The sermon by Jason Dohm, titled 'A Worthy God Demanding Careful Reverence,' explores the significance of the third commandment from Exodus 20:7, which warns against taking the Lord's name in vain. The speaker emphasizes that reverence for God is not optional but a commanded requirement. By examining Psalm 119:25-40 and the Ten Commandments, the sermon highlights the importance of honoring God with our words and actions, reflecting a genuine relationship with Him. Taking God's name in vain is defined as using it irreverently or reflecting upon it without the utmost reverence it deserves. The sermon offers examples from Deuteronomy, Leviticus, and other biblical texts, illustrating how vows and oaths should be made in God's name with sincerity and truthfulness. It also stresses the danger of false professions of faith, where people claim to know God but deny Him through their actions. The sermon concludes by acknowledging Jesus' perfect fulfillment of the commandment, encouraging believers to strive for holiness and careful reverence in their lives.

In preparation for the text, we've been going through Psalm 119, and this week, it's no exception, we're going to go through Psalm 119, 25 through 40. These words are beautiful. Psalm 119, verse 25. Beautiful. Psalm 119 verse 25.

My soul clings to the dust. Revive me according to your word. I have declared my ways and you answered me. Teach me your statutes. Make me understand the way of your precepts so shall I meditate on your wonderful works.

My soul melts from heaviness. Strengthen me according to your word. Remove from me the way of lying and grant me your law graciously. I have chosen the way of truth. Your judgments I have laid before me.

I cling to your testimonies. O Lord, do not put me to shame. I will run the course of your commandments, for you shall enlarge my heart. Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes, and I shall keep it to the end. Give me understanding, and I shall keep your law.

Indeed, I shall observe it with my whole heart. Make me walk in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it. Incline my heart to your testimonies and not to covetousness. Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things and revive me in your way. Establish your word to your servant who is devoted to fearing you.

Turn away my reproach which I dread for your judgments are good. Behold I long for your precepts, revive me in your righteousness. The title of the sermon this morning is, A Worthy God Demanding Careful Reverence. Just think about that for a moment. A worthy God, a God who is worthy, Demanding, not suggesting, but requiring, commanding, careful reverence that we not be thoughtless regarding him, be thoughtless regarding him, but that we offer freely and willingly and lovingly our honor to him.

How we speak and how we live. I think that is right at the heart of this. I've actually been spending much more time than I normally would over a period of years on the title. Right now I'm probably spending 10 minutes just on the title. No, that word is not quite right.

And I'm trying to do that, I'm doing that to try to get it right in my own mind. What's at the core of this commandment. I want to know what's right at the heart of it so that I can can summarize in just a few words what what is all this this about. I hope you'll actually pay more attention to my sermon titles than I normally would even when I write them because I'm spending time trying to really boil it down, be careful about the words that I pick and the words that I leave out to get right at the heart of what this is about. Well we're pressing ahead in our study of the Ten Commandments.

I can't believe how far we are already into them. We're close to a third of the way through the Ten Commandments. The first commandment was, you shall have no other gods before me. This is fundamentally about having a God. About having the one true God.

No fake gods, but yes, having, embracing, loving with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind the one true God. The second commandment was, you shall not make for yourself a carved image. No image, no likeness of anything that is on earth or in heaven or in the waters. You don't bow down to them. You don't serve them.

This is fundamentally about exclusively embracing the God of Revelation. The God who sets himself forward in what he is like in this book and how we would embrace him by faith and How we would worship him according to the worship that he's prescribed and not making a god of imagination. So in my mind the words that are central to the second commandment is the god of revelation not the god of our imagination. Now we're to the third commandment again, like the first two, it is framed in the negative. It is what we must not do.

It is a thou shall not. And it is something which is forbidden. It is framed in the negative. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. But since all the law and the prophets hang on love.

This is again going back to Jesus in Matthew 22, teacher which is the great commandment in the law. The great commandment is this, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, with all your strength and the second is like it you shall love your neighbor as yourself. Yes, I'm going to keep beating that drum every week. All the commandments are about either loving God or loving your neighbor or loving both. Since this negatively framed commandment is really about love, What is it that we are to love?

Well it's about a worthy God demanding careful reverence. How do we express that? By loving God, by giving attention to that. That's really what this commandment is about, hopefully what this sermon is about. As we go to our text, let's pray.

God, just thinking about all the things we've recited so far, sung so far, that have been read to us So far, so clear to us in moments like these, just fresh off of that, how worthy you truly are of careful reverence. When we sing those things and then think about them, we just want to be careful over our thoughts and lives. Our thoughts, our words, our lives, so that our thoughts and words and lives express honor to you. We lovingly, freely, willingly give you reverence just because you are worthy of it. Oh God, affect this in our lives through the preaching of your word.

I pray in Jesus name, amen. While we are sticking to our pattern, we will be going through the five things we've been ticking off as we come to every commandment. What the commandment requires, what it forbids, what it teaches us about God, how we've failed to keep it, how Jesus has perfectly kept it. So we'll do the first three of those today. So, number one, what the third commandment requires.

Let me read the first part of this commandment. Exodus 20 verse 7, the first part of it. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. The negative side of the coin is right there on the surface. We're told what we shall not do.

You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. Flip the coin over. What's on the positive side of the coin? How can we make this about loving God since Jesus told us all the commandments are about love. It's what Jesus taught us to pray.

Jesus taught his disciples, in this manner therefore pray, our Father in heaven hallowed be your name. Matthew 6 verse 9, hallowed be your name. To hallow is to hold in the utmost reverence, to give a place where you couldn't possibly give that name more reverence, to make it the name above every name. That sounds like Philippians too. To never lose sight of the greatness and the goodness that that name represents.

We talked about this many times in the Gospel of John, because Jesus was using that terminology. My name, my name, believe in my name. By name he means Everything that God is and represents rolled up into that. It is God Himself in His fullness. That's what the name of God is.

God Himself in all His fullness. In fact, if we were to do a study of the names of God, they're all to be held together, not separating one off, but He is all those things and He needs more than one name because of the depth and breadth of all that He is. We would probably be studying that for a year. If we were to preach through the names of God, I bet we would preach through that for a year. Hallowed be your name.

We hold your name. Your name is to be held in the utmost reverence, where we couldn't give it more reverence. We hold it as the name above every other name. We never lose sight of the greatness and the goodness that that name represents. He is God.

All those secondary, inferior things that we're tempted to worship in His place, they're created things. He made them all. You go back millennia, thousands of years, you find people worshipping the sun, worshipping the stars, worshipping golden calves, worshipping created things. He made all those things and they are just a shadow of His own glory. They are just a faint reflection of His own glory.

They seem glorious to us and so we are tempted to shift worship off to them, but they are just a little shadow, a faint reflection of his own glory. He says, now see that I, even I am he and there is no other God besides me. I kill and I make alive, I wound and I heal, Nor is there any who can deliver from my hand. This is the song of Moses Deuteronomy 32, 39. Let me just reread that.

Listen to what God says about Himself. Now see that I, even I, am He. There is no God besides Me. I kill and I make alive. I wound and I heal.

Nor is there any who can deliver from my hand." God declares himself to be so supreme above all things. There's no one on the level with him. There's no one beside him. Everything is beneath him. So what must my disposition be towards such a God?

One of careful reverence. I can't be thoughtless about a God like that. Can't be careless in my disposition towards a God like that. And not only is he the God, the God, there are no other gods, there is only one God. The rest are fake gods.

Not only is he the God, he is the God of his people in a special peculiar way. Are you with me? Are you following me? He is the God, there is no other God, but He is the God of His people in a special way, in a particular way, he is their possession. Not because they say so, they have no rightful claim to that in and of themselves, but because he says so.

He makes himself available as the possession of his people. He gives himself to his people. What did Abraham say who believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness? In other words, he was saved by faith just like I am saved by faith. What did God say to Abraham?

God said this to Abraham in Genesis 15 verse 1. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward. Abraham, I am your shield. Abraham, it was Abram at that time actually. I am your exceedingly Great reward essentially Abraham your mind, but I am yours You do belong to me Abraham, but I belong to you also I give you a stake in me.

I give you a claim upon me. I allow you to lay claim upon me. Imagine how precious it is for the God who has made everything that we have ever experienced to say, I give you a claim on me. You can claim me. What did John say in John chapter 1 as he is framing his entire gospel.

Listen to this. John chapter 1, listen to this, these are precious words. John chapter 1 verses 12 and 13. But as many as received him, as many as received Jesus Christ, To them he gave the right to become children of God. I should almost stop there but I'm not going to.

But as many as received Jesus Christ to them he gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God." He says two great things here. One, God is extending the right to anyone who will entrust themselves to his son. He extends the right to become children of God. And then secondly, when that happens, it was of God. God did that.

God made them His and gave Himself to them as theirs. You see, both of those things are there. He made them His. It was not of the will of man. It was of their born of God.

He made them His and He gave Himself to them as theirs. He is their possession now. They have a rightful claim to Him because they are children of God. Son of God. Now back to Exodus 20.

Put verse 2 and verse 7 together. Put verse 2 and Exodus. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God. So now we are back in verse 2. I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain." Which God? Oh, the one that brought you out of bondage. That God. Be careful with his name. Give his name careful reverence.

Don't take his name in vain. He brought you out of the house of bondage. He gave himself to you as your possession. He not only took you for his own, he gave himself to you as your own. This is from the weekly email.

I'm normally not vain enough to quote myself, but I will do it this morning. This is from the weekly email. Imagine the privilege of being able to call the Lord, Jehovah, the Almighty Self-Existing God, your God. What a privilege. Imagine what that would cost.

Him, not you. You could never afford that price. Then imagine using his name carelessly, irreverently, even profanely. Hopefully that jolts your sensibilities. He bought me with the blood of his son so that he could give himself to me as my possession, so that I could call him my God.

And now I take up his name carelessly, irreverently, even profanely. How could it be a God who brought you out of the House of Bondage? How could you ever be careless or irreverent or even profane with His name? Oh friends, let us hallow that name above every name. Let us freely, willingly, lovingly offer him careful reverence.

Let us hold his name in the utmost reverence. Let us never lose sight of the greatness and goodness that name represents. He is our Redeemer. He brought us out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Not in the literal way.

Think again, I've said this before, think of how precious these words must have been to Israelites who were literally brought out of Egypt. They have nothing on you. They have nothing on you. If you had slaved away in Egypt, those would have been precious words to you. He brought you out of the land of Egypt.

He brought you out of the house of bondage. Haven't you slaved away under a cruel master? Has he not brought you out of the land of Egypt spiritually, out of the house of bondage spiritually, do the people who went through the Red Sea have anything on you? No they do not. Not if you are free.

Not if you have been brought out of the house of your spiritual bondage. So that's what the third commandment requires. Freely, willingly, lovingly offering him careful reverence. Reverence. 2.

What the third commandment forbids. I'll re-read. The beginning of Exodus 20 verse 7. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. Now what does it mean to take the name of the Lord in vain?

It means to use that name or to reflect upon that name in a way that is out of step with the utmost reverence that God himself is worthy of. Let me just say that again because I'm offering a definition of what it means to take his name in vain. To use that name or to reflect upon that name in a way that is out of step with the utmost reverence that God himself is worthy of. So, let's say it again backwards. He's worthy of utmost reverence, But instead of giving him the utmost reverence out of love, instead you use the name or reflect upon that name in a way that is unworthy of him.

Now let's consider both of these things. How do we use the name of the Lord in vain? Let's go to three texts, I think, that show us how we use the name of the Lord in vain. Let's go to three texts, I think, that show us how we use the name of the Lord in vain. The first is Deuteronomy 23.

Turn to Deuteronomy 23. I've found this to be a really helpful text. It rolls a number of things into one text. Deuteronomy 23, I'll be reading verses 21 through 23. Deuteronomy 23, 21 through 21-23.

Follow along as I read. When you make a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not delay to pay it. For the Lord your God will surely require it of you, and it would be sin to you. But if you abstain from vowing, it shall not be sin to you. That which is gone from your lips you shall keep and perform, for you voluntarily vowed to the Lord your God what you have promised with your mouth.

So the Bible speaks in terms of vows and oaths. They're very closely related. A vow would be a promise I make directly to God. God I promise you that I will whatever. An oath is a promise that we would make to want to one another in the presence of God, calling God to witness.

Our membership covenant is actually an oath. We covenant together to live together in a certain way but we do it calling God as witness. Vows and ohs. This is actually talking about vows to God but the principles are across vows and ohs. When you make a vow to the Lord your God, he's assuming that you'll make a vow to the Lord.

And when you do, don't delay to make it good. Because God will require it of you. In other words, when you vow, He's paying attention, He hears it, and He'll require it of you. He becomes the arbiter of it then. He becomes sort of the guardian of the vow because he heard it and he's now responsible to hold you to it.

You invited him to be responsible to hold you to it. Then in 22 it says, there's nothing wrong with abstaining from vowing, or taking oaths. In fact, it's infinitely better to keep your mouth shut and never vow and never take an oath than it is to vow or take an oath and then not come through with it. Because You invited God to be the guardian of it, and the enforcer of it. Verse 23 makes it clear.

These are voluntary things. If you say it, you better do it. Because you invited God to witness and enforce what you said. Listen to Deuteronomy 10 verse 20. This goes right along these lines.

Deuteronomy 10 verse 20. You shall fear the Lord your God, you shall serve Him, and to Him you shall hold fast and take oaths in His name. So when you take an oath, it must be in the name of God. Don't invent a system that takes an oath in another's name. Either take it in the name of God or don't have a system for vows and owes.

When you get to New Testament teaching on that, you can see they made a system where they're vowing and taking owes by the temple or the gold of the temple. That's exactly what's forbidden here. If you take an oath, take it in God's name. By taking a vow or an oath, you're saying things about God. Think this through.

Take a vow or you take an oath, you bring God's name into it. That's what it has to do with the third commandment. You're bringing God's name into it. You're saying, He is. There is a God out there and He cares that when we bring his name into it we make good on it and he acts.

You're saying those things when you take a bow or an oath. Listen to Hebrews 6 verse 16. In Hebrews chapter 6 the author of Hebrews is making an argument about how unbreakably unchangeable God's promises to send the Savior were. The author of Hebrews says, because there was nothing greater to swear by God swore by himself that he would send a Savior. So this is in that section.

Listen to Hebrews 6.16. For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute." Now, what is he talking about? What does that mean? When there is a conflict among people who take the name of God, an oath can be invoked about the truthfulness or the commitments being made to call God as witness and to enforce the oath and it's the end of the dispute. You wouldn't be able to do that among people who don't claim God as their God.

That's meaningless to them. You shouldn't. But among people who embrace that God is their God, an oath can be the end of the conflict because you've essentially placed this in his hands and any God-fearing person will tremble to do it falsely. An example of this, a very striking example of this, I came across it last week in my Bible reading plan, in Numbers 5, you're given a procedure for what should happen if a husband suspects his wife of adultery, but there is no evidence. He is convinced she has committed adultery, she has violated our marriage oath, But he has no proof.

What are you supposed to do then? Numbers 5 actually tells you, what do you do? You go to the priest. The priest takes water and he takes dust from the temple floor. He puts it in the water.

I don't know why because Numbers 5 says so. And she's to drink the water and he is to pronounce a curse. If you committed adultery, right, She says I didn't commit adultery, he says you did commit adultery but he has no evidence. She drinks the water and the priest pronounces a curse. If you committed adultery, may your thigh rot and your belly swell and you not be able to have children.

She says I didn't do it and may God do that if I did. This is to bring God's name into it and to just leave it in His hands. When that happens, the husband is to accept that she's innocent or if she's not innocent God will deal with it because he's been brought into it as witness and as the one to make it right if lies were told in his name. It's a way people who say they fear God can end disputes by putting this in his hands. Here's what Calvin says, found this helpful.

Calvin says, man's ingratitude is very gross. You're grossly unthankful. That when God grants them His name, as if at their entreaty to put an end to their strife and to be a pledge of their truth still it flies promiscuously from their mouths not without manifest disrespect that's language we don't speak in What in the world is Calvin saying? He's saying that God has actually given us His name to be used very reverently, very judiciously, to put an end to strifes, and to pledge truth, and to make the most solemn commitments. And how ungrateful is it that men still misuse his name?

When God actually gave his name to be used in these rare instances where we would make a vow to him or take an oath with one another to put these things into his hands. It's actually a kindness of God. He gives us a way to deal for God fearing people to deal with their disputes and to make the most solemn commitments to one another. How grossly unthankful is it to then misuse His name When he gave his name to us to be used for these very rare occasions and purposes. Alright, that was scripture number one, Deuteronomy 21-23.

Secondly, Leviticus Secondly, Leviticus 24. Turn to Leviticus 24. Leviticus 24. 10 through 16. This one is fascinating.

Leviticus 24 verses 10-16. Follow along as I read. Leviticus 24 starting in verse 10. Now the son of an Israelite woman whose father was an Egyptian went out among the children of Israel. This Israelite woman's son and a man of Israel fought each other in the camp.

The Israelite woman's son blasphemed the name of the Lord and cursed and so they brought him to Moses. His mother's name was Shalimith, the daughter of Debris of the tribe of Dan. Then they put him in custody that the mind of the Lord might be shown to them. So here's a blasphemer who is cursed using the name of the Lord and they take him into custody to see what God's mind is on this matter. This goes right to the third commandment.

What is God's mind on this? Verse 13, And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Take outside the camp him who has cursed, and let all who heard him lay their hands on his head and let all the congregation stone him." So the witnesses put their hands on his head and then all the congregation stones this man to death. Verse 15, Then you shall speak to the children of Israel, saying, Whoever curses his God shall bear his sin, and whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death. All the congregations shall certainly stone him, the stranger as well as him who was born in the land. When he blasphemes the name of the Lord, he shall be put to death." On the scale, how much or how little does God care?

On the scale, big deal to God or little deal to God? You can tell with the sanctions the mind of God on a matter. Not that little sins are little sins in the sense that they don't make you condemned before God. But Does God want this dealt with swiftly and irrevocably? The death penalty, there's no going back on that.

God cares a lot about His name. God cares a lot about the handling of his name. A man in a rage blasphemes God and brings his name into a curse. They take him into custody to find out what the mind of the matter was. The mind of the matter was that the witnesses placed their hands on this man and then the congregation stones him to death.

It's displaying that we think one way about giving careful reverence to God and God thinks another way. When we don't give careful reverence to God, God interprets that as contempt. So who's right and who's wrong? God's right. God's always right.

You are displaying contempt for God when you will not render Him careful reverence. Carefully honor his name. Be careful to honor his name. Now, many of you children, are the children still with me? Many of you children, all of you children, are at school at home.

So recess isn't like recess was for your parents. It was a lot more freewheeling probably for your parents. One of the things you were always hearing on the playground was, I swear to God, I'm telling the truth about this. We didn't know better. That was a terrible idea.

It was being said all the time as a way to give a little extra oomph to convince someone that more often than not it meant you were lying and you needed the extra oomph that you were telling the truth. Here's what Thomas Watson says, a man that is honest will be believed without an oath. An honest man will be believed without an oath. He doesn't need the oath. People know he tells the truth.

The more a man swears, the less others will believe him. That is universally true. It was true on the playground, in elementary school, in public school, and it's true today. The more you need an oath, the less people are likely to believe it because they know this. This is exactly what Jesus says in the testimony of the New Testament.

Let your yes be yes. Be known for truthfulness so you don't need oaths. I don't believe that vows, commitments directly to God invoking His name, or oaths, commitments to each other, calling God to witness and to enforce are unlawful, but the testimony of the New Testament is that they should be so rare. Our normal pattern should be, let your yes be yes, and let your no be no. So that's how We use the name of the Lord our God in vain.

How do we reflect upon the name of the Lord in vain? I don't mean by reflect upon thinking about or remembering. Like I was reflecting upon our conversation from yesterday. That's not what I mean. I mean speaking or acting in a way that doesn't bring honor, or worse, brings dishonor to the owner of that name because of my association with that name.

I'm associated with God's name. Why? Because I said He's my God. So I've associated myself with that name and now the things that I say or the things that I do reflect upon him because I've named him. I've associated with him And my words or my actions, they either don't bring honor or worse yet they bring dishonor on his name because I took up his name.

Let's start here. The Hebrew word translated in vain means emptiness, or in other words, to no purpose. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in emptiness or to no purpose. It means that as well as falsehood. Up until this point we have really been dealing with the range of meaning that falls on falsehood.

You don't bring God's name into it when you're not telling the truth or when you don't make it good. But now I'm inflecting towards the other part of the range of meaning emptiness or to no purpose. Whenever I associate myself with that name, I belong to the people of God. I belong to God. I follow Jesus.

I'm a Christian. A Christian. His name is on us. But my words or actions declare that all that's empty. Let's just talk.

All that is to no purpose. It has no transforming effect on the things that I say, the things that I do, I am taking the name of the Lord in vain. Let me give you three New Testament texts that speak to this. For whatever reason, it's sets of three today. I think I have four sets of three today.

I despise trying to force fit that, so I tell you I did not force fit it. It just is sets of three. Mark seven. Turn there if you like. Mark seven.

So all under the heading of associating ourselves with that name, I'm a Christian, but then the things that we say or the things that we do say, that's empty, That's empty talk. That's to no purpose. There's no transformation has come from my association with that name and it reflects on God when people do that. Number one, Mark 7 verses 5 through 7. Mark 7 verses 5 through 7.

Mark 7 verses 5-7. Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, asked Jesus, Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands." He answered and said to them, Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, this people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And in vain they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. Why are you not washing your hands? Before you eat.

You're ceremonially unclean when you eat. The tradition is to wash your hands so that you are not ceremonially unclean when you eat. Why are you doing that? Jesus says empty, empty, empty, to no purpose. Your lips, you honor me with your lips, you associate yourself with me with your lips, but your hearts are far from me.

Your hearts not in it. You're exhausting yourself in religion. It's got nothing to do with me. You take my name. It's got nothing to do with me.

Your worship is vain. Your worship is empty. Your worship is to no purpose. You have all these traditions that you love more than you love me. Your heart is far from me.

God would have you stop calling yourselves His people. If you won't love Him with your heart, get His name off of your lips. If you won't love him with your heart, get his name off of your lips. If you won't love him with your heart, get his name off of your lips. Don't you understand The danger of taking His name on your lips if you will not love Him with your heart.

Stop calling yourselves my people. Number two, 2 Timothy 2 19. As always you are welcome to go there with one verse, sometimes I am there and gone before you get there. 2 2 Timothy 2.19. Listen to what Paul writes to Timothy.

Nevertheless, the solid foundation of God stands having this seal. Quote, the Lord knows those who are His. End quote. And quote, let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity. Oh, the third commandment is here.

Two quotes. First quote, the Lord knows exactly who are His and who are not His. And second quote, let all those who name the name of Christ, sing loud in worship, go to church, wash their hands before eating. No, none of that. Depart from iniquity.

Stop sinning. Repent. Cultivate a life of ongoing repentance, turning away from sin and learning to be more and more Christ-like over time. Let all who name the name of Christ take up the name of Christ upon themselves, profess Him, turn around and walk away from their sinful patterns. Otherwise, you're taking the name of the Lord your God in vain.

It's emptiness. It's to no purpose. You say, God owns me, but He has no power to transform me. That's blasphemy. When I name the name of Christ but I don't depart from iniquity, I take the name of the Lord my God in vain.

Finally, Titus 1, number 3. Titus 1 verses 15 and 16. Titus 1 verses 15 and 16. Paul writes to Titus, To the pure, all things are pure. But to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure.

But even their mind and conscience are defiled. They profess to know God, But in works they deny him being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work. He's talking about false profession here. It's so clear. These are unbelievers, unregenerate.

They are traveling a road to destruction. They are not in Christ, but they say, I know God in their works. They deny Him. This is exactly what the third commandment is about. One of the things the third commandment is about.

They profess to know God. They have associated themselves with his name, but in works they deny him. They reflect upon him dishonor. Being abominable, honor. Being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work.

Every work from an unbeliever, No matter how much misery it alleviates is a dead work. Did you get what I said? Every work, no matter how much human misery it alleviates, is a dead work in the sight of God. Does that mean we should never be glad when we see an unbeliever do a kindness that alleviates human misery? I don't think it means that.

We can be glad when human misery is diminished. But just understand how God sees these works. They are dead works. That was what the third commandment forbids. The use of His name and the reflecting upon His name.

Three, what the third commandment teaches about God. I'll give you three things. Number one, God is worthy of careful reverence. This is the foundation for the whole thing. God is only calling for what's good and right here.

There's nothing more fitting than that we would offer him freely, willingly, lovingly, careful reverence in the words of our mouth and in the patterns of our life. He's worthy of it. That's the footing here. Nothing is being called for that's not fitting. No, no, no.

It's perfectly fitting. Nothing's more fitting than you can do in your whole life. I'll say it again. Nothing is more fitting than you can do in your whole life than to offer willingly, freely, lovingly, careful reverence to this God. In the words of your mouth and in the patterns of your life.

Here's a question. Must God beg for careful reverence? This is another one of these things I hope that jolts your sensibilities. It makes something rise up within you to say, no God could never be a beggar. Have you made him a beggar?

Now, he will not be a beggar. He is no beggar. He will beg no one. But one who would send his son to spill his blood, do you want him to beg you to honor him? Some of us need to go home and repent.

Some of us need to go home and find a quiet space and repent. God, was I waiting for you to beg me? Spilled the blood of your son. Was I waiting for you to beg me? To honor you with my words?

To be careful to honor you with the patterns of my life. What am I waiting for you to beg me after you sent your son from heaven? Oh God have mercy on me. God forgive me. God changed this hard heart.

Number two. You probably noticed this. We've only touched half of the verse. Exodus 20 Verse 7, you shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. Or to say it from the other direction, the Lord will hold him guilty who takes his name in vain.

So number two is God takes notice when his name isn't given careful reverence. God takes notice. Why does God say this? Well, there's no explanation built in, but I'll offer you my guess. Because a lot of times when the name of the Lord is taken in vain, people, air quotes, get away with it.

Most of these things, unless you say, God be witness, and then you do something that makes it outwardly apparent. Most of these things are happening in the heart or at a level where other people don't notice so that you, air quotes, get away with it. God says, no, there's no getting away with it. The Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. Though your neighbors don't see it, your family doesn't see it, your co-workers don't see it, people in your community don't see it, God sees it and He will not hold you guiltless.

God takes notice when His name isn't given, careful reverence. He notices every time. Reverence. He notices every time. It offends him because he knows you're bringing him into contempt.

Here's what Thomas Watson says, Me thinks these words, the Lord will not hold him guiltless, should put a lock on our lips, and make us afraid to speak anything that may bring dishonor upon God." Let me just reread that. And I think we should bring me thinks back into use, definitely. Me thinks these words, the Lord will not hold him guiltless, should put a lock on our lips and make us afraid of speaking anything that may bring dishonor upon God. Careful reverence. Being careful to honor God with our words.

Number three. God is acutely aware of every use of and association with His name. Next week we'll go right to applying this to us. So this will really lead into next week. God is acutely aware, he is so sensitively aware of every use of his name, every association association with his name.

Next week we'll take up how we failed to keep this commandment and how Jesus has perfectly kept this commandment so that we can have his righteousness. God, You have the name above every name. More precisely, Father, You have given Your Son the name above every name. At it, every knee would bow, every tongue would confess that He is Lord. Nothing could be more fitting in all the universe than that.

I found so many breaches this week in my own words and patterns. I thank you for that. I don't want to run away from that. I do want light thrown on my failures to keep this commandment, my sins. It's so clear to me now how sensitive you are to it.

I want to be sensitive to it. Thank you for how you're using these weeks to raise our sensitivities to things that we've been dull to, but you care about them. Oh, conform us to the image of your Son. Thank you that he has perfectly kept this commandment. Perfectly kept this commandment.

I desire His righteousness imputed, but also I desire more and more of this to be evident in my speech patterns, my thought patterns, patterns of my actions. Make us a holy people set apart for your own good pleasure. Pray in Jesus name, Amen.