Honor - A Wholesome Tradition Worth Cultivating

Honor – A Wholesome Tradition Worth Cultivating

“Among all in his era, Noah was the godliest. He alone was considered by the Almighty, blameless. In a time when terrible wrath was about to unfurl, Noah alone found favor with the Lord. Consider this man Noah and what he experienced: Aware that the end of his world was at hand, he faithfully preached repentance for over one hundred years, yet his words converted no one. His eyes beheld the terrible descent of the wrath of God; his ears heard the terrifying cries, the final cries, of an entire civilization. His mind experienced the horrifying destruction of every man, woman and child outside the ark.”

“What burden does such an experience create upon the human soul? What nightmares? We don't know how Noah processed the catastrophic end of the world, but here's what we do know: After the flood, Noah began mankind's journey anew. He farmed and planted a vineyard. From the harvest he produced juice, which fermented into wine. We don't know if this was the first time he, or any man, tasted the effects of wine, but we do know that he drank it and it made him so drunk that he collapsed in his tent. The great man of God lay unconscious and naked, in a drunken stupor.”

“Here was a righteous preacher who, for whatever reason, had fallen short of his own high standards. Into this scene comes Ham, one of his three sons. Ham entered Noah's tent and saw the shameful state his father was in. Then, Ham reported the scene to his two brothers. Instead of silently, discreetly covering his father's shame, he sought to expose it. His brothers, Shem and Japheth, the Scriptures tell us, took raiment and, walking backward with the sheet on their shoulders, they covered Noah with it. Keep this point in mind: Ham dishonored his father by seeking to expose his shame; Shem and Japheth honored their father by covering his weakness. Your future and the future of your children is attached to how well you understand the value of honor and the curse that follows a dishonoring spirit.” I would suggest that Grace’s future and the future of our students is likewise attached to how well we as the adults in the community understand the value of honor and the curse that follows a dishonoring spirit.


Why show honor? “Showing honor you tell that person that he or she is important to the Almighty. Within the body of Christ we are commanded to honor every member, actually giving to the "unseemly parts" more abundant honor. The word "honor" in the Greek meant to fix valuation, esteem by implication and to revere. Picture a home where the children revere their parents and the husband and wife honor each other. We must esteem and fix value to each other. For honor creates a spiritual buffer against the enemy's attacks, which otherwise erode the quality of our lives.” The same can and should be happening at GIS.


“Honor releases the power of God while dishonor greatly hinders its expression. Jesus taught, "'A prophet is not without honor except in his home town, and in his own household.' And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief" (Matthew 13:57-58). The people of Jesus' hometown did not honor Him, and their lack of honor, Jesus called, "unbelief." In other words, when we dishonor a man or woman of God, we shut down the power…a power God wants to display in our midst…a power we need in our midst.”


“Let's return to the story about Noah. When Ham exposed his father, Noah cursed the son of Ham, Canaan. Why didn't Noah curse Ham instead of Ham's son? Noah knew that, as Ham had been to him, so Canaan would be to Ham. Noah's curse was actually profound. He said Canaan would be "a servant of servants" (see Gen 9:25). Why? Because if you can't honor an imperfect leader, you will never advance in life. You will always be a slave.”


“You see, there are no leaders other than imperfect leaders.” Your administrator, boss, your pastor or department head or father or mother are all imperfect. “When we expose them to humiliation or dishonor by telling others of their weaknesses, it brings their curse upon us. We will never advance in life with such an attitude.”


“To be successful, you need to be able to submit to leaders who are imperfect without dishonoring them. You say, "If I do that, I will feel like a hypocrite, a 'yes' man." If you don't show honor, you are already a hypocrite. For a true Christian esteems and respects people; you don't have to trust them, but you must honor and respect them.”


“Now this doesn't mean you shouldn't have concerns when you see a problem. You may indeed have good advice or even a revelation to share that can help your leader. But don't open the door to dishonoring leaders. If you see a problem, don't follow Ham's example. Don't go telling your brothers; instead, cover the situation in love. Follow the procedure Jesus gives us in Matthew 18, remaining respectful and humble as you seek to bring an end to sin in a person's life.”


“Perhaps you are poor and unable to advance in life. It is possible that you have a curse hindering you due to a dishonoring spirit you received from your parents. Today, that curse can be broken. Ask God to forgive you and your parents for not relating with honor to imperfect authority. Learn to pray for those over you, covering them with the blood of Christ, interceding that they will be protected from the enemy.”


“Remember, cursed is everyone who seeks to expose a leader's flaws. The generations of Ham became slaves. How you relate to the imperfections of your superiors determines not only your future, but also the future of your children and your children's children. Do they hear you complain about your boss? Do they listen when you criticize leadership? Is a curse being passed on to them when they are forced by proximity to hear you bad mouth other leaders? Do you see this? You are actually teaching them how to NOT succeed in life. A dishonoring spirit will cause them to remain poor, frustrated and outside the realm of the blessed and prosperous.” In like manner what are our students hearing? What do we hear from each other when it comes to the imperfections of leaders?


“Right now, your children are patterning their lives after you.” So too are our students here at Grace. “From you they are learning how to deal with the imperfections of life. Will they become bitter and angry at life's structure of authority? Or will they be free to relate to imperfect authorities over them, and do so with honor? Are you breeding generations of slaves or generations of free men and women?”
 Institutionalizing honor – how can we do that or how have you seen it done effectively? Leadership at Grace is brainstorming ways this can be demonstrated in our school context so we’re being intentional in our example with each other and with our students. 

If you have any suggestions or ideas we'd love to hear from you.  Thanks for reading our blog and for sharing with us.

Content taken from: http://kingdomwarrior.jlym.com/Articles/Sermons/power_of_honor.htm