Them that honour me ... they that despise me ... (i) (Quality: very good)

[0:00] Depending upon the Lord for help, I direct your attention to the first book of Samuel, chapter 2, and reading verse 30.

[0:19] The first book of Samuel, chapter 2, verse 30.

[0:30] Wherefore the Lord God of Israel says, I said indeed that thy house and the house of thy father should walk before me.

[0:52] But now the Lord says, be it far from me. For them that honor me, I will honor.

[1:08] And they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed. For them that honor me, I will honor.

[1:22] And they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed. And this is one of the most solemn verses in the word of God.

[1:41] And in this verse there is teaching and instruction for both young and old alike.

[1:54] And oh that God might give you and I grace to listen and hearken to the word of God and to his testimony to all mankind.

[2:10] For in this verse God is saying to that man Eli. I said that indeed thy house and the house of thy father should walk before me forever.

[2:29] That is in the priesthood. For every one of us has a place wherein God would have us to walk.

[2:40] And that walking will always be consistent with his mind and his will. Or in other words, what he wants you to do.

[2:55] Not what you think you want to do. Not what we covet. Or what we are determined to have.

[3:05] Not the laws that we might lay down. Not the law that we are determined to have.

[3:23] Not the law that we are determined to have. Not the law that we are determined to have. And the reason of it is.

[3:34] because there has been a dishonouring of God they have not honoured God and so we might ask the question to ourselves why those of us in that ministry are we honouring God those who are in the diaconate are we honouring God walking consistently with his word without regard to man but regarding God alone we who are mothers we who are fathers and grandparents are we honouring God or are we honouring our offspring are we offering those that we are partial to in life and not indeed honouring God setting aside all the time what is required of God and what is his holy sovereign right and you children you younger ones are you honouring God or dishonouring him why every commandment in the word of God is spoken to you as well as to us older ones are we honouring God just see how the commandments begin thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy heart and thy soul and with thy strength friend are we honouring God in such a way is the current word today is

[5:36] I don't care or I don't think that is important I don't think that matters well it did matter to Eli didn't it eventually and indeed it will matter to us eventually for the most solemn thing happened to Eli because he did not hearken to the word of God now that is dishonouring yes he didn't hearken to the word of God with regards to his two sons you might say well they were grown up people ah they were indeed but as the high priest he had the authority to put them out of their office for they were desecrating their office bringing shame upon the word of God and so we find that those two sons of his were both killed in one day and why let me just point this out well they did something very solemn indeed they took the ark of God and they were not told to and they thought by bearing that on their shoulders that the enemy would be put to flight and that their armies would overcome the enemy but did it no it was just the reverse that day the ark of God was taken into captivity the symbol and emblem that the symbol and emblem that God was removed from them

[7:47] I say is a more solemn thing that could happen to us here as a people to us as individuals than God to remove from us but that was so in Israel but oh when God brought back the ark how different oh may God then in his mercy establish his word his holiness his sovereignty here and in our hearts as individuals yes them that honour me I will honour this is the word of God and so we see in the day in which we live things definitely are not like they used to be well what is it a solemn sense of times of the absence of God his frown in his displeasure but before I go further what made those sons

[9:11] Eli behave as they did we are told aren't we because they were wicked men and it's no good us saying oh but we are not like them there are many forms of wickedness there's no difference between the Pharisee who has a vain form of righteousness than the outright unashamed criminal therefore wickedness is wickedness in God's sight and we can be assured of this that he will visit us for wickedness and if God might say is visiting us in our churches today it is on account of wickedness and make no mistake about that we may have a title we may have a name but if we haven't got the reality and only the paper on which the title is written and our hearts are unchanged and unmoved what can we expect we can expect

[10:44] God's visitation as he visited Eli's house and so his sons were killed in one day he visited them by the hand of death and so Eli himself when he heard the news of those things he fell backwards off the stool upon which he was sitting and his neck was broke and he died to him that honour me I will honour what we might say an undignified death did the high priest die but I want to make another point here and it's needful that we do because in our chapter we have Hannah honouring her vow and bringing her little child into the temple into the priesthood she honoured her vow for she said if the

[11:58] Lord gave her a son she would give it to him in return so God was walking in Hannah's heart he knew he knew indeed that he would give her a son and certainly Samuel was the child of many prayers and cries unto God I say how she mourned over her barren state at first how in solemn her state was and yet my friend the Lord heard her prayer yes she said I poured out my soul unto the Lord she told Eli that when she said accused of being a drunkard or a woman of Belial she was not but nevertheless you see

[13:01] God knew what he was going to do with the priesthood in Israel and he knew also how he would revive it and how he would restore it therefore there is always hope with the Lord let Israel hope in the Lord for with the Lord oh there is mercy is there not there is plenteous redemption with him although judgments might come so indeed his mercies do come maybe the Lord indeed is speaking to some soul this day them that honour me I will honour thee to honour thee remember remember what has been and how indeed

[14:22] I will require of thee to honour thee in all thy ways now it is from this point I want to leave perhaps the historical side may God help me to preach from this word this day them that honour me I will honour it would almost seem as you read these words that there is an option or an alternative you can either do one thing or the other so it may seem like that but there's only one thing that the Lord requires of each one of us to honour him and how is it that we should honour him indeed to honour him in all that he has called upon us to do and some will shrug their shoulders in the day in which we live and say you can't do that in and of yourself that's true but as if it is an option is an excuse for them and no child should be laid against them my friend that's not honouring

[15:54] God them that honour me Lord help me I say oh the tender fear of the Lord is it not the beginning of wisdom have we got that tender fear of the Lord in our heart what I am doing how I am living how I am behaving does God approve of it or does he disapprove of it will he bring me into judgment for it will he lay his rod upon me for it will he come in such a way as to remove my life from the scene of life in but a moment or is he saying to thee thou fool this night thy soul shall be required of thee in many ways we are called to honour

[17:01] God it is with our substance but it is not just honouring God with our substance it uncovers to us what our substance is to us Jesus puts it to us like this no man can serve to masters in other words you can honour both at the same time for the two masters he is speaking of and Jesus Christ who are we honouring then in all aspects and all manner of life in which we are walking them that honour me I will honour you know avarice and greed is something that is natural to us and if men haven't got that generally speaking they have the sin of indolence doing nothing being of a dilatory mind sitting on their hands and watching the world go by as if they have no responsibility at all making things good for themselves here below them that honour me

[18:46] I will honour they honour the Lord's people honour him first by hearkening unto his word and the word of God tells us clearly that we have no abiding city here hearkening to his word reminding us again and again that we were born in sin and shaped in iniquity and in sin did our mothers conceive us we do not honour him by recognising our fallen condition that is as before God I say how many sleepless nights have you had over your sin and your state how many prayers have been offered up by you that the

[20:07] Lord would give you light and understanding to honour him I say how many cries have you made God be merciful to me a sinner but I am convinced of this that you know you know for well that you are sinners in God's sight and treating it in such a way as if it doesn't matter as if it's of no importance whatsoever friends we're not honouring God when we're living in such a careless indifferent state when we're saying oh well everybody does it everybody says it it's not like that today we live in a modern world friend when it's modern or old fashioned it's a sinful world it's a world indeed that Satan seems at times to dominate the easy way to our nature is to serve

[21:28] Satan and not to honour God I say bless his dear name if the Lord so wrought upon you to honour him and that is to honour his word how many times do we come into conflict over this with regard to the infallible word of God as being right and correct we have no right we have no power to alter it or to change it and yet so many shrugged the children I don't care I've been doing this for years my parents did it before me and my grandparents great grandparents so it may be so but I say them honour me to go back

[22:32] I say to the word of God and indeed to cling unto that to honour to own that he is our master lord it is before thee and thee alone I do fall it is before thee I would stand lord give me that all needed grace then honour me I will honour oh many will sum up things like this in one word religion religion that is not good enough is it to just see how many religions there are in the world there are many what we may call heathen religions as opposed to the

[23:34] Christian religion that is where Christ is claimed to be their leader but so often it is providing it doesn't cross their pathway or contradict their mind and will and cramp their style of life oh I say Jesus said love love not the world neither the things of the world the Christian religion do not be confused and say but they are Christians but oh in the word of God we read this Jesus said why call ye me Lord Lord and do not the things that I say you may indeed be criticising the faith in which you have been brought up

[24:38] I ask this question the faith in which you have been brought up in and are found in now is it that which honours the Lord Jesus Christ where he is unrivaled unrivaled oh yes I feel it necessary to say that because so many people will set up a man or a place that is not good enough my friend there was no other good enough to take away our sin and that sets out Jesus Christ from any other man and that indeed under the law every other man needs the Lord Jesus Christ to save them from their sin how we need to save than from idolatry we're guilty of it you know friends we're guilty of it oh then honour me

[25:57] I will honour no man can serve two masters there's nobody can compete for the place of Jesus Christ that he is Lord he is king and I believe we spake a little while ago here all power is given unto me in heaven and in us did not Eli and his sons discover that to their sorrow and to at least to their eternal grief them that honour me I will honour but why did not the Pharisees honour the Lord Jesus Christ first of all it was because it would underestimate their popularity their position for my friends men looked to them and they loved to be looked up to but my friend this man why he dwelleth and feasteth and drinketh with sinners therefore they could not lower themselves to the level of the

[27:31] Lord Jesus Christ what was the difference I say one was hypocrisy the other was pure neat holiness when I say neat holiness as being the eternal son of God there was no thought in Jesus there was no sin that could be discovered yet my friends he humbled himself even unto the death of the cross then that honour me I will honour what a great need there is then to hearken to the voice of Jesus his teaching was this and it is the same today that if we'll be his disciple is to take up our cross and to follow him this often is misunderstood as if by taking up our cross some affliction some suffering indulgence then we'll be his disciple it'll be alright with us at last no to take up a cross my friends is this to confess that this cross we are worthy to die upon it signifies that we are worthy of death that is the meaning of the carrying of the cross why because we are sinners because we've come short in

[29:33] God's sight because indeed we have done that which is evil and wrong in his sight but oh he says to follow him oh I say how important it is to bear this in mind take a bad cross and follow him we read and they came to a place called Golgotha which is called the place of a skull because many a soul had perished there according to the due reward of his deeds they were crucified there but my friend Jesus was crucified there and he suffered indeed for sin but not his own then that honor me

[30:34] I will honor salvation my friends then is surely of the merits and the mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ and I go one further still because of the love of the Lord Jesus Christ to poor and needy sinners tis he instead of me when I approach to God them that honor me I will honor this indeed is the honor that we confess that he is the son of God the savior of sinners such as we oh would we not honor him to follow on in the way that he would have us to go then honor me I will honor now what is the honor that

[31:39] Jesus confers God Almighty confers upon a poor sinner we all like to honor by nature don't we we you children you like to hear the teacher say at school well done that is a good piece of work but it's not quite like that is it the honor of the Christian the honor of a Christian my friend is this as Enoch knew it and he walked with God he walked with God friend what an honor that is to be allowed to walk with Jesus that he is willing that we should walk with him you may have been in that position where you have met somebody and they have joined themselves to you and you thought oh I wish they wouldn't embarrass me like this for you know what they are their language and so on is uncomely and is evil but my friend when we are called to walk with

[33:02] Jesus he changes our language he changes our demeanour though everybody else may know what we are what we have been but Jesus knows what he has made us by his grace are we ashamed of him are we ashamed of him them that honor me I will honor or the apostle Paul his character and his past life was well known to man but he said this I am what I am by the grace of God he couldn't take any credit to himself whatsoever let us then well remind ourselves of ever to take credit to ourselves in any way whatsoever is a blot against

[34:12] God to take credit to ourselves is not to honor him but to rob him of his honor and glory oh not unto us not unto us no but unto his great and his holy name them that honor me I will honor him how can then we honor him if we have no substance of our own within us friends if we have anything it comes from the Lord Jesus Christ there is a banner to be displayed because of the truth not to be hid under a bushel no but to be set for them that honor me

[35:19] I will honor the Lord's presence and he being with us perhaps you come to a place like this Lord where is all this going to end where is it going to end we may felt we have honor to the Lord and where has it brought us into deep troubles yes great troubles but do notice this those matters who prefer to would rather die than deny the Lord and Master he honored them in their death with his presence I say what a what an honor that is he does honor his people yes in the hour an article of death you know that time is going to prove everything isn't it it will prove whether who and what we are whether we are real whether we are sincere or whether we are just vain or make believe men will say well

[36:46] I hope I am right but they use that word hope in such a way it's nothing decided about it as if it doesn't matter much friends it matters very very much doesn't it I believe every child of God they may not have it but they'll desire it that is a sweet and full assurance that not only Jesus died for sinners but that he died for me it's very important except why is it my friend what can a man give in exchange for his soul why you know full well there's nothing you can give in exchange for your soul and it will be your soul that will either live or die eternally and that is so important it cannot be anything different but that therefore

[37:59] I say do we not want to know are we not concerned how it will be with us when it comes to the swellings of Jordan when it comes we are caught to draw our last breath why my friend a great need is it not then honour me I will honour friend we may have to surrender everything here below but there's one thing you will not surrender you that honour him and that is the Lord Jesus Christ for he has surely said this to us all that the father has given me shall come unto me and he that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out cast out are we cast out do we know what it is to be a cast out do we not realise why we are cast out ah my friend but our mercy is

[39:18] Jesus doesn't cast out the cast outs but he suffers such sinners to come unto him may the Lord add his blessing to these few remarks for his great name sake amen