Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Quick & True

In happy moments, praise God
In difficult moments, seek God
In quiet moments, worship God
In painful moments, trust God
In every moment, thank God

Five lessons to make you think about the way we treat people

1 - First Important Lesson - Cleaning Lady.
During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one:
"What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"
Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade. "Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say "hello." I've never forgot en that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.

2. - Second Important Lesson - Pickup in the Rain
One night, at 11:30 p.m., an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960s. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab. She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached..
it read:
"Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along.
Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away... God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving
others."
Sincerely, Mrs. Nat King Cole.

3 - Third Important Lesson - Always remember those who serve.
In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. "How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked. "Fifty cents," replied the waitress. The little boy pulled is hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it. "Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired. By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient. "Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied. The little boy again counted his coins. "I'll have t he plain ice cream," he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies...you see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.

4 - Fourth Important Lesson. - The obstacle in Our Path.
In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way. Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon a pproaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many of us never understand! Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.

5 - Fifth Important Lesson - Giving When it Counts...
Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare &serious disease Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes I'll do it if it will save her." As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheek. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away". Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Colossians 3:12-17 Home Group Sermon

Introduction:

Last week I began my sermon by asking the question, what is your vision of a healthy church. We then proceeded to look at Acts 2:42-47, and examined what the early church was like, and we saw that it was a church that:
1) devoted itself to the study of scripture
2) was committed to fellowship
3) that took seriously the call to worship
4) and that it was a praying church.

And we saw also the important role small groups played in the life of that church, and how they continue to play an important role in the life of the church because it is within the small group that
1) relationships are built and nurtured.
2) It is the place that allows us to go deeper in the study of the Bible.
3) It is the place where people can develop their own gifts and ministries in a safe and caring environment.
4) It is a good place to invite friends and neighbours who may not yet be Christians, so they can get to know people in a more informal setting.

Have you ever wondered why Jesus chose 12 disciples? Why 12, why not more, why not fewer? One reason is that there is clearly a link being made between the 12 Tribes of Israel and the Twelve Disciples.

The twelve tribes of Israel were the specially chosen people of God, by choosing twelve disciples Jesus is making a strong statement that what he is doing is something new. This is picked up in Paul’s letter to the Colossians, in which he writes to the Colossians: YOU are “God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved.” (3:12) Paul’s language of being chosen, set apart, and holy, is the language that had been used to describe Israel, but now it is being used to describe the church.

But I believe there is also another, more practical reason why Jesus chose twelve disciples. The word disciple means pupil or student, the twelve disciples were those chosen by Jesus to learn from him and follow him. Jesus, during the three years that he was with the disciples, modelled to them through his words and through his actions what it meant to be his follower. Jesus was able to do this much more effectively with a small group of close disciples than with a large group.

This is one of the reasons why small groups play such an important role in the life of the church, because they are here to help us grow as followers of Jesus through studying the Bible, praying and worshiping together and sharing our faith.

The home group is meant to be a place
Where we care for one another
Where we learn to serve one another
Where we are affirmed
Where we can learn together
Where we can get to know one another better.

Relationships form the fabric of the church. God uses small groups to strengthen a sense of community. God longs for unity and intimacy within the body of believers, and home groups provide the optimum environment for us to experience that closeness that God so wants for us. In these small group settings, we get to know one another and God better, our practical and spiritual needs are met, and those in our sphere of influence who don't have such a place can be invited to come.

In our reading from Colossians Paul writes that as God’s chosen, and holy people, we are to clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness and patience. We are to act towards others as God in Christ has acted towards us. In the words of 1 John 4:11 “If God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” Within the context of a small group, we begin to learn what this means.

He goes on to write that as Christians we are to demonstrate God’s family likeness, by ‘Putting on love’ (v14), to ‘let the peace of Christ rule in our lives’ (v15), and to letting the ‘word of Christ to dwell in you’ (v16). And Paul emphasises that this calling belongs to us all, that we all play a part in the ministry of teaching and encouraging one another in God’s word. It is the work the whole people of God, and not just one or two.

If we fail to do this, if the church doesn’t use all its gifts, it is like an orchestra that expects the conductor, the trombonist and the clarinettist to be able to play the parts of all the other instruments, and produce the same results as if all the instruments were playing.

Last week I mentioned the fact that one of the advantages of belonging to a home group is that it provides an environment for people to develop their gifts and ministries, as well as being a place for us to minister to one another. One of the things that can sometimes keep a Christian from growing is they lack confidence, and undervaluing or failing to recognise the gifts God has given them. When I was in my last parish, there was a group that met regularly called ‘prayer pause’, the purpose of this group was to pray for the church. It was set up by a wonderful Godly lady called Rosemary, who was in her mid late 80s at the time. When this group first started, very few people were felt comfortable praying in front of others, in fact many of the group found praying quite difficult. But over time, with the loving care and guidance of Rosemary people grew in confidence and ability, and it was a joy to see them really blossom in their Christian faith as they prayed for one another, and as they saw answers to prayer. At the start this group was totally reliant on Rosemary to lead the meetings, but when Rosemary moved to North Yorkshire to be closer to her family, there were lots of people in that group who had the ability to lead the group, and not only this, but were also confident enough to lead prayers in church, and to pray with others. The point of this story is that this only happened, because they belonged to a group, where they had the space and freedom to discover their gifts and ministries.

We shouldn’t just see home groups as yet another meeting to go to, but something that people enjoying coming together for, because they are meeting friends and there is a clear purpose in their gathering. What I want to encourage each of the home groups in St Martin’s to follow the ‘Four W’s’ pattern, so that each meeting has a clear structure.

The 4 Ws stand for:
Welcome
Worship
Word
Witness

Welcome - gathering
Each meeting will begin with some form of welcome, with the aim of gathering and helping the whole group gel together. Rather than allowing time to slide and eventually stumbling into the programme, the welcome is designed to give a focused start and sense of direction to the meeting. For example it may be a question or some form of icebreaker, that connects with the theme of the evening. The purpose of the welcome to is provide a common focus to draw everybody into the discussion at the beginning of the meeting, it is to help relax people, and it also helps us to get to learn more about one another and opens up conversation. For example, the meeting may start with a question like: If you could spend the day with a Bible character who would it be and why? Or If you could ask God one question now (with a guaranteed answer) what would it be?

Worship - glorifying
Next comes a time of worship, where we have an opportunity to focus our attention on God, and draw close to him. This time of worship may involve listening to a piece of music, lighting a candle, having a few moments in silence, praying together, whatever works best for the group.

Word - growing
After drawing near to God through worship, we then begin a time of focusing on the word, which may mean focusing on a Bible passage, looking at a theme from a Biblical perspective, or looking at the life of a character from the Bible, and considering what God is saying to us through this.

Witness - going
The final section is very practical. It is a reminder that everything we learn from God needs applying and working out in down to earth ways. It may begin with a time of prayer and ministry for each other, based on what we’ve just been learning, but it should also have an outward focus. So that we think about two or three people, he we’d like God to bless, and who we’d like to see come to faith, and to pray and plan for ways that we can build bridges into those people’s lives. For example the home group may plan a BBQ and invite their non Christian friends or partners along to it. Or you meet a practical need like helping someone move home. But what is important is that the group thinks, prays and plans this together.

To be a healthy church we all need to be active participants. As Paul writes “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.” (1 Cor 12:12) We all have a part to play in the ministry of the church, and when we are part of a small group this ministry happens much more naturally, we pray for one another, support one another, and encourage one another in our journey of faith. It is about growing as disciples, and being equipped for Christian service. This connects with what Paul writes in verse 17. “Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Col 3:17) Home Groups can provide a safe and encouraging environment in which to grow in faith, understanding and ministry, equipping the church to be a strong, healthy body to continue Christ’s work in this and every generation. Just as the human body requires vitamins to stay healthy, so does the church. This is the ABC of healthy church:

All involved
Becoming disciples, applying God’s word to our lives
Creating community, sharing lives and building relationships
Doing evangelism as opposed to just talking about it
Encountering Jesus

Acts 2.42-47 Home Group Sermon

What is your vision of a healthy church? Is it to do with how well the building is maintained? The size and quality of the choir? The number of people that attend the services? The range of activities that take place through the church?

Or is it to do with the spiritual life of the church?

If you want a vision of what the church should be like, you cannot do any better than Acts 2:42-45, which provides an exiting insight into what the early church was like. One of the key features of this early church is that people as well as meeting together in larger groups in places like the temple, also met together in small groups, in one another’s homes, and this was one of the keys to the growth of that church. This has been described as the two winged church. For a bird to fly, it requires two wings, and likewise, for there to be a healthy church we need both larger gatherings such as this, when the whole church is gathered together, but we also need smaller gatherings such as home groups. If you look at churches that are growing today, you will discover that small groups play an absolutely crucial role in encouraging growth.

Why are small groups so crucial to growing a healthy church?

There are a number of advantages of meeting together in small groups:
o It is the place where relationships are built and nurtured.
o It allows us to go deeper in the study of the Bible, than is possible on a Sunday morning.
o It is the place where people can develop their own gifts and ministries in a safe and caring environment.
o It is a good place to invite friends and neighbours who may not yet be Christians, so they can get to know people in a more informal setting.

In studies on church attendance it has been discovered that 85% of those who joined a church where not likely to be there a year later. This raises a very important question, why are these people who are joining churches, leaving so quickly. The answer is that they did not make enough meaningful relationships in that time. Another survey discovered that 90% of new members would stay in church if they:
1) Made 4-8 close friendships within the church
2) They belong to a fellowship group
3) They can articulate their faith
The best way to develop these relationships is in the context of a small group, where you have the space and time to get to know people in an informal setting, where people can ask questions and explore what it means to be a Christian

If you look at the church in Acts, you discover that it was a Church built on relationships not structures

The church in Acts was dynamic and growing, it was a church full of vision and enthusiasm for Jesus Christ. It was a church built on relationships, with God, and with one another. It was a church that drew people into it, by it worship and its witness. It was a church that engaged in God’s mission.

Luke highlights four aspects of that early church’s life, four aspects of what makes a healthy church. It was a church committed to the study of the Bible, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

Centrality of The Bible

The first feature of this church that Luke mentions is the devotion to the Apostles’ teaching (2:42). These were the people who had been with Jesus during his earthly ministry. And it was the teaching of the apostles that was later to form the New Testament. So the first mark of a healthy church is its commitment to studying God’s word. These first Christians were hungry to receive teaching about Jesus.

And a healthy church is one that takes the study of the Bible as of central importance. Because it is God’s word for us today. This is why we have sermons, to open up scripture and see what it has to say to us. But the advantage of having home groups is that we have the opportunity to go that bit deeper, to ask questions and debate what we’re studying, which is not always possible in church on a Sunday.

A Community Committed to Fellowship

The second feature of the early church was their commitment to one another. It wasn’t just a case of these Christians knowing one another well enough to say hello when they met on the street. It was a deep relationship built on love for God and love for one another. Luke tells us that many of these Christians shared things in common, giving to anyone in need (v45). The other feature of the life of that early church was how that fellowship continued throughout the week. Verse 46 says, ‘Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts.’ They didn’t just meet once a week in the temple, and then that was it for the week. They met EVERY day, and not only in the temple, but in one another’s homes, for fellowship, to enjoy meals with one another, and to worship together.

Only this week we have had politicians talking about the problem of social breakdown in our society, and the need for creating community. What people long for is a sense of belonging, of being part of a community where they are valued and cared for. It is much easier to create a sense of community in the context of the small group, than it is in a large gathering. It is within the small group that we can hopefully open up and be ourselves, to share our struggles as well as our joys, and to be supported by the group.

It is within the small group that we learn what it means to ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbour as yourself..’ (Luke 10:27) In the context of a home group, it is the place where we learn to be vulnerable, where we learn to love others, and respect one another’s differences. It is the place where we learn to encourage one another (Hebrews 3:13), and help each other in our Christian journey (Hebrews 10:24). It is also the place where we learn to carry each other’s burdens (Galatians 6:2), accept one another (Romans 5:17) and bear with each other (Colossians 3::13).

In 1992 George Gallup conducted research in America that discovered what peoples main spiritual needs were. They were:
1. To believe life is meaningful and has a purpose. 2. To have sense of community and deeper relationships. 3. To be appreciated and respected. 4. To be listened to--and heard. 5. To feel that one is growing in the faith. 6. To have practical help in developing a mature faith.
Being part of a small group, I believe helps us to enter into these deeper relationships, to feel appreciated and respected, to be listened to and heard, and to help us grow in our faith.

It was a worshipping church

The third feature of the church in Jerusalem was that it was a worshipping church. The life of the church was not only expressed in caring for one another, but also through their worshipping life. They worshipped together not only in the formality of the Temple, but also in small informal groups that met in one another’s homes.

Worshipping in small groups plays a very important role in our own spiritual growth and development. Because it is the place where we can develop our spiritual gifts, where we learn to lead worship, study the Bible and pray, in ways which is not possible in a larger gathering such as now. We’ll look at this subject in more detail next week. One of the things that comes out of this passage is that the worship in that early church was passionate and enthusiastic and central to all they did.

It was a Praying Church

The church in Jerusalem was also a praying church. Verse 42, ‘they devoted themselves to prayer’.

Prayer is the very heart beat of the Christian faith and the church, a healthy church MUST have at its heart a burden for prayer. Through prayer God reveals his will to us, and we are transformed by Him. Again, those churches that are growing in this country, are those churches that have recaptured a vision for prayer, and have discovered the power of prayer. And the benefit of being part of a small group, is that we can learn how to pray in the safety of that close environment, and to uphold each other in our prayers.

So to summarise so far, the early church in Jerusalem devoted themselves to studying the Bible, to fellowship, to worshipping together throughout the week, and through the prayers of the community.

What impact did this have on the church?

The Church Grew!

Verse 47, we read, ‘day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved’. The church grew, and grew, and grew and grew!!! If several people join our church over the course of a year, we tend to think we are doing rather well. But this church in Jerusalem was seeing new people come to faith every single day! This was a community of Christians that witnessed to people, and it was the dynamic life, and the quality of relationships, and focus upon worship of God, prayer and care for one another that led people to faith in Jesus Christ.

My prayer for the home groups is that we’ll see them as the key way of growing St Martin’s. I hope that if you are not already a member of a home group, you will seriously consider joining one in the autumn. And I hope that people will invite their non church going friends along to the home groups, or along to special social events that the home groups put on, so people can get to know Christians. 79% of people who join a church, do so because they received an invitation from a friend to come along. And if people join a home group, it can really help them on their spiritual journey, as they begin to study the Bible with other Christians, as they enjoy the fellowship and care that comes through being part of a small group, as they learn how to pray, and worship. And through this, we will start to see changed lives.

Next week I want to reflect more on this topic, and share with you a bit more of my vision for the home groups.

Luke 12:32-40: True Priorities

What is most important to you in your life? It is a simple question and obviously a fundamental one. Yet answering it often proves difficult.

There is a myth that to know oneself and answer such questions all we need to do is to 'look inwards' and 'see' what is there. However, in life we do not so much know ourselves in a complete fashion, as constantly discover what we really are through the situations we find ourselves in. For example, you can only know how brave you are by seeing how you react when actually faced with danger.

We are also sometimes surprised by our reactions to situations, and thereby discover what we really think about something. We might have thought we would react otherwise, but did not, and so learn something new about ourselves.

What I am getting at is that we may answer whatever we like to the question, 'What is most important to you in your life?' - but we can only discover the answer by looking at how we act and react in our daily lives. Look at where your heart is, and you will find out what you really want, what you really treasure. As today's gospel puts it:

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

In today's gospel Jesus speaks of material possessions as capturing the heart, not allowing one to be free to follow him. So he challenges his disciples to reveal what it is they really value, following him or being caught up in material wealth.

Such conflicts are a common feature of life in general. I might tell you, quite sincerely, that God is what is most important to me in my life, but if my actions do not bear that out, then in some way I am mistaken and deceive myself. And, when it comes to issues as fundamental as this, wrong answers can be very costly indeed. Relationships have been destroyed, lives have been wasted, and people have become trapped in illusions, focusing on false goals, because of wrong answers to our simple question, 'What is most important to you in your life?'

You may tell your spouse that you work every hour God sends you so as to provide your family with comfort and security. Is that really true, or is it that you are driven by ambition? You may go out of your way to help those in need, but is it because you wish to help them or gain praise?

You may claim that God is what is most important to you in your life, yet never get round to spending time in prayer. Or, conversely, you may hold yourself in low esteem, but treat people with great kindness and be prepared to stand up for principles you care about.

When we give false answers to our simple question, we not only miss the opportunity to discover the truth, we also reduce the possibility of being able to change and to grow, because we think we have the truth when we do not. We give ourselves false diagnoses, and stop ourselves from being healed.

Today's gospel takes issues such as that posed by our simple question very seriously indeed, even urgently. Jesus expresses this urgency in terms of having your lamps ready for when the master arrives. One way of understanding this passage is to view it in terms of the importance of getting your values sorted out before you die or before Christ comes again. But you can only do this if you can first give a true answer to our simple question.

However, our simple question is also highly relevant to the here and now. Throughout our lives we are presented with circumstances and opportunities which require that we make a choice. And if we are to make good choices, we need to have good values, and this requires knowing what values we have in reality.

Today's gospel is therefore a gift to us. It is a gift because it challenges us to face up to what is in fact most important to us, and in so doing how important God really is to us in our lives.
If we come to answer truthfully our simple question, 'What is most important to you in your life?' - we will have at least made a beginning to evaluating our lives, taken an important first step to living authentically and honestly. So a great deal hangs on how we answer it.


The Simpsons: A Matter of Respect 1 Peter 2:11-17

Love it, or loathe it, The Simpsons have become a iconic programme. There is no other series on television, either comedy or drama, where the environment is depicted so fully and consistently. "Simpsons" fans not only know what the family home looks like and where Homer works, but they also know the entire community of Springfield where the Simpsons live and all of the strange characters who live there. An estimated 80 million people around the world, watch The Simpsons every week. Beyond its mass appeal, The Simpsons has won 14 Emmys, and has been called by Time Magazine, “the best television program of the Twentieth century.”

In case you’re not so familiar with the Simpsons, here is some background information. The Simpsons live in Springfield where Homer the dad, works at the Nuclear Power Plant, and shows scant regard for health and safety. Homer Simpson has debated God on the merits of church vs. football. He's been banished to hell where his head was used as a demon's bowling ball. He's frolicked nude in the Garden of Eden, tried to feed a peanut to a statue of a Hindu deity and committed the sin of gluttony over and over and over again.

Marge is Homer’s wife and the mother of his children. Marge and Homer were High School sweethearts and she demonstrates unswerving love and devotion to her less than perfect husband.

Bart is probably the best known of the Simpsons; if he was living in this country he’d probably be a prime candidate for an ASBO. He has some redeeming qualities though, he does look out for his younger sister, and when he got a D grade, after praying that he wouldn’t fail his exam, he took time to thank God.

His younger sister Lisa is eight, and she is the brains of the family, a highly conscientious and motivated girl.

The youngest of the clan is Maggie who is only a year old.

Not your average family, but if we were honest enough to admit it, most of us have more in common with the Simpsons then with other regulars on prime time.

George Bush Senior, while President, once famously denounced The Simpsons saying “We need a nation closer to the Waltons than the Simpsons.”


Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury said "A lot of people attack the show but I think it is very sophisticated and has an amusing slant on modern society. It is a light-hearted look at life and is surreal but there are good, strong Christian morals there too. It is very moral because the good people always win in the end."

Matt Groening, The Simpsons creator said in an interview “Right-wingers complain there’s no God on TV. Not only do the Simpsons go to church every Sunday and pray; they actually speak to God from time to time.”

The Simpson’s next door neighbour is a man called Ned Flanders. Ned is an Evangelical, born again type of Christian, for better of worse.

Homer and many other characters appear to be making up their religious beliefs as they go along, but Flanders is a true believer. What is interesting in this show is that the other characters often “see the light” and eventually try to act a little more like Flanders.

“The Simpsons” often almost always ends up affirming the importance of— honesty, family, community, selflessness and love.

In the Simpsons, people assume that God is real, that he hears and answers prayers, and it is a place where people go to church, and where faith matters. This is not what you normally see in prime time television now adays.

Whether you like the show or not, its impact is far reaching. For example, one of the most famous Christians today is the character Ned Flanders. Whilst this may fill us with a sense of despair, it’s not all bad. The magazine Christianity Today was doing a series of interviews with students who weren’t Christians, here’s what one student said; I follow Jainism, an ancient religion from India that's basically about non-violence and “live and let live.” The only real contact I've had with Christianity is from The Simpsons—and their neighbour Ned Flanders. His main idea is "Love thy neighbour." Even though Homer Simpson does all these mean things to him, Ned Flanders still likes him.

But if there is one thing that we find missing in the Simpsons that needs to be exhibited in the life of believers it is respect.

There is a serious lack of respect in the Simpsons, a lack of respect between family members, between friends, between neighbours, between employees and employers. And you know that’s not really all that surprising, considering that there is a serious lack of respect in our world today, a lack of respect between family members, between friends, between neighbours, between employees and employers.

Throughout the Bible we are told to respect other people, Leviticus 19:3 We are told to respect our parents, in vs. 32 we are told to respect older people, in vs 34 we are told to respect the handicapped, in Isaiah 17:7 we are commanded to respect God. Romans 13:7 tells us to respect our political leaders, Ephesians 6:5 tells us to respect our employers, Ephesians 5:33 says to respect your husband and 1 Thessalonians 4:4 says to respect your wife. I guess it’s summed up in the scripture that we read this evening where it says 1 Peter 2:17 Show respect for everyone.

As believers we are called to be people of respect. If we have a close look at the Ten Commandments, we’ll see that they deal with the issue of respect.

1) Do not worship other gods.
2) Do not make idols.
3) Do not misuse God’s name.
4) Remember that the Sabbath Day belongs to God.
5) Respect your father and your mother.
6) Do not murder.
7) Be faithful in marriage.
8) Do not steal.
9) Do not tell lies about others.
10) Do not want anything that belongs to someone else.

Notice how the first four commandments deal with our relationship to God, they are vertical commandments, then we the next six deal with our relationship to our fellow man, they are horizontal commandments.

But regardless of whether they are dealing with God or people they are all dealing with respect. But how do we do that?

1) In our Speech Very few things reveal our true feelings for someone like our speech does. The words we say and how we say them are so powerful. That’s probably why James wrote these words to the early church James 3:5-6 So also, the tongue is a small thing, but what enormous damage it can do. A tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is full of wickedness that can ruin your whole life. It can turn the entire course of your life into a blazing flame of destruction, for it is set on fire by hell itself.

In the Third Commandment God says, show respect to my name. We are not to use God’s name foolishly. Some people show their disrespect for God’s name by using it as a swear word. We show our respect to God by respecting His name.

We also show respect to others by the way we speak to them. Proverbs 12:18 Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing.


We mustn’t ever underestimate the power of your words to the people around us. What we say and how we say it is so powerful in lifting people up or tearing them down. Do you ever listen to how you speak to people? In the book of James, the Apostle makes this observation James 3:9-10 Sometimes it (the tongue) praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it breaks out into curses against those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!

How do we show respect in what we say? Paul tells us what to focus our minds on in Philippians 4:8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, let me say one more thing as I close this letter. Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. How about if we change that to read: “Speak about what is true and honourable and right, speak about things that are pure and lovely and admirable, let your words be excellent and worthy of praise.” That should do it.

The second way we show respect is by our actions. Laurence Sterne made the observation “Respect for ourselves guides our morals, respect for others guides our manners.”

If we look at the Ten Commandments again we find that God is saying if you respect me, then show it.


Don’t worship other gods, don’t make idols, Take time out of your week to worship me. It’s easy to say we love God, but what do our actions say, where do we give our time, our talents, our money?

Our commitment and our respect is measured not by what we say we do, but by what we do. Jesus himself used our behaviour to measure our love and respect for him, remember what he told us in John 14:15 “If you love me, obey my commandments.

The last six commandments deal with how we respect those around us. We show our respect to our parents by honouring them, we show respect to those around us by protecting their lives, by not stealing their things, by not stealing the affections of their spouses, by not lying about them and by not coveting the things they have.

Paul tells us in Romans 13:9 For the commandments against adultery and murder and stealing and coveting—and any other commandment—are all summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”


And over and over again Jesus commands us to love people. Jesus emphasises loving others, loving our friends, our fellow believers, our neighbours, even our enemies. Oh we haven’t always done it but we are supposed to. Jesus evens tell us that it will define who we are, John 13:35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

I want to conclude with advice contained in 1 John 3:18, advice that we all need to heed in our lives. Dear children, let us stop just saying we love each other; let us really show it by our actions.