Honor: Honor begins with mercy; mercy demands forgiveness. Therefore, to truly honor, IS to mercifully forgive as one has been mercifully forgiven - honored by the Master:
God. Mercy: Forgiveness begins here: What is mercy? Where does it begin? Personal reflection, appreciation, gratefulness to God for His mercy and grace – His honor. We now do the same for others that He has done for us, and in particular, those closest to us, those we are specifically commanded to honor - our fathers and mothers.
We express mercy in the following ways, with: empathy, sympathy, compassion, expressed by action – comfort – kindled by love, governed by the knowledge of our own poverty and our mourning over the realization of my own sin and the great mercy granted by to me by God in His forgiving us.
Matthew 18:23-35
Mercy: pity, compassion; loyalty to God’s covenant (made with us, from him) by trusting and loving obedience to the spirit and conditions of the covenant: covenant-love and loyalty: I have had mercy shown me, I am now to show mercy
Mercy = God’s toward sinners - a readiness to help those in trouble - me: have we forgotten God’s mercy on me? That, though I deserved wrath and judgment, He restrained Himself to give me time and space to see and respond to His grace offered in and by Jesus - thus granting us, me, grace, forgiveness, and eternal life?
Mercy = men toward men - having been shown mercy, we are to show mercy, and to not, is to be ungrateful to God for the mercy we’ve received, to take it for granted or even assume that I am somehow entitled to it - that God owed me. When in fact, God’s mercy was given to me, in spite of me, instead of what I deserved from a holy God - judgment. If this is how the Holy God treated me, how much more should I treat the person who sins against me - me being in the same state - having sinned against and hurt others?
Honor: Honor begins with mercy; mercy demands forgiveness. Therefore, to truly honor, IS to mercifully forgive as one has been mercifully forgiven - honored by the Master: God. Matthew 18:23-35
“Therefore, in view of God’s mercy, offer…” yourself… Honor God… Honor your mother and father… Honor one another above yourselves… (Ro 12:1-3; Ex 20:12; Ro 12:10)
Honor. Honor begins with mercy: God honored and esteemed us, and ascribed value to us when the Father sent the Son to make His dwelling with us, to save us, and once saved, sent the Spirit to indwell us, to connect us to God forever. (Lu 6:36; Ps 119:58 Jo 1:9-14;3:16-18; 10:16-17,23,26; Ro 8:9)
Honor. We honor God in response to His mercy and love, eyes opened to see Him as glorious and good (1Jo 4:19)
Honor. God commands us to honor one another, in essence, as He has honored us - necessitating we express mercy - because not only do we hurt one another, we will, hurt one another. (Gen 6:7; Ro 5:6-11)
Honor. Honor begins with mercy, mercy demands forgiveness. Forgiveness is what happens when:
We see God’s merciful forgiveness toward us in response to our sin against Him - ascribing value and esteem to us as a person over His right to retaliate, restraining His righteous judgment - this IS mercy. (Ps 103:8-18; Ro 2:1-4; 2Pet 3:9; Ps 130:3-4; Ex 34:6)
We see through or past the sin of another person against us, through to the person themselves - ascribing value and esteem to them - ascribing value and esteem to the person over the right to retaliate.
Ephesians 4:30-32 “do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God… 31Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling (outcry) and slander, along with every form of malice. 32Be kind and compassionate, tenderhearted, to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
Honor is what happens when we are merciful and forgive - when we see the person for who they are, not the sin they committed, and the hurt they inflicted… just like God did for us. Me.
Honor dies in the face of hypocrisy. Knowing one has been forgiven the greatest of debts, to not forgive another, is to…
Why might honor, mercy and forgiveness be connected in this way? Forgiveness is merciful. “You sinned against me”, therefore, I have every right to retaliate. We see this in the original law which states: Exodus 21:24
“An eye for an eye…; … the one who inflicted the injury must suffer the same injury…” Deuteronomy 19:21; Leviticus 24:20
Mercy is difficult - mercy takes tremendous self-restraint, enabled by the power of the Holy Spirit (Eph 1:13-14,18-21; Gal 5:22). Jesus came, fulfilling the law, revealing, demonstrating, giving, and commanding a better, greater, way, a new law - the “law of love”, and treat others the way we would want to be treated (Mat 7:12; Lu 6:31):
Matthew 5:38-42 “38“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. 42Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.”
We are, therefore, not to retaliate or seek revenge, but to extend mercy as God has extended mercy to us – mercy takes faith!
Romans 12:14-21 “19Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Mercy and forgiveness grant freedom - to the one forgiven AND the one who forgive, when we can forgive from the heart, thus creating a clean slate, a foundation for life and health - We are therefore to
James 2:12-13 “12Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” (Matt 5:7)
And if we are to act this way with an evil person, or our enemy. How much more, someone we love and are commanded to love - not only because they are a person, but because they are what they are in our lives?
What is it to honor? It is to see and ascribe value and worth, to respect and esteem. It is to see a person’s significance and value them as God values them.
For some of us, honoring our parents is a…
What about hypocrisy? Though the word is not used here, the definition and behavior are (18:32) What a strong word! There are very few things Jesus railed against more emphatically or explicitly than hypocrisy. Why? What is hypocrisy? What is its effect on relationships? Do you know a hypocrite? If so, how do you view them? Have you ever been called a hypocrite? Is that a title you want or appreciate? Why or why not?
The greater the sin-debt, the more mercy is magnified. We must keep in view that we have been mercifully forgiven an unimaginable debt (Ro 12:1). A debt so severe that Jesus gave His life for our ransom owed, paying the debt that we could not pay in a thousand lifetimes (Isa 3:10-12; Mt 20:28; 1Tim 2:6; Heb 2:17; 1Jo 2:2; 4:10; 10-18). We need to recognize that we are this first servant mentioned here, with regard to the degree of debt owed before God - each and all of us, every single one of us.
The second servant also represents each and every one of us - in the face, at the mercy of one another. We are all indebted to those around us, as not one of us is perfect, there is not one of us who has sinned against another - each of us is in desperate need of mercy from God and one another, and to have received such mercy from God, having been relieved of such great debt, we ought out of great appreciation, gladly, extend mercy to the one before us, no matter what we think they may owe us.
Expectations, disappointment, and perspective… time for a change. Honor: In the context of honoring our parents, giving honor, choosing, deciding to honor - we are ascribing value.
Value as persons made in the image of God, loved by God, objects of His mercy
Value as those who are older and worthy (as persons of age) of respect
Value as parents becoming aware of, acknowledging, and accepting that God, in His wisdom, intentionally and purposely chose these two to be the stock from which we would be made - through whom we gain our most fundamental attributes - (also, in the image and likeness of God, as God has prescribed, ordered, and ordained)
Value as parents and the (weight of the) responsibility given to them to raise us and be the shadowy representation of God in our lives (if in no other way than to be the ones who provide for us, protect us, have power and authority over us, and to guide us into some sort of goodness.)
Honor. What is it to honor? As God is generous with His mercy, so we are to be generous toward all with ours. How can I honor?
To honor, IS, a choice, it IS a decision.
Choosing to honor in spite of their inhumanity. Why is this concept so important? Because it is in our INhumanity that we sin and fall short of all God intended for us to be as one made in His image and likeness, that of being human. We must remember that one of the things Jesus came to reveal to us, to show us, to demonstrate for us, was what “human” actually was meant to be in the beginning, and can be in Him. Jesus came to be the perfect human and to show us what we will be in Him - fully human as God intended.
The fact is, when we sin, we are not actually “human”, we are acting “inhumanely”, as in, not as God intended for a human being to be, that is looking and acting as His image and likeness, reflecting Him and His person perfectly. So, when we sin, we miss the mark of God’s good and righteous intention for us as that image and likeness, or, as Jesus, in His human state, being truly human as God intended - and being shown mercy, receiving grace, being a new creature - delighting God as we delight in Him.
So, as we grow in Christ, and become more like Him, we are actually becoming less inhuman, and more human, not merely made to be so (tainted, perverted, and distorted by sin, but) now created in Christ Jesus in true righteousness and holiness. And being transformed in mind, we now, are now able to
See, test, and approve of God’s good and perfect will
Do the good works that were prepared in advance for us to do
To be merciful, (and to) forgive, is divine - showing ourselves to be a child of our Father - being patient with and bearing up another’s sin, especially against us, is being merciful toward them as God is me - Luke 6:36; Matthew 12:7; 23:23
To not be merciful makes us a judge who brings judgment upon ourselves “...forgive, and you will be forgiven, give and it will be given to you…”; “...forgive me, as I forgive others”
God’s counterintuitive wisdom: that His what it is He commands, and how it is we are to go about it, are always in direct conflict with what our heart would tell us, what our flesh would do, and what the enemy would
James 3:17 “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere”
What does all of this call us to do? Comfort others the same comfort we have received: mercy and forgiveness, being honored, ascribed value by God (1Cor 2:1)
Self-reflection - an honest appraisal of one’s self and my (own) ability to hurt others. Psalm 32:5; 51; Phil 2:1-11
Aware, acknowledging, and accepting our own humanity and capacity to sin against another - the realization of my not deserving God’s mercy and grace, yet receiving them. John 3:16-8; Romans 2:1-4; Ephesians 2:1-10
Empathize - using the results of our own honest self-assessment to put ourselves in the place of the other and ask ourselves: “How would I want to be treated here?” Matt 7:12; Luke 6:31; Gal 5:14; James 2:8 “Do I want to be forgiven when I sin?” If so, why? What does being forgiven do for me?
Sympathize - our hearts being sensitized, softened, toward another person. Mark 10:21
Compassion - wanting to release them, as well as myself, I am moved with a visceral feeling of deep concern for us both and am moved to make an attempt to relieve us both of the burden. Eph 4:32; Matt 14:14; 20:34; Mark 5:19; 6:34
Comfort - or - forgive, deeply, from the heart – 2Corinthians 1:3-5
Trusting God, His goodness, and His good and wise commands - we act accordingly
“Taste and see that the Lord is good”
I can’t do this! It will never work! I could never…!
We must be careful not to underestimate God: and His faithfulness to us, that He responds to our obedience with tremendous blessing.
Am I glad for the mercy of God?
Can I imagine having God’s mercy withheld?
Can I see the privilege and power I have in being merciful (like our heavenly Father)?
