The Ten(der) Commandments - The Second Commandment

SERMON NOTES Second Commandment
“You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.”
Our tender God wants us to know Him without controlling Him.   

Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?”  Exodus 3:13 

-should I say BUDDY, kind guy, boxer…. sent me?   

 “God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” Exodus 3:14  

“I will be who I will be.”

God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The Lord,^[b] the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations. 
Exodus 3:15  

Misusing God’s name means that we would prefer to control God rather than be shaped by Him.

We misuse God’s name by:

1. Partial Truths
   “Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.” A. Lincoln
   Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.” Ephesians 4:15
2. Hypocritical Actions
   Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”Exodus 3:10-11

Lord God, You have appointed me as a Pastor in Your Church, but you see how unsuited I am to meet so great and difficult a task. If I had lacked Your help, I could have ruined everything long ago. Therefore, I call upon You: I wish to devote my mouth and my heart to you; I shall teach the people. I myself will learn and ponder diligently upon Your Word. Use me as Your instrument — but do not forsake me, for if ever I should be on my own, I would easily wreck it all. -Luther’s sacristy prayer

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5

“To ‘have’ God means that the heart takes hold of Him and clings to HIM. To cling to Him with the heart is nothing else than to trust in Him entirely.” Martin Luther – Large Catechism 360.13

“And the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth.” 1 Kings 17:24

You are never so successful that you forget where your blessings come from AND you are never so low you forget who to CLING to.