February 10, 2018 - Church at Worship

Sermon: "The Third Word: Reverence" The Ten (part 3 of 10) by Randy Roberts

Pastoral Welcome: Joey Oh

Children's Feature: Shawna Campbell

Scripture Reading: Psalm 86:11-13,Exodus 20:7, TNIV read by Vanessa Arlt

Sermon Notes:

The task of naming a child is one of the joys—and possible quandaries—that young parents face. “Do we name him after his father?” “I’d like her to have my mother’s name!” “But he doesn’t look like a Mortimer!” “What does that name mean?” “Since our last name is Daniel, do we really want to name him Nathanael?!” “What nicknames will other children call our child if we choose this name?” There are many issues to consider. After all, the child will go through life being known by this moniker. So parents want it to be one that will sound good, be memorable, have meaning, and be honored.

Once the name is chosen, it quickly becomes attached to everything that we know to be true about this baby. And, as life continues, the name and the person become indistinguishable. The name is the person, and the person is the name.

No doubt, you have noticed that much is contained in a name. If you are in conversation with a friend and that person mentions the name of another person—whom you both know—you will immediately have a reaction of some kind: joy, anger, jealousy, bitterness, gratitude or any one of many other emotions. Why? Simply because much is contained in a name. An individual’s name becomes associated with everything that you know to be true about that person.

In Scripture—especially in the Old Testament— the name of God contained within it a deep sense of holiness and required a profound attitude of reverence. In fact, faithful Jewish people did not even speak the name of God. It was understood to be that holy! It called for humility and reverence and submission. It was to be honored in all that one said and did. Little wonder, then, that when God handed Moses the two tablets inscribed with the Ten Words, one of those words had to do with reverence, reverence for the name of God.

Today, as we consider the third word of the Decalogue, we ask, What did this mean for them, and what does it mean for us? Join me as we study it. How it applies to us just might surprise us!

Randy Roberts,

Senior Pastor