Honour

Romans chapter 13 and verse number 7. Render therefore to all their dues tribute to whom tribute is due, custom to whom custom, fear to whom fear, and the last part especially I want you to notice honor to whom honor. Owe no man anything but to love one another for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. Now Malachi back to the prophecy of Malachi please.

Not hard to find among those minor prophecies the last one Malachi and chapter 1. Malachi 1 and verse number 6. A son honoreth his father and a servant his master. If then I be a father where is mine honor? And if I be a master where is my fear saith the Lord of hosts unto you? And now just while we're there over to chapter 3. Chapter 3 I would take this in contrast to what we read earlier in chapter 1. Then they, I would not include everybody, they that feared the Lord spake often one another to one another and the Lord hearkened and heard it in a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and thought upon his name. And let's go back over to 1st Samuel chapter 15 will suffice.

1st Samuel 15 and verse 30. Really it is in the context of verse 29 so I should read that first. 1st Samuel and that's chapter 15 and verse 29.

And also the strength of Israel will not lie nor repent for he is not a man that he should repent. Then he said and these are the words of Saul. Yet honor me now I pray thee before the elders of my people.

And before Israel and turn away, turn again rather with me and I that I may worship the Lord by God. So Samuel turned again after Saul and Saul worshiped the Lord. And we will read while we're here a very important verse.

It's the final one in chapter 2. Same book chapter 2. And verse number 30. 1st Samuel 2 verse 30. Wherefore the Lord God of Israel saith I said indeed that thy house and the house of thy father should walk before me for but now the Lord saith be it far from me for them that honor me.

I will honor they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed. I do not think that it would be with much difficulty. You very obviously see what is before me this afternoon at this juncture of the meeting and that is the subject of today's meeting and that is the subject of today's meeting and that is the subject of today's meeting and that is the subject of today's meeting and that is the subject of today's meeting and that is the subject of today's meeting and that is the subject of today's meeting and that is the subject of today's meeting and that is the subject of today's meeting and that is the subject of today's meeting and that is the subject of today's meeting and that is the subject of today's meeting and that is the subject of today's meeting and that is the subject of today's meeting and that is the subject of today's It was impressed upon my mind really and the consideration of the chapter that we had for the Bible reading this morning concerning honor was confirmed upon Adam and then of course honor that was later confirmed obviously upon the Lord Jesus Christ.

Often in our prayers we speak about the glory and the honor of God and we sing about his glory and we sing his praises but sometimes there's very little mention concerning his honor. I wouldn't have to remind you that we live in a society that I'm not sure if Noah or Merriam-Webster would concur if they were living, but from their dictionary as far as our world today is concerned that word is nil or non-existent. We live in a world today that knows nothing about the truth of honor.

And you know I've often thought that if we want to know really what God would have to us as God's people have us be, just kind of look at the world and go for the opposite. Because we live in a culture that is counter to everything that a Christian should hold dear of course in their own experience. I want you to think of three things of our honor this afternoon and first of all I want you to think of the Lord's honor.

That's where it begins and that's where it ends. The Lord's honor, but in between those two there's something else we must consider. I want to think of the truth of lasting honor and then finally lost honor.

I'm not sure if she is here today, she was here yesterday and there was a grandma here and her little grandson Spencer had got saved in gospel meetings we had over in Garnevillo and so in checking up on him she said to him, Spencer do you pray? Oh yeah he says I pray grandma. Yeah he says I pray. Well he says she said what do you pray for? So he told her a few things he'd pray for.

She says do you ever pray for wisdom? Oh no he says grandma I don't pray for that. He says you know I'm on the honor rule. Now wisdom might make the and intelligence might make the honor rule of honor rule of this school and other schools but I'm interested this afternoon and I'm sure you are today, would it be nice to be on God's honor rule? God's honor rule.

The words respect, the words reverence, the words integrity, chastity, purity, transparency are anathema to modern-day thinking. Modern-day thinking is that nobody really has to be honored but it's interesting that we find ourselves in a day and I'm sure that everybody here this afternoon is agreeing not because I'm saying it but because out in that world that's the way it is. There's no such thing as honor.

I found interesting in my consideration of this this past week that when our Testament our Old Testament concludes it was the same problem. It's the same question and that's why we read in Malachi chapter 1 God says a son honoreth his father. Now we're going to come to that in a minute.

My father's 91 years of age. I hope I still honor him. I'm sure I'm speaking to some here and if you had father back he's gone.

You might have honored him just a little more. So it's an assumed truth. It's interesting when you come to the Word of God there's no question here.

God is assuming something in nature and natural ties. He says a son honoreth his father and his servant his master but he says if I be a father where is mine honor? Where is mine honor? You know we talk about loving God and we love God. People are saved love God but sometimes when it comes to a life that is honoring to God that can be another street.

That can be a different story and he says if I be a master where is my fear saith the Lord of hosts? So I learned something that fear and honor go together. Now when I come to the last part chapter 3 where we read of the same prophecy the book of Malachi it's interesting because those wonderful words often quoted here's what the Lord says then they that feared the Lord and spake often one to another the Lord hearkened rather and heard it for a book of remembrance was written before him that they feared the Lord and thought upon his name. So there's a whole lot of truth that's literally clustered together there one verse and it's this that what is honoring to the Lord is those that would think upon his name.

A name that has been exalted above everything. A name in which the Gentiles have come to trust. The authority of that name in which we have been baptized.

The name in which we gather is something that's very precious to God. So what I am identifying myself rightly in association with that name I'm honoring God. You remember what Jacob said concerning his sons? They went out you remember with the men of Shechem and he said this you have made my name distinct among the inhabitants of the land.

It's interesting what we'll do to protect the honor of the family name but what about the honor of his name? In David's experience that was what he thought often about was the honor of his name. You know you almost say well where do we start with this? I could have read to you a Proverbs chapter 3 where the wise man tells us honor the Lord with thy substance and with the firstfruits of all thine increased. There's a difference between honoring the Lord with your substance and paying your way.

If I'm in assembly fellowship I have responsibilities brethren and sisters I'm speaking particularly to those that are young and I have to say that listen I stand here and plead guilty to every charge that I live the kindness and the generosity of God's people. But sometimes younger people need to be instructed and to be taught. What's the difference between paying their way and honoring the Lord with their substance? In other words if I'm part of that assembly whatever the costs that are incurred relative to the hall to the conference whatever it might be as much as I can that is a responsibility that I have and above and beyond that I must know what it is to set aside that which is the Lord's portion and seek to honor him accordingly.

This is a country basically even among the unconverted people that is built on a generous heart. It's interesting where did that start? I do I read an article this is coming to my mind right now for a local newspaper and I just did the one for this coming week and I get my wife to proofread it I don't think I stayed in school long enough for that anyhow but she does it does a good job and I was talking about Christian inventions and you know what just with going through a few of them when it comes to chloroform when it comes to even the cell phone that you like and the BlackBerry I use and that sort of thing do you know that all those inventions by and large trace back to Christian men? Let me ask you and where does that trace back to? That traces back to founding fathers in a Western hemisphere that feared God and honored God and ones that have set God not and have esteemed him not and honor him not what have they invented? You know what they have invented? Instruments of evil. Instruments of mass destruction.

What have they given us? Just one example this is an invention it's just when it comes to to a need. When it came to Haiti. When it came to sending doctors.

When it came to sending funds and and supporting that country after that devastating earthquake. What did the atheists send? What did non-christian countries now I am not standing you know that better than I do I'm not standing here saying we're a Christian country we're all Christians you know that but let me just say for the sake of understanding what did non-christian countries send? Nothing. Ours is a rich heritage we've been reminded just this afternoon of that heritage relative to the assembly testimony and even the conference that I'm sharing at today that I know nothing about laying the foundation or those early difficult days.

So there is the Lord's honor. It's interesting that that honor can be shared. God will take that honor and he will honor Moses accordingly and then he will tell him in Numbers chapter 27 he said that thou shalt put some of thine honor upon the congregation of the children of Israel that they may be obedient and that they may be obedient and then of course later it is Samuel that I or Saul that I read about that wants Samuel to honor him with something that wasn't there to honor him with.

So there is the Lord's honor. Now he says the son honoreth his father. I want to think of honor and what is associated with the Lord's honor and just a very simple way I want to think of the honor of parents.

I want to think of the honor of partners. We've already had that touched on the conference. The honor of peers and the honor of power.

The honor of parents. Interesting Exodus chapter 30 of verse number 12 we have it again words given to us so long ago honor thy father and thy mother that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. It's interesting that based upon that statement, that verse, it literally leads to eight references in our Bible that are associated with honor.

Deuteronomy chapter 16 and we go to the Gospels and we go to the Paul and the Ephesian epistle and then the Colossian epistle. The honor of our parents. How are we doing? How am I doing? I want you to think very simply a way in which our parents can be honored.

I want to speak, I'm going to be very very plain this afternoon and I just had an email from a man and he thought I maybe sometimes minister he said and he said maybe he said you're trying to be plain but you know he said maybe you're just being a little hard. You know all emails aren't encouraging ones. I have a file of my emails.

I only have one in the one part and under that file it's called complimentary or criticism. So sometimes you have to go back for a little ego buster and find out whether somebody else thinks you're a little hard. Well brothers and sisters I don't want to be hard.

I don't want to come across hard this afternoon but I do want to speak to you about parental consideration. Very quickly I want you to think of four men. I want to think of a man by the name of Joseph.

It's interesting that Joseph would spend his first 17 years with his father and his last 17 years with his father and with all that would be coming upon him in those times there in the middle of Genesis, well not really the middle, chapter 43, you remember that the question is concerning his father. How was he doing? And he would ask of them his the welfare and he said is your father the well? Is your father well? They said the old man of whom you speak is he yet alive. How much does the welfare of your parents enter into your thinking? Too often we've got it the wrong way around.

We've got it around something like this that my parents aren't looking after me and parents suddenly become servants to the children and whatever they want they've got to be there. Now I do have to speak with some experience because my wife if I let her, I guess she does it whether I let her or not, maybe it's because I'm not home enough, but she'll buy things for the boys and I say to her, surely either one of them have got more money than we've ever had and I said what are you buying that for? She said well I thought they needed it. Well I said they've got a wife that will look after them.

Well I know that but there's just some instinct in there. I'm not criticizing that. But do you know why she does that? Because her boys and her girls are so good to their mother.

How are you today? Maybe your father isn't in the work. I speak to someone and you've just taken him for granted. Someone that has looked after you, has clothed you, has fed you, you owe everything to him.

He's gone through things that you know nothing about. Honoring your parents. When you are honoring your parents, dear child of God, you wouldn't have to be a big student in the Bible to know this, you're honoring God.

One of the ways in which God is honored as a heavenly father is the honor of an earthly father simply because he has commanded it. Interesting that Joseph as a young man wore what was approved of his father. Boy you say, you better not steer that way, that's a good one to get away from.

Well it's interesting he was not the only man that wore something that was approved of his father. He wore something that was made of his father. You know it's interesting that Jacob did the same thing.

And so did Samuel, wore something that was made of his mother. I think I could trust a woman to be a seamstress a lot better than I could a man. The worst thing I ever had to wear from my father was really his haircuts.

And I was glad when electric clippers came along because the first ones were a pretty painful experience. And I wasn't really that old to know whether the thing looked good or bad or ugly or otherwise. But they were his haircuts.

There was just no doubt looking at two McCandless boys, you know we hadn't been in any barbershop, we'd been on his chair. But we wore them, okay. You could tell that dad had done it.

I remember one time being, I was having gossip meetings at a place called Bedeck, Nova Scotia. And I was there in a rented trailer really and you know everybody's pulling in with their Jacob, with their Wilderness and everything else. And finally it was in the middle of a Friday afternoon and in come this trailer and it was kind of, well you just want to look at it, shingles down the side and hey you know who built that thing? Dad built it.

It looked like it. And I pulled in and they kind of went down around the corner. I thought well that's interesting, a man's wife just got a big trailer.

I watched closely, very closely, and one by one I think I saw four children dart out of that trailer like a rifle shot. Not to be seen. In other words, they rode in it, they'd sleep in it, but they were not playing or identifying themselves with that because it looked like what dad built.

Well I could look at it and say he did the best likely with what he had. Some of us here today were raised in homes. I know I'm not standing here stroking a long beard, but some of us were raised in homes and we were raised at the time when our folks didn't have a lot.

And I think I speak for my generation, Russ and some of these here today, it was the best thing for us. Is that part of our problem today? That ours have been raised with too much. There's no honor.

When we had so little. When we had parents that had to borrow money to put in a gas tank to go to meeting, as we knew it, we honored them. Did God honor them? God is no man's debtor.

That's really what the extension of what we read there in chapter 13 here goes on to say, owe no man anything. In other words, God is no man's debtor. So there's a sense in which there has to be parental consideration, the honor.

In other words, with Joseph, it was that which was a priority. You know, it's sad to think, but Esau wore a coat too. I take that was a coat of sleeves.

He didn't care if he wore it hunting, or wore it in the field, or where he wore it. Didn't have any value to him. He had no love for his parents.

For Esau, everything was a day-to-day hand grab. What's in it for me was really the mentality of him. Don't let that mentality, don't let that thinking sink into you today, dear child of God.

I think of Saul. Now, if in Samuel, or rather in Joseph, we got parental consideration that was a priority, let me suggest to you that in Saul it was preventative. You know, with all that you want to say about Saul, and we'll maybe touch on him later, but a very lonely man in the world seldom had a real friend, as most do people like Saul.

You know, he's a prisoner in his own image. You know, he lived at the expectations of others, and he was afraid to show people how human he was in case they would reject him. That's why his words to Samuel, honor me before the elders of Israel.

In other words, prop me up. Don't let this look bad. We're so conscious today, are we not, of just how we look and how we appear before others.

That's why we live in a world that wants acceptance. That's why people today want the acceptance of others, and that doesn't just limit itself to young people. But, when you think of that man Saul, and think of all that you could say about him, you've got to remember that he was considerate of his father.

When they're out looking for those lost donkeys, remember the point that comes, he says, listen, we've got to leave off this, lest my father become anxious. In other words, my father won't know where I am, it's late, and I should be back. Is that how considerate, is that how you honor your parents today? Are you quite content to tell them, listen, I'm going to be back at such and such a time, and you likely have a cell phone that a lot of us didn't have, and you can call them and say, I'm sorry I'm going to be late, but you'll leave them with anxiety and concern, and they'll never make the call, and they can't get a hold of you.

That's hard on them. That's not honoring your parents, that's not honoring the Lord. May God help us to be considerate, to prevent that sort of thing happening.

You know what's interesting when it comes to David, here's David, he's coming to the cave of Adelam, enemies on every hand, things pressing upon him, and there's a word of, here I'm thinking of precaution, it says that David went fenced from Mishpah to Moab. And he said to the king of Moab, concerning his parents, my father and my mother, he says, I pray they come forth and be with you till I know what God will do for me. In other words, David learned values from Jesse, and he says, take care of these people, they're my parents, I've only got one son of them.

So, dear young Christian, today we love every one of you, you've been reminded of this conference. Hope you love mom and dad. Hope you have a deep love for them.

I hope that that's a priority in your life. I hope there are preventative things, that you will prevent them from having anxious moments, so unnecessary. Now I'm speaking this because unfortunately this does happen today, and from people who should know better, and not just teenagers, sometimes older ones.

Older people have concerns and worries that younger people do not have. Is there anything wrong with communicating with them? Supposedly we live in this big world of communication, but when it comes to some of these things, we are so broke down. You know, we could jump on Samson with both feet, and I've got to admit, I've likely been pretty hard on Samson at times with ministry too.

I know he's not justified when it comes to the carcass of the lion, but it's interesting that when he does come to that honey, that he will take it and share it with his parents. I know the source is wrong on that, but can you not give him a little credit? You know what he's wanting to do? He's wanting to bring a little sweetness into their lives. Now if I was to speak to your parents this afternoon, do you do that? How much sweetness have you brought into your parents this past week? There's always a bitterness, always an antagonism, always an attitude that's a problem.

Life's too short. If mom took sick tomorrow morning, if you lost dad next week, there isn't anybody here that wouldn't have said, I wish I could have brought more sweetness to their lives. Just to be able to bring some sweetness to it.

But ultimately, there's the Lord Jesus. The supreme example. It says concerning the Lord Jesus, those lovely words in Luke's Gospel chapter 2, verse number 50 is it? That he had come down, it says, and he was subject unto them.

He was subject unto them. Luke records for us the first and last words of the Lord Jesus, and in both of it, it was Father. The Lord's honor.

So if we're going to honor the Lord, we're going to honor our parents. We're going to know what it is to seek to honor them in different ways in which even these that we've looked at this afternoon sought to honor them. Lasting honor.

First Samuel chapter 2, that's why I read that. Interesting. For them that honor me, I will honor.

They that despise me shall be lightly esteemed. Them that honor me, I will honor. Now I don't, please, I'm not on the marriage vein thing.

That's just not my department. The courtship, I'm out of that thing too. God bless these men.

That's just not my line. But let me say something. I want to make my line today.

The honor of our partners. Come on, those of us that are married today, we live in a world that knows nothing about honoring their partners. It's just a rough, tumble, competitive world.

There's nothing of a companionship. There's nothing of closeness. There's nothing of addressing each other in a polite way, even publicly.

That's sad, brethren and sisters. We should never be amongst us as God's people. We should know what it is to honor our partners, especially when you slightly spend more time away from them than you'd like to.

Honoring our partners. How do we honor our partners? How do we just go about that? Well, Peter tells us, likewise, he says, ye husbands, dwelt with them according to knowledge, and he goes on giving honor. There's your word.

Honor unto the wife as unto the weaker vessel as being heirs together of the grace of God, and goes on and brings out the fact that when there isn't that, that our prayers are hindered. Is that why sometimes there's no power in the praying? We talk about in the assembly, maybe in our homes. It's interesting, you know, how these intelligent children of ours start to pull dad up and they start to check back as if, well, you know, they can't remember this, but they're quizzing mom in front of me.

And it's interesting. I've never told this on a public platform before, but they were, they were hauling me the task. I just figured it wasn't about any issue or anything like that.

And of course, they always want to give you a little advice. You know, after all, they're 38 years of age. They've got a lot to tell you.

So I said, see that lady there? That's your mother. I said, before she was your mother, she was my wife. I said, do you ask her how many times I ever raised my voice at her? So, under the gun came mom.

Oh, I said, mom, tell us. There was times when he hollered at you wasn't there. And this is likely the only thing I got going.

There's lots of other things I've failed. Brother, there's no laurels here. She looked at them and she said, I have to tell you that over 40 years and the time we've been married, I've never heard your father raise his voice at me.

I thought, well, on that one, shut those boys down because they're ready to climb on, you know? Oh, yeah. Oh, no, no. They're there.

I can, I can tell you from now more time I got all the things they'd like me to do and where they think dad's kind of failed. Well, he has. I'm not the perfect example, but there are a few things that I'm very, I don't have to tell you, I'm very quick and I've hollered.

I've hollered at men before and I've hollered at my brothers. I don't think I ever hollered. My parents couldn't get away with that.

But I hope that that doesn't happen. You know, just as soon as you say it from a platform, you go home and you think she's done something wrong because you know, as you get a little older, you know how it is, brother, you get a little cranky. You don't know anything about that? You will.

You hardly live with yourself, let alone anybody else. And then you think you've got an excuse for hollering at her. No, you don't.

Not really. And if you have done it, go and apologize. I'm as capable of it as anybody.

The honoring of our partners. You know, I like Job. You know, I know that we'll take Job's wife and we'll put her through the ringer and whatever, but wait a minute, brethren, wait a minute.

You didn't stand at 10 freshly dug graves unable to explain one of those deaths, let alone 10 of them. It's interesting how carefully and really it is affection. When you look into the words that Job speaks to her, it isn't a wide open rebuke.

He said, thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. And without taking time to go over the words, let me say, you know what he's saying? This is not a character for you. You normally don't speak like this.

You know what Job did? He respected the feelings of the mother of those children. That's what I call honoring our partners, honoring our peers. Romans chapter 12, be kindly affection one to another with brotherly love in honor, in honor, there's your wording it, preferring one another.

In other words, proper regard for members of the body, esteeming one another above and more than yourselves, giving honor unto the other. Nice to see that among Christians, isn't it? Those that maybe are weaker, those that we think we could do whatever they're doing better than they're doing it, but we just esteem them, we love them. And so we seek to show that honor.

Then, of course, the honor of the powers, that's 1st Peter chapter 2, honor all men, he says, love the brotherhood, fear God, he said, honor the king. So as I conclude, there can be the Lord's honor. There is lasting honor.

You honor God, God will honor you. What's he say in 1st Samuel chapter 2? For them that honor me, I will honor. They that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.

I am such a big debtor to God. I owe God so much, brother and sisters, in every way. I don't wish just my makeup, but I have to, I'm forced to put these knees where they belong every night and say, oh, God, what a debtor to you I am.

And every single way I have not honored God. I'm not standing here, you know that, I'm not standing here as the example of honoring the Lord and honoring the partner. And honoring the peers and honoring this, my total thrust of what I'm trying to say this afternoon, let me say to every older believer here today, everyone, those that are born in the testimonies here, in God's name, we salute you.

God bless you. It wouldn't be assembly life as we've known it. We appreciate it without you.

I am called upon, even though you may not be my earthly parent on earth. What's the apostle say? You have not many fathers. I have fathers.

I do. I have fathers. I have men that have directed my life and have helped me along.

I would like to seek to honor them. So what's he say? Honor the Lord. They that honor me, I will honor.

I would say from this conference, let's, brothers and sisters, young and old, all of us, could we do a little better at it? Have we not fallen down on this? I have. And I'd like to know what it is to live a life that would be more honoring and obviously pleasing to Him.