Complete Sermon Notes
The Ten Commandments #3 & #4
The Ten Commandments 3 Ex. 20:7 NKJV “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain [useless, futile], for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.”
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K. Stuart, Exodus (Vol. 2) published by Broadman & Holman
The primary meaning of “misuse the name of the LORD” …would appear to be invoking his name as guarantor of one’s words. Examples would include promising someone something “by Yahweh,” meaning: “I guarantee you that my promise is true, or Yahweh may kill me or otherwise punish me if I don’t keep my promise,” or giving legal testimony with the meaning of “I swear that my testimony in this legal matter/before this court is true with the guarantee that Yahweh may kill me or otherwise punish me if it isn’t.” In other words, the most basic, core idea behind this commandment is the prohibition of perjury.
We know that our character is questionable to we say… “I swear to God.”
I swear by Yahweh with fingers crossed behind the back.
Today, failure to “keep” our commitments is a BIG problem – Let your yes…
Psalm 15 – “1 Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain? 4…the one who keeps an oath even when it hurts, and does not change their mind…”
We must remember, however, that the commandment is worded generally enough to encompass any misuse of Yahweh’s name—from making light of it or overtly mocking it, to speaking about Yahweh in any way disrespectfully, to using it as…a name under social pressure to have one’s family “look orthodox” when in fact their beliefs were pagan/idolatrous.
I believe in God, but your lifestyle says otherwise. Example: a barely covered recording artist stands at the Grammy Awards for a song about lust and greed, and then THANKS GOD.
On the eve of one of his battle campaigns, the emperor Napoleon…
‘Transgender Jesus’ – The play, ‘The Gospel According to Jesus, Queen of Heaven’ – “Join Queen Jesus for a revolutionary queer ritual in which bread is shared, wine is drunk and familiar stories are reimagined by a transgender Jesus…”
To speak Yahweh’s name was to recognize his awesome power and holiness and even to invite his response to one’s particular situation at the moment. Those who had not obeyed Yahweh might well fear even to mention his name out loud lest he respond by appearing in some fashion among them. Thus Amos 6:10 describes those wishing no contact with Yahweh’s judgment against them as saying, “Hush! We must not mention the name of the LORD.”
Mocking vs. Repenting – anyone who calls on the name of the Lord.
The punishment for breaking this commandment remains unspecified and therefore could in theory take any form of God’s choosing, from something relatively minor to death. Jeremiah provides examples of serious punishments when, for instance, a prophet speaks lies in Yahweh’s name (a severe example of misusing Yahweh’s name), including death for both the dishonest prophets and those who by believing their dishonest words also participate in the profanation of the divine name (Jer 14:14–16), banishment and death (Jer 27:15), or death at the hand of captors in exile (Jer 29:21). Stuart, D. K. (2006). Exodus (Vol. 2, p. 456). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
Be VERY careful when saying, “God told me…”
SIDENOTE: Is It True That The Name Jesus Is Really A Pagan Corruption Of The Name Zeus? Some Christians say we have to use the Hebrew name, Yashua. They say calling on the name of Jesus is calling on Zeus. –
“This is one of the most ridiculous claims that has ever been made, but it has received more circulation in recent years, and there are some believers who feel that it is not only preferable to use the original Hebrew/Aramaic name, Yeshua, but that it is wrong to use the name Jesus…You might as well argue that Tiger Woods is the name of a tiger-infested jungle in India as try to connect the name Jesus to the pagan god Zeus. It is that absurd, and it is based on serious linguistic ignorance” (Dr. Michael Brown). https://askdrbrown.org/portfolio/what-is-the-original-hebrew-name-for-jesus-and-is-it-true-that-the-name-jesus-is-really-a-pagan-corruption-of-the-name-zeus/#sthash.EwQlBq62.dpuf
Science says, “Words actually start in the stomachs use of the diaphragm” – No, they start in the heart...then the diaphragm, then we use our lungs, stomach muscles, voice box, tongue, teeth, and lips with the brain coordinating.
What is a person is deaf, or can’t speak – it’s a heart issue.
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8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
Refer to full message: “SABBATH REST: Don’t Miss The Point”: https://vimeo.com/113867771
A usual day of work is to be stopped. “It is designed to help people become spiritually stronger and closer to God.” D. K. Stuart
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God rested but He was involved, alert, AND available…You don’t have to “keep” it to be in right standing with God, but you should follow it – the benefits are untold. The heart of God is a day of Rest.
“To love God is not to have a lazy day one day a week; rather it is to focus on doing his will specially on one day a week—to worship, learn, study, care, and strengthen the spirit.” Stuart, D. K. (2006). Exodus (Vol. 2, p. 460). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
Beer, Football and Laziness does not qualify . . .
People who worship on Sunday are not led astray.
Sabbath was not reaffirmed in the N.T. because Christ is our Sabbath rest.
Resting in the Lord: I would rather have a right heart vs. sacrificing with a wrong heart – “Is my stance leading to love, joy, peace, contentment, gentleness, and kindness. Or is it leading to arrogance, legalism, divisiveness, and criticism?” The former is the filling of the Spirit; the latter is the slippery slope of judgmentalism.
Cease work or movement in order to relax, refresh oneself, or recover strength; to be placed in a specified position.
Place your mind, your finances, your family … your life in God’s care: you rest in Him.
THE MAIN REASONS WHY WE DON’T “REST IN CHRIST” – BESETTING SIN; WORRY AND DOUBT AND ANXIETY; FILLING OUR MIND WITH WORLDLY THINGS AND INFLUENCES; DOING THINGS MY WAY
CLOSING: A HARD HEART – a term used in the bible to explain when a person willfully turns from the will of God. They know full well they should not be going that direction, but chose to do it anyway. Anytime there is hardness of heart mentioned in the bible, there is a huge disconnect with God. There is no fruit of the spirit produced. No ministry. No spiritual power. No anointing.
You might be “in ministry” or “ministering to others”, but it’s dead; you’re dead. You know the Bible but not the Author. You go through the motions but your heart is far from God. You know it and that’s why you’re angry. A hard heart has to be crushed – Rest in Christ…
Steve Jobs: “I reached the pinnacle of success in the business world. In others’ eyes, my life is an epitome of success. However, aside from work, I have little joy. In the end, wealth is only a fact of life that I am accustomed to. At this moment, lying on the sick bed and recalling my whole life, I realize that all the recognition and wealth that I took so much pride in, have paled and become meaningless in the face of impending death.
In the darkness, I look at the green lights from the life supporting machines and hear the humming mechanical sounds, I can feel the breath of…death drawing closer…”
