1 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:05,960 Please turn your Bibles to Deuteronomy chapter 5, verse 11. 2 00:00:05,960 --> 00:00:09,920 You can find out on page 150 in the Chair Bibles. 3 00:00:13,360 --> 00:00:16,960 We continue our summer series in the 10 commandments with the 4 00:00:16,960 --> 00:00:19,600 third commandment. The 10 commandments were also 5 00:00:19,600 --> 00:00:25,560 written in the in Exodus 20 and and in both places the third 6 00:00:25,560 --> 00:00:28,560 commandment is written identically, although that isn't 7 00:00:28,560 --> 00:00:30,720 the case for all the commandments as we'll see in a 8 00:00:30,720 --> 00:00:33,040 couple weeks with the 4th commandment. 9 00:00:34,680 --> 00:00:40,520 So Deuteronomy chapter 5 verse 11, you shall not take the name 10 00:00:40,520 --> 00:00:43,960 of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him 11 00:00:43,960 --> 00:00:46,920 guiltless who takes his name in vain. 12 00:00:48,080 --> 00:00:53,000 Let's pray Lord. Your word says in Proverbs that 13 00:00:53,000 --> 00:00:55,800 the name of the Lord is a strong tower. 14 00:00:56,200 --> 00:00:58,800 The righteous man runs into it and is safe. 15 00:00:59,880 --> 00:01:02,720 And so we ask, Lord, that You would help us today to learn not 16 00:01:02,720 --> 00:01:06,760 only how to honor your name with our whole lives, but also how to 17 00:01:06,760 --> 00:01:13,080 hide our souls in Your name for righteousness and salvation as 18 00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:14,920 we pray in Jesus name. Amen. 19 00:01:17,480 --> 00:01:19,440 Have you ever gone white water rafting? 20 00:01:20,880 --> 00:01:24,360 Back in college, I had the opportunity to work at a camp in 21 00:01:24,360 --> 00:01:28,880 Colorado near Pikes Peak called Camp Called Grand Camps. 22 00:01:29,280 --> 00:01:31,480 It's a unique camp where grandparents bring their 23 00:01:31,480 --> 00:01:33,600 grandchildren to camp for about a week. 24 00:01:34,480 --> 00:01:37,520 And one of the activities that we did with the grandparents and 25 00:01:37,520 --> 00:01:43,400 their grandkids was whitewater rafting near Buena Vista on the 26 00:01:43,400 --> 00:01:46,360 Arkansas River. Thankfully for our group that 27 00:01:46,360 --> 00:01:50,000 the Rapids weren't crazy, though someone's glasses were broken. 28 00:01:51,680 --> 00:01:53,680 It was it was just beautiful, very beautiful and 29 00:01:53,680 --> 00:01:57,080 unforgettable. We were all safe because we 30 00:01:57,080 --> 00:02:00,560 stayed in our boats and we trusted our guides. 31 00:02:01,800 --> 00:02:04,760 Navigating the 10 commandments is kind of like white water 32 00:02:04,760 --> 00:02:07,600 rafting. Each commandment is, is like a 33 00:02:07,600 --> 00:02:09,720 river in a sense that we're rafting on. 34 00:02:10,199 --> 00:02:13,840 It's dangerous, it's fearful, it's awesome, it's beautiful, 35 00:02:13,840 --> 00:02:17,560 it's powerful. If we put our faith in Jesus, 36 00:02:17,560 --> 00:02:20,720 he's like our raft guide, holding on to us so we don't 37 00:02:20,720 --> 00:02:25,680 drown and guiding us to the end. To stretch the analogy one step 38 00:02:25,680 --> 00:02:29,920 further, the river of each commandment has three main 39 00:02:29,920 --> 00:02:33,760 sections for us to raft down and we we shouldn't try to Portage 40 00:02:33,760 --> 00:02:37,960 around any one of those sections or or or or and early before 41 00:02:37,960 --> 00:02:41,120 finishing. Otherwise we'll miss what it all 42 00:02:41,120 --> 00:02:44,840 leads into and we'll be stuck in a bad place. 43 00:02:44,840 --> 00:02:48,440 So. So what are those 3 sections of 44 00:02:48,840 --> 00:02:53,440 the river? Guilt, grace, and gratitude. 45 00:02:54,400 --> 00:02:57,360 Guilt, grace, and gratitude. The law first brings us to 46 00:02:57,560 --> 00:03:01,720 guilt, then moves us on to grace, and then finishes with 47 00:03:02,040 --> 00:03:05,360 gratitude with how to live thankful lives in light of the 48 00:03:05,360 --> 00:03:08,000 grace God has shown to us sinners. 49 00:03:09,280 --> 00:03:12,560 This model of God's law moving us to guilt and grace and 50 00:03:12,560 --> 00:03:15,000 gratitude isn't. That's not my invention, but 51 00:03:15,000 --> 00:03:18,320 it's a pattern we see used by the apostle Paul in the books of 52 00:03:18,320 --> 00:03:23,200 Romans and Galatians. We need to experience the full 53 00:03:23,360 --> 00:03:26,080 ride. If we only let the law show us 54 00:03:26,080 --> 00:03:29,240 our sin and guilt, then we'll be stuck in a real bad place with 55 00:03:29,240 --> 00:03:32,960 no hope for forgiveness. And if we let the law show us 56 00:03:32,960 --> 00:03:36,640 our sin and then show us our need for grace in Christ, but 57 00:03:36,640 --> 00:03:40,040 then we stopped there and we don't use the law as a guide for 58 00:03:40,040 --> 00:03:45,400 our lives, we'll be wandering aimlessly and we will surely get 59 00:03:45,640 --> 00:03:48,160 stuck in all sorts of sinful snares. 60 00:03:49,880 --> 00:03:53,760 To mature as Christians, therefore, we need to ride the 61 00:03:53,760 --> 00:03:57,960 whole river of the law to guilt, to grace, and then to gratitude. 62 00:03:58,640 --> 00:04:02,200 And so today we will follow that pattern as we consider the third 63 00:04:02,280 --> 00:04:05,520 commandment. So first let's consider our 64 00:04:05,520 --> 00:04:08,200 guilt. How the third commandment shows 65 00:04:08,200 --> 00:04:11,240 us our sin. Before we consider common ways 66 00:04:11,240 --> 00:04:14,520 we break this commandment, let's study what this commandment is 67 00:04:14,520 --> 00:04:18,600 teaching. The 1st 2 commandments focus on 68 00:04:18,600 --> 00:04:20,480 who to worship and how to worship. 69 00:04:20,760 --> 00:04:23,560 And now the third commandment continues to build off of this 70 00:04:23,560 --> 00:04:27,280 theme of worshiping God rightly by directing us and how we are 71 00:04:27,280 --> 00:04:32,560 to honor His name. Philip Riken says that a more 72 00:04:32,560 --> 00:04:36,120 literal translation of You shall not take the name of the Lord 73 00:04:36,120 --> 00:04:40,600 your God in vain is You shall not lift up the name of the Lord 74 00:04:40,880 --> 00:04:46,600 Lord your God for nothingness. Reiken goes on to say that this 75 00:04:46,600 --> 00:04:50,120 is likely a reference to swearing an oath, possibly 76 00:04:50,120 --> 00:04:53,280 swearing by God's name while lifting up one's hand. 77 00:04:54,360 --> 00:04:57,480 We aren't to take the name of the Lord's name. 78 00:04:57,600 --> 00:05:00,560 We aren't to take the name of the Lord in in vain. 79 00:05:01,080 --> 00:05:04,680 And that that word could be translated as as as nothingness, 80 00:05:04,680 --> 00:05:08,120 as worthlessness, falseness, or emptiness. 81 00:05:09,920 --> 00:05:12,960 Swearing by God's name should have great significance and 82 00:05:13,080 --> 00:05:18,360 truth and meaning, and so God's name must not be treated in any 83 00:05:18,360 --> 00:05:22,720 other way. So what is the third commandment 84 00:05:22,720 --> 00:05:27,040 require of us? It requires that we know and 85 00:05:27,040 --> 00:05:30,280 honor the name of the Lord and everything that we say and do. 86 00:05:32,240 --> 00:05:35,200 So what is meant by the name of the Lord? 87 00:05:36,200 --> 00:05:39,720 The 1st 2 commandments were spoken by God in the first 88 00:05:39,720 --> 00:05:42,960 person, and now starting in the third commandment, he shifts to 89 00:05:42,960 --> 00:05:46,320 speak of himself in the third person for the rest of the 90 00:05:46,320 --> 00:05:49,560 commandments. He likely did this to emphasize 91 00:05:49,680 --> 00:05:54,640 His covenant name, Yahweh, the name that God revealed to Moses 92 00:05:54,800 --> 00:05:58,680 and to Israel. The meaning of the name Yahweh 93 00:05:58,680 --> 00:06:03,720 is profound. It likely means I am who I am, 94 00:06:04,080 --> 00:06:08,480 Speaking of God's uncreated nature, His eternality, and His 95 00:06:08,480 --> 00:06:12,240 sovereignty. The I AM is the Creator of 96 00:06:12,240 --> 00:06:15,640 everything who Himself was never created. 97 00:06:16,640 --> 00:06:18,800 He always has been and always will be. 98 00:06:19,800 --> 00:06:24,400 And so God chose to show to share His name to Moses and his 99 00:06:24,400 --> 00:06:28,480 people as a mark of their covenant relationship with Him. 100 00:06:31,320 --> 00:06:36,960 We name our our children, our pets, we name our businesses, 101 00:06:36,960 --> 00:06:39,640 our cities, our lands, and sometimes we even name our cars. 102 00:06:41,320 --> 00:06:47,120 But we do not name our God. He has revealed his name to us. 103 00:06:47,840 --> 00:06:50,880 And that's very important because God's names throughout 104 00:06:50,880 --> 00:06:53,960 the Bible communicate his character and His works to us. 105 00:06:55,120 --> 00:06:59,720 We don't name God and decide his character like an imaginary 106 00:06:59,720 --> 00:07:03,760 friend. And so we must know and honor 107 00:07:03,760 --> 00:07:07,160 God's covenant name and all of his other names. 108 00:07:07,960 --> 00:07:09,440 So here's some more of his other names. 109 00:07:10,240 --> 00:07:13,160 God is Adonai, our Lord and Master. 110 00:07:13,560 --> 00:07:16,800 He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. 111 00:07:17,360 --> 00:07:20,840 He's the Ancient of Days, the God of Eternity past. 112 00:07:21,400 --> 00:07:28,320 He's El Elian, God Most High. He's El Roy, the God who sees 113 00:07:28,320 --> 00:07:30,080 all and knows the needs of his people. 114 00:07:30,920 --> 00:07:37,280 He's El Shaddai, God Almighty. He is Yahweh Sabaoth, the Lord 115 00:07:37,280 --> 00:07:40,200 of Hosts or the the Lord of Angel armies. 116 00:07:41,840 --> 00:07:43,760 He is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 117 00:07:45,560 --> 00:07:51,680 Jesus name means the Lord saves, Yahweh saves and Christ means 118 00:07:51,680 --> 00:07:55,680 the anointed one. Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us. 119 00:07:55,800 --> 00:08:01,960 He is the Word, the Lagos, the perfect self revelation, perfect 120 00:08:01,960 --> 00:08:07,240 self disclosure of God through whom all things were created. 121 00:08:09,960 --> 00:08:13,840 These are the most common biblical names for God and they 122 00:08:13,840 --> 00:08:18,640 tell us so much about His character, His being, His heart 123 00:08:19,160 --> 00:08:21,000 and His power and His love for us. 124 00:08:22,680 --> 00:08:26,560 God's name represents His character, His works and His 125 00:08:26,560 --> 00:08:29,080 words. And so through the 3rd command 126 00:08:29,080 --> 00:08:32,720 and so the third command commandment requires us to not 127 00:08:32,720 --> 00:08:36,880 only speak honorably of His titles, but also of all of His 128 00:08:36,880 --> 00:08:39,400 works and all of His Word in the Bible. 129 00:08:41,159 --> 00:08:45,240 The honoring of God's name, works and word is is of utmost 130 00:08:45,240 --> 00:08:50,360 priority for Christians, which is why the very first petition 131 00:08:50,520 --> 00:08:55,200 in the Lord's Prayer is Hallowed be Thy name. 132 00:08:58,200 --> 00:09:01,200 So everything we do as Christians in our worship should 133 00:09:01,200 --> 00:09:06,320 be done in the name of the Lord. We gather in his name, we as we 134 00:09:06,320 --> 00:09:10,840 saw, we baptize in his name, we pray in his name, we preach in 135 00:09:10,840 --> 00:09:13,480 his name, and we take the Lord's Supper in His name. 136 00:09:14,680 --> 00:09:18,760 Not only are we to we to honor God in our corporate worship, 137 00:09:19,240 --> 00:09:24,240 but in every aspect of our lives, private and public, where 138 00:09:24,240 --> 00:09:28,200 display the glory and holiness of God to all those around us, 139 00:09:28,480 --> 00:09:31,400 whether at home or at school or at the grocery store, at the 140 00:09:31,400 --> 00:09:37,000 office, wherever we are. This is the high and holy 141 00:09:37,000 --> 00:09:39,960 requirement of the third commandment. 142 00:09:42,880 --> 00:09:45,280 So what is forbidden in this commandment? 143 00:09:46,240 --> 00:09:49,240 Well, when I was a kid, I, I, I thought that this commandment 144 00:09:49,240 --> 00:09:51,440 only meant not saying OMG, right? 145 00:09:53,160 --> 00:09:56,760 But it's so much more than that. And incidentally, the the 146 00:09:56,760 --> 00:10:01,800 phrase, Oh my God is a wonderful biblical phrase, a phrase that 147 00:10:01,800 --> 00:10:07,160 occurs 22 times in Psalms and, and, and prayers like the prayer 148 00:10:07,160 --> 00:10:09,880 of Daniel that we prayed in our confession of sin. 149 00:10:11,560 --> 00:10:15,440 It's a beautiful pray prayer. That phrase that that speaks to 150 00:10:15,640 --> 00:10:20,800 God is our personal God and a God to whom we as individuals 151 00:10:20,800 --> 00:10:23,640 can speak to and be heard and be cared for. 152 00:10:25,440 --> 00:10:27,720 We should pray it more often without any fear that we'll be 153 00:10:27,720 --> 00:10:32,840 taking the Lord's name in vain. Our culture, on the other hand, 154 00:10:33,720 --> 00:10:38,160 has taken that precious phrase and treated as common like it's 155 00:10:38,160 --> 00:10:41,880 a throwaway phrase, like it's an exclamation point, like it's a 156 00:10:41,880 --> 00:10:46,480 joke. That kind of use of God's name 157 00:10:46,480 --> 00:10:50,960 is forbidden. It does not display the infinite 158 00:10:50,960 --> 00:10:56,120 worth of God, but it just makes them seem trivial and trite to 159 00:10:56,120 --> 00:11:01,320 the hearts of men. The Westminster Larger Catechism 160 00:11:01,320 --> 00:11:04,040 gives a very long list of what is forbidden in the third 161 00:11:04,040 --> 00:11:07,600 commandment, and I won't read it all, but here are some other 162 00:11:07,600 --> 00:11:10,440 sins forbidden by the 3rd commandment to just kind of give 163 00:11:10,440 --> 00:11:16,800 us a scope. Blasphemy, perjury, sinful 164 00:11:16,800 --> 00:11:19,840 cursings. Swearing an oath to do something 165 00:11:19,840 --> 00:11:24,040 that you shouldn't do. Breaking an oath or vow. 166 00:11:25,320 --> 00:11:27,840 Misinterpreting and misapplying God's word. 167 00:11:28,640 --> 00:11:32,000 Using God's word to stir up quarrels about things that don't 168 00:11:32,000 --> 00:11:35,160 matter. False teachings and false 169 00:11:35,160 --> 00:11:38,600 prophecies. Living hypocritical of the faith 170 00:11:38,600 --> 00:11:43,240 you profess. Being ashamed of God's word and 171 00:11:43,440 --> 00:11:46,200 backsliding in our obedience to God's Word. 172 00:11:46,520 --> 00:11:48,640 Much more could be said, but it's just it's not worth our 173 00:11:48,640 --> 00:11:51,840 time to create, to try to create a comprehensive list because 174 00:11:51,840 --> 00:11:54,680 mankind keeps inventing new ways to sin. 175 00:11:56,560 --> 00:11:59,000 But I hope that this just gives us some general categories of 176 00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:01,000 what's forbidden in the third commandment. 177 00:12:02,720 --> 00:12:05,840 Now, what is the penalty for breaking this commandment? 178 00:12:06,520 --> 00:12:10,320 The last sentence of it says, For the Lord will not hold him 179 00:12:10,320 --> 00:12:12,960 guiltless, who takes his name in vain. 180 00:12:15,160 --> 00:12:18,160 The only only the second and third commandments speak of 181 00:12:18,160 --> 00:12:21,600 God's judgment for those who disobey and and here it does not 182 00:12:21,600 --> 00:12:25,680 say what the punishment will be, but simply that God will not 183 00:12:25,680 --> 00:12:30,640 overlook those who break this commandment at the judgment. 184 00:12:30,640 --> 00:12:33,640 They will not be innocent. They will be guilty. 185 00:12:36,960 --> 00:12:41,120 Here we see how one of the main purposes of the law is to show 186 00:12:41,120 --> 00:12:45,200 us our guilt and to warn us of God's judgment. 187 00:12:47,200 --> 00:12:50,160 So what are the common ways that we've broken the third 188 00:12:50,160 --> 00:12:55,720 commandment? Sadly, hypocrisy is very common. 189 00:12:56,640 --> 00:13:00,040 We have God's name on us. We've been baptized in His name 190 00:13:00,040 --> 00:13:03,560 and yet we in front of our spouses, in front of our kids, 191 00:13:03,920 --> 00:13:07,040 in front of our friends and Co workers, we say and do things 192 00:13:07,040 --> 00:13:12,920 that damage God's reputation. Hypocrisy is very common. 193 00:13:13,880 --> 00:13:16,600 I think it's also probably more common than we'd like to admit 194 00:13:16,600 --> 00:13:21,240 that we use God's name or Jesus name disrespectfully. 195 00:13:22,280 --> 00:13:26,600 We sarcastically say praise the Lord or we use God's name as an 196 00:13:26,600 --> 00:13:31,200 exclamation point. God's name is far more valuable 197 00:13:31,200 --> 00:13:34,280 than that. I think it's also common for us 198 00:13:34,280 --> 00:13:37,920 to to miss, apply, and misinterpret God's word. 199 00:13:38,560 --> 00:13:41,800 Not taking the time to study how to interpret the Bible, 200 00:13:42,400 --> 00:13:46,600 neglecting to read verses in their context, and instead just 201 00:13:46,600 --> 00:13:48,560 making a verse say what we wanted to say. 202 00:13:50,000 --> 00:13:54,240 It does not honor God to make His word our word. 203 00:13:58,200 --> 00:14:01,240 Corporate worship is also a time when we often break this 204 00:14:01,240 --> 00:14:05,160 commandment, when we think worship is boring or it should 205 00:14:05,160 --> 00:14:10,800 be shorter or more entertaining, when we come as a spectator 206 00:14:10,800 --> 00:14:15,720 instead of a participant, when we let our minds wander, when we 207 00:14:15,720 --> 00:14:17,520 just check out during the Lord's Supper. 208 00:14:18,680 --> 00:14:22,480 Sometimes we sing God's name with our lips, but our hearts do 209 00:14:22,480 --> 00:14:27,960 not resonate with his praises. These sins are common to us all, 210 00:14:28,240 --> 00:14:34,640 all of us, pastors included. Another common way we break this 211 00:14:34,640 --> 00:14:37,600 commandment is by supporting businesses and artists and 212 00:14:37,600 --> 00:14:42,000 musicians who use God's name and His word to get our money. 213 00:14:43,400 --> 00:14:46,200 In our Christianized culture, there's a lot of money to be 214 00:14:46,200 --> 00:14:49,160 made in selling Christian stuff to people. 215 00:14:52,080 --> 00:14:55,200 I look back at all the Christian bands I used to listen to back 216 00:14:55,200 --> 00:14:58,880 in the 90s and early 2000s, and so many of them have members who 217 00:14:58,880 --> 00:15:02,120 have left the faith or it's really come out that they were 218 00:15:02,120 --> 00:15:04,840 not living for Jesus at all during their heyday. 219 00:15:07,400 --> 00:15:11,520 When I was in Cameron, Africa on a missions trip, there were taxi 220 00:15:11,520 --> 00:15:15,440 cabs with mud flaps that would say that's would say on them, 221 00:15:15,560 --> 00:15:20,280 King of Kings and Lord of Lords, probably to reflect Christian 222 00:15:20,280 --> 00:15:22,000 values in order to attract business. 223 00:15:23,480 --> 00:15:26,040 I mean, that's a very literal way of dragging God's name 224 00:15:26,040 --> 00:15:28,480 through the mud for personal profit. 225 00:15:30,520 --> 00:15:33,720 And I think it's very common for us to blindly follow whatever 226 00:15:33,720 --> 00:15:37,400 politicians use God's name or quote Bible verses. 227 00:15:38,200 --> 00:15:41,840 Politicians have been using God's name to advance their 228 00:15:41,840 --> 00:15:46,040 agendas for thousands of years. We need to be discerning. 229 00:15:47,720 --> 00:15:51,400 During the civil war preachers and politicians from both sides 230 00:15:51,680 --> 00:15:56,120 used scripture to try to justify that God was on their side and 231 00:15:56,120 --> 00:16:00,840 not the other. Michael Horton also notes that 232 00:16:00,840 --> 00:16:06,400 around World War 2, and I quote he says this in Germany, the 233 00:16:06,440 --> 00:16:11,200 Evangelical Church became the Reichs Church, the state Church 234 00:16:11,200 --> 00:16:15,200 of Nazism, and all but a group of Lutheran and Reformed 235 00:16:15,200 --> 00:16:18,400 clergymen who insisted that Nazi ideology was heretical. 236 00:16:19,040 --> 00:16:23,680 All but that group signed the oath of allegiance to Hitler. 237 00:16:26,240 --> 00:16:30,080 Today, Evangelical Christians are a large voter demographic 238 00:16:30,080 --> 00:16:34,600 and so politicians will try to speak our language and name drop 239 00:16:34,600 --> 00:16:38,600 God and Jesus to earn our trust and ultimately our vote. 240 00:16:39,720 --> 00:16:43,680 We must be discerning when a politician's faith is real and 241 00:16:43,680 --> 00:16:45,560 when it's just a ploy for political power. 242 00:16:45,560 --> 00:16:53,160 I don't know about you, but meditating on the 3rd 243 00:16:53,160 --> 00:16:55,880 commandment has been uncomfortable for me and has 244 00:16:55,880 --> 00:16:57,760 shown me how much sin is in my heart. 245 00:16:58,720 --> 00:17:00,920 But that discomfort is a good thing. 246 00:17:01,880 --> 00:17:06,560 Just as we we want a doctor to find the disease, so also we 247 00:17:06,560 --> 00:17:10,839 want God to show us our sins so that a cure might be sought 248 00:17:10,839 --> 00:17:14,760 quickly. Thankfully, the law shows us not 249 00:17:14,760 --> 00:17:19,640 only our guilt but also our need for grace for a Savior. 250 00:17:21,119 --> 00:17:26,160 The third commandment points us to Jesus, the holy Son of God, 251 00:17:26,720 --> 00:17:31,520 who put on our common flesh. He was born in a common family, 252 00:17:32,200 --> 00:17:36,400 called by a common name and lived a lowly life, being just 253 00:17:36,400 --> 00:17:40,840 treated like a mere man, not having the honor that his name 254 00:17:40,840 --> 00:17:45,400 deserved. Jesus is the perfect image of 255 00:17:45,400 --> 00:17:49,920 God, the word of God, and he perfectly communicated to us the 256 00:17:49,920 --> 00:17:52,840 name of God through his words and actions. 257 00:17:54,120 --> 00:17:58,680 Jesus called himself the IM, which would have been blasphemy 258 00:17:59,560 --> 00:18:06,680 if it hadn't not been true. And this God, man, the one 259 00:18:06,840 --> 00:18:13,360 deserving of all honor, He for our sake died a shameful death 260 00:18:13,360 --> 00:18:18,760 on the cross, said our sins would be forgiven, and we would 261 00:18:18,760 --> 00:18:22,160 be counted guiltless before God at the judgement. 262 00:18:26,040 --> 00:18:29,280 Because we're forgiven in Christ, we get the high 263 00:18:29,280 --> 00:18:31,880 privilege of being called by his name. 264 00:18:32,200 --> 00:18:34,240 That's something we just clearly don't deserve. 265 00:18:34,240 --> 00:18:38,680 As people who have taken the Lord's name in vain, we are 266 00:18:38,680 --> 00:18:42,280 given the name Christian as a gift. 267 00:18:44,880 --> 00:18:51,920 That's grace. Not only does the law point us 268 00:18:51,920 --> 00:18:55,720 to our need for Jesus atonement for our guilt, but also our need 269 00:18:55,720 --> 00:18:59,760 for His righteousness. Jesus obeyed the law. 270 00:19:00,000 --> 00:19:02,520 He never once broke the third commandment. 271 00:19:02,600 --> 00:19:06,440 He was never a hypocrite, but consistently loved God with all 272 00:19:06,440 --> 00:19:08,320 of his heart, soul, mind and strength. 273 00:19:08,480 --> 00:19:10,320 And he loved his neighbor to the uttermost. 274 00:19:12,440 --> 00:19:18,280 He was righteous, and at the cross God graciously made the 275 00:19:18,280 --> 00:19:21,960 great exchange. He exchanged our sin for 276 00:19:21,960 --> 00:19:26,520 Christ's righteousness. He took Christ, took our sin 277 00:19:26,520 --> 00:19:29,120 upon himself, and then he covered us with His 278 00:19:29,120 --> 00:19:32,440 righteousness. So when God sees us, He sees us 279 00:19:32,440 --> 00:19:37,640 in Christ, clothed in Christ's righteousness, and He views us 280 00:19:37,640 --> 00:19:41,840 as if we have, as if we had always obeyed not only the 3rd 281 00:19:41,840 --> 00:19:44,640 commandment, but all the commandments perfectly. 282 00:19:46,560 --> 00:19:52,480 That's grace. Not only does the law point us 283 00:19:52,480 --> 00:19:56,760 to our need for Jesus's righteousness, but also to our 284 00:19:56,760 --> 00:20:00,120 need for His Spirit, for our obedience. 285 00:20:03,560 --> 00:20:10,240 Romans 76 says But now we are released from the law, having 286 00:20:10,240 --> 00:20:12,200 died to that which held us captive. 287 00:20:12,720 --> 00:20:18,000 So that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old 288 00:20:18,000 --> 00:20:23,440 way of the written code. God knew that to obey Him we 289 00:20:23,440 --> 00:20:27,240 needed something far greater than words on a tablet of stone. 290 00:20:28,440 --> 00:20:33,280 We needed new hearts made alive by and filled with His very 291 00:20:33,280 --> 00:20:38,200 Spirit so that we might know Him and love to be faithful to Him 292 00:20:38,200 --> 00:20:42,040 and Him alone. You can rest assured that Jesus 293 00:20:42,040 --> 00:20:46,280 has promised His Holy Spirit to all who put their faith in Him. 294 00:20:48,520 --> 00:20:51,280 When you have the Spirit of God in your heart, you notice a 295 00:20:51,280 --> 00:20:56,560 growing love for obedience to God and a growing love for His 296 00:20:56,560 --> 00:21:02,320 honor. In Jesus we find all that the 297 00:21:02,320 --> 00:21:06,560 Law showed us that we need what we needed but couldn't provide. 298 00:21:09,600 --> 00:21:13,280 In Jesus we are guiltless before God at his judgment. 299 00:21:14,520 --> 00:21:17,280 In Jesus we have a righteous standing before God. 300 00:21:18,080 --> 00:21:22,880 In Jesus we have his Spirit in us so that we can obey God's law 301 00:21:23,160 --> 00:21:28,520 willingly. In our rafting trip down the 302 00:21:28,520 --> 00:21:31,120 river of the third commandment. We now come to the third and 303 00:21:31,120 --> 00:21:33,680 last section. Gratitude. 304 00:21:34,560 --> 00:21:38,600 After the law has shown us our guilt and our need for grace, it 305 00:21:38,600 --> 00:21:43,600 then shows itself to be a useful guide for the rest of our lives. 306 00:21:44,840 --> 00:21:47,920 We often think of the law as something that's a burden to us, 307 00:21:48,240 --> 00:21:50,200 something that restrains our freedom. 308 00:21:51,320 --> 00:21:53,680 But the Bible speaks much differently about the Christians 309 00:21:53,680 --> 00:21:58,640 relationship to God's commands. First, John 53 says this. 310 00:21:59,680 --> 00:22:03,440 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments, 311 00:22:03,840 --> 00:22:06,800 and His commandments are not burdensome. 312 00:22:08,040 --> 00:22:09,440 His commandments are not burdensome. 313 00:22:10,160 --> 00:22:14,680 Before Christ, the law was a yoke too heavy for us to bear. 314 00:22:15,240 --> 00:22:20,440 But now that we are in Christ, we have His yoke, His light yoke 315 00:22:20,440 --> 00:22:24,120 upon us. We love to keep His law because 316 00:22:24,120 --> 00:22:25,960 we love our relationship with God. 317 00:22:27,320 --> 00:22:34,360 We love being like Him. Here's a great quote by Richard 318 00:22:34,360 --> 00:22:37,120 Sibbs in his book The Bruised Reed. 319 00:22:37,840 --> 00:22:40,560 And it speaks to this freedom that we have in Christ. 320 00:22:42,880 --> 00:22:46,560 Thus the desperate madness of men is laid open that they would 321 00:22:46,560 --> 00:22:50,600 rather be under the guidance of their own lusts, and in 322 00:22:50,600 --> 00:22:54,640 consequence of Satan himself to their endless destruction, than 323 00:22:54,640 --> 00:22:58,760 to put their feet into Christ's fetters and their necks under 324 00:22:58,760 --> 00:23:04,320 His yoke, though indeed Christ's service is the only true 325 00:23:04,320 --> 00:23:08,400 liberty. His yoke is an easy yoke, his 326 00:23:08,400 --> 00:23:11,560 burden. But as the burden of wings to a 327 00:23:11,560 --> 00:23:18,000 bird which make her fly, the higher God's yoke is like the 328 00:23:18,200 --> 00:23:21,880 the quote UN quote burden of wings to a bird which makes it 329 00:23:21,880 --> 00:23:24,800 fly. That's that's a beautiful quote. 330 00:23:26,560 --> 00:23:30,520 God's law is a guide for us for how we as Christians can fly, 331 00:23:30,680 --> 00:23:34,280 how we can live holy lives of love to God and neighbor. 332 00:23:36,160 --> 00:23:40,880 And that life of holy love is true liberty. 333 00:23:49,390 --> 00:23:52,430 This is the apostle Paul circled back to the law to guide the 334 00:23:52,430 --> 00:23:55,350 Christian life at the end of Romans and the end of Galatians. 335 00:23:55,590 --> 00:23:58,670 Let's circle back to the third commandment and ask how it can 336 00:23:58,670 --> 00:24:02,520 guide our lives today. How can the third commandment 337 00:24:02,520 --> 00:24:06,640 free us to love God and others? By the power of the Spirit. 338 00:24:08,040 --> 00:24:11,360 There's a few applications, and may God's Spirit open your eyes 339 00:24:11,360 --> 00:24:15,640 to many others. First, since it's Father's Day, 340 00:24:15,640 --> 00:24:18,680 let me start with application to fathers. 341 00:24:20,040 --> 00:24:26,160 Fathers, you have made a vow to your wife and to the Lord to be 342 00:24:26,160 --> 00:24:31,400 faithful to her, so keep it, Be faithful to her, and honor the 343 00:24:31,400 --> 00:24:34,680 Lord with your marriage. You need the Spirit's help for 344 00:24:34,680 --> 00:24:38,040 this. Your marriage is to reflect 345 00:24:38,040 --> 00:24:41,440 Christ and the Church, and so make it a daily priority to 346 00:24:41,560 --> 00:24:43,760 honor the Lord with your marriage. 347 00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:48,320 Strive for sexual purity and connect with other brothers to 348 00:24:48,320 --> 00:24:52,800 help you with that. We have different kinds of men's 349 00:24:52,800 --> 00:24:56,680 cohorts and groups that could be a helpful context for you to 350 00:24:56,680 --> 00:25:00,480 have accountability, to be challenged, to be reminded of 351 00:25:00,480 --> 00:25:03,000 the gospel, and to pray for God's help. 352 00:25:04,160 --> 00:25:07,480 Talk to Chris or I, and we would love to get you connected if 353 00:25:07,480 --> 00:25:12,520 it's time for that. And fathers, even even though we 354 00:25:12,680 --> 00:25:16,880 don't make a vow to our children when they're born, we have a 355 00:25:16,880 --> 00:25:21,960 God-given responsibility to love them, lead them, provide for 356 00:25:21,960 --> 00:25:24,880 them, protect them, and teach them in a way that is just as 357 00:25:24,880 --> 00:25:27,560 weighty before God as if we had taken a vow. 358 00:25:29,000 --> 00:25:32,800 We reflect the name and character of God to our 359 00:25:32,800 --> 00:25:36,960 children. Many children see God in a 360 00:25:36,960 --> 00:25:39,280 similar way that they see their earthly fathers. 361 00:25:40,840 --> 00:25:42,400 Honestly, that can be discouraging, right? 362 00:25:43,520 --> 00:25:45,600 Especially when you just don't measure up as dads. 363 00:25:48,080 --> 00:25:50,240 But that can be remedied through humility. 364 00:25:51,880 --> 00:25:55,480 Humbly apologize to your children when you don't reflect 365 00:25:55,480 --> 00:26:00,040 God well to them. Be open and honest to them about 366 00:26:00,040 --> 00:26:03,480 your need for forgiveness, your need for Jesus, your need for 367 00:26:03,480 --> 00:26:09,680 God's Spirit's help to grow. Echoing the words of John the 368 00:26:09,680 --> 00:26:13,520 Baptist. In your parenting, you must 369 00:26:13,520 --> 00:26:16,680 decrease and Christ must increase. 370 00:26:20,360 --> 00:26:22,160 Not everyone. Men, women, and children. 371 00:26:23,280 --> 00:26:27,520 We represent Christ to everyone in every context that we live 372 00:26:27,520 --> 00:26:30,240 in. We don't just live as Christians 373 00:26:30,240 --> 00:26:33,840 at church and at home, and then we just then live as anonymous 374 00:26:33,840 --> 00:26:38,160 Americans in our jobs and hobbies and at school. 375 00:26:39,560 --> 00:26:42,040 When you're shopping, you represent Christ. 376 00:26:43,240 --> 00:26:45,880 When you're posting on the Internet, you represent Christ. 377 00:26:47,240 --> 00:26:50,360 When you're at a medical appointment, you represent 378 00:26:50,360 --> 00:26:52,880 Christ. When you're with friends and 379 00:26:52,880 --> 00:26:55,640 family, you represent Christ. When you're chatting with your 380 00:26:55,640 --> 00:26:58,520 next door neighbors, you represent Christ. 381 00:26:59,240 --> 00:27:02,040 When you engage politically, you represent Christ. 382 00:27:02,040 --> 00:27:07,800 More than any part of your platform, you display the name 383 00:27:07,800 --> 00:27:10,000 and reputation of the Lord wherever you go. 384 00:27:11,680 --> 00:27:14,880 Let's make God look glorious in Rochester. 385 00:27:18,560 --> 00:27:21,640 And when we come to worship, do your best to regularly come on 386 00:27:21,640 --> 00:27:25,480 time to prepare your hearts the night before or maybe the 387 00:27:25,480 --> 00:27:28,840 morning of to hear from the living God. 388 00:27:30,160 --> 00:27:34,120 The purpose of our existence is to worship God genuinely. 389 00:27:35,200 --> 00:27:38,680 So take some time to prayerfully focus so your hearts and your 390 00:27:38,680 --> 00:27:41,240 minds and your bodies are ready for worship. 391 00:27:42,600 --> 00:27:45,440 This certainly can be challenging when you have health 392 00:27:45,440 --> 00:27:47,960 issues or or when you have little ones. 393 00:27:49,000 --> 00:27:52,040 So, so be be patient with those little ones, be patient with 394 00:27:52,040 --> 00:27:55,680 them, and be patient with yourselves as you grow as a 395 00:27:55,680 --> 00:28:00,280 family in worshipping God. Don't complain that your kids 396 00:28:00,280 --> 00:28:04,520 are holding you back. You're a family and you 397 00:28:04,520 --> 00:28:10,160 patiently grow together. And as you listen to God's Word 398 00:28:10,160 --> 00:28:14,680 being preached, receive it as God's Word rather than merely A 399 00:28:14,680 --> 00:28:18,840 lecture by us pastors. Pastor Chris and I are nobodies, 400 00:28:20,400 --> 00:28:25,000 but the God of the Bible is the one and true living God. 401 00:28:25,200 --> 00:28:30,240 The I am the El Shaddai, the Yahweh Sabbath. 402 00:28:31,240 --> 00:28:35,520 And so we must be attentive each week to hear the most important 403 00:28:35,520 --> 00:28:38,080 words that one could ever hear in a lifetime. 404 00:28:41,320 --> 00:28:44,280 And when it's time for the Lord's Supper, think on the 405 00:28:44,280 --> 00:28:48,000 promises of God to you in the Gospel. 406 00:28:51,040 --> 00:28:54,840 Engage your faith in Christ during that holy meal, for it is 407 00:28:54,840 --> 00:28:58,560 by faith that we feast on Christ and receive all of his benefits. 408 00:29:00,320 --> 00:29:04,000 For some of you, you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, but you 409 00:29:04,000 --> 00:29:08,600 haven't yet come to the table. Honor God's name by becoming a 410 00:29:08,600 --> 00:29:12,040 communicate member and by joining us at this table. 411 00:29:12,680 --> 00:29:15,280 Pastor Chris and I would love to help you take that next step 412 00:29:17,080 --> 00:29:19,120 before we transition now to the table. 413 00:29:19,120 --> 00:29:22,760 Let's now pray and ask for God's blessing on us to live out the 414 00:29:22,760 --> 00:29:25,800 third commandment in light of the grace we've been given. 415 00:29:26,120 --> 00:29:31,560 Let's pray. Lord Jesus, we thank you that 416 00:29:31,560 --> 00:29:34,480 you've shown us our guilt. We're not ignorant of it. 417 00:29:35,360 --> 00:29:39,240 You've shown us that there's a problem, but you haven't just 418 00:29:39,560 --> 00:29:46,920 left us to die. You shared with us the gospel, 419 00:29:47,040 --> 00:29:50,080 the good news. You've offered your very self to 420 00:29:50,080 --> 00:29:52,400 us. You've offered forgiveness of 421 00:29:52,400 --> 00:29:57,280 all of our sin so that we can be not only guiltless, but we can 422 00:29:57,280 --> 00:30:02,880 be righteous in God's sight. Thank you, Lord Jesus, we pray 423 00:30:02,880 --> 00:30:06,360 now for Your blessing, Your blessing upon us, Your powerful 424 00:30:06,360 --> 00:30:10,240 Spirit to work in US, obedience to the third commandment. 425 00:30:10,760 --> 00:30:15,040 We pray that in each one of us the honor of Your name, the 426 00:30:15,040 --> 00:30:19,320 hollowing of Your name, would be the highest priority. 427 00:30:20,840 --> 00:30:23,960 We can only do this through Your power. 428 00:30:24,760 --> 00:30:29,200 This we pray for in the name of Jesus, Amen.