IDEA: Covetousness can lie behind taking the name of God in an empty way. TEXT: "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. . . . You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his maleservant, nor his femaleservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's. (Exodus 20:7, 17)

PURPOSE: To help listeners examine the motives behind the promises before you believe the promises.

Do you think there are many people in our society who want to cheat other people?

Have you ever been cheated by someone with whom you have done business?

I. People who cheat other people often do so by making promises that they know are lies.

Why do you think one human being would deliberately want to cheat and defraud other human beings? To ask the question seems incredibly naive.

How do people go about cheating? They make promises they don't intend to keep.

II. How do the Old and New Testaments apply the taking of God's name in vain?

It often has to do with cheating other people.

Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:33-37 talks about situations in which people learn to swear, yet don't have to keep their promise because of loopholes and technicalities. Obviously the purpose was to cheat other people.

One of the things that lies behind swearing in God's name is covetousness.

III. How does covetousness drive Christians to break the third commandment today?

People on TV promise you in the name of God riches, health, happiness if you send in money to them. Yet they know that not all the people who send in money get what they were promised.

Wherever money is involved in a church context, there is always the danger that people's deepest desire is not to serve God but the get your money.