Christians are required to keep the name of God holy. It is the 2nd of the Ten Commandments and also mentioned in the 2nd line of the Lord’s Prayer. How and why should today’s Christian keep God’s name holy? Apostle C. O. Ibekwe gave us insight, in a YouTube divine service broadcasted from Abuja, Nigeria, on 12th July 2020. He was assisted by Apostle Oscar Kabanga Nwanza.
The Apostle based his sermon on the text word Exodus 20:7, ‘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.’
A reminder for Christians. Apostle Ibekwe began: “This commandment is of great importance. It is to remind us to keep the name of the Lord holy, so we do not toy with it. It is to remind us to keep the name of the Lord in our hearts and activities.” He continued: “We need to honour this name.”
How do we honour the name of the Lord? The Apostle explained:
* “We have to show Him love”. God has already sanctified His name and perfected His name to be holy. All we have to do is to acknowledge and appreciate what the Lord has already done.
* “We must imitate Jesus Christ in holiness.” We need to take the name of God on ourselves, living in the nature and being of Jesus Christ.
* “We have to know the time and purpose for which we call on the name of the Lord. We must not call on the name of the Lord jokingly.”
Why should we keep the name of the Lord holy? The name of the Lord has many divine and hallowed attributes for which we must keep holy. The name of the Lord is:
* a strong tower; The Lord provides refuge for the righteous and children of God
* a protective shield; The Lord’s name is a shield against the attack of the evil one
* a delivering power; God redeems all who call on His name from eternal damnation
* an authority for our calling; we have been called and equipped by God in our faith
Take the name of the Lord with you. Bringing his sermon to a close, the Apostle said: “Whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord as well as cares and loves God will be set free. Whosoever stands and remains firm in this very doctrine will be set free.”
“That is our joy and what we expect in the future. Remain steadfast, so that when He comes we will not forget this name. The name of our Lord will be written boldly in our hearts and on our faces, ‘the name of the Lord’…a delivering name, a blessed name, a hallowed name, a name that is perfect and above every other name” concluded Apostle Ibekwe.
