Welcome to Wisdom Today with Bill Kelley. Today we will be going over Proverb 4. I will then focus on verse 23 - Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life. Friends, we need to keep our heart pure at all times. On today's podcast I will continue my study on the Ten Commandments - going over the 3rd Commandment. By the end of today's lesson there are three things I ask that you consider:
1. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
2. You might be charged with blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
3. The third commandment was given to a specific people, at a specific time, in a specific place, with a specific purpose.
Scripture referenced in today's lesson:
Exodus 20:2-17
Call to Action - Do you ever take the name of the Lord your God in vain?
[00:00:06] Welcome to Wisdom Today. My name is Bill Kelley and I'll be your host. In this podcast we will be exploring the book of Proverbs.
[00:00:21] Open in prayer. Father God, I thank you for anyone listening to this podcast today. I pray that you would reveal to everyone listening how much God truly loves each and every one of them. I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.
[00:00:37] This is Proverb 4 beginning in verse 1.
[00:00:42] Hear, my children, the instruction of a father, and give attention to no understanding. For I give you good doctrine. Do not forsake my law.
[00:00:53] When I was my father's son, tender and the only one in the sight of my mother, he also taught me and said to me,
[00:01:02] Let your heart retain my words. Keep my commands and live.
[00:01:08] Get wisdom. Get understanding. Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her and she will preserve you. Love her and she will keep you. Wisdom is the principal thing. Therefore, get wisdom.
[00:01:28] And in all you're getting, get understanding. Exalt her and she will promote you. She will bring you honor when you embrace her. She will place on your head an ornament of grace, a crown of glory she will deliver to you.
[00:01:47] Hear, my son, and receive my sayings. And the years of your life will be many. I have taught you in the way of wisdom. I have led you in right paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hindered. And when you run, you will not stumble. Take firm hold of instruction. Do not let go. Keep her, for she is your life.
[00:02:16] Do not enter the path of the wicked. Do not walk in the way of evil. Avoid it. Do not travel on it. Turn away from it and pass on. For they do not sleep unless they have done evil. And their sleep is taken away unless they make someone fall.
[00:02:37] For they eat the bread of wickedness. For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence. But the path of the just is like the shining sun that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.
[00:02:51] The way of the wicked is like darkness. They do not know what makes them stumble.
[00:02:57] My son, give attention to my words. Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes. Keep them in the midst of your heart. For they are life to those who find them and health to all their flesh.
[00:03:17] Keep your heart with all diligence. For out of it spring the issues of life.
[00:03:24] Put away from you a deceitful mouth. And put perverse lips far from you. Let your eyes look straight ahead. And your eyelids look right before you.
[00:03:38] Ponder the path of your feet. And let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or the left. Remove your foot from evil.
[00:03:50] Friends, today I'd like to take a closer look at verse 23. And Proverb 4 verse 23 says this.
[00:04:00] Keep your heart with all diligence. For out of it spring the issues of life.
[00:04:08] Now friends, that's a very powerful verse. And we will review that verse prior to closing today.
[00:04:14] But what I'd like to do is continue my study on the Ten Commandments.
[00:04:21] Now two weeks ago I went over the Second Commandment.
[00:04:24] And today we'll be going over the Third Commandment.
[00:04:28] So what I'd like to do before we begin today's lesson is to review Exodus chapter 20 verses 2 through 17.
[00:04:40] And what we did here is we're actually listing all of the Ten Commandments.
[00:04:47] I think as we go forward in this lesson, I really would like for you to be thinking about all of them.
[00:04:53] Even though we'll be focusing on just one today.
[00:04:56] So let's begin with chapter 20 of Exodus beginning in verse 2.
[00:05:01] I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
[00:05:11] And now we begin the Ten Commandments.
[00:05:14] You shall have no other gods before me.
[00:05:18] You shall not make for yourself a carved image,
[00:05:21] any likeness of anything that is in heaven above,
[00:05:26] or that is in the earth beneath,
[00:05:29] or that is in the water under the earth.
[00:05:32] You shall not bow down to them, nor serve them.
[00:05:36] For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God,
[00:05:40] visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children
[00:05:44] to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me,
[00:05:49] but showing mercy to thousands,
[00:05:52] to those who love me and keep my commandments.
[00:05:57] And today we'll be looking at verse 7.
[00:06:00] You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain,
[00:06:05] for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
[00:06:11] Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.
[00:06:15] Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
[00:06:19] but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God.
[00:06:24] In it you shall do no work,
[00:06:26] you nor your son, nor your daughter,
[00:06:30] nor your male servant, nor your female servant,
[00:06:35] nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates.
[00:06:40] For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth,
[00:06:45] the sea and all that is in them,
[00:06:48] and rested the seventh day.
[00:06:51] Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
[00:06:57] On to commandment number five.
[00:06:59] Honor your father and your mother,
[00:07:02] that your days may be long upon the land
[00:07:05] which the Lord your God is giving you.
[00:07:07] Now friends, now we begin commandments six through ten,
[00:07:12] and these all have to do with our personal flesh
[00:07:17] and walking in our flesh.
[00:07:20] You shall not murder.
[00:07:22] You shall not commit adultery.
[00:07:25] You shall not steal.
[00:07:27] You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
[00:07:32] And the last commandment,
[00:07:34] you shall not covet your neighbor's house.
[00:07:37] You shall not covet your neighbor's wife,
[00:07:40] nor his male servant,
[00:07:42] nor his female servant,
[00:07:44] nor his ox,
[00:07:45] nor his donkey,
[00:07:47] nor anything that is your neighbor's.
[00:07:51] Now friends,
[00:07:52] my first point I'd like to make today
[00:07:55] is the actual third commandment.
[00:07:58] You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain,
[00:08:03] for the Lord will not hold him guiltless
[00:08:07] who takes his name in vain.
[00:08:11] Now friends, what I'd like to do is I looked online,
[00:08:15] and I was trying to find something
[00:08:17] having to do with the third commandment,
[00:08:20] and I found an article by C. Michael Patton.
[00:08:24] So I would like to make sure that he gets credit for this,
[00:08:28] and it's entitled,
[00:08:30] Taking the Lord's Name in Vain.
[00:08:34] What does it really mean?
[00:08:36] And what I'd like to do is read this article
[00:08:40] beginning in the introduction.
[00:08:42] The answer to this question might seem self-evident,
[00:08:47] especially to those of us who grew up
[00:08:50] in a Western Judeo-Christian society,
[00:08:54] but it may not be as evident as you think.
[00:08:58] In fact, this commandment may hide
[00:09:01] a deep understanding of what it means to be a Christian,
[00:09:06] a depth many of us never really knew,
[00:09:09] at least not in this way.
[00:09:12] The truth is that the contents of this post
[00:09:16] have brought more people to this blog
[00:09:19] and possibly affected the discipleship of our community
[00:09:23] more than any other things we have done
[00:09:26] from the theology program to the Credo House.
[00:09:30] Let's get started, shall we?
[00:09:33] The commandment itself is found
[00:09:36] in Exodus chapter 20, verse 7.
[00:09:40] I just read it to you.
[00:09:41] Also, you can find it in the book of Deuteronomy,
[00:09:44] chapter 5, verse 11.
[00:09:46] You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain,
[00:09:51] for the Lord will not hold him guiltless
[00:09:54] who takes his name in vain.
[00:09:57] Please be warned,
[00:09:59] I'm going to use a phrase that is offensive to many.
[00:10:03] For most, the ultimate violation of the third commandment
[00:10:08] is to say,
[00:10:09] God damn it!
[00:10:12] You can use just about every other word or phrase,
[00:10:16] no matter how bad,
[00:10:17] but when your vulgarity includes
[00:10:20] the utilization of this phrase,
[00:10:23] many believe you've crossed the line.
[00:10:27] You might even be charged with blasphemy
[00:10:30] against the Holy Spirit.
[00:10:33] So, friends,
[00:10:34] that is my second point of the day.
[00:10:37] You might be charged with blasphemy
[00:10:41] against the Holy Spirit.
[00:10:43] Now, friends,
[00:10:44] let me remind some of you that may not know this,
[00:10:48] is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit
[00:10:51] is the one violation or sin
[00:10:54] which we commit
[00:10:56] that can never be brought back.
[00:11:00] In other words,
[00:11:01] once you cross that line,
[00:11:03] you no longer basically have access to God.
[00:11:07] He basically will throw you and cast you away.
[00:11:12] In fact,
[00:11:13] more people would confidently answer this question
[00:11:16] than could list the Ten Commandments,
[00:11:20] name the Gospels,
[00:11:22] or explain the difference between the New and Old Testaments.
[00:11:26] At odds with the Third Commandment
[00:11:30] as some define it.
[00:11:32] I'm going to take a stand
[00:11:34] that's at odds
[00:11:35] with the most popular understanding
[00:11:38] of the Third Commandment.
[00:11:40] That's why I use the word really
[00:11:42] in the title of this article.
[00:11:45] With all the talk about cursing pastors,
[00:11:49] the evolution of swearing
[00:11:51] in the blogosphere,
[00:11:53] and the general confusion
[00:11:55] around this issue,
[00:11:56] even in Christian circles,
[00:11:58] I thought I'd take a stab
[00:12:00] at explaining
[00:12:01] what it really means
[00:12:03] to take the Lord's name in vain.
[00:12:06] If I'm right
[00:12:08] about the Third Commandment,
[00:12:10] we have a serious issue
[00:12:12] of folk theology
[00:12:14] that's damaging
[00:12:15] the character of God
[00:12:17] by misrepresenting
[00:12:19] what Christian speech is.
[00:12:21] The question
[00:12:23] that must drive the understanding
[00:12:25] of any biblical passage
[00:12:27] is what did the author intend
[00:12:30] for his audience
[00:12:32] to understand
[00:12:33] by his writing.
[00:12:35] The Third Commandment
[00:12:37] was given
[00:12:38] to a specific people
[00:12:40] at a specific time
[00:12:42] in a specific place
[00:12:44] with a specific purpose.
[00:12:47] purpose.
[00:12:48] We'll never know
[00:12:49] what it means today
[00:12:50] if we don't
[00:12:52] first know
[00:12:53] what it originally meant.
[00:12:55] And my third
[00:12:57] and final point today
[00:12:58] is that
[00:12:59] the Third Commandment
[00:13:01] was given
[00:13:01] to a specific people
[00:13:03] at a specific time
[00:13:05] in a specific place
[00:13:07] with a specific purpose.
[00:13:11] What about the F-bomb?
[00:13:14] S-word, etc.
[00:13:15] The Third Commandment
[00:13:18] has nothing to do
[00:13:19] with what we
[00:13:21] commonly call cursing.
[00:13:23] Use of the F-word,
[00:13:26] S-word, etc.
[00:13:28] is a separate issue.
[00:13:30] The Bible certainly
[00:13:31] has a lot to say
[00:13:32] about speech.
[00:13:34] Listen to Proverb 10,
[00:13:36] verse 32.
[00:13:37] The lips of the righteous
[00:13:39] know what is acceptable,
[00:13:42] but the mouth of the wicked
[00:13:44] what is perverse.
[00:13:47] In Colossians,
[00:13:48] chapter 3,
[00:13:50] verse 8,
[00:13:51] listen to this.
[00:13:53] But now,
[00:13:54] you must put them
[00:13:55] all away.
[00:13:57] Anger,
[00:13:58] wrath,
[00:14:00] malice,
[00:14:01] slander,
[00:14:02] and obscene talk
[00:14:04] from your mouth.
[00:14:06] In the book of Ephesians,
[00:14:09] chapter 4,
[00:14:10] verse 29,
[00:14:11] let no corrupting talk
[00:14:14] come out of your mouths,
[00:14:16] but only such as is good
[00:14:19] for building up,
[00:14:20] as fits the occasion,
[00:14:22] that it may give grace
[00:14:24] to those who hear.
[00:14:27] The Third Commandment
[00:14:29] is specifically addressing
[00:14:31] the use of God's name.
[00:14:34] It isn't meant
[00:14:35] to address the use of words,
[00:14:38] phrases,
[00:14:38] and even gestures
[00:14:40] that may be socially
[00:14:41] uncouth or vulgar.
[00:14:44] When calling on God
[00:14:46] to damn
[00:14:47] someone
[00:14:48] is
[00:14:49] biblical.
[00:14:51] We have this wrong.
[00:14:53] In fact,
[00:14:54] from a purely
[00:14:55] objective standpoint,
[00:14:57] I don't believe
[00:14:58] that this phrase
[00:15:00] causes God
[00:15:00] to even bat an eye.
[00:15:02] Why would calling on God
[00:15:04] to damn
[00:15:05] something
[00:15:06] be so bad?
[00:15:07] What does the verb
[00:15:09] damn
[00:15:09] mean?
[00:15:10] The American Heritage
[00:15:12] Dictionary defines
[00:15:13] the word
[00:15:14] to damn
[00:15:15] as the act
[00:15:17] of pronouncing
[00:15:18] an adverse judgment
[00:15:19] upon.
[00:15:21] To call upon God
[00:15:22] to damn
[00:15:23] something
[00:15:24] is
[00:15:25] neither sinful
[00:15:26] nor unbiblical.
[00:15:28] In fact,
[00:15:29] you can find people
[00:15:30] throughout Scripture,
[00:15:31] especially
[00:15:32] in the Psalms,
[00:15:33] who call
[00:15:34] upon God
[00:15:35] to bring judgment
[00:15:36] on their enemies.
[00:15:38] In other words,
[00:15:39] they are asking
[00:15:40] for God
[00:15:40] to damn
[00:15:41] those
[00:15:42] whom
[00:15:43] they feel
[00:15:44] are right
[00:15:45] for His judgment.
[00:15:46] In this sense,
[00:15:47] saying God damn
[00:15:49] blank
[00:15:49] is as biblical
[00:15:51] as saying
[00:15:52] God bless
[00:15:53] blank.
[00:15:55] Some
[00:15:56] say the reason
[00:15:57] this is a violation
[00:15:58] of the Third Commandment
[00:16:00] is because people
[00:16:01] are using
[00:16:01] God's name
[00:16:02] in a
[00:16:03] vain
[00:16:04] or
[00:16:05] worthless
[00:16:06] or
[00:16:07] empty way.
[00:16:08] In this case,
[00:16:10] to say
[00:16:11] God damn
[00:16:12] it
[00:16:12] in our
[00:16:13] colloquial
[00:16:14] tongue
[00:16:15] is not the same
[00:16:16] as seriously
[00:16:17] calling upon
[00:16:18] God
[00:16:19] to damn
[00:16:20] something
[00:16:21] or
[00:16:22] someone.
[00:16:22] For those
[00:16:24] making this
[00:16:24] claim,
[00:16:25] if you
[00:16:25] say it
[00:16:26] seriously,
[00:16:27] fine.
[00:16:28] If, however,
[00:16:29] you say it
[00:16:30] casually,
[00:16:31] you've used
[00:16:32] His name
[00:16:32] in an
[00:16:33] empty way
[00:16:34] and broken
[00:16:35] the Third
[00:16:36] Commandment.
[00:16:37] Don't get me
[00:16:38] wrong.
[00:16:38] I'm not advocating
[00:16:40] that we should
[00:16:40] take the Lord's
[00:16:41] name in vain,
[00:16:42] but that our
[00:16:43] understanding
[00:16:44] of what this
[00:16:45] commandment
[00:16:46] means
[00:16:46] is mistaken.
[00:16:48] There are
[00:16:49] three
[00:16:49] major
[00:16:50] critiques
[00:16:51] I'd offer
[00:16:52] to our
[00:16:52] common
[00:16:53] understanding.
[00:16:54] Number one,
[00:16:56] God
[00:16:56] is not
[00:16:57] the name
[00:16:58] of God.
[00:16:59] God
[00:17:00] is a term
[00:17:01] used to
[00:17:02] refer to
[00:17:02] deities
[00:17:03] in general.
[00:17:04] A generic
[00:17:05] classification
[00:17:06] can't
[00:17:07] be considered
[00:17:08] a formal
[00:17:09] name.
[00:17:09] It would
[00:17:10] be like
[00:17:10] you saying
[00:17:11] that my
[00:17:11] name
[00:17:12] is person.
[00:17:13] God
[00:17:14] gives
[00:17:14] His name
[00:17:15] to Moses
[00:17:15] in the
[00:17:16] book
[00:17:17] of Exodus.
[00:17:18] His name
[00:17:19] is Yahweh.
[00:17:20] Would you
[00:17:21] have the
[00:17:21] same
[00:17:22] offense
[00:17:22] if someone
[00:17:23] were to
[00:17:24] stub their
[00:17:24] toe and
[00:17:25] say,
[00:17:25] Yahweh,
[00:17:26] damn it?
[00:17:27] I doubt
[00:17:28] it.
[00:17:28] When Christians
[00:17:29] use words
[00:17:30] like God
[00:17:31] or Lord,
[00:17:32] we're typically
[00:17:33] referring to
[00:17:35] the God
[00:17:35] of the Bible,
[00:17:37] Yahweh.
[00:17:37] And,
[00:17:38] after all,
[00:17:39] if you're not
[00:17:40] calling on
[00:17:41] the God
[00:17:41] of the Bible
[00:17:41] to damn
[00:17:42] something,
[00:17:43] whom are
[00:17:44] you calling
[00:17:44] on?
[00:17:45] Therefore,
[00:17:46] although the
[00:17:47] word God
[00:17:47] isn't a
[00:17:48] formal name
[00:17:49] because we
[00:17:50] use it
[00:17:51] as such,
[00:17:52] saying
[00:17:52] G.D.
[00:17:53] may test
[00:17:54] the limits
[00:17:55] of what
[00:17:56] many consider
[00:17:57] taking God's
[00:17:58] name in
[00:17:58] vain.
[00:17:59] Selective
[00:18:00] outrage
[00:18:01] at the
[00:18:01] use of
[00:18:02] God.
[00:18:03] If the
[00:18:03] principal
[00:18:04] question is
[00:18:05] that we're
[00:18:06] not to
[00:18:06] use God's
[00:18:07] name unless
[00:18:08] we really
[00:18:09] mean it,
[00:18:10] then we're
[00:18:10] pretty
[00:18:11] inconsistent
[00:18:12] in our
[00:18:13] outrage.
[00:18:14] Why don't
[00:18:14] people get
[00:18:15] offended when
[00:18:16] others say,
[00:18:17] God bless
[00:18:18] you?
[00:18:18] Do you
[00:18:19] think that
[00:18:20] every time
[00:18:20] someone says
[00:18:21] this,
[00:18:22] that they
[00:18:22] really mean
[00:18:23] it?
[00:18:23] Do you
[00:18:24] think that
[00:18:25] in their
[00:18:25] mind,
[00:18:26] they are
[00:18:26] talking to
[00:18:27] God,
[00:18:28] beseeching
[00:18:29] him on
[00:18:30] your behalf?
[00:18:31] Just about
[00:18:32] every email
[00:18:33] I get
[00:18:33] ends with
[00:18:34] a phrase,
[00:18:35] God bless.
[00:18:36] I seriously
[00:18:37] doubt that
[00:18:38] that person
[00:18:39] actually said
[00:18:40] a prayer
[00:18:41] for me
[00:18:42] before he
[00:18:43] or she
[00:18:43] hits
[00:18:44] send.
[00:18:44] If this
[00:18:45] is the
[00:18:46] case,
[00:18:46] why is
[00:18:47] saying
[00:18:47] God bless
[00:18:48] you not
[00:18:49] just as
[00:18:50] much a
[00:18:51] violation of
[00:18:52] the third
[00:18:52] commandment as
[00:18:53] saying,
[00:18:54] God damn
[00:18:55] you?
[00:18:56] Is it
[00:18:56] more biblical
[00:18:57] to ask for
[00:18:58] God's
[00:18:59] kindness
[00:18:59] or judgment?
[00:19:01] I don't
[00:19:02] think almost
[00:19:03] anyone who
[00:19:03] is honest
[00:19:04] with themselves
[00:19:05] can say
[00:19:06] they are
[00:19:06] consistent
[00:19:07] in this
[00:19:08] regard.
[00:19:08] Saying God
[00:19:10] damn it
[00:19:10] and not
[00:19:11] meaning it
[00:19:12] should be
[00:19:12] just as
[00:19:13] bad as
[00:19:14] saying God
[00:19:15] bless you
[00:19:15] and not
[00:19:16] meaning it.
[00:19:17] It's true
[00:19:18] that both
[00:19:19] uses of
[00:19:20] God
[00:19:20] could be
[00:19:21] wrong
[00:19:21] or
[00:19:22] both
[00:19:23] could be
[00:19:24] right,
[00:19:24] but without
[00:19:25] modifying
[00:19:26] our principle
[00:19:27] we can't
[00:19:28] differentiate
[00:19:29] between the
[00:19:30] two.
[00:19:31] And finally,
[00:19:32] what does
[00:19:33] in vain
[00:19:34] mean?
[00:19:35] I saved
[00:19:36] this point
[00:19:37] for last
[00:19:37] because
[00:19:38] it's the
[00:19:39] most important.
[00:19:40] In fact,
[00:19:41] if I'm
[00:19:42] right,
[00:19:43] the first
[00:19:43] two points
[00:19:44] don't really
[00:19:44] make a
[00:19:45] difference.
[00:19:45] The question
[00:19:46] is this,
[00:19:48] what does
[00:19:48] it mean
[00:19:49] to use
[00:19:50] God's
[00:19:51] name
[00:19:52] in an
[00:19:53] empty
[00:19:53] or
[00:19:54] vain
[00:19:54] way?
[00:19:55] What
[00:19:56] does
[00:19:56] the third
[00:19:57] commandment
[00:19:57] really
[00:19:58] mean?
[00:19:59] It's
[00:19:59] hard to
[00:19:59] tell
[00:20:00] from a
[00:20:00] simple
[00:20:01] word
[00:20:01] study
[00:20:02] on the
[00:20:02] Hebrew
[00:20:02] term
[00:20:03] vain.
[00:20:04] Also,
[00:20:05] our
[00:20:05] understanding
[00:20:06] of a
[00:20:06] name
[00:20:07] and what
[00:20:08] it
[00:20:08] signifies
[00:20:09] is much
[00:20:09] different
[00:20:10] than what
[00:20:10] it meant
[00:20:11] in the
[00:20:12] context
[00:20:12] in which
[00:20:13] this
[00:20:13] commandment
[00:20:14] was given.
[00:20:15] First,
[00:20:16] we must
[00:20:16] try to
[00:20:18] understand
[00:20:18] what it
[00:20:19] meant
[00:20:20] when it
[00:20:20] was
[00:20:21] written.
[00:20:21] Second,
[00:20:22] we can
[00:20:23] then work
[00:20:24] out how
[00:20:24] that applies
[00:20:25] to us.
[00:20:27] It does
[00:20:28] us no
[00:20:28] good
[00:20:28] to
[00:20:29] anachronistically
[00:20:30] impose
[00:20:31] our
[00:20:32] understanding
[00:20:33] upon
[00:20:34] an ancient
[00:20:35] text.
[00:20:36] This
[00:20:37] is
[00:20:37] eisegesis
[00:20:38] reading
[00:20:39] into
[00:20:40] the
[00:20:40] text
[00:20:41] what
[00:20:41] we
[00:20:42] presuppose,
[00:20:43] not
[00:20:44] exegesis
[00:20:45] letting
[00:20:46] the text
[00:20:46] speak
[00:20:47] on
[00:20:48] its own
[00:20:49] terms.
[00:20:50] So,
[00:20:51] friends,
[00:20:51] I hope
[00:20:52] that has
[00:20:53] been a
[00:20:53] blessing
[00:20:54] to you,
[00:20:54] but it
[00:20:55] definitely
[00:20:55] is
[00:20:56] thought
[00:20:57] provoking
[00:20:57] what
[00:20:58] this man
[00:20:59] had to
[00:20:59] say.
[00:21:00] Before we
[00:21:01] close,
[00:21:01] I would
[00:21:02] like to
[00:21:02] go back
[00:21:02] to our
[00:21:03] proverb
[00:21:03] of the
[00:21:04] day,
[00:21:04] and we
[00:21:05] are in
[00:21:05] proverb
[00:21:05] four,
[00:21:06] and I
[00:21:07] selected
[00:21:08] verse
[00:21:08] 23.
[00:21:09] It
[00:21:10] says,
[00:21:10] keep
[00:21:11] your
[00:21:11] heart
[00:21:12] with
[00:21:12] all
[00:21:13] diligence,
[00:21:14] for
[00:21:14] out
[00:21:14] of
[00:21:15] it
[00:21:15] spring
[00:21:16] the
[00:21:17] issues
[00:21:17] of
[00:21:18] life.
[00:21:18] And
[00:21:19] friends,
[00:21:19] the key
[00:21:19] to that
[00:21:20] verse
[00:21:20] is
[00:21:21] the
[00:21:21] word
[00:21:22] heart.
[00:21:22] And
[00:21:23] I
[00:21:23] believe
[00:21:24] that
[00:21:25] the
[00:21:25] third
[00:21:26] commandment
[00:21:27] has
[00:21:27] to
[00:21:28] do
[00:21:28] with
[00:21:28] our
[00:21:28] heart.
[00:21:29] What
[00:21:29] we
[00:21:30] need
[00:21:30] to
[00:21:30] remember
[00:21:30] is
[00:21:31] that
[00:21:31] God
[00:21:32] is
[00:21:32] sovereign.
[00:21:34] God
[00:21:35] is
[00:21:35] in
[00:21:36] charge.
[00:21:37] God
[00:21:38] is
[00:21:38] greater
[00:21:39] than
[00:21:39] we
[00:21:40] are.
[00:21:41] And
[00:21:41] that
[00:21:42] being
[00:21:43] the
[00:21:43] case,
[00:21:44] we
[00:21:44] are
[00:21:44] never
[00:21:45] to
[00:21:45] use
[00:21:46] his
[00:21:47] name
[00:21:47] in
[00:21:48] a
[00:21:49] vain
[00:21:49] way.
[00:21:51] Friends,
[00:21:53] my call
[00:21:54] to action
[00:21:54] today is
[00:21:55] very simple.
[00:21:56] Do you
[00:21:57] ever
[00:21:58] take
[00:21:59] the
[00:22:00] name
[00:22:00] of the
[00:22:01] Lord
[00:22:01] your
[00:22:02] God
[00:22:03] in
[00:22:03] vain?
[00:22:04] Something
[00:22:05] to
[00:22:05] think
[00:22:06] about,
[00:22:06] something
[00:22:07] we
[00:22:07] should
[00:22:08] never
[00:22:08] do.
[00:22:08] Friends,
[00:22:09] I
[00:22:10] will
[00:22:10] never
[00:22:10] end
[00:22:11] a
[00:22:11] podcast
[00:22:12] without
[00:22:12] giving
[00:22:12] anyone
[00:22:13] an
[00:22:14] opportunity
[00:22:14] to
[00:22:14] receive
[00:22:15] Jesus
[00:22:15] as
[00:22:16] their
[00:22:16] Lord
[00:22:16] and
[00:22:17] Savior.
[00:22:17] If
[00:22:18] there
[00:22:18] is
[00:22:18] anyone
[00:22:18] listening
[00:22:19] today
[00:22:19] and
[00:22:19] you've
[00:22:20] never
[00:22:20] taken
[00:22:20] that
[00:22:20] step,
[00:22:21] I
[00:22:21] invite
[00:22:22] you
[00:22:22] to
[00:22:22] repeat
[00:22:22] a
[00:22:23] simple
[00:22:23] prayer
[00:22:23] after
[00:22:24] me
[00:22:24] today.
[00:22:25] Jesus,
[00:22:26] thank
[00:22:31] you
[00:22:31] are the
[00:22:31] Son of God.
[00:22:32] I believe
[00:22:33] that by dying on that cross,
[00:22:36] all of my sins have been forgiven.
[00:22:38] Jesus,
[00:22:39] thank you for forgiving me of my sins,
[00:22:42] and yet I still need your help.
[00:22:45] I pray that you come into my heart.
[00:22:48] I pray that you lead me and guide me from this point forward in my life.
[00:22:54] I make you my Lord and Savior.
[00:22:57] Now,
[00:22:58] may the Lord bless you and keep you.
[00:23:01] The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you.
[00:23:06] The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.
[00:23:11] Friends,
[00:23:12] this is the weekend.
[00:23:14] I pray that you take out your family,
[00:23:16] take out your spouse,
[00:23:18] your kids,
[00:23:18] have a good time,
[00:23:20] enjoy yourselves in the Lord,
[00:23:22] let them know how much God loves them and how much you love them,
[00:23:26] and I hope to see you back on Monday morning as we further explore wisdom today.