Don't Mess With God's Stuff Series

Text: Daniel chapter 5

Title: Don’t mess with God’s stuff

Introduction

1.Read v1-6

2.As I was thinking of a title for this sermon I was reminded of a certain state’s motto

3.The motto of the state of Texas

4.“Don’t mess with Texas”

5.Title: Don’t mess with God’s stuff!

In case there is any confusion about what is God’s stuff:

1.Everything is God’s stuff.

“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,” (Psalm 24:1)

“Everything was created by him and for him.” (Colossians 1:17)

Since everything is God’s stuff we are to be careful that we don’t mess with it!

This morning I want us to look at 4 specific things belonging to God – 4 things that people should never mess with.

The first thing belonging to God that people should never mess with is…

1. The Name of God

“You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.” (Deut. 5:8)

•People mess with the Name of God when they misuse it.

There are a number of ways that people get to misuse the Name of God

1. People misuse the name of God whenever they use God’s name as a swear word.

I don’t need to tell you that this is a huge problem in our society.

“God” and “Jesus Christ” might be the top two swear words out there.

When we use the name of God as a swear word we blaspheme the name of God.

•To “blaspheme” means to use abusive speech against someone

•To “blaspheme” can also mean to wound another person’s reputation

For a person to use God’s name as a swear word is to use abusive speech against God

To use God’s name as a swear word is to wound the reputation of God.

If it hurts us to hear someone use God’s name as a swear word how much more does it hurt God?

Here is another way people misuse the Name of God.

2.People misuse the name of God whenever they use God’s name lightly.

We use God’s name lightly when we use it without thinking.

Have you ever prayed to God but your mind was really elsewhere?

Have you ever sung to God but your mind was really elsewhere?

That’s also a misuse of God’s name

It’s what you think about as you talk about God –that’s what God looks at.

“These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain.” (Matthew 15:8-9)

3. People misuse the name of God whenever they use it for selfish reasons.

When I use the Name of God to indulge myself

We need to be very careful when we say “God told me to ...”

Or for that matter when we say “God didn’t tell me to ...”

There are serious consequences for messing with the name of God.

“You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.” (Deut. 5:8)

Just how serious those consequences were is best seen in Lev 24:15-16

“If anyone curses his God, he will be held responsible; anyone who blasphemes the name of the Lord must be put to death. The entire assembly must stone him. Whether an alien or native-born, when he blasphemes the Name, he must be put to death.” (Lev. 24:15-16)

Instead of grabbing the soap and water back then…they grabbed stones

Being found guilty of misusing the name of God brought a death sentence.

A second thing of God’s that people should never mess with is…

2.The Word of God

But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” (Matthew 7:26-27)

We mess with the word of God when we don’t practice it

When we hear the word of God but we don’t heed the word of God

Why don’t more people practice the Word of God?

1.Because of Unbelief

People don’t believe the Word of God applies to our lives today.

People think it was written only for people who lived thousands of years ago.

You will never practice what you don’t believe in.

Did the rain stop coming down 2000 years ago?

Did the streams stop rising 2000 years ago?

Did the wind stop blowing 2000 years ago?

The analogy Jesus uses in Matthew 7:26-27 is just as applicable for the day we live in!

THE HOUSING CRISIS

2. People often don’t practice the Word of God because of Pride

Pride goes before a fall

Although the Bible contains God’s instructions for successful living; people would rather do things their own way.