Participants: Dale Leamon
Series Code: FC
Program Code: FC000003
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00:29 Hello, I'm Dale Leamon.
00:33 Pastor from Battle Creek, Michigan 00:36 and it's very nice to be with you today 00:38 as we study into God's word 00:41 on the issue of the commandments. 00:45 Some people don't like the commandments very well 00:47 or they think they don't. 00:49 But I hope that as we study together, 00:50 you'll discover that they are beautiful 00:52 and they are all about liberty. 00:56 Let's have a little word of prayer. 00:58 Father in heaven, we are so thankful that in Jesus, 01:02 we have freedom, that the law itself is transformed by Jesus 01:07 into an instrument of peace and harmony and hope. 01:12 And we ask that we may see that today. 01:13 Please use me Lord that your words may come through 01:16 in a way that's understandable 01:17 and--and also powerful to save. 01:21 In Jesus name Amen. 01:26 Well, we are looking specifically today 01:29 at commandment number 3, but before we go to that, 01:33 I want to remind you that the commandments 01:37 are really promises. 01:39 In fact, another name for the-- commandments is the covenant. 01:43 It was in the Ark of the Covenant 01:46 that the Ten Commandments were placed and the covenant 01:49 that was placed in that Ark was of course 01:51 the Ten Commandments. 01:53 Now you remember that the wilderness 01:56 tabernacle had three parts. 02:00 It was the courtyard, which was all walled 02:04 in or fenced in by a-- linen curtain, looked white, 02:10 and beautiful from a distance and everybody, the worshippers 02:14 could come into the courtyard. 02:16 That was where they brought their sacrifices 02:18 for offering and that was where they met together 02:21 with the priest and with one another to praise the Lord 02:24 and to go through the rituals of the temple. 02:27 Now into the most, into the holy place, 02:30 which was inside the-- the-- rectangular smaller building, 02:35 which was actually called the temple of the tabernacle, 02:38 into the first room called the Holy Place 02:41 only the priests could enter. 02:43 And we won't go into a long study of the--of the various 02:47 articles of furniture there, but one of the furnishings 02:50 there was a prayer alter where the priests would offer up 02:57 the prayers for the whole congregation before God. 03:01 And then, through another curtain, you could enter 03:03 into the most holy place. 03:06 And in the most holy place, was a box made of gold 03:11 and covered with a solid gold lid, 03:13 which is called the Ark of the Covenant 03:15 we referred to among the God and the Ark of the Covenant 03:19 symbolized the throne of God. 03:23 In fact, Solomon actually called the whole temple God's 03:26 footstool that is the earthly temple. 03:28 But the heavenly temple when we look into it 03:31 in the books of Daniel and revelation, 03:33 we see that there is a-- throne of God that is portable. 03:37 This is the Ark of the Covenant was-- 03:39 and that it is surrounded by cherubims, 03:42 just as the Ark of the Covenant had two cherubims on its top, 03:45 and that--that is where the Father Himself 03:50 sits in His Majesty and in His Authority in heaven. 03:56 But on earth, even in-- this small representation 04:01 of God's throne, the presence of God could actually 04:04 be seen physically in the shining of a light, 04:09 the Shekinah it was called by the Hebrews, 04:13 a brilliant light so much so that the priests were told 04:18 not to enter into the most holy place except 04:21 only for the high priest and he only once a year. 04:24 So this is a very, very sacred place, 04:27 and as you know, inside that box, 04:30 the Ark of the Covenant was the--a stone 04:34 or where the two stones containing 04:37 the Ten Commandments. 04:38 God had written these with His own finger. 04:41 Now even though, they are commandments and God 04:44 wants us to keep them, it's kind of unfortunate 04:47 that we focused mostly on that terminology. 04:50 Because in the temple setting, these--these 04:54 are housed in the Ark of the Covenant 04:56 and they are covered over with a lid, 04:58 which is called the mercy seat. 05:00 So clearly, we see here that they're meant 05:02 to be God's promise to His people, 05:05 for the restoration to the Holiness 05:08 that they lost in Eden. 05:12 Now I don't know if you've ever thought about it, 05:13 but the Apostle Paul says in the New Testament 05:16 that we are the temple of God. 05:20 Of course, when we look at the three parts 05:25 of the earthly temple and compare them 05:26 with the three parts that Paul mentions 05:29 of our human nature, some people can get confused 05:33 and think therefore that-- man has three separate parts 05:35 that could go on living independent of each other 05:38 and that simply is not true. 05:40 Our mind and spirit and soul are all so much connected 05:45 with our body that God has to resurrect us and bring us back 05:49 to life again after we die. 05:50 We don't have some kind of intrinsic eternity within us. 05:54 But there is an instructive aspect to the three parts 05:57 of the temple on how they relate to our physical selves 06:01 because we do find our public self, 06:04 our physical body related to the courtyard 06:08 where we're to sacrifice our bodies 06:10 and we're to be baptized as they--as they use laver 06:14 in the--in the temple courtyard and then 06:16 we're in the--in the--in the next portion in--in our soul 06:19 or mind is really a better word for it, 06:22 where we are at prayer, communing with God 06:25 and where God finds our personality and our character 06:28 and He cleanses us and He transforms our character 06:31 and then as we are in the--in the very upper most portions 06:36 of our mind, or our brain, where we have communication 06:39 with the Holy Spirit in the deepest sense of what God 06:41 actually lives in us. 06:43 Some people think this is in the frontal lobes of our brain 06:47 and I think that makes a lot of sense because 06:48 that's the part the devil attacks first, isn't it, 06:51 when he--when he inebriates us, 06:53 he wants to cut off our 06:54 communication with the Holy Spirit. 06:56 And it's that part of our mind, which God 06:59 wants to occupy and indwell and it's there were 07:02 He puts his throne. 07:05 But remember that His throne contains 07:06 these great promises, these great covenant 07:08 promises and so I find great beauty there because 07:11 in the New Testament, we're told that, 07:12 you write his law in our mind and in our heart. 07:15 And so I see God putting his commandments 07:19 and they are after all promises of the restoration, 07:25 putting them right inside of our heads, 07:27 so that it becomes part of us. 07:30 We're not trying to do the things God 07:32 wants us to do, but through the great empowering 07:35 and filling of the spirit, 07:36 He is making us desire to do His will. 07:40 In fact, making it part of who we are, 07:42 that we agree with Him totally. 07:45 This is the power that Jesus has to save it, 07:47 so much greater than just saving us from guilt and fear, 07:50 or saving us from damnation but it's also saving us 07:53 from sin and from even our own carnal natures 07:57 and making us like Himself. 07:59 Well, the Apostle Paul who is such a tremendous theologian 08:05 discusses the efficacy and importance of the law 08:08 into the Christian in Romans the 13th Chapter. 08:12 We are going to look together at verse 9. 08:17 "For the commandments, 'You shall not commit adultery,' 08:21 'You shall not murder,' 'You shall not steal,' 08:25 'You shall not bear false witness,' 'You shall not covet,' 08:28 and if there is any other commandment, 08:30 are all summed up in this saying, namely, 08:33 ' You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" 08:37 That's so beautiful. He is not saying here 08:40 that the commandment to love replaces 08:43 the other commandments. 08:44 He's saying here that the commandment to love sums up 08:49 the other commandments. 08:51 But this is beautiful. 08:52 So we see that those earlier commandments, 08:56 don't commit adultery, don't kill, don't steal, 08:58 don't bear false witness etc, are looking forward 09:04 to and explaining the details of the great law of love. 09:10 And now that Jesus has come and sent his Holy Spirit, 09:14 He fills us with that spirit of love. 09:17 So that keeping His commandments 09:19 is something He does in us. 09:21 What a precious liberty that is. 09:23 See instead of taking away obedience, 09:26 which would leave us 09:27 as dishonest thieves and adulterers, 09:31 He plants obedience deep within us so that we love 09:35 His will and we love what is right. 09:38 And that's what the-- commandments always promised. 09:41 They are His covenant. 09:44 His covenant of a new life through Christ. 09:49 And so we love the commandments 09:50 when we think of them that way. 09:52 The next verse, Romans 13:10 explains 09:56 the motive of the commandments. 10:00 "Love does no harm to a neighbor; 10:03 therefore love is the fulfillment of the law." 10:09 And so here we see that-- we are keeping God's love. 10:13 We'll keep it when we love others because 10:17 all the commandments show us 10:20 how to avoid hurting anyone. 10:22 How to helps others. 10:23 How to be a good neighbor and love makes 10:26 it automatic for us to want to do that. 10:29 How precious then that these commandments 10:32 have always looked forward to the deliverance 10:36 which Christ would give us as He pours out His love 10:39 on us and fills us with that Love 10:42 so that we can live lovingly toward others. 10:47 Well, I'm grateful for the third commandment, 10:51 and in a moment you'll see why because the third commandment 10:56 when we see it as a-- command has one meaning, 11:00 and when we see it as a promise, 11:01 it has a slightly different meaning, 11:03 both stay complementary 11:05 and I think you'll find very, very beautiful. 11:08 Let's look at the third commandment, Exodus 20:7. 11:15 "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, 11:19 for the LORD will not hold him guiltless 11:21 who takes His name in vain." 11:26 Now taken as a command, we see that the Lord 11:31 doesn't like to have His name used lightly. 11:33 Well, do any of us? 11:35 It's very, very much taken as an insult 11:38 or an offense if someone uses our name 11:40 in a unflattering way or in a careless way. 11:44 We like to have people use our names respectfully 11:47 and so does God. 11:49 Especially, of course, He wants this from us because 11:52 His name is the name by which we are saved 11:54 and to use it lightly and to disrespect it, 11:57 is of course to run the danger of not having faith 12:00 in it as we should and therefore losing 12:04 the blessing of His salivation. 12:07 Others have pointed out that this command 12:10 is also a command not to take his name 12:12 upon ourselves in vain. 12:14 That is, not to say I'm a Christian 12:16 unless we actually mean to surrender our hearts to Him. 12:21 And that's an important, very important 12:25 understanding of this verse. 12:27 But we are looking at each of the commandments 12:29 today as promises. 12:32 And when we see this commandment 12:34 as a promise instead, we see Him saying, 12:39 because I've redeemed you, because I've saved you 12:43 by my grace, you won't take my name in vain anymore. 12:49 In other words, whenever you call upon my name, 12:54 I'll answer. 12:57 That's a very biblical point, isn't it? 12:59 That people do find power in God's name 13:03 especially in the name of Jesus. 13:05 You see, He is promising us here, 13:09 the right usage of His name, to use it in faith, 13:13 to use it in respect, to use it in urgent love. 13:19 We'll always call from heaven, power to save, 13:23 and to rescue, and to heal, and to--and to give guidance 13:27 to our lives and so forth. 13:29 What a tremendous promise. 13:31 We won't take His name in vain. 13:34 That's true of every real Christian. 13:36 We wouldn't think of using His name in a careless way, 13:39 but we do think and we do it all the time, don't we. 13:43 Of using His name, when we need His help. 13:46 I don't know about you, but I call upon His--His 13:48 name for help, everyday in many, many ways. 13:53 I--I ask Him to help me to be more efficient 13:55 when I'm running out of time 13:56 and have a certain number of things to do. 13:58 I asked Him to give me more wisdom to know how 14:00 to prioritize things and which things to do first. 14:03 I do this in His name and it is just tremendous 14:05 how he helps me. Even mundane things like trying 14:08 to find my keys when I misplace them. 14:10 I don't feel a least bit embarrassed about asking Him 14:12 who sees everything to help me 14:15 and when I call upon His name, my testimony is, 14:17 He always helps me, of course, 14:22 in much more profound ways as well. 14:24 When we pray for our children in His name, He answers us. 14:30 He is not always able to force them to do 14:32 what He wants them to do, but His spirit 14:35 never ever says no when we pray in His name 14:40 and He would go and talk to them, 14:42 and influence them and--and try to draw them to Himself. 14:49 It's true when we pray for our neighbors. 14:50 It's true when we pray for our spouses. 14:52 It's true when we pray for our own souls 14:55 and He never ever says no when we pray in Jesus name. 14:59 Well, Acts 4:12, makes this a promise very explicitly 15:06 the promise that we see in the Ten Commandments 15:08 is very explicit here. 15:10 Let's read this. 15:11 Acts 4:12, "Nor is there salvation in any other, 15:16 for there is no other name under heaven 15:19 given among men by which we must be saved. 15:24 So Acts 4:12 is telling us that the name of Jesus 15:29 is so powerful that when we use it with the real respect 15:34 and faith that it demands, we must be saved. 15:38 It doesn't just say could be, might be, maybe. 15:41 It says through the correct use of that name, 15:44 we must be saved. 15:46 And oh, how I love that promise and how true 15:49 it is and we have seen it in our own hearts, haven't we. 15:53 The psalmist says something, somewhat like that 15:57 in his reverence for God's name 16:00 and to think that he didn't even know Jesus 16:02 name and yet he had already found 16:05 the power in the name of God. Psalm 20:7, 16:12 "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, 16:17 but we will remember the name of the Lord our God." 16:24 Isn't that beautiful? 16:25 Some trust in chariots, some trust in bank accounts, 16:29 some trust in houses, some trust in relationships, 16:32 some trust in brains and education, 16:34 but we will remember the name of the Lord, our God. 16:39 That's where our trust is rightly placed 16:43 and those who have tried that know 16:45 the truth of what we are saying. 16:49 Well, one day I had an interesting experience. 16:55 I was somewhat younger than I'm now and was involved 16:59 in taking a little worship service 17:04 to a nursing home 17:06 where, of course, there were many, many 17:09 senior citizens who were anxious to see me 17:13 because they remembered the-- old hymns that we are saying 17:17 and they remembered the scriptures that we read 17:20 and their hearts were encouraged. 17:22 So we had a lovely worship together 17:25 with many of the seniors in that facility. 17:30 But as I was getting ready to leave, I heard a racket, 17:35 a tremendous racket, down the hall from where we were 17:40 doing our service and it sounded like someone 17:44 was just yelling and hollering for all he was worth 17:47 and I wondered what the problem was. 17:49 So I asked one of the nurses, 17:51 what's going on down the hall? 17:53 Why is that person making so much noise? 17:57 Well, the nurse explained that it was an elderly gentleman 18:01 and that he was apparently dying and that, 18:06 they didn't know what he was screaming, 18:09 but he was probably delirious 18:10 and he was probably out of his mind. 18:13 And he certainly wasn't expected to live long. 18:17 Well, that kind of touched my heart and I thought 18:19 here's this man just shouting at the top of his lungs. 18:22 He is about to die and I thought, 18:24 I wonder if he could be saying anything meaningful. 18:31 And you couldn't recognize or make out the words 18:33 certainly from the distance I was and I went on down then 18:36 and followed the noise and I went on down toward 18:40 the hallway and finally found the right room 18:42 where the noise was--was coming from and went into his room. 18:47 I still couldn't really tell what he was saying. 18:49 It was so indistinct even though loud until I looked 18:54 at his lips and saw them moving and then I saw 18:59 what he was saying and-- my heart just about stopped. 19:03 The man was saying, Jesus save me. 19:09 And I felt so touched by that, 19:13 that I joined my prayer to his, 19:16 and even though he--he didn't probably even know I was there 19:19 and his hands were tied down and he was thrashing back 19:21 and forth in the bed, but I put my hand on his and I said, 19:25 dear Father in heaven, in Jesus name, save this man, 19:30 give him peace of heart before he died. 19:34 And then I had to pack up my things and I had to go. 19:38 I know the Lord arranged it this way because 19:41 He wanted me to hear the end of that story. 19:44 I forgot my Bible. 19:46 I missed it of course after I got home 19:48 but it was rather late by then. 19:49 So I didn't come back until the next day to get it. 19:52 And when I came back for my Bible, 19:54 I was curious about the man. 19:55 I couldn't hear any shouting by that time. 19:57 The noise was--was finished. 20:00 And I thought perhaps he was already gone. 20:03 But I asked one of the nurses at the station 20:06 and I said what about the old gentleman 20:09 that was shouting so loudly last night. 20:12 Is he still alive? 20:15 And she said, yes he is, but he's so weak. 20:19 He must be very close to the end. 20:23 Well, I knew right there that I wanted to go see him, 20:26 and see if anything had changed in his situation. 20:31 And so I found his room again quite easily 20:34 and there he was on his bed, 20:36 know he looked quite different from the night before. 20:39 He was not thrashing about. 20:42 He was no longer had his hands in restraints. 20:45 He actually looked quite peaceful. 20:47 I thought perhaps he was unconscious 20:49 or--or not aware of his surroundings, 20:52 but apparently he really wasn't that aware as I came up 20:55 to his bed he didn't seem to know I was there, 20:58 but his lips were moving 21:03 and they were not moving very--very well, 21:06 very clearly for me to be sure exactly what he was saying 21:09 and yet a little sound was escaping them. 21:12 And so I bent over his mouth and put my ear down 21:17 to hear what he was saying. 21:21 And then my heart rejoiced, because he was saying, 21:26 Thank you, Jesus over and over. 21:31 And I knew that his prayer 21:33 and mine had been answered in the name of Jesus Christ. 21:38 You know, there's so much power in that name. 21:41 People who really believe that Jesus 21:43 hears them are heard by Him. 21:45 And people who call upon that name with sincere hearts 21:50 are never ignored, are never turned away. 21:54 I'm so happy to able to say that. 21:56 But that work a price that-- promise was fulfilled for us. 22:02 Jesus has fulfilled all of the commandments 22:04 of the Ten Commandments. 22:06 He came. He said, not to do away with them, 22:08 but to fulfill them. 22:10 And he has also fulfilled the third. 22:12 He has fulfilled it in never taking 22:16 his father's name lightly. 22:18 He's fulfilled it in certainly not claiming 22:21 to be a son of the heavenly father without really meaning 22:24 it in the ultimate sense, and he's fulfilled this promise, 22:29 this third commandment 22:31 also by the terrible, terrible 22:37 trial that he went through in having to experience 22:44 a moment when the father's name did not seem 22:52 to bring about any response. 22:57 During all the three and a half years of Jesus ministry 22:59 and certainly in the 30 some years before that, 23:03 He always knew that if He called upon his heavenly father, 23:08 He would receive an answer immediately 23:10 and just the answer He needed. 23:12 He was given wisdom. 23:13 He was given insight. 23:14 He was given strength. 23:15 He was given energy. 23:16 He was given healing power whatever was needed 23:19 when He called upon that name, 23:21 even the power to raise the dead. 23:25 But there was a day, wasn't there, 23:28 when He called out my God, my God, 23:33 Why has thou forsaken me? 23:36 And there seemed to be no answer. 23:40 The sky became black, clouds rolled together, 23:44 lightningflashes struck. 23:48 There seemed to be nothing but blackness 23:52 and we know why Jesus was experiencing 23:55 the second death for us. 23:57 He was experiencing the terrible penalty 24:02 of separation and loss of eternal life 24:07 and the terrible remorse of sin 24:11 that those who reject Christ's grace, 24:14 free grace must experience. 24:16 But Jesus went through that for us. 24:18 So none need go through that. 24:20 And that was the time you see when the father didn't hear. 24:26 But are we grateful that you and I never 24:30 have to go through that. 24:32 He's said you shall not take the name of the Lord, 24:35 your God in vain, and as Christians we love Him, 24:39 we never do, we never can't, because every time 24:43 we take it upon our lips, the answer comes. 24:49 Well, thank God that, 24:50 that wasn't the very end of Jesus experience. 24:53 Thank God that he came through and received the witness 25:00 of the spirit within his own heart, 25:02 that His sacrifice was accepted. 25:07 And we know that by the triumphant way 25:09 in which He finally ended His cross experience. 25:13 By once again taking that name with hope upon His lips, 25:17 and Jesus said, Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit. 25:28 So Jesus knew the power of a name also, didn't He? 25:34 And He's given us a powerful, 25:37 powerful name to call upon. 25:41 He told us Himself in John Chapter 14:13, 25:45 "And whatever you ask in My name, 25:48 I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son." 25:54 But what're you gonna ask in His name. 25:57 You know, He's ready to give 25:59 you all of the riches of His grace, 26:03 a victory over every sin in your life. 26:07 Oh, it doesn't come all at once folks. 26:09 I'm not preaching that. 26:10 It comes by repeatedly calling out in His name. 26:14 Call out in His name for the power to forgive people 26:16 who've wronged you. 26:18 Call out in His name for the power to overcome habits 26:20 that have plagued you for a long time. 26:22 And when you call out His name, 26:24 know that you have the answer, 26:26 that you have the victory. 26:28 And if you lose that victory, again the next day, 26:31 call out in His name again and gain the victory again. 26:34 Because He's told us that we should repeatedly pray 26:38 for the same blessing until we have it permanently. 26:43 Call out in His name for help. 26:47 Call out in His name for encouragement. 26:51 Call out in His name every time you need anything. 26:58 Because that is the privilege you see of the promise 27:02 of the commandments. 27:03 We let go of our own power to achieve righteousness 27:07 or anything else in this world, 27:08 and steadily take on Jesus as our great provider 27:16 and the one who gives everything we need. 27:19 Well, Jesus has kept the promise of the third commandment. 27:26 He did it for you and He did it for me. 27:29 He took seriously His Father's name and His Father 27:36 was with Him at the very end and all the way through 27:41 except for that little moment. 27:43 And now Jesus will give you that same victory. 27:49 Friend, look into your heart and ask yourself, 27:51 What does His name mean to me? 27:54 If it doesn't mean much as you think it should, 27:56 claim the promise of Jesus 27:57 keeping of the third commandment. 28:01 He did it for you. |
Revised 2014-12-17