INTRO: A voyaging ship was wrecked during a storm at sea and only two of the men on it were able to swim to a small, desert-like island. The two survivors, not knowing what else to do, agreed that they had no other recourse but to pray to God. However, to find out whose prayer was more powerful, they agreed to divide the territory between them and stay on opposite sides of the island.
The first thing they prayed for was food. The next morning, the first man saw a fruit-bearing tree on his side of the land, and he was able to eat its fruit. The other man’s parcel of land remained barren.
After a week, the first man was lonely and he decided to pray for a wife. The next day, another ship was wrecked, and the only survivor was a woman who swam to his side of the land. On the other side of the island, there was nothing.
Soon the first man prayed for a house, clothes, more food. The next day, like magic, all of these were given to him. However, the second man still had nothing.
Finally, the first man prayed for a ship, so that he and his wife could leave the island. In the morning, he found a ship docked at his side of the island. The first man boarded the ship with his wife and decided to leave the second man on the island. He considered the other man unworthy to receive God’s blessing, since none of his prayers had been answered.
As the ship was about to leave, the first man heard a voice from heaven booming, “Why are you leaving your companion on the island?”
“My blessings are mine alone, since I was the one who prayed for them,” the first man answered. “His prayers were all unanswered and so he does not deserve anything.”
“You are mistaken!” the voice rebuked him. “He had only one prayer, which I answered. If not for that, you would not have received any of my blessings.”
“Tell me,” the first man asked the voice, “what did he pray for that I should owe him anything?”
“He prayed that all your prayers be answered.”
Thought: When you honor others, they will be blessed.
Today I’m going to be continuing talking about honor but before I do this, let me review what we’ve learned so far for those who missed.
Review:
-Honor means to put value to something, it’s precious, weighty, to respect.
-Dishonor – treat as common, ordinary, disrespect, no value.
Things we learned:
: When we honor someone, honor will go before us as a guide. (Romans 12:10)
: We are to outdo one another in showing honor.
-Literally to take the lead, we are to show others how to do it.
: Honor is something you give and not take. (Matthew 23:6)
: We also learned that we can move from a vessel of dishonor to a vessel of honor by cleansing (separating) ourselves. (2 Timothy 2:20-21)
TITLE: Honoring Others – Part 2
TEXT: Hebrews 13:18
I. Background. This letter was written to Christians who were struggling in their faith. They were wavering because they were being persecuted for being Christians.
A. The author, who probably was the apostle Paul, was asking for prayers from them (his team).
1. What was he asking them to pray about?
-Interestingly: a clear conscience and to live honorably in every way.
2. I just want to focus on the second part, to live honorably. It seems to be at the forefront of this man.
Question: How many of us ask others to pray for us to act honorably? Not too many.
-We usually pray about our needs, wants, and desires.
-But to ask others to pray for you to act honorably shows us that the author realized it’s not about him, it’s about others (their needs and wants, not his).
Basically what the author is asking, could you pray for us that we could continue to put others needs above our own in every way.
3. The implication is that it was hard for them to do this, to have a desire to honor others.
II. Why is it so hard? Let’s take a look at some who wanted to follow Jesus and learn what it is in us that makes this difficult. Jesus gives us a key about being a disciple or not being a disciple.
A. Cost of following Jesus – Luke 9:57-62. [Read]
1. Notice there is a hunger to follow Jesus.
: The first man - I’ll follow you wherever you go. Jesus’ response has a clue to what the issue was that was going to hinder this man.
-That was security. In order to be a disciple of his, your security has to be in Christ if you’re going to make it, not houses, paycheck, your abilities.
2. Jesus asked a second man to follow him. The man - let me first go bury my father.
-Some scholars suggest this had more to do about an inheritance (money). In order to receive an inheritance, if he was the oldest he got a double portion.
-So this second example is simply this man is more concerned about money than following Christ.
3. Jesus encountered a third man – I will follow you Lord but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.
-This man was more concerned about relationships than he was the kingdom of God.
Thought: Security, money, and relationships can hinder you from the kingdom. I think most people miss the big reason why, it’s in the story of 2 of the examples.
: Let me first bury Dad.
: Let me first say goodbye to my family.
Point: If you are a disciple of Christ who honors others you realize you cannot be first. You can’t put your wants and desires above God’s or other people
-It can’t be me first.
B. You know what happens when it’s me first – v. 62. You begin to look back, second guessing yourself.
-Looking to the good old days, the flesh is looking for a way out.
1. Example: Maybe I shouldn’t have married Fred. He used to treat me a whole lot better before we were married, maybe I should have married George.
2. Another example. Maybe I shouldn’t have become a Christian because this lifestyle hinders what I truly desire to do.
Summary: No wonder the author of Hebrews, I believe the apostle Paul, was asking the believers to pray that they would still have a desire to live honorably because within humans there is such a great desire to put “me first” to honor me, myself, and I and not others.
TS: That’s why those 3 wannabe disciples didn’t make it. Today there are many who try and live their lives appeasing God and indulging in the world and sadly there is a truth they don’t understand.
III. Judgment begins in the house of God. 1 Peter 4:17, “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?”
A. An important word.
1. Judgment. Gk - a decision for or against, a decision resulting from an investigation.
-The Bible is clear, the Lord will come to a decision based on his investigation about us and how we respond.
2. Another point about this passage. Warren Wiersbe writes: If God sends a fiery trial to his children, and they are saved with difficulty, what will happen to lost sinners when God’s fiery judgment falls?
B. Christians need to be more concerned about the lost and the fire that they are going to face than their own struggles in this life.
1. The following verse says, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”
-Idea here is not that it’s too difficult for God or that somehow God is too weak rather it’s the idea that men don’t care, me first principle.
Example. When God sought to rescue Lot from Sodom before the city was destroyed, God was able – but Lot was unwilling! He lingered, he argued with the angels, and finally had to be taken by the hand and dragged out of the city!
-Lot was saved as by fire but what he lived for went up in smoke.
2. Christians need to have a view that times of persecution are times of opportunity for a loving witness to those who persecute us.
Think of this: It was not the earthquake that brought that Philippian jailer to Christ.
Remember as a result of the fear of losing his prisoners he was going to commit suicide. It was Paul’s loving concern, it was the great apostle honoring this prison guard that brought him and his family to a saving knowledge of Christ.
-We need to realize this guard could have been the one who was the one who severely flogged (39 lashes) the apostle Paul and put him in the stocks.
Thought: If you’re still struggling with what honor is, this is a great picture - where Paul was doing what was right, doing God’s will. He was falsely accused, illegally beaten, falsely imprisoned for doing right.
-Paul still honored his captors, as a result the kingdom of God advanced.
In Conclusion: You may find yourself like the author of Hebrews asking for prayer to keep the desire to honor others because it’s hard.
-We need to understand God is investigating, judging how his children are doing.
-Lord willing, none of us will be like those wannabe disciples whose problem was me first.
