Bahan Alkitab: Exodus 20:7; Leviticus 24:10-16; Romans 10:12-13
Tanggal: 27/09/2020
Ringkasan:
Today we are learning about the third commandment. What is the third commandment? It is about honoring God’s name.
Why is God’s name important? Because it represents God’s image, who he is. If we know God in a wrong, or distorted way, it means we do not know the real God. God wants us to know the real God, the true God.
Do you know what are these? These are the logos of famous companies. Can we use any of this logo for our own product/company? Of course can not. These logos represent the image of the company, for example, mcdonald logo represents the famous fast food company in the world. When we think about McDonald’s, we think about burgers, soft drinks, fries, and ice cream. We can’t just open our burger shop and use McDonald’s name and logo, we can only use it if we sell McDonald’s food.
Names are important. Your name identifies you. When people mention your name, they think of you. Think about some famous people, for example, Lee Kwan Yew, or Albert Einsteins, Donald Trump. Their name tells us about who they are and something about them. Your name tells us who you are and something about you.
God’s name stands for God himself and everything about Him. His name is the most important and wonderful name of all because His name stands for all he is, and all he has done, is doing and will do.
God had revealed his name to the people of Israel. He had told them who he is and had shown them his saving power and care, his faithfulness and love. Even though they could not see Him, God was present with them. His name was a treasured gift to them because His name stands for all that God is. He did not want them to mistreat His name in any way.
What kind of attitude should we have toward God’s name, Words and works? The answer is: Holy and reverent. What does Holy mean? Sacred, exalted, worthy of complete devotion, separated.
God Himself is holy, and He requires His people to have a holy and reverent attitude toward Him and His name. Treating His name right means worshiping Him from a trusting and respectful heart. Do you know who this person in the picture is? This is Pope Francis, the leader of Catholic Church. We might disagree with many catholic’s teaching, but what I want to show in this picture is how he prayed. He lay down completely on the floor to show respect and obedience to God. We should not only show respect to God with our posture or action, but also in our heart, thoughts and in every word we say.
God’s name reveals the nature and attributes of God, and also stands for His Word and His mighty works.
When God revealed His name to Moses, He said His name is “I am”. God’s name tells us that God is everlasting, he is always the same, he is faithful to his promises and he is present with us. God’s third commandment also requires the holy and reverent use of God’s Word. God has revealed himself to us in His Word, the Bible. That is where we learn who God is, what he is like and what he has done and is doing.
We honor God by:listening to the reading and preaching of God’s word, by studying God’s word during the week, by asking God to help us understand and believe His word, by asking God to help us do what he commands, by memorizing God’s word and asking God to write it on our hearts.
God also makes Himself known to us by what He has created and what he has given us. These are known as God’s works. We are reverent toward his works when they cause us to worship and praise God. God commands us to honor Him for what He has made. We are to honor Him for caring for His people, giving them what they need and guiding their lives.
What is profaning? Profaning means to use without reverence or respect, and abusing means to mistreat in a hateful or violent way. So God forbids us to treat anything about Him or His works without reverence or respect or in a hateful or violent way.
This story reminds us that God takes very seriously how we use His name. He forbids us to use His name in any way that dishonors Him, and says He will punish those who dishonor Him and refuse to repent. What are some ways we may say God’s name in a way that displease Him?
In the old testament, God shows us that disrespecting God’s name is a very serious sin. Are we careful with what we say? Do we follow our friends’ way? Do we curse and use bad words?
Who are the men in this picture? These are Pharisees, and Jesus does not like them, because they want to look good in front of others, but inside their heart, they are not afraid of God. God does not want us to appear to honor him by pretending to worship Him, when our hearts are really turned away from Him. He is not pleased when we disrespect His Word or take His blessing for granted. We dishonor Him when we are ungrateful for the things that he has made and given to us.
God has promised that those who call on the name of the Lord will be saved. This means that those who respond to God in faith belong to Him, and worship Him alone. We, who call on the name of the Lord, are also called by His name. We are Christians, from the word Christ, and that means we trust in Christ as our savior, believing that God sent Him to save us from our sins. As Christians, we trust and obey God, living in a way that brings honor to His name.
When we interact with friends, sometimes we hear other kids use “OMG”, “Gosh”, or other bad words, and they are proud when using them. They thought that by using those words, they sound cool, or brave. Why do you think in this world there are so many people who use God’s name disrespectfully? It is because this world is under Satan’s influence. The enemy wants us to disobey God. However, as Christians should obey God, and to obey Him requires real courage. Be brave, and do what is right, even though it means we do different things from our friend. Let us pray for our friend who does not honor God’s name, because it means they are under God’s wrath, and they will be punished by God.
In the Lord’s prayer, the opening sentence is “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name”
Everyday, let us remember that we belong to God. We are to live lives that are holy, because our God is holy. We should confess our sins and repent when we don’t use God’s with respect. Not only in our words, whenever we talk to our friends, but also in our mind, and in our actions. Let us ask God the Holy Spirit, to help us to obey him, by honoring His name.
Ayat Hafalan:
Exodus 20:7
You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.