Summary: Encouraging Believers to function as men/women of honour

WALKING IN DIVINE HONOUR

Bishop David Ibeleme

There is a desperate cry for honourable people.

Honour is the ultimate goal of every worker – 2 Tim. 4:7.

The perception of it qualifies us to be hired, helps us to stay hired and guarantees us a good legacy.

Word study

Honour – dictionary “Great respect, high public regard for.

A source of or a feeling of pride / pleasure resulting from great respect / high regard being shown to one.

Good personal character, a strong sense of what is morally right.

A thing given as a mark of distinction or respect (awards = gifts – Prov. 3:9.)

To show great respect for - e.g. by your presence or attending a function.

Bound to do something – required to do something because of one’s sense of moral duty.

Greek – Timé (from which we get the word time).

A valuing/a price paid/To esteem something highly.

Doxa – glory.

Kalos – good/fair – Rom. 12:17.

Honourable people are willing to lay down their lives for what they believe – Movies – Airforce1 & Men of Honour.

 Their loyalty, faithfulness is unquestionable you can count on them.

 You can trust them: they are valuable.

 To be honoured one must be honourable.

7 Qualities of Honourable People

1. Humble/Humility – Prov. 15:33, 1 Tim 6:3-4.

Humility can be summarized as following God’s institution

 You can only be promoted by the person whose instruction you follow.

 Great Miracles do not require great, but obeyed instructions.

2. Holy/Holiness – Godly character – 2 Cor. 7:1, Gal. 5:19ff.

 Honour = good personal character, a strong sense of what is morally right.

 It may be tough to live morally and tougher to stand up to immorality, but toughest of all is to live with the consequences of immorality.

 Guilt is a paralyzing force.

 The hardest person to forgive is not your enemy but yourself.

 Sin is a reproach => shame => dishonour.

 To go up one must give up – Matt. 16:24ff.

3. Honest/Honesty – Integrity – Ps. 25:21; 1 Kg. 9; Eph. 4:15.

 Honour speaks of being bound to do something because of one’s sense of moral duty.

 The willingness to lay down your life for what you believe.

 Swearing to your own hurt.

 Being true to yourself, God and folks around you.

 Ability to speak the truth – Resumes.

4. Hospitality/Hospitable – Heb. 13.

 Friendly, helpful, hearty, generous, entertaining.

 Abraham – Gen. 18.

 Honourable men are givers – 1 Pet. 3:9.

5. Holistic – Phil. 2; Eph. 4; Prov. 11:1; 20:23.

 They see the big picture – though they are focused.

 Hence they are balanced – Rom. 12:17 – No false balance.

 Wisdom is their master key.

 They know how to prioritize.

6. Humourous – Prov. 17:22.

 Happy – Ps. 2:4.

 Ability to keep somebody happy.

 Ability to be amused.

 Knowing how to encourage yourself and remain enthusiastic.

 Helps you deflate tension and put things in perspective.

 Harness the force of joy. No man can succeed without joy.

7. Hopeful – hungry – Matt. 5.

 Sense of passion/obsession.

 Honourable people cannot tolerate failure, they don’t know how to quit – Phil. 3.

 To them the darker the night the brighter the light.

 They don’t know how to stay down – I’ve got to get up because I’m a man of honour.

 If it’s to be it’s up to me.

Copyright Ó 2004 Bishop David Ibeleme

Victorious Faith Ministries,

P.O. Box 4378, St. Ann’s, Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago

+1(868) 625-6863 / 623-1020

E-mail: vfmwo@hotmail.com