Exodus chapter 20 and verse 7. Hear now the word of the living God. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. This is the word of the living God. We invite you to be seated. Let's pray together. Now, O Lord, we pray that as we look to Your law, we may see in our failures a pathway pointing to the perfect law-keeping Son of God who spread His arms wide and bled and died in our stead. We pray that we would also see a light for true believers wherein we may seek to glorify and to please You By holding your name with reverence and awe and fear, help us now, we pray, in both the hearing and in the preaching of your word. In Jesus' name, amen. As we look to the Word of God tonight, we will take a few moments just to go from beginning to end. And I would encourage you to follow along with me in your copy of God's Word if you like, or just listen to the Scriptures read. But let's just see a myriad of passages this evening as we begin our look at the third commandment. Exodus 3, verse 13 through 15. Then Moses said to God, indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, the God of your fathers has sent me to you and they say to me, what is his name? What shall I say to them? And God said to Moses, I am who I am. And he said, thus you shall say to the children of Israel, I am has sent me to you. Moreover, God said to Moses, thus you shall say to the children of Israel, the Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob has sent me to you. This is my name forever, and this is my memorial to all generations. Exodus 20 and verse 7, our passage. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. Proverbs chapter 18 and verse 10. The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous run to it and are safe. Ezekiel chapter 36, Ezekiel 36 and verse 22. Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God, I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for my holy name's sake, which you have proclaimed among the nations wherever you went, and I will sanctify my great name. which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. And the nation shall know that I am the Lord, says the Lord God, when I am hallowed in you before their eyes. For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you and you shall be clean. I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and you will keep my judgments and do them. Matthew chapter 6. Matthew chapter 6 and verse 9. In this manner, therefore, pray, our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. John chapter 1. Gospel of John chapter 1 verse 12. John chapter 1 verse 12. But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in his name. John 17 and verse 26. O righteous Father, the world has not known you, but I have known you, and these have known that you sent me. And I have declared to them your name. And will declare it, that the love with which you loved me may be in them, and I in them. Revelation chapter 3, Revelation chapter 3 and verse 11 and 12. Behold, I am coming quickly. Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from God, and I will write on him my new name." And then the last page of the Bible, Revelation 22 verse 4. There shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. When one walks through the pages of scripture, it is the name of God which becomes very clear. Not that we know the letters which make it up. Not that we can know all that it means. But from Genesis to Revelation, there is a pattern that we see of God's name being hallowed, of God's name being revered. As we walk through this catechism over the next few weeks, we've already seen that the first commandment is that we have the right God and the only God. That we have no gods before His face. That He is the true and living God. The second commandment is that we image Him aright. That we have right worship. That we do not think thoughts that are below Him. or describe Him in ways that are unbiblical. Right God and right worship. But tonight in the third commandment of Exodus chapter 20, verse 7, we see that we are also to have a right reverence for His name. I want us to see three simple things from our text this evening. Three simple things regarding, yes, the third commandment, but really the name of God. The first is this, the revelation of God's name. The revelation of God's name. God reveals Himself. He reveals His name. Let's look at three simple aspects to this. The revelation of God's name. First is this, God's name reveals who He is. God's name reveals who He is. We have vestiges of this in our own culture. Other cultures have vestiges of this as well. We often name our children after certain people that are important to us. Perhaps a biblical character, someone else in our family, someone in the world that's important to us. And our hope in doing so is that there's a reminder of something. That that name points to something. But how much more so with the God of the universe? The Scripture says to us that God's name reveals who He is. Turn to Exodus chapter 3. Just a few verses before our text this evening. Exodus chapter 3. Exodus 3 verse 13. We read this earlier. But notice what God says to Moses. Who should I say sent me? When they ask who you are, who am I to tell them that you are? Verse 14, And God said to Moses, I am who I am. I will be who I will be. I was who I was. God's name reveals who He is. And if we had many hours tonight, we could walk through multiple passages and see that God's name reveals who He is in terms of His nature, His being, His power. One passage tonight, Psalm 20 and verse 1. Psalm 20 and verse 1. The Word of the Lord says this, May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble. May the name of the God of Jacob defend you. How is it that a name can defend someone? I mean, there's a sense in which a person, a being, can offer defense. But how is it that a name can defend someone? And yet, that's what the psalmist says. May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble. May the name of the God of Jacob defend you. You see, in God's name, there is a revelation of His nature, His being, His power, His attributes. Luke 24, 47. John 1, 12. Revelation 3, 4. On and on it goes. In fact, in the Old Testament, there are many different names for God. Some of the names relate to places. Some of the names relate to characteristics. He is El Shaddai. He is Adonai. He is Jehovah, Jireh. And on and on it goes. God's name reveals who He is in His being, His power, His nature. But God's name reveals who He is in terms of doctrine. Psalm 22 verse 22. Psalm 22 and verse 22. I will declare your name to my brethren. In the midst of the assembly, I will praise you." Later on in the prayer of Christ in the garden, the high priestly prayer, John 17, we see that Jesus is consumed with a desire for God's name to be made known. Not only does the revelation of God's name teach us something about His nature, His being, and His power, but it also teaches us something of the identity of the One who saves. God's name also reveals a way of life. A way of life. Turn to Micah chapter 4. Micah chapter 4. And perhaps you might want to simply jot these verses down tonight for your study this week. But Micah chapter 4 and verse 5. For all people walk each in the name of his God, but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever. God's name reveals who he is, his nature, his being, his power, truths about him, way of life. But secondly, God's name reveals his glory. God's name reveals His glory. Deuteronomy 28 verse 58, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, the Lord your God. Does the name of God mean something? When you heard it or hear it spoken, what comes to mind? For the biblical authors, hundreds if not thousands of things would come to mind. But similarly, when you hear God's name spoken in vain, what comes to mind? Just the commandment not to take it in vain? Or is there more? Do you see that in the taking of God's name in vain, there is a besmirching of who God is? A diminishing of God's glory? The Scriptures reveal God's name, who He is, and His glory. But God's name thirdly reveals Jesus' ministry and ours. Turn then to that high priestly prayer in John 17. Look at Jesus' marching orders as the God-man, the Redeemer. John 17 verse 26, And I have declared to them your name, and I will declare it. that the love with which you loved me may be in them, and I in them." What was Jesus's ministry? In the prayer before the cross, what did he pray to the Father? that God's name would be made known. It's a topic for another sermon or another sermon series, perhaps. But when we see Jesus praying in submission to the Father, when we see Jesus praying words like this, we aren't to see that there are two different gods, nor are we to see that Jesus is secondary or subordinate to the Father. But what we see is the Redeemer. The man of God crying out to the Father. So it is completely right and good for the second Adam to say, I've declared to them Your name. So firstly tonight, we see the revelation of God's name. That His name reveals who He is. It reveals His glory. And it reveals Jesus' ministry and ours. What does Jesus say? Go into all the world and make disciples. Baptizing them in the name, singular, Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you and I am with you always to the end of the age. Jesus' ministry and ours are to be consumed with the name of God. We see the revelation of God's name in the Scriptures. And so when we get to Exodus 20 verse 7, and the Word of God says, do not take the Lord's name in vain, it shouldn't simply be that we don't say something flippantly, although that's there. God is not just trying to curb our speech in one area. The misuse of God's name is the false representation of who He is. It's a diminishing of His glory. It's a failure to see the supremacy of who He is in all things. Even if it's done flippantly. So secondly tonight, we see the misuse of God's name. The misuse of God's name. The scripture there in Exodus 20 says, Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. That word there, vain, is to misuse or to use for no purpose. It could literally be translated to rush. To kind of just quickly go over something. And how full our society is of the misuse of the name of God. But remember, God's name is a revelation of who He is, of His being, of His power, of His way of life, of our ministry, of Christ's ministry, of His glory. So when we misuse His name, we're speaking of far greater realities than we realize. What are ways of vainly using the Lord's name? We use the Lord's name in vain when we, in ignorance or flippantly, reference the Lord. Even if we mean well, but we don't think about what we're saying. We simply use the word Lord or God in a flippant way. We misuse the name of the Lord as an expression without true faith. An example of this would be Acts 19. Acts 19 verses 13 through 17, the word of the Lord reads this, then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call on the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, we exercise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches. Also, there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest who did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know and Paul I know, but who are you? Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of the house naked and wounded. This became known both to all Jews and Greeks dwelling in Ephesus. And fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified." A misuse of a name is when it is used without true faith. We misuse or take the name of the Lord God in vain as a heartless form of praise. This one is likely one that we all wrestle with. But when we utter the phrase, praise the Lord, but there is no true praise in our hearts in that moment, we are flippantly using God's holy name in vain. Now that may sound legalistic. You may say, okay preacher, I get that I'm not supposed to use the name of the Lord in vain in front of a curse word. But surely saying praise the Lord, even if it flippantly, is not using the Lord's name in vain. And yet, when we use, say, speak, apply God's name to heartless praise, it's a misuse of His name. Here's a common one in our day. We take the name of the Lord God in vain when we use it as an expression of trivial surprise. It's an interesting way to word that, isn't it? An expression of trivial surprise. Oh my, and then we say it. Or we text it. Or we don't even feel like we can say it, so we just put three letters together. O, M, Gee, what are you saying when you do that? And when you put this law up against adultery and stealing and murder and lying, it seems less. And yet God's moral law reveals to us in a set of commandments how we are to act towards God and towards neighbor. There are far better ways to verbalize surprise than attaching the infinite, holy, glorious, beautiful, majestic, saving name of our God. Of course, it's used in vain when we attach it to a curse word. When we use it as a filler for speech, find another word. Don't take the infinite God's name Because you don't know what to say in your finite life. We take the name of the Lord God in vain when we use it as a false oath. When we say phrases like, as God is my witness, don't say that. Unless you really mean the infinite, immortal, holy, God is your witness. And as an act of worship, you are calling on His name to speak truth. There are myriads of other ways in which we misuse God's name. But is it all that serious? And do we as New Testament believers need to kind of have the same reverence that we see in the Old Testament? I mean, we've seen the revelation of God's name, we've seen the misuse of God's name, but how are we to think about it? Two other passages. 1 Timothy 1, 9. 1 Timothy 1, verse 9. Many scholars have argued, and I tend to agree with them, that 1 Timothy 1 verses 8 through 11 is really a rehearsing of the Ten Commandments. I mean, look there what it says. But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully, knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous person, but the lawless and the insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners. First and second commandments. For the unholy and profane. 3rd commandment. For murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, 5th commandment. For manslayers, 6th commandment. Nor fornicators nor sodomites, 7th commandment. Kidnappers, 8th commandment. Liars or perjurers, 9th commandment. So notice what it says. The law still speaks to our unholy and profane words. But should we be all that concerned? How much reverence should we have for God's name? Anytime we do not offer God proper reverence, we are breaking the third commandment, which reveals the larger problem of Romans 3.18. There is no fear of God before their eyes. Let me take you back in time, thousands of years, to a story that we find in Leviticus chapter 24. Leviticus 24. Leviticus 24 verse 10. Now the son of an Israelite woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the children of Israel. And this Israelite woman's son and a man of Israel fought each other in the camp. And the Israelite woman's son blasphemed the name of the Lord and cursed. And so they brought him to Moses. His mother's name was Sholomith, the daughter of Deborah, of the tribe of Dan. Then they put him in custody that the mind of the Lord might be shown to them. Verse 13. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Take outside the camp him who has cursed. Then let all who heard him lay their hands on his head, and let all the congregation stone him. Then you shall speak to the children of Israel, saying, Whoever curses his God, shall bear his sin. And whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall certainly stone him, the stranger as well as him who is born in the land. When he blasphemes the name of the Lord, he shall be put to death." When we speak today of the fear of God, the fear of the Lord, because of the cross of Jesus Christ, we certainly don't need to fear stoning. But isn't there the reality that in our day we have taken the name of the Lord our God and made it such that it is almost inconceivable to us that someone would be put to death for taking the name of the Lord our God in vain? For many of us, it comes off of our lips. It's a habit brought with us from our former days before Christ. Or it's one that's been with us and we wrestle to put it to death. And yet when we look at the Word of God, here, we almost cringe to think, that's it? That's all that He did? He blasphemed the name of the Lord and for that He is stoned to death? And that should call us to look at the law of God and say, but by the grace of God, there goeth I. For we have all, in word or in thought, blasphemed the name of the Lord our God. We are the Israelite woman's son. And notice what it says, outside the camp. Take him outside the camp and kill him that he may bear his sin. That all Israel will know that whoever misuses the name of the Lord God will have to bear his sin. And the only difference between the Israelite woman's son And you and me is the cross of Jesus Christ. You may look at this in your own estimation, for we all put various values on God's law. You may look at this and think, this is too much, this is going too far, simply misspeaking, blaspheming the name of the Lord, and you're put to death. But God in His holy law says, I will not hold him guiltless who takes my name in vain. So take him outside the camp. Let him bear his own guilt. And kill him. For the name of God is too holy to be misused. The blaspheming of the name of God is to speak much greater realities than we realize. And so 2,000 years ago, a man who was perfect in speech, who never misused the name of God, who always had God's name as central, was taken, as Hebrew says, outside the camp. And this one, to him, was imputed guilt. And there, outside the camp, this one was stoned with the crushing weight of physical death, yes, but of hell for all blasphemers who would ever trust in Him. You see, when you read through Leviticus, don't miss these details. Yes, we see the breaking of the third commandment, but do you see? Bearing guilt, outside the camp, put to death. Bearing guilt, outside the camp, put to death. Bearing guilt, outside the camp, put to death. That's Christ. The resume of the coming Christ is seen long before He comes. So thirdly tonight, we see the salvation to be found in God's name. We've seen the revelation of God's name, we've seen the misuse of God's name, and we close tonight with the salvation to be found in God's name. Turn lastly tonight to Revelation 14. Revelation chapter 14. and verse 1. We walked through this glorious book some months back. And all I will say by way of context is if you remember walking through this book, we did not see this as a book of newspaper events. We did not see this as a book that literally goes from chapter 1 to chapter 22 with new events each time, but as regular cycles of similar pictures of now and what is to come. And so we see Christ with His people. Revelation 14.1, Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him 144,000, having His Father's name written on their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, like the voice of many waters and like the voice of loud thunder. And I heard the sound of harpists playing their harps. They sang as it were a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures and the elders. And no one could learn that song except the 144,000 who were redeemed from the earth. These are the ones who are not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault." How could they be redeemed if they were always without fault? How could the 144,000, Christ's people all through the ages, how could they be called, redeemed, and yet be declared as those with no fault, with no deceit in their mouth? Here they are. They're without fault. Before the throne of God. And what name, verse 2, is on their heads? The name of the living God. You see friends, when we read the third commandment, we don't just see a minor corrective for our speech. We don't see a mismanners, if you will, discussion of how to have proper speech. What we see is far weightier. That we are to have the only true God as our God. That we are to worship Him the way that He gives. And that all that He is, His being, His revelation, His word, His attributes, His power, His glory, be kept pure in all that we say and think regarding this God. And that when we fail to take His name in proper fashion, it is deserving of death. A death where we bear guilt for having besmirched the name of God. And we read, this death should remove us from the fellowship of God and of his people. Outside the camp, get him out! And yet, here we sit, in the camp of God's people. And the word of God declares, faultless. Faultless. You ever take the name of the Lord your God in vain? And yet you're faultless. Why? Because outside the camp, someone else was stoned with the weight of God's judgment. And you bear the eternal benefit of being known by Him and His record, and not your own. So, when you read the Law of God and you get to the Third Commandment, you see, once again, condemnation is what I deserve. That takes you to the Gospel. You see, condemnation is what He got. His glory is what I get. And so now the third commandment is no longer a word that condemns, but a word that beautifully instructs every time you think about Him, every time you speak about Him, every time you sing about Him, every time you don't know what to say and you begin to pray to Him and talk to others about Him. Use His name properly, for this is the one whose very name will be over you forever as you stand faultless before the throne. Let's pray. Lord, help us to revere and to fear your name more and more. We are the Israelite woman's son. We deserve to be taken out of the camp We deserved to bear our guilt and shame. We deserved to be removed from fellowship with you and from your people. And yet this was placed on Christ completely and fully so that we are inside the camp and we know your fellowship and the fellowship of your people. And even when we fail to revere and fear your name are right. The voice of the Spirit through the word of Christ is heard in our hearts, faultless, faultless. We praise you, holy God, for declaring a people faultless through the work of Christ. May we see increasingly a zeal for your name in our own lives. Lord, cause it to be that we would be bothered when your name is not used aright. And may it remind us that we too once were blasphemers in thought or in speech, but you've saved us. Help us your great name to sing, we pray. In Jesus' name, amen. Let's stand together.