John Hagee - The Worst Sin You Can Commit
Is there such a thing as a worst sin? People often say, "Sin is sin". Not really. Someone who steals a stapler from the church office is committing a sin, but it's not as bad as someone who commits murder. So, there are degrees of sin. Fact. Some sin are worse than others. The Ten Commandments declares that the worst sin is using God's name in vain, and you hear it so common some of you may do it. The Bible said, "Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain for the Lord will not hold him guiltless". Meaning God will not forgive whoever takes his name in vain. There's another mystery released in the proper translation. The original Hebrew does not say, "Do not take," it says, "Do not carry".
So, what does it mean? It means do not misuse God's name in vain. It means committing evil in God's name. It means hurting other people in God's name. It means manipulating other people in God's name. Let me give you some historical and biblical illustrations from history. For hundreds of years, the crusaders, in the middle ages, murdered, raped, and robbed the Jewish people carrying a cross and a spear. In those eight major crusades, millions of Jews we murdered under the name of God's will. This is committing evil in the name of God, for which there is no forgiveness. Period. Cursing God, using his name in profanity is a one-way ticket to the gates of hell. And if you do so, stop immediately and ask God's forgiveness for it or you, most assuredly, will never see the gates of heaven.
Listen to this. This is pretending a special relationship to God for personal gain. That means, let me say it this way. If a pastor, a minister gets up in the pulpit and says, "We're raising a million dollars for the sanctuary of hope," and that million dollars comes in, but he keeps $10,000 of it, that, my friend, is manipulating God's name for your benefit, and that is an ungodly thing to do. That is an ungodly thing to do. 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". A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches.
What do you think about when you hear the name of Judas? Traitor. When you hear the name Hitler? Murderer. He was responsible for killing six million Jewish people, but he caused the death of 40 million more. What do you think about when you hear the name Rockefeller? Power, wealth, influence. When you hear the name Beethoven? Musical genius. When you hear the name Billy Graham? Integrity, a righteous ambassador of Jesus Christ. Our God is Almighty, he's all knowing, he's all powerful. He is an awesome God. Our God, the God of this Bible is an everlasting God. 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, councilor, 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. The name of Michelangelo will open the doors of art. But the name of God Almighty will open the gates of heaven and close the gates of hell. His name is above every name. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Give him praise in the house. Follow the golden thread of Jesus Christ and his names through the sacred scripture. In Genesis, he is the seed of the woman that would crush the head of the serpent at Calvary. I'm here to announce that the battle of Calvary was an absolute victory over death, hell, and the grave because of Jesus Christ.
In Exodus, he is the Passover lamb by whose blood we are redeemed. In Leviticus, he is our 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 Psalms, he is our rock, he is our high tower, he is our shield and our buckler. He is the shepherd who guides and provides. He is our blessed hope, he is our fortress, he is our ever-present help in the time of trouble. He is the glory and the lifter of my head. In Daniel, he is the fourth man in the fire. When you get in the fire, God does not send someone, he shows up himself. What is his sacred name?
In the New Testament, his name is Jesus. He is the lion of the tribe of Judah. In that word, "Judah," Jesus Christ forever identifies himself with the Jewish people. Don't ever forget, Jesus is a Jewish person. He's coming back as a Jewish rabbi. If there's something in you that does not like Jews, that's an evil spirit. You're an antisemite and need to get your head straight.
Jesus Christ is coming back to be the King of kings and Lord of lords that lives in Jerusalem. He is the lion of the tribe of Judah. He is the Prince of Peace. He is the King of kings. He is the alpha and the omega, the first and the last. He is the one who was, the one who is, and the one who shall ever be. He is the sea walker and the blind man healer. He's the champion of Calvary that crushed the head of the serpent at the cross. He is the resurrection and the life. 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 in the rock. He is meat for man. He is milk for children. He is the living water that satisfies the thirsty. He is the Lily of the Valley, the fairest of ten thousand, the Rose of Sharon, the bright and the morning star. He is the Pearl of great price. He is the Lamb of God. He is the light of the world. He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. That's who he is. Give him praise and glory in the house.
Consider the consequences of using that sacred name in vain. The obvious wrong use of God's name is profanity. God's last name does not begin with "D". I assure you, it's a one-way ticket to the gates of hell. And if that's all you can see in the Lord Jesus Christ, you richly deserve it. You are using God's name to destroy someone. Stop it. Someone asked me the other day, "Why do you preach like you preach"? I said, "Because someday I'm going to have to answer to God for everything I said".
And I make sure that it's right with the Lord and his word, and then I can say it as fiercely as I so choose because the truth is the truth. You are using God's name to destroy someone, stop it. Those of you who curse using that name of God and then say something stupid like, "Excuse my French," you are bringing the judgement of God on yourself. He will not hold you guiltless, period. Leviticus 24, "He that blasphemes the name of the Lord shall be put to death". Meaning, in ancient Israel, in the Old Testament, they had a rock concert in your honor. They stoned you to death... that day.
If we stoned the people in America tomorrow who use God's name in vain, there wouldn't be enough graveyards in America to bury them. But be assured that God is writing down every thought and every word you speak. That's the Bible. On Judgment Day, we will answer for every word, every thought, and every deed. God says he knows our thoughts before we think them. If you use God's name in vain in a way that brings harm to another person, your toxic tongue will bring poison to your life. I'm gonna give you an illustration so you can understand that.
If someone comes to you, it may be a Christian, and said, "I have a word from God for you". And they give you that word, and it's condemning, or critical, or harsh, they are using God's name in vain. They are hurting you with God's name and God will hold them very, very accountable for what they've said. Be very cautious about people running up to you and saying, "I have a word from God," and it criticizes you. Don't let someone use God's name to put you down. The God of heaven wants to lift you up, he wants to give you a song, he wants to give you the victory.
Think about this. How foolish is profanity? What good does it do? What do you accomplish? When a man has a flat tire and curses the tire, does that put air in the tire? If it did, the tire would blow up, the air was so much. Or you stumble into a chair in the dark in your house, from the chair that your wife moved just before you went to bed. Will it stop the pain in your toe if you curse the chair? No, move the chair. Men playing golf will slice their shot into the next county. They'll curse the club, they'll curse the ball, they curse the wind. Will it bring the ball back? Will the club repent? No, it will not.
Consider the nine Revelations of the sacred name and the benefits of God's name for every believer. One of his sacred names is El Shaddai, which means God Almighty. Almighty means there's nothing he cannot do. As God Almighty, he's stronger than the strongest. He is mightier than the mightiest. He is wiser than the wisest. He's higher than the highest. As God Almighty, he's greater than the greatest. Listen to the world picture. This majestic earth was created with a sun that's 93 million miles away from here. That sun is large enough to hold one million four hundred thousand worlds like ours. The sun is a ball of fire whose flames flash out for 300,000 miles, sending heat to the earth. That sun is a porch lamp on God's cottage in heaven.
That's how great our God is. Our God is an awesome God. James 1:17 says. "Our God is the father of lights". Jesus to the church, "You are the light of the world". The message is, our assignment is to conquer spiritual darkness with our light. The Bible says, "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify," not you, but "Glorify your father which is in heaven". Our objective is victory over the world, the flesh, and the devil. Our objective is victory over the proclamation of the word. Our objective is victory through the blood of Jesus Christ.
It's victory through the power of Jesus' name. It's victory over sickness and death. It's victory over the giants that attack you. It's victory over powers and principalities at satan's command. It's victory through Jesus Christ. "All hail the power of Jesus' name let angels prostrate fall. Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown him Lord of all". Give him praise in the house. Today, we are in a war for the soul of America. There's no substitute for victory. Appeasement is not our message. Appeasement is defeat on the installment plan. We are not here as the church to go along to get along. We're here to overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil by the proclamation of God's word without apology. The sacred name.
The sacred name of Jehovah Jireh as our provider. This name is memorialized by Abraham when Almighty God provided a ram to be sacrificed in the place of Isaac on the top of mount Moriah. In the theater of your mind, catch the picture of Abraham climbing mount Moriah with his son, Isaac. Only Abraham knows they are climbing this mountain to sacrifice Isaac to the Lord. Isaac asked the father, "Where is the lamb"? Abraham said, "Jehovah Jireh".
Now, Jehovah Jireh literally means "God can see". It is often preached as, "God is the provider". But it literally says, "God can see". Why? Because there is the close relationship between vision and provision. If God sees the need, he will provide the solution. That's what it means. So, let's stay with the literal translation, "God can see". When Isaac asked Abraham, "Where is the lamb"? Abraham could have said, "Son, I don't see how God is going to get me out of this crisis. I never expected to have a problem like this". Have you ever said that?
"I never expected to have a problem like this. I can't see how God's going to heal my marriage, or heal my body, or restore my finances, or heal my family, or bring my prodigal son and daughter back home, or turn my business around. I can't see how God is going to bring prosperity in this economic meltdown". Hear me. God can see what you can't see. He can see what you can't see. Have faith in God for without faith, it is impossible to please God. Faith starts out before you know how it's going to work out. When we started building this building, there was no way, with what we had at that point in time, we could've ever finished it. But we finished it right on time because God made it happen.
His sacred name is Jehovah Rapha, the Lord who heals. Exodus 15:26. The point is, are you in the audience needing healing in your body, or healing in your spirit, or healing in your soul, or healing in your mind, or healing in your marriage? I want you to hear this. The healer is in the house. The great physician is walking down the aisles of this assembly. Reach out and touch the Lord as he goes by. You'll find he's not too busy to hear your heart's cry. He's passing by this moment, your need to supply. Reach out and touch the Lord as he goes by. The healer is in the house.
The fourth name. His name is Jehovah Nissi, the Lord our banner, Exodus 17:15. The banner is a flag. It's a rallying point to an advancing, powerful, and victorious army. Raising a banner in the time of war means defiance. It means you have taken a bold stand against the enemy. You are united with fellow believers in this battle. It means you love freedom and will not tolerate slavery. Church of Jesus Christ, Jesus is our banner. We rally around him, we rally around his cross, we rally around his gospel. We are the army of the living God. Fight the good fight. We sing the song, "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"! Fight the good fight of faith. Endure hardness, sing a song in the darkness of despair. God will bring the answer. Give the Lord praise in the house.
Jehovah M'Kaddesh, his sacred name, the fifth name. Jehovah M'Kaddesh means "The Lord sanctifies and makes holy". Holiness is a command. The Bible says, "Without holiness, no man shall see the Lord". Say that with me, "Without holiness, no man shall see the Lord". America's churches have stopped preaching holiness. As a whole, we're now preaching what I call hot tub Christianity. Hot tub Christianity teaches you how to feel good about doing wrong, but not confessing your sin and coming to Christ to get you a counselor or something. Our faith is a holiness faith. Our book is the holy Bible. Our God is the holy God.
Our Savior, according to Acts 4, is the holy child Jesus. Our city is the holy city, Jerusalem. Our spirit is the Holy Spirit. Our song 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? Our churches are full, but of what? They must be filled with this. They must be filled with the Holy Spirit. They must be filled with the spirit of truth. They must be filled with the willingness to fight for justice and truth.
In closing, his sacred name is Jehovah Shammah, and it means "The Lord is there". This is very important for you personally on every occasion. Ezekiel 48:35, Jehovah Shammah, the Lord is there. In your darkest hour, when everything is going wrong, just remember that this didn't surprise the Lord, and the Lord is there. In the valley of the shadow of death, he is there. In your greatest battle, he is there. The situation Ezekiel 48 says the children of Israel had been taken into bondage by the Babylonians and they were prisoners of war. They hung their harps upon the willow and refused to sing the songs of Zion in their darkest hour. The Israelites lost their song. The question is, have you?
In your darkest hour, you need to learn how to sing for joy. Regardless of your situation, God is there. The Lord of hosts is there. The King of kings and the Lord of lords is there. Sing a new song, shout for joy. Israel hung their harps on the willow tree, and some of you have done the same thing. You've lost your song, you've lost your smile, you've given up on your future. Your vision for what you can be has been diminished. You're full of rejection and self-doubt. You lack confidence in yourself. You lack hope of the future. Listen to me, get your harp off the willow tree. Look the devil in the eye and sing a new song, shout for joy. Why? Because Jehovah Shammah is here. The king of glory is here. The Almighty, everlasting God is here. Shout for joy, church of Jesus Christ. El Shaddai is here. The living God is here. Every burden shall be lifted. Every enemy shall be defeated. Every problem shall be solved. Give the Lord a shout of praise in the house of God.