All right, good morning, everybody. Please turn with me in your Bibles to Exodus chapter 20. Again, we're gonna be looking at the third commandment. Today's message is blood, guilt, and the third word, and this is the evangelical use of the third commandment. Exodus chapter 20, starting in verse seven. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. The grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. Let's pray. Father, we think about Asaph in the Old Testament as he wrote Psalm 73 and he looked at the world and see how troubled it was. And he almost forgot why he was a Christian and then he came into the sanctuary and saw the end of all things and he remembered and he proclaimed those amazing words that, whom have I in heaven but you? On earth there is no one I desire but you. My heart and flesh may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. God, as we consider the third commandment this morning, help us to remember where we are, that we're in the house of God, that we are at Mount Zion, and that you would remind us of the end of all things. We pray this in Jesus' mighty name. Amen. All right, you may be seated. If you're new this morning, we are looking at different uses of the law. And if that concept is new for you, just remember that lots of things have different uses. So water, you can clean with it, you can wash with it, you can cook with it, you can baptize with it. The law is no different. The law has different uses. This morning we're looking at the evangelical use of the third commandment and the Westminster Confession of Faith describes the evangelical use of the law in these terms. The law is meant to awaken our conscience to flee from the wrath to come and to drive us to Jesus Christ. I know some of these commandments, these messages have been rough on some of you. Someone told me last week that they are almost crying like every time they hear a message. But let me just remind you that this morning in particular, this message is not meant to make you feel good about yourself. The world is not about you. The world is about God. And this message is meant to make you feel good about Him. It's meant to make you feel good about what He has done for you on your behalf through Jesus Christ. Okay, so this morning we're gonna see that the law does condemn us, but Christ Jesus redeems us by being nailed to a tree. So let's jump into it. In our exposition last week, we discovered that the broadest understanding of the third commandment means that as God's people, we bear his name. And therefore, whenever we sin, we bear God's name in a vain or worthless way. So every sin really is a sin of blasphemy. Now this morning, I wanna look at the third commandment more narrowly. Are there specific sins which the third commandment especially forbids? Yes, the third commandment especially forbids the breaking of oaths and vows. So looking at verse seven, we could paraphrase it by saying, You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, especially in oaths and vows." And there are a couple clues for reading it like that. The first clue is from that English word guiltless. In the verse it says, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless, necah, who takes his name in vain. And the first time that word necah is used in Scripture is regarding an oath. In Genesis 24, 8, Abraham made his servant take an oath to find a wife for his son Isaac. He tells him in Genesis 24, 8, but if the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be free, nekah, from this oath of mine, only you must not take my son back there. So if the servant broke his oath, he would incur guilt. If he fulfilled it, it would make him guiltless, nakah. So the first usage of that word nakah in scripture has to do with oath breaking. That's the precise word in the third commandment. The second clue why we should read it like this is in Leviticus 19. So please turn with me to Leviticus 19. Here in Leviticus, Moses not only reiterates the Ten Commandments, but he further explains what they mean. Gives a different word here and there, and it adds a different shade of meaning. So in Leviticus 19 verse three, the fifth commandment and the fourth commandment are further clarified and explained. We see the same thing with the second commandment in verse four. In verse 11, he does the same thing with the eighth commandment and the ninth commandments. And then he picks up the third commandment in verse 12. Look at verse 12. You shall not swear by my name falsely and so profane the name of your God, I am the Lord. So isn't that interesting? Here, he makes profaning God's name particularly the sin of swearing falsely, breaking an oath, breaking a vow. And I think what we fail to recognize as 21st century individualistically-minded Americans is that oaths and vows are actually a species of worship. When we take an oath, when we take a vow, it's a species of worship, says Calvin. So we could put it into a syllogism. Consider this. Premise one, to use God's name is an act of worship. Premise two, oaths and vows use God's name. Conclusion, oaths and vows are acts of worship. This is precisely what our own Westminster standards say in chapter 22.1, a lawful oath is a part of religious worship. And you can see that in Deuteronomy 10, verse 20. So therefore, in our oath-taking, in our vow-taking, we must recognize that whenever we break such an oath or break such a vow, that we're actually blaspheming God's name. And someone will say to me at this point, aha, but that's why Jesus says in the New Testament that we should not swear or take oaths or vows. He says this particularly in the Sermon on the Mount. And he says, but let your yes be yes and let your no be no. Well, unfortunately, we don't have time to comprehensively answer that this morning. God willing, next week. But let me give you just a few answers right now. Number one, go look at the context of what Jesus is saying later. He is correcting the unlawful use of oaths and vows. He's not correcting the lawful use of them. Secondly, the Old Testament commands us to swear by the name of God only. Exodus 20, 22, 10 through 11, Psalm 22, 25, Psalm 50, 14, 61, 8, 65, 1. Thirdly, Jesus himself swore an oath. Matthew 26, 63 through 64. So did the Apostle Paul. Romans 1.9, 9.1 and 2, 2 Corinthians 1.23, et cetera. Fourthly, Paul put the church in Thessalonica under an oath. Listen to this. 1 Thessalonians 5.27, he's speaking to the church in Thessalonica. I put you under oath before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers." So therefore, it's only unlawful oaths and vows that we are forbidden to take up, not lawful ones. God willing, again, we'll see that next week. Why do we even need oaths and vows? Because all men are liars. Isn't that what we just confessed in our time together today? That men and women and children all lie. Swearing an oath or making a vow on God's name is a way to keep men in the fear of God that they would keep their promise. When vows and oaths are broken, God's name is blasphemed because we take God's name and we make it a participant in our lie. His name is to be the seal of a vow or an oath. And when that vow is broken, we join His holy name with a lie. And someone might say, well, exactly. That's why I never take oaths or vows. That's why I only let my yes be yes and my no be no. Okay, friend, but if you ever break your yes or no, it's still blasphemy. Because a simple yes or no still obligates you before God. It doesn't get us off the hook. Furthermore, just let's bring it down to the concrete. We take oaths and vows all the time. All the time. First of all, marriage. All marriages are oaths and vows before God. The traditional liturgy reads, dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in the sight of God. Vows are exchanged and all of these things are done in God's name. And if someone says, well, I'm not a Christian. I didn't get, I got married in the courthouse. It doesn't matter. Marriage is God's institution. It's not man's. Matthew 19, six, what therefore God has joined together, let not man separate. Therefore, whenever we break our vows with our spouse, it's blasphemy. Loved ones, will we keep our vows in marriage to our spouses? Or will we profane God's name? Secondly, consider court proceedings. All court proceedings require judges, lawyers, plaintiffs, defendants to take vows and oaths. I just got some paperwork from my lawyer just this week, and I have to sign my name on it under the threat of perjury. Witnesses have to put their hand on a Bible, and they have to swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. So help me God. Perhaps you will have to testify in court someday. How will you perform under oath, knowing that God's name is on the line? Thirdly, consider magistrates. All magistrates, civil servants, and politicians have taken up vows and oaths to perform their duty. We're gonna see the highest magistrate in the land, the President of the United States, take an oath in January, and he has to end that oath with the words, so help me God. And all magistrates are under that same oath, regardless if they use those words or not. Romans 13 one tells us that all powers that be are instituted by God. So if you're a magistrate, this morning, do you recognize that you're under oath, under a vow, under obligation before God, such that if you don't perform your duties as such, that you're blaspheming God's name? Ministers, fourthly, ministers, all ministers of Christ's church, elders and deacons, take vows. That's what we've been doing, right? When we've been ordaining new deacons, hopefully we'll be ordaining a new elder soon. And these vows are particularly done in worship service before God and in His name. So brother elders and brother deacons, consider the weight that is upon us to fulfill our office, that we've taken vows before God in His name to fulfill our duty. May God forbid that we would profane His name in not doing what God has called us to do. The sacraments, fifthly. We mentioned this last week, that whenever we are baptized, we took the most holy vow upon ourselves. Do you realize what happened when we were baptized? Galatians 3.27 says, for as many as were baptized into Christ, you have put on Christ. Christ is upon you. You've taken a vow in his name, in the triune name. We saw this last week that whenever we live hypocritically, we are blaspheming God's name, Romans 2.24. Now, in a Presbyterian church like ours, we have many young boys and girls here who have been baptized as babies. How does that work? Well, when we baptize our infants, it's not the infants that are taking the vow at that point, it's the parents. The parents are taking that vow, promising that they're going to raise their children in God's holy name, that they would labor regularly, daily, to instruct the next generation in the Word of God. Loved ones, that's why we press family worship so much here, because it is a requirement of God's covenant. Deuteronomy 6 tells us that we're to teach these words to our children when they rise up and when they lie down, when they walk by the way and when they lie down in their house. The authors of the Westminster Confession of Faith saw this requirement of family worship so important that pastors in Scotland would put heads of home under church discipline if they refused to lead their home in family worship. Loved ones, are we upholding our vows in baptism? Heads of home, are you leading your wife and children, or if you're a single mom, are you leading your children in the worship of the triune God? The same thing is true every time we take the Lord's Supper. The glory of the Lord's Supper is it's a sign and a seal from God taking an oath on His part that He will never leave us, that He'll never forsake us, that Jesus still loves us, that He's our Redeemer, our Savior, our friend. And likewise, we're taking up a vow that we would live lives of thankfulness, that we would daily seek communion with the Father by the Son through the Spirit, that we would forsake worldliness, that we would seek to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called. Dear friends, are we fulfilling those vows? Let's look at what our doctrine says then. And it is here at the end of verse seven. For the Lord God will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. So our doctrine is that in the third commandment, God threatens death against those who swear falsely on his name. That word guiltless in the verse, it means that God will not leave this sin unpunished. He must punish it. This sin must be punished. And let's consider the most clear example of this blood guilt that blasphemy brings. Please turn with me to Leviticus 24, 10 through 16. Leviticus 24, 10 through 16. We see these words. Now, an Israelite woman's son, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the people of Israel. And the Israelite woman's son and a man of Israel fought in the camp. And the Israelite woman's son blasphemed the name and cursed. Then they brought him to Moses. His mother's name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri of the tribe of Dan. And they put him in custody until the will of the Lord should be clear to them. Then the Lord spoke to Moses saying, bring out of the camp the one who cursed and let all who heard him lay their hands on his head and let all the congregation stone him. and speak to the people of Israel saying, whoever curses his God shall bear his sin. Whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall stone him, the sojourner as well as the native, when he blasphemes the name shall be put to death. Let's just notice four things here from this passage. First, Moses tells us that this blasphemer was of Egyptian descent. I actually think that's important to see here. This isn't a racial statement. It's a covenantal statement. By mentioning this, it seems that this son wasn't part of the covenant. He was an outsider. As Michael Morales puts it here, this is Egypt-related blasphemy. Not that Christians can't commit this sin, but that it is a particular species of being out, it's an outside of the covenant sin, it's that bad. Second, notice verse 14 says that this son was to be brought outside of the camp. And this signifies two things here. To be forced out of the camp is tantamount to being cast out of the Garden of Eden. What was in the camp? It was the tabernacle. It was the holy place. It was the holy of holies. It was the people of God. To be outside of the camp is to be out into the wilderness. It's to be into the wasteland, away from the presence of God. But it also signifies that this man had become so guilty and so unclean by his sin that he actually presented a threat to the whole camp. God is holy and no unclean thing could exist in the camp lest Israel herself be in danger of God's wrath. And so this vilifying of God's name, says Robert Alter, is understood to be a threat to the community itself. Third, look at the end of verse 14. We read that all of the congregation was to stone him. Because of the threat to the entire community, all of Israel was to put him to death. Fourthly, Blasphemy earned the death penalty. End of verse 15, whoever curses his God shall bear his sin. Whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death. And that is so significant. What was the first, I think this is right, the first capital crime in scripture? was murder, right, in Genesis chapter 9. Blasphemy earns the same penalty as murder. And part of the reason why is because God's name tells a story. The Old Testament sanctuary was holy precisely because God put His name there. He told the story of redemption there. And God's people, when they bear His name and they carry that name around, it's like a portable sanctuary that's being taken from place to place. Meaning for this son to blaspheme God's name was something like desecrating the sanctuary itself. It's covenant rejection, it's a despising of God himself, and that's precisely why it earns death. So dear congregation, how often have you and I done this very same thing? Can you look back into your past and think about vows and oaths that you've broken? Promises that you left unfulfilled or just straight up lies so you didn't let your yes be yes and your no be no. The sin, God says here in the third commandment that this sin cannot go unpunished. And God never lies. In other words, there's no human escape from this. Even if we never took God's name in vain again from this moment on, we've already been stained. We've already joined God's name to a lie in every vow violated, in every oath abandoned. And what we see in this story of this Egyptian blasphemer is we see our story. You know, we often look at Scripture stories, and we look at those villains, and we say, oh, man, look at those guys. No, we're the villains in Scripture. That's why God keeps on bringing it to our eyes once again and over again. And this is what the third commandment, this is where it leaves us. It leaves us outside of the camp, cast out, awaiting our sentence. So that's our doctrine that in the third commandment, God threatens death against those who swear falsely on his name. So let's look at our application then. And because this is the evangelical use of the law, our first duty is to see how Christ endures the curse of the third commandment in our stead. So let's turn together to Matthew chapter 26, 57 through 68. I think it's interesting here that our Savior was just arrested in the garden and he was taken before the Jewish authorities for his trial. And let's see what these Jewish authorities accuse him of. This is Matthew chapter 26, 57 through 68. Then those who had seized Jesus led him to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered. And Peter was following him at a distance as far as the courtyard of the high priest. And going inside, he sat with the guards to see the end. The chief priests and the whole council were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death. But they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward and said, this man said, I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days. And the high priest stood up and said, have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you? But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the son of God. Jesus said to him, you have said so. But I tell you, from now on, you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven." Then the high priest tore his robes and said, he has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy. What is your judgment? They answered, he deserves death. Then they spit in his face and struck him. And some slapped him saying, prophesy to us you Christ, who is it that struck you? The first thing to notice here is that Jesus was put under oath. Jesus was put under oath. Jesus wouldn't answer their accusations at first, but then the high priest said in verse 63, I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the son of God. The high priest was citing Leviticus 5.1, which requires those that are under a public oath to testify. Up to this point, Jesus wouldn't, and now he doesn't resist. He's going to obey God's word, and he's going to come under this oath. Secondly, notice that Jesus testified to his own hurt. Jesus testified to his own hurt. This is one of the most precious things in the Passion account. Psalm 15 says, who will ascend to the mountain of the Lord? And then it gives this long list of things. He who does this, he who does this. And one of them is he who swears to his own hurt. Jesus is about to testify to his own hurt. Oh, loved ones, damnation is literally hanging over. the head of our Savior. That's what the cross represented, the righteous wrath of a holy God. And if Jesus tells the truth here, it will result in suffering that no man has ever experienced or no man ever will. We forget that at the cross that Jesus didn't just suffer torture in his body and soul. He satisfied all of the debt for all of his people. Can you fathom that? He didn't suffer 25% of the debt. He didn't suffer 50% of the debt. He suffered 100% of the infinite debt that sinners owe God. How do we calculate infinite debt? Do you realize that this is why the union of God and man is so vital to understand, especially during this Advent season? Who came down in that cattle stall? Who was conceived in the womb of the Virgin Mary? Just a boy? Just a man like you and me? No, no, it was the God-man, a perfect union of God and man. If Jesus was only a man, if he wasn't true God of true God, true light of true light, his death would have meant nothing for us, nothing. So how does Jesus answer under this oath? Look at verse 64. Jesus said to him, you have said so. I am the Christ. But I tell you, from now on, you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven." And this was not missed at all on the high priest. To claim to be the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven was to claim divinity. The prophet Daniel saw a vision in Daniel 7, 13. And he said, behold, with the clouds of heaven, there came one like a son of man, and he came to the ancient of days. For him to claim that he's going to sit at the right hand of God is him to claim divinity. Isn't that amazing? I've heard so many people say today, I wish Jesus would have just been clear. I wish he would have just come right out and said, I am God. And here we have it. He's actually testifying under oath. He took an oath to the living God. He says, I swear to God that I am God. That's who I am. Thirdly, Jesus here is accused of breaking the third commandment. Look at verses 65 and 66. Then the high priest tore his robes and said, he has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? He's remembering the law that was set down in Leviticus. You have heard that his blasphemy, what is your judgment? They answered, he deserves death. And the connection between Jesus and this Egyptian blasphemer couldn't be more clear. By accusing Jesus of blasphemy and passing the death sentence upon him, they were saying that he was now outside of the covenant. He was more Egyptian than Israelite. And just like the Egyptian blasphemer, what happened to Jesus after this point? He was taken outside of the camp, cast out of the garden, cast away from the presence of God. Hebrews 13, 12. And just like that Egyptian, it was the congregation of Israel that put him to death. In Acts 4, verse 27, it says that it was the Jews and the Gentiles and Pontius Pilate who put Jesus to death. Ultimately, Jesus was put to death on a blasphemy charge. Now, why do you think that was? I mean, we could say, and this would be correct, that the Jews were envious of Jesus, and so whatever charge they could throw up against the wall and it would stick, that's what they would go with. And that, it's actually true. But why this sin? Because, loved ones, this is the sin that we're guilty of. We're blasphemers. And Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, is our substitute. The death of Jesus Christ is called a vicarious atonement. Vicarious means acting for another, filling in in the place of another, substituting for another. And atonement is the act of reconciling God and man through the removal of sin. Jesus removed our sin and reconciled us to God by becoming our vicarious substitute. The third commandment is absolutely unequivocally invincible. He who takes the Lord's name in vain, the Lord will not hold him guiltless. And that's us, we're guilty of taking his name in vain, but our precious Savior took our place. He took the guilt of blasphemy in our place, loved ones, the cross. The cross of Christ is where all of your oath-breaking and your vow-breaking blasphemy died. It died on Calvary. Jesus didn't just die for your sins in general. He died for your blasphemy in particular. He suffered the curse of the third commandment in our stead. Maybe you're here this morning and you're outside of the covenant. You're like that Egyptian. You don't know the Lord. The name of the triune God is not upon you by baptism. And you've not called on his name and belief. I would plead with you. Come to the Savior this morning. You've broken enough oaths and vows in your life. You've broken your word enough in your life where you will suffer the wrath of God. But it won't just be those three hours on Calvary. It'll be for all eternity. Turn to the Savior. He loves saving men. One of his favorite titles in scripture is he's a friend of sinners. He can save you this morning. Trust Him, repent of your blasphemy, turn to Him, look to Him as your vicarious substitute. See His work on the cross as what you deserved. And see His work in the resurrection as your life coming anew as you trust Him and hope in Him alone. That brings us then to our second duty, which is comfort. We must comfort ourselves. Loved ones, do you realize that God Himself has taken an oath to save all of those whom Christ has died for. God himself has taken an oath over you. Turn to Hebrews 6, starting in verse 13, please. Hebrews 6, verse 13. For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, saying, surely I will bless you and multiply you. And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise. For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise, the unchangeable character of His purpose, He guaranteed it with an oath. So that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, We who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have two unchangeable things assuring us that we will never go to hell. One, God never changes. When we were born again, that is a final thing. That is a unchangeable thing. God tells the people of Israel in the Old Testament, I the Lord do not change, therefore you sons of Israel are not consumed. His unchangeable character is enough for us to have full assurance that we will never go to hell. But then he adds on top of that another assurance by swearing. to himself on his own name, God swears, I swear to God that I will certainly most assuredly save all of those whom my son died for. Oh, what a comfort that is. God has put himself under oath. He has, as it were, put himself under the curse of the third commandment such that if he ever breaks it, He would come under that curse. But loved ones, God can never come under that curse. He can never stop being God. He can never stop being unchangeable. He can never lie. He can never break his word. Isaiah 48, 11, for my own sake, for my own sake I do it. For how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another. God is, put the glory of His own name on the line in saving us. Do you see how loved you are? Do you see how precious you are in His sight? Though we have blasphemed God's name, God sent His Son, and He said, I'd rather have my son die than have those blasphemers perish. God put himself under oath for us. God will never blaspheme his name. He would cease to be God before that could happen. So comfort yourself, loved ones. Comfort yourself that his oath can never fail, it can never falter. Your salvation, it's invincible, it's steadfast, it's sure. So then we have two charges as we conclude. Remember, we're looking at the evangelical use of the law and our Westminster standards helpfully sum up the use by saying this. The evangelical use of the law is meant, Larger Catechism question 97, to show us how much we are bound to Christ for his fulfilling it and enduring the curse thereof in our stead and for our good and thereby to provoke us to more thankfulness. So loved ones, our first charge is this, is to live a thankful life. To live a thankful life. Colossians 1.12 says, give thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Yes, the evangelical use of the law exposes us to our sin and guilt, but who does it drive us to? Drives us to the Savior. How could we not be a thankful people? We're in Advent season. God sent His Son into the world to be born, to live among men, to be hated by men. We read it. He was spit on. He was mocked. He did that for us. Luke 168, blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people. Loved ones, all of our blasphemies have been washed in his blood, so praise him, thank him, adore him, let it come off of your lips all of the time. And our second charge then is to make the honoring of God's name the most important pursuit of your life. Make the honoring of God's name the most important pursuit of your life. Jesus valued God's name so much that he gave up his own life to protect it. And loved ones, there's no greater story than the story that God's name tells. And so may we never join His triune name with a lie. May we always take our oaths and vows in utmost seriousness. Let us keep them, even if it hurts. Let us reverence our vows of marriage, recalling to our minds what we swore before God and man. Let us uphold those vows to our spouse. Let us remember what we vowed in baptism. that we would keep God's covenant word. Let us honor that word by practicing daily family worship, teaching all of these things to our children. Let us sanctify God's name by letting no Sabbath pass us by without hearing his name and his word be preached. Let us honor. As we come to the Lord's Supper, in just a couple minutes, we're gonna hear God's promises to us as we take those promises upon ourself. May He give us grace this week as we live on full dependence and reliance upon Him to honor Him in the way that we walk. May God give us grace to do just that. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for the weight of the third commandment that we see here. Oftentimes, God, we take our Savior for granted, because we've heard the story over and over again. And we thank you for fresh pictures of what your law requires and the threats that it brings, that we might be brought into the sanctuary again and remember the end of all things. That it doesn't matter how clean and pure we attempt to live our lives, we are nothing but worthless sinners in your sight without Christ. And God, it wasn't our idea that he was sent for us. It was your plan. It was your decree. It was your love for us that you brought him into this world to be a vicarious substitute for us. And so, Lord, let us live thankful lives before you. Let us praise you, adore you, thank you, live for you. We pray all these things for the power of the Son through the Spirit. Amen.