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.