Deference
Foundation Statement: One characteristic of a
person who fears the Lord is that they defer to the Lord. – John 5:30
(AMP)
I.
Deference/Honor –
Polite respect; Putting another person’s interest first; Precious regard for
another’s wishes
A. Deference carries the
idea of, “No, no you go first.”
1. I’m putting my plans, my
wants, and my desires second and yours first. I defer to you.
2. Deferring to God is
putting God and His will and desires first and me second
B. Honor – Because I
honor you I’m deferring to you
1. GOLF EX: You have the
honor. That means you go first.
C. Precious Regard for
another’s wishes
1. To value ones desire so
much that you’re constantly considering whether or not that their desire is
fulfilled even before you own
2. What God wants is so
important to me that I’m constantly considering whether or not His desire is
fulfilled before my own are fulfilled
II.
In deference one has a
greater desire to please another than to please himself
A. John 5:30 (AMP) – I
have no desire to please myself
1. Will – What one
desires or has determined shall be done; commands or precepts; choice, desire,
pleasure
2. Jesus was doing what the
Father desired not what he desired
3. Jesus was doing what
pleased the Father not what pleased him
4. EX: I defer to you Father
what pleases you? I have no desire
to please myself.
B. John 6:38 – Jesus
said I didn’t come here to do my will, I came here to do the will of him who
sent me
1. We were sent to the Earth
not to do our will, but the will of him who sent us
C. John 4:34 – What
fulfills and nourishes me is doing the will of the Father
1. The thing that pleases me
most is to fulfill your plans, your wants, and your desires.
2. What please me is
pleasing Him
D. John 9:4, Luke 2:49
III.
Deference is deferring to
the Father in all that you do and say
A. John 12:49 (KJ,AMP) – I have deferred to what the Father would have
me to say
1. I don’t say what I want
to say. Not what I want to say
what’s He want me to say
B. John 5:16, 30AMP –
I have deferred to what the Father would have me to do
1. I don’t do what I want to
do. Not what I want to do, what’s
He want me to do
C. EX: Father I defer to you
what would have me to do in this situation? I defer to you what would you have me to
say in this situation?
IV.
To walk in the fear of the
Lord is to defer to God’s desire no matter what the cost may appear to be
A. Luke 22:42-44
1. Jesus said not my will,
desire, pleasure, wish, or choice, but your will, desire, pleasure, wish, and
choice be done-Deference
2. When he chose to defer to
the Father the pressure appeared to get greater
a. There was a severe mental
and emotional struggle going on, there was a struggle for victory going on
b. When the pressure was on
him he prayed more earnestly
(1)
With
great determination he focused harder, concentrated harder, and pushed himself
harder and prayed with more passion and determination
3. He deferred to the
Father’s will and he resisted doing it any other way to the point that he sweat
blood
a. He said I’m deferring to
the Father and when he did the pressure got greater and when the pressure got
greater he pressed harder and just flat refused to do it any other way, but the
Father’s way until blood came dripping out of his pours
b. Psalm 15:4 – This
is swearing to your own hurt and changing not
B. The real tests is will you
defer to him when it looks like it’s going to cost you
1. Will you defer to him if
it looks like it’s going to cost you money? If you won’t you fear money more than
God. You’re saying that you honor
money, you respect money, you revere money, you value money, and you are devoted to money more
than God.
2. Will you defer to him if
it looks like it’s going to cost you comfort in your flesh? If you won’t you fear the god of your
flesh more than you fear God
C. You can’t continue to say
that you fear God when you’re always deferring to someone or something other
than Him
1. A mark of a person who
fears God is that they are always deferring to him above everything else
a. You can’t say you fear
God when his desire is that you do one thing, but you defer to the desire of
someone else and do something else
2. Who are you deferring to?
a. Psalm 96:4 – He is
to be feared above all gods
b. Who’s ever desire you’re
deferring to the most is who you fear the most
D. Acts of deference
1. Genesis 22:12 – God
knew Abraham feared him because he deferred to him
2. Daniel 3 – The
Hebrews deferred to God; He wants us not to bow so we aren’t bowing
3. Acts 20:22-24 – The
Apostle Paul deferred to God