Business Sermon

Pray for me, bc this (below) is REALLY how I think. 😊 Also, be forewarned: You’re getting ready to step into what many call “Pippin Church.”
So… about the 3rd commandment, “Thou shall not take the Lord’s name in vain.” Exodus 20:7
I want to share where my head and heart has been around this, which may really speak to you the way it has MINISTERED to me in terms of understanding the IMPORTANCE of this commandment.
Full disclosure, my nerves SINGE a bit when I hear people say, “G*d damn.” Much like when someone uses the word “retarded.” Because I love the Lord and because I love someone who many would consider “the r word,” these phrases DO personally affect me.
HOWEVER, I don’t think that this is ALL the 3rd commandment refers to. Like, not even close.
Consider the MANY biblical names for God. (Keeping in mind that the Jewish people wouldn’t even say or WRITE the word “God,” as it was considered blaspheme. They will write “G*d” instead.
Here are just a small handful:
I AM.
Jehovah Jireh — My Lord Provider
Jehovah Rapha — My Lord that Heals
Jehova Shalom — My Lord of Peace
El Roi — The Lord Who Sees
Abba — Father
Jehovah Shammah — The Lord Who is THERE
So, now let’s go to the commandment:
Do not take the Lord’s name IN VAIN.
“In vain” = without success or result.
Interpretation: Do not use The Lord’s name without success or result.
WHOA.
Okay, moving on. HOW might we be DAILY using the Lord’s name “in vain?”
📖 I AM.
When Moses asked God to give him a NAME for Himself, he gave the following, “You tell them I AM sent you.” Exodus 3:14 (one of my favorite verses because it speaks to SUCH power.)
I AM.
How many times do you utter THIS name of God without result or success?
I AM poor.
I AM broke.
I AM sick.
I AM sad.
I AM always late.
I AM fat.
I AM behind.
Anyway, that is DEFINITELY using The Lord’s name without Success. I.e Misusing it. I.e. Using God’s name “in vain.”
Consider the opposite: I AM rich. I AM flush with cash. I AM well. I AM happy. I AM on time. I AM healthy. I AM where I need to be.
THIS … THIS is using the Lord’s name APPROPRIATELY.
📖 Jehovah Shalom.
YOu cannot separate God from himself. So, if God is who he says he is… then he is ALL he says he is. At all times. So, if you KNOW God, you WILL KNOW peace, and have access to it at al times.
Feeling overwhelmed by chaos, anxiety, fear and worry… all while SPEAKING about this God who IS peace… is misusing His name. IMHO
📖 Jehovah Shammah
This is my favorite one. This is God’s name that reminds us that God is ALWAYS there.
“for where can you GO to escape His presence?” Psalm 139:7 “there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. ” Proverbs 18:24.
Yet, you feel alone. You wonder if God sees, if he CARES.
God wants us to use his name in POWER and EXPECTATION. He used MANY names for himself — in my opinion — to EQUIP US with power and expectation WHEN we call upon the name of the Lord.
So, maybe…
JUST maybe…
you’ve been using God’s name in vain all this time,
and can turn it around…
going from using God’s name without success or result
to using it WITH success and result.
Sermon concluded.