20th October 2025

20th October 2025


Pray (ACts)


Read (Exodus 20:7)


Message (Alan Burke) 


We come this week to the Third Commandment and it’s a simple one isn’t it? Surely all we have to do is not say the name of God as a curse-word. That is what my understanding of it was when I was growing up there were times that I’d have heard the name of Jesus being spoken what seemed like every second being used as a curse word. Right so that’s it, simply don’t use the name of the Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit as a curse-word and we are fine, we’ve kept the Third Commandment!? Well no, sorry it’s not quite as simple as that. 


Now if you have an NIV you’ll read ‘You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God”, the NIV uses “misuse”. The ESV and the KJV have the word “vain” rather than “misuse”. This is how many of us learnt the Ten Commandments, with the use of the word vain and it portrays to us a much more comprehensive idea of what the word in the Hebrew language means and that’s what were going to use as we think of this commandment. ‘Misuse’, is to use improperly, whereas ‘vain’ means to use without having value or importance, to use in an empty, idle, worthless or unsatisfactory way, and the Hebrew conveys both the former and latter, not only to misuse but also to use it without having value or importance, to use it in a empty, idle, worthless or unsatisfactory way. The word vain gives more of the breadth and depth of understanding of what this commandment is. 


Let’s today think on what is the name of the LORD our God. Back when Moses encountered the LORD in the Burning Bush (Ex 3) Moses asked what he was to say to the people and the LORD responded to him and said “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ” (NIV84). The LORD’s name is ‘I AM’. When we see LORD capitalised in Scripture, this is his name, in Hebrew it is the name ‘Yahweh’, meaning I AM. It is often referred to as the tetragrammaton (Greek for “four letters”) because in Hebrew the name of the LORD is four letters. The LORD’s name is I’AM. 


The LORD there was revealing himself to Moses v2 in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up (Ex 3:1–2). The bush was on fire but it was not consumed. Moses saw the fire, that was what drew him to the bush, he went over to see the strange sight we are told. Moses knew well enough to know that fire consumes but this bush wasn’t. The fire simply was, it existed, it was self sufficient, it did not need fuel to burn. In this we learn that the LORD as he spoke, with the revelation of his name ‘I Am’ that the LORD is I Am, he simply is, he exists, he is self sufficient, he needs nothing. His name ‘I Am’ testifies to this truth, when God manifested himself to Moses in the burning bush and through his name, it is how we are to understand the sum of who he is and what he has done. ‘I am’.


While we are here because of our parents, the LORD is here because of himself he is the great I am, I am is who God is, he is eternal, unchangeable and always the same, yesterday, today, and forever. He will be what he will be and he will be what he is. He is the One and only, the living and true God who has made himself known not only as ‘I Am’ but also as three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He is a God who shows his love to us even though none of us are deserving of it, for the Father sent the Son Jesus Christ to die for our salvation and the Holy Spirit works that salvation in us, giving us new birth, new life for all who trust in him. But he has revealed himself by other names in Scripture and given other names, for example; The Lord of Lords (Deut 10:17), The King of Kings (1 Tim 6:15), The Alpha and Omega (Rev 22:13), The Almighty (Rev 1:8). These are but some of the names that he is known by and he is the one who has stepped into human history to bring about his plan of salvation, so that we might know him as our LORD and God.


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC
Q104 What do we pray for in the fourth petition?
A. In the fourth petition, which is, Give us this day our daily bread,” we pray, that of God’s free gift we may receive a competent portion of the good things of this life, and enjoy his blessing with them.
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