Revere His Name Series

Ten Words to Live By: Revere His Name

Exodus 20:7

Patter Jefferson M. Williams

Chenoa Baptist Church

8-10-2025

Mavine

Several years ago, Maxine and I celebrated our twentieth wedding anniversary with a dinner cruise on lake Michigan. It was a beautiful night with wonderful dinner, a jazz quartet, and dancing, which we are not very good at.

The host of the cruise came to the stage between songs and said that there was a couple on board celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary. Then he said, “Let’s all congratulate Jeff and Mavine Williams!”

I finally got his attention and he corrected himself. But it was too late. Mavine wasn’t happy!

Don’t you hate it when someone gets your name wrong? Mavine does!

We hate it because our name is important to us. It represents us and tells people something about us. When people fumble our names it makes us feel like we aren’t very important to them.

Review ?

God has a top ten list. We know them as the “The Ten Commandments” although that name is never used in the Bible.

In Hebrew, this top ten list is known as the “Ten Words,” or Decalogue, and we find them in Exodus 20.

Pastor John Miller reminds us of three reasons the ten words were given:

* God is holy

* Man is sinful and we need a Savior

* Shows us how to live

They are less rules about what to do and tell us more about who God is to us:

1. One God - God is God.

2. No idols - God is Creator.

3. Revere His Name - God is holy

4. Remember to Rest - God is Rest

5. Honor Parents - God is Father

6. No murder - God is Life

7. No adultery - God is Faithful

8. No stealing - God is a Provider

9. No lying - God is Truth

10. No coveting - God is Sufficient

The first commandment tells us who to worship - “do not have any other gods before you.” We are to worship God exclusively and passionately. The second commandment tells us how God desires to be worshipped.

The first commandment covers idolatry generally. The second hones in on the specific relationship between visible things and the invisible God.

The third commandment calls us to revere His name.

“You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.” (Exodus 20:7)

The Third Word

It’s as if God has trademarked His Name. One author puts it this way:

“God retains legal control over His name and threatens serious penalties against the unauthorized misuse of this extremely valuable property.” 

To “take” (NASA) means to “lift up, to carry, to bear or raise.” As Christians, literally “little Christs,” we carry God’s Name into a lost and dying world.

“In vain” means “empty, useless, nothingness, wasted, with a worthless purpose.” When we take the Lord’s Name in vain we are saying, “Your Name means nothing to me.”

In this commandment, God was directing us not to use His Name flippantly, whether in word, thought, or action.

The Name

A new student came to our ministry many years ago named Corey. Or least that’s what I thought his name was. After calling him Corey for about six months, another student finally told that his name wasn’t Corey. It was Casey. I said that was impossible because he had never corrected me.

When I asked him what his name was he sheepishly said, “Casey.” He was shy and didn’t want to embarrass me by correcting me about his name. From that time on, I called him Fred! I even called him Fred when I performed his wedding!

We are not to treat God’s name as if it means nothing. But what is God’s Name? Isn’t it just God?

In the Bible, a name wasn’t just a collection of letters. A name describes the character, personality, and reputation of a person.

In the Scriptures, people don’t have names, they are their names.

Jacob means “deceiver” and he lived up to his name. Jesus literally spoke courage into Simon and renamed him “Peter,” which means, “Rock.” (Not that Rock)

My name means “son of peace” and I try to remember that when conflict arises in my life.

Before we had kids, I told Maxine that I wanted to name a daughter Msyteri Lorilei. She said no because those were stripper names!

I met a woman in her 20s and I asked her if her parents were big Rod Stewart fans. She said, “Of course!” Her name was Maggie Mae.”

I know a student named Rio and I asked her if her parents were Duran Duran fans. Yes, they named her after the song.

There was a basketball player for the Fighting Illini a few years ago named Maverick Morgan. Yes, his parents named him after Tom Cruise’s character in the movie “Top Gun.”