Jesus said, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.”

• Jesus was not honored by His family and those who knew Him when He was growing up.
• They were unable to receive Him as a prophet because they thought that they knew Him.
• As a result, He couldn’t do for them what He did for everyone else.
• So, the beginning of honoring a prophet is to receive the prophet as a prophet.

You honor someone when you receive them as sent by God for a purpose.

• To be in specific relationship to you.
• To do a specific function with respect to you.
• To change you in a specific way.
• Bringing you into your destiny.

 You honor a prophet when you receive them as sent by God.

• As a prophet.
• And allow them to function as a prophet to you.

The same principle applies to any person sent by God into your life.

• You honor your parents when you receive them as your God-given parents.
• And allow them to father and mother you.
• You honor a spiritual father when you receive them as a father.
• And allow them to father you.
• You honor a brother or sister when you receive them as siblings.
• And allow them to function as brothers or sisters towards you.

What purpose does Father have in sending someone into your life?

• First, and foremost is the simple joy of life in relationship and in a family.
• From relationship we grow up into destiny.
• From relationship with one another we become more like Jesus.

God has promised to work all things together for the good of making us like Jesus.

• This includes every relationship with everyone in our life.
• Even the most hardened unbeliever that we relate least to functions this way in our life.
• How much more someone who is functioning in their destiny with respect to our destiny?

God is working through every person in our life to make us like Jesus.

• Whether that person accepts the purpose of God or not.
• Their function in your life doesn’t depend on their relationship to God or to you.
• It depends on your relationship to God and to them.

This puts a new perspective on that difficult person.

• In your Facebook chat group.
• In your encounter group.
• In your heavenly family.
• On your bench.
• At work.
• Etc.

“Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.”

• There are two reasons to honor a person.
• 1st reason to honor:  Because of their position and thus of their function towards you.
• 2nd reason to honor:  Because they are made in the image of God.
• This first reason applies to anyone in a position of authority: parents, kings, etc.
• The second reason applies to everyone.
• Especially to all who are brothers and sisters in the Lord.

Some verses on honor:

“Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.”

• We are to give honor according to how much honor is due.
• Honor is due to each according to who they are in relation to us.
• And what they have done.
• So, a king is due honor because they are a king.
• But a good king is due more honor than one who is not.

 “You shall rise before the gray headed and honor the presence of an old man, and fear your God: I am the Lord.”

• Honor is due to those who are old.
• Honor is not just by word.
• It is also by deed.
• And is because we fear God.

“This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me.”

• True honor reflects a heart attitude of honor.
• Honor that is not from a heart attitude of honor is false honor.

There is a difference between honor and flattery.

• Flattery attempts to get something in return for false honor.
• It is manipulative.
• And seeks to move another into pride.
• Seeking false honor in return.

True honor is accompanied by humility.

• (There is also a false humility.)
• False humility is pride.
• “Search me O God and know my heart…”

“Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another.”

• In honoring a brother or sister we are to give them preference over ourselves.
• This means that we put them before ourselves as being more deserving of honor.

We are responsible to honor others. 

• We are to make sure to honor others.
• We don’t have to make sure that others honor us.

Servant leadership does not require honor from others.

• Servant leaders humble themselves and give honor.
• Even when others fail to give honor in return.
• God keeps track of another’s failure to honor us.
• He will correct them Himself.
• Or through others who overheard dishonor.
• Correction is always best done in private with great tact and an attitude of love.
• A servant leader’s greatness consists first and foremost of their humility.

When praised we thank the one who praised us.

• And go trade that praise on the Sea of Glass.
• This keeps us humble in receiving honor from one another.

What is honoring?

• Honor is being open and keeping gates open as you entertain what others share.
• Honor is foremost an attitude of the heart towards others and is based in love.

What is not dishonoring?

• Not resonating with something and saying so is not dishonor.
• Disagreeing is not dishonoring.
• Asking questions is not dishonoring.

Honor tells people.

• Honor doesn’t assume that someone gets enough honor.
• And doesn’t leave it to others.
• Honor doesn’t stay in the background.

In OUB we have a culture of honor and a culture of dialog.

• We honor one another while seeking truth by dialoging with one another.
• We dialog towards mutual understanding of truth.
• We are free to disagree with one another.
• While still honoring one another.

Discussion based on mutual honor is so lacking in society today.

• There is little modeling of how to dialog with one another about truth.
• Without attacking one another.
• Or feeling personally attacked because someone disagrees with us.
• We can think another wrong while still honoring them.
• And love them and not attack or accuse them.

The Ecclesia is a place of honor.

• How could it not be when we are all lords, kings, sons and fathers?
• At the end of our preparatory journey we will all be crowned with glory and honor.

Honor sees one another through the eyes of love. 

• We see each other as complete in Christ.
• Crowned with glory and honor.
• And speak it into being.

This is the honor that everyone born into the world is destined for.

• “I see myself crowned with glory and honor.”
• “I see the Ecclesia crowned with glory and honor.”
• “I see you crowned with glory and honor.”

A search of the Bible for the phrase “glory and honor” is eye-opening.

• Psalm 8
• Hebrews 2
• 2 Peter 1:17: ‘For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”’
• The Revelation of Jesus Christ