Hi, I'm Robert Jeffress, and I'm glad to serve as your Bible teacher every day on this great radio station.
On today's edition of Pathway to Victory. You know, the second commandment we talked about last time said, don't diminish God by wrong thoughts of God. It talks about worshipping the true God in the wrong way. Don't have wrong thoughts about God that diminish Him. This third commandment is saying, don't trivialize God by the words that you speak. Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor, Dr. Robert Jeffress. When you hear someone say, do not take the Lord's name in vain, what comes to mind?
Are Christians simply banned from certain forms of profanity or is there really more at stake? Today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress describes several ways we may be breaking the third commandment without even realizing it. Now, here's our Bible teacher to introduce today's message.
Dr. Jeffress. Thanks, David, and welcome again to Pathway to Victory. Over the years, I've discovered the wisdom of setting aside time for a real vacation. Our body, our mind, our soul need time to refresh and restore. And along those lines, I'm inviting you to join us on a one-week time of relaxation on the Pathway to Victory cruise to Alaska.
The dates are June 15th through 22nd. From the minute you step foot onto the luxury cruise ship to the moment you return home, you'll experience the vacation you've longed for. And along the way, we'll be stopping in quaint ports of call like Ketchikan, Skagway, and Sitka.
We'll glide into Glacier Bay, where you'll enjoy a world-class view of the glacier. I could go on and on. I could talk about our special musical guests like Rebecca St. James and Michael O'Brien or our comedian Dennis Womberg.
But right now, the most important thing you could do is go to ptv.org and check out the details for yourself and most importantly, reserve your spot while there's still room. Now, I want to turn our attention to the subject at hand today. Today, I'm continuing our brand new study on the Ten Commandments called The Ten.
How to live and love in a world that has lost its way. I've written a brand new book that parallels this teaching series. Now, this isn't a booklet.
It's a hardcover book that's more than 220 pages in length. And most important, it will elevate your respect for God's Ten Commandments. And it will help you understand the blessings that flow when you follow them. You see, by providing these ten moral guardrails for life, God invites us into a loving relationship with Himself. So, request my new book called The Ten when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. We'll say more about my book and other resources later.
But right now, let's begin our study together. I've titled today's message, The Third Commandment, Revere God's Name. In 1968, a Maryland man named Irving West got involved in a fistfight at a high school carnival. When he was being arrested for disorderly conduct, he uttered a blasphemous phrase invoking God's condemnation. The next day, he stood before the judge. The judge sentenced him to 30 days in jail and $25 fine for disorderly conduct.
Nobody was surprised by that. But then the judge did something very unusual. He sentenced him to an additional 30 days in jail and an additional fine for breaking a 1723 law in Maryland against blasphemy. The 1723 law said, quote, Anyone who shall write or utter any profane name or words concerning the Trinity, especially our Savior Jesus Christ, shall on conviction be fined not more than $100 or in prison not more than six months or both at the discretion of the court.
Well, the civil libertarians were outraged by that. I mean, why in the world would a judge think he had the right to silence somebody's speech because of some antiquated law from 1723? They thought Irving West was being treated unfairly.
But the truth is, Irving West got off quite easily. If he had been living in the Old Testament days, the punishment would have been much more severe. In the Old Testament, the principle was not one strike you're out, it's one strike you're dead. There was a zero tolerance level for using God's name in vain. Today, we're going to look at one of the most basic commands of God. It's the third out of 10 basic rules for living God gave.
We're in a series on the 10 commandments called the 10, how to live in love in a world that's lost its way. And our study has brought us to Exodus chapter 20, verse 7. And here's the command simply, turn there if you will. Moses said, God said, You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes his name in vain. What does it mean to take God's name in vain? Our own member, Dr. Eugene Merrill, in his commentary on the book of Deuteronomy, summarizes or paraphrases the commandment this way, You shall not lift up the name of Yahweh your God without reason.
And that's what this command is all about. It's not just about profanity. It is about lifting up, using God's most holy name needlessly. Today, we're going to look at why God gives such a severe command and how to avoid experiencing the consequences of breaking that command. You know, it was Shakespeare who asked the rhetorical question, what's in a name?
Well, the answer is everything. Names are very, very important. Probably if you're a parent, you've given great thought into the names that you've given to your children.
Perhaps you followed a trend. There's a popular name because of a movie, a sitcom, or a novel. Some parents actually base their names on the popular culture, but far more likely, and hopefully, you named your child after somebody of great importance. Maybe it was a historical character, or more importantly, maybe it was after a relative of yours who in some ways demonstrated a characteristic you hope your child will mirror as well. When Amy and I had our first child, Julia, we decided to name her after my mom, who was a great and courageous witness for Christ, wherever she was. Our Julia never met my mom, but she continues to emulate that courage and evangelistic heart in her own life. Our second daughter, we named Dorothy after my grandmother, who was known for her wit as well as her compassion, and Dorothy is that way as well.
She's one of the funniest people I know. We wanted to name our children after somebody who was important to us, but interestingly, that is not what they did in biblical times. In biblical times, a person's name sometimes described the circumstances surrounding their birth. For example, Jacob, his name means heel grabber, the one who grabs a heel, because that's what he did with his twin brother Esau on the way to life.
He grabbed his heel. I've always felt bad for Jabez in 1 Chronicles chapter 4. His mother must have had a rough delivery because she named her son Jabez, which means pain. Can you imagine making your child's name pain every evening?
Pain, come to dinner, it's ready. I mean, that's a terrible thing to do to a child. But many times, it wasn't the circumstances in the birth, it was a characteristic that the parents saw early on in the child's life. For Nabal in 1 Samuel 25, his name means fool. That's quite a title for a child, you fool.
But it's not always negative, it's positive sometimes. Joshua was born to parents who were living under Egyptian slavery, but his parents saw something in him. He would be the leader, he would be salvation. That's what the word Joshua means, God is my salvation.
And Joshua played a key role in the delivery of the people of Israel out of Egyptian bondage. Whenever we read a character's name in the Bible, there is something about his or her character inherent in that name. And when we read about God, you shall not take the name of God in vain. What we're saying is you don't take his name in vain because his name is his character. In fact, when Exodus 27 prohibits our taking God's name in vain, you may be asking, well, which name are you talking about? Well, God has many names that describe particular characteristics, attributes of God.
But there's one name God has in mind in this prohibition. It's the most holy name of God. What is that most holy name for God you're not to take in vain?
It's right there in the verse. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. You say, pastor, I don't see a name there. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God.
Well, it's right there. It's the word Lord. The English translators followed the Hebrew tradition of never writing or even speaking God's most holy name, Yahweh. Yahweh is the holiest name for God. In fact, we don't really know how to pronounce Yahweh. We're just imagining how to because there are no vowels, only consonants in the name YHWH. The reason there are no consonants is it was never meant to be uttered, this name of God.
It was so holy. So the English translators of the Bible, when they come to Yahweh, they use the word Lord. But this is the holy name of God. It's the name we find in Exodus chapter 3, verse 14. Remember Moses said to God, now when I go to Pharaoh and he asked who sent you to give me this message to let the Israelites go, who should I say sent me? And God said in verse 14, tell him I am sent you.
That was God's name. I am who I am. Not I was, not I will be, but I'm eternal.
I am. And then in verse 15, the Bible says the Lord Yahweh, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and of Jacob, he has sent me to you. This is my name forever and this is my memorial name to all generations. Yahweh is the third person singular of I am. God calls himself I am.
When we talk about him, we say he is. That's literally what Yahweh is. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. It's fascinating to me in chapter 33, verse 19 of Exodus when Moses said, Lord, show me your glory. You know how God answered? He said I myself will make all my goodness pass before you and I will proclaim the name of the Lord, that is Yahweh, before you. When Moses said I want to see your glory, Lord, the Lord said okay, I'll tell you my name.
My name is my glory. It is Yahweh. And then in chapter 34, he proceeded to link his name with his glory. The Bible says then the Lord passed by in front of Moses and proclaimed the Lord, the Lord God who is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving kindness and truth, who keeps loving kindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin, yet he will by no means leave the guilty unpunished and he will visit the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations. All of those things about God, his anger, his forgiveness and compassion are wrapped up in that covenantial name of God, the most holy name that's never to be spoken, the name Yahweh. That's the seriousness of God's name. And the reason God takes his name seriously is because it's linked to his character. You see a great illustration of how seriously God takes the use of his name in Leviticus chapter 24.
Leviticus 24 tells us a story about a man who got in a fist fight, much like Irving West. He blasphemed, Leviticus 24 says, and verse 11 says, he blasphemed the name. Moses wouldn't even use the name Yahweh. He just said, this man blasphemed the name. And so the people were troubled when they heard it and those who heard this man's blasphemy, they brought him before Moses, said Moses, what should we do about this?
In verse 13 and 14, the Lord spoke to Moses saying, bring the one who was cursed outside the camp and let all who heard him lay their hands on his head. Now why were they laying their hands on this guilty man's head? They weren't ordaining him.
They weren't pronouncing a blessing upon him. They were transferring their secondhand guilt for blasphemy for just hearing the blasphemy. They were transferring any guilt they had to this man who was responsible for the blasphemy.
That's what laying on of hands meant in this sense. It was a transference, not a blessing, but of guilt. And then God passed judgment on him. Leviticus 24, 14, and 16, let all the congregation stone him. The one who blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death. That's how severe an offense it was to blaspheme the name of God.
Now I know what you're thinking. I'm sure glad I don't live in the Old Testament times. Man, I'm sure glad I don't serve a God who is so uptight and so vicious and bloodthirsty that he kills people for the simplest thing.
I serve a God of grace and forgiveness. I sure am glad God has changed. Do you think God has changed? Hebrews 13, 8 says God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
His name is just as serious today as it was 3,500 years ago. God hasn't changed. You know one way I know that is by reading the Lord's Prayer. Remember the disciples said, Lord, teach us to pray. He said, all right, here's how to pray, Matthew chapter 6.
Begin with praying for world peace. Did he say do that? He said, did he begin by saying pray that the hungry will be fed? No. Did he say pray for social justice that there'll be an outbreak of social justice in the world?
No. He didn't pray for those things first. He said pray this way. Our Father who is in heaven, what? Hallowed be your name, your name. He was praying for the holiness, the sacredness of God's name, that it would be realized.
Why did he pray that way? Because people link a person's name with their character. What they're called is based on who they are.
Let me illustrate that for you. When I say the name Abraham Lincoln, what comes to mind? You think about his appearance probably, tall, sullen expression, but more than that, you think about his character. You think about his desire to bring our country together when it was torn in two.
You think about the emancipation proclamation. You think about his character. When I say Adolf Hitler, what comes to your mind? Well, you might think of a short man with a funny mustache, but more than that, you think of his character.
Demonic intentions, the extermination of six million Jews during the Holocaust. You think of his character or lack thereof. It's the same thing when we talk about God. You know, the second commandment we talked about last time said, don't diminish God by wrong thoughts of God. It talks about worshiping the true God in the wrong way. Don't have wrong thoughts about God that diminish him. This third commandment is saying, don't trivialize God by the words that you speak.
When we use God's name needlessly, we are trivializing and diminishing the glory of God. Let me illustrate that for you again. Years ago, when I first started writing, I would subscribe to a monthly magazine called Writers Digest. And in that publication every month, there would be several full-page ads taken out by corporations warning writers to be careful in their writing how they dealt with a trademarked name or brand. For example, the Xerox Corporation would take out a name, an ad, and say, now, when you use our trademark name Xerox, be sure you show care to the copyright. Don't ever say he Xeroxed a copy, little x. No, you're to say he used a Xerox, capital X, copier to make a photocopy. There aren't just many kinds of Xeroxes.
There's only one Xerox kind of copier. Or Coca-Cola would take out an ad. They said, when you're writing, say, they stopped by to get a Coke. Don't use Coke, little c, as if it were any kind of soft drink. Use capital C, Coca-Cola. Now, that goes against our intuition. We think, well, wouldn't these companies be happy that their product's name became part of the popular culture?
No. They want their brand to stand out. They don't want Xerox to be any copier or Coke to be any soft drink. In fact, I wrote down this phrase from one of those companies. They said, we have spent millions of dollars to develop our name and establish that name with a product.
Please don't destroy that work through carelessness or you will face the consequences. Companies spend millions of dollars protecting their brand and going after those who use the brand name in a wrong way. How much more seriously do you think God takes the use of his name and how we employ it in everyday conversation? That's why God says, don't use my name needlessly because when you do, you trivialize it, you diminish it. How do we use the name of God in vain?
Let me mention several ways you may have never thought of. The most common way, of course, is through profanity. We use God's name. When we have an accident, when somebody insults us, if we're not careful, we profane the name of God.
But it's not just limited to outburst of anger. So are outbursts of shock and outrage that invoke God's name. No Christian ought to use regularly the phrase, oh my God, or my God, my God.
That ought to be off limits. That's using God's name in vain. By the way, so is the acronym we use in social media, OMG. OMG, have you noticed?
OMG. Now you're saying, oh, no, pastor, when I use that, I'm meaning, oh my gosh. Well, good for you, but anybody reading that doesn't think, oh my gosh, they think, oh my God. And you have trivialized the name of God. That's profanity. But there are other ways that we take God's name in vain.
Through falsehoods, that is through lives, half-truths, and outright deceptions. Some people use God's name to manipulate other people. For example, a high school student says, Mom, Dad, God told me that you're to buy me a new car. Well, unless God really told you that, you better not do that.
Or pastors are the worst about this. God has told me we're to build a new building. Now, I've said before, I think God is leading us to build a new campus. I think God is opening the way.
I think it would be a good thing. But I was very careful never to say God told me to do that. There's a difference. When we attach God's name to a falsehood, that's especially a severe thing to do. When people say, as God is my witness, you better make sure the next words that come out of your mouth are absolutely true.
Because there's nothing worse than attaching God's name to a falsehood. There's much more I want to share with you about the dangers of taking God's name in vain. So please make plans to join me next time for part two of my message on the third commandment. Wouldn't you love to see a whole new generation of Christian young people begin to embrace the wisdom of the Ten Commandments?
Could you imagine a world where citizens viewed these moral codes as a blessing rather than a restriction? Well, that's the vision that I held when writing my newest best-selling book for you. It's called The Ten. The subtitle is How to Live and Love in a World That's Lost Its Way. And for a limited time, we're offering a hardcover copy when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. The book comes with my profound thanks because you're one of the rare people who are willing to stand for light and truth in a dark and decaying world. You see, at Pathway to Victory, we refuse to skirt around the difficult issues like the one we address today. Nobody wants to be told that they need to modify their behavior, but aligning ourselves with the Ten Commandments will lead to a life filled with joy.
So let me say another word of thanks to those of you who support Pathway to Victory. You're making it possible for us to provide bold and clear biblical teaching to people all across America and around the world. My book, The Ten, is the perfect choice for your small group Bible study. Your teens or young adult children will benefit from it, too, as they attempt to stand strong in a world that doesn't share their Christian values. So go ahead, follow these instructions, and request my book, The Ten, today.
David? Thanks, Dr. Jeffress. You're invited to request the brand-new book from Dr. Jeffress, titled The Ten, How to Live and Love in a World That Has Lost Its Way When You Give a Generous Gift to Support the Ministry of Pathway to Victory. Call us at 866-999-2965 or visit our website, ptv.org.
Now, when you give an especially generous gift of $100 or more, we'll also include the complete The Ten teaching series on audio and video discs, plus a study guide to use for personal or group study. Call 866-999-2965 or go to ptv.org. You could send your request by mail if you'd like. Right to P.O. Box 223-609, Dallas, Texas, 75222. One more time, that's P.O. Box 223-609, Dallas, Texas, 75222. I'm David J. Mullins, inviting you back next time for part two of the message on the third commandment called Revere God's Name. That's coming up Wednesday on Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas.
