Don't ya just hate it... ?

Don't ya just hate it when you're listening to a sermon and feeling pretty good about yourself and then all of a sudden something hits you right in the heart and you're reminded of that verse "Pride goes before a fall?" LOL

That happened to me this week. I was listening to a series of sermons on the Ten Commandments from the church my brother attends, and I was doing pretty good. A few moments of mild conviction but nothing that would cause me to want to just fall to my knees in repentance. And then sermon #3 hit... and I do mean 'hit'. I was in tears by the time it was over, and not feeling quite as warm and fuzzy as I had before. :P

(By the way... before I start rambling on about this, you can check out the sermons for yourself at Seacoast's Website or if you have iTunes you can get the podcasts. This sermons series is called '10 Simple Rules')

Ok...commercial break over LOL

Anywhoo...the third sermon in the series was on Exodus 20:7, where God commands His people not to take His name in vain. Well, I thought this would be an easy sermon to listen to... one of those where I think of all the people that need to hear it! After all, I don't cuss or use God's name in a profanity. I don't need this sermon, right? In hindsight, I can almost hear God saying, "Not so fast, little Kepi."

The pastor began by saying that in Biblical times a person's name described their character and that there are over 100 names for God given to us in the Bible. But what does it mean to 'take His name in vain'? It's more than just not cursing or using it with a profanity. (At this point, I'm starting to realize that I may not come out of this scot-free lol) The word take in Hebrew means to lift up or carry, and the phrase in vain in Hebrew means empty or (literally) to destroy or ravage. So, literally, this command means that we should not lift up or carry the name of God in an empty fashion, in such a way that it destroys what God is doing or dishonors His character.

By now, I'm starting to ask myself when do I carry God's name in an empty fashion, and that little twinge of discomfort starts to settle in my heart. Yep, all hope of warm and fuzzy was gone now! Since he apparently couldn't leave well enough alone (lol), the pastor then went on to say that being continually filled with anxiety is carrying God's name in an empty manner because it denies the power of His name "Prince of Peace". Did he stop there? Oh no...he keeps going... Repeatedly falling to the same temptation is also carrying God's name in an empty manner because it denies the power of His name "Deliverer"...Taking sin lightly denies His name "Holy One"... Living in fear is misusing His name "Protector", treating it as it has no power.

Whew.

That brought it home. I may not curse or use God's name in profanities but I do struggle with anxiety. I struggle with falling to the same temptation. I struggle with taking sin lightly. I struggle with living in fear. And I could come up with dozens of ways (if not more) that I deny the power of God's name in my life.

Bleah.

I thought sermons were supposed to make you feel good :P (I am just kidding!)

The pastor also turned the verse around to its positive connotations... "Lift up and carry the name of Lord your God in all Its power, all Its fullness, all Its majesty." God is calling us to live as if He is who He says He is, and if I'm not living that way, I am carrying His name in vain. My life should reflect God's power.

Sooooooooo... that will teach me to assume that I don't need to hear a sermon! A good rule of thumb should probably be "when I think I don't need it, that's the one I need to hear".