WEBVTT 00:00:09.759 --> 00:00:10.240 Thank you. 00:00:10.400 --> 00:00:10.800 Thank you. 00:00:10.960 --> 00:00:11.839 Thank you very much. 00:00:12.400 --> 00:00:14.080 It's so exciting to be here with you. 00:00:14.160 --> 00:00:21.120 It's so exciting to be able to have the opportunity and privilege to preach here today, and I'm just thrilled. 00:00:21.199 --> 00:00:22.960 I I feel like this is family. 00:00:23.039 --> 00:00:25.519 So, and thanks, Dad, for the introduction. 00:00:25.839 --> 00:00:34.000 Have you guys noticed that sometimes there is one particular person in the family that seems like all the stories point towards them? 00:00:35.280 --> 00:00:39.759 When I was preparing for this week, I actually realized that's me. 00:00:40.880 --> 00:00:43.759 And if you don't know who that is, it may be you. 00:00:45.200 --> 00:00:58.479 And so I started thinking about it, and I was like, my listen, I have two siblings, Josh and Elaine, and out of all the stories my dad's told, I've been told on way more than both of them put together. 00:00:58.880 --> 00:01:01.359 My mom spoke here at pink, she told on me. 00:01:01.520 --> 00:01:03.840 My wife spoke here in pink, she told on me. 00:01:04.000 --> 00:01:06.560 My brothers preached here, he told on me. 00:01:06.799 --> 00:01:09.040 My sister preached her and she told on me. 00:01:09.200 --> 00:01:12.159 My brother-in-law preached you and he told on me. 00:01:12.560 --> 00:01:20.400 So I thought I'd write down all the list today and tell you my side of the story of what I think happened. 00:01:21.760 --> 00:01:22.799 I'm just joking. 00:01:22.879 --> 00:01:25.599 I do love my family very, very much. 00:01:25.840 --> 00:01:36.239 Uh, and it's exciting to be able to do ministry with them, to be able to uh be focused on just loving people, loving you, but doing that as a family. 00:01:36.480 --> 00:01:40.959 Let me introduce my wife, my beautiful, amazing wife, Bridget Morris. 00:01:45.040 --> 00:01:48.319 We have three kids, Parker, Mitchell, and Bray. 00:01:48.480 --> 00:01:51.920 Parker is eight, Mitchell is six, and Bray is four. 00:01:52.000 --> 00:01:54.000 So two boys and a little girl. 00:01:54.159 --> 00:01:58.319 They are not here today, they are with Nana, which is Bridget's mom. 00:01:58.400 --> 00:02:01.599 So Bridget's mom is taking care of them for us. 00:02:01.920 --> 00:02:08.639 A little bit about us and our family is uh we live on a couple acres. 00:02:08.719 --> 00:02:11.360 We actually had to sacrifice, we did live in Keller. 00:02:11.520 --> 00:02:16.719 We kind of sacrificed the commute and moved farther away so that we could move out on a couple acres. 00:02:16.960 --> 00:02:20.879 We have two cows, we have some sheep. 00:02:21.039 --> 00:02:26.080 Uh oh no, we had some sheep until one of them attacked Bridget, and then they had to go. 00:02:26.319 --> 00:02:32.400 We have some ducks, and we have two uh guard dogs, kind of. 00:02:32.560 --> 00:02:38.800 They're supposed to be livestock guardian dogs, but really they're just barking machines. 00:02:39.360 --> 00:02:42.400 And one is named Blue, the other one is Bell. 00:02:42.560 --> 00:02:47.599 So together we have Bluebell, and then we have lots of chickens. 00:02:47.840 --> 00:03:00.800 And a little story about me and Bridget is there was probably a time that I realized, you know what, it'd probably better to live farther away on a couple acres than to experience what we were before. 00:03:00.960 --> 00:03:09.120 So we lived in a subdivision, and in that subdivision we had a house that had very small property lines on it. 00:03:09.280 --> 00:03:17.840 So to give you a picture of it, so our house was here, our neighbor's house was a corner lot, and their backyard faced the side of our yard. 00:03:18.080 --> 00:03:26.080 Our house was elevated a little bit, there was a fence, but since it was elevated, the fence was on their side of the property, so it was a very low fence. 00:03:26.240 --> 00:03:30.319 We used that side of the house to keep all of our chickens. 00:03:30.479 --> 00:03:35.759 So we had chickens all on the side of the house, and we used that as what was we called a chicken run. 00:03:35.919 --> 00:03:44.000 And so what I had also learned is in the winter, whenever it's times like this, that if the chickens have more light, then they will produce more eggs. 00:03:44.240 --> 00:03:51.520 And so what I had done is I had done a string of lights and put spotlights all out there so that the chickens would lay more eggs. 00:03:51.759 --> 00:04:00.240 And so it was like this time of the year to where it starts getting darker earlier, and I had realized I had not gotten the eggs. 00:04:00.400 --> 00:04:08.719 Now, the neighbors that back our house, they had actually moved out, new neighbors had moved in, and they had been remodeling the house, and so I had not seen them. 00:04:08.879 --> 00:04:09.840 They weren't living there. 00:04:10.000 --> 00:04:12.400 And so I got very used to not having neighbors. 00:04:12.639 --> 00:04:20.319 And so one night I had realized I had not gotten the eggs yet, and I had already made myself very comfortable for the evening. 00:04:20.879 --> 00:04:23.680 Meaning I was in my box of briefs. 00:04:23.920 --> 00:04:28.720 So here I am in my underwear, and think I'm just gonna run out, get the eggs real fast, come back in. 00:04:28.800 --> 00:04:34.560 I slip on my cowboy boots and just go and walk right out there to get my eggs for the evening. 00:04:34.720 --> 00:04:37.839 I have just my boots, my now remember I said picture this with me. 00:04:37.920 --> 00:04:39.360 Don't picture this too much. 00:04:40.079 --> 00:04:51.439 So I walk out with my basket and my boots on, and I walk right through all the spotlights there, and I am getting the eggs when suddenly I hear voices. 00:04:51.600 --> 00:04:52.720 This is it in my head. 00:04:52.879 --> 00:04:57.759 This is the neighbors that just walked out, and they have decided they're gonna visit their house. 00:04:57.920 --> 00:05:03.839 So they walk out with them, their kids, and their friends. 00:05:06.639 --> 00:05:10.560 I thought this is not a good way to meet my new neighbors for the first time. 00:05:10.800 --> 00:05:17.600 So here I am hiding behind the egg basket over there, just trying to be as still as I can so they don't know. 00:05:17.680 --> 00:05:19.920 Because who wants to be that person that just walks out? 00:05:20.079 --> 00:05:25.360 Obviously, you have to say something, you're only 15 feet away from each other and say, Well, howdy ho, neighbor. 00:05:25.680 --> 00:05:26.800 It's nice to meet you. 00:05:26.959 --> 00:05:28.560 I love what you've done with the place. 00:05:28.800 --> 00:05:38.959 So I was strategizing on a way out of this, and so I realized, you know what, maybe if I sneak around, I can climb over the front fence, drop down, run across, and nobody will know. 00:05:39.120 --> 00:05:46.639 Something out else about that our house is that our house tended to be the place where all the neighborhood kids loved to play. 00:05:46.879 --> 00:05:50.639 So they would just play all on the street there, and there would be kids there. 00:05:50.879 --> 00:05:55.519 Parents would come out, bring lawn chairs, sit on the street, and just enjoy the kids playing. 00:05:55.600 --> 00:05:58.000 But I thought it's dark, nobody will see. 00:05:58.560 --> 00:06:12.000 So I slithered through doing a little army crawl, climb the fence, drop down, take off running across the front of the yard when I didn't think about it, but I had four motion lights. 00:06:12.240 --> 00:06:16.399 Doof, doof, doof, doof. 00:06:19.120 --> 00:06:27.759 I run inside and say to Bridge, and she could tell I'm very frazzled and looking very distraught, and uh she said, What is wrong with you? 00:06:28.560 --> 00:06:31.360 And this is what I said, we gotta move. 00:06:33.920 --> 00:06:36.959 You don't want to be that guy that gets the letters from the HOA. 00:06:37.120 --> 00:06:37.680 Dear Mr. 00:06:37.759 --> 00:06:39.279 Morris, please wear pants. 00:06:39.439 --> 00:06:40.959 Think of the children. 00:06:41.839 --> 00:06:47.439 So now we live out on a couple acres a little farther away, and we've enjoyed that lifestyle. 00:06:47.519 --> 00:06:52.240 But with that said, the title of the message today is Don't Flatter Yourself. 00:06:52.879 --> 00:06:54.399 Don't flatter yourself. 00:06:54.800 --> 00:07:09.680 And the inspiration of this message comes from 1 Corinthians, and we are gonna end in 1 Corinthians, but there is a uh model that 1 Corinthians show, and so really, really we're gonna end on talking about honor. 00:07:09.920 --> 00:07:14.639 But the very first point is uh the very first point is don't flatter. 00:07:14.800 --> 00:07:19.519 So the title of the message is don't flatter yourself, the first point is don't flatter. 00:07:20.079 --> 00:07:29.839 So it was a another, uh I told you my eight-year-old son, it was another church service similar to this, and we were all sitting on the front row. 00:07:30.000 --> 00:07:32.639 This was when he was probably about three years old. 00:07:32.959 --> 00:07:35.199 And uh so we're all on the front row. 00:07:35.279 --> 00:07:38.959 It's one of those moments that the service gets a little bit quieter. 00:07:40.319 --> 00:07:42.319 You're seeing what the Holy Spirit's doing. 00:07:42.480 --> 00:07:44.879 My son's sitting right there on the front row. 00:07:45.199 --> 00:07:59.600 He is standing on the chair, he gives his foot a little stump, cups his hands over his mouth, and yells, Boring! There's a kid that doesn't struggle struggle with flattery right there. 00:08:00.160 --> 00:08:02.560 That is why he's with Nana today. 00:08:03.680 --> 00:08:08.879 But we are not to be living in a world of flattery. 00:08:09.040 --> 00:08:11.519 We're to be living in a world of honor. 00:08:11.680 --> 00:08:15.920 How often, but how oftentimes do we see flattery instead of honor? 00:08:16.079 --> 00:08:19.680 But we are called to live with honor instead of flattery. 00:08:19.839 --> 00:08:21.839 Let me read what uh the Bible says about flattery. 00:08:22.000 --> 00:08:27.120 Proverbs 20, 19 says, He who goes about as a tailbearer reveals secrets. 00:08:27.360 --> 00:08:31.920 Therefore, do not associate with one who flatters with his lips. 00:08:32.240 --> 00:08:36.720 26, 28 says, A flattering mouth works ruin. 00:08:36.879 --> 00:08:44.320 And then 2823 says, He who rebukes a man will find more favor afterward than he who flatters with his tongue. 00:08:44.480 --> 00:08:46.000 So what is flattery? 00:08:46.320 --> 00:08:52.559 Flattery is praising somebody else, but for your own personal gain. 00:08:52.960 --> 00:08:54.639 It's when we're praising somebody else. 00:08:54.720 --> 00:08:57.840 It's like worshiping somebody else, but you're doing it for your own personal gain. 00:08:57.919 --> 00:09:01.440 And maybe that personal gain is just because you're looking to be like. 00:09:01.679 --> 00:09:11.519 Maybe it's so that you're looking for a promotion, maybe it's looking for a sell, whatever it is, it's doing something for the other person and flattering them, but for your own sake. 00:09:12.399 --> 00:09:26.639 I was talking to uh two individuals that worked at a corporation, uh, a business, and they were a little bit offended with each other, but one of them was telling me, said, you know, I called this meeting with this other person, and we have this entire meeting. 00:09:26.720 --> 00:09:33.360 I go over all these details with them, and at the end of the meeting, I said, uh, was this meeting beneficial to you? 00:09:33.919 --> 00:09:35.519 It was a long pause. 00:09:35.840 --> 00:09:41.519 Five seconds, probably felt like 30 seconds, when suddenly the other employee says, Nope. 00:09:42.480 --> 00:09:43.600 Nope, this was not. 00:09:43.840 --> 00:09:49.279 So uh then Wanda told me that this, they said, Well, couldn't they have at least just flattered me? 00:09:49.600 --> 00:09:58.080 But see, the thing is we should not be looking to flatter other people, nor should we be looking to flatter ourselves, uh to be flattered. 00:09:58.240 --> 00:10:04.000 Now, with that said, the guy that said nope, he probably could have been more encouraging than he was. 00:10:04.320 --> 00:10:09.919 Because we're not called to flatter, but we are called to encourage, meaning to put courage in. 00:10:10.080 --> 00:10:13.200 So, what is the difference between flattery and encouragement? 00:10:13.440 --> 00:10:18.480 Flattery is an insincere compliment, but for your own personal gain. 00:10:18.960 --> 00:10:24.480 When encouragement is a sincere compliment, but it's for the other person's gain. 00:10:24.559 --> 00:10:27.279 It's so that the other person can benefit from it. 00:10:27.600 --> 00:10:34.799 So as we are talking to people, we need to be assessing in ourselves, saying, is this for them or is this for me? 00:10:35.200 --> 00:10:38.799 Am I doing this for their sake or am I doing this for my sake? 00:10:39.120 --> 00:10:44.960 And if you're flattering somebody for a promotion or whatever it is, check your motive. 00:10:46.399 --> 00:10:52.639 We if listen, if man puts you into a position, then man can take you out of that position. 00:10:52.799 --> 00:10:58.240 But if God puts you in a position, then only God can take you out of that position. 00:10:58.399 --> 00:11:02.639 So we need to be encouraging, but not people of flattery. 00:11:03.600 --> 00:11:10.639 See how uh I shared earlier how my dad always told stories on me, but now I get to do it to my kids, and it's a lovely thing. 00:11:10.879 --> 00:11:12.320 So back to my kids. 00:11:12.480 --> 00:11:13.919 Uh Parker and Mitchell. 00:11:14.080 --> 00:11:22.000 Parker's now eight, Mitchell's six, Parker uh and uh the whole family was at a restaurant one evening and there was some country music on. 00:11:22.159 --> 00:11:31.759 And on in this country music, one of the phrases or lyrics for this song said, What's a guy gotta do to get a girl in this town? 00:11:32.080 --> 00:11:37.759 My eight-year-old said, Ugh, I don't know what a guy has to do to get a girl in this town. 00:11:38.399 --> 00:11:43.279 My six-year-old said, I do, you gotta do something nice for her. 00:11:44.000 --> 00:11:54.559 So I know I already probably need to be coaching my six-year-old the difference between flattery and encouraging to make sure that she he is very encouraging, but not necessarily erring on the flattery side. 00:11:54.720 --> 00:11:57.039 So number one is don't flatter yourself. 00:11:57.279 --> 00:11:59.519 Number two is to speak truth. 00:11:59.840 --> 00:12:01.440 We are to speak truth. 00:12:01.679 --> 00:12:16.879 Colossians 3 verse 9 says, Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of him who created him. 00:12:17.120 --> 00:12:21.279 So it says, Do not lie to one another, because you have put off the old man. 00:12:21.919 --> 00:12:30.000 We have put off the old man, and we are not to be people of deceit, people who lie, but we should be people of honesty. 00:12:32.000 --> 00:12:39.279 I I think it's unique how sometimes we can even disguise lying, as even saying, well, that that's just a little white lie. 00:12:40.240 --> 00:12:41.519 That's just a little white lie. 00:12:41.679 --> 00:12:46.159 I I just did that as a little white lie, as if that's just like a little angel lie. 00:12:46.320 --> 00:12:49.279 You know, that lie, that lie has a little halo over it. 00:12:49.519 --> 00:12:52.320 I just lie to you so much because I just love you so much. 00:12:52.559 --> 00:12:53.440 That's it. 00:12:53.679 --> 00:12:57.919 But we are to be people of honesty, people that speak truth. 00:12:58.240 --> 00:13:08.720 And when I say that we should be people that speak truth, let me just clarify, I am not saying that that means that we should be people that just say the first thing that comes to our mind. 00:13:09.200 --> 00:13:11.200 We've met some of those people, right? 00:13:11.759 --> 00:13:13.279 And that can be dangerous. 00:13:13.360 --> 00:13:14.799 You need to steward your words. 00:13:14.960 --> 00:13:22.320 I remember when I was like probably about 14 years old, my dad had a friend, and he had some land out probably four hours away from here. 00:13:22.480 --> 00:13:35.200 So we were out there, there's my dad, my brother, and I, and him, and so we are at that land and we drive into town, we go into this little gas station convenience store, and I go ahead and walk in. 00:13:35.360 --> 00:13:38.240 There's probably six, seven people in there. 00:13:38.399 --> 00:13:44.399 When I go in there, I notice that there's a guy behind the cash register wearing a very unique shirt. 00:13:44.639 --> 00:13:49.120 I'm not gonna say like what it is in case one of you is wearing it, but I'm looking at him. 00:13:49.279 --> 00:13:50.159 No, I'm joking. 00:13:50.320 --> 00:13:52.799 Uh, but he was wearing a very unique shirt. 00:13:52.960 --> 00:14:02.720 And so the guy that was our friend, he's just one of those big guys with a big personality that makes a scene wherever he goes, it seems. 00:14:02.960 --> 00:14:16.879 And so all of a sudden he comes in, the door has a cowbell on it, he swings open the door and makes a big scene, everybody sees him, and all of a sudden he looks right at the guy behind the cash register and goes, Wow, are those back in style already? 00:14:18.159 --> 00:14:27.120 Oh, and then the people that were in the uh in there were just all of a sudden like picking up Cheetos like they were seriously in interested in the ingredients and sitting there laughing. 00:14:27.360 --> 00:14:33.440 But he was being what he thought honest, probably, but it was hurtful. 00:14:33.919 --> 00:14:35.759 We need to be kind and gentle. 00:14:36.000 --> 00:14:46.399 Ephesians um yeah, 4.15 says, but speaking truth in love may grow up in all things into him who is the head, Christ. 00:14:46.799 --> 00:14:48.799 With all truth we share. 00:14:49.279 --> 00:14:51.440 We need to share it with love. 00:14:52.320 --> 00:14:56.000 Everything that we're sharing, we need to make sure that this is covered in love. 00:14:56.320 --> 00:15:05.679 That we're not sharing it to be hurtful, we're not sharing it to be mean, but we are honest, truthful people, but we share every truth in love. 00:15:06.799 --> 00:15:08.080 So why why? 00:15:08.320 --> 00:15:11.840 Why do we need, why is it so important to speak truth? 00:15:11.919 --> 00:15:16.799 I know like we'd say, well, yeah, it's in the Bible, but why is it so important to speak truth? 00:15:17.679 --> 00:15:24.080 John 14, 6 says, Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. 00:15:24.240 --> 00:15:27.440 No one comes to the Father except through me. 00:15:28.000 --> 00:15:33.039 You see, Jesus says, I am the truth. 00:15:33.440 --> 00:15:36.799 Not just I am some truth, I am the truth. 00:15:37.679 --> 00:15:43.679 It's our job to tell people about the ultimate truth, Jesus Christ. 00:15:43.840 --> 00:15:48.080 That's our job, to tell people about truth, Jesus. 00:15:48.639 --> 00:15:57.519 But if we don't have a reputation of telling truth, then who's gonna tell believe us whenever we tell them about the ultimate truth, Jesus Christ? 00:15:57.840 --> 00:16:04.720 And we are representing him, and if he is truth, then it is very important that we speak truth to people. 00:16:05.360 --> 00:16:13.600 That whenever people hear something that you've, a testimony or whatever, that they could say, no matter what it is, they could say, you know what? 00:16:13.759 --> 00:16:18.960 I'm gonna believe them, because I have never ever known that person to lie to me. 00:16:19.279 --> 00:16:23.519 I've never known that person to be deceitful in any way. 00:16:23.600 --> 00:16:27.519 That person always, always in love shared the truth. 00:16:27.679 --> 00:16:28.960 So I'm gonna believe them. 00:16:29.120 --> 00:16:36.320 Whenever we share the truth, then people can believe us if we have a reputation of sharing truth. 00:16:36.960 --> 00:16:40.320 So I told you uh we live out on a couple acres. 00:16:40.399 --> 00:16:49.200 We did this farm, uh like this, not farm, but a little garden outside, and we planted last year a bunch of tomatoes, and tomato plants. 00:16:49.360 --> 00:16:57.200 And so we planted all these tomato plants, and the thing about planting a bunch of tomato plants is that if you take care of them, you get a lot of tomatoes. 00:16:57.519 --> 00:17:04.079 And so here we had this abundance of tomatoes, and we realized, you know, there's only so much you can do with tomatoes. 00:17:04.160 --> 00:17:08.960 It's not like every evening you're like, hey kids, let's all sit down and eat 30 tomatoes together. 00:17:09.440 --> 00:17:11.680 There's just no need, it's not that good. 00:17:11.920 --> 00:17:22.720 And so we had all these tomatoes, and so we started getting creative with the recipes of what how to use tomatoes, and so we, Bridget and I, we started making our very own ketchup. 00:17:23.359 --> 00:17:28.000 And we did a few batches, we explored it, and we made our own ketchup. 00:17:28.079 --> 00:17:32.960 We thought we nailed it, we made some pretty incredible ketchup, we thought. 00:17:33.200 --> 00:17:39.039 And so some of you know my dad is quite the ketchup connoisseur, he loves ketchup. 00:17:39.440 --> 00:17:47.519 So one day he was over at our house, and so I was all excited, I'm proud of this ketchup to share this new made ketchup with him. 00:17:47.680 --> 00:18:01.119 And so he sits down, I put some ketchup on his plate, and all of a sudden he takes a bite and says, Mmm, James, mmm, this this ketchup is without a doubt, after all the ketchup I've ever tasted. 00:18:01.920 --> 00:18:05.359 For sure, the worst ketchup I have ever had. 00:18:06.559 --> 00:18:08.240 Ha! How could you say that? 00:18:08.400 --> 00:18:10.720 No, I I worked hard on that ketchup. 00:18:12.079 --> 00:18:18.240 But then I realized a couple days later, I opened up the fridge and there's two bottles of ketchup and a label on the ground. 00:18:18.319 --> 00:18:24.400 And what I realized is that we had actually tried to make one version of super healthy ketchup. 00:18:24.480 --> 00:18:34.960 Bridget's way more healthier than I, so we made one ketchup version with no sugar, none of the good stuff in it, and that ketchup truly was horrible. 00:18:35.200 --> 00:18:37.920 And that happened to be the ketchup I gave my dad. 00:18:38.160 --> 00:18:39.279 I didn't know that. 00:18:39.519 --> 00:18:45.519 But I as I think about it now, like I'm grateful he would tell me the truth. 00:18:46.240 --> 00:18:54.640 And how much more does that strengthen his testimony whenever he's sharing about the ultimate truth? 00:18:54.960 --> 00:19:00.319 Because he is known as a and has a reputation of somebody that speaks truth. 00:19:00.640 --> 00:19:08.960 And so when we speak truth, then people can trust us and believe us even more when we share about the ultimate truth, Jesus Christ. 00:19:09.440 --> 00:19:11.440 So number one, don't flatter. 00:19:11.680 --> 00:19:16.400 Number two, speak truth, and number three is to honor. 00:19:17.039 --> 00:19:32.400 And so as we're looking at honor, and I told you that uh 1 Corinthians was the inspiration of this message, these three points uh was 1 Corinthians, and we're gonna dive into that to what I believe is a key to the area of honor. 00:19:32.559 --> 00:19:34.079 But what is honor? 00:19:34.400 --> 00:19:39.119 When you look at the Greek root word of honor, it means to respect. 00:19:39.680 --> 00:19:43.519 Another definition for it is to uh esteem. 00:19:43.920 --> 00:19:46.319 So when we honor, we respect, we esteem. 00:19:46.480 --> 00:19:50.880 Now, if you're like me, I don't really use the word esteem in my daily vocabulary. 00:19:51.119 --> 00:19:55.119 I don't just say, you know what, I really esteem my morning coffee. 00:19:55.279 --> 00:19:56.240 What, you esteem it? 00:19:56.319 --> 00:19:57.839 No, I esteem it. 00:19:58.400 --> 00:20:00.480 So I had to look up the definition of esteem. 00:20:00.720 --> 00:20:04.079 Esteem means to put uh value on. 00:20:04.240 --> 00:20:06.880 When we esteem something, we have placed a value on it. 00:20:06.960 --> 00:20:10.960 So when we honor somebody, we place value on them. 00:20:11.119 --> 00:20:13.119 When we honor somebody, we respect them. 00:20:13.200 --> 00:20:16.799 And so that's what honoring when we honor somebody means. 00:20:17.039 --> 00:20:20.960 And so let me ask, who should we be honoring? 00:20:21.279 --> 00:20:25.759 1 Peter 2.17 says, honor all people. 00:20:26.799 --> 00:20:30.400 So whoever is in all, that's who you should be honoring. 00:20:30.640 --> 00:20:33.039 We should be honoring all people. 00:20:33.839 --> 00:20:48.960 So regardless of their age, their gender, their race, their finances, the way you meet them, how you meet them, no matter who it is, it's our job to honor all people, to treat them with respect, and to place value on them. 00:20:49.519 --> 00:20:54.319 We place value by on them, and that by doing so we are honoring them. 00:20:54.559 --> 00:21:02.799 Now, with that, there are some people that the scripture says we're supposed to actually give more honor to, or an additional portion of honor, a double portion. 00:21:02.960 --> 00:21:14.880 For example, 1 Timothy 5.17 says, Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine. 00:21:15.119 --> 00:21:22.000 So there are some people that we actually we honor everybody, but there's some people that we give double honor to, that we give more honor to. 00:21:22.160 --> 00:21:32.160 And the Bible goes on to different people that we give more honor to our spiritual elders, widows, spouses, older people, Jewish people, governmental leaders. 00:21:32.319 --> 00:21:37.279 There's a lot of scriptures on giving honor to our father and mother. 00:21:37.680 --> 00:21:40.000 We're to give honor to our parents. 00:21:41.519 --> 00:21:42.720 And so, why? 00:21:42.960 --> 00:21:45.440 Why give honor to people? 00:21:45.920 --> 00:21:48.319 There's a blessing with honor. 00:21:48.640 --> 00:21:55.839 We're not to live in a world of flattery, we're to live in a world of honor, but there's a blessing from God when we honor. 00:21:56.079 --> 00:21:59.359 For instance, whenever it talks about honoring your parents, it says that. 00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:04.160 Uh, it will be well with you and you will have long life. 00:22:04.559 --> 00:22:11.200 Well, luckily it'll be well with you and long life, because if you just have long life, then and it's not well with you, that's probably not as good. 00:22:11.440 --> 00:22:16.960 But when we honor our parents, it will be well with us, and we will be given long life. 00:22:17.200 --> 00:22:21.440 When we honor as God has told us to, there's a blessing there. 00:22:21.839 --> 00:22:24.240 So who's the ultimate honor go to? 00:22:24.640 --> 00:22:28.000 The ultimate honor belongs to the Lord. 00:22:28.400 --> 00:22:30.640 The ultimate honor belongs to God. 00:22:30.799 --> 00:22:45.519 And if we're placing value on what he said, we're respecting what he says, if he tells us to honor all people, if he tells us to honor these people, then actually by honoring them, it's a form of honoring God. 00:22:45.759 --> 00:22:54.319 And so we can actually put an emphasis on honoring people, and by doing so, we could be honoring God by doing that. 00:22:54.720 --> 00:22:57.359 So we are to be people of honor. 00:22:59.039 --> 00:23:07.759 The uh I mentioned that the uh message came from 1 Corinthians, and so 1 Corinthians is a book that Paul writes. 00:23:07.839 --> 00:23:10.960 It's a very uh one at that point a book. 00:23:11.039 --> 00:23:14.079 It was considered a letter that he wrote to the Church of Corinth. 00:23:14.240 --> 00:23:28.000 And it was a very corrective letter, and out of all the letters he wrote, it's one of the most corrective letters that he wrote, and so he was writing a letter to them to speak very honest truth in some areas. 00:23:28.160 --> 00:23:44.480 Some of the areas he covered was disunity, doubting his authority, fornication, marital status, eating meat from idol worship, husband and wife relationship, the Lord's table, which turned into a picnic, misuse of spiritual gifts, not walking in love. 00:23:45.039 --> 00:23:55.839 So here he is writing this letter to them, and I found it so encouraging when the Lord showed this to me that I wanted to share it with you, just encourage you. 00:23:56.000 --> 00:23:59.200 But this is how he starts the letter. 00:23:59.359 --> 00:24:06.319 Here he is writing this letter, but the first thing he does is starts with loving on them, with honoring them. 00:24:06.799 --> 00:24:39.920 So 1 Corinthians 1, verse 4 says, I thank my God always concerning you, for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, that you were enriched in everything by him, in all utterance, in all knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:24:40.240 --> 00:24:46.319 What he says is, listen, when I when I think about you, Church of Corinthians, I'm I'm excited. 00:24:46.720 --> 00:24:48.559 I thank God for you. 00:24:48.960 --> 00:24:52.720 There's been no gift in you that has been left out. 00:24:53.119 --> 00:24:55.279 I'm so grateful for you. 00:24:55.599 --> 00:25:03.200 And here's the key when honoring somebody is not to just, just as Paul did, he didn't just focus on the natural. 00:25:03.599 --> 00:25:07.759 But he looked at them and he saw what God saw in them. 00:25:08.319 --> 00:25:14.000 And so when we need to honor somebody, picture, Lord, how do you see this person? 00:25:14.240 --> 00:25:22.240 Lord, you love this person, you care so much about this person, Lord, you're you have not limited them from giftings. 00:25:22.480 --> 00:25:24.000 They have an open door to you. 00:25:24.160 --> 00:25:34.799 And so when we're honoring people, whether even if sometimes there's somebody that you work with or whatever that seems difficult to honor, we don't have to shower them with flattery. 00:25:35.200 --> 00:25:39.039 But we can actually say, Lord, show me how you see them. 00:25:39.279 --> 00:25:41.279 Lord, I want to honor well. 00:25:41.599 --> 00:25:45.200 But Lord, give me the eyes to see what you see in them. 00:25:45.440 --> 00:25:47.599 And you can speak that into them. 00:25:48.000 --> 00:25:57.200 You can treat them with honor and respect and value by seeing them in a different light, seeing them in God's light. 00:25:57.519 --> 00:26:01.920 And that has changed the way that I'm able to honor some people. 00:26:02.000 --> 00:26:06.799 And I think if we just can focus on Lord, how do you see these people? 00:26:07.839 --> 00:26:10.000 Then we can change the world. 00:26:10.240 --> 00:26:11.920 We can honor all people. 00:26:12.240 --> 00:26:16.400 We can honor the people that God has put in our lives and told us to do this. 00:26:16.559 --> 00:26:22.640 In doing this, what Paul is doing is he is speaking truth, but he's starting off in love. 00:26:23.680 --> 00:26:29.599 He is surrounding the truth with genuine love for the people. 00:26:30.480 --> 00:26:37.039 It goes back to a statement that sometimes you hear people say that people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. 00:26:37.359 --> 00:26:40.559 And in this, he is showing them, I really care about you. 00:26:40.799 --> 00:26:44.319 Not only do I care about you, but God cares about you. 00:26:45.119 --> 00:26:46.799 Care about you so much. 00:26:47.599 --> 00:26:49.680 So we're supposed to honor all people. 00:26:51.039 --> 00:26:52.000 All people. 00:26:52.880 --> 00:27:13.440 A little story is uh Bridget and I, we were at a family dinner and with my parents, and we were walking out of the restaurant, and we see I saw this person that I could tell had experienced some hard times, and so I'm holding Bridget's hand, and I said, Hold on, Bridget, wait, watch this. 00:27:13.599 --> 00:27:14.640 She said, What? 00:27:14.880 --> 00:27:23.279 I said, My dad is about to walk over, give that person$100, tell them about Jesus, and just love on him. 00:27:23.599 --> 00:27:24.160 Well, he did. 00:27:24.240 --> 00:27:32.400 He walked over there, told him about Jesus, gave him$100, and just gave him a big hug, and just they it was beautiful. 00:27:32.640 --> 00:27:34.319 But you said, How did you know that? 00:27:34.559 --> 00:27:37.519 I said, because it's not, it because that's who he is. 00:27:37.680 --> 00:27:39.920 It's not just what he does, it's who he is. 00:27:40.400 --> 00:27:42.720 He is somebody that honors all people. 00:27:43.200 --> 00:27:47.200 He sees the value on every single person. 00:27:47.839 --> 00:27:53.200 And all of us can see the value that God has placed on every person. 00:27:54.319 --> 00:27:55.759 So with that, I want to pray with you. 00:27:55.839 --> 00:28:02.960 If you don't mind just closing your eyes, taking a moment with the Lord and saying, Lord, what are you saying to me through this message? 00:28:03.279 --> 00:28:05.519 Holy Spirit, speak to me. 00:28:06.400 --> 00:28:14.000 Some of you may feel like, I'm I feel like I've messed up my opportunity to honor some specific person or in this area. 00:28:14.319 --> 00:28:15.759 But just start today. 00:28:16.079 --> 00:28:16.960 Honor people. 00:28:19.519 --> 00:28:28.400 For some of you, I feel like God may put a specific person in your life and give you the strategy and the ways in which you could honor them. 00:28:29.440 --> 00:28:34.400 Could give you the eyes to see them the way that God sees them. 00:28:35.359 --> 00:28:43.920 And then how that will change your actions, your words, and how you talk to them and everything. 00:28:44.480 --> 00:28:53.839 Lord, give us your heart for people that we may be people of honesty that don't flatter, but we encourage people. 00:28:54.559 --> 00:29:00.400 We will be people that set it our face on making sure that we honor people. 00:29:02.160 --> 00:29:03.599 Lord, we thank you. 00:29:04.720 --> 00:29:10.880 Lord, we thank you for your goodness and what you're doing in every single person here at Gateway. 00:29:11.359 --> 00:29:13.519 In Jesus' name, Amen.