What’s in a Name? (Part 2 of 2)

God's name is to be hallowed uniquely holy. It's worthy of our admiration, our deepest respect and yet it is often misused by well-meaning believers today on Truth for Life. Alistair Begg explains how we might unknowingly be guilty of breaking the third commandment we continue in Exodus chapter 20 verse seven to give you wanted to names of God. You may like to write these down.

I think you'll find this helpful. Certainly, if you get a hold of this, you understand why God is so concerned about his name is Yahweh giant day two words Yahweh – and then JIREA. It simply means that God who provides do you know the God who provides to know where this comes comes in a wonderful story again in the book of Genesis chapter 22. Abram has his boy, Isaac, and said I have looked forward to this boys coming from many a year.

Finally, he's given as a gift to them on the word of God comes to Abram. He says Abraham did your son, your only son Isaac and sacrifice him on the place that I will show you and Isaac and his dad in the few helpers begin to make the journey and eventually the dad says to the helpers. You stay here I am the boy will go yonder and we will return and worship with you why because the dad knew what the boy was going to find out the dad knew that God was Yahweh giant day and when the boy said hey we've got the wood and we got the fire going, but we got nothing to put up here. Abram says Yahweh he is Yahweh giant a and turning. They look and see Ron caught in the thick and on that day. Isaac discovered that God was Yahweh, the provider God and in a very realistic sense that beast on that altar board. The place of Isaac and figured what was to happen. Centuries later, went on a Roman gibbet outside the walls of Jerusalem. There would be yet another who would be banding the place of another who deserved it, and there banding shaman scoffing rude in my place condemned, he stood and sealed my pardon with his blood. Hallelujah Yahweh giant day the Lord my will.

Could I take this name up on my lips purse as I joke flippancy could I sit in the I'm listening to use the name of my said listen to nonsense when I was dumping my ears. I'm running for Senate finance and his loved ones yes yes yes we can because we become so all inoculated with the godlessness of our culture that we have a sneaking suspicion as I say to you that this third commandment is an anachronism from somewhere in the past and there's no relevance to is a tall problem is you see, God is too small.

We have now brought them down to our level. We have made in manageable. We have made them such that we may manipulate them. We do not exist for his glory but he exists for our provision. We come to worship in order that we might so inducing to do what we want done. We do not come to worship, to magnify and praise his name so that we might discover his plan for our life.

I can go on Yahweh role for the Lord to heal Yahweh nisi he is my banner is that maybe it was the banner of the marching armies. The protection of the Army around them and you're walking into some things tomorrow, and so on. My we say to ourselves. I don't know if I can cope with another day in that office. I don't know if I can go on a business trip. I'm not sure I can do another load of laundry. I'd only I can make these breakfasts anymore.

For these kids or get these lunches and drive like a Jolly taxidriver for the rest of my life.

I don't know if I can do it let me tell you something, Yahweh nisi the Lord is your banner is your protection in the storm get underneath the banner and walk for he is Yahweh McKay – he is the Lord of holiness.

He is Yahweh shalom his piece he is Yahweh said can you.

The Lord my righteous right yes I can stand in Jesus.

What is that mean to understand what you say we are unrighteous who are dead in our trespasses and in our sins, who follow the ways of the world and the wickedness of Satan unwittingly without even knowing who are underneath the condemnation of God may now stand complete and on challenged by God's by keeping the 10 Commandments by showing up at church by helping ladies with their shopping by taking in our lady next by acknowledging that there is no possibility whatsoever of standing before God's holiness except to face judgment unless that is 1 Who May Take Our Pl., namely Yahweh said can you.

The Lord our righteousness does make us feel good about ourselves makes is magnify his greatness. He is L Shaddai you love that song sung at many times L, Shaddai L. Shaddai, LL, Jan and I will be sinking just fine. The greatness of God saw about the significance of GOD the fact that God in the clearing and disclosing himself shows the wonder of who he is.

We could list all these titles and the very best. We only have an inkling of the wonder of who God is.

We need to realize that the names of God are full of instruction. They are packed not with magical qualities, or spiritual power to very important reason the name of God is so significant is because his name is a magical quality. I hear people talking like this all the time. It does scare me as if somehow or another the name of God was a talisman. You just said these words. Whatever the sentence is where whatever the construction of the consonants in the bowels. If you send this name. It worked silliness.

The reason the name is so significant is not because the man possesses magical power, but it is because the name is full of doctrinal content and it is when we understand what the name Satan implies that we may then rest in the name that's why Solomon is a wise man he says in Proverbs 1810 the name of the Lord is a strong tower the righteous run into it and are safe when you run into a name this metaphorical language.

We understand that even so, even at that mean you run into the name of the Lord you wanting a place in the name of the Lord and in the Lord and the Lord Jesus.

Jesus is its is when I go to my bedroom and I face myself when I say I can pull up and then I remember the Lord provides and I run into that and I when I'm confronted by my sin.

I can see no reason why God would welcome me, I run into the fight God in Christ is not great atoning set when I my heart is fluttering in my pulse rate is up and there is fearfulness on me, I run into the truth that he is Yahweh. Shalom he is my peace. It's intensely practical and is very theological people say from time to time. You know I don't want to get into all of this theology, I just want to know God driving you have to have all this stuff just to know God and give me a sound bite give me 20 seconds on which you give me the New York Times editorial give me the USA Today verse, we are producing soundbite Christians and that's one of the reasons were in the difficulty were in. Because Christians are not studying their not thinking, they're not listening and so they are small in years.

They have slogans without understanding and when that difficult times, have nowhere to run nowhere to turn. Because all you have is framework no substance.

I want you folks to have substance. I want you to have theology. I want you to have doctrinal content because the only way that another generation will rise behind us is not on the basis of the slogans we give them directly in their heads but is in the basis of the truth with which we instruct them to undergird their lives, so that our children are teenagers may understand God's name may understand the revelation of himself and on the basis of their minds may have stirred hearts and change is why people ask every so often. Can we have a service will be just saying hello service, no, no, why not. Is it wrong to say the same. We say that we are not going to divorce the praise and worship from the proclamation of truth is the truth which gives substance to our worship and it is our worship is our hearts and minds truth.

There is a synergism between that's why I don't want to just enter. We want to see it come you know this came home to me so very clearly the practicality of this and receiving a little card which I actually picked up just between the first and second service. I don't usually all my mail on Sundays.

For those of you who to write to me because I'm never sure what Senate and I certainly don't want a laser bomb halfway through the day. I'd like to complete my obligations so I don't usually all my mail until Monday but this one had a postmark from the UK and I felt it was far enough away. Not to worry about. In any case, turned out to be a letter from a young girl whom my wife and I met when I had the privilege of being an assistant minister in Edinburgh back in 1975 to the home of this family, we were invited.

They took us to tea often. The lady was such a kindly lady wonderful Baker and we used to have some nice afternoons in their home later in the summer we met the daughter is now a grown woman, the daughter said to me that her mom had cancer and was very unwell this car this morning says my mom passed away on September 11, but interesting thing to me is this that she says this both for my mom and Farah's is something more to rejoice about than more, an unbeliever can save only someone who understands that the name of God is a 10. She goes on to say, although I would not have chosen this particular road, I would not have missed the opportunity to grow in my faith and get to know my heavenly father so much better. I just went to see what he will do with all the lessons he has taught unbeliever doesn't say the only person who says that someone who understands that all it is that God provides strokes about God's provision and she says how she is learned to see so much that God has given her as a provision from his hand. I thought to myself. She understands why the third commandment is so important.

Now I have belabored that let me come to the partner. Most expect higher land in the world do we break this third commandment. This is what you thought was important and it is a measure important but the fact is the reason I have emphasized.

This is because until we understand the importance of God's name, then the breaking of the commandment is very little apparent significance at all. Once we understand the magnitude of what were doing only abuse and misuse the name of God, then it becomes a telling truth. Three words summarize, we break the third commandment by blasphemy, perjury, and hypocrisy if you wanted, reducing the level we break the third commandment by swearing, lying and kidding every time that we incorporate the name of God into things that we are saying in order somehow to try and strengthen our words. For example, I hear people say that God honest truth is blasphemy there is only one truth and that is God's truth. We don't need God's name added to truth and our words are to be yes and no. Not yes and no. And maybe so we'll need to bring down is why the name of divinity in order to reinforce what were saying unless, of course, what were saying is, so she because of our character.

We feel somehow we need to strengthen it by an abuse of the name of God.

We blaspheme God by treating his name irreverently. We blaspheme God by mentioning his name and in the same time casting doubt on his character. We blaspheme God when we use his name in anger and in arrogance and in defiance of who he is. We misuse the name of God. When we take it and then take it in vain. When where lying or altering falsehoods and using God's name to back it up. When we say will do things and then using God's name from that and then back off and when do you find illustrations of this all way through the Bible. Jeremiah Jeremiah 34 the story of King Zedekiah said that they would release and proclaim liberty to the slaves they invoke the name of God. In so doing, and then says God, to them, but then you turned around and profaned my name when each of you to back his slaves you profaned my name by taking back the slaves. He said one thing that you did another you brought this glory to my name. Think of all the files you've made in your life.

You stand in front of the church an answer I do to the pastor's question. You stand in the front of the church and see for better for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and help in forsaking all others keep myself only on to her only under him, so long as I both shall live. Did you you doing it's you playing fast and loose in your marriage. You are abusing and misusing the name of God, did you vow to God that you would serve him with all of your life you were prepared to go anywhere or do anything for them at any time you made that commitment and you step back from it. You misuse the name of God when you take it upon your lips, for you have made a vow you encourage his name.

Now you and Karen is just and we misuse the name of God. When we take it and joke with her hypocritical with it in any way.

If you see reverence is fundamental then is reverence is dreadfully flawed and very few of our circles would dirty jokes be tolerated. We know that those sort of stories were part and parcel of our dead life so we don't tell them anymore.

But you know there is a strange and progressing and disturbing frequency of expressions amongst evangelical Christian, such as good Lord, Lord, have mercy. Even God oh my God, and then the corruptions of guy garnishing G that we have brought in because we are either not brave enough or we still maintain a measure of sensitive love once, just when you and I are ready to sneak past the third commandment jumped up and bit us every service that you and I have 10 where I worship God with my… And not from my heart. I break the third commandment. Every song that I see using the name of God. When I sing lies when I sing superficially when I do not engage my the reality of my being and I misuse the name. The fact is that it is only when we take God's name and praise and in study and in love and carefulness and in obedience and in prayer and in confidence and in evangelism and thankful that we begin to get on the flip side of the commandment expressed in the opening phrase of the Lord's prayer.

The second phrase, our father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. You want to know how badly we abuse the name of God. How many of us have thought it was really funny to tell a little story of the boy who in saying the Lord's prayer said our father who art in heaven happened the I told my story. The memory on shames me when I think of the greatness of God spent a lot of my time on a Sunday walk around senior people I don't know your name in the tell me some of your sitting out here this morning in relation to all of this. Your response to God is this I don't know your name. I never met you and you will call his name Jesus said the angel, for he will save his people from their sins. It is only when we encounter Christ as Savior that we meet God. It is only then in meeting God that we can begin to understand why his name is to be have and therefore this morning that is both our point of conclusion for some needs to be the point all of us need a better understanding of how we can honor God's name you been listening to Alistair Begg on Truth for Life.

Alastair will return in just a minute to close with prayer.

Maybe today's message has led you to question whether or not you truly know God, you may be familiar with his name and yet you still never fully understood who he is and what he's done for you if you'd like to know more about what it means to have a relationship with God. Visit art learn more page you'll find a brief video from Alister there explaining the gospel and there's a short illustrated video called the story. The story explains God's plan for our salvation. You find it all online@truthforlife.org/learn more that we been hearing throughout this series on the 10 Commandments that it's impossible for us to keep God's law by our own efforts, but thankfully the 10 Commandments are not meant to be a ladder. We climbed to earn God's acceptance. Instead, there meant to be a mirror that exposes our sin and our need for a Savior. If you'd like to look more carefully more closely at each of the 10 Commandments we want to recommend to you Alister's book as a supplement to the series. The book is called pathway to freedom of God's laws guide our lives. This is a softcover book that explains what true obedience to God's commandments actually looks like an Alister ends the book with the best news what he's titled good news for lawbreakers.

You can request your copy when you donate to Truth for Life today.

The book image you see in the mobile app or visit our website truthfully.org/donate now, here's Alister to close with prayer God and our father, you have exalted above all things, your name and your word, forgive us for our flippancy for our lies for our superficiality and even as we look into this law and see our faces in the mirror. We know we can cleanse ourselves by trying to do better. We thank you that you have provided for us in Christ. See, we want to be able to say how sweet the name of Jesus sounds and unbelievers. The because it suits his stores. He loses one drives away each grant to his Lord grace to hear you to respond to you to live out what we learn. We ask these things commending one another lovingly to your care. In Jesus name, about the pain. Thanks for listing.

Our study continues tomorrow with the fourth commandment calls us to remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Is this ancient law still relevant for our 21st century lifestyles will find out tomorrow.

The Bible teaching of Alistair Begg is furnished by Truth for Life Learning is for Living