THIRD COMMANDMENT...



"You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name"





This commandment deals with the way we worship our God. We are to take our worship seriously. We shouldn’t come to worship as though we are going to a party or a picnic but to come with respect for our God. How would we react if we were going to visit the prime minster? When we come to God we must come with respect. There are a lot of people today who say things like “Oh God” in their conversation and this is using the name without proper respect.

What’s in a name? In Shakespeare’s "Romeo and Juliet," Romeo asks that very question: What’s in a name? A rose by any other name still smells just as sweet." But names are far more important than Romeo would have us believe. The word "empty" or "vain" means to use the name in a "worthless" or "deceitful" way.

We’re like Tiger Woods once he signed his contract with Nike: now whenever Tiger Woods plays golf he carries the Nike logo with him. The people of Israel in the Old Testament carried the name Yahweh; God placed his name on them like a logo.
The New Testament reiterates this idea for Christians in 1 Peter 4:16, where it says, "However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name." If you’ve become a follower of Jesus Christ, you bear the name of Jesus-Yahweh saves.

The bottom line is this: As followers of Jesus Christ, we carry His name wherever we go and whatever we do. If we’re followers of Jesus, we don’t take off the uniform when we’re not in church, but we carry His logo-His name-with us wherever we go. Whenever we misrepresent God we violate the third commandment!!!