Kerry Shook - Power of Honor
We're starting a new series this weekend called "The Power of Honor". We're gonna look at one of the most amazing and transforming principles in God's Word. In fact, it's the very key that unlocks the blessings of God in our lives. It's this universal principle that God has established that sets in motion the miracles of God. It's the principle of honor. So, I want you to look at Mark chapter 6. And would you stand in honor of God's Word? And just follow after me. It's a really interesting passage.
"Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. 'Where did this man get these things?' they asked. 'What's this wisdom that has been given to him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?' And they took offense at him. Jesus said to them, 'A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and his own home.' He could not do any miracles there except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them". You can be seated.
So, Jesus goes back to his hometown of Nazareth, and he's preaching in the local synagogue, and the people are amazed at his teaching. And they're going, how does this guy have so much wisdom? His teaching is so powerful. We've never heard anyone like him. But then someone in the crowd says, "Wait a minute. Isn't that the Jesus who grew up right here in Nazareth? Isn't that Mary and Joseph's boy? That's the kid who grew up down the street from me. Yeah, that's who he is. All his brothers and sisters live right here. Jesus and my kids were at Nazareth High together. Yeah, that's that Jesus. And then he went to work at his father's carpenter shop. And wait a minute. I think Jesus built our kitchen table. Yeah, he did. He's nothing special. Who does he think he is? He's not from God. He's from down the street".
And Jesus says, only in his hometown is a prophet without honor. Then it says he could not do any miracles there, except for a few small ones. So, they refused to honor Jesus, and it kept him from blessing them the way he wanted to, because honor sets in motion the full blessings of God. But focus in on that phrase, "He could not do any miracles there". He could not do any miracles there. It doesn't say he would not.
Now, that would seem more logical to me that Jesus would say, "Okay, I see how it is. You're not gonna honor me, so I choose not to do any miracles for you. There". But that's not what it says. It doesn't say he would not. It says he could not do any miracles there, and that shows us that God has set up this universal honor system for our good and his glory, and he's even placed himself in it. He's even placed himself in this honor system, and that's why dishonor blocks the blessings of God and honor unlocks the blessings of God in our lives.
Look at 1 Samuel 2:30. God says, "But I will honor those who honor me, and I will despise those who think lightly of me". God wants to bless us. That's his heart. He wants to bless us to be a blessing to the world, to show that he is real, that he has a purpose for our lives. But when we fail to honor God, but instead honor ourselves as god by doing what we feel is best, because we think we're smarter than God, it blocks the intended blessings from God, and it causes devastating things in our lives. It causes these devastating consequences in our lives, in our relationships, and in our society.
Now don't misunderstand me. We can't earn or deserve the blessings of God. It's all a gift of his grace, but God allows us to place ourselves under his authority. That's his plan, that we can place ourselves under his authority, so that we can do powerful things on this earth, so that we can be productive and effective and make a difference. That's God's plan: that we place ourselves under his authority, so that he can raise us up; but the problem is if we don't honor him by putting ourselves under his authority, then we block the blessings of God. You see, I can't earn God's blessings or deserve it. It's all a gift of grace. But I can place myself under his authority, so I'm positioned to receive all the blessings he wants to give, and he wants to bless you.
And so if honor is so important, in fact, it's really the only thing you can establish a lasting relationship on. It's the only thing you can establish a close family on is this principle honor, honoring one another. We're gonna talk about honoring each other in a relationship, because that's the secret to great relationships; and, really, it's the only thing you can build a civilization on is this principle of honor. But I hate to burst your bubble. But you're not holding the universe together. God is. And if you dishonor God with your time, it will lead to burnout, emptiness, disconnection, and distant and broken relationships. But if you honor God with your time, it will unlock the blessings of peace of mind, productivity, effectiveness, fulfillment, and deep and rich relationships. And Jesus invites us to experience these blessings.
In Matthew 11:28, look at it with me, "Then Jesus said, 'Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.'" So, who is this promise for? It's for every one of us who are weary and carrying heavy burdens. It's for all of us who feel overwhelmed and weighed down by the responsibilities of life. And I don't know about you, but I need this message. I need this message more than you do.
So many times, I get weighed down by all the responsibilities and all the things that I think I should do, and I place the weight and importance on me to fix problems, to come up with the solutions, rather than placing all the importance and the heavy burdens upon God to carry me and to give me strength. So, how do I practically honor God with my time? What does it really come down to, so I can experience this rest and this productivity, where I'm not burned out, but I'm fulfilled? Well, first, tear up your to do list and live by your priorities. I'm gonna tell you something that may really awaken you today, maybe something that you never heard. Tear up your to do list and live by priorities.
You see, Jesus says in Matthew 11:28, look at it again, three words: "Come to me". He says, "Bring your schedule to me and ask me to help you line up your priorities. Ask me to help you determine what's important. I'll help you cut out things that aren't the most important, so you can do what's most important". Tear up your to do list and live by priorities. Whenever you check your bags at the airport, getting ready to board an international flight, for security reasons, they'll ask you a question like, "Are you the only one who packed your bag? Did anyone else that you don't know give you something to take with you"?
And, really, I need to ask that question about all the activities I'm packing into my schedule. You need to ask, did anyone other than you pack their priorities into the backpack of your schedule? Because as you go through life, people are always trying to put their priorities into your backpack. And if you're not intentional about calendaring your priorities first, your backpack of daily activities will be filled with what everyone else thinks is important for you. Before you know it, your backpack of daily activities and your schedule will be just packed full of things everyone else thinks is important for you.
But let's look again at Matthew 11. Because Jesus said, "Take my yoke upon you, for my yoke fits perfectly". Jesus certainly knew what he was talking about here, because in Christ's day the yokes for oxen were made of wood. And so the farmer would take the ox to the carpenter, and then the carpenter would take measurements of the ox, and then the carpenter would rough out and carefully adjust the yoke to fit the ox. The yoke was custom made by the carpenter so it would be a perfect fit on that individual ox. And if a yoke didn't fit, it would tear into the oxen's shoulders, and while it was trying to plow it would make the ox less productive, less effective, not to mention it would make him terribly miserable.
And when you wear someone else's yoke of priorities, you'll be less productive, less effective, and miserable. Jesus was a carpenter growing up in Nazareth, so I'm sure there were so many times that he made yokes for oxen, where farmers in that agricultural community would bring the oxen, and he would take measurements of the ox, and then he would carve out and rough out this yoke that would be custom made to perfectly fit the ox.
See, Jesus is saying here, "I've custom made a yoke of priorities just for you. They won't burn you out, but will bless you. So, don't let anyone else pack their priorities into your backpack. Don't let anyone else put their yoke of priorities on you, because you'll be less effective, less productive, and you'll be miserable. And if you will wear my yoke that I have carved out for you, you'll be more effective and fulfilled".
Now, there is a first priority every believer should do to honor God. Now, many of your priorities will be uniquely carved out by Christ just for you, a yoke of priorities custom made for you, because we're all in different stages of life, we all have different responsibilities. If you're married, then your marriage is a really high priority or your family high priority. You're in the middle of your career, high priority, all those things, and so we all have different priorities, unique priorities that God wants us to put into our backpack, but there is one priority that's exactly the same for every believer, and it's the number one priority, and that is spending time with God.
Proverbs 10:27 says, "Reverence for God adds hours to each day". I love that passage, because when I put God first in my day, even if it's 5 or 10 minutes, then it's like God expands my day, so I get everything done I need to get done. God expands my day when I honor him by putting him first in my day. He blesses me with wisdom and strength to get done what he wants ms to, to be more effective and more productive. And so this may be unusual to you, but calendar Christ daily. Put it on your calendar, on your phone, or whatever, and just, hey, that's a daily thing, daily thing. Set a time.
You may not always do it at the same time, but calendar Christ, spending that 5, 10 minutes, 15 minutes with Christ before you go out into your day. And then calendar your family, if you have a family. Calendar your family right away before you calendar anything else. Calendar that family time. And when someone asks you to do something at that time, just say, "Sorry, my calendar is filled". It's filled that day. Calendar your workout time. You know, really, time management is energy management and have energy and longevity. You'd have some exercise, and it's really important, so calendar that time. Calendar your weekly important priorities. Calendar those most important things, your workplace, and never say yes to someone until you pray about it first, and you can say, "Let me check my calendar". And check it with your calendar of priorities and ask God if it's a priority from him.
Now, I have to admit, I struggle with people pleasing. I always have, and I'm doing so much better, learning how just to please God and then to love people and influence people; because when you try to please people it usually never works, but it also really comes out of some selfishness you have to admit, some good things, some good motivation, but also selfishness because you're more concerned about what they think about you than really helping them out, than really doing what's best for them. And so as you learn to please God and put him in that rightful place, then he allows you to make decisions not based on, "Are they pleased with me?" but based on "Is this helpful to them? Is this helpful to me"?
So, you tear up your to do list and let God control your calendar. And one of the most important things you could ever learn is just to put God first and calendar him in first. Jesus was the most effective and productive person who ever lived, and yet he was never in a hurry. He always prioritized relationships. Got more done than anyone who's ever walked this earth, but he always prioritized relationships. And he couldn't do everything that everyone wanted him and expected him to do. Isn't that amazing? I mean, you know, he couldn't heal everyone. He couldn't go everywhere that everyone wanted him to go, but he just honored and did what his Father called him to do, and he trusted his heavenly Father, that if he did that, that he would accomplish everything that God called him to accomplish for everyone who would ever lived.
If you have more to do than you can do, unless you neglect your relationship with God, or unless you neglect your family, then you're doing things that are out of God's will for you. So, tear up your to do list and calendar your priorities. Test it out this week. But secondly, don't overlook a divine appointment. You see, we calendar our priorities, we dedicate our day and our schedule to God, we go off to work or into our day, and inevitably distractions hit. All the interruptions start, and there are times that you pack your backpack with your priorities, and God allows something else in your backpack, and your plan is blown away. Everything's interrupted.
At that point, I need to remember it's God's yoke, not mine. It's God's plan, not mine. Don't overlook God's interruptions. They're divine appointments. Don't sweat them. Surrender to them. Give your plan to God every day and say, "God, I believe this is the plan and the priorities you have for me, but if you want to bring a holy interruption, a divine appointment, help me recognize it". In Proverbs chapter 16, verse 9, "We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps". It's good to plan. It's godly to plan, especially planning your priorities that are from God, but we have to let God change the plan, if he wants to. But I have to learn the difference between a divine appointment and a daily distraction, because the enemy will send about 24 distractions my way every single day.
I don't know about you, but it's distraction after distraction, things that are urgent, but they're not really important. They just distract me from the things that are most important. So, how do you know the difference between a divine appointment and a daily distraction? That's really the key to time management. We've gotta ask God for wisdom. Look, again, at Matthew 11. Jesus said, "Let me teach you, because I'm humble and gentle". Jesus says, "I'll teach you, I'll help you, I'll give you that wisdom. Ask me". And so when an interruption comes to my daily plan, doing my priorities, I ask, "Lord, is this an opportunity for me to make a difference in someone else's life, or is this distracting me from making a difference in someone's life"?
And because I'm married, and I have a family, I say, "Lord, is this an opportunity for me to make a difference in my marriage, in my family, or another person's life, or is this keeping me from making a difference in my marriage, my family, or another person's life"? In that order. When my kids were little, there were times I would be studying in my office at home, getting ready for a message, and then one of my kids would barge in and want to play, or just talk, or sometimes help me with a message. And I have to admit, I'd usually get really stressed, because I would be thinking, "Hey, I've gotta preach to thousands, and, you know, it's not really flowing this week. You know, I've gotta preach to thousands, and I'm doing something really important. I don't really have time for this right now".
But then God would speak to my heart, a little nudge of the Holy Spirit, and remind me what my priorities were, what was most important, that this was a divine interruption. Just take a few minutes to connect with one of my kids. I remember one time, you know, I was getting ready for the message, and it was on Saturday, doing the final preparation, and getting ready, and praying, and getting pumped up, listening to pump up music, you know, come out here. And I remember one of my kids walked in with a yoyo and said, "Dad, this yoyo you got me, you know, a few days ago, teach me how to yoyo".
And I felt like I was on a yoyo, you know, just life's ups and downs and all these things, highs and lows, and it was like, I don't really have time. I've gotta get ready for the message. But then the Holy Spirit just nudged me, and I just stopped, and we just yo-yoed, you know? And it was the most spiritual thing I did that day. I think the message bombed out anyway, you know, I don't remember the title of the message or what the message was about, but I remember that. And also, I began to learn that if I was home in my home study, studying, I was fair game, you know. That's why I started studying up here at church when my kids were little, you know.
I remember one time when my youngest son, Steven, who was about six or seven at the time, came in as I was preparing for a message, and he said, "Dad, what you doing"? And I said, "Well, I'm studying for the message to preach this weekend," and he said, "I'll help". And I said, "Really? Okay. How are you gonna help"? I thought, "This is gonna be interesting". And he said, "Mm, maybe I'll give you a title for your message". And I said, "Really? Okay. What you got"? And he said, "How about this? 'Lead Strong Where You Belong.'" And I thought, "That's pretty good. What else you got? Because I'm struggling this week. You got any jokes"?
You know, it's like, "Got any illustrations, kid"? And I said, "You got any more? That's pretty good. 'Lead Strong Where You Belong.'" And he said, "Let me think, let me think. 'Eternal motivation makes a better nation.'" I go, "Wow, that's really good". And less inflation makes a better nation. Nowadays, you know? And I thought, "Man, give me another one". And he said, "Mm, more leadership makes less war". And I said, "That's very good". So, I wrote that down. And I would just write down all these things.
And I want you to know I stuck it up with some tape in front of my desk on the wall, and it was up for 15 years, all those sermon ideas that he gave me, all those titles, because it reminded me, when I got off my priorities, that I was to lead strong where I belong, and I belong first and foremost to leading my family, and it just kept reminding me of those priorities, so I wouldn't try to skip over my family to change the world, which wouldn't be God's will. Lead strong where you belong, but then there's a third thing. Leave your daily burdens with Christ. This may be the most important; because as I go through my day, I pick up more than just my priorities.
There's burdens, there's stresses, there's failures, there's frustrations, there's hurts, there's missed opportunities. That's why I love what Jesus says in Matthew 11:28. "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest". I'm so grateful for God's mercy and grace; because at the end of the day, I can bring all my worries, all the things that weigh me down, all of my mess-ups, all my regrets, all my missed opportunities, everything in my backpack that's weighing me down, and bring it to the cross, and let him give me a fresh start, so I don't have to worry any longer, so I don't have to try to hold up the universe with worries that are worthless.
You see, when you believe God as being enough to carry your burdens, it honors him. When you roll your burdens off to God, and you stop worrying, and you leave them with God, until the next day when you can do something about it, with God's wisdom and power, you honor him. When you realize he loves you so much, that he cares about your burdens, it honors him. The people of Nazareth had a really negative view of themselves.
You see, there was a saying among the elites in Jerusalem that nothing good can come out of Nazareth. Because of the wealthy and influential people in the big city of Jerusalem, Nazareth was just this insignificant backwoods rural village that didn't count, and the people living in Nazareth just believed what everybody said about them, that they were nobodies, insignificant, unimportant. And that's why they said, "Jesus came from here. Nobody important comes from here. Who does he think he is? When the Messiah comes, he won't be from here. We're nobodies, and this guy's trying to act like somebody. Who does he think he is"?
And the reason they had such a low self-image is because they had a skewed view of God. They assumed that God honors the wealthy, that God honors the influential, that God honors the important. But, no, God honors those who honor him. God honors those who honor him. They didn't realize that they mattered to God, that God loved them, that God valued them, that God wanted to bless them, and they missed the whole miracle, that when the God who created the universe decided to come to earth, he chose their little rural village to be his hometown, but they missed it, because they didn't realize that God loved them.
They didn't realize that God doesn't look at the outward appearance. He looks at the heart, and God honors those who honor him. And if you're not a Christ follower, you need to realize that Jesus loves you and values you so much, that he wants to make his hometown in your heart, but you have to honor him by accepting him, by receiving him into your life, by placing yourself under his authority as your Savior and Lord.