3. The Sanctity of God's Name! Exodus 20:7

Text: “Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His Name in vain.”                                                   

Exodus 20:7.

Good morning, God-sanctifying Christian!  The very thought of the Living Lord God Jehovah – Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, three Persons One Lord God Almighty – causes you to sanctify His Name at all times.  You do well, beloved in Christ, you do very well.

The very thought of our inherent sinfulness, the ‘old man’ within each of us even after we are redeemed by Christ’s Blood – should cause us to reel back in humble submission in the light of God’s Holiness and wrath against all sin!  We should immediately fall at His feet in submission to His Holy will, and offer up our hearts in worship at the wonder of His amazing grace toward Hell-deserving sinners such as we!

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do His commandments: His praise endureth forever.”  (Psalm 111:10)

Recognition of the high and Holy sanctity of God, and of His Holy Name, should be the foremost characteristic of anyone professing to be a ‘born again’, Spiritually regenerate, Christian believer.  Anything short of the complete and personal sanctification of God’s Being and His Name dishonours the entire concept of true Christianity and leaves those falling short of this sacred recognition reprobate, fooling themselves that they are indeed the genuine article Christian!

Dictionary Definition: 

Sanctity – (noun) the quality of being sacred or Holy; purity; godliness; inviolability; saintship; (in plural) holy feelings, obligations... (The Chambers Dictionary, page 1460)

Sanctify – (Verb transitive) to make, declare, consider or show to be, sacred or holy; to set apart for sacred use; to free from sin or evil; to consecrate, bless; to invest with sacredness, blessedness or holiness; to sanction (set apart). (The Chambers Dictionary, page 1459-1460)

The Word of God instructs us: “ But as He which hath called you is Holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation (entire lifestyle); because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am Holy.” (1 Peter 1:15-16)

Too often today, in this increasingly apostate, humanistic, atheistic world, we find the mouths of puny sinners uttering flagrant disobedience to God’s Ten Commandments, by profaning the Name of God; swearing oaths by the Name of God; using the Holy Name of God as an expletive, or coupling the Holy Name of God with the most filthy and offensive curses and gross language!  They utter from their mouths what their father, Satan, has placed deep within their sin-darkened hearts.  By doing so, they reveal themselves to be LOST!

“Jesus said unto them (the unbelieving Jews/Gentiles of the time), Ye are of your father the Devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh (speaks and continues to speak) of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.  And because I tell you the truth, ye believe it not.”  (John 8:44-45)

Unbelieving Church-men:  What hope is there for the unsaved of today’s 21^st Century world, when those professing to be an integral part of the Body of Christ, the Church, lead the way in ‘...taking God’s Name in vain...’? 

The word ‘Reverend’ is used only one time in the entire body of Holy Scriptures, it is mentioned in Psalm 111, verse 9 – “He (the Lord God) sent redemption unto His people: He hath commanded His Covenant for ever: Holy and reverend is His Name.” 

So-called ‘church-leaders’ today not only break this Third Commandment publicly and continually by taking on the title of ‘Reverend’ – they then go further into sin and proud disobedience by promoting themselves and each other to be 'THE (definite article) Reverend'; then deeper into proud, disobedient, sin by calling themselves, ‘The Very Reverend’; 'The Very Very Reverend’; ‘The Most Reverend’; ‘The Most Holy Reverend’; ‘Father’, and ‘The Holy Father’!  What gross sin and disobedience to the Third Commandment of God!

“And call no man your father upon the earth: for One is your Father (capitol F!), which is in Heaven.”  (Matthew 23:9)

The Third Commandment teaches:  “Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His Name in vain.”

Swearing in the Name of God: Earthly judges and legal magistrates in today’s modern societies reveal themselves to be the biggest hypocrites in personal standard of Christian belief.  They not only compel Court witnesses to ‘Swear by Almighty God’ to tell the truth; but compound their hypocrisy and unbelief by making these witnesses place their hand on a copy of the Bible, God’s inspired Word and truth to mankind!

“But I (Jesus Christ) say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by Heaven; for it is God’s throne: nor by the earth; for it is His footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.  Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.  But let your communication be Yea, yea: Nay, nay (Yes or No): for whatsoever is more than these (in swearing to tell the truth) cometh of evil.”  (Matthew 5:33-37)

The Third Commandment teaches:  “Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His Name in vain.”

Blaspheming God’s Name:  Modern day blasphemers of God and of His Name can be heard uttering the following vile insults to the Lord God: “For Christ’s sake!”; “Jesus Christ!" (uttered as an angry expletive); “Oh my God!” (uttered, or written it phone-texts, by crass people, for crass reasons); “God-damn it!”; “God Almighty!” exclaimed in anger or surprise.

The black hearts of those uttering these common examples of every day practice, are anti-Christian, humanistic, and their atheistic minds are revealed by the evidence from their mouths when they speak, and their pens/key-boards when they write such blasphemy into TV soap-operas, dramas, and Hollywood movie screen-plays.

Please serious Christian!  Turn this anti-Christian TV content OFF!  You are paying a T.V. Licence to permit opposition to the very faith you believe and seek to practice!

The Third Commandment teaches:  “Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His Name in vain.”

Thought: God is not mocked!  Beware! His wrath is on its way!  Repent, blasphemers!