Honor One Another

As we continue our sermon series called One Another, we are looking at different statements in the New Testament that show us how to live together as a faith family. This thing called the church is so much more than just a group that we can belong to. The Bible clearly shows that the church is a faith family for the followers of Jesus to be part of and carry out the mission that God has us here on earth to do.

Today, I want to look at the topic of honoring one another. Honor is one of those words that while it appears in the Bible, continues to show itself in our culture even today. Sadly, it probably doesn’t show up as much as it should, but it is still present. If you were to ask someone about “honor”, they might think about the 5th Commandment that says​ “Honor your father and your mother so that you may have a long life in the land that the Lord your God is giving you” (Exodus 20:12 CSB). That would be a good thought. We are to show honor to those that God has chosen to be our parents.

When we think about honor, we might think about those who have served our country in the Armed Forces. We have a national holiday in our country to honor Veterans, and it is well deserved. The freedoms that we love so dearly did not come to us so freely, nor are they kept in tact so easily. We can see that we have an understanding about what honoring is to be about. It is about recognizing the value of someone or something and acknowledging it properly.

Let love be without hypocrisy. Detest evil; cling to what is good. Love one another deeply as brothers and sisters. Take the lead in honoring one another.

Romans 12:9–10 CSB

As we come to this New Testament letter that Paul wrote to Roman Christians in the first century, we pick up in a spot of the letter where he had just talked about how we are to offer our daily lives as a living sacrifice to God for what He has done for us (Romans 12:1-2). Paul had also talked about the how the followers of Jesus make up the Body of Christ, and how each of them has an important part to play. There are no useless parts when it comes to the Body of Christ (Romans 12:3-8).

In the verses that we are looking at today, Paul begins to share some action steps that should be taken as the Body of Christ. This follows his pattern of writing – first, theology, then practicality. In these verses, Paul shares that the love of Christ that fills a believer’s life (and the church) should be demonstrated as honor over hypocrisy.

Love = Honor > Hypocrisy

When we hear the word “hypocrite”, we tend to cringe. Sadly, the church is accused of being filled with hypocrites many times. The term hypocrite came from ancient Greek theatre. It would describe a person who could play many different parts in the same play simply by wearing different masks. This may be a good quality on the stage, but in life, it is not admired.

We can be one that wears different masks in life. We can talk and act a certain way around one group of people, and then be someone completely different around others. This is not a talent, but rather it is an indication that we don’t know our identity.

The opposite of hypocrisy is integrity. Integrity is the ability to be the same person at all times. Integrity is greatly valued in our society today, and it should be. This is what Christ desires for His church.

The church is not about a bunch of people who have everything together. It is about broken people who have been put together by Jesus to be what He created them to be. When Paul shares about love being without hypocrisy, he is sharing that within the church, there should be a love that is shared among the members that understand that we don’t all have it together, but we are being made more like Jesus together.

One of the best ways that this is demonstrated is when we honor one another. This is why Paul states in verse 10 that we should take the lead in honoring one another. The ESV translates this verse by saying, “Outdo one another in showing honor.” We know that we are becoming more like Jesus when we honor one another because that was the example that He gave to us. ​

Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death— even to death on a cross.

Philippians 2:5–8 CSB

We live in a culture today that tells us that you have to look out for #1 because no one else will. We are told that we have to press ahead and make ourselves something even at the expense of others. This goes completely against what Jesus demonstrated for us. Jesus honored each of us greatly by considering our position even above His rightful one. He didn’t have leave heaven. He didn’t have to become a human and endure everything that we do, but He did. Why? Because He loved us. It is what family does for one another.

How to Honor One Another

With the time we have remaining today, I would like to share with you what I am calling the ABC’s of honoring one another. We like to have a clear and easy action plan for the tasks before us, and God has given us this in His word. I remember that when I graduated high school, my senior class adopted a saying as our class quote: “Everything I needed to know, I learned in Kindergarten.” Sometimes the basics are what we need to carry us the furthest in life.

A – Assume the best

If we are going to honor one another, it will start with assuming the best of one another. I know that there are sayings that warn us about assuming, but when it comes to the family of God and honoring one another, we need to start with assuming the best.

We live in a world that is drawn to think the worst about a person immediately. The way of Christ is not to go with the flow of this sinful world, but to follow the steps of Jesus. Jesus didn’t assume the worst in us when He left heaven to purchase our salvation. He knew that the work of the Holy Spirit in an individual’s life would bring them to where they need to be.

We can show great honor to one another by simply starting out by assuming the best with one another. If we both have the Holy Spirit living within us and guiding us, why should we automatically think that each other has this purposeful plan to do harm to one another?

Therefore, let us no longer judge one another. Instead decide never to put a stumbling block or pitfall in the way of your brother or sister.

​Romans 14:13 CSB

When we sit in judgment over one another, we are often drawn to think the worst about that person. It is important that we remember that we are family and all have the same judge – Jesus Christ.

B – Bear with one another

​Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

Ephesians 4:1–3 CSB

When we take the time to remember the call that has been placed on each of our lives as followers of Jesus – to walk with Him in obedience – then we begin to realize that a part of that walk is to bear with one another. We are all works in progress. There is not a single one of us that has arrived. If that were true, then we would be in heaven. The fact that we are still here on earth shows us that the Holy Spirit is still working on us and through us for other people’s growth.

Bearing with one another is also known as patience. I believe that we all know that patience is the work of God in a person’s life. We do not have patience naturally. As we walk with Jesus and are conformed to His image, patience grows within us towards others. We honor one another by bearing with them as the Holy Spirit continues working on them as He is working on us.

C – Careful how you speak

Our words have great power. This is one of the attributes that we share with God. God created the universe with the power of His word. While we cannot create things out of nothing with our words, our words do hold great power. ​

Finally, all of you be like-minded and sympathetic, love one another, and be compassionate and humble, not paying back evil for evil or insult for insult but, on the contrary, giving a blessing, since you were called for this, so that you may inherit a blessing.

1 Peter 3:8–9 CSB

In these verses, the Bible shows us how to honor one another with the way that we speak. It can be easy to snap back and return an insult to another when emotions get heated. We honor one another by allowing the Holy Spirit to guide our words and use them for blessing others. Verse 9 here shows that we were actually called for this.

Conclusion

Honoring one another is something that we see that we should be doing. We should think about what is good not just for ourselves but also what is good for our family. This isn’t always easy. This doesn’t come naturally, but we have a supernatural source of strength through the Holy Spirit to do this to the glory of our God. Let’s make sure that we are doing the ABC’s that we’ve talked about here. Let’s honor one another well.