ARE YOU WORTHY OF HONOR?

©1999 AMKCH

This teaching is harsh. So be prepared. God gave it to me in 1998, when I was going through a personal crisis. I hope it blesses and also touches the Spirit of those who read it. In Christ Jesus’ blessed name.

NOTE: Please read your Bible along with this teaching. Don’t take just my word for it! 🙂

2 Peter 1:19-21 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto you do well that you take heed, as unto a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

I had you read this, for yours as well as my own personal benefit. What I have been given to share with you is a hard saying from the mouth of our Holy Father Himself, God Almighty, to all of us.

The Webster’s Dictionary defines Honor as: a keen sense of ethical conduct.

Exodus 20:12 Honour your father and thy mother: that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God gives you.

The question is this: Are you deserving of this honor commanded from your children? Are your parents deserving of your honor? I had a very difficult time working on this teaching because, to be honest, I was NOT deserving of my children’s honor, nor were my parent’s deserving of my honor. But I am not here to give a testimony so I won’t go into the reasons. I am here to teach you HOW to be deserving of honor from both your children and from God… and from everyone else, for that matter.

It is not by our jobs that we gain honor, nor is it by the money we bring home and give our family members, that we are made honorable to our children. It is by our our words and mainly our behavior that we are made honorable, in the world’s eye, as well as in God’s eyes. As they say, “actions speak louder than words”.

If God told us to honor our parents, then it must be available to be deserving of that honor. If God said it, then I believe it from the depths of my heart. Before I began my research on this study, I asked God to endow me with wisdom, discernment and understanding so that I may bring you this teaching with only His Word in the Spirit at the forefront.

1 Corinthians 14:33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

God gave us ten commandments and, before His death, Jesus Christ gave us two, on which all the others hang. Read these now in your Bible:

Exodus 20:1-17 Gives the ten commandments from our Father God Almighty.

Matthew 22:35-40 Gives the two commandments from Christ.

Proverbs 6:16-19, 23 Gives a list of abominations against God Almighty.

Are we Deserving Of Honor? Or are we as the scribes and pharisees and as the hypocrites Jesus was speaking to? Do we obey God’s commandments to the letter and yet ignore the weightier matter of the law like judgment, mercy, and faith?

How do we earn honor from our children?

Ephesians 6:1-18

1. Children obey your parents in the Lord; for this is right.

If a parent is not a believing Christian… is not walking with God, is drinking, is abusive (whether mentally or physically), is lazy – or refuses to get employed,, then he or she is NOT worthy of honor.

2-3. Honor your father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; that it may be well with thee, and you may live long on the earth.

The children are commanded by God, to obey and honor their parents, so that they won’t get “beat to death” for misbehaving. Thus, that it may be well with them and they may live long on the earth.

In the old Testament, when a child was rebellious they were stoned to death. What child wants to be grounded or punished… or worse, stoned to death? But yet some parents will abuse the child just for being 15 minutes late coming home from school; or make their children do ALL the chores around the house when it is really not their responsibility but the parents – like Cinderella… I have heard of worse as I’m sure many of you have.

4. And ye fathers (and mothers) (both of who are supposed to have primary authority) provoke not your children to wrath (beating or verbally abusing them beyond what is necessary, or never showing loving affection to them because your father never showed you any because “it is not manly”. Now is your chance to break that chain of abuse!) but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Parents, here, we are being told not to exasperate our children to the point that they lose heart and give up; you have heard of children getting into gangs, using drugs, and being just outright unruly – or even committing suicide. It is because their parents were NOT honorable. We DIShonor our children by using the wrong kinds of discipline: Too many rules, not lovingly teaching them what is expected of them, over-disciplining them for a small “crime” such as mentioned above. Or we under-discipline them by not teaching them what the rules are, and then letting them get away with everything.

I know how difficult it can be when you have a large family and each person has their own distinct personality. I had a large family of my own. I was not a “perfect” parent, and I paid for it by watching my children, as they grew into teenagers, go off and fall into the temptations of the world. Even though I taught them God’s Word from the time they were babies, how I treated them, is how they “turned out”. At that time, before God “got hold of me”, I was NOT deserving of honor…

5-8 Servants (employees), be obedient to them that are your masters (bosses) according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, (respect for their office) in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; Not with eye-service, as men-pleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man does, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.

9 And, you masters (employers), do the same things unto them, forbearing (not threatening): knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with Him.

10-12 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

13-18 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints

Are you Deserving of honor?

Hebrews 13:4 Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.

Spouses, are you worthy of honor by your marriage partner? Or do you go about flirting with adultery by sensually coming on to or accepting the flirtations from another person, perhaps on the job? Do you help your spouse around the house? or do you just throw your things anywhere and expect your spouse to pick up after you – uncomplaining?

Do you calmly discuss finances, or do you instead, go off on a rampage when the bills are a little bit high or even overdue? Do you spend more than you have coming in?

What about sharing responsibilities of raising the children in a Godly, loving manner? Do you unwittingly force the other spouse to care for and about them alone? or do you help in all aspects?

Are you Deserving of honor?

Am I ruffling some feathers here? Gooooood! This next one is even harsher. If you can’t listen to God’s commandments, and instead are like the saduccees (they were always sad, you see) and pharisees that Jesus had to deal with, I am sorry for you. Because we will ALL be held accountable for our behavior and words at the judgment of Jesus Christ.

1 Cor 3:12-15 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble (our treatment of others); Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

Are you Deserving of honor?

Pastors, are you worthy of honor by your congregation? Are you teaching God’s Word rightly divided? or according to your own doctrine that YOU feel comfortable with? Do you care about each and every sheep in your fold? or do you not admonish and counsel them when they are in error because YOU are afraid they will leave your church and take their “tithes and offerings” with them? Do you leave the 99 to go after the one that may be straying away?

Is there help within the fold to assist and encourage those who may be faltering in their Christian walk? Do you diligently teach new believers with the milk of the Word without pouring on too much “meat and gravy” so that they become confused and state that they were better off in the world? Do you encourage those with a specific gift to use it according as God has granted them? or do you shun them out because they weren’t educated where or as much as, you were educated, or don’t seem to be as intelligent or as wealthy financially and materialistically, as you? (see my teaching Of A Clique).

Are you deserving of honor?

Ezekiel 34:7-9 Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD; As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock; Therefore, O you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD;

10-12 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them. For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.

Are you hearing what the Lord God Almighty is saying to His Church?

Pastors, teachers, evangelists, are you taking care of the flock that the Lord God has given you? or are you just taking in the tithes and offerings that you are “softly commanding” (with lessons from the Bible) them to give, give, give… and yet you are not giving back to your congregation?

Are there people in your flock that are without the necessary physical food and clothing, while you are driving a $35,000 automobile and living in a $300,000 home on many acres, while some of your church members are having problems dealing with a leaky roof and can’t afford to buy a loaf of bread or come up with money for groceries after the paycheck goes to the house-note and other essential bills, and don’t have ANY money left over because they paid their tithes (which is unscriptural after Christ’s death and resurrection) and offering into your greedy little hands?

You are supposed to be examples to your flock. Not as the loathed pharisees and sadducees in the Bible, who kept everything to themselves and didn’t consider the needs of the people in their own congregation. Remember Eli’s son’s?

Do you have a generous benevolence committee within your own church, where people who have a genuine need can come and receive help both physically and spiritually? Or do you shun them and just say “get a second or third job”, even though they are giving you their tithes and offerings every week? God is COMMANDING the priests to take care of each and every member of His church. We are their example as Christ was ours.

Pastors, study the following verses: You know the words “shepherd” and “watchmen” here means YOU, the pastor!

Isa 56:10-12 His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter. Come you, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and to morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant.

Jer 23:4 And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the LORD. (those evil shepherds will be without a job!)

Jer 25:34-38 Howl, you shepherds, and cry; and wallow yourselves in the ashes, you principal of the flock: for the days of your slaughter and of your dispersion’s are accomplished; and you shall fall like a pleasant vessel. And the shepherds shall have no way to flee, nor the principal of the flock to escape. A voice of the cry of the shepherds, and an howling of the principal of the flock, shall be heard: for the LORD hath spoiled their pasture. And the peaceable habitations are cut down because of the fierce anger of the LORD. He has forsaken his covert, as the lion: for their land is desolate because of the fierceness of the oppressor, and because of his fierce anger.

Jer 50:6-7 My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their resting place. All that found them have devoured them: and their adversaries said, We offend not, because they have sinned against the LORD, the habitation of justice, even the LORD, the hope of their fathers.

Eze 34:1-6 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? You eat the fat, and you clothe you with the wool, you kill them that are fed: but you feed not the flock. The diseased have you not strengthened, neither have you healed that which was sick, neither have you bound up that which was broken, neither have you brought again that which was driven away, neither have you sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have you ruled them. And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them.

Eze 34:7-8 Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD; As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock;

Eze 34:9-10 Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them.

Eze 34:11-16 For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel. I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD. I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.

Eze 34:17-21 And as for you, O my flock, thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I judge between cattle and cattle, between the rams and the he goats. Seems it a small thing unto you to have eaten up the good pasture, but you must tread down with your feet the residue of your pastures? and to have drunk of the deep waters, but you must foul the residue with your feet? And as for my flock, they eat that which you have trodden with your feet; and they drink that which you have fouled with your feet. Therefore thus says the Lord GOD unto them; Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat cattle and between the lean cattle. Because you have thrust with side and with shoulder, and pushed all the diseased with your horns, till you have scattered them abroad;

Eze 34:22-29 Therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle. And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. And I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the LORD have spoken it. And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods. And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing. And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase, and they shall be safe in their land, and shall know that I am the LORD, when I have broken the bands of their yoke, and delivered them out of the hand of those that served themselves of them. And they shall no more be a prey to the heathen, neither shall the beast of the land devour them; but they shall dwell safely, and none shall make them afraid. And I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the heathen any more.

Eze 34:30-31 Thus shall they know that I the LORD their God am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord GOD. And you my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord GOD.

This is the Word of God, Saints. We have to change our ways and get right with God before we die or Christ returns to gather us up to Him.

Are YOU Worthy of Honor?

James 1:22-27 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholds himself, and goes his way, and straightway forgets what manner of man he was. But whoso looks into the perfect law of liberty, and continues therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridles not his tongue, but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is vain. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

Are YOU Worthy of Honor?

Here’s another bomb ready to explode! Teachers, are YOU worthy of honor from your students? Do you listen to them when they are trying to tell you something? Or do you tell them “go sit down”, or “see me after class” and then find some excuse to not talk to them? You are the one who went to college to study teaching because you wanted to teach. Yet there are so many teachers that really don’t care about whether the children learn or not. I, myself, have personally heard one teacher say to her students, “I don’t care whether you learn or not, I am still going to get paid!”!!! Our children need guidance and discipline from people who care about them.. If you don’t care about the children and aren’t teaching them in a loving, Godly manner, you should think about changing your career. So many children, three of mine included, quit school, because of the teacher’s uncaring attitudes. Some of them just don’t care as long as they get paid. I’ve actually heard this said! Those same scriptures I cited above, are for you too, as you are looked up to as a leader to our children… someone who is SUPPOSED to teach with love. Isn’t that WHY you became a teacher in the first place?

When we have something come up that we don’t know how to handle, we can go to someone (hopefully a Godly pastor who is living according as God commands) and get Godly admonishment and advice, thereby changing our attitudes about honor. We can go to God Almighty!

James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

Confess your faults one to another does NOT mean go to the “confessional” at a certain congregational church and spill your guts out to someone who doesn’t even know you from Adam. It means to talk to the person you faulted, ask for forgiveness and make amends.

17-18 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.

19-20 Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converts the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

This means that when you counsel someone, and help him turn from the evil ways and instead turn to God, God sees this and will “wink at” as if He didn’t see them happen, a multitude of your wrong doings.

Sin causes dishonor. But when we come into the knowledge of God and what it is He commands us to do, and we follow through, stop our sinning and renew our minds to changing our ways, we then become honorable. Thus love covers a multitude of sins. Love is honor. The love of God is righteousness. Only by God’s grace and mercy can we receive real honor.

Are you Deserving of Honor?

Will you change your life for Jesus Christ? and receive the honor He wants to bestow on you? Why, and how is it, that parents from other countries command AND receive honor from their children while children in America, don’t? Most of the parents of most of the countries I have studied, command respect and honor from their children and get it… willingly! Yet these are pagan families without God and without hope!!! Why is it so hard for Americans to get her children to give the same to their parents? This country was supposedly founded on Christianity. I’ll tell you why. Discipline. Loving, GODLY discipline.

We have allowed the enemy of God and man (governments), hasatan and his minions, to influence us to the point that we just don’t care about what happens. There are not enough Rosa Parks, or Martin Luther King Jr’s or Fred Wilson’s in the world who change people’s lives just for the sake of love. Jesus Christ came and did what He did for us. Let us also do for Him.

Are YOU Deserving Of Honor?

Let our lives be an example to the world – your giving of honor equals your receiving of honor.

Prayer: Lord God, Please search my heart and reveal to me my attitude toward my family, friends, coworkers etc. Help me to keep your Word in my heart and to change my ways to those that may bring honor to You… and to me. In Christ Jesus’ name I pray. Amen and amen.

In Christ Jesus’ blessed Name… It is the TRUTH of God’s Word… I do hope that this message blessed and convicted you to the point that you will think real hard about how you are treating your brother’s and sister’s and children in Christ.