I want to talk today on the topic of having a heart of honor. Having a heart of honor. And I’m going to read and begin out of Mark chapter 6. And I’m going to ask you to say with me if you would, my heart is open. My heart is open. My mind is ready. My mind is ready. Make us better, God. Make us better, God. By your word. By your word. I receive it. I receive it. And I believe it. I won’t be the same again. I won’t be the same. In Jesus name. In Jesus name.

Say it with me. Say, “My heart’s open.” My heart’s open. Say, “I’m ready.” I’m ready. Say, “Bring it on.” Bring it on.

Okay. Mark chapter 6, verse three reads like this. It says, “Isn’t this the carpenter?” Let me go back and set it up. Jesus was talking and he said some things that weren’t easy for them to hear and they were basically taken back by it — his direct language, his putting them kind of in a checkmate position to examine their lives. And so they were offended by it. And here’s what they said. They started to say among themselves, well, wait a minute. Isn’t this like just the carpenter, Mary’s son, like the brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon? And aren’t his sisters like here with us? And they took offense at him.

And then Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives, and in his own home.” He could not. So Jesus says that and then the writer Mark makes a statement and says he — meaning Jesus — could not do any miracles there except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them.

We live in a time where it’s popular to dishonor. It’s common for the media, social media, TV commentators to show disregard and disdain and disrespect. It’s as if you’ll be more popular even if you dishonor, if you tear down, if you’re critical, find disrupt. It’s like in our social environment, it’s like that’s something that’s applauded as being brave.

But in this text, people who had been around Jesus all his life, watched him grow up, were the first ones that were wanting to keep him down, to treat him as if he’s nothing special. He’s just a kid. He’s a carpenter. He’s average. Like, who does he think he is? How can he talk to us like this? And rather than being open to him, they were offended by the honesty of his words. Yeah. And the truth of his teaching and they had issues in their heart towards him. Jesus hadn’t done anything to deserve all of that. He just appeared very normal and average and gone about his way. But he was the Son of God sent to earth on a mission. And the natural human instinct that they had that day was to try to pull him down from any level of authority or loftiness or they took it on themselves to pull him back into a space that they could feel better about themselves in his presence.

So Jesus then was making an observation of their dishonor when he just simply said, “Well, this is kind of the way life is. A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his own relatives.” In other words, a prophet is honored everywhere except where he is familiar. Right. And when familiarity is there, it begins to bring down the honor. He’s saying that the level of honor is high in some places and low in other places.

All of you know that you can walk in a restaurant and feel like — and sometimes you can feel like — well, they don’t care whether I’m here or not. You can walk in one restaurant and that’s how you feel like nobody really greets you. If they do, it’s like, oh boy. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. How many of you are there? You might even feel like you’re a burden to them. Or you could walk into a different restaurant and feel like they’re honored that you came to eat in their restaurant. They’re welcoming. They’re eager to serve you. They’re kind. They’re considerate. They’re respectful. And that’s really what, just as a beginning thought for you, that’s what Jesus was saying. Honor can be high in one place and low in another place. Honor can be high with one group and actually not even exist with another group.

And then the writer Mark made that observation, the apostle Mark, he said, “So Jesus could not do any miracles there.” Now we’re getting into serious stuff because dishonor hinders and even blocks what God can do in a person’s life. Dishonor hinders what God can do in a home, in a church, in a community, in a nation. It says Jesus could not do. It doesn’t say he would not do. Come on. It says he could not do. And you might say, well, wait a minute. Like he can do anything he wants to do. Like God can do whatever he wants to do.

At the outset of this year, you might remember that I began the year with a series talking about favor. And I encouraged you, our church family, to embrace this year as a year of uncommon favor. And one of the things I said to you is that God’s favor is for everyone, but it’s not compatible with every attitude or behavior. So we have to take responsibility if we want God to work freely in our life. For our attitudes and our behavior to be that which God can actually step into, have His way, have His will because He has a boundary He’s established in light of humanity and our power to make our own choices that prohibits Him from actually exerting His will in our lives.

This story is an example of that familiarity with Jesus, hindering Him from doing more miracles in His own hometown. Are you with me? If you get it, say, “I get it.” I get it. See, if a person dishonors their employer, for example, by being half-hearted on the job and doing as little as they can to get by, and then they go to God and they say, maybe on a Sunday in church, we have prayer, whatever. And they might join in a prayer. They might actually pray this on their own at some point, but they pray something like, “God, bring your favor on my life at work. God, I’m asking you for promotions. I’m asking you, Lord, that I could get more pay, increase my salary.” I want to tell you today that prayer is not going to be answered because the dishonor in their heart hinders God’s favor in their life.

But when honor is in your heart, it shows up in your life and it’s rewarded by God’s favor. People will be attracted to you. Doors will open up for you. Trust will be given to you. Positions will be offered to you. Opportunities will come toward you. I want to encourage you today to know what your leaders want and honor them by going the extra mile.

Don’t talk to them like they’re your ombre, your sidekick, your buddy. Address your leaders with honor: doctor, president, pastor. Yes, sir. Yes, ma’am. Can you tell I’m from the South? I grew up in the South. Officers who are here in the room today. When you come in contact with police officers, public servants, if you don’t have a sir in your vocabulary normally or a ma’am, that would be a good time. Yes, sir. Yes, ma’am.

Notice what your leaders do that is good and express gratitude and appreciation for them. Rather than just doing as little as you can do and then praying that God will bless you with a salary increase, I got a better idea: pray for your leaders, pray that they would do well so that in turn you could be blessed.

If your leader wants you to wear a suit and a tie, don’t complain about it. They want you to wear closed-toed shoes and it’s summertime. Don’t gripe. Some of y’all are like, “Well, you just crossed the line right now.” No, really. If they need help with something that’s not in your job description — yes. Jesus said, if they bid you to go one mile, go two. Even if they’re a little confrontive sometimes and say something like, “Hey, I already told you to do that once.” If they say something like, “Hey, I need you to change your attitude,” rather than pouting and grumbling and telling other people, “I don’t know who he thinks he is,” I hope you remember this story. Like he’s just like me. He’s no better than me. He’s acting like he’s better than me. He’s not better than me. I hope you remember this story.

And you might say, “Pastor Kevin, like, come on, you’re not being reasonable. Wait a minute.” Every parent in here has had a child that you told to do something like, “Go clean up your room,” and when they get that bad attitude, you tell them, “Hey, get that look off your face right now. Don’t be pouting around here. You do what I told you to do, and do it with the right attitude. Don’t stomp around the house acting like, ‘What are you doing there?’” You’re going not just to the action but the attitude with which they are acting, right?

Well, God says that throughout His word to us. He said to His people, “Don’t just bring me the tithe.” He said, “Honor the Lord with your tithe, with the first of your increase. Don’t just give. Be a cheerful giver.” Why? Because God knows the heart. He sees the heart. He doesn’t just want us to do some kind of legislated behavior with the attitude of contempt. No, He wants to change our hearts and help us on the inside, in our heart, to honor the things that He has blessed us with, even when it doesn’t feel good. Amen.

Honor turns ordinary into extraordinary. Amen. Not by changing the thing itself, but by changing how we see it. Think about that. Honor turns ordinary relationships into extraordinary — not by changing the relationship, but by changing how we see it. That’s great. Husbands and wives, if you start taking one another for granted and familiarity sets in, pretty soon you’ll only see one another’s weaknesses, right? One another’s shortcomings. But when honor gets involved, you can be married for the rest of your life and be so grateful to be married to that person.

Honor. Honor. Honor changes our relationship by changing how we see it. Honor does the same thing with our jobs. It can take an ordinary job and turn it into something extraordinary. By changing how we see it. I think it was President Reagan — I’m not sure, one of our presidents — he was at NASA and he saw a janitor sweeping the floor. He went over and shook the janitor’s hand, president of the United States, and thanked him for his service. He said, “I know it’s not a lofty position, but thank you.” The janitor spoke back and said, “I see my job as helping the rocket take off and putting man on the moon.”

I never forget when I heard that story. I thought, God, help every one of us, no matter what our role or position is, to attach it to the bigger meaning and the bigger purpose for which we are here. Honor, honor, honor. Honor changes our parents, young people, into extraordinary by changing how we see them. Honor changes our nation into extraordinary by changing how we see it.

I was watching President Trump this week at NATO, at a NATO meeting, and at a press conference, and he was taking questions from the press. I was fascinated by how they honored him — the foreign press would start by saying something nice, thanking him for something he’s done and for being here today. Then they put their question out. And I was working on this message and I thought, “Right there it is.” They treat him better in another country. That’s what Jesus was talking about than our own press would treat him right here.

Now, this is human nature. I’m not trying to get on anybody’s case and I’m not trying to take myself out of this and say I never deal with it. I’m just saying, if we can all be mindful of what we have and the blessings that we have, and the people that are around us. I’m not suggesting that we should cover or excuse bad behavior or deception from our leaders. I’m not suggesting that. In fact, we should pray against and we should condemn those who do evil against their own people and against the safety of our children and our family. You get me on that, right?

Psalm 97 says, “Let those who love the Lord hate evil.” Romans 12 says, “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil. Hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” You don’t have to do one or the other. You can abhor what is evil. You can stand against what is evil, and still live a life of honor where we’re working hard to outdo one another in showing honor. Boy, I’m preaching good today.

Everything’s better with honor. Amen. Say that with me. Everything’s better with honor. Your marriage is better with honor. Your family is better with honor. Our schools are better with honor. The ball game is better with honor. The ball game is better when it starts with the national anthem and we all stand together. It’s better. It’s a better ball game. And then we have teams that have rivalry, one has a Boston hat on — which I do not like. Wish I had my cardinal hat on. I’d go at you right now. You know, we can have rivalries, we can pick at one another, we can have fun, but when we start colliding with dishonor and disrespect, the whole ball game gets messed up for you and your family, right? Ball games are better with honor. Schools are better with honor. Properties are better with honor. Church is better with honor. Nation is better with honor. Everything’s better with honor.

And you’ve heard me say this many times over the years, we don’t just honor up, right? We honor down and we honor — oh, that’s our church right there finishing my sentence for me. Say it with me. Say, “Honor up.” Honor up. Honor down. Honor down. Honor all around. Honor. One more time. Honor up. Honor up. Honor down. Honor all around.

In other words, we honor those who are over us, but we also honor those who are under us. Parents, Dad, be careful. Dad, be careful. You turn on your militant — I’m not taking that nonsense around here — kind of rough character with your children. Be careful that you don’t violate in a way that is dishonoring. The potential that is there, the possibility that is there, the greatness that is there. I’m saying it to dads. It’s for moms as well. But see, that’s what I mean. And we have to honor up and we also honor down. We kneel down and we look them in the eye and we talk with love, even when we discipline them.

I never knew what my dad meant when he would — he’d always hang a belt on the door knob when I wasn’t going to sleep and I was acting up, and he’d come in with a warning and hang the belt on the door knob just so I could see it through the hall light as a warning. I never knew what he meant when he said, “You know what? This will hurt me more than it will hurt you.” I had no idea until I punished my own child. It was only once or twice. But all of you who don’t believe in that, I don’t care.

Tears flow when you honor them. Heartache comes when you honor them. You understand what I’m saying? When you have to punish them, it’s very difficult. Why? Because you honor who they are. They mean the world to you, and you’re just doing what you know you’re responsible to do in raising up a child and training them in the ways of God. But don’t forget to honor them.

Honor the people serving us at Starbucks. Honor the people in line ahead of you and behind you. See, we don’t just honor places or people. We also honor places. Honor rooms that you occupy. Paper on the floor, pick it up. Spaces where we go to — honor. Honor it.

Well, it’s not my job. I’m not the janitor around here. Well, if it’s your classroom, if it’s your office space, if it’s the hallway in the place where you work, why are you saying this, Pastor Kevin? Because I want the doors to be wide open in your life for everything God has for you. I don’t want anything limited. Amen. Amen.

So I’m asking everyone to stay in your seat till the service is actually finished. Today I want to pray. I want to couple things I really want to do in closing. The point of this message is that if we don’t keep dishonor out of our hearts, it can get in us, in our children, and can stop the miracles and the blessings of God in our own lives, our legacy, our families, our future.

How about we just agree together today in Bellevue, Deont, Yakimo, online right here in Tacoma? How about we agree together today to elevate the level of honor in our hearts? How about we agree to bring honor back and to hold honor in our hearts? Show honor. Speak with honor. Be an example of honor. Yes.

How about we do that? And I mean that would be the best response to this message and this text that I shared with you today — that we would say, God, don’t let life and the blessings of life be so familiar to me that I would bring it down. Don’t let what other people are doing to serve me in my community be taken for granted. And the good news is, as we do this, we open up the door for God’s favor and God’s blessings in our lives. Amen.

How about we give the word of the Lord a good hand right now? Just celebrate. I hope some of you who come on a day like today — if you come for the first time or you don’t come here often — I hope that three things I just want to say to you about honoring church is that you would show up, serve, and stay. That’s honoring. If God calls you to a church, show up. Everybody say, “Show up.” Show up. Everybody say, “Serve.” Serve. Everybody say, “Stay.” Stay.

Lots of people come and go. They treat it like some kind of a restaurant gig or something. Well, you know, I don’t like that one anymore, I’ll go do this one. Light-hearted. God’s church shouldn’t be treated that way. Find out where He wants you planted. The Bible says if you’re planted in the house of the Lord, you’re going to flourish in the courts of God. Then commit yourself. I’m going to show up. I’m going to serve. I’m going to stay. When it’s not easy, I’m still going to get up. I’m going to go when I’d rather be somewhere else. I understand you have vacations. I understand all of that. I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about stay.

Somebody offends you — like, I get messages from people and I often think, man, it’s so petty how they got offended and said, I’ll never come back again. Somebody didn’t talk to me. Somebody didn’t greet me. Music was loud. You know what? Whatever. But if God puts you somewhere, stay. Stay. That’s how you honor what God’s doing.

Heads bowed, eyes closed. For anybody who is here today at any of our locations who is not sure of your own salvation, I want to give you a chance before you leave here today to know that you’re in right standing with God. Not to hope, but to know. And I’m just going to ask you to simply raise a hand up in the air because the first step is to be unashamed. And in this moment, just to let God know that you want to invite His kingdom and His will into your life.

Then step two is what I want to do with you. And that is to pray a prayer of new beginning. So I will gladly lead you in that prayer today. But let’s think about it for a moment. Just a moment. I want to ask you, are you ready to meet God? Are you ready for eternity? Are you in the place relationally with Him that you want to be? If not, I’m going to ask you if you would today seize a moment opportunity to just raise your hand, that would begin a process of saying, “God, I want You in my life. I want Your will to be done in me.” Would you do that right now?

Good. Hands are going up. Good. God bless you. Hands are going up around the room here and around all of our locations. I’m believing today. Good. God bless you. I see hands going up today. Raise your hand up high. Hold it up high if you would. Let’s all say this together: “Lord Jesus, welcome to my world. Forgive me of all my sin. Come into my life and make me a new person. I receive You now as the leader and the Lord of my life. I’ll never be the same again. In Jesus’ name.”

Welcome to all of you who just prayed that prayer. Welcome to the family of God. God bless you guys.