INTRO: It’s good to be back, vacations are nice but there is nothing like being home. I had the opportunity to travel to some different places. One of them was Washington D.C. It was beautiful and crowded. The thing that stood out to me was all the monuments.
-They have monuments for honoring presidents, wars, veterans, great people, different cultures.
-I thought to myself I’ll never be able to see them all, my family probably thought we don’t want to see them all.
Thought: This world tries to honor, but it only seems to honor those who are great, those who gave to a great cause, or have done some great feat, but what about the rest?
Today: I want to speak about an issue that if we can truly live out will change things around us for the greater good.
TITLE: Honoring Others
TEXT: Romans 12:10
I. Background. The great apostle probably wrote this letter from Corinth on his 3rd missionary journey. The apostle by now was an aged man who had learned and experienced a lot of things about God and his kingdom.
A. In this letter Paul talks about many great truths. In Chapter 12 -
: He discusses we are living sacrifices, this is our spiritual act of worship.
: That the world is trying to conform us to its standards.
: Instead we are to be transformed by renewing of our minds.
: Then he goes on about testing God’s will for our lives, about gifts God gives to us.
1. In the middle of the chapter he talks about a five letter word that many Christians don’t understand today - “honor.”
B. Honor means to put value to something, it’s precious, weighty, to respect.
-In the OT the word honor is a form of the word kabod that means heavy or weighty. It suggests importance.
1. Sometimes when we look at the opposite, it’ll help us to understand better.
: Dishonor – treat as common, ordinary, disrespect, no value.
2. In the passage honor means to go before as a guide.
a. What does a guide do? He shows you around places you want to see.
-Simply put, when I honor others in my relationships honor will show me that places I want to see in the relationship I have with the other person.
3. I like how the English Standard Version reads, “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.”
: Outdo means to do with eagerness, to take the lead.
Summary: As Christians, sons and daughters of the king, we are to outdo one another or take the lead in honoring others (putting value) on them, considering others precious.
-This is kingdom living, this is how God’s children are supposed to live.
TS: I was told a tragic story the other day about this young man who wanted his family killed so he hired this hit man for 100 thousand dollars to do the job. The hit man broke in the back door, the mom came running and was shot 3 times, the daughter came out to see what was happening and she was shot, and last of all the father came running out and was shot.
The young man was eventually discovered to be the mastermind. The reason he did this was because he wanted the inheritance. The killer’s father was very wealthy.
-I can’t even imagine how cold and hard this young man is. When you think about honor, this would be on the other end of the scale.
-This young man did this because he wanted something.
TS: This is what destroys honor.
II. Destroyer of honor – putting your needs, your wants, your cares above others.
A. A passage that goes with our text this morning is Philippians 2:3, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourself.”
1. So the way to honor others is to put their needs, their wants, their desires before yours.
a. Some examples.
* Ephesians 6:2-3, “Honor your father and mother – which is the first commandment with a promise that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”
-Many young people set off for dreams of glory and a pursuit of happiness in their lives only to run into destruction and the simple reason is they don’t honor their parents.
-The Bible teaches if you honor your parents you will live a long and prosperous life. You can’t take shortcuts, they don’t work.
-Many young people think success is in a college degree or a great paying job, friends, their popularity.
-These are good, but prosperity and longevity in life come from honoring your parents.
b. Another example of honor. Husbands, honor your wives. 1 Peter 3:7, “You husbands, in the same way live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is woman, and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.” (NAS)
-Want to have a great marriage? I’ll show you with an illustration of something many hold dear to their heart – money.
: Call volunteer, give money, now go and hand it to someone they don’t know.
-Interview them and ask them if it was hard to give the money away? No, because it wasn’t mine.
Point: Giving is easy when we realize we are stewards rather than owners (stop taking).
-Marriage - men put your wife’s needs above your own, honor her. Start giving and stop taking.
Result: Your prayers will not be hindered.
B. Honor is something you give – it cannot be taken.
1. Far too many Christians want to take honor.
-To demand others to give them honor (to put my needs above yours).
2. When Jesus is condemning the religious elite he says about them in Matthew 23:6, “They love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues.”
-Simply they are trying to take honor, the truth is you can only give it.
Thought: Showing honor to others is what God expects out of us.
-At this time I want to call Myron Aldrich to honor.
3. I Corinthians 12:26, “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.”
-As a body we can either have honor or we can live in poverty.
C. Sadly, there are far too many Christians today who just give lip service.
1. Human nature is the same as it was in days past. Listen to what the word says.
-Matthew 15:8, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”
Point: Friends, honor is with words and deeds.
TS: What to do if I find I have not been honoring others as I should.
III. Make a change – begin to start honoring others.
A. How many of us want to be used by God giving him glory and honor, to be a vessel of gold and silver in his house?
1. Paul writes to Timothy how to move from a vessel of dishonor to a vessel of honor.
-2 Timothy 2:20-21, “In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble (honorable) purposes, made holy, useful to the master and prepared to do any good work.”
a. Notice you have to cleanse yourself. In other words, separate yourself
-One way that we talked about today is honor, so in order to honor I separate myself from any form of dishonor.
Example. Circumstances arise. This next week you get an opportunity to honor (treat as valuable, precious, respect) or you will dishonor (treat as common, disrespectful). As you make the choice to honor literally what you’re doing is cleansing yourself therefore becoming useful to the master.
Close with this.
Do you want to be a gold vessel or a clay vessel? The choices you make will determine what type of vessel you are.
