If you have your bulletin with you, there's a notes insert that will help you with where we're heading. And if you have your Bibles, I invite you to open with me to Matthew chapter 11, verse 25. Matthew 11, beginning in verse 25. Let's go before the Lord once again to ask for his help. Father, we love your law, we love your word, and we need your help. Lord, our flesh fights within us in so many different directions. The indwelling sin that we still have, we know is strong. But Lord, let us grab hold of Christ. And let us fight and labor with the strength and the wisdom that He provides, not according to what's left up to ourselves. And Father, prepare our hearts for the truth of Your Word, even when it grates against our flesh and the culture that we've been raised in. Above all, be glorified and sanctify us that we might glorify and enjoy you in Christ. Amen. So if you're looking in the notes, it's the first heading, an easy yoke and a light burden. And it should come to no surprise that we're here in Matthew 11, 25. At that time, Jesus said, I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things. That's a very, very interesting thing to be praising the Lord for. I don't know if you've ever stopped to contemplate and meditate on that, but this is not the Jesus of modern American evangelicalism. This Jesus is praising his Father that you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in your sight. Jesus continues on, all things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. So we have a beautiful statement of God's sovereignty. God's sovereignty and salvation. And then in this next section, these next few verses, man's responsibility. And Jesus doesn't have any problem, any tension of these two things like we so often have. In the mind of Christ, they go naturally together, as we would say, like peanut butter and jelly. Come to me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls for my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Would it surprise you to know that Jesus' yoke that he's speaking of here primarily is the Torah. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. Torah means instruction. If you recall from sometime back when we went over Moses bringing the people out of Egypt and they complained after three days because they had no water and the water that was there was bitter. The temptation at Mara. And so Yahweh pointed to a log and told Moses, throw that log in the water and the water became sweet. That word for pointing In its noun form is the word Torah. It is instruction that leads to life. It's learning. The rest that Jesus speaks of is not a release of demands, but a new relationship that makes obedience not only possible, but also pleasing to God. A yoke implies obedience and at sometimes even slavery, which should come as no surprise to us. After all, we've been through Romans 6 a number of times. You were slaves of sin, but now you are slaves of righteousness. 1 John 5, 3, it says, this is the love of God that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome. His burden is light, His yoke is easy. And this fits right in with what we've been discussing, that love to God is identical with lawful obedience. That's how it's expressed. John 14, 15, if you love me, you will keep my commandments. Christ says, I did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. And then he begins correcting the false teachings of that law. Well, once again, let's go over quickly, header number two, general rules for interpreting the law. general rules for interpreting the law. Number one, the law is spiritual. It comes from and reflects the nature of the lawgiver himself. Yahweh does not change. Times and situations do. So the principles, just like the lawgiver, do not change, but the application of them does change from situation, from time, from culture. And God looks beyond the external, and he looks into the heart, the thoughts and intentions of the heart. So second, the law therefore is aimed at the heart of man. Our Lord commands not only outward actions, but inward affections, and those are the mainspring of the outward actions. It's not do the things you don't want to do, and you don't get to do the things you want to do. No, that's another form of legalism, self-righteousness. That's not biblical Christianity. But God's law forbids not only the act of sin on the outside, but the desire, the inclination, and the love of sin on the inside. In sum, the whole law is to be fulfilled by the whole man. Third point, in negative precepts, the righteous counterpart is also commanded. In positive precepts, the sinful counterpart is also forbidden. So built into you shall not steal is you shall work and you shall share. Number four, the law contains, anybody want to take a stab at that word? Good job, synecdoche, figure of speech that is used to represent parts to a whole or vice versa. So when one sin is forbidden, similar sins and then anything leading up to that is also forbidden. So it's not just idolatry. It's having a heart that doesn't glorify Christ first and foremost. It's not just adultery. It's anything outside one man, one woman, marriage for life. Even going on to thoughts and imaginations that are lustful in the mind and hearts of men and women. And under the phrase parents is to be understood all leaders, as we'll see in a couple of weeks when we get to the fifth commandment. It's not just parents, but pastors, magistrates, masters, teachers, any position of authority. So that leads us into number five. In relationships, the counterpart is also implied. Honor your father and mother also implies parents are to love and instruct and train their children. Number six, the first table takes priority over the second. You can't love your neighbor, right? unless you first love God as he's commanded. This is one of the areas in our culture today that is sorely lacking and is sorely missed. Even at the vice presidential debate, Tim Waltz quoted from the scripture, butchered it, misapplied it, and in short, as we'll learn, took Yahweh's name in vain by doing so. But this is the test of loving one's brother. Do you love God first? Because if you don't love God first, it's not love to your brother, 1 John 5, 2. By this we know that we love the children of God when we love God and do His commandments. And then finally, number seven, the motive and goal of all commands is love. Begins and ends with love. Paul says the goal of our command is love. Romans 13, 10, love does not work evil against a neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law. And so with these general rules in mind, let's do a quick review as we jump into the law. The first commandment. The first commandment. This is first. This is fundamental. This is foundational. This is absolute. Exodus 20, verse 3, you shall have no other gods before me. There's never to be for you, singular, other gods in my presence. Never. This is the foremost principle in the foundation, not even one other god. So we learned what's required in this. Negatively, never prioritize anything over your loyalty to Yahweh. Positively, Yahweh should always come first in all your thoughts, intentions, affections, pursuits, decisions, what have you. The principle, exclusive devotion to Yahweh. He's in a category above and beyond and alone. Second commandment. Exodus 20 verse 4, you shall not make for yourself an idol or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. Literally, you, again singular because it's focusing on individual, shall never make for yourself an idol or any likeness. The negations in these commandments are emphatic. He goes on to say in Exodus 20, you shall not worship or serve them. You shall never worship them. You shall never serve them. And here's the reason. For I, Yahweh, your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers and the children and the third and fourth generations of those who hate me, but showing loving kindness to thousands, and we learn that's of generations, thousands of generations, to those who love me and keep my commandments. And we also recognize that that curse applies to the first and second commandment, because we heard how God's jealousy applies to the content in the first commandment, Exodus 34, 14. So what's the principle being taught here in the second commandment? As you recall, Zealous love for Yahweh is displayed by glad submission to His sovereign authority. His commands are not burdensome. There are joy, there are delight. So God's not only to be served inwardly and exclusively, but externally we're to be serving Him, and exclusively Him. Him alone shall you fear, and Him alone shall you serve and love, as we saw in Deuteronomy. And that external service is determined by Yahweh. So we don't just get to have, let's just dance for the Lord right now. Let's just all get up and dance for the Lord. Has he prescribed for us to do that? No. Are there times when we could do that? Yes. And these are the principles that we need to be able to think through that. Deuteronomy 12.8, you shall not do at all what we are doing here today, every man doing what is right in his own eyes. Interesting that that comes in Deuteronomy, and that's a command from Moses. Moses doesn't make it over into the promised land, and then once they do make it over, right after Joshua, you have what book? Judges, where the recurring theme there is, and everyone did what was right in their own eyes. But we have to remember this obedience is not a burden. Disobedience is a delight, Psalm 119.92. If your law had not been my delight, then I would have perished in my affliction. So the first commandment shows us who alone is to be worshipped. The second commandment, how he's to be worshipped. Let's look at the third commandment. The third commandment, Exodus 20, verse seven. Exodus 20, verse seven. You shall not take the name of Yahweh your God in vain, for Yahweh will not leave him unpunished who takes his name in vain. And so let's break this verse down a little bit more so that we can understand it better. Take. What is this word take? It is to carry, to bear, to lift up, either figuratively or literally. So after Cain killed Abel, and then God judges Cain for what he did, Cain complains, my punishment is too great to bear. My punishment is too great for me to carry. But it wasn't. We realize he was playing the victim still. The word used of the Levites, carrying the ark, is this same word, take. And when Aaron, and this is one of the most important strings of passages, when Aaron wears the ephod that has all the names, the stones representing all the 12 tribes of Israel, and he enters into the Holy of Holies, Aaron is carrying the names of Israel, of the tribes, into the presence of Yahweh. And we see in one of the places, Exodus 28, 29, where that comes. So what's in a name? What is a name? How are we to understand that? A name is a mark or designation of someone or something so that we can understand and gain knowledge, so that it can be identified and that we can learn more about it. You ever had a conversation with someone in your family? And they're like, oh, can you hand me the thing over there by the whatchamacallit? And you're like, yeah, I know exactly what you're talking about. Now, sometimes you might, but oftentimes you're not going to. And if it's written down and you're not in that contextual situation, you're going to have no idea what's being spoken of. With God, His name reveals His essence. It distinguishes Him from all false gods and also from all creatures. And it displays His properties. and his attributes. We learn a lot about God by his names. Any good systematic theology will have a section on God's name. Exodus 6-3, in speaking to Moses, God says, I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name, Yahweh, I was not known to them. The covenant-keeping, eternally existent God, because they hadn't seen any of that. The name Yahweh was used, but they hadn't seen those promises coming. Moses did. Or how about Acts 9.15? But the Lord said to him, to Ananias, Go, for he, that is Saul, who we know as Paul, is a chosen instrument of mine to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel. Isaiah 42, 8, I am Yahweh, that is my name. I will not give my glory to another, nor my praise to graven images. So we've seen take, carry, bear, lift up. We've seen name, the revealing of who God is. Let's look at this word, vain. Because it's not the same way we use the word vain in English. You're so vain. You probably think this sermon's about you. The primary meaning is emptiness. Emptiness. It designates anything that's unsubstantial, unreal, worthless, or false, either materially or morally. Here's some examples. Psalm 24, 4. He who has innocent hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to worthlessness, that's our word, and has not sworn deceitfully. Or Psalm 26, 4. I do not sit with worthless, that's our word, worthless men. and I will not go with pretenders. Or Psalm 119, 37. Cause my eyes to turn away from looking at worthlessness, and revive me in your ways. So when we bring all of this together, and we could do more study, obviously, we could go through each and every word, and that is a fun study. I would encourage you to do it. To take the name of Yahweh in vain has far more to it than using God's name as an expletive. When you hear people say, oh Christ, and you ask them, are you praying? God's name is placed on every single man because each person bears God's image. However, there is a heightened obligation and responsibility for those who are in a covenantal relationship with Yahweh. Exodus 19 6, and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. And for us as Christians, the obligation is only increased because we have more light and we have more grace being given to us because of Christ. First Peter 2.9, you are a chosen family, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. So the command here in the third commandment is that we live our life in a way that is conscience, constant, and with that being a recognition that we're representing Yahweh to all of his creation. We have no light in ourselves, but very much like the moon reflects the sun, the moon has no light in itself. We are to reflect the glory of God in everything we do. Now, we see this first come up in Scripture, actually in Genesis 3. Adam and Eve, made in God's image, carrying God's name, they took it in vain. How did they take it in vain? They listened to a serpent. They didn't represent God. They didn't represent His commands. They didn't show love and allegiance to Him. And as you recognize in the last part of this verse, for Yahweh will not leave him unpunished who takes his name in vain. So whoever breaks this commandment will not be left unpunished. He will not be held guiltless. His guilt will be upon him. Now he may escape punishment in this life, But that's just going to increase the bone-rotting justice in the next. Look with me at Hebrews 10, 26. Hebrews 10, 26. For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins. but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy by the mouth of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled underfoot the Son of God and has regarded as defiled The blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified and has insulted the spirit of grace. For we know him who said vengeance is mine, I will repay. And again, the Lord will judge his people. It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. What is it to trample? What is it to trample underfoot the son of God and to regard his blood as defiled? To treat Christ's person and work and word as common. As common and as ordinary as dirt to be walked upon, serving no other purpose. Look with me at Proverbs 30. Proverbs 30, verse 7. Two things I asked of you. Do not withhold from me before I die. Keep worthlessness and every false word far from me. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with the food that is my portion. Lest I be full and deny you and say, who is Yahweh? Or lest I be impoverished and steal and profane the name of my God. Make it common. when it's not common. Now let's just consider the narrowest sense of the third commandment. You shall never carry the name of Yahweh your God in an empty, false, or worthless way. Have you ever stopped to think about how many ways we actually break this commandment? Well, if we think about the language that's used here, it speaks of the name of Yahweh, I already hinted at, any good systematic theology is going to have a section on the names of Yahweh. So let's go through the names of Yahweh and let's see what that teaches us. First, obviously, Yahweh, the self-existent one. I am who I am. We take up his name in vain when we act self-sufficient and ignore our dependence upon him. When you wake up in the morning, and you start getting ready for your day, and you don't even acknowledge him, you've broken the third commandment. And the further you go on in that, the heightened degree of breaking. Second name, Elohim, God, supreme in power, might, and strength. We take up his name in vain when we fail to acknowledge God's power in our life. Third, Adonai, my Lord, my master, my sovereign. We take up his name in vain when we fail to submit to his commands. And we don't see them as a law of love. And we make choices apart from his word. Think about that. How many choices do you make on a weekly basis apart from consulting your Lord? Grocery store decisions, financial decisions. Do you have church life so sequestered that it only applies to Sundays, Wednesdays, maybe Tuesday night or Saturday morning. And it's not permeating through all of life. Number four, El Shaddai, God Almighty. We take up his name in vain when we seek or find satisfactions in other things besides him, apart from him. Number five, El Elyon, God most high. He's the supreme being. We take up his name in vain when we place anything, success, emotions, people, money, anything higher than him in our life. El Olam, the everlasting, eternal God. We take up his name in vain when we live without thought to eternity. And this isn't exhaustive, just giving you a sampling. when we're only acting in the moment. Yahweh-Yirah, you might know it as Jehovah-Jireh, that's a Germanic pronunciation. Yahweh will provide. Yahweh will provide. We take up his name in vain when we have excessive worry or sinful fear that God won't protect us or that he won't provide for our needs. Yahweh-Rophe, Yahweh will heal. We take up His name in vain when we seek healing of any kind apart from God. For example, you have a headache. And you just go, grab some Tylenol, a glass of water, and wait an hour. But you never stop to seek the Lord. You've taken His name in vain. And you've sought out the creature rather than the Creator. Yahweh Nissi, This is number nine, Yahweh is my banner. We take his name in vain when we fight battles in our own strength or for our own ends, or when we fail to give God the glory for battles that he has won on our behalf. Number 10, Yahweh shalom, Yahweh is peace. We take up his name in vain when we seek comfort from temporary things. When you're so tired or so anxious or so angry or so bothered, you just gotta go do this. And it's not seeking Yahweh. I'm just gonna go on my phone and look at social media. I'm just gonna go shopping. I'm not even gonna buy anything, I'm just gonna go window shop. I need to just go for this walk. I need to exercise right now. We also take His name in vain when we stir up division, by venting personal grievances, because we're going against the peace that God gives. Number 11, Yahweh Sabaoth, Yahweh of hosts. We take up his name in vain when we fear earthly armies, people, or situations more than God. By placing our trust for deliverance in politicians, magistrates, pastors, parents, and not in God. Number 12, Yahweh Tzigkenu. Tzigkenu. Yahweh is our righteousness. Our righteousness. We take up his name in vain when we trust in our own righteousness. Here's an example. Tell me if this resonates with you. Feeling and thinking that I'm a Christian and I'm close with Christ because I've been faithful to pray and read my Bible each day. or feeling and thinking that I'm not a Christian or not close to Christ because I haven't been doing that. It's dependent on me. That's self-righteousness. Number 13. Yahweh makadishkem. Yahweh sanctifies His people. Yahweh sanctifies His people. And we take up His name when we rely or pursue anyone or anything other than Christ for our growth and holiness. Oh, you know what it is that I need? If I go on this diet, my spirituality is much better. I'm more patient, I'm more calm. There may be some truth to you being more patient or more calm with a different diet. I'm not going to deny that. But that's not sanctification. Yahweh Shammah. Yahweh is there. Yahweh is there. We take up his name in vain when we ignore God's presence in decisions, at work, relationships, so on and so forth. Keep thinking through those categories. He is called a rock, and we take up his name in vain when we call evil good or good evil, making God seem not like a rock, but insecure. He's not stable. He's unfaithful. He's unreliable. He's not constant. Number 16, Emmanuel, God with us. We take up his name in vain when we live without an intentional desire and aim to glorify Christ. Number 17, Father. We take up his name in vain when we don't walk in the ways that he's commanded. We don't see him as a loving father giving us good and gracious commands. All of these, breaking of the third commandment, are just a sampling of what's taught here. But before we move on, I want us to pause and I want us to consider, I want to let this simmer in us, how deficient we are in our love for Christ. How pathetic is our zeal for holiness? How depraved are we that we even need to have this commandment, that God even had to give us this command? And then we break it. How often do we break it? If we're honest, we break it at least hourly. Do we repent hourly? How is it that worms such as us would even have a word from the divine majesty on high? That's grace. He's the one that fills heaven and earth. Remember when these words were first given to the Israelites, it says in Hebrews 12, for you have not come to a mountain that can be touched or to a blazing fire and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind, into the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words, which was such that those who heard begged that no further word be spoken to them, for they could not bear what was being commanded, that even if a beast touches the mountain, it will be stoned. And so terrible was what appeared that Moses said, I am full of fear and trembling. And yet even more dreadful a scene shall take place in but a few passing moments. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, accompanied by his mighty angels to execute vengeance on those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jude tells us that Enoch and the seventh generation from Adam also prophesied about these men, saying, Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of his holy ones to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. Yahweh will not leave him unpunished who takes his name in vain. The traitor will bear his own guilt. So what more can we learn about this third commandment? So that we might guard ourselves not only against sinning, but delight in pursuing. And this brings us to header number six, divine pattern, the exposition of the Ten Commandments. You recall that The Ten Commandments are restated in Deuteronomy chapter 5. 5-7 is the first commandment, and it's further explained in chapters 6-11. Exclusive devotion to Yahweh. Second commandment in verses 8-10 of chapter 5, and that's explained in chapter 12 of Deuteronomy. Zealous love for Yahweh is displayed by glad submission to his sovereign authority. What about the third commandment? Turn with me to Deuteronomy 13. Deuteronomy 5.11 lists the command, and then 13 and most of 14 explain it. And so far, we focused on the personal aspect, breaking the third commandment. But what about when others try and pull us in? What about temptations from the outside? What about when we actually have to engage with other people? What does it look like then? How do we respond when we're tempted? How do we respond when we're pressured to dishonor God's name alongside them? If you look at Deuteronomy 13, we see three groups of people. Verses 1-5, temptation may come from religious leaders. Verses 6-11, temptation may come from family and friends. Verses 12-18, it may come through cultural revolutionaries. Let's look at it a little bit more. 13.1, if a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder and the sign or the wonder comes true concerning which he spoke to you saying, let us walk after other gods whom you have not known and let us serve them. You shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams for Yahweh your God is testing you to find out if you love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall walk after Yahweh your God and fear Him, and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him. But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has counseled rebellion against Yahweh your God, who brought you from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to drive you from the way in which Yahweh your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from among you. And then family and friends, verse six. If your brother, your mother's son, or your son or daughter, or the wife you cherish, or your friend who is as your own soul entices you secretly saying, let us go and serve other gods, whom neither you nor your fathers have known, the gods of the peoples who are around you, near you, or far from you, from one end of the earth to the other end, you shall not be willing to accept him or listen to him. and your eyes shall not pity him, and you shall not spare him or conceal him, but you shall surely kill him. Your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people. So you shall stone him to death because he has sought to drive you from Yahweh your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. Thus all Israel will hear and be afraid and will never again do an evil thing among you. And then this last section that we see is when people from a town go to serve other gods. You don't go with them. But what theme? It's here, the word might not be expressly used, but what theme is seen? It's a demand for loyalty, fealty, allegiance. There shall be no plot against your king. No turncoat shall stand against our sovereign. The cry of the people is loyal to the crown. United we stand. No traitor shall rise. He will bear his guilt. He will bear his punishment. We will not tolerate treason against Yahweh. What about chapter 14? In verses 1 through 21, I think it's hard to draw a definite line, but it might make more sense next week. But verses 1 and 21 have an introducing and closing of similar themes. Look at 14.1 and 2. You are sons of Yahweh your God. You shall not gash yourselves nor shave your forehead for the sake of the dead. For you are a holy people to Yahweh your God. And Yahweh has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. And then if you look over at 21, you shall not eat anything which dies of itself. You may give it to the sojourner who is within your gates, so that he may eat of it, or you may sell it to a foreigner. For you are a holy people to Yahweh your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk. You shall not use that which is to give life as an instrument which brings death. So it begins and ends with holiness. Israel was called to be a holy nation, to be holy as Yahweh is holy. God restricted his choice to one nation. And so Israel in this section is to restrict their food to that which is clean as a reminder that all of life is to be characterized by purity and integrity and loyalty and devotion to Yahweh. All of life is to be lived to the glory of Yahweh. We have something in the New Testament similar to this. We would say whether you eat or you drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Loyalty to Yahweh is to be reflected in every area of life, even eating and drinking, even basic mundane things. And that loyalty is to reflect the name and the character of Yahweh. So what is the principle being taught here in the third commandment? And it would be something along the lines of this. Loyal and vigilant adoration of Yahweh's majestic name and a commitment to manifest his presence in all of life. loyal and vigilant adoration of Yahweh's majestic name, and a commitment to manifest His presence in all of life. With that, let's look at some applied Christian ethics. Remember, we have these three movements. We have biblical principles, factual observations of reality, and then cogent reasoning to link them together. Just like the first and second commandments, that we learned over the past couple weeks, the third explodes with unexpected applications that demand deep and thoughtful self-reflection and examination. The reach of this command really hits to the core of what loving God looks like, and it will challenge us to examine how our daily actions either honor him or dishonor him, and it goes far beyond our words. So in short, this command forces us to ask, are our lives as individuals, not looking at my neighbor, looking at myself, reflecting the love and commitment to God's holy name every moment as he deserves? So let's apply this third commandment. And again, we're gonna ask two questions to look at two broad categories. What are the good works required of us? What are the sins forbidden? our principle, loyal, and vigilant adoration of Yahweh's majestic name, and a commitment to manifest His presence in all of life. And this is going to help us get a feel of using these biblical principles, and then we'll move to factual observations, cogent reasoning. And I want to encourage you again, Christian, you can do this. This is God's will for you. He's revealed this to you through His word. He's already equipped you in Christ to be obedient, Trusting and obeying Him is an act of love, a joyful response to your Father's loving care. And learn, learn that Christ's yoke is easy and His burden is light. Now, the third commandment speaks to our commitment to Yahweh as reflective of how we see God's faithfulness. We're going to be just as faithful to God as we see that He's faithful to us. and we're gonna reflect that. So what are the good works required? Here's a short list. Supreme loyal love to Yahweh your God. Thinking, speaking, and hearing, listening with fear. Bold and holy confession of God. Glorifying God in all that we think, say, and do. Zeal for his name. calling upon the name of Yahweh at all times, swearing by His name in all holiness and purity. We'll look at that in a little bit, oaths, swearing, vows, things like that. So what are the sins forbidden? Well, the clearest is taking up God's name falsely, and any of His names. Blasphemy, needless swearing, false swearing, perjury, misusing God's name, being silent when we ought to speak, such as God's name is being blasphemed. So with these in mind, let's get a little more specific, and let's ask some more complex questions. Biblical principles, factual observations of reality, and cogent reasoning. Let's look at oaths, vows, and swearing. And let's just look really quickly at Matthew 5. Look at verse 33. Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, you shall not make false vows, but shall fulfill your vows to the Lord. But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is the footstool of his feet, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great king. Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your statement be, yes, yes, no, no, anything beyond these is of the evil one." Now, did Jesus come to abolish the law or to fulfill the law? And do we have oaths and swearing and vows in the Old Testament? Yes, we do. And for some reason, people have taken this to not making any oaths whatsoever. And that's not what he's saying. He's saying you shall not make an oath by heaven, by earth, by Jerusalem, nor by your head, because none of those were prescribed. Because what was happening was they were using these oaths by different things so that they could break the oaths. Consequently, as a side note that's directly related, When we're using the Lord instead of his name, Yahweh, as we're commanded to do, there's a soft sin in there. When it's translated the Lord rather than Yahweh, because Yahweh is the name that he gave. Adonai is a different word. It's one of his names. but not the name by which we were given to swear. So what is an oath? What is a vow? What is swearing? A biblical oath is a solemn promise made before God, invoking his name as witness to the truth of a statement or the fulfillment of a commitment, often with a curse that's on that person if they don't fulfill the commitment. We have this still today, oath of office. and we've been calling on different magistrates and public servants for not fulfilling their oath. What about a vow? A vow is a voluntary pledge made to God to perform or abstain from something, and it requires faithful fulfillment. What about swearing? Swearing involves affirming the truth or a promise by calling on God's name. It's used in oaths, but it's forbidden in casual contexts and deceitful ones. All three of these emphasize truthfulness, accountability to God, and the seriousness of one's word. Well, who performs them? It's different people at different times, but I think one of the most crucial things that we want to recognize is that God does. God performs. an oath, he swears by himself. In Genesis 22, 16, and that's repeated as a ground of assurance for us in Hebrews chapter six. When he could swear by no one greater, he swore by himself. Jesus, look at Matthew 26. Matthew 26, 63. This would be like adjuration. But Jesus kept silent and the high priest said to him, I put you under oath by the living God that you tell us whether you are the Christ, the son of God. And then Jesus speaks. Under oath. Jesus said to him, you yourself said it. Nevertheless, I tell you hereafter, you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven." And then all throughout the Psalms, we have oaths as well. How are they to be performed? Let's go to Deuteronomy 6.13, something we covered a few weeks ago. Yahweh your God you shall fear, and Him you shall serve, and by His name, Yahweh, you shall swear. You're not to swear by anything else. Only by the name of Yahweh. By God's name. In Joshua 7, let's look at Joshua 7, 19, we have another picture of adjuration. Adjuring. Joshua 7, 19. Then Joshua said to Achan, the one that stole from Jericho, that which was on the ban, my son, I implore you, give glory to Yahweh, the God of Israel, and give praise to him, and declare to me now what you have done. Do not hide it from me. He's putting him under oath. Solemn attestation is another form. Solemn attestation. And Jesus uses this one all the time, which is interesting because people will say, well, Jesus said you're not to swear by anything at all or make any oaths or anything like that ever, but just let your yes be yes and your no be no. But then have you ever noticed that Jesus goes around saying, truly, I say to you, that's not letting your yes be yes and your no be no. Truly, and then in John, what's he saying? Truly, truly, I say to you. That's solemn attestation. Now it's important for us also to note, for the believer, we're always under oath before God. We're always under oath before God. So when is it that these oaths become sinful? When is it the swearing becomes sinful? Well, number one, when it's too frivolous, When it's a habit and you're just saying it, I swear, I promise. Your normal language should be yes, yes, no, no. You shouldn't have to always be swearing for people to actually believe you. So it's used too often, it's over frequent. When you're substituting out God's name, I swear on my mother's grave. That's a sin. When you're pledging something that's unlawful, like Jephthah, first thing that comes out of my house, I'm a sacrifice to Yahweh for the victory. And his daughter comes out and he's broken. Oh no, can't break my word. Well, that was a foolish vow. You should break your word and preserve the life of your daughter. Think about this, an oath of secrecy. We talked about secret societies a few weeks ago, but what about when a brother or sister says, I'm gonna tell you something, but you have to promise not to tell anyone? You can't do that as a Christian. You go, well, tell me and then I'll tell you if I can. They go, no, no, no, no. I need to know that you promise not to say anything to anyone before I say it. I can't do that. What if there's sin involved? And what if you refuse to repent of that sin? God commands me to get one or two other witnesses to come back and talk with you. How am I going to get one or two other witnesses and explain this to them without breaking that word? What if you're planning to harm someone and I need to protect that person? As Christians, we can't do an oath of secrecy. When are they sinful? When the oaths are not kept, that's a pretty obvious one, so perjury would be one. When you go up on the stand, you swear on the Bible, I promise to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, but you don't. Or when you don't fulfill what's promised, Psalm 15, the man who swears to his own hurt and does not change, that's the person that'll get close and stay close to Yahweh. Swears to his own hurt and does not change. I made a promise, Let's say you're going to sell a business because it's not doing well, and you have an agreed-upon price, and as everything's going through in the contracts with the lawyers, business picks up drastically, and now your company's worth twice as much more, and there's no contingency clauses in the contract. You swear to your own hurt, and do not change. Making rash and foolish vows, making them for personal reasons, making them just off the cuff, or personal vendetta, cursings for personal reasons. Now, modern uses, as we've noted, oath of office, signing contract, breaking your word. Here's a good example of oath breaking. The teacher's union going on strike. They sign that they're not going to do that. And then they go on strike. Something similar happened under Reagan. with all the airplane, what is it, flight coordinators, and he fired them all. And everybody got upset, all the media was all upset, and said, this is gonna cause a catastrophe. But he recognized, no, you swore that you would not go on strike, you went on strike, you're losing your job. That's how it should be. And as Christians, the norm is, let your yes be yes, and your no be no. But there are certain situations where oaths, vows, and swearing are appropriate, but we don't want to get overdone on them. Now we're going to get a little more touchy. Humor. Humor. Our exposition of the third commandment shows us that God's name is holy. It's demanding of reverence and awe. But there are some people, and we've had some here, that insist reverence to God means no humor, as if speaking God's name or discussing scripture should always be done with a funeral-like grimness. But that view that condemns humor is patently unbiblical. And I did some research, and it was a lot of fun. Scripture contains a variety of humor. irony, satire, hyperbole, sarcasm, puns, absurdity, mockery, and more. Now, there are some well-meaning pietists that say sin is never funny. And I must confess that these pietists must be more pious than God. And that's sarcasm. Because God, at times, laughs at sin. Psalm 2, what do you call it when all the nations are rebelling against God and saying every command that he has upon us, we're gonna throw off and we're gonna attack God and take control for ourselves so that we will have no God over us? That's not sin, is it? Yeah, that is. That's rebellion. And what's God's response? He laughs. It is so ridiculous. He laughs. Other places you can see this in the Psalms, Psalm 37, 13, 59, 8. But then again, pietists must no doubt be wiser than God also, because wisdom laughs at people's calamity. Proverbs 1, 26. Scripture portrays sin and foolishness in funny language. Proverbs 19, 24. The sluggard buries his hand in the dish, but will not even bring it back to his mouth. That's funny. This guy's so lazy. As he's feeding himself, he's too lazy even to bring his hand to his mouth. Or in 23.5, where it speaks that wealth is so transient that it can make itself wings and fly away to heaven. And as tragic as sin is, there are times when it is also comical. If you note, most comedy is based on this principle of disproportion. Disproportion, often between expectations and reality. And different shows that you might have watched, that's the aspect. They'll focus on one aspect and they'll make it disproportionate, and it's funny. And what greater disproportion is there than creator and creature? Doesn't mean we get to make fun of God, but it does mean, according to God's standard, we can make fun of ourselves. There's a danger, though. Before we go any further, I want us to look at the danger. Look at Ephesians 5. Ephesians 5. Verse three, but sexual immorality or impurity, any impurity or greed, must not even be named among you as is proper among saints, nor filthiness and foolish talk, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. So using humor as an excuse for minimizing sin, for being a trivial person, not taking God's righteousness seriously. Look at verse six. Notice how he goes in verse five with the first list of sins and then picks up the second list of sins from verse four and verse six. Let no one deceive you with empty words. Because of these things, the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. So filthiness, foolish talk, and coarse jesting, they're all interesting words, and they have behind them this idea of emptiness. There's nothing of substance to them. They're worthless at best. But consider our Lord. Does he ever use humor? Does he ever make fun of sin? Matthew 19, 24. And again, I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. And I think one of the things that makes this even more funny is that there's a group of some scholars today that say, well, a needle is this gate in Jerusalem that the camel would have to unload everything first and then get down really low so that it could fit through. And it's like, wow, that's a big reach. He's talking about a needle. He's making a very strong and comical point. Matthew 23, 24, you blind guides who strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. So what do these show? Disproportion. They're also serious. They're also doctrines. But they're also humorous and quite funny when you think about it. But for far too long, we read everything like this. Therefore, I, the prisoner in the Lord, so much joy and so happy. Thank you for having me here. I'm glad to be here. And then God said in his anger, I will smite them with... That's not how that was. You can tell even that the Jews were emotional people when you read through the Bible. When used biblically, humor is a great tool and a wonderful remedy against our own pride, despair, and depression, to be able to laugh at something without minimizing the fact that it's serious. This gets us into speech. Speech. Pietists have grown strong in using a Victorian understanding of propriety and decorum to undergird biblical definitions. And so we're going to blow that up today. And you might be offended. Come talk about it after. Cursing. Cursing is not using bad words. I mean, that's how we use it today, but biblically, that's not what it's about. It's invoking divine punishment upon someone or something, and it can be done justly or unjustly. Unjustly would be speaking evil or wishing harm on someone wrongly, like James 3, 9, and 10 talks about. It's never to be used for personal vendetta. But justly, speaking God's righteous response against sin, that can be done. Paul talks about anathemas on certain people. Anybody that tries to earn their salvation is damned, is cursed. And precatory portions of Psalms would be included in this, where you're calling upon the name of the Lord. You're calling upon Him to fulfill His promise. And you're not doing it just for personal gain. You're doing it for the name of Yahweh. But what we usually mean is the term profanity. profanity. Like, oh my God. Or oh my gosh. Or instead of saying Jesus, saying gee whiz. That's where those things come from. Etymologically, those were substitutes. Hey, you can't do that, you're taking the Lord's name in vain. And it's missing, there's a whole bunch of stuff going on, but it's missing the larger thrust of that command in the way that you live your life. But etymologically, these were substitutes. And it doesn't, just because there's that historical derivation, it doesn't necessarily make it wrong. If you grew up somewhere, and you had no connection to this, you're going to use a word like fiddlesticks, or something like that. It doesn't mean that you're necessarily, well, I know that this is about God, and I'm just going to lighten it a little bit. No, it doesn't necessarily mean that at all. There has to be a known connection. And while we're here, let's look at Ephesians 4.29. Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for building up what is needed, so that it will give grace to those who hear. Our language is to be characteristically, habitually, that the norm, wholesome, pure, and used to build up the body. But there are situations where strong language ought to be used. Strong detest and contempt must at times be expressed. There are times when Christians ought to be able to say boldly and in truth, God damn it. Think about this. To substitute out something lesser, like saying, gosh darn it, at certain times would be wrong and would be sinful. We have to be able to express the moral detestation and disgust that God has for abortion, the murder of innocent lives, subsidized murder by our government, by saying, God damn abortion. It gives a clarion call to the damnation that God promises to bring for the abomination of child sacrifice, as He's laid it out in His Word. Now it can't be, again, frivolously spoken, and it's not to be used regularly, or it becomes profane, profanity, common. The Bible uses strong and offensive language at times. And the reason that we don't notice this is because it's been whitewashed by Victorian culture. Decorum, propriety, Victorian England. Look at Ezekiel 16. Ezekiel 16. Verse 6. Then I passed by you and saw you squirming in your blood. So I said to you while you were in your blood, live. Indeed, I said to you while you were in your blood, live. This is the blood of childbirth. This is a newborn baby speaking about Israel. I made you numerous like plants of the field. Then you grew up, became tall, and came into the age for fine ornaments. Actually, that's not a good translation. It would be, then you grew up, became tall, and came into the age for menstruation. Your breasts were formed and your pubic hair had grown, yet you were naked and bare. So it's blood of maturity. and it's pubic hair, it's talking about a maturation, that this person is ready for marriage, which makes much more sense when you read the next verse. For I passed by you, and I saw you, and behold, you were at the time for love. So I spread my skirt over you and covered your nakedness, like Boaz did with Ruth. This is a marriage pact. I also swore to you and entered into a covenant with you so that you became mine, declares Lord Yahweh. Then I washed you with water, rinsed your blood off from you, and anointed you with oil. We see this phrase used again in Isaiah 64 6. For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment, and all of us wither like a leaf. And our iniquities, like the wind, carry us away. Note the Victorian language here. Filthy garment. Do we talk like that? It's actually working, not only is it not a good translation, it's working in the opposite direction, and trying to soften and whitewash, rather than pushing it in the direction that the author is using it. Filthy garment. You don't have any idea, any concept of what Isaiah is saying about your sins. Because he's not saying dirty kitchen rags. He's not saying dirty mechanical rags or rags left outside you forgot to put away and they're all covered with dirt. These are menstrual rags. These are dirty, foul, stinking, bloody rags. There's a different response that you would have if you walked into your house and saw a pile of dirty kitchen rags versus a pile of bloody rags on your kitchen counter or on your table. Wouldn't you? One's gonna invoke much more fear and disgust than the other. This is how God views all your righteousness apart from Christ. It's not just dirty rags. It's putrid menstrual rags. And if you're angry with me for speaking God's word so plainly and not in Victorian fashion, God views that anger you have right now as menstrual rags. Detestable in his sight. But notice Isaiah did not have a habit of using this speech. This isn't his day in and day out speech. He's not talking like a sailor or construction worker. But he didn't shy away from properly using it. Turn with me to Philippians chapter three. Philippians chapter three. Verse one, finally my brothers rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things again is no trouble to me and it's a safeguard for you. Beware of the dogs, that's name calling. Beware of the evil workers. Beware of the mutilation, that's sharp sarcasm. He's talking about their genital member and he's using a word that is cutting up of sacrificial meat. and that's what he's calling them. You sacrificial meat cutter uppers. Paul's not timid in the theological debate. For we are the circumcision who worship in the spirit of God and boast in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh. Although I myself might have confidence in the flesh, if anyone else If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more circumcise the eighth day of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews. As to the law, a Pharisee. As to zeal, a persecutor of the church. As to the righteousness which is in the law, found blameless. But wherever things were gained to me, those things I have counted loss for the sake of Christ. More than that. I count all things to be lost because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ. Rubbish. There is a very nice Victorian word. Would you please take the rubbish out? How often do we use that word? We don't. And again, it's moving in the opposite direction. He could have used loss, again, He's used it multiple times here, but he's going for something stronger. And this term is sharp, this term is harsh, this term is vulgar, this term is unrefined, this is a term from the taverns, it's discourteous, and it's offensive. And had this letter been written in English, it would read, shit. That is the word that Paul is using. This is what the church at Philippi would have heard. More than that, I count all things to be lost because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but shit so that I may gain Christ. That hits differently, doesn't it? It's intended to hit differently. Paul's not seeking Victorian decorum or politeness. He's using filthy, vulgar language because it most accurately describes God's view of self-righteousness. Paul's saying, that's my self-righteousness. That's what it is. That's your self-righteousness. All your deeds that are done apart from Christ, Isaiah called it menstrous rags. I'm calling it shit. That's what it is. But again, notice Paul doesn't characteristically use this language. This isn't his day-in, day-out language. This is reserved for a punch at certain things. And so we have to guard the purity of our language. We're not to take frivolous oaths. We must also use strong language when the occasion fits, but never out of sinful anger, never for unnecessary offense, never flippantly, always out of spirit-filled, righteous anger, only when the occasion fits, and only when a God-glorifying point is to be made. Now, if the Word of God offends you, good, it offends me too. It should offend all of us. We could all do with more humility. But we have to ask, why does it bother you? Are we going to let Scripture interpret Scripture, or are we going to let the Victorian era supply all the definitions, and hijack. Like, what's wrong with equity? Equity is a good thing. Not when it's hijacked by critical theory, and it means something completely different than what it's intended to mean. Even though the language is the same, when the definitions are different, you drift into error, heresy, and souls are at stake. Paul came to a crucial realization. Christ is the Lord above all names, the Lord above all names. We see him bring this up in Philippians 2. Therefore, God highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, so that the name of Jesus every knee will bow of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is, here's that name, Lord. To the glory of God the Father. There is no treasure greater. Paul brings that up. Everything's a loss. He suffered the loss of all things so that he can gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of his own, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, that he may know him and the power of his resurrection. Paul's saying there's no prize more precious. I have given and will give everything up to obtain this prize. No name is more worthy than the name of Jesus. Everything Paul once held dear, his status, achievements, possessions, faded into insignificance as he compared the immeasurable value of knowing Christ. And so today I want to ask you, what name holds the greatest weight in your life? I'm not asking for a Sunday school answer, I'm asking for you to examine your own heart and your own life and look back over these past few days and weeks. What name holds the greatest weight in your life? What are you clinging to for your identity, your worth, your hope, your day-in, day-out life? Is it your own name? Are you striving to build your own reputation? Is it the names the world gives you? Success, wealth, power, influence? Or is it the name above all names, the only name, that brings true life and salvation? There is no greater treasure, there's no higher calling, than to be known by Christ and know Him. And when all else fails, and when the fleeting pleasures of this world fade, and they will fade, when the names and honors of the world that it bestows upon people crumble, When your body is turned back into dust, the name of Jesus will remain. His name alone brings peace and turmoil, hope and despair, and life in the midst of and in the face of death. Do you know this Jesus? Do you know this Christ? Do you know this Lord? Do you know this all-sufficient Savior, able to satisfy your souls completely? In Him you will find more than enough, for He is the great and glorious portion of the saints. Sinners, turn to Him. Turn to Him now. Turn to Him who alone can give you rest. whose yoke is easy and whose burden is light. See your weary soul and see this great Savior. Turn to him. Remember, no matter what you have done, there is more mercy in Christ than sin in us. Draw near to him. His love is greater than any sin you've committed. And in him alone are pleasures forevermore. In him alone are the treasures that satisfy every longing soul. Everything we seek after in this life is found only and ultimately and lastingly in Jesus Christ. Turn to him. Remember also that his name demands our all. 100% allegiance, loyalty, adoration, and affection. Paul teaches us to consider everything else as loss, and more than that, as he states and as we've gone over. So to bear the name of Christ is also going to mean denying our selfish ambitions, our worldly desires, and our sinful inclinations. It means taking up your cross daily and following after Christ and finding our identity not in things that we've done, not if I did my Bible reading this morning or didn't do my Bible reading this morning. You're doing self-righteousness again and you're finding your identity in yourself. You're not finding your identity in Christ. It's about finding your identity and your all in Christ and because of the love that you see that he has for you, you are then motivated and you can't do anything else other than pursue him. He is a light, you are a moth and you are drawn to him. It's not a burden. It's a joy. We look at this as a burden. Oh, now I have this to do and that to do and this to do. And that's all wrong. That's all taking the Lord's name in vain. You're misrepresenting Him. You're creating an idol in your head. Knowing Christ is not merely an exchange of one set of values for another. It's stepping into a completely different life. It's stepping into the fullness of life. It's gaining Christ and finding that he and he alone satisfies the longing of our soul. And so anything and everything else is underneath Christ. Anything else that we enjoy, we enjoy in and through and for the sake of Jesus Christ. Doesn't mean that we're hermits, doesn't mean that we go away and we're monks somewhere living out by ourselves, no. You can still enjoy your marriage, you can still enjoy your children, you can still enjoy a good beer or a hot meal. There's so many things you can enjoy, but you cannot do it separate from Jesus Christ. It's in and through, whether you eat or you drink or whatever you do, you do for His glory. So, let's live in light of His name. Let's examine ourselves according to this principle, and let's move forward exercising this principle, walking with joy, walking with boldness, knowing that whatever we're going to lose in this world pales in comparison to the riches of Christ. And let's tack His name, staple, glue, weld His name as the banner over our life. And let's lose ourself in Him. Let Him increase. Let us decrease. Because only then, which is counterintuitive for us and sinful flesh, only then will you find what your heart truly longs for, when you decrease and when Christ increases. So I charge you today, count it all loss, all of it, for the surpassing value of knowing Jesus Christ. Let his name be your highest delight, your deepest hope, and your greatest treasure. For as we've seen, his word is true, scripture cannot be broken, his yoke is easy, and his burden is light. Amen? Let's pray. Father, we come to you thankful that you are our joy and our treasure, that you have revealed yourself in the person and work of Jesus Christ, that you have shown us Life, hope, you have exposed our sin. You are calling us to newness of life in every conceivable way. Lord, let us have hearts filled with thankfulness and with gratitude. Let us think about how we display your name. Let us not take it up in worthlessness, but let us be diligent to present ourselves as approved workmen, not being ashamed, accurately handling your word and loving and following after your word. Let us be like Ezra, who labored to study your word, then to apply it to himself before teaching others. Lord, let us be diligent in pursuing your heart, in meditating on your word, in living out your word. Help us. We need your help in this. For your glory and for our good. Amen.