Unlocking the Mystery of Honor
(Inspired by a Blog from Rabbi Curt Landry)
4.29.2015 CFBC, Chester, IL Dr. Mike Fogerson, Speaker
Introduction:
A Honor can be mystery, shrouded in questions, defying a definite definition . . .HOW DO YOU DEFINE “HONOR”?
1 Tonight, honor will mean that you have a good name, outward respect of others, and that you walk in integrity.
a The most important thing about honor is that it means what you speak happens.
b If you say you believe something, committed yourself, given your word . . . then it comes to pass. Your “yes” is “yes” and your “no” is “no”.
2 Kabad (Honor) means to be heavy, weighty, burdensome; become fierce, distinguished, achieve abounding honor.
a Ex. 20.12, “ Honor your father and your mother so that you may have a long life in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.”
aa We all want to live a long, full life; prosper.
bb Some of the most famous men/women who have ever lived have had a long life/prospered . . . but that doesn’t mean that they’ve done in a way that honor God.
cc It’s not enough for the Believer to prosper . . . live a long life; I want to prosper in the Land that God has given to me.
b How do we pull that off? Do everything with honor & excellence—to the best of our ability.
aa Our homes should be the best-kept homes in our neighborhood, be well kept personally because it reflects the excellence of our Lord.
bb These are characteristics of running your life with honor.
3 Before we can run a life of honor, we first learn to walk in honor. . .which is how we honor our parents.
a Our parents may not be easy to honor (not everyone’s parents are perfect) but we must still come into alignment with God’s Word.
b God chose that man & woman (good or bad) to be your parents.
aa When I came to Chester in 2000, I told one of mentors that I wonder what my life would have been like had he been my father. He told me, “God put you with the right parents. You wouldn’t have wound up where you are at, who you are had you not had the mom & dad gave you.”
bb I was so wrong in even asking that question.
c My mom & dad, although not perfect . . . none are, were worthy of my honor because that was/is God’s heart for me.
aa The moment I thought otherwise I was not aligned with the heart of God.
bb When any of us choose not honor our parents . . . we CANNOT fulfill God’s promise for us.
cc Deuteronomy 26:18-19 (HCSB)
18 And today the LORD has affirmed that you are His special people as He promised you, that you are to keep all His commands, 19 that He will elevate you to praise, fame, and glory above all the nations He has made, and that you will be a holy people to the LORD your God as He promised.”
3 We cannot be God’s holy people if we do not walk in honor.
a The Ten Commandments were written because they are a matter of honor.
aa There is NO honor in . . . murder, adultery, stealing, spreading rumors and lies against others.
bb There is NO honor in envy & jealousy towards others.
b We are temples of the Holy Spirit.
aa Our bodies react to our thoughts, and they also react to words that speak and that are spoken over our lives.
bb Some words cost us very dearly.
That's the lesson Dana Snay learned when she violated a court "gag" order in a snarky Facebook status:
*According to the Miami Herald, Patrick Snay, 69, was the headmaster at Gulliver Preparatory School in Miami for several years, but in 2010, the school didn’t renew his contract. Snay sued his former employer for age discrimination and won a settlement of $80,000 in November 2011. The agreement contained a standard confidentiality clause, prohibiting Snay or the school from talking about the case.
*However, Snay’s daughter, Dana, now at Boston College and a part-time Starbucks barista, couldn’t resist bragging about the case on Facebook. “Mama and Papa Snay won the case against Gulliver,” she wrote. “Gulliver is now officially paying for my vacation to Europe this summer. SUCK IT.”
*Well, news travels fast on the internet, so it wasn't long before authorities were made aware of comment and Snay was promptly relieved of his $80K settlement.
cc In our age of social media, what was once mumbled in silence is now broadcast to millions.
*If this story gives you cause for pause, consider Jesus' warning, given long before there were microphones, tape recorders, videos, or the internet: "I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned" (Matthew 12:36-37).
dd Words can cost dearly . . . destroy our honor, integrity.
c Sticks & stones may break our bones . . . but words will never hurt me. (Lie from the pits of hell!)
aa Proverbs 18:21 (HCSB) 21 Life and death are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.
bb When we bear false witness against another, get in the habit of pulling another person down, we are tearing/pulling ourselves down in the process.
cc If we get in the habit of speaking greatness/building people up, then you will be lifted up. . . it’s that simple.
B Another way to unlock honor is to be happy when good things happen to other people, when others prosper you’re happy things are going good for them.
1 If you are jealous, envious, covet others when they prosper, you will be held back from prospering.
a When we’re jealous of others, it cuts off our provision, because we’ve dishonored God who provides for all of our needs.
b Philippians 4:19 (HCSB) And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
2 The bottom line is that we need to honor others & be happy when they prosper!
C Honor is desperately falling in love with God’s instruction–His Word–and not lose sight of our first love.
1 IF we honor the instruction of the Lord He will honor you & put you above what ever circumstance, trial, problem on this earth.
a That’s the only hope we have on this celestial ball; following the Word of God.
b When we believe His Word in spite of what is going on the natural, He will honor us.
c We are saved by grace through faith but that doesn’t mean we can ignore the Law, Word . . . we cannot ignore His instructions just because we’re saved.
2 Joshua 1:8 (HCSB) 8 This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to recite it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do.
a You can’t live what you don’t know.
aa You need to have the word in you to proclaim it.
bb If you meditate on the Word . . . allow it to soak in your body, spirit, soul . . .and then speak it, it has supernatural power.
b You must truly believe it before you can proclaim it.
aa If you meditate on the Word before you proclaim it, then you are giving the Word honor.
bb If we honor God’s Word, God will honor us.
D The Word of God says . . .
1 John 5:23 (HCSB) 23 so that all people will honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.
a John 1.1 tells us that “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.”
aa Jesus is the “WORD”, and if are to honor the “WORD” that means we honor Jesus.
bb Jesus, THE WORD, lives in us. Yeshua, the Word in us, is indeed our hope of glory.
b Colossians 1:27 (HCSB) 27 God wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
aa When we honor the Word, walking in health, wealth, prosperity, love, forgiveness, and the fruit of the Spirit flowing out of us, we walk in the fullness of His Word in power!
bb “. . . He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” 1 John 4.4
2 My prayer for us is that we begin to sincerely walk in honor of the Father, of His Son (the Word), of the Holy Spirit, and of all those around you.
a As you honor the Word, read/meditate upon it, you will learn to walk/speak forth the Word in power.
b By knowing/reading/meditating on/doing the Word we will begin speaking forth the Word in power.
c When this happens . . . we are truly unlocking the mystery of honor.
Conclusion:
A A Canadian jury in 2012 found Mohammad Shafia, 58, his wife Tooba Yahya, 42, and their son Hamed, 21, guilty of four counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of the family’s three teenage daughters and a second wife from Shafia and Yahya’s polygamous marriage.
1 The drowned bodies of the four women were found in a car submerged in a canal in Kingston, Ontario, in 2009.
a The defendants claimed the deaths were accidental, but physical evidence at the scene and transcripts of wire-tapped phone calls indicated otherwise.
b The fundamentalist Muslim family took great issue with their daughters’ Western lifestyles. “The wiretaps,” AP reports, “capture Shafia spewing vitriol about his dead daughters, calling them treacherous and whores and invoking the devil to defecate on their graves.”
aa "There can be no betrayal, no treachery, no violation more than this," Shafia said on one recording. "Even if they hoist me up onto the gallows ... nothing is more dear to me than my honor."
bb Ontario Superior Court Judge Robert Maranger said, "The apparent reason behind these cold-blooded, shameful murders was that the four completely innocent victims offended your completely twisted concept of honor ... that has absolutely no place in any civilized society."
2 Though the world equates “pride” with “Honor,” the Bible declares just the opposite to be true.
a There is no Honor in self-righteousness, judgment, or rancor of any kind.
b These things only bring oneself to demise. It is humility alone which produces godly Honor.
c “Before his downfall a man's heart is proud, but humility comes before Honor." (Proverbs 18:12)
“A man's pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains Honor.” (Proverbs 29:23)
B Pray
Unlocking the Mystery of Honor
(Inspired by a Blog from Rabbi Curt Landry)
4.29.2015 CFBC, Chester, IL Dr. Mike Fogerson, Speaker
Introduction:
A Honor can be mystery, shrouded in questions, defying a definite definition . . .HOW DO YOU DEFINE “HONOR”?
1 Tonight, honor will mean that you have a good name, outward respect of others, and that you walk in integrity.
a The most important thing about honor is that it means what you speak happens.
b If you say you believe something, committed yourself, given your word . . . then it comes to pass. Your “yes” is “yes” and your “no” is “no”.
2 Kabad (Honor) means to be heavy, weighty, burdensome; become fierce, distinguished, achieve abounding honor.
a Ex. 20.12, “ Honor your father and your mother so that you may have a long life in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.”
aa We all want to live a long, full life; prosper.
bb Some of the most famous men/women who have ever lived have had a long life/prospered . . . but that doesn’t mean that they’ve done in a way that honor God.
cc It’s not enough for the Believer to prosper . . . live a long life; I want to prosper in the Land that God has given to me.
b How do we pull that off? Do everything with honor & excellence—to the best of our ability.
aa Our homes should be the best-kept homes in our neighborhood, be well kept personally because it reflects the excellence of our Lord.
bb These are characteristics of running your life with honor.
3 Before we can run a life of honor, we first learn to walk in honor. . .which is how we honor our parents.
a Our parents may not be easy to honor (not everyone’s parents are perfect) but we must still come into alignment with God’s Word.
b God chose that man & woman (good or bad) to be your parents.
aa When I came to Chester in 2000, I told one of mentors that I wonder what my life would have been like had he been my father. He told me, “God put you with the right parents. You wouldn’t have wound up where you are at, who you are had you not had the mom & dad gave you.”
bb I was so wrong in even asking that question.
c My mom & dad, although not perfect . . . none are, were worthy of my honor because that was/is God’s heart for me.
aa The moment I thought otherwise I was not aligned with the heart of God.
bb When any of us choose not honor our parents . . . we CANNOT fulfill God’s promise for us.
cc Deuteronomy 26:18-19 (HCSB)
18 And today the LORD has affirmed that you are His special people as He promised you, that you are to keep all His commands, 19 that He will elevate you to praise, fame, and glory above all the nations He has made, and that you will be a holy people to the LORD your God as He promised.”
3 We cannot be God’s holy people if we do not walk in honor.
a The Ten Commandments were written because they are a matter of honor.
aa There is NO honor in . . . murder, adultery, stealing, spreading rumors and lies against others.
bb There is NO honor in envy & jealousy towards others.
b We are temples of the Holy Spirit.
aa Our bodies react to our thoughts, and they also react to words that speak and that are spoken over our lives.
bb Some words cost us very dearly.
That's the lesson Dana Snay learned when she violated a court "gag" order in a snarky Facebook status:
*According to the Miami Herald, Patrick Snay, 69, was the headmaster at Gulliver Preparatory School in Miami for several years, but in 2010, the school didn’t renew his contract. Snay sued his former employer for age discrimination and won a settlement of $80,000 in November 2011. The agreement contained a standard confidentiality clause, prohibiting Snay or the school from talking about the case.
*However, Snay’s daughter, Dana, now at Boston College and a part-time Starbucks barista, couldn’t resist bragging about the case on Facebook. “Mama and Papa Snay won the case against Gulliver,” she wrote. “Gulliver is now officially paying for my vacation to Europe this summer. SUCK IT.”
*Well, news travels fast on the internet, so it wasn't long before authorities were made aware of comment and Snay was promptly relieved of his $80K settlement.
cc In our age of social media, what was once mumbled in silence is now broadcast to millions.
*If this story gives you cause for pause, consider Jesus' warning, given long before there were microphones, tape recorders, videos, or the internet: "I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned" (Matthew 12:36-37).
dd Words can cost dearly . . . destroy our honor, integrity.
c Sticks & stones may break our bones . . . but words will never hurt me. (Lie from the pits of hell!)
aa Proverbs 18:21 (HCSB) 21 Life and death are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.
bb When we bear false witness against another, get in the habit of pulling another person down, we are tearing/pulling ourselves down in the process.
cc If we get in the habit of speaking greatness/building people up, then you will be lifted up. . . it’s that simple.
B Another way to unlock honor is to be happy when good things happen to other people, when others prosper you’re happy things are going good for them.
1 If you are jealous, envious, covet others when they prosper, you will be held back from prospering.
a When we’re jealous of others, it cuts off our provision, because we’ve dishonored God who provides for all of our needs.
b Philippians 4:19 (HCSB) And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
2 The bottom line is that we need to honor others & be happy when they prosper!
C Honor is desperately falling in love with God’s instruction–His Word–and not lose sight of our first love.
1 IF we honor the instruction of the Lord He will honor you & put you above what ever circumstance, trial, problem on this earth.
a That’s the only hope we have on this celestial ball; following the Word of God.
b When we believe His Word in spite of what is going on the natural, He will honor us.
c We are saved by grace through faith but that doesn’t mean we can ignore the Law, Word . . . we cannot ignore His instructions just because we’re saved.
2 Joshua 1:8 (HCSB) 8 This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to recite it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do.
a You can’t live what you don’t know.
aa You need to have the word in you to proclaim it.
bb If you meditate on the Word . . . allow it to soak in your body, spirit, soul . . .and then speak it, it has supernatural power.
b You must truly believe it before you can proclaim it.
aa If you meditate on the Word before you proclaim it, then you are giving the Word honor.
bb If we honor God’s Word, God will honor us.
D The Word of God says . . .
1 John 5:23 (HCSB) 23 so that all people will honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.
a John 1.1 tells us that “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.”
aa Jesus is the “WORD”, and if are to honor the “WORD” that means we honor Jesus.
bb Jesus, THE WORD, lives in us. Yeshua, the Word in us, is indeed our hope of glory.
b Colossians 1:27 (HCSB) 27 God wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
aa When we honor the Word, walking in health, wealth, prosperity, love, forgiveness, and the fruit of the Spirit flowing out of us, we walk in the fullness of His Word in power!
bb “. . . He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” 1 John 4.4
2 My prayer for us is that we begin to sincerely walk in honor of the Father, of His Son (the Word), of the Holy Spirit, and of all those around you.
a As you honor the Word, read/meditate upon it, you will learn to walk/speak forth the Word in power.
b By knowing/reading/meditating on/doing the Word we will begin speaking forth the Word in power.
c When this happens . . . we are truly unlocking the mystery of honor.
Conclusion:
A A Canadian jury in 2012 found Mohammad Shafia, 58, his wife Tooba Yahya, 42, and their son Hamed, 21, guilty of four counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of the family’s three teenage daughters and a second wife from Shafia and Yahya’s polygamous marriage.
1 The drowned bodies of the four women were found in a car submerged in a canal in Kingston, Ontario, in 2009.
a The defendants claimed the deaths were accidental, but physical evidence at the scene and transcripts of wire-tapped phone calls indicated otherwise.
b The fundamentalist Muslim family took great issue with their daughters’ Western lifestyles. “The wiretaps,” AP reports, “capture Shafia spewing vitriol about his dead daughters, calling them treacherous and whores and invoking the devil to defecate on their graves.”
aa "There can be no betrayal, no treachery, no violation more than this," Shafia said on one recording. "Even if they hoist me up onto the gallows ... nothing is more dear to me than my honor."
bb Ontario Superior Court Judge Robert Maranger said, "The apparent reason behind these cold-blooded, shameful murders was that the four completely innocent victims offended your completely twisted concept of honor ... that has absolutely no place in any civilized society."
2 Though the world equates “pride” with “Honor,” the Bible declares just the opposite to be true.
a There is no Honor in self-righteousness, judgment, or rancor of any kind.
b These things only bring oneself to demise. It is humility alone which produces godly Honor.
c “Before his downfall a man's heart is proud, but humility comes before Honor." (Proverbs 18:12)
“A man's pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains Honor.” (Proverbs 29:23)
B Pray
