BREATH OF LIFE MINISTRIES
PRESENTS B520 Watch Your Mouth
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BREATH OF LIFE THEME MUSIC
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PB:  The Word of God says.
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Thou shalt not take the name
of the Lord thy God in--what?
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Aud.:  Vain.   PB:  For the
Lord will not hold him--what?
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Aud.:  Guiltless.   PB: 
That taketh his name in--what,
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everybody? Aud.:  Vain.   PB: 
Thou shalt not take the name of
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the Lord thy God in vain, for
the Lord will not hold him
guiltless that taketh
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his name in vain. Saturday night
we preached thou shalt have
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no other gods before me. On
Sunday night, we preached thou
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shalt not make unto thee
any graven image. And tonight,
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the third love letter.
Thou shalt not take the name of
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the Lord thy God in vain.
So with that, we've entitled
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this message, turn to your
neighbor and help me say it
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tonight. Turn to your neighbor
and say, Neighbor: watch your
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mouth. Aud.: 
Neighbor, watch your mouth.
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PB:  Let's pray. Father, we
thank You that You've allowed
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us to come into this, Your
house, again tonight so we can
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hear another love letter from
You. Lord, we want to love You
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in the way You want to be
loved. And so God, tonight,
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You're telling us there's a
certain way we ought to call
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Your name. That if we love You,
there's a way we reverence Your
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name. There's a way we should
respect Your name. So tonight,
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I pray that You would
speak to us. And we give Your
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name the praise, the
honor and the glory. In Jesus'
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name we pray.
Amen. You may be seated.
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The directive, watch your mouth,
has been said for hundreds
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of years by parents telling
their children to watch what
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they say. If a child is getting
passionate in a discussion with
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their mother or father,
the child just might hear
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"watch your mouth." If a
child starts getting sassy,
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starts getting smart
with their mama, their mama
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just might say, watch
your mouth. If a family is
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going to somebody else's
house for a dinner invitation,
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if they're going for a
dinner visit, the parents
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will tell their children in
the car before they get out,
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now when you get in here
don't touch anything, don't
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run in this house, and
watch your mouth. And my daddy
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used to say, if you
don't watch your mouth I'll
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give you something to
help you watch your mouth.
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Do I have a witness in
this place?   [Aud. reaction]
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PB:  I don't know
about you, but I grew up in a
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home where a hard head made a
soft bottom. Come on, say amen.
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[Aud. reaction]   PB:  We're
living in a world now where
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we have all this time
out, but there was no time out
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in the house I grew up
in. I wish there was time out.
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But tonight's admonition
is not just for children;
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it's for adults too--God's
children. The Bible is clear
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in Proverbs 18:21 that
the power of life and death is
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in the tongue. In fact, somebody
once said, if you didn't
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hear it with your own ears
or see it with your own eyes,
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don't invent it with your
small mind and share it with
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your big mouth. Open your
mind before you open your mouth.
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Do I have a witness in
this place?   [Aud. reaction]
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PB:  In God's 10 love letters,
God is telling us, look.
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I love you. And if
you're going to love Me,
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I need you to love Me in the
way that I want you to love Me.
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Jesus said, If you love
me keep my--what, everybody?
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Aud.:  Commandments.PB:  And
so, in commandment number three,
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God is telling us watch your
mouth. When you refer to Me,
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when you speak to Me, there's
a certain way you ought to
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call My name. You're not
to be careless, you're not to
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be reckless, you're not to
be funny, you're not to be fake.
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If you love Me, call Me by My
right name and watch your mouth.
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In love letter number three,
God is protective of His name.
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He tells us to proceed with
caution in handling His name.
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His name is not to become
common; His name is not to be
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casual; His name is not to
be cavalier. This shouldn't
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surprise us, because names are
important to us. Let me ask this
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tonight: How many of you, when
you were picking names for your
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children, you wouldn't give
a certain name to your child
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because every time you heard
that name, it would elicit a
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certain negative response from
you. Now, if we tell the truth
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and shame the devil tonight,
maybe you stayed away from a
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certain name because the
name was the name of a classmate
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from your childhood that
you couldn't stand. Maybe you
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stayed away from a certain
name because the name reminded
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you of your past, maybe an old
boyfriend or an old girlfriend.
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Don't say amen too loud.
Maybe you stayed away from a
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certain name because it
carried a negative connotation.
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I mean, I must be honest:
I've never met a little girl
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by the name of
Jezebel.    [Aud. reaction]
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PB:  I've never met a
little boy by the name of Judas.
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I do not hear young people
today calling or naming their
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children Adolph Hitler or
Saddam Hussein. Why? Because
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the actions of these persons
were so bad, nobody wants
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to be associated with
bad names. But tonight,
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I'm going to tell you
about a good name. A good name
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of a good God. God gave us
His name. His name is Yahweh,
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which I've said every
night means I Am That I Am. Oh,
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I wish I had a church
in this place tonight.
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[Aud. reaction]   PB: 
If you study your Hebrew,
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you will discover that
in biblical times God's
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name was off limits to
be pronounced. The people,
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the common people, couldn't
even pronounce God's name.
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The only people that were
given license to pronounce
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God's name were the high
priests. None of the Hebrews,
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none of the Israelites,
would ever pronounce His name,
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because His name was holy.
His name was what, everybody?
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[Aud. reaction]Holy.   PB:
 And because God viewed the
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sacred in such lofty
terms, no human being would be
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allowed to utter the name of
God from their mere mortal lips.
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In fact, the high priest
would only speak God's name
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on two occasions. They
would number one speak God's
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name on the Day of
Atonement, and number two on the
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Day of Tabernacles. But
not just anywhere on that day,
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it had to be spoken in the
temple. Because a holy name
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to a holy God is designated
to a holy place. You all
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don't hear what I'm
saying tonight. You see, before
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the priests would even
utter God's name, the priests
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would have to go
through a ceremonial ritual.
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A ritual of purification.
So when they got to the name,
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they would have to be purified
in order to announce the name.
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That's like before we eat,
I pray you wash your hands.
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Are you hearing what I'm
saying? I pray that after you
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use the restroom, you wash
your hands. Come on, say amen.
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[Aud. reaction]   PB:  I
was in the airport one day and
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we were in the men's
restroom, used the restroom,
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and I went to wash my
hands. One man just walked out,
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then he wanted to shake my
hand after he walked out of
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the bathroom. God's name
was so holy in those days that
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even before they announced His
name, they purified themselves.
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They washed themselves
and then the secretaries,
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known as the
scribes, who wrote the law.
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All they had to as
copyists was to write on
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a piece of paper with
a pen that they had seen
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in the law, but they
didn't even do that. First,
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they made sure that they
got the skin of a kosher animal.
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Secondly, they made sure
they had special ink formula.
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Thirdly, they
purified themselves through the
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washing of their bodies
and the reciting of prayers,
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even before they began to
write the law. That's why,
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when I come into God's
house, when I come into the
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presence of God,
before I speak to anybody I'll
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find myself in just a
little corner, and I want
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to bless God's name. I
want to say thank You, Lord,
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for allowing me to
come in Your house tonight.
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Do I have a
witness in this place?
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What am I trying to
say? The name of God is holy.
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The name of God is holy. God's
name is not to be played with.
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If you're going to love God
the way God wants to be loved,
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then use His name right.
God is saying in the text,
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watch your mouth.
Don't misuse My name.
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Let me illustrate
tonight just a little something.
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Now, if I pulled
out this energy drink.
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If I pulled it out
and I started drinking in
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front of you,
you'd probably say, oh,
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Pastor Byrd's
drinking a drink. But,
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as I look at this
bottle--it's an energy drink-
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-and I look at the
name that's on it. Byrd.
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There's something
interesting about this name
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Byrd on this energy
drink. You can't see it,
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but after the Byrd
here there is a little R
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in the corner on this
can, and it has a meaning,
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that little R. There's a
little R after the name Byrd.
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And do you know what the
R stands for? The R stands
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for trademark.
Everybody say "trademark."
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Aud.:  Trademark.   PB:
 That means that the name
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of this energy drink,
Byrd, is the sole property
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of that company; that
the company owns the name,
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and all rights to the
name. I'm getting there.
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But what would happen
if I took a plain cup of
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water in a clear
glass, I added some caramel
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coloring to it,
put some sugar in it,
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and then put a Byrd
label on it and tried to
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sell it to the public. I
would probably get sued. Why?
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I put the same name on
my product that was on their
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product. So someone may ask,
Well, Pastor, what's wrong with
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that? What's the problem with
that? What's so important about
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a name? But the name is so
important, because the name
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stands for who you are as a
company. Everything that you are
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as a company, your
entire reputation, is wrapped up
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in that name and you get
made when someone else uses
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your name in an inappropriate
way. When I was in college,
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I used to be a server,
and I served as a waiter
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at a restaurant. And I
learned when I was a server,
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that a customer who is
satisfied with their meal will
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probably recommend that
restaurant to another person.
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But a customer who is
not satisfied with their
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meal will warn seven
other people to stay away
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from that restaurant. Are
you hearing what I'm saying?
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You never really hear
about the good; you always hear
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about the bad. You can go to
Walmart a hundred million times,
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but the one time you
have a bad experience,
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you're not going
back to that Walmart.
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Are you hearing what I'm
saying? A good reputation,
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a good name, is vital to
the growth of any business.
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Companies are very
jealous about their reputations.
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They work had to keep
their reputations strong.
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If their reputation goes
down, so does their business.
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They get mad when people
use their name without their
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consent or in an inferior
product like my version of
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this energy drink. If
companies feel that way,
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how do you think God
feels when we use His name
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in the wrong way? Are
you hearing what I'm saying?
00:12:26.94\00:12:30.88
God is not happy when we
misuse His name. God is not
00:12:30.91\00:12:35.08
pleased when we misuse
His name. In fact, God gest
00:12:35.12\00:12:38.35
angry when we misuse
His name. The Word says,
00:12:38.39\00:12:41.66
thou shalt not take
the name of the Lord thy
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God in--what,
everybody?   Aud.: Vain.
00:12:44.33\00:12:45.79
PB:  For the Lord
thy God will not hold him
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guiltless that
taketh His name in--what?
00:12:47.96\00:12:50.30
Aud.:  Vain.   PB:  I like the
way The Message Bible puts it.
00:12:50.33\00:12:52.70
It says, no using the name
of God, your God, in curses
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or silly banter. God
won't put up with the irreverent
00:12:56.87\00:13:03.38
use of His name. To
put it in legal terms,
00:13:03.41\00:13:08.28
God will not drop his
suit against those who
00:13:08.32\00:13:12.95
use His name in an
improper way or without
00:13:12.99\00:13:16.62
His permission. To
take in vain means to use
00:13:16.66\00:13:22.50
God's name in a
careless or flippant manner.
00:13:22.53\00:13:26.90
It means to treat
it with no more respect
00:13:26.94\00:13:30.31
than any other word or
name in the dictionary.
00:13:30.34\00:13:34.61
And what you call
God is a big deal to God,
00:13:34.64\00:13:38.61
because God's name
reflects His nature,
00:13:38.65\00:13:42.32
and He's spent
eternity building His name.
00:13:42.35\00:13:47.46
God's name is
trademarked. God's name is
00:13:47.49\00:13:51.36
copyright protected.
I show respect for my
00:13:51.39\00:13:55.36
God when I handle
His name with care.
00:13:55.40\00:13:58.60
Are you hearing what
I'm saying? [Aud. reaction]
00:13:58.63\00:14:00.74
PB:  It's important
to know who and what
00:14:00.77\00:14:03.87
to take seriously.
Nothing should be taken
00:14:03.91\00:14:06.84
more seriously
than God, and giving God
00:14:06.88\00:14:08.74
proper respect
starts with His name because
00:14:08.78\00:14:10.65
God's name
represents who He is. So let me
00:14:10.68\00:14:13.82
give you some
different areas. Let me
00:14:13.85\00:14:15.75
get practical, now,
when the name of God
00:14:15.78\00:14:17.52
is used in vain.
Number one: two major
00:14:17.55\00:14:21.42
ways that God's name is misused.
00:14:21.46\00:14:24.49
You can misuse
God's name in your words;
00:14:24.53\00:14:29.90
in how we talk.
That's why the admonition,
00:14:29.93\00:14:33.90
watch your mouth.
And I'm not saying go to
00:14:33.94\00:14:36.54
a mirror and look
at your mouth. What am
00:14:36.57\00:14:38.91
I talking about?
Well, let's talk about
00:14:38.94\00:14:40.38
the misuse of
God's name through words.
00:14:40.41\00:14:43.04
Number one,
irreverent titles for God.
00:14:43.08\00:14:46.35
I was talking to
somebody one day and they
00:14:46.38\00:14:48.42
said that as a
preacher, I had a hot line
00:14:48.45\00:14:51.95
to the "big guy." I
said, the "big guy"?
00:14:51.99\00:14:56.29
You mean, God
Almighty? You mean,
00:14:56.32\00:15:00.53
the I Am That I Am?
I'm saying God's name
00:15:00.56\00:15:06.00
is to be reverenced.
God's name is to be respected.
00:15:06.03\00:15:09.84
I don't see anywhere
in Scripture where we
00:15:09.87\00:15:11.57
call Him the "big
guy." God is not the
00:15:11.61\00:15:15.14
"man upstairs." God is
not "big daddy in heaven."
00:15:15.18\00:15:19.95
God is God. God is
Yahweh. God is Elohim.
00:15:19.98\00:15:25.92
God is El
Shaddai. God is Jehovah.
00:15:25.95\00:15:30.76
God is God. God
is I Am That I AM.
00:15:30.79\00:15:35.80
God is not the "big guy,"
00:15:35.83\00:15:37.67
God is not the "man upstairs,"
00:15:37.70\00:15:39.57
God is not "big
daddy in heaven,"
00:15:39.60\00:15:41.87
God is God.   [Aud. reaction]
00:15:41.90\00:15:45.24
PB:  But not only that, cursing.
00:15:45.27\00:15:49.04
It's quiet now; you all
were shouting on the other.
00:15:49.08\00:15:54.35
[Aud. reaction]   PB:
Profanity. Somebody says,
00:15:54.38\00:15:58.55
"But it's just a
word." And He is just my God.
00:15:58.59\00:16:02.92
It's disrespect to
God. I was doing a study of
00:16:02.96\00:16:07.93
the word profanity.
Everybody say "profanity."
00:16:07.96\00:16:10.50
Aud.:  Profanity.   
PB: Profanity literally
00:16:10.53\00:16:12.43
means away from the
temple. Profanity occurs
00:16:12.47\00:16:16.87
when we take something
sacred, like the name of God,
00:16:16.91\00:16:21.71
and we treat it
irreverently. But the Bible
00:16:21.74\00:16:25.15
says in Romans 12:14,
"Bless those who persecute you,"
00:16:25.18\00:16:30.39
but "bless and do
not curse." You and I are
00:16:30.42\00:16:34.92
called to speak
blessings, not cursings.
00:16:34.96\00:16:38.39
Profanity says
something about the person
00:16:38.43\00:16:41.30
who uses it.
Profanity is the use of strong
00:16:41.33\00:16:44.43
words by weak people.
Jesus said that the words
00:16:44.47\00:16:48.30
we use expose
what's on the inside of us.
00:16:48.34\00:16:53.34
But it's not just
the cursing, it's also
00:16:53.38\00:16:55.38
what I call the
substitute cursing,
00:16:55.41\00:16:57.55
or the veggie
cursing. What do I mean by
00:16:57.58\00:17:00.82
veggie cursing? You
know, we have veggie
00:17:00.85\00:17:03.62
meat this, veggie
meat that. They say it's
00:17:03.65\00:17:06.55
not real chicken,
it's veggie chicken.
00:17:06.59\00:17:09.09
So sometimes we
don't have real cursing,
00:17:09.12\00:17:11.13
we have what I
call veggie cursing.
00:17:11.16\00:17:13.63
What do you mean,
veggie cursing? Well,
00:17:13.66\00:17:15.23
some people don't use
God's name in vain outright;
00:17:15.26\00:17:18.13
some of us have
simply substituted words
00:17:18.17\00:17:20.77
like "gosh,"
"golly," "geez." These are
00:17:20.80\00:17:27.11
polite ways to
be profane, but it's
00:17:27.14\00:17:30.75
still profanity.
Preach, Pastor Byrd.
00:17:30.78\00:17:34.65
I'm doing the best
I can. [Aud. reaction]
00:17:34.68\00:17:37.62
PB:  And I'll "amen" myself.
00:17:37.65\00:17:38.72
Sometimes you got to
encourage yourself in the Lord.
00:17:38.75\00:17:41.22
[Aud. reaction]   PB: 
How else do you profane
00:17:41.26\00:17:43.59
with words? Irreverent
use of God the Father's name,
00:17:43.63\00:17:49.63
Jesus the Christ's name,
and the Holy Ghost's name.
00:17:49.66\00:17:54.44
The misuse of God,
Jesus and the Holy Spirit,
00:17:54.47\00:17:57.94
the misuse is not to
be trivialized because the
00:17:57.97\00:18:01.51
same Jesus Christ that
you yell out when someone
00:18:01.54\00:18:05.65
makes you mad is the
same Jesus Christ that can
00:18:05.68\00:18:09.45
save you from sin. And
if we reduce God's name to
00:18:09.48\00:18:14.36
no more than when
somebody makes us mad;
00:18:14.39\00:18:17.13
if we reduce God's
name to no more than we
00:18:17.16\00:18:20.46
miss a basketball
shot or a golf putt;
00:18:20.50\00:18:23.50
no more than when
we slam our finger
00:18:23.53\00:18:25.57
in the door, then we
dishonor the name of God.
00:18:25.60\00:18:30.51
Another way we
misuse God's name is when we
00:18:30.54\00:18:34.44
carelessly and
casually just throw His name
00:18:34.48\00:18:38.18
out all over the place.
What am I talking about?
00:18:38.21\00:18:42.08
People are always
coming up to me, talking about,
00:18:42.12\00:18:45.09
"Pastor, the Lord told
me to tell you." Has anyone
00:18:45.12\00:18:52.09
ever told you that? The
Lord told me to tell you.
00:18:52.13\00:18:58.37
So I'm now starting
to answer--I'm getting a
00:18:58.40\00:19:00.44
little older now, so I
can answer a little better
00:19:00.47\00:19:02.57
now--so, I say, "No He
didn't. Because if He did,
00:19:02.60\00:19:05.07
He would have told
me, too." Are you hearing
00:19:05.11\00:19:06.78
what I'm saying?
  [Aud. reaction]
00:19:06.81\00:19:08.91
PB:  When you
study the Word of God,
00:19:08.94\00:19:11.45
when the prophets said
in the days of old that
00:19:11.48\00:19:13.58
"the Lord said," it
always happens that the
00:19:13.62\00:19:18.12
Lord had already
said it to them and they
00:19:18.15\00:19:20.99
were just repeating what
the Lord had already said.
00:19:21.02\00:19:24.23
And to all of the
Lord-sayers out there,
00:19:24.26\00:19:27.30
you need to make
sure that when you say
00:19:27.36\00:19:29.36
"the Lord said it,"
that the Lord truly said it.
00:19:29.40\00:19:32.53
Do I have a witness in
this place?   [Aud. reaction]
00:19:32.57\00:19:35.00
PB:  Better tread
softly on that phrase,
00:19:35.04\00:19:36.87
"the Lord said." It may
make you sound spiritual;
00:19:36.91\00:19:40.71
it may make you sound
holy, and the spiritually
00:19:40.74\00:19:44.51
ignorant may be impressed
by that. But one of the
00:19:44.55\00:19:48.38
ways to know that the
Lord said it is to always
00:19:48.42\00:19:51.92
make sure that when
somebody tells you "Well,
00:19:51.95\00:19:55.02
the Lord told me to
tell you"; tell them,
00:19:55.06\00:19:58.36
"Well show it to
me in the Word of God,
00:19:58.39\00:20:01.20
because if it isn't
in the Word, it doesn't
00:20:01.23\00:20:03.30
deserve to be
heard." Because if God tells
00:20:03.33\00:20:05.80
me something; if
God tells you something;
00:20:05.83\00:20:08.30
God's not going to
tell us anything that
00:20:08.34\00:20:10.64
contradicts His Word. "To
the law and to the testimony,
00:20:10.67\00:20:13.94
if they speak not
according to this word,
00:20:13.98\00:20:16.68
it is because there
is no light in them."
00:20:16.71\00:20:19.55
I don't need you to
tell me "the Lord said."
00:20:19.58\00:20:25.22
But not only that, I
don't need you to tell
00:20:25.25\00:20:30.23
me that the Lord told
me to tell you, you've
00:20:30.26\00:20:34.23
got troubles.
Everybody has troubles.
00:20:34.30\00:20:41.14
That's so general,
it doesn't mean a thing.
00:20:41.17\00:20:43.20
But you know, the
Lord said it when someone
00:20:43.24\00:20:47.81
can tell you the day,
the time, the Scripture,
00:20:47.84\00:20:52.71
and then you can
start listening. Are you
00:20:52.75\00:20:55.15
hearing what I'm saying?
Folk say it all the time,
00:20:55.18\00:20:58.19
"the Lord told me to tell
you, you're going through it."
00:20:58.22\00:21:00.46
Who in here isn't going
through it? "The Lord told
00:21:00.49\00:21:04.26
me you're facing an issue."
Everybody is facing an issue.
00:21:04.29\00:21:08.26
If there's something
you need to say to somebody,
00:21:08.30\00:21:11.27
don't hide behind
the holy name of God.
00:21:11.30\00:21:16.57
Another one. God's
name is not to be looked
00:21:16.60\00:21:23.35
upon as some
spiritual lucky charm to get you
00:21:23.38\00:21:27.82
more stuff. Let me
say that again: God's name
00:21:27.85\00:21:34.49
is not to be looked
upon as some spiritual
00:21:34.52\00:21:38.79
lucky charm to
get you what you want.
00:21:38.83\00:21:43.90
God's name is not to
be used as some magic
00:21:43.93\00:21:47.47
wand to get me
what I want. God is God,
00:21:47.50\00:21:52.67
and God's name
should not be used as a
00:21:52.71\00:21:56.18
marketing ploy for
anybody. The Bible says,
00:21:56.21\00:22:00.22
"But my God shall
supply all of my needs
00:22:00.25\00:22:05.39
according to his
riches in glory."
00:22:05.42\00:22:08.62
So I don't have
to use God's name as
00:22:08.66\00:22:11.73
a marketing ploy
to get what I want,
00:22:11.76\00:22:14.00
because God
already told me He's going
00:22:14.03\00:22:16.03
to give me what I
need.   [Aud. reaction]
00:22:16.06\00:22:18.77
PB:  Let me throw
this in: You'd better even
00:22:18.80\00:22:21.74
watch people who
come to you in the name of
00:22:21.77\00:22:24.57
the Lord, trying to
make a dollar off you.
00:22:24.61\00:22:27.51
Or politicians who
mention God's name in
00:22:27.54\00:22:35.45
the right place, at
the right time, just
00:22:35.48\00:22:40.56
in order to gain a
certain constituency of voters.
00:22:40.59\00:22:44.83
Or better yet, all
these singers, rap artists,
00:22:44.86\00:22:50.40
sports figures who
have a Grammy award in one
00:22:50.43\00:22:55.14
hand but in the
other hand they have a mic,
00:22:55.17\00:22:58.07
thanking God for
winning a Grammy.
00:22:58.11\00:23:00.88
How is God going to
bless somebody for winning
00:23:00.91\00:23:04.51
a Grammy, who's
singing ungodly music? How is
00:23:04.55\00:23:12.09
God going to bless a
sports star who's got
00:23:12.12\00:23:15.92
a trophy in one hand and
a 32-ounce in another hand?
00:23:15.96\00:23:21.43
Don't misuse God's name
in words. But not only that,
00:23:21.46\00:23:30.47
don't you misuse God's
name, not just in words but
00:23:30.51\00:23:39.85
in your actions, in your
lifestyle, in your behavior.
00:23:39.88\00:23:46.32
Let me tell you something:
your character affects
00:23:46.35\00:23:49.56
God's
credibility.   [Aud. reaction]
00:23:49.59\00:23:54.13
PB:  Your character
affects God's credibility.
00:23:54.20\00:24:01.14
God's name is not
just about conversation,
00:24:01.17\00:24:05.74
but God's name is
also about conduct.
00:24:05.77\00:24:09.31
We can also profane
the name of God through
00:24:09.34\00:24:12.95
our bad conduct,
our bad actions, and our
00:24:12.98\00:24:17.62
bad attitudes. I wish I
had a witness in this place.
00:24:17.65\00:24:20.79
This command, this
love letter by God goes
00:24:20.82\00:24:24.29
beyond our words.
The way you live can be a
00:24:24.33\00:24:28.30
smear on the name
of God. Your works must
00:24:28.33\00:24:33.64
testify to your
words. There cannot be
00:24:33.67\00:24:36.91
inconsistency with
your words and then
00:24:36.94\00:24:40.44
inconsistency with your
actions. What do I mean?
00:24:40.48\00:24:43.51
You cannot collect
offering with one hand
00:24:43.55\00:24:46.28
and not shake hands
with the other hand.
00:24:46.31\00:24:48.92
You cannot sing
with one voice and then
00:24:48.95\00:24:51.42
not speak with the
other voice. Don't be
00:24:51.45\00:24:54.79
bad advertisement for
God. You call yourself
00:24:54.82\00:24:58.13
a Christian; you
name yourself a Christian.
00:24:58.16\00:25:01.16
A Christian is the derivative of
00:25:01.20\00:25:03.26
God the Son's
name, Christ, because a
00:25:03.30\00:25:05.93
Christian is a
follower of Christ.
00:25:05.97\00:25:08.54
I remember reading an
article about a soldier
00:25:08.57\00:25:11.21
in the army of
Alexander the Great. And this
00:25:11.24\00:25:13.48
soldier deserted his post
in the heat of the battle.
00:25:13.51\00:25:16.24
When asked what his
name was, the soldier
00:25:16.28\00:25:19.25
stuttered in fear.
"What's your name?"
00:25:19.28\00:25:23.15
He responded to
Alexander the Great, "
00:25:23.18\00:25:25.39
Alexander, my
lord." To which Alexander
00:25:25.42\00:25:28.66
the Great said, "You've
got three choices, then.
00:25:28.69\00:25:31.19
Either number one,
you're going to fight;
00:25:31.23\00:25:33.56
number two, get out of
the army; or number three,
00:25:33.60\00:25:37.23
change your name."
I wonder sometimes if
00:25:37.27\00:25:42.17
God is thinking
something like this:
00:25:42.20\00:25:45.17
How dare you slap My
name with a life like yours,
00:25:45.21\00:25:50.21
claiming to be a Christian
and not living like one.
00:25:50.25\00:25:53.48
Having a form of
godliness but denying
00:25:53.52\00:25:56.48
the power thereof.
Jesus said in Mark 7:6,
00:25:56.52\00:25:59.65
"This people
honoreth me with their lips
00:25:59.69\00:26:02.06
but their heart is
far from me." They will
00:26:02.09\00:26:04.43
know we are
Christians by our love.
00:26:04.46\00:26:06.56
If you're going
to carry His name;
00:26:06.59\00:26:08.73
if you're going
to wear His badge;
00:26:08.76\00:26:10.80
if you're going to
carry the name of Jesus,
00:26:10.83\00:26:13.60
then you must carry it proudly.
00:26:13.64\00:26:15.67
Do I have a
witness in this place?
00:26:15.70\00:26:17.67
[Aud. reaction]   PB: 
But let me go a step further.
00:26:17.71\00:26:19.47
A gentleman by the
name of C. R. Smith was one
00:26:19.51\00:26:25.35
of the founders
of American Airlines.
00:26:25.38\00:26:29.98
And he once was
flying his plane and had
00:26:30.02\00:26:34.36
a stopover in
Nashville, Tennessee.
00:26:34.39\00:26:37.53
And when he got to
Nashville, got off the plane,
00:26:37.56\00:26:41.83
and as he's walking
through the corridor there
00:26:41.86\00:26:44.87
he finds two desks
saying American Airlines
00:26:44.90\00:26:49.67
in the corridor of
the airport. At one
00:26:49.70\00:26:53.61
desk a phone was
ringing, and it was
00:26:53.64\00:26:56.01
just ringing,
ringing and ringing.
00:26:56.04\00:26:58.81
At the desk
next to it, there was
00:26:58.85\00:27:01.78
seated a man,
feet were propped up on
00:27:01.82\00:27:06.35
the desk, and the man
was reading a newspaper;
00:27:06.39\00:27:10.56
and he had a shirt
on, and it had American
00:27:10.59\00:27:13.86
Airlines on it. It
had the logo and the
00:27:13.90\00:27:18.13
name of American
Airlines on his shirt.
00:27:18.17\00:27:21.40
Which means, he
was an employee of
00:27:21.44\00:27:24.71
American Airlines.
He was wearing the name.
00:27:24.74\00:27:29.14
Somebody's going to
get this in a minute.
00:27:29.18\00:27:31.11
Smith walked up
to the man and said,
00:27:31.15\00:27:33.98
"Your phone is
ringing." Now this man
00:27:34.02\00:27:38.32
didn't know who
Smith was. Smith just said,
00:27:38.35\00:27:40.92
"The phone is
ringing." The man said,
00:27:40.96\00:27:42.36
"That's for
reservations; I'm maintenance."
00:27:42.39\00:27:46.53
Furious, Smith
walked over to the desk,
00:27:46.56\00:27:49.86
picked up the phone
and began talking to
00:27:49.90\00:27:52.83
a man who urgently
needed to get to California.
00:27:52.87\00:27:56.04
Smith, off the top
of his head, rattled
00:27:56.07\00:27:58.27
off the schedule
from memory to the man,
00:27:58.31\00:28:00.71
and he hung up. The
man from maintenance
00:28:00.74\00:28:03.08
couldn't believe what
he had just witnessed.
00:28:03.11\00:28:05.68
He said, "Hey.
That was pretty good.
00:28:05.71\00:28:08.75
Do you work for
American?" Smith said,
00:28:08.78\00:28:11.45
"Yes, I do," --
00:28:11.49\00:28:13.99
>:  Thank you for
joining us for another exciting
00:28:14.02\00:28:15.69
Breath of Life
television broadcast.
00:28:15.72\00:28:17.83
Tune in next
week at the same time,
00:28:17.86\00:28:19.79
as Dr. Byrd will
deliver another dynamic message
00:28:19.83\00:28:22.23
from the Lord, just for you.
00:28:22.26\00:28:24.47
Until next time,
may God bless you.
00:28:24.50\00:28:26.90
END
00:28:26.94\00:28:41.95