100:00:00,360 –> 00:00:04,960You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.200:00:08,440 –> 00:00:11,160And I think at this point some might reasonably have the300:00:11,200 –> 00:00:14,720question, does the Third Commandment really make the cut?400:00:14,760 –> 00:00:18,459I mean, after all swearing may be a significant issue but does500:00:18,480 –> 00:00:22,340it really qualify as one of the 10 greatest struggles of600:00:22,360 –> 00:00:24,160the lives of ordinary folk?700:00:24,180 –> 00:00:27,340Welcome to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith.800:00:27,420 –> 00:00:28,780I’m David Pick.900:00:28,799 –> 00:00:31,520I’m pleased you could be with us today, and Colin you raised a1000:00:31,540 –> 00:00:33,400question that we really need to answer.1100:00:33,419 –> 00:00:36,520When we look at all the problems in the world today,1200:00:36,540 –> 00:00:38,619is this really such a big issue?1300:00:38,660 –> 00:00:43,099Well the answer to that is that God says it is and it is an1400:00:43,119 –> 00:00:45,700issue to him and therefore it should be to us.1500:00:45,740 –> 00:00:48,700And I think that’s at a number of levels.1600:00:48,740 –> 00:00:52,180There’s much more to the Third Commandment than simply the1700:00:52,220 –> 00:00:55,799flippant or light or even blasphemous use of the name of1800:00:55,820 –> 00:00:56,639God.1900:00:57,020 –> 00:00:59,900But you know, I think for everyone who really loves the2000:00:59,919 –> 00:01:04,660Lord, it really is a grievous thing to see more and more that2100:01:04,680 –> 00:01:07,980we’re living in this sort of OMG culture.2200:01:08,000 –> 00:01:12,860Even Christians, so often, seem to be lightly, sliding into2300:01:12,879 –> 00:01:16,519lightly, using the name of the Lord in a way that this is the2400:01:16,540 –> 00:01:20,500Lord that we love and we serve and gave himself for us.2500:01:20,540 –> 00:01:24,260I want to exhort every Christian believer at every opportunity2600:01:24,279 –> 00:01:24,900that I can.2700:01:25,220 –> 00:01:30,519If you mention the name of God at all, only do it in a way that2800:01:30,540 –> 00:01:33,220is with love, and with reverence and with respect.2900:01:33,239 –> 00:01:36,279He is your Lord and your Savior.3000:01:36,300 –> 00:01:39,959And we, his people, ought to speak about him in a way that3100:01:39,980 –> 00:01:44,400honors him at all times and never use his name in a way3200:01:44,419 –> 00:01:47,680that’s flippant, or in a way of merely expressing surprise3300:01:47,699 –> 00:01:49,239or shock or whatever else.3400:01:49,519 –> 00:01:52,959Our culture does that because the vast majority of people3500:01:52,980 –> 00:01:54,500in this culture don’t know him.3600:01:54,680 –> 00:01:55,879We do and we love him.3700:01:56,019 –> 00:01:59,239We do and we should treat his name differently but that’s3800:01:59,260 –> 00:02:02,339just one way that we hear his name used, irreverently.3900:02:02,599 –> 00:02:06,260Yeah quite apart from the irreverent use of the name of4000:02:06,279 –> 00:02:10,119the Lord, there’s the whole world of the presumptuous use.4100:02:10,520 –> 00:02:13,399Now I’m privileged to be a pastor so I get to speak from4200:02:13,419 –> 00:02:16,399a platform and to speak in the Lord’s name.4300:02:16,919 –> 00:02:21,360I had been very careful speaking in his name that I’m4400:02:21,380 –> 00:02:24,339not attributing to his name things that he never said.4500:02:24,539 –> 00:02:26,759And that’s why a preacher is to speak from the Bible.4600:02:26,940 –> 00:02:30,000But there’s a whole world of religion that is making claims4700:02:30,020 –> 00:02:35,139about quote God and truth and so forth that is totally4800:02:35,160 –> 00:02:38,139distant from what God says about himself.4900:02:38,300 –> 00:02:40,720So this goes to the claims of truth.5000:02:40,940 –> 00:02:43,699It goes to the way in which even people in church world5100:02:43,699 –> 00:02:45,800say, well, the Lord told me this really?5200:02:45,899 –> 00:02:46,619Really?5300:02:46,639 –> 00:02:50,119That’s a pretty big claim and you’re going to be careful5400:02:50,139 –> 00:02:54,039about the way in which you claim the endorsement of God5500:02:54,240 –> 00:02:56,800for something that might just be your own idea.5600:02:57,020 –> 00:02:59,539So this is all in the world of the Third Commandment,5700:02:59,539 –> 00:03:03,279you shall not misuse the name of you, the Lord your God.5800:03:03,460 –> 00:03:06,279It evidently isn’t important to many people here.5900:03:06,940 –> 00:03:10,080But it evidently is very important to God himself.6000:03:10,119 –> 00:03:12,059And that means to anyone who really loves him and6100:03:12,059 –> 00:03:13,059wants to follow Christ.6200:03:13,119 –> 00:03:14,199It should matter to us.6300:03:14,240 –> 00:03:14,800We should.6400:03:14,820 –> 00:03:18,759And today we’re in Exodus chapter 20, verse seven.6500:03:18,899 –> 00:03:22,000As we begin the message, your struggle with religion.6600:03:22,419 –> 00:03:23,240Here’s Colin.6700:03:23,460 –> 00:03:27,800You shall not misuse the name of the Lord, your God.6800:03:29,300 –> 00:03:36,160For the Lord will not hold guiltless anyone who misuses6900:03:36,839 –> 00:03:37,520his name.7000:03:40,000 –> 00:03:42,339Now, the first thing that comes to mind, I guess, when we hear7100:03:42,360 –> 00:03:43,759the Third Commandment7200:03:43,800 –> 00:03:46,520is swearing.7300:03:47,199 –> 00:03:52,059Abusing God’s name by using it as an expletive.7400:03:53,039 –> 00:03:55,759And that’s appropriate because, of course, the way in which we7500:03:55,759 –> 00:03:59,500use a person’s name says a great deal about what we think7600:03:59,559 –> 00:04:00,380of them.7700:04:00,979 –> 00:04:04,419And the way in which God’s name is used in our society, or the7800:04:04,440 –> 00:04:08,300name of Jesus is used in our society says a great deal about7900:04:08,300 –> 00:04:11,960the way in which he is regarded in our culture.8000:04:12,800 –> 00:04:15,839I have to say, this came to me, it awened me freshly this8100:04:15,839 –> 00:04:21,820week when I looked up the name Jesus in my concise8200:04:21,899 –> 00:04:24,220Oxford English Dictionary.8300:04:25,299 –> 00:04:27,899Two definitions of the name Jesus are given.8400:04:28,459 –> 00:04:31,040And I want you to notice the order in which they occur.8500:04:31,040 –> 00:04:34,640They’re on the screen exactly as printed in my edition of the8600:04:35,859 –> 00:04:37,720Concise Oxford English Dictionary.8700:04:38,260 –> 00:04:41,839The dictionary tells us that the name Jesus is a vulgarity.8800:04:42,420 –> 00:04:48,119It is an exclamation expressing surprise, impatience, etc.8900:04:48,959 –> 00:04:53,779That, according to the Oxford English Dictionary is its most common use.9000:04:54,160 –> 00:04:55,679That’s what they’re defining, you see.9100:04:56,799 –> 00:05:00,519But the name Jesus, they say, can also be used to refer to the founder of9200:05:00,519 –> 00:05:05,679Christianity, who they state died around the year AD 30.9300:05:08,119 –> 00:05:11,059Now, it shouldn’t surprise us that those who do not know the Lord9400:05:11,500 –> 00:05:14,579use the name of God as an expletive.9500:05:15,540 –> 00:05:19,200But the reality is, sadly, that too often, the same pattern9600:05:19,200 –> 00:05:24,119of speech is sometimes found amongst those who know him and love him too.9700:05:24,779 –> 00:05:27,880And very practically right at the beginning here, I want to say a word9800:05:27,899 –> 00:05:34,019particularly to those of us in middle school and those of us in high school.9900:05:35,480 –> 00:05:40,839Just listen this week to how often the name of God is used at school.10000:05:41,920 –> 00:05:43,839You are surrounded by the use of it.10100:05:43,839 –> 00:05:48,019You will find it almost every minute and when your ear gets tuned to the way in which10200:05:48,019 –> 00:05:53,399God’s name is used at school, you will be absolutely astonished by it.10300:05:54,559 –> 00:05:58,480You are surrounded by the abuse of God’s name.10400:05:59,660 –> 00:06:03,859And I want to give you this challenge, particularly those in middle school10500:06:03,859 –> 00:06:06,640which is where this habit often starts.10600:06:07,579 –> 00:06:09,619Don’t copy that habit.10700:06:10,440 –> 00:06:16,459It’s natural for people who do not know the Lord but it’s not for you.10800:06:17,459 –> 00:06:19,700And if you’ve got into the habit already of saying10900:06:19,700 –> 00:06:25,700oh my God or saying good God or oh God or whatever every time you are surprised,11000:06:25,700 –> 00:06:33,779then ask the Lord specifically to give you His help to overcome that habit.11100:06:33,779 –> 00:06:35,920And let me give you the suggestion,11200:06:35,920 –> 00:06:41,140ask someone else to hold you accountable on it too.11300:06:41,140 –> 00:06:46,140Christian people of whatever age, do not belong to this world.11400:06:46,140 –> 00:06:48,540We are God’s people.11500:06:48,540 –> 00:06:53,679We bear the name of Jesus Christ and therefore he calls us to speak about Him11600:06:53,679 –> 00:06:56,720in a way that honors His name.11700:06:56,720 –> 00:07:01,100You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.11800:07:01,100 –> 00:07:03,299Third Commandment.11900:07:03,700 –> 00:07:07,760Now the central theme of our series as you know is that the Ten Commandments12000:07:07,760 –> 00:07:12,600describe the ten primary struggles of our lives.12100:07:12,600 –> 00:07:15,920And I think at this point some might reasonably have the question,12200:07:15,920 –> 00:07:18,880does the Third Commandment really make the cut?12300:07:18,880 –> 00:07:23,019I mean, after all, swearing may be a significant issue, but does it really12400:07:23,019 –> 00:07:29,119qualify as one of the 10 greatest struggles of the lives of ordinary folk?12500:07:29,119 –> 00:07:32,920Well, I want us to see this morning that The Third Commandment is about12600:07:32,920 –> 00:07:35,920much, much more than swearing.12700:07:35,920 –> 00:07:40,519I think, by the time that we’re done, you will agree with me that this12800:07:40,519 –> 00:07:45,959Third Commandment describes accurately one of the greatest struggles in which12900:07:45,959 –> 00:07:51,380all of us are engaged, one in which we desperately need to call on the help13000:07:51,380 –> 00:07:56,720of Jesus Christ, our Savior and our Lord.13100:07:56,760 –> 00:08:01,299Now, our advertising and marketing culture has got us used to the idea of13200:08:01,299 –> 00:08:04,100endorsements. They’re all over the place.13300:08:04,100 –> 00:08:10,920Big names get connected with major products, and the synergy of these two13400:08:10,920 –> 00:08:13,980things leads to very effective sales.13500:08:14,500 –> 00:08:22,739Advertisers use names, because big names cause many people to sit up and take13600:08:22,880 –> 00:08:23,399notice.13700:08:23,399 –> 00:08:28,040If you can get your product linked to a big name, then you are on your way to13800:08:28,040 –> 00:08:29,380success.13900:08:30,519 –> 00:08:33,820Now, there is obviously no bigger name in the whole of the universe than the name14000:08:33,820 –> 00:08:37,799of Almighty God, and so it is not surprising that throughout history there14100:08:37,799 –> 00:08:42,059has been this pattern of many, many people in groups trying to attach the name of14200:08:42,059 –> 00:08:47,799God to their particular cause, to claim the endorsement of God for what they want14300:08:48,119 –> 00:08:54,380to do, and I’m suggesting to you today that right now that is one of our world’s14400:08:54,380 –> 00:08:56,419biggest struggles.14500:08:58,440 –> 00:08:59,539Think about it.14600:09:00,419 –> 00:09:07,840We live in the generation where we have seen people who will fly planes into tall14700:09:07,840 –> 00:09:11,940buildings claiming that they do it in the name of God.14800:09:12,500 –> 00:09:20,059We have seen a young woman who has strapped Cemtex to her own body, went14900:09:20,059 –> 00:09:26,700into a crowded area to take her own life with the intent of taking as many other15000:09:26,700 –> 00:09:33,219lives as she possibly could with her and doing so in the name of God.15100:09:35,700 –> 00:09:40,380And it’s easy to point to Muslim extremists today, but you only15200:09:40,380 –> 00:09:44,380have to read the tragedies of Christian history to realise that the problem15300:09:44,380 –> 00:09:52,260comes much closer to home. Painfully so. Western history is littered with acts of15400:09:52,260 –> 00:09:57,020violence that were done in the name of God. Perhaps the most notorious of course15500:09:57,020 –> 00:10:02,299were the Crusades. Where thousands of Muslims were slaughtered by Europeans15600:10:02,299 –> 00:10:09,219who fought under the banner bearing the emblem of the cross.15700:10:09,460 –> 00:10:12,859So it’s hardly surprising that increasingly in our generation many15800:10:12,859 –> 00:10:16,960people have noted some of the most appalling acts of violence in the15900:10:16,960 –> 00:10:20,080history of the world have been connected with the name of God and16000:10:20,080 –> 00:10:25,419therefore have decided that this name is of no use to society.16100:10:25,419 –> 00:10:29,760So I’m suggesting to you that the issue of the misuse of God’s name16200:10:29,760 –> 00:10:33,099is one of the most urgent issues that lies behind all that is being discussed16300:10:33,099 –> 00:10:36,099in the United Nations.16400:10:36,479 –> 00:10:39,440First we need to open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith and a message called16500:10:39,440 –> 00:10:44,260Your Struggle with Religion, part of our series The 10 Greatest Struggles of Your Life16600:10:44,260 –> 00:10:48,140all about the Ten Commandments in their relevance to us today.16700:10:48,140 –> 00:10:52,780If you’d missed any of the series, you can always catch up or go back and16800:10:52,780 –> 00:10:58,599listen again online at our website openthebible.org.uk or by going to16900:10:58,599 –> 00:11:02,599your favourite podcast site and searching for Open the Bible UK17000:11:02,599 –> 00:11:05,340there you’ll find all Pastor Colin’s messages.17100:11:05,359 –> 00:11:08,880Back to the message now, we’re in Exodus 20. Here’s Colin.17200:11:09,159 –> 00:11:13,840I’m suggesting to you that the issue of the misuse of God’s name is one of the17300:11:13,840 –> 00:11:18,020most urgent issues that lies behind all that is being discussed in the United Nations.17400:11:20,119 –> 00:11:24,760Secondly, it’s a personal struggle for some of us who are seeking to find17500:11:24,760 –> 00:11:29,200something beyond ourselves but are spiritually confused.17600:11:30,559 –> 00:11:35,280We become confused because of conflicting claims. The name of God is obviously used17700:11:35,719 –> 00:11:40,640and attached to claims that are clearly incompatible.17800:11:41,159 –> 00:11:45,719And when people hear so many different claims being made in the name of God,17900:11:45,719 –> 00:11:49,679the reaction understandably of many folks is to say, well with all these competing18000:11:49,679 –> 00:11:54,320claims, who knows the truth and maybe there’s no possibility of knowing the truth at all.18100:11:55,719 –> 00:11:58,059In the film, Vertical Limit,18200:11:58,640 –> 00:12:02,479it’s a story of a group of climbers who go up K2.18300:12:03,440 –> 00:12:07,520And they do so in order to rescue 3 folks who have been caught in an Avalanche.18400:12:08,219 –> 00:12:11,940They put their own lives in danger, in this hazardous climb.18500:12:12,460 –> 00:12:17,280And at one point after a near-death experience, 2 of the climbers who are together18600:12:17,280 –> 00:12:19,700take a short break, one of them is a Muslim.18700:12:19,700 –> 00:12:22,419And he takes out of his pack a little prayer mat.18800:12:22,419 –> 00:12:24,559And kneels down and begins to pray.18900:12:24,940 –> 00:12:27,940His colleague is completely secular,19000:12:28,280 –> 00:12:31,320has no religious faith whatsoever.19100:12:32,299 –> 00:12:36,559And seeing his friend pray, he is provoked to ask a question.19200:12:38,700 –> 00:12:42,000« Do Muslims believe in Hell, Karim? », he says.19300:12:44,039 –> 00:12:45,919And when he finds out that they do,19400:12:47,559 –> 00:12:51,539he looks in despair towards his colleague and he says « you’re all the same, you lot ».19500:12:53,380 –> 00:12:58,440« The born again ones say I’ll go to Hell if I don’t believe in Jesus. »19600:12:59,200 –> 00:13:01,820The Jews say « I’ll go to hell if I do believe in Jesus ».19700:13:03,000 –> 00:13:06,119Catholics say « I’ll go to hell if I don’t believe in the Pope ».19800:13:06,119 –> 00:13:07,659And he holds up his hands in horror.19900:13:08,520 –> 00:13:09,780Anyway, he’s lost.20000:13:11,559 –> 00:13:17,859And you see in a world of conflicting claims that all use the name of God20100:13:17,880 –> 00:13:19,739there are a growing number of people20200:13:20,619 –> 00:13:24,280who look at this situation and say « well, they can’t all be right, so maybe none of20300:13:24,280 –> 00:13:26,859them are right, so I’ll just do what feels right to me ».20400:13:28,760 –> 00:13:30,479That of course was Pilate’s problem.20500:13:30,500 –> 00:13:35,280On one hand, he’s got these Jewish leaders who were saying that Jesus is guilty of blasphemy20600:13:35,280 –> 00:13:36,400and ought to be put to death.20700:13:36,679 –> 00:13:40,239And on the other side, he’s got Jesus saying « I am the son of God »20800:13:42,380 –> 00:13:46,919And Pilate of course, is a secular Roman politician.20900:13:46,940 –> 00:13:50,520And he shrugs his shoulders and says « what is truth ? ».21000:13:54,359 –> 00:13:57,239And that may be precisely where some of us are this morning.21100:13:57,239 –> 00:14:02,400You’re here because you are seeking something greater than yourself, but you’re not sure21200:14:02,400 –> 00:14:03,539what it is.21300:14:04,000 –> 00:14:10,299And you’re confused by so many different claims you wondered if it would ever be possible21400:14:10,299 –> 00:14:11,700to know.21500:14:14,780 –> 00:14:19,059So this struggle is not just an international issue, it’s a deeply personal issue it’s21600:14:19,059 –> 00:14:20,640also an issue within the church.21700:14:20,640 –> 00:14:22,299It’s a family issue21800:14:23,219 –> 00:14:28,840because we are confronted even in Church world with so many empty claims that misuse the21900:14:28,859 –> 00:14:29,859name of God.22000:14:29,960 –> 00:14:35,179When you think of the trouble that has been done to Christian ministry through folks who22100:14:35,179 –> 00:14:43,460bare the name of God and have acted in a scandalous way, pedophile priests who have caused such22200:14:43,700 –> 00:14:46,320injury while bearing the name of God.22300:14:48,940 –> 00:14:57,059Evangelists with financial scandals, bringing so much dishonour to the name of Christ.22400:14:59,419 –> 00:15:04,260Think about the way in which the name of God is so often attached in Church world to empty22500:15:04,260 –> 00:15:09,380promises of health and of wealth and of everything that appeals to the selfishness of our fallen22600:15:09,500 –> 00:15:14,380nature, with the result that some younger people, in fact a growing number of younger22700:15:14,380 –> 00:15:22,820people, have come to the conclusion that Christianity is simply too selfish to be true, because22800:15:22,820 –> 00:15:26,099that’s what they see.22900:15:26,099 –> 00:15:29,520And then you’ve got the whole issue of the presumptuous use, perhaps one of the greatest23000:15:29,520 –> 00:15:35,539dangers within parts of the evangelical church, the presumptuous use of God’s name.23100:15:35,539 –> 00:15:43,260You know, the Lord’s told me, or the Lord’s told you.23200:15:43,260 –> 00:15:46,280What does that mean?23300:15:46,280 –> 00:15:51,460Presumably that you have a direct hotline to God, so direct that the almighty personally23400:15:51,460 –> 00:15:55,440directs you in such a way that beyond all shadow of doubt, you know the mind of God23500:15:55,440 –> 00:15:59,500in a particular matter without any need for testing, without any need for the broader23600:15:59,500 –> 00:16:04,820reference of the family of God, without any place for listening to other believers.23700:16:04,820 –> 00:16:09,359That is to claim a level of authority that God has never given to a human being, and23800:16:09,359 –> 00:16:16,239it causes many to blaspheme the name of God.23900:16:16,239 –> 00:16:27,200Because it comes across as a kind of an arrogance, which is exactly what it is.24000:16:27,200 –> 00:16:31,700The presumptuous use of God’s name, claiming the name of God for what can often turn out24100:16:31,799 –> 00:16:42,719to be my pet project, can turn out to be the worst sort of spiritual blackmail.24200:16:42,719 –> 00:16:48,719And it happens too often within church world.24300:16:48,719 –> 00:16:54,159So this is a serious issue for all of us.24400:16:54,159 –> 00:16:59,619And if you’re really struggling with it, the way in which people use the name of God,24500:16:59,619 –> 00:17:07,300to become a stumbling block to you, then I want you to know today that it is a great24600:17:07,300 –> 00:17:11,380offense to God, as well.24700:17:11,380 –> 00:17:17,579God takes this sin personally, it is uniquely personal to Him.24800:17:17,579 –> 00:17:18,900You would, of course, do the same.24900:17:18,900 –> 00:17:24,859How would you feel if someone used your name to justify acts of violence or empty promises25000:17:25,000 –> 00:17:31,900or used it in a frivolous kind of way for all kinds of stupidity?25100:17:31,900 –> 00:17:35,640Of course, it shouldn’t surprise us that God’s name is misused so much, always has been and25200:17:35,640 –> 00:17:37,420always will be.25300:17:37,420 –> 00:17:42,920Anything that is of value will be counterfeited.25400:17:42,920 –> 00:17:48,219And everything of great value will be counterfeited.25500:17:48,219 –> 00:17:52,260This was an insight actually that helped C. S. Lewis on his journey to faith.25600:17:52,300 –> 00:17:58,619He saw at one point in that journey that perhaps the very existence of all these different25700:17:58,619 –> 00:18:04,140religious stories came from the fact that there was one story that was actually true.25800:18:04,140 –> 00:18:09,760And once he saw that, he was well on his way to faith.25900:18:09,760 –> 00:18:13,020God speaks about this in Jeremiah chapter 14 and verse 14.26000:18:13,020 –> 00:18:16,300He talks about prophets who prophesy lies in my name.26100:18:16,300 –> 00:18:20,780They get up, they use the name of God, these false prophets.26200:18:21,060 –> 00:18:24,660But all they’re doing is they’re spouting their own ideas.26300:18:24,660 –> 00:18:27,780And it’s an offense to me, says the Lord.26400:18:27,780 –> 00:18:31,459Jesus speaks about this most powerfully, of course, in the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew26500:18:31,459 –> 00:18:32,760chapter seven.26600:18:32,760 –> 00:18:37,520Not everybody, he says, who says, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven.26700:18:37,520 –> 00:18:41,020Not everyone who uses my name is going to be in heaven.26800:18:41,020 –> 00:18:44,079But only him who does the will of the father who sent me.26900:18:44,079 –> 00:18:48,400There will be religious kind of people who’ve made all sorts of claims but have been abusing27000:18:48,400 –> 00:18:50,439the name of Jesus for their own ends.27100:18:50,520 –> 00:18:54,760You don’t expect to see them in heaven, says Jesus.27200:18:54,760 –> 00:19:06,119Those who use God’s name for their own ends end up disowned by the God whose name they misused.27300:19:07,079 –> 00:19:11,599Now, perhaps the best way to think about this and for us to get a handle on this is for27400:19:11,619 –> 00:19:16,920us to think about the way in which a franchise works.27500:19:17,020 –> 00:19:24,040A franchise of course means that you are given the right to use a name that will bring great27600:19:24,040 –> 00:19:30,459benefits to you, but the condition is that you appropriately represent the company whose27700:19:30,459 –> 00:19:31,900name you bear.27800:19:31,900 –> 00:19:34,000So let’s take a specific example.27900:19:35,079 –> 00:19:38,739Let’s take the example of McDonald’s.28000:19:38,739 –> 00:19:46,060Now I want you to imagine that I open a McDonald’s restaurant in Arlington Heights.28100:19:46,420 –> 00:19:49,760I sometimes thought that would be a fun thing to do, to have your own McDonald’s.28200:19:49,760 –> 00:19:56,540I get the franchise, get the big red and yellow sign, it’s up there and we’re in business.28300:19:56,540 –> 00:20:00,300My McDonald’s restaurant is open.28400:20:00,300 –> 00:20:04,260But then, after a few weeks it occurs to me.28500:20:04,260 –> 00:20:07,020MacDonald’s.28600:20:07,579 –> 00:20:10,079MacDonald’s.28700:20:10,079 –> 00:20:13,319That’s a wonderful Scottish name.28800:20:13,859 –> 00:20:19,119But, this isn’t a very Scottish menu.28900:20:19,119 –> 00:20:28,800So, instead of serving Big Macs I’m going to do a Haggis Burger.29000:20:28,800 –> 00:20:35,619And instead of their breakfast menu I’m going to do oatmeal and instead of coffee we’re29100:20:35,619 –> 00:20:40,020going to have large mugs of hot tea.29200:20:40,520 –> 00:20:45,699Now, it’s very possible that I could actually do a very good trade with my own personal29300:20:45,699 –> 00:20:47,900brand of McDonald’s, don’t you think?29400:20:47,900 –> 00:20:52,280Well, maybe not but let’s leave that to one side.29500:20:52,280 –> 00:20:55,099The point is, what’s going to happen?29600:20:55,099 –> 00:21:04,400Well, at some point, Mr. McDonald himself, whoever that is, is going to hear about this.29700:21:04,400 –> 00:21:09,079And when he does he’s going to send one of his people down to my restaurant and they’re29800:21:09,079 –> 00:21:19,739going to say something like this, if you carry our name, you serve our menu, right?29900:21:19,739 –> 00:21:27,939And if you don’t serve our menu, we’re going to remove our name from your restaurant.30000:21:27,939 –> 00:21:34,479And more than that, because you’ve abused our name, we’re going to prosecute you to30100:21:34,479 –> 00:21:38,839the full extent of the law.30200:21:38,839 –> 00:21:41,280Nobody would be surprised by this, would they?30300:21:41,280 –> 00:21:47,579You can’t misuse the name of McDonald’s to do your own thing, and you can’t misuse the30400:21:47,579 –> 00:21:49,859name of God like that either!30500:21:49,859 –> 00:21:53,219That’s the point of a Third Commandment.30600:21:53,219 –> 00:21:58,760You’ve been listening to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith and a message called Your30700:21:58,760 –> 00:22:00,920Struggle with Religion.30800:22:00,920 –> 00:22:06,239It’s part of our series The 10 Greatest Struggles of Your Life, and that’s all about the Ten30900:22:06,239 –> 00:22:10,000commandments and the relevance they have for us today.31000:22:10,000 –> 00:22:14,920If you’ve missed any of the series, you can always go back and listen again, or catch31100:22:14,920 –> 00:22:22,000up at openthebible.org.uk, or by searching out your favourite podcast site and searching31200:22:22,000 –> 00:22:27,459for Open the Bible UK, and subscribe if you want to receive regular updates.31300:22:27,459 –> 00:22:33,000Also on our website and available as a podcast is Open the Bible Daily and that’s a series31400:22:33,000 –> 00:22:38,380of short 2 to 3 minute daily reflections based on Pastor Colin’s teaching and read31500:22:38,380 –> 00:22:41,000in the UK by Sue MacLeish.31600:22:41,000 –> 00:22:46,339Open the Bible is supported entirely by our listeners and if you already give to support31700:22:46,339 –> 00:22:49,760Open the Bible, we want to say a huge thank you!31800:22:49,760 –> 00:22:54,040If it’s something you’ve been considering doing, if you’re able to begin a new direct31900:22:54,040 –> 00:23:00,219debit to the Work of Open the Bible this month in the amount of £5 per month or more, or32000:23:00,459 –> 00:23:05,680every single one-off gift of £50 or more, we’d love to thank you sending a copy of Pastor32100:23:05,680 –> 00:23:09,219Colin Smith’s new book, Drive Through the Bible.32200:23:09,219 –> 00:23:11,599Colin who did you write this book for?32300:23:11,599 –> 00:23:13,459Where do you begin?32400:23:13,459 –> 00:23:18,040And so people pick up bits and pieces and a story from here, a story from there.32500:23:18,040 –> 00:23:22,599But sometimes even after years in the Christian life people don’t feel like they have a grasp32600:23:22,599 –> 00:23:27,500of the whole and then of course every year, praise God, there are people coming new to32700:23:28,040 –> 00:23:30,680And this is an entirely new book for them.32800:23:33,319 –> 00:23:39,319Well, Drive Through the Bible really is a marvellous place to begin to get the whole32900:23:39,319 –> 00:23:44,260story, the big picture of what the Bible is really all about.33000:23:44,260 –> 00:23:48,000And I just love saying that the whole Bible is one story.33100:23:48,000 –> 00:23:51,479It begins in a garden, ends in a city and all the way through it’s about the Lord Jesus33200:23:51,479 –> 00:23:52,479Christ.33300:23:52,479 –> 00:23:56,280Drive Through the Bible will take you through the story so that you feel that you have a33400:23:57,260 –> 00:24:03,920Bible is all about and why Jesus Christ is the centre, who He is and what He has accomplished33500:24:03,920 –> 00:24:06,640and what He’s able to do in our lives today.33600:24:06,640 –> 00:24:09,800So this is not simply a sort of learning exercise.33700:24:09,800 –> 00:24:14,099This is an introduction to the Lord Jesus Christ, all the way through Scripture.33800:24:14,099 –> 00:24:17,880And I think whether someone’s been a Christian for a long time or whether someone is new33900:24:17,880 –> 00:24:23,000to the Scriptures and just wants to get a handle on what the Bible’s all about, Drive34000:24:23,000 –> 00:24:25,099Through the Bible is going to be a place to begin.34100:24:25,260 –> 00:24:27,500And I hope it will be a blessing to many people.34200:24:27,500 –> 00:24:32,280Well, we’d love to send you a copy of Pastor Colin’s new book Drive Through the Bible along34300:24:32,300 –> 00:24:36,959with a lovely Open the Bible tote bag, pen and bookmark.34400:24:36,959 –> 00:24:41,859If you were able to begin a new direct debit to the work of Open the Bible this month in34500:24:41,859 –> 00:24:44,479the amount of five pounds per month or more34600:24:44,479 –> 00:24:47,520or a one-off gift of 50 pounds or more.34700:24:47,520 –> 00:24:55,420With all terms and conditions and to give on-line come to our website openthebible.org.uk34800:24:55,420 –> 00:25:00,060For Open the Bible and Pastor Colin Smith, I’m David Pick, and I hope you’ll be able34900:25:00,060 –> 00:25:03,920to join us next time on Open the Bible.35000:25:09,359 –> 00:25:12,060According to the Oxford English Dictionary the35100:25:12,060 –> 00:25:19,079most common use for the word Jesus is as a swear word or exclamation. Find out God’s35200:25:19,079 –> 00:25:21,760answer to that next time on Open the Bible.