Commandment No. 3

Paradigm for the Transformation of Society
Senior Pastor Dr. Daniel Ho, 21/03/2010
(Note: Dinner will be served in the cafeteria on Saturday evenings.)
400 answered the altar call during the National Children and Workers’ Conference.

Exo 20:7  "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.
Ecc 12:13-14  The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.  (14)  For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.



Dr. Jerry Borges is a magician. A magician who makes the impossible look possible. How many believe it’s possible to predict the future? Sometimes it is possible to do so. Dr. Jerry could predict exactly how much trouble he would get into when he brought home his report card.

Dr. Jerry make a prediction that would come true. It is appointed for everyone to die and then after that judgment.

Dr. Jerry used an illusion of driving steel spikes through his left arm placed in a chamber to tell us we have to be prepared for the judgment.
How good should we be? Jesus told us to be perfect as our Father is. All good things we think we have done are just like a dirty rag. We cannot work hard enough to get rid of our sins. Sin is doing what God doesn’t want us to do and not doing what God want us to do. None of us is righteous. Not one. The punishment of sin is death, the separation from God. But the of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ.

There is nothing more wonderful than knowing Jesus Christ and knowing that we belong to Him.
Names are important to us. Our names are unique and personal. Our name is a representation of us. The 3rd commandment tells us not to take His name in vain.
God’s name reflect His nature.

Exo 33:19  And he said, "I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name 'The LORD.' And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.

Our God is compassionate. That’s His nature.
Psa 9:2  I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.
Joh 1:12  But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
We need to understand the Name of God.
God’s name represents his teaching.

Our God is a majestic God. He is own that dwells in glory.
Psa 9:10  And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.
He is a God we can trust. He is always for us, in us and with us.

There is authority in the name of the Lord.
Mar 1:27  And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, "What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him."
Here is DUMC, we are training everyone to be Ghostbusters. In the name of the Lord, there is power and authority and no fear.
There is incredible power in the name of the Lord.
David was not afraid to confront the 9-feet tall Goliath. Here is one young man who stood firm in the name of the Lord.
1Sa 17:45  Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
What are the implications?
God’s name must be always treated with honour and respect. Unfortunately, it is not treated with due respect and sometimes it’s even used as a swear word.
There are are five (5) Gospels:
Matthew, Mark, Luke, John. The 5th Gospel is you and me. People read our lives. People will make a decision whether they will trust in God based on what they see in our lives. We as the fifth Gospel must be effective and positive witnesses for God. When people see us they must see something different that draws them to God.

God’s name are sometimes used in oath.
Mat 5:33-37  "Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.'  (34)  But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God,  (35)  or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.  (36)  And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.  (37)  Let what you say be simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything more than this comes from evil.
Some denominations do not swear / take an oath. But in the context of the scripture, Jesus was teaching us to mean what we say and say what we mean. Strictly speaking, there is no need for contracts and agreements among Christians.

Psa 63:11  But the king shall rejoice in God; all who swear by him shall exult, for the mouths of liars will be stopped.
Heb 7:21-22  but this one was made a priest with an oath by the one who said to him: "The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, 'You are a priest forever.'"  (22)  This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant.

We can find references to making oaths in the Bible. There is a place for taking of oath.
Four Singaporean ministers requested to do the swearing in using the Bible.

There is power in God’s name.
Mar 16:17-18  And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues;  (18)  they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover."

There should be a genuine fear in the name of the Lord.
We must always be mindful of walking in the fear of the Lord. When we walk in the fear of the Lord, we will be careful in what we say, think and do.
Pro 18:21  Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.
Words and thoughts can hurt people, not just minutes, hour but days, weeks and months and even longer. We have to make sure our words bring healing and encouragements. Be generous in compliments. Don’t give backhanded compliments.
Mat 12:36-37  I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,  (37)  for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."
God is the perfect accountant. One day all of us will stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

We will be responsible and accountable for everything we think and we say. Everything will be brought open one day. All that we do, we must do it well and with excellence.

We want to draw near to worship Him and not run away from Him.

We also want to put the fear of God into other people’s lives. When there is a real fear of God, everybody will not simply do things in the way they want.