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The Name of God - Commandment #3

July 13, 2014

Passage: Exodus 20:7 Speaker: Pastor Jon Kopp Series: Ten Commandments

Length: 52 mins 54 secs Plays: 2935

Speaker: Jon Kopp - William Shakespeare has famously said, \"What's in a name? that which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.\" But, as we will see this morning, the third commandment would disagree. There is a name that does matter. And that is the name of God. But it doesn't gain significance, because of the order or collection of the letters that make it up. The name of God is much more than that. When the Bible speaks of God’s name, it isn’t indicating that a set of letters or sounds carries some mystical power. The Bible is pointing out that the name of God is inextricably linked with the character, nature and identity of God. His name and who He is are inseparably connected. Therefore, how we take that name is very important. We cannot take God's name in vain, because He has filled His name with all that He is. So, as we will see today, this commandment has much more to say to us than simply, don't use the name of God as a curse word when you hit your thumb with a hammer. Ultimately, this commandment helps us to worship the correct God correctly in front of other people. May God free us from taking His name in vain that we might hallow His name in all that we do and say.