Called To Community (Part 3 – Community of Honor)

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Called to Community

Part 3 – Honor

 

Welcome back to Jesus Church: Here and Online

• We are in the middle of a series on community
  • And the emphasis Jesus puts on community in his ministry
  • Which then translates into the 1^st century church
• Last week we looked at Jesus concept of family
  • Jesus said his family were those “Do the will of God”
  • Meaning that family is much larger than your blood relatives
  • Our family is the entire community of Christ
• And in any healthy family there are healthy family practices
  • Eating together… Valuing time together
  • Protection one another… Forgiving one another
  • Challenging each other… Encouraging each other

And as the family that Jesus has called us to be

• We are also called to practice these things in community
  • And the question is are we living that out
  • Not just with our blood family… with our church family

Roman 12:9-16

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil, cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal but keep you spiritual fervor serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

Romans 12:10b

Honor one another above yourselves.

[PRAY]

Honor is a word we do not hear very often today

Growing up I lived in Seattle… melting pot of culture

• Had a friend who was from China… Went to her house for dinner
  • For whatever reason I didn’t notice everyone had shoes off
  • I walked in – Clueless
• Her dad started yelling in mandarin
  • I had no clue… but in their culture that was so dishonoring
    • And that’s actually more common culturally than not
    • But He felt I had dishonored his house… this is the mindset
  • I had no clue – We never took our shoes off outside
    • It was raining outside
    • My shoes would have been soaked

From an Eastern Philosopher

I am blown away how Americans track dirt, mud and filth into their friends homes all the time. It is so dishonoring.

• To me that seems like an odd work to use… sorta extreme
  • Annoying sure… gross ok… messy ya I’d agree
  • But the last thing that comes to my mind is Dishonoring
  • Its just not something that I’m use to hearing/thinking about

A few years later living up in Olympia… very liberal city

• There was a mural of Jesus… words that said “Jesus is alive”
  • Remember seeing “alive” crossed out “Jesus is a ______”
  • And how sadly dishonoring is that
• Whatever you thinking about God or religion
  • No one would ever say that about Buddha
  • No one would ever say that about Socrates
  • Its just so dishonoring

For must of us in our culture: Honor is foreign concept

When I hear the word honor… think honor roll… honor father/mother

• In our world there is little to no value for honor in our culture
  • We do have Mother’s day… honor mom with a lunch
  • And we have Father’s day… less honor for sure
  • Veteran’s day… most of us maybe put up a flag and BBQ
• When I think of a culture of honor in the church
  • First thing that comes to most minds is the abuse of honor
  • A pastor saying they use private jets to not mingle with common
  • Or using the concept of honor to gain power over others
• It happens so much – Many of us just ignore the concept of honor
  • We ignore the New Testament teachings on honor
  • In that we play right into the enemies hands
  • If we can understand biblical concept of honor
    • Reshape how we view community/culture from ground up

TAG: Jesus teaches a community of Honor… live in culture of contempt

Rom 12 – Passage is Paul’s vision for community in love

Paul writes Romans – Chapters 1-11 are all theology

• Chapters 12-15 are the conclusion on how to live in light of that
  • And Paul’s focus is living as this new “Family” of believers
  • How all ethnicities (Jew & Gentile) come together in this family
  • Which is surrounded and enveloped by love
• And so Chapter 12… verse 1 we start with this big “THEREFORE”
  • And goes into things on the worship/gifts in the church
  • And then you have these verses we read today… super dense
  • 13 commands on how to live together in community of love
• Scholars believe all 13 commands are variations of the 1^st command
  • And that command is to love… which wouldn’t be surprising
  • Problem is because love is sorta an empty word in our culture

But once you nail down on what we mean by love

• It starts to actually grow into something we can grasp
  • So question it: How do we become a community of love
  • One of the best concepts: To learn to honor mom & dad
• Honor (Tamae) or Vaule or Price
  • Originally was used as a financial word
  • To give someone a gift in keeping with their value or status
  • So to honor someone is to assign value to them
    • Recognize their value to your life and community

So another word that goes with Honor is Glory

• Glory is the implicate value someone has
  • Honor is the value we assign to a person
  • Meaning that God has glory with or without our honor
• But when we worship Got… that is a way we give Him honor

Rev. 5:11-13 (glimpse into heaven right now as we speak)

Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands and ten thousands times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they were saying, “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealthy and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!

• What’s going on in heaven right now…
  • A multitude in heaven is recognizing the VALUE of God
  • They are recognizing the contribution of God to the world

Now Rom. 12 Paul’s command is that we HONOR one another

• Which is recognizing the value & contribution of each to community
  • So it’s not flattery… brown nose boss… love you bro
  • But when your heart recognizes the value of all around us
• And Paul’s command isn’t honor a celebrity or pastor or rich person
  • No its just honor one another

Study on understanding workplace value through email analysis

• Looked through 10×1000 email data from massive company
  • You can find out how important someone is in workplace
  • By how long it takes people to respond to them
  • More important… quicker email – Less important… slower email
    • If I haven’t emailed you back… don’t read into it please!!!
• Paul is saying we are to treat every person as the most important
  • That the weight of how we honor each other would be at the top
  • Regardless of who they are and what they do

C.S. Lewis

There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal

• That guy next to you named Joe in flipflops and Tshirt: He’s immortal
  • The woman to your left is not a mere mortal
  • The kid in front of you is not a mere mortal

When I lived in Seattle – Went to a church for a bit with some Seahawks

• Weren’t there a lot… but when they were
  • You knew they were there… and it felt really cool
  • I’m praising Jesus with the Seahawks (Fitzgerald)
• But what if we were to treat everyone that way
  • Hey… that’s Jessica: Mother of 3 kids
  • Are you serious… Jessica: Mother of 3 kids is here right now
  • Wow… I need to meet this Jessica – Amazing
• We laugh – But we fall into this all the time
  • Who would do that… Jesus would… disciples would – And did
  • Some versions even say “Out do” one another in showing honor
    • Idea of just fighting to honor one another

Ex. 20:12

Honor your father and mother, children should honor parents

1 Pt 3:7

Husbands are to honor their wife

• Notice that last line: So that nothing will hinder your prayers (wow)
  • Peter saying if you dishonor those you’re in relationship with
  • Especially a soulmate – You create blockage b/w you and Heaven
    • That is crazy strong language on honor right there

1 Tim 6:1

Slaves are to honor their masters

• What we think of slavery is different than trans-continental slavery
  • Wasn’t based on race at all… more like indentured servanthood
  • It was rarely for life (not that it was good – just different)
  • In Paul’s framework: Slaves or Employee must honor their boss
• Now think about how griping we do towards our boss
  • And we are suppose to honor those we work for

Rom 13:1

We are to honor all of those who are governing authority’s over us

• You might say… well you have no idea how bad our authorities are
  • Most scholars believe Romans was written during reign of Nero
  • Nero was the worst of the worst… dipping Christians in wax
    • Nail to a pole and light them on fire for his garden
• And Paul is later put in prison by Nero
  • Says even those not worthy of honor for character
  • We are called to give honor to… and that is not one we obey
  • Probably (both sides) why are political system is so messed up
    • Because there is a blessing that comes with Honor

1 Thess 5:12-13

Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among. You, who care for you in the Lord (pastors) and admonish you. (Honor) Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work.

• This is about me… Well it is but its about a lot of people
  • Honoring leadership of the church (not self-admonishing)
  • Because it doesn’t stop there – It goes both ways

1 Cor. 12:21-23 (Metaphor of church as a body)

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are INDISPENCABLE, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor.

• I love this analogy of using a foot
  • How many of us woke up this morning saying: Foot I honor you
  • I am grateful for my contribution to my life
• But have you ever had a foot injury… ya it’s a pain
  • No idea how dependent we are on things we don’t think about
  • And these people are in our community – we take for granted
  • But if they were to step out… we would feel pain
• The main people who bring health to our church
  • Relational giants that bring people together in community
  • Rally people around a cause for Jesus
  • But we are to honor each other not just those upfront

1 Cor 6:18-20 (Honor God with our bodies)

Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who in in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own, you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

• Wow – Talk about a text that destroys the cultural narrative
  • I mean just take the catch phrase we here against abortion
  • “My body my choice”… no its not
  • This is God’s body and we honor God with our body
• How many view sexual immorality through lens of dishonor to God

Ps. 8:5(And beauty is we don’t only honor God… he honors us)

You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor.

• Guys… we rule over the earth and all creation
  • We see an animal hurt – We have the capability to help them
  • We see destruction from a natural disaster – capability to restore
    • I mean what HONOR for what has been entrusted to us
• Jesus says: My father will HONOR the one who serves me
  • That’s a promise! Call him on his word
  • If you serve Jesus and his Kingdom – God will HONOR you
    • Doesn’t say how… but it will happen

Should surprise us… Trinity is a relationship of Honor

• Father Honors the Son > Son honors the Father > Spirit honors both
  • That is the model we have and should reflect in our world
  • This is the template how all relationship in family of God work

John Tyson

Honor is the operating system of the Kingdom of God. A community of honor brings value, love, humility, grace, respect, gratitude, trust, compassion and understanding between all members.

TAG: That isn’t the culture that we live in today… one of honor

 

We live in a culture of Contempt (dishonor)

Def: The feeling that a person/thing is beneath consideration, worthless or deserving of scorn.

• Contempt in many ways is the opposite of honor
  • If Honor is respect… Contempt is disrespect
  • If Honor is gratitude… Contempt is entitlement
  • If honor is values someone…Contempt is lower value in their eye

Psychologist put contempt on same level as: Anger & Resentment

• Difference between the 3
  • Resentment directed towards higher status person (boss)
  • Anger directed towards equal status person (spouse)
  • Contempt directed towards lower status person
• So when we show or speak with contempt – belittle/demean/judge
  • We lower their value in our mind

We take people – View all of who they are through 1 thing that happened

• And this is what we do today… it’s the myth of pure evil
  • Believe that world is either black or white
  • One side is innocent and victim
  • Other side is evil victimizer
• We know that this is rarely the case… not 50/50 but there are 2 sides
  • But we love to divide people into good & evil… us & them
  • Because then we feel we are better and right and good
  • And other people just get labelled and are thrown away
• We compare ourselves not to real person… but what we made them
  • So when we show contempt
    • Lower other person’s value
    • Raise our own value
  • This is the opposite of what it means to honor others

We do this because we live in a culture of Contempt (and we like it)

• Just think of how we obsess over scandals in the news
  • It’s basically half of what’s on tiktok, twitter and youtube
  • Scandal is enticing because it allows people to feel contempt
    • Gives us a sense of moral superiority
    • While asking nothing in return
• With contempt you don’t need to right a wrong with anger (justice)
  • You don’t need to feel the scene (fear or disgust)
  • Best of all contempt is made to share
• Stories of moral failures are the hottest stories on any platform
  • Tell an acquaintance a cynical story about someone who failed
  • Both end smirking and shaking heads… you now have a bond

Point: We live in a culture of contempt… not of Honor

Look at what each will do for your life – Just look at one thing

• Honor opens you up to blessing
  • Contempt shuts us off from the flow of blessing
  • One of best examples comes from Jesus story in Matthew

Matt 13:54 (Jesus is on fire with teaching… everyone blown away)

Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” They asked…

• So totally blown away – Greatest TED talk ever

Matt 13:55-58

Isn’t this the carpenter’s son (very sarcastic/not nice label) Isn’t his mother’s name Mary (remember the whole virgin birth thing) and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things? And they took offense at him. But Jesus aid to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town and in his own home. And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.

• Look what they did… they lowered Jesus’ value
  • Because they didn’t like that he was doing something with his life
  • So they had to bring him down in their own eyes
• And because of that… they missed out on the flow of blessing
  • When we honor people – we are opened up to God’s blessing
  • And whatever blessing those people have to give
  • When I honor you… I get access to God’s blessing through ur life
    • Wisdom
    • Encouragement
    • Friendship
    • Prophetic Words
    • Discernment
    • Opportunity
• When you honor someone… you get access to what they have to give
  • When we dishonor – We cut ourselves off from that
  • And we miss out on what God wants to use them to offer

Think of the commandment Paul talks about in Ephesians

Eph. 6:1-3

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with a promise, so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.

• This is the only commandment in OT that has a promise
  • Not murdering doesn’t get a you a reward
  • Same with adultery or lying
• Honor is the only commandment that gives you a blessing
  • Paul is saying if you honor people
  • You open your life to the flow of blessing
    • This is just the principle of honor

Honor one another… and see how your life is changed