Taking God’s Name in Vain
Romans 2:17-24
September 16, 2007
Tonight we hit the passage
That Paul has been working towards in chapter 2.
He started by revealing
That even the religious person can be under judgment.
Tonight he blows a hole in all their religious activity.
So many today assume that they are so pleasing to God
Simply because they relentlessly engage in religious activity.
Certainly the Pharisee felt this way.
Luke 18:12 “’I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’”
Of course according to Jesus, their fasting was a sham.
Matthew 6:16 “Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.”
And their tithing was not nearly enough.
Matthew 23:23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.”
But none the less, people still rest assured in their religious work.
But imagine the tragedy that WILL occur some day,
When scores of religious people stand before God,
Only to find that their religious involvement was not enough.
“Lord, Lord, did we not…”
Despite all their religious involvement,
They will not inherit the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 23:13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.”
Luke 11:44 “Woe to you! For you are like concealed tombs, and the people who walk over them are unaware of it.”
Matthew 23:29-36 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, ‘If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ “So you testify against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. “Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers. “You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell? “Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city, so that upon you may fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. “Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.”
Someone so religious, someone so involved,
And yet they are judged and go to hell.
HOW CAN THIS BE?
They took the name of the Lord in vain.
YOU SAY, WHAT DO YOU MEAN, THEY SAID THE CURSE WORD?
No.
Exodus 20:7 “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.”
Zechariah 5:1-4 “Then I lifted up my eyes again and looked, and behold, there was a flying scroll. And he said to me, “What do you see?” And I answered, “I see a flying scroll; its length is twenty cubits and its width ten cubits.” Then he said to me, “This is the curse that is going forth over the face of the whole land; surely everyone who steals will be purged away according to the writing on one side, and everyone who swears will be purged away according to the writing on the other side. “I will make it go forth,” declares the LORD of hosts, “and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of the one who swears falsely by My name; and it will spend the night within that house and consume it with its timber and stones.”
Leviticus 19:11-12 “’You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another. ‘You shall not swear falsely by My name, so as to profane the name of your God; I am the LORD.”
Numbers 15:30 “’But the person who does anything defiantly, whether he is native or an alien, that one is blaspheming the LORD; and that person shall be cut off from among his people.”
Taking God’s name in vain,
Is not limited to saying the curse word.
It is any time we take God’s name upon ourselves,
But when we do it in a vain way.
It is to go to church, but not live for Jesus.
It is to wear a Christian T-shirt, but not live like a Christian.
It is to use religious speech, but use worldly action.
It is to claim to be a Christian, but live in disobedience to Christ.
That is taking God’s name upon yourself in a vain way.
AND COINCIDENTALLY,
WHEN A PERSON TAKES GOD’S NAME IN VAIN,
THEY DO NOT ACHIEVE THE RELIGIOUS GOALS
OF WHY THEY TOOK GOD’S NAME TO BEGIN WITH.
Matthew 23:15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.”
They did all the right things on the surface,
But they did not achieve the goal.
This is why what Jesus said in Matthew 7 rings so true.
Matthew 7:15-20 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. “You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? “So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. “A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. “So then, you will know them by their fruits.”
A person who does the right things for the wrong reason,
Will not achieve the desired effect.
Paul is revealing here,
Not only is the religion of the hypocrite useless for their salvation, But the religion of a hypocrite is also useless in helping others.
Paul started chapter 2 with a bang,
And here he delivers the strongest punch of the chapter.
You have actually accomplished the exact opposite of what you thought.
Tonight we see an explanation
Of those who take God’s name in vain.
3 things
#1 THEIR FALLACY
Romans 2:17-20
Paul here gives a list of at least 8 attributes or beliefs
Of the person who takes God’s name in vain.
These attributes or beliefs could also be applied
To those who do not take God’s name in vain.
In fact, all of these attributes are commanded of believers in the Bible.
So it is not the action in and of itself,
But the fact that when a self-righteous non-believer does them,
It is ineffective.
When a believer does these things, it works to the glory of God.
When a self-righteous person does these things,
It has the exact opposite effect.
Hopefully you will see what I mean.
Let’s briefly look at these 8 attributes or beliefs.
1) TITLE
“But if you bear the name “Jew”
“bear” translates EPONOMAZO
(ep-on-om-ad-zo)
“to name further, to denominate”
It is what we do, when we not only call ourselves a Christian, but a Baptist. We name ourselves further. We denominate.
This is what a Jew was doing, but purposely calling themselves a Jew.
They were boldly putting it out there for the world to see.
They wanted everyone to know what they claimed to believe.
And this is not a bad thing, in and of itself.
1 Peter 4:16 “but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.”
The problem is that the title doesn’t change the substance.
You can put a Coca-Cola wrapper on a can of Dr. Pepper,
But it won’t change the taste.
Taking the title is useless by itself.
Matthew 23:6-10 “They love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues, and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called Rabbi by men. “But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. “Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. “Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ.”
But these people boldly put a title on themselves for everyone to see.
2) TRUST
“and rely upon the Law”
It is not wrong to rely upon the word of God.
Romans 7:12 “So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.”
We as true believers rely upon God’s word,
But not for salvation, and that is the problem here.
They relied on God’s word as their means of attaining righteousness,
And that is foolish.
Romans 3:20 “because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.”
Galatians 2:21 “I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.”
Galatians 3:10-14 “For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, “CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO DOES NOT ABIDE BY ALL THINGS WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE LAW, TO PERFORM THEM.” Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, “THE RIGHTEOUS MAN SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.” However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, “HE WHO PRACTICES THEM SHALL LIVE BY THEM.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us — for it is written, “CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE” — in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”
3) ASSURANCE
“and boast in God”
There is no problem with this.
1 Corinthians 1:31 “so that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.”
But when your boasting is only self-assurance
Based upon your self-righteousness, then boasting is wrong.
Romans 3:27-28 “Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.”
Luke 18:9-12 “And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. “The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’”
4) UNDERSTANDING
“and know His will”
I hope you realize that it is good to know the will of God.
Romans 12:2 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”
But if your confidence is misguided
And your assurance is unwarranted,
Then your understanding is dangerous.
Combining ignorance and confidence is a dangerous thing for those who listen to you.
The Jews were certain that they knew God’s will for their lives,
But Jesus corrected them.
John 8:39-42 “They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham. “But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do. “You are doing the deeds of your father.” They said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father: God.” Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me.”
5) AGREEMENT
“and approve the things that are essential”
“approve” translates DOKIMAZO
(dok-im-ad-zo)
“to test, to approve, to prove, to examine”
1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 “But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.”
But when you examine with a faulty standard, or with an eye towards judgment, it is wrong.
John 5:16 “For this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath.”
They judged with a wrong standard.
6) KNOWLEDGE
“being instructed out of the Law”
2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”
But as we studied this morning,
Knowledge in itself is not the final aim of God.
7) PURPOSE
“and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature,”
Matthew 5:16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”
But when your standard is wrong,
And you still think you are the example for mankind,
Then we have a problem.
Matthew 23:1-3 “Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them.”
8) AUTHORITY
“having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth,”
This was the authority they stood on as being worth listening to, and so do we.
Titus 2:15 “These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you.”
But when you misinterpret that Law,
You become dangerous to those around you.
John 9:28-29 “They reviled him and said, “You are His disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. “We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where He is from.”
“blind guides of the blind”
HERE IS THE POINT
All of these things are good things.
We are commanded to do them all as believers.
And when a true believer follows that pattern,
They will bear the fruit of converts, and bring glory to God.
BUT – doing those things, with a wrong heart,
Will not produce the desired response.
And this is what Paul wants them to know.
They assumed the magic was in the action.
WRONG
The power is in the transformed life.
This was their fallacy.
Doing religious things, does not bring spiritual results.
And so Paul rightly moves from their fallacy to
#2 THEIR HYPOCRISY
Romans 2:21-23
This is why all their religious actions don’t work.
They don’t do them with the proper heart,
And they don’t have a righteous standard.
In fact, it is not the Law that ruins it, it is their lifestyle that ruins it.
Look at what Paul says,
“you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself?”
NOW WHY WOULD A PERSON TEACH OTHERS AND NOT OBEY THEIR OWN TEACHING?
Obviously because they feel they are above the need for such teaching.
They are self-justified, and so this doesn’t apply to them.
This is what Jesus was implying to Nicodemus.
John 3:7-10 “Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ “The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things?”
Paul goes on,
“You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal?”
Malachi 3:8-9 “Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. “You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you!”
“You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery?”
Matthew 5:27-28 “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY’; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
Matthew 5:31-32 “It was said, ‘WHOEVER SENDS HIS WIFE AWAY, LET HIM GIVE HER A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE’; but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the reason of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”
“You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?”
It is a little difficult to know for sure what Paul speaks of.
It is obvious that the Jews were preaching against idolatry.
Maybe they were robbing God’s temple, which would be idolatry of money.
Maybe they were robbing pagan temples, and selling the statues.
The idea is vehemently condemning idolatry,
But then practicing it in some other form.
And then Paul lowers the boom.
“You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God?”
Paul here says, that boldly preaching
And then living in disobedience is dishonoring to God.
Remember this story?
Numbers 20:9-12 “So Moses took the rod from before the LORD, just as He had commanded him; and Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock. And he said to them, “Listen now, you rebels; shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?” Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came forth abundantly, and the congregation and their beasts drank. But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”
Everyone says, “Why was God so hard on Moses?”
Well how many times did Moses stand and harp on the people about obeying every single command?
Moses disobedience dishonored God
And that is Paul’s real point.
YOU THINK THAT BY DOING ALL THIS RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY,
YOU ARE HONORING GOD,
BUT YOU ARE ACTUALLY ACHIEVING THE OPPOSITE.
And look at the result of that.
#3 THEIR BLASPHEMY
Romans 2:24
“blasphemed” translates BLASPHEMEO
(blas-fay-meh-o)
“to speak impiously, evil speaking, railing”
Now of course these religious people weren’t doing it.
But the Gentiles who witnessed their hypocrisy were.
“Why would I want to be a Christian, look at how they live.”
“If that’s a Christian, then I don’t want to be one.”
“If their God is like them, then I don’t want to follow Him”
DO YOU SEE THE POINT?
You may think that by pretending to be religious.
You may think that by playing the church game.
You may think that by doing everything right on the outside.
That you are drawing men to God,
(even if it is for the wrong reasons)
WRONG
Men don’t just listen to your words, they watch your lifestyle,
And if it isn’t consistent, it isn’t effective.
These people were taking God’s name in vain.
It was not leading men to God.
It was causing men to blaspheme God.
Matthew 23:15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.”
Revelation 2:9 “ ‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.”
These Jews in chapter 2 were so sure of themselves
Because they were outwardly religious.
They used their religion to justify themselves.
Paul said that doesn’t work. (1) “for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself, for you who judge practice the same things.”
Again (13) “for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified.”
They thought they were drawing men to God.
Paul said that doesn’t work either.
“for the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”
THEY DON’T BLASPHEME YOU, THEY BLASPHEME GOD
QUIT AFFIRMING YOURSELF BECAUSE YOU ARE RELIGIOUS
What Jesus wants is a heart that will trust Him, and love Him.
Romans 5:8-9 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.”
