To view the video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/1I8jXJO3djQ
SHOW NOTES
Welcome back to another week of the Hope Rescue Podcast! This week on the show, Tim and Kimberly are discussing what it really means to take the Lord’s name in vain. Keep listening (or reading) to find out Tim and Kimberly’s thoughts on this matter! It actually might change your mindset on what you believed before!
Shortly after the Israelites left Egypt, God gave the Ten Commandments to the people on Mount Sinai. If you want to hear what Tim and Kimberly have to say about keeping the laws of the Old Testament, make sure you check out episode 27 where they answer the question, “Do the Old Testament laws still apply today?” The third commandment in the list of ten given by God is found in Exodus 20:7 “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.” To keep it simple, Tim breaks down the word vain or vanity for us, which means to take the value from something or treat something as useless. To take the Lord's name in vain literally means to take the value from His name and make His name seem useless. Kimberly says that her mom always said to use the Lord's name in vain was to empty His name of its meaning. Kimberly says, “When you use the Lord’s name in vain, you are taking away the weight and gravity of His name.”
God is sovereign. God is a potentate, which means a person who possesses great power and authority. When we use the Lord’s name in vain, we are not recognizing his authority or his royalty. When you truly think of God for who he is as the supreme authority of the world, it’s incredibly disrespectful to use His name casually or to take the value out of His name. When people say things like “Oh, God” or “Oh my God” it trivializes who God is.
To give some context to this passage, Exodus 20:1-3 says, “And God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me.” Before giving the rest of the Ten Commandments, God emphasizes the magnitude of who He is. By saying that He brought us out of Egypt and out of slavery, He is saying to remember who He is and what He has done for us.
Four Ways People Take the Lord’s Name in Vain
1. They use God’s name in terms of disrespect or in other words they trivialize the name God. Matthew 6:9-11 says, “Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.” The part that says “hallowed be your name” means to honor as holy or consider sacred. Tim says, “When you invoke the name of God, you are actually speaking by the authority and power of God.” When we understand the power behind His name, we will be less likely to disrespect Him and use His name in vain.
2. They use God's name as a false oath. Matthew 5:33-34 says, “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God.” People take oaths in God's name and then go back on their word, profaning God's name and diminishing the value.
3. They misrepresent God and falsely use God's name in order to manipulate others. They use His name to further their own credibility. This includes when someone says, “God told me…” Tim tells the story of the time a woman he went on a date with told him that God had told her they were supposed to get married. Tim says that if you claim that you received a message from the Lord, you had better be absolutely certain because you are speaking for the Lord. Instead of saying “I think this is a good idea for you,” people will say “God put on my heart that you should…” and suddenly they are playing God and trying to bolster up their credibility by using His name in vain.
4. They use the name Jesus in a disrespectful manner by saying “Jesus Christ” when something goes wrong. Philippians 2:9-11 says, “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Tim says, “It is plain hypocrisy if you are lifting up the name of Jesus and tearing him down with the same mouth.”
Thanks for tuning in to another week of the Hope Rescue Podcast! Check us out next week as Tim and Kimberly answer the question, "How do we know whose interpretation of the Bible is correct?" We love you guys!
QUOTES
“When you use the Lord’s name in vain, you are taking away the weight and gravity of His name.” -Kimberly
“When you invoke the name of God, you are actually speaking by the authority and power of God.” -Tim
“When we don't see God for who He is, we diminish and trivialize his authority.” -Tim
“If we carelessly toss around the name of God, it takes away the weight and importance of who He is and what He’s done for us.” -Kimberly
“It is plain hypocrisy if you are lifting up the name of Jesus and tearing him down with the same mouth.” -Tim
REFERENCED SCRIPTURE
Exodus 20:7 “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.”
Exodus 20:1-3 “And God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me.”
Matthew 6:9-11 says, “Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.”
Matthew 5:33-34 says, “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God.”
Philippians 2:9-11 “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
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