Will You Do It For Me?
I.
What does it mean to
honor? When we honor God it has to do with valuing Him and His things. –
Romans 13:8
A. Honor has to do with
valuing something so much that you treat it with great respect
1.
Your
honor for a thing is seen in how you treat that thing
2.
If
something is valuable to you, you treat it differently and with a greater level
of honor and respect (EX: Two watches)
B. Honor Definition
1.
Honor (Timios)-To honor somebody as
sacred/special, to value as of great price, precious, esteemed, hold especially
dear, reverence
2.
Honor (Kabad)-Weight, heaviness, great, abundance, To be heavy, be weighty, be
rich, be glorious
a. In those days when you
went to buy something they had scales and how much something cost, was
determined by a weight; If something is really expensive you had to pile a lot
of precious metal on that scale to buy it; The more valuable it was the heavier
the price; To honor has to do with something that is heavy or weighty and by
implication something that is precious or valuable
C. The opposite of honor is
to despise-Esteem something lightly,
Treat something as unimportant, To care little for, regard lightly, make small
account, Fail to acknowledge the importance of, To see a thing as worthless, to
not value something
II. Your honor for God is revealed in how you treat His
things-Malachi 1
A. 6-8-They aren’t honoring
the Lord, they aren’t valuing Him/His things and we will see that in how they
treat his things
1.
If
God is your Father and Jesus is your master then honor should be present in you
valuing His things, treating them with great respect
2.
The spirit of this here
is that with these offerings they are saying to God you are not worth the good
sacrifices, you are not worth our best and it’s dishonor and despising because
they don’t value God and His things enough to give him the good/best sacrifice
a. They said the table of
the Lord is worthless; it’s not worth the good bread and the good sacrifices
B. ***8-What some are
willing to do for others they are not willing to do for God: This dishonor of
the highest order***
1.
The
serious thing here is they were willing to do it for someone else (governor),
but not for the Lord
a. The insulation was they
WEREN’T offering their governor these second rate offerings
b. The reality is they value
their own livelihood more than they value the Lord and his things; because if
they try to do that to the governor they’ll go to jail; so they (their own
livelihood) was worth it, but God’s not
2.
When you are are willing
to do things for your job, for your kids, for money, that you are not willing
to do for God it shows more honor for those things than Him (God gave them a
natural example to show them that you value other things more than you value
me)
a. Some will do anything for
their family, but won’t wake up in the morning to spend time with me; Some will
do anything for money, but won’t go to church when I tell them to; Some will do
anything for their career, but won’t serve in the church for me; Some will wake
up early and stay up late, but not for me; Some will work long hours, but not
for me
C. 10-The Lord is saying if
you’re going to give me some second rate, lukewarm, half-hearted effort I’d
rather have nothing from you
1.
God
doesn’t receive every offering and doesn’t accept every offering; This is
unacceptable to the Lord because it is devoid of honor
a. Is it possible to “do something for the Lord,” and get no
credit for it and it not be accepted by God because of the half-hearted effort
with which you do it
b. This attitude, “It’s good
enough for the church,” is unacceptable and reeks of dishonor
D. 7,12-You don’t locate
honor by looking at what a person says they honor, but rather by looking at
what they value
1.
They’re not saying the
table of the Lord is despised with their words, but rather with their actions; With
their actions they are saying it’s not worth it, it’s not that important, and
we don’t value it that much
a. Sometimes you’re saying
it even if you’re not saying it
b. Matthew15:8-This people draws nigh
unto me with their mouth, and honors me with their lips; but their heart is far
from me.
1)
Jesus said they honor me
with their lips, but their heart (what they treasure, what they value-Matt6:21) is far away from me
2)
You
can say, “God I honor you,” and not really honor him
2.
Malachi
1:6-Most people who are despising the things of God don’t call it that so if
you tell them they are they say, “No we are not.”
a. This area of dishonor or lightly esteeming the things of God
is an area where you can think are honoring God, but you are not so we need for
God show us so that we can get it corrected
3.
3:13-14-They’re
saying God is and His things aren’t worth it (His services, Fellowship with
him, etc.)
a. You’re saying it’s not worth it by not being here, by not
being on time, by not paying attention, by not being prepared, by not doing it
with excellence
b. You might not be saying it with your mouth but the things you
do speak so loudly that I can no longer hear what you say
E. ***13-Familiarity is a
big enemy to honor – Because this didn’t used to be drudgery to them***
1.
They
do not value God and His things and these sacrifices anymore, but they used to
at one time
a. VOICE-Don’t you see how boring all these required rituals are
b. They acted like making
this sacrifice and bringing this offering was putting them out; that it was
drudgery
c. When you act like it’s a
drudgery what you are saying is it’s not even worth my time
2.
2:5-The
Levites got off but God chose them originally because they did honor God and
value God’s things
a. Some are getting picked to do things that others are not because
some value God’s things more than others
F. How God treats you is
directly connected to whether or not you honor him and his things
1.
2:9-God
is treating them differently than He would have had they honored him
III.
1 Samuel 2:30-Everybody
gets the same opportunities, but not everybody gets the same treatment
A. A lack of honor is seen
in how they treat God’s things (They are taking the best for themselves rather
than giving it to God)
1.
12-Eli’s
sons were taking the best of the sacrifice because they didn’t value God and
His things
a. 12-17 Eli’s own sons were a bad lot. They didn’t
know God and could not
have cared less about the customs of priests among the people. Ordinarily, when
someone offered a sacrifice, the priest’s servant was supposed to come up and,
while the meat was boiling, stab a three-pronged fork into the cooking pot. The
priest then got whatever came up on the fork. But this is how Eli’s sons
treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh to offer sacrifices to God. Before they had even burned the fat
to God, the priest’s servant would
interrupt whoever was sacrificing and say, “Hand over some of that meat for the
priest to roast. He doesn’t like boiled meat; he likes his rare.” If the man
objected, “First let the fat be burned—God’s portion!—then
take all you want,” the servant would demand, “No, I want it now. If you won’t
give it, I’ll take it.” It was a horrible sin these young servants were
committing—and right in the presence of God!—desecrating the holy
offerings to God.
2.
29-He
was treating God’s offering with contempt, not valuing it
a. To them God wasn’t worth
the best, but they were worth the best
b. He valued his sons above God because he gave his sons the
best; He would do it for His sons, but not God
c. People don’t tithe because God’s not worth their 10%, but
they are
B. ***Dishonor disqualifies
you***
1.
Something
changed the plan of God for Levi and His house; The Lord said that Levi’s house
should walk before Him forever and that they priesthood would stay with him and
his sons after him, but now the Lord says Be it far from me and something
changed and something that was theirs from the Lord and should have been their
children’s after them, they lost and it wasn’t God who changed it was them;
God’s will/plan didn’t change, but they disqualified themselves from it by
failing to honor and value his things
C. 30-Does God honor
everybody the same? Does He even honor all his children the same? Or are there
some who He is honoring more than he is honoring others? And is that fair?
1.
According
to God who should get more? Those that value and appreciate His things-Mark
4:24-25
a. The guy who does have
something has something because he valued it and honored it and they guy who
doesn’t have anything doesn’t have anything because he doesn’t value it so
we’re going to give the one who does value it more and take from the one who
doesn’t have what he does have
2.
God does not honor
everybody with the same amount of blessings, grace, revelation, His presence,
greater assignments, greater anointings and the people who get more should be
the ones who value God and his things more
D. How does God honor us?
1.
Psalm 91:15-16- He shall
call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will
deliver him, and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my
salvation.
a. God honors us with (1)
His presence, (2) His protection, (3) With long life (4) With victory and
prosperity
2.
Proverbs 29:23-A man’s
pride shall bring him low: but honor shall uphold the humble in spirit.
a. God honors us by
supporting us, by keeping us, by holding us up and sustaining us
3.
2 Timothy 2:20-21-But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver,
but also of wood and of earth; and some to honor, and some to dishonor. 21
If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall
be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared
unto every good work.
a. God honors us by choosing us (sanctified), using us (meet for
His use), equipping us (fit for every good work)
4.
Proverbs 3:9-10-Honor the LORD with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all
your increase: 10 So shall thy barns be filled
with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.
a. God honors us with more
than enough
IV. If we can locate your time, your energy (excellence), and
your resources we have located your honor and we have located what you value
and what is important to you-Proverbs 5:7-13
A. ***Honor is not something
spiritual and unknown, it’s tangible and you can give it to whom you choose***
1.
Honor
(Vigor, Splendor, Majesty) means:
a. Vigor-Physical or mental strength and energy; intensity or
forcefulness in that way something is done
b. Splendor-The condition of being magnificent, impressive, or excellent
2.
Where
your energy is, your effort is, your excellence is your honor is and that’s
what you value the most
B. Your honor consists of
your years (time), your labors (energy), your wealth (resources)
1.
If
you truly do value God/His things you invest your time into them, your
energy/effort/excellence into them, your resources into them
2.
If
you don’t tithe and you don’t spend time in the Word and you’re not coming to
church and when you do something for God you do it halfway then you don’t honor
God
C. Excellence is an
expression of honor, Excellence is honor on display
1.
You do things with
excellence not to impress people, but to honor God
2.
Excellence is the
attitude of the heart that says God and His things deserve my best because I
value Him and His things the most
V.
Convenience and
casualness are the two greatest enemies to honor; ***Convince is I don’t want
it to cost me much, Casualness is I don’t want to have to make that big of deal
about it***
A. Luke 14:16-33-Honor and
convenience don’t go together because when honor is in place you go and do
whether it’s convenient or not
1.
16-20-This
is dishonor, this is despising because they are saying we have other things to
do that are more important that your things
a. 21-They wanted to be
excused, but did the Master excuse them? NO
b. 21-Did the master say,
“Well people have lives and I can’t just expect them to come at the last
minute.” NO
1)
Peoples
live are getting in the way of God honoring them
2)
This
attitude that people have lives – It’s Dishonor
c. There were things that they were supposed to get and this
supper that they were supposed to get to be apart of that they didn’t get to be
a part of and somebody else did who valued it more than they did
d. Their problem is not their busy schedule; and that’s what
they’re trying to do in making excuse; Their problem is their lack of honor and
they don’t value the things of God enough; This supper is not that important to
them
2.
28-Many
say they want the greater things of God, they want to be used of God in a
greater way and they want the honor of God in great degrees but they say so
without first counting the cost
a. David didn’t want to give
something that cost him nothing-2 Samuel 24:24
b. Many believers today
won’t give anything if it does cost them something
c. Most believers today want
a Christianity that doesn’t cost them anything because to them it’s not worth
it
3.
If it costs you nothing
it contained no honor
a. The greater the sacrifice
it is to you the more honor it brings to me. There is more honor in the “hard” stuff
b. The less a sacrifice it
is and the more convenient it becomes the less honor there is in it
c. There is no honor in
convenience because in convenience there was no sacrifice
d. In an attempt to make
church and Christianity convenient and comfortable we are losing honor and as
we do we will miss out on God honoring us with His presence.
4.
What’s
it worth to you is the question that has to be answered
a. It’s not that it’s too hard or that the price is to great,
but it’s that you don’t value it enough; It’s only too hard and the price is
only to great when you are not willing to pay it
b. Matthew 13:44-46-Just how valuable is God honoring you to
you; Is it valuable enough to you to pay whatever the
price is and be happy to do it?
B. God doesn’t look on the outward
appearance and he does look on the heart, but the outward appearance is often
times a reflection of the attitude of the heart-Exodus 19:9-16
1.
Wash
your clothes – I thought God was spirit and didn’t care about what you
wear
2.
Why
wash your clothes? Respect
a. You think there was
anything they ever cleaned up for; Weddings, To go to town; Was there every a
time they cleaned up and put on their good clothes; If you’d do that for that
and not for God what’s going on; there’s a lack of respect
3.
14-They
washed their clothes, but just how clean were these clothes? Not that clean,
but that’s not the point
a. It’s not that God is
going to examine how much dirt is remaining on these clothes until they can get
it clean to his standard; It’s not all about clean clothes; As clean as you
could ever get, God could look at and go that’s pitiful
1)
It’s
the effort that matters; God is coming
2)
Just
out of respect you want it as presentable as possible; out of respect you want
to do the best you can and if you don’t do the best you can then there is a
lack of respect and you didn’t value it enough to go the extra measure
b. We know it’s not about
natural things we know God looks at the heart, but what you do or don’t do with
natural stuff reveals the heart-Proverbs 4:23
1)
We
spend extra money on things; we don’t want to waste a dollar, but can you make
it too nice for the things of the Lord?
2)
Should
you reach out and do the best you know how to do and the best where your faith
is right now and believe to do it better next time around and that directly
shows how much you value something
3)
If
you say whatever, that’s good enough, that’s close enough, that’s a lack of
respect and honor
c. We live in a world that
says God doesn’t care about this stuff, but He used to care, when did He change
d. 19-This is an awesome
experience and God is honoring them
e. Does God care with stuff is printed in low quality, when
things are misspelled, when stuff is unorganized, when people are not prepared,
when things are not ready? YES it because it reveals a lack of honor in the
heart of his people
C. People have a problem with honor because it’s not a reality
to them that they are doing this for and unto the Lord and all they see is
flesh and natural things so to them it’s not that big of a deal-Colossians 3:23