Sermon Tone Analysis

A) Intro: The Frame of the 2nd Table in the Catechism’s Goal

Why do we do good works, not merit, but root of our salvation, but the fruit, the result.

In fact when God saves you, also commitment to remake you after in the image of Christ.

Vertically - the foundational command - all about honour the weightiness we give God - need to be remade after the imge of Chirst - give God proper place in our life, how we worship, in whose name and by whose revelation, and even when - divine calendar of our lives - see these commands are a gift to a good relationship with God!

Well now so called second table - need you to understand if the Holy Spirit is restoring you to live in the image of God - also effect syour relationships horizontally to all the other oepoe in your life.

And again the ordre is so important - try working out ethical framework how to live with each other - won’t do it - until have hnour of God in your life, see who He is, recognize why he made us, - and only when that is in place, really able to love fullly your neighbour.

And again the foundational command is not laws about m,a,s,lying, coveting.

But hugely expansive command that is to govern all our relatinships is honour - just like with God, unless the place, the value, the weightinsss of others is firmly set in our innerward heart and outward tlook to others all the tinkiering of details with behaviours which flow out of that heart -won’t ge tyou to the goal.

B) Intro: Your Motivation for Getting Honour Right in your Life

Saddest, yet most rewarding jobs I ever had…

Saddest, yet most rewarding jobs I ever had…

Robert - one foster home to another, last one seemed to some just doing it for the money.

Whether true or not, Robert 14, no real diagonoseis, though assessed to be socially at a 6 yera olds level.

Wihtout minimizing other diffuclties he had, a big part of it was he grew up seeing so little love and commitment, so little service and putting yourself below a mission a person to do heavy lifting for greater goal than get my way.

I don’t think he really experienced many saying your worth, standing up for, I will go out of my way for you.

And because of that Robert could hardly do reltionships.

That is a small picture of what happened to our whole culture in the 1960’s.

Against authority, against institutions, - supreme thing is my rights, my happiness, self-interest and throw off anything that hinders my self-actualization.

We in many ways are seeing the results all around us: isolated , bored, individualistic people -more single person households than ever, with lots of stuff for themselves, but little connection with one another.

Quick to send angry tweets, quick to take offense, polarized.

Nicholas Carr - unable to empathize, enter another’s story and care

That is a small picture of what happened to our whole cutlure in the 1960’s.

Against authority, against insittiutions, - supreme thing is my rights, my happiness, self-interest and throw off anything that hinder smy selfacutalization.

We in many ways are seeing the results all around us: isolated , bored, individualistic people -more single person households than ever, with lots of stuff for themselves, but little connection with one another.

Quick to send angry tweets, quick to take offense, polarized.

Nicholas Carr - unable to empathize, enter another’s story and care

Fast forward a couple decades to today redefinition of the family in the most radical individualistic way … make own identity - submission thrown out window - equality has come to mean - sameness … throws out idea that made in complementary ways - that in the roles and service we render - unique unity and diversity … Ie Herman Bavinck: both together for God’s image, together in mutual fellowship - male and female create unto and for each other… feedback loop benefiting the individual … male female, child… so much of individual rights, trying to provide what natural love and natural bonds provide - now all lost with mere self-interest…

This command calls us to some how regain ability to do relationships right.

with those in authority over us, those who are brothers and sisters to us, and to those who in one sense under us as children , employees, those whom we have care protection or leadership to provide.

But the ability to honour each other in a proper way has become so corrupted, that only in Christ, forgiven, only in Christ fulfilled, only in Christ can we truly live out our relationships with each other.

Let’s start with the first word of this command: Honour.

Do you know what it means to honour those around you?

1. Honour All People with the respect and dignity they are owed!

The problem with our sin is that we cheapen the dignity of others.

God commands a certain value and honour to all made in his image, even the worst ones in your life.

Why - though his image is shattered in all of us, being restored in those remade in Christ, all bear the vestiges of God’s very image.

Even the worst, with human nature in shambles, still have a human nature from God.

They have some family, friends, treat well.

None of us are as bad as we could be.

And so James says:

While in extreme situations may be justified to stand against an enemy, tyrant, in self-defense or defence of other innocent parties, ; on a personal level always called to love our enemies.

Why Paul in

Jesus commands us to love and bless our enemies.

We are to see that in all our relationships that person has a God-given role to play that we are to seek to have them be able to do, encourage, even provide so they can’ and we have a duty of love to them.

God has a good plan for all our relationships.

Now to honour means deep in the roots of your being, in your heart - you feel that worth, that dignity, that duty with the other person.

It means to cherish in love, Christian charity, the specialness of others as image-bearers of God.

What I am saying is that all of us are not little individuals with rights that everyone should serve me, and no one has a claim on me.

As if I come into this world not bound to anyone!

No, all created by God - we are all people who have to learn submission, to put ourselves under God - who are covenantally connected to each other to serve God!

And that is why our text in

The reason we don’t see the fruit of families, churches, cities, societies, nations that truly love each other and do their duty for each other, is because this honour , this cherishing in love of the specialness of others -

Marx saw it - we treat others as financial objects.

Freud saw it we treat others as objects of lustPeople are not people they are convenient objects that serve us.

And until in the root of our souls - see in Christ all under God, need his forgiveness, need his restoration, and in his restoration we put ourselves at the service of all, won’t see the fruit!

The fabric of Christian relationships restored - as learn to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ…

NO domineering, no idea of serving as worthless no value … Christ restores - and the key that we are restored to live by in honour!

2. Claim the Promise to Ratify the Honour-Principle in Your Life

And to drive home the pont, this command not only begins with Hnour, but it ends with that promise attached to it: What does it mean?

One promise and curse in the first table - for household for generation - those who worship by command of God - love him , not hate him - show steadfast love for generations, those who hate him - whole household effected.

Well, so too the second table has one promise that effects generations.

This is not a 1:1 promise that if you obey your parents - live to be 90, problem to see it always as result of dishonouring that youth’s life is cut short.

Promise of old age in the OT - especially for slaves freed from Egypt about to enter the promised land, is a promise of the flourishing - the good relationships , the good society that will flow from this ...

Step back - don’t you long for this?

If we learn honour, that your families whether you have children or not - , your neighbors , your society - be like a promised land.

God is saying that the tranquility, the peace the wholesomeness of our life together, depends on this honouring.

This honouring is what preserves civil families and civil societies.

3. We all owe Inward Honour to Superiors which issues in Outward Submission

This is commanded by God in most genereal terms for all our relationships.

Syndoche - mention of one stands for others, so kings and prophets called fathers, There are mothers of Israel.

But given under the name of the first and nearest relationship all of us are born into: Parent/child.

Need to understand we all are in relationships where we are like parents - must lead, provide, govern - even a child domain of his room, care of a pet, influence with younger sibling or friends.

We are all in relationships where we are in one sense inferiors, who owe obedience and following.

And we are all, thirdly, also in relationships were we must honour each other as equals.

Now this is hard to swallow because we drink from well of our culture which says equal means the same.

Lie.

Truth is we are equal in dignity but in every relationship different roles , different duties, responsibilities.

This is first learned in the home the family, the basic unit, and this is the transition commandment the hinge; because if honour, respect, obedience, true service true leadership care and protection - not learned in the home, won’t see it in the church, or society.

We are to recgonize that God has invested some people with the special jobs of leading - they are in covenant relation to God to provide protect, teach train - and their is a certain dignity and yes even authroity that God invest them with.

And only in so far as they use that power to better and serve those “under” them.

This is the case with Mom and Dad.

Stated in both orders - different roles but equal authority together - ie.

It is true of civil officials like our Mayor, Councilors, Premier MPP, MP like Alex Nutall but also un-Christian leaders like - Romans 13

And it is true of your principal’s at school and teachers, your boss

And that honour of leading, providieng protectng that God has invested them with - their office their job, not their personality is where their authority resides and we are to honour them for that.

We are to acknowledge in their role they have dignity - reflecting shining forth the image of God in what ever leadership they are to give.

Why the apostle Peter says: ,

And that respect is called piety unto God and society can’t work, the family can’t work, our relationship to God can’t work .

In our pride, we often think: I will respect you if I like you, the ones I like I’ll obey , the ones I think are worthy enough .

Problem of our culture won’t to raise everyone to be a leader.

Actually can’t lead if you have never learned to follow.

Can’t live just formally tipping hat, but not from the heart learning to obey respect and value the calling God’s given.

Of course, every leader even the most powerful president, PM, or king let alone mom and dad, teacher or elder, called to live in submission to God, - limit even in when ungodly monarch calls us to do obey man rather than God.

But for now not the exepctions, the rule \\See this in Jesus life, subject even to imperfect parents.

Christ in

You know this to about Jesus, one his last acts even though in his own pain of the Cross, turn to his mother, say my relationship as oldest son is changing with you.

Here is John, John here is your mother.

Practically what this means in our culture.

Think of how you obey your boss, or coach or teacher or parent in something you’d rather not do but know you should.

Why will you do it now?