Honoring Christ

Intro: This year we must continue to lift up Jesus through the gospel and by the way we live. As we lift Him up through the word and live our lives to honor Jesus, then the church will continue to exist and on judgment day we will all praise and give glory to Jesus and be honored along with Him.

I. Paul prays for the church. 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 (NKJV) ¹¹ Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, ¹² that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul and his companions were praying that God would give the Thessalonians power to fulfill all their good intentions that their faith prompted them to do so that Jesus Christ would be honored by their lifestyle. The name of Christ must be glorified in us and us in Him. This simply means that...• We must let Him live and move and have His being in us—every day. • We must live and move and have our being in Him—every day.

The ultimate goal of all believers’ faith ought to be to glorify and honor Christ through their actions, words, thoughts, and motives. When we live to honor Christ, Christ is honored in us.

The apostle Paul says this is made possible because of the grace of our Father God and our Lord, Jesus Christ.

II. Jesus tells us how to honor Him and the Father. 

Matthew 5:3 (NKJV) "Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

To be blessed means more than happiness; it means to be highly favored and approved by God. One day soon kingdom of heaven will be our home. We Christians can already share in the Kingdom (as far as it has been revealed) by recognizing our need for Christ and living out Jesus’ words and thereby bring honor to Christ.

V:4 Matthew 5:4 (NKJV) Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted. When Jesus’ followers mourn for sin, theirs and others, God’s promise is sure that they will be comforted. Only God can take away true sorrow for our sin; only God can forgive and erase it. Only God can give comfort and when we allow Him to embrace us and forgive us, we have our reward in Him. We are comforted of God when we honor Him and His Son Jesus Christ this way. Matthew 5:5 (NKJV) Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth.

The word translated meek means gentle and lowly. It expresses humility and trust in God. Gentle and lowly people do not look down on themselves, but they do not think too highly of themselves either. It will not be the arrogant and wealthy people who get everything. Instead, the whole earth will belong to the meek. The gentle and lowly will receive the future inheritance of the kingdom Christ will set up here on earth.

Matthew 5:6 (NKJV) Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.

The words hungry and thirsty picture intense longings for food and water that people desire to satisfy—necessities that they cannot live without. Those who have an intense longing for (righteousness) are blessed (highly favored) of God.

Most likely, this refers to personal righteousness—being so filled with God’s Spirit that the person completely does God’s will. Righteousness refers to total discipleship and complete obedience to Christ. It may also refer to righteousness for the entire world—an end to the sin and evil that fill it. In both cases, God’s promise is sure; we will be filled!

Matthew 5:7 (NKJV) Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.

Merciful people realize that, because we have received mercy from God, we must extend mercy to others. When we live this way we honor Christ. Mercy implies generosity, forgiveness, and compassion, and a desire to remove the wrong as well as alleviate the suffering. This promise does not guarantee mercy from people. Our comfort comes in the knowledge that, no matter how the world treats us, God will show us mercy both now and when he returns.

Matthew 5:8 (NKJV) Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.

We honor Christ when we are morally pure in heart, honest, and sincere. We are to be people of integrity and single-minded commitment to God. Because of our sincere honor and devotion to Christ in our minds and hearts, we will see God now through the eyes of faith, Heb. 11:1 and finally face-to-face (1 John 3:2).

Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God. God calls his children to be peacemakers. This involves action, not just passive compliance. Peacemakers actively work for peace, to cause reconciliation, to end bitterness and strife. This peace is not appeasement but dealing with and solving problems to maintain peace. Nothing could honor Christ more! 
Matthew 5:10 (NKJV) Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Persecution should not surprise Christians. People who put others before themselves will seldom receive applause and honors. Often, we will be persecuted instead. Because we live for God, we stand out from the world and become marks for enemy attacks. The world is under Satan’s control, and believers belong to Christ's army. The reward for us believers will be the Kingdom of Heaven. God will make up for the suffering that His children have undergone because of their loyalty in living for Christ and honoring Him.

Matthew 5:11-12 (NKJV) ¹¹ "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. ¹² Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Jesus described the way we Christians should respond to persecution: “Be happy, rejoice about it! Be very glad!” This refers to deep, spiritual joy that is unhindered and unchanged by what happens in this present life. A person who lives right and honors Christ can rejoice and be glad because of the promise: a great reward awaits you in heaven. The persecution we might receive now will pale in comparison to His great reward and being honored along with Jesus.

Invitation: Have you honored Christ as your personal Savior by asking Him to forgive your sins and save you? Have you invited Him into your life to take charge of you? If you have not, today would be a good time!

You'll be so glad you did.

Wait on God!

Scripture Text Proverbs 20:22

Intro: It seems people today have an excessive concern for themselves. This infatuation with self does much harm to the Christian cause.

1. Self first people put themselves in the place of God. Proverbs 20:22 Do not say, "I will recompense evil"; Wait for the Lord, and He will save you.

a. Self first makes it harder to forgive others if they violate our expectations. We are not to take it upon ourselves to try to right all supposed wrong without knowing all the facts. We are to do unto others as we would have them do to us. And this is not the way we want to be treated. If we have a problem with someone Jesus said we are to go to them and let them know. If they don't listen to us we are to take two others with us. If they still refuse to hear, then we are to take it before the church. [Matt. 15-18] We are not to skip any of these steps!

2. Self first attitude results in bitterness that destroys others. Hebrews 12:15 (NKJV) looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;

1. It causes us to fall short of the grace of God. God's grace has saved, forgiven, lifted mankind out of sin and put him in God's favor. When we become bitter we are no longer operating in God's grace, we have fallen short of His grace and are operating in bitterness which destroys people that God created and loves. It can and does hinder God's work!
2. Bitterness causes trouble. A bitter person never sees anything good. They begin to defile others by their bitterness and unforgiveness.

III. Self first people forget God is the ultimate authority. Proverbs 20:24 (NKJV) A man's steps are of the Lord; How then can a man understand his own way?

a. Whatever wrong exists, it is not our place to try to straighten it out, but we are to pray and give that concern to God. He is the only one who knows all the facts and has the wisdom to know what to do. He directs our steps!

IV. Self first people never experience the abundant life. John 10:10 (NKJV) The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

a. Only when our hearts and actions are right with God can we even begin to experience the abundant life. God forgave us through Jesus' sacrifice by suffering for us on the cross for our transgressions. So we must live in awe of His mercy. Also we must forgive others as we have been forgiven and not hold grudges and try to be the authority over others wrong doings.

V. We are to wait on God. [Proverbs 20:22] Romans 12:17-21 (NKJV) ¹⁷ Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. ¹⁸ If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. ¹⁹ Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. ²⁰ Therefore "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head." ²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

a. God alone is our salvation. We are not to take vengeance on those who have done us or others wrong. We must forgive and wait on the Lord who has promised to be our avenger. [READ ROMANS 12:17-21 again]

Ultimately, not trusting God to be our avenger means not believing He is just and righteous. Instead, we must forgive as God in Christ has forgiven us. To do otherwise is sin and God does not bless sin.

Invitation: Jesus stands ready to forgive anyone who has sinned against God. All that is required to be forgiven is to confess your sins and ask Jesus to forgive and save you. Then you are to forgive others as you have been forgiven!

Our Unchanging God

Intro: Hebrews 13:8 says that God is the same yesterday, today and forever. And because He is unchanging, He is utterly trustworthy and faithful. Everything else might change this New Year but God will never change. We can count on Him now & forever.

1. God is unchanging in His holiness. [Isa.6:3] “Holy, Holy, holy is the Lord Almighty. Because He is holy, He is unchanging in His demand for holiness and integrity in His people. 1 Peter 1:14-16 (NLT2) ¹⁴ So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. ¹⁵ But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. ¹⁶ For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.” Holy means sanctified, sacred, set apart. We are set apart from the world for God's use. We are to be separate from the world. We do things the opposite of the world's way. We are to live like Christ, being a light to those in the world who don't know Christ.

2. God is unchanging in His judgment. Matthew 7:21-23 (NKJV) ²¹ "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. ²² Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' ²³ And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' a. God is going to judge all people on the earth. No one will get away with anything. This scripture says God will welcome some into His eternal presence and some He will send others to an eternal Hell. Many will say to Him, Lord, Lord, but On judgment day only a person’s relationship with Christ—acceptance of him as Savior and obedience to him—will matter. No work can substitute for a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. That day of judgment will be the final day of reckoning when God will settle all accounts, judging sin and rewarding faith.

III. God is unchanging in His love. God loves us with an everlasting love. Jeremiah 31:3 (NKJV) The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: "Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with loving-kindness I have drawn you.

Romans 5:8-11 (NKJV) ⁸ But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹ Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. ¹⁰ For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. ¹¹ And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. We don't have to worry about God changing His mind about how He feels toward us. His love is unchanging toward us!

IV. God's way of salvation has not changed. John 14:6 (NKJV) Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. Romans 10:5-13 (NKJV) ⁵ For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, "The man who does those things shall live by them." ⁶ But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?' " (that is, to bring Christ down from above) ⁷ or, " 'Who will descend into the abyss?' " (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).⁸ But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith which we preach): ⁹ that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. ¹¹ For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame." ¹² For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. ¹³ For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." The same message of Jesus' sinless life, His sacrificial death, and His victorious resurrection that has saved and transformed lives in the past, still saves & transforms lives today.

Conclusion: As we enter this new year, we can be assured that no matter what changes this year, our Heavenly Father will not. We can depend on Him to be the same. May our devotion to our unchanging God never waver, but only grow stronger each day as we walk with Him.
Invitation: What are you trusting in to get you to Heaven? If it's anything other than Jesus Christ you will never make it. Anyone who trusts in Christ for their salvation will never be disgraced. Jesus is the only way to salvation. Call on Him today confessing your sins and ask Him to forgive your sins and save you for Heaven.