HONOUR – PEOPLE WE MUST HONOUR

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Text: 1Sam.2:30, Mal.1:6

1 Sam 2:30

30 Therefore the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I said indeed that your house and the house of your father would walk before Me forever.’ But now the Lord says: ‘Far be it from Me; for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed.
Mal 1:6
6″A son honors his father, And a servant his master. If then I am the Father, Where is My honor? And if I am a Master, Where is My reverence? Says the Lord of hosts. To you priests who despise My name. Yet you say, ‘In what way have we despised Your name
PEOPLE WE MUST HONOUR

From the scriptures, we are to honour the following people:
Our parents – Exo.20:12,

“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.
Deut 5:16
16 ‘Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may be well with you in the land which the LORD your God is giving you.
Spiritual Leaders/Church officers – ITim.5:17

17 Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine.

Spouse – 1Pet.3:7

7 Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.
The King – 1Pet.2:17

17 Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.
The elderly and widows – Lev.19:32;

32 ‘You shall rise before the gray headed and honor the presence of an old man, and fear your God: I am the LORD.
1Tim.5:3
Honor widows who are really widows.
Fellow brethren – Rom.12:10

Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;
Please understand that:
Honor is Personal
Things are not honored, but people.
It is something one person does to another person.
We really cannot honor ourselves.
Honor is only honor when given by one person to another. It can only be given by a person or God and received by a person or God.
Hebrews 5:4, “No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was.”
Honor may demand giving Preference
This is a tough one in our society when we never want to seem like we give preference to someone over another, but the fact is that we should.
And honoring someone for some achievement or action can help sometimes spur someone else on to greater things as they see the honor that someone else has received.
So, honoring someone can also imply giving them preference over and above others.
Distinctions are made between people in the Bible and we need to make distinctions and honor some people above others at times.
In regards to our parents, we are called to honor our parents by giving them preference above some other people that may be part of our life.
1 Samuel 9:15,22,27, Romans 12:10

15 Now the Lord had told Samuel in his ear the day before Saul came, saying
1 Sam 9:22
22 Now Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them into the hall, and had them sit in the place of honor among those who were invited; there were about thirty persons.
1 Sam 9:27
27 As they were going down to the outskirts of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to go on ahead of us.” And he went on. “But you stand here awhile, that I may announce to you the word of God.”
Rom 12:10
10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;

Honor is related to Position
Sometimes, we honor a person solely because of the position that they occupy.
In the Bible, we are told to honor our leaders, those in authority.
The position or authority someone has, at times demands we honor the person holding that position regardless of whether we agree with all of their decisions. 1 Peter 2:17, Romans 13:6-7

6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing. 7 Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.
This is true in the family structure as well. We are to honor parents not because they necessarily deserve it in their actions, but because of the position they hold, the position of parent.
So even when parents are doing their job poorly, we have an obligation before God to honor them, and thus bring glory to God.
We see that this command was a very serious command in the Old Testament. Dishonoring your parent was punishable by death. Exodus 21:17 , Deuteronomy 21:18-21
Exodus 21:17

17 “And he who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.
Honor has to be Practical
It cannot just be lip service. Isaiah 29:13

13 Therefore the Lord said: “Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men,
Practical Ways to Honor Authority
Love them unconditionally – I Peter 4:8. 8 And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.”
Submit to them cheerfully i.e: a voluntary attitude of giving in, cooperating, assuming responsibility & carrying a burden – Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 2:13-17.

Heb 13:17
17 Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.
Protect their families – John 19:25-27.
Serve them gladly i.e Serve them the way that you have been gifted to serve.-Galatians 5:13- For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

Ephesians 6:5-8; 1 Peter 4:10.
Challenge them righteously – Matthew 18:15.

15 “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.
Pray over the alleged offense and get God’s perspective.
Go to them within three days privately, without speaking to anyone else first.
Appeal to them as a father (this will ensure the proper respect).
Listen to their counsel, if any, and then pray about it if needed.
If God directs then talk to your elder about the issue and proceed per his instructions.
Be sure to stay away from personal opinions and stick to scripture.
Give them double honor – 1Timothy 5:17-18.

17 Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine. 18 For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer is worthy of his wages.”
Honor their personal time – Mark 6:30-31. 30 Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught. 31 And He said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.
Pray for them unceasingly – 1Timothy 2:1.

Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men,
Buy into their vision -2 Timothy 2:1-3

You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 3 You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
Why should we Honour them?
God commands it – Exo.20:12

Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.
It comes with a promise of long life – Exo.20:12

Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.
So that it may be well with you – Deut.5:16,

16 ‘Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may be well with you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you.
Eph.6:3
“that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.
To avoid unnecessary sufferings – Prov.30:17

17 The eye that mocks his father, And scorns obedience to his mother, The ravens of the valley will pick it out, And the young eagles will eat it.
To secure a future for you, because the honour you give is the honour you will receive – Lu.6:38,

38 Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
Gal.6:7
7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
To secure your family’s dynasty.
Sons of Eli – 1Sam.2:12, 25-30; 4:11,17.
Sons of Samuel – 1Sam.8:1-5
To avoid destruction of a people or nation. Eze.22:7;15

Please note:
God expects us to honour and respect proper authority. – Rom.13:7

7 Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.
Mk.12:17
17 And Jesus answered and said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”And they marveled at Him.
If we don’t learn to respect and honour our parents we may find submission to other authority figures in our lives difficult – 1Pet.2:17-18.
Submission to proper authority brings order and order results in progress – Gen.1:1-3
If you don’t submit willingly, circumstance will force you to. – Lu.15:11-19
Pay today, play tomorrow or play today pay tomorrow. Which do you choose?

Dr. Udoh
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