Glynlea Grace United Methodist Chruch

Scripture

Colossians 3:17

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

  Core Idea, Challenge & Summary

Core Idea: Honor God in everything we say and do

 Challenge: To challenge Christians to take an honest look at how they go about their daily lives to determine if they honor God in all they say and do.

Summary: As Christians, we seek to live our lives in a way that reflects a good image of God. In this way, we honor God. For example, if people know you go to church every Sunday but you treat people with contempt and hatred during the work week, you present a bad image of God. You dishonor Him. On the other hand, if people know you go to church every Sunday and you treat people with uncommon love during the work week, you present a good image of God. You honor Him.

This is why the Apostle Paul tells us, “…whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him”. Doing something in someone else’s name means you bring honor to that person. You’re doing what that person would approve of. In our everyday lives, do we honor God by doing everything in Jesus’ name? Do we do everything in a loving manner with the right motivation? How do we conduct ourselves at work? What about our leisure or family time? Do we honor God when volunteering at church? In everything we do, we must honor God.  

As we walk in a relationship with God and experience His love, we’ll develop an intense desire to do everything in Jesus’ name. We will think of it less as a duty and more as a joy that brings peace and contentment to our lives. Seek a personal relationship with God and experience the joy of doing everything in Jesus’ name. Honor God in your words and deeds.

The Sermon

I. Introduction: Honoring your family and parents

     A. Watch scene from ‘Karate Kid II’

• The hero, Daniel LaRusso, rescues a little girl in a Typhoon while the nemesis, Chozen, cowers in fear
• Daniel honored his sensei, Mr. Miyagi because he made him look good by acting bravely. He was a reflection of his sensei .
• Chozen dishonored his rich and powerful Uncle, Sato, because he made him look bad by cowering in fear. He was a reflection of his uncle.

     B. With words, actions & attitudes, we either honor or dishonor our families & parents

• We are a reflection of our parents (or whoever raised us.)
• People tend to judge our parents & families based on how we behave
• We honor our families & parents when our behavior makes them look good
• We dishonor our families & parents when our behavior makes them look bad

     C. A time when I felt like I dishonored my Dad

• Prior to becoming an Army Officer, I attempted to become a Marine Corp Officer
• I, however, failed Marine Officer Basic Course (OBC)
• My Dad was retired from the Army. He served in the Korean and Vietnam Wars. He retired as a First Sergeant.
• By failing Marine OBC, I felt I had made him look bad and dishonored him.
• My dad didn’t see it that way but a part of me felt like I dishonored him
• I understood I was a reflection of him.

II. How we either honor or dishonor God with our words, actions and attitudes

     A. When we trust Jesus as Savior and Lord, God claims us as His children.

• We become members of God’s immediate family. God becomes our perfect parent.
• We become a reflection of God.
• Our non-believing friends perceive God’s character based on our behavior

• Remember, God is loving and righteous. He loves everyone and desires to have a love relationship with everyone. That’s why He became a human named Jesus and died to pay the penalty for our sins. Because of Jesus, we can freely receive God’s forgiveness. God is love.
• If people know we go to church every Sunday but we treat people with contempt and hatred during the work week, we present a bad and inaccurate image of God. We dishonor Him.
• If people know we go to church every Sunday and we treat people with uncommon love during the work week, we present a good and accurate image of God. We honor Him.

• You are a reflection of that person.
• As that person’s reflection, you want to honor him/her by making him/her look good with your words, actions and attitudes

     B. As an Army officer in Korea

• Every Korean I met knew I was an American soldier.
• Everything I did was in the ‘name of the U.S. Army’.
• I was a reflection of the U.S. Army.
• So, I was careful to honor the U.S. Army with my conduct. I wanted my conduct to shed a good light on the U.S. Army

     C. As repentant followers of Jesus Christ

• People know we are followers of Jesus
• Everything we do is ‘in the name of Jesus’
• We should be careful to honor Jesus with our conduct. Our conduct should portray an accurate image of God.
• What does this look like in our everyday lives?

IV. Honoring God in our everyday lives

     A. In the morning

• Start day off with prayer and devotion
• At breakfast, when your spouse burns the oatmeal and makes coffee that’s saturated with the coffee grounds, you say, “Thanks honey’ and be grateful you have a nutritious breakfast
• While driving to work you obey the traffic laws. When someone cuts you off, you say a prayer for that person.

     B. At work

• If you’re the boss, you treat your workers with dignity and respect.
• If you’re the worker you obey your boss and work diligently for him/her.

     C. After work

• You go grocery shopping. The cashier is new and very slow. You demonstrate patience in the long line. Perhaps it becomes an opportunity to share your testimony with the person behind you.
• You come home and spend time with your family, even though you are exhausted. You play with your children, help your children with homework or spend time with your spouse. You do nightly devotions with your family. You do not watch t.v. and ignore your family the entire night.

V. Conclusion

• If you’ve never repented and placed your trust in Jesus, do so now.
• If you’re already a Christian, but you realize there’s some aspect of your life that is not God honoring, repent of it now. Perhaps it’s an attitude or habit. Whatever it is, bring it up to God. God will enable you to change and bring honor to Himself.