Sustaining the Culture of Honour

Notes from Sunday 24February 2013..

Speaker: Pastor Don Woke (Resident Pastor HAC HQ/City Gate Sanctuary)

Key Passages: Ephesians 5:22-6:4, 1 Corinthians 11:3

Pastor Don Woke began by defining the key concepts covered in the sermon. Firstly, he showed the connection between the ancient Greek concept of honour (timē) and the act of valuing. The subject of honour is often valuable, precious, and weighty as gold. He went further to explain that the honour we give a person or thing reflects the value we have for that person or thing.

Secondly, he differentiated between “respect” and “honour”. Respect comes from the Greek word “phobos” which speaks to phobia or fear. Whilst respect focuses on position or power of an office, honour attaches worth to the person as an individual; whilst respect focuses on the outward, honour focuses on the inside.

“To honour entails an affective side (a feeling of respect/reverence) and a set of outward manifestations such as gestures (bowing before or being attentive) or actions (conferring titles or privileges)”.

Dictionary of Biblical Imagery

Pastor Don identified three (3) ways by which we can show honour:

Thoughts
Words
Actions

See: Honor’s Reward by John Bevere

To sustain a culture of honour, Christians need to understand the biblical structure of the family. This biblical structure places Christ at the head of every man (1 Corinthians 11:3). Thus, recognizing that Christ is present in the home is a key to building and sustaining a culture of honour.

Referencing Walter Trobish’s book “I Married You”, the Pastor went on to explain that Marriage exists in a triangle, the man and the woman are at the bottom angles of the triangle, God is at the head of the triangle and the children are within the confines of the triangle.

He admonished the church, especially married couples to agree on fundamental principles by which the family will function. These principles could cover subjects such as tithing, how to present one’s spouse to other people, use of vocabulary and arguments/quarrels. By defining, agreeing and working on these fundamental principles, a full range of learned human behavior pattern (culture) is developed. When honour is nurtured in the family, it reflects in other areas of life even and especially in the church.

Thereafter, Pastor Don linked the act of honour to God. He said that one way we can honour God is through our worship (worth-ship) which shows the value we place on him. He advised parents to raise children who honour God in their thoughts, words and actions and advised the entire church to bestow honour upon leaders- spiritual, political and others (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13, 1 Timothy 5:17, Hebrews 13:17). The honour we give a messenger shows the honour we have for the sender.

Concluding, Pastor Don stated that rewards of Honour can span generations;

When a family honours God, God honours them in return,
When a couple honour God as individuals, God honours them in return
When Parents honour their children, the children feel accepted, unique and secure. This gives them have a sense of purpose in life, and makes them more assured and dignified.
When Children honour their parents, they are blessed; the fifth commandment (Exodus 20:12)