Our sermon this morning was about the Third Commandment and what exactly it means. Going in and out of the sanctuary with a baby caused me to miss some of it, but what I did hear was so good and convicting that I had to share.
"You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain..." Pastor Sawtelle pointed out that we often think this means that as long as we don't say, "Oh my ---" then we're okay. This commandment applies to so much more, however. We may break this command when we take vows, such as marriage vows or in court, and then break them. This command could be broken when athletes publicly and flippantly thank God in word or deed. It could also be broken when we're worshiping and singing words but being distracted or daydreaming rather than meditating on those words (I am often guilty of this!). It could also occur when our conduct is irreverent. In the new covenant, we are called to do all in the name of God, so that God's name is honored and glorified in our actions.
Pastor Sawtelle closed with two points:
1. He asked us to seriously examine ourselves. None are guiltless of this commandment, although we often think we are. We need to flee to Christ and seek forgiveness.
2. We need to pray fervently that God would conform us, so that He is glorified. We need to hallow God's name.
This is a bare bones recap, but as I said earlier, I wanted to share it and also write it down so that I remember!
