How to Show Respect even to those who do not Respect me?
Values that Last • Sermon • Submitted
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Opening
Opening
Welcome to the church of smiling faces and beautiful faces!
I got tons of God’s Word for you today… are you ready to catch them?
If you don’t have a copy of the outline just raise your hands and our beautiful ushers will generously give you one…
BREATHE!
Today, very many people are confused of who they are meant to be, and what they are supposed to do with their lives
That’s because they look at wrong places
What influences our values in life?… I need your honest answers…
Money/Material Things?
People around us?
Culture?
BREATHE!
Our values are influenced by things and people that have touched our lives...
Money / Material Things
The Bible has tons of statement concerning “money”.. here are some of them...
Stay away from the love of money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never, never fail you nor forsake you.”
For the love of money is the first step toward all kinds of sin. Some people have even turned away from God because of their love for it, and as a result have pierced themselves with many sorrows.
“You cannot serve two masters: God and money. For you will hate one and love the other, or else the other way around.
I don’t have to go very far to support the claims of God’s Word...
I personally experienced it...
I’ve witnessed how “love of money” can lead up to many sins...
And it could lead up to turning away from serving God...
Last Wednesday while I was Uber driving… a passenger led me up to Harrah’s Casino in Valley Center...
In the part of the county, not too many riders are needing a ride back...
So, while waiting.. I decided to go inside the casino to relieve myself.. restroom break...
I passed through the tables for card games such as poker and black jack...
That moment reminded of me of my old life and I praised God for His grace that He plucked me out of that lifestyle...
While the Bible never specifically mentioned casinos or gambling or lotteries...
While casinos, lotteries, and other of today's get rich quick games aren't specifically mentioned within the Bible, God has still warned against the temptation. Most often when people gamble it is because they become addicted to the love of money. A simple game can become a sin when it takes over our minds and hearts and leads us down a road of never being satisfied. Study the following Bible verses about gambling and see why God encourages us to stay away from it.
God has still warned against the temptation...
While casinos, lotteries, and other of today's get rich quick games aren't specifically mentioned within the Bible, God has still warned against the temptation. Most often when people gamble it is because they become addicted to the love of money. A simple game can become a sin when it takes over our minds and hearts and leads us down a road of never being satisfied. Study the following Bible verses about gambling and see why God encourages us to stay away from it.
Most often when people gamble it is because they become addicted to the love of money...
A simple game can become a sin when it takes over our minds and hearts and leads us down a road of never being satisfied...
Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless.
While I was growing up, my values are influenced by the people surrounding me...
I grew up as a “gambler”...
I started with low stakes gambling using rubber bands as our bet…
In apparent likeness and similarity with many other things… the dose goes higher as you become immune with whatever you are doing…
So, those low stakes betting led me up to high stakes gambling… (photo with Manny Pacquiao)
I was chasing a fantasy that ended up to poverty…
Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies will have their fill of poverty.
So, money was, and should never be the influence of our values because they don’t last...
People around us
Family:
While family is our ultimate refuge, not all are healthy
As a matter of fact, many families, up to this day, suffers the so called… “generational curse”...
Church:
Just like families, there are healthy and unhealthy churhes
Agape may not be the perfect church for you, but we are doing what we could to keep it healthy
Because we believe in the principle that everything and everybody grows as long as they are “healthy”.... ex. human beings, animals, plants...
All we need to think about is their health, and God will take care of their growth...
School:
While the things they teach is within the bounds of morality, there are schools that are greatly affected by the morals and cultures of their communities
That’s why zip codes matters when we choose the school where we will send our kids, right?
Community:
While most of the communities are civilized, not all of them measures with God’s standards...
That’s why whenever we are to decide where our next residence will be, we always look into demographics… right?
Friends:
There is a saying that "Walking with a friend in the dark, is better than walking alone in the light”… Hmmm????
But not all friends are “good friends”...
Who among you here had experienced how it was to be betrayed by a friend?… let me see your hands...
Don’t let anyone deceive you. Associating with bad people will ruin decent people.
Don’t fool yourselves. Bad friends will destroy you.
BREATHE!
Culture
Most of us being migrants to this country were exposed to multi cultures...
We have seen the good and bad from both cultures ..
But there’s no other culture that will build us the “Values that Last”...
Only Jesus’ Culture will outlast all the values you can learn from other things you lean onto...
Because Jesus’ culture is eternal, and they are all contained in the Bible...
Bible is the only source of Values that Last
BREATHE!
For the past few Sundays we’ve been looking into Values that we can learn from the Word of God....
Values that Last....
We started with “How to keep your cool?”
Followed by “How to live a balanced life?”
Today, I’d like us to look into biblical ways “How to show Respect even to those who do not Respect me?”
BREATHE!
But before that...
Someone said my that sermons are shallow and they are not biblical...
Here’s what I got to say to them… If what I teach is shallow for you and yet you can’t understand (or won’t understand) and can’t apply (or won’t apply) them in your life, how much more if I teach you deeper theology that will surely blow your mind?
God sent me here to help you become healthy christians...
I’d rather be “healthy” than “brainy”...
Actually, we could be both, but both of them takes time…
Like what I said, I don’t have to worry about “growth”, because everything or everyone that is “healthy”, grows naturally…
As much as I look on the welfare of every individual, I also have to put forward the wholistic welfare of the church family..
Our church attenders are very diverse, we have visiting unbelievers..
And we have both young and maturing christians...
My goal is for God’s Word to speak and make sense to the heart of unbelievers and new believers...
Which we have a lot in our church..
However, Nobody is preventing anyone from taking a deeper look at God’s Word..
In fact, everyone is encouraged to go deeper in their study of the Word...
One of the Life Group HOSTs called me early this week to ask if they can study the Bible book by book, chapter by chapter, section by section and verse by verse..
My outright answer was YES! by all means under heaven surely you may....
Though, I requested them to allocate 15 minutes, or so, of their meeting time to talk about the Sermon preceding their weekly gathering...
Because, talking over it will give them the much needed time to let the Word sink in their hearts, and influence their way of life...
Influence their Values that would last forever…
See! I am preaching to change lives, and not preaching to produce Bible Scholars…
That task of producing Bible geniuses belongs to the Bible Colleges…
Apostle Paul himself had similar predicament with the church in Corinth… take a listen!...
My friends, you are acting like the people of this world. That’s why I could not speak to you as spiritual people. You are like babies as far as your faith in Christ is concerned. So I had to treat you like babies and feed you milk. You could not take solid food, and you still cannot, because you are not yet spiritual. You are jealous and argue with each other. This proves that you are not spiritual and that you are acting like the people of this world.
Boom!
BREATHE!
Going back to what the Lord has in store for us today...
Let me begin with a question...
Regardless of who or how....
Raise your hand if you felt disrespected this past week!
Regardless of when and how often, I believe you will agree with me when I say that this world has become very “Rude”!
We are now living in a time when “respect” is at its all- time low...
And Peter, the fisherman whom Jesus called to be His disciple and chief apostle had written something on how we are to deal with this rude, harsh and disrespectful world...
A little bit less than two thousand years ago, Peter, assisted by Silvanus, also known as Silas wrote this letter to the believers in Asia Minor, Turkey in our modern day...
Living for Jesus makes christians different from their neighbors
They, or shall I say, we feel like outsiders or strangers in a society which used to accept us
And Peter’s encouragement for us is to carry on living this different life, even though it means suffering
He is reminding us that Jesus suffered too
In 1 Peter, beginning in verse 11 to 17
Peter spoke about how we must live in this rude society
In his term, “living godly lives in a pagan society”
Pagans, in other words Heathen, it pertains to those who do not belong to any religion
Not a christian, not a Jew, nor a muslim
In other words, without God
or Doesn’t believe in God - Atheist
BREATHE!
In this part of Peter’s letter he said…
Text: “How to show Respect even to those who do not Respect me?”
Text: “How to show Respect even to those who do not Respect me?”
11 Dear brothers, you are only visitors here. Since your real home is in heaven, I beg you to keep away from the evil pleasures of this world; they are not for you, for they fight against your very souls.
12 Be careful how you behave among your unsaved neighbors; for then, even if they are suspicious of you and talk against you, they will end up praising God for your good works when Christ returns.
13 For the Lord’s sake, obey every law of your government: those of the king as head of the state, 14 and those of the king’s officers, for he has sent them to punish all who do wrong, and to honor those who do right.
15 It is God’s will that your good lives should silence those who foolishly condemn the Gospel without knowing what it can do for them, having never experienced its power. 16 You are free from the law, but that doesn’t mean you are free to do wrong. Live as those who are free to do only God’s will at all times.
17 Show respect for everyone. Love Christians everywhere. Fear God and honor the government.
Let me try to break this down for you…
In conclusion, Peter said:
Show Respect to Everyone
4 Reasons why we should Respect everybody
God made everybody
So God created human beings, making them to be like himself. He created them male and female,
Jesus died for everyone
For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life.
It shows that I really know God
But if a person isn’t loving and kind, it shows that he doesn’t know God—for God is love.
I get back whatever I gave out
Do not deceive yourselves; no one makes a fool of God. People will reap exactly what they sow.
Don’t be misled; remember that you can’t ignore God and get away with it: a man will always reap just the kind of crop he sows!
Love Christians Everywhere
So then, as often as we have the chance, we should do good to everyone, and especially to those who belong to our family in the faith.
Sadly, it happens in many churches that those who are overly zealous and super committed to the truth, overlooked the fact the we have to love our fellow believers over anything else that we think that matters
Just like what Paul said in..
Welcome those who are weak in faith, but do not argue with them about their personal opinions.
So then, my brothers and sisters, because of God’s great mercy to us I appeal to you: offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him. This is the true worship that you should offer.
There’s a famous quote that says...
“IMMATURE people always want to win an argument even at the cost of relationship. MATURE people understand that it’s always better to lose an argument and win a relationship.”
The number one test of our faith is our relationships
So next time, before we open our mouth, let’s open our hearts first
Keep that picture of Christ in your mind with his arms fully spread wide open
That gesture should remind us christians that He welcomes everyone, even those who are weak, confused, misled...
Fear God
Respect and obey the Lord! This is the beginning of wisdom. To have understanding, you must know the Holy God.
Pov
A lot of people will not get this until they come to that stage of self realization
In many cases, people will only know that God is all they need, when God is all they have...
Ironically, that’s how it works..
Why?.. is it because God wants them to suffer?
The answer is YES, NO or MAYBE..
But if you are made to suffer.. rejoice! because He wants you to come to Him..
Because God wants you to fear Him
Because God wants you to Respect Him
Because...
After you have suffered a little while, our God, who is full of kindness through Christ, will give you his eternal glory. He personally will come and pick you up, and set you firmly in place, and make you stronger than ever.
Honor the Government
Obey the government, for God is the one who has put it there. There is no government anywhere that God has not placed in power.
What??? God must be kidding right?!!!
Obey even those government that are corrupt?
Well, God said so…
By the way, all governments are corrupt, they just varies on the extent and magnitude of their corruption
Despite of that, are we suppose to Respect the government?
Yes, because God said so...
Jesus submitted to the authority of the Roman empire
even though that government was also marred with corruption...
BREATHE!
But how could we Respect even those who do not Respect us?
The simple answer doesn’t need rocket science
It is way too simple that..
If you want to be respected, treat other people with respect
If you want other people to treat you with dignity, treat others with dignity
If you want people to smile at you, you smile at them
That’s pretty easy!
Sounds like it! But it takes a lot of grace..
Actually, it needs an Amazing Grace..
BREATHE!
When people are being rude (or disrespectful) to us, it is easy for us to be rude (disrespectful) to them..
Because love is not rude according to the Bible
Love is not rude, is not selfish, and does not get upset with others. Love does not count up wrongs that have been done.
Let’s do a quick survey of Rudeness
Turn to the person next to you and tell him or her what is rude to you.. what irritates you...
BREATHE!
I want to share you mine… what is rude to me and what irritates me...
When someone calls me on the phone and he goes.. “who’s this?”
When you’re in my car and then you open the window without asking if it’s ok to me or not!
When you leave your half-empty coffee cups in my car that emits the spoiled milk odor the next day!
When you talk to me and I listened intently, and then when I talked back you’re not paying attention… because you want to cut me short and be the one to talk again!
When you asked me to call someone, and then while I’m the phone with the person, you’re dictating to me what you’d like me to say to him!
When I send you a text message and then you reply to me a month or a week after!
Somehow it helps if we know the things that is rude to us because, it helps us see them coming, and it gives us time to react to them properly...
Because love is not rude according to the Bible
Love is not rude, is not selfish, and does not get upset with others. Love does not count up wrongs that have been done.
And it never pays to be rude
Kind people do themselves a favor, but cruel people bring trouble on themselves.
Apostle Peter said, show respect to “everyone”
But how could we show respect even to those who do not respect us?
Here’s how...
4 Practical Ways to Show Respect
4 Practical Ways to Show Respect
1. Be Tactful not just Truthful
1. Be Tactful not just Truthful
Proverbs
Gentle words are a tree of life; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.
Not much of what you say, more of how you say it
Let us not confuse rudeness and frankness
Sometimes we are not being frank, we’re being mean
Why am I gonna say this?
Make a point without making an enemy
Let’s treat everybody that they know what they’re talking about
2. Be Understanding not Demanding
2. Be Understanding not Demanding
Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions.
Do to others what you would have them do to you
Rudeness is the weak man’s imitation of strength
A simple self-test that you could do is to sit in a restaurant and see how you would treat your waiter
3. Be Gentle not Judgmental
3. Be Gentle not Judgmental
Every individual will be accountable for all their attitudes and behaviors
It’s not my job ( or your job) to police everybody
Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God. So let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall.
Romans 14:12-13
Telling the truth is not judgmental
However, why you’re telling the truth, and how you tell it, could spell the difference if you’re judging or if you’re helping...
Tell the truth to help people, not to beat them and make you feel morally superior
You could be right about something but if you don’t talk about it in love.. that’s nothing
Rudest people are Overzealous Christians who are so committed with the truth, but doesn’t really care about people
4. Respect them don’t Reject them
4. Respect them don’t Reject them
Jesus died for all
Yes He did!.. he died even for those who are rude
No matter how despicable they are we must respect them
Love each other like brothers and sisters. Give each other more honor than you want for yourselves.
BREATHE!
President Abraham Lincoln once said… (insert quote here)
My Favorite Illustrations Respect for a Foe
During the Civil War someone reported to Abraham Lincoln that one of his contentious cabinet members had referred to him as a fool. Mr. Lincoln replied, “Well, I must check into that, for I have found that he is usually correct in his judgments.”
My Favorite Illustrations Respect for a Foe
Respect for a Foe
During the Civil War someone reported to Abraham Lincoln that one of his contentious cabinet members had referred to him as a fool. Mr. Lincoln replied, “Well, I must check into that, for I have found that he is usually correct in his judgments.”
President Lincoln was:
Tactful and not just Truthful
Understanding not Demanding
Gentle not Judgmental
Respected them not Rejected them
Closing
Closing
In order to these, we need God’s grace
We need His Amazing Grace…