Introduction:
A. Welcome to our annual Friends and Family Day – if you are a visitor with us today, then please know that you are our honored guest and we are thankful and honored that you are with us.
1. On Friend and Family Day, I often break away from the sermon series I am preaching through and give a sermon specially designed for our guests.
2. But I decided not to do that this time, because the series I am sharing with the congregation is about loving one another, and I thought it would be appropriate and helpful for our guests to see what we are striving toward as a family of God.
3. As followers of Jesus, it is God’s will that we love one another and put into practice all of the other “one another” commands of the Bible that you see listed on the two banners in front.
4. So far in our series, we have done the first two on the banner to my right – love one another and be devoted to one another.
5. Today, we are going to explore what it means to honor one another and how to do it.
B. One day a group of four young friends were talking about what they would like to do with their lives when they grow up.
1. The first friend said, “I want to be a congressman so I can draft laws to benefit my countrymen.”
2. The second friend said, “I want to be a lawyer so that I can defend my countrymen.”
3. The third said, “I want to be a doctor so that I can cure my countrymen.”
4. The three friends looked to the fourth and waited for his response.
5. Then the fourth friend said, “I just want to be the countryman that you three serve.”
C. That silly story captures the differences and the challenges we face as human beings who are called to be like Jesus.
1. The giving, serving, other-centered nature of some is very strong and well-developed.
2. But on the other hand, the taking, selfish, self-centered nature of others is also very strong and well-developed.
3. If we are going to experience real Christian community here at the Wetzel Road church, then we are going to have to overcome our selfish nature and become more other centered.
D. To help us do just that, let’s continue our study of the “One Another” passages of the New Testament.
1. Two weeks ago, in our last sermon from this series, we explored what it means to be devoted to one another.
a. We concluded that being devoted to one another required a decision to be devoted to one another, a determination to stick with our decision, and the demonstration of our devotion.
b. That demonstration might include things like: being present, being attentive and being expressive.
2. Today, we want to learn something about what it means to honor one another.
I. The Command – Honor One Another
A. The scripture that contains the command to honor one another is found in the apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans, where in chapter 12 and verse 10, we read: “Honor one another above yourselves.”
1. This sentence in the Greek language that Paul wrote it in only has three words.
2. The first word in the sentence is a Greek word which is translated “honor” and it means “to show honor, respect, or reverence.” (Arndt, p. 817)
a. Another Greek scholar explained the meaning of the term as: “that respect shown another which is measured by one’s evaluation of another.” (Wuest, p. 214)
3. The second word is the Greek word that simply means “one another” – it is a reciprocal pronoun that indicates that each member of a group does something to or for the other members
4. The third Greek word is one that only appears here in the whole New Testament of the Bible, and it means: “preferring, leading or outdoing.
B. Let’s look at the wording of this command in different English translations and see how they try to bring out the meaning of the three Greek words of the command.
1. The New International Version says: “Honor one another above yourselves.”
2. The New American Standard says: “Give preference to one another in honor.”
3. The King James Version says: “In honor preferring one another.”
4. Today’s English Version says: “Be eager to show respect for one another.”
5. The English Standard Version says: “Outdo one another in showing honor.”
6. The Christian Standard Version says: “Take the lead in honoring one another.”
7. The Message (which is a paraphrase version of the Bible, not a translation) says: “Practice playing second fiddle.”
C. To “honor” means to put value to something, to consider it precious, weighty, and to show respect.
1. As Christians, we are called to outdo one another in honoring others, considering everyone as precious and of value.
2. One way to show honor to others is to put their needs, wants and desires before our own.
3. That’s what Paul was getting after in Phil. 2:3-4, when he wrote: Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
4. I like what William Temple said concerning humility, he said, “Humility does not mean thinking less of yourself than of other people, nor does it mean having a low opinion of your own gifts. It means freedom from thinking about yourself one way or the other at all.”
D. If you are like me, then you have had to struggle with putting these concepts and principles into practice.
1. Human nature being what it is, most of us are far more concerned about securing honor for ourselves and advancing our own reputations, than we are doing so for others. Right?
2. Backing up a few verses in Romans 12 to verse 3, we notice that Paul said, “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought…”
3. But that’s the tendency for many of us - we think too much of ourselves and too little of others.
4. I’m thankful that God has helped me make a lot of progress in this matter, because it was a real struggle for me in my younger years.
5. Later in the same chapter (Romans 12), we are commanded to “rejoice with those who rejoice, and mourn with those who mourn” (Rom. 12:15).
a. For some of us, it is easier to obey the command to “mourn with those who mourn,” than it is to obey the command to “rejoice with those who rejoice.”
b. Why is that the case? Because rejoicing with those who rejoice means we are happy for them that they are receiving some honor or gift or accomplishment.
c. And because it may be something more than we have received or accomplished, we find ourselves being jealous or envious.
d. Rather than thinking about them, we find ourselves thinking about ourselves.
E. One of the best - worst examples of this was King Saul, the first king of Israel.
1. Do you remember the time when the young man named David was the only one who was willing to volunteer to take on Goliath the giant and his challenge?
2. With faith in God, David stepped out and defeated the giant with a sling and a stone.
3. King Saul was pretty pleased with David and what he had done until he heard the women of Israel singing the praises of the young boy.
4. Their song went like this: “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.”
5. How do you think King Saul responded? The Bible says: Saul was furious and resented this song. “They credited tens of thousands to David,” he complained, “but they only credited me with thousands. What more can he have but the kingdom?” So Saul watched David jealously from that day forward. (1 Sam. 18:8-9)
6. Saul couldn’t stand the thought of someone else getting more praise than him.
7. He couldn’t stand having the spotlight taken off him and put on someone else.
F. When someone is getting the honor or attention we crave, we sometimes try to discredit them in some way.
1. That was the case with Aaron and Miriam, the brother and sister of Moses.
2. They didn’t like it that Moses was the one who got to pass on God’s instructions to the people.
3. They didn’t like it that Moses received the honor and the glory while they remained in the background.
4. So they began to speak against Moses.
5. The Bible says that they said: “Has the LORD spoken only through Moses? Hasn’t he also spoken through us?” (Numbers 12:2)
6. Do you remember what happened to Aaron and Miriam?
7. God disciplined them for their criticism and the lack of honor and respect they were showing to the Lord and to His servant, Moses.
G. One of the things that is absolutely essential in order to be able to honor one another above ourselves is humility.
1. We won’t be able to honor and show respect for others if we are full of pride or have a superior and “holier-than-thou” attitude.
2. But with the right kind of humility, we will be able to see who God is and who we are in reference to God - that’s humbling indeed!
3. And with the right kind of humility, we will be able to see who others are and value them the way God values them.
4. God has made it clear about how valuable each of us are to Him – He values us enough to allow His Son to die for us and we need to honor and value each person the way God does.
II. The Application – How to Honor One Another
A. First of all, let’s answer the question: “Who Should We Honor?”
1. Well, according to the Bible, we should honor many different persons.
2. First of all, we know that we must honor God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
a. He is worthy of our highest praise and deserves all honor.
b. Rev. 5:12 says: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise.”
3. Second, we need to honor everyone.
a. 1 Peter 2:17 says: Honor everyone. Love the brothers and sisters. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
b. Our society is quick to give honor to those who are “high fliers” – the rich, successful, beautiful and talented.
c. But the kind of honor that Rom. 12:10 commands us to have has nothing to do with who people are, what position they are in, or what they produce.
d. We are to honor one another above ourselves because God loves and values all people.
4. Third, honoring everyone includes honoring all those who are in authority over us.
a. Did you notice that the verse from 1 Peter 2 also said to honor the emperor?
1. Can you guess who was the emperor when that verse was written to Christians? Nero!
2. Regardless of who is our President, or Senator, or Mayor or Governor, we must respect the office and show honor to them.
b. Another authority relationship where the Bible commands Christians to honor is in the relationship between slaves and their masters.
1. Paul gave this instruction: All who are under the yoke as slaves should regard their own masters as worthy of all respect, so that God’s name and his teaching will not be blasphemed (1 Tim. 6:1).
2. Paul also gave this instruction: Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ (Eph. 6:5).
3. Thankfully, none of us are under the yoke of slavery, but these verses apply to our relationship with our employer.
4. Bosses are often the brunt of ridicule, and sarcasm, and some may be well-deserved, but that should not to be the attitude or the actions of Christians.
c. Two other authority relationships where we should show honor and respect are the relationship of children to their parents (Ex. 20:12), and church members are to honor and obey the church leaders (1 Thess. 5:12-13).
d. So, who should we honor? Everyone – including God and those in authority.
B. Next, let’s answer the question: “How can we demonstrate that we honor others above ourselves?”
1. I would like to give a few examples and let the examples speak for themselves.
C. A good biblical example of honoring others was something that happened between Abraham and his nephew, Lot.
1. Unfortunately, tensions were rising between Abraham’s servants and Lot’s servants, because their flocks were getting too numerous and they were beginning to fight over grazing rights.
2. So, Abraham and Lot decided they needed to separate their two households and put a little distance between them.
3. Here’s where the honoring one another above yourselves comes in: Abraham, who was the older, more important, and more wealthy of the two, should have had the first choice of the land, but that’s not what happened.
4. Abraham turned to Lot and said, “I’ll let you chose. If you go to the right, I’ll go to the left, and visa versa.”
5. Rather than putting himself first, Abraham put Lot first – Abraham honored Lot above himself.
D. Here is an impressive story told about Queen Elizabeth, the former queen of England, who died back in September.
1. At a reception honoring a musician named Sir Robert Mayer on his 100th birthday, an elderly British socialite named Lady Diana Cooper fell into conversation with a friendly woman who seemed to know her well, but who she didn’t recognize immediately.
2. Lady Diana’s failing eyesight prevented her from recognizing her fellow guest, until she peered more closely at the magnificent diamonds the lady was wearing and realized she was talking to Queen Elizabeth!
3. Overcome with embarrassment, Lady Diana curtsied and stammered, “Ma’am, oh, ma’am, I’m sorry ma’am. I didn’t recognize you without your crown!”
4. Queen Elizabeth replied, “It was so much Sir Robert’s evening that I decided to leave the crown behind.”
5. Queen Elizabeth wanted the 100 year-old birthday boy to be honored above herself.
E. Booker T. Washington, the renowned black educator, was an outstanding example of humility.
1. Shortly after he took over the presidency of Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, he was walking in an exclusive section of town when he was stopped by a wealthy white woman.
2. Not knowing the famous Mr. Washington by sight, she asked if he would like to earn a few dollars by chopping wood for her.
3. Because he had no pressing business at the moment, Professor Washington smiled, rolled up his sleeves, and proceeded to do the humble chore she had requested.
4. When he was finished, he carried the logs into the house and stacked them by the fireplace.
5. After Mr. Washington left, a neighbor girl who had recognized him, revealed his identity to the wealthy lady.
6. The next morning the embarrassed woman went to see Mr. Washington in his office at the Institute and apologized profusely.
7. “It's perfectly all right, Madam,” he replied. “Occasionally I enjoy a little manual labor. Besides, it's always a delight to do something for a friend.”
8. She shook his hand warmly and assured him that his meek and gracious attitude had endeared him and his work to her heart.
9. Not long afterward she showed her admiration by persuading some wealthy acquaintances to join her in donating thousands of dollars to the Tuskegee Institute.
20. Booker T. Washington honored that woman above himself.
F. Two NBA greats were inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame in 2009 and their induction ceremony speeches were a contrast in humility and honoring others above yourself.
1. NBA icon Michael Jordan gave a speech during the ceremony that was less than humble and rubbed some folks the wrong way.
2. A columnist for Yahoo Sports, named Adrian Wojnarowski thought Jordan's speech was “petty, unfocused and uninspired,” and said that he spent much of the time “disparaging people who had little to do with his career, like Jeff Van Gundy and Bryon Russell.”
3. Jordon ignored people who had much to do with his success, like his personal trainer, Tim Grover.
4. Wojnarowski wrote. “This had been a moving and inspirational night for the NBA – one of its best ceremonies ever – and five minutes into Jordan’s speech it began to spiral into something else. Something unworthy of Jordan’s stature, something beneath him.”
6. “Jordan spent more time pointlessly admonishing Van Gundy and Russell for crossing him with taunts a dozen years ago than he did singling out his three children. When he finally acknowledged his family, Jordan blurted, in part, to them, “I wouldn’t want to be you guys.”
7. Wojnarowski continued: “No one ever feels sorry for Isiah Thomas, but Jordan tsk-tsked him and George Gervin and Magic Johnson for the 1985 All-Star game ‘freeze-out.’ Jordan was a rookie, and the older stars decided to isolate him. It was a long time ago, and he obliterated them all for six NBA championships and five MVP trophies.”
8. “Worst of all,” Wojnarowski added, “Jordon flew his old high school teammate, Leroy Smith, to Springfield for the induction. Smith was the upperclassman his coach, Pop Herring, kept on varsity over him as a high school sophomore. He waggled to the old coach, ‘I wanted to make sure you understood: You made a mistake, dude.’ ”
9. I don’t mean to paint Michael Jordon in a negative light, but sometimes we all make mistakes, and sometimes those mistakes make us a very good bad example.
G. Contrast that with the speech given at the same ceremony by David Robinson, who was also being inducted into the Hall of Fame.
1. Robinson had been somewhat of a superstar in his own right.
2. David Robinson's 14-year career included two NBA titles, an MVP season, a rookie of the year award, 10 All-Star selections, a scoring title and two Olympic gold medals.
3. David Robinson is a Christian, and on one occasion when we were visiting a church in San Antonio, TX, David Robinson came in and sat right in front of us in worship!
4. Robinson began by acknowledging the group that had come to support him, including his naval academy friends, and his pastor.
5. Then he gave very personal and loving words to each of his three sons, telling them how much he loved and treasured them.
a. Here was a man who had just received the highest honor in his sport and he turned it into a father/son moment that his boys will never forget.
6. He then spoke lovingly to his wife, honoring her publicly.
7. Then he honored his parents who always supported him and put the seeds of faith in him.
8. He called George Gervin (former San Antonio Spur and Hall of Famer) “the original Mr. San Antonio” (people have tried to give Robinson that name, but he deferred it to Gervin).
9. He called Larry Brown, his former San Antonio, Hall of Fame Coach, “a basketball genius.”
10. He called Avery Johnson “the spiritual force” behind the Spurs and gave Tim Duncan these words of honor: “He’s the greatest power forward to play the game.”
11. Finally, he told the story from the Bible about the 10 lepers who Jesus had healed and how only one of them came back to express his gratitude to Jesus.
a. Then Robinson said that he wanted to thank God for everything and for the way that God’s hand had been upon him throughout his life.
12. David Robinson is a man who knows how to honor God and how to honor others above himself.
H. Let me give you one more illustration.
1. Have you ever noticed a piano accompanist?
2. They are someone who accompanies a singer or an instrumentalist, like a violinist, or a cellist.
3. What’s amazing about them is that they are usually extraordinary musicians, but their mission is not to bring attention to themselves.
4. Their desire and goal is to make someone else “look and sound good.”
5. They make sure that their own volume is “just right” so as not to drown out the vocalist or instrumentalist.
6. They are able to accent when necessary to assist the other person during challenging parts, and they even can cover up the other person’s mistakes.
7. Ultimately, their own personal excitement and satisfaction comes from helping the vocalist or instrumentalist to be honored for their accomplishments.
8. How’s that for an excellent illustration of what it means to honor someone above yourself?
Conclusion:
A. So, in conclusion: honoring others means valuing others and letting them know we value them.
1. Honoring others means putting them ahead of ourselves.
2. Honoring others means being willing to make sacrifices for them.
3. Honoring others means helping them “look and sound good.”
4. Honoring others means rejoicing when they achieve success and receive honor.
B. When we obey God’s command to honor all people, we are ultimately honoring and obeying God.
1. And how will God reward us?
2. Jesus said: “Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.” (Jn. 12:26)
3. When we obey the Lord by humbling ourselves and by giving honor to others, God will personally bestow honor and blessing on us.
4. So here is God’s principle and promise: The more honor we give, the more we will receive.
5. May God help us to learn how to honor one another above ourselves! Amen!
Resources:
Building Up One Another, by Gene A. Getz, Victor Books, 1981
“Honor One Another,” Sermon by Adrian Dieleman, SermonCentral.com
“Honor One Another,” Sermon by David Owens, 2009
