Chris Webb in The Fire of the Word tells “A friend… told me the story of an uncle who, on retirement, decided to read right through the Bible. Twelve months later having easily achieved his goal, he reasoned that with all his spare time he had on his hands, he might actually be able to read the entire book in a single month.” Then he set out to read the Bible every month for the next twelve years he would read it 144 times! “There’s a Biblical number”. …
“And that is exactly what he did. Rarely has anyone been so immersed in the Bible as that man. “And here’s the irony,” said my friend; “my uncle died shortly afterwards… the meanest, bitterest son of a gun you could ever wish to meet.” (1). And that is exactly what happens when we read the word, but the Word isn’t rooted in who we are. The Word of God should be alive and living in us!
The other day someone posted a cartoon, I don’t know if it was Far Side, but it might have been. It was a picture of a church, and they were taking up the offering, and it said “The Widow Stone didn’t hear so well” and the picture showed her putting into the offering her “termites”. The widow gave her “ter mites”. That was a joke! Okay! Okay! But that's what happenes when we don't know the Word, or we think we know it, and then we apply it incorrectly!
Remember that story found in Mark 12:41-44?
“The Widow’s Two Mites 41 Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. 42 Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites,[a] which make a quadrans. 43 So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; 44 for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.”
The story of the widow’s two mights is really a story about honoring God? I want you to think about that phrase, “honoring God” this morning as we look at what the Scripture says to us.
Here are some quotes that deal with honor:
Jarod Kintz, in I Want wrote “I want to write a poem about "Truth," "Honor," "Dignity," and whether the toilet paper should roll over or under when you pull on it.” (2)
Abraham Lincoln said “I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live up to what light I have.” (2)
Wendelin Van Draanen, in Flipped wrote, “...Next time you're faced with a choice, do the right thing. It hurts everyone less in the long run.” (2)
Ask yourself as you hear the Scripture read: "What does it mean though to honor God?" (let’s pray)
(The Message) "1-2 Good friend, don't forget all I've taught you; take to heart my commands."
Take to heart can both mean “keep in your heart” or “learn in your heart” (3). The Hebrew word “natsar” (pron. “naw-tsar”) (#5341), can also mean guard, protect, maintain, obey, preserve, observe”. In a bad sense it can also me “hide” or “conceal”, but when we read on we find it is a way we live our life, so I don’t think it means conceal it. It is an admonition that calls us to live out what we have learned. What we have learned about God!
"take to heart my commands. They'll help you live a long, long time, a long life lived full and well.
3-4 Don't lose your grip on Love and Loyalty. Tie them around your neck; carve their initials on your heart. Earn a reputation for living well in God's eyes and the eyes of the people."
Tie them around your neck is also translated “bind”. Bind, defined is to fasten, or secure or to wrap. The scripture goes on to say “carve” or “write” them on your heart. While literally you wouldn’t cut into your heart, the idea is that the Word of God, the commands of God, should be so etched in your heart that they are permanent.
I was thinking that if you went out to a tree and you carved "I heart Laurel" in the tree bark, you could come back to that spot ten years later; twenty years later; thirty years later and you would still see that word etched in the tree! So it is also to be with us that we "etch" the Word of God into our hearts!
This idea of binding was taken literally by the early Jews and they would wear an amulet “with sacred writings bound around their neck” (3). It was called a “Phylactery” “a pair of small, black, leather boxes containing scrolls of parchment inscribed with verses from the Torah” (4)
"5-12 Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he's the one who will keep you on track."
Don't assume that you know it all."
Now there is a good instruction. “Don’t assume you know it all”. We cannot assume that we know it all. At breakfast one morning with Earl and another man, the other man asserted “this is the way God said it, and it can mean only what the words say”. Earl took a napkin and scribbled two words “changing rooms”. Then he asked the man “What does that mean?”. The man said “A dressing room, like at the mall”. Earl said “No, I meant going from one room to another – thus changing rooms”. We can always learn from God, and the admonishment is “Don’t assume you know it all!”
"Run to God! Run from evil!
I find this to be very similar to the New Testament scripture James 4:7:
“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
We are to do everything in our power to refrain from evil. In John Wesley’s simple rules we are to do all the good we can, and we are to avoid evil.
"Your body will glow with health, your very bones will vibrate with life! Honor God with everything you own; give him the first and the best. Your barns will burst, your wine vats will brim over. But don't, dear friend, resent God's discipline; don't sulk under his loving correction. It's the child he loves that GOD corrects; a father's delight is behind all this."
The first verses are admonishments, and the passage concludes with blessings. It is an admonition that calls us to live out what we have learned, what we have learned about God. But when we do, we a reminded that we will receive God’s blessings. It is similar to Deuteronomy 5:16:
“16 “Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the LORD your God is giving you.”
This logic indicates when you follow the wisdom of your parents, or those over you, and in this case God, you will receive blessings. Our Father, God, is delighted in you, and then pours out His blessings and promises!
So the sermon is entitled “Honor God with…” The answer is found in the text today! I’m read a book right now by Chris Webb called The Fire of the Word. The essence of what I have learned so far is that the Word of God should be present in our living! Our lives are transformed by the “fire” of God’s word.
And the Word of God in Proverbs teaches us that we are to honor God with… “with everything you own”. Sometimes when we think about “tithing” we get a little uneasy. In fact when the Pastor mentions it, we wish he would just move on. When I preached about giving during the Capital Campaign and then the pledge cards came in and matched our amount almost exactly, Ward Crockard told me “Everybody gave so they didn’t have to hear your sermon again”. But the reality of a tithe is that it is just a fraction of who you are and what you own! And in actuality you are to honor God with everything you own.
Over the last two years I was scanning in old files so that I didn’t have three file drawers full of sermons and documents. I had some old files of my dad and in them I discovered some great old stories. One was a parable on tithing. I found it humorous, I can only hope that you do.
“Now it came to pass that a certain rich man invited a churchman to lunch, and they went to a popular restaurant. The waiter was very efficient, and the service was good.
As they rose to depart, the churchman observed that his host laid some coins under the edge of his plate. And the waiter, who stood by, smiled happily; which, being interpreted, meant the tip was satisfactory.
Now, with such customs all are familiar, and this parable entereth not into the merits or demerits of tipping.
But the churchman began to meditate on these coins. Well he knew that the proverbial tip must be at least a tithe (remember this was written some time ago), lest the waiter turn against you. And it came to him that few people so honor their God as they honor their waiter. For they give unto their waiter the tithe, but they give unto God whatsoever they think they can spare!”
Verily, doth man fear his waiter more than he feareth his God? And does he love God less than he loveth the waiter? Truly, truly, a man and his money are past understanding!”” (5)
Now why did I share that, and why am I talking about this? The Word of God tells us that we are to honor God with… everything we own.
• If you own a fishing boat it should be used to honor God!
• If you only have two mites, it should be used to honor God!
• If you have one can of beans left to your name, it should be used to honor God!
• If you are wealthy beyond any imagination, then what you have should be used to honor God.
• Your car, your clothes, your toys, your house… is part of your relation to God.
Honor God with everything you own; give him the first and the best. Your barns will burst, your wine vats will brim over. But don't, dear friend, resent God's discipline; don't sulk under his loving correction. It's the child he loves that GOD corrects; a father's delight is behind all this.
(1) – The Fire of the Word, Chris Webb, p. 32
(2) - Quotes about honor, http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/show_tag?id=honor
(3) – NIB, Vol. V., pp. 47-50
(4) – Wikipedia
(5) – Taken from a newsletter of the West Side Evangelical and Reformed Church (United Brethern in Christ), Cleveland, Ohio. Carl W. Berger, minister
