We Are Connected Through Respect

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We are connected through respect.

(Relationships)

Text: Romans 12:10

The building is more valuable than the sum of its parts. God is in the building business. He is creating a holy nation, a body of people. Last week we established that relationships are the way God builds this house.

There are eight morals that form the basis for healthy relationships: honor, trust, openness (vulnerability or honesty), communication, affection, sacrifice (effort or compromise), partnership (fellowship), and reward. We will talk about respect or honor today. Whether between you and God, or between you and your spouse, or your friends or your family, it is how you value someone and how they value you.

Honoring one another builds trust

• It builds trust because it says you’re safe to be around
  • In Romans 12:10 Paul instructs a congregation to respect one another. He says, In honor, preferring one another.
  • Treating people with kindness, compassion, and understanding shows you value someone.
  • Honor communicates value. It says you’re more to me than something I can use for my personal benefit. Respect says you have value independent of me. But more importantly, I recognize that you have value independent of me. And if you have value to me then I don’t want to hurt you.
  • Joseph’s decision about Mary before he knew the story was an act of respect that God called an act of justice. Choosing not to insult or gossip about someone is a way you honor them.
• Respect builds trust in leadership because it says others are your interest
  • Whoever will be great among you let him be your minister. That’s Jesus saying Christian leadership is leadership that puts the same value on others that Jesus Christ does.
  • The alternative to that is tyranny and lording over the people. Do you know why tyrants are tyrannical? Because they’re entitled. They think they’re better than the people they oversee. Every character flaw has an excuse. Every sin has a reason.
• Honoring one another builds trust because of the trustworthy spirit that comes with it
  • Communicating openly and honestly shows you value someone. Listening shows you value another person.
  • Expressing your thoughts and feelings calmly and respectfully shows you value. A gentle answer turns away wrath.
  • You overcome the emotionally charged, violent outburst with a gentle inviting spirit. That communicates stability and trustworthiness.

Honoring one another builds resiliance

• Respecting other’s thoughts and feelings can help resolve disagreements. And the more resolutions are built into the relationships, the stronger the relationships are. It is a recipe for resilience.
• Respect can be even more important than love because it can lead to love.
• 1 Peter 5:5 be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Clothed with humility because through pride comes wars. That’s what James said. Through humility and mutual subjection comes resolve and resilience.
• Between married people, Peter said to husbands give honor to your wife.

Honoring one another sometimes means financially

• Honor can be someone you’re generous towards.
• Honor widows (1 Timothy 5:3),
• elders get double honor (1 Timothy 5:17)

Honoring one another works because this is an element of eternal life

• Honor or respect is a valuable part of eternal life because it is a lasting characteristic that began with the LORD.
• Honor your father and mother is part of the commandments. Jesus is the Son who honors the Father.
  • John 8:49 Jesus honors the Father.
  • Paul said in Philippians 2:3 that because of Christ’s submission to the Father, he is highly exalted about everything. John 8:54 Jesus says he can’t honor himself.
  • Jesus isn’t the Son of God because his DNA matches the Father’s. Jesus Christ is the Son of God because his life honors the Father, and therefore the Father honors the Son.
  • John 5:23 Jesus said all men must honor the Son as they honor the Father, but if they don’t honor the Son, then they won’t honor the Father.
  • WORTHy to receive honor is what all of God’s people said about Jesus Christ: he’s worth it.
• Christianity is not about you getting out of here. It IS about you honoring Jesus Christ with your life.
  • Sometimes that looks like you honoring other people. In honor, preferring one another. Be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
  • Some zealot says, I’m going to defend Christ! The Father says, The way you’re going to defend Christ is you’re going to show respect to somebody else.
  • Christianity is about you carrying the image of God in Jesus Christ around with you. You paying tribute to the Lord Jesus Christ with your life right now which is your reasonable service.
  • Jesus said if you honor me, my Father will honor you.

Honor or respect is one of these ingredients that builds the house. As sin becomes more and more extensive, mutual respect between people vanishes. But as Christians, if you want to be a Christian, this is something you and I are called to curate in this world.