Household of Honor - 1 Timothy 5 - 6:2 - Gospel Church

Alright you guys probably heard this figure speech before but people say don't judge a book by its cover right other people by different figure speech might be all that glitters is not gold, or the one that we been talking about this series is the proof is in the pudding. They also have the same idea. That is, you can't tell if something is the real thing just by looking at it from the outside. You really need to have an interaction with it. If you can understand if it's the real thing or not. That really is. I think a lot of the theme of the book of first Timothy that what God is saying, through his scripture to us is if the church is going to point to its divine maker than any interaction with people are going to see things that are not normal there to see things that can only come from God writes the church of Jesus Christ says of itself that it is a movement all throughout the world to bring glory to God and see change lives and that all of that. If that is true, then there would be things in it that are just a little bit different than the world and when you interact with it, you would know that there would be a taste there you would look at it you would submit that actually is the real thing.

You can't judge a church based on the website are based on you know social media counseling.

Once you get in, you realize that there is something happening here that God is at work in God is doing something you gotta actually taste and seats. I think about it like this.

I do not we we would play to the campus at the Northeast. Okay you guys know that and a lot of people thought it was because there's a big need for churches other actions because there's a Capt. D's out there okay I don't you guys ever see that companies smell good nuggets of you guys like that on no account of these is at the harbor house. We pretty clean.

Alright mama Hopper, Anna Susan, she's pretty and that and I and worried almond it out as well. You try to raise world food and stuff but about twice a year okay because my dad's appear if he comes out here we got on there and were altogether. All the boys together so we don't do a lot of fasting fraud, but about once or twice a year every to do it were a hit on These notes some you guys I met.

I never had companies with you. You need to try to lose once okay because you know you will please the fish on top your head nears you, slap your brains out again let you know that little make a people afraid try to make you slap your grandma all the although all of the figures is the reason I can think of. But here's the thing made babies like at least you know I'm just County of funny but maybe for you if there is a restaurant in Greensboro. Whatever you're like when you keep telling people you gotta try it okay what you gotta try the whatever you gotta try the whatever you're trying to get them to see if you interact with it, then you can understand.

There's something about the maker that comes with the interaction with it and I think that's what the book of first Timothy just as a reminder as we have a set this in a couple of weeks is trying to get us to seats. There are things in the church that when you get involved with a mentor interact with them. They should point us to its divine origin and one of them, or to talk about this weekend is a culture of honor, showing honor shows the gospel. That's the big idea for this weekend showing honor shows the gospel when we honor one another when we give each other the respect that that maybe we don't even deserve. At times, but that the gospel compels us to do when we give each other that type of honor and respect in the gospel shines you every Christian should know the feeling of what it feels like to know ultimately that Jesus Christ came to eyes and he ultimately esteemed us and we didn't deserve it. Honey Jesus Christ has come to eyes and he has sent hate you before me. I'll put you ahead of me, even though you don't deserve it that's what I'll do and every single believer understands what that is been like to be shown that and then we should go out and show that to others, and that's what the Bible gets into here in first Timothy chapter 5, where he begins to say hate you church are a family and as such you should show honor to one another. I don't always, it is perfectly in our own little nuclear families, but we understand we should do.

We should honor one another in the Bible to tell us to do the same thing in the church family.

Look what it says do not rebuke an older man but encourage and as you would a father younger men as brothers older women as mothers and younger women as sisters and all purity. There are there are three futile aspects, honor, culture, the working to get into Windows elders and bond servants, and masters all the way through chapter 6 okay does the three door to get to, but I want a story here because what were to see is that this is all grounded in family member.

What I said earlier, the church is a household of faith. We talked about that last week the church is a household of faith. The church is a family and as a family. There is always that we should be treating each other as as fathers as mothers, as brothers and sisters as older men younger younger man older women and younger women. Paul assumes that the church of Jesus Christ and I can see you at our campuses, but I'm sure the same way there he assumes that the body is going to be a multigenerational body with older men younger men, older women, younger women, the church is meant to be AAA and I multigenerational deal.

The church is meant to be mentors. Kids run in the hallways and his grandparents there singles that sit in the same community groups of people that are been married for 20 years.

This people young kids or people with kids that are already in college and this is what the family is and therefore because there are different lifestages to the family by then. We need to to lean in and figure out how we should treat each other based on where we are. You'll treated a goal older man like you to a younger man or an older woman like you do on a younger woman. There is something that comes from a multigenerational deal guy. Sometimes churches will have models that really end up isolating one generation.

I think it's to their detriment right you know I member when we planted Mercy Hill. Just the fact that I was as young as I was and all that it attracted, younger, a younger crowd for a long time and I praise God when we began to start seeing people come in that were just, you know, early twentysomethings, college students, all of that was funny when when I would see anybody walk in that look like they were your 4056 years old. I mean I would flock to them and basically try to recruit them almost to a youth group even though it was for seniors okay and and try to bring them in and stated we need you here because it can be hard for anybody else to plug in here that they'll never see anybody that looks like it. We need the multi generational aspect young. Some ministries really, isolate one young generation, the same as some older churches that have, have you dwindled it, circled up and they're all in one generation. What you think about this. That's odd for a family isn't like a thigh family with all one age is like an episode of twilight's only that's weird okay and then think about it like know the family should be all times.

So what he says here is how you think about that in a multigenerational crowd. We gotta think about how were addressing each other. This book is written to Timothy Timothy as a pastor I take this right right to the heart is in and I got I got to make sure I'm talking to people and respected to their different lifestages of therein Minutemen women, older younger, but I think we can extrapolate something from all of this.

Okay honey, we can all get something from it and maybe you could maybe you can sum it up like this. Okay, don't talk to someone older than you like their younger than you know that that is not licensed to talk to younger people just any Callaway okay is going say that religion be some families are like they are teenagers and there's kids will kids in the family and I like okay great I can just kinda know it's not were not saying that, but we are saying is there in the Bible talks about the book of Proverbs that the glory of an older man is her gray hair. There is a respect that comes with that and there's a respect that should be shown. I think about this in my life and pastoring a church here.

There are times when I have looked across the table from younger men or guys that are my age, and just about one of the put my finger in her chest and tell them just as straight as I could possibly tell him bro you're going to lose your family if you keep walking down this road and almost want to say to them, just like that, I'm trying to rattle the cage Florida football coach comes out and grab the facemask you know I'm trying to write in their grill will do that with an older man it we wouldn't older with an older person. I got have a little bit more tact. As a pastor to be able to realize meant. This is going to be hard for them to hear because I'm 30 years younger than they are in the same way to be hard for me to hear rebuke from a teenager. It's hard for them to hear or read for me right so I gotta take that into account and I'll talk to them in the same way that I might know that doesn't mean they don't need to be corrected at times that we all could stand to be corrected at times and age is not doesn't mean you can't be corrected but there is a way that we talk to people is a way that we talk to parents.

There is a way that we talk to younger people, right, and that's kind of thought the idea that I think that he is is getting at here. No one in the things I think we gotta see is he also talks about younger brothers and younger sisters in the faith, and I think one good question for us. Miss Russian High Point Clifton we got because she was with a lot of young professionals of those different campuses. Younger people in our church are your interactions with each other, characterized by this phrase, that he came up with all purity in verse two are they characterized by all purity Christians, we gotta be wise in the way that men are interacting with women the way the word in dealing with younger people than us and all of that, we've got to be wise in this. There is nothing that will crack a small group crushing ministry or break a church like failures in this area with leadership that that that people would step in, they would not have the correct boundaries they would not treat each other in all purity.

They follow the sexual send all this, stuff, and what I would call our church to see is that we gotta have this will be godly wise. We have prayed for wisdom.

We have prayed our elders be wise and lead integrated in a godly way because we gotta have enough sense to create the right boundaries without creating such boundaries that we can even be brothers and sisters.

It seems that we gotta have the wisdom to be able to not fall off of one side or the other but to walk that third way and say the church is a family we will deal with younger brothers younger sisters in different ways in older men and older women in terms of fathers and mothers, but we will be a family love each other but we will do that in all purity notes. I spent a limited time on that okay because I want to see this is not honor culture. I think it all most chapter 5 the very beginning of chapter 6 is not honor culture in a church, but it's grounded in family it's grounded in this idea that we are brothers, sisters, fathers and mothers. This is how we come together as a church family. Therefore, let us show honor three very particular areas and the first one is among widows, honor widows who are truly widows little widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents for this is pleasing in the sight of God. She was truly a widow left all alone has sent her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day. But she who is self-indulgent is that even while she lives command these things as well so they may be, without approach, but if anyone does not provide for his relatives and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. Now the first on their three okay the first one is about widows, but were in a move that a little more to talk about widows that also wants to understand. I think in our day. We really to think about the vulnerable in our society when it comes to this. Okay what is it mean to show honor. Here's a good definition showing honor showing honor is ascribing worth through action, not just sentiment rights not just like now bye-bye love your site is a note through some type of action. We are ascribing worth is showing others respect by giving aid or by giving a proper attitude towards one another and he starts with the widows that have bought all the way in man. These are these are people that have come in. No widow, and his culture may not just mean that a spouse died and it's and it's an older woman that is and that is alone. Okay, she doesn't have husband and that's the lot that she's in, and life, but she has leaned all the way into the church in an article just last week about this about how you widows know what I would say, widowers, widows, you wind if that if that stage of life comes in and none none of us want that if your of your marriage fully understand that, but we have seen that a Mercy Hill over 10 years we've seen different widows are widowers.

We seen different things happen that there is one of the article that I was reading talk about some six or seven things that that we are the church. Gotta recognize about widows. One of the things of the seven was what a gift to the church.

They can be because because what happens is first Timothy five that when you see someone in that state.

They can lean all the way in and they can think and lean all the way into the ministry. I know there there's one particular person. The situation in our church who she said hate next year and in Europe that New York got me off that uptick in a certain time during the year and going on a mission trip to a certain part of Asia want to be able to use my gift things when it comes to agriculture or not, stuff, and most are going year after year after year so that I can establish relationships there and hope to see the gospel move and this is a widow at our church so that this is that I say that that I think that's what he's did not. They leaned all the way in. Okay so these are widows that have leaned all the way in and they bleed all the way to the church and now they are supposed now the church needs to come around them and take care of them if they are widows. One hostile act as a widow in need widow. Indeed, because that's a little bit what he said the grace of verse three. Honor the widows who are truly widows. Okay now this is I think the point he's trying to get widows on 2000 years ago, maybe in a different class than then they might be today just based on the weighted power structure set up 2000 years ago.

You know widows are put right alongside orphans in James chapter 1 right so you're living in a society without 401(k)s without Social Security without life insurance okay with with a court system that set up where you currently a man to represent you and all that stuff and so widows are left in this day and incredibly vulnerable situation.

I would say we need to maybe think about expanding this and think about people who are in different categories as well just literal widows absolutely, but also the disabled. Also think about people with families with kids with special needs single mothers maybe wasn't a widow thing. It was abandonment, think, and now they're in a very tough situation. Here's what the Bible says about what what will how we are to interact with him.

The first thing it says this is interesting to me if you go back and read it, saying hey you need to let the family of that person minister to them first. That's interesting, isn't it presenting many of us would think the church is supposed to be the front line of every single time. None. None of the situation. In this situation, you can absolutely hurt by trying to help and and that brings up you know we just really, zoom out for number one, second, and just say all the church of Jesus Christ absolutely can hurt people try to help people. And when you think about that.

You know if if if parents and compassion continually stepped in for older kids and you continue with the money and continue with the money, but it's fueling a moral lifestyle of debt for them. It's not actually helping right we think it's eight or try to be compassionate but is not actually helping you to think about that with the poor in our society.

The book of Proverbs talks about this is the appetite of a man that will fuel his work ethic can we help the poor in a way that actually crushes the poor absolutely we can do that so we gotta think about how do we step in and situations and actually help instead of hurt one of the first thing when it comes to widows and and families like this and if we wanted zoom out a little bit and say the vulnerable. The first thing we need to do is to call their biological family up to the task and support them in the task and come around and come alongside them and come around them and this is what we need to go to first why because if we don't we might we might set up a situation, not meaning to, we might set up a situation where God was trying to call them to selflessness and godliness. He was galvanizing them in a situation we took that opportunity away from the and maybe it's of even hurting few dollars. Think about this illustration because when I was young.

Spent a lot of time into this and spent a lot of time in Montana when I was a teenager all the way through my early 20s. Every summer we would go out there and one summer I lived on the Fort Peck Indian reservation for a month and I was 18 years old and it was incredibly did ministry was. It was just it was just it was awesome. A lot of ways will. Here's what happened. There was some kids that we were doing ministry with the started hang around the little church weird that we were living at and they started hang around there around lunchtime every day and so were 18 years old a couple us what we think we did. I mean we just immediately jump in the Seder mode were like did not. The peanut butter and jelly and were like when we got to go to the store and and excited to use our our little bit of money we had fueled that the the food pantry think these kids need lodging there shone a frosted to eat lunch and all that and about the second day we did that the mission of the missionary that was there shutting down.

We show them fast and he sent him an accusing orphans. I got parents and he said those parents if they realize that is a desperate there's a desperate area, but those parents have the means to feed these kids look out of their healthy look out they have the means if you start feeding them, they might take those means go do something else with it. There is a way that you can help that actually is hurting and I never really marked me. I look at this concert is a real good opportunity for us to think about that. So the first boundary here is met with the vulnerable in our church we don't immediately jump to help if it may actually hurt. First, we need to look at the Scripture and cement. Who else in this particular situation. Do we need to call up the family that is around them…, That, think first.

But here's the deal. But when there is surely a widow.

That's what he said in verse three. A true widow, truly the vulnerable. Now the church has got to step in and absolutely be a shining light to the world and the way that we care for each other. It looks like hearing it looks like making sure we stay in touch man. It looks like a tax. It looks like meeting actual or perceived, needs it looks like asking the question, but also jump in it without maybe even asking the question, it looks like making sure that people in this category can get to church functions and that we make accommodations for them to be here and be in our midst meant that's what it's about here and this is that this is the think when when we have people in our congregation. While all of this unit is all we can sing in here lately that says this. I've never seen the righteous forsaken. Do you know that when somebody is in this situation of first Timothy five situation. Here's what it is. It's a vulnerable person that listen has decided to lean all the way in.

When that happens I have never seen the righteous forsaken. I've never seen in this church. One time that when somebody is actually in the and they decide. Like these widows to be all in with the church meant to gather grooves give go. I'm gonna be in a group, let my needs be known. I'm gonna let my campus pastor know that there is an issue going on in my life, not the second day that I'm here okay but I'm gonna get him to come in and I'm a lean all the way and I've got this need in my life. Y'all until you have never seen the righteous forsaken and that's what I think this passage is trying to get us a seat. Let us be at church guys that continues to do that and does it in greater ways. I would love to do and waste so much that the vulnerable from Avon outside the church understand that this is a beacon of hope and a life that they can come to and be ministered to give.

They would lean all the way in and allow God to begin to do that work in their lives. Y'all way to plant churches around this as well. To say one thing about this move on.

I read a heartbreaking story this week. Brenda Vaughn India okay it's outside of Delhi. There's a place in India 20,000 widows over the years have descended upon the city. Do you know why because in their religious tradition and the brand of Hinduism that is there and then the widows are absolutely ashamed because they couldn't keep the soul of their husband and so Chuck your husband. I will your kicked out of the family know you're using this year to be ashamed your note note no jewelry you were mourning close restaurant calming the husband's family literally might kick them out if the husband's family is kicking them out. May we pray to God that there be churches of Jesus Christ to meet them with open arms to say come in and will see actually got actually puts himself emotions we like. Man, what is what is happening with church planting in that exact area because this is where the church can shine men not not a shame but a gift to the church and we can't wait to help meet your need of the widows and the vulnerable number two let's get down to verse 17, okay is in one sermon covering this on our culture. We got a skip through a little bit here rock and hit every single thing there's over 17 says let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says you shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain and labor and the laborer deserves his wages knelt again grounded in family thinking about you. We thought about the vulnerable haters honor their within us as this.

Now it shifts and says show honor actually double on earth there's a progression here honor the widows double honor. The elders were to get into not one more progression here in a minute. Double honor is to be shown to the elders know what is that mean I think from a 30,000 foot view right this is where I think the congregation can come together and and decide hate. We want to be a joy to the leadership of the church.

The leadership the church is accountable the leadership of the church is gonna lead a high pray in a way that is not stiffnecked or harsh, but in response there is going to be a joy in the congregation and nothing that comes from Hebrews 13, obey your leaders and submit to them for their keeping watch over your souls, as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning for that would be of no advantage to you. The last thing that I tell my sons every single day when I get out of the truck to go to school by that we they opened the door.

The last thing they hear out of my mouth. His son be a joy to be a joy to your leaders and what I want them to see is when you are a joy to them. It will be an advantage is only set in verse 17, an advantage to you, because nobody wants to go to a church with cranky pastors and frustrated pastor wives.

Nobody wants to go to church you want to go to a church where there is pastoral staff who are excited to labor among you that that's where we want to be right so that there is a joy in the congregation and there is a joy at the elder level and the Bible calls us here and says hate show your elders double honor okay and I listen I know this can sound self-serving someone the elders of Mercy Hill.

This is what the word says is what is talking about is a bunch of other elders that I want to make sure that we are showing honor to his wealth. I think double honor means two things right. I think means that we honor them by respecting them number one what is our what is our posture when when our elders and comes our community group that night when we are excited to welcome them in always so plump to have them come come in and sit with us.

What is our posture when one of our elders says that we gotta talk like there's something going on in your life and we'll talk about that and that's hard and I know that is not a easy thing to do, but are we having an attitude toward them. That is respectful of them hiding. The second thing that this means in an elders and showing them honor. I think that the first year the widow thing, carries a bit of a financial connotation to I think this does as well, every, every, every single common surgery will point to this idea. You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain. I think what he saying here is that it is permissible in the church for some of the elders of the church to be paid by the church so that this be their vocation as well and I think that's what he's getting at here. Now we start thing that I can get really touchy right because there's two extremes when it comes to church stuff. There's one extreme it's like poverty ethic to the pastor there's another stream. It's like eight the pastor as a status symbol for our entire church. So make sure he's driving a Bentley. Okay, it's like that we we need others there's, both of those extremes. I've seen both of them, their churches that there there they made their their attitude toward the pastor is Lord you keep him humble will keep import okay will do that there there's others that are like a man. He stands for us.

We want him to have all you know and what I would just say is like hey guys, double honor region to put our head on straight here and just I think this means generosity without extravagance. I that's what it means that we would want to be very gentle. We want to be with our pastors here and there, there could be there could be an extravagant church in Texas that comes and whisks one of our always Texas okay that whisks one of our pastors away because they you pay them four times.

What's normal going rate and they find out there in a helicopter, nobody… Could happen in extravagance. But what I don't want to happen is that there be a church of similar standing, similar area similar size there do a similar job and then realized that men were just not paying them the right thing you know anything there should be generosity there without extravagance. My point is this. I think a church is healthy when the congregation has respect and honor for their pastors and the pastors feel an incredible privilege to be able to serve, and I pray that I will be our attitude here. Eloquence is in verse 19 to get about elders, do not admit a charge against an elder, except on the evidence of two or three witnesses of this interesting. As for those who persist in sin rebuked him in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear. I think there's a bit of a check and balance here that he puts in when there elders who are found to be in sin. Persistently, it is not like other people in the congregation or maybe it's dealt with on a commuter level Arabians double the PPS I know if there's an elder who is persisting in sin and church discipline is applied, then this is this is one of those things where it's like baby rebuked publicly because the rest of the elders need to understand they are called to be above reproach and there is a higher standard, not perfection. Nobody's ever to be able to do that.

There's got to be repentance and a hard it's like I am on Tryon and there needs to be guys around, but you understand I'm either there is a there's a different line. There's an above reproach, think the flipside of that is okay verse 19 you'll admit a charge against an elder or you don't.

Another consequence it like this you don't entertain an accusation against an elder. Without two or three witnesses. Now this is crazy in our culture because in our culture. A whisper is a conviction that what this pastor says is say two or three witnesses for conviction and says two or three witnesses for an accusation know why we need to go.

I don't need to understand that because we got understand that the eldership of a church has a constant target on its back. There's whispering there could be slandering there can be gossip and the churches that I have this understanding of spiritual warfare and attitude enough to say man if something comes out and we know were going to deal with that. But we are going to be people who give the benefit of the doubt church are we giving our leaders. The benefit of the doubt.I think this passage is pulled some from Deuteronomy chapter 19 that a single witness should not be enough in and all that out that's moral law thing but but I thought I just think about in our culture. This is a hard line to walk. I mean, I want you to think about how the church can adopt an institutional rage attitude because that's what's in the culture. If there's power structure. If there's an institution. If there's anybody at the top. A whisper is a conviction at the same time we have to have our head on a swivel all the time because there has been abuse in churches their spiritual abuse or sexual abuse. Is this different kind of stuff there. There is hope and again we gotta have wisdom in dealing with this and being able to see hate were not whispers on a conviction, but we are gonna be over the network to do the right thing when it come if it comes out. That's what set.

They need rebuked publicly. So we have a commitment to doing the right thing and I think that's what the Bible is trying to get out here there is honor, respect, there's honor and generosity and there is honor and giving the benefit of the doubt when it comes to the eldership of our church know the last thing that I won't get into here. Talk to those three places where he talks about showing honor and I want to try to build on our culture, our church based off the word. Here's the last one chapter 6.

Let all who are under a yoke as bond servants regard their own masters as worthy of all honor so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled. Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful on the grounds of their brothers. Rather, they must serve all the better, since those who would benefit by their good service are believers and be loved now guys are talking about bond servants, your translation might say slave you start talking about Masters things can get really dicey and I will slow down okay will make sure that we understand what's going on here and call it like it is okay key. Here's here's what I think the Bible is trying to get us to see very macro right. First of all, it talked about honor going to Windows then talked about double honor code elders. Now it's talking about all honor going to the Masters of people who are holding other people in some type of servitude. Now how do you square that what Paul is saying is hate coming. I just just as a way of making his point. Because of this would happen us in the gospel give the most honor to the people who are the least deserving I would want to flip that when you all want to go to Windows double or maybe to the elders, but just honor to the to the Masters he flips it and is this progression all the way down the most honor may be to the least deserving is that not what happened in our life.

Christianity has never got understand as we just talk about this room talk around it for just a minute okay Christianity has never been primarily a social reform movement. It's not us out of this. But the gospel when it spreads, reform societies, I took the name of the New Testament is not the abolition of slavery. That's not but when the gospel goes forward a plant the seed that cracks the foundation of not only that, but a lot of crazy things that happen and inhumane things and terrible things that happen throughout the history of the world right now we look at this passage and we said okay what about this. How can the Bible talk about this institution. My answer to that is, how could it not talk about it 2000 years ago there were 50 million slaves in Rome. How can we not you got understand instructions are not approval. The Bible talks a lot about slavery because there were millions and millions of people who woke up and found themselves in that situation by the way, there are still millions and millions of people around the world who wake up and find themselves in that situation.

This is not condoning this is instructions for any particular time and place. How you wake up in this situation and be a believer novel.

I've already said when you embrace the gospel and the society begins, how we think about Wilberforce. Think about the emancipation movements in our own nation. Go back and read what was being written. A lot of it was based out of the gospel. A lot of was based out of those things and I know especially in the South. There were preachers who were pointing to things like this to keep people in bondage. I understand that but ultimately when the seed is planted, it can crack the foundation of what is something that is very ugly right now. Let's talk about was on my slavery here for just a minute and bondservant probably can use that word. It's what my Bible my translation use but just so we understand a couple of things okay.

The Bible speaks about this with without condoning it, but it does speak about a lot because only people were in it, and how may people in it today, but if we go back and we say wait a minute, what is a Scripture have to say about it. I was saved at the very beginning.

The Scripture has what we need in this Genesis 127 God made them male and female not slave and free, he made them male and female okay when we begin to get into things and I am told that the end up denigrating the value of the image of God and others will we end up seeing one group of people is less than or four different groups of people. We can really get into this without even using the word slavery we could talk about the way we think about the homeless or the disabled or the prisoner or the felon or the caste system in India. It may not be actually slavery but whenever we have started to label I am over you in terms of value and worth the all we have violated exactly what God is told from the very beginning that he made us male and female equal in the image of God. Another thing I think we gotta talk about this just quickly here is that this concept of bondservant does carry a different meaning around the world and even in the Scripture than what might come to our mind. I know what comes to my mind minute study these things I would back on these things have a history major amount of red neck name different books on the stuff that what comes to our mind is the horrific chapter in our nation's history and I don't think that's wrong that that's what comes to our mind what what what you know just the pain of it and all that will we gotta do is realize that's not exactly what's being talked about here right when you look at slavery and in the end, and Rome, and I'm not saying that anybody would want to be there but it was a little bit of a different thing in different situations. Okay you had a what my point is there is a wide range of what that would have meant yes laser craftsman in dealing with economies of slaves that are own other slaves and slaves that is secondary turn loose man they want. They want to actually come and join the family that they've been brought into theirs. Indentured servitude were someone sold himself for certain amount of time that they could come out. There's all of these different things that are different they may be our experience.

I'm not saying it was an awful I am saying that we need more of a generalized picture here know what exactly do we do with this I thinkers we do, we gotta realize number one. The Bible doesn't condone this practice doesn't condole in first Timothy 110, by the way the Bible talks about slave trading and talks about being a sin on par with homosexuality and other things. Okay, so the Bible is very clear on that. But there were tons of people who found themselves in that situation and this might have been the case in Ephesus you might have had a church were master and bondservant were sitting together in the same service. Hearing this message preached. So what is Paul saying to that church and what is he saying in that moment. Well, I think at first Corinthians. He said this in first Corinthians, he said, managing give freedom to freedom. If you can do that do that. I think there's probably some implication there for those who had slaves in it and a timer bondservant in the time but here's what he says. He says show honor. He thought he tells the bondservant don't take an advantage of someone who is over, you simply because they're sitting with you in church. Actually, you should flip it and instead you should allow the fact of their brother to fuel your service to them.

If you found yourself in this situation now apply this thought to us today.

I think about this.

How many of us the temptation to slander the line give minimal service to a boss.

It we we might we might think about that and the problem is, some of us might actually say you know what their believer, so they should give me grace know you're a believer so you should give them your best that that's that's the way I think he's trying to get us to see here that just because the boss man was a Christian and it doesn't mean that we don't know that we hold back actually means that we are fueling greater waste because we say they are brother, their family, and I must serve them, to the best of my ability. I does the three plays that he talks about an honor, culture, and I think from that we needed to try to extrapolate a little bit here when you talk about our own hearts and that will be done right.

So here's the application of this we can build a culture of showing honor, always striving worth to others through our actions or we are willing up or are we giving aid and an attitude or respecting people in that way and we say that I need help in this world that we need to look to the gospel because I think the very foundation of showing honor is realizing that Jesus was dishonored so that we could be honored, all the honor was due to him, but we got and how did that happen only when we have been esteem we have been brought into the family. We have been given more than we could ever imagine heaven awaits.

How does all this happen.

You showed this type of honor, not just your sentiment, but through action.

Jesus Christ has come for us. Jesus Christ took the penalty of our sin and gave us the rewards of his life of his righteousness and his resurrection he offers us a chance to live in the newness of life and Christian – should mark you to be an honor show or really for the rest of our life. We should never be able to get over it. Look what Jesus did, who he was and he did this for me. So the next time we have a struggle with this was showing honor that we think they don't deserve it.

The one they should be getting honor in this situation, we gotta think about this as Jesus has been to me. I will be to others as he has been the me I will be to them. Some was my think I can show honor because it cost me too much for our sake he was rich, became poor. He showed honor and that what some of us might think, and I just look guys, I have no idea there been a situation I just can't imagine you're sitting there couple thousand years ago and your hearing okay man I know I service a lipservice give him my best, show honor, I will bondservant on the show honor to this master and and and and because the brother abdominal llama, poured out to do what I can do, do that. I can't imagine being in a situation is not doing well with think is they don't deserve it. The next thought should be will deny that I deserve somebody to show me honor like Jesus has shown me on a course that of course they don't deserve it but I didn't deserve it either because of my sin is where I was. The next time that I might not can show honor because I'm too busy. I don't have time, can we just think about Christ Jesus is God that's gonna take some time to think about it, and yet he is willing to leave the throne room and come to us all of that all of our honor output minimal, we begin to think about what Christ has done is showing us honor showing honor is a deep gospel issue. So let me close with this when someone is vulnerable. They're going to a vulnerable time memo show them honor send a gift card when pastor makes a decision that you question was show them honor.

Let's give them the benefit of the doubt when I thought about that. See how much I thought about that how much I love this church appreciate his church which others are staffing a Wednesday all the things that we have loved about the imposters at Mercy over the last 10 years as a man is because of the trust that accommodation gives us you want talk about going to the earthquake of coded going to the earthquake of all the social upheaval race issues all the stuff that was 2020 and 2021, and with very few exceptions. This was a church that men leaned in half the time maybe didn't agree agree whatever cement we trust you guys were behind all and I were chiming, you were trying to lead a try to lead a chart when you have your own opinions on every single thing under the sun but your Lima Church of thousand people that you know they have different opinions about some of the stuff, and you're not exactly able quota first for what he should do about a mask or whatever is really good have accommodations like never to trust you guys and I know it's hard so the next time a pastor hasn't something to gotta make a decision on its this, that it's not easy reviewing agree and continue to give them the benefit of the doubt when you have the opportunity to meet a need in a way that helps instead of hurts. Let's go all the way. He had let show honor and the last thing is you know when we do that we really become a testimony to the world. I want to let you know we had a health event that happened at our our High Point campus with one of our bandmembers a few months ago and that it was an absolute miraculous story brother should be with us. He is here he sees any plug back in is just incredible thing that God is not a miracle to God is done in our midst. But you know those nurses know that one of the nurses said about that whole season of hospital and all that because there was a season for weeks. When members of community groups, different elders are going up there and sitting up there all night there with him. There was be with him all night and different shifts may come into the morning, leave coming of them even there it was just in the nurses said they would never see the church will rally behind somebody like that and let us continue to have that kind testimony because we show honor these different ways, honor, and we show care. We show these things. It speaks to a watching world is bright. Father, we come before you and Laura just asked that you would continue to teach us what it means to be approved in the putting church.we want to be a church when people come in and points to you as the divine maker and creator of what this body is so got teachers to show each other honor in greater ways.

In Christ name we pray. Amen