Worthy of Honor

Various

I suspect that last Sunday God decided it should be “Be Nice to Jack & Ann Day”. After Sunday School we had a potluck and at the potluck we were given some very nice gifts and invitations and people said some very kind words in honor of our six years here at RPF. And then that evening friends from the Village of Hope took us out to dinner. I thank you. It was and is very meaningful to be appreciated and to have that appreciation shown in such an extravagant manner.

It is a bit embarrassing to stand there and hear all kinds of wonderful things said and at the end of my response I said something to the effect that we were not worthy of all these words and gifts of kindness.

I want to take that back.

I did a lot of thinking about this. Earlier in the day, the Sunday School class had given a gift to a couple who adopted a baby and the woman’s response was to say she was not worthy of our gift. I was thinking of her response when I said the same thing at the potluck and I think both she and I were wrong.

I searched through the Scriptures and came up with some interesting thoughts about being honored. Let me share some of them with you.

We are created as men and women of honor.
Psalm 8
When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?
5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.

In all of creation, humans were created in the image of God. Of all of creation, it is humans who look to the sky and at the world around them and ask why? and how? Of all of creation, it is humans who God chose to worship him. We were created not only to exist but to contemplate our existence and in so doing find our way to our creator.

We have been created with honor. We are not worms. We were raised to a position of honor by God, not pushed down into the ground into worthlessness. The Bible does not support the idea that we are worthless and yet that image of our being unworthy persists.

The Pietists in the 18th century believed that by his or her fallen nature a person is surely “lower than a worm,”

Isaac Watts wrote some 600 hymns in the early eighteenth century including When I Survey the Wondrous Cross and Joy to the World. He also wrote At the Cross with this first verse:
Alas, and did my Savior bleed,
And did my Sov’reign die?
Would He devote that sacred head
For such a worm as I?

The Great Awakening preacher, George Whitfield, in a 1741 sermon said:
Perhaps curiosity has brought you out to hear a poor babbler preach. But, my friends, I came to promote God’s glory; and if the Lord should make use of such a worthless worm, such a wretched creature as I am, to do your precious souls good, nothing would rejoice me more than to hear that God makes the foolishness of preaching a means of making many believe.

William Carey, father of modern missions and a missionary to India, on his tombstone had written:
“A wretched, poor, and helpless worm, On Thy kind arms I fall.”

This image endured long after the Pietist movement so that Winston Churchill responded to this image when he said:
“We are all worms, but I do believe I am a glow-worm.”

The image endured but only carries half of the teaching of the Pietists on this subject. The Pietists in the18th century believed that by his or her fallen nature a person is surely “lower than a worm,” yet because the Creator is good and Christ died to redeem humanity, the person is at the same time “nobler than the angels.”

It is critical to hold both truths; one without the other is destructive. In relation to God we are as worms but that does not mean we are worms. A worm is a great metaphor for our unworthiness in comparison to God but a terrible description of who we are as his redeemed creation.

When I catch a glimpse of the grandeur, holiness and purity of God, I am aware of my sinfulness. The greater my knowledge of God, the more aware of how sinful I am. This is because I see myself in a comparative relationship. But this does not mean that I am worthless.

David wrote in Psalm 139:
For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

We are fearfully and wonderfully made and then when we are redeemed by the blood of Jesus, a great miracle has taken place in us and we are raised to an even higher position of honor as part of the family of God.

Some of us have been beaten up by the world and have a poor view of ourselves. We have low self-esteem or self-worth. I love this quote from Garrison Keillor in his book Lake Wobegon Days. He writes about a man who returns to his childhood home and wants to nail to the door of the Lutheran Church his 95 Theses, complaints about how he was raised. This is thesis #34:

For fear of what it might do to me, you never paid a compliment, and when other people did, you beat it away from me with a stick. “He certainly is looking nice and grown up.” He’d look a lot nicer if he did something about his skin. “That’s wonderful that he got that job.” Yeah, well, we’ll see how long it lasts. You trained me so well, I now perform this service for myself. I deflect every kind work directed to me, and my denials are much more extravagant than the praise. “Good speech.” Oh, it was way too long, I didn’t know what I was talking about, I was just blathering on and on, I was glad when it was over. I do this under the impression that it is humility, a becoming quality in a person. Actually, I am starved for a good word, but after the long drought of my youth, no word is quite good enough. “Good” isn’t enough. Under this thin veneer of modesty lies a monster of greed. I drive away faint praise, beating my little chest, waiting to be named Sun-God, King of America, Idol of Millions, Bringer of Fire, The Great Haji, Thun-dar The Boy Giant, I don’t want to say, “Thanks, glad you liked it.” I want to say, “Rise, my people. Remove your faces from the carpet, stand, look me in the face.”

Don’t confuse your feelings of low self-worth or low self-esteem with humility or unworthiness. It is not spiritual to say “I am not worthy” when what is being expressed is a low view of the wonderful person God created you to be.

I love reading Isaiah 43 where God speaks through the prophet
Isaiah 43:4
Since you are precious and honored in my sight,
and because I love you,
I will give men in exchange for you,
and people in exchange for your life.

You are fearfully and wonderfully made and you are precious and honored in the sight of God because you have been redeemed by God.

You are created in a position of honor and you deserve to be honored for the work you do in cooperation with the Holy Spirit to become a more righteous person.

Proverbs 21:21
He who pursues righteousness and love
finds life, prosperity and honor.

It takes energy to grow in the Christian life. This does not happen easily or naturally. Those who pursue righteousness deserve to be honored. As you pursue righteousness you become more like Christ and the fruit of the Spirit will be evidenced in your life. You deserve to be honored for your faithfulness and dedication to Christ.

You deserve to honored for doing good.
Romans 2:7&10
To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life … There will be glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good

This is not to say that doing good will lead to salvation. Salvation is a free gift, given to us by God. We do not deserve it, we cannot earn it or repay it. But when we do good, we deserve to be honored for what we do.

In Acts 28, Paul was honored by the people of Malta. You remember that Paul was shipwrecked and spent three months there. The father of the chief official of Malta was healed when Paul prayed for him and so then the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured.
Acts 28:10
They honored us in many ways and when we were ready to sail, they furnished us with the supplies we needed.

Did Paul deserve to be honored for what he did? Of course he did!

If you were to somehow be transported back to Rome and be there when Paul landed after this experience in Malta, would you want to have a banquet to honor Paul? After his life of sacrifice, dedication, beatings, floggings, perseverance and his incredible contribution to the church by writing the letters he did, would you want to honor Paul? Of course you would and it would be such a privilege to be able to honor him.

It was right for Paul to be honored and it is right that we honor each other for the good we do and for our work to grow in our relationship with Christ.

In the middle book of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, Frodo and Sam are taking a very difficult journey into the heart of the land from which the evil in the world is coming. They spend day after day plodding on, in great danger, pushing on despite not having enough food or drink or rest. In the midst of this sacrifice and suffering Sam who is the assistant to Frodo wonders aloud:

‘…I wonder if we’ll ever be put into songs or tales. We’re in one, of course; but I mean put into words, you know, told by the fireside, or read out of a great big book with red and black letters, years and years afterwards. And people will say: “Let’s hear more about Frodo and the Ring!” And they’ll say: “Yes, that’s one of my favorite stories. Frodo was very brave, wasn’t he dad?” “Yes, my boy, the famousest of all hobbits, and that’s saying a lot.”’
‘It’s saying a lot too much,’ said Frodo, and he laughed, a long clear laugh from his heart.
‘Why Sam,’ he said, ‘to hear you somehow makes me as merry as if the story was already written. But you’ve left out one of the most important characters: Samwise the Stouthearted. “I want to hear more about Sam, dad. Why didn’t they put in more of his talk, dad? That’s what I like, it makes me laugh. And Frodo wouldn’t have got far without Sam, would he, dad?”’

I love this picture of the devoted Sam encouraging his friend who has to carry the heaviest burden of all, the ring that must be destroyed in the heart of this land. And I love the way that Frodo, who has been encouraged, then lifts up his devoted friend and honors him.

This is what we are supposed to do for each other.

Scripture says we are to honor those who sacrifice for the work of Christ.

The church in Philippi sent Epaphroditus to Rome to help Paul in his imprisonment. While there he became ill and almost died. Paul sent him back with this letter and urged them to:
Philippians 2:29
Welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor men like him,  30 because he almost died for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up for the help you could not give me.

We are to honor those who lead the church.
I Timothy 5:17
The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.

This verse has often been misinterpreted. This is not to say that preachers and teachers are better or more deserving than others. It refers to the practice in the early church when those who were pastors, also worked another job. They worked one job and then led the church as well. Pastors were not paid, but it was good, Paul wrote, that they receive offerings from time to time to supplement their income. Those who work leading the church deserve to be honored.

We are to honor each other. We are to honor those who sacrifice for the sake of Christ. We are to honor those who lead the church. But above all we are to honor Jesus.

In Revelation 5 in John’s vision, an angel asks, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” and John wept because no one was worthy of this. But then John saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain who took the scroll and a new song was sung:
Revelation 5:9
“You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
because you were slain,
and with your blood you purchased men and women for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation.
10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,
and they will reign on the earth.”
11 Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders.  12 In a loud voice they sang:
“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!”
13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing:
“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!”
14 The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

May God grant us the grace to increasingly see how magnificent a gift Jesus gave to us and may we increasingly be able to honor him with our worship and our lives.

Jesus most deserves to be honored, but we are also to honor each other. When you are the one being honored, I need to point out that there is a danger for you. You need to be careful where you are standing when you are being honored.
Psalm 62:5-8
Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;
my hope comes from him.
6 He alone is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
7 My salvation and my honor depend on God;
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.

Make sure you are standing firmly on the rock of your salvation when you are being honored.

Paul asked the Galatians
Galatians 1:10
Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God?

When you stand on the rock of Jesus and are honored, you can stand and accept with appreciation the honor coming to you and know that it is God who has gifted you and enabled you to develop your talents and it is God who continues to work in and through you, allowing you to live in such a way that others honor you.

In Acts 12 Herod sat on his throne wearing his royal robes and received the praises of the crowd. But where was Herod standing? He was not seeking the approval of God but of men and so an angel of the Lord struck him down.

I was blessed to be so honored by you last week and I know that it is God’s work in my life that allows me to be honored.

In your bulletin there is a section where you can write down some notes about who you would like to honor today and this week. It is important that we recognize and appreciate others in our community of faith and honor them.

I want to end this sermon by honoring people in this congregation. As I do so, you may get some ideas of who God would like you to honor so take notes in the bulletin when someone comes to mind. Let me tell you why I think this is such a wonderful congregation and why I am so privileged to be pastor of this church.

There are some here who have left their country, their language, their family and friends to care for the needy in Morocco. If you had stayed in your country, you could have had a better paying job, a more comfortable lifestyle, an easier life. But you turned your back on this and in obedience to Christ have come. I want to say to you that I know it is not always easy but I respect you for your obedience and perseverance. You may not end life with a lot of this world’s riches, but you are storing up wealth in heaven that will not spoil, perish or fade. You are doing a wonderful thing and you are worthy of being honored for what you do.

There are some who left their country, their language, their family and friends to be students here in Morocco. This has not been easy. You have had to learn French, not just to communicate on the street but to converse in intellectual discussions at the university. You have had to leave your family for years at a time. You have had to face discrimination in your studies and the course of study you wanted is not always the one you were permitted to pursue. The money that was promised to you when you came has, for most of you, come only partially. And yet you persevere, taking advantage of this opportunity. Your education does not come easy and yet you are not deterred. You are worthy of being honored for your pursuit of an education that will better enable you to make a better life and serve your country.

There are some who suffer from depression or anxiety or fears and yet who persevere. You seek the love and peace that comes from a growing relationship with Jesus. You move forward despite the limitations of energy and make very positive contributions to people and groups in Morocco. You are worthy of being honored for your service.

There are those who are struggling in their marriage relationships. You are facing the struggle rather than turning your back and running away from the relationship. You face the pain rather than avoid it. You are worthy of being honored for your commitment to an institution that God has ordained and blessed.

There are those who are married to spouses who do not share their faith. You struggle with a rejection of what is most meaningful to you. Your children are caught up in the tension between two faiths. This is not easy. You deserve to be honored for your perseverance and commitment. God will bless you and reward you for your patient, often non-verbal witness. You are human and your humanity and sinfulness is revealed in the marriage relationship just as it is for those who share the same faith, but despite that, God is blessing your spouse and family through you. You are worthy of being honored.

There are some who have come to this country as single people. You have left a larger pool of potential mates and come to a country where that pool is quite small. I know it is sometimes difficult to have your emotional needs met and yet you persevere and find through friends the support you need. You give yourself to your work here and sacrifice in the process some of your deeper needs. You are worthy to be honored for your work here.

There are some who work here separated from their family. You face the struggle of being unable to directly assist your family when there are crises to be dealt with. You have to sit back and pray and put your trust in God to help your family because you are unable to go and be with them. You grow in your faith, are a faithful friend to people here and are a joy and delight despite the pain of being separated. You deserve to be honored for your service here and your example.

There are those who suffered great abuse in the process of growing up. You carry a lot of pain and yet you are seeking God who is able to heal you from the hurt of that pain. You have turned from the pain and have chosen to move forward accepting the gifts God offers you. You have chosen to give your children a new life free of the painful experiences you endured. You choose not to be a victim and be helpless because of the experience of your life and you move forward to healing and new life. You are worthy of great honor for rising out of the ashes of your pain to the beauty of a life that brings goodness to others.

I give thanks to God for bringing me here to RPF to be pastor of this church. This is evidence of great love and kindness on the part of God. I am grateful that you have appreciated the use of my gifts and am blessed by the way you honored us last week. I want you to know that you also are worthy of being honored. When someone leaves our church, we have an occasion to say why it is we appreciated their being with us. But it should not take leaving to have that opportunity.

Make a point of expressing specifically why it is you are blessed to be in relationship with others in our community of faith. Honor the people in our church be telling them why you think they are worthy of being honored.