John Hagee - The Sacred Name
Today, "The Sacred Name". Have you ever considered the power of God's name? Do you know the danger of using the sacred name in vain? Consider the rich benefits of keeping the Ten Commandments. It's the blueprint for a great society in America. America has lost its moral compass, and we need a blueprint to save this nation from utter destruction. It's God's road to riches and unspeakable prosperity. It's the highway to happiness for every person and every family. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the source of all knowledge, said, "Think not that I have come to destroy the law". That would be the Ten Commandments. "I have come to fulfill it". Then he said, "Whoever shall do and teach these commandments shall be called great in the Kingdom of God".
How many of you would like to be called great in the Kingdom of God? Then get hard wired to these Ten Commandments. They're very much in the mind of God. Exodus 20:7, read. "For 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". God will not forgive you, in plain language. God takes his name in a very serious fashion. And if you're using it in a profane way, you are in deep spiritual trouble. Let's pray.
Our Father, which art in heaven, let the Holy Spirit, who leads us into all truth, teach us today the truth concerning the sacred name of God Almighty: the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Let us honor his name, lest our soul should be lost forever. In Jesus' name, we pray. And all of God's children said, amen.
You may be seated. The Bible, "Do not take name of the Lord your God in vain, for God will not hold you guiltless," meaning he will not forgive that. If you do it and ask God's forgiveness, then yes. But if you do it and don't ask God's forgiveness, you will stand at the judgment bar of God found lacking. There's another mystery released in this proper translation. The original Hebrew does not say, "Do not take". It says, "Do not carry". What does it mean, "Do not carry or misuse God's name in vain"? It means committed an act of evil in God's name. God will not forgive that. Let me give you three historical illustrations. One, for 1800 years, the Roman Church murdered, robbed, and raped the Jewish people in eight major crusades, as they carried the cross of Christ in one hand and a sword in the other and murdered Jewish people from Europe to Jerusalem, and from Jerusalem back to Europe. They did that in the name of God, and God will not forgive that.
Today, radical Islam tortures, bombs, cuts throats, commits mass murder in the name of God. I refer you to 9/11. That was an illustration. This is doing evil in the name of God, and God will not forgive that. Legalism is making man-made rules to obtain righteousness with God. In God's name, you are making up rules to salvation. Listen to me. Paul calls that a doctrine of demons. Because if you can be saved keeping man-made rules, Jesus Christ died in vain. And when you get that far, you are too far down the road. You cannot be saved keeping man-made rules. And I know some of you are trying very hard, especially if you're watching this telecast. But you are only saved through the blood of Jesus Christ that cleanses you from all sin. Christ is the answer! The name of the Lord is sacred. What's in a name?
Proverbs 22:1 says, "A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches". What do you think about when you hear the name Judas? Traitor. What do you think about when you hear the name Hitler? Murderer. Rockefeller? Wealth. Billy Graham? Integrity, righteousness, an ambassador of Jesus Christ. What's in a name? The name of God is holy. Angels bow at the mention of his majestic name. Demons tremble at the mention of the name of Jesus. Satan flees in terror when the blood and Jesus are mentioned together. Sickness and disease must vanish in the presence of the healing power of that glorious name.
Our God is Almighty. He is all knowing. He is all powerful. He is an awesome God. He is from everlasting to everlasting. He is faithful. There is no shadow of turning in him. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. His name shall be called wonderful, counselor, the mighty God, the Everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace. The name of Rockefeller will open the doors of finance. The name of Einstein will open the doors of science. But the name of God Almighty will open the gates of heaven and close the gates of hell. His name is above every name! Give him praise and glory in the house of God!
What is the sacred name? In Genesis, he is the seed of the woman that will crush the head of the serpent. Don't you ever forget it: Calvary was a commanding victory under the authority of Jesus Christ. In Exodus, he is the Passover lamb. The Passover lamb was the birth of redemption by blood. In Leviticus, he is the high priest, who makes intercession for the saints of God in heaven. In numbers, he is the cloud by day and the fire by night. In the book of Psalms, David introduces him as our high tower, our rock, our shield, our buckler, our deliverer, our shepherd who knows and leads us in paths of righteousness. He is our fortress. He is our ever-present help in the time of trouble. He is the glory and the lifter of our head in the day of trial. In Daniel, he's the fourth man in the fire. When you get in the fire, God doesn't send someone: he shows up himself! Give him praise in the house!
What is the sacred name? In the New Testament, he is the lion of the tribe of Judah. He is called the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. He is the alpha and omega, the first and the last. He is the one who was and is and evermore shall be. He is the sea walker and the blind-man healer. He is the champion from the cross of Calvary. He is the resurrection and the life, rising on the third day just like he said. He is victorious over death, hell, and the grave! He is the chief shepherd. He is the great physician. He's the father to the orphan. He's the husband to the widow. He's the friend that sticketh closer than a brother. He is the bread of life. He is honey that's in the rock. He is meat for men and milk for children. He is the living water that satisfies the thirsty. He is the Lily of the Valley, the Rose of Sharon, the fairest of 10,000. He's the Pearl of great price. He is the light of the world, the lion of Judah, the King of kings, the Lord of lords! Give him praise in the house of God!
Consider the consequences of using God's name in vain. Do you understand that God didn't allow his name to be known to anybody for any reason for thousands of years, because his name is so sacred? The obvious wrong of using God's name with profanity, the last name does not begin with "D". If you're running around using God's name in vain, you are punching a one-way ticket to hell. And that's your future home. If that has been your habit, you need, today, to ask God to forgive you. And pledge it will never happen again, because I assure you, you are damning your own soul. And if your children follow you, you are damning their souls. Those of you, who curse using the name of God, and then say something stupid like, "Well, excuse my French," no, I don't excuse your French. You are talking about my Lord and Savior. You are an offense to me.
The Bible says in Leviticus 24:16, "He that blasphemes the name of the Lord shall be put to death". You say, "Oh, that's the Old Testament: thank God". The Bible says, "I am the Lord and I change not. I change not". If we stoned the people in America tomorrow, who use God's name in vain, there wouldn't be enough graveyards in Texas to bury them. But God is writing down that name in the book of life, and you're not going to get in the gates of heaven. On Judgment Day, the Bible says, "We're going to answer for every word, for every thought, and every deed". And if you've used the Lord's name in vain without asking God to forgive you, hell is your future home. I can't say that any clearer. You will not be forgiven by God himself. If you use God's name in vain without confession and repentance, you're lost.
I don't care if you're the member of the chamber of commerce: you're still lost and without God. "For the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain". Only the guiltless are going to go to heaven. How foolish is profanity? How foolish it is. What good does it do? What does it accomplish? A man had a flat tire and he curses the tire. Is that going to fill it up with air? You get up in the night and you stumble into a chair, and you smash your toe, and words tumble out of your mouth that are not becoming a Christian. Will that stop the pain in your foot? Will it? No. Consider the sacred name of God and the benefits of God's name to every believer. Exodus 6:3, the Bible says, "I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and Jacob as God Almighty. But by my name, I was not known to them".
Think of how much God loved Abraham. But his name was so sacred: he did not let his name be known to him in its totality. So let's consider the names of God. The sacred name is God Almighty, which is El Shaddai. Say that with me. El Shaddai. God is God Almighty. That means he is stronger than the strongest, he is mightier than the mightiest, he is wiser than the wisest, he is higher than the highest, he is greater than the greatest. Listen to the word picture of this. This majestic earth was created with the sun that's 93 million miles away, a sun large enough to hold 1,400,000 worlds like ours. That sun is a ball of fire that throws out flames for 300,000 miles. This is a scientific fact. But here's a Bible fact: that sun is a porch lamp on God's cottage in heaven.
The second name of God, his name is Jehovah Jireh, God our provider. This name was memorialized by Abraham when he was climbing the mountain with his son, Isaac, on mount Moriah. Isaac asked the question, "Where is the lamb"? In the theater of your mind, get this picture. Only Abraham knows they're climbing the mountain to sacrifice Isaac to the Lord. And the boy wants to know a very practical thing, "Where is the lamb"? And Abraham said, "Jehovah Jireh".
Now Jehovah Jireh literally translates God can see. Say that with me. God can see. But it infers that God will provide, meaning there is an exact relationship between vision and provision. If God sees the need, he will meet the need, and God sees everything. Ah, you've got to like that. Ladies and gentlemen of America, we are not defeated. We have not yet shown up on the battlefield. It's time to raise our flag and to salute to king Jesus, who is the author and the finisher of our faith, and let the world know our God is the God of Israel, and he is the God of all hope. Give the Lord praise in the house!
Thirdly, his sacred name is Jehovah Rophe, the Lord our healer, Exodus 15. The fourth name of God is Jehovah Nissi, the Lord our banner, Exodus 17. The banner is a flag. It's a rallying point for advancing powerful, victorious armies. Up until the civil war, every army had a standard Carrier, a flag Carrier. Why? So that the general on the hill could tell if we're still in the fight, if we're going forward and making progress, or if we're losing. They didn't have telephones. They had the flag. The banner is a flag. Raising a banner in the time of war means defiance. It means you have taken a bold stand against the enemy: that you are united with your comrades in arms. It means you love freedom more than slavery.
Church of Jesus Christ, Christ is our banner. He is the one we are rallying around. We rally around his cross. We rally around his gospel. We are the army of the living God. And we are told by saint Paul to "Fight the good fight of faith". Put on the whole armor and show up and defend what you believe! We used to sing, years ago, such violent songs as "Onward Christian soldiers Marching as to war with the cross of Jesus going on before Christ the royal master leads against the foe forward into battle see his banners go". How many of you remember that song? Songs like that terrify the devil. I think some of the songs we sing put him to sleep.
Fifth name, his sacred name is Jehovah M'Kaddesh, the Lord who sanctifies and makes holy. Holiness is a command: it's not an option. 1 Peter 1:16, the Bible says, "Be ye holy as I am holy". Say that with me. "Be ye holy as I am holy". "Without holiness, no man shall see the Lord". Our faith is a holiness faith. Our book is the holy Bible. Our God is the holy God. Our Savior is the holy child, Jesus Christ, acts 4. Our city is the holy city, Jerusalem. Our spirit is the Holy Spirit that's in this room right now. Our song that we sing is "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was and is and evermore shall be". The question is: are the people inside the holy church, reading the holy Bible, talking about a holy God? Are they living in holiness?
America's churches are full but of what? Full of what? If we're going along with the crowd, we are not the missionaries of Jesus Christ. We are pleasers of iniquity. Revelation 3:16, John the revelator writes about the lukewarm church, the Laodicean church. And he, the Holy Spirit, inspires John to write these provocative words, "Because you (church) are neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of my mouth. Be zealous and repent". Ooh. Hello, church in America. We're not here to be conformed to this world. We're here to be transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ! Can I get a witness?
The sixth name is Jehovah Shalom, the Lord our peace. Our world is on the verge of nuclear war. We're experiencing global economic meltdown. National leaders are calling for a global economic czar. They don't know it, but they're about to get it. It's called the antichrist. What in the world is he going to do? He's going to destroy everything that is righteous. Where is the peace of God? Nowhere in the Bible is peace sought as the end and goal of existence. Peace is the consequence of something. Listen. Peace is the consequence of something. The Fruit of the Spirit is peace. Peace is a gift from God.
The Bible says, "My peace I give to you, not as the world gives you, but peace that I have, give I it unto you". You cannot have peace until you have the Prince of Peace into your life. Peace is the fruit of reconciliation. Paul writes, "Being justified by faith, we have peace with God". There can be no peace of mind until there is peace with God. You can't have the peace of God that surpasses understanding and be at war with God. Peace is the fruit of responsibility. When you walk through the fire, God Almighty walks with you, and you walk out without the smell of smoke upon you. Think about that.
His sacred name is Jehovah Tzidkenu, the Lord our righteousness. What is righteousness? It's living by God's standard. I hear people all the time say, "Well, I have my rights". No, you don't. When you become a child of God, you don't have rights: you just have responsibilities. Why? The Bible says, "You are not your own". Let me help you say that. Say that. "You are not your own". "You were bought with a price". When you accept Jesus Christ as Lord, you become his servant, not his advisor. You are sheep. He's the shepherd. You are clay. He is the potter. The Bible clearly says, "The clay does not speak to the potter, saying, 'this is what I want you to do with me'".
You are in the hands of the master potter, being shaped for his purpose. We are servants. He is Lord and master. We are subjects. He is King of kings and he is Lord of lords. Just in case you wake up some morning feeling super righteous, remember the words of Isaiah. "All of your righteousnesses are as filthy rags". Ooh, what a verse that is. God's mercies are renewed every morning. Why? Because the day before, whoosh! We need to get that all cleaned up and straightened up before we start another day. "There is none righteous," the Bible says, "No, not one". The only thing that gives you the blood atonement is the blood of Jesus Christ.
His sacred name is Jehovah Shammah. That translates the Lord is there. God is always there. Have you heard people say, "Where was God when this was happening"? He was right there. Tragically, God has given man free moral agency, and we choose to do stupid things. And that's why we have such a mess most of the time in our society. In the darkest night, God is there. In the valley of the shadow of death, God is there. In your greatest battle, God is there. Ezekiel 48 writes these words, "Jehovah Shammah". Why? The children of Israel had been taken into bondage by the Babylonians. They were now prisoners of war. They'd lost their homes. They'd lost their nations. They were no one. They hung their harps on a willow tree and they refused to sing the songs of Zion.
The Israelites had lost their song. Have you? Have you? Have you looked at what's going on in the world and started saying, "Woe is me"? God's message is start singing a song of victory. Regardless of your situation, God is with you. The Lord of hosts is with you. The King of kings and the Lord of lords is there. Sing a new song. Shout for joy in the darkest night. Paul and Silas did their best singing in the jailhouse after they had been beaten for preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. Don't get discouraged over what you see on fake news! Get your harp off the tree and start singing! Sing for joy! Sing for victory! You have the living God in your life! Act like it! Give him praise in the house of the Lord!
I want you to stand to your feet, and I want you to thank God for giving you victory over every area of your life that needs to experience the divine and supernatural invasion of the name of God.
Father God, we lift our hands towards you to bless you, to praise you, to thank you for your goodness to us. Let God fill this house with his loving presence: that we can know his power and his grace to provide, to protect, and to preserve us. In Jesus' holy name, we pray. Amen.