Sunday, April 3, 2016

How do we honor God?

How do we honor God?

Webster 1828 Dictionary- Honor  --  I'm taking from the following all I believe may apply to how we honor God.

Honor
HON'OR, n. on'or. [L. honor, honos.]

1. The esteem due or paid to worth; high estimation.
A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country. Mat 13.
2. A testimony of esteem; any expression of respect or of high estimation by words or actions; as the honors of war; military honors; funeral honors; civil honors.
3. Dignity; exalted rank or place; distinction.
I have given thee riches and honor. 1 Ki 3.
Thou art clothed with honor and majesty. Psa 104.
In doing a good thing, there is both honor and pleasure.
4. Reverence; veneration; or any act by which reverence and submission are expressed, as worship paid to the Supreme Being.

HON'OR, v.t on'or. [L. honoro.]
1. To revere; to respect; to treat with deference and submission, and perform relative duties to.
Honor thy father and thy mother. Exo 20.
2. To reverence; to manifest the highest veneration for, in words and actions; to entertain the most exalted thoughts of; to worship; to adore.
That all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. John 5
4. To glorify; to render illustrious.
I will be honored upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host. Exo 14.

*******

So, how do we honor God?

Do we esteem God above all else, and I mean all else, ourselves included?
Do we respect God above all else in our actions, in our words?
Do we hold God in an exalted rank?
Do we reverence, do we venerate, are we in submission to our God?

How do our lives reflect the honor we give to God?  How do we reveal that we are putting Him first in our lives, in all things?

We need to truly delve into this and by the grace of God be shown our shortcomings, and our obedience.

Let's look at the moral law God gave to those He chose to become His people.  He was teaching the Hebrew people about Him and His relationship to them.

Exo 20:1  And God spake all these words, saying,
Exo 20:2  I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Exo 20:3  Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Exo 20:4  Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
Exo 20:5  Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
Exo 20:6  And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
Exo 20:7  Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
Exo 20:8  Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Exo 20:9  Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
Exo 20:10  But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
Exo 20:11  For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
Exo 20:12  Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
Exo 20:13  Thou shalt not kill.
Exo 20:14  Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Exo 20:15  Thou shalt not steal.
Exo 20:16  Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
Exo 20:17  Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.
Exo 20:18  And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.
Exo 20:19  And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.

Deu 4:13  And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone.

Mat 19:16  And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
Mat 19:17  And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
Mat 19:18  He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,
Mat 19:19  Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Mat 19:20  The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
Mat 19:21  Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
Mat 19:22  But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.

Mat 22:35  Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,
Mat 22:36  Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
Mat 22:37  Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Mat 22:38  This is the first and great commandment.
Mat 22:39  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Mat 22:40  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Love God, love our neighbor- all ten moral laws are based upon those two commandments. The first four are God's, the last six are for our neighbors.

We need to open our hearts to the truth of these words because in those first four commandments of the moral law given to instruct those who were brought out of bondage into the light of truth reveal the honor God is due.

Exo 20:3  Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Exo 20:4  Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
Exo 20:5  Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
Exo 20:6  And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
Exo 20:7  Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
Exo 20:8  Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Exo 20:9  Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
Exo 20:10  But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
Exo 20:11  For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

No other Gods. No graven images. No taking God's name in vain. Remember God's holy day, the Sabbath.

Jesus had NO other God before His Father God. Jesus had NO graven images to worship before God. Jesus never took His Father God's name in vain. Jesus always honored God's holy day, the Sabbath in the truest way possible. 

Jesus did all these in honor of His Father God.

We can do no less, through our Savior.

More on all this tomorrow by the grace and mercy of our Lord, Jesus Christ!


No comments: