SUBJECT: GIVING HONOUR
INTRODUCTION:
This Bible Study Outline has been developed for all Bible study class teachers and cell leaders in the ministry, to serve as a guide on the above subject of “Giving Honour”, and to examine what the Bible says about it. The Objective of the study is to enlighten us on:
– What it means to give honour.
– The importance of honouring others.
– How to give honour.
– The advantages of honour; and
– The consequences of dishonouring others.
This Bible Study Outline is culled from the teachings by our Man of God, during the Online Bible Study Preparatory Class, which held on the 8th of July, 2012.
This outline is in 4 parts. Part 1 examines what it means to give honour; it throws light on who we are expected to honour, and why we should give honour. Part 2 teaches us how to honour all men as the Bible instructs, and also the brotherhood. Part 3 sheds light on how to honour God and those in authority over us; and Part 4 instructs us on how to honour those with spiritual authority over us, and summarizes all the lessons learnt from Part 1.
Every Bible study class teacher and cell leader is to ensure that the members have their Bibles; all the Scriptures in the outline are read during the meeting; and the members look into their Bibles while the Scriptures are read.
TABLE OF CONTENT
1. Giving Honour Part 1………………………………….3
2. Giving Honour Part 2 …………………………………6
3. Giving Honour Part 3 …………………………………9
4. Giving Honour Part 4………………………………….13
– GIVING HONOUR (PART 1) –
STUDY SCRIPTURE: 1st Peter 2 v 17: “Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king”
INTRODUCTION:
There are certain principles given to us from the Word of God, which are determinant factors for our progress in life: these principles give us the advantage and help us win in life. It is therefore important for us to know what they are so that we can apply them to our lives and walk in the blessings that they bring.
One of such principles is Giving Honour, and today, we’re examining what the Bible says on this all-important subject. We’ll be looking at the following:
1. What it means to give honour.
2. Who we are expected to honour.
3. Why we should give honour.
What does it mean to give honour?
The Word Honour means to show respect to or towards, to give recognition to, to esteem another, to give preference. Therefore to give honour means to show respect to or towards another, to give recognition to and esteem another; and, to give preference.
Who should you honour?
1st Peter 2 v 17: Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.
The above Scripture gives us God’s clear direction on who we should honour, classifying those to whom honour should be given into 4 groups namely:
1. All Men: This refers to everybody in the world. Christians and non-Christians.
2. The brotherhood: This refers to all of us in the Lord; that is, our brothers and sisters in Christ. Walking in love towards them really means that we’re honouring them.
3. God: Having reverential fear towards God is honouring Him.
4. The king: The king here refers to those who have authority over us, as authority is passed over from the highest levels to the lowest levels.
Why should we give honour?
Prov. 4:7-8 says “Wisdom is the principal thing … exalt her and she shall promote thee: love her and she shall bring thee to honor, when thou dost embrace her”. The Word of God, which is the wisdom of God, gives us instruction to live by and instructs us to give honour. So, we give honour because:
– God instructs us through His Word to give honour. We honour God by doing what He has asked us to do. Not to do God’s Word is dishonouring Him, and those that dishonour God will always be at the bottom in life.
– Every child of God is a man or woman of honor; God has made us kings and priests (Rev. 1 v 6), and we were made to be honoured. However, you can’t receive honour until you give it. So, God wants us to honour others because of what honour does for us; if you don’t give honour, you can’t receive a harvest of it. You can only receive what you give; the Bible is clear on this (Galatian 6:7). Not to walk in honour means to not walk in the light to which you have been called.
1 Sam 2 v 30: “Wherefore the Lord God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me forever: but now the Lord saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed”. From the above Scripture, we understand the importance of honouring the Lord by doing his Word. He has said those who treat the Word with lightness shall be lightly esteemed. It is obvious that many people are lightly esteemed or disregarded in life, everywhere they go, because they have no regard for the Word: they don’t honour others as the Word instructs.
Next week we’ll take time out to study on how to honour all men and how to honour the brotherhood.
– GIVING HONOUR (PART 2) –
STUDY SCRIPTURE: 1st Peter 2 v 17: “Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king”
INTRODUCTION:
Today, we’re continuing with our study on “Giving Honour” and we’ll be looking at:
1. Honouring all men.
2. Honouring the brotherhood.
Honouring All Men:
All Men in our study scripture refers to everybody in the world; that is, Christians and non Christians. God expects us to honour all men by giving recognition to them, by respecting them and by esteeming them (holding them in high regard).
1 Thess. 5 v 15 says, ”See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men”.
In 2 Sam. 9 v 1 – 13, we see how David still sought opportunities to honour his covenant friend, Jonathan, by honouring his son, Mephibosheth: “And David said, is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” (2 Samuel 9:1). David showed Mephibosheth the kindness of God. That’s the type of kindness and honour God expects of us; where we give honour to people even when we think they don’t deserve it. Many people wonder why David’s life was full of splendor and victories! Obviously, it’s because he was a man of honour.
Learn to show honour to everyone. For example, if you board a taxi, honouring the taxi driver as the Word says, is to offer a kind greeting to recognize him, because recognition is a way of honour.
You give honour to the elderly by rising up to recognize them according to Lev 19:32, which says, “Thou shall rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear God: I am the Lord”. In 1 Timothy 5:1-2 (NIV) the Apostle Paul writing to Timothy said, “Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. The elder women as mothers, the younger as sisters, with all purity”.
Honouring the Brotherhood:
1 Peter 2:17 says “…Love the brotherhood…” This refers to all believers in the Lord; that is, our brothers and sisters in Christ. In addition to giving recognition, respect and esteem, you honour your brothers and sisters in Christ by walking in love towards them.
Romans 12: 9 & 10 says, “Let Love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another”. Your love must be sincere; it must be from your heart, without hypocrisy. You are to cleave to that which is good and learn to consider your brothers and sisters before yourself.
1 John 3:18 says “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue but in deed and in truth” God wants us to love in deed and in truth, from a sincere heart.
In addition, in honouring the brethren you must also learn to speak well of them; refuse to participate in destroying the character of your fellow brothers and sisters; always love and esteem them, for in esteeming your brothers and sisters in Christ, you are honouring God.
Conclusion
Everyone is important to God and therefore deserves to be honored. Giving honour is a kingdom principle for living a life of greatness, so you must learn to walk in Honour. If you dishonour other people, you are dishonouring God, and it will corrupt your harvest and affect your life of prosperity. Therefore, make up your mind today, to honour all men and love the brotherhood.
– GIVING HONOUR (PART 3) –
STUDY SCRIPTURE: 1st Peter 2 v 17: “Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king”
INTRODUCTION:
Today, we’re continuing with our study on “Giving Honour” and we’ll be looking at:
1. Honouring God
2. Honouring those in authority over us (Part A)
Honouring God:
In our study scripture, we are taught to “fear God”. Having reverential fear towards God is honouring him and you honour God by doing what He tells you to do. This therefore means that you honour God when you honour others because God instructed us to honour men.
Remember, if you dishonour someone that God has honoured, you are dishonouring God, and the consequence is that you’ll be lightly esteemed (1 Sam 2 v 30).
Honouring those in authority over us:
The “king” in our scripture reference (1 Peter 2 v 17) stands for authority. The king refers to those who have authority over us, as authority is passed on from the highest levels to the lowest levels.
Obedience is one key way of showing honour to those in authority. Obedience is directed towards one who can give you instructions; thus you show honour through obeying those in authority over you.
Colossians 3 v 18-20 addresses authority in the home. “Wives submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. Husbands love your wives, and be not bitter against them. Children, obey your parents in all things: for it is well pleasing unto the Lord”.
Wives are to honour their husbands by submitting to their authority because the Word of God shows that a man has authority over his wife. “Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, …that your prayers be not hindered” (1 Peter 3:7). Men are to honour their wives as the weaker vessels; this means that a man should treat his wife tenderly because of her physical frame, and by doing so he will be honouring her according to Scriptures.
In Deuteronomy 5:16, the Bible says “Honour thy father and thy mother, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.” Children are expected to honour their parents by obeying them and taking care of them. They are to look for opportunities to be of help to their parents because they are indebted to them (1 Timothy 5:4). This is an important truth in the kingdom of God and it is emphasized severally in scriptures, to guide us in this area because prosperity and success are hinged on honouring ones parents.
Paul in his letter to the Ephesians said, “Children obey your parents in the Lord for this is right…” (Ephesians 6:1). Obedience is one key way of showing honour to your parents, and in honouring your parents, the Bible says it will be well with you and you will live long in the earth. This connotes that the Lord Himself will specially preserve you in the earth and you will have a prosperous life.
Ephesians 6:3 (TLB) “And this is the promise: that if you honour your father and mother, yours will be a long life, full of blessings”. You must therefore realize that it is in your interest to honour your parents because not honouring them will lead to a very hard and short life. Respect your parents and don’t talk back at them or walk out on them; appreciate, honour and cherish them.
Remember that to honour is to show respect for or to a person. It is also to give recognition, to esteem and to give preference. Now, in the house of God there are people who render several services, who may not be your pastors or leaders. You are to give them honour by holding them in high regard because of their responsibilities. The Apostle Paul gave an example of this in the book of Philippians: “Yet I supposed it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and companion in labour………Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness; and hold such in reputation: because for the work of Christ he was nigh unto death, not regarding his
life …”(Philippians 2:25-30).
A student shows honour to his teacher by doing his/her assignment as a mark of respect, and must hold the teacher in high esteem, responding in humility.
Col 3 v 22 says, “Servants obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eye service, as men pleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God”. You honour those in authority over you, either at work or in your society by obeying the instructions they give you and by serving them with your heart. We see an example in David who had served King Saul and had regard for the King; he neither spoke negatively against Saul nor hurt him. Although King Saul had gone after David on several occasions to kill him, the Bible tells us that David never lifted up his hand to hurt Saul (1 Samuel 24:2-8). He had several opportunities to kill Saul and his band of men, but he didn’t because he was a man of honour and he refused to dishonour the king by hurting him. David was so blessed of God and walked in the revelation of the kingdom because he was a man of honour.
To be continued in Part 4
– GIVING HONOUR (PART 4) –
STUDY SCRIPTURE: 1st Peter 2 v 17: “Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king”
INTRODUCTION:
Today, we’re completing our study on “Giving Honour”, and we’ll be concluding on the subject of honouring those with authority over us (Part B).
As explained in Part 3, “the king” in 1 peter 2 v 17 refers to those in authority over us. We’ll be studying on honoring those who have spiritual authority over us such as our pastors and leaders in the house of God.
One of the reasons many people don’t experience the power of God in their lives is because they are not submissive to spiritual authority; they have no regard for spiritual authority.
“Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy and not with grief: for this is unprofitable for you” (Hebrews 13:17).
“And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you. And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves” (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13).
The Scriptures above make it clear that some people in the Church have authority over us in the Lord and we are to honour them by esteeming them very highly and obeying them. This is an important truth in the Word.
It is important you do not dishonor spiritual authority by speaking against them. The scripture teaches us to be careful about spiritual authority. Jude 1:8-10 says “Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities”. Here Jude tells us that stubborn carnal people talk against spiritual authority. This is contradistinguished from the attitude of Michael, the archangel, who with all his power and glory, when he disputed with Satan, an evil personality, over the body of Moses, didn’t dare bring an accusation against Satan; this was because Satan at the time had Adamic authority, gained from Adam’s transgression, which was higher than angelic authority. This example of Michael is very instructive, and ought to guide our attitude towards those in spiritual authority over us. We have another example in Numbers 12, where Aaron and Miriam dishonoured Moses by speaking against him for marrying a black woman. Although Miriam was Moses’ elder sister and a prophetess, Moses was her spiritual leader. Thus, when she dishonoured him by speaking against him, the anger of the Lord was kindled against her.
Learn to show respect for spiritual authority and stay away from people who say negative things about Pastors or leaders in the house of God. If you refrain from speaking negatively against God’s ministers, the Lord will promote you, but to disdain and dishonour them is to attract curses.
Conclusion:
In any situation you’ve found yourself, let the Christ life be manifested in you. Refuse to give expression to the devil’s character, rather make up your mind that Christ will be expressed through you always by always giving honour to all men (1 Thess. 5 v 15).
Lessons learnt On Giving Honour:
(The members should be asked to share what they have learnt so far on
giving honour)
1. Honour means to show respect to, or towards, or for; to give recognition, to esteem another, to give preference.
2. We were made to be honoured; however, we will not receive honour until we give it.
3. We are to honour: all men, all Christians, God and all those who have authority over us.
4. We honour God by doing what He tells us to do.
5. We honour all men by giving them recognition and esteeming them.
6. We honour believers in Christ by walking in love towards them.
7. We honour those in authority over us by obeying them.
8. One of the consequences of not giving honour is that you’ll be despised and lightly esteemed, no matter what you do.
Questions:
1. Honour as defined by Pastor Chris means?
Ans: To give or show respect, to give recognition to, to esteem and give preference.
2. What does 1 Peter 2 v 17 admonish us to do?
Ans: Honour all men, love the brotherhood, fear God, honour the king.
3. Were you created to be honoured?
Ans: Yes
4. Why are some Christians lightly esteemed?
Ans: Because they don’t give honour to others.