"16 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 17 Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own way and by their doings: their way was before me as the uncleanness of a removed woman. 18 Wherefore I poured my fury upon them for the blood that they had shed upon the land, and for their idols wherewith they had polluted it: 19 And I scattered them among the heathen, and they were dispersed through the countries: according to their way and according to their doings I judged them. 20 And when they entered unto the heathen, whither they went, they profaned my holy name, when they said to them, These are the people of the LORD, and are gone forth out of his land. 21 But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went. 22 Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went. 23 And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their {their: or, your} eyes. 24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. 25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them" (Ezekiel 36:16-27).
This is a prophecy of Israel's future restoration in the Kingdom Age. It refers to a future day when the people of Israel (Jews) will accept Jesus as their Messiah, both nationally and individually. This chapter of Scripture is a prophetic reality upon which the time has finally approached. We stand at the edge of time's door in the fulfillment of the first seven verses of Ezekiel chapter 38 and God's judgment of the Christ rejecting nations of the world in a seven year span of time the Word of God calls the Tribulation. Immediately following those seven years, Jesus Christ will return to earth with His raptured saints of the Church Age to fight the Battle of Armageddon. The outcome of that battle is already recorded in the Word of God: Saints won, World nothing. Then will begin the fulfillment of our text. Ezekiel 36:21-23 tells us how important it is in the plan of God that His Name accurately reflects Who He is. It also reveals the extremes He is willing to go to correct the false image testifying to Who He is because a group of people, who called themselves His children, live in such a way so as to completely distort the character of the Being that His Name reflects. There are many things Christian do, and don't do, that bring reproach on the Name of God. This is what God means when He commands His children not to take His Name in vain. It does not mean to use His Name as a curse word (although no one should do that either). It means a person is not supposed to take God's Name upon himself and then live in such a way as to bring shame to God, or to cause people to have a misconception of Who He is or to hold false beliefs about Him. Therefore, a central purpose of our text is to teach us what it means to bring reproach on the Name of God and what it means to take God's Name in vain.
"Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain" (Exodus 20:7).
When God says His children are not to "take" His Name in vain, He does not mean use. "Take" is from the Hebrew word nasa' (naw-saw') meaning to accept or to carry. To "take" the Name of God is like a wife who takes the name of her husband or as a child takes the name of his father. This is exemplified in Genesis 4:25-26.
"25 And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew. {Seth: Heb. Sheth: that is Appointed, or, Put} 26 And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call {lit., to call themselves by the name of the Lord} upon the name of the LORD" (Genesis 4:25-26).
Anytime a professing believer lives in a way that is contradictory to the Word of God (any sin, any action, and/or any inaction) that might cause someone to get a false impression of God or what Christianity is all about, that person has taken God's Name in vain and perverted the glory of God.
"8 Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient {just what is needed} for me: 9 Lest I be full, and deny thee {belie thee; meaning to give a false idea or misrepresentation}, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain" (Proverbs 30:8-9).
That is why God hates any form of idolatry. Idolatry causes men to form a false image of God and when they think of God or pray to God, they form a mental picture and think about that false image in their minds. A central concern of a spiritually revived Christian is the sanctity of the Name of God. He is not so much concerned about his own testimony and image, but how his testimony and image might give a misrepresentation of Who God is and what He allows. The spiritual Christian is concerned about how he lives, because he is reflecting the image of God through his way of life. The following are a number of major ways in which professing Christians bring reproach on the Name of Christ. When we call ourselves Christians or the "children of God," we take His Name upon us. When we bring reproach upon the Name of God, God's Name needs to be sanctified before the world through us. That means public confession and repentance of the act.
"1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure" (I John 3:1-3).
The first (and most obvious) way a Christian takes God's Name in vain is when he sins.
"9 Whosoever is born{has been born} of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. 10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother" (I John 3:9-10).
Anytime a Christian willfully brings scandal upon the Name of Christ by adultery, fornication, stealing, deceit, worldliness, greed or any such thing, the Name of God needs to be publicly sanctified through genuine repentance and confession. It does not take much for the world to see duplicity between what we say and what we do. When this exists in any form, the Name of God needs to be publicly sanctified. Secondly, a Christian takes God's Name in vain when he fails to love other Christians. In failing to love one another, we bring public reproach on the Name of Christ.
"11 For this is the message{commandment} that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 12 Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous. 13 Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you. 14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. 15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. 16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? 18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. 19 And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him" (I John 3:11-19).
When a professing Christian publicly finds fault with another Christian falsely, criticizes him falsely, gossips, or maligns his character falsely, that person has taken God's Name in vain and brought reproach on the Name of Christ. God's sheep are not carnivorous. When they expose themselves as wolves in sheep's clothing by dissention, strife, and speaking evil of another Christian, they are exposing their need of revival (or regeneration).
"14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another" (Galatians 5:14-15).
A preoccupation with the things of this world (rather then serving the Lord) brings reproach on the Name of Christ and is another way a professing Christian takes God's Name in vain.
"15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever" (I John 2:15-17).
1. People who love God are concerned about holiness. 2. People who have the love of God in them love the things God loves. 3. You cannot be preoccupied with the things of this world without misrepresenting the character of God. 4. The person preoccupied with his own name is the person seeking fame and fortune in this world rather than seeking to invest his life in eternity.
When a Christian brings reproach on the Name of Christ by any one of these things, that person has taken God's Name in vain. That person is responsible for sanctifying God's Name before the world. If you have lived in such a way as to misrepresent what a Christian is or Who God is to someone, you need to go to that person, confess your misrepresentation of God (your sin), tell that person you have repented and ask him to forgive you for what you have done. That is the only way you can correct the misrepresentation of the character of God you have caused by your life. Pride will keep you from doing this if you allow it to. If you really love God and understand why keeping His Name holy before the world is important, you will die to your pride and do what is right. Perhaps (probably) someone's eternal destiny depends upon your correcting your misrepresentation of God's character when you lived in such a way as to take His Name in vain. What really is important to you - your image or God's image?
"O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together" (Psalm 34:3). | 
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