Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: Exodus 20:7

The Ten Commandments were given for our good and welfare because God wants our homes to be vital and victorious. Exodus 20:7 reveals the third commandment: "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."

We’ve been instructed not to take the name above all names in vain; which infers that we are to take this name in victory. In the Bible, names encompass prayer and prophecy. The name Jesus means, “Jehovah saves.”

There’s personality in that name; our God is not some abstraction. He is a person who keeps His word. There is power and protection in His name, in which we can take refuge.

There’s provision in the name. In John 16:23, Jesus says, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you."

Because of this, we ought to praise His name and teach our children not to take the precious name of God in vain. How do we take God’s name in vanity?

-Profanity: According to Pastor Rogers, using God’s name in profanity reveals “an empty head and a wicked heart.” We have to be careful with our words.

-Frivolity: Joking about God is a dangerous game that we dare not play. We should make a habit of expressing our humor wisely.

-Hypocrisy: This is using God’s name without truthfulness or righteousness. Nothing turns our children away from the Gospel like a hypocritical parent.

Colossians 3:17 reads, “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

If we want our children to take the Lord’s name in victory, we must teach them to wear the name--to remember who they are and whose they are. We must also teach them to share the name--we will be known by our character, our contemplation, and our conversation. And finally, as Adrian Rogers says, “Teach them to bear the name, to unfurl the banner, and to march under the blood-stained banner of Prince Emmanuel. Don’t be ashamed of the one who died for you.”

Apply it to your life
Teach your children to wear the name, share the name, and bear the name of Jesus Christ.