Rule #3: Mean What You Say!
By Pastor Scott Heine · June 18, 2000
A couple of weeks ago, I asked you to consider some tough questions: On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your life — not just at this moment, or because of whatever circumstances you’ve faced, but rather an overall evaluation? And, next, what would it take for your life to be a “perfect ten” — a life filled with extraordinary joy, satisfaction, hope, delight, purpose, significance, etc.?
You might remember Jesus’ answer to the question: love God and love others — nice and simple, easy to remember, but something that can take a lifetime to master. Making God number one in our lives — our highest priority — is the beginning of living life to its fullest, and it is an all-encompassing commitment. It’s also something that we cannot do on our own; it takes God’s grace and power to help us be all that we can be. So, essentially, if you want your life to be a “perfect ten,” you need to establish a loving, enthusiastic, passionate relationship with God which so transforms your life that you naturally love others with an enthusiastic passion.
God expanded on the strategy of loving God and loving others in his instructions in the Old Testament, which are sometimes called “the Law.” And of course, the summary of the Law is found in those famous ten instructions that we call “the Ten Commandments.” They are God’s strategy for living life to its fullest.
The first four all have to do with loving God:
1. Make him our number one priority — “No other gods before me.”
2. Worship him on his terms (i.e., God as he really is, not merely “God as we understand him”) — “No false images of me.”
3. Relate to him with sincerity; don’t take him for granted — “My name is holy”
4. Keep ourselves fresh and focused by setting aside time each week to savor God and enjoy life — “My day is holy”
The next six all have to do with loving others:
5. Honor parents (authority)
6. Honor life — no murder
7. Honor commitment and faithfulness — no adultery or betrayal
8. Honor ownership — no stealing
9. Honor integrity — no lying or deception
10. Honor blessings — no coveting; no jealous greed
And it’s not that these are merely a list of “do’s and don’ts”; this is God’s strategy for really enjoying life — of living life to its fullest, and experiencing all the blessings God has in store for us. Following the Ten Commandments doesn’t guarantee that your life won’t have its share of tragedies and sorrows, but it does mean that you’ll minimize that suffering and find a way to persevere through it without your joy being shaken.
This morning I’d like us to focus our attention on the third of these commandments, which is found in Exodus 20:7. It’s a command that is sometimes misunderstood, and often taken to the extremes while ignoring the whole point, so let’s look at it carefully. The third commandment goes like this:
7 “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
Or, if you come from a more traditional background, you’ve heard this commandment summarized as: “You shall not take the name of the Lord in vain.”
Using God For Profanity
Most people will immediately make a connection between this commandment and using “God” for profanity. That’s because we really desecrate the name of God when we attach it to some sort of curse or vulgarity. And it’s a sad commentary on our culture that the words “God” and “Jesus” are being used so frequently for anything from a simple interjection of surprise — like, “Oh my God” or “Jesus Christ!” — to phrases that are nothing less than vile and obscene.
And what makes the casual uses of God’s name so offensive is not only the vulgarity attached to them, but also the total lack of meaning in their use. When someone hears news that catches them off guard and they blurt out, “Oh my God,” they are rarely making that statement as a prayer, asking God to intervene in the circumstances. They’re just saying it…without any thought, without any meaning, without any reverence or significance. In those instances, “God” and “Jesus” have become mere words — just noise to indicate an emotion of anger or shock.
And that’s really at the heart of the problem here. This third commandment says that you and I are not to treat God as meaningless. He’s not just “background noise” in our lives. When we talk about God, we need to mean what we say.
The first command says who we worship; God must be our number one priority. The second command says how we worship; we come to God in truth, and worship him on his terms. And the third commandment talks about our attitude when it comes to God; we need to be genuine, authentic, and sincere in our relationship with the Lord.
Alice was having a conversation with the Mad Hatter and the March Hare one afternoon in Wonderland. And, according to Lewis Caroll, the March Hare rebuked her, saying, “You should say what you mean!”
“I do,” Alice hastily replied; “at least — at least, I mean what I say — that’s the same thing you know.”
“Not the same thing a bit!” said the Hatter. “You might just as well say that ‘I see what I eat’ is the same thing as ‘I eat what I see’!”
“You might just as well say,” added the March Hare, “that ‘I like what I get’ is the same thing as ‘I get what I like’!”
Words have meaning…at least, they should. And when it comes to God, we should both say what we mean and mean what we say! We need to take God seriously, and never take God for granted.
What’s In a Name?
Now, you might ask why this third commandment is phrased in terms of God’s name. Why didn’t God just say, “I am the Lord, and you need to take me seriously”? After all, as Juliet once said to Romeo,
What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet…
But we need to remember that names were a big deal in the Bible. A name was practically the same thing as a person’s identity. Today, when you and I choose names for our children, we often pick names that sound nice, or that have some link to a favorite relative, or maybe even have some sort of epistemology that means something interesting. But in the eastern culture of the Bible, giving a child a name was almost the same as giving him or her a destiny and an indentity.
Just think of how often the Bible makes a big deal out of names. When God made the first man, he gave him the name “Adam,” which not only means “man,” but is also connected with the Hebrew word for “dirt” — because God fashioned man from the earth.
Poor Abram was given a name that meant “exalted father,” probably because his parents wanted him to grow up and have many children. So there is a bitter irony when God renamed the fatherless man “Abraham,” meaning “father of many”…even though he did not have any children yet. It was God’s way of reminding the man of a promise that he would become the beginning of an entire nation.
When Esau and Jacob were born, they were given names meaning “hairy” or “red” (because of Esau’s red hair) and “heel-catcher” (because Jacob was grasping Esau’s heel). But, interestingly enough, Jacob’s name also means “trickster” or “deceiver” — which is very fitting for his whole life. But, following a wrestling match with God, the Lord gave Jacob a new name: Israel, which means “one who struggles with God.” And that name eventually became the way of identifying the entire Hebrew nation — they are a people that struggle with God.
Even Jesus’ name has significant meaning. In Hebrew, it’s really the same as “Joshua,” which means “deliverer.” Just as Joshua delivered the people of Israel into the promised land, so Y’shua (Jesus) delivers people into God’s promised blessings. And Isaiah says that even one name cannot begin to express all that Jesus is; Isaiah 9:6 says,
And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
And we see many other titles being given to Jesus along the way: Lion of Judah, Lamb of God, Alpha and Omega, The Great Shepherd, the Rock of Ages, and so on.
What’s more, think of how many different names are used to describe God in the Bible:
* Yahweh — I am
* El Elyon — God most high
* El Olam — God everlasting
* El Shaddai — God of strength
* Yahweh Jirah — God the provider
* Yahweh Rophe — God the healer
* Yahweh Shalom — God of peace
* Yahweh Sabaoth — God of hosts
And so on.
From a biblical perspective, referring to the name of God was referring to the identity of God. And to slander God’s name, or to use it irreverently, or to associate it with vulgarity, or to sling it about with no meaning whatsoever, was the same as blasphemy.
There are many places in the Bible where God’s holiness is described in terms of the holiness of his name:
In Leviticus (20:3), when a person killed his children, it was described not only as defiling God’s presence but also profaning his name.
Leviticus 22:31-32 states, “31 Keep my commands and follow them. I am the LORD. 32 Do not profane my holy name. I must be acknowledged as holy by [my people].”
Psalm 30:4 invites us to, “4 Sing to the LORD, you saints of his; praise his holy name.” (That same invitation is echoed in a handful of other Psalms, where praising God’s name is the same as worshiping the Lord.)
Isaiah 29:34 tells us that we acknowledge the holiness of God when we keep his name holy.
Ezekiel 20:39 says that offering gifts to idols is evil because it profanes God’s holy name, which is the same as cursing God himself.
That’s why this third command talks about our sincerity to God in terms of using his name with reverence. God is holy. He deserves our reverence and our worship — not just our words, but our genuine, sincere faith and worship. When we talk about God, we need to mean what we say.
Authentic Faith
You see, anyone can talk about God. You can come here this morning and sing along with the worship. When someone sneezes, you can say, “God bless you,” as quickly as the next person. But faith isn’t just talking about God. Christianity isn’t about words, or rituals, or even religion; it’s about a relationship.
And this third commandment is calling us to authentic faith. God doesn’t want you to merely say that he’s number one; he actually wants to be number one. He doesn’t want us to merely sing about lifting his name on high unless we’re really going to do it. All the words in the world don’t matter much unless there is reality behind them.
The book of James escalates this issue even further. James 2:14 says,
14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?
What good are words if they’re not backed up by reality? What good is our talk if it’s not backed up by our walk? What’s the point in worshiping God with our mouths if we’re not going to worship him with our lives?
Of course, the danger in saying that is someone will think their relationship with God suddenly becomes based entirely upon their actions. “If we just act right, then we can be close to God.” But that’s deceptive, and can lead to a whole lot of frustration when you find yourself trying to live up to God’s expectations without his power making it happen. The truth is that our actions are evidence of our faith, not the basis of our faith.
And when it comes to God we need to “practice what we preach.” We need to mean what we say. After all, if you’ve given your life over to Jesus, you bear his name. When you call yourself a “Christian,” you’re saying that you are his representative. Your actions are a reflection on his reputation.
Everyone has heard of Alexander the Great, one of history’s most cunning and powerful conquerors. He was an incredible leader, and fearless in battle. Riding his horse, Busephalis, he would often charge right into battle alongside his men. He was courageous beyond compare — a visionary and a warrior.
The story is told that one day Alexander held court on the battlefield following a war. His authority was unquestionable, and he passed judgment on the actions of his soldiers. Those who had fought valiantly were given honor. Those who held back or deserted were often the recipients of his harsh punishment.
Then a young man was brought before him, barely out of childhood. Alexander asked the boy’s name. The officer nearby said, “His name is Alexander, sir.” Instantly the general’s countenance softened, and he seemed flattered that the young soldier bore his name. The officers nearby relaxed, assuming that Alexander would show leniency to the young man, whatever his crime. Alexander asked what charges were being brought against the boy, and was told, “He is guilty of cowardice. In the heat of battle, he fled.”
Suddenly Alexander’s expression changed, and his face became an intense grimace. Looking at the boy, the general asked, “What is your name?” The lad replied, “Alexander, sir.” The general asked again, “What did you say was your name?” And again the lad replied, “Alexander, sir.” Then the emperor leapt off his throne and grabbed the terrified soldier, bellowing in his face, “Either change your behavior or change your name!” (Story is credited to J. David Hoke)
You see, “using God’s name in vain” is more than a prohibition against cussing — though that is certainly included. Nor should it be the cause of the kind of legalism suffered by Jews, who are afraid to speak the name of God at all, lest they misuse it in some way. No, this third commandment is an instruction to use God’s name with reverence and to mean what we say. It is a call for authenticity and sincerity in our relationship with the Lord. It is an invitation to worship God and bring him glory, as opposed to defiling his reputation and bringing him dishonor.
So if you really want to make sure that you are using God’s name properly — if you want to strive for authenticity in your relationship with the Lord, and if you want to continue your quest to experience life at a “perfect ten” — let me make a suggestion. Get to know God on a first-name basis. That, in itself, is going to take a while, because no single name can totally represent the Lord.
* Lord
* God
* Mighty One
* Master
* Prince of Peace
* Teacher
* Gentle Shepherd
* Lion of Judah
* Savior
* Provider
* Rock
* Fortress
* King of Kings
* Beginning & End
* Lamb of God
* Life
And the list goes on. I suppose we could spend a lifetime getting to know God by each of his many titles, and that would be an adventure worth pursuing. Let’s make a commitment to celebrate him and bring honor to his name. Let’s not be afraid to use the name of the Lord, because Jeremiah 10:6 tells us,
6 No one is like you, O LORD; you are great, and your name is mighty in power.
But let’s make sure that when we use God’s name, we always mean what we say. May it bring us a lifetime of worship and joy as we truly lift the name of the Lord on high.
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Copyright ©2000 by Scott F. Heine. This sermon and data file is the sole property of the copyright holder and may be copied only in its entirety for circulation freely without charge. All copies of this sermon and data file — written, recorded, or electronically transmitted — must contain this copyright notice. This sermon and data file may not be copied in part (except for small quotations used with citation), edited, revised, resold, or incorporated in any commercial publication, recording, broadcast, performance, display, or other product offered for sale, without the written permission of the copyright holder. Requests for permission should be made in writing and addressed to: Scott Heine, Estrella Community Church, 16069 Desert Bloom Street, Goodyear, AZ 85338. Visit us at www.estrellacommunity.org
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