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Deserving of Respect: What does it mean to misuse God's name or to take the Lord's name in vain (Third Commandment)? It means far more than being careful not to swear. Christianity is based on a relationship with God. And in this relationship (just as in any healthy relationship), our thoughts about God and our attitudes toward God matter a great deal to him. The way we represent God's name to others matters as well. There is only one God; he is worthy of our worship and deserving of our respect. Recorded on Feb 12, 2023, on Exodus 20:7 by Pastor David Parks. Ten Commandments: Learning the Law of Love is a sermon series on the most influential legal code in human history. Why should we learn about the Ten Commandments today? Because they reveal God’s will for how human beings ought to live: to love God with all our heart and love our neighbor as ourselves. Ultimately, the law of love points us directly to Jesus. Sermon Transcript All year, we’re focusing on Learning the way of Jesus. And today, we’re continuing a sermon series on the Ten Commandments. [Ten Commandments slide] The way of Jesus includes a unique message of what is wrong with the world, of who God is, and what he’s done and is doing to rescue and redeem people in Jesus. Christians call this message the gospel or the good news of Jesus. But if the gospel is true, then we’re called not just to believe it, but to learn the way of Jesus. And the way of Jesus includes a new set of morals or an understanding of what is right and wrong according to God. Ultimately, we’ve said that this new way of life can be summed up as learning to love the Lord our God, heart, soul, mind, and strength; and to love our neighbor as ourself — that’s what the Ten Commandments are all about. So far, we’ve had a couple key takeaways that help us better understand the Ten Commandments. First, we must remember that ancient Israel was saved by the grace of God first, and then they were given the Law. So obedience to the law wasn’t the way of salvation, but rather, it’s the way God wants his people to function after rescuing them by grace. Second, we must remember that Christians do not pick and choose which commands or laws in the OT of the Bible we follow today based on our preferences or biases. There are different categories of law in the OT: civil, ceremonial, and moral laws. And while the civil and ceremonial laws are no longer in effect, we are still obligated to obey the moral laws, including the Ten Commandments, because they reveal how God wants all people everywhere to live. So with all that, if you have a Bible/app, please open to Exodus 20:1. We’ll read through the first three commands and then unpack the third of the Ten today. Exodus 20:1-7 (NIV), “And God spoke all these words: 2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 3 “You shall have no other gods before me. 4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. 7 You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.”  As we’ve said, the book of Exodus, written about 4,300 years ago, by Moses, the prophet and leader of ancient Israel, describes a key turning point of history when God rescued the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt and entered into a covenant relationship with them, which included giving them the Law. Eventually, God would bring them into the land he had promised their ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The first command established monotheism in history, that there is only one God,