Honoring The Honorable
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Greetings…
Today I we are going to be looking at a lesson that has come forth from a question my daughter Ashlyn asked concerning Philippians 4:8.
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
She asked the question “what does honorable mean and what are those honorable things we should meditate about?”
So today we are going to examine this question and look at.
With that in mind let’s examine our lesson.
What Does Honorable Mean?
What Does Honorable Mean?
Defining Through Translations.
Defining Through Translations.
The word honorable here in Philippians 4:8 is translated several different ways.
The ESV as we just read has “honorable.”
The NKJV has “noble.”
The KJV has “honest.”
These were the most prolific of translations, so let’s look at them again.
Honorable means that which is “entitled the highest respect.”
Noble means that which is “possessing outstanding qualities.”
Honest means that which is “genuine.”
This word isn’t just found here in our text it is also found in 5 other passages in the Bible.
So, let’s also go about this by…
Defining Through Other Passages.
Defining Through Other Passages.
As said just a second ago this word is found five other time.
It’s found 3 other times in the New Testament.
1 Timothy 3:8, 11 (Deacon & wife qualifications) & Titus 2:2 (Older men expectations).
It’s found 2 times in the LXX of the Old Testament.
Proverbs 8:6 & Proverbs 15:26.
When we look at these passages, we find our word translated as…
ESV: Dignified “is that which is highly esteemed.”
NKJV: Reverent “however this doesn’t seem like a good translation.”
KJV: Grave “is that which is weighty”
CSB: Worthy of respect “is that which is to be lifted up.”
Summary
Summary
When we put all this together, we achieve a picture of this particular word “honorable” and that picture tells us honorable stands for that which is weighty or “not to be taken lightly,” genuine, and worthy of the highest of respect.
As you can see that what you and I ought to meditate upon concerning the honorable has a lot to live up to.
So, what are some honorable people, places, and things we ought to meditate up?
Meditating On The Honorable
Meditating On The Honorable
The Father, Son, & Spirit.
The Father, Son, & Spirit.
When it comes to meditating that which is honorable our God should be the first we consider.
To mediate upon God is done with our hearts.
15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,
To mediate upon God leads to our by putting him first in our lives.
9 Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce;
The Father, Son, and Spirit are not to be taken lightly, they are genuine, and they certainly are worthy of our highest respect which is why they should be meditated upon often.
Our Faithfulness.
Our Faithfulness.
When it comes to meditating that which is honorable, we ought to meditate up our faithfulness.
By that I mean we should often reflect on those trials & tribulations that we over came or failed that lead to our eventual growth spiritually.
6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Not meditating upon living the faithful life can lead to “foolishness” which, as Solomon points, even in small doses ends up “outweighing all the wisdom and honor we have achieved.
1 Dead flies make the perfumer’s ointment give off a stench; so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor. 2 A wise man’s heart inclines him to the right, but a fool’s heart to the left.
Our faithfulness is not to be taken lightly, it should be genuine, and worthy of our respect which is why we should meditate upon it.
Our Brethren.
Our Brethren.
When it comes to meditating that which is honorable we ought to meditate upon our brethren.
By that I mean we ought to always be about ways we can “outdo one another in showing honor” to each other.
10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.
A good illustration of this is how we might honor to our widows.
3 Honor widows who are truly widows.
We can visit or call them and encourage them.
We taken them shopping or eat a meal with them.
We can bring them to services and take them home.
Our brethren should never be taken lightly, because they are our genuine brothers and sisters who are worthy of our respect which is why we should often meditate upon them.
Summary
Summary
We only scratched the surface of those things we are to honor and thus are honorable according to Scriptures.
Parents (Ephesians 6:1-2), the elderly (Leviticus 19:32), our own body (1 Thessalonians 4:4), the word of God (2 Thessalonians 3:1) and many more we could examine.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Brothers and sisters there is so many honorable people, places, and things that are worthy of our meditation let us fill our minds in contemplation with such items.
Let us keep our minds pure by meditating upon those things that are dignified, grave, and worthy of our respect.
Invitation
1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,
32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.
8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
