THE DANGER OF DISHONOURING GOD’S ANOINTED PEOPLE
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OUTLINE
1. NOAH AND HIS SONS
2. MOSES AND MIRIAM
3. DAVID AND SAUL
4. ELISHA AND THE YOUTHS
5. JESUS AND THE TEACHERS OF THE LAW
6. JESUS AND HIS HOMETOWN FOLKS
7. JESUS AND HIS FAMILY
INTRODUCTION
The Lord honours those who serve Him. When we honour Him , He will honour us. The Lord honours those who love Him with all their heart. The Lord honours those who have faced shame and humiliation in their lives. He comforts them with a double blessing.He will honour us in the presence of our enemies.When we are humble and walk in the fear of the Lord , He will honour us.We must seek the honour and blessing that comes from the Lord .
The Lord wants us to honour His messengers . When we welcome and honour His servants , we honour the Lord Himself. The Lord will surely reward us for all that we have done for His people. We must be careful not to dishonour or mistreat the Lord’s servants as the Lord will be displeased by that and we may have to face painful consequences for dishonouring His anointed messengers.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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JOHN 12:26
Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.
1 SAMUEL 2:30
"Therefore the LORD, the God of Israel, declares: ’I promised that your house and your father’s house would minister before me forever.’ But now the LORD declares: ’Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained.
PSALM 91:14-16
"Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.
With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation."
PSALM 71:20-21
Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up.
You will increase my honor and comfort me once again.
ISAIAH 61: 7, 9
Instead of their shame my people will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace they will rejoice in their inheritance; and so they will inherit a double portion in their land, and everlasting joy will be theirs.
Their descendants will be known among the nations and their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will acknowledge that they are a people the LORD has blessed."
PSALM 23:5
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
PSALM 3:3
But You, O LORD, are a shield for me, My glory and the One who lifts up my head.
PROVERBS 22:4
Humility and the fear of the LORD bring wealth and honor and life.
1 CHRONICLES 4:9-10
Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, "I gave birth to him in pain."
Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request.
JOHN 13:20
I tell you the truth, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me."
MATTHEW 10:40-42
"He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me.
Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward.
And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward."
HEBREWS 6:10
God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.
ACTS 10:4
Cornelius stared at him in fear. "What is it, Lord?" he asked.The angel answered, "Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.
LUKE 10:16
"He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me."
PSALM 105:14-15
He allowed no one to oppress them; for their sake he rebuked kings:
"Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm."
LUKE 10:10-12
But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say,
’Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.’
I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.
1 PETER 4:17-18
For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?
And,"If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?"
THE MESSAGE
THE DANGER OF DISHONOURING GOD’S ANOINTED PEOPLE
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1. NOAH AND HIS SONS
The Lord wants us to honour our fathers and leaders. When Noah became drunk and was lying naked , one of his sons saw his nakedness and told it to his brothers. The two brothers however honoured their father and covered his nakedness and did not even look at their father . When Noah woke up and found out what had happened, he blessed the two sons who honoured him and cursed the son who dishonoured him. It is dangerous to dishonour our leaders and gossip about them even in times when they fail. We should be careful to give honour to whom honour is due.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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GENESIS 9:20-27
Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard.
When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent.
Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father’s nakedness and told his two brothers outside.
But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father’s nakedness.
When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him,
he said, "Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers."
He also said, "Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the slave of Shem.
May God extend the territory of Japheth ; may Japheth live in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be his slave."
2. MOSES AND MIRIAM
The Lord wants us honour His anointed servants even though they may be our own family members. The Lord did not allow Miriam and Aaron to dishonour Moses even though Moses was their younger brother . Miriam may have taken care of Moses since the time he was a baby . But that did not give her a right to despise Moses . The Lord disciplined her and she had to be a leper for seven days as a result. We must be careful to honour God’s anointed servants even though they may be our close family members.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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NUMBERS 12:1-15
Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite.
"Has the LORD spoken only through Moses?" they asked. "Hasn’t he also spoken through us?" And the LORD heard this.
(Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.)
At once the LORD said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, "Come out to the Tent of Meeting, all three of you." So the three of them came out.
Then the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud; he stood at the entrance to the Tent and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When both of them stepped forward,
he said, "Listen to my words: "When a prophet of the LORD is among you,I reveal myself to him in visions, I speak to him in dreams.
But this is not true of my servant Moses; he is faithful in all my house.
With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?"
The anger of the LORD burned against them, and he left them.
When the cloud lifted from above the Tent, there stood Miriam—leprous, like snow. Aaron turned toward her and saw that she had leprosy;
and he said to Moses, "Please, my lord, do not hold against us the sin we have so foolishly committed.
Do not let her be like a stillborn infant coming from its mother’s womb with its flesh half eaten away."
So Moses cried out to the LORD, "O God, please heal her!"
The LORD replied to Moses, "If her father had spit in her face, would she not have been in disgrace for seven days? Confine her outside the camp for seven days; after that she can be brought back."
So Miriam was confined outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on till she was brought back.
3. DAVID AND SAUL
The Lord wants us honour our leaders even when they have strayed from their calling. We should not stretch our hand against God’s anointed servants . We should let the Lord deal with them. David was careful not to Kill Saul with his hand even though he had a good opportunity to do so. Even though Saul had strayed from his calling and was rejected by God , still David was careful not to put his hand against God’s anointed servant. We must let God deal with His servants when they go astray. We should not be careful not to touch God’s anointed servants.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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I SAMUEL 24:1-7
After Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, "David is in the Desert of En Gedi."
So Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel and set out to look for David and his men near the Crags of the Wild Goats.
He came to the sheep pens along the way; a cave was there, and Saul went in to relieve himself. David and his men were far back in the cave.
The men said, "This is the day the LORD spoke of when he said to you, ’I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.’ " Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.
Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe.
He said to his men, "The LORD forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the LORD’s anointed, or lift my hand against him; for he is the anointed of the LORD."
With these words David rebuked his men and did not allow them to attack Saul. And Saul left the cave and went his way.
4. ELISHA AND THE YOUTHS
The Lord wants us to honour His servants and His prophets . It is dangerous to mock and humilate God’s anointed prophets. Elisha the prophet was mocked by some youths and he cursed them in the name of the Lord. As a result the youths were mauled by two bears. This is a warning for us not to dishonour the Lord’s anointed servants and face painful consequences as a result.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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2 KINGS 2:23-24
From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some youths came out of the town and jeered at him. "Go on up, you baldhead!" they said. "Go on up, you baldhead!"
He turned around, looked at them and called down a curse on them in the name of the LORD. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths.
5. JESUS AND THE TEACHERS OF THE LAW
The Lord wants us to honour His servants and the anointing upon their lives. We must be careful not to dishonour and grieve the Holy Spirit when He is at work through His servants. Jesus warned the teachers of the Law not to sin against the Holy Spirit because they said that Jesus drove out demons by the power of the devil. It is a very serious offence when we blaspheme against the Holy Spirit especially when we not understand the workings and the manifestations of the Holy Spirit.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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MARK 3:22-30
And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, "He is possessed by Beelzebub! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons."
So Jesus called them and spoke to them in parables: "How can Satan drive out Satan?
If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.
And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come.
In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can rob his house.
I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them.
But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin."
He said this because they were saying, "He has an evil spirit."
6. JESUS AND HIS HOMETOWN FOLKS
The Lord wants us to honour His servants even if they are familiar to us. We will lose many blessings if we dishonour His servants. Jesus was dishonoured when He visited His hometown . The people did not beleive in Him and as a result Jesus could not do many miracles there . The people lost a great opportunity to experience the mighty power of God in their midst. We must not allow our familiarity with God’s anointed servants to breed contempt towards them. Otherwise we would miss all the blessings that we could have received through them.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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MARK 6:1-6
Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples.
When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. "Where did this man get these things?" they asked. "What’s this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles!
Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him.
Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor."
He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them.
And he was amazed at their lack of faith.Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village.
7. JESUS AND HIS FAMILY
The Lord wants us to honour His servants even if they are close family members. We should be an encouragement to them and not a hindrance . Jesus did not get much encouragement and affirmation from His earthly family. They did not understand Him and His ministry. They even tried to stop Him because they thought that He had lost His mind. His earthly brothers tried to give Him worldly advice and wanted Him to pursue fame and glory . But Jesus was steadfast in fulfilling His ministry and did not allow His earthly family to distract Him. We should be careful to obey the calling of God on our lives even if we face opposition and distraction from our own family.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
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MARK 3:20-21, 31-35
Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat.
When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, "He is out of his mind."
Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him.
A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, "Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you."
"Who are my mother and my brothers?" he asked.
Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, "Here are my mother and my brothers!
Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother."
JOHN 7:1-10
After this, Jesus went around in Galilee, purposely staying away from Judea because the Jews there were waiting to take his life.
But when the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles was near,
Jesus’ brothers said to him, "You ought to leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples may see the miracles you do.
No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world."
For even his own brothers did not believe in him.
Therefore Jesus told them, "The right time for me has not yet come; for you any time is right.
The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that what it does is evil.
You go to the Feast. I am not yet going up to this Feast, because for me the right time has not yet come."
Having said this, he stayed in Galilee.
However, after his brothers had left for the Feast, he went also, not publicly, but in secret.
MATTHEW 10:34-37
"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.
For I have come to turn " ’a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her motherinlaw—
a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’
"Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;
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