We honor you - 1 Peter 2:17

We honor you ...

November 11, 2012

1 Peter 2:17

Introduction

• Today we honor our veterans
• Some of them are among us, some of them are our friends, some of them are unknown to us yet we honor them.
• Some are alive, some have passed away - Friday I will take part in a memorial service for a Vietnam veteran
• We honor veterans because they stood and still stand for the cause of freedom
• Today we thank you for your selfless sacrifice so that we may live and worship in peace
• We honor you
• Veterans Day video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpWUQ53qRcw 

Reading

• 1 Pet 2:13-17 Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;
• :14 Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.
• :15 For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:
• :16 As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.
• :17 Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.

What does it mean, to honor someone?

• Honor all men - Timao (Gr)
• 1) to estimate, fix the value of something belonging to one's self
• 2) to honor, to have in honor, to revere, venerate
• So we can honor or value something belonging to ourselves
• Or we can honor or value others in the sense of respect and gratitude
• How does this work in practice?
• Today we are honoring those in uniform, whether past or present
• We honor them for their dedication to duty,
• for their selfless sacrifice for their brothers in arms
• for love of their country
• and for protecting our freedom
• We honor you

Honor in the Bible

• God honors mankind, did you know that?
• When we do not honor someone, we tend to belittle and control them
• Mankind chose to disobey God, and so God would have had every right to react negatively to us
• Instead, he set in motion a plan for the redemption of mankind, which had been set in place since the foundation of the world
• This shows us how God honors mankind rather than condemning us and relegating us to hell
• God created man with the power of choice,
• Man can choose, does he want to continually eat the fruits of rebellion, going his own way?
• Or does he want to choose to accept Jesus as his Lord and Savior
• God does not force us to make one choice or the other
• He honors our choice, without forcing or controlling us
• He draws us with cords of love, he does not impose himself on us
• This principle applies to so many aspects of our Christian walk

Called to honor by serving, not by controlling

• Jesus says he has come to serve, not to lord it over us
• He tells us we are to be each other's servants, not masters
• Phil 2:3 - esteem others better than your self, this means we honor and value others
• Today we honor those who fell and those who still serve today, whether in the military, our firefighters, or those who serve in our correctional facilities
• Here are some other ways in which we honor by serving:
• We honor our children and those less able to take care of themselves
• Matthew 10:42 And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.
• More than a glass of water, our children need encouragement and honoring, rather than punishment
• Honoring brings out the best in people
• We honor and serve our spouses
• Eph 5:21-24, 28 Submit to each other in love, the same way Jesus loved the church, honoring it over his own life
• Honoring my wife means I love her, I encourage her, I trust her and I believe in her
• Being her husband does not mean I am a dictator, but instead, I lead her the way Jesus draws us, with cords of love
• These cords are not physical cords but intangible emotional bonds
• We serve those less fortunate than ourselves
• Matthew 25:43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
• When we serve them, we honor them

God honors us when we turn to Him

• God honored us first by offering us an opportunity to get it right
• Eph 2:4-6 By doing this he elevated us to be seated at his right hand with Christ
• God honors each of us
• In the same way, we should honor each other, and the community around us
• 2 Peter 3:9 God's heart is that no one should perish, he wants all men to be saved
• But he does not force it upon any one of us
• God honors our free will and our ability to choose
• We each have to make that choice individually

Invitation

• Is there someone here today who desires to make that commitment to Jesus, voluntarily, not because you are forced but because you are sick of your own way and you are choosing to follow Jesus?
• Is anyone here would like to dedicate their life back to Jesus?

Prayer

• Lord, I pray that would would make us an honoring people, who are honored by You, and who honor each other, and the community around us. In Jesus Name, amen.