Pass It On-Respect

Title: Pass It On-Respect

Place: BLCC

Date:6/15/2014

Text: 1 Samuel 2.12-29

CT: May all who come behind us find us faithful in our respect to God.

Mother’s Day

FAS: We live in a fast-paced culture, but some things just ought to happen slowly.

The book Final Salute tells the story of Major Steve Beck, a U.S. Marine whose heart-wrenching task is to inform the nearest of kin when a Marine is killed in Iraq. Beck doesn't just break the sad news and then leave; for several days he may help the family through the process of the funeral. That includes supervising the Marine honor guard that stands near the fallen soldier's body.

The honor guard learns from Beck how to salute their fallen fellow-Marine as they leave or resume guard with a slow salute that isn't taught in basic training. The slow salute requires a three second raising of the hand to the head, a three second hold, and then a three second lowering of the hand—a gesture of respect that takes about nine times longer than normal. Beck explains: "A salute to your fallen comrade should take time."

Indeed, those who die serving their country are worthy of great honor, worthy of a slow salute, worthy of extra time. To do some things fast, just to get them done so we can move on to the next thing in our lives, sends a subtle message of disrespect.

So it is with our worship of God. God deserves a slow salute. The Savior who gave his life for us is worthy of our time and our best effort.

LS. How we worship at church and by putting God first in our lives in all things demonstrates volumes to those coming behind us.

This week we are dealing with the respect we are to have for one another and God. Our job as Christian adults and leaders is to pass the baton of our faith to those who come behind us. If the baton is dropped the consequences can be eternal.

We must show in our faith, respect for God and his Son’s church. We as parents and Christian adults must teach this respect to those coming behind us. We must teach them about authority.

1.Divine authority-Matthew 28.18, Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” That authority is delegated to three other spheres of authority on earth.

i.Civil authority-Romans 13.1-7. Paul tells us to submit to civil authorities. 1 Peter 2.13, 13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.

ii.Church authority-Hebrews 13.17, Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.

iii.Parental authority-Ephesians 6.1-3, 1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— 3 “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”

We live in a time when all types of authority are disrespected. God is mocked and people question his existence. Government officials are not trusted. Police are seen as the enemy rather than protectors of society. Even the church, a once respected source of moral authority is ridiculed for its stand on God’s ideal as the standard we should live by.

But the home is where respect is truly strengthened or weakened. “As the home goes, so goes the nation.”

B. Once again we find in our text today an example of what not to do.

1 Samuel 2.12-17, Although Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phineas served as priests, they were really worthless men with no understanding or respect for God or of their priestly duties. When someone presented meat as a ritual offering to the Lord, the priest would send a servant with a three-pronged fork to probe around in the pot or kettle as the sacrifice boiled; and whatever he brought up with the fork, the priest would keep as his own. They did this at Shiloh to all the Israelites who came to sacrifice. 15The priest’s servant would even tell those who were going to burn fat as a sacrifice,

Servant: Give the priest meat to roast. He won’t accept boiled meat from you, only raw meat.

16And if the worshiper protested, saying the priest could take whatever he wanted after the fat was burned, the servant would say,

Servant: Give it to me now; if necessary, it will be taken from you by force.