The Third Commandment
Deuteronomy 5:11

I. Freedom of Speech
1. Even with freedom of speech, there are some words we’re not supposed to say, we can be sued, etc.
2. The highest, most valuable thing is not the freedom to speak our mind, it is the glory of God.
3. If we outlawed blasphemy, they’d still be blaspheming God in their hearts – and God would know it.
4. The commandments are for those who seek to live under the God’s rule.
II. What’s In a Name?
1. Shakespeare’s Romeo said, “What’s in a name? A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet.”
2. “There is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
3. The sons of Sceva, were attacked by demons for using the name “Jesus” as a magic word (Acts 19:14).
4. Names of people often reveal the values of the culture they’re in. Mary’s Chinese name is Hwee Ai.
5. Ancient people believed that by naming a thing one had power over it. Adam named the animals.
6. The Jehovah’s Witnesses think they have special insight of God’s name but they get it wrong.
7. This commandment directs the mouth and tongue to God, because out of the heart, the mouth speaks.
III. What Is True Profanity?
1. Third Commandment exists to tell us what kinds of words are really profane.
2. To profane is to take something that is special and holy, and treat it as something common, cheap.
3. Using Christian language, references to God, to Christ, to salvation, to wrap up a lie is true profanity.
4. It’s about why we shouldn’t speak of God as light things for our purposes.
5. We can become so familiar with God’s name, we no longer have a fear of using these terms wrongly.
6. Using God’s name without a sense of reverent fear of Him, is highly offensive, more than “cuss” words.
IV. Taking His Name in Vain
1. We take His name in vain when we ascribe the Name of God to any other God than the Trinity.
2. Out of the heart, the mouth speaks. Our words show how seriously we take the Lord.
3. Literally translated as, ‘You shall not lift up the name of the Lord your God to emptiness.’
4. Whenever we say that some teaching, some leading is “of God.” It better be.
5. We obey it when we so feel the gravity of His Word that we obey it even when it is uncomfortable.
6. Blasphemy is using the name of God for our own purposes, like sowing “Gott mit uns” onto uniforms.
7. We blaspheme when we use the Name of God without real fear of Him, as though He is our pet.
8. We take God’s name in vain when we use it like frosting on our cake, making God part of our lies.
9. We should be people of such honestly, that we don’t have to take vows to mean what we say (Mt. 5:37).
10. Not using the Lord’s name in vain means using it like we mean it, to feel the weight of it.
11. We need to feel as personally about His name as He does. We should feel the indignation that God feels.
12. In Leviticus 24, a young man used God’s name blasphemously and was executed for it.
13. Those who heard him were to feel him before they killed him to learn not to use God’s name lightly.
14. As we grow to be more like God, we should grow to be more offended by treating His name lightly.
V. Out of the Heart, the Mouth Speaks
1. God tells me what I can and cannot say. Even what I can and cannot think. God is the ultimate Ruler.
2. The government might hold us guiltless if we misuse God’s name. But God will not.
3. Why is He such a totalitarian that He puts in the ten commandments about how we should talk?
4. Because out of our heart, our mouth speaks. If we use the Lord’s name in vain, we hold Him to be light.
5. If we take His name lightly, in our words, it’s because we take Him lightly in our hearts.
6. The third commandment shows us the hollowness of our hearts, that we don’t reverence Him as Lord.
VI. Invitation: The good news is that He has given us His name not so He can hold it against us when we use it wrongly but so that we can call to Him for salvation. “Everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord shall be saved”, saved from sin and death, set free. If you want to be truly free, call on His name right now.