take the name of Yahweh their God in vain? Well, first look at the phrase, the name. This is from Deuteronomy 5. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. in vain. The name in Old Testament Hebrew, again, we've talked about this earlier, is a loaded phrase. To take someone's name, to bear someone's name is more than just saying the person's proper name, although it includes that, it's a reflection of the entire character of the person in Hebrew. So the name of the Lord refers more than just His name Yahweh, it's all that God is. Their being, their honor, their purpose. Again, with God, all the ways that He makes Himself known to mankind. So when you read the name in the Old Testament or in the Psalms, the name of the Lord, Proverbs 18, the name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous run into it and they are safe. What is that saying? Is it saying when you're in trouble, you just say, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus? No. That's not what it's saying at all. It's saying all the things that God has used to reveal Himself to you, all His Word and His promises, His Spirit that lives in you, His name is a strong tower. And we're safe in His name. He's the Creator. He's our Shepherd. And so much more. revealing Himself to us in His name. But it's the name of Yahweh. The proper name of God is Yahweh. In your Bibles, it's translated, most of your Bibles, it's translated the LORD, and LORD in all caps. The translators are honoring, trying to honor the Masorite scribes who refused to write or say the proper name of God, Yahweh, in an attempt to keep from breaking this very commandment. Yet the law of God nowhere prohibits the right use of God's name. It's found thousands of times in the Scriptures. Indeed, the double edged aspect of all the commandments, all the 10 commandments, whatever it prohibits, it also commands the opposite, right? So not taking the name of Yahweh in vain, but also command using the name of Yahweh properly. It's a proper name. He's told us his name. And Yahweh. which is synonymous with Lord in our Bibles. Should be used properly the name of Yahweh, the name of Almighty God. The point is, he's told us his name. He told Moses and his people his name and we are to use his name properly, not just his proper name, but all the ways that Yahweh has made himself known to us. These people, of course. blaspheme Jesus, but God made Himself known to us through Christ." They're clearly breaking the third commandment. It's not just the name of Yahweh. It's the name of Yahweh, your God. You shall not take the name of Yahweh, your God, in vain. Again, that pronoun, your God, is a reminder that these commands are not given by some unpassionate deity, some pagan deity, some capricious Zeus-like God who treats His people like cattle, maybe. No, this is Yahweh, the Lord, your God. He's our God. He's personal. He's revealed Himself to His people. We read in Zephaniah, He takes great delight in His people. He sings over His people with exultation. He's revealed Himself to us. He's covenanted that He would be our God and we would be His people. He created us. He revealed Himself to us in Christ and in His Word. He sustained us. He spoke to us and He grafts us into His family. The family of Abraham. The family of promise. And He's ours. He's our God. And we're not to take His name in vain. He's a personal God with whom we have relationship incredibly. So we're not to take this name in vain. What is to take it in vain? It's false. It's worthless use of the name of God or all the ways in which He makes Himself known. To carry His name or to take His name well means to uphold the name of God. To live like Christ is how we uphold God's name. So any other way is a false and worthless way and is forbidden to call Jesus a Samaritan, obviously, is taking the name in vain. To say he's possessed by a demon was to take Yahweh's name in vain. This was God's own son. Or for them, they didn't believe that, but at a minimum, he's obviously a prophet. They called him a prophet before. And if he's God's prophet, insulting the prophet of God would also be to take his name in vain, to approach God in a vain way. So they clearly took His name in vain. They broke the third commandment with their blasphemy. But how do we blaspheme? What does this have to do with us? How do we take God's name in vain? I mean, certainly we're much better than these blasphemers calling Jesus a Samaritan. We don't call God names. Proclaiming that His work is done by Satan. We don't do that. But this doesn't mean that you don't break the third commandment. I assure you, you do in thought, word, and deed every day. The third commandment, according to our shorter catechism, requires the holy and reverent use of God's names, titles, attributes, ordinances, word, and works, and forbids all profaning or abusing of anything whereby God makes Himself known." That's much more expansive than just saying, God, when you're angry or you hit your finger with a hammer. It requires the most reverential and holy frame of heart in our approaches to God. Whether it's personal, just you reading your scriptures or praying, you approach God in a holy and reverential way. I read a t-shirt not long ago, a few years ago actually, and it said something like, Jesus is my homeboy. That is a clear blaspheming of the name of God. Where's the reverence in coming to Christ? Now whether it's in our hearts, with our words, in our thoughts, we come to God. in a holy, reverential way. Or with our families. Or in our churches. Or in our communities. When God is spoken of by us, we should speak of Him with reverence and awe. He's greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints. Psalm 89. And God notices in Malachi 1, that's one of His complaints to the people of Israel. Malachi 1.6, God says a son honors his father and a servant his master. If then I be a father, where is my honor? If I be a master, where is my fear? Thus says the Lord of hosts unto you. O priest that despise my name. And you say, wherein have we despised your name? And this is our question as well. Lord, how have we despised your name? Well, hopefully we talk about this this morning. We also want to reverence God in all of our worship. In all of our worship. Especially our corporate worship. We must worship God in spirit and in truth. God told the Samaritan woman at the well. I think, as I have already said, the key to understanding the third commandment is understanding the name of Yahweh. It's God Himself and all of His self-revelation to us. So, let me try to tie these scriptural applications together for you as you begin to investigate the workings of your heart. I want you especially to notice every time the Bible uses the name of the Lord, the name of Yahweh, and think back to what we've said. This means more than just the proper name of Yahweh. It's all the ways that He's revealed Himself to us. And then see what glory that we see in the name of God. and in His work. He is completely dedicated to the very highest good, which is His own glory and the sanctifying of His own name. That's the highest good of all. Above anything else in creation. And if He is, so should we also be. We who desire to honor His holy name. How do we do this? Obviously, we love Him. We keep His commandments. And we set ourselves apart from the world. This is a New Testament principle, certainly. You remember in the prayer that we prayed this morning already together, the very first petition of the Lord's Prayer is what? Holy be thy name. It's the very first thing we pray for. Again, not just the name Yahweh or Jesus, but all the ways in that he makes himself known to us in the world. All of his revelation to mankind. Our shorter catechism explains his first petition this way. When we pray this holy be thy name, we are praying. That God would enable us and others to glorify him in all the ways that he makes himself known to mankind. Amen. That's our prayer. that He would dispose all things to His own glory. For these people who are calling Jesus names and attributing His work to demons, Jesus is the way, the primary way that He makes Himself known to mankind. And they didn't glorify Him. Martin Lloyd-Jones wrote, before we begin to think of ourselves and our own needs in prayer, and even before our concern for others, we must start with this great concern about God and His honor and His glory. That's His name. Holy be Thy name. Be glorified in Your name, in Your person, Your works, Your word, Your worship. Be glorified. Be set apart as holy. Be honored and magnified. Be highly exalted by our church, by our families, in my own heart. In the New Testament, we see that honoring the name of Jesus as Lord is the equivalent of the Old Testament commandments. They're one in the same. We honor the name of Jesus. He's the incarnate God. To obey the third commandment is also to honor and glorify Jesus Christ, who said, I and the Father are one. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord, Peter said in Acts 2.21, The name of the Lord shall be saved. He takes this Old Testament prophecy and applies it to Jesus. Jesus said in Matthew 18, where two or three, speaking of the church courts, if you will, where two or three are gathered in My name, then I am there among them. John 14. Verse 13, Jesus says, whatever you ask in my name. This I will do. Does that mean if you don't say in Jesus name at the end of a prayer that he's not listening and he won't do it? No. Of course not. We do pray in the name of Jesus. It's a wonderful reminder that we pray in Jesus name, but to pray in the name of Jesus is to take on all the ways that he's revealed the father to us and to say all that informs this prayer that you be glorified. In this request. And someday even these men who blaspheme the name of Jesus will bow. How do we know this? Philippians 2. Therefore, God is highly exalted. Jesus highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name 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. By the name of Jesus Christ. whom we crucified, and whom God raised from the dead. By His name. By His name we are saved. So we desire to honor God's name, the name of His Son, His worship, His work, His attributes, His person, all the ways that He's revealed Himself to mankind. So the mission of Jesus, hence the mission of the church, is intricately tied to honoring the name of God. This is part of what we desire to do personally and in our families and in this church to honor and glorify the name of God. Our larger catechism says that this commandment, the third commandment, requires the name of God, His titles and attributes and ordinances, word and sacraments, prayer and oath, prayers and oaths and vows, Lots in his works and whatever else there is whereby he makes himself known to be wholly and reverently used in thought and meditation, in word and in writing. And by holy profession and answerable conversation. To the glory of God. And the good of ourselves and others. So we reverence him specifically in the ways that he makes himself known in his name known. I'm just going to give you five quick ways that we can reverence and honor the name of God. First, we reverence the names of God. Yahweh, or the Lord, Jesus, Yeshua, the Messiah, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit. No one name in Scripture can really capture the essence of the revelation of God to man, so He gives us many names. by which we may know Him. We reverence the names of God that are given to us in Scripture, but we reverence His name also in reverencing the attributes of God. It's how He makes Himself known to us in the Scriptures through an acknowledgement and a knowledge of His attributes. We are His chosen people, so we see and know the infinite, eternal, and unchangeable nature of His attributes. His being, His wisdom, His power, His holiness, His justice, His goodness and truth. We honor our God and who He is. Who He is is the same as talking about what He is. It's all one. It's God. We reverence His name in the ordinances of God. When we come to worship, what are His ordinances? The apostles' teaching, the fellowship, the breaking of bread and prayers. We see the reading and teaching and preaching and hearing of His Word. The Scriptures are to be expounded in a way that glorifies God. Not in a flippant manner, but reverently. The administration of the sacraments. The Lord's baptism. The Lord's supper and baptism. offering up a private and public prayers. The fellowship of the Saints just coming together. How we come together and how we are focused on one thing, and that's the glory of God. Not discussing the latest political debates or not discussing the latest sports scores or whatever. We focus on the glory of God when we're here. Our fellowship is sweet and precious. And we honor His name. when we focus on the Lord, especially on the Lord's Day. And we're confident that these ordinary things are used in an extraordinary supernatural way. To comfort and instruct the church. Also, we reverence his name and the taking of oaths and vows. When you come into membership, you take a vow, don't you? We honor God and the right taking of oaths and vows when you become an officer of the church. You take a vow, do you not? Again, an oath calls on God to work justice and uphold the innocent in a way that we, as a human, could not on our own. These are all the ways that we work justice and uphold the innocent by the power of God through the taking of oaths and vows. We use His name rightly. Let me conclude with Christ's answer. He answered them and said, I don't have a demon, but I honor my father and you dishonor me. Yet I do not seek My own glory. There is One who seeks it, capital O-1, His Father, and He is the judge. What a terrifying thing to be on the receiving end of that statement. And yet apart from Christ, we all are. First look at the great patience of Jesus and the great patience of God for bearing long with these sinners who blaspheme His name, who break His commandment. who knowingly or unknowingly are sinning against His name. He's very patient with them. And how much more so is He patient with us who are hearing this message this morning? Secondly, notice that God takes very special notice and great delight in those who reverence and fear His name. Certainly we all fail in keeping this commandment. But certainly God delights in those who are trying to honor His name. We don't take the name of Yahweh in vain. We don't despise God's holy names or titles by using His names or forms of His names in some common, vulgar ways. We don't doubt or misuse or abuse or joke about His attributes, His grace, His word, His wisdom. His being, certainly. His power. His justice. So to see that we fail in honoring God rightly actually brings God's favor and mercy. Well, you might say, well, that's not me. Have you ever been consumed with worry and you doubt God and His providence? You're doubting His wisdom and His power. You're taking His name in vain. Have you ever grumbled about politics or the economy? You doubt God's justice and His power. You take His name in vain. Have you ever just been despairing about life? A change in your life situation? Just taking His name in vain. You're doubting His goodness and His holiness. Well, the third commandment also requires a holy and reverent use of God's names, titles, attributes, ordinances, word, and works. We've said this. And you say, well, I have used His ordinances, His word, and His works. In a holy way. In a reverent way. Well, what are the ordinances that we're talking about? Well, in our church, it's baptism in the Lord's Supper. The creation ordinances are basically the sanctity of marriage. God ordained labor, keeping the Sabbath day holy. Those are the creation ordinances. You say to yourself, well, I do all that. I'm not breaking this commandment. Well, the church's ordinance is the Lord's Supper. Have you ever taken the Lord's Supper with a grudge against a brother with some unrepentant or besetting sin? You've taken the name in vain. Do you tell your gay and trans friends and family the truth about their sin and their inappropriate marriages, their immoral marriages to each other? Or do you just tacitly affirm them by pretending that they're just like you This is an ordinance of God. It's a creation ordinance. You're taking the name in vain. Do you work six days as unto the Lord? Or do you view Saturday as just a lazy day, an indulgent day? We're to work six days. This is part of the fourth commandment. We work six days and we rest one. On the Sabbath day, do you despise the keeping of this whole day? Or do you fill it with shopping and sports and whatever? taking the name in vain. But it's a holy and reverent use of all His Word and works as well. And you say to yourself, well, I do that. I want to hold His Word holy and all of His works. Have you ever made a joke about an inspired text of the Scriptures? Do you ever treat the reading of your Bible as just something to get through in the morning? Or worse, you just don't do it because it's not a priority? You've taken the name in vain. This is how God's revealed Himself to us. Do you hear the preaching or teaching of the Word and look at it like you're at a restaurant looking at the menu? Well, I'll take that one. No, I don't like that one. Choosing what you will and will not consume based on what your flesh likes or doesn't like? You're taking the name in vain. Do you reject the authority of your elders? Men appointed by God to shepherd your souls? Rather than treating them worthy of double honor, do you act as if they're like weather forecasters on the local news? They've got good training and important jobs, but they're going to serve my needs. And if I don't like the forecast, I'll just ignore it. You may not be calling Jesus a Samaritan or telling him that he has a demon. But seeing that any abusing or profaning of anything whereby God makes himself known is part and parcel of taking the Lord's name in vain. In a sense, you're blaspheming his name. In any way that you don't do this in thought, word or deed. Jesus says in verse 50, I do not seek my own glory. There is one who seeks it and he is the judge. This corresponds to the threat of the third commandment where God says Yahweh will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. Jesus is basically just expounding the third commandment to these people in that one sentence. There is one who seeks my glory and he is the judge. You're going to face God's wrath in this life or certainly in the life to come. Except you repent and reform. These men rejected Jesus. They blaspheme his name. He calls them to repentance and faith. He continued to offer himself to them, which is amazing. He continues to present himself to them as the truth. He gives him the gospel as I will now. Maybe you now see that you have been dishonoring the Lord's name and have no desire to change anything we've talked about this morning. You hear me say you should do this, you should do this, you should do this, and your heart says no, I shouldn't. Don't need to. I know what I believe. Maybe you realize that you actually cannot come over. Your heart is so hard. You lack faith. You see that your actions, your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, that you really have no desire to conform to God's Word at all. You despise the name of God. You're stuck in the muck and mire and find no way to change. And there's really nothing you can do to fix it. You must be born again. You must be born again because you're dead in your sins. If you want forgiveness in life, it's found in Jesus Christ. He's exactly right. He's the way, the truth and the life. He is the living water. He's the light of the world. You're dead in your sins, but he's alive in righteousness. He lived perfectly before his father. He honored his father on the earth. He honored his father's name and he was still crucified on the cross by sinful men. And this was God's plan. The plan of Yahweh that he might take the wrath due to us. For our sin, our specific sins. On himself. so that His righteous life might be counted to ours, as ours by faith, so that we could honor the name of Yahweh, the Lord, rightly. Your duty, your command in Scripture is to come to Jesus. This means repentance and faith. Have faith in Jesus. Trust in Jesus alone. Turn from your evil ways and turn to God. This is something that will be seen by everyone around you. They'll see your faith and the change of your life. They'll see that you live. For the name of God. Harry Reader, the late great Harry Reader, I would say said the father was the promise maker. Jesus is the promise keeper. Apart from Christ, we will always take the name of the Lord in vain, but in Christ we can rightly appropriate the name of the Lord in all of our lives and may God help us do so. Let us pray. Our Father in Heaven, we thank You for Your mercy and Your love and Your grace to us. We thank You that You have given us Your name. You have shown us the truth in Your Word. Lord, we pray that our hearts would receive this Word. That we would honor Your holy name. That we would not blaspheme Your name as these men did. In our thoughts, in our words, and in our deeds. That we would honor Jesus Christ as Lord. In our hearts. That we would choose His way and not our own way. Every day and especially this day. In which the Puritans would say every sin is a double sin, because on this day we're specially to be focused on the honor and the glory of God. Lord, help us. Encourage our souls. We know that we will one day face the judge. And we pray that we would be welcomed into your presence. that you would say, well done, good and faithful servant, enter into your rest. Lord, help us, encourage us, strengthen us, save us. In Jesus' name, amen.