Relationship Busters Pt.4 Series

INTRO: Two men were golfing together near a cemetery. While the one man was preparing to putt, a hearse turned into the cemetery. He immediately looked up, dropped his putter, removed his cap and bowed his head. After a couple of minutes he returned his attention to golf. When the two men returned to the clubhouse, his partner told the man that he was deeply moved by the respect shown toward the deceased. The man acknowledged him by saying, "I really feel it was the least I could do after being married to her for the last thirty-four years."

Today we’re talking about the 4th pillar of unhealthy relationships, disrespect. But let me first review what we’ve looked at this far.

1st pillar was gossiping. We looked at what gossiping will do. : It will separate close friends.

: It will ignite fights and quarrels.

: It will bring division.

: It will change you at the very core of who you are.

2nd pillar of an unhealthy relationship is envy.

: Where you find envy, there you will find disorder and every evil practice.

: Envy rots the bones, our lives will fall apart if we don’t deal with envy.

: No one can stand against envy.

3rd pillar of an unhealthy relationship is greed.

: Greed creates the wrong way of life.

: Breed also produces the wrong motivation in life. : Greed establishes the wrong authority in life.

TITLE: Relationship Busters – Part 4

TEXT: 2 Kings 2:23-25

I. Definition of disrespect.

A.Let’s look at respect first.

: Respect is an act to give particular attention, consideration, a high or special regard for someone or something, to esteem.

: Disrespect is the opposite—not to pay particular attention, not to give high or special regard for something or someone.

B.Illustrate.

A church group traveled through Turkey to visit the sites of the seven churches of Revelation. As their bus went down a dusty road, they noticed up ahead a man riding a camel. The group stopped their bus to take a picture. It was only after they stopped that they noticed that behind the rider and the camel was his wife walking along. With the help of their interpreter they asked the man, "Why are you riding while your wife walks?" "It is simple," he replied, "she doesn’t own a camel."

II. To the western mind we think what a clod, making his wife walk while he is riding. Where is the respect for his wife?

In the text this morning we have the story of Elisha the prophet of God.

A. Background. Elisha has just taken over for Elijah who was taken to heaven in a chariot of fire.

1. Elisha is the main prophet now. He just gets through performing a miracle to clean up the water of Jericho and he is on his way to Bethel.

B. The prophet encounters some defiant teens.

1.These youngsters come out of town and start tormenting, making fun of the prophet. They are jeering him.

2.They say, "Go on up, you baldhead."

-It was customary among Eastern nations to cut off the hair of the head, or to shave the head, as a token of mourning the death of a relative (Job 1:20, Jeremiah 16:6). In consequence of it being a heathen custom , this was forbidden to the Israelites (Deuteronomy 14:1).

-Natural baldness was treated with contempt because it exposed a man to the suspicion of leprosy.

3.There are two ways to look at this.

: They knew he was a man of God and they were just coming out to torment.

: They thought he was an outcast who had signs of leprosy and they were making fun of him.

C. The result was the same. Elisha called down a curse from the Lord and a couple of bears came out and mauled these teenagers.

1.They were punished. We might think this was a pretty harsh judgment from Elisha.

-Who was the judgment coming from? It was coming from God; Elisha did not have power to do this. It was from God!

2.God wants us to respect one another. Disrespect will bring the judgment of God just as these teenagers found.

D. Who are we to respect?

1.We are to respect the aged. Leviticus 19:32, "Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God."

2.We are to respect our parents. Exodus 20:12, "Honor your father and mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you."

4.Ruler. Exodus 22:28, "Do not blaspheme God or curse the ruler of your people."

5.We are to respect everyone. 1 Peter 2:17a, "Show proper respect to everyone." Summary: We are to show respect to everyone. Why? Because they are a creation of God.