Guardrails - Misusing God’s Name
No Other Gods.
Do Not Have Idols
Do not misuse God’s name.
Rest on the Sabbath.
Honor your Father and Mother.
Do not Murder.
Do not Commit Adultery.
Do Not Steal.
Do Not Lie.
Do Not Covet.
Today, we look at the third commandment, “Do not misuse God’s name.”
Have you ever thought about the power of a name?
When we were thinking about names for our children, I would say the name out loud, and then I would invite the middle school boy that lives inside my mind and ask if that name rhymed with words that could be used to tease my daughter:
For instance, I was Joe Schmo, Joe Blow, Toe Joe, Joe Donapew, Mojo Jojo, Joe the Hoe…but I had it a little easier than my brother Pat. He was Fatty Patty…Peppermint Patty, Patty Cake…
In naming my daughters, I had a rule. The names of my daughters could not rhyme with a body part, a body function, or something derogatory.
Sofia, Naomi, Violet, Jessica
Good luck finding a derogatory rhyme with those names!
Let’s read together Exodus 20:7:
Exodus 20:7 (NLT2)
7 “You must not misuse the name of the LORD your God. The LORD will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.
The first three commandments deal specifically with God’s identity. First, God says, “I am the Lord your God; you will have no other God but me.” Then, the second commandment again deals with God’s Identity, and God says, “No other God but me.”
Now, God addresses his identity a final time, and he says, “Don’t misuse my name.”
That’s because…
THE MISUSE OF GOD’S NAME COMMUNICATES HE IS WORTHLESS
The misuse of God’s name communicates to those around us that we think he is worthless. When we misuse God’s name, we fail to reflect His greatness and goodness.
Before the invention of the printing press, the Bible was copied word-for-word by scribes. As they were copying God’s word, whenever the scribe would encounter a name of God, they would stop writing, rise from their table, wash their hands, change their clothes, pick up a new quill, and then proceed to write the name of God. They would do this every single time, and sometimes, it was three times a verse.
The scribes treated the name of God with respect and humility.
Because we share a common name, I will use our current President, Joe Biden, as an example. If I were facing the President, I would most likely call him President Biden. Whether I agree with his politics or not, I respect his position as President. Out of respect, I would not call him “Joey” or “Joe Shmo.”
And, if we respect and honor God, we would make sure we intentionally do not misuse God’s name…but we often do, don’t we?
First, let’s address how we commonly misuse God’s name through our…
SPEECH
We hear God’s name misused all the time.
As an expression, we may say or hear people say: “OMG.” Oh my God! Or, “Oh God, here we go again…”
We may say or hear people swear they are speaking the truth and say: “I swear to God it’s true…”
Or we may say or hear the name of God used lightly…Here in the South, when somebody turns forty, we may drive past a sign that reads: “Lordy, Lordy, look who forty.”
Or, you may hear people use God’s name as a filler word when they cannot think of anything to pray. “Father …Father, would you, God, In the name of Jesus, Jesus Just…”
And probably the most common thing we think about when God’s name is misused is when God’s name is spoken as a curse word by attaching D-A-M-N after it. Or saying “Jesus Christ” in a manner of cursing is the most obvious way we hear the Lord’s name taken in vain.
God makes it clear in the Third commandment that He does not want his name used as an expression, a filler word, or a curse word. God desires that His name be set apart and used for HOLY things. When we intentionally use His name correctly, He will bless our lives. So, we sin when we say anything that makes Him appear worthless…and we can also make Him appear worthless through our…
ACTIONS
We can misuse God’s name by what we DO.
The Bible tells us that if you are a follower of Jesus…by that, I mean you believe God created mankind, and mankind rebelled against God and chose to sin. The punishment for sin was eternal death, but Jesus became a human being and paid the price for our sins on the cross. You believe that Jesus died, was buried, rose from the dead, and one day He will return. And because you thought that, you surrendered your life to God and said, “I commit to following you. Thank you for dying on the cross for me. I surrender my life to you.”
When you had that moment, you became a follower of Jesus. And when you became a follower of Jesus, you were given the honor and privilege to “bear” the name of Jesus.
James 2:7 (NLT2)
7 Aren’t they the ones who slander Jesus Christ, whose noble name you bear?
1 Peter 4:16a (NLT2)…Praise God for the privilege of being called by his name!
2 Chronicles 7:14 (NLT2)14 Then if my people who are called by my name…
Isaiah 43:7 (ESV)
7 Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”
So, since you bear God’s name, you can misuse God’s name through your actions. For example, if a football player commits a crime while wearing their jersey, a good coach will chew them out because that action represents the team.
If I wear a Beach Church hoodie into the grocery store and complain and chew out the cashier for scanning my items too slowly, I have provided a poor example of what the people of Beach Church are like.
But, if I wear my Beach Church hoodie and get involved in serving our community in some capacity, I have provided a positive example to the community. BEARING the NAME of JESUS is similar. If I live in such a way that makes the Life-change I experienced in Jesus appear worthless – I have misused God’s name.
You might argue, “Joe, go easy on yourself; the people around you do not know that you bear the name of Jesus…”
My response is, “If the people I interact with regularly do not know I bear the name of Jesus, I am misusing the name of God with my life. I claim to be a follower of Jesus; I bear his name, and I misuse the name I bear through my actions.
But I thank God for the Grace of second chances, don’t you?
Now, I do not think that followers of Jesus rub their hands together and are intentional about misusing the name of the Lord – but it happens. We misuse the name of God through our speech and actions…
I think we misuse God’s name because we forget that…
THERE IS POWER IN THE NAME OF GOD
The Israelites had been slaves in Egypt for 400 years. Generations of Israelite children grew up and died as slaves. God sent Moses to lead the people out of slavery, and when Moses asked God what he was supposed to say to get the people to follow him, He told Moses to tell the Israelites:
Exodus 3:14 (NLT2)
14 God replied to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you.”
The very POWER of His name would cause the Israelites to turn away from captivity and be willing to follow Moses out of Egypt. Years later, the Israelites were fighting a battle against the Philistines. David was just a shepherd boy bringing his older brothers lunch on the front lines. When he arrived, he saw the Israelites quaking in their armor, refusing to fight the Philistines because they had a giant of a man named Goliath, whom everybody was terrified of. David, the boy, not a man. David, the shepherd, not the warrior, said, “I will fight him!”
The Israelite army put armor on David, but it was too heavy, so he shook it off. He took five stones and a sling. As he marched out to meet Goliath – Goliath laughed and said, “What am I? A dog that you would come out to fight me with some rocks? David said:
1 Samuel 17:45 (NLT2)
45 David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
There is a GREAT POWER associated with HIS name. We misuse the name of the Lord through our speech and actions when we fail to recognize the POWER of his name.
In the Lord’s name:
Marriages have been restored.
Drunks are brought to sobriety.
Addicts are made clean.
In the name of the Lord, lives are changed.
Not in the name of Beach Church.
Not in the name of Pastor Joe.
Lives are changed through the name of the Lord.
So, how do followers of Jesus use God’s name correctly?
Colossians 3:17 (ESV)
17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
We use God’s name correctly when we do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus. From the check-out lane to driving through traffic, you live in the name of Jesus. From the time you wake up in the morning till you go to bed at night, you live in the name of Jesus. From Cheer practice and homework to getting dinner on the table or eating fast food one more time, you do it all in the name of Jesus.
Every word spoken to your wife, your husband, your children, or your dog, you do it all in the name of Jesus.
The Bible gives us many names for Jesus; since you are living for him, you may as well get to know them.
The Light of the World
(John 8:12)
The Bread of Life
(John 6:35)
The Living Water
(John 4:10)
The Way, the Truth, and the Life
(John 14:6)
The Good Shepherd
(John 10:11)
The Lamb of God
(John 1:29)
The Prince of Peace
(Isaiah 9:6)
The Mighty God
(Isaiah 9:6)
The King of Kings
(Revelation 19:16)
The Lord of Lords
(Revelation 19:16)
The Alpha and Omega
(Revelation 22:13)
The First and the Last
(Revelation 1:17)
The Beginning and End
(Revelation 22:13)
The Author of Life
(Acts 3:15)
The Living Stone
(1 Peter 2:4)
The Holy One of God
(Mark 1:24)
The Bright Morning Star
(Revelation 22:16)
The Lion of Judah
(Revelation 5:5)
The Son of God
(John 1:34)
The Son of Man
(Matthew 8:20)
The Messiah
(John 4:25-26)
The Christ
(Matthew 16:16)
The Redeemer
(Job 19:25)
The Savior
(Luke 2:11)
The King of the Ages
(Revelation 15:3)
The Great King
(Psalm 48:2)
The King over the whole Earth
(Zechariah 14:9)
The Lord of Glory
(1 Corinthians 2:8)
The Healer
(Luke 9:6)
The Resurrection and the Life
(John 11:25)
The Fountain of Living Waters
(Jeremiah 17:13)
A Friend of Sinners
(Matthew 11:19)
Your Deliverer
(Romans 11:26)
The Image of God
(Colossians 1:15)
The Author and Perfecter of Our Faith
(Hebrews 12:2)
The Rock
(1 Corinthians 10:4)
The Commander of the Lord’s Army
(Joshua 5:14-15)
HIS NAME IS JESUS.
And as followers of Jesus, we represent him…So let’s represent HIM well.