GBIBLE.ORG PASTOR ROBERT R. MCLAUGHLIN
OAD: 10/18/2017
FULL NOTES: https://gbible.org/daily-message/dispensation-mosaic-law-third-commandment-not-take-name-lord-vain/
“thou shalt not take” should read, “you shall not lift up.”
In the present context, it is used for the lifting up of the voice against God. Hebrew for “in vain” means “for worthlessness or wickedness,” or “for an evil purpose,” & includes false testimony in the name of God in a court of law or in any phase of life. The commandment does not have anything to do with exclamations or swear words, & it covers far more than profanity. It refers to claiming God as one’s witness that what one says is true, when in fact it is not. It is true that the prohibition involves not using the name of God to cover a lie, such as, “May God strike me dead”; or, “God is my witness” but it also goes far beyond that. It also covers the attachment of God’s name to some project or action that someone would like to see undertaken or adopted by claiming that “It is God’s will.” God’s name is rightly & legitimately used in prayer, praise, thanksgiving, love response toward God on the part of a believer, & doctrinal communication. What I want you to focus in on is “being who you are,” “being who God made you to be”…….”an ambassador for Christ”….not in vain. “the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain — it means that the Lord will not acquit or ignore him that takes His name in vain.
Mat 6:33;Rom 8:28;1Co 16:22;Gen 50:20;Deu 25:3;Mat 28:20;Heb 13:5. Doctrine of Ambassadorship. Point 1. Definition & description. an ambassador is a high ranking minister of state or of royalty sent to another state to represent his sovereign or country that he has come from. We are spiritual aristocracy as members of the Royal Family of God, & Christ is the King who has sent us into a foreign country, the cosmic world. At salvation, every believer enters the royal family of God through the baptism of the Holy Spirit, & at the same time he becomes a representative of the Lord Jesus Christ on earth. Each Church-age believer is royal family of God representing the King of kings & Lord of lords during his time on this earth. Two commissions are given the believer at salvation: The royal priesthood, which is a part of the equal privilege of election; & the royal ambassadorship, which is a part of the equal privilege of predestination. Differences of function depends on differences of spiritual gifts, stages of spiritual growth, & how serious the believer takes his calling……however, many do not take it serious enough. There are many avenues of expressing your ambassadorship, such as utilizing the faith rest drill & virtue-love as a problem solving device with emphasis on spiritual self esteem. Point 2. The Profile of the Ambassador. a. An ambassador does not appoint himself. b. The ambassador does not support himself. The Church-age believer, as an ambassador for Christ, is provided for by logistical grace. c. The ambassador’s instructions are always in written form, so he has no doubt as to what he should do. d. The ambassador does not belong to the country to which he is sent. Our citizenship & home is in heaven. We are also citizens of a client nation to God. e. The ambassador does not live in the foreign country for his own personal interest. We live here on earth solely to serve in the interest of our Lord. We subordinate all personal interest to the function of our ambassadorship, which includes the attainment & function of the spiritual skills, filling of the Spirit, cognition of Bible doctrine, & execution of the PPOG. f. (6) The ambassador does not treat any insult to himself as personal or most important. This is the royal ambassador’s function in both spiritual self-esteem & impersonal love for all mankind. g. (7) When an ambassador is recalled, his recall is tantamount to a declaration of war. This is analogous to the Rapture of the church. The Tribulation is analogous to the period of war. Point 3. The Royal Ambassadorship is Specialized & Intensified in the gift of pastor teacher.
One of the responsibilities of the SA or ambassador is a special need for those who communicate doctrine to do so with confidence. With spiritual self-esteem the communicator speaks with confidence no matter what the attitude of his listeners. Point 4. The Royal Ambassadorship is Directly Related to the Evangelism of the believer, 2Co 5:20. We are not to witness through our lifestyle -only-that’s cowardice. I say that to those who say “I don’t say I’m a believer, I live like I am one. Eph 6:19; PSA 81:10; LUK 6:45;MAT 21:16.” Point 5. The Royal Ambassadorship mandates the function of spiritual self esteem & impersonal love, Philemon 9. When your momentum takes you to personal love for God, you now have spiritual self-esteem. With this spiritual self-esteem comes impersonal love for all mankind.
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